Happy Hour

I said last week that Board meetings in District 281 (Robbinsdale) have been boring lately.  I may have been premature, starting with something I never would have guessed is going on.  Let's go to the audio tape, where at about the 50 minute mark we hear Superintendent Aldo Sicoli say:

"I would like to see fewer Middle School students, if any, in Study Hall."

I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or  "The Numbers Guy" sitting next to me.  Study Hall in Middle School and/or Junior High?  Not when I went to school.  Even in high school, I bet not more than 1 in 3 students used it, since so many of us were in band, choir, or fun elective courses.

Help me out, commenters.  What was your experience?  And if you did have study hall in the middle grades, did you really study?  But back to business.

The context was the final presentation on closing the achievement gaps, today's presentation on the Middle Schools.  Elementary Schools were presented in Feburary, High Schools in March.  And while there was some hope and change in grades 10 and 11, overall the results appear as stubborn as ever.  It's as I expected, as I predicted when I saw the new strategy presented in late 2009.  This District like all others seems unwilling to do what's necessary.  Maybe it would be illegal.

Let's look at the progression in Math gaps for 2010.  After being created equal, the gap leaving Elementary school was 24 ppts (percentage points).  Middle school increased that to 32 ppts.  High school followed this trend to reach an almost unthinkable 38 ppts and that might well be understated because of drop outs.  Reading is better at a pretty steady 25 ppts across all grades, but still much too high.  Together with Math, that's two big strikes against good grades in any other subject.

Dr. Sicoli is right.  How can there be Study Hall in Middle School with scores like these?  I'd put it this way: keep your grades up if you want Study Hall, even in High School.  Still behind?  We'll add an extra hour to your day.  And if that doesn't work, you'll repeat the grade, with the opportunity to fast track back on schedule later.  What's the point of taking on new work you progressively understand less and less for lack of basic reading and mathematics skills?

But like I said, ending social promotion is probably illegal.

 

 

Comments

[J. Ewing]

I think you are misinterpreting the data and coming up with exactly the wrong solution. The fact that the achievement gap in mathematics increases the longer kids are in school – a result that exactly tracks with our overall performance against international competition – says that giving them still more time in school, by eliminating study halls or adding an hour to their day, would do more harm still. The problem seems to be that we are not teaching these kids well enough in the time we already have available with them and the obvious solution to kids not being taught well is to start teaching them well. Either the schools don't know how or don't care. I don't know and I don't care which is the case, but if I had control of the purse strings, somebody would be "on the bubble" of being fired.

[The Big Stink]

You can't fire them, J. What works in the real world has no footing in K-12 education.

[Speed Gibson]

At the meeting, they noted that the time spent on math drops from Elementary to Middle school. That doesn't explain the wide Elementary gaps but could be a factor for the later increases. Hence, take that study hall time and buckle down on math & reading.

[Give2Attain]

I have to agree with Speed on this one.

The unlucky kids come into Kindergarten behind in academic and behavioral skills. And with a lower level of support and/or discipline at home. And it logically only gets worse from there. Here are some of the root causes I see based on watching some neighbor girls.

- The number of in-school hours are about the same for all the kids. The Lucky kids get additional learning hours via their Parents after school. (ie that homework diligence that kids dread, that effort makes a huge difference) The same Parental behaviors that made the Pre-K difference just continue to magnify for both the Lucky and Unlucky kids. (ie spread widens)

- The Lucky kids are often more academically gifted and capable. It is not fair, but genetics plays a role.

- Reading and Math are definitely subjects where future gains are highly dependent on past proficieny. If you can not understand basic math, you will be ever so screwed in advanced math. Similar for reading.

- Parents of Unlucky kids see failing grades, extra homework and Summer school as bad or proof that their kid truly is stupid. (confirms their beliefs, demotivates) Parents of Lucky kids see these as an opportunity to dig in and help their kids overcome the difficulty. (conflicts with their beliefs, motivates)

With these and Speed's note that holding kid's back until they are truly proficient in a subject is socially and financially unacceptable. It is no wonder the gap persists.

To be cont'd

[Give2Attain]

Cont'd

I once had a school Administrator tell me that they wished the school year was longer. They felt this would help close the gap, but were frustrated that constrained budgets and union inflexibility made this impossible.

I then raised the point that this would actually increase the gap, which surprised the Administrator. Then I explained that only the Unlucky kids need much longer school years, and that the Lucky kids really do not need any more time in school. It seemed that a light kicked on for them at this Brilliant Glimpse of the Obvious. (BGO)

What do you think Parents, Teachers, Citizens, Lawyers, ACLU, Politicians, etc would say if we went to mandatory 12 month school years for every child that was not meeting the proficiency requirements. Seems like common sense to me. (who has the money to fund this?)

Ironically, from what I have seen it is the Unlucky kids (ie losers...)that sign up for study hall... This is unfortunate since they need the most class time.

Also, the Schools seem to use the Study Halls as part of the Teacher prep time... Therefore if there are fewer study halls, they need to hire a few more Teachers to cover the additional class hours... So they seem to actually try to encourage/force kids to take study hall if they are not in band, choir or orchestra... Supt Sicoli's statement seems at odds with the District practice.

[Give2Attain]

Apparently I learned that Typepad has a comment character number limit...

[Bill C]

My jr. high/middle school had mandatory study hall every day for every kid. The entire lunch room was full from 3:45 to 4:30. Most kids didn't use it as a "study" hall as much as a "get some of the homework done so you could spend less time on it at home" hall. We had lots of homework every night guaranteed in English, math, social studies, and science for sure. I went to a private school. I graduated in 1988 and only over my dead body will my children EVER set foot into a public school for educational purposes.

[The Big Stink]

Bill: You obviously need re-education. Your bias is evidently colored by the fact that achievment comes so easily for you and your family. How privileged you must be. However, you must consider that achievement, in the world of public education, is relative. One kids success may be another kids failure. Teachers and schools shackle kids with letter grades, but it says so little about their "Chi", their life aura, and about their self-esteem quotient (SEQ).

We desperately need you to enroll in our re-education courses. Your thinking is dangerous and the (AP), the appropriateness police would like to adjust your attitude.

[Give2Attain]

I was busy wondering what scares Bill so much about public schools... Something rational or some irrational fundamentalist pre-judice... It would be interesting to hear what drives this strong of a statement... (ie sounds a bit extremist)

"only over my dead body will my children EVER set foot into a public school for educational purposes."

[KathyC]

I recommend "Bad Students, Not Bad Schools" by Robert Weissberg. Some courageous and uncomfortable thoughts and facts about "education reform" (including Give2Attain's spot-on BGO above).

[Speed Gibson]

I find it odd that Sicoli expressed his desire to end Middle School study halls as a wish. He can end them now on his own authority, though as G2A notes, might be some personnel / budget issues. But if that's true, then I think I can charge the District as not giving us our money's worth. Again, who knew there were study halls in MIDDLE SCHOOL??!!! WTF?!!!

[Speed Gibson]

Thanks for the "Bad Students, Not Bad Schools" tip, KathyC. Weissberg appears to have a more direct solution to ending social promotion.

[anonymous]

I'm not sure I get the pearl clutching over middle school study halls. I'm sure there are plenty of kids who can use some extra supervised time to complete what can be a huge homework burden. These days, 7th graders are taking a similar courseload to what you and I took as a freshman, and I had plenty of algebra problems to keep me busy--and that was with parents who made me sit at the kitchen table until I was finished.

You can only cut so many teachers from the rolls before there are more kids than places to put them. The grumping about giving teachers a prep period is most often made by someone who hasn't spent time in a classroom in several decades. Teachers need time to eat, pee, make copies, etc. In my job, I can take an hour lunch (more when necessary), use the restroom anytime I like (including excusing myself from meetings, when necessary), and take a quick walk around the building to clear my head, when necessary. Teachers can't do any of those things.

As for Give's year-round school idea, I'm all for it. For all the kids. Longer school days, too. Perhaps then we'd have time for some of the vital but neglected areas that have been lost--art, PE, recess, critical thinking, personal finance. And maybe study hall.

--Annie

[Give2Attain]

I think for those study halls to be really useful, we would need a Teacher who is focused on the kids and not class prep. They would also need to be pretty competent in several core classes. (ie reading, writing, math and science) That way they would have time to answer questions and make sure students were actually studying.

Unfortunately I think they are actually social hours for many of the less academically focused kids... (remember "The Breakfast Club"...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8qb9TRqZsM

And to answer Speed's question. No, I do not remember having study halls in Middle School. Though being the NERD I am, I was probably studying in study hall.

One last note: I need meeting prep time at work or my meetings would be pretty ineffective. (ie I lead most of them) In my case it is scheduling, agendas, materials, presentations, and othe pre-work before, and minutes, action items, nagging, etc after. Therefore I agree with Annie that prep time is a necassary part of the job. I am just sure the Teacher or Students get much out of their time together in study hall... Except maybe some mutual frustration.

[J. Ewing]

I'm not sure I care one way or the other about study halls. I think I remember having them in middle school, but maybe I was just studying in class; I did that a lot. I'm not worried about prep time, either, since the union contract specifies at least an hour each day for that purpose. I am far more concerned about what is going on in the classrooms that some or all of the children, depending on the teacher and the school, do not succeed in mastering the fundamentals of reading and math, enabling them to at least keep up- to the same basic grade level-- with their "luckier" peers. We need to go back to the notion of "no child left behind" first, rather than giving schools a pass on way too many of them by saying "oh, that kid is 'unlucky' and cannot learn." If public schools cannot and will not educate, we should send our kids to schools that will. It's a civil rights issue.