Marshall Memo 636
A Weekly Round-up of Important Ideas and Research in K-12 Education
May 9, 2016
1. Richard DuFour on PLCs and teacher evaluation
2. Charlotte Danielson on the best way to improve teaching
3. Doug Lemov describes the “stack audit”
4. Psychologists suggest a middle ground on keeping students back
5. Teaching students to write mathematical arguments
6. How librarians can help students become data-savvy
7. An “inside-out” approach to school improvement
8. A strategy for teaching students responsibility
9. Short item: Common Core curriculum resources
“Teaching is the profession that creates all other professions.”
Richard DuFour (see item #1)
“The way we’re going to improve schools is not by supervising and evaluating individual teachers into better performance; it’s by creating a culture in which teams of teachers are helping one another get better.”
Richard DuFour (ibid.)
“In many schools and districts, teacher evaluation has become simply a matter of numbers, ratings, and rankings.”
Charlotte Danielson (see item #2)
“Schools should not rely on evaluation as their main engine of teaching improvement.”
Charlotte Danielson (ibid.)
“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur… not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens – and when it happens, it lasts.”
John Wooden (Wooden and Jamison, 1997)
“Joan Frye Williams’s analogy frames libraries as no longer being grocery stores stocked with ingredients but kitchens where ingredients are combined to create something new.”
Priscille Dando in “Traditional Literacy and Critical Thinking” in Knowledge Quest,
May/June 2016 (Vol. 44, #5, p. 8-12), no e-link available
(Originally titled “Educators Deserve Better: A Conversation with Richard DuFour”)
In this Educational Leadership interview with Naomi Thiers, veteran educator Richard DuFour takes note of the embattled status of U.S. teachers and contrasts it to the way educators are viewed in countries like Finland and Singapore. “They’re viewed as nation-builders,” he says. “They’re viewed as one of the most important professions. Teaching is the profession that creates all other professions.”
Nevertheless, DuFour continues, “A lot of things are within [U.S.] teachers’ sphere of influence… I haven’t seen anything in any law that prevents teachers from coming together and working as a team that takes collective responsibility for achieving goals… The fundamental message to get out to educators is, don’t wait for somebody else to do it. Superintendent, don’t wait for a more-enlightened state policy. Principals, don’t wait until the central office decides it’s a good thing to do. And teachers, influence up – go to your principal and say, could we do this?”
The most effective thing schools can do, DuFour believes, is getting high-quality professional learning communities working. He lists the key factors in real PLCs (as opposed to the unfortunate “PLC lite” he sees in too many schools):
(Originally titled “Creating Communities of Practice”)
In this Educational Leadership article, evaluation expert Charlotte Danielson says the time-consuming, top-down, bureaucratic nature of teacher evaluation in many schools is “undermining the very professionalism that’s essential to creating positive learning environments for students.” Of course evaluating teachers is essential to quality assurance, she says, but if only about six percent of teachers aren’t meeting basic standards, what about the other 94 percent? To answer this question, we need to acknowledge three basic realities in schools:
The bottom line: “Schools should not rely on evaluation as their main engine of teaching improvement,” says Danielson. “[I]t’s time to shift from an emphasis on high-stakes accountability for individual teachers to an emphasis on schoolwide communities of professional inquiry in which educators learn from one another.”
One of principals’ key jobs is orchestrating this process. And indeed, a symphony orchestra is a good metaphor, says Danielson: conductors lead individual players toward the goal of making beautiful music, and principals lead teachers toward the effective education of all children. Some essentials for good orchestrating in schools:
• Create an environment that’s safe and challenging. Teachers must be able to express themselves and take risks, constantly seeking new and better approaches. Danielson suggests encouraging teacher teams to identify and share “high-quality mistakes” – approaches that didn’t work out but from which valuable lessons emerged. Principals might do the same.
• Establish the expectation of collegial learning. “We know that teachers learn more from their colleagues than from their supervisors,” says Danielson. This may be an issue of principals’ limited subject-area expertise, but teachers also worry that admitting uncertainty or lack of mastery might end up as a negative evaluation. Principals need to affirm the key role of learning from colleagues and model openness about their own imperfections and struggles.
• Flip the classroom observation process. Principals should encourage teachers to visit a specific number of colleagues’ classrooms, not to give feedback, but to learn. The principal might offer to cover teachers’ classes during these visits.
• Schedule and guide team meetings. Common planning time for key groups, clear expectations for what teams should accomplish, and skilled facilitation can produce remarkable results, says Danielson.
• Support teacher leadership. Many colleagues are ready to take on the role of mentor, instructional coach, department chair, or team leader. It’s the principal’s job to spot talent, delegate responsibility, and provide training and support. Some key skills: active listening, summarizing a discussion, acknowledging and building on others’ ideas, problem-solving, and problem identification. Principals also need to know when outside expertise is required.
“The Stack Audit: Bad Name, Big Value” by Doug Lemov in Teach Like a Champion, January 19, 2014, http://teachlikeachampion.com/blog/stack-audit-bad-name-big-value/
In this white paper from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), published in Communiqué, Franci Crepeau (University of Colorado/Denver) and Amanda Nickerson and Erin Cook (University of Buffalo) review three decades of studies on retention. Until recently, researchers were unanimous that there were few if any benefits for retained students and that retention might increase the risk of negative school outcomes, including dropping out before high-school graduation. However, say Crepeau, Nickerson, and Cook, most of these studies “are plagued by significant methodological limitations, the most important being lack of a comparison group of promoted peers equivalent prior to retention on achievement and other variables predictive of achievement.”
A recent meta-analysis of 22 higher-quality studies showed that the impact of retention was somewhat less negative but “not statistically significantly different from zero.” Many retained students showed marked improvement in meeting grade-level standards during the repeat year, but this improvement often disappeared two to three years after retention. The recent analysis also found that retention had a less negative impact on students’ social-emotional adjustment than was shown by the previous generation of research.
Most educators agree that the best criterion for retaining a student is performance on grade-level expectations. The introduction of state tests aligned with specific curriculum competencies has therefore improved the quality of retention decisions, as compared with norm-referenced tests or subjective criteria. Some states, including Texas and Florida, have mandated that retained students not repeat the prior year’s experience. However, systems to monitor the implementation of these regulations are “virtually nonexistent,” says the NASP paper. And retention remains an expensive option: retaining 4.8 percent of Texas students in 2006-07 cost more than $2 billion.
Having established that keeping students back is not a magic bullet for improving their performance, the white paper says that promoting a student without competency in grade-level standards is not a good idea. So what is to be done? “NASP encourages school districts to consider a wide array of well-researched, evidence-based, effective, and responsive strategies in lieu of retention or social promotion,” say Crepeau, Nickerson, and Cook. This includes the key components of Response to Intervention, namely:
In this article in Teaching Children Mathematics, Connecticut elementary teachers Shannon Bostiga, Michelle Cantin, and Cristina Fontana, and their University of Connecticut/ Storrs professor Tutita Casa describe using “debate journals” to help students understand another person’s mathematical thinking, construct a math argument, and communicate it in writing – all aligned with Common Core ELA and math standards. Here’s how it worked.
Bostiga, Cantin, and Fontana gave their students journals and asked them to respond to prompts that made them grapple with common math misconceptions. A few examples:
In this Knowledge Quest article, Kristin Fontichiaro and Jo Angela Oehrli (University of Michigan/Ann Arbor) say that as students begin doing research projects, they explore intriguing questions (What percentage of Americans own iPhones? How many toes does a polar bear have?) and enjoy the way data can lend an air of authority to their reports. But few students have well-developed skills in the areas covered by recent standards, for example: carefully collecting and analyzing data, creating figures and tables, integrating quantitative information, and moving fluidly between text and visually represented numerical information.
“There is a disconnect between classwork and the data and statistical literacy skills needed beyond the classroom,” say Fontichiaro and Oehrli. “Whether researching cancer statistics or the best car to buy, students don’t often have a strong sense of what those numbers mean… School librarians can play a significant role in helping students gain understanding of real-world numbers, statistics, charts, graphs, and visualizations. Librarians are unique cross-disciplinary pollinators who can fill the gaps between subject areas and help students gain skills in comprehending and critically evaluating data at home, at school, and in life.” Data-savvy people ask better questions and make better decisions.
Fontichiaro and Oehrli suggest six areas in which librarians, not always well-versed in data and statistics, should build their skills and teach students:
• Statistical literacy – “Discerning correlation from causation; recognizing the difference in the meaning of mean, median, and mode; understanding what margin of error signifies in polling data; and recognizing potential biases in collected data, among other skills, are critical for reading scholarly research, understanding arguments in popular media, and interpreting government documents,” say the authors.
• Data visualization – This includes helping students and colleagues make sense of (and create) mapped data, graphs, pie charts, and other visual displays.
• Data in argument – Students have a lot to learn about how to go beyond assembling random facts and effectively conveying information and persuading an audience.
• Big data and citizen science – Students need to be schooled in the way personal information is collected about family members, often without their knowledge, via social media, frequent-shopper cards, step counters, and more.
• Personal data management – “While students might like seeing relevant ads or music recommendations that match their favorites,” say Fontichiaro and Oehrli, “few know it is because of the breadcrumb trail they leave behind.” While they’re viewing news on CNN.com, as many as 14 bots are following their actions and converting their clicks into data. They may have learned to be cautious about revealing personal information online, but commercial interests still know a great deal about them and use it to pitch their products.
• Ethical data use – There is an understandable tendency for educators and students to view numbers and data as factual and infallible. “We must train our brains – and theirs – to remember to stop and analyze numerical arguments, not just text-based ones,” say the authors. “Ethical informational use is more than merely citing sources.” Students must realize that numbers can be used to manipulate and mislead – for example, a politician citing a small or outdated study, or a store saying, “Take an additional 25% off our half-off prices for 75% off.”
“Why Data Literacy Matters” by Kristin Fontichiaro and Jo Angela Oehrli in Knowledge Quest, May/June 2016 (Vol. 44, #5, p. 20-27), no e-link available
In this article in Changing Schools, Kristin Rouleau and Bess Scott (McREL) make the case for basing professional development on teachers’ own questions about how to get better. This is the opposite of the “outside-in” approach, which has the following characteristics:
“Professional Learning from the Inside Out: Putting Teacher Curiosity First” by Kristin Rouleau and Bess Scott in Changing Schools, Spring 2016 (Vol. 75, p. 6-11),
https://issuu.com/mcrel/docs/20160407_cs_final; the authors can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].
In this article in AMLE Magazine, writer/consultant Rick Wormeli lists some ineffective ways to teach students self-discipline and responsibility: F grades, berating students, standing them outside the classroom door, keeping them in from recess in perpetuity, removing them from sports, music, or martial arts. Here are Wormeli’s ideas for a more effective approach:
• Know that students really want to be responsible and self-disciplined. “There is no such thing as laziness,” says Wormeli. “The natural state is to be curious, connect with others, grow, and succeed. When it looks like the student is lazy, there is always something else going on that we can’t see, or that we can see but can’t control. Investigation and removal of those factors will help the student reveal his or her core self.” It’s also helpful for a trusted adult to give students matter-of-fact feedback on the results of their less-than-responsible actions.
• Embrace redundancy. Struggling students need more than one method to get better at being responsible – for example, breaking large tasks into smaller chunks; checking things off a list as they’re completed; using a graphic organizer to display salient points and see how they fit into the big picture; and experiencing the satisfaction of being “in the know” during a class discussion because of a close reading of the text.
• Connect learning to students’ interests and the real world. “When something is meaningful,” says Wormeli, “we don’t have to cajole students into doing the task. They’ll work long hours, listen carefully to periodic feedback from classmates and teachers, and do high-quality work. If it’s drudgery, they’ll drag every foot, obstruct every enthusiasm.”
• Provide tools and self-efficacy. “Sometimes we have to introduce students to their own competencies,” says Wormeli. And some students are much more fortunate than others in the resources they get from home.
Common Core curriculum resources – In this article in Principal Leadership, Illinois school librarian Mary Jo Matousek recommends these resources to support the implementation of Common Core standards:
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About the Marshall Memo
Mission and focus:
This weekly memo is designed to keep principals, teachers, superintendents, and others very well-informed on current research and effective practices in K-12 education. Kim Marshall, drawing on 44 years’ experience as a teacher, principal, central office administrator, and writer, lightens the load of busy educators by serving as their “designated reader.”
To produce the Marshall Memo, Kim subscribes to 64 carefully-chosen publications (see list to the right), sifts through more than a hundred articles each week, and selects 5-10 that have the greatest potential to improve teaching, leadership, and learning. He then writes a brief summary of each article, pulls out several striking quotes, provides e-links to full articles when available, and e-mails the Memo to subscribers every Monday evening (with occasional breaks; there are 50 issues a year).
Individual subscriptions are $50 for a year. Rates decline steeply for multiple readers within the same organization. See the website for these rates and how to pay by check, credit card, or purchase order.
Website:
If you go to http://www.marshallmemo.com you will find detailed information on:
• How to subscribe or renew
• A detailed rationale for the Marshall Memo
• Publications (with a count of articles from each)
• Article selection criteria
• Topics (with a count of articles from each)
• Headlines for all issues
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Core list of publications covered
Those read this week are underlined.
American Educational Research Journal
American Educator
American Journal of Education
AMLE Magazine
ASCA School Counselor
ASCD SmartBrief
Better: Evidence-Based Education
Center for Performance Assessment Newsletter
District Administration
Ed. Magazine
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Educational Horizons
Educational Leadership
Elementary School Journal
Essential Teacher
Go Teach
Harvard Business Review
Harvard Educational Review
Independent School
Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk (JESPAR)
Journal of Staff Development
Kappa Delta Pi Record
Knowledge Quest
Literacy Today
Middle School Journal
Peabody Journal of Education
Perspectives
Phi Delta Kappan
Principal
Principal Leadership
Principal’s Research Review
Reading Research Quarterly
Responsive Classroom Newsletter
Rethinking Schools
Review of Educational Research
School Administrator
School Library Journal
Teacher
Teaching Children Mathematics
Teaching Exceptional Children/Exceptional Children
The Atlantic
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The District Management Journal
The Journal of the Learning Sciences
The Language Educator
The Learning Principal/Learning System/Tools for Schools
The Reading Teacher
Theory Into Practice
Time Magazine
Wharton Leadership Digest