Book Review- “Shame Nation”

I recently had the opportunity to preview a book that is going to be published in October. “Shame Nation” takes an introspective look at the rise of online hate and shaming both in the United States and around the world. One of the facets of the book is to look at cyber bullying. This has become an epidemic among school students that has unfortunately led to the tragic suicides of a number of students.

The authors have defined shame in three parts:

“1) a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety

2) a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute

3) something that brigs censure or reproach” (page 8)

As we approach the start of a new academic year, this book is a MUST READ for teachers. We live in a society filled with negativity and given that computer and cell phone use is so prolific, anyone (even teachers) can become a an online victim almost instantaneously.

Monica Lewinsky will pen the foreword of this book. Her one quote printed thus far observed “ There is a very personal price to public humiliation, and the growth of the Internet jacked up that price.”

The authors of this important work are Sue Scheff and Melissa Schorr. Both are published authors. Ms. Scheff is the founder of Parents Universal Resource Experts and has been involved with working with teens.

Publication information’

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Price- $25.99

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 978-1-4926-4899-4

c. 2017 J. Margolis

High School Grade Inflation ( again)

A recent article in IUSA Today reviewed finding that while high school student GPA’s appear to be rising, college admission exam scores (SATs) have not. In fact according to the article, average SAT scores for the class of 2016 have actually dropped. Conversely, the percentage of “A” students has increased to 47%. These statistics can be framed around the fact the graduation rate in US public schools has increased to 83%.

Grade inflation has also crept into college grades. The above-mentioned study also revealed that as much as one half of all college grades given have been “A”s.

The question that educators should be asking is -Why?

Is there more pressure from parents and administrators to demonstrate how successful a school is’? Is the work getting easier? Do grades really reflect student achievement and performance?

Once again it is time to examine what a grade is and what is it supposed to reflect. Based on this current research grade shave been cheapened by inflation for a myriad of factors.

Some institutions have gone to ungraded narrative evaluations. Others have gone to O, S, U grading (Outstanding, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory.) For many teachers in the US, the new school year is only a few weeks away. IT is time to reflect and prepare for the new year with a candid and proactive review of how to grade.

C.2017 J. Margolis

Charter Schools on the Front Line

During the academic year that just concluded the State of New Jersey closed four public charter schools for poor academic performance. This brings the total of 16-charter school that have been closed under the current administration. According to reports, there are still 88 charter schools operating the state. All four of the applications for new schools next year were rejected. This exposes a broader conundrum. If the amount of funding for school is finite, where should the available funds be allocated?

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools there are about 6900 public charter schools that enroll over 3.1 million students. This represents an increase of about 7%. Currently 43 states plus the Districts of Columbia have charter school legislation. Washington, DC has the largest percentage of public charter schools.

Charter schools are publicly funded and independently run, in some cases operated by for-profit companies. Sometimes, they don't have to follow the district's rules and regulations, even though they may receive funding from them. They often don't hire unionized teachers -- a distinction that has put them at odds with teacher unions.

Are charter schools better than their public counterparts? Well, that depends.

This is where the issue will be debated. Should federal funds be spent on public schools or should they be used to expand the charter school program? Secretary of Education Betsy DeVoss is a major proponent of charter schools. She has been a strong proponent of the charter initiative in Michigan.

A great deal of research is inconclusive. Some research points to the fact that charters have been more successful than traditional public schools. Other reports have labeled them as failures. Sociologically, there are a higher percentage of minority and low-income students in charter schools. Concerned parents are obviously looking for alternatives to failing public schools (see Washington, DC).

We don’t know where this debate is headed but charter schools will continue to be a hot button issue.

C.2017 J. Margolis

Happy Fourth of July

I know that school is out for the summer for just about everyone. Teachers and students have both earned a well-deserved vacation. But it seems sad that one of America’s greatest holidays, July 4^th, is celebrated during the summer. Along the east coast of the US there are numerous sites with a connection to the Revolution that are perfect for field trips. Throughout the country on the Fourth of July, costumed actors, politicians and just plain folk, read the Declaration of Independence. And of course, any city or town worth its salt, caps off the celebration with parades and fireworks.

My favorite film, one that I have used in the classroom, is 1776. Based on the Broadway musical, the show traces the efforts of our Founding Fathers to flesh out the Declaration of Independence, while along the way, deal with personal idiosyncrasies, sectional rivalries, and the issue of slavery. One song, sung by William Daniels as John Adams, sums up his emotions then. “Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?” Those words have meaning even today. When questioned about just WHO is an American, Adams (Daniels) remarks that he believed there are only two qualifications. One is that they are people.  Two that they are here (in the colonies). The southern colonies took exception to that notion.

However you and your family choose to celebrate the Fourth of July, try not to lose sight of the holiday’s true meaning. Try also to convey the importance of this day to your students when you next see them.  Happy Fourth!

c.2017  J, Margolis

Free College Tuition Taking Root

When Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ran for President, he was labeled a socialist.

Many of the voters who latched on to his platforms were young people who were able to connect with what he was saying. One policy issue that gained traction was free college tuition. As anyone who has been following college costs knows, a four- year college degree is being priced out for many would-be students. Although Sanders lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton, the free tuition notion apparently has some traction. Recently the State of New York announced free college tuition for students who attended New York state colleges. Two provisos of the program are that family income must be under $100,000 and the student must promise to remain in New York State for each year of scholarship. Thus a student who receives a four-year scholarship is to remain in New York for four-years after graduation. This is to prevent a “ brain drain” where students leave the state soon after graduation.

The state of New Jersey has had a program for a number of years. The NJ Stars program enabled students who graduate from high school with a certain GPA would be able to attend the local community college tuition-free. If the student maintains the requisite GPA at the community college, they would receive scholarship funds to a New Jersey state college for the next two years.

Other states may be jumping on the wagon. The state of Tennessee has enacted the Tennessee Promise Act where, starting in 2018, all state residents will be able to attend community college tuition-free. Students must be state residents for at least a year before applying. To keep the scholarship, they have to enroll at least part-time, maintain a 2.0 GPA and complete eight hours of community service each semester.

Oregon has also enacted similar community college free tuition programs.

While programs like those mentioned have been slow to develop, the future for many prospective college students look bright. Even back in colonial times, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, observed that in order for the fledgling democracy, the United States of America, to succeed, it needed an educated population. Two centuries later, the same is still true.

c. 2017 J. Margolis