Changes Schools Should Make to Better Serve Students: A Student's View

My mom once asked me about the first steps I would hypothetically take to make a "better school." I don't claim to be an education expert, but I do have personal opinions about the ideal school -- one I'd like to go to. Among many other things, I said that I would change school starting times, improve cafeteria lunches, and bring back recess. These would be good first steps because they help a lot of students a little bit. And they can have wide-reaching impacts.

Starting Times
Studies have repeatedly shown that everyone, especially children with developing brains, need a good amount of high-quality sleep. It's difficult to get when you have to worry about waking up at 7 in the morning to go to school. Not everyone is a morning lark, and by starting school so early, not only students but also educators have to stave off yawns throughout the day.

I was at a conference where a well-respected sleep researcher, Dr. James Maas, revealed that adolescent sleep cycles tend to begin at 3 a.m. and end at 11 a.m. Yet we're starting school at 7 or 7:30 a.m. While I wouldn't quite change school start times to 11 a.m. (since we have to consider parents who have to go to work), I think it would be reasonable to move them to 8:45 AM or after. Then hypothetically a teenager could go to bed at 12 a.m. (as many often do), wake up at 8, shower and eat breakfast, and go to school with eight rather than five or six hours of sleep.

Lunch
Another step: improve cafeteria lunches. Put a cap on the amount of sodium, fat, and calorie content allowed in each lunch. Mandate nonfat or 1 to 2 percent milk (and in smaller containers -- who really drinks that much milk?) instead of whole milk. Get rid of chocolate milk, soft drinks, and vending machines with unhealthy items. Require a certain percentage of food served be organic and/or local, and have smaller portions to help minimize cost (we all know how much food gets dumped out). Have the school's cooking classes (or maybe the entire student body) help make lunch on certain days.

A bigger step: I think it would be a good idea to have randomly assigned seating during lunch. This might be controversial among students, but the social division that occurs when students simply pick out where they want to sit can be hurtful and exclusive to students new to the school or children with difficulty making friends. Also, it seems that teachers rarely eat lunch and converse with the students. I've learned a lot from being able to have conversations with adults. So, teachers would be required to eat lunch with the students -- at least on certain days -- (and really, if they really can't stand students to the extent that they can't eat with them, should they be teaching?)

Recess
While making nutritious school lunches would be an excellent way to start combating childhood obesity, bringing back recess, at all grade levels, could do even more (as well as markedly increasing cognitive ability). In middle and high school you might have a somewhat more organized approach (depending on students, because it isn't hard to envision students simply standing around and talking to each other instead of exercising.

Perhaps instead of a dreaded required class one semester of junior high, physical education could become a fun, daily 15 to 20 minute class -- where healthy behaviors, like calisthenics, frequent exercise, jogging, and hiking, would be modeled every day. Students could get involved actively in the "curriculum," by submitting their favorite exercise activities and voting on which new things to try.

"Big" Changes
I want to talk about "big" changes I would make in education (if I were in a position of incredible power!) -- multiple, age-independent, subject-based grade levels; online learning; and authority hierarchy in school.

Age-Independent Grades
I took two electives recently at Redmond Junior High. Everyone asked what grade I was in. It would go something like this:
"Adora, what grade are you in?"
"Ninth grade."
They look incredulously at my apparently seventh-grade style of dress (i.e., sweaters and shirts vs. tank tops and jackets) and say, "You're in ninth grade?"
"Yeah," I nod quickly, and explain, "I skipped a grade."

[Actually, it's feasible that I skipped two grades, since 12-year-olds are often put in seventh grade (depending on when your birthday is) but usually I say I just skipped one, since I'm now thirteen.]

One's grade in school decides what you'll learn and the level at which you'll learn it. It decides when you'll graduate from high school and even the friends you'll make (most of your friends are probably in your grade or close to it). My question is why your age, not your aptitude, should determine your grade -- and why grade covers all subjects, when people have varying degrees of ability and interest across subjects. (Yes, there's a reason kids are always asked, "What's your favorite subject?")

I am at a loss as to the benefits of putting a group of people of approximately the same age -- but of varying aptitudes -- into one room where they will all learn the same thing. The quicker students will sit bored while the teacher re-explains a concept they already know from their voracious reading, while the slower students will be confused and left out by the rapid pace at which everyone else seems to be progressing.

My parents homeschooled my sister and me for many years. Why? Because the local school insisted that I, being three, should go to preschool, and my sister, being five, should go to kindergarten. The problem? You learn your alphabet in preschool, and I was already reading chapter books. At the same time, however, I was not so far along with math and science. In other words, I was not "advanced" in everything. Yet many gifted and talented programs try to put students into all-around advanced classes.

Wouldn't it make more sense to be able to take some kind of test (oral, written, multiple choice, or informal discussion with a counselor) to determine what level you would be? Maybe then I could have taken a test which would have allowed me to learn at second grade reading and history level, and kindergarten or first-grade math and science.

To me, this approach makes far more sense than sorting students into grades based on when your birthday is. Would you ever tell a son or daughter, little brother or sister, "You weren't born before September 1st, so I'm not going to help you learn your alphabet"? Yet that is what our school system does every year.

Placement tests to sort students into levels would put students with a larger knowledge base into higher grades, but a large knowledge base doesn't necessarily mean a love of learning. I'd propose that honors/gifted status would then be determined by a student's desire to learn and exhibition of independent learning traits (i.e., reading a lot outside of school, tracking current events, etc.). For instance, if you're a 10-year-old who's been advanced to seventh-grade level mathematics, you'd be placed in the honors math class. The material covered would be the same as the seventh-grade level math (because honors classes would no longer have to serve only as a means of providing harder material -- you'd be placed in a higher grade if you had that large knowledge base), but there would be more discussion, extracurricular activity, etc.

I personally think that there is no compelling benefit to having an age-based grade system. It could be argued that some poor little advanced 3-year-old, taking language arts classes with 8-year-olds, will feel different and lonely--but 10 years ago, you would have found 3-year-old Adora Svitak taking classes at Renton's H.O.M.E. Program (a public program offering classes for homeschooled children)... with 6, 7, and 8-year-olds, among others -- and feeling fine. Diversity should be more than a buzz phrase. If students are prepared to make friends with and learn from those younger (or older) than them, we have made true progress in embracing diversity.

Authority Hierarchy in School
I definitely think that students need to get involved in decision-making on a deeper level, beyond simply being on an associated student government or student council. At the TEDx conference I organized last year, TEDxRedmond, several speakers (all of whom were under 18), spoke movingly on their opinions about education and certain ways their schools had supported and/or failed them.

In many countries, schools are preparing students to participate in a democratic environment; yet schools themselves tend to be extremely autocratic, with all high-level decisions being made by adults. Let students have a voice -- use online technology to have students give constructive feedback to their teachers and school administrators. Implement student suggestions. Put students on school district boards. Allow students to help form curriculum and get their ideas on which assignments work best for them. Hold regular meetings where students are invited to speak to their school officials.

Online Learning
Every school district should have an online learning framework, so that "blended learning" (partially online, partially in-person) can be an option for students. Students could read more of the fact-based lesson material online, so that when they came to class in-person, time could be used on higher-order thinking skills like experiments, projects, and the like. A lot of excellent learning takes place when students are face-to-face with each other and a teacher, yet there are situations where students may not always be able to make it to class. Should students not be able to continue doing any of their work simply because of a school flu epidemic, school staff on strike, snow days, or absences?

Other obvious benefits of incorporating online learning:
- Teachers could post assignments, students could submit responses, and teachers could grade them, all online, without worrying about endless stacks of paper.
- Students could keep up with what was going on in class and see instant grade updates.
- Teachers could post multiple-choice tests, which can be easily computer-graded, online, and save themselves from the tedious work of checking multiple choice answers.
- Students could review materials from past lessons before a test.
- Teachers could easily post links and resources online for students to view.
- Parents could keep updated on what was happening in class.
- By using tools like Elluminate, Skype, GoToMeeting, chat, Google Voice, etc., teachers could easily stay in touch with students (particularly when students had questions).

As a student at an online public high school, I see my teachers using many of these tools. Many of my teachers have Google Voice as well as embeddable chat tools, so we can quickly get in contact.

Of course, all these changes, big and small, will cost money. Where will that come from? By shifting more content online, we could cut some of the spending that would go toward giant reams of paper and industrial-size printers and copiers. Maybe we could levy a tax on soft drink and junk food purchases, to pay for healthier school lunches. (We could call it "Buy a Twinkie for Yourself, Give a Whole Wheat Sandwich to a Student!")

Finally, students should take international studies classes, since it's often shocking how little Americans know about other countries. Let's do a pop quiz. I bet most Canadians can name our president. Can you name the prime minister of Canada? It's rare to find someone who hasn't heard of "California" or "New York" before. Can you name a single state of India? It's easy enough for most people to find the U.S. on a map. Can you find New Zealand, recently affected by a devastating earthquake? Or Afghanistan, where we're currently at war?

I know this post is quite long, and because of the extreme municipal-level management of schools, many of these changes are seemingly impossible. In the coming days and years, I'm hoping we can work together to create a better school -- not just for today's kids, but for tomorrow's.

 

Follow Adora Svitak on Twitter: www.twitter.com/adorasv

Comments

[Merkin Teacher]

09:25 AM on 03/27/2011

If the schools were filled with brilliant, well-traveled adolescent reformers like your self some of this is great, apart from the nanny state ideas of what is right and wrong to eat. My graduate paper was on non-graded schools.

But students like yourself constitute about 15-20% of the school population of the US and I would guess elsewhere. Extend your ideas and make them applicable to all the students we have to provide a public education to and to students for whom online education doesn't work. There are more of them than there are online learners presently.

[nypoet22]

04:23 PM on 03/06/2011

thank you for your contribution, Adora; you're clearly one bright young lady. there are five areas where positive changes have been proven to make a significant difference in learning outcomes: community, health, early start, effective leaders and small classes ("c.h.e.e.s.," if you will)

your discussions of sleep, lunch and recess address the area of health/nutrition, one of the five. under that heading i would also include a full-time school nurse, which many schools seem to have gotten away from recently.

effective leadership is another key factor, and your suggestion of student involvement makes some sense. the best teachers and administrators are willing to listen as well as lead.

the three other proven factors are smaller classes, higher quality pre-kindergarten, and community support for students and parents. perhaps a student perspective on those three issues would also be instructive.

any thoughts?

[runtwelds]

10:36 PM on 03/05/2011

Wow, a bright little kid has more sense than the idiots in government that want to "reform" schools.

[Mr Anonymous]

10:03 PM on 03/05/2011

I liked some of your ideas, especially the international studies. We need to know more about the world we live in. But, on the other hand, what about the poor students who don't have a computer or the internet at home to check online postings and assignments. It seems that poor students would just do worse than they already do due to the lack of even more things they would need at home.

[TheTightwireGuy]

05:19 PM on 03/05/2011

Great suggestions. Especially the age-independent learning.

[StephenBP]

10:50 AM on 03/05/2011

I applaud your article and all the many excellent points it includes.

Schools have done away with recess? That cannot be a good thing. Physical education class was often barbaric in my day and probably still is. There is a great need for exercise and movement training but somehow it always tended to devolve into something far less than it could be. I remember one of our physical education teachers telling us things that the biology teacher said were incorrect. That was a big disconnect. The brain needs oxygen, nutrition and rest as you have pointed out, and yet the current education system seems to be ignoring that. Also, I think that courses that result in increased understanding of the mind and emotions are important to include in the curriculum of the young, just as physical education is.

The current educational system seems to me to be a mediocre collection of compromises dictated by cultural norms and economics more than an understanding of the value of learning. It is probably about as good as the current moment can sustain, but it certainly could be and definitely needs to be far better. We need people like you to speak out about its many shortcomings and of the need for improvement.

Again, I applaud your work and thank you for writing it!

[avg american]

06:54 PM on 03/04/2011

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent article with some common sense, cost efficient ideas on how to fix our broken educational system. Good Job, Adora Svitak.
Worth reading.

[Sbutzin]

11:06 AM on 03/04/2011

Thanks for this great commentary, Adora. I wish you could have attended a Project CHILD school when you were younger. CHILD stands for Changing How Instruction for Learning is Delivered and it is a very innovative approach for teaching young children in elementary schools. One of the unique features is that students are grouped in cross-grade clusters where teachers and students stay together for three years. This helps break out of the stifling grade specific teaching that you mention in your comments. Project CHILD also offers very engaging and active classrooms with lots of technology and hands-on activities to balance out the heavy dose of textbook learning and teacher talk that still dominates most classrooms today. Our goal is to create joyful classrooms that challenge all students to reach their potential. We hope more folks will learn about Project CHILD, that now is a very small, but dedicated network of schools, teachers, and parents. Learn more at www.ifsi.org.

[Emma L]

11:04 AM on 03/04/2011

As a woman who was homeschooled from second grade until I left for college, Miss Svitak's article really speaks to me. Especially the part about age and grade level. I began attending college at the age of 16 and 9 times out of 10, out performed my peers with little to no effort. While this may sound like bragging, it is, in reality, only a factual statement about the difference between aptitude and age. I think that by understanding that intelligence, ability, and the desire to learn are much deeper, broader, an more complex than calendar age we will change the way we view education. When we do this, we will equip our nation with the well-educated and well-rounded individuals that we need to carry us into the future.

[randalford27]

06:52 PM on 03/03/2011

You should look into the Sudbury Valley model of education ... Our children have thrived at a school in Colorado based on that model: Alpine Valley School (Wheat Ridge, CO) There are many others across the country.

[Linda Voegler Granite]

01:54 PM on 03/03/2011

Miss Svitak - I wanted to applaud your article. I am a teacher and while I don't agree with all of your proposals, I think they are very imaginative and that it is good to hear from a young person about what would make school better. As a teacher, I very much appreciate that you don't seem to have much in there about bad teachers... lately, there is so much on the news about poor teaching and unions. To me, your piece suggests that the problems in our schools stretch in many directions and that our nation can't blame *just* the teachers. Thank you.

[lincutious]

01:39 PM on 03/03/2011

Adora, I find your ideas refreshing and well thought out. And they would have effects reaching much further than education if they were implemented in carefully planned stages. America could do with more "coming together" than splitting apart, and your concept of forced mingling at lunch would basically work towards erasing the clique mentality which potentially matures into full blown bigotry in adults, and allows an abusive atmosphere which fosters bullying.
I do not know how you kids get through a school day without recess, their removal seems so very counterproductive to education. I would love to pick your brain for your experiences and ideas regarding your education in order to streamline the gentle guiding of my energetic, yet academically at the top of his class 5 year old son to be as enthusiastic and involved in learning as possible.
My wife seems to think that an educationally advanced (compared to todays norm) child misses out on their childhood, I disagree, but cannot convince her of this. I would love to hear about how much fun you have and if you are satisfied that. (so I can have her read it)

[Adora Svitak]

01:38 AM on 03/06/2011

Please tell your wife:
My opinion is that "letting kids be kids" really translates into letting us be everything that we can be--socially, emotionally, and academically. We can be world champion mud-sculpture makers and published authors, advanced students and still have sleepovers.

I feel like my life has been enriched by my parent's attitude of not restricting, but always supporting, me. Instead of always just reading about the castles of Europe or the terracotta warriors of China in history books, I could see them first-hand from a young age as the result of my travels.

[lincutious]

03:58 AM on 03/06/2011

Many thanks, and may good fortune accompany your endeavors.

[ConstantVariable]

09:36 AM on 03/03/2011

These are good ideas, however there is a tacit assumption that the students will be engaged in their education. This would certainly be met by you and others you likely associate with, but I wonder if the same is true of the typical student. Even if we make all of these changes I doubt we would see significant, positive outcomes.

Parents must realize they are the primary educator for their children. Your post demonstrates this. Because you are in a situation where your curiosity is nurtured, you have excelled academically. The majority of children do not have this advantage. Their parents either do not know how or do not care to encourage them in asking questions at home. Unfortunately this is a situation which is probably too common.

I agree that the educational system needs to be changed, but I worry that too many people who read this post will think 'here is the silver bullet.' I seem to be saying this far too often lately, but I don't think the solution is that simple. If it were we probably would have solved the problem already.

[lincutious]

01:06 PM on 03/03/2011

If these changes were implemented, the student bodies would slowly progress towards the "assumptions" posited by Ms. Svitak. It seems to me that her thought process regarding this subject did incorporate the resulting student behavior into the assessment of the situation as it is today. But shouldn't one picture the outcome of ones imagining a better future? Is it wise to assume that the students will only continue to decline in behavior and work ethic at the same time as one is working to solve that problem, or to assume that the changes made would effect the students view of their education?

[ConstantVariable]

08:25 PM on 03/06/2011

I did not say these were not good ideas. Nor did I say that we should not implement them. What I said was that only addressing what happens at the school is not sufficient to fix the problems with our education system. It is good to picture a better future, but the way to reach that future requires more than simply agreeing with a good idea because you like it. I think that student performance will continue to decline so long as there are significant problems at the home for the majority of our students. Fundamental problems like securing food, shelter, and clothing exist and are impacting a large and growing fraction of our youth.

If you really believe an idea is worth anything, you should want to take the time to poke holes in it. If you don't, someone who disagrees will. Then where do you stand? As a science educator I try to impart this attitude to my students every time we meet. And, here lies another problem. By the time students reach me (college level physics) they typically are incapable of handling truly constructive criticism because teachers upstream of me had to deal with the fallout of the other external problems. Even if student A did not experience certain personal hardships, the presence of student B who does can have a negative impact on the entire class. We need to make sure B at least has the basics so that all can excel.

[jcd8822]

12:21 AM on 03/03/2011

This student needs to be placed in charge. It all makes sense. The adults running the education system in this country, for the most part, leave something to be desired. Have they ever discussed any of these things with students, parents and psychologists? Here in Texas the people in charge of education appear to operating without a brain. The text books used in this state need to be burned and new ones purchased AFTER discussion between teachers and parents about what should be in them. I have heard, though, that some parents could care less. They could not be bothered.

[been2there]

11:51 PM on 03/02/2011

This young lady has a number of very good suggestions. Unfortunately, they do not fit the prevailing "moral" pardigm, so they won't go anywhere.

[Bucket-Of-Love]

04:04 AM on 03/04/2011

Interesting phrasing, "'moral' paradigm" in this context. Are you referring, perhaps, to the hierarchical authoritative structure that surrounds information, which is much taken for granted and overlooked?