Articles For Teachers, Parents, And Other Educators

Designing a Communications Plan for Effective School Leadership Communications Plan Want to develop a plan for communicating with your staff using a variety of methods? Interested in looking for a way to maximize your limited resources of time and energy to create an optimal school climate where communication is NOT your number one stumbling block? I have composed a “why and how to design” a plan, what key elements need to be considered in the plan design, and the different audiences and classifications of information

Single Gender Education–Administrators

Let’s take a lesson from the results of the single sex California Pilot program or even from the ill-fated attempt by Georgia’s Greene County to implement a single sex initiative. Single sex implementation without knowledge of legal mandates, without full by-in from educators involved and with adequate professional development is doomed to failure.

Why We Need a Teacher Liberation Front

Here’s a modest proposal: teachers should recall that their first loyalty is to children and parents, not the elite educators who manage the system. As I’ll show, these people are often indifferent to the misery they cause, and that’s why we need a Teacher Liberation Front: In 1944 Life magazine reported that “Millions of children in the U.S. suffer from dyslexia.” This was a phony epidemic created almost entirely by Whole Word.

Moral and Values-Based Leadership

Moral and Values-Based Leadership And School Improvement by Michelle Fattig-Smith, Ed.S. “Public school leaders today are somewhat like an heir receiving a handsome legacy from a distant relative, who neglected to include in the will instructions for maintaining the bequest,” (Tyack & Hansot, 1981, p. 14). Criticism of public education today may be due, in part, to technological advances outpacing the ability of schools to compete and the ensuing ‘erosion of tradit

Why Johnny Can’t Think

ThrougBy Ned Vare Why Johnny Can’t Think “The sad truth is that public education has destroyed the American dream for countless numbers of young people by preventing them from acquiring those academic skills needed to achieve success.” - Samuel Blumenfeld, Educator and Author Homeschooling, of course, was once the norm.

Parents Have No Power over Public Schools

By Ned Vare School Is Hell; a series of articles “What seems undeniable is that there is a substantial contrast between the vision of what public education is supposed to be and the reality of schooling itself.” — Bruce Goldberg, Why Schools Fail In my state, Connecticut, children are not required to attend school, but the law requires children to be given instruction in certain basic skills and knowledge, and parents are responsible whether they send them to school or not.

Who Owns the Public Schools?

By Ned Vare Part of the series: School Is Hell Who Owns the Public Schools? “Without a real private competitive market for education in America, all that is available is what the state education central planners choose to provide.” — Richard M. Ebeling, President, The Future of Freedom Foundation The so-called “public” school system does not belong to the public; it is owned and run by the government. Therefore, the public schools serve government needs, not the

How Schools Can Be Much More Productive

I predict ergonomic education is the next big thing. I know we need it! Although neither teacher nor engineer myself, I’ve always been fascinated by a point at which the two fields intersect. Namely, how do we make education truly efficient? How do we teach the MOST knowledge in the LEAST time with the LEAST effort by both teacher and student? With the added proviso that the info has to stay put, ideally for a lifetime…There’s fast ways and slow ways of doing every job.

Pedagogical effectiveness of online

The basic pedagogical process can be defined as a systematic transfer of knowledge and / or skills from an instructor to a learner. Depending upon the basic objectives of the process, the transfer may be limited to cognition of facts or may be extended to application and extension of facts, their inter-linkages and derivative concepts.Since the important players in this interaction are the instructor and the learner, the important determinants of the effectiveness of the process should include.

Introduction

The following article is an excerpt, reprinted with permission from the Journal of School Health (Sept. 2001), which reported the findings of the full School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS).

Schools have a unique opportunity to develop and maintain healthy behaviors and support academic achievement of our nation’s young people. Approximately 53 million children, or 95 percent of children ages 5 to 17 years old, attend the 117,500 elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Therefore, health initiatives in school are critical to preparing students for lifelong positive, productive and, most of all, healthy lifestyles.

Since the late 1980s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has supported states and school districts in implementing school health programs related to major health problems–including HIV/AIDS, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes–through reducing tobacco use, poor nutrition, obesity, and physical inactivity.

In 1994, CDC conducted the first SHPPS survey. This was the first systematic collection of data about school policies and programs related to health education, physical education, health services, food service, and school health policies related to drugs, alcohol, and violence. The 1994 survey focused on state and district K-12 policies. At the school and classroom levels, only secondary schools were included.

The second SHPPS survey, conducted in 2000, is more comprehensive in covering all coordinated school health components: (a) health education, (b) physical education, (c) health services, (d) mental health and social services, (e) food service, (f) school policy and environment, (g) faculty/staff health promotion, (h) facility and community involvement.

The purposes of the overall study were to identify programs and policies at state, district, school, and classroom levels, including issues concerning personnel, availability, needs and priorities, how they address Healthy People 2010, their relationship to general educational programs, and their impact on students.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia reported data as part of a nationally representative sample that included public and independent school districts and elementary, middle, and high schools. Response rates for the survey ranged from 65 to 100 percent of eligible respondents.

All states, approximately 500 districts, approximately 900 schools, and over 1,500 teachers completed the physical education part of the survey.

The information contained in this excerpt from the total SHPPS survey is important in gaining an understanding of physical education program status through national descriptive data. This understanding is valuable in supporting efforts to improve physical education and in considering the context for problems in initiating, developing, and expanding physical education programs.

Share this excerpt and the full survey with principals, school district personnel, and school board members to increase the awareness about the critical role of physical education and other components of coordinated school health in the total education of students.

The landmark 1996 Surgeon General’s report Physical Activity and Health (1) identified the substantial health benefits of regular participation in physical activity including reducing the risks of dying prematurely; dying prematurely from heart disease; and developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer. The report made clear that the health benefits of physical activity are not limited to adults. Regular participation in physical activity during childhood and adolescence helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints; helps control weight, build lean muscle, and reduce fat; prevents or delays the development of high blood pressure; helps reduce blood pressure in some adolescents with hypertension; and reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.

Schools can provide many opportunities for young people to engage in physical activity and can play an important role in motivating young people to stay active. In 1997, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published research-based Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young People. (2) These guidelines outline a comprehensive approach to promoting physical activity through schools with quality.

An international education, be it a semester abroad or a full degree program in another country, can be one of the most rewarding and exhilarating experiences in a person’s life. There is so much to be gained from learning a new culture, experiencing new challenges and opening your mind to a whole new world.

Although the events of September 11^th may have had repercussions to hinder this, it also spells out the need for more students to study abroad so cultures can mix and create a greater understanding among nations. In the USA alone, 2000/2001 saw the greatest increase in foreign students to their shores since 1979/1980, with 547,867 foreign students studying in the USA.

The biggest barrier to students studying in the USA is money.

The average for a low-cost private institution costs $12,000 US Dollars a year, excluding living expenses. This of course can be lower or higher depending on the school, but for international students, this is a huge burden and one that stops many from attending.

However, it need not be an obstacle, with international student loans now available and a wealth of scholarships and resources for students to utilize.

Along with the cost, admission to top schools in the USA can also be extremely competitive and require advanced planning; application forms need to be completed, test scores need to be produced, and some may require application essays or letters of recommendation.

This at first may seem a daunting prospect, but students should not be put off. Hard work and planning are the key factors for students wishing to come to the USA. Students need to obtain the best grades possible and plan well in advance (at least 18 months) and this will give them the best chance to study in the USA.

For US students to study abroad, the obstacles are not as great as for those wishing to come to the USA and since September 11^th, there has been greater emphasis by US students to study outside the USA. As Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute for International Education, states “Even more heartening is the enthusiasm and interest among students in gaining international experience after the terrorist attacks of September 11^th”.

In 2001 there was an 11% increase in US students studying abroad with the majority of this increased coming in shorter (less than 8 weeks) programs.

In part this has also been due to the popularity and success of companies such as Semester At Sea and InternationalStudent.com who specialize in helping students achieve their study abroad goals.

Studying abroad can do so many things for an individual. On the personal side, students are able to experience new cultures, religions and new ways of thinking thus enhancing their acceptance and tolerance of minorities and their outlook on life.

On a professional level, it can enhance their career by exposing students to a variety of new perspectives, the latest technology or state of the art research and training.

There are so many benefits from spending time studying abroad, and arguably the most important benefit is to create a better understanding of the world around

1. Customize your approach. 

Applying to college is an exercise in self-promotion.  When you send in a college application, you’re sending a sales pitch to a customer with thousands of competing offers at its fingertips.  It’s important that every college feel like they’re at the top of your list, so send each one an application that reflects your interest in them specifically.  If you take a few extra hours to craft essays and resumes that address each school directly, admissions officers will surely take notice.

2. Know what they want. 

If you look at a school’s admissions website or thumb through the mailings they’ve sent you, you’ll probably be left with some impression of what their campus community is like.  For many schools, this impression is partly an exaggeration—-they want you to apply, so their literature highlights the best of what the school has to offer.  Try to fit yourself into the idealized picture they’ve painted.  If you think you’d enjoy participating in the clubs and activities they mention, let them know.  If they do student profiles, recognize what you have in common with the featured students and be sure to highlight those qualities somewhere in your application.  If a school thinks your presence will help move their image forward, they’ll bring you in.

3. Control Your Letters of Recommendation. 

Few applicants recognize the amount of influence they have over what goes into their letters of recommendation.  Just because you’re not writing a letter yourself doesn’t mean that you have no control over its content.  Your letters of recommendation should both introduce new information and reinforce the impression that you’ve set forth regarding your character.  With this in mind, it’s perfectly appropriate to let the writer know what you’ve already told the college and what specifically you hope to see in their letter.  In fact, your requests will usually give the writer a solid foundation, making it much easier for them to get started.

4. Use Every Chance You Get to Self-Promote. 

Many students look at personal statements, resumes and essays as time-consuming burdens that do little more than consume their senior years.  However, these are the pieces of an application that separate you from the masses.  Every application has at least one section that you can take in whatever direction you want without it seeming forced.  Identify that section, be it a personal statement or even your resume, and leave it for last.  When everything else is done, read the whole application through and make a list of what you wish you’d included but didn’t get a chance to say.  Then create that final piece, making sure to include all the points you felt you’d missed.

5. Believe Everything You Write. 

College applicants have a tendency to exaggerate their accomplishments and experiences in some way or another.  If you find yourself glorifying the things you’ve done, it helps to look back and ask yourself just how much of what you’ve put down is a reasonable representation of what you’ve actually done.  Try to make sure that everything you advertise about yourself is strongly grounded in reality.  Your modesty and integrity will show through to the many admissions offers that can detect tall tales from a mile away.

Learning a second language can be a very stressful and arduous task if you let it. Somehow, the words you learn in the books don’t seem to apply very well to real life situations. Those small and seemingly un-important elements the show a person to be in command of not only the language, but the culture of the people who speak it cannot be adequately expressed by words on paper.

So, how do you learn these little secrets of mastering the ability to articulate yourself in another language?

Here are 5 proven techniques that will help you improve your English without even trying, if you are learning to speak English as a second language. Do they really work? Yes. I’ve tried them myself as I’ve had opportunity to live somewhere where English wasn’t the primary language. I found it to be a fun, exciting, and painless way to learn both the language and the culture. The culture is simply learning the way the natives express their own words. The genuine accent, facial expressions, hand gestures, sighs, moans, groans, laughter, smirks, and other things that go along with everyday conversation.

Regardless of how extensive or not your vocabulary is, if you master the ability to “sound” like you know the language and can speak it, people will be more than generous to assist you.

1. Watch Movies!

Watching movies is always a fun thing to do. In order to get the most out of your movie watching experience, if your vocabulary is limited, watch a movie in English that you are very familiar with in your own language so you always know what’s going on. Try not to translate as you go because you lose blocks of conversation this way. Instead, watch the picture and listen. Hear all the words, but determine what’s going on by the pictures you see and the words you’re hearing that you already know. Believe it or not, other words will sink in too, and so will the accent and everything else that went with what you saw and heard.

As your vocabulary grows, expand your movie selections to other movies you’d like to see but are only available in English. Try to be able to see the film more than once if possible.

According to the location and type of film you intend to view, you will be able to experience different accents, and other cultural expressions of the English language. Pick and choose the things that you think will suit you best. If it doesn’t work out, pick and try something else! Have fun with yourself and your efforts.

2. Watch Soap Operas

The place where extreme expression and limited vocabulary meet! This is such a fascinating way to learn a foreign language. Every accessory that goes with the expression of a word is demonstrated on a soap opera. “Outrage” expressed with a word, facial expression or two, and perhaps even a subsequent face slap, all of that being understandable in any language. “Love”, another universal subject, or violence, good versus evil can all be discerned quickly and easily on a soap opera. Plus, soap operas are naturally designed to allow anyone just tuning in to pick up the story quickly. The characters are easily loveable and deliciously “hate-able” so you turn to it again and again to see what’s going on, and not only improve your English each time, but reinforce what you’ve already learned.

3. Read the Comics/Funny Papers

Very non-stressful! Pictures with words, or words with pictures, however you want to look at it, it’s a great way to learn! For each thought presented there are words that match a picture, and vice versa. It doesn’t matter if you read comic books, or the comics in the Sunday newspaper, read whatever will make you laugh and cause you to enjoy learning at the same time.

4. Read Children’s books

If you know any little kids between the ages of 5-8, try reading one of their books to them. Usually little kids know their favorite books by heart, so if you stumble a little, they’ll be able to help you.

If you enjoy this method of improving your English, and you find yourself to be pretty good at it, then try reading a few Dr. Seuss books. The rhyming will challenge you, but once you master it, your pronunciation of English, and your delivery will have been considerably refined and improved.

5. Take a service job like waiter or waitress; bartender, or sales person.

This type of job can be done if you have a decent vocabulary of verbs, and know how to say “I, we, she, he, they”, etc. The only other thing necessary is a working vocabulary of things relevant to your specific tasks and goals.

For example, as a breakfast waitress, you want to be able to ask if they want their eggs, “scrambled or fried”, if they want “more coffee”, if everything is “alright”, do they want “anything else”, and the total of their bill in their own language!

If you sell real estate, you’ll want to incorporate words like “mortgage, loan, co-sign, 30 year fixed”, etc.

If you sell shoes, you need words like “how does that feel”, are they “too tight, too loose, to short in the toe, to big”, etc.

The longer you work at your job, the more your working vocabulary will improve.

6. Learn these two sentences and you’ll be set for life . . . seriously!

“How do you say (blank)”, in English (Spanish, French, etc.), and “What is that called?” (Point if you have to, and smile too). Smiling is a universal language. Once I learned how to ask these two questions, I was on my way to being conversant in the language of my choice!

I could use my limited vocabulary to ask the question and then when I got my answer I would repeat it a few times to make sure I was saying it correctly, and “BAM” I had a new vocabulary word. And, because I asked my question to the best of my ability in the native tongue, the natives realized my sincere desire to learn, and helped me!

7. What happens if you make a mistake?

Nothing. The world won’t come to an end, and you haven’t embarrassed yourself to the point where you can’t show your face again. Just apologize if that’s what’s called for, or laugh at yourself, make the correction, and count it as a learning experience.

Once I was in a restaurant and I wanted to ask the waiter for a “to go” box, however, I was speaking to my kids in English, and trying to think of what I wanted to ask for in Spanish, and I promptly and incorrectly asked him for a “house to go”. He looked at me kind of funny, but he was very courteous, and didn’t laugh until I laughed.

I’ve committed other language faux pas as well over the years, all of which have been a learning experience, and if given enough time, will become a humorous story as well.