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Departments: Resources
A High-Stakes Debate
An urban school pioneer slams state tests and
offers an alternative.
Will Standards Save Public Education?
By Deborah Meier
Beacon Press, 104 pp., $12,
www.beacon.org/spring00.html
If anyone in America can
claim success in helping low-income children get an education, it's Deborah
Meier, former head of the Central Park East School in New York's East
Harlem and now principal of the Mission Hill School in Boston.
During 25 years of leadership at Central Park East, Meier developed a
community where children were held to high standards. Many went on to
do well later in life.
So Meier's views of the standards movement carry authority. She's no
backseat driver.
This short volume is particularly useful because Meier's case--for high
standards, against high-stakes tests--is followed by responses from seven
education leaders who represent a wide range of views. They include testing
advocate Abigail Thernstrom, school reformer Theodore Sizer, and NEA President
Bob Chase.
Articulate people can often make a powerful sounding case for their side
in a debate, but the test is how that side stands up to opposition.
The schools that Meier has led are public schools of choice, operating
within the framework of the New York and Boston school systems, with union
contracts, certified teachers, and the same per-pupil funding as other
public schools, but with considerable freedom to plan their own programs.
Her schools are small, deliberately so, to let teachers and students
get to know each other. Students take the usual standardized tests, but
the standards and assessments that really count are developed at the school.
These schools succeed. Over 90 percent of her students at Central Park
East graduated and went to college, and Meier says the students did far
better in their future lives than their SAT scores would have predicted.
Those students got something out of their education that wasn't on the
test.
What's the winning formula? Schools that are small enough to form communities
and gain student buy-in. Faculty that set exacting standards for effort
and mastery--and make decisions for the school, in the process acting
as compelling role models.
High-stakes tests, Meier argues, will weaken these schools.
"What kid, after all, wants to be seen emulating people he's been told
are too dumb to exercise power, and are simply implementing the commands
of the real experts,?" she asks.
Among the responders, Abigail Thernstrom, a member of the same Massachusetts
Board of Ed that created the testing program that Meier is battling, takes
the first whack. State testing, Thernstrom contends, is forcing public
schools to teach illiterate students to read.
Bob Chase doesn't agree with Meier that each school should set its own
standards, but he agrees that state standards won't magically transform
students into high achievers.
That, he says, requires trained teachers, small classes, and adequate
resources.
Chase's comments, and those from several other responders, come across
more like friendly amendments to Meier than opposition.
Meier's real antagonist is Thernstrom, who essentially believes that
low-income children don't learn because teachers don't make them.
"No excuses" is Thernstrom's battle cry. By that, she doesn't mean legislators
should stop making excuses for allowing thousands of children to live
in rat-infested slums, without health insurance or decent child care when
their parents go to work.
She means teachers should stop making excuses for not bringing these
children up to the test scores achieved by children of privilege.
Thernstrom accuses Meier of asking society to trust its educators. And
indeed she does.
Meier's retort? Her experience proves that "schools can make a difference,
can alter the odds" for low-income children. But not if teachers are powerless.
--Alain Jehlen
Excerpt:
"In the past two years, the number of students expelled from elementary
and secondary schools in Chicago has nearly doubled. Expelled kids get
sent to something called 'safe schools,' run by for-profit organizations.
When a reporter asked Chicago officials why the number of spaces in
the for-profit academies was far smaller than the number of expelled
students, the reporter was reassured: 'Not to worry. They don't all
show up.'"
New from the NEA Professional Library
Innovative Discipline
Sabrina Holcomb and Marina Michalski, Editors
96pp., $9.95
#2916-X-00-FN
In this book, you'll find stories from teachers across the country illustrating,
step-by-step, how they tackled a specific discipline challenge. Recently
revised, Innovative Discipline features a new section on school
safety, including an extensive resource list of books, videos, audiotapes,
Web sites, and organizations that promote safe schools. This popular book
also discusses peer mediation, self-help sessions, student-operated courts
at the middle school level, and a variety of other discipline programs
that are transforming the cultures of schools.
To order, call 1-800/299-4200, or check the Web at www.nea.org/books.
Excerpt:
"The earlier we empower our students to be responsible for their
actions and education, the sooner we will see them making the wise
choices that will securely qualify them as the leaders of the future.
Like growing numbers of teachers and school systems, we feel that
realigning systems, rather than trying to reshape students to fit
systems, will help our children make that future a satisfying one."
The War in I Corps
By Richard A. Guidry
Vietnam veteran Richard Guidry tells the story of what it was like on
the battlefield, as a young Black Marine from Texas. Currently a history
teacher at Highland High in Palmdale, California, Guidry offers a vivid
and relentless depiction of his experiences in the so-called Demilitarized
Zone with the northern I Corps. 238 pp., $6.99 plus $5.50 s&h from the
Ballantine Publishing Group, 400 Hahn Rd., Westminster, MD 21157, 800/733-3000.
The Cincinnati Red Stalkings
By Troy Soos
Mickey Rawlings, utility infielder for the Cincinnati Reds, is excited
for what he believes will be an awesome season in 1921. Instead, he finds
himself caught in the middle of a murder mystery when longtime Reds fan
Oliver Perriman is found dead and Rawlings realizes he could be the next
to go. 330 pp., $5.99 plus $2.75 s&h from Penguin Putnam Publishing, 405
Murray Hill Parkway, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, 800/631-8571.
Father By Blood
By Louella Bryant
Through the eyes of John Brown's daughter Annie, Louella Bryant takes
a new approach to understanding the events that lead up to the historic
raid on Harper's Ferry before the Civil War. For readers between the ages
of 10 and 14, Father By Blood is a tale of love, loss, morality,
sacrifice, and evil. 116 pp., $12.95 plus $3.50 s&h from the New England
Press, Box 575, Shelburne, VT 05482, 802/863-2520. 20 percent discount
for orders of more than five copies.
The Complete Poetry Book
A Teacher's Reference of Poetic Forms
By Dorian Marrone
From acrostics to villanelles, this book offers valuable time-saving
references for all classrooms. All poetic forms are researched and outlined
for teachers and students to follow. Sample poems are included, plus suggestions
for integrating poetry across the curriculum. Order from Thinking Caps,
Inc., P. O. Box 26239, Phoenix, AZ 85068.
CURTAINS! Familiar Plays for Little Actors
By Diane Head
The author has adapted nine familiar fairy tales into short plays for
students pre-K-2. The collection supplies a word list at the beginning
of each script to help the instructor place students in a play most suitable
to their skills. CURTAINS! can help build self-esteem and peer
cooperation, along with improving literacy skills. 87 pp, $11.99 plus
$3 s&h from Frank Schaffer, P.O. Box 2853, Torrance, CA 90509, 800/421-5533.
Animated Epics: Beowulf
HBO Family
December, Check Local Listings
This animated presentation tells the story of the epic struggles of the
great 6th-Century Scandinavian warrior who faced three mortal enemies:
the monster Grendel, Grendel's vengeance-seeking mother, and a fire-breathing
dragon.
Conquistadors - An Online Learning Adventure
PBS
November 2000
This learning adventure parallels an upcoming PBS documentary, "In the
Footsteps of the Conquistadors," which is scheduled to air in the spring.
An online historical travelogue will transport students from Spain to
Central and South America and the southern United States. In addition
to lesson plans, activities, and articles, the site provides an exploration
of the clash between the cultures of Old World Conquistadors and New World
indigenous peoples, and looks at how those events have shaped, and continue
to shape, life in the modern world.
The Merrow Report: School Sleuth
PBS
November 2, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
In this tongue-in-cheek episode, John Merrow plays a veteran private
detective trying to solve The Case of the Excellent School, and his investigation
uncovers five categories of school quality. P.I. Merrow discovers there
are many ways to evaluate schools beyond test scores and college acceptance
rates, and he shares 25 practical measures of excellence in education.
Napoleon, An Empires Special
PBS
November 8 and 15, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
The life of Napoleon Bonaparte, native Corsican, France's First Consul,
self-proclaimed Emperor, and eventual exile, is chronicled in this four-hour
presentation. Napoleon's story is told through dramatic recreations, original
footage of European locales, and classic paintings from his time, with
commentary by modern historians and, through his own letters and writings,
from Napoleon himself. A companion Web site featuring the evolution of
the man and the myth, European politics, Napoleon's battle strategies,
and his romance with Josephine - along with an interactive battlefield
simulator that provides an opportunity to alter the course of history
at Waterloo - can be found at www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon.
The Invisible Soldiers: Unheard Voices
PBS
November 9, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
This program looks at the contributions of African-American men and women
in uniform during World War II who gave their loyalty, blood, and lives
to protect a country that denied them the very freedoms for which they
were fighting. More than 45 veterans speak candidly of their accomplishments
under conditions of bigotry and racism and how the return to a society
that refused to acknowledge their sacrifices helped fuel the civil rights
movement. A companion Web site with resource materials, related Web links,
and information on the National Day of Honor Project - a call for cities
to observe and honor the WWII service of African Americans and other minorities
- can be found at www.dayofhonor2000.org.
Great Books: 1984 and Les Miserables
The Learning Channel
November 10 and December 23, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
In November, Great Books looks at 1984 in its historical and social context,
exploring how Orwell's work was shaped by his experience with war and
probing such themes as the violation of human rights, technological invasion
of privacy, and the destruction of culture. In December, Les Miserables
examines the inseparability of Victor Hugo's writing and politics, and
his concerns about penal reform and the burdens of the poor and working
classes.
CNN Newsroom - Trail of Tears and Your Brain
CNN
November 15 and December 6, 4:30-5:00 a.m. ET, check local listings.
In recognition of Native American History month, on November 15, CNN
Newsroom retraces the forced march westward by Native Americans in "Trail
of Tears." On December 6, "Your Brain" looks at the teen brain and how
its development affects adolescent behavior. For more information, or
to receive classroom guides and programming information by email, visit
www.turnerlearning.com.
Homeland
PBS
November 16, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
Following the lives of four families for over three years, this documentary
explores what it takes for members of the Lakota community to build a
better future in the face of tribal and government corruption, scarce
housing, unemployment, and alcoholism. Interviews with a spiritual leader,
a grandmother, an artist, and a community activist from South Dakota's
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation reveal how the community faces these challenges
by relying on family ties, cultural tradition, humor, and a palpable yearning
for self-reliance and personal freedom.
Founding Fathers
The History Channel
November 27-30, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
The human sides of the men who shaped America's struggle for independence
from Britain are explored in this four-part series. Profiles of Thomas
Paine, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington,
and others consider the flesh-and-blood men behind the legends and offer
insight into the shaping of America's destiny. Each of the four episodes
weaves the lives of these men through the story of the half-century in
which the idea for American independence became a possibility and the
nation itself became a reality. Study guides for history teachers and
a mock presidential election featuring the founding fathers as candidates
can be found on HistoryChannel.com.
Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks
HBO
November 30, check local listings.
Airing in honor of his 88th birthday, this feature-length presentation
profiles photographer, novelist, poet, musician, and filmmaker, Gordon
Parks, while exploring America's social history through his life and work.
Drawing on the work of Mr. Parks himself, the documentary features archival
footage of the turbulent '60s and '70s, as well as interviews with friends,
family, colleagues, and others.
The Royal Diaries
HBO
November and December, check local listings.
An all-new series inspired by women leaders in history tells the stories
of a pivotal point in their lives. "Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House
of Tudor" airs in November and focuses on the famously independent monarch
who was the youngest queen to rule England. The story takes place when
Elizabeth is a teenager, one of many children in the house of King Henry
VIII of England, struggling to find her place in the family - and the
monarchy - after the death of her mother. In December, "Isabel: The Jewel
of Castilla" tells the story of the young woman as she faces conflicting
loyalties within her family. In order to fulfill the royal duty to marry
for political purposes, Isabel must compromise her own desires and goals.
Animated Epics: Beowulf
HBO Family
December, check local listings.
This animated presentation tells the story of the epic struggles of the
great 6th century Scandinavian warrior who faced three mortal enemies:
the monster Grendel, Grendel's vengeance-seeking mother, and a fire-breathing
dragon.
Inside the Space Station
Discovery Channel
December 10, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
This program examines the structure of the International Space Station
and how astronauts have worked in space to build it. Designed to be a
multi-room space platform and research facility, the station includes
six laboratories where scientists will study scientific visualization
and surgery, microgravity cancer treatments, and the development of space-grown
sources of petroleum. A companion virtual experience for exploring living
and working in space can be found at Discovery.com.
The Forgotten Americans
PBS
December 14, 10:00 p.m. ET, check local listings.
There are nearly 1,500 colonias in the United States, unincorporated
neighborhoods scattered along the Mexican border. This film follows a
year in the lives of colonia residents, documenting their struggle to
attain basic living and housing services, such as electricity, water,
and sewer hook-ups. How various non-profit organizations assist colonia
residents with health and home concerns, and political perspectives of
what can be done to remedy the situation are also presented.
KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media
in Washington, D.C., provides these listings. For additional listings
and information, check the Web at www.kidsnet.org.
Call Outs
Some online resources are just plain handy. Like this Area Code Listing,
by Number site, which lets you identify major cities by, of course, area
code. A reverse-tracking tool.
Fraud Help
The FBI has teamed up with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C,
to the digerati) in order to offer consumers a much-needed Internet Fraud
Complaint Center. Calling all victims!
Only Good Stuff
In our REALLY-fed-up-with-junk-E-mail category: The good E-mail is sent
on to you, while suspected spam messages are sidelined into a Brightmail
Caught Spam box. Free to individuals.
Birdwatching
Watch these peregrine parents tend their clutch. A site birdwatching enthusiasts
have been waiting for. Brought to us by the aptly named Birdcam 2000.
Movies
The Complete History of the Discovery of Cinematography offers an illustrated
chronology of the development of motion pictures over a period of 2,500
years.
Whatever the Weather
To help make sure it doesn't rain on your parade, plan a visit to Weatherplanner,
which boasts that its long-range forecasts have long been used by government
agencies, the film industry, and major companies. Weather planner provides
predictions of the weather up to a year in advance.
Medical Mysteries
For more than 50 years, doctors have relied upon the Physicians' Desk
Reference for the most up-to-date drug information. PDR jumps to the Web
to help consumers learn more about detecting, preventing, and treating
various conditions.
Picasso? Monet?
You can create your own personal online art exhibit. The Seattle Art Museum
launches a fun and educational Web site to guide students through the
process of creating an art exhibit from the museum's collections. It also
provides an opportunity to learn the curatorial process online and to
visually analyze and interpret the art. My Art Gallery begins with an
animated introduction by a young spirited narrator of the site's five
activities. Following each activity, students type in their own ideas
or observations, which are logged into a notebook. At completion of the
lessons, the notes are used to create an online art exhibit.
What's
New in Robotland?
Robots are doing that which only writers of science fiction once thought
possible, and Cool Robot of the Week keeps abreast of the technological
advances.
On the Campaign
Trail
In our glutton-for-political-punishment category: The Living Room Candidate
provides a multimedia history of presidential campaign commercials going
back to 1952.
Staying Fit
The UK's Netfit offers 200 fitness exercises, tests to determine exactly
how fit (or out of shape) you are, and more than 30 different workouts,
along with stretching advice for all major muscle groups. With helpful
video clips.
America's Library Available Online
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution
and the world's largest library. It was founded in 1800 and preserves
a collection of 119 million items. In addition to serving the needs of
the U.S. Congress, the Library serves all Americans through its popular
Web site. Visit America's Memory where there is a Learning Page for educators
with lesson ideas and lesson plans. Visit the Legislative Section to view
text of the Congressional Record, House and Senate Committees, hearing
schedules, bill summaries and much more. The Gallery showcases numerous
artworks including a collection of presidential portraits. Log on... play
around... learn something.
The Perfect Quote
Looking for the right words at the right time? Here's the place.to go
QuoteWorld claims a database of more than 13,700 quotations, along with
a user-friendly search engine.
Internet Radio Program
Focuses on Timely Topics of Interest to Teachers This new audio magazine,
available only over the Internet, is designed for most educators who have
a busy lifestyle and hectic work schedule. The program highlights interviews
with authors and educational experts, humor from the classroom, news about
education, reviews of books, and educational software. Accessible 24 hours
a day, Monday through Thursday, Scholastics's Teacher Radio features regulars
such as Marilyn Burns, well-known math education expert, Steve Tomecek
who provides science experiments that will surely help heat up any classroom
science curriculum, and Matt Costello who offers brainteasers and logic
problems for teachers and students.
QUIA - Where Learning Takes You
Latest Free Innovative Educational Resource Hits the Web. This new website
offers user-friendly technology to create customized learning activities.
Quia Corporation makes it possible for teachers to find and share the
best learning activities created by teachers anywhere. Tap into resources
such as online games and quizzes in hundreds of subject areas, tools and
templates to create learning exercises, and web pages for educators to
post homework, schedules, grades, links to favorite web sites, plus more.
Teachers can assess and analyze student performance through the site's
"quiz session" functionality.
CNN for Schools
This new Web site offers both student and teacher editions. CNN Interactive
combines the resources of Riverdeep Interactive Learning, Harcourt, and
HighWired.com to provide students and teachers a safe place to find news
and information from around the world, plus educator-designed classroom
and homework materials.
Teacher-RelatedWeb Sites
Links to Web sites useful for teachers, including lesson plans, special
education sites, government data sources, major newspapers, and many others,
are available free from Teacher Created Materials.
Youth Policy Forum
The American Youth Policy Forum has issued a report, Less Hype, More Help:
Reducing Juvenile Crime, What Works and What Doesn't, that concludes "get
tough" policies don't work, but describes other approaches that do.
Help With
Reading
Helping Your Child Become a Reader, a booklet in the Helping Your Child
series from the U.S. Department of Education, has family activities for
children to age 6.
Classroom
Assessment
The Art and Science of Classroom Assessment: The Missing Part of Peda-gogy
is a synthesis of research from ERIC Digests, a service of the U.S. Department
of Education.
History-Making
Put the current Presidential debates into the context of history with
a multimedia celebration of 40 years of television and politics. The Great
Debate and Beyond captures scenes from past debates and offers video commentary.
Know Your Way Around
You can get the statistical lowdown on the geographical area where you
live with a few mouse clicks at State and County Quick-Facts. Created
by the United States Census Bureau,this factoid haven spitsout frequently
requested information on variousgeographical levels.
Fall in
Pennsylvania
"Watch Fall Unfold." That's the seasonally appropriate motto of these
Pennsylvania Live Web Cams. Enjoy the view from six diverse locations
around the state, or spruce up your computer screen with downloadable
wallpaper.
Very Literary
The Electronic Literature Directory provides a hugely satisfying collection
of links to electronic works, authors and publishers. You'll find digital
sustenance ranging from poetry and fiction to drama and nonfiction.
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