Save the Teachers: Mentoring Plans for New Teachers

What's the number one way to support students at struggling schools? I'm sure you can think of many answers to this question, but I think one of the best ways to support students is to support new teachers with effective mentoring programs. Mentoring programs should be established to provide new teachers with a strong foundation and support system as they learn the art and science of teaching. According to The New Teacher Project, the way to close achievement gap is to recruit, train, and retain effective teachers in high needs schools. They propose that helping new teachers with instructional design and delivery in addition to classroom management and cultural issues is the key to success. The New Teacher Project believes that new teachers should be provided with mentoring and professional development in the following areas:

• Setting Rigorous Academic Goals
• Use of Appropriate Assessments
• Creating Standard-Based Lesson and Units
• Applying Differentiated Instruction
• Use of High Impact Teaching Strategies
• Addressing Misbehavior Effectively
• Using Diversity to Promote Achievement
• Developing Rules, Procedures and Consequence
• Effecting Change in the Classroom as a Newcomer

New Teacher's have different needs than more established teachers. They can benefit from the following supports:

• How to plan and support students learning by establishing routines and procedure for the beginning of the school year
• How to manage and organize the classroom
• Help with becoming familiar with the curriculum and State and Common Core State Standards
• How to assess student learning, and plan instruction based on students' needs. 
• How to differentiate instruction bases on students' learning needs

Here are some steps your school can take to establish a mentoring program:

Establish time for Mentoring:

• Mentors should visit new teachers two times per week in order to plan lessons and/or model lessons and conference with them.
• Mentoring should occur during the normal school day
• Mentors and teachers can communicate via email during the days when the mentor is not onsite or available for in-class debriefing
• Mentors should observe the teachers, discuss both areas of strength and areas in need of improvements during one-to-one conferences.

Mentor Matches

• Choose the mentor based on his/her expertise in literacy, math, science, social studies, classroom management techniques or more subgroup specific expertise such as English Language Learners or Student with Disabilities.
• The mentor should provide ongoing support of the new teacher, and keep a log of their interactions and meetings.

Beyond Mentoring (Additional School-Based Support)

• Assign new teachers to work with grade level or subject area leaders to discuss school policies and procedures.
• Inter-visitations can be arranged for the new teachers to see best practices delivered by his/her colleagues.
• Ongoing needs-based professional development should be provided to support teachers in their content areas.

Evaluation

• Establish a Mentoring Committee to discuss improving the tenets of the program as well as to discuss results of implementation on an on-going basis.
• Collect data that will highlight the impact of mentoring on student achievement.
• School administrators should analyze the effectiveness of the mentoring program  through formal and informal observations of new teachers.

Teaching is a very difficult job and the best way to improve teacher retention and improve student achievement is to support our new teachers with an effective mentoring program that will provide our newest teaching professionals with as much support as possible. 

Celebrate Parent Involvement Day

"National Parental Involvement Day is Thursday, November 17, 2011.  Sponsored by Project Appleseed, the goal of National Parental Involvement Day is to increase parental involvement at public schools across the United States.  To celebrate this day, it is up to each campus to design activities that will encourage parent participation on campus.  Activities do not have to be limited to just include parents—grandparents and other adults who have a stake in the future of our youth are invited to participate." - Amber Wilson (Houston Public Schools Examiner)

Here are some tips for enhancing parent involvement at your school:

* Organize or enhance a Parent Association. The first tasks should be to address any lack of involvement in the school's decision making process. If you already have one, make sure they develop a program that includes workshops for parents related to student achievement, child development, parenting, and other subjects that are of interest to parents.


* Establish a parent resource center to provide a suitable place for parents when they come to the schools. This center can be stocked with resources that support parents' informational needs.


 * If funding permits, the school should hire a parent coordinator that can be trained in federal, state and city regulations regarding parent involvement.

* Ensure that parents receive regular communications regarding methods used to improve school climate, and an annual survey should be administered to assess parent and community needs and interests.

* Make sure that parents are aware of Title I funds that are designated for parent involvement activities, and these funds should be used to support the school's parent involvement efforts.

* Utilize programs such as EPIC (Every Person Influences Children) for parenting education workshops.

* GO BEYOND Bake sales. Make sure parent involvement activities focus on fostering student achievement. This can be done by inserting a home learning component into school activities that regularly attract large numbers of parents, especially events that have a multicultural orientation.

HAPPY PARENT INVOLVEMENT DAY!

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

My question today is: How competitive in the areas of math and science is the United States in comparison to other countries? Are we educating the next generation of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians at levels high enough to provide the global economy with a steady flow of professionals in these areas?

One way to assess the foundation of student preparation for these careers is The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). This study is a comparison of mathematics and science achievement carried out by the International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement (IEA) international organization of national research institutions and governmental research agencies. According the website www.nces.ed.gov/timss/ more than 20,000 students in more than 1,000 schools across the United States will took the assessment in spring 2011, joining almost 500,000 other students around the world taking part in TIMSS.

What exactly does this study assess?

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) TIMSS can be used to track changes in achievement over time by the participating countries in the subject areas of mathematics and science for students in fourth grade and eighth grade across 46 countries, including the United States of America, Australia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong (SAR), Iran, South Africa, Ghana, Singapore, Japan, and others.

First conducted in 1995, TIMSS reports every four years on the achievement of fourth and eighth grade students. A number of countries participating in TIMSS 2011 will have trend data across assessments from 1995 to 2011.

Why should you care about the results of this assessment?

The US economy is still suffering from a recession and we need to address an issue we seem to be afraid to discuss. Just because some jobs have moved to foreign countries due to cheaper labor costs does not mean we can't compete. The skills of our workforce have to change and improve. Jobs in engineering, science, and mathematics are high paying and students from other countries are coming to American Colleges and Universities to prepare for careers in these fields.  

See the statistics below from NCES.



SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 1996 (based on IPEDS/HEGIS surveys of degrees conferred). 

• In 1994, 31 percent of all science and engineering master's degrees and 41 percent of all science and engineering doctor's degrees were conferred to foreign students.
• Foreign students earned close to 50 percent of the doctor's degrees conferred in mathematics and engineering.
• Foreign students also earned a substantial number of graduate degrees in business and management. In 1994, 14 percent of master's and 29 percent of doctor's degrees in business and management were conferred to foreign students.
• When examining the fields of study that U.S. and foreign graduate students choose, foreign graduate students were more likely to earn degrees in science and engineering than U.S. graduate students. For example, in the 1993–94 academic year, 37 percent of all foreign master's degree recipients earned a degree in science and engineering, compared to 11 percent of U.S. recipients.
• At the doctoral level, 61 percent of all foreign recipients earned degrees in science and engineering, compared to 32 percent of all U.S. doctoral recipients. 

The implications from the results of the 2007 TIMSS are that US students are simply not prepared to compete at the same levels as students from other countries.

Here are the Top 5 Performing Countries in Mathematics based on the 2007 TIMSS:

1) Taiwan (Score 598)
2) South Korea (Score 597)
3) Singapore (Score 593)
4) Hong Kong (Score 592)
5) Japan (Score 570)

The United States came in 9th place (Score 508)

Note that all of the top performing countries are located in Asia

Here are the Top 5  Performing Countries in Science (TIMSS 2007)


1) Singapore (Score 567)
2) Taiwan (Score 561)
3) Japan (Score 554)
4) South Korea (Score 553)
5) England and Wales (Score 542)

Again, its interesting to note that four out of five of the top performing countries in science are located in Asia.
Another statistic that clearly highlights the US Achievement gap is the fact that US Asians, as a subgroup, scored comparably to sample Asian nations (Average score 549) whereas the the average US 8th grade students score on the 2007 TIMSS was only 520.

Overall, the United States scored higher than the TIMSS scale average, but when you are competing primarily with Asian nations for the top honors, and ultimately for jobs, slightly better than scale average is not good enough.

We cannot out compete our high performing international peers unless we invest in our youth.

Most recently, President Obama directed $250 million for science and math education to increase the number and quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers. I think this a step in the right direction,  but what we really need to do is improve our math and science curriculum and continue to expose our students to careers in mathematics and science to spark an interest at a young age.

10 Truths about Parent Involvement

10. Successful parent involvement nurtures relationships and partnerships. It strengthens bonds between home and school, parent and educator, parent and school and parent and community.

• What steps has your school community taken to gauge the success of your bonds with the parent/care-giver community?

9. Any parent can be "hard to reach". Parents must be identified and approached individually; they are not defined by gender, ethnicity, family situation, education or income.

• Do you differentiate your approach to parent outreach or utilize a "one-size-fits-all" strategy?

8. Most barriers to parent involvement are found within school practices. They are not found within parents?

• Is your current approach working? When was the last time you surveyed parents to find out how they want you to include them? What about their schedule?
  
• Have you made accommodations to have workshops for parents at non-traditional times? (during the school day, after school, during the summer break, early mornings, or evenings after 5pm?)

7. Parents' interactions with their own children is the cornerstone of parent involvement. A program must recognize the value, diversity, and difficulty of this role.

• How does your school track parent-to-child involvement? Are there family literacy nights? Homework sheets and book logs that require parent signatures?
• Have you celebrated moments of small success?

6. Parent involvement requires a vision, policy and framework. A consensus of understanding is important.

• Has your school memorialized what parent involvement looks like, sounds like, and feels like in your community? Has this message been drafted with the support of parents?
• Has this message been communicated to parents at PTA meetings, schools newsletters, teacher conferences, etc?

5. Parent involvement is a process, not a program of activities, It requires ongoing energy and effect.

• Does your school have a Parent Coordinator or someone else in an official capacity dedicated to coordinating and serving the needs of your families?
• Have you created a rubric of what successful parent involvement looks like at your school?
• What are your next steps?

4. Parent involvement must be a legitimate element of education. It deserves equal emphasis with elements such as program improvement and evaluation.

• Have you posted your parent involvement goals publicly? Are small milestones celebrated and communicated on a regular basis?

3. The parent is the central contributor to a child's education. Schools can either co-op that role or recognize the potential of the parent.

• How will you help parents learn meaningful ways to connect with their child's school outside of Parent-Teacher conference night, back to school night, and graduation?

2. The home is one of the several spheres that simultaneously influence a child. The school must work with other spheres for the child's benefit, not push them apart.

• As educators, we often encounter behaviors from our students that are less than acceptable. How can you reinforce positive behavior without putting down a particular parents style of parenting. Everyone has the right to raise their child in the way they see fit so long as the methods are legal. When you encounter a child who says "my mom lets me do it" - exercise sensitivity with your response. Be firm and let students know the code of conduct, without putting down the parent. This may also be an indication that parents need training or awareness about the school's code of conduct.
• Have you provided parents with an opportunity to respond or influence the school's code of conduct or do you simply send home a note and ask parent's to "sign and return" ?

1. ALL PARENTS have hopes and dreams for their children. They differ in how they support their children's effort to achieve these goals.

• Do you believe that all parents have dreams for the children, regardless of their situation, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status?
• Have you asked parents about their hopes and dreams for their children? Why or why not?
  

The same way it's important for teachers to BELIEVE that ALL CHILDREN can learn, we must also believe that ALL parents want a better life for their children.

When we operate from that framework, we are open to the infinite possibilities of utilizing parent involvement as a tool for increasing student achievement.

What do you believe?

Using Advisory Periods for Middle and High School Students

During the school day, middle schools and high schools across the country are implementing student advisory programs. The purpose of these programs is intervention, which will serve to assist students to develop better study, social, and organizational skills. Typically these courses are offered on a Pass/Fail basis. The advisory is a guidance and communications class which requires students to participate constructively, fully, and respectfully in all activities.

When do these periods take place?: Some schools opt to schedule an advisory period for 30 minutes after homeroom or sometime in the afternoon on a daily basis. Teachers work with a small group of students to help them in a variety of ways. These intimate groups become safe spaces for students and teachers to connect on a wide array of issues affecting our youth.

The advisory period becomes an intimate period where students feel safe to share and be heard.

Here are some elements of the Advisory Period :
1) A community to support students as they learn successful communication strategies and life skills, including timelines, negotiation, conflict resolution, etiquette, and positive outlook.

2) A supplement to college advisement and career explorations, with conversations around interviewing skills, application process, and resume writing.

3) A space to reinforce academic skills or curriculum areas in a more relaxed environment.

I am sure there are some people reading this who think this may be a waste of valuable instructional time. On the contrary, students who a disengaged from the educational process due to factors outside of school affecting them are more likely to benefit from this 30 to 40 minute block of time. Think about it - when students are engaged in school, they are more likely to show up, be one time, participate in classroom discussions, and ask for help when they need it. In New York City, many of our high school students achievement can be linked to their experiences in middle school. New York City school students often feel disconnected and have few personalized relationships with adults who educate them. The advisory period offers a way to overcome anonymity many students feel. By giving each faculty member a small group of students to work with daily, both faculty and students can develop meaningful, long-lasting relationships that help to support students in their learning.

Here is a list of both student and teacher responsibilities during the advisory period:

Students:

1) Participate constructively, fully, and respectfully in all activities and in all discussions
2) Help conduct advisory meetings in a positive manner
3) Exhibit good behavior in the school environment
4) Exemplify leadership qualities in the school
5) Attend school regularly and punctually.

Teachers:

1) The teacher's primary role is to be the advocate for his/her small group of students. The Advisor will serve as the primary link to disseminate information from the school to the students and the primary link between the school and the parent.

2) The teacher must hold students accountable for their participation.

3) Teachers must convey the importance of Advisory as a graded class, as well as keeping accurate records of attendance and lateness.

4) Teachers utilize the period in a structured way that follows structured lessons developed by the Advisory Committee.

5) Teachers help to identify students needs and refer students to appropriate supports.


According to the New York City Campaign for Middle School Success (CFMSS), there are select school-based practices to achieve key elements found in successful middle schools. The Key Elements are: High expectations and rigorous opportunities for all students, effective management of human capital, adolescent development supports, integrated parent and community engagement, and supportive school structure and organization. The advisory period serves as a function to enhance adolescent development supports (comprehensive guidance program) within the school. We have to recognize that every pre-teen and teen does not have a Big Brother or Big Sister from the Boys and Girls Club to mentor them. For the rest of our youth, their greatest resources are their teachers.

The Campaign for Middle School Success' vision is to have middle schools accelerate student learning, create culture of success, engage students through rigorous and relevant instruction, support the development of the whole adolescent, and value parents, caregivers and families as partners. We have to act now because according the CFMSS eighth grade students who are not engaged have on average a 29% graduation rate. Students who show signs of disengagement in middle school - i.e. they have low attendance or fail core courses - are less likely to graduate from high school. By adding an advisory period to a students daily program we can improve middle school and high school student engagement and social-emotional development.

The message is clear: When we improve students engagement we will see a rise in graduation rates.

Time to get to work!!!

Parent Involvement: An Essential Ingredient in The Formula for Student Success!

Most educators will tell you that the only time they see parents is during “parent-teacher conference nights”. In fact, the higher the grade students are in, the less likely you are to see parents. Is this an indication of parental apathy or do parents feel unwelcome in today's public schools?

In my experience, many parents are too busy working to provide for their families, but make an honest attempt to play a role in their child's education. However, I am also aware that far too many parents don't feel welcome in their school community. School leaders have a responsibility to welcome and honor parents as part of the educational process. Parents must be given opportunities to serve the school community in a variety of ways (bake sales, school improvement plans, and curriculum reviews).

When parents are able to contribute to the school mission and vision, they are more likely to support school improvement efforts and provide the political clout that school leaders need to make bold changes in the curriculum and instructional process. School leaders have an obligation to include parents as collaborators within the community to assist with partnerships in order to strengthen programs, family practices, and student learning. When you include parents in the process, they feel welcome and are more likely to claim ownership in the school’s success or failure.

Here are some practical ways to boost parent involvement at all educational levels:

1) Make a commitment to involving parents during the decision making process. Parents hate to be told "after the fact". If your school is aiming to make big changes, make sure the committee that explore these options have parents on board.

2) Increase communication frequency and improve parent outreach methods. Don't wait until Parent-Teachers conference night to give parents an update on their child's academic performance. Utilize technology to provide parents with updates on their child's latest academic process (ie: performance on interim assessments, quizzes, tests, etc...). If you have a large Spanish-speaking population, or some other language, provide school newsletters and all important communications in their native language. Also, if possible have translators on-hand to help with communication during conferences and parents meetings.

3) Acknowledge the gifts and talents of parents. Hold award ceremonies or find a place in the school entrance to celebrate the contributions of parents. Make sure that when they walk in the school, they feel embraced and part of the learning community. All major initiatives should have parent input during the planning and implementation process.

4) Ensure that teachers communicate with parents about the home-school connection. If your school uses thematic units, teachers should write home to parents to tell them how to connect and practice what is being learned in school at home. Show parents how to provide a rich learning environment at home to support their child's academic achievement.


The bottom line is that healthy schools have good communication with parents and caregivers. When schools get serious about stepping up parent involvement and, if necessary, change attitudes towards parent involvement, student achievement will increase. There is a connection between healthy families, healthy kids, and healthy schools. Let's connect the dots and get to work by making progress each and every day towards improving parent involvement.

Closing the Achievement Gap

As an urban educator for the past decade, I firmly believe that closing the achievement gap between minority students and economically disadvantaged students and their White, Asian, and more affluent peers is the most serious issue we face. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, the achievement gap can been seen in a wide range of educational indicators, including test scores, graduation rates, grades, college entrance rates, and college completion rates. The bottom line is that economically disadvantaged and/or African-American or Hispanic students are not achieving at equal levels of their more affluent and White or Asian peers. This causes a series of problems with a domino effect.

So what can we do? We need to implement research-based best practices that clearly indicate the characteristics of successful schools capable of closing the achievement gap. According to a 2000 study by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, nine schools in this state served a high population of low-income and minority students who were able to make significant gains towards closing the achievement gap. In spite of the obstacles, these schools were able demonstrate academic success with all student groups. The schools in the study shared the following characteristics:

1) Strong Leadership: Administrators treat teachers as colleagues, diversity of teaching styles is allowed, and teachers are provided with sufficient materials and necessary training opportunities.

2) Focused Instruction: Schools focus on helping students master basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. District-wide pacing guides are used to assist in planning, and teachers makes use of thematic units.

3) Periodic Assessment and Data Disaggregation: The schools participated in district-wide testing every six or nine weeks in reading and mathematics. Test questions are correlated with state standards. This data is then analyzed and used to inform instructional decision.

4) Targeted Use of Technology: Technology resources are used to teach academic skills. Some schools specifically used computer-assisted instruction to help struggling students.

5) One-on-One Tutoring: For struggling students, individual tutoring sessions were scheduled during elective classes or after the regular school day.

6) Culture of Achievement: A positive atmosphere was achieved and maintained by communicating high expectations to teachers, students, and parents. Student accomplishments are celebrated with pep rallies, honor ceremonies, and/or material rewards such as trophies

(Source: Closing the Achievement Gap: Views from Nine Schools. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. July 2000)

So what can we do with this information to turn around failing schools across the nation?

We need to use learning time effectively by reducing class size so teachers can give students the personalized attention they deserve, reduce school size and create more small learning communities, align curriculum with rigorous standards (Common Core State Standards), make teacher quality a priority (attract AND retain and train the best teachers and raise salaries!), provide high-level instruction to ALL student (utilize higher order thinking questions and an engaging curriculum), utilize data to guide instruction (implement interim assessments and modify instruction based on the latest data) and finally involve parents as partners (go beyond PTA night) - show parents how to help their children and use technology-based programs to keep parents informed of their child's progress.

I don't propose to have an easy fix to this problem, but there are clearly defined mechanisms that can be put in place to improve the quality of education in this great nation. The National Association of Elementary School Principals and Educational Research Service in Arlington, Virgina published these recommendations in a report called Closing the Gap - Raising the Bar, Principals Respond. I strongly support these recommendations and I believe that rigorous accountability standards and high-stakes standardized testing are here to stay. All human beings have a right to a quality education and I believe that until this problem is fixed America will continue to be overshadowed and outperformed by our international peers in places such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Denmark, Germany and Sweden.

The long term solution to fixing America's economic and social problems are deeply connected to the improvement of our education system.

If we want to out-compete our international peers, we need to first look inside ourselves and fix the achievement gap that exists within our country.