Posts from — October 2010

In my home state of Maine, a great deal of the recent election debate has been spent on one troubling national statistic. In its most recent set of rankings for the Best States For Business And Careers, Forbes.com ranked Maine 50th out of the 50 states.

The gubernatorial candidates had a field day while those in the Republican party seeking to regain stature in a Democratic controlled state played the I told you so card time and again. Not too surprisingly, our current Maine leadership simply asserted that Forbes had to be wrong with its assessment.

But while this business data saw much airtime, an equally troubling national ranking saw little in the way of real discussion. I am talking about the Project on Student Debt’s recent tabulation of the debt load status of the class of 2009.

Maine Student Debt

The State of Maine placed third highest overall with students graduating from four-year schools with an average debt load of $29,143. A full 65% of graduates left school with some debt level, a percentage that placed the state 12th.

Perhaps even more disappointing was the fact that two Maine Colleges made the national list as the worst for student debt. In what is likely a surprise for many, both schools making the list are public institutions.

Topping the debt load was Maine Maritime Academy where graduates left school with an average debt load of $39,237. That is more than 60% above the national average of $24,000 per student. Furthermore, nearly three out of every four graduates (73%) graduated with some form of debt.

Two other private Maine colleges, Husson and St. Joseph’s, also posted significant average debt levels: $33,010 and $36,071 respectively. Worse yet, seven out of every eight graduates (88 percent at Husson and 87 percent at St. Joseph’s) left with some debt level. As bad as these numbers are, neither school had the misfortune of making the Project of Student Debt’s list of high debt private institutions nationally.

But, the real kicker for me, was the second public school making the national debt list, the University of Maine in Orono. The land grant institution also made the Project on Student Debt’s list producing an astounding average of $30,824.

I say astounding as most would think that UMO, as the government supported state university, would be the best place for students of limited means to go. But with 77% of graduates leaving with some form of debt and a debt level 25 percent above the national average, UMaine is simply not affordable for students.

In contrast, Maine’s three elite, liberal arts schools, Bates, Bowdoin and Colby could boast averages lower than the national number despite these schools being among the most expensive to attend. Bates posted the lowest average debt of the three at $17,954 for 2009 graduates. Bowdoin finished with $18,382 and Colby $21,697. As for those leaving with some form of debt, 38 percent of Bates grads, 45 percent of Bowdoin and 41 percent of Colby students left with payments looming.

Northeast Does Poorly

A bit of consolation for some Mainers is that our New Hampshire neighbors actually fared worse. Average student debt for the graduates stood at $29,443 putting the Granite State second overall. Adding to the bad news, 72% of students graduating from New Hampshire Colleges had some form of debt, a percentage that placed the state fifth overall.

But schools throughout the northeast reported disappointing results. Vermont came in at number 5 with $27,786 while Rhode Island placed 8th at $26,573.

According to the Project on Student Debt, the increased debt load of students in the Northeast can be attributed to a couple of factors. First, both private and public four-year colleges in the Northeast have higher than average tuition rates.

Second, the report notes that a larger than average share of students in the Northeast attend private nonprofit four-year colleges instead of public. The result of these two factors, both controllable factors for students, produce higher average debt loads for students in this region of the country.

The bottom line is that students are partly to blame for this troubling result.

Overall Importance

While much election time was focused on the business data, higher education is critical to every state’s business future. In fact, it is interesting to note that three of the New England states with the highest student debt loads, Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine, placed 45th, 49th and 50th respectively in the Forbes ratings. Of course, it is tough to get any career started when you begin with significant levels of debt.

The consensus it that higher education plays the most important role when it comes to preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century. But that role will become limited if students cannot afford to attend.

Simply stated, Maine needs to do better by its children, beginning with its flagship university. With debt levels exceeding the national average at all public and private institutions by more than 20%, elected officials must take a good hard look at what is going on at the University of Maine at Orono.

In fact, the overall debt level coupled with the appalling data from UMO may ultimately be more important for the future of our state than the current abysmal business rating received from Forbes.com.

There is little doubt that we have entered a wondrous new age, one where every facet of life is evolving and generally doing so in ways we could never have anticipated. As we make our way through what is now dubbed the digital era, early assessments have many concerned for our young.

There are those who see the digital age as creating a group of youngsters with the shortest attention spans in history. Still others express concern that the digital age may actually be interfering with the intellectual development of young people.

In fairness, there is another group that sees the developments positively and believes that a new, wired generation is able to do things we older folks could never have dreamed up. Those with such a view throw around the new term, multi-tasking, and refer to today’s young positively as digital natives.

However, the alarmists seem to be winning out. And a new study released late spring added one more layer of concern for those who work with children.

The Work of Sara Konrath

One of the disconcerting developments involves a three-decade analysis of prior research conducted by Sara Konrath, a professor affiliated with the psychiatry department at the University of Rochester. Also a researcher for the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Konrath found that today’s college students are not as empathic as those of prior generations.

The professor arrives at her conclusions after reviewing 72 studies measuring this specific personality trait conducted over a 30-year period (1979-2009). When college students are compared with those from the late 1970s, Konrath found that today’s college students were “less likely to make an effort to understand their friends’ perspectives,” or to “feel tenderness or concern for the less fortunate.”

With the most significant drop occurring after the year 2000, Konrath found that “kids today are about 40 percent lower in empathy than their counterparts of 20 or 30 years ago.” These findings mirror the concerns of those who see today’s young as being extremely self-centered, an attribute that has some folks calling today’s youngsters Generation Me.

Digital Media Responsible?

The alarming development could result from a number of factors though it is clear that Konrath believes the largest culprit is digital media. And when she places the blame, she hits on virtually every one of the concerns often expressed by others.

“In terms of media content, this generation of college students grew up with video games,” she told US News. “And a growing body of research, including work done by my colleagues at Michigan, is establishing that exposure to violent media numbs people to the pain of others.”

Konrath goes on to point fingers at another popular phenomenon, social media. The professor theorizes that a shift towards online friendships provides youngsters with the ability to “tune out” when they wish. The ability to tune out when conversing online could then spill over to the point that students may tune out even when peers are expressing themselves in face-to-face settings.

This raises new flags and throws a bit of a wrench into the growing sentiment that social media can play a positive role in the education process of young people.

While focusing primarily on the role of digital media, Konrath did speculate that our hyper-competitive society and its unbridled focus on success could also be playing a role. In some cases, it could be the cutthroat nature of such a lifestyle, but it could just as likely be that our fast-paced world prevents us from being able to tune in to the needs of others.

Educator Interest

Further review of the professor’s work reveals a very interesting assessment of what constitutes a healthy self-focus. By the term healthy, Konrath talks of a youngster developing a strong, confident sense of self, referred to as individualism. This contrasts with unhealthy self-focus that is so inflated it borders on narcissism.

What is also of interest is the professor’s view that self-focus can develop alongside other-focus. Most importantly, in her view, positive levels of individualism can develop alongside collectivism and empathic behavior if nurtured properly.

Such a theory means that people can actually be high in category and low in the other, high in both, or low in both. Konrath has developed a theory around the consequences of an excess in self-focus without a simultaneous focus on others, a situation the researcher calls “social atomization.”

“Socially atomized people have difficulty considering the larger web-like social context in which all humans are embedded,” notes Konrath. Yet another interesting development in those with excessive narcissism is a certain level of aggression.

Konrath’s work could have enormous implication for teachers moving forward. If indeed our digital culture is rendering a generation of self-centered individuals, it will likely fall on schools to construct educational opportunities to combat this negative trend.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

That was a phrase I heard many times over as a child – I have to say I wasn’t sure that I agreed with it then and certainly don’t now, but the message was unequivocal.

The idea, of course, was that the verbal teasing could get under your skin only if you let it do so. The message was buck up, believe in yourself and hold your head high despite the mean-spirited critics around you.

From my memories as a child growing up, I can attest to the fact that bullying and hard-core teasing were concepts we dealt with on a daily basis. I can say from a voice of experience that those who insist that the issue is unique or somehow worse with today’s young people are flat out wrong.

Four Bullied Teens, One Ohio School

Memories of mean spirited classmates came flooding back to me when I read Meghan Barr’s piece on the tragedies that have befallen one high school in Ohio. Four teens, all with one commonality, bullied by their peers, have ended their own lives in the last two years. It was a striking article as I cannot comprehend anyone taking their own life for any reason.

Barr goes through each one’s story in candid detail. Sladjana Vidovic, a 16-year-old native of Croatia with a very thick accent, hung herself. Eric Mohat, a flamboyant young man who preferred to wear pink most of the time, used a gun to take his life.

Three weeks after Mohat ended his time, Meredith Rezak, 16, also shot herself. Jennifer Eyring, an accomplished equestrian who had a learning disability, died from an overdose of antidepressant pills.

Two of the parents are currently suing the school for not taking action to stop the harassing behavior. In Meghan Barr’s story, one national anti-bullying expert placed the problem squarely with the school.

Barbara Coloroso told Barr that the school ‘is allowing a culture of mean to thrive, and school officials should be held responsible for the suicides — along with the bullies.’

“Bullying doesn’t start as criminal,” Coloroso is quoted. “They need to be held accountable the very first time they call somebody a gross term. That is the beginning of dehumanization.”

Whether the school is at fault or not, we cannot say. But we can say that there are concrete steps parents can take to help their child deal with such behaviors when they witness them.

What’s a Parent to Do?

If you take the time to read the article we have mentioned, you will no doubt be fearful of how your child may be treated in the school setting. It is important to note that the vast majority of students make it through the school years positively with most indicating the school years were a good experience overall.

Simply stated, preventing your child from ever being harassed or bullied is not a reasonable expectation. There are people, who by their very make-up, will seek opportunities to bully and harass others.

Parents must take the steps to help their child reduce the possibilities of being mistreated as well as teach them how to deal with the issue when it occurs. In doing so, we do not recommend using the proverbial line of old, sticks and stones…..

The first step is to help your child build a core group of friends early on in life that he or she can rely on at school. Beginning with any form of early organizational activities, from T-ball to dance class to time at the Y, getting your child into activities develops interests where they meet and develop relationships with others.

Next, having other early social opportunities such as birthday parties, playground picnics, and other such low-key events is a great way to help your child learn to socialize. These events, organized and unorganized, can help create an early peer group of youngsters that hang together. These youngsters will then tend to look out for one another when they get to new settings or uncomfortable developments at school.

The second step is to make your child aware that this type of behavior may occur and prepare them for the possibility. All too often, parents hope for the best and then try to react when a situation develops.

Educating your child that there will be some people who will exhibit this behavior and then giving them concrete strategies for dealing with it is essential. The first step is to insist that your child not follow along when someone is being teased, that you will not tolerate them mistreating others. In other words, they must understand that the behavior is wrong and that they are never to be involved in such behavior.

While we might want our child to stand up for the one being targeted or to the bully targeting them, the simplest step is to have the child remove him/herself from the situation. If they have developed a core peer group, they can encourage that group to also remove themselves.

A collective stance is far easier to take. Most importantly, they, as a group should alert the adult caregivers of the situation whenever it occurs with others, not just when they are recipients of the harassment or bullying behavior.

Ongoing, Abusive Treatment

Lastly, if your child falls victim to serious harassment or abuse, you must take the step of meeting with all of his or her teachers and school administration. By the term victim, we are not referring to someone looking cross-eyed at your child or refusing him or her a certain place on the playground or in the lunchroom.

But if your child is called vicious names and is the victim of taunting and teasing, you must alert school officials as to what is taking place and where. In doing so, avoid the fist-pounding and the threat of lawsuits befalling the district if they don’t get a handle on things.

Instead, discuss calmly and rationally what is taking place and then develop a concrete plan for how your child will alert school officials when the behavior is an issue. At the same time, ask teachers if they will kindly look out for your youngster, to keep an eye on the areas where issues have developed in the past.

Seek a commitment from them that they will watch but at the same time empower them to call you the parent, if by chance your child is the responsible party when a situation develops. Such an approach will demonstrate that you want the behavior to be limited so that all children have a positive school experience.

Bullying Will Always Be an Issue

To be frank, bullying and various forms of harassment are certain to occur to some extent even in the best schools. The difference is that the schools that take the issue seriously will respond and respond strongly when they become aware of the problem.

Most schools today take a very active approach and offer a general education anti-bullying component. We are not sure what is taking place at the aforementioned Ohio school but most take the issue very seriously.

Clearly, given what has happened in Ohio, parents also need to take the issue seriously as well. In fact, it is imperative that you give your child the tools to handle the challenges – it is easily the best step one can take.

Doing the right thing by kids.

The story of the Florida high school coach suspended for housing a homeless student has a lot of folks talking and most raising an eyebrow, at least initially. One major network hit the nail on the head with its assessment of the situation.

Fox Sports writes:

In the movies, taking in a homeless high school kid who turns out to be a heck of a football player makes for a heartwarming story.

In real life … not so much.

On the surface, it appears that a coach with a humanitarian streak was suspended for trying to help a kid in trouble. The reports from the Orlando Sentinel indicate St. Cloud High School coach Bill Buldini sat out his team’s most recent game with Edgewater after the school self-reported a violation of Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) code that is theoretically designed to curb the recruitment of athletes.

The rule that was broken is pretty clear – it states that school employees or representatives of the school’s athletic department cannot provide or promise free or reduced-cost housing for a potential athlete in their program. The apparent issue also seems clear, the coach provided housing for a player who had become homeless.

Of course, there are two distinct ways to view the issue. One is that an adult with connections to a teen learned of his negative circumstances and stepped in to help someone in need. That is the good Samaritan angle and the one we hope tells the true tale.

The second is that a football coach, fearful that one of his players might not be able to play football, ensured his continued participation and thus the potential continued success of his program. This angle gains significant consideration if the young man just so happens to be one of the best players on the team.

At this point it is not clear if the second view is pertinent in any way. The student’s name has not been released for privacy reasons so it is unclear if he was an impact player or just one of many boys participating in the program.

Interestingly enough, the violation of Florida athletic code did not mirror district policy regarding employees though news sources indicated that district “regulations call for the district to work with homeless and dispossessed students directly rather than rely on its employees.” If the district felt that the coach had acted inappropriately they certainly did not indicate as such. After sitting out one game, Buldini has been reinstated to both his coaching duties and day job as a social studies teacher.

But according to new sources, the FHSAA is continuing to look into the matter. And if they find he has acted against Florida regulations new sources indicate the association could fine the coach monetarily and also act so as to vacate some of the team’s victories.

Unlike the college athletic environment where coaches are paid millions, Buldini is paid a $3,850 annual stipend for serving as the football coach. Clearly his actions, even if they were to help keep a valuable player in the program, are doing little for his financial future.

But the school has taken the step of holding the player out of practice and games for the time being. This step of course eliminates any potential conflict of interest and ensures that the humanitarian effort is not about winning football games.

While a logical step, those who work with high school students know that athletics actually keeps many kids in school. Without the chance to participate, that could well be the eventual outcome here.

It is a challenging situation and mirrors the complexity of today’s world. Sadly, it is a situation that furthers the view among our young people that society isn’t about helping them.

But there is one clear lesson here. Too many of our adult rules work against people trying to do right by kids.