180 Days Education

Sexual harassment and gender bullying is in the public eye these days, particularly in politics and Hollywood. But it is prevalent in schools as well. 

In this episode we focus on sexual harassment, hearing a real student-on-student experience from a student, Ava, and her mother, Mia and how things were addressed connected to that incident. Karen also shares an experience she had as a teacher being sexually harassed by a student. Later in the episode, we hear from an administrator, Mark,  who shares how his school is addressing these issues head on and creating a culture of awareness, as well as shares some insights into the legal perspective of handling sexual harassment in schools.

What is sexual harassment in schools?

1. Sexual harassment is unwanted or unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that interferes unreasonably with a student’s ability to learn, study, work, achieve, or participate in school activities. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, and schools are legally responsible for preventing it. Schools must also prevent harassment based on your sex, even if it is not sexual in nature.
2. Does not have to occur on school grounds – can be associated with any school-related activity
3. Sexual harassment covers a range of behaviors, including but not limited to: touching, pinching, or grabbing body parts; sending sexual notes or pictures; writing sexual graffiti on bathroom walls; making suggestive or sexual gestures, looks, jokes, or verbal comments; spreading sexual rumors or making sexual propositions; pulling someone’s clothes off; pulling your own clothes off; sexual assault; and rap

What do you do if you or someone is being sexually harassed?

1. Tell the harasser that you want the unwelcome behavior to stop. If you feel comfortable doing so, tell the harasser that his or her behavior bothers you and that you want it to stop.
2. Talk to someone you trust. Whether it’s a friend, parent, counselor, or someone else whom you trust, find a person who believes you. Doing this will provide you with support and can be important evidence later.
3. Keep a detailed written record of the harassment. Record what happened, when, where, who else was present, and how you reacted. Save any notes, pictures, or other documents you receive from the harasser.
4. Report the harassment. Find your school’s anti-harassment policy and talk to the person who has been designated to deal with complaints of sexual harassment. If you feel uncomfortable talking to the designated person, go to a teacher or another adult at the school whom you like and trust. It’s okay to bring a friend or parent with you to that meeting.
5. File a complaint. You have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, with your state’s Department of Education, or to bring a lawsuit under Title IX. You may want to talk to a lawyer about these options, particularly if you are thinking of filing a lawsuit.
6. Remember you are not alone. The most recent comprehensive study of sexual harassment in high schools found that 83% of females and 79% of males reported having been sexually harassed in ways that interfered with their lives, with 27% experiencing it often.

What is a schools responsibility?

1. Title IX (9) (a law for over 40 years)– Civil rights law that prohibits institutions that receive federal funds from sexual discrimination, and sexual assault/harassment is a form of sexual discrimination that can limit or prevent a students right to participate in education
2. Under Title IX schools have a responsibility to protect students from sexual harassment and gender-based bullying, investigate allegations, and enforce the prohibition of these acts.
3. Schools often have written policies against sexual harassment and gender-based bullying, but are not prepared to actually handle real incidents
   1. Delay the investigation, Deny the allegations, Distort the facts, Disparage the victim, Deny the victim rights to education
   2. Ignorance, the fear of liability, and concerns about public opinion cause schools to downplay, ignore, or deny altogether reports of sexual harassment/assault and subsequent retaliation against victims.
   3. 81% of students grades 8-11 report some type of sexual harassment and 87% of those students say it has a negative effect on them.

What should schools be doing? Here are some articles with some different perspectives:

• https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2018-01-08/the-metoo-movement-goes-to-school
• Sex education courses? https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/01/26/what-do-schools-teach-about-sexual-harassment.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=58367969&U=1854770
• And as our guest Ava suggested, schools should include in those beginning-of-the-year assemblies conversation and information around sexual harassment (what is it? what does it look like? what should you do if it happens? How do you prevent it?)

Some resource sites for students and parents:

• https://metoomvmt.org/
• Stop Sexual Assault in School: http://stopsexualassaultinschools.org/  

Thanks for listening and a big thank you to our guests, Ava, Mia and Mark for sharing their stories and their perspectives. 

Students with disabilities, under  the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), have the right to a free and appropriate public education, which means they are ensured they will get the needed related services and special education accommodations.  But who are these students and what are these services? 

Episode 10 explores how students are identified as special education, what services are legally required to be provided, funding for these services, the difference between a 504 and an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and other questions related to Special Education. We offer insight into our own experiences as teachers with the special education process and working with special education students, and offer some insight on why schools struggle with providing the services.

Below are some links that will provide you with additional information and resources related to Special Education.

1)Overview of Special Education Law  

2) Difference between 504 and IEP

3) American w/Disabilities Act and determining if a student is eligible for services.

4) Special Education Funding

5) How a 504/IEP is developed

6) Special Education Expenditure Project (research on funding)

7) Parent Center Hub for Special Education

 

We are back from our extended holiday break with a special episode. One of our hosts, Tim, as part of his work with Teachers2Teachers Global, traveled to Kenya this past summer to work with teachers and students and share educational and cultural experiences. Our guest in this episode, Mary Mooney, is a colleague and friend who works for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, was part of this adventure. During the episode, Tim and Mary reflect on their experience and share some stories and perspectives on education, comparing the US system to what they observed in Kenya. We hear voices from some of the people Tim and Mary met along the way, and hear their perspectives on education as students and as parents. There's a little bit of singing, a little bit of laughing and a lot of fun.

Join us for this cross-cultural experience and a new perspective on education.

Here are a couple of pictures from Tim and Mary's adventures in Kenya, including some education and some wildlife....enjoy!

 

Tracking students in education has been around a long time. Grouping students into grades or courses by their perceived ability, based on some assessment or criteria, has long been the practice, with the idea that students will 'get what they need' if they are grouped together. But does this work? Can homogenous grouping be successful for all students? 

Episode 8 explores the history of tracking and some of the benefits and drawbacks of tracking students. We will also get a few teachers perspectives on the idea of ability grouping, and hear from Lizzy Barnes, the Math District Supervisor for San Francisco Public Schools on their policy of no-tracking in mathematics. This controversial move has led to a change in the math curriculum with no students in SFUSD taking algebra until 9th grade. 

Take a listen, and if you want to find out more about tracking in general and/or SFUSD's efforts and successes, here are some links:

1)   NCTM's white paper on Tracking and Dismantling it.

2) Research on Tracking and its impact on equity

3) Edweek article on Tracking Issues

4) A different perspective on Tracking - The Upside

5) Pros and Cons of Tracking

6) SFUSD's Heterogenous Math Curriculum Project 

In this episode, we talk to Lizzie Hull Barnes, the Director of Mathematics for the San Francisco Unified School District, about how they created a curriculum to replace textbooks in order to best meet the needs of their students and teachers. Karen and Tim discuss the pros and cons of abandoning traditional textbooks while Tim falls over himself providing the disclaimer about how this discussion is now part of his job.

Lizzie talks about the SFUSD's curriculum, which was the result of a team of education leaders and dedicated math teachers who worked collaboratively to design a rich mathematics curriculum that is showing promising results. For more information, here are some links:

• SFUSD Math Core Curriculum Page: http://www.sfusdmath.org/
• Interesting Articles regarding the SFUSD Math Curriculum:
  • http://www.sfexaminer.com/sfusd-makes-grade-new-approach-math/
  • http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/Math%20Resources/ccss-math-faq.pdf
  • http://www.sfusd.edu/en/news/current-news/2017-news-archive/09/policy-shifts-in-math-show-promise.html

This is our first sponsored episode, so we want to thank ConstructedEd for their support and efforts in creating a customized curriculum. For more information please go to the ConstructEd link www.createcustomizeadopt.com

What's the purpose of homework? Students hate it, parents often say it's too much or interferes with home life and students' free time, and teachers - who knows what they're thinking?! Is it punishment? Is it an assessment? Is it busy work? Is it necessary? The answer - it depends. 

This episode explores the origination of homework and discusses different ways to look at the purpose of homework. We ponder such questions as "should you grade homework?" and "what's your end goal for assigning homework?" Not sure we get to any definitive answers but we touch on a lot of topics related to the purposes of homework, grading, alternative ways of thinking about homework, and intersperse a lot of our own personal experiences and strategies with homework.

Below are several of the links we found while doing our own research on homework that might be helpful if you want to explore some of the research and insights behind homework and it's purpose.

1. Article from American Psychological Association summarizing homework research: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/homework.aspx
2. Article from Alfie Kohn (noted education researcher) “Does Homework Improve Learning?”: http://www.alfiekohn.org/homework-improve-learning/
3. Edutopia article on homework research trends: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/research-trends-is-homework-effective-youki-terada
4. Educational Leadership article on motivating students to do homework: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb06/vol63/num05/If-They%27d-Only-Do-Their-Work!.aspx
5. Doctoral dissertation from East Tennessee State on parent/teacher perceptions regarding homework: http://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3283/
6. ASCD article on the purpose of homework http://inservice.ascd.org/whats-the-purpose-of-homework/
7. A history of homework https://www.quora.com/When-did-schools-start-implementing-homework-as-a-regular-activity-in-education
8. NEA article on homework - should we assign it? https://www.quora.com/When-did-schools-start-implementing-homework-as-a-regular-activity-in-education

Enjoy the podcast? Please don't forget to subscribe to us on iTunes and give us a rating!! We would love your suggestions as well for upcoming topics.

Who do you call if you have concerns about your child's teacher, or you are not happy with the curriculum, or don't think the requirements for AP History are fair? The answer is - it depends. This episode explores the power structure of the education system, offering insight and suggestions on who to contact, depending on the issue.

Education "policy"" is often cited as a reason for many decisions that impact local schools and districts. It is often difficult to know who to contact if you have concerns, whether those be personal concerns about your child's teacher or classroom, or more wide-reaching concerns regarding the textbooks used in the district or the purchase of technology. Understanding the governance structure of the education can help determine who to contact that will be the most helpful in addressing your specific concerns. From the Federal Department of Education, to State Boards of Education, local Superintendents and local School Boards, all the way down to principals and teachers within a school - who makes the decision and why those decisions are made is complex. We explore these issues in our podcast episode, but for more information, please use the following links:

1. State-by-State Comparison of Education Governance https://www.ecs.org/k-12-governance-structures/
2. State Boards of Education: http://www.nasbe.org/about-us/state-boards-of-education/
3. History of Education Policy and Structure: https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html
4. Specific Policies in Education https://www2.ed.gov/policy/landing.jhtml
5. Local role in Education Policy http://classroom.synonym.com/role-local-government-education-6456723.html
6. Who has educational authority? 

   http://education.findlaw.com/curriculum-standards-school-funding/who-has-educational-authority.html

7. Making decisions in school  https://soundout.org/how-decisions-are-made-in-school/

School choice is a hot-button topic these days with the Trump Administration and the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, being huge proponents of school choice.

This episode explores the different types of school choice, funding options behind school choice, and who decides who really controls the decision on what school your student can go to.

School choice is more than just picking a school and taking the public fund money and going to that school. Each state has different rules governing school choice, and there are different ways to fund school choice. Below are several links to relevant articles and resources that will provide you with more insight and information. 

1) EdChoice - great resource that defines school choice, describes the different types of school choice, and related funding

2) NCSLvouchers - state-by-state comparison of school voucher law

3) NCSLschoolchoice - searchable by type of school choice and by state, showing all the different types of school choice options with description (interactive)

4) Brookings - a good article on how states could expand the private-school choice programs

5) Education Commission of the States - another good side-by-side comparison of the states and their school choice options. Great if you are curious about what the options are in your state

6) Center for Education Reform - nice concise article with definitions of the type of school choice and what they mean, some historical information and data on school choice.

7) Interesting editorial about students with disabilities laws and how school choice impacts students with disabilities.

(again - our sound issues are just about resolved, so hopefully this will be the last episode with any sound concerns!!)

 

This episode focuses on STEM - what does it stand for, why is there such a push for 'STEM Education' and what does it mean for classroom instruction.

For those of you interested in more information about STEM, we've provided some helpful links with more information and resources that will give you a better understanding of STEM.

First, a basic descriptions of STEM:

S - Science

T - Technology

E - Engineering

M - Mathematics

There is also other acronyms, such as STREAM, STEAM, where R represents reading and A represents art. The idea behind all of these is that students should be learning in a 'real-world', connected way, where these subjects are integrated and students engage in problem-solving learning that requires the use of all these content areas. It's in integrative and applied approach, so that students are learning the skills they need to go into scientific, engineering, mathematics, and technology fields and be competent problem-solvers.

The purpose of STEM (and any other acronyms) is, according to the U.S. Department of education:

"In a world that’s becoming increasingly complex, where success is driven not only by what you know, but by what you can do with what you know, it’s more important than ever for our youth to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information. These are the types of skills that students learn by studying science, technology, engineering, and math—subjects collectively known as STEM." (from https://www.ed.gov/stem)

Below are some links to articles and information about STEM that we used to help start the conversation.

1. U.S. Government - purpose and description of STEM https://www.ed.gov/stem There are many links within this page to more resources and supports for Teachers and schools
2. From LiveScience - a nice description of STEM, some of the education policy behind the STEM initiative and what STEM looks like at the varying grade levels https://www.livescience.com/43296-what-is-stem-education.html
3. From Teach.com, an overview of STEM and a listing of several STEM initiatives and links to resources https://teach.com/what/teachers-know/stem-education/
4. The STEM Coalition - an advocacy group http://www.stemedcoalition.org/
5. Information from NACME with an engineering focus on STEM http://www.nacme.org/information
6. National Science Foundation - resources and information all related to STEM https://nsf.gov/nsb/sei/edTool

Hopefully these links will give you a good start towards both understanding STEM and finding supports for STEM teaching/learning.

Thanks for listening and be sure to tune in for future podcasts. Don't forget to send us feedback and suggestions for future topics. We are still just beginning this journey, still working on sound issues (hopefully by Ep 5 we will have this ironed out!!), and still exploring this podcast universe - bear with us!!

In this episode we talk about what is the purpose of assessment in education, what types of assessment are out there, and do assessments accomplish their 'purpose', whatever that might mean. Assessment is a lot more than a standardized test.

Episode 2: Assessment and The Cheesecake Factory by Tim Pope

Chez Assessment is one of the most popular restaurants in the K12 neighborhood.  Although it claims to be a family-friendly restaurant, how much of the menu do you understand?  There’s not even a kid’s menu.  With all of the complaints, how does the place stay open?

• Just like fast-food joints, most people think schools eat there too much and it’s not good for you (if you believe the research, up to a third of a school’s time is spent there).
• Just like a hipster, gastropub joint, most people cannot understand the menu.
• Just like The Cheesecake Factory, the menu is so long, how is a school supposed to know what to order.
• Just like the seedy-looking greasy spoon down the road, most people want to avoid it because they heard others have gotten sick eating there.
• Some parents think it is so bad they keep their kids at home when they hear another trip to Chez Assessment is coming.

Toeing the line of stretching a metaphor too thin, assessment does have a lot in common with The Cheesecake Factory.

1. All of the items on the restaurant menu were put there to meet a particular need or desire.  But there are lots of different tastes and the Factory tries to meet them all.
2. Quality food is difficult to make, yet a franchise restaurant such as The Cheesecake Factory has to scale their methods to hundreds of restaurants.
3. If you want customers, the prices need to be affordable.

Just like the menu at Cheesecake Factory, the assessment industry struggles because there are too many goals being met, too large a desire to answer complex learning questions with a simple answer, and good assessment costs money most schools, districts, and states do not have.

1. Schools want to use assessments for a myriad of questions.  While these are all important questions, standardized assessments are better at some of these than others.
2. 1. What have students learned?  Where might they be behind in their learning?
   2. Are teachers quality instructors?
   3. Will a student succeed in college?
   4. Which schools provide a better education?
   5. Are students prepared for the next unit in the course, the next course, grade level, college?
3. These are all challenging, yet important questions.  Yet many of us who care deeply about the questions do not have the time or expertise to understand the complex answers to these complex problems.  The local realtor wants to be able to say “The schools here are the best in the region.”  Administrators want to say “Our teachers improve student learning.”  Parents want to know their children are learning what they need for success in college and career.  These answers would be best in book form, not as a number from 1-100 or a grade from A-F.
4. Answering these questions in a valid and reliable way is not cheap.  “Bubble” tests would be replaced with collections of student work, open-ended tasks with multiple correct “answers”, and computer-adaptive testing.  The entire menu of Chez Assessment wants to move in this direction but do districts and states (mostly states) want authentic assessment enough to pay substantially more for it.

I assert most people would say The Cheesecake Factory is a good, but not great restaurant.  Some cheesecake lovers probably believe it’s the best place ever.  Others probably find it to be generic and overwhelming with a plethora of better ideas for a restaurant.  So it is with assessment.  The current menu is the best attempt to answer good questions with answers in the format the community wants and at a price tag the community is willing to pay.