A coalition of education groups called Save our Students, Schools and State says schools would be forced to make their deepest cuts yet if the Legislature does not avoid further education funding cuts. The coalition supports several changes, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposal to reduce the state sales tax from 6 percent to 5.5 percent and expand it to dozens of consumer services that currently aren’t taxed, raising roughly $550 million for schools next fiscal year and keeping per-student funding level.

The proposal for the budget year starting Oct. 1 has been bogged down in the Legislature, where neither Republicans nor Democrats are embracing tax increase proposals in a critical election year. Every seat in the Legislature is up for grabs in November, and voters also will pick a new governor, secretary of state and attorney general.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing nothing is going to happen because it’s an election year,” said Tom White, leader of the coalition that includes the Michigan School Business Officials, the Michigan Association of School Boards and several other groups. “The ship is sinking here.”

Michigan cut school funding by a minimum of $165 per student this academic year, a 2 percent reduction for districts at the bottom end of the state’s funding spectrum. Schools could face cuts of more than $225 per student next fiscal year, based on the projected deficit in the state’s school aid fund. Districts also could face higher costs for the school employee retirement system, which could push per-pupil funding cuts to the equivalent of more than $400.

A Michigan School Business Officials survey of more than 300 districts found that 86 percent of the state’s public school districts expect to have layoffs in the coming year, based on a projected per-student funding reduction of $268. The group says almost 4,000 school employees could be laid off next fiscal year, on top of an estimated 3,000 teachers, administrators and support staff laid off this year.

Nearly half of responding school districts said they planned to eliminate or reduce their general fund support for athletics, which could lead to reduced sports programs or more pay-to-play requirements. More than half the districts said they would cut back on field trips and nearly half said they could might reduce or eliminate transportation for students.

Several more districts could be forced into budget deficits, depending on the health of their reserves and the spending cuts they might make.

The Save our Students coalition supports other changes to help education funding, including proposals that would lead to some school employees paying more for their health coverage.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Officials with the North Carolina NAACP filed a complaint Friday against the Wake County school board, arguing that a comment by its chairman referring to opponents of the policy as “animals” indicated that the board has “racist attitudes.”

An NAACP attorney questioned the board chairman’s educational background and referred to the members halting the diversity policy as “clowns.”

Board Chairman Ron Margiotta has said his “animals” comment was out of line but not racial. He is part of a new board majority looking to roll back a school busing policy in favor of focusing on neighborhood schools.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Kam’s Corner

Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee.

Between Good and Ghetto:

African-American Girls and Inner-City Violence

by Nikki Jones

The lives of the inner-city girls and young women profiled in this book are deeply influenced by violence of various kinds. It is not uncommon for adolescent, inner-city girls to witness or directly encounter gun violence associated with drug dealers disputes, threats of interpersonal violence, or sexual and dating violence. The everyday world that shapes their ideas and actions is not, however, likely to be familiar to many readers…

Although Jones limits her focus here to Philadelphia females, the sample she relies on is really representative of what you’re likely to encounter in a typical slum area anywhere around America. There, residents must abide by ‘The Code of the Street’, including a credible reputation for vengeance that works to deter aggression and disrespect. These unwritten rules are a set of people’s laws, which come into play where the influence of the police ends.

Accountable:

Making America as Good as Its Promise

by Tavis Smiley

Created as a companion text to Mr. Smiley’s 2006 best seller, The Covenant with Black America, each chapter delineates Obama’s campaign promises in terms of such areas in dire need of attention as health care, education, justice, the economy, and so forth. It also lays out an assessment checklist (including boxes) which will enable the reader to keep track of just how well the administration is doing. For example, when it comers to health care, it asks whether the President made implementation of a health care plan a priority within the first 100 days.

It is important to note that while Accountable does expect Obama to deliver, it very well concedes that to do so he will need the support of not only Congress, but also governors and other state officials, community leaders, faith-based organizations and ordinary citizens.

Last year, Tavis Smiley took a lot of heat over his reluctance to rubber-stamp Barack Obama’s candidacy simply based on its symbolism in contrast to demanding to know exactly what the substance of a victory might potentially mean for black America. Tavis hesitancy ostensibly came from a reasonable expectancy that Obama would have to deliver on his campaign promises, for his historic win to be of palpable value to the masses of black folks who had turned out in record numbers to support him at a rate of 93%.

Family Affair: 

What it Means to be African American Today

by Gil Robertson

Who am I? It’s a fundamental question for everyone, of course, but for African-Americans, it has particular resonance. Since our history in America is filled with grand contradictions, marginalization, and grotesque lies, African-Americans have largely been left alone in the dark to grapple with the issue of who we are.

Our shared experience as people of African-American descent have been marked by an endless wave of mixed messages, leaving questions that lack finite answers. How do we declare our humanity? How do we begin to construct healthy environments for our lives, families, and communities in the face of chaos and confusion?

Now, that Barack Obama is, indeed, President, Mr. Smiley has decided it’s time to hold him accountable to his constituency for those pledges made to get their votes.

Gil Robertson, author of Family Affair, recognized that, although Obama has generated considerable hope for change, the fact remains that most African-American communities still exist in a state of almost perpetual crisis… in terms of health disparities , political injustices , crime statistic, and a plethora of social ills. So, he naturally started wondering how could the country have its first African-American President while the masses of blacks continue to struggle with so many of the same issues the Civil Rights Movement had attempted to address a half-century ago?

Rather than attempt to answer that question himself, the veteran journalist opted to pose it to a host of prominent African-Americans leaders from all walks of life.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: FULL INCLUSION

By: Faye Jones, PhD.

The field of education is moving towards full inclusion on both elementary and secondary levels.  The laws, Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Title II ensure that the educational system is obligated to protect students with disabilities at all costs.  But are we, as educators, prepared to make full inclusion successful?  Most importantly, are the parents and students with disabilities ready for the change?

Inclusive education means all students in a school, regardless of their academic performance in any area, become a part of the school community.

Federal law, the Individuals with IDEA, ensures “a free appropriate public education” (FAPE) for students with disabilities.  IDEA requires that public schools provide the necessary accommodations and modifications to students with disabilities. The law’s 1997 amendments clearly state that schools have a responsibility to educate children with disabilities in a general education setting.  According to FAPE, students with disabilities have the right to receive appropriate public preschool, elementary, and secondary education with related services, meeting state curriculum and standard requirements at no cost to parents or guardians.  Appropriateness is defined according to the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). An IEP is developed by a team of specialists, which includes a special education teacher (if the student will receive special education services), a general education teacher, an administrator, testing specialists, parent, and student that collaborate to write goals and benchmarks for the individual student. It is designed to meet their needs in the most Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).  The LRE is the environment in which the student with disabilities can succeed. This refers to the physical location of the student’s learning and how the student will be taught. It is preferred that the student be included in general education activities as much as possible.

The general education setting consists of the first years of formal and structured education that occur during childhood through the upper teenage years. Primary students are usually placed in classes with one teacher who is responsible for their education for that school year. It was believed that having only one teacher and the opportunity to establish a class relationship with each student was the goal of the primary educational system. The major goal of primary and secondary education is to assist students in establishing a good foundation in reading, math, science, geography, history and other social sciences, and the basics of physical education.  Then mainstreaming began to work its’ way into the schools.

In the 1980’s, mainstreaming became very popular after a Least Restrictive Environment was required. Students with mild disabilities were integrated into the regular classroom for a few hours a day, while those students with moderate to severe disabilities remained in special education classes. Many educators and parents were in favor of this method. Others were not.  Studies indicated that mainstreaming has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of those special education students who are mainstreamed have higher academic achievement, higher self-esteem, a higher likelihood of attending college, better physical health, and better opportunities in finding employment.  The disadvantages of mainstreaming, on the other hand, are students with disabilities may require more attention, which means more attention is taken away from the students in general education, general education teachers are not trained to accommodate the student with disabilities, parents often return their children to the special education classroom because they are not being accommodated in the general education setting, parents fear their child’s safety, and most importantly, the general education standards may be lowered.

It has been noted that most special educators are in favor to some degree of mainstreaming if four basic strategies are utilized.  They include pre-referral teams (PRTs), collaborative consultation, cooperative teaching and other team arrangements, and curricula and instructional strategies.  PRTs work with general education teachers to recommend various strategies for working with children who exhibit academic and/or behavioral deficits.  In collaborative consultation, the special education teacher provides advice to the general education teacher.  In cooperative teaching, general and special educators teach together in the same general education classroom composed of general education students and students with disabilities.  Curricula and instructional strategies are materials designed to educate general education students about students with disabilities.

According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), discrimination is prohibited based on a disability in state and local government services. This includes public school systems. Mostly all public schools systems receive federal funds and public education, which is a government service, must abide by these laws that protect students with disabilities.

Under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA, it is illegal for schools to deny a student to participate in a service, provide a service that is not as effective as provided by others, and provide lower quality services.  Also, students with disabilities, like other children in the general education setting, must be provided with courses and instruction that teach the curriculum.

To ensure that school reform initiatives are delivering quality education, assessment (often know as “large-scale assessments”) is used to gather information to determine whether schools are successfully teaching students the standard. The information obtained is used to identify weaknesses in schools and to make the necessary improvements. Before, students with disabilities had been excluded from these assessments. Under Section 504 & ADA, students with disabilities are required to take part in these assessments and must receive accommodations to participate (e.g., extra time).  Now, inclusion has reared its head.

The road to inclusion provides an opportunity for diversity in the classroom, it gives students a sense of belonging, shows that everyone has unique characteristics and abilities, shows that all students have strengths, also teachers can collaborate, and most importantly, ensures the civil rights of all individuals.

To prepare for inclusion, professionals and parents should understand the origin of the disability, diagnose needs for remediation (e.g., physical, intellectual, social, and communication) recognize strengths, appropriate placement, the IEP development, and life long support and services.  The inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education class must be well planned, carefully conducted, the continuum of services and program options must be maintained, and the placement decisions must be based on the student’s individual education needs.  Today, educators must be prepared and willing to address the needs of both general and special education students simultaneously.

Often parents of students with

disabilities are the force behind inclusive education. Parental education is important to help those who question the validity of inclusion.  Professionals should help parents to understand the goal of inclusion so that they may become comfortable with the inclusive setting.  Administrators should provide the necessary support (e.g., teacher training, continuing education) to make inclusive education successful. With positive administrators, professionals, staff, and parents, the vision of achieving this goal can be fulfilled.

Advocates for full inclusion base their position on four premises,

1 labeling an individual is harmful,

2 special education pull-out programs have been ineffective,

3 individuals with disabilities should be viewed as a minority group, and

4 standards should take precedence over experiments.

On the other hand, those who oppose full inclusion argue

1 general educators, special educators and parents are largely satisfied with the current continuum of placements,

2 general educators are unwilling and unable to cope with all students with disabilities,

3 justifying that individuals with disabilities are a minority is flawed,

4 evidence does not support full inclusion, and

5 special educators must preserve the continuum of placements.

On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Then in October of 2009, the President and Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, officially kicked off the “Race to the Top Fund” in Madison, Wisconsin, at Wright Middle School (Cover Photo).

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has allocated $4.35 billion for the “Race to the Top Fund,” which is a competitive grant program to encourage and reward states that are serious about ending old and outdated instruction practices.  The “Race to the Top Fund” encourages significant improvement in student achievement and addresses improvements in the graduation rate.  Another key aspect of the program is that it emphasizes the importance of preparing students for careers.  All of these factors are of critical importance to our nation as we move forward in the 21^st century.

In January our national unemployment rate hit a staggering 10.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.   A new study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute estimates that the unemployment rate for African Americans is set to soar to a 25-year high of 17.2% by the third quarter of this year.  The rate for Latinos is also expected to hit a record high of 13.9% this year.  And it gets worse: this past December, The Washington Post ran an article, which we shared on Teachersofcolor.com, showing that the unemployment rate for young (16-to-24-year-old) Black men is 34.5%.

Our educational system must do a better job now in educating and preparing our young people with the skills they must have in order for them to succeed in this new economy.  New solutions and new teachers are needed now.

In this issue we talk with the principal of Wright Middle School about innovation, diversity, and opportunities for new teachers.  We also focus on teacher leadership, special education, communicating, and motivating students.  To transform schools all of these important segments must be addressed.   So with a transforming economy it only fits that we have a transforming educational system.  With a transforming educational system it only fits if that we have transforming teachers.  Our nation, our communities, our student’s need transforming teachers.

WHAT PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS SHOULD KNOW

Say “Yes” Before Being Asked

More often we are hearing new graduates express concern that with the national budget cuts the job market for teachers has become very competitive and that their dream job may be no more than a dream. They are also concerned that if they are fortunate enough to get a job, they will be expected to do additional tasks along with classroom teaching.

New teachers seem to think that wearing many hats is a result of the state of the economy, but it’s not unusual for administrators to ask teachers to perform extra duties.

Prospective teachers are encouraged to ask about expectations during the interview. This might alleviate some of the anxiety early on.

Cast a Wide Net

The larger the geographic area you are willing to explore, the more opportunities are available to you. You must focus on your strengths and provide specific examples of the attributes you have that schools want.  You’ll have this information once you’ve completed your research on school districts.

The New vs. The Old

Prospective teachers and experienced teachers are all worried with the uncertainty of how budgets dictate the HR hiring. Although school administrators are influenced by their budget, they do not compromise when it comes down to hiring the most qualified teacher to go into the classroom. They all agree that hiring the teacher who will provide the best education for the students is the ultimate goal.

It is necessary for candidates to set themselves apart from one another by showing results from their work and teaching experience. Tell how your ideas were incorporated into a curriculum during your student teaching. Tell how you plan to align yourself with the school district’s standards.

Good communication of your experience and skills will certainly demonstrate your ability to interact and connect with your students. The better your present yourself as the caring and competent team player that you are, the more you’ll stand out from the rest. Make sure that your references describe those attributes as well.

The bottom-line is that you will work hard for all students.

Information to Gather on a School District

• Demographics of the district – geographic boundaries, size of the district, student enrollment, class size, grade levels served, number of teachers employed.
• Mission statement.
• Districtwide goals and plans for the future.
• Instructional programs and learning objectives for its students.
• Professional development programs.
• Student achievement in reading, math and science.
• Special honors or recognition by state or federal agencies for academic excellence.
• Key personnel.
• Parent involvement.
• Mentoring programs for new teachers.
• Teacher union involvement and professional organizations.
• District challenges (e.g. budget constraints, staff reductions, meeting learning standards, physical plant).
• Salary schedule.
• Residency requirement.

How to Research a School District

• Conduct internet research for information about the school district, administrators and community.
• Contact the National Public School Locator for  information on public schools and school districts in the country. Web address is www.nces.ed.gov/ccd/school-search/.
• Contact your State Education Department for demographic data and related information.
• Go to the district office and request school district fact sheets, calendar of events, board meeting schedule and related data.
• Drive through the district in effort to learn more about the students’ socio-economic environments and available resources such as libraries.
• Schedule an appointment to visit a school. Talk with teachers and administrators.
• Attend PTA meetings, school board meetings and school related activities within the district.
• Talk with parents of children who attend school in the district.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER?

All teachers have an obligation to strengthen their knowledge of subject matter and instructional strategies, as well as to enhance their understanding of students as learners. As a new teacher, you can start with the basic understanding of your school district’s curricular goals, and the state’s standards for student achievement.

fundamental attributes + personality traits

1. TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS

The credentials, knowledge and experiences good teachers should bring to the classroom are:

• degrees
• certifications
• continuing education courses
• professional development
• honors and awards

2. TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS

The attitudes and attributes that good teachers bring with them to the classroom include:

• knowledge on subject matter
• good communi-cation skills, including listening
• patience
• motivation
• good time management skills

3. TEACHER PRACTICES

The ways in which teachers interact with students and the teaching strategies they use to accomplish specific teaching tasks:

• student assessment
• clearly defined learning objectives
• expectations for student performance student evaluation

4. TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS

Effectiveness is determined by which the students’ learning experience was productive. Evaluations could be based on:

• peer review
• self-rating
• student performance results on standardized tests

classroom observations by district administrators

WE TEACH AMERICA

BY:  Stephen Jones, PhD.

Every year thousands of new teachers launch their careers in urban and rural public schools.

Frequently they are hired to fill in positions for teachers who are retiring or leaving to work in another school district.  The new teacher is challenged to teach in their assigned school to fulfill the requirements of a grant/scholarship that they received while in college.  The challenge to teach in urban and rural public schools is not easy.  New teachers must work very hard to make the adjustment.  They need strategies that will help them to make a smooth transition from college to work. There are many resources that are in place to help the new teacher to make an effective transition.  The new teacher will benefit from making time to get the support that they need early in their career.

The preparation for a teacher to effectively teach in their school starts while the teacher is in college. Most student teachers have an obligation to teach in a school while they are in college.  These are often called internships where the potential teacher works with a seasoned teacher.  This is a great way to get acclimated to the challenging work in an urban and rural school district.  Teachers need to understand how student learning styles, emotions and intellect can influence their reaction and effectiveness in the classroom. The internship is a great time to observe without the pressures of a full time job.  It is also one of the better ways for a student to learn which grade level peeks their interest in teaching.

There are supports available to ensure that new teachers have successful experiences in low-income communities. Many of the school districts require teachers to participate in continuing education courses.  The purpose of each course is to acquaint the new teachers with a variety of ways that they can improve their classroom instruction.  The course topics can vary according to the school districts priority. Some teachers also earn credit by participating in college level courses and workshops.

Taking a course at a local college campus is a great way to ensure that teachers have support.  Colleges realize that some school districts have limited resources to provide sufficient instruction.  Some teachers are enrolling in online courses.  The number of online courses is expanding because they are convenient.  A teacher can complete class assignments at anytime of the day when they are enrolled in an online course.  They can maintain contact with the instructor by way of an e-mail.  Some teachers are able to interact with the instructors at the same time that they are listening to online instruction.  This is becoming a standard method of instruction in many colleges.

There are also conferences that offer workshops for teachers.  The conferences that are offered for teachers bring together some of the best presenters from around the world.  The presenters often demonstrate new innovative instruction methods that may be used in different regions around the United States.  A new teacher who attends the workshops will get ideas about how to create interactive instruction in their classroom.  The ideas that a new teacher receives at one of these conferences can encourage the use of new teaching techniques.

School districts can provide a mentor to support a new teacher.  The mentor is a seasoned teacher who offers their guidance to the new teacher throughout their first year.  This is the period when a new teacher is learning the most.  A mentor can help to eliminate the frustration that comes with teaching classes that may be large.  Teachers do not always realize how much different the official management of a class will be.  The teacher can discuss teaching methods that work especially since their mentor is from their own department.  The mentor can also exchange information about changing instruction methods.  The mentor can also help the teacher to navigate the meetings where important issues related to their school are discussed.

New teachers can choose to attend a summer institute that combines knowledge from college faculty and corporations.  Often government agencies like the National Science Foundation will provide funding so that the instructors, corporations and teachers who are attending the institute can collaborate.  For example, during an institute a group of chemistry teachers should work on experiments with corporate researchers and college faculty to develop projects for individual teachers.  The teachers can use the institute as an opportunity to easily learn how to implement these at their school.  They can uncover how much time it takes to complete each project.

Teacher Resources

There are many education websites established with resources that help new teachers.  The United States Department of Education at www.ed.gov offers a lot of useful information and links that a new teacher can use.  Also there is the American Federation of Teachers at www.aft.org which provides research and information about federal policies that affect teachers. Some of these teacher support systems come in the form of social networks.  For example, in Linkedin.com there are groups for teachers who want to exchange ideas.  These teachers can come from anywhere in the world. The can ask each other questions and offer their advice within seconds. In addition to social networks a teacher can create their own blog at www.eblogger.com. New teachers can read the blog to gaining insights from an experienced teacher. In the same way that comments are made on other social networks a blog can be a great resource for a new teacher to chronicle their experiences as a first year teacher.

Enthusiastic teachers who are prepared to instruct K12 students in urban and rural public schools are essential to our nation’s competitive position around the globe.  American educators have been known as innovators and our teachers need to be trained to give their best to all students.  School districts should continue to invest in professional development instruction for recently graduated teachers.  It is essential to their success.  New teachers can benefit from a stable and supportive school administration that advocates for ongoing education of every teacher.