A Blog Covering D.C. Education [ABCDE]

This is the second in a three-part (maybe more?) series that applies economic theory to aspects of education (introduction in Part 1).

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I suspect that an ingrained notion exists among CMs that student achievement is a function of expectations.  Once a teacher raises the bar for what is expected in the classroom, students will “rise to the challenge,” meet that expectation and therefore achieve at higher–or even the highest–levels.  The teacher’s goal is to continually raise expectations.  Like a carrot leading a donkey, these expectations will bring student achievement along for the ride.

The simplified graph, then, of achievement as a function of expectations might look something like this:

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This is the first in a three-part (maybe more?) series that applies economic theory to aspects of education.  I was not inspired to do this by anyone or anything.  I am not “forcing” the connections either.  Instead, this series recognizes the fact that when I think of issues in education I often think in terms of economics.  Perhaps this just shows how applicable the study of economics is to education, schools and teaching (indeed, there are many questions about resource constraints in the ed world: do we put our money into more teachers, teacher training, textbooks, supplies, or technology, cash-for-grades? As a teacher, how do I allocate my most valuable resource—time—across my various responsibilities?).  Or, perhaps, it just shows that economics can be universally applied to issues.  I don’t know.

Each post will begin with a quick introductory explanation of the economic concept that helped me think of an education-related issue.  Then, naturally, I will discuss this issue and how I think it plays out in our schools (and particularly in DC Public Schools).  These “comparisons” are by no means precise or accurate. But, at the end of the day, these analogies helped me conceptualize some of the thoughts I’ve had about education.

Today’s Topic: Deflationary Spirals and School Culture.

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I’m slowly feeling like a part of my local community.  I care about local politics, I am concerned about local issues and I am participating more in whatever forums I can.  This slow increase in civic engagement makes me happy.   It also makes me understand the value and impact of TFA’s mission.

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I recently had an opportunity to take three of my robotics team students to testify about the impact of robotics in front of Chairman Vincent Gray of the DC Council (note: if you are a DC teacher and have students who want their voices heard, sign up for a slot to testify!).  The experience helped me understand more of how our city government works and that it really does work.

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I Rhee-cently read this piece by Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools.  I suggest you Rhee-d it too.  Rhee-ly.  I Rhee-lize that I haven’t commented on a “macro issue” in a while; with Rhee’s help, I make my Rhee-turn now.

(No more word play.)

Rhee’s thesis is bold, but gave me much food for thought:

I believe we can solve the problems of urban education in our lifetimes and actualize education’s power to reverse generational poverty. But I am learning that it is a radical concept to even suggest this. (emphasis mine.)

What Rhee points out is that, despite our vast resources, our high standard-of-living, and the limitless privileges that we as American citizens enjoy, we still settle for “less than our best” in some aspects of society—for example, education—merely because we lack the political will to do any better.

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Dear Library Donors,

With semester one over, I have closed one volume and have begun another in my [ABCDE] series on teaching.  Volume II is already overflowing with surprises, since I am following three almost completely new groups of students.  (This is, alas, what happens when your school is on a 4×4 block schedule where, for some perplexing reason, a teacher does not necessarily keep students between semesters; they might take the same English class during the same period but with a different teacher. Go figure. This is DCPS.)  But I realize now that I never wrote the epilogue to Volume One.  I write to present you with an update on Volume I, “The Library Project: How Mr. K’s students have progressed as readers, with your help.”

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Everyone around me knows that I like to drink the TFA Kool Aid.  I sip it for breakfast, imbibe it at lunch while I’m resting and gulp it down before going to bed.  Being the nerd that I am, I’ve had the TFA Core Values up on the corkboard in my room since I arrived in DC back in August.  (Unfortunately, an unidentified and presumably intoxicated–with learning, of course–CM who was over at my place for a “teaching and learning party” defaced my sextet quintet of shibboleths and I never got around to repairing my sign.)

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Who knew that delegation to students in the classroom would actually improve management?  Up until this week, every bone in my body shouted to me that allowing my students to carry out any of the responsibilities traditionally held by the teacher would create a more peaceful classroom.  Yet, with the new semester, I figured it was about time to leap into unknown classroom management territory.

Part of the reason why I was so reluctant to “let go” was that I like to be in full control of whatever it is that I’m doing.  In short, if something is not done “right” (as I define it), I feel uncomfortable.  Because of this, I’m less likely to give up control in the first place.  (I hope I’m not the only who has these feelings.)

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This time around, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve talked endlessly about the physical learning environment (here and here).  I’ve talked about how I will endure anything that doesn’t affect my personal safety/health.  In fact, I’ve said that I feel safe at my school.  But never did I think that my physical safety/health would actually be at risk.

Let me explain.  It all starts with the exposed pipe in the ceiling.  Tuesday morning, I come in and discover that a quarter of the room has flooded (quite obviously, the pipe was the source).  Given that my tolerance for absurdities has risen tremendously, I tell myself that I will just spray some Lysol, open up the windows, prop open the door and let the room air out.  Bad call.

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My roommates thought I was exaggerating again just to make my story sound more jaw-dropping (we teachers always like to boast superlatively about the most inconsequential of things).  At the time, I suspected they were right.  There really was no way my classroom could have been 130 degrees hot.  I knew I had a good temperature sense, but maybe–just maybe–this time I was completely off.

Yet, this short story on another aspect of the physical learning environment will show that my intuition was probably right.

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These days I’ve been eating too many marshmallows.  I need to stop.  Now.

What explains why I haven’t created that attendance tracker I have been meaning to make since October? What explains why I haven’t graded these worksheets on denotation and connotation?  What explains why I have come home each night this week and taken a 20-minute nap only to find myself getting out of bed 2 hours later? What explains why I haven’t written a blog post in over 2 weeks?  What explains why my students are not learning enough?

Hints: It’s one word. It begins with “D”.  I thought I had it, but maybe I don’t.

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