The Waldorf School of the Peninsula in Los Altos, California

Look around and one is sure to find a student tethered to some technical device. School-aged children seemed to always be “connectied” through technology in almost any given situation. Realizing this, many schools and districts in America are marrying lessons and curriculum with technology. As this is becoming a common tool and approach for learning, one school is taking a decidedly different avenue regarding technology and tradition, and how these being used in student learning. To explore more on this story, School Spotlight takes us to the Waldorf School of the Peninsula in Los Altos, California. (Click on clip below to see the story.)

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In traditional school-style, a child will graduate from one class up to the next grade with each passing year. However, at the Waldorf School, one teacher stays with the same students from kindergarten to eighth grade. According to the article, “It’s the Waldorf Way.”

All Waldorf teachers would agree that this style of teaching allows the teacher intimate knowledge of each child’s learning habits, strengths and weaknesses, therefore allowing better focus on those areas students need more help in. They also say that this style of learning helps them establish strong bonds with their students, alleviating the need for tests or grades. The article records one teacher as stating, “I know their strengths, I know their weaknesses. I know what will be hard for them and where they will shine. I’m their teacher with a capital ‘t.’” Perhaps this student-teacher bond is one reason that students, and school alike, are thriving with a nearly perfect graduation rate.

Source: www.warldorfpeninsula.org

One other such reason might also be the approach to technology used by the Waldorf School and its staff. Here, computers are used not at all in elementary grades, and sparingly by high school students. They are not anti-technology, but they do believe that it can interfere with student engagement. These teachers believe this enables good teachers to use their skills of good teaching to educate. Students of Waldorf echo that sentiment and become easily annoyed with their peers who cannot get “unplugged” to have a 30 minute one-on-one conversation, and instead are visiting social sites and using texts to converse.

A valid point made by one Waldorf senior student is that today’s gadgets are designed for ease of operation by anyone who attempts to use it, therefore they can figure out technology when the moment calls for it. According to the article, a former graduate of Waldorf, now a freshman in college, states “A Waldorf education gives you a foundation to say, ‘OK, I can put my phone in my bag. I can have a half-an-hour conversation with a person. I don’t need to be totally connected all the time.’ And that’s more valuable for making personal connections that will last longer than the next text you’re going to get.”

Source: www.waldorfpeninsula.org

She also shares her preference for taking notes in her classes by hand, and entering them into the computer afterward. It is a helpful tool in studying instead of an easy distraction in class (as she sees is the case with most students using computers to “take notes.” She says many of the screens display social sites, not notes.).

Parents of students enrolled in at Waldorf appreciate the affinity and core values their children develop for education. They see the foundation being formed and know that is what will stay will them. Computers are a tool to add to this success.

Of course, this is not to say this formula of breaking tradition and avoiding technology is the solution for all, but it has yielded fantastic results for the Waldorf School. Again, there is not going to be a one-size-fits-all answer for schools of a nation this vast and diverse. There might be schools who are extremely technology-driven, yielding fantastic results because of it. We are all different in how we learn, and we want to know some of those differences that are working for your school and communities. Use the box below to tell us what is working to make a difference in your educational system.

Humboldt Elementary in Dewey, Arizona

Immense amounts of pressure continue to build for schools throughout America. Achieving higher levels of performance from students and teachers alike is a sentiment that relentlessly rings in the ears of educators. Tests are added, funds and teachers are taken away, but the expectations for the answer to the equation remains unchanging … better performance, better students, better schools. Under the most ideal situation, educating students can be a daunting task. Mix in everything else our educational system is facing and the task seems downright undo-able. That is why State of the Re:Union’s School Spotlight takes delight in featuring a Bright Spot school, Humboldt Elementary in Dewey, Arizona. In great American fashion, the school, staff and educators have found a way to help their students achieve greatness. (To read the full article, click here.)

Source: readingworks.net

Within the past six years, Humboldt Elementary found itself at the threshold of being named one of Arizona’s “underperforming” schools, a title many schools have a hard time losing. However, determination helped those at Humboldt Elementary pull itself up by the bootstraps and begin its journey to become the highest performing school in Arizona, despite poverty levels and large class sizes.

According to Bright Spot, it was after a major initiative launched in 2005 that students’ reading scores shot up, assisting them to their current ranking. Humboldt’s Principal Cole Young attributes the school’s success “to highly trained teachers and support staff, as well as better use of student data and guided reading.”

Through the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) teachers were trained to learn how to identify each students’ level of reading and learning. Each student is assessed within the first week of school where teachers and staff can pinpoint students in need of intervention and at what level. A system of reading programs is set in place and followed, allowing teachers to monitor individual progress.

Ask teachers and they will most likely say that this level of attention per student is very hard to manage, especially with an average class size of 30. But the highly-trained teachers and staff at Humboldt do not make allowances for this as an excuse. They are dedicated to helping each child succeed, regardless of circumstances. And so far, it has worked, and worked well.

Source: originsonline.org

In addition to their teachers, the students at Humboldt Elementary stay motivated with a number of tools and strategies: guided reading strategies, Reading Counts (a competitive reading leveled program), and a zealous principal who’ll stop at nothing to help keep students’ momentum going. “Principal Young offers abundant rewards such as shaving his head and subjecting himself to a dunking booth if students meet reading goals. This year, if Humboldt students reach [their goal], Principal Young promises to eat insects.”

With caring staff showing this level of dedication, it is no wonder that a school with every excuse to fail – poverty and all of the hardships accompanying it, and large class sizes to boot – is not only surviving, but thriving. Humboldt serves as a beacon of hope for all schools, but especially those that are underfunded and overworked; and, unfortunately, many schools seem to fall into that category. It is always a pleasure to find schools, administrators and staff who go the extra mile, and grin as they do so.

Is there a school in your community taking similar measures to ensure quality education for all students? Perhaps you’ve heard of a great program or organization working to assist schools and students overcome learning gaps and/or funding needs? Or ever more, maybe there is a special way your community school rallies to keep their students motivated. Whatever the case, of course we want to know. You can give us the scoop in the box below.

The National Teachers’ Initiative

At State of the Re:Union, we know that the best way to get to know a place, to understand the area and its residents, is through the stories of its people. For this week’s School Spotlight, we’re pulling back and panning outside of an individual school, to share the stories of those who are at the front lines of education, our teachers.

Source: storycorps.org

As part of the American Graduate series, our friends at Story Corps focused their incredible oral history project on ‘The National Teachers Initiative‘ and gathered stories from educators and the students they inspired. A special focus will be placed on teachers steadily working to increase the number of high school students graduating from high school who are prepared to enter into college and careers.

The palpability of the program can be felt through Story Corps’ explanation of how it works:  “By recording, sharing, and preserving their stories, we hope to call public attention to the invaluable contributions teachers have made to this nation, honor those who have embraced the profession as their calling, encourage teaching as a career choice, and unify the country behind its teachers—helping us all recognize that there is no more important or noble work than that of educating our nation’s children.”

Source: storycorps.org - Ayodeji Ogunniyi

Some 625 teachers are revered and celebrated for “the brilliant and courageous work” they provided for this initiative. Through telling compelling and poignant stories, the experiences of how teachers throughout America impact the lives of students are made evident.

From a neurosurgeon calling from several states away to thank the eighth grade science teacher who inspired him, to a very personal journey that made an English teacher into the man he is today, the stories of the National Teachers’ Initiative allow us to peer inside the personal journeys of men and women impacted by a teacher. Some journeys are filled with heartache, some with happiness, but all of the stories show the how the interactions between student and teacher make a difference in their lives, and that of the community. To read some of these Story Corps moments, click here and scroll down to “Listen To Stories.”

Source: storycorps.org

We live in a society that is filled with instant gratification, so to work in a profession that yields delayed results is an anomaly. Thus, being a teacher must take incredible stamina, patience and resolve. One such teacher, Renee Thorton of New York, NY provides a great analogy: “Even though you plant a seed and you don’t see it flourish or bloom, it’s there, and it grows.”

Most everyone can remember that one teacher who said or did something that made a very special impact influencing something in your life. It could be an educator from preschool giving you praise for some small thing, or a middle school teacher who helped you through a difficult time. Whatever the occasion, use the comment box below to tell us how a teacher made a difference in your life.

Beyond Basics in Tucson, Arizona

School Spotlight takes us to Roskruge Bilingual Magnet Middle School in Tucson, Arizona, where one special school program, Beyond Basics, is helping students in its community achieve better success in school by providing opportunities that expose them to the arts. To read the original article from Teaching Tolerance, click here.

According to its Web site, “Beyond Basics is a school-centered program that brings targeted reading, writing and other literacy and self-expression programs to students in grades pre-K through 12.”

Beyond Basics offers a program that takes place during the school day, with no cost to the schools, the district or individual students. This program is firmly based on the understanding “that children, exposed to educational curricula beyond the basic school system offerings, will obtain higher scores on exams and have a greater chance of achieving excellence beyond their public school careers.”

And Roskruge’s Principal José Olivas agrees. Beyond Basics has been working in his school, and Olivas says he needs no further proof that the program works. Students’ eligiblity for program participation is dependent upon maintaining a certain academic level. This gives the students a reason to work a bit harder in school, and they have been. In the article he states, “Without [arts classes], they might not concentrate on their other courses … Once they get a taste of success in whatever class it may be, it spills over [into other academic work].”

The work done by volunteers and staff members of Beyond Basics has been proven to help school children in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. They ”change their destinies by significantly raising their reading proficiency scores and providing developmental and emotional growth opportunities. Typically, we get children reading at grade level or above in six weeks. One hundred percent of the children we work with show improvement in literacy.”

Source: Jason Millstein - www.tolerance.org

Children who live in poverty tend not to have exposure to the arts. Beyond Basics President and Founder Pamela Good says “We want to expand their world in huge ways through the arts … When we bring art into the school it adds vibrance and creativity. When the students create art, they are being celebrated in that space. It breaks down so many barriers that we all have built up, but children in poverty might have built up many more.”

Good also says that this program is an answer for public education in poor schools. “We hear all the time what the problems are and it may take many, many years to solve some of those. But in the meantime there are little children that need the service.” It has made a profound difference in the lives of the students who are currently being served by the program. One eigth-grade girl says that she “works extra hard in her classes” to be able to sing in the mariachi band, an opportunity provided by the program.

The arts tend to be the first plan of attack when whittling away at budgetary matters, but more and more stories from around the country are proving that, just maybe, the arts are where the answers might lie. Think back to your days in school. What activities do you remember, and which ones made an impact? Attending music class was always my favorite escape from letters, numbers and tests. There is a symbiotic relationship between academics and the arts, and programs like Beyond Basics can help fill the gap that is so often spoken of. Know of another program helping students in need? You could always let us know. We love to hear about programs helping communities and students in need.

City Year’s “Ubuntu” Philosophy

Students, schools, education reform, policy and educational politics … there seems to be a never-ending stream of checklist items for America’s schools. With the mounting complications for our education system, it is easy to lose sight of simple solutions – us. That’s right, you and me. In past SOTRU School Spotlights, educational initiatives such as American Graduate and Grade Level Reading have been explored, highlighting efforts to close the gap on various educational concerns. For this week’s School Spotlight, we’re highlighting another community based effort to improve education, City Year.

Source: contributionsreport.amgen.com

According to its Web site, City Year is a country-wide school-based service organization providing “teams of diverse young people called corps members [who] serve full-time in schools for 10 months working to improve student attendance, behavior and course performance in English and math.”

GOOD Magazine’s A City Education series explores what motivates City Year corps volunteer members’ service to the public education system. (To read the original post in its entirety, click here.)

The commonality found in City Year’s members can be summed up with one word: Ubuntu. A shortened version of meaning for this a Zulu proverb is “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours.” One member said her reason for joining was because she thrived in a community environment where a shared goal and vision became a catalyst for action. Through working at the school, these members have learned “how to effectively connect students, parents, and community resources to ensure students excel.”

There are many service opportunities provided by City Year corps members. Whether it’s one on one tutoring, assisting teachers in classrooms or helping with homework centers in after school programs, these corps members are making a difference.

Although the City Year model is new, support for community schools is growing. According to the article, “In 2009, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his support, saying, ‘Where schools truly become the centers of the community, great things happen.’”

The symbol representing "Ubuntu" - Source: acercadeubuntu.blogspot.com

Megan Malone, a City Year corps member says of her time so far with City Year, “Serving with City Year in a community school, I am reminded every day of Ubuntu as I experience firsthand a model that illustrates the importance of connecting our humanity to those inside the school and in the community. I have no doubt that helping students succeed requires a community effort, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results of our shared vision and collective action.”

Delving into school and the politics behind education, it is quite easy to lose focus on what all of the fuss is about: our children and how best to provide them with a quality education. The notion of Ubuntu should ring true for all citizens. Perhaps understanding the philosophy behind “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours” will help us all get there.

There are so many great ways that education is changing, and seeing people in communities mobilize change through their own actions is an encouraging start. The  “it takes a village” approach, I am finding, is an earmark in many great educational solutions that are rapidly popping up. What other community actions do you know of that have made a difference in your schools? We are always interested in passing along success stories of community, so write it down and send it our way.

It sounds almost like the set-up for a bad joke: what do you get when you put dozens of computer hackers and elementary school teachers in a room and keep them there overnight? But, no, it’s no joke. It’s the game plan for an event in Baltimore next weekend that brings together two communities not ordinarily in frequent dialogue with one another: web developers and educators.

www.educationhackday.org

On the weekend of November 12^th and 13^th, an estimated 80 software designers and developers will gather at a Baltimore high school for a fast and furious session of building applications based on ideas crowd-sourced from local teachers and administrators. I stumbled across the event, billed as “Education Hack Day,” while researching an upcoming SOTRU episode in Baltimore. It’s the brain child of Mike Brenner, the founder of StartupBaltimore, a networking group for tech entrepreneurs, and Scott Messinger, a teacher-turned-web-developer. Scott’s background bridging education and technology informed the idea. “Software development is largely missing a teacher voice,” he told me. “A lot of the products we have to use as teachers aren’t always that useful for us, or that intuitive.” The solution to that problem, Scott and Mike thought, was just to get teachers and the developers together to generate solutions. “Why don’t we have the teachers tell about their problems and their ideas and have the developers and designers and teachers get together and create something?”

Now, for many “hacking” connotes something subversive or illicit—computer programmers sneaking into protected digital terrain, intent on sabotage. But the word has another definition, one that is more creative than destructive. In this case, Scott says, by “hacking,” they mean “improvising, creating from nothing something that solves a problem.” What kind of problems could hackers and teachers actually solve over the course of one weekend? They’re not attempting large-scale education reform, here. An end result might be something like an app that helps teachers and administrators keep in touch with students’ families and set up parent-teacher conferences. Or it could be a product based around a particular item on the teachers’ list of tools they’d live to have. A friend of Scott’s who is the principal of a Baltimore public school just purchased ipads for all the kids in his 5^th grade classrooms. He’d like some sort of application that makes the ipad function as a reading manager. “So they’ll login to the app, they’ll find out their reading level, and they’ll read some of those books,” Scott says. “And they’ll answer some questions and if they answer the questions right, that’ll bump them up to the next reading level.”

The plan for Education Hack Day is modeled on the success of another event Mike organized, Civic Hack Day, which brought developers together to work projects for state and city government (an app that calculated the likelihood of getting a parking ticket came out of that). And, ultimately, one of the goals is developing a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem for tech start-ups in Baltimore. Who knows what kind of ideas for a new company might be seeded this weekend, perhaps in a burst of coding creativity at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning? And if that new company is also built around finding education solutions that benefit the Baltimore community as a whole, Scott and Mike think, well, that’s a win-win. That’s the kind of result that’d be very far from the punchline of a joke about mixing hackers and teachers.

Update: To learn how things went at Education Hack Day, check out Mike Brenner’s recap here.