Review Category : Opinions

Cheating on High-Stakes Testing: Can You Believe It?

Another cheating scandal, this one in Atlanta, Georgia, where 178 teachers and administrators have been accused of cheating to raise student scores on standardized tests. Despite numerous revelations of cheating in recent months (and accusations and suspicion in other high-profile districts), the public remains “shocked” and “appalled” each time a new scandal comes to light.

I’m in no way excusing those who cheat. Cheating is flat-out wrong. But I’m neither “shocked” not “appalled.” Did you know that ten states use test scores as the most important variable in teacher evaluation? Did you know that other states offer teachers bonuses of up to $25,000 if students do especially well on standardized tests? Did you know that principals can lose their job and entire schools can be shut down if test scores are not high enough?

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Race To The Top: As “Top Down” As It Gets

Educational ReformLet me say at the outset that I voted for Barak Obama. I anticipate he’ll get my vote again. Still, as a lifelong educator I find myself dismayed and confused about where he stands on educational issues. In his May 21 radio address, the president talked about the Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis where he delivered the commencement address last week. “We need to reward the reforms that are driven not by Washington, but by principals and teachers and parents. That’s how we’ll make progress in education — not from the top down, but from the bottom up,” the president said. Sounds reasonable to let principals, teachers, and parents drive reform efforts. (I would have added students, but then again I still believe in principles connected to “no taxation without representation.”)

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Perceived Problems Demand Decisive Action (Even If It Doesn’t Help!)

education crisisOh, and it’s the same old story
Ever since the world began.
Everybody’s got the runs for glory.
Nobody stop and scrutinize the plan.

“Learn How to Sail”
Paul Simon

“Our educational system is in shambles.” I’m not sure if that’s really true, but it has become almost a national mantra, embraced with equal vigor by those on the right and the left. You can be of any political persuasion and blithely suggest our schools are a train wreck and few would dare question the assertion.

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Total Behavior: A Concept that Offers Hope

 

total behavior concept

The concept of Total Behavior teaches us that behavior has four components: acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology. One component doesn’t “cause” the others; they co-exist. Dr. William Glasser, the psychiatrist who developed Choice Theory, has stated on numerous occasions, “I don’t sweat (physiology) because I run (acting).

I sweat when I run.” It’s not an “if…then” proposition.

I am frequently asked if there is scientific data that supports the concept of Total Behavior. Recent research unrelated to Total Behavior seems to offer scientific evidence that the components of behavior indeed operate simultaneously rather than sequentially. For the vast majority of us, acting and thinking are the two easiest components to directly control. One exceptional group may soon be offered life-changing relief. Check this out:

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Teaching, Learning and Responsibility

responsibility of teachingIt’s a word used often and typically embraced without question. I mean, how can you argue against “responsibility?” For some reason, I often get a bit uncomfortable when I encounter the word “responsibility.” For example, The Washington Post recently ran a piece by Daniel Willingham entitled “Teacher accountability schemes let teens off the hook.”
The author suggests that we aren’t teaching students to be responsible. He may be right but the sentence that caught my attention was this: “But if you believe that students should become more responsible for their learning as they age, shouldn’t teachers become less responsible?” Now I don’t pretend to know exactly what Willingham meant when he wrote that sentence, but what I got from it was that “responsibility” is this quantifiable entity that can be divided into percentages. If I am 75% “responsible,” then you only need to be 25% “responsible.” Or we can each be 50% “responsible.” We just need to make sure our percentages add up to 100%. As students become “more responsible,” Winningham suggests teachers logically are “less responsible.” I don’t think so.

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Rubrics, Self-Evaluation and Creativity

kids creativity

One of the major main points of emphasis for educators applying the principles of Choice Theory in the classroom is helping students learn how to self-evaluate consciously and effectively. If we want students to take greater responsibility for their learning, it’s essential that they routinely evaluate their own work rather than simply handing it to the teacher to be graded. Simply turning in work with little thought does nothing to build responsibility. Plus, it’s unnecessarily burdensome for the teacher. Teaching students to self-evaluate will save educators precious time while equipping their students with a valuable tool.

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Report Cards and Choice Theory

report cards
I have been working with a high school this year as they attempt to put the principles of Choice Theory into practice. They began exploring Choice Theory as a way to engage at-risk students who seemed to need alternative services to succeed in school. They have since discovered that these principles are equally helpful to every student, including the most successful.

During an overview of Choice Theory that I gave to the high school staff, one of the teachers asked me if report cards represent a form of external motivation. As I told this teacher, it really depends upon how adults decide to “use” report cards. If parents offer their children money for earning good grades, then certainly report cards are being used as a potential reward. By the same token, if adults threaten sanctions if their child does poorly, then report cards are being used as a potential punishment.

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Waiting for Superman – Using Misinformation to Create Perception – part 1

learning
As someone who provides staff development workshops to educators, I figured it was important to see Waiting for Superman, a film that harshly criticizes traditional public schools and champions charter schools. Although I was employed for 34 years in a traditional public school system, I often work in charter schools and very much appreciate the freedom they have to implement change.

Waiting for Superman is an important film. It’s rare that education is the subject of a major movie that attracts a large audience and is featured on Oprah. Make no mistake. The movie is brilliantly crafted and it’s hard not to be drawn in by the emotional storyline it creates. But I found the film unsettling because it manipulates information to create perceptions that support its agenda. Let me offer an example:

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Waiting for Superman – Using Misinformation to Create Perception

 reality perception
I wrote a piece last week about Waiting for Superman, the movie that harshly criticizes traditional public schools and argues that charter schools provide the best chance to create a quality educational experience for students. I found the movie disturbing because it distorts information and relies on emotionalism to prove its point.

As audience members follow the fortunes of several youngsters who have applied to some exemplary charter schools, it’s hard not to root for the kids to win the lottery and have a chance for a great educational experience. When several of those students “win,” we are excited and happy for them and their parents. When some “lose,” it is truly heart wrenching because the creators of Waiting for Superman have set up a world that depicts traditional public schools as abysmal and charter schools as saviors. (More on that in a minute.)

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Survival, Belonging, and the Queensland Flood Crisis

choice theory
Choice Theory teaches us that we are motivated by our quality world pictures.  Our quality world is dynamic, with pictures being continually re-arranged. Think of a file cabinet. Every file we have is important, but sometimes we put a certain file in front so it gets our attention. The same applies to our quality world pictures. They are all important because they help us satisfy our needs. At times, however, certain pictures are put at the front of our file, getting most of our attention.

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