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Police in a small western Canada community (population less than 3000) arrested a 17-year-old for shooting and killing a teacher and a teacher’s aide along with a 13-year old and a 17-year-old.  A Canadian Mounted Police officer said that, “It’s a part of changing times.  W are seeing more violence.”  School shootings are a rare thing in Canada.  There are 7 times more shootings in the United States.

No community, large or small, rural or suburban, America or Canada is immune.  Check this website regularly  on steps to take to prevent school violence.

As of May 17, 2015 nine people between the ages of 12 and 24 have committed suicide on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation- in southwestern South Dakota. Youth suicides on the reservation are linked to a multi-generational scourge of sexual abuse.  Investigators now believe at least two of the  nine suicides have been caused by sexual abuse.

Suicides on Native Reservations is a major problem both in the United States as well as in Canada. According to the Aspen Institute, “Suicide rates are more than double, and Native teens experience the highest rate of suicide of any population group in the United States.”

Educators like to say that third grade is the year when students go from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”

About 1,500 students “” or one of every eight who completed third grade in from the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School District in June “” failed the standardized reading test given to all North Carolina third graders in the spring. These students have been mandated to attend four days a week for the past six weeks a class.

Under a recent law similar to those in more than a dozen states, such students in North Carolina may be required to repeat the grade. The law, being applied this year to third graders for the first time, poses a set of thorny educational challenges.

Fourteen states in 2012 enacted policies either mandating or strongly recommending that schools hold back students who could not read properly by third grade. Districts in Arizona and Colorado also offered summer school for struggling third-grade readers for the first time this year, then will consider whether to hold back some of them before the new school year begins.

While the summer courses are likely to make some difference, teachers here and around the country say the third-grade laws are another example of lofty educational goals paired with insufficient resources.  Although many of the new state laws do include provisions requiring schools to identify and support students who show signs of reading difficulties as early as kindergarten, the biggest focus does not come until third grade, along with the consequences for schools and students.

In Florida, one of the pioneers in holding back third graders because of inadequate reading skills, all teachers are required to assess children’s reading levels starting in kindergarten and to offer extra support for children who have trouble learning to read.

Florida introduced its policy in 2002, and between that year and 2013, the percentage of fourth graders reaching proficiency in reading on national tests rose to 39 percent from 27 percent, one of the largest improvements in the country. Research using Florida test results has also shown that, on average, students who repeated third grade performed better on standardized reading tests through middle school than peers who had scored just a few points above the cutoff for moving up to fourth grade. But lasting results are harder to document. The percentage of Florida eighth graders reaching proficiency in reading on national tests rose from 29 percent in 2002 to just 33 percent in 2013, similar to increases elsewhere in the country. Other studies show that students who must repeat a grade drop out of high school at higher rates than their peers.

In North Carolina, the law originally mandated a repeated grade and summer school for any third grader who could not demonstrate proficiency at reading either on the end-of-year standardized test or other measures, including portfolios amassed by teachers. The policy offered exemptions for students with learning disabilities or those who had been learning English for two years or less. After pressure from parents, teachers and advocacy groups, the Legislature modified the law to offer school districts and principals more flexibility in assessing students’ reading abilities and in placing them after third grade. Also, while districts had to offer the summer reading classes, struggling students were not required to attend.

With states starting to align standardized tests with the Common Core, new academic standards that have been adopted by more than 40 states, more students have fallen short of proficiency guidelines than in the past. That could mean many more third graders subject to the new policies about repeating the year.

All students who attended the summer classes took a test at the end to measure their progress. Later this month, principals in Charlotte will decide which of the students must repeat third grade.

Reading experts said children should not be in such a position this late in elementary school.

There are a number of questions that school systems should answer:

1. 1.   Can a six-week course make up for what students have failed to learn in the kindergarten through the third grade?
2. 2.   What are being done to insure that parents are reading to their children starting when a child is born?
3. 3.   Where is the money going to come from when school budgets have been cut to the marrow?
4. 4.   Where do school systems find strong reading curricula to teach non-readers how to read?
5. 5.   Where are the funds to teach third grade teachers how to increase the reading skills of deficient readers?

 

 

 

In the U.S. the “teacher dropout rate” is higher than the student dropout rate.  Forty-six (46) percent of teachers leave the profession  within five years. The Guardian, an English newspaper reported that the same problem exists in the U.K. – although not as severe.

“New educators say they don’t have a good work-life balance and 25% think they will quit in their first five years. Almost three quarters (73%) of trainee and newly qualified teachers  have considered leaving the profession, according to a new survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. Heavy workloads are wreaking havoc among new recruits as 76% of respondents cited this as the main reason they considered quitting. Almost eight in 10 (79%) of the 889 students and newly qualified teachers  surveyed by the union said they did not feel that they had a good work-life balance and the amount of work they were expected to do was the most common reason for disliking their jobs. Other factors that made those starting out in teaching think about a change of career included “teacher bashing” in the press and a lack of respect for profession (30%). Around 26% blamed an increasing expectation to take part in out-of hours activities for their reservations. When asked about out-of hours work, almost half (46%) said they work between six and 10 hours at the weekend during term time, while 28% work more than 10 hours. Just 2% did no work at all at this time.

Julian Stanley, chief executive of the Teacher Support Network, was not surprised by the research results: “Teachers do not enter the profession expecting to work 9 to 5, but the fact is workloads are spiraling out of control. This is having a devastating impact not only on teachers’ mental and physical health but also on their ability to teach.”

Of those surveyed, 25% said challenging pupil behavior was the reason they had considered leaving ““ it came fifth in a list of 18 options.

In the ATL’s most recent survey, by comparison, 25% of young recruits said they didn’t think they would still be teaching in five years’ time, although this figure more than doubled to 53% when the time frame was extended to 10 years.

Stanley said: “Finding a balance between maintaining and driving up standards while supporting teachers is in the best interest of children, parents, governors and school leaders. Health and well being matters are not soft options but have a direct impact on the culture of a school, recruitment and retention of staff and student outcomes.”

“There is too much demanded ““ often on pain of failure or censure ““ on young teachers who are still learning the craft. They should be allowed time and tolerance to think creatively, make mistakes and learn from them. We encourage this for our pupils ““ student teachers and newly qualified teachers should be able to do the same. Just because you raise demands and expectations does not mean you raise standards.”

Where will the new teachers come from?  Who will teach our children?

 

S.T.E.M. Won’t Work “¦Unless”¦.

Franklin proudly announces the publication of his article in the February issue of S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Magazine. The article is entitled: “S.T.E.M. Won’t Work “¦Unless”¦.”

You can read the article here.

 

 

Franklin was interviewed by James Rector, the director of the Teach Abroad Network.  This is the third part of a 3 part interview:
https://teachabroadnetwork.com/blog/219/what-can-we-do-to-better-train-and-retain-good-teachers. I

According to a report from Child Trends: “Parents Behind Bars: What Happens to Their Children?” (October, 2015 by David Murphey and P. Mae Cooper), there are more than five million U.S. children who have had at least one parent in prison at one time or another””about three times higher than earlier estimates that included only children with a parent currently incarcerated. The report uses the National Survey of Children’s Health to examine both the prevalence of parental incarceration and child outcomes associated with it. Based on their analyses, they found that more than five million children, representing seven percent of all U.S. children, have ever had a parent who lived with them go to jail or prison. These figures should not come as a surprise, when we consider that, in 2013, there were 1.6 million people held in prisons in the United States. U.S. incarceration rates, although they have been declining recently, exceed those of any other reporting country. This proportion is higher among black, Hispanic, poor, and rural children. Their figure of more than five million is almost certainly an underestimate, since it does not include children with a non-residential parent who was incarcerated. This is important new information. In 2007, the most recent point- in-time estimate, 1.7 million children, or just over 2 percent, had a parent (including non-residential parents) currently in prison.

Who experiences parental incarceration? One in 14 U.S. children. According to their parents, nearly seven percent of children in the United States have lived with a parent who was incarcerated at some time after the child’s birth. Among children younger than 6, the rate is 5 percent. Among those ages 6 to 11, and 12 to 17, the rate is 8 percent each.

Recently, leaders across the political spectrum have begun to re-examine the policies that led to the massive growth in incarceration over the last generation. Incarceration is costly, the evidence for its deterrence value is mixed, and it has disproportionately affected people who are poor and black, exacerbating existing social inequities.

There is also increased attention being paid to the negative effects of incarceration on already-disadvantaged communities. For example, some researchers have argued that by reducing neighborhood human capital, high incarceration rates (as well as poorer employment prospects after release) contribute to community unemployment, as well as to a decline in prospects for marriage or other committed adult relationships.5

In many communities in the United States today, considerable numbers of children may experience a residential parent going to jail or prison. The great majority of incarcerated parents (99 percent) are fathers. However, the number of women in prison and their percentage of the incarcerated population have both been growing. Maternal incarceration can be especially hard on a child, because mothers are more likely to have been the primary caregiver. For the large subset of prisoners who are parents, incarceration poses unique challenges. There are the obvious difficulties in maintaining parent-child relationships during the period of incarceration, but there are other problems as well, both during imprisonment and following release. These affect the incarcerated parent, their children, and the caregivers of those children. Incarceration can mean the loss of that parent’s income; it strains marital relationships and frequently contributes to divorce.

Among the countries included in this analysis are the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Germany, and Australia. Data are as reported to the International Centre for Prison Studies.

Research indicates a higher number of other major, potentially traumatic life events””stressors that are most damaging when they are cumulative; more emotional difficulties, low school engagement, and more problems in school, among children ages 6 to 11; and a greater likelihood of problems in school among older youth (12 to 17), as well as less parental monitoring.

Reducing the stigma these children experience … may alleviate some of the negative effects of this separation?which include asthma, depression, and anxiety; acting-out behavior; grade retention; stigma; and, in adulthood, an increased likelihood of poor mental or physical health and dropping out of school.

In some cases there can be positive effects when a parent is incarcerated, namely, when the parent is abusive or otherwise poses a danger to the child (through substance abuse, for example). Nonetheless, most research finds negative outcomes associated with incarceration.

Incarceration is expensive not just in economic terms, but also in its emotional and psychological impact on children. Previous research has found connections between parental incarceration and childhood health problems, behavior problems, and grade retention. It has also been linked to poor mental and physical health in adulthood. While the best long-term solution may be to reduce reliance on imprisonment as a sanction for some categories of criminal behavior, there may also be ways to mitigate the harm of parental imprisonment for children. Research on interventions for children with incarcerated parents is limited, but work so far suggests that reducing the trauma and stigma these children experience, improving communications between the child and the incarcerated parent, and making visits with the incarcerated parent more child-friendly may alleviate some of the negative effects of this separation.

 

 

 

Franklin Schargel has been nominated to receive a Hero Award in the following category: Community or Global Leader (Individual):

The Hero Award is presented to individuals who have addressed bullying situations in schools or communities through actions such as:

• Intervening on behalf of bullying victims
• Developing and implementing anti-bullying programs
• Effectively addressing bullying in proactive and unique ways
• Building partnerships with agencies that share concerns for student emotional health and safety and help in interventions through counseling services, sponsorships, programs, etc.

The award will be presented at Auburn University’s 6th Annual Anti-Bullying Summit, which will be held June 23-24, 2016 in Peachtree City, Georgia.