NAEP Scores Reveal Continued Shortcomings

The release of the 2017 national student performance data should not give educators or parents anything to cheer about. There was no performance level above 50% in any assessed category at and of the tested grade levels (4th, 8^th &12^th).

Here are a few examples of how US students performed.

Mathematics (Percentage of students at or above proficiency levels)

Grade 4- 40%

Grade 8 34%

Grade 12-25%

Science

Grade 4-38%

Grade 8-34%

Grade 12- 22%

Reading

Grade 4- 37%

Grade 8-36%

Grade 12- 37%

The numbers were even more abysmal for civics, US history and geography.

Some individual states, like Florida, did experience some increased at some grade levels in some of the specific content areas.

 This would not be the first warning to educators, parents, and government officials, that unless we as a nation do something to turn the tide of student performance, the US will continue to face a decline in areas a expertise on the world stage.

Charter school have not helped neither has giving every student a laptop made any significant difference.

The recent teacher demonstrations in several states have uncovered a truth; states have been shortchanging their students by cutting education costs and allowing facilities to decay and textbooks to become obsolete. The time has come for all like- minded concerned citizens to come together devise plans to shore up our education infrastructure.

For more specific information about the nation’s report card go to nationsreportcard.gov.

C.2018 J., Margolis

Teachers Getting Their Voice

First it was the teachers of state of West Virginia, clamoring for a livable salary.

Their message is now beginning to resonate across the country in Oklahoma and Kentucky. But the message of these teachers and those community members who support them is not just about salary. It is about conditions in schools that are falling apart. It is about textbooks that are disintegrating and are obsolete. It about schools that have to meet only four days a week because the district cannot pay for a fifth day of electricity. There are schools wit ipads for students but no Wi-Fi for them to connect to. These teachers, who are committed to the success of their students, are storming the halls of their state legislatures. It is unfortunate that students are missing school days, but it is hoped that this is short lived and that they days will be made up. How can we as a nation continue to lead the world in scientific development and economic prowess if we have substandard schools, many that been neglected for too long.

The US Secretary of Education is strangely absent on these matters.

In the meantime, the students, teachers, parents and community leaders of Parkland, Florida continue on their quest to protect students through school safety measures and gun control.

According to reports the state of Arizona may be next for teacher activism. As this drive gathers momentum, it will be up to the public to determine what the future of education in America will be.

c.2018 J. Margolis

Suicide Prevention is Everyone’s Responsibility

According to recent reports, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24. That number increases for LGBT youth. Additionally, one out of six students nationwide (those in high school) have seriously considered suicide during the past year.  One of the more popular shows currently running on Broadway is “ Dear Evan Hansen, which” has a main theme of teen suicide as an integral part of the plot.

It is the responsibility of all educators to be on the lookout for signs of students who harm themselves, write notes about suicide or talk to their peers about it. Do not leave a student threatening suicide alone! When in doubt, call 911 immediately.

C.2018 J. Margolis

New Book “Truth Decay”- Just the Facts

In the March/April issue of Rand Review, a magazine published by the RAND Corporation, there is a brief review of a new book titled  “Truth Decay.” Written by political scientist Jennifer Kavanagh and RAND president and CEO, Michael Rich, the book explores the changing roles of facts and analysis in American life today. This disintegration of truth has historical as well as psychological implications. For educators today, being able to present facts in a cogent and understandable manner in the classroom presents a modern dilemma. Facts are supposed to be incontrovertible. Yet, when looking at both print and on-air media, reports of the facts can change form one station or newspaper to another. The lines between fact and opinion have become hopelessly blurred.

This important work is must reading and can the purchased from the RAND Corporation. It can also be downloaded as an eBook from their web site

(www.rand.org)

c.2018 J.Margolis

To Home School or Not

I am a lifelong proponent of public education. I believe that school is a much a social institution as an academic one. For much of my academic career I have frowned upon the home schooling of school age children. I have championed of the value of groupthink, of developing peer relationships and of working together. I had felt that home schooling was isolationist and that children were missing out on an important part of the education process.   Back in the colonial era, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote a treatise stating that he believed that in order for the fledgling United States of America to survive, it needed a strong public education program. Back in my days as a middle school guidance counselor, I remember a parent coming to me to request home schooling for her daughter. She petitioned the board of education, requested a copy of the curriculum as well as copies of then textbooks used. The board approved her request. A few weeks later, the same parent approached the school board requesting that her daughter be allowed to play on the middle school girl’s basketball team. Again the board granted approval. I was annoyed. I felt that you had to be either all in or all out and should not be able to pick and choose what you liked and disliked about public education.

That all changed on Valentine’s Day, 2018 with the carnage that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. If everything about the need for home schooling centered on the safety and security of children, I get it now. It’s more than academic. There is a place for home schooling on education continuum. Home schooling students have gained admission to some of America’s top universities. Others have won national spelling and geography competitions.

Still other home-schooled children have made it to Broadway or Hollywood.

So where does that leave the rest of us? The gun debate will go on and on. The mental heath debate will go on and on. What will happen to the future of “ a place called school?”

C.2018 J Margolis

Hand in Hand- a Remarkable School Program in Israel

I had the opportunity last night to attend a presentation of an organization called Hand in Hand. The program is an initiative of the Center for Jewish- Arab Education in Israel. The mission of the program is to integrate Jewish and Arab students in the same school and sharing language as well as cultural differences. Currently there are six Hand in Hand schools operating in Israel and since the school are public institutions they are 40% funded by the Israel government. Twenty percent of the funding comes from the parents and another 40% from various philanthropies. It is hoped that these schools will be agents of change that foster an understanding of the two cultures that live in Israel. Schools such as these require a solid commitment from both the parents and the community at large. Parents make a conscious decision to attend these unique schools and make a commitment to be a part of the educational process. The communities come together on a regular basis for shared cultural and educational activities such as picnics, holiday celebrations as well as excursions. There is an old Chinese proverb that goes ‘ A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” The Hand in in Hand program is that first step in creating a mutual understanding and respect from Israelis and Palestinians.

For more information  about this unique  school program go to handinhandk12.org.

c.2018 J. Margolis