CLASS PARTICIPATION: Five Ways to Support Low-Income Students at Independent Schools

Following the lead of elite universities, many independent schools have substantially increased their level of financial aid., "It is in response to the economic pain that people are feeling," said Grace Church's head of admission, George Davidson, to the New York Daily News (April 23, 2009). Generous financial aid does provide greater access to private school education for low-income students. But, as Gisele Litalien points out, "Getting kids into these schools is just the beginning."

Litalien is the Director of Upward Bound, a program that serves low-income, college-bound students. Each year, one student from Upward Bound is awarded a full scholarship to Northfield Mount Hermon, the boarding school that hosts Litalien's program. "Schools must have structures in place to support low-income students," Litalien says. "They must be willing to extend themselves in ways they may not know."

How should independent schools, many of which have served America's wealthiest families for the last one hundred years, endeavor to support indigent students? Below are five strategies independent schools can implement to support low-income students:

• SEEK GUIDANCE. Admissions officers can begin by visiting the student's previous school. They can audit classes, talk with teachers, and nurture a working relationship with administrators and counselors. Next, the school can look to non-profits for tutelage. Class Action, an organization that raises awareness of classism, and Prep for Prep, a college-bound program for students from underrepresented populations, are excellent sources of information. Finally, advisers can seek information from the student by scheduling periodic check-in's. During one of these check-ins, counselors can ask the student to make a wish list of ten things that can be put in place to improve her experience.

• UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES. Imagine a day in the life of a low-income student. This student might wake up at 5AM, travel across town via a series of trains and buses, and arrive early to use computers to type her assignments. In class, she might scribble furiously while other students tap off notes on laptops. This student might even stay after school for soccer practice, and then travel home via a series of trains and buses. At home, she may help with chores before completing homework. Then, she wakes up to do it all over again.  Understanding a day-in-the-life of this student will help schools make informed decisions about differentiating expectations and structuring support.

• BE PREPARED FOR THE CURVE. A learning curve will apply to persons on both sides of the desk. For the low-income student, there may be a period of unease while she acclimates to the culture of the school. For the host school, there may be pitfalls, times during which the needs of said student are not met because the school did not anticipate them. Be patient, keep and open dialogue, and take copious notes. Just as the student will benefit from attending an independent school, the institution will gain invaluable feedback from this student, feedback that will help improve the culture and practices for all students.

• BECOME AWARE OF HIDDEN ASSUMPTIONS. Beneath the protocol and curricula of independent schools lay a myriad of assumptions about circumstances and privilege. Web-hosted information assumes computer ownership and Internet access. After-school and off-campus extracurricular activities assume convenient and reliable transportation. Daytime "parent-teacher" conferences assume salaried parents, as opposed to wage-earning guardians or grandparents, parents who can afford time from work to attend meetings. Understanding these assumptions does not indict the school's protocol. Instead, recognition of these assumptions helps the school differentiate to serve the needs of low-income students.

• BE HONEST. Though providing opportunities for low-income students is a noble endeavor, this may not be suitable for every school. One school may lack the financial resources to fully assist low-income students. Another school may be engaged in several other major projects-campus renovations, gender-equity training, curricula overhaul-that leave little time for this enterprise. Assess the commitment the school can make to low-income students in relationship to the schools overall state of affairs. Realize that "no" may be the best answer for the school and for the student.

Beyond economic barriers lay a host of other factors that influence a low-income student's matriculation at an independent school. "When kids get to private schools," Gisele Litalien says, "they go through culture shock." Thus, Litalien and her team try their best to acclimate their scholarship students to the culture of independent schools. In addition to preparing students for academic success, independent schools should use the above tips to develop supports that ensure the success of low-income students. "We don't want these kids to simply survive," says Litalien. "We want them to thrive, to be valued, and to feel like they belong."

Author’s Bio

James Guilford is author of the young-adult novel, THE PENCIL TEST. He holds a BA from Emory University and an MA from Columbia University. Guilford has worked as an educator--in instruction, administration, and curriculum development--for nearly a decade. Guilford conducts diversity workshops for schools and non-profit.

RETHINKING INTELLIGENCE: A Book Review

If you are looking for a book to expand your ideas about education beyond hackneyed discussions of NCLB and longer school days, then Kincheloe's RETHINKING INTELLIGENCE is a great choice. The essays in this collection are effective for the following reasons: 1) they uncover assumptions about education; 2) they highlight the cultural dynamics at work in the construction of educational theory; and 3) they point to practices, such as the "validation" of certain types of knowledge and modes of presentation, and the ways these practices serve some students and disserve others.

Most notable in this collection is Suzanne Gallagher's "An Exchange of Gazes." In this essay, Gallagher engages in a Foucauldian analysis of our system of teacher education with a focus on educational psychology. Gallagher skillfully uncovers the "taken-for-granted" ways of thinking in our current system. She points out that scientists are behind these theories, and that these scientists are people with "ideological, political, and cultural biases." Questions about education, Gallagher asserts, are engineered from specific socio-political locations. These questions are then recast as "objective" inquiry. As Gallagher aptly states, "[E]ducational psychologist seem to forget that they do not discover but invent the knowledge they apply."

"[T]he educational apparatus still marches to its drummer," Philip Wexler writes, "without any knowledge or embarrassment of the small place of this particular discourse in the historical human drama." Wexler's introduction serves as an apropos opening to this collection of essays, a collection which uses "post-formal thought" to subvert the "domination of education by cognitive psychology." Reader beware: Rethinking is a academic text. As such, it relies heavily on post-positive and post-modernist jargon. Rethinking is Foucault's Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison meets Delpit's Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom, Updated Edition, with a pinch of Illich's Deschooling Society (Open Forum).

The essays in Rethinking go beyond bandaging inequality and "achievement gaps" with budget and policy proposals. These essays work like holistic medicine. They analyze the entire system of educational psychology and then ferret out the cause of our current woes.

Differentiation 101: A Basic Guide to Differentiated Instruction

Differentiation.  Differentiated Curriculum.  Differentiated Instructional Strategies.  At conferences, parent gatherings, and curriculum planning meetings, the term differentiation is thrown around like a Frisbee. As a newly hired teacher, I recall nodding my head and blinking blankly whenever the term was whizzed at me.  The definition of differentiation is taken for granted; thus, no one ever pauses to tell what differentiation means.  This article will do just that.

In a nutshell, differentiation—which is sometimes referred to as differentiated instruction—refers to a method of curriculum planning and instruction that offers learners a wide variety of ways to acquire understanding.  The following bullet points offer a quick and dirty guide to differentiated instruction.  These bullets outline the three elements of the curriculum that can be differentiated as well as the three learner characteristics that can be taken into account while differentiating your instruction.

The following elements of your curriculum can be differentiated

·       Content: Content is considered the “stuff” of the curriculum.  This “stuff” includes what the instructor plans for learners to understand as well as the ways the learner will gain access to the desired knowledge and skills.   To differentiate according to Content, an instructor can do the following:

§       Provide text on multiple levels of difficulty

§       Use part-to-whole or whole-to-part instruction

§       Use manipulatives, Internet resources, audio recordings, and other non-conventional “text”

·      Process: Process refers to the activities in which learners engage in order to gain understanding of the subject.  A conventional way to think about Process is to consider it as the things learners do in the class and for homework.  To differentiate according to Process, the instructor can do the following:

§       Vary amount of support given by the instructor

§       Give learners choices about how they express what they learn

§       Provide varied assignment options at differing levels of difficulty or based on learner interests

·      Product: Products are the end result, the things learners create to demonstrate what they understand and/or are able to do after they have moved through the curriculum.  Some examples of learning products are essays, poems, quiz/test answers, presentations, blogs, websites, skits, videos, plays, and other dramatizations.  To differentiate according to Product, the instructor can do the following:

§       Provide rubrics (a grid showing how learners will be assessed) for assignments

§       Vary types of resources learners can use in preparing products (text, Internet resources, books, encyclopedias, interviews, tours, pamphlets, etc)

§       Allow learners to design a product around essential learning goals—to express what they know in varied ways (e.g. speaking, writing, drawing)

The following are three learner characteristics instructors can take into account when planning to differentiate: 

·      Readiness:  Readiness refers to the understanding and preparedness learners have at the start of study. Because learners vary in preparation and knowledge (in other words, what they bring to the classroom and to specific assignments), they require different levels of difficulty.  To differentiate according to Readiness, instructors can do the following:

§       Add student teach-backs to assignments

§       Add or remove peer conferencing, instruction, and models for a task

§       Make the task more or less familiar  (e.g. by adding or removing information and resources)

·      Interest: Interests, in terms of differentiation, can be thought of as the learner’s “academic taste buds.”  Because learners have different taste buds, instructors can align curriculum with topics or pursuits that satisfy the palate of each learner.  To differentiate according to Interest, instructors can do the following

§       Provide a wide variety of choices for topics and products

§       Provide a variety of avenues for learner exploration of a topic

§       Give learners a choice of tasks and products, including learner-designed options

·      Learning Profile:  Just as the height and shape of students vary (even within the same grade), so do their learner profiles.  No matter how students are grouped, each group will have learners with different interests, levels of readiness, learning styles, talents, and standardized test scores.  One understanding of learning styles is Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.  Gardner’s theory delineates the following categories: Bodily-kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Verbal-linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Naturalistic, Intrapersonal, Visual-spatial, and Musical.  To differentiate according to Learning Profile, instructors can do the following:

§       Provide choice of spaces for activities (e.g. desks, couches, and floor seating)

§       Present information in a variety of ways (video, handout, lecture, peer-to-peer talks)

§       Provide learning opportunities in various modes (musical, visual display, movement and manipulatives)

Differentiation helps instructors engineer curriculum that reaches the widest number of learner possible. With the above guide highlighting the primary tenets of differentiation, you can approach your curriculum—and the next faculty meeting—with a basket full of knowledge and tools to differentiate in all of your curriculum. 

Bio:  James Guilford holds a MA in Gifted Education from Teachers College at Columbia University.  He is the author of the young-adult novel, The Pencil Test.  Download curricula and chapters of his novel for free at www.jamesguilford.com.

Parent Teacher Meetings: Five Ways to More Successful Conferences

With a crumpled slip of paper titled “Conference Rooms and Times” in hand, you bustle through the double doors and cross the lobby. You sign in with reception, swig two cups of warm soda, and then power walk past the mural with the smiling moon and sun.  Round a corner, up a flight of stairs and you reach your child’s classroom.  Just outside of the door, you smooth your shirt and find a trashcan to discard you now-empty soda cup.  You enter the room, shake hands with the instructor, and take your seat in the too-small chair.  This is when you realize that you are not sure exactly why you are here.

Have you ever found yourself at a loss during a meeting with your child’s teachers?  The questions that zip through your head at the post office, in the grocery store, or during a rear-view-mirror chat with your child vanish when you are face-to-face with your child’s instructor.  The following five suggestions will help you make the best use of your next parent-teacher conference.

1. Make a list.  Depending on the practices of the school, parents may receive notices for conferences weeks or months in advance.  Then, when the date for conferences rolls around, concerns you had at the start of the year have buried themselves beneath a pile of other non-school-related issues.  To avoid such forgetfulness, keep a running list on your desktop, in your PDA, on the fridge, or in some other frequently referenced place.  In addition to concerns, be sure to include points of praise about the teacher and/or about the school.  Keeping a running list will improve the value and efficiency of conferences for you, your child, and your child’s instructor. 
2. Get the basics.  With the slue of Individualized Education Plans, Educational Action Plans, Rewards-and-Consequences Contracts, and Student Portfolios, not to mention Report Cards and Mid- and End-of-Term Narrative Progress Reports, conference times can be spent reviewing one or a number of these assessments.  Although these documents are important, reviewing each detail of a written report is not the best use of conference times.  In addition to assessment questions, be sure to get information about dates, times and materials needed for upcoming events.  Use part of your conference time to ask basic questions about the class calendar, the school calendar, and your family’s obligations (e.g. What exactly do you need to bring to the “Saturday Super Sale”?).  Getting basic information will ensure that you and your child are prepared for upcoming events. 
3. Offer assistance.  Educators face a tremendous workload.  Beyond an educator’s contracted duties lay a host of unanticipated tasks, such as locating speakers, planning fieldtrips, and setting up end-of-the year class snacks.  To help the instructor better serve your student (and, by extension, the class of students and the school community) offer assistance.  During the conference, note your area(s) of expertise.  Also, be sure to ask about ways you can assist with upcoming projects and events.
4. Keep an open mind.  Often, students come home with harrowing reports of the “mean” teacher, of being “singled out,” or of “useless” assignments.  As a concerned parent, you are justifiably alarmed by these accounts of schoolhouse savagery.  Before you enter the classroom with a glass full of accusation to be doused in the face of the instructor, take a step back and consider all of the information that may be excluded from your child’s report.  After you have taken a breath or two, jot down a list of open-ended question that will allow you to get a fuller picture of your child’s classroom experience.  Try a few of the following question in your next conference:

• “Describe a day in the life of your students?”
• “What do you consider disruptive behavior and how is it handled in the classroom?”
• “How do you communicate class expectations to students?”
• “My child has expressed concern about (“blank”).  Tell me more about this?”

5. Include your child.  Depending on the nature of the conference, consider including your child in the discussion.  A few days before the conference date, talk with your child about her classroom experience. If you have an elementary aged child, then ask her to list three things she likes about the classroom and/or the school and three things she thinks needs work.  Next, ask her how she would change these things.  For an older student, you can ask her to reflect on things that are going well and on things she would like to improve.  Because teachers may want to discuss sensitive issues, be sure to ask for permission to include your child. 

Just as there is no official handbook for raising a child, there are no official rules for engaging in parent-teacher conferences.  But if you take to heart the guidelines in this article, then you will walk into your next conference feeling better prepared, and you will walk out of this conference feeling more informed about your child’s educational experience. 

Author's Bio: James Guilford is an writer and educator.  He is the author of the young-adult novel, THE PENCIL TEST.  Visit him at http://www.JamesGuilford.com.