School ClimateSchool Climate

Fair Is Foul; Foul Is FairFair Is Foul; Foul Is Fair

Avoidance of Failure or Pursuit of Success?

Trying not to strike out or trying to hit the ball?

Phi Delta Kappa 39th Annual Phi Delta Kappa 39th Annual Gallup Poll of Public’s Gallup Poll of Public’s

Attitudes toward Public Attitudes toward Public SchoolsSchools

Phi Delta Kappan, September 2007, pp. 33-48

PDK SurveyPDK Survey

28% standardized testing helped 28% standardized testing helped achievementachievement

52% too much testing52% too much testing 68% NCLB hurting or making no 68% NCLB hurting or making no

differencedifference 82% school performance should be 82% school performance should be

based on improvement students makebased on improvement students make 93% very or somewhat concerned that 93% very or somewhat concerned that

NCLB has reduced emphasis on science, NCLB has reduced emphasis on science, health, social studies, artshealth, social studies, arts

PDK Conti.PDK Conti.

72% reject holding special education 72% reject holding special education students to same standards as other students to same standards as other studentsstudents

60% favor charter schools as an 60% favor charter schools as an alternative to change schoolsalternative to change schools

The Moral Ether of Our LivesThe Moral Ether of Our LivesJonathan KozolJonathan Kozol

““Schooling smothers authentic personal Schooling smothers authentic personal responsiveness and fosters an alienated, responsiveness and fosters an alienated, competitive striving to succeed.” competitive striving to succeed.”

““Schools are primarily concerned with Schools are primarily concerned with controlling masses of students, and only controlling masses of students, and only secondarily with their learning and growth.”secondarily with their learning and growth.”

Ron Miller, Ron Miller, What Are Schools For?What Are Schools For? p. 181 p. 181

Moral Ether Conti.Moral Ether Conti.

Memorizing and reciting “right answers” Memorizing and reciting “right answers” vs. vs.

Critical thinkingCritical thinking

Impersonal evaluation vs. Impersonal evaluation vs. Recognizing the individual’s unique Recognizing the individual’s unique

potential for growth.” potential for growth.”

Ron Miller, p. 180Ron Miller, p. 180

Winning Versus LearningWinning Versus Learning

Presupposition of beating others rather Presupposition of beating others rather than doing well. than doing well.

Alfie Kohn, Alfie Kohn, The Homework MythThe Homework Myth, p. 134, p. 134

Motivation of avoidance of failure vs. Motivation of avoidance of failure vs. Motivation Motivation to succeedto succeed

Robert Marzano, Robert Marzano, What Works in SchoolsWhat Works in Schools

School PurposeSchool Purpose Life-Long Learners—Help children love learningLife-Long Learners—Help children love learning

Alfie Kohn, Alfie Kohn, The Homework MythThe Homework Myth, p. 145, p. 145

The Irreducible MinimumThe Irreducible Minimum• Understanding the differences between opinion Understanding the differences between opinion

and evidence and the relationship between and evidence and the relationship between theory and datatheory and data

• Learning to Learning to thinkthink scientifically, historically, scientifically, historically, artistically, ethically, mathematically artistically, ethically, mathematically

Peter Senge, Peter Senge, Schools That LearnSchools That Learn

. . .”Ensuring that all high school graduates are . . .”Ensuring that all high school graduates are prepared for higher education”prepared for higher education”

Office of Educational Policy, University of Arkansas, Office of Educational Policy, University of Arkansas, The State of Education in Arkansas: The State of Education in Arkansas:

How Much Are Arkansas Schools SpendingHow Much Are Arkansas Schools Spending??

The Rushed FeelingThe Rushed Feeling

15,000 hours to cover the standards 15,000 hours to cover the standards and benchmarks vs. 9,000 hours of and benchmarks vs. 9,000 hours of available instruction time available instruction time

Beaudonin and Beaudonin and

Taylor, Taylor, Creating a Positive School CultureCreating a Positive School Culture, p. 79, p. 79..

Erosion of Academic Learning TimeErosion of Academic Learning Time

Rushed Feeling Conti.Rushed Feeling Conti.

Preparing for tests vs. Helping kids to Preparing for tests vs. Helping kids to become critical, curious, creative thinkersbecome critical, curious, creative thinkers

Test preparation usurping a substantive Test preparation usurping a substantive curriculum curriculum

““Understanding is performance.” Understanding is performance.”

Alfie Kohen, Alfie Kohen, The Homework MythThe Homework Myth, p. 32, 102, p. 32, 102

Rushed Feeling Conti.Rushed Feeling Conti. ““Anybody who’s really been involved in any Anybody who’s really been involved in any

great work of art knows that it’s infinitely great work of art knows that it’s infinitely analyzable, and that the deeper you get into analyzable, and that the deeper you get into it, the more individual it is. The more time it, the more individual it is. The more time you spend. . .the less it seems to you to be you spend. . .the less it seems to you to be like anything else. This sensibility is very like anything else. This sensibility is very much at risk in American education today.” much at risk in American education today.”

““More time usually leads to better learning.”More time usually leads to better learning.”

Howard Gardner in Senge’s Howard Gardner in Senge’s Schools that LearnSchools that Learn, p. 565, p. 565

StandardsStandards

The Standards Straightjacket The Standards Straightjacket

Susan Ohanian, Susan Ohanian, One Size Fits Few: The Folly One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standardsof Educational Standards

Control of political ideas taught vs. diversity of Control of political ideas taught vs. diversity of thinking vital to a democratic societythinking vital to a democratic society

Joel Spring, Joel Spring, Conflict of InterestConflict of Interest, p. 113, p. 113

ConclusionsConclusions ““School people will be most effective if they School people will be most effective if they

set aside distractions, such as AYP, and do set aside distractions, such as AYP, and do what they became educators to do: the best what they became educators to do: the best possible job of educating kids.” possible job of educating kids.”

Phi Delta KappanPhi Delta Kappan, Sept. 2007, p. 48, Sept. 2007, p. 48 Focusing on assistance rather than Focusing on assistance rather than

punishmentpunishmentPhi Delta Kappan, September 2007, p. 36Phi Delta Kappan, September 2007, p. 36

Myth of SisyphusMyth of Sisyphus

RecommendationRecommendation

Establish a commission of experts in Establish a commission of experts in curriculum, assessment, instruction, curriculum, assessment, instruction, leadership, and ethics to study the leadership, and ethics to study the current school climate/culture in current school climate/culture in Arkansas to conduct action research to Arkansas to conduct action research to identify problems in school identify problems in school climate/culture and to make climate/culture and to make recommendations for addressing those recommendations for addressing those problems.problems.