As teachers return to schools this year in California, there is a lot to be thankful and hopeful for. Below is an update on recent reform initiatives to help you understand and gain perspective on this very remarkable moment in history. The current reform initiatives are designed to “disrupt” the system of education in ways that will cause positive outcomes for students.
Unlike previous reforms, this movement supports teachers and invites their participation and leadership. YOUR participation is required to help implement changes in ways that matter. I agree with State Superintendent Tom Torlakson’s frequent admonition: “Together Everyone Accomplishes More (TEAM).” I think the reforms will help us work better together now than we have in the past.
Classroom teachers are entering into a time when they will be able to better motivate, engage and inspire students while delivering content in meaningful and engaging ways. Too many students leave school with a diploma in their hands, but without the knowledge they need to start college or pursue a meaningful career. Educational leaders are putting into place reforms that will honor the classroom teacher and provide the resources to make a real, organized, and dynamic impact on student learning.
The Teachers Rebelled
Looking back to August of 2011, teachers met in Washington D.C. to rebel against No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and high-stakes standardized tests. Fired up by Oakland Unified School District science teacher Anthony Cody, the four days of events ended with a conference to determine the next steps in organizing and thousands of teachers participated in the Save Our Schools March in Washington.
“We protest the idea that principals and teachers will work harder if they’re offered bonuses and if they live in fear of being fired,” author and education historian Diane Ravitch told those assembled at the Ellipse preceding their march to the White House. “Carrots and sticks are for donkeys, not professionals.”
California’s Dream Team
“Governance” over California’s vast public school system — with its 10,296 schools, 1,043 school districts, 300,000 teachers, and 6.2 million students is “shared” between the state, county and local levels of government.
Tom Torlakson was elected State Superintendent of Public Schools to run the California Department of Education and supervise the K-12 education system. In August 2011, Governor Jerry Brown nominated Professor Linda Darling-Hammond as one of a half-dozen of his Commission appointees. That Darling-Hammond, an expert on teacher development whose services are in constant demand nationwide, agreed to the potentially time-consuming, non-salaried position signaled that Governor Brown wanted new directions and big policy changes to the autonomous state board. Brown appointed a new State Board of Education, led by Michael Kirst, President of the State Board of Education. The new State board also includes California Teachers Association union lobbyist Patricia Ann Rucker, Carl Anthony Cohn of Palm Springs, Aida Molina of Bakersfield, James Ramos of San Bernardino and Trish Boyd Williams of San Jose. All of these officials agree we need to see positive changes in our state’s education system.
In the State Legislature, Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez have provided exceptional leadership in a branch of government that now has a “Super Majority” of Democrats. Working together this year, the State Legislature and the Governor passed an education reform budget. The 2013-14 budget has given birth to a new local control funding formula to enable more local discretion on use of funds that were previously dedicated to particular “categorical” programs, and allocates funding to serve schools most in need. The State budget allocates $1.25 billion for implementation of the Common Core State Standards and $250 million for competitive grants for K-14 career pathway programs.
Local Control and Discretion
Outside Sacramento, the County Offices of Education, local school boards, district superintendents and principals work together to implement a reform agenda that intends to keep students in school and prepare them for success in college and careers.
While the State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010, that action was the easy part. Implementing the standards will require teachers to bring these standards and related standards to life in schools, work that will require significant effort from every part of our education system – and key decisions from everyone from the statehouse to the schoolhouse. No one is more crucial to this work than teachers, who will need time and training to replace the old emphasis on rote memorization with new lessons that include student ability to analyze, evaluate, derive and model concepts.
Academic and CTE Teachers Working Together
The focus on “college and career ready” students calls for greater attention to finding a balance in the classroom blending the Common Core State Standards and standards that promote greater understanding through project based learning. For example, the Academic Alignment Matrix in the recently updated Information and Communication Technologies model standards (see page 21) aligns ICT and Common Core State Standards.
There are many effective ways to work together. Teachers can “team teach” or work in an academy program as a team or simply meet together at the school and collaborate on lesson plans. The goal is to make learning more engaging for students by reinforcing academic knowledge and concepts with practical applications that align with “real” world occupations. For example, English Language Arts standards can be reinforced through a website project that seeks to solve a social problem. This same project could evolve into global learning by linking students from California with students from another country to co-develop a website.
Many companies today are international and working with a global perspective is a useful skill for students to develop. To reinforce the importance of working together internationally, ICT students at Ohlone College in Fremont work with students in China through a CISCO academy program in which students can see each other through a video connection and communicate with each other in text using the QQ application. The QQ application translates English into Chinese and Chinese into English so that students can have a “conversation” without knowing or being fluent in both languages.
Doing What MATTERS
Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor of workforce and economic development of California’s system of 112 community colleges, is working to transform the country’s largest higher education system through Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and Economy. On May 6th, 2013 the White House honored Van and fourteen other women as “Champions of Change.” Doing What MATTERS for jobs and the economy is a four-pronged framework strategy to respond to the call of our nation, state, and regions to close the skills gap. The four prongs are:
- Give Priority for jobs and the economy
- Make Room for jobs and the economy
- Promote Student Success
- Innovate for jobs and the economy
Because of the great demand for graduates who can serve the high-tech sector of the economy, nearly all of the Community College Regions have selected the ICT/Digital Media Sector as a priority or emerging priority. Under the Doing What Matters strategy, Steven Wright from the Rancho Santiago Community College District will provide statewide leadership as the “ICT/Digital Media Sector Navigator.” In this role, Steve will be working with Community College Regions to achieve measureable outcomes.
The work of the Regional Deputy ICT/Digital Media Navigators will include Middle school workshops and bridge programs focused on career and skills awareness and student orientation and assessments. At the High school level, the work of the Regional Deputy ICT/Digital Media Navigators will include a focus on Career Technical Education articulated pathways and bridge programs to help students successfully transition to a community college. You can find the ICT Sector Navigator for your area by looking: HERE.
National Interest and Advocacy for Computer Science Grows
There is growing interest and advocacy from the Computer Science Teachers Association and Code.Org to strengthen K-12 computer science education. In June, 2013, the Computer Science Education Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives. This legislation is supported by the Computing in the Core advocacy coalition and several California Representatives. In July, 2013, the US House of Representatives passed HR 5, the Student Success Act, by a vote of 221-207. The bill would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) act.
In California, the Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools (ACCESS) is a statewide network of computer scientists and education policy experts from K-12, college, non- profits and advocacy organizations to provide all California K-12 students access to high-quality computer science education. ACCESS is committed to assuring that quality computer science education is available to all California K-12 students, specifically assuring equitable access and engagement for traditionally under-represented students – girls and students of color – in the field of computer science.
Here is the video of the plenary session recently held in Las Vegas at the AP CS Principles pilot workshop, during the College Board annual conference. The video emphasizes the need to teach computer science to everyone in America because it is driving innovation and growth.
Let’s Get Busy!
It is clear the tasks are many and the challenges are real. Meeting them will take persistence, patience and support from teachers, parents and the public. But moving forward is California’s best hope for making sure all children – no matter where they come from or where they live – receive the world-class education they deserve.