Test and Punish

If you thought things couldn't get worse, consider this: The number of schools subject to punishment under the so-called "No Child Left Behind" law has skyrocketed. Title I schools face stiff consequences if they fail for two years to meet the dozens of test score and attendance targets that together make up what the law calls "adequate yearly progress" (AYP). It's been two years since the law has been in effect, and the tallying has begun.

In the 39 states reporting their AYP results by NEA Today's press deadline, the number of schools that missed AYP for two or more years reached 6,794, or 12 percent of the schools in those states—nearly double the number as last year. As a result, Title I schools in this group must now let parents transfer their children to other schools at the district's expense—even if the receiving schools have no space. And the penalties just get stiffer for schools that miss AYP again.

On the bright side, most states had fewer schools that missed AYP for at least one year. Last year, nearly a third of the nation's schools missed AYP. Unfortunately, this year's results are not comparable to last year's because some of the federal rules have shifted and some states are applying the rules differently.

Next year, things likely will get worse because the AYP standards will be even higher. Several states predict that nearly every school eventually will fail as the standards keep going up—unless educators persuade Congress and the President to fix the law. To help, go to www.nea.org/lac.

Party Nation

Lights burned brightly across America on September 22 as supporters of public education gathered to talk about our schools. Tens of thousands of participants attended 3,600 "house parties" in homes, libraries, schools, and other meeting places—from a chapel in Maui to a brewery on Cape Cod—to put education high on the national agenda. A coalition of more than 50 pro-public school organizations, including NEA, sponsored the events, which included a Los Angeles party attended by NEA President Reg Weaver, actress Helen Hunt, and California Teachers Association President Barbara Kerr.

"Republican or Democrat, people in our community are concerned about our children's education and our future," said William Innes, a Republican teacher in Vallejo, California. "The folks who met at my house believe the White House and Congress haven't done enough for public education."

For more house party coverage, see page 17.

See Dick and Jane Get Hip

OK class, pop quiz. Who knows the meaning of the word 'bomb'? If you're thinking lethal military hardware, give yourself an F. 

Any teen will tell you it means something is great.

If you feel like your students are speaking a foreign language, take heart. Help has arrived in the form of slang flashcards developed by a Venice, California, novelty company. Yes, the same tools you use to teach letters and times tables can now help you learn to speak teen. Each card includes a catchword on one side and a pronunciation guide, definition, synonyms, and helpful illustration on the other. Still lost? The card also offers the term used in a sentence. The box even claims to help the "nerdy, uncool" and those "over 30...start talking street almost immediately." 

So, ready to try another?

How about "crunk," as in "the Tupperware party will be mad crunk."

If you answered "providing entertainment," well, you da bomb.

Feeling Stuffed?

With Americans devouring 667 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving—that's 2 1/4 pounds per person—it's no wonder you're feeling full! Take it easy this year and save some bird for later. Turkey is both low in fat and high in protein, making it the perfect lunch to pack into the cafeteria or teachers' lounge. Looking for ways to make over your leftovers? Then try one of these ideas:

Turkey sandwiches! Think about adding slices of apple and cheddar.

Easy turkey soup. Just toss in some celery, carrots, and wild rice.

Turkey salad. Go easy on the carbs after piling on the potatoes!

Turkey stir-fry. Try mixing in apricot preserves at the end.

For the kids? Fried turkey nuggets with yummy dipping sauces are a sure hit.

No Strangers in Our Schools!

When school board members in Garden City, Michigan, announced plans this year to fire their custodial staff and replace them with lower-paid, non-union private employees, hundreds of parents rushed to save the men and women caring for their kids.

"How do you guarantee that private custodians will have the same code of ethics and love for my child? We don't want this. It's not good for the kids and it's not the right thing to do," one mother told board members.

James Smith, a custodian whose job was threatened, agreed. "I'm a father figure in my school. We take care of these kids. We sacrifice for them."

Hours before the scheduled vote, pressure from parents and local union officials finally worked. The jobs of at least 50 custodians, many with 20-plus years of service, were saved when the education support professional negotiating unit settled with the district.

The negotiators accepted a wage freeze for this year, with the promise of a salary re-opener next year, and retained all fringe benefits, including health insurance. Four custodians will be laid off but offered work as substitutes.

They Gotta Have It

Remember when kids went off to college with just a few bags and a fat pillow? These days, a deflated bank account is more like it.

Start with the ever-essential white board so new pals can stay in touch—just $10. Aiming for extra popularity? Grab a $60 mini-fridge that chills a can of, uh, soda in 60 seconds or a plug-in ice maker for $300.

The average college freshman spends a whopping $1,205 to prepare their new dorm rooms, more than half of it on electronic equipment, according to a recent National Retail Federal survey. In all, college kids and their parents throw down $8.8 billion on textbooks; $7.5 billion on electronics; $3.2 billion on clothing and accessories; $2.6 billion on towels, sheets, desk lamps, and other furnishings; and $1.5 billion on shoes.

That's right, just shoes.

A Vote of Confidence

Despite a constant barrage of attacks that claim American schools are failing, most parents aren't buying it.

And those who know schools the best, like them the most.

That's the conclusion from the latest Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll, which annually asks people to grade America's schools. Among all Americans polled, 26 percent gave the nation's schools an A or a B. But when it comes to schools in their own communities, 47 percent gave their schools a top mark. Among parents of public school children, 61 percent handed out an A or B for their community's schools, while 70 percent gave their own child's school a stellar grade.

At the same time, the public disagrees with the strategies in the so-called "No Child Left Behind" law for judging schools. For example, 67 percent said performance on a single test is not enough to determine whether a school needs improvement. And if a school does need improvement, 80 percent would keep students there and work on fixing the school; only 16 percent favor letting students transfer.

Think Calming Thoughts

When most kids "meditate" in class, they usually drift off to dreamland and not to the land of inner peace. But a recent study found secondary school students in Richmond County, Georgia, who participated in twice-daily meditation sessions, woke up to healthier lives.

Research published in the American Journal of Hypertension this year showed that when stressed-out African-American students meditated for 15 minutes every morning and afternoon, they had lower blood-pressure levels. And that, some say, will lead to better academic performance. Anxiety, stress, or other negative emotions are "internal noise," says Rollin McCraty, research director at the Institute of HeartMath, a California nonprofit that developed TestEdge, an anti-anxiety program for students. McCraty's research shows test scores improved 14 to 35 percent when kids practiced anti-anxiety techniques.

But there's no reason the benefits of less stress should be confined to the other side of the teacher's desk. So breathe deeply, close your eyes, and relax.

The Cash Cure-All?

Studies have long shown that children of poverty tend, on average, to act out in class more than those who come from families with more resources. Experts, though, rarely suggest throwing cash at the situation. But researchers at Duke University in North Carolina inadvertently discovered that money could help. They were studying several types of psychological problems among children in rural North Carolina, one-quarter of whom lived on a Cherokee reservation. Some of the children lived in poverty, while others did not.

Halfway through the eight-year study, a casino opened on the reservation that provided a new source of revenue for members of the tribe, including some of the low-income families in the study. Children from those families exhibited less stubbornness, stealing, bullying, vandalism, and fewer temper tantrums after their families received the financial boost. In fact, they started behaving as well as children in the study who had never been poor. The children who remained poor, however, showed no such improvement.

How did the cash improve the children's school behavior? The researchers said it allowed parents to spend more time with their children, according to their report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Surrounded By Stories

In I Am a Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories (Henry Holt, 2004), children's author Sam Swope recounts his struggle to "get through" to a group of struggling students who have a lot to learn and, as it turns out, a lot to teach.

to the financially poor but story-rich lives of his 28 students, and ends up staying for three years. On one assignment, we see Swope coaching Jessica on how to turn a sentence into a poem, until, finally, it clicks: "I am a pencil/Ready to write/My life."

Swope skillfully sketches the subtle dramas besetting a classroom of children in tough situations. On discovering a disturbing personal revelation in a child's piece, Swope worries about pushing her too far. "How do you teach a kid to bravely follow her imagination, even when it's scary?" he reflects. "And should you?"

This is not a how-to book, nor does it flaunt prescriptions. Swope's aim is more modest—to encourage kids to, in his words, "occasionally look closely at the world and notice things that make you wonder."

For many, that will be more than enough.

Major Mentoring

Sink or swim, that's the American way when it comes to learning to teach.

The program tries to pair together teachers who work in the same building and teach similar classes. The district also hires subs for eight days during the year so the mentor-mentee pairs can watch each other at work. Administrators cannot ask mentors how the new teachers are doing either. And new teachers appreciate that.

"They were kind of like a confidant, someone we could talk to and who we knew wouldn't get us in trouble," says Jessica Heronemus, a second-year middle school English teacher who completed the program last year.

What's Up, Doc?

While my kindergartners were practicing for their Thanksgiving play, our school principal came by with our district's assistant superintendent and proudly introduced "Dr. M" to the class. After the visitors left, a student asked me, "Is the principal sick?" I replied, "No, why do you ask?" The student responded, "Well, why did he bring his doctor to school?" I had to explain that there are other kinds of doctors besides the ones we visit when we are sick!

—Molly Koehle
Kindergarten teacher
Altoona, Pennsylvania

Have a funny school story you'd like to share?
Send it to neatoday@nea.org.