Exit Slips

Robert J. Marzano had a great article in the October 2012 edition of Educational Leadership on exit slips--an index card or slip of paper on which individual students respond to a prompt from the teacher.

Marzano suggested using for kinds of prompts for exit slips. 

#1 Prompts that provide formative assessment data
Example:  What are you most confused about regarding what we did in class today?

#2 Prompts that stimulate student self-analysis
Example:  How hard did you work today?  Explain why you think you worked at the level you did.
Example:  What could you have done today to help yourself learn better?

#3 Prompts that focus on instructional strategies
A teacher might select one instructional strategy each week on whih to receive student feedback.
Example:  How did the group work today help you understand the content?  What are some things you'd like to see during group work in the future?

#4 Prompts that are open communications to the teacher
Example:  What is something I should be doing to improve your understanding of the content?

Exit slips are easy to use and take little time away from instruction.  Many teachers use them routinely--even daily--and attest to their positive influence on student achievement. 

Effective Discipline

There is an article--"How Other Countries 'Do Discipline' " by Richard Arum and Karly Ford in the October 2012 edition of ASCD's Educational Leadership that is of particular importance to Esperanza because of the learners we are targeting. Some excerpts:

School Discipline, Achievement, and Poverty

Nations with higher than average school discipline problems--such as the United States, Israel, and Chile--consistently show lower test score performance. 

Although the socioeconomic background of a school's populations was indeed related to the level of challenging student behaviors within that school, we also found that the greater the differences among students' backgounds within a school, the higher the level of discipline problems.  ...when there's greater economic inequality and social distance in a school--or a nation--discipline problems occur more frequently.  [Highlight added]

Teacher Authority and Zero Tolerance

The degree of authority that a society grants its teachers is a key factor in how the country's schools maintain good learning climates.  Countries in which teacher authority is the strongest, like Japan and Korea, tend to rely on informal ways of imposing order, such as regulating students' dress. 

In U.S. schools, formal policing is common.  [Bold added]

Many U.S. schools have adopted zio tolerance policies--rigid guidelines requiring suspension or expulsion for a range of offenses.

Canada also widely adopted zero tolerance in the 1990s.  As research demonstrating the bias and ineffectiveness of such policies has surfaced, however, Canadian schools have slowly dismantled them. 

Cultural Norms and Laws

Although it's important not to overgeneralize, case studies revealed that the norms and values inherent in a society affect how its schools cope with discipline.  For example, Israelis idealize sabra culture which values defiant, independent, daring behaviors.  Such traits were considered necessary for survival in the early years of Israel's founding. ...the norms of Confucian culture in South Korea that emphasizes hierarchical relationships and values collective needs over individual ones may have an opposite effect. 

Some research has found fewer discipline problems in sex-segregated schools. 

U.S. students are afforded explicit legal rights to a signifcantly great extent than are students in any other country. ...Although students as individuals are protected in America, teacher authority and traditional forms of school discipline are contrained.

Social Controls versus Rules

Some countries keep student behavior within guidelines by enforcing social controls and show less need for explicit rules and punishments. 

Lessons for the United States

We would expect discipine problems in the United States to be relatively high because of the nation's level of economic inequality and diversity.  But rather than addressing underlying causes of discipline problems, recent reforms have done the opposite.  Education reforms have focused on organizational management, school personnel, and curriculum.  Relative little policy attention has focused on problems associated with school discipline, and what attention has gone to the issue has often been counterproductive. 

As our findings illustrate, reducing discipline problems in schools will not likely be accomplished by relying on greater formal sanctions and stricter enforcement. [Highlight added] For discipline to be effective, students and others need to perceive it not just as strict, but also as fair. 

The Resourceful School

There are some terrific articles in the Dec.2011/Jan. 2012 ASCD Educational Leadership publication.  The theme of this edition is "The Resourceful School."  The article "Turning Crisis into Opportunity" by Naomi Calvo and Karen Hawley Miles focuses on three main strategies in order to more for less:

#1:  Invest in teacher quality
#2:  Give students individual attention
#3:  Maximize the use of time

The article also mentions a number of ideas on where schools can find money. 

Because charter schools receive less money than mainstream public schools it is even more important for us at Esperanza to be wise about the use of money and resources.  Therefore, articles and publications such as this can be extremely helpful.

Grading

The November 2011 issue of Educational Leadership from ASCD arrived yesterday.  The theme of this issue is "Effective Grading Practices."  I read a few articles, and it is excellent. 

One article "Starting the Conversation About Grading" by Susan M. Brookhart that the first two questions we need to ask ourselves are:

1. What meaning (purpose) do we want our grades to convey? 
2. Who is (are) the primary audience(s) for this message?

This article and articles and others that I read fit beautifully with the Dr. William Glasser Quality School Model that we are implementing at Esperanza. 

Jane Bluestein: Another Great Resource

I get so excited when one thing leads to another and then I see how a variety of things complement each other.  Because of an article I read in Educational Leadership I bought and read the book The Win-Win Classroom by Jane Bluestein.  Bluestein's ideas resonated so much with me I bought another book of hers Creating Emotionally Safe Schools that I have been reading.  In this second book Bluestein mentions ideas from Dr. William Glasser (The Quality School) and Dr. William Purkey (Invitational Education).  All these ideas reinforce each other. Obviously Bluestein will be another author I'll encourage our Esperanza educators to meet. 

The Benefits of Coaching

I read the the October 2011 issue of Educational Leadership from ASCD a couple of days ago. The theme of this issue is "Coaching--The New Leadership Skill." In the opening Marge Scherer, the Editor in Chief, states, " The aim of coaching is to get educators to reflect and improve on their theory and practice...and to be open to change their minds." She then states that the authors of the articles in this edition show us that coaching can do the following:

• Boost teacher effectiveness
• Enhance student learning
• Deepen subject expertise
• Improve staff relationships

Because coaching can be so beneficial it is important for all of us at Esperanza (not just the principal) to learn how to be excellent and effective coaches.

Learning About Leadership From George Washington

I have been reading the book Washington a Life by Ron Chernow. I have not only gained a greater respect and admiration for George Washington but I have also been learning more about leadership. In my reading this morning the following are a few things I want to remember:

• Washington never insulated himself from contrary opinions. He felt this could enable him to correct his faults as well as weigh all sides of an issue before coming to a conclusion.
• Washington felt that well-bred people made the best officers. He also pleaded with these officers to lead by example and share their men's hardships.
• Washington felt that profane language would undermine discipline. (pgs. 292-3)

Win-Win

I've been reading the September 2011 edition of Educational Leadership. The theme for this edition is "Promoting Respectful Schools." One article I particularly enjoyed was "What's So Hard About Win-Win?" by Jane Bluestein. Not only does a win-win environment protects everyone's need for dignity, belonging, and respect but it also fosters academic success.

Although some feel that creating a win-win environment is permissiveness and dumbing down the curriculum, it is actually contrary to that. Teachers work hard to challenge all students appropriately. Failings are seen as opportunities to build responsibility and teach positive behaviors so that students can learn self-management and self-control.

It's important to remember that win-win thinking happens slowly and quietly. The following are some ways to start creating a win-win environment:

• Offer choices--when, where, social preference, and/or medium of presentation
• Focus on positive consequences-- as negative consequences, even if they are logical and reasonable, have punitive energy
• Communicate details as clearly and specifically as possible
• Respond to conflict nonreactively--don't take confrontations personally
• Build relationships with parents--contact them regularly about positive behavior or progress and when contacting them about something negative when possible only let them know what is going on and how it is being handled
• Follow-through

Creating a win-win environment complements the Glasser quality school we want as a foundation for Esperanza.