However, the report, called The Missing Piece, comes up short in its prescriptions for change in a way that is broadly indicative of the shortcomings of our national conversation about mental health treatment in schools.
As a teacher, I was always impressed by the flood of resources devoted to meeting the non-academic needs of our students: Free and reduced-price meals aimed to make certain that no student had to try to learn while hungry. Dentists and eye doctors even hauled their equipment into our multi-purpose room to do on-site checkups for students. Still, too often, support for student mental health in K-12 schools remains overlooked, even though a new report finds that the vast majority of teachers see “social and emotional learning” (SEL) as “‘very’ or ‘fairly’ important for the in-school student experience.” Even more, these teachers say these skills are teachable and benefit students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
However, the report, called The Missing Piece, comes up short in its prescriptions for change in a way that is broadly indicative of the shortcomings of our national conversation about mental health treatment in schools.
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These days, it is far too infrequent that we hear uplifting and motivating stories in the news. Education news, especially the topic of standardized assessments, has become increasingly political and less focused on the great things our teachers and students are accomplishing. So imagine my happy reaction when I saw this video on the Washington Post website, featuring a seventh-grade class rapping about their confidence and readiness for the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System (DC-CAS) to the tune of Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop.” Excited to see someone pushing past the politics and motivating students to celebrate their knowledge and achievement, I knew I had some questions for the teacher behind this creation, Greg Dohmann.
This question was the basis for a recent panel discussion, co-hosted by YEP-DC and the Harvard Black Alumni Society, where panelists, lawyers, and college admissions reps debated the merits of the Fisher vs. University of Texas case. The U.S. Supreme Court case centers on affirmative action, or the use of race and other factors in admissions decisions to ensure fair enrollment of underrepresented groups.
The panel debate heated up when Trevor Burrus, research fellow at the Cato Institute, said institutions that employ affirmative action plans generally accept candidates who may not be prepared for college. Many in the audience, which included several Harvard alumni, grumbled, and the other panel members disagreed. “No institution wants to admit students who cannot keep up in their classes,” said Greg Grauman, director of admissions at American University. He said the admissions process is mostly about test scores and grades, but merit and a holistic review process—including race, socioeconomic status, and extracurricular activities—are important too. Shirley Wilcher, executive director of the American Association for Affirmative Action, also added that the most selective schools report the lowest minority dropout rates. Computer programming has long been regarded as the niche domain of geeky men with poor social skills. But it’s past time for challenging this stereotype. By 2020, the U.S. workforce will need 1.4 million computer specialists, but universities are on track to graduate about 400,000 computer science majors by then. That’s a deficit of 1 million computer programmers. If developing technological expertise is a national priority, schools need to teach children – of both genders and all backgrounds – to code.
Computer programming evangelists are already providing opportunities for children to learn their trade. Girls Who Code and Black Girls Code provide specialist computer training to girls in after-school programs and workshops. Keen parents can download apps like RoboLogic and LightBot for children as young as four. But relying on nonprofits to do this is a short-term solution, benefitting only a small population. Since high-level computing skills are now required in most workplaces, it’s time to look at curriculum reform. (As a former teacher, this phrase makes me want to run for the hills, but apparently they even have iPads there.) A childhood tradition of mine that was as consistent as opening presents on Christmas morning or searching for my basket on Easter Sunday (which, more times than not, was in the drying machine hidden behind a fresh set of clean clothes) was sorting through the big garbage bag my mother would bring home at the end of Teacher Appreciation Week each year. You guessed it: My mother is a teacher, and every year she’d give me the honor of opening the apple-shaped pencil sharpeners, chocolates, and “I love my teacher” magnets as she sat and wrote down which student got her each gift so that she could properly address her thank-you notes. I remember thinking that my mom must feel so happy to receive all of these gifts, but the expression on her face as she scribbled down students’ names never matched my assumption.
Years later, I became a teacher and although I never received enough presents to fill a garbage bag, I certainly experienced a lot of pomp and circumstance during this week. And I have to say: Teacher Appreciation Week makes me uncomfortable. It made me uncomfortable when I was teaching, and it makes me uncomfortable now as I think about policies and systems that can help to professionalize teaching. The game is on the line; that’s for sure. So why are some of our best players in the education reform movement still sitting on the bench?
Experienced classroom teachers lend a thoughtful, much-needed practitioner’s perspective to the ongoing education debate, but too often In the policy world, teachers resemble the kid in the back of the class waving his hand in the air wildly. They’re left out of conversations that desperately need their input, and instead, other professionals without classroom experience lead the way. Case in point: I looked into the teaching background of 58 national staffers at five large education nonprofits in America: |
aboutYEP-DC is a nonpartisan group of education professionals who work in research, policy, and practice – and even outside of education. The views expressed here are only those of the attributed author, not YEP-DC. This blog aims to provide a forum for our group’s varied opinions. It also serves as an opportunity for many more professionals in DC and beyond to participate in the ongoing education conversation. We hope you chime in, but we ask that you do so in a considerate, respectful manner. We reserve the right to modify or delete any content or comments. For any more information or for an opportunity to blog, contact us via one of the methods below. BloggersMONICA GRAY is co-founder & president of DreamWakers, an edtech nonprofit. She writes on education innovation and poverty. Archives
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