Personalized Learning

In an effort to not have added view of education’s version of “what’s old is new again,” I decided to have a new look at personalized learning.  A recent study conducted by the RAND Corporation included a review of several school industries around the country that have adopted personalized learning. The RAND study concluded that students who participated in the program had better academic gains in reading and math than their peers.

In the Personalized Learning classroom, the traditional “ halk and talk” format of knowledge delivery is jettisoned in favor of having a learning plan for each student that they can proceed at their own pace. The advent of computer-assisted learning has made it easier to develop programs that students can use at their own learning pace. It utilizes alternative difficulty levels and tries to identify what students are interested in to allow them to stay on track.

The RAND study followed progress in 62 schools (mostly from low –income areas). These identified schools-public charter schools- had received grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The students in the participating schools had been underperforming on standardized tests prior to involvement in the Personalized-learning program. “ The most successful schools in the (RAND) study were flexible in how they used classroom space and time, allowing students more freedom to work in groups or on individual projects.”

For more information about this program, please check out the full report at the RAND website (www.rands.org/t/RR1365.

C.2016 J. Margolis

Nationwide Teacher Shortages (Again)

It was bound to happen sooner or later. All of the teachers’ union bashing, low salaries, unrealistic demands on teacher performance and layoffs made during the recessions have succeeded in creating a teacher shortage. With all of the negative press, who would want to become a teacher? So the question remains, after all of that negative energy, how to we attract new teachers to the profession- the profession that prepares students for all other professions?

According to the Hechinger Report, enrollment in teacher preparation programs in California (a state with perennial teacher shortages) dropped from 719,000 in 2008-09 to 499,800 is 2012-13. Throughout the country there persists shortages in math, science and the STEM subjects of technology and engineering. In an analysis of the issue, researchers have noted that there are flaws in both the recruitment and retention programs. Problems tend to be exacerbated in certain states that have unique and specific educational policies regarding the hiring, certification and evaluation of teachers.

With the teaching profession comprising approximately 4% of the civilian labor force, teacher employment can move the national workforce needle. Since the nation has been down this road before, it behooves us to develop a comprehensive plan for recruitment of bright and talented teacher candidates. This can be accomplished with incentives, such as scholarships, signing bonuses,  professional development programs, and incentives to stay in the profession. Beyond that we need to raise the importance of teaching the public consciousness and to raise the level of respect for the profession.

C.2016 J. Margolis

How will you Celebrate Constitution Day with your Students ?

September 17 is Constitution Day in the United States.  This year the holiday will be celebrated on September 16 since the 17^th is on a Saturday. It is an event that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia.  The holiday was first established in 2004.

As a result of the emotional comments made by the Khan family at the recent Democratic National Convention, the Constitution of the United States become the number one book sold on Amazon.com. As part of the US citizenship exam, new citizens must learn about the Constitution and what it stands for. However, many of us who were born and raised here, know little about the Constitution.

There are a number of web sites that classroom teachers use to download lessons plans and printable worksheets for their students.  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has an excellent site with lots of materials for teachers. Go to https://constitutionday.aclu.org./ another web site- apples 4teachers.org also offer a wealth of no cost materials for classroom use. The site address is

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/constitution-day/printables/

A third site that has useful materials can be found at Education World. The site is

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson347.shtml.

This is an election year. Don’t miss an opportunity to spend some quality time with you students about the heart of our democracy, The Constitution of the United States.

C.2016 J. Margolis

Teachers as Social Activists.

Two separate news articles caught my attention this weekend and they both had to do with teachers going far beyond their traditional and contractual responsibilities, to act on behalf of their students. You won’t find these listed in any job description, but unbeknownst to the general public, classroom teachers have been going "above and beyond" for years.

The first has to do with funding. For many years teachers have gone into their own pockets to provide supplies for their students that schools would not or could not provide. They included items such as craft supplies, computer software, museum admissions and (back in the day) disposable cameras. Teachers  did not expect to get reimbursed for these items, yet they felt that they helped to create a more productive classroom experience for their students. This has been the case especially in schools in low socio-economic areas. Enter the Internet age. Today resourceful teachers have gone to web sites like gofundme to request funds from the general public to help with their projects. Some teachers have been successful in raising hundreds of dollars for their programs. This creativity and resourcefulness became necessary as school districts cut their supply budgets and after the 2008 Great Recession, found many parents out of work. While we should salute the resourcefulness of the teachers, this story exposes a sad commentary about the state of public education in America.

The second issue has to do with homeless students. According to a recent Associated Press article there are now more than 1.3 million homeless students in US public schools, a number that is expected to increase in the future. Many of these students live in cars, tent cities, under highways or motels. These children are entitled to an education. Many of these students have been kept out of school because their parents did not have the required paperwork for enrollment. Once again classroom teachers have come to rescue, identifying homeless students to the administration and advocating for them, by making sure they participate in federally funded breakfast and lunch programs. They refer students to county health clinics for free screenings and immunizations. Teachers advocated for these students to be eligible for bus services. It is imperative that schools reach out to these children and their parents to guide them to the proper agencies to receive needed services.

Everything you need to be a successful teacher was not taught in your education courses at college. Teachers need to continue to be advocates for their students’ success and their efforts should not go unnoticed.

c. 2016 J. Margolis