Transcript Enacting Useful Standards for High School Graduation

The Flat World and
Education
How Our Re-Commitment
to Equity Will Determine
Our Nation’s Future
Fighting for the Right to Learn
Of all the civil rights for which the world has
struggled and fought for 5000 years, the right to
learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental....
The freedom to learn ... has been bought by
bitter sacrifice. And whatever we may think of
the curtailment of other civil rights, we should
fight to the last ditch to keep open the right to
learn…
-- W.E.B. DuBois (1949)
Expectations for Learning are Changing
The 21st century context means new expectations:
Ability to communicate
Adaptability to change
Ability to work in teams
Preparedness to solve problems
Ability to analyse and conceptualise
Ability to reflect on and improve performance
Ability to manage oneself
Ability to create, innovate and criticise
Ability to engage in learning new things at all times
Ability to cross specialist borders
Chris Wardlaw, "Mathematics in Hong
Kong/China – Improving on Being First in PISA"
20th Century Teaching Cannot Meet
21st Century Needs
20th Century Schools Were Not
Designed to Meet these New Demands
In current U.S. system:
70-75% graduate from high school
60% of graduates go on to college
40-50% of college entrants finish
About 30% of the age cohort gets a
degree
Yet 70% of jobs involve “knowledge
work” requiring specialized
higher education
The U.S. is Falling Behind in
Educational Attainment
Approximated by percentage of persons with ISCED3 qualfications in age groups 55-64, 45-55, 45-44 und 25-34 years
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
1
%100
90
80
13
70
60
50
40
30
20
1
27
10
1. Excluding ISCED 3C short programmes
3. Including some ISCED 3C short programmes
2. Year of reference 2004
3. Year of reference 2003.
Brazil2
Mexico
Portugal
Turkey
Spain
Italy
Greece
Chile2
Korea
Ireland
Poland
Belgium
Iceland
Australia
France
OECD average
EU19 average
Luxembourg
Netherlands
United Kingdom3
Finland
Hungary
New Zealand
Slovak Republic
Israel
Slovenia
Austria3
Russian Federation4
Sweden
Norway
Canada
Denmark
Switzerland
Germany
Estonia
Czech Republic
United States
0
U.S. Outcomes in
International Perspective
(8th Grade PISA Results in OECD Nations, 2006)
Science
Math
Finland
Canada
Japan
New Zealand
Australia
Netherlands
Korea
Germany
United Kingdom
Finland
Korea
Netherlands
Switzerland
Canada
Japan
New Zealand
Belgium
Australia
U.S. is # 21 / 30 OECD nations
#31 / 40 top nations
U.S. is #25 / 30 OECD nations
#35 / 40 top nations
Inequality Influences
Low US Rankings
Figure 1
U.S. PISA Results, by Subgroup, Compared to OECD Average
540
Reading
Science
Math
Problem Solving
520
500
480
460
440
420
400
OECD avg.
White
Asian
Black
Hispanic
0.0%
Mexico
30.0%
United States
25.0%
Italy
New Zealand
Ireland
Portugal
UK
Spain
Japan
Poland
Greece
Germany
Austria
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Hungary
Belguim
France
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Sweden
Norway
Finalnd
Denmark
U.S. Leads in % of Children in Poverty,
2007 (OECD Nations)
Mexico
22%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
The Consequences of
Under-Education
 A new high school dropout in 2000 had less
than a 50% chance of getting a job
 That job earned less than ½ of what the same
job earned 20 years ago
 Dropouts cost us >$200 billion / year
 Lack of education is ever more strongly
correlated with welfare dependency and
incarceration
 Prison populations have tripled and
corrections costs have increased by 900%,
now competing with higher education costs
Sources of Inequality
Nationwide, schools serving minority and lowincome students have
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Lower funding levels
Larger class sizes
Less well-qualified teachers
Less engaging and challenging curriculum
Fewer college preparatory or AP courses
Larger school sizes
Fewer computers, books, supplies
Segregation Supports Inequality
 2/3 of Black and Latino students attend
predominantly minority schools with lower levels
of instructional resources
 Within “integrated” schools, most minority
students are concentrated in low-track classes
which receive less well-qualified teachers, less
engaging curriculum, lower-quality materials,
and communicate a message of inequality
Curriculum Access Matters for
Learning
Holding SES constant,
minority and white
students who have
equally well-qualified
teachers and
comparable curriculum
perform comparably in
reading and
mathematics.
The Teaching Gap Creates Most of the
Achievement Gap
 The least experienced and prepared teachers
generally teach the least advantaged students
 High attrition rates for less-prepared and supported
teachers create a revolving door and lost resources
in less advantaged schools
 Students taught by underqualified teachers have
significantly lower achievement in reading and
mathematics
Underprepared Teachers Decrease
Student Achievement
Fall-to-Spring Test Score Gains / Losses of Students Taught by
Alternative Route and Traditional Route Teachers
Reading
Math
2.5
1.89
2
Change in NCE Score
1.5
1.83
1.31
0.99
1
0.5
Low-Coursework AC
Low-Coursework TC Counterpart
0
High -Coursework AC
-0.5
-0.39
-0.78
-1
-1.07
-1.06
-1.5
Based on actual (unadjusted) fall and spring scores
High -Coursework TC Counterpart
Although expert teachers are the
greatest influence on learning,
the U.S. invests less in teaching than other countries
 Preparation is uneven and largely unfunded
 Salaries are unequal and noncompetitive
 Well-prepared teachers are unequally distributed
 Mentoring for new teachers is rare
 Professional development is “hit & run”
 Learning & collaboration time is scarce: US
teachers teach far more hours and have less
preparation time than any other advanced country
High science performance
560
High average performance
Large socio-economic disparities
540
Chinese Taipei
New Zealand
Finland
Durchschnittliche
High average performance
Schülerleistungen im
High social equity
Bereich
Mathematik
Hong Kong-China
Estonai
Australia
Netherlands
Slovenia 520
Germany
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Austria
Belgium
Ireland
Strong socioHungary
Sweden
economic impact on
500
Poland
student performance
Denmark
France
Croatia
Latvia
United States
Slovak Republic
Lithuania
Spain
Luxembourg
Canada
Japan
Korea
Liechtenstein
Macao-China
Socially equitable
distribution of learning
opportunities
Iceland
Norway
480
Portugal
Russian Federation
Italy
Greece
460
15
Low average performance
LowIsrael
average performance
Large socio-economic disparities
High social equity
440
22
Low science performance
12
2
Excellence & Equity Together
 “Excellence and equity are not opposing
concepts. The definitions of the words
include each other.
 Excellence without equity is simply not
excellence; it is privilege.
 Excellence is superlative performance
starting from a level playing field;
performance made superlative through
extraordinary effort and talent, not from the
relative advantage of some at the expense of
others.
 True excellence requires equity as a
precondition.”
Excellence & Equity Together
And equity without excellence is not equity, it is
tokenism and leads to a mediocrity that is good
for no one's kids.
Equity means we push every one of our students
to excellence and tell them in no uncertain
terms: we will support you along the way, no
matter who your parents are, where they may
have been born...the color of you skin...where
you live...how much money your parents
make...the structure of your family...your prior
academic performance...or even how long you
have been in the district. You are ours and we
will support you.”
-- Adam Urbanski
What are High-Achieving and
Steeply-Improving Nations Doing?
 Universal preschool and health care
 Equitable funding with investments in high-
need schools and students
 Large investments in initial teacher
education and ongoing support
 A lean curriculum & performance
assessments focused on higher order skills
 Focus on multilingual, multicultural
education
Arguments Against
Equalizing Resources
 Those Students Can’t Learn Anyway
 Tests take care of everything
(Measuring outcomes means we don’t have
to worry about inputs)
 Money Doesn’t Matter
-- Preschool
-- Teacher Qualifications
-- Learning Materials and Curriculum Access
-- Facilities
Can tests take care of everything?
What happens when the system is guided by
attaching rewards and sanctions to current
tests?
What are the results of testing without
investing?
The “Texas Miracle”
Achievement Gap Appears Narrower
Ethnicity
90
Native American
Asian American
Mean TAAS Math Texas Learning Index
African American
Latino
Anglo
85
80
75
70
95-96
96-97
97-98
98-99
School Year
99-00
00-01
01-02
Cohort Progressions through High School,
Classes of 2000, 2001, and 2002: Brazos City, TX
20000
18292
18000
16707
16000
14320
Number of Students
14000
12000
9th Grade 1996-1997
9th Grade 1997-1998
10000
9th Grade 1998-1998
8552
8517
6307
7190
6447
8000
7532
6000
6875
6901
6645
4000
2000
0
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-1998
1998-1999
School Year
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
Dilemmas of Test-Based Accountability:
Rewards or Sanctions?
John
Sandra
Jorge
Maura
Jasella
Francisco
2006
100
90
80
70
60
20
Ave. Score = 70
% meeting standard = 66%
2007
95
85
70
65
55
--Ave. Score = 74
% meeting standard = 80%
In the U.S. under NCLB:
 Every state has gained steeply on state tests,
BUT
 Gains have slowed on the Nat’l Assessment
of Educational Progress, and even dropped
in 8th grade reading,
 U.S. scores and rankings dropped from 2003
to 2006 in math and science on PISA– a test
measuring higher order thinking and
performance skills.
NAEP, 8th and 12th Grade Science
1. What two gases make up most of the Earth's
atmosphere?
 A) Hydrogen and oxygen
 B) Hydrogen and nitrogen
 C) Oxygen and carbon dioxide
 D) Oxygen and nitrogen
2. Is a hamburger an example of stored energy? Explain
why or why not.
______________________________________________
________________________
Expectations for Learning are Changing
The 21st century context means new expectations:
Ability to communicate
Adaptability to change
Ability to work in teams
Preparedness to solve problems
Ability to analyse and conceptualise
Ability to reflect on and improve performance
Ability to manage oneself
Ability to create, innovate and criticise
Ability to engage in learning new things at all times
Ability to cross specialist borders
Chris Wardlaw, "Mathematics in Hong
Kong/China – Improving on Being First in PISA"
SINGAPORE SCIENCE PRACTICAL
ASSESSMENT
As part of the Science Examination, Students must:
 Identify a problem, design and plan an investigation, and
evaluate their methods and techniques
 Follow instructions and use techniques, apparatus and
materials safely and effectively
 Make and record observations, measurements, methods,
and techniques with precision and accuracy
 Interpret and evaluate observations and experimental data
SINGAPORE EXAMINATIONS AND ASSESSMENT BOARD
29
High School Biology Exam,
Victoria, Australia
3. When scientists design drugs against infectious agents, the term “designed drug” is
often used.
A. Explain what is meant by this term.
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Scientists aim to develop a drug against a particular virus that infects humans. The virus
has a protein coat and different parts of the coat play different roles in the infective
cycle. Some sites assist in the attachment of the virus to a host cell; others are
important in the release from a host cell. The structure is represented in the following
diagram:
The virus reproduces by attaching itself to the
surface of a host cell and injecting its DNA into the host
cell. The viral DNA then uses the components of host cell
to reproduce its parts and hundreds of new viruses bud off
from the host cell. Ultimately the host cell dies.
Analysis and Application of
Knowledge
B. Design a drug that will be effective against this virus. In your answer outline the
important aspects you would need to consider. Outline how your drug would
prevent continuation of the cycle of reproduction of the virus particle. Use
diagrams in your answer. Space for diagrams is provided on the next page.
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Design and Scientific Inquiry
Before a drug is used on humans, it is usually tested on animals. In this case, the
virus under investigation also infects mice.
C. Design an experiment, using mice, to test the effectiveness of the drug you have
designed.
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In addition….
The Focus on Test-Based
Accountability--and the
Achievement Gap--turns
the public’s gaze away from
the Opportunity Gap.
What Happens When the Arguments
Against Equity Finally Fall?
New Jersey Math Achievement Trends,
4th Grade NAEP
260
White, 255
250
White, 248
NAEP Scale Score
240
White, 236
National Ave., 239
White, 239
Hispanic, 234
Black, 232
230
National Ave., 226
Hispanic, 224
National Ave., 222
220
Black, 217
National Ave., 219
210
Hispanic, 204
Hispanic, 206
Black, 204
200
Black, 198
190
1992
1996
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP Data Trends
2003
2007
The New Jersey Story
 Parity funding for high-need districts
 Investment in high-quality preschool with highly prepared
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teachers
Whole school reform based on understanding child
development and engaging parents
Teacher education & PD focused on urban teaching
Early literacy programs
-- Expert coaches
-- Teacher development for language-rich teaching
-- Bilingual classroom libraries
-- Focus on student work and authentic reading
Performance-based assessment
Characteristics of
Schools Studied in NY, IL, & CA
 Predominantly low-income
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students of color
Graduation rates above the
state average (averaging
90%)
80-100% of students accepted
to college
Non-selective admissions
Engaging, empowering
approach to education,
connected to communities
and families
Personalization
 Small Schools
 Reduced Pupil
Loads
 Long-term
Relationships
 Advisory Systems
 Close parental
contact
Rigorous & Relevant Instruction
 Untracked college prep
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coursework made relevant,
interdisciplinary, and problemoriented
Supports for student learning
Internships
Project-Based, hands-on,
language-rich learning
Performance Assessment &
Portfolios
A Culture of Revision and
Redemption
Hands-On Learning Creates
Engagement & Success
Professional
Collaboration & Learning
 Intensive retreats
 Shared planning time
 Teaching teams
 Regular professional
development
 Inquiry about student
learning
 Leadership focused on
instruction
What We Need In Order to Achieve
Instructional Quality & Equity
High-Quality Preschool Education
Adequate and equitable resources
Schools designed for effective caring and teaching
Well-trained teachers and principals in every school
-- Urban teacher & leader residencies & Grow Your
Own Programs
-- Service scholarships to prepare & serve in highneed fields and locations
 Curriculum for all students focused on higher-order
thinking and performance skills
 Performance assessments developed with language
needs in mind
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Insisting on Quality Education
as a Civil Right
"On some positions, Cowardice asks the question,
'Is it safe?'
Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?'
And Vanity comes along and asks the question,
'Is it popular?'
But Conscience asks the question 'Is it right?'
And there comes a time when one must take a position
that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular,
But he must do it because Conscience tells him
it is right."
-Martin Luther King, Jr., "Remaining Awake Through a
Great Revolution", March 31, 1968