If you clean it, they will swing!

 School starts today, enrollment up again!

After some pretty hectic weeks of cleaning, repairing, putting in new water bottle fillers and completely new furniture for classrooms and offices at both St. Thomas Aquinas and Archbishop Lyke, students return this Monday.  On the heals of an historic enrollment growth last school year (~40% up), this year as we stand yesterday, we are up 4%!  Typically we will admit more students in the first week or so.  From 2015 to the beginning of last year the two schools had suffered a 35% decrease in enrollment.

If you clean it, they will swing!

Yesterday, 15 volunteers descended on an abandoned playground adjacent to Archbishop Lyke School.  The Harvard Community Center received a beautiful playground several years ago.  They do fantastic work, but are under resourced to say the least.  They could not afford the proper mulch to pass their insurance inspection.  It was padlocked for over 5 years.  You can see the before and after pictures!

And so it begins...

Here come the volunteeers!

   

Backrow:  Dr. Susan Lasch, Maureen Bagley

From left to right: Mark Biche (Chief Playground Officer), Shana, Julie barry, Denny Dunn (looks like gorgeous George), Marc Ciccarelli, Matt Roggenburk, Steve Nock, Tom McIntyre, Neil Barry, Gerard Daher, and Mark McNamara

Inculding St. Dominic's second grader, Sam!

After!!

And before we could lock the gate, children materialized and went right to the swings!!

As a few of us were cleaning up the barbecue set up (yes, Riche Burgers were provided!), the maintenance man from Harvard Community came over and we offered him a Riche and he told us how great everything looks, then someone said, "We need a master gardener!"  He said, "Just a minute I have one."  He soon returned with Rich Goudreau who is a master gardener and Director of Community Development at Harvard Community Services Center.  All of this before noon!

This is why we do it!!

Blessed be...

Forest bathing?

The last two Sundays I was in a tent in a state park in Ohio. I spend one full week a year camping solo. The break allows me to take some time to reflect and contemplate while worrying about the basic

necessities...food, water, warmth, shelter and health. It clears my mind of many of the senseless worries and concerns that haunt me during the year. It is a restart in a way and a recommitment to my mission!

Someone sent me an article from the NYT two years ago with this quote in it:  "“Forest bathing,” or immersing yourself in nature, is being embraced by doctors and others as a way to combat stress and improve health."  Who knew?

We can do hard things

https://www.partnershipnyc.org/we-can-do-hard-things/  This is a well written article by our academic  leader in Cleveland, Christian Dallavis.  He is a strong writer and paints a picture of what changing school culture looks like!

Life Changing voucher program...opinion piece from Cleveland.com

I read this piece https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2020/10/a-truly-life-changing-voucher-program-is-within-reach-for-cuyahoga-metropolitan-housing-authority-leila-atassi.html two weeks ago.  It has been haunting me ever since.  Certainly, if I lived in CMHA housing and I had an opportunity to leave with my family to a better place, I would do it in a second.

What haunts me is what this policy could actually mean.  It could mean that this city has given up on certain neighborhoods and basically is relocating people rather than helping the neighborhood.  In line with "We can do hard things" drastically improving grade schools in a neighborhood might be seen as the first step in assisting the people in that neighborhood!  The local businesses in many cases are closed or on their last legs.  How can we help them?  The infrastructure of water (lead), gas (leaks), electricity (poles in disrepair), internet (markedly slower), phone (old lines) and the list goes on, has lacked significant investment for several decades.  The abandonment of neighborhoods in Cleveland was begun many years ago.  My belief is that it all starts to fall apart when the schools can't deliver learning in a loving community.  People begin to move out to seek better schools.  Population diminishes and things begin to suffer.  This can seen powerfully depicted in the documentary, Waiting for Superman.  This documentary is 10 years old.  It refers to our rankings internationally in two areas:  math and science.  In 2010 the United States ranked 25th in Math and 21st in Science.  In 2018, the US ranks 18th in Science and 37th in Math!!  We need to face the brutal facts as a country and as a city where our National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores have not moved significantly over the last 18 years.  The average in Cleveland for Math and Reading is well below proficient and has remained that way for 18 years!  The scores for students of color are even more dismal.  I hope city leaders will begin to work to improve learning for all children.  Recently I was talking to someone who told me of a theory he has:  the solution should have something to do with the problem!

So on one hand, this idea of a housing voucher, is one solution for sure and may be needed as neighborhoods begin to receive what they need.  But my belief is build a strong community of learning and love, known as a school and bring people back to neighborhoods.  This is not an easy thing to do, but, again, we can do hard things!!!

O woman, great is your faith!

 Full speed ahead!!!

Dominic Ozanne recounting his days in the 

principal's office at Saint Ignatius!

This week saw a tremendous amount of activity at Archbishop Lyke and St. Thomas.  Dominic Ozanne stopped by yesterday at both schools to check on the progress.  We had an impromptu walk down memory lane sparked by sitting in Ms. Dengler's Principal's Office!  Carpentry work, painting, moving of materials, cleaning...all getting ready for September 8. 

By next week all of this paint will be on the walls!!

Presently our families are taking advantage of either in person instruction or on-line streaming at about an equal rate.  George Grenier will be coming from New York in the Partnership Van with PPE for the schools.  Enrollment is still active and new students are coming each week.  The Cleveland Scholarship window is still open!  Portia Gadson, our enrollment manager, is utilizing all means necessary to spread the word!

Professional Development on over-drive!

Zoomland!  Clockwise from upper left:  
Christian Dallavis, Nancy Lynch, Rachael Dengler

Teachers and principals are zooming almost daily.  Christian Dallavis, Assistant Superintendent of Partnership Schools and our two principals, Rachael Dengler (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Nancy Lynch (Archbishop Lyke) are in constant communication. The Partnership is already paying dividends by creating cohorts of new teachers from NY and Cleveland!  Teachers are preparing for an exceptional beginning of school in the time of Covid!  

Building a community of supporters!  Help!

In the last month, I have been meeting with people almost everyday.  Everyone I have talked with has been so positive about our mission!  I remember in 2000, when I began to talk about Cristo Rey, people knew very little about the idea.  I made the circuit talking at teh First Friday Club, an occasional parish, people's living rooms and churches throughout Cleveland.  Those were the days!  Now much of my networking is done one on one in the Metroparks our outdoor coffee shops, on the phone, or through email and the like.  People are beginning to ask for tours.  I gave one early last week and one yesterday.  The one yesterday was with Pete.  Pete was blown away by the character of the building at St. Thomas Aquinas.  He saw twenty union painters busy working on a Saturday morning.  We walked outside and around the neighborhood.  We saw the magnificent old St. Mary's Seminary Building on Ansel Rd.  It is now the Hitchcock Center for Women.

After the tour, Pete texted me and thanked me and told me how encouraged he was to see what we are doing...it is faith in action!  Fear not, just have faith!

Spread the news!  Volunteers needed!

Please share this blog with your friends or people you think might be interested.  My contact info is richard.clark@partnershipcle.org or 216-409-7018.  Stay tuned for our online event coming soon.  As we get the buildings ready we really could use some volunteer labor to help us organize and bring stuff to the dumpster or decorate an area.  Just email me and I will set up a time!

The Fremen Principle

When we have alternatives, we compromise...
instead of commit!

One of my favorite commentators is Seth Godin. He recently had an extremely timely post. What alternatives do we have as educators for our marginalized children? There are so many excuses...no Chromebooks, no internet access, parents forced to work in this crisis, tuition...et cetera, et cetera.

Are we to abandon ship? Have we abandoned our own children, of course not!

Bishop Pilla, retired Bishop of Cleveland, when dedicating our first wing of our new school building at Saint Martin told the audience pointing to our students, "These are all of our children!" Now, more than ever, those words ring so true. Bishop Gries has asked to be our chaplain for our new grade school project.

Last week I sent an email to 91 people with whom I have talked about this venture. I asked if they didn't want to get these updates, just send me an email. No one asked to be removed from the list! In fact, I got several very positive responses, many thoughtful questions, and even a donation!

Push for re-enrollment, new enrollment, hiring, and the final push to $3,000,000 goal!

You may see a masked man (me!) driving around eastside neighborhoods this week planting lawn signs promoting admissions at these schools! Re-enrollment at both these schools is hovering around 90% right now which is a tremendous sign in the faith parents have in Catholic schools.  New websites:  St. Thomas Aquinas Grade School  and  Archbishop Lyke Grade School.

Our Assistant Superintendent, Christian Dallavis, is working with School Choice Ohio obtaining emails, phone numbers, and addresses of families in the areas around our two schools. A blitz will occur shortly. The New York office has built a back end platform to gather the data. He is also spearheading the effort to hire a new principal at St. Thomas Aquinas. If you know of anyone who might be interested or know people who might be interested please let me know ASAP.

We are 80% of our goal of $3M. A few foundations have really stepped up to help us. We have received a few very large personal gifts as well. Most of these gifts come from national foundations and out of towners who have a great belief in our mission. My hope is that Cleveland will step up to finish this drive. These gifts can be over two years, but, of course, the first year is going to be the costliest! If you want to discuss a gift with me, please call 216-409-7018 or email at richardfclark@gmail.com. All gifts are tax-deductible. Stock and wire transfers can be accepted. Checks payable to Partnership Schools with CLEVELAND in the memo section.

We are also enlisting Ambassadors consisting of parents whose children are presently enrolled to contact people they may know with grade school-aged children. The process for admissions has been greatly simplified. One click on the website and some basic information will generate a phone call within 48 hours (most often much sooner).

What will school look like in the fall?

Isn't that the million-dollar question for much of our life?  Some schools and networks are feverishly developing plans for next year while putting online learning in place right now.  You know the old saw about fixing the plane while flying...well that is what is going on!

Partnership Schools hit the ground running.  I have included four links here.  The first one is our philosophy for dealing with this now and then three examples in different learning areas.  The key to all of this is building on the loving and caring relationships already established when school was in session before the pandemic.  Jean Baptiste De la Salle would tell his young teachers, "First win the heart, then win the brain!" Without those relationships, a school will be starting with a big disadvantage.

See this video in Math at a Distance

3 Lessons Learned

Spotlight on teaching phonics remotely  

Content Rich Curriculum

Math at a Distance

This is what is happening right now!  The Partnership staff is working on keeping this going as long as needed and then working in brick and mortar instruction when it is allowed.

Remember CMSD (different problems for sure) is still in the "task force" mode and a recent article from LA talked about 30,000 (25%) students who have not checked in online at all!  The blessing of the expansion of the Partnership model and expertise to Cleveland NOW is more and more apparent each day.

Here is a link to a podcast about shifting paradigms.  If only Partnership was in charge of the cavalry in WWI! Cautionary Tales. (Be brave, click on the link and it will all happen!).

Finally, a reflection on today's Gospel reading...a universal truth is revealed!

This is from one of my favorite theologians, Dominic Crossan, reflecting on the story of Jesus meeting up with two people walking to Emmaus:

A first clue that Luke 24:13-33 was meant as a parable and not history is that when Jesus joins the couple on the road, they do not recognize him. He is, as it were, traveling incognito. A second one is that even when he explains in detail how the biblical scriptures pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, they still do not recognize him. But the third and definitive clue to the story’s purpose is in the climax and it demands full quotation:

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” (24:28-32)

That is parable, not history. The Christian liturgy involves Scripture and Eucharist—but they are not equal. The Scripture—even interpreted by Jesus himself—will do no more than create “burning hearts,” that is, hearts ready but to do what? The Eucharist invites the stranger in to share one’s meal and find that the stranger is Jesus. You will notice that the key verbs, “took, blessed, broke, gave,” in the Emmaus story’s climax were also used in the Last Supper’s Passover meal before Jesus’ execution (Mark 14:22)

So the universal truth is: invite the stranger to your table to share food and you will meet the divine!

Survivor Mode--it's a V.U.C.A. world!

 I have definitely learned that indeed it is a VUCA world. Quick knowledge transfer from Wikipedia:

"VUCA is an acronym used to describe or reflect on the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of general conditions and situations. The common usage of the term VUCA began in the late 1990s and derives from military vocabulary[1] and has been subsequently used in emerging ideas in strategic leadership that apply in a wide range of organizations, including everything from for-profit corporations[2] to education.[3] The deeper meaning of each element of VUCA serves to enhance the strategic significance of VUCA foresight and insight as well as the behavior of groups and individuals in organizations.[4]

V = Volatility. The nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed
of change forces and change catalysts.

U = Uncertainty. The lack of predictability, the
prospects for surprise, and the sense of
awareness and understanding of issues and events.

C = Complexity. The multiplex of forces, the
confounding of issues and the chaos and confusion that surround an organization.

A = Ambiguity. The haziness of reality, the potential for misreads, and the
mixed meanings of conditions; cause-and-effect confusion. "

• Simple four minute slideshow by Denise Caron can get you up to speed on VUCA concept: http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/72008/It
  
  

The old model of strategic planning which might take a year or two devise and begin to implement just doesn't work any more--the VUCA world changes too quickly for this. The step by step achievement of goals is much less likely to succeed. WWII's goal of getting to Berlin and getting Hitler by first landing at Normandy, working through France and then on to Berlin may not work any more--we sought to capture Osama Bin-Laden, but terrorism continues, the Taliban, cyber terrorists? Big city newspapers had strategic plans in place...what good would that plan from five years ago do today? The faded painted ad on the building at E. 72nd and St. Clair promoting Ohio Carbon Paper and Typewriter Ribbons company reminds me each day that staying the same is a sure sign of failure!

What does remain the same in a VUCA world is something the War College (that's where this comes from) calls the "Commander's Intent" or strategic vision. This is defined on the website globalsecurity.org this way:

"The commander's intent describes the desired end state. It is a concise expression of the purpose of the operation and must be understood two echelons below the issuing commander. . . It is the single unifying focus for all subordinate elements. It is not a summary of the concept of the operation. Its purpose is to focus subordinates on the desired end state. Its utility is to focus subordinates on what has to be accomplished in order to achieve success, even when the plan and concept of operations no longer apply, and to discipline their efforts toward that end."

To put it another way, it is not about stategies to reach a goal nor operational plans, but rather it is about a clear outcome--it is up to the subordinates to figure out how to get there. In my life time Kennedy's simple statement exemplified this: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving a goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth." I am sure the NASA scientists listening cringed, for they knew the difficulties and even in their minds, the impossibilities of such an ambitious goal and timeline. The commander had a vision and clearly articulated it with a timeline! The speech was given in September of 1962. In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and came back to tell us about it. They met the goal with months to spare!

What would that desired state be for your organization?

So in this VUCA world, we can redefine VUCA this way (thanks to Denise Caron):

Vision: Have a clear intent, a clear direction for your actions. Vision seeks to create a future.

Understanding: In the face of uncertainty, listening and understanding can help leaders discover new ways of thinking and action. Listening leads to understanding which is basis of trust.

Clarity: The VUCA world rewards clarity because people are so confused that they grasp at anything that helps them make sense out of the chaos.

Agility: The VUCA world rewards networks because they are agile, while it punishes the rigidity and brittleness of hierarchies.

It is up to us to create learners for the VUCA world. "The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." (Alvin Toffler)

It is good to be back writing. Please comment and join in the conversation!

Resurgens...Atlanta Retreat

Atlanta Retreat

“Any genuine teaching will result , if successful, in someone's knowing how to bring about a better condition of things than existed before.” John Dewey 

The motto of Atlanta is Resurgens,  resurrecting in English.  This past week, 19 presidents of Cristo Rey Schools from across the country met for a spiritual retreat at the Ignatius Retreat house in Atlanta.  This was the first one in the history of the network and I can assure you it will not be the last.  Our network began in 2002 but the idea was born in Chicago in 1996.  I have been deeply involved since October, 2000.

In the urban school "business," secondary schools seem to be the ones that give most trepidation.  Many charter management organizations shy away from high school.  There are plenty of exceptional exceptions such as the Match School in Boston and High Tech High in San Diego and plenty in between the coasts most notably the Noble Street Schools in Chicago and an exciting newcomer in the Catalyst Schools with their first year school, Maria Catalyst.  There are many more great examples, these are among the ones that I have visited.

The singular focus of Cristo Rey schools is to provide high quality educational resources to an urban population who has been left with little or no opportunity besides the occasional bright spot in a particular public school.  So, in my mind, Cristo Rey schools are providing the service that once was provided by public schools in our cities.  The economics of the Cristo Rey model is really the genius behind the whole idea.  

But why am I in Atlanta at a Jesuit retreat house with 18 other pioneers?  "The man behind the curtain" is my answer.  The Wizard of Oz is familiar to all.  The great success of our schools on so many fronts...college acceptance, persistence and graduation rates are well above national averages...the work experience that all our students receive is unparalleled and giving them something that even their elite private school counterparts can't get...all of this is not unlike the Emerald City.  When the Wizard is revealed we hear, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"  I am in Atlanta to get back to what is the essence of the driving force behind all Cristo Rey schools...the Gospel!  Sometimes along the way, I think all of us need that to be resurrected within us.

Oh no!  Immediately hackles go up...church and state...prosthelytizing...anti-Catholicism...anti-religion...on and on.  When the surgeon who performs your by-pass with tremendous skill and success...do you question his motivation for becoming a doctor, do you wonder what religion he is?  Do you begrudge him if he does the sign of the cross before operating?  Our schools came as a response to the Gospel...the Samaritan did not care that the beaten man was Jewish and that their ideologies would make them enemies, he responded to another person's great need.  That is what we are doing.

So in Atlanta we got back to those roots...we shared our common experiences...we shared our fears and our successes.  We will all return to our schools today and get back at it.  I will return with a deep confidence that we are not alone in this bold adventure of urban secondary education...we have each other, we have our students and families, we have our supporters and friends, and quietly behind that curtain we have God.  Peace!

Guess who's back!

If you're going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill

Where the heck have I been? (who cares?)

My last post was two years ago...I am sure not too many missed me but Saint Martin de Porres High School has continued to grow and produce outstanding results.  My last few posts were about parity in the school choice and Cleveland voucher programs.  Amen!  It happened...now students in Cleveland are treated equally with all other Ohio students.  Not that I have been going through hell, Winston, but these last two years have been full of the roller coaster rides of starting an urban school.  We're not done, but we are two years closer.  Seth Godin's book, The Dip, is a must read for anyone committed to a mission but is sloshing through the mud to get there.  For anyone who has not heard of Mr. Godin, I strongly urge you to sign up for his blog...just follow the link above.

So what is the next crusade or burning issue that is possible for me?  The question is what will secondary education look like in five years?  The burning issue is what do urban high school grads need to succeed in post secondary world and what is the world??  Follow me on #richardfclark!

Stay tuned!

Question from a visitor...

This morning we were at school hosting a family who was looking for a school to include in its year end giving. We had a great time and the family asked many good and insightful questions. One question stuck out and it was about the Catholic nature of our school.





Back in 2000 I remember talking to a colleague at Saint Ignatius High School about opening a school for kids in the inner city of Cleveland. He wondered why I would want to open a Catholic school in an area where there were so few Catholics. At that time, I gave him an answer I had heard Bishop Pilla give many times when faced with a similar question, "We have Catholic schools in the city not because the students are Catholic, but because we are Catholic." I always thought that was a good way of putting. Not unlike Catholic hospitals...they do not only serve Catholics who are ill!



Two years ago I was invited to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to speak about the Cristo Rey model. Calvinists have hundreds of schools throughout the world. Many of them, as I understand it, were founded to educate Christian children of missionaries and colonists. As time went by, the schools, mostly in urban areas began to serve a new clientele. Most of the urban dwellers, particularly in the African cities where the Calvinists had established schools, were now Moslems.



When I mentioned the issue that many American Catholics bring up about urban Catholic schools educating non-Catholics, I told them of the Bishop Pilla answer. They nodded, but said they too had to have a good reason to continue Christian schools for Moslems. Their reason was rooted in the Gospel. We have these schools in poor urban areas because they are our nieghbors and we are commanded to love our neighbors by Jesus! Wow! Great answer...



Happy New Year!

Jean Paul Sartre: by any means necessary

Today I was priviliged to hear Rev. Otis Moss who worked closely with Dr. King, who presided at the wedding of Rev. Moss and his wife, deliver a talk at the City Club. His theme was the need for a strong central city...without that the rest of the area will collapse. One of the factors (he name seven or more) that will help build a strong city is public education. I couldn't agree with him more. I would like to change the typical view though. The term, public school, today means a school that are supported by local, state and federal government that do not charge tuition.

The speeches of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. were a part of my childhood. My brother, Bill, attended the rally in Washington in 1963 and heard the "I Have a Dream" speech live! When I was accepted to attend Georgetown University in the fall of 1969, the country had suffered the loss of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy and Vietnam was consuming our nation. The freshmen reading list including the Autobiography of Malcolm X. I remember seeing a picture of Malcolm X in Life Magazine holding a gun with a caption of "By Any Means Necessary!" I must admit I was scared by that pronouncement. I read the book and began to get a glimpse into a world I really did not know.


34 years later I had left my position as principal of Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland which I had held for twelve years, and I was driving down Superior Avenue on Cleveland's East Side. I was scouting out the neighborhood which was going to be home for a new school we were starting. I noticed painted in Day Glo orange on the slats of a cyclone fence the words: "Revolution is the only solution." Lord, I thought, I was back in the urban maelstrom of Lima, Peru! I must admit that scared me too. This time, there was no book to read--in a way we were writing our own. Five years later I have begun to get a glimpse into a world where slogans such as "By any means necessary" and "Revolution is the only solution" arise from the people.


"I was not the one to invent lies: they were created in a society divided by class and each of us inherited lies when we were born. It is not by refusing to lie that we will abolish lies: it is by eradicating class by any means necessary." — Jean Paul Sartre, Dirty Hands: act 5, scene 3. 1963

Jean Paul Sartre perhaps puts this whole question into a larger context. Malcolm X, two years later says this: "We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary."— Malcolm X, 1965.

I cannot bring myself to advocating violence, in this regard I am a follower of Jesus, King, and Gandhi. However working for five years at E. 61st and St. Clair allows me to see the absolute futility of life without having the chance for a decent education. That chance has to be NOW!

What if we have some fun with that term and we say a public school is any school that educates the public. In Peru, all schools receive government subsidy. Even Catholic schools receive funding for everything save religion teachers and texts. The closest we have to this in the United States was the GI Bill. It could be used by the student to attend and pay for any college, public or private. In the end, the idea was that everybody could have the opportunity!

As Cleveland begins to develop STEM schools, magnet schools like the three at John Hay or Cleveland School of the Arts the chance for a quality and safe education rises significantly. My question now is quite simple, "What happens to the thousands of kids who can't get into those schools???" Why can't we have a much wider vision of education of the public and look to excellent schools already in existence to help with the severe lack of quality now? Perhaps they are charter schools or private schools that are not tuition driven that could help educate thousands more now. For me the best way to look at this is to ask the question from the family's point of view: "I have an eighth grader now, where can I send her in the fall of 2009 and be sure that the school is safe, effective and will have demonstrated student learning and success?" the answer cannot be, "We are working on it...give us time." That child today doesn't have any time. Here is an analogy which might bring to light the absolute urgency of this education crisis. Suppose avian flu broke out pandemically right now. Thousands of people needing medical attention all at once. Would not all hospitals be part of the solution? Even if in some there were rabbis, or Roman Catholic Masses going on, or Imans counselling? What if they had Saints in their names? Would it matter if at those hospitals you could get the needed treatment?

It is my belief that the urban education crisis is as urgent and deadly as the Plague. If we do not do something right now we will pay for it dearly in the decades to come.

Public education is the great equalizer...

The following appeared in the Chicago Tribune:


By Tara Malone Tribune reporter (Chicago)
December 11, 2008
Fewer than 2 in 10 of the nation's 8th graders are on track to be academically prepared for college, and high school may be too late to bring them up to speed, according to a study released Wednesday.The report found that how students fare in middle school is a leading predictor of their ability to succeed in college or the workplace after high school. Research by Iowa City-based ACT suggests that students who are not academically prepared going into high school are unlikely to make up ground even with rigorous schooling and academic help. The trend cut across demographic and economic lines."What we're saying is college and career readiness is a process that includes high school but is not exclusively a high school issue. It's a K-12 issue," said Cyndie Schmeiser, president of ACT's education division.The findings reinforce a recent study of Chicago Public Schools students. The University of Chicago's Consortium on Chicago School Research looked at the correlation between how 8th graders fared on the state's exams and how they performed three years later on the ACT. The report found that students who earned average scores in 8th grade had only a one-in-four chance of scoring high enough on the ACT to go to college—typically considered at least a 20 out of 36 points."We should be looking all the way back. If we want kids to be at a certain level in Grade 12 or 11, where do we need them to be in middle school or elementary school?" said John Easton, executive director of the consortium.
His research found that regardless of their achievement level in middle school, students did benefit from attending high schools with strong academics and challenging course work."I don't want to take high schools off the hook entirely, but on the other hand, it's hard for high schools to deal with severely underprepared kids," Easton said.The ACT report tracked 216,000 teenagers nationwide who completed the college-entrance exam and its two precursor tests given in Grades 8 and 10. Those involved graduated in 2005 and 2006. The sample did not include teenagers who left high school, leading Schmeiser to call the findings a "best-case scenario."Only students who scored high enough on the 8th-grade exam to reach academic targets set in reading, English, math and science typically went on to earn high enough marks on the ACT as juniors to be considered ready for college in all four areas.The Elgin school district, the state's second-largest, began offering the three-exam ACT series four years ago and now tracks how students progress from one exam to the next.Recent results, for example, show that many students who attend Elgin School District U-46 improved between Grades 8 and 10. But about 40 percent did not progress as expected between Grades 10 and 11.District test consultant Ed DeYoung said the results helped the Elgin district focus its efforts—though he said the onus is not on high schools alone."Each [school] level's responsibility is to raise the rigor of what they are doing," DeYoung said

So this issue goes so deep it is scary! Today, with President-elect Obama's appointment of new Education secretary, we heard that public education is the great equalizer...well I would agree if what is meant by that is education of the public is the great equalizer...the difference is students across this country are being let down by enormous numbers by public education if by that we mean simply public schools. We need to change the spin...we need to focus on education of students by any means that is successful. Preparing 2 out of 10 for college success is cause for national alarm! Pioneering high performing schools must join across all lines--public, private, religious, charter to combat this sad state of affairs.

This is scary...planets are aligning!

I had lunch today at Bo Loong (E. 40th and St. Clair) with three local urban educators. They too saw the present system of delivering education in urban areas as unworkable. Bill Gates called American seconday education obsolete a few year ago...at that time I thought, "Well, that might be an overstatement for effect..." Guess what...he was right. Urban districts are creating small really good schools within the system, but they are not sustainable...nor, quite honestly, that public.

Two possible new directions:

The Essential Schools movement (http://www.essentialschools.org/) have these common principles:

The Common Principles (abbrev.)
1. Learning to use one's mind well
2. Less is More, depth over coverage
3. Goals apply to all students
4. Personalization
5. Student-as-worker, teacher-as-coach
6. Demonstration of mastery
7. A tone of decency and trust
8. Commitment to the entire school
9. Resources dedicated to teaching and learning
10.Democracy and equity

The Small Schools Movement have these factors as basic to a good school:

http://www.smallschoolsproject.org/

At the Small Schools Project, we define small schools as those that share a set of common characteristics:
They are small. Few effective small schools serve more than 400 students, and many serve no more than 200 students.
They are small. They are autonomous. The school community—whether it shares a building, administrator, or some co-curricular activities with other schools—retains primary authority to make decisions affecting the important aspects of the school.
They are distinctive and focused rather than comprehensive. They do not try to be all things to all people.
They are personal. Every student is known by more than one adult, and every student has an advisor/advocate who works closely with her and her family to plan a personalized program. Student-family-advisor relationships are sustained over several years.
They are committed to equity in educational achievement by eliminating achievement gaps between groups of students while increasing the achievement levels of virtually all students.
They use multiple forms of assessment to report on student accomplishment and to guide their efforts to improve their own school.
They view parents as critical allies, and find significant ways to include them in the life of the school community.
They are schools of choice for both students and teachers, except in some rural areas, and are open, without bias, to any students in a community. There are important benefits of small schools, including student achievement, personalization, cost effectiveness, safety benefits, and others.

These are just two views of a new kind of school. An analogy that was used to explain what happens when technology paradigms shift can really apply to present day educational systems...characterized as big, centralized, teacher centered (via unions), unacceptable graduation rates...on and on. When steam engines were introduced to the great sailing ships, it was very confusing to the sailors. Most steam engines were put on ships, but they kept the sails! Check out the picture above!

We are at a time now when we have to get rid of the sails and get the steam engine! Unfortunately, large urban districts think that adding sails, changing the size, color or shape of the sails is the solution...no, the solution is something so different that we may not recognize just what it will be...but whatever it will be, students will learn!

Blowing on the embers...

Five years ago, we formed a curriculum committee to write a new curriculum for our school. Headed by Karen Nestor, we did just that. Now, five years later, it is time to blow on the embers and get the fire raging again! Yesterday, I spoke to our teachers...I am not sure how it was received, but I was too excited about the prospects of recreating even a more effective curriculum and reigniting the school! We shall see. I will post some powerpoints used in the presentation.