Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Teach Today, Teach Tomorrow?

It’s the end of April. For many of you, this is the time that you will be receiving your notice of rehire or learn if you are going to be awarded tenure. In most places, if a district plans not rehire a teacher, it must give that teacher 60 days notice. Conversely if this is the year you are choosing to retire or resign, you will need to notify your district officials of your intent to leave.
If you are graduating from college this year and in on the midst of your job search, you should be receiving interviews, getting requests to teach sample lessons, and learning about anticipated vacancies in area school districts. Be mindful of the fact that shortages expected in the profession are basically the same as they have been for many years- teachers of science, mathematics, and special education.
I thought that it would be appropriate at this time to revisit some of the current statistics and facts regarding future job opportunities in the teaching profession.
According to recent reports from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) this decade could mark the retirement of one third of America’s teaching force. Many of these anticipated retirements while be from Baby Boomers – those teachers born between 1946 and 1964, but not all. Many teachers who have been in the profession for just a few short years are also choosing to leave the profession. These are generally men and women who have been in the field for less than five years. They cite the fact that teacher morale is low and expectation grow ever higher. While some leave the profession for personal or family reasons, like the relocation of the job of a spouse, others cite additional reasons. Some feel that their college teacher preparation program was inadequate. Others underestimated the time and commitment required to be an effective and successful classroom teacher. Teacher turnover can be costly to a school district. According to a report issued by The National Commission of Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), it cost districts nationwide over $7 billion (yes, that’s BILLION) in 2005 to recruit, hire and train new teachers. The revolving door in the education field is usually found in urban school districts, and school districts with a high poverty rate. The attack on teachers’ unions and changes in tenure laws, and teacher accountability has had a lot to do with the current disenchantment in education.  First year teachers need more “hand-holding” and mentoring to help them navigate the  ins and outs of  a new job. Administrators need to be clear about expectations from day one. Additionally, teachers in the United States need to be afforded the respect and dignity that their peers in other nations get.
c. 2013 j. margolis

Thursday, April 11, 2013

National Library Week


The Week of April 14-20 has been designated as National Library Week. This event has been sponsored by the American Library Association since 1958 and encourages the public to use all libraries at their disposal; public, school, and even bookmobiles. The theme for this year is “Communities Matter @ Your Library.” This month's event provides a great opportunity for teachers to engage their students in library centered activities. The American Library Association website has posted available for down load as well as suggested activities for students. Many libraries will be sponsoring book sales, readings and author visitations as part of the celebration. Education World online magazine has lesson plans available for classroom teachers to use. http://www.educationworld.com/a_special/national_library_week.shtml.
Caroline Kennedy is the honorary chair and official spokesperson for this year’s events sponsored by ALA. For more information and ideas you might wish to check out their web site at http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek.
Also check out this site- http://atyourlibrary.org/national-library-week
There are lots of things for students to do at the library. They can do their homework, use a computer or even learn a new skill. It is also place to meet new friends. If your students do not have library cards at the local public library, encourage them to get one.
These events create many teachable moments for students and library based activities can be easily integrated into your regular curriculum. For those of you who teach in high schools, you want to have your students look at challenged and banned books and discuss why they are challenged and how do those challenges interfere with Constitutional rights.

c. 2013 J. Margolis

Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Federal Government’s Role in Public Education

Dr. Benjamin Rush was a physician in colonial Philadelphia and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He wrote a treatise in 1786 observing that if the fledgling nation, the United States of America, were to survive; it would need an educated population.( For  more information about Dr. Rush and education see my blog of August 26,2012). Thomas Jefferson, our country’s third President also noted the importance of education to fuel the American economy. Interestingly enough, there is nothing in the Constitution of the United States about the education of its citizens. In fact there are no education requirements to run for President of the United States. That meant that public education fell under the Tenth Amendment, which basically stated that anything not specifically the purview of the federal government was under the control of the individual states. That meant that we had 50 state departments of education, 50 state certification requirements and 50 (or more) curriculums for public school children.
The role of the federal governmnet in education changed with the launching of Sputnik, the first satellite by the Soviet Union in 1957. The US discovered it was woefully behind in science and math as well as the number of students entering colleges and universities. In 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education ACT which provided funding for college students majoring in science and math and other major critical to national defense.
The second government incursion into public education came under the Johnson Administration. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was authorized in 1965 as part of the “War on Poverty.” The legislation allowed for funding at both the elementary and secondary levels. The monies could be used for professional development, instructional materials, for resources to support educational programs, and for parental involvement promotion. The use of the funds for creating a national curriculum was specifically prohibited.
The third set of laws regarding public education where enacted under the presidency of George W. Bush. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was enacted in 2001 with multiple provisions. It required that all teachers be deemed “highly qualified” in the subject they taught. The law established parameters for yearly progress of each school district based upon, among other things, student performance on standardized tests (AYP).
The most recent federal government effort to involve itself in public education in this country is the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This program begun by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the Obama administration is an initiative to establish high standards in English and mathematics nationwide. The hope is that this effort will enable American students to be prepared to function in the new global economy.  It is hoped that the skills to be developed via these standards will extend classroom knowledge into real-world applications. For more information about this initiative and sample questions go to www.parcconline.org.
Despite your interpretation of the Constitution, federal government involvemnet in education is here and plans to stay for the foreseeable future.
c. 2013 J. Margolis