“We want people that can feel the Math ….”

Use computers to make MATH education work, come alive and dramatically change the way our kids see Math in the real world…

And while we’re at it …… why stop with just Math?  Think of how many other subjects we could revolutionize by embracing, instead of running away from technology in the classroom.

“One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me “Superman” did not exist.  Cause even in the depths of the ghetto you just thought he was coming …. She thought I was crying because it’s like …. (he’s) not real.  I was crying because no one was coming with enough power to save us.”

- Geoffrey Canada. “Waiting for Superman”

The movie is controversial ….. very, very controversial.  Seen by some as a scathing expose on our current educational system and by others as simply a hit piece on the educational unions “Waiting For Superman” is, at the very least, a movie that is worth investing two hours of your time to see.  Since it hits on a topic near and dear to our hearts (and the hearts of anybody who really cares about this country I suppose) we wanted to make sure that not only did we see as soon as we could be that we could share it with you as quickly as possible.

Here are 10 facts from the “Waiting For Superman” movie and book that really jumped out at me:

1. NCLB – With four years left to reach the act’s goal of 100% proficiency  in Math and Reading most states hover around 20-30% proficiency
2. Among 30 developed countries the US is
   • 25th in Math
   • 21st in Science
   • When comparing our top 5% against their top 5% we’re …. last
3. High School Graduation Rates
   • African American – 51%
   • Latinos – 55%
   • Whites – 76%
   • 60% of those who do graduate will still need to take at least one remedial class in college
4. In Pennsylvania (as an example) 68% of state prison inmates are high school dropouts.  It’s costs, on average, $33,ooo per year and $132,000 per sentence to house, feed and care for that prisoner.   That’s enough to have sent that prisoner to private school for K-12th grade (avg. tuition $8,300) with $24,000 left over.
5. Since 1971 educational spending per student (adjusted for inflation) has doubled while test scores have remained flat.
6. The Teachers Unions (National Education Association & American Federation of Teachers) are the nation’s largest political contributors (exceeding NRA, Teamsters, AARP, Chambers of Commerce) with 90% of that money going to Democrats.
7. Protecting Teachers:
   • In Illinois (for example):
     • 1 in 57 Doctors loses their medical license
     • 1 in 97 Attorneys will lose their law license
     • Only 1 Teacher in 2,500 has ever lost their teaching credentials
   • In NY
     • Average teacher disciplinary hearing lasts 8 times longer that the average US criminal case at a cost of $65 million dollars per year
8. A top teacher in the top quintile will cover 150% of the required curriculum in a year.  A teacher in the bottom quintile will only cover 50% of the required curriculum.
9. If we eliminated the bottom 6-10% of underperforming teachers and replaced them with just “average” teachers we could bring the average US student up to the level of Finland, which is the top performing country in the world.
10. By the year 2020
    • 123 million jobs will be high skill/high pay occupations
    • Only 50 million Americans will be qualified to fill them

Some great resources I came across during interview prep:

• Michigan Public Schools Financial Data – Michigan Department of Education
  • See page 7 for the teacher pay summaries that we discussed during the show
• Predicting Success In Football & Teaching
  • This is a great piece by Malcolm Gladwell (Tipping Point, Outliers, Blink, What The Dog Saw) on the process we use for selecting, training and evaluating teachers.  We’ve referenced it before on the show and it’s a must read piece for all parents out there trying to figure out the challenges of education reform.
• Will Richardson – Tech Teacher
  • Here’s a teacher that truly gets the importance of changing HOW we teach in the information, tech heavy age.
• How To Fix Our Schools : A Manifesto – Washington Post
  • This is a brief “mainfesto” for educational reform  written, in part, by Joel Klein (Chancellor, NYC Dept. of Ed) and Michelle Rhee (former Chancellor, DC Public Schools)
• Rebuttal to the “How To Fix Our Schools Manifesto”
  • This rebuttal is but one (and there are MANY) of the rebuttals out there both to the type of reforms indicated in the above referenced manifesto but also in “Waiting For Superman”.  This one was written by Kevin Welner, Director of the Education Policy Center.  His rebuttal (evidently he was still a bit worked up is continued here.

“When you see a great teacher you are seeing a work of art.  You’re seeing a master and it is as, I think, as unbelievable as seeing a great athlete or seeing a great musician” – Geoffrey Canada, President & CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone

This undoubtedly will be a story and movie that we will continue to discuss in the coming weeks and months.  I hope you enjoy our interview with Karl Weber, author and editor of the book “Waiting for Superman”.  After listening to the interview and/or seeing the movie please feel free to share your comments (positive or negative) both here and on our Facebook page.

Click the picture above to purchase or find out more about the book!

Click the recorder below to hear our informative interview with Mr. Karl Weber from “Waiting For Superman” …..

We’re hearing lots of hype about the Apple Ipad this week and I have to admit that after checking one out myself it’s a pretty impressive little tool.  The question of course is …. what kind of tool is it really?

It’s easy to criticize it as just a blown up IPod, Ipod Touch,  Iphone, etc. and it does incorporate features from those previous Apple creations.  But does it really matter or is it just the latest piece of candy in the Apple candy store?

Here’s why it matters …. alot.

It’s going to destroy the textbook as we know it and it’s going to change school curriculum as we know it.

• Textbooks are insanely expensive.  Universities and publishers have carved out their own little niche where they can efficiently gouge their poor students because their students don’t have any choice.  As long as you have professors writing required textbooks for their own classes they’re always going to be overpriced. But the IPad is going to make them cheaper.  It’s inevitable.  Much like the record companies fought it and the movie companies are fighting it now, once it’s digital you have to make it cheaper…. or everyone will simply ignore you or steal them.  Imagine being able to buy your books a chapter or section at a time.  Instead of dropping $50 to $100 or more for a book that a professor will barely use (or use only a handful of chapters out of) you’ll be able to pay just for what you need.  Have no doubt that the schools and publishers will fight it … but the kids and technology will win and the prices will come down.

In the long run, it will be very difficult for proprietary textbook publishers to compete with freely licensed alternatives. An open project with dozens of professors adapting and refining a textbook on a particular subject will be a very difficult thing for a proprietary publisher to compete with. The point is: there are a huge number of people who are qualified to write these books, and the tools are being created to leave them to do that. – quote from Lawrence Lessig

• It’s not just textbooks at the college level though. Oh, nooo this one is going to rock the foundations right down to the elementary school kids.  If you wander into a handful of schools you’ll notice a certain …. similarity …. in the publishers of all their materials.  That’s because a small handful of publishers rule the roost and control the content being delivered.  Digital technology has a way of really screwing up scenario’s where a small handful control the access to content … ask the music publishers.

• There will be fewer excuses for outrageously outdated material.   The world changes fast and with tech on our side there will be no excuse for the materials not to change just as fast.

• Books are not interactive.  Electronic media is built to BE interactive and the IPad in the classroom pushes the bar even higher for a more interactive, shareable, linkable, networked education.  Which is GREAT because that’s what’s happening outside of the classroom in the real world.

“Much of my learning comes from a physical interaction with the text: bookmarks, highlights, page-tearing, sticky notes and other marks representing the importance of certain passages — not to mention margin notes, where most of my paper ideas come from and interaction with the material occurs,” Aaron Horvath, a senior at Princeton – IPAD Centric Education

• It’s great news for all of the kids that don’t “fit” into the central educational system’s main box.  Students with “disabilities”,  Autism, attention challenged, bored out of your minds, visual learners your education is going to open UP because we’re going to shrink text, enlarge text, read it out loud, show it as an animation, present thoughts one at a time with immediate references or explanations along side,  break a page of text into an outline version or mind mapped version.  The possibilities are endless and the best part is that it can all be done with a student having a tool that looks (from the outside) to be the same as their classmates.  Imagine the ability to be able to have a digital aide right on the screen to help a child instead of someone sitting next to them in the classroom!

• You’ll never be able to say you forgot your book, homework, notebook, pens, pencils again.  On the surface this is funny but let’s be honest the vast majority of us reading this were able to use that excuse …. some of us more than once.

The books will change from physical to electronic, okay, but how big a change will that really be?  The textbook will still be the textbook …..

But if it’s all digital will we really need the “book” concept at all.  Why not simply ditch the book (even in it’s digital format) and have the class materials as part of a blog?  The teacher can create the material …. linking to applicable pictures, references, passages from books, etc. …. and the students all simply log into the class “blog” to access it all.  Aren’t we just about there already with Wikipedia and the “wiki” idea anyway (not sure what a wiki is click here or here)?

Okay,  I know some folks are going to say we’ve got a lot of these advantages with computers already.  As a matter of fact computers have been required in colleges across the country already for years ….. but there’s still textbooks.  Besides can’t it be just as interactive with a laptop as it could be with the IPad.

The answer, simply, is …………..No.

It’s not the same thing at all.

It’s almost like comparing your pencil to your pen to your typewriter to your word processor to your first computer….granted they all allow you to do work but the WAY it’s done is DRASTICALLY different.

First of all …. the IPad will make it faster, smaller, easier and more lightweight.  It’s kind of hard for a 1st grader to lug a laptop around but at 1.5 lbs the same can’t be said for the IPad (see the video below).

Secondly, it’s Apple cool.  It’s beautiful.  It’s sleek.  It’s sexy.  I love my Droid Motorola phone and in many ways (non AT&T service for example) I could make the argument that it’s every bit as good as an IPhone if not better…. until you actually hold them each in your hand and look at them.  Laptops are great but the IPad … it’s cool and cool is important when you’re trying to get kids (and who are we kidding ADULTs) to use something.

Third, Apple has our kids and schools …. shoot they have most of us too …. in the palms of their hands already.  Apples have been the dominant tech in most of our schools since those odd little beige Apple II’s first landed in school libraries.

Even beyond the schools though we love our Iphones, Ipods and Macs.  A bunch of folks will buy the IPad just because …. well,  it’s new and from Apple.  We know the Itunes store,  we know how to get our apps,  we know that we’ll have to pay but it will probably be less than if we had to buy something in a real store.  The vast majority of us already have our electronic libraries of movies, music, games, apps all being fed by the Apple store.   So really, what’s another “ITool” in our toolbox?

The IPad's Great, Great, Great Grandpa (even though it's only 33 yrs old) the Apple II's (this one is the slightly younger IIE). Hey, check out the color monitor!

As parents (and grandparents) in our 30′s, 40′s, 50′s and 60′s you think you feel old and outdated when it comes to tech now?  Just wait and see where those little toddlers running around now with their “ITools” are going to take us….

But don’t take my word for it check out this great articles from this month’s Fast Company Magazine – “A is For App” – to see how this revolution is already rolling.

The IPad (and the next couple of generations of the IPad) will be the wave of tools that will really push this into high gear.

The biggest problem and hurdle to making this a reality?

Us. The old folks (everyone over 30 … hey, it’s old in tech terms unless you’re really working hard to stay up to date)

All of us that didn’t graduate in the past two years are going to be looking at this tech and be utterly confused as to how it should be used properly.

We’ve already got millions of teachers in this country that can’t do much more than send an email as proof of their technical prowess.

True, some teachers have class blogs, Facebook & Twitter accounts and are always looking for the latest and greatest tech tool to improve their teaching (and our kids’ learning).  However,  the overwhelming majority of the Teachers (and administrators) are outdated.  In far too many schools computers are still nice “tools” and great “extras” in the classroom …. instead of THE tool in the classroom.

If we can keep the adults out of the way and make sure that the 2.8 million new teachers that will be filling the ranks (and joining the other 3.2 million teachers already there) in the next eight to ten years are not only up for the task but up with (and stay up with) the tech we’re going to see an educational revolution like we haven’t seen since the printing press.

Think that’s an exaggeration?

Since the printing press?

Come on, I’m getting carried away ….right?

Think about this ….while you’d be hard pressed to find many offices in this country that don’t have a computer at every desk you’d be equally hard pressed to find many schools where there IS a computer at every desk (imagine that, school culture evolving slower than the rest of the world).  Some classes you’d be hard pressed to find more than one or two computers in the classroom (and likely the one or one of the two is the teacher’s computer)

Now it CAN happen.

Now we can get a computer on every little kids desk.  Actually, the computer won’t even sit on the desk because it will travel with the student which is what makes it even better and will make it a success.

Let’s face it … we need an educational revolution in this country.

We’re doing an embarrassingly bad job of educating our kids.

We spend far too much money.

We lose far too many kids along the way.

We generate results that are inadequate and graduate kids that are unprepared.

We live in a technology rich, networked, digital world but most of our kids have more contact with tech on their ride into school than they do their entire school day.

BUT ….. with the IPad (and it’s cousins) we’ve finally driven technology down to a point where it can be implemented in an easy to carry, easy to use package.

All of this at the same time that the Internet is overflowing with knowledge, networks and the tools to make it all a reality.

Man!  Do we live in exciting times or what?

• Has The IGeneration Arrived
• Apple’s IPad Will Read Books Out Loud
• Colleges Dream Of Paperless, IPad Centric Education
• How The Iphone Could Reboot Education
• Laptop Killer?

I ran across this anti-bullying website for kids and parents (primarily younger kids).  It’s got some good information on it and some scenarios that parents can work through with their kids.

I especially liked that it had some good resources, book recommendations, tip sheets, etc..

Best of all there are little animated scenes that you can read through (they have the script), watch online, download or print out and read comic book style.  Great resource for kids who need a more visual approach!  They also have little games kids can play and quizzes for after the videos have played

The scenarios are simple and short.  My only real complaint is that they are a bit stereotypical (jocks pick on music nerd, etc.) but other than that they are great!

]]> http://mygreatkid.com/autism/great-stop-bullying-site/feed/ 0 http://mygreatkid.com/autism/mgk-radio-disrupting-class-author-michael-horn/ http://mygreatkid.com/autism/mgk-radio-disrupting-class-author-michael-horn/#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:03:50 +0000 Steve http://mygreatkid.com/?p=1473

Which classroom would you prefer?

This one ….

click image to enlarge

or this one …

click to enlarge

In Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (and in our interview with him), co-author Michael Horn argues (amongst other things) that student-centric classrooms are not only the way most children would prefer to learn but also the more effective way for most of them to be taught.

While teacher centric classrooms may have made sense at one point in time (though that’s debatable too) in today’s modern world, with it’s modern tools and modern expectations for it’s graduates student-centric is the better …. perhaps vastly better …. route to go.

Or so argues folks like Mr. Horn (and we agree).

A lightweight book on education reform this is not.  It’s not just arguing for change but for big, ground shaking “disruptive” change.  However let’s face it, when you look at where our education system is today……. we need big, disruptive change.

Great book and an informative, far reaching interview!

***************

Some of the many, strongly favorable reviews for the book (I’m sure they’d have similar things to say about the interview with Mr. Horn too) …..

Selected as one of the “Best Books on Innovation, 2008″ by BusinessWeek magazine

Named the “Best Human-Capital Book of 2008″ by Strategy + Business magazine

A crash course in the business of learning…

“Provocatively titled, Disrupting Class is just what America’s K-12 education system needs–a well thought-through proposal for using technology to better serve students and bring our schools into the 21st Century. Unlike so many education ‘reforms,’ this is not small-bore stuff. For that reason alone, it’s likely to be resisted by defenders of the status quo, even though it’s necessary and right for our kids.
We owe it to them to make sure this book isn’t merely a terrific read; it must become a blueprint for educational transformation.”
–Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education

“A brilliant teacher …… brings clarity to a muddled and chaotic world of education.”
–Jim Collins, bestselling author of Good to Great

MICHAEL B. HORN: Michael B. Horn is the co-founder and Executive Director, Education of Innosight Institute (www.innosightinstitute.org), a non-profit think tank devoted to applying the theory of disruptive innovation to develop solutions to problems in the social sector. A graduate of Harvard Business School, he contributed research for Barbara Kellerman’s 2004 release, Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters, and Charles Ellis’ book, Joe Wilson and the Creation of Xerox. Horn has been the featured speaker at numerous education conferences, including the National Evaluation Systems’ conference and the Grantmakers for Education Conference. Prior to business school, he worked in the world of politics and public policy, as he served as David Gergen’s research assistant. Horn graduated from Yale University with distinction in History.

• Michael B. Horn Website
• Disrupting Class Website
• Innosight Institute

Edutopia Article – Disrupting Class: Student-Centric Education Is The Future

Virtual Schools That We Discussed During The Show

• Michigan Virtual School
  • Middle School Courses
  • High School Courses
• Florida Virtual School

The mess in DPS schools that we discussed during the show – the battle over the school board president who can’t write…….

• Don’t Indulge DPS Mismatch – Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press Columnist
• Does DPS Leader’s Writing Send Wrong Message? – Laura Berman, Detroit News Columnist

Michael B. Horn, co-author of  “Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns” will be our guest on this week’s “My Great Kid Radio Program”.

Here’s some links to check out if you’d like to learn more about Mr. Horn and the book before the interview…

• Download an excerpt from the book
• About the book
• About Michael B. Horn
• The Innosight Institute

Proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and the ability to compose a coherent written sentence ….. should any of these be part of the job requirements to be a school board president?

Do DPS control the Foundation or outside group? If an outside group control the foundation, then what is DPS Board row with selection of is director? Our we mixing DPS and None DPS row’s, and who is the watch dog? – email sent by Otis Mathis Detroit School Board president

According to the Detroit Public School Board , no.

Before we get into the school board’s most recent decision let’s review the state of Detroit Public Schools …..

• $219 Billion dollar budget deficit (source)
• Worst scores in the nation on a national math achievement test. (source)
  • Not just the worst scores but the worst scores ever in the history of the test.

“These numbers are only slightly better than what one would expect by chance as if the kids had never gone to school and simply guessed at the answers,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Washington-based Council of the Great City Schools, which represents large urban school districts. “These numbers … are shocking and appalling and should not be allowed to stand.” (source)

• 58% graduation rate for public high school students (source)
  • As bad as that is past studies have estimated the number at closer to 25% (source 1, source 2, source 3)
• Only 25% of Detroit high school graduates go on to college (source)
• Lowest graduation rate of the nation’s 50 largest school districts in the country (source – USA Today)
• Only 27% of Detroit Public Schools made AYP in 08-09 (source)
• Only 10% of Detroit Public School students have test scores higher than the state average (source)
• In the second half of 2009 nearly 500 computers – $600,000 worth – were stolen from the schools (source)
• Average days missed by Detroit Public School Students (source)
  • High School : 46
  • Middle School : 30
  • Elementary School : 18
• During the 07-08 school year (source)
  • More than 40,000 students were suspended
  • 191 students were expelled
• By the time Detroit students reach the 3rd Grade they already have a 20% percentage point achievement gap (source)

The numbers (mostly all negative …. really, really negative) go on and on but suffice it to say that the Detroit Public Schools are a white hot mess of poor quality, low expectations, corruption and adults that have either forgotten their roles or have flat out walked away from the responsibilities.

In fairness, the State of Michigan has begun an intense push for revolutionary changes in the district. Change being lead in large part by Emergency Financial Manager - Robert Bobb – who has been attacking the problems head on …. quite bluntly at times:

“The system is academically bankrupt. This is almost academic homicide,” Bobb says.

This post isn’t to rant about the poor quality of education in Detroit.  The situation does raise questions about leadership and what is required to be an educational leader. Which brings us back to Mr. Mathis ….

D o DPS control the Foundation or outside group? If an outside group control the foundation, then what is DPS Board row with selection of is director? Our we mixing DPS and None DPS row’s, and who is the watch dog?

That was an email written by the newly elected Detroit Public School board president, sent out to his followers and supporters last August.

Rare occurrence, hurried email … nope.

If you saw Sunday’s Free Press that shown Robert Bobb the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, move Mark Twain to Boynton which have three times the number seats then students and was one of the reason’s he gave for closing school to many empty seats.

In an excellent piece by Laura Berman (columnist for the Detroit News) she asks the question “Does DPS Leader’s Writing Send Wrong Message?” and for me the answer is a resounding YES.

Mr. Mathis admits that he’s always been a horrible writer and that it was a contributing factor to a high school GPA of 1.8  (that’s the GPA he claims, though earlier reports have put it at a .98 average).  It also led to a stay in college that lasted 15 years because he was unable to pass an English proficiency test required for graduation.  A test that he sued the school over as a requirement for graduation (he lost the suit but the school eventually did drop the requirement … hence is graduation after 15 years).  His writing was such that he was put into special education classes when he was in the 4th grade.

So, should he be allowed to be the school board president?  Is he a shining example of potential that has overcome challenges or is he an example of a broken system and laziness?  According to Mr. Mathis he’s an example, not surprisingly, of triumph over adversity:

“Instead of telling them that they can’t write and won’t be anything, I show that cannot stop you,” Mathis says. “If Detroit Public Schools can allow kids to dream, with whatever weakness they have, that’s something. …It’s not about what you don’t have. It’s what you cando.”

Mr. Mathis even goes as far as to describe himself as a role model and Detroit parent and activist Ida Byrd-Hill agrees …

“His job, though, is to represent the community. His lack of writing skills is prevalent in the community. If anybody does, he understands the struggles of what it’s like to go through an institution and not be properly prepared.”

When Ms. Berman’s article appeared it caused the radio airwaves to light up with hot debates.  As you’d expect there was a variety of opinions and the “special education” tag was quickly latched onto.

Afterall,  if he had a learning disability that makes his writing difficult should that really be held against him?

If he has a learning disability it’s not his fault, so why should he be punished?

It’s even an argument that Mr. Mathis is quick to make when referring to himself:

“You survive. You made it. Now, you’re telling me people with disability can not be leaders,” said Otis Mathis.

There, for me, lies the problem.  With Mr. Mathis, with our education and special education systems and the reason that we’re F-A-I-L-I-N-G our children and grandchildren.  We don’t care about end results anymore, as long as everybody tried to do something.  Results don’t matter nor do we even require the argument that we tried our BEST.  As long as we tried or at least showed up – WE’RE A SUCCESS.

If you have a reason, real or not, why getting a quality result or showing up would be difficult then we’ll lower the bar even faster.

By all accounts, aside from his horrific writing ability, Mr. Mathis is a nice guy and otherwise qualified for the job.

So should this failing be enough to hold him out of the job?

YES.

If his writing difficulties are related to a learning disability aren’t they outside of his control?

NO.

If they are related to a learning disability should we still let that keep him out of the job?

YES.

How can I say that?  How can I be so mean and heartless?  How can I advocate and fight for children with learning, developmental and educational challenges and then be this ….. discriminating?

I discriminate because life does.

Life is hard.

Life is not fair.

And because Mr. Mathis is not a good role model or an example of overcoming your challenges.

Mr. Mathis is an example of an educational system that didn’t work.  I won’t say that the educational system is solely responsible for his failure because I imagine a portion of it certainly resides with Mr. Mathis who describes his own education experience like this:

“I was kicked out and kicked in and kicked out (of high schools),” he says with a chuckle. He credits a high school English teacher with encouraging him to graduate, getting him to attend school “once a week instead of every two weeks” by giving him an audio version of Alex Haley’s “Roots,” one vinyl record at a time.

Nothing funnier than the school board president joking about getting kicked out of school and improving his attendance from once every two to once a week, huh?  What a fine glowing role model for our kids.  The very picture of overcoming difficulty.

As for the learning disability which may, or may not, be a factor?

Here’s the facts …. the cold hard, nasty, mean facts…. the world doesn’t care about your personal, emotional, cognitive challenges are or how they hold you back.

We make laws to protect against unnecessary discrimination.  Discrimination that keeps someone from access to a building or a job or a group because of a disability that has no bearing on their ability to perform.

But a school board president who can’t write a sentence?  A school board president who hasn’t figured out how to represent the district in writing in a way that doesn’t publicly embarrass them?

If Mr. Mathis has a legitimate learning disability that holds him back and he COULD have overcome it in this situation by having someone proof his emails or better yet dictate them and have someone else type it for him.

Having a challenge, learning disability or “special need” doesn’t mean that you can do an inferior job and then fall back on it as an excuse.  When people do that it does nothing but make it that much harder for all of the people out working hard and TRULY OVERCOMING their challenges.

People like Mr. Mathis hurt EVERY person out there that has real challenges.  They lower the bar for what should be expected.  They plant into the collective mind that rather than working to overcome your challenges you can just throw them out there and make other people deal with them.  They reinforce the attitude that it’s okay to lower OUR standards as a group and lower OUR standards for a child simply because they’ve got a challenge.  They reinforce the can’t and the negative.

Education SHOULD not…..no, that’s not right, it CANNOT be about accepting lower standards.  It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about a child who is disadvantaged because of their income level, family background, physical, mental or cognitive challenges once you lower the bar you lower their horizon and we all suffer.

Any successful society has social standards and norms that must be maintained to allow it to continue successfully.

In our society those standards include the rules for successful written communication.  Mr. Mathis fails that standard miserably.  That’s not a sin.  Mr. Mathis doesn’t care and that is a sin.  Mr. Mathis falls back on a “learning disability” and that is insulting.  Mr. Mathis has decided that there’s nothing he can do about it and there’s no reason to worry about it.  Mr. Mathis has decided to simply allow his writing to continue to fall short because in his mind it’s not his fault ….. he’s got a learning disability.

Mr. Mathis, as the school board president, represents the community.  Google his name with Detroit school board president and you’ll quickly see he’s certainly bringing attention to the district …. unfortunately not the right kind.  Not the kind that get’s people excited to send their kids there, get a job there or to issue grants and funds there.

There is a lack of writing and reading skills in our communities.  But is that something we should be celebrating or rewarding?  At least in the schools isn’t that something we should be ashamed of and working hard to fix?

Mr. Mathis might understand some of the struggles that poor skills create but he DOES not understand the struggles involved with overcoming those challenges because he’s not overcoming them ….. we’ve simply lowered the bar for him.  He’s not an example of overcoming, he’s an example of the rest of us allowing ourselves to be “dumbed down” of accepting and expecting less.

“Instead of telling them that they can’t write and won’t be anything, I show that cannot stop you,” Mathis says

Actually, an inability to write in most occupations IS something that can stop you.  In most instances it WILL stop you.  At the very least it will stop you from rising to a high level in just about any occupation.  Mr. Mathis lucked out, he stayed in education, even working as a substitute teacher for a stretch which evidently is not a place where a poor academic skills hold you back .

“If Detroit Public Schools can allow kids to dream, with whatever weakness they have, that’s something. …

A school system that allows kids to dream …. yup, that’s something all right.  Dreams are important but the missing piece for too many kids in Detroit (and around this country) isn’t a shortage of the ability to dream but a shortage in the ability TO DO.

Life doesn’t say – “Hey kid have a dream and we’ll ignore your “weaknesses”".

Life, and reality, makes you earn things the hard way.  You earn things by overcoming the weaknesses that make the accomplishment of your dream difficult.

Mr. Mathis doesn’t understand that and evidently neither does the school board that elected him 10-1 to be President.

The man he beat out for the job?

His name was Mr. Tyrone Winfrey and he is the Associate Director at the University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Director of the University of Michigan Detroit Admissions Office.  Now, I’m not going to say he would have been a better president but I’m going to guess he could:

a) write an intelligent, coherent sentence

b) represent – in writing – the district in a way that wouldn’t bring it national ridicule

c) ALSO have been held up as a REAL example of someone who’s used education to better himself.

But hey, why send that message to families and school students across the country when you can just tell them that an inability to write won’t stop you.

It’s like one of our radio show guests pointed out recently …… we shouldn’t be against testing students in the schools to measure their level of achievement and preparation but when are we going to start testing the teachers, administrators and leaders for the same things?

Mr. Mathis better hope that test doesn’t come anytime soon.

Additional Articles of Interest

• Robert Bobb Biography
• Can Robert Bobb Fix Detroit’s Public Schools?
• Robert Bobb’s Biggest Challenge ~ Create A New Detroit Public Schools
• Laura Berman’s Article : Does DPS Leader’s Writing Send Wrong Message?
• Detroit School Leader Sends Wrong Message

They should have gotten jobs running the school district instead.

Parenting with “Love & Logic” and the amazing physical, mental and emotional benefits of CranioSacral Therapy were the double-barreled interviews we had on this episode of our radio show.

Listen to our interviews on Love & Logic and CranioSacral Therapy ~ HERE (or visit the link on the bottom of this post to listen and download the interview)

Love and Logic is a child raising and teaching philosophy that arose out of the work and experience of Jim Fay (a teacher, school administrator and consultant) and Foster W. Cline (a certified Psychiatrist and consultant) described on their website as:

Love and Logic is a philosophy of raising and teaching children which allows adults to be happier, empowered, and more skilled in the interactions with children. Love allows children to grow through their mistakes. Logic allows children to live with the consequences of their choices. Love and Logic is a way of working with children that puts parents and teachers back in control, teaches children to be responsible, and prepares young people to live in the real world, with its many choices and consequences.

We also had the fantastic opportunity to interview Rebecca Flowers from the Upledger Institute about the touch-based therapy known as CranioSacral Therapy.  Originally developed by Dr. John Upledger and influenced by the work of Dr. William Sutherland, the father of cranial osteopathy, CranioSacral Therapy is described on the Upledger website as follows:

Using a soft touch which is generally no greater than 5 grams – about the weight of a nickel – practitioners release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system. CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and it’s effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction.

CranioSacral Therapy is effective in treating  a variety of health concerns including (but not limited to):

• Migraines and Headaches
• Chronic Neck and Back Pain
• Stress and Tension-Related Disorders
• Motor-Coordination Impairments
• Infant and Childhood Disorders
• Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
• Chronic Fatigue
• Fibromyalgia
• TMJ Syndrome
• Scoliosis
• Central Nervous System Disorders
• Learning Disabilities
• ADD/ADHD
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Orthopedic Problems

We were first introduced to CranioSacral therapy as a result of work my son was doing at the time with a physical therapist when he was younger.  As I say in the interview, I had the benefit of seeing the tremendous benefits of the therapy before ever seeing an actual session which in hindsight was good because after seeing a session my first reaction was …. this stuff is looney.  However, the results we were seeing with my son were undeniable and when something is working you don’t stop it.

Despite my first impression of this therapy I can honestly say today that there is nothing that’s been more beneficial to our family’s overall health and wellness than CranioSacral therapy.

As my wife is also quick to point out, not only do I not think the therapy looks so looney anymore …. I also see a CranioSacral therapist for my own sessions twice a month and wouldn’t give them up if you paid me to (hey, like I said if it works why quit?).

• The Upledger Institute – Frequently Asked Questions About – CranioSacral Therapy

I’m really tired of the ongoing debate that’s been raging in recent weeks about the “R” word (I guess it’s more impactful when we only use the first letter of words).  Not because I don’t agree that there is the potential for offense when the word is used or because I think it’s okay to use the word.  Most of my annoyance about the debate has been the way that too many of the folks taking “offense” have seemed to be doing so in a very self-serving way.

John McGinley (of Scrubs and Office Space fame) has a child with Down Syndrome and he wrote a pretty blistering piece on his feelings about the use of the word (the piece can be found here – though some of the language is pretty strong) in early February.  It was a good piece, though the heat of some of his anger could be felt through the screen and I wondered if he might have been better off waiting a bit to write the piece.  It seemed to me that the language he used – though it was used to make a very definite point – might have served to offend many of the people he was trying to get to his side.

On March 2nd McGinley wrote a second piece that I thought was excellent and in many ways probably helped his cause more than the
first.  The piece is entitled “Spread The Word to End The Word” and I think it does a great job of addressing the tension between free speech and offensive speech in a free country :

Our right to speak as we see fit is sacred and not something that any of us are willing to relinquish. Nor should we.

However, when the words we are free to speak are aimed at specific populations of people and target that group in a harmful way, there are repercussions. There is a “tax” that will be imposed on those who chose to assault others with their hate speech.

This “duty” may be levied in the form of boycotts, marches, firings (see: Imus), or even a stiff right to the jaw! In other words, when the words that we are free to speak include racial slurs, epithets or sexist slander, there has been and always will be blowback. Groups like the NAACP, The Anti-Defamation League, NOW and GLAAD, will respond to derisive language directed at their constituents. The price paid by those who cavalierly chose to verbally disrespect the dignity of African Americans, Jews, women and homosexuals is steep.

I especially liked his reference to a tax that is imposed on free speech.  Not a tax or ramification imposed by the government but a tax imposed by society.  Freedom of speech might give us the freedom to say whatever we want without the fear of being silenced by the government, but that doesn’t mean that our words don’t have any ramifications.

The consequences for launching into hurtful language, aimed at powerful ethnic, religious and gender based groups, are profound and final (see; Michael Richards and Jimmy “The Greek”). The very real fear of a counter-punch thrown by the victimized party, is usually enough to scare away almost every single one of those who would otherwise toss about slander without a care. The fear of the tax or the very real cost, is a hammer that sometimes informs the speech that we are so free to express.

Verbally assaulting those who have done absolutely nothing wrong and cannot even begin to defend themselves, is an exponentially more egregious transgression. Only bullies and cowards pick on the defenseless. However, it does seem fair to assume that a vast majority of people who use the R-word (i.e. “Retard” and “Retarded”), are not even aware that their language is offensive and hurtful to members of the special needs community. And at the risk of being redundant, perhaps there is some value in setting the record straight: the R-word hurts! And it makes no difference that a person with special needs is not in ear shot when the word is spoken. Using the R-word perpetuates a negative stigma that belittles people with special needs. And the casual nature in which the R-word is now thrown about only makes the impact even more insidious and and the trickle down affect more persistent. The R-word hurts.

Later in the article …

The First Amendment protects every ones right to use the R-word. There is not a member of the special needs community who wishes to compromise any fellow Americans freedom of speech. That is certainly not the drill here. However, armed with the knowledge that the R-word is a source of pain and that using the R-word demeans a group that is not in a position to defend itself and who definitely never did anything to merit this kind of derision, the hope is that people will exercise some degree of compassion or at least a heightened sensitivity toward the continued use of the R-word. Again, this is not an invasion of the Bill of Rights. Rather, it is a civil call to integrate a simple change into the way we treat, regard and address the special needs population.

I thought it was a great piece and probably one of the most intelligent submissions I’ve heard since this debate started over a month ago.

I’ve never been the type to really get that worked up over words or labels like this.  My attitude has always run along the lines of Eleanor Roosevelt’s great quote that “nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent”.  Labels and names lose some of their power if you don’t let them stick to you.  But the reality is that labels can be damaging when others use them specifically to demean.

Though the word “retarded” isn’t officially used as a label anymore, the simple fact that it’s still closely associated with specific segments of our population makes it a word that should be used with some respect and sensitivity.

So while it’s true that some could argue that when they use the word it’s not directed as a demeaning swipe at those with Down Syndrome or mental challenges the fact of the matter is that those populations still get hit when it’s used.  It reinforces a negative image and association.

Maybe someday when there’s not a close association with a specific group it won’t be such a big deal (much like the terms idiot, imbecile and moron were used and associated differently in the past) but until then I’m hoping we can all just let the word go …. literally.

We’ve had the good fortune to have special education attorney Wayne Steedman provide us with high quality, professional answers to complicated special education law questions (IEP, ESY, LRE, AYP, MET, NCLB … if all these letters are leaving you feeling l-o-s-t, check out our “Special Education Terms” section of the Education tab) on our show as part of our “Wrightslaw Tip Of The Week” feature since shortly after the show started.

After a bit of tweaking with our schedules we were finally able to get him on the show live for a more in depth discussion…

Mr. Steedman is a practicing educational law attorney and founding partner of Callegary & Steedman and special education law trainer for Wrightslaw Special Education Law Training, more from his official bio:

Wayne Steedman is an attorney and founding partner in the law firm of Callegary & Steedman.

Mr. Steedman’s practice is devoted primarily to the representation of children with disabilities. He has represented his clients in administrative due process hearings and state and federal courts.

In addition to a law degree from the University of Maryland, Mr. Steedman has a Masters Degree in Social Work. For several years, he served as a Due Process Hearing Officer in special education cases. He is an active member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA).

Mr. Steedman is the author of “Advocating for Services: Legal Issues Confronting Parents and Guardians” in Growing Up with Autism: Working with School-Age Children and Adolescents.

Wayne and Pete Wright (Wrightslaw.com) have worked together since Wayne’s successful decision in Gerstmyer v. Howard County Public Schools. In Gerstmyer, the Judge found that a Montessori School was the appropriate placement for a child with dyslexia, a language learning disability. Read about this case in Parents of Dyslexic Child Reimbursed for Tuition at Montessori School.

We first met Wayne at a Wrightslaw Special Education Training that he was conducting in Toledo, Ohio a couple of years ago.  Not only did we learn a lot from him that weekend but we were also impressed with his down to earth ability to help parents (like us) understand what the law means (in non-legalese) for our children.

On January 24th, 2010 we interviewed Mr. Steedman and spoke to him about the importance of tracking your child’s progress towards their educational goals over the course of the year, and what to do if your child ISN’T making appropriate progress.

While he’s a special education attorney, much of the advice he gave is useful for the parent of any school age child – special education or not.

While this country’s special education system has many weaknesses and deficiencies one of it’s great benefits (at least potentially great), is the emphasis on closely monitoring student progress.  I say “potentially” because for many children this “progress monitoring” is done in such a generic, biased, sloppy manner that it has little value.  However, for the children whose parents are educated and advocate strongly for their children this monitoring has tremendous potential for real understanding and progress.

Disappointingly though, this same degree of monitoring and exploration is not done with ALL of the children in the school.  However, by using some of the practices and methods we discuss in our interview you can improve your child’s educational experience and insure that they’re truly making the progress that they should be (and know what to do if they’re not).

In addition to tracking your child’s progress we also discussed requirements for Extended School Year services and how to insure that the professionals working with your child are properly trained and qualified (automatically assuming that they are isn’t a good strategy).

In the second part of the show we spoke with Matt LaFontaine from the LaFontaine Automotive Group about automotive safety and automotive tips including getting the answer to a question we’ve had for a while about those “hydrogen” inflated tires.

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Articles Written By Wayne Steedman

• 10 Tips: How to Use IDEA to Improve Your Child’s Special Education Program
• Independent Educational Evaluations: What? How? Why? Who Pays?
• How to Request a One-to-One for Your Child
• Going on a Discovery Mission Behind “Enemy Lines

More Links For Wayne Steedman

• Wrightslaw Training Program Speakers – Bio of Wayne Steedman, Esq.
• Callegary & Steedman, P.A.
• Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)

Nitrogen Tires

• Pros, cons of using nitrogen in tires
• Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Tires – Nitrogen air loss study
• Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Nitrogen in tires – Q&A
• Nitrogen in Tires : Information about Nitrogen Tire Inflation News, Benefits, Generator Dealers, Location Finder & More
• The Straight Dope: Is it better to fill your tires with nitrogen instead of air?

We use Nitrogen in our tires and I’d say it does seem to make a slight difference, however, we also are members of Costco and get it done for free.  Would we do it if we had to pay for it?  Probably not ….. unless it was really cheap.