Category — General

One relatively new topic for educators should have many elementary school teachers rethinking their basic classroom approach, especially those who work with children in the earliest grades.

The concept, dubbed executive function by experts, has actually been around for the better part of 20 years. However, the topic did not really hit mainstream America until Wray Herbert’s in depth look at the concept this summer at Newsweek.com.

MindDisorders.com defines the term executive function as the “set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors.” What makes the concept so intriguing for researchers, and potentially significant for educators, is that “executive functions are necessary for goal-directed behavior.”

MindDisorders.com further notes: Executive functions “include the ability to initiate and stop actions, to monitor and change behavior as needed, and to plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations.” Therefore, “executive functions allow us to anticipate outcomes and adapt to changing situations” while providing us the specific “ability to form concepts and think abstractly.”

EF Could Replace IQ
In his Newsweek piece, Herbert does a great job explaining the importance of executive function, dubbed EF. The writer clearly articulates “why the ability to resist distraction … may be more important to academic success than traditional measures of intelligence.”

Prior to explaining the meaning of EF, Herbert takes a look at a specific group of students that simply do not have either the organizational skills or the attention spans needed to handle school related activities.

“Most people can recall a kid from grade school who couldn’t stay seated, who talked out of turn and fidgeted constantly, whose backpack overflowed with crumpled handouts and who always had to ask other kids what the homework assignment was. Those kids weren’t bad kids, but they seemed to have absolutely no self-control, no internal disciplinarian to put a brake on their impulses, to keep their attention focused.

“Not surprisingly, they were almost always lousy students as well. This kind of student has been tagged with a variety of labels over the years: antisocial personality, conduct disorder, stupid.”

What makes the concept noteworthy is “that a child’s ability to inhibit distracting thoughts and stay focused may be a fundamental cognitive skill, one that plays a big part in academic success from preschool on. Indeed, this and closely related skills may be more important than traditional IQ in predicting a child’s school performance.”

If executive function is a cognitive skill, then the concept could one day “displace traditional measures of ability and achievement” in the school setting.

Pumping Up a Child’s EF
One of the most interesting aspects of the article is the notion that “we can pump up these EF skills with regular exercise, just as we do with muscles.” But in stark contrast to the traditional notion of drill and kill, improving executive function utilizes a completely different style curriculum.

According to Herbert, “dramatic role playing is a cornerstone of the EF philosophy.’ The writer provides the following summary of a group of students working on the development of their executive function skills.

“The preschoolers, all four and five years old, actually design the play’s action by themselves. For example: “Let’s pretend you’re the mommy and I’m the baby. I’ll get sick, and you’ll need to take me to the doctor.” Then they act it out, solving problems along the way.

“The idea is that play of this kind promotes the internalization of rules and expectations and demands mental discipline to stay in character—all cognitive challenges. Importantly, these exercises are not tacked on as a separate teaching, but rather are integrated into every activity of the child’s day, from reading to math.”

In addition to dramatic play, the EF curriculum offers clapping games and interactive sequences that use concrete visual cues to help children understand expectations. While some will insist that these steps should be unnecessary within the school setting, the idea is very consistent with other recent published materials. In fact, those who have spent time reading articles noting the importance of play in helping children develop intellectually will immediately see consistencies with the EF curriculum.

Of course, the most important aspect of this ability to pump up EF is the contradiction to more traditional views, especially those related to IQ. Many experts see a child’s IQ score as fixed, that intellect is fundamentally innate. The concept of executive function clearly contradicts that notion.

Enormous Potential for Education
As for the importance of the concept, experts note that it contrasts with the current push in the school setting for more academics at an earlier age.
Under NCLB, schools have cut play and recess time to devote more time to reading, writing and arithmetic.

Herbert’s final summary details why EF may in fact be the new IQ:

“Executive skills are disproportionately worse in children from deprived economic circumstances, and these skills may account for up to half of the gap in school readiness between white kids and African-American kids.

“These are precisely the kids whom the 2001 No Child Left Behind federal education reforms were supposed to help, but under that law, play has been marginalized as a luxury at best and at worst as an impediment to basic skills training and test scores. These results argue that by neglecting basic brain function we may be leaving our kids behind in a much more destructive way—and depriving them of playfulness in the process.”

Photos courtesy of Ianus, Kyle Jones and RahulG.

Raising children has likely never been more challenging than it is today. The parenting editor of eHow notes in the first two lines of How to Overcome the Challenges of Raising Children:

“Children do not come with a user’s manual nor with a lifetime guarantee. What they do come with is challenges.”

Adding to the complexity for today’s moms and dads is a plethora of information. Too much, maybe. In fact, while there is a wealth of advice available to support parents on the challenging journey, all too often, the instructions of one expert totally contrasts if not patently contradicts that of another.

Kindergarchy
Over at the WeeklyStandard.com, Joseph Epstein, a contributing editor to the online magazine, would certainly not be considered a child expert. However, Epstein has authored a very unique assessment of the changing place of children in American landscape.

It is a piece that will likely have many adults nodding their heads. Those who think today’s parenting advice has led to a generation of exceedingly self-absorbed children will find “The Kindergarchy, Every Child a Dauphin” a very interesting read.

At the same time, those that support the type of parenting advice that appears on a site like ZenHabits will most likely think Epstein is simply someone who should not have had children.

We must state that within his piece Epstein offers some very notable insights. Certainly, one cannot find fault with his assessment that children have in fact “gone from background to foreground figures in domestic life.”

Whereas once upon a time, the idea was that “children are best seen not heard” and adults would say, “speak only when spoken to,” today Epstein notes a different picture:

“On visits to the homes of friends with small children, one finds their toys strewn everywhere, their drawings on the refrigerator,” and the family television set is “turned to their shows.”

This position of prominence has Epstein’s attention, but the writer is clearly critical of this transformation. Epstein notes that “all this concern about children…… has exercised a subtle but pervasive tyranny of its own.”

In not so flattering terms, he notes that today’s children have “more and more attention centered on them, their upbringing, their small accomplishments, and their right relationship with parents and grandparents.”

Epstein even has his own name for the phenomena.

“This is what I call Kindergarchy: dreary, boring, sadly misguided Kindergarchy.”

As with Most Baby Boomers, a Different Childhood
From what we name our kids to visits to Disneyworld, Epstein weighs in on raising kids under the new Kindergarchy. According to Epstein, today’s parenting expectations can be equated to the phrase:

“No effort on behalf of one’s children is too much nor is any expenditure too great.”

Epstein notes a different world during his childhood, one that saw a mom at home and five or six years between siblings. Most of the youth he describes contrasts harshly with current parenting notions.

“My mother never read to me, and my father took me to no ballgames, though we did go to Golden Gloves fights a few times.

“When I began my modest athletic career, my parents never came to any of my games, and I should have been embarrassed had they done so. My parents never met any of my girlfriends in high school.

“No photographic or video record exists of my uneven progress through early life. My father never explained about the birds and the bees to me; his entire advice on sex, as I clearly remember, was, ‘You want to be careful.’”

As for the need for children to be assured of a parent’s love, Epstein notes his childhood experiences never saw such an assurance.

“When we were together, at family meals and at other times, we laughed a lot, my parents, my brother, and I, but we did not openly exhibit exuberant affection for one another. We did not hug, and I do not remember often kissing my mother or her kissing me.

“Neither my mother nor my father ever told me they loved me; nor did I tell them that I loved them. I always assumed their love, and, as later years would prove, when they came to my aid in small crises, I was not wrong to do so.”

Not So Successful Effort at Parenting
Epstein’s tale notes his own efforts as a dad, one that sought to introduce the latest parental advice. Apparently, it did not go well.

“I was always telling my two sons how much I loved them. I told them this so often that I should imagine they must have begun to doubt that I had any real feeling for them whatsoever.”

There is much more about his role in the parenting process, in particular raising children during the 60’s and 70’s, which just so happens to be yet another difficult time to be a parent. There is the world of therapy and Epstein is clearly not enamored with the move from a father being the family provider to not only participating in the child-rearing process but even spending time in the delivery room.

In simplest terms, Epstein’s efforts as a father were part and parcel to the long slippery slope of moving children to their current place of prominence.

As for the future, Epstein is hopeful that the Kindergarchy will one day disappear.

“My own hope is that the absurdity of current arrangements will in time be felt, and people will gradually realize the foolishness of continuing to lavish so much painstaking attention on their children. When that time comes, children will be allowed to relax, no longer under threat of suffocation by love from their parents, and grow up more on their own.

“Only then will parents once again be able to live their own lives, free to concentrate on their work, life’s adult pleasures, and those responsibilities that fall well outside the prison of the permanent kindergarten they have themselves erected and have been forced to live in as hostages.”

Double Negative
Clearly, Epstein sees aspects of today’s parenting practices as being detrimental to both kids and parents. His summary also comes at a time when more and more child experts are in fact noting that today’s parenting practices are serving to shelter children too much.

However, no child expert today would fully support his assertion that adults should be completely “free to concentrate on their work” and “life’s adult pleasures.” As for being held hostage, there is no doubt that those same experts would frown upon those parents who created a “permanent kindergarten.”

We began by stating that raising children has likely never been more challenging than it is today. We also noted, that all too often, the instructions of one expert totally contrasts if not patently contradicts that of another.

But that is because the family dynamic is different in each and every household. No one method could work for everyone.

In the meantime, Epstein has given us further food for thought as we contemplate this incredibly complex process.

Flickr photos courtesy of Billie/PartsnPieces and Angela7Dreams.

We have been watching with great interest the continuing situation in California that has pitted the University against religious organizations. Once again, a federal judge has ruled in favor of the University of California in what has become an ongoing legal debate.

U.S. District Judge James Otero of Los Angeles has ruled that UC may deny course credit to applicants from Christian high schools using textbooks that “declare the Bible infallible.” In his summary, the judge rejected claims of religious discrimination and the stifling of free expression.

Rejecting Credit Based on Legitimate Issues
Though a group of Christian schools continues to suggest otherwise, the federal judge has consistently found in favor of the university. Critical to his summary was the ability of UC to show that the school did not reject specific courses simply because they contained religious viewpoints.

According to Otero, UC’s review committees were able to cite legitimate reasons for rejecting course credit for those classes relying solely on specific texts. The judge had noted previously that UC has approved many courses that contained religious viewpoints, including courses using texts such as “Chemistry for Christian Schools” and “Biology: God’s Living Creation.”

UC has approved courses that featured creationism as long as the course also examined evolution. In contrast, the UC rejected a course using the text, “Biology for Christian Schools.” Otero supported the school’s rejection citing the textbook’s own language as a rational. According to Otero, page one of the text stated, “if (scientific) conclusions contradict the Word of God, the conclusions are wrong.”

The judge also upheld the university’s rejection of a specific history course called “Christianity’s Influence on America.” Here again, UC rejected credit based on the primary resource used in the course.

Published by Bob Jones University, the textbook “instructs that the Bible is the unerring source for analysis of historical events.” In addition to the extreme viewpoint, the text evaluated historical figures based on their religious motivations.

Ongoing Battle
The initial suit, filed in 2005, challenged UC’s process for reviewing of high school courses. The Christian schools, in essence, accused the school of rejecting courses that included any references to a religious viewpoint.

After the recent hearing, attorney Jennifer Monk had strong words for the college’s course evaluation process.

“It appears the UC is attempting to secularize private religious schools,” she stated. “Science courses from a religious perspective are not approved. If it comes from certain publishers or from a religious perspective, UC simply denies them.”

However, Charles Robinson, the university’s vice president for legal affairs, offered a completely different assessment. Robinson noted that the ruling “confirms that UC may apply the same admissions standards to all students and to all high schools without regard to their religious affiliations.”

Robinson went on to add that the plaintiffs were essentially seeking a “religious exemption from regular admissions standards.”

However, thought the suit has been dismissed, a group of Christian schools has subsequently appealed Otero’s rulings to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

With another school year upon us, teachers everywhere are readying rooms, making lesson plans, and aligning curricula. Amidst that work there is a special feeling, one that always comes just before a new school year begins.

Equal amounts of trepidation and excitement lead to a positive sense of anxiousness and a desire to get things underway. Such is the case with those who see the endless possibilities before them. Such is the feeling of every educator who hopes to truly make a difference in the life of a child.

As the emotional tension grows, one can count on a sleepless night or two (or even three) just before that magical first day. Yet, we wouldn’t trade that feeling for any other in the world.

For all those educators readying for yet another school year, we present a small additional dose of inspiration, hoping that in doing so we reinforce the very reason that a new school year brings with it such a special feeling for teachers.

1. Approaching 32 million viewers, the moving story of Paul Potts:

2. A traditional slide presentation set to music offering many teaching pearls:

3. The best have unorthodox methods to reach their students:

4. Teaching is a tough road but never quit on those who need you most, your students:

5. A noun is a person, place or thing but a young mind is:

8. And, still, our all-time favorite inspirational message:

Have you found any great inspirational education videos recently?

The news release that a Texas School District could be the first in the nation to allow teachers and staff to pack guns for protection was deemed so preposterous it received a prominent spot on the Nutty News Network.

But the story is legit - the Houston Chronicle website notes that Trustees at the Harrold Independent School District have approved a district policy change that allows school employees to carry concealed firearms. And listening to Superintendent David Thweatt, the move is a necessary one to to deter and protect against school shootings.

School Gun-Free Zones the Problem
Lest there be any doubt about his viewpoints on the matter, Thweatt offered the following comments:

“When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying ’sic ‘em’ to a dog.”

While Thweatt insisted that the school district has other security measures in place to prevent a school shooting, he noted:

“We have a lock-down situation, we have cameras, but the question we had to answer is, ‘What if somebody gets in?’ What are we going to do? It’s just common sense.”

Common Sense?
In the blogosphere, the headlines have been masterful. Among the beauties were: “Don’t Mess With Texas”; “This Seems Like a Great Idea. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”; “The Teachers Can Now Join the Fun”; “Licensed to Teach and Pack Heat”; and “Gee, Let Me Think A Minute…. Why Do I Homeschool?” And then there was the title that reflected the sad commentary on our entire culture, “Is This the Future of School in America?”

Advocates noted there would be expectations placed on those “allowed to pack some heat.” Staff will be required to “have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun; must be authorized to carry by the district; must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations and have to use ammunition that is designed to minimize the risk of ricochet in school halls.”

Yes, reduced-risk, ricochet bullets!

Return to the Days of the Wild West
News reports were unclear as to “how many of the 50 or so teachers and staff members will be armed this fall.” According to Thweatt, that information would not be disclosed so that it could not be exploited by students or potential attackers.

Meanwhile, all we can think of is the cartoons that have been the mainstay of the George Bush presidency, the ones depicting the former Governor of Texas as an out-of-control cowboy with the nickname “Dubya.” Our guess is that across the civilized world, the actions of the Harrold Independent School District not only reinforces the image of Bush but gives everyone the impression that we Americans are all a bunch of cowboys.

Because, as Jennifer Radcliffe writes at the Chronicle, this fall in America, it is the 4 R’s: Reading, Writin’, ‘Rithmetic, and Revolvers.

Flickr photos courtesy of Study of Ethics and In Toon With the World.

Late Tuesday, news outlets finally reported the much-anticipated resignation letter of Deering High School baseball coach, Mike D’Andrea. Easily one of the most successful teachers to ever coach a high school team in Maine, D’Andrea had been facing enormous criticism for his possible role in an underage drinking party in June.

Three of his assistant coaches, including his son, had been fired the week before based on the determination that all three were knowingly present at a party where alcohol was available to minors. While the senior D’Andrea insisted he had not been present, the coach essentially owned up to the fact that he was aware of the party.

D’Andrea signaled his demise when he told local newspapers that he was not at the party and that he had little knowledge of it. No doubt, the second aspect of his comment drew the attention of supervisors.

Principal Kunin
Deering High School Principal Ken Kunin led the school’s investigation. His first concerns where simple, what did the coaches know, when did they know it and then subsequently, what did they do with that information when they had it?

Kunin was quoted by the Portland Press Herald as follows:

“If they did anything other than call the parents, shut the party down and get the kids home safely and let (the school department) know, then we have a real problem with that.” Kunin’s investigation would reveal that at least three coaches were at the party, those three knew underage drinking was taking place, and most importantly, those three allegedly did little to stop it or inform school officials.

While social networking sites confirmed that the three assistant coaches were in fact present at the party, none appeared to indicate the senior D’Andrea was at the party. And while the three assistant coaches were promptly terminated last week, the school neither took action nor voiced support for the head coach. Instead, clearly articulating that further axes could fall, school officials noted that the investigation was ongoing.

The Resignation
In his letter of resignation, D’Andrea essentially signaled his failure to take what school officials deemed an appropriate action when he became aware of the underage party. He wrote:

“At this time I am announcing my resignation as a Coach of Baseball and Girl’s Basketball at Deering High School effective immediately.

“After the revelation of recent events involving the Deering High School Baseball team, I feel this is the appropriate decision for me at this point in my coaching career.

“First I want to make it clear that I did nothing wrong and this resignation should in no way infer to anyone an admission of improper actions. The scrutiny this event has placed on me during the investigation has only confirmed the growing feelings that I have had over the last several years.

“Coaching two sports at the Varsity Level has taken a tremendous amount of my time and I no longer feel the rewards meet the energy and work required to meet the expectation levels I set for my teams and myself.

“While I have been fortunate enough to experience considerable success as a head coach, it is the memories of the players I have worked with that will forever stay in my mind. Coaches are only as good as the players they coach and I have been blessed to work with some great athletes and more importantly great young people over the years. I only hope that I have had a small percentage of the impact on their lives that they have had on mine.

“This is not the end of my coaching career, I simply need some time to re-evaluate my goals and to recharge my batteries. I am grateful for the opportunities that have been provided to me by Deering High School. I am confident that this is the right decision for me both on a professional and a personal basis. I am just as confident that I will be a better person and coach the next time around.

“Finally, I would like to say thanks to all those who have supported me over the years, it has been much appreciated.”

Principal Accepts Resignation Noting it Was the Right Thing to Do
While D’Andrea’s letter continued to insist he had done nothing wrong, Principal Kunin appeared to offer a different viewpoint.

“We received and accepted Mr. D’Andrea’s resignation as coach of boys baseball and girls basketball,” Kunin stated. “We agree with Mr. D’Andrea that the resignation was the right thing to do and we respect his decision.”

Meanwhile, Portland Police have been conducting a probe which could ultimately result in misdemeanor charges against the adults involved. The results of that investigation certainly will help clarify the particulars when the findings are released.

Successful Coach Still Coaching Deering Athletes
D’Andrea began working as the Deering’s baseball coach in 1997 and his teams went on to win seven state baseball championships in his 11 years as head coach. In addition to his success on the diamond, D’Andrea has been the school’s girls basketball coach since 2001. On the hardwood, his teams had won two basketball state titles.

The party in June was not the first time the coach faced controversy at the school. D’Andrea served a four-game suspension at the start of the 2002 baseball season for an alcohol related incident on the team bus following the team’s third consecutive state title.

In addition, in June of 2007, D’Andrea was suspended by the Maine Principals’ Association for a basketball related incident the previous winter. The coach had to sit out the first two games of last year’s basketball season for violating state athletic rules.

However, D’Andrea and one of his fired assistants, Frank Watson (his home allegedly served as the party site), are still coaching many Deering athletes. The two men are currently managing the Nova Seafood American Legion state baseball championship team.

The talented Nova Seafood team is made up of Deering players, most of whom have been members of the last two state high school championship teams. D’Andrea and Watson will be coaching the recently crowned State champs as they begin competing in the Northeast Regional Tournament today in Bristol, Conn.

One of the more important planks in the 2008 Democratic National Platform is a focus on improving higher education. That may come as a surprise to many. In fact, other than concerns about the cost, the overall consensus of the general public is that America’s colleges and universities remain among the best educational institutions in the world.

However, experts have begun noting that higher education is facing a critical time. Back in December, we acknowledged the work of Michael Wesch of Kansas State University. In our post, “If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” we took an in-depth look at the growing digital divide plaguing college campuses.

But Wesch was not the first to document that today’s typical college classroom is completely out of step with the business world described in Thomas Friedman’s, “The World Is Flat.”

Higher Education - In Danger of Becoming Irrelevant
In his 2006 report to the Panel on Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies for the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, David Wiley, Ph.D., offered a painful assessment of the current status of higher education in America. The former Director of the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning at Utah State was unequivocal in his criticisms, informing panel members that “higher education has adapted very little” to the changes described by Friedman in his bestselling book and is therefore “in very real danger of becoming irrelevant.”

Consider Wiley’s description of the typical college classroom experience.

“Students are inside a classroom (tethered to a place), using textbooks and handouts (printed materials), they must pay tuition and register to attend (the experience is closed), talking during class or working with others outside of class is generally discouraged (each student is isolated though surrounded by peers), each student receives exactly the same instruction as each of her classmates (the information presented is generic), and students are students and do not participate in the teaching process (they are consumers).”

In contrast, consider what the same person experiences when she is outside the classroom:

“From her dorm room / the student center / a coffee shop / the bus a student connects to the Internet using her laptop (she is mobile), uses Google to find a relevant web page (a digital resource which is open for her to access). While carrying out her search, she chats with one friend on the phone and another using instant messaging to see if they can assist in her search (she is connected to other people), she follows links from one website to another exploring related information (the content is connected to other content), she quickly finds exactly the information she needs, ignoring irrelevant material (she gets what is important to her personally), and she shares her find with her friends by phone and IM (she participates in the teaching process).”

Wiley’s critical point however does not merely concern the world of education as it relates to the student’s non-academic world. The huge discrepancy between the two experiences matches the current division between the classroom setting and that of the business world, the classroom and research in the fields of science and technology, etc.

Changes in Curriculum
In addition to the actual classroom experience, it is important to see the changes that are occurring based on curriculum content. Access to the latest research and the development of an accompanying skill base are no longer unique to the university environment. Wiley offered:

“Once upon a time, the university library was the primary repository of research like peer-reviewed journals and monographs. Today, initiatives like the Public Library of Science and pre-print services like Arxiv.org provide individuals from around the world with a legitimate alternative source of research findings.”

In addition:
“Once upon a time, a college or university’s faculty was the primary repository of technical and academic expertise in a community. Today, technologies like email and instant messaging put seekers of expertise in touch with faculty at many universities as well as professionals, ‘pro-am’ hobbyists, and others from around the world almost instantly.”

And last, but certainly not least:

“Once upon a time, the degree programs of our colleges and universities were the credentials most highly valued by employers. Today, certifications like the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, and the Red Hat Certified Architect certificates are sometimes worth more to an employer than a four-year degree in computer science.”

The Positives
Given that real world experiences are so incongruous with the current academic setting, Wiley and others have begun to ask, “what is the real value of higher education?”

According to Wiley, in order for the college experience to remain relative, “the university experience must align more closely with its societal context and participant base. Higher education must continue its efforts to become digital and mobile, while working to become significantly more open, connected, personal, and participatory.”

Higher education has begun falling into step in at least one area. Wiley believes the current movement toward greater openness through the OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative is at least one step in the right direction.

“I believe that openness is the gateway to connectedness, personalization, and participation. Openness is a catalyst for further innovation,” offers the Utah State faculty member.

“As a faculty member, if I want to connect my course materials to prerequisite materials from classes students have already taken in order to create review opportunities or provide remediation, this connectivity is possible only if both I and the students have access to these materials. Without this openness, there is nothing to connect to, and the level of connectivity my students expect is not attainable.

“As a faculty member, if I want to personalize the experience for my students – or more importantly, if I want to empower my students to meaningfully personalize the experience themselves – we have to be permitted to edit and customize the materials we will use. Without this openness, nothing can be changed or adapted, and the level of personalization my students expect is not attainable.

“As a faculty member, if I want to engage my students in creating and contributing resources, tutorials, and other study materials to a class, this is much more easily done when the course material repository is open. Without this openness, there is no space for the students to make contributions, and the degree of participation in the experience our students expect is not attainable.”

Survival of Higher Education
According to experts, the Internet and wealth of developing technology provide young people outside of education with a sense of “openness, connectedness, personalization, and participation” that is simply not found at the university level today. Those experts indicate that for America to move forward, higher education will need to better align itself with the rest of society.

It must be noted that in closing his presentation to the panel, Wiley referred to the words of W. Edwards Deming.

“It is not necessary to change,” stated Deming. “Survival is not mandatory.”

The idea that America’s colleges and universities are effectively educating the next generation has become suspect. And unless these institutions of higher learning overcome their prevalent inertia, irrelevance appears to be a certainty.

Flickr photos courtesy of Josie Fraser and Andrew/W.

Our good friend and fellow education blogger, Zaid Alsagoff, has authored his first ever e-book, “69 Learning Adventures in 6 Galaxies.” Available for free download at Scribd.com, the book brings together key “learning nuggets” as Zaid calls them with the arbitrary number 69 representing what he feels are the best learning chunks to appear over the past year on his blog, ZaidLearn.

Currently the e-Learning Manager at INCEIF, Zaid has extensive hands-on experience with e-learning in higher education. The educator also has done research in a variety of e-learning areas including educational gaming, role-play simulation, virtual classrooms, learning (content) management systems, e-learning standards, instructional design and courseware development.

Zaid’s blog caught our attention for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Zaid uses a measuring stick called learning juice to categorize materials that serve to inspire readers of specific materials. Second Zaid consistently searches the net for interesting web sites related to technology and learning so his blog features a number of compilation posts listing the latest sites worth visiting.

At the same time, what has always been critical for this writer is the amount of reflection Zaid puts into the role of teacher. He constantly reviews his own practices to determine the impact he is having on his students making him an outstanding role model for those aspiring to the profession.

Six Galaxies
To help readers, the good professor has divided his text into six distinct galaxies or sections: learning, teaching, stories, free e-learning tools, free learning content, and free edugames. Fellow educators taking the time to download the book will find a wealth of helpful information within each subcategory.

Adding greatly to the appeal is a number of wonderful quotes from some of the greatest minds of our time. Zaid has pearls of wisdom from the likes of Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Victor Hugo, Tom J. Connelly, and William Arthur Ward (great teachers inspire).

Within the Learning Galaxy, the author begins by referencing the work of several other educators and writers. Alsagoff features “The Secrets of the Super-Learners” from Graig Lambart, “E-Learning 2.0 in Development” by Stephen Downes, “Learning 2.0 eBook - Free to Learn!” by Jeff Cobb at Mission to Learn, and “eLearning? I’ve had E-Nough!!” from Rozhan Idrus, the creator of the phrase technogogy.

The Teaching Galaxy features Zaid’s own “Coaching Critical Thinking to Think Creatively!”, the e-Learning 2.0 Workshop from Stephen Downes and Optimizing eLearning Strategy from Bryan Chapman. The section also offers up links to the great MIT Physics Professor Walter Lewin and links to two videos that reveal “The Secrets to Great Teaching.”

His Stories Galaxy includes Warren Buffet’s “MBA Talk,” Steve Ballmer’s “How Do You Motivate Staff?” and the incredible “The World Is Flat” from Thomas Friedman.

His final three galaxies represent a gathering of his collections of worthwhile sites. From the likes of “Peter’s Online Typing Course” to the “Visible Body” a 3D Human Anatomy Visualization Tool to Alan Levine’s “50 Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story, Zaid has the links to spur educators to explore new territory. In his sixth and final Galaxy, readers will find a collection of “75 Free EduGames to Spice Up Your Course!”

Licensed Under Creative Commons
Adding to the attractiveness for educators is that Zaid’s e-book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. The Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license means that readers are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work) and to Remix (to adapt the work) under conditions of non-commercial use and proper attribution.

As with other creative commons licensed work, any alterations, transformations, or book redesigns may be distributed only under the same or a similar license.

To download a copy click here.

On Thursday, Democratic platform committee members were provided a draft of the Democratic National Committee’s 2008 platform. Titled “Renewing America’s Promise” and broken out into four distinct sections, “Renewing the American Dream,” “Renewing American Leadership,” “Renewing the American Community,” and “Renewing American Democracy,” the platform is a strong counter to the current Bush administration policies and is drafted in the ‘hopeful of a better future’ format that has marked Senator Barack Obama’s stump speeches.

Declaring, “it is time for a change,” the party is committing itself to comprehensive immigration reforms as well as a strong and unequivocal support for Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion. In addition, the party insists it will not continue the intrusive Bush policing actions based on a post-9/11 world.

“We will restore our constitutional traditions, and recover our nation’s founding commitment to liberty under the law,” the draft platform states.

While the platform has a little something for everyone, it is the strong, broad approach to education, one that mixes support with accountability, that has us continuing to back Barack Obama’s candidacy for president of the United States.

Education Component
The section devoted to education can be found within the subsection, “Investing in American Competitiveness.” Focusing on a slogan of “A World Class Education for Every Child,” the platform planks include a focus on Pre-school, K-12 Public Schools, Higher Education and an overlap of education with Science, Technology and Innovation.

As a preamble, the Democrats focus on feedback received during platform hearings. Stating that “Americans know we can and should do better,” the platform states:

“In the 21st century, where the most valuable skill is knowledge, countries that out educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow. In the platform hearings, Americans made it clear that it is morally and economically unacceptable that our high-schoolers continue to score lower on math and science tests than most other students in the world and continue to drop-out at higher rates than their peers in other industrialized nations. We cannot accept the persistent achievement gap between minority and white students or the harmful disparities that exist between different schools within a state or even a district.”

Focusing on an inclusive philosophy, the platform goes on to state:

“The Democratic Party clearly believes that graduation from a quality public school and the opportunity to succeed in college must be the birthright of every child - not the privilege of the few. We must prepare all our students with the 21st century skills they need to succeed by progressing to a new era of mutual responsibility in education. We must set high standards for our children, but we must also hold ourselves accountable our schools, our teachers, our parents, business leaders, our community and our elected leaders. And we must come together, form partnerships, and commit to providing the resources and reforms necessary to help every child reach their full potential.”

Educational Promises
The Democrats note they need to “make quality, affordable early childhood care and education available to every American child from the day he or she is born.” Among the steps to ensure that pledge, the Democrats indicate the need for increases in funding both Head Start and Early Head Start as well as greater investment in high-quality Pre-K programming for children.

For the current K-12 program structure, the focus is on ensuring “that every student has a high-quality teacher and an effective principal.” Here the pledge involves the recruiting a new generation of teachers and principals and with a return commitment to that generation of educators that “if you commit your life to teaching, America will commit to paying for your college education.” The platform also contains broad statements regarding improving teacher quality through help and support against a backdrop of greater accountability. If a teacher is still underperforming after supports have been put in place, then “we should find a quick and fair way—consistent with due process—to put another teacher in that classroom.”

Another critical component for teacher improvement involves teacher pay and the concept of merit-based increases. “We will make an unprecedented national investment to teachers with better pay and better support to improve their skills, and their students’ learning. We’ll reward effective teachers who teach in underserved areas, take on added responsibilities like mentoring new teachers, or consistently excel in the classroom.”

In addition, the platform devotes time to the need to “fix the failures and broken promises of No Child Left Behind. We will end the practice of labeling a school and its students as failures and then throwing our hands up and walking away from them without having provided the resources and supports these students need.”

The platform also notes that improving education is not a function of public school personnel alone.

“We know that there is no program and no policy that can substitute for parents who are involved in their children’s education from day one – who make sure their children are in school on time, helps them with their homework, and attends those parent-teacher conferences; who are willing to turn off the TV once in awhile, put away the video games, and read to their children. Responsibility for our children’s education has to start at home. We have to set high standards for them, and spend time with them, and love them. We have to hold ourselves accountable.”

In the push at the highest levels of education, the post-secondary level, the Democrats add:

“We believe that our universities, community colleges, and other institutions of higher learning must foster among their graduates the skills needed to enhance economic competitiveness. We will work with institutions of higher learning to produce highly skilled graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines who will become innovative workers prepared for the 21st century economy.”

Party planks here include the community college network and training programs that will help “the unemployed and under-employed to speed their transition into careers in high-demand occupations and emerging industries” and a continued commitment to grow workforce skills possible for non-traditional students. To facilitate a level playing field, there is a push to make college more affordable for the average American “by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit to ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free. In exchange for the credit, students will be expected to perform community service.”

Noting the brain power and capital at our institutions of higher education, the platform notes that higher education is a critical component of the “economic engines of today and tomorrow” and specifies the need to partner with these schools “to translate new ideas into innovative products, processes and services.”

A Shot Across the Bow
In addition, adding to the science and technology component, the Democrats cast a specific dispersion towards the most recent administration. Noting that “America has long led the world in innovation” the party clearly differentiates its push from that of the Bush years.

“This Administration’s hostility to science has taken a toll. At a time when technology helps shape our future, we devote a smaller and smaller share of our national resources to research and development. It is time again to lead.

“We will end the Bush Administration’s war on science, restore scientific integrity, and return to evidence-based decision-making. In sum, we will strengthen our system, treat science and technology as crucial investments, and use these forces to ensure a future of economic leadership, health well- being and national security.”

Something for Everyone
The platform offers some hope for everyone who feels that our country has been on an extremely negative path the past eight years. For us, it is the broad-based educational planks that have us supporting Obama.

The strong mix of accountability (the only successful aspect of the Bush administration’s education policy) matched with equal amounts of support (early childhood, investment in teacher quality, and a K-16 discussion) have us believing that the latest Democratic platform could actually serve to improve public education in our country.

Unfortunately, one Maine school district is dealing with an extremely troubling pattern.

On Monday, three assistant coaches from one of the state’s most successful high school baseball programs were dismissed as a result of an ongoing police and school department investigation into allegations of underage drinking by students. The three coaches at Deering High School were removed based on allegations that they were present at a party celebrating the team’s second consecutive state baseball championship.

Assistant coaches Frank Watson, Chris Grant, and Mike D’Andrea, Jr., the son of the team’s head coach, were all terminated based on the school department’s findings regarding the incident. Superintendent Jeanne Whynot-Vickers and Deering Principal Ken Kunin released a statement on Monday noting that they “have lost confidence in the ability of these individuals effectively to supervise and serve as role models for Deering High School students.”

The Incident
The underage drinking party took place on June 21st after Deering had defeated Brewer in the Class A state championship game. The win capped a seemingly perfect 20-0 season and continued an extraordinary run of success for the baseball program. The championship was the team’s seventh title in the past ten years.

The Portland Press Herald indicated that multiple sources placed the location of the party at Watson’s home in Portland. With police doing a separate investigation into the incident, the former coach could also face criminal charges should it be determined he aided or abetted the students.

Deering athletic director Bill LeRoy was quoted by the Press Herald as stating it “wasn’t a small gathering. There were several students, current and graduated, and they made some poor choices.”

School officials indicated pictures placed a number of specific individuals at the party. As is common today with students, several of the photos had been posted on social networking web sites.

Kunin indicated the evidence gathered by school officials had been turned over to police. In addition to the school related discipline of the adults, student-athletes could also be facing harsh penalties, though matters involving juveniles will not be made public by school officials.

Troubling Pattern
While there is no indication at this time that the head coach, the senior D’Andrea, had knowledge of the party, the Deering coach has previously been tied to inappropriate use of alcohol. D’Andrea had to serve a four-game suspension at the beginning of the 2002 high school baseball season as a result of an incident at the conclusion of the 2001 season.

The coach was cited for consuming a beer on the team’s bus after another state title game in June of 2001. D’Andrea was on the team bus while his players were in a restaurant.

In addition to the incident involving D’Andrea the athletic program had a similar situation earlier that same year. After a loss to Bangor in the State Championship basketball game, Deering student-athletes, as well as an assistant coach, were involved in an alcohol-related incident directly after the title game.

Pending Issues
In the State of Maine, possession of alcohol by a minor is a misdemeanor. However, for adults, furnishing alcohol to a minor is a Class D misdemeanor.

Therefore, the terminations could prove to be the least of the problems for the three coaches. The consequences of a Class D misdemeanor include a fine and the potential for up to a year in prison.

Principal Kunin did not disclose to the Press Herald whether the school was investigating other teams or coaches.

Concerned Parents?
Meanwhile, adding to the complexity of the issue is the fact that Watson is currently helping the senior D’Andrea coach the Nova Seafood baseball team competing in the American Legion state tournament. That team is also made up of Deering High School baseball players from the last two title teams.

Given the recent allegations, one has to wonder how parents of the Nova Seafood team feel about Watson’s continued affiliation with the program. Apparently, the issue is a moot one for the players as Nova is the only remaining unbeaten team four days into the state tournament.