Headlines

In a speech before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, President Obama listed how he would like to see education change.

One item is that he would like merit pay for teachers.

Other items President Obama stated he wants are to develop standards "that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity." He also said "The solution to low test scores is not lower standards; it's tougher, clearer standards.”

Which item do you think will get the headlines? Which would bring more meaningful change?

How Sad

Two things struck home about what we expect an educated student to be.

The first happened as I had just finished four days at the Illinois Computing Educators Conference, the premier event in Illinois showcasing ways to improve student learning using technology tools. I presented during two of the days and enjoyed attending many sessions during the other two. It was also nice spending time networking with old and new acquaintances. The toughest time slot to present is the last session on the last day, for a number of reasons.

However I found that I enjoyed the very last presentation the most. Sharon Peters, a grade 7-9 teacher in Montreal, Canada described Take 2: The Student's Point of View. It is a collaborative effort in which schools are given professional quality videos only for the cost of an external hard drive and shipping. The videos last year were taken in Sudan, specifically the Darfur Region. Video included segments shot in refugee camps, interviews with people, burning villages just after they been attacked, relief efforts, etc. They were taken by Karin Muller, a PBS documentary producer, and you can see some of the clips she sent to schools at http://thesudanproject.ning.com/video . Karin is presently spending three months a year in regions of conflict around the world. Find out more by going to http://www.changemakers.net/node/14708 .

Students use the videos to create various products their teachers asked them to do for the purpose of demonstrating learning. Sharon Peter’s students are in the process of creating an original documentary on the genocide in Darfur.

The second happened the next day. I read in the newspaper a story proclaiming that several local schools made the Illinois Honor Role, a list of schools recognized for improvement on the ISAT, Illinois’ No Child Left Behind assessment. One principal stated that she believed “stressing vocabulary and the types of word problems featured on the ISAT helped increase scores.”

How sad that some quality educators can have their students focus on 21st century skills ( http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=119 ), while other quality educators are pressured to focus their time and talents on having students practice for multiple choice tests. Some systems need to set their priorities of what is expected of their students differently.

You might want to read Deborah Meier's blog article Confusing Test Scores With Being "Well-Educated" on this topic located at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/