Esther Wojcicki

K-12 Educators: Get Your Kids Involved in the Presidential Election Through Engage2012.Org

2012-09-22T00:27:44-04:00

If we want to know what voters are really thinking about the issues facing the presidential candidates, ask the kids. They always tell it like it is.

Check out this new website where kids can learn how to interview community members about election issues and post them to YouTube.

This competition called Engage2012.org is for students in K-12 and is run by the non-profit Media Arts Institute to encourage kids to make two-minute interview videos about one or more of these six issues facing the country and post them to YouTube, and then fill out this online application.

Voter Turnout

Jobs and the Economy

Education Reform

Health Care

Energy and the Environment

Immigration

The hidden agenda here is that it also gives students an opportunity to get involved in democracy while also practicing their 21st century media skills. There are also prizes up to $1,000 for the winning videos as well as national recognition on YouTube and ABC News.

Students can use cameras or smart phones to make these videos and there are instructional videos online just to help learn how to make a video using either a camera or your smart phone. Here are some resources for students and teachers. Videos can be up to two minutes long but shorter videos are also welcome

This exceptional opportunity is made possible through the cooperation of some major companies and foundations including YouTube, the ABC News digital division, The Newseum, The Poynter Institute, The Harnisch Foundation, Adobe, Baruch College of The City University of New York, the Student Press Law Center, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, Creative Commons., and Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

Students who may not want to make a video but still want to be involved can help organize their peers who want to make videos. These student organizers can sign up to be Student Ambassadors as part of the project's Student Ambassadors Program. There is even a competition for them.

The 10 Ambassadors from around the country who motivate the most students from their schools and community organizations to participate in the challenge may each receive an award worth up to $500 in value.

The Engage in Democracy 2012 Student Journalism Challenge was founded in the spring of 2012 by leaders and educators from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, the Media Arts Institute, Baruch College and the Alliance for Excellent Education. The project will be administered by educators from the University of Oregon, Baruch College, the Media Arts Institute and by student leaders from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.

The competition is coordinated by non-profit project supported by the Media Arts Institute.

The project's primary goals are to motivate K-12 students to participate in the democratic process, include student voices in national discussions surrounding election topics and encourage curiosity, exploration and creativity in both children and adults throughout the nation.

Now kids have a chance to get involved. The competition will close at midnight on Nov. 5, 2012. Winners will be announced on Dec. 21, 2012.

Calling all Educators! August is Connected Educators Month.

2012-08-04T16:49:18-04:00

August is an important month for educators. It's Connected Educators Month right now.

What does that mean? It means that you as an educator or interested parent can connect online to many keynotes and panels by well known educators who can give you tips on using technology effectively in the classroom.

It means that the U.S. Department of Education is enthusiastically trying to connect all educators to the Internet.

The New York Times ran a very special column last week on its Learning Network that highlights the links and learnings of connected educators who have written columns for them. It is an excellent resource for all teachers.

They asked these connected educators these two questions:

What is one important thing you've learned from someone in your Personal Learning Network (P.L.N.), however you define that network?

What one person, group or organization would you recommend every educator add to his or her P.L.N.?

The column has ideas from these 33 educators, all connected, who recommended hundreds of resources, people, organizations, and sites. The column is a great resource for all educators.

At the end of the month, in addition there will be a Learning 2.0 conference from August 20-24 also promoting digital learning.

Technology in education supports individualized instruction, discovery learning, and 21st century skills. Hundreds of articles have been written about the power of tech for learning. It engages the students, improves learning, and makes teaching easier and more effective.

"Why Open Education Matters?" Check Out the Video Winners

2012-07-28T10:25:38-04:00

Open Education just got a big boost with the announcement of the winners of the "Why Open Education Matters?" competition the week of July 18. Here are three amazing videos to tell you WHY it matters:

First Prize -
Congratulations to Blinktower, an extremely talented creative agency based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Second Prize -
Congratulations to Laura Rachfalski and her great team. Laura is an artist, videographer and photographer from Philadelphia.
Third Prize -
Congratulations to Nadia Paola Mireles Torres and her collaborators from the design firm Funktionell.

Even more videos can be found on the competition website here created by the runners up. They are all pretty amazing videos.

Open Education matters because it is changing education for the better worldwide and has the potential to revolutionize it. It is great for teachers, parents, students and anyone who wants to learn. Some well known OER sites include Gooru, Khan Academy, Udacity, MIT Open Courseware and OER Commons.

The winning videos were selected by some incredible judges including famous actor James Franco; well known director Davis Guggenheim; animator Nina Paley; GOOD Education Editor Liz Dwyer; author Anya Kamenetz; HuffintonPost YouTube Editor Angela Lin; and Executive Director of Mozilla Mark Surman.

The competition was sponsored by Creative Commons, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Open Society Foundations.

All of the videos are licensed CC BY, which means others may distribute, remix, and build upon them, even commercially, as long as they give credit to the creators. Pretty exciting for all of us.

Want to find OER easily? Here is a Google Custom Search Engine you can use and here is a YouTube video that shows you exactly how to do it.

Want to Find Information Quickly on the Web? Sign up for This Free Google Online Course Starting July 10

2012-07-07T09:07:23-04:00

Are you usually in a hurry? Want to find information quickly on your phone or computer?

Most people want to find information quickly, but in general most people have really poor search skills. If you knew a few tips you could get that information quickly.

Starting Tuesday there will be a way to get those tips easily.

There will be an online, easy to follow short course available for free to anyone with a computer and access to the Internet taught by Dr. Dan Russell, a research scientist at Google who is in charge of User Happiness! View image

I love his title.

The course will run from July 10 (next Tuesday) to July 19, 2012, two weeks, and is called "Power Searching with Google." There are three classes per week which you can do from anywhere since it is online. There is a midterm and a final and if you pass both you will get a Google Certificate that you can hang on your wall, put on your resume, and use to impress your friends.

Sign up (and more details) here:
There is room for hundreds of students which is why it is called a MOOC or Massive Open Online Course. This is just the first of many courses to come on a variety of topics.

The course focuses on real everyday problems in search and gives participants the opportunity to connect with others in the course using Google Groups and Google Hangouts on Air. It will have lots of interactive activities to practice your new skills.

So make this a useful summer project. It is great for students, educators and anyone who wants who wants to find information quickly which is pretty much everyone.

TEDxStanford Opens Its Doors Today With Free Live Streaming

2012-05-19T09:26:59-04:00

Many of you know that TEDx conferences are held to promote ideas worth spreading. They are an offshoot of the original TED conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design ) held yearly in Long Beach, California.

Perhaps you didn't know that today the first ever TEDxStanford (Stanford University) will open its doors at 11 a.m. PDT with free LiveStreaming of over 21 fascinating talks.

One of those talks is by Stanford engineering graduate and CEO of non profit D-Rev Krista Donaldson, whose amazing work is changing the world through her design and manufacture of the JaipurKnee for above the knee amputees that are sold at one-tenth the cost of a traditional knees.

Donaldson's target market is more than 10 million amputees worldwide with incomes of less than $4 per day; they are able to afford these JaipurKnees that give amputees the ability to walk normally and to hold jobs. See a video here comparing a typical knee with the JaipurKnee.

In just two short years, Donaldson and her team at D-Rev have changed the lives of over 3,500 people in India. The Remotion polycentric device provides similar features to Western products but costs one tenth of the price.

In addition to the knee device, Donaldson has developed a long lasting LED-based phototherapy device device known as Brilliance to reduce brain damage in the 12 million infants born jaundiced in the developing world every year.

The jaundice is easy to treat if detected early enough by shining a blue light at the baby's skin for two to three days. The beauty of Brilliance has the potential to save the lives of millions of babies, but cost only $400 per device compared to the typical $3,000 price tag and is equally as effective.

Donaldson is one of 21 outstanding speakers at TEDxStanford that you can watch live on LiveStreaming today. It starts at 11AM Pacific Time and 2PM Eastern Time. It is a great way to spend a Saturday.

Here is a list of the speakers and here is the the agenda for the day.

Finding Open Education Resources (OER), Some New Search Options

2012-03-06T00:58:11-05:00

One very useful tool for all educators is the Open Courseware Consortium search engine that allows users to search for Open Education Resources (OER) at the university level easily.

If you are a K-12 educator or parent, here is a very useful search engine for K-12 OER materials.

Easily is the key because frequently resources that seem to be open are not Creative Commons licensed and cannot remixed or shared. Thus, a teacher can use the resource but not modify it to meet their individual student needs or share it.

Easily also means you can find them easily. OCW is using a Google Custom Search Engine that anyone can place on their website enabling OER searches.

It is really easy to add this search engine to your blog or webpage.

The beauty of Creative Commons licensing is that it promotes sharing and enables individualizing instruction. If I want to remix the resource for my class, I am free to do so. There are six CC licenses all easy to use and free. Check the website for an explanation of all six licenses. Creators still retain copyright when they use CC licenses. They can license it differently on another website, if they choose.

Here are a few selected open websites licensed with Creative Commons licenses allowing for sharing and remixing, essential for individualizing instruction in the classroom.

Khan Academy

MIT Open CourseWare

Stanford Engineering Everywhere

Open Yale Courses

Wikiversity

YouTube EDU

The Open University - Study at the OU

University of the People

VideoLectures - Exchange ideas & share knowledge

TED - Technology, Entertainment, & Design

P2P University

MERLOT

OER Commons

Celebrate Open Education Resources (OER) during Open Education Week March 5-10

2012-03-04T23:19:27-05:00

Want to participate in the most exciting part of the education revolution?

You can this week as universities, schools, educators and students around the world are celebrating Open Education Week

We all hear about it but most people don't know much more about it than the name. Well, this coming week is a time to learn as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of Open Education.

The focus is on Open Education Resources (OER) licensed with Creative Commons open licenses and available for anyone to use, reuse, share, and remix.

It features over 40 webinars, presentations, discussions, resource links and local workshops.

What does Open Education Week mean for you? It means new resources you probably never knew about that are great for teachers, students, or anyone who wants to learn.

One of the most famous OER website is the Khan Academy with over 2000 videos free and easy to use on everything from math to art.

Another is MIT Open Courseware

Another is the amazing open textbook project CK12 Flexbooks that has beautiful textbooks schools can use for free in a variety of subject areas.

Here are some of the projects featured this week can be found on this website.

Check out some of these OER websites and get excited about what you can learn for free.

It is easy to follow Open Education Week. Here are some links:

website: http://www.openeducationweek.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/openeducationwk
FB: http://www.facebook.com/openeducationwk
YouTube: openeducationweek
#openeducationwk

Digital Learning Day Is Happening Today

2012-02-01T09:57:12-05:00

Want to know how we can improve our schools using technology? Want to know how your son/daughter's education can be more effective? Today is the day to watch Digital Learning Day. It is happening all day.

You can see teachers and students talking about what works in the classroom using technology. It is being broadcast on the website Digital Learning Day.

Today at 1 p.m. EST, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be speaking at a Town Hall Meeting. Anyone can pose a question through the website.

There are many videos showing effective teaching in all subject areas -- math, science, social studies, English, journalism. The videos will be available on line if you miss the actual broadcast.

We need to use technology effectively in the classroom. After all, this is the 21st century where technology is driving the world.

Give Yourself A Free University Education at University of the People

2011-12-24T01:48:41-05:00

Here is a Christmas-Hannukah gift you can give yourself, a loved one, a friend, or the world---A university education online for free. Is this some kind of trick?

Nope, it isn't a trick. It is a new university called University of the People (appropriately named) but the degrees are limited in scope right now since the University is fairly new. But the important ones are there.

It is the world's first tuition-free online academic institution dedicated to the global advancement and democratization of higher education.

Just go to their website and check it out for yourself.

The vision of University of the People is that "universal access to education is a key to world peace and global economic development." I agree and I am sure most people would.

Their program is all online. In the U.S., approximately 4 million students are currently enrolled in online education many of them in University of Phoenix, a for profit institution that has a large variety of course offerings, but it is expensive. On the other hand, University of the People provides an unprecedented tuition-free online academic experience to a worldwide-audience.

So far they offer four degree programs. All of these degrees are in areas where there is job growth---business administration and computer science. In the U.S. we have hundreds of computer science jobs that go unfilled each year. We need more computer science majors to meet our technological needs worldwide. We need businesspeople to be entrepreneurs and start new businesses.

For those who are job hunting, you might want to consider signing up for one of these courses They are accessible on your computer at home for free. No commuting, no travel expenses. It is right there on your desk.

Here are the four degrees offered at the University of the People:
1)Associate (A.S.-B.A.) and 2) Bachelor (B.S.-B.A.) degrees in Business Administration
3)Associate (A.S.-C.S.) and 4) Bachelor (B.S.-C.S.) degrees in Computer Science.

How can University of the People offer degrees for free? It is a non-profit organization and it accepts donations; these donations support many of the students. The University is supported by companies, foundations and individuals. Some students pay the low fees.

Presently, it has 1200 students from 121 countries around the world. It costs just $4,000K for a student to go to the university for four years. Compare that with the tuition costs of $100,000 for four years at many universities.

The founder Shai Reshef understands the education world. He is an experienced entrepreneur who was Chairman of the Kidum Group a for-profit educational services company which he later sold to Kaplan, one of the world's largest education companies and a subsidiary of the Washington Post. Business Week recently wrote an article about Shai and the university.

Those who would like to support a student at the University of the People, can donate online. Any amount is welcome and it is tax deductible. Imagine being able to change someone's life for the better. Turns out that it would cost only $6 million to educate everyone in the world at University of the People, according to Shai. Not much when you consider how much we spend on defense.

For those of you who want give yourself a gift of a degree, go online and fill out an application to enroll. It is an exciting opportunity and the time of year to be giving.

Learning Matters Plays a Vital Role in Education Reporting

2011-12-22T09:45:19-05:00

For 16 years Learning Matters with John Merrow has been showing the nation what's really happening in public education at all levels. Learning Matters has been producing education reports for PBS NewsHour as well as producing independent documentaries about what is happening in our schools.

In 2011 they've taken viewers everywhere to an exemplary early learning program in Chicago, a ground-breaking "international" program for refugees in the Bronx, NY ; and a school whose first graders can read but whose fourth graders fail the state tests . Unlike most news outlets, Learning Matters reported on the Atlanta cheating scandal from the perspective of the kids whose scores were changed by the cheating adults.

2012 promises to be even more exciting and fulfilling. They will bring you two major documentary films, one about the renaissance of public education in New Orleans, the other about the controversial career of Michelle Rhee, the former Chancellor of the Washington, DC, schools. They are already at work on two stories for PBS NewsHour slated to air early in the new year, with more to come: a look at Common Core, unions and charters, and the development of online learning as a viable option.

Their brand of independent journalism has been coming to viewers free of charge for 16 years. But it is not actually free, of course. They rely on outside supporters--as many as possible, so that no single source of funding can attempt to influence our reporting.

They need to raise an additional $44,895 by 12/31meet a challenge from the Brin-Wojcicki Foundation. It's a $100,000 challenge grant, and people like you have already donated $55,105. So the missing $44,895 turns into $200,000.

Every dollar donated to Learning Matters before 12/31 is worth $4, a 300% return on investment. They promise us a twenty-fold return in quality independent coverage of education in return for your fully tax-deductible contribution.

We all need to know what is really happening in education and Learning Matters brings high quality reliable reporting to a field that is critically important to all of us.

Just click on this link to make a difference.

Two New Education Documentaries Coming in 2012

2011-12-22T00:30:40-05:00

One of the best ways to see what is happening in education is with documentaries and videos and one of the best creators of these documentaries is outstanding education reporter John Merrow on Learning Matters.

For the past 16 years Learning Matters with John Merrow has been showing the nation what's really happening in public education at all levels. Learning Matters has been producing education reports for PBS NewsHour as well as producing independent documentaries about what is happening in our schools.

In 2011 they've taken viewers everywhere to an exemplary early learning program in Chicago, a ground-breaking "international" program for refugees in the Bronx, NY ; and a school whose first graders can read but whose fourth graders fail the state tests . Unlike most news outlets, Learning Matters reported on the Atlanta cheating scandal from the perspective of the kids whose scores were changed by the cheating adults.

2012 promises to be even more exciting and fulfilling, according to Merrow. They will bring you two major documentary films, one about the renaissance of public education in New Orleans, the other about the controversial career of Michelle Rhee, the former Chancellor of the Washington, DC, schools. They are already at work on two stories for PBS NewsHour slated to air early in the new year, with more to come: a look at Common Core, unions and charters, and the development of online learning as a viable option.

Stay tuned and check out their website on a regular basis for reliable information about what is going on in the schools.

Imagine a Party at the White House

2011-12-03T10:14:40-05:00

It was a night to remember. Imagine going to the White House for a holiday party. Yes, the White House... a place I have seen in photos since I was a small child. It was last night, Dec. 2, and the first of many such parties the White House is having this year. They are expecting 85,000 guests this month. Wow, that is quite a commitment to entertaining citizens of our country.

The evening feels like some kind of dream. The rooms were decorated beautifully with fresh cut trees (37 of them) and there was delicious food everywhere. There was a buffet with everything you would want to eat -- steak, salads, fresh vegetables, cooked vegetables, two kinds of potatoes, shrimp, cheeses, smoked salmon and more. The dessert table was amazing; there were about a dozen choices and most people felt compelled to try a bit of each. It was not a night to diet. We had the freedom to walk into all the rooms (except their personal living spaces). So I saw the Red room, the Green room, the Blue room, the East room and the State Dining Room. So many rooms, so beautiful. Beautiful music from multiple groups permeated the rooms.

Their dog Bo was not there in person but he was there. Little black and white Portuguese water dogs statutes were everywhere; some were made out of licorice and marshmallows and others made out of paper and buttons. Pretty cute. I even managed to get a Bo cookie to take home to my grandchildren.

As guests climbed the stairs to go upstairs, they came upon a beautiful tree you could see from across the hall in the Blue Room decorated with cards written by children of the US military and medals and badges from all parts of the military. It is a beautiful and inspirational tree.

In the East Landing was the Gold Star family tree covered with gold stars and next to a video screen showing families of Gold Star military men who gave their lives for the country. A beautiful, but sad tribute.

Guests also had an opportunity to write handwritten notes to the troops. I wrote several. It is the least I can do to thank the troops for all that they are doing for the country.

So how did I manage to get invited? I am not sure but I think it is because I am a community leader of sorts, not a president or a mayor, but just a person who sometimes organizes events. Most of the events I organize are for teachers since I am a teacher and I am passionate about improving education in this country. That might have been my ticket in. There were lots of such people from all over the country and many volunteers. One of the best parts of the party was meeting many of them. They were such an impressive and interesting group of people.

The highlight of the evening for all of us was that we each got our picture taken with Barack and Michelle. It was so well organized and it all happened so fast that I can't remember smiling for the camera but I guess I did. It is amazing that the president and first lady were able to take pictures with all of the guests (about 200) in about 180 minutes. That is less than one minute per photo and as you can tell that meant no chit chat but it was great just being able to stand beside them. Now I am excited to have a photo to hang on the wall. Thank you Mr. President and first lady for opening your home to so many of us this holiday season. It was a wonderful evening and showed me a personal side of Obama and Michelle and how incredibly committed they are to our country.

Why I Am Thankful

2011-11-24T10:27:52-05:00

We are a country who says the glass is half empty instead of half full. We need to change our perspective, at least on Thanksgiving.

While the country is suffering the worst economic recession in decades, we all have reasons to be thankful. One important reason is that we are here in the United States where we enjoy First Amendment rights. People complain all the time, but just having the freedom to complain is a gift we should all be thankful for. While there has been unnecessary use of force in some of the Occupy Wall Street protests, everyone has been free to protest. Just think of some of the other places in the world where people are not free to protest.

My parents emigrated from Russia before World War II where they suffered from irrational discrimination because they were Jewish. Fortunately, they left before WWII or I would not be here today. Everyone in America has immigrants in their past and we should all celebrate being here in America. We are all lucky.

However, we have millions of new immigrants who are illegal but who call America home, some who have been here since infancy. We need to solve our immigrant issue and treat these illegal immigrants with the same respect that our ancestors enjoyed. We are teaching our children the wrong values, that it is OK to treat some people badly. Our immigration issue has been going on for too long. It is time to figure out a solution and not one like Arizona and Georgia did. We are lucky that these immigrants have done jobs that Americans did not want to do like picking crops, constructions jobs, gardening and childcare. They continue to help us.

I grew up poor without healthcare and living in a one-bedroom apartment for four people. I went to school when they had half day sessions because the schools were so crowded. Nevertheless, I am grateful that I was able to get a scholarship to UC Berkeley and get a first class education.

Today, as a teacher, I am thankful for the students I have in my classes and the parents who support their education. I wish that all teachers would enjoy the same level of support that I have in Palo Alto High School. Too often teachers are blamed because the kids don't learn, but people need to realize teachers cannot educate kids on their own. It takes a village, as Hillary Clinton said years ago in her book of the same name. Kids need the support of their parents as Thomas Friedman pointed out in his NYTimes column entitled "How About Better Parents?" this past week.

While everyone has complained about Obama, I am grateful that he chose to be President at a time when our county's problems were overwhelming. Who could have done a better job? It is easy to complain, as we are all doing, but very hard to actually do something. Obama inherited a troubled country with serious economic problems. We expected him to be Superman and people are disappointed because he turned out to be human. Can you imagine what it takes to be President and trying to get all these divergent groups to cooperate? The GOP is bent on discrediting him, not solving our problems. Some of his policies have made me angry, but I probably would not have agreed with the policies of Hillary had she been elected.

We need to step back and be thankful for our country and for what it offers each of us. Most importantly, we need to work together, not at odds, to make this a better world for all of us. We all have similar goals -- to have a comfortable place to live, enough food to eat, a job, and people who care about us. I am thankful that most of us have that but we need to make sure that the 33% of the population that is struggling gets the support they need. Congress are you listening: working together is the way to achieve these goals.

Lawrence Summers Gives Great Keynote at NY Times Schools for Tomorrow Conference

2011-09-23T07:26:42-04:00

How is technology going to change the classroom? That was the number one question being discussed at the New York Times Schools for Tomorrow Conference held yesterday, September 22 in the Times Center.

Four hundred invited attendees including distinguished policy makers, entrepreneurs, and educators came up with a variety of answers.

Dr. Lawrence H.Summers, former President of Harvard, gave an insightful keynote address in which he talked about how technology will change education.

Summers made three main points.

His first point was with technology we will have vastly improved educational materials. We will be able to differentiate instruction more easily. The potential is there and it will be coming.

His second point was that technology is going to change what people need to be educated about. Education is going to be more about processing information, than knowing information. People no longer need to memorize large bodies of information because today information is available at your fingertips on your mobile phone or on your computer. Learning to access that information and process it is the key. In Greek times, people memorized large amounts of material because that was the only way to access them.

He gave an example that soon a time will come soon when you can talk into a phone in one language and the phone will translate for you into a language of your choice. That will reduce the need to learn another language, but language study will still be important to really understand a culture.

His third main point was that what it means to be skillful is going to change; that is, the way in which our minds work and the way in which we collaborate is going to change. School is going to be about and should be about developing the capacity fo collaborate and to build distinctive individual strength. We need classes that teach collaboration and build individual strengths.

Dr. Summers also said that as a country we stunningly underappreciate public school teachers. He elaborated saying how he went to an elementary school classroom of his child and was overwhelmed by the skills required to engage 30 small children from 8 to 3 every day.

Some other important messages of the day came from Harri Skog, Finnish Secretary of the Ministry of Education to talked about the importance of respecting teachers, giving them the freedom to teach as they see fit and supporting their work. He said that technology was not as the highest levels in Finland but that teachers were encouraged to use it if it fit with their teaching plans. He emphasized that technology will not replace teachers. "Technology is a good servant but not a master," he said.

Similar ideas were expressed by Horn Mun Cheah, Director of Educational Technology, Ministry of Education, Singapore who focused on the importance of good school leaders and a supporting infrastructure for teachers. His question was can kids do better if they are supported with technology. If the answer is yes, then they use technology. He also asked if the scores on the PISA test were really representative of the kind of skills and knowledge that kids need in the global economy today. A good question.

In response to a question, Dr. Summers said that indicators and measures in education were very important but that when they become the point, they become the problem. He cited the NCLB issue and the number of districts and teachers that have been caught cheating, and the teachers who focus on teaching to the test. "We need to find ways of achieving accountablility that does not torture the process, " he said.

New York Times columnist David Brooks moderated the first session and brought up his concern about technology undermining the authority in the classroom. In fact, many people felt that this was was a good development in the classroom. They felt that the role of teachers in the 21st century had changed and that learning was more of a collaborative process between the teacher and the students. They favored the democratization of education which allows students to collaborate and learn independently using the Internet as a source of information.

There were many more interesting speakers and sessions and they can all be found at http://www.nytschoolsfortomorrow.com

The Teacher and the American Dream

2011-07-12T23:01:54-04:00

We all just celebrated our nation's 235th birthday last week. Part of our great American heritage is the right to a free education. It is part of the American dream; come to America with nothing; get an education; get a job and lead a free and good life. We invite everyone and our philosophy is written in Emma Lazarus's famous poem at the foot of the Statue of Liberty.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

However, today the dream is in jeopardy. We have a two tiered education system: for our well-to-do, we have private schools or top performing public schools vs. for our inner cities and lower income areas, we have low performing public schools or charters.

What are we doing in our private schools that we are not doing in our public schools? Or in other words, why the rush to our private schools?

In our private schools, kids are getting a well respected teacher who is not teaching to the test and who is excited about teaching. We are getting parents who care about education and support teachers because they are happy their kids go to that school. In our public schools, we have scripted teaching to state mandated tests.

It is hard to achieve the American dream without the benefit of a quality education.

What is quality education? According research by the Gates Foundation, the key to quality education is a good teacher in every classroom. A few weeks ago, on July 1, Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, wrote the following in a letter for the July, 2011 Virtual Conference on education.

The center of a classroom is not a test, a textbook, or the posters on the wall. It's not a state or district policy, and it most certainly is not a federal law.

The heart of the classroom is found in the unique relationships between students and teachers. In the same way that a family turns a house into a home, a physical and emotional transformation takes place when teachers and students work together in community to reach common goals. We see it in the trust, the expectations, the experiences and the knowledge of every person in the class.

The Gates Foundation and Arne Duncan are not the only ones to say the teacher is the key. Many educators and thought leaders also do so.

Panelists on the Teaching Panel at the Goldman Sachs-Stanford Education conference on June 23 all said that a high quality teacher is one who connects with the student. The panelists to a person said that the teacher who cared, the teacher who had high standards was their favorite teacher.

Here is another important fact: Students who could name a favorite teacher in school were the ones who stayed in school; students who could not name a favorite teacher were twice as likely to drop out, according to the panelists.

If most of our thought leaders agree that the teacher is the key and the relationship of the teacher to the students is also key, why we are not doing much more to support teachers?

According to Randi Weinberg, President of AFT, teachers need technology training, professional development, time to collaborate and appreciation. Teachers go into teaching to make a difference, not to make a big salary. That is why money is not principal motivator, according to Daniel Pink. However, to earn the respect of society, teachers need to be paid well. Our society gives respect those who earn high salaries. Look at the highly respected teachers in Finland, for example; teachers are one of highest paid professions.

Why aren't teachers appreciated more in America? Unfortunately, there is a tradition of low respect which we need to change. Why are professional development days being cut from the budget? We are prioritizing the wrong things at the government level.

Everyone looks to Finland as the highest scoring country on the PISA test (we are not in the top ten) and wonders what the 'silver bullet' is. (PISA test is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old scholastic performance.) There is no silver bullet; there is no superman. What Finland does is treat teachers with high respect, good salaries, freedom to adapt the curriculum and little standardized testing. All the countries that are scoring at the top follow the Finnish model.

We should too.

Unlike Finland, we have little respect for teachers and we have scripted curriculum in the classroom. Teachers are told what to teach on each day of the school year. This may be useful for a beginning teacher, but it is not good for the experienced teacher. It removes creativity and enthusiasm. We force teachers to use a scripted curriculum because we don't trust and respect the teacher and yet we want the teacher to be excited and enthusiastic to be in the classroom. Our policies run counter to our goals,

We need to ask ourselves, how can teachers feel good about themselves when they are scripted and constantly under attack? Films like Waiting for Superman only made teachers feel terrible about themselves by targeting them and the teachers unions as the main reason for failing schools.

If teachers feel bad about themselves how can they be in a position to give and make others feel good about themselves?

We have the Teach for America program which is a terrific program and a good way to get top students interested in teaching. But look at the statistics -- they only stay for two years. They leave discouraged because there is little or no support for new teachers. More than fifty percent of new teachers drop out after five years of teaching costing us millions of dollars in wasted resources.

The Gates Foundation, probably the most influential foundation focusing on federal education policies, knows that teachers are the key but their policies are not consistent with this. Rather than emphasizing testing and value added evaluation, they should focus on the best ways to support the teacher in the classroom.

We should all support the American dream by supporting the classroom teacher. That does not mean we give up standardized testing and evaluating teachers; it just means that we don't focus on it. We focus on supporting teachers.

Teachers, parents, and policymakers all have the same goal, a quality education for all. We need to work together as a team to solve our education problems today and not single out our teachers as being solely responsible. Hillary Clinton was right all years ago when she quoted the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." It also takes a village to assure quality education for all our children.