Education Upgrade with Jake Schulke

Police in schools: safety measure or deeper problem? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Sebastián Sclofsky about random drug searches, school resource officers, and why some policies and practices might do more harm than good.

We discuss:

-Why random searches are often ineffective and what the data really shows

-How carceral logic-surveillance, discipline, and punishment-undermines student trust

-The unintended consequences of “zero tolerance” policies and the school-to-prison pipeline

-What safer, more transformative approaches to education might look like

-The bigger picture: capitalism, state violence, and the myths behind the “war on drugs”

If you’re an educator, parent, or anyone concerned about the future of schools, this episode will challenge the way you think about safety, authority, and trust in education.

More on Dr. Sclofsky:

https://www.sebasclofsky.com

email: [email protected]

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction & disclaimers

1:10 - Meeting Dr. Sebastian Sclofsky (and how this episode started)

4:30 - The classroom dog search incident

10:05 - Random searches, effectiveness, and false positives

15:45 - The carceral logic in schools: surveillance, control, and punishment

22:20 - Educational trust vs. policing authority

30:15 - Zero tolerance policies and their consequences

36:40 - The role of teachers, administrators, and counselors

44:10 - Why schools resemble prisons: “cells and bells” design

52:30 - Safe environments vs. punitive discipline

1:00:15 - Parents’ perspectives and the illusion of safety

1:08:40 - War on drugs, individual choice, and systemic issues

1:20:55 - Social trust, democracy, and the role of police

1:30:25 - The school-to-prison pipeline explained

1:39:10 - Can police be agents of social justice?

1:47:00 - Public policy, economics, and community engagement

1:55:45 - Closing thoughts: What schools and society should reconsider

In this episode, Jake and Morgan dive into Chapter 4, "Traditional Grading Hides Information, Invites Biases, and Provides Misleading Information," from Joe Feldman's transformative book "Grading for Equity." They explore Feldman's critique of traditional grading practices, discussing how methods like averaging grades and incorporating behavioral factors distort true measures of learning and disadvantage marginalized students. The conversation delves into the impact on student motivation, the perpetuation of inequities, and the importance of separating academic performance from behavior. Highlighting Feldman's advocacy for standards-based grading and formative assessments, Jake and Morgan share personal anecdotes and practical tips for implementing more equitable grading practices in classrooms, aiming to create a fairer and more effective educational system.As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.Recommended Reading:Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman:Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CmMi2JAudiobook: https://amzn.to/3J7F9HlUNgrading by Susan BlumPaperback: https://amzn.to/3P5z0ztAudiobook: https://amzn.to/43yTxkjThe Self-Driven Child by by William Stixrud and Ned JohnsonPaperback: https://amzn.to/42z2nx7Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3CnmxiYWhat We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next by Thomas R. Guskey & Susan M. BrookhartPaperback: https://amzn.to/3EoSgkLCHAPTERS:00:00 Opening00:20 Introduction & recap with takeaways12:26 Mechanisms of inaccuracy18:00 Behavioral data, bias, & human psychology33:00 Analyzing your gradebook: Feel good about noticing37:50 Psychological effects of gradebooks48:59 Grade hacks55:10 Mathematical soundness of the grade1:00:01 Questions to consider1:15:12 Closing

Grading for Equity Book Study #4

Jake and Morgan discuss Chapter 3: "How Traditional Grading Stifles Risk-Taking and Supports the Commodity of Grades" from the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman, a book that is helping schools and teachers upgrade the way that we assess and measure student learning. In our study of this chapter we discuss above all, the role of risk-taking and trust in teaching and learning, and we go into detail about how using grades as an artificial extrinsic incentive undermines the relationship of trust between student and teacher and thus undermines the process of learning. Any teachers who seek to understand the various impacts of grading practices should benefit from hearing and considering the ideas discussed, and likewise from reading the book and integrating the ideas into their practice. You can buy this book and others with the links below.

00:00 - Disclaimer

00:22 - Opening quote on trust & risk taking

01:40 - I broke into Morgan’s car.

05:17 - Checking in about work, grading, and communication

14:27 - Changing grading practices with a team

16:41 - Grading for Equity Chapter 3 Introduction

19:10 - Risk taking and safe failure 

20:37 - Points can undermine trust.

23:29 - What is this book study for?

26:31 - The way you grade affects everything.

33:14 - The pace of learning

39:06 - Wait, why are we doing a book study?

41:56 - Sending mixed messages to students

54:49 - Students as allies vs. adversaries

1:02:59 - Kill your ego or undermine trust

1:09:32 - Be the best substitute teacher you can be

1:15:59 - The element of trust

1:22:32 - Human connection, empathy, and critical thinking

1:27:33 - Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic rewards, and behavioral science

1:33:53 - Discussion on engagement

1:50:38 - Incentive systems

2:01:14 - Effects of points on self concept and anxiety

2:04:21 - Shares & celebrations, provoking thought

2:14:45 - Closing

Jake and Morgan discuss Chapter 1 of the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman (2018), a book that is helping schools and teachers upgrade the way that we assess and measure student learning. Chapter 1 emphasizes the concept that changing grading practices frequently requires abandoning old beliefs and building new ones, and confronting the reality that we could have done better for past students, had we only known what to do and why a different way might be better.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.

Jake and Morgan discuss the prologue from the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman (2018), a book that is helping schools and teachers upgrade the way that we assess and measure student learning. The ideas and the references in the book make a strong case that the way we have been grading for over 100 years in the US education system and in similar systems is not only flawed but harmful, and that problems like low levels of learning, cheating, and disruptive student behaviors can all be positively impacted by improving the way that we determine a student's grade.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.

Books:

UNgrading by Susan Blum

The Self-Driven Child by by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

What We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next by Thomas R. Guskey & Susan M. Brookhart

CHAPTERS:

Rudy Escobar is the STEM & Computer Science Coordinator at the Stanislaus County Office of Education. He is a chemical engineer by training and education, and worked in the private sector before beginning his journey in education. In his current position Rudy works with all of the PreK-12 schools in a county in California’s Central Valley, impacting the educational experiences of thousands of learners every year. In our conversation we explore the broad topic of artificial intelligence and its implications in education.

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@EducationUpgrade⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/educationupgradepodcast⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Ed_Upgrade_Pod⁠⁠⁠

Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/EducationUpgrade⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeschulke⁠⁠

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.

Morgan Torres-Unger is a teacher in California’s Central Valley, with experience teaching multiple age groups and content areas. In our conversations she shares a constellation of strategies and tactics which underscore important tenets of student-teacher relationships and how they improve all areas of teaching from classroom management to cognitive outcomes. Collectively, the ideas we discuss demonstrate a unified teaching philosophy which is simultaneously student-centered, learning-focused, data-driven, intrinsically differentiated, and yields positive outcomes.

FOLLOW/CONTACT:

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@EducationUpgrade⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/educationupgradepodcast⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Ed_Upgrade_Pod⁠⁠

Linktree: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/EducationUpgrade⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeschulke⁠⁠

WORKS REFERENCED

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.

Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CmMi2J

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3J7F9Hl

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Introduction

02:26 - Does your personality match your job?

07:16 - Using vulnerability to explore students’ needs

09:57 - Creating opportunities for creative exploration

16:20 - Time, play, choice and attention

18:04 - Differentiating math instruction in a spectrum of skill levels

22:43 - Fallout of distance learning

25:38 - Maslow before you can Bloom

29:56 - Headgear Girl

34:31 - Boundaries of bullying

38:23 - Integrating healthy teen behavior into class structure

47:09 - Compliance does not increase learning.

51:22 - Motivation systems

54:10 - Assessment and grading: Test corrections, tutoring and reteaching

1:02:25 - District guidelines for grading

1:05:55 - A grade that measures academic progress

1:10:30 - Getting high at school

1:16:11 - Sex stuff: Real conversations with ‘tweens

1:23:23 - Listen like they should be listened to

1:29:51 - Sex education in the digital age

1:36:35 - Male role models for teen girls

1:49:29 - Teachers who nurture relationships

2:03:18 - Grace to increase engagement and achievement

2:10:55 - Examining the outcomes

2:23:27 - Examining what you are assessing

2:37:02 - Continuous improvement

2:47:19 - Closing

Dr. Derek R. Riddle is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at California State University, Stanislaus and currently the Single Subject Credential Program Coordinator. He received his doctorate degree in Teacher Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Prior to his appointment at CSU, Stanislaus, Dr. Riddle taught middle school and high school English Language Arts in rural settings in Idaho and in urban settings in Las Vegas. He taught every grade level 7-12, teaching a range of classes from remedial to advanced placement classes and dual-credit courses. He also served for a short time as an instructional coach.

At CSU, Stanislaus, Dr. Riddle mainly teaches general methods courses as well as literacy methods courses. His current research interests broadly span teacher education pedagogies and clinical experiences; teacher professional development and teacher leadership; educational policy regarding teacher recruitment and retention; and English Language Education.

Tips from Dr. Riddle, explained during this interview:

FOLLOW/CONTACT:

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@EducationUpgrade⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/educationupgradepodcast⁠

Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/Ed_Upgrade_Pod⁠

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/EducationUpgrade⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeschulke⁠

WORKS REFERENCED

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.

Books:

Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CmMi2J

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3J7F9Hl

UNgrading by Susan Blum

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3P5z0zt

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/43yTxkj

The Self-Driven Child by by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

Paperback: https://amzn.to/42z2nx7

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3CnmxiY

Podcasts:

Simone Giertz on the Lex Fridman Podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgIo36F6Fsg

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0eXFzktkNq07QzJwDEaW6D?si=30359a08548c4826

Academic Literature:

Research paper by Brad Olsen and Rebecca Buchanan:

https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831219841349

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

01:26 - So much information

04:15 - Give yourself some grace

06:58 - What late penalties really teach and assess

09:28 - First step: Evaluate your practices

15:38 - Next step: What to change

18:48 - What actually changes behavior

20:47 - What if they ARE failing?

25:57 - Psychological implications of grades

30:37 - Prospective teachers, screening, recruiting and retention

37:12 - Grades should build trust in public education

46:58 - Why grading and assessment is so important

47:33 - Obvious red flags about your grading

53:08 - A comment for principals

54:36 - A personal story from a father

56:28 - An argument against changing

59:00 - Role of the administrator

1:00:34 - Research shows us the mirror

01:01:12 - Build a culture for your school

01:06:41 - Closing

Dr. Jon McFarland (a.k.a. “Dr. Mac”) is originally from Hawaii where he earned his B.Ed. and M.A. from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. He received his doctorate in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran University. With almost three decades of teaching experience, he has taught at multiple levels of education including working 16 years at the same Title I comprehensive high school in Ventura County in southern California.

Follow/Contact

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EducationUpgrade

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/educationupgradepodcast

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ed_Upgrade_Pod

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/EducationUpgrade

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeschulke