Building Community in the Classroom is Essential for 21st Century Education

Students working together with one another in the same classroom must not be taken for granted as the skill must be developed. Even the process of assigning new seating and planning team assignments can create conflict. Because many classroom activities are designed for student engagement, students often have opinions about who they sit next to.  Being adamant about sitting next to a particular classmate may become quite common if community has not been developed. Students are quick to express that they do not get along with certain students and therefore, a teacher should not ignore student requests; however, the teacher can seek to remedy the problem. Solving student relationship problems must be a school-wide endeavor or once students leave one class, they will take a different behavior to the next class. Principals and climate workers must work together to build community among students and teachers.

As students are raised in diverse contexts, how conflicts among relationships within the home are resolved will certainly affect the way a child responds to his classmates when conflict arises. Children learn what they see. Relationship deficiencies become apparent when conflict occurs among peers and peaceful resolutions are not practiced. While disagreements should not lead to an argument, unfortunately, the only response to a disagreement may result in a dispute or strife because strife is most familiar to a particular student. If one will build community inside a classroom, one will need to proactively lead to build relationships (Burke, 2011).

Building community is an integral part of instruction as although the common core standards do not specify how they should be taught, as they rather provide grade level goals; however, they represent a synthesis of components of the best student work from across countries and states (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014).  Good learning demands that instruction be differentiated to accommodate all students, student-centered, and that students remain engaged in learning, as they collaborate with peers, and community. The challenge arises when students do not possess the interpersonal skills, community, and team-building skills to achieve classroom goals.

While most administrators hold teachers responsible for academic rigor, measurable results from student testing, and building strong networks among stakeholders; administrators must realize that they play an integral part in student outcomes. To avoid blaming and tensions among administrators and teachers, a revolutionary idea with three components include community building, contextualized learning, and selecting a capstone project is recommended particularly for the CTE classroom (Burke, 2011). Although this model is originally developed for a 21^st century CTE with Common Core Standards in Math, I believe that the ideas are replaceable for other subjects. The teambuilding needed for completing projects is said to help improve relationships, to lessen disciplinary problems, heighten student engaging, and to increase student attendance (Burke, 2011). 

Improving Urban Schools needs the Involvement of Urban Parents

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting two schools from suburban school districts and left realizing how different the experiences of suburban schools are to urban schools. The Philadelphia School District is a Title I district, as a considerable number of its population is considered socioeconomically disadvantaged. Title I provides 100% federally funded supplemental education for educationally disadvantaged children (PDE, 2014). The problem is that even with the Title I funding, urban schools are still left wanting.  Equitable educational opportunities are not the experiences of urban public schools when compared to most suburban school districts.

During my visit, I began to wonder whether educational reforms really make a difference as the NCLB act clearly has not been able to improve urban schools.  The questions as to what makes a great school began to fill my mind. Certainly great teachers help to make a great school, a great principal helps to make a great school, and a supportive community helps to make a great school. The more the suburban principals talked, the more I realized that one of the greatest advantages suburban schools have that urban schools do not have are a majority of parents who demonstrate involvement and investment into the urban school. The affluent parents of suburban schools seem to hold schools more accountable for upholding excellence. They also volunteer as one school had a parent creating beautiful murals throughout the library, others donated monies to provide field trips for students. A parental presence is one of the most consequential influences in suburban schools as urban schools must learn from them. Although the financial base of suburban parents may be deeper, urban parents can offer other kinds of involvement; like volunteering in the oversized classrooms, or using one’s skills to improve the appearance of an urban school, or helping with anti-bullying in the schools.

The federal and state governments provide funding in various forms to support the urban public schools as well as tax dollars of residents. Unfortunately, the white flight to the suburbs left urban schools with an abundance of disadvantaged minorities and segregated schools.  Studies show that when racial segregation exists for minorities, health risks, and poorer schools follow, as teens also have lower test scores in these segregated areas. The obvious social distance is exacerbated between the white majority and minorities when minorities grow up in poverty (Haines, n.d.). Social development cannot be overlooked when comparing the two kinds of districts as many poor students have limited experiences beyond their urban settings.

Although gentrification is beginning to occur in many parts of Philadelphia, the poor still remain in most areas and they cannot be ignored. Certainly the tax dollars of the new and wealthier urbanites are needed and welcomed; however, the people must take ownership of their schools while not looking for someone else to do the work. Urban parents must see themselves as the keepers and preservers of their communities and schools. Although, the new neighbors bring increased economic activity as seen through the sale of real-estate, the demographics change; while median income increases, and new culture and community characteristics become evident (POV, 2014), the responsibility to improve one’s public school lies in the hands of the parents within the school community.  

School District of Philadelphia Teachers Protest SRC's Plans to Make Cuts to Health Benefits

Volunteering for Education

Met some PFT Colleagues on the campaign today. Tom Wolf promises to give money back to public schools when he becomes governor in Pennsylvania. I volunteered on a grassroots level to help his campaign and went door to door to talk to the community. The morning was beautiful today. We started canvasing at 10:00 am and ended at 12:00 noon.

Saving Philadelphia Schools “By Any Means Necessary”

The FDA requires a health warning for cigarette advertisements and cigarette packages because in the United States, Tobacco use is the foremost cause for preventative and premature death. The death rate from using Tobacco is 443,000 yearly while the cost to the economy for low productivity and medical expenses, are $200 billion dollars. The Tobacco Control Act requires that cigarette advertisements and cigarette packages have warnings placed on them. Nine different warnings from Tobacco smoke are mandated from the Tobacco Control Act including Tobacco smoke can harm your children, to Tobacco smoke can kill you.

Such irony is evident as the news finally came regarding Pennsylvania’s state lawmakers deciding to pass legislation for the purpose of generating the needed $90 million dollars for funding the school district. This announcement obviously brings relief to children, parents, teachers, and superintendents. According to Superintendent Hite, without passing the cigarette tax bill, the district would have had to lay off 1300 educators and delay opening schools for the fall.

Have we become a society willing to save our schools and economy, by any means necessary? I am a strong advocate of education and believe that if we will ever expect our children to develop robust character into adulthood, where they are able to positively impact society, then we as parents and leaders must begin to demonstrate that we do not compromise our values. Upholding unwavering character decisions, and values that will emphatically preserve society are what parents, leaders, and educators are supposed to represent. We are the elders who should have gained wisdom over the years. Drugs, gambling, Tobacco, Pornography and the like are not supposed to be what sustains a respectable society. If we have become so desperate, that we will use the convenience of dishonorable methods, then we have lost our focus as leaders. Surely, someone could have suggested a more respectable means to support our children. The packages say “Tobacco smoke can harm your children”, yet the decision to fund the education of the children comes from the selling of a product that harms our children. This is certainly mockery and although the financial need is being met, I believe parents and leaders should reconsider how our hearts have grown cold to the moral values we once had, as we once sought to protect our children and now, the” by any means necessary” rule is applied to the most important people in our world.

I want the children to know that they deserve better. They deserve a good education, but the means should first come as a result of strategic planning that upholds a moral value system so as to preserve our society. Prayer used to be important but has now been replaced with “by any means necessary”. If the schools will be healed and the children educated and prepared to thrive in this global economy, then we must find a way to return back to moral decision making. Unbridled decision making will ultimately lead to failure of our schools and failure of our society.

The Laws To Destroy Public Education in America

With the selling of public school buildings; like the William Penn High School to Temple University, strategically situated in North Philadelphia; and the closure of so many public schools, as in Philadelphia where 32 public schools were closed in 2013, one has to wonder about the future of public schooling. The existence of public schools in the next ten years, school closures in the near future, and public school as a priority in America remain in question as I believe that the destruction of public schooling is not a coincidence and has been strategically designed. Consider that in 1647, Puritan children read the bible in public school to learn about their Calvinist religion. Although public education in America was first established for educating citizens to read the bible, the bible has since been abolished from public schools in America as the purpose for public education has obviously changed. In 1790, the Pennsylvania constitution addressed free public education for educating poor children while rich children were expected to pay for their own education. By 1827, public education was free for all children in Massachusetts. By 1830, laws were such that slaves were not permitted to learn to read while those who did learn to read risked their own safety. However, between 1866 and 1877, African Americans mobilized to have free public schools for the first time in the south although whites benefited more than the African Americans. In 1954, the supreme court ruled the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka that segregated schools were inherently unequal and were to be abolished (Center for Racial Justice, n.d.). However, the move to be separate has not been put to rest by many. The attack on public schools through American laws has continued to be motivated by those who want to be separate through choice.

Historically, over the past 100 years, public schools have been expected to serve as multi-purpose institutes so as to discipline, feed hungry children, encourage and identify talented children, raise self-efficacy and test scores, have winning sports teams, accommodate student learning styles, and provides students with skills that are sensitive for the present economy. The weight and responsibility of public education is unlike any other institution. Unfortunately, those who teach and administrate in public education are often blamed and scrutinized as teachers are penalized and despite the expectations for educators from the public, their value as high professionals has not been recognized (Reese, 2007). Vilifying public schools has been a mission for republicans who in 1983 had controlling power over the U.S. Department of Education and the National Commission on Excellence in Education (NCEE, 1983). The hidden agenda of NCEE was that of debasing the public school system as the republicans have not changed today. Vilifying public schools is a way republicans have used for introducing school choice, vouchers, and privatization and dualism (Tienken & Orlich, 2013).

Considering how public schools have been blamed in the past, we can consider the launching of Sputnik by the Russians in 1957, policy makers viewed that event as a signal that American education was inadequate. Education has been considered a national security priority by American educational policy makers and Sputnik has often been the catalyst for educational reform (Tienken & Orlich, 2013). Feeling inferior to other nations particularly the Soviets led to A Nation at Risk as the report described American instruction mediocre and if it were imposed on Americans by an unfriendly nation, we would view the instruction as an act of War (Tienken & Orlich, 2013). President George Bush resided over the time of recession and again public school was blamed, not economic policy as the weak economy was blamed on a poor school system. Although the Sandia Report proved that the system was not at risk, proponents of charter schools, vouchers, school choice continue to energize the dual kind of system. The Sandria Report can be found @www.ed.gov/pubs/natAtRisk/risk.html (Tienken & Orlich, 2013).

The NCLB act is found to have never been for the purpose of strengthening public education. Susan Neuman the former secretary of ESEA said in Time Magazine on June 8, 2008 that some in the Bush administration viewed NCLB as a means for destroying public education and the population would support marketization and privatization as the Law played as a wedge between the public and public education to create the dual system (Wallis, 2008). Bush’s administration overplayed charter schools without discussing the downsides including economic segregation, and lack of substantive empirical finding on student achievements of students in Charter schools as compared to similar students in traditional schools (USDOE, 2004, 2005). Ironically, schools are required to use data to improve their programs but the Bush administration did not use data to drive charters schools. Barach Obama who is a democratic president; reauthorized NCLB as sanctioned by President George Bush in 2001 and again the charter schools are springing up all over the country.

Under the guise of improving public education came NCLB, whose agenda was for discrediting public education and for promoting a dual educational system. The rich will be with the rich, the poor will remain with the poor and money will be taken from the general school funds for funding those schools where the child attends as charter schools will take the place of the public school. Who should want this this? The one who will have the crumbs from the rich man’s table? In most urban areas, the greatest amount of income tax for funding schools does not come from the rich, but rather the poor but the most affluent are in the suburbs. If those who are prosperous take their money from public and transfer to private schools, public schools will have even less to educate students. I believe charter schools are a hoax and will be until they can prove with data that they are the cure for public education.

Will public schools remain a viable institution for the future? Consider that if one has a special needs child, they are not accommodated in charter and many private schools. If one's child has poor behavior problems they will not be admitted into charters or private schools. So, what does that tell one about the future of public education? If one views public education as having value to one’s children, one will need to be aware of what is occurring before our very eyes. Dualism is winning. We must insist on restructuring without NCLB and recognize that NCLB is corrupt. We must demand that morality and social justice be the pillar of our public schools and demand that moral leaders and policy makers and not politicians devise plans for these schools. Funding is being withdrawn while charters and vouchers will take the place of education in America as the laws of the land have been so sophisticated as to deceive the people.

Choice and Accountability or Equity and Shared Responsibility for American Schools?

According to Michael Fullan, countries struggling to move ahead in education use the wrong propellers or drivers. He says instead of professionalism they use accountability; instead of collegiality they use “individual teacher quality”; instead of pedagogy, they use technology; instead of systems thinking, they use fragmented strategies. The model of Finland clearly proves that educational success for children must focus on shared responsibility and equity and not choice and accountability (Sahlberg, 2012). Interestingly, America has emphasized accountability, assessments, and choice as the vehicles through which to achieve student proficiency. The problem is that accountability, assessments, and choice are not the answers. Equity, social justice and shared responsibility as the Finland schools embrace, connote responsibility from humanity that requires moral goodness. Choice and accountability are indicative of the American “have it your way” lifestyle which are cloaked in selfishness, and liability. This eliminates the moral responsibility for equal education for all Americans.

The article "A Model Lesson" by Pasi Sahlberg addresses Finland schools as schools where lessons can be learned. She emphasizes that choice and competition do not lead to educational success but rather education must be viewed as a shared responsibility and with equity for all children. Finland is said to have the most educated citizens in the world as their egalitarian approach to educating their citizens has proven exemplary as educational opportunities are not based on societal status. They serve as a model for the United States and others for showing that equal education is possible. Over the past thirty years Finland has gone from mediocrity to being a strong model for the world to see. They are an equitable system showing little to no variation in student performance. This is achieved by using a reasonable resources with an emphasis on social justice while providing early interventions with those needing additional attention while exchanging between social and health sectors as Finland is a democratic welfare state (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Free lunches, social welfare services, and support for special need students is not new to the United States; however, holistic approaches with the incorrect strategies is; and will not produce success. As Finland takes great pride in their public education, the United States is in the process of seeking to end public education while privatization is being thrust upon school age children.

In 1972, a new “peruskoulu” of Finland was implemented focusing on social justice and equality where a merger of all civic schools, grammar schools, and primary schools occurred to become municipal schools. The previous placement of students ended and the placement of students regardless of social-economic status, domicile, or interest enrolled in the same schools run by the government authorities. The old structure focused on everyone cannot learn and that talents were not equally distributed within society as the new structure is diametrically opposed to the old. Critics said the plan was not possible with so many backgrounds into one place; however, the plan prevailed and the National Curriculum for the Comprehensive School” was what led the content, pace and the organization through Finland. Special education needs were identified and treated early on (Sahlberg, 2012).

Differentiated tools were provided for students of different abilities and personalities for the first several years of the program as options were provided in math for ability levels but then by 1985, all ability groups were abolished for all subject matters and since then, students have the same syllabi and curriculum. As education became compulsory, so became career counseling to provide systematic counseling on career options after school. The new comprehensive schooling belief was that all students can learn if provided the opportunity and support while acknowledging that learning through the diversity of humans is a goal as schools function through small democracy cells. This is borrowing off of the belief of John Dewey. Teachers were encouraged to perceive teaching as a high profession as they differentiate learning for students through well designed environments. This led to increased teacher reform for high-quality instruction and professional development for teachers (Sahlberg, 2012).

Standardized testing is not the focus for instruction but rather instruction is viewed as the key element for student success. Teachers are encouraged to individualize their teaching approaches for achieving student success. Finland, Japan, Canada, and Korea are known to produce consistent student results regardless of socioeconomic status. In the 1980’s, learning expectation became equal for all students resulting in a decrease in gaps between high and low achievers. The consistent focus on shared responsibility and equity instead of choice and competition created a climate for all children learning better. The special education process does not carry a stigma as approximately one third of students were in alternative programs as 23 percent of their students were enrolled in part time special education during the years 2009-2010 as they focused on curing dysfunctions and the remaining 8.5 percent were in permanent special education schools or groups, or classes. Over the past ten years, that number has doubled and half of the students who complete compulsory education by sixteen years of age have had special education at some point (Sahlberg, 2012).

Contributing to the success of Finland’s schools are the facts that child poverty is less than four percent of the population as compared to the United States where the levels are 20 percent. The welfare state pays a big role in providing equitable conditions for families and children. Repeating grades is viewed as demoralizing and not efficient for fixing social or learning deficiencies and does not allow one to focus on areas needing help. Retention cast a negative shadow on the individual even into adulthood. Grade repetition leads mostly to social inequalities rather than allowing students to overcome learning problems. The principal that all students can achieve the common educational goals if organized individualized learning and instruction takes place is foundational which means that ability grouping and retention are viewed as negative approaches for fixing problems. Finland’s minimizing the grade retention is due to the special education emphasis which is integral to all Finland schools (Sahlberg, 2012).

The problem is that although the United States intended the basis of NCLB to be for providing equitable opportunities for all students regardless of socioeconomic status, NCLB has failed the American students. Americans know that Race to the top with emphasis on competition as in a race, and NCLB’s emphasis on accountability and assessments are not what are needed for producing a successful educational system. The idea of shared responsibility and equality in education connote social justice and requiring human goodness. Unfortunately, America enjoys the idea that various socioeconomic levels exist, including extremes, from the elite to those who live in extreme poverty. To develop a system requiring moral goodness would contradict what American society has represented. Having a more compassionate society where everyone takes on a responsible role as to be his brother’s keeper to ensure social justice is not an integral part of American society as social justice has been and is far reaching. America keeps trying to fix an educational system that is broken and corrupt, to make something good. Good cannot occur when the very foundation is corrupt. Since the foundation has been inequality and racism, affecting all decisions, how can American schools ever become model schools? The motives must first be pure without perpetuating any race or ethnicity. Replacing what has deteriorated with substitutes (charter schools) will not fix the problem. American policy makers must realize that we are falling far behind other nations who have adapted social justice as their agenda and not competition or accountability. I believe that success will be the byproduct of goodness as we genuinely seek to do what is right for all American children.

Design Schools to Meet Ethnic Needs in a Culturally Diverse Society

Countries like Finland, Canada, and China, are known for academic achievements in mathematics. Although the United States remains an economic power in the world, American students are said to have weak math and problem solving skills as compared to other countries in the developed world. Consequently, the United States are preoccupied with competing to gain the advantage over other societies to ensure their rightful place in the global economy. As the United States has shown considerable population growth over the years, the country’s ethnic census proves that American society has become more culturally diverse and projects even greater changes over the next several decades.

An interesting study on the theory of cultural discontinuities is regarding China as they have experienced great success using ethnic mathematics for teaching math. The theory carries the concept that every minority has their own culture while every ethnic culture is suitable.

According to Zhao, (2011) teachers should address teaching math through ethnic mathematic knowledge to help eliminate cultural discontinuity. Mathematics is found to be not only objective but subjective and cultural. Zhang (1996) says that school math and ethnic math come from two separate cultures as school math is developed from the ancient Greek culture and considered universal and objective, ethnic math is developed from cultural contexts as to bind together a practical thinking system within a cultural community (Xia, 2000). From the angle of the cultural anthropologist, students have an ethnic kind of mathematics before they go to school. As I intersperse a personal experience here to validate this concept, I can recall when my two girls were advanced in math and reading before they entered kindergarten and were invited to attend a private girl’s school on full scholarship after their entrance exams. I was asked to stop teaching them because the math culture I communicated at that time created conflict for the school math culture which was predominantly upper middle class Whites. My children obviously needed to learn a new culture and if they were to succeed, the sooner they adapt the better.

According to Zhao (2011), different minorities have different mathematics. In exploring the Chinese and how they succeed in math, he says that they employ the national curriculum in math but they use local ethnic mathematics for the different needs of the 55 nationalities residing in China. They have the national, local and school-based levels of school management system. Some develop school-based kinds of curriculums to address the ethnic needs. American anthropologists say the design of the school must consider the cultural background of the students (LI, 2004), as if preset cultural backgrounds of the “school mathematics” are not removed, then the ethnic student will have difficulty causing psychological burdens for learning school mathematics. Teachers are encouraged to use math knowledge so that students understand so as to stimulate interest for math and student creativity (Zhao, 2011). Exploring ethnic history, ethnic mathematical thought patterns and methods are the first steps for developing relevant materials for ethnic math. Zhao says that excavating cultural connotations of math, while embodying internal connections with the national mathematics curriculum, and providing an angle of ethnic mathematical history will give students greater appreciation for their native mathematics.

American Education and Policy Introduction

Who Really Benefits from Standardized Tests?

The creating of standardized tests for elementary grades through high schools have helped to make book companies like Pearson, Houghton Mifflin Harcout, and CTB/McGraw-Hill rich. Although the tests are known to be filled with errors, the corporations are said to be those who push for new standards so that they can make newer tests for making more money. Inequitable results occur as the students who have the proper text books, obviously have a greater advantage when taking the tests.

Standardized testing has been used for decisions for college admission, as discriminate determinations occur as the scores are used to predict successful college completion of students and the likely unsuccessful college students. Those who score high on SATs and ACTs have been more likely to be admitted into college and to be the recipients of merit kinds of financial aid and scholarships. Studies have shown that those who have the benefit of test preparation are more likely to score higher than those who do not have access, as those in low income areas are least likely to have access to test preparation. Districts like Lower Merion School District offers Test Prep classes at discounted rates for their students. However, studies show that when comparing grade point averages (GPA) to scores on standardized test, the “SAT” scores are more closely related to a student’s socio-economic characteristics than on their ability to have success in college.

Naturally, corruption is known to exist in the college-board admissions process including the ACT, and College Boards, as universities have been found to take part in unethical practices regarding student scores while using scores in unethical manners. As colleges are known to falsify student scores who have been accepted to increase rates for selected students, and students also cheat to increase scores. Scores are misappropriated to measure the financial stability of institutions, the College Board and ACT Inc. enjoy the benefits of non-profit status while making huge profits from high school students. Overcompensation designated for the CEOs and board of directors of ACT, have resulted in the Attorney General of IOWA being compelled to recommend to the IRS to evaluate their non-profit status (Americans for Educational Testing Reform, 2012, para.1). Unfortunately, colleges and universities, who require standardized entrance exams, are not even aware if the questions on the exams serve of any importance. The questions on the exams are skewed and for males over females and whites over female students. The standardized tests are also biased as they are in favor of students who are wealthy and who have educated parents.

The problem is that corruption exists because of non-acceptance of differences among people and the test is the weapon. Slavery and abuses have occurred in the world because of non-acceptance of people who are different from another. In a more hidden but just as harmful approach to slavery, standardized learning and testing have been engrained into American society to separate people. The reality is that humans cannot be standardized as humans are all unique as God has made each one different, as each represents various ways of life and innate intelligences. Can one be so biased to think that because an individual is born rich, that that individual possesses higher intelligences or has more potential than another? Embedded in American society is the fallacy that whites are smart and blacks should learn to be white.

The good thing is that all over the country, universities are now taking a stand and are not requiring standardized testing as a requirement for entrance. A researched list of colleges and universities who no longer requires sat/act exams for entrance reflected as recent as summer 2014, was eleven pages long. Temple University has recently announced that they too will join the many other colleges to discard the SAT exam. Temple, located in the North Philadelphia section of urban Philadelphia, provides a path for students who may not perform well on the standardized test but who are extremely talented.

One can only pray for an American society where people are accepted regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. One can only dream of a society where each individual is encouraged to develop skills needed to enhance society in this global market without the obvious racist undertones and biases. This can only produce a kinder society while closing the door to corrupt leaders who profit off of the unassuming. Why should society buy-in to the demands of greedy rich men/women? Why are these corporations able to impose mandates on American students? So many gifted young people have missed their opportunity because of standardized testing. The agenda has been corrupt and has kept low-income students and students of color from having equal advantages. Capitalism in America was never intended to take advantage of the people as loyalty to the product and loyalty to the people of this great nation go hand –in-hand. Society has a long ways to go but, as long as people can make societal decisions merely because they have money rather than morals, then societal change will not occur. We must insist that our society be run by ethical people who can make sound decisions about the most important issues of our society for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

Feasibility of Pennsylvania's Flexibility Waivers Under NCLB

Governor Tom Corbett is said to have decimated public schools in Pennsylvania, particularly public schools in Philadelphia have suffered considerably because of huge budget cuts while stimulating employee layoffs, and leaving schools underfunded. Despite the educational crises in Pennsylvania, plans for improving education have emerged as policy makers have devised plans under the flexibility waivers of NCLB. Pennsylvania has proudly opted to take advantage of the flexibility and to rather spend time away from the “top down” prescription of the NCLB law and to rather focus on three areas for improving schools.

The three areas to improve schools include ensuring the preparedness of students for careers or college, the development of accountabilities and recognition standards for all schools, and improvements for supporting effective teaching and principals in all classrooms. Taxpayers, students and parents should be aware of the School Performance Profiles (SPPs) as Pennsylvania citizens can access the profile to view a comprehensive overview of their child’s school to determine the quality of the program and examine student performance. The waiver has also eliminated the adequate yearly progress (AYP) for each school.

An evaluation system was available for classroom teachers in 2013-14 and is in use for specialist and principals this 2014-15 schools year. The new system is for evaluating educators on measures of student achievement. Comprehensive resources are for providing professional development to assist teachers, superintendents and principals, and for classroom instruction. Title I schools with large numbers of low-income students receive priorities as to receive federal focus based on measurable objectives. The new educator evaluation system was signed into law by Governor Tom Corbett.

The problem is that the waiver is not feasible as all of the plans for supporting and evaluating teachers and principals prove futile without providing the needed funding. The paradox is like that of a soldier engaged in the military who is commissioned to fight a war without weapons or a means for gaining an advantage, while the commanding officer maintains the same expectations of the soldier as if he were fully armed. Ridicule and contempt occur as when one displays for all to see their defeat. Encouraging others to make decisions and judgments about the soldiers who were injured, or who died from the war is to validate accusations of inadequacy or deficiencies. The waiver set forth by the state has a similar idea as the state’s waiver fails a feasibility study in areas of costs and technicalities. Teachers, principals, and superintendents are all preparing for the fall season but unfortunately, none can truly go with confidence as the state has disarmed its warriors.

We Must Eliminate Standardized Testing

American classrooms have teachers who are required to implement best practices so that all learners are accommodated. Differentiating instruction, utilizing team building approaches, and permitting students to learn through their interest as multiple intelligences are recognized and characteristics of a healthy learning environment. Absence of tension, pressure, and anxiety are the result of student-centered learning as in project-based- learning. When students work independently or collaborate to construct their own knowledge they retain the information. This kind of learning is certainly not standardized or uniform. When a principal evaluates a teacher, she is not looking for teachers teaching in a standardized approach for all students, as the students would not achieve their best potential under those circumstances. I believe that teaching in a uniform manner is outdated as is testing in a uniform or standardized manner.
Another school year is fast approaching and students will be expected to test in ways that are standardized. Urban, suburban, and rural students will take part in standardized testing. Standardized testing obviously does not measure a student’s knowledge or the educational quality. Unfortunately, schools are judged as credible if they have high standardized scores and are discredited for low test scores despite the composition of the student body. Norm-referenced tests for comparing the data results to other students across the state and country seems like a good approach as standardized tests are convenient tools for accomplishing that agenda. However, many studies have proven that standardized testing is not a reliable tool for measuring student knowledge. Unfortunately, the test only measure linguistics, math and science despite evidence as proposed by Howard Gardner that there are eight intelligences. Students who have other intelligences and who have expanded their knowledge but are not strong in math, science, or linguistics are led to believe that they are not smart. If the tests are for predicting then one is predicting the future educational success of students, as I believe that these tests do more harm than good.
All intelligence are necessary for creating a beautiful existence for all; naturalist, interpersonal, musical, kinesthetic/bodily, spatial/visual, logical/mathematic, intrapersonal, and linguistic/verbal. As students learn in non-uniform ways, I believe they should also be tested in non-standardized ways. Young people evolve and the idea of testing, and labeling creates life-long dilemmas as students who are creative or who possess a non-testing intelligence struggle to realize their potential. My approach is rather to stimulate, motivate, and facilitate learning and to allow the intelligences in an individual to surface without constraints, pressures, and tension as evidenced in a standardized classroom. Does non-standardized testing eliminate expectation? To the contrary, as the responsibility of the teacher to create a healthy learning environment, to direct, and instruct students for developing the needed skills for this global economy remain a high expectation. If the approaches for standardized testing will be eliminated, I believe efficacy will return to schools and fewer drop-outs would occur as those who lose hope will enjoy renewed opportunities for constructing their own knowledge in an environment where teachers accept them and believe in them. The rules must change as stifling the development of American students through testing must end. Therefore, my desire is to see restructuring in education to represent student-centered learning and student-centered testing.

Why is it So Easy to Forget the Least of Us?

A few years ago, I moved out of the city to reside in a suburb. After I moved, I seldom went into the city except for work; of which I had a direct route to my job, and to visit family. Although I grew up in the city, once I moved, I began to detest the feelings I felt upon entering the city each morning. The relief I felt each day I left the city was indicative of my new surroundings. The city reminded me of a grave yard with ruin all around. I began saying that the city was the "forgotten city" as the people represented the forgotten people. On rare occasion, I drove through parts of the city that I was familiar with and became in awe of the destruction as the forsaken buildings and communities that were once considered respectable had also come to ruin. While the people in the suburbs were comfortable in their safe havens, only a couple of blocks away, thousands suffered daily.

Interestingly, as the urban schools are obviously forsaken, urban children are also deprived of the need for equal education. Although children may not realize that they are not receiving equal education, the responsibility to ensure equality rests on parents and leaders. It seems that few people truly care enough about urban education to do something about it. School closures, underfunded programs, and the voices of leaders crying for help for the schools seems to be the norm. The deterioration has been gradual but steady. The forgotten children of the city represent the least of us. They depend on others to make their lives better. Many come from troubled backgrounds and need direction and help from those who will take the time to care. Policies and politics have not worked to improve the situations but have rather labeled and stolen innocent dreams from the hearts of thousands of children. Programs that would have helped to propel dreams to realities have been eliminated for lack of funding. While those who can, move to the suburbs to provide a more formal assurance of a solid and stable education for their children, others remain in hopes of change.

Amazingly, despite all, so many good things have come from the city. Great musicians, athletes, artists, actors, activist, and more, have their origins from the city. Great talent has come from the city. Somehow, in the midst of despair, some are still able to rise above their circumstances. Somehow the voice of the forgotten has been heard from the time of slavery to this very day. Remnants of their sufferings remain as songs of freedom continue to be sung. Poetry of the revolution, literature, rap music, and expressive arts are all vehicles used by many. These expressions have enriched our society and help to remind us of the injustices of our society as the least of us have somehow become the greatest among us.

My concern is that while some rise above circumstances, others are not able to expand beyond their immediate conditions. Education has often been that vehicle through which people could grasp and confidently know that their future would be different from their present state. However, change has come, and the least of us is become forgotten. Can we continue to pretend inequality is not occurring and live in our suburban homes as if everyone is being treated fairly? Efforts to end injustices infiltrated in American education through NCLB have not proven effective. Inequality continues to exists as is evident. therefore,the challenge is to continue to pursue equality for all, especially the for least of us.

Fleecing of Our Schools

Today, we were informed of the School District of Philadelphia's intent to lay off an additional 300 noontime aids and support staff. Jerry Jordan assured the teachers that he would fight to have those positions restored. If one can imagine running a school without the supports needed in the poorest of neighborhoods throughout the urban school district, where continual discipline and behavioral problems already exist when operating as a full staff, then one will see the failure that lies ahead. The question I ask is; Why? Inevitable failure and the inability to safely administrate and educate students from pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade is the predicament of our schools. The rug has been pulled from under the district leaving them with buildings half filled and inadequate operating staff.

I believe that the hidden goal is to force closure and restructure of education as we have known it. Relying on government funding has become uncertain and priorities of educating children has become a charade. Current leaders are not bold enough to blatantly say that education is no longer a priority. If one wants to know what is important, look at where the money is being spent. The fleecing of American education as we have known it has already begun. I believe that the agenda is already set as costs for higher-education continue to rise, fewer students, especially minority students will obtain to such accomplishments as college education. Although society holds education as a goal one should aspire for, the realization of American young people attaining high levels of scholastic achievement appears dim. An interesting phenomenon is that many foreign students continue to learn in American schools while American students find great difficulty affording education.

Standardized testing and accountabilities of NCLB have been used to discredit American schools, teachers and students. While urban school students seem to score poorly, unfortunately, teachers are often blamed for their failure. Sanctions and closure convey failure. Have our schools really failed and has our educational system lost the worthiness of financial funding from our government? Monies once designated for schools are no longer available to schools? Something is terribly wrong and I believe our leaders must also be accountable for what is occurring.

I challenge communities to rise up and realize that education is being stolen from the next generation. One's grand children will not even have the opportunities that were allotted us as the civil rights movement of the sixties helped to open many doors for minorities but the fight is not over. The fleecing has already begun!! Converting schools into other business venues like luxury apartment buildings is not acceptable for the next generation. This is failure! How will children gain the skills needed to flourish in this economy? Communities must take back what is being stolen or they will have to do an enormous amount of explaining to one's grand children. They will wonder why no one fought for their future. The fight is not only for educators but the communities must recognize that this is being done to them.