Teach for America Diaries

Teach for America Diaries

Whats it like to be a novice teacher in one of Americas neediest schools? Find out firsthand by reading the diaries of three Teach For America teachers starting their careers this year in Philadelphia, Houston, and the Mississippi Delta. Teach For America recruits recent college graduates of all academic majors to make a two-year commitment to teach in urban and rural public schools.
This year, Education World's teacher diarists are

• Will Hobart, a special education inclusion teacher at Mayer Sulzberger Middle School in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
• Shani Jackson, a math teacher at Fonville Middle School in Houston, Texas; and
• Babak Mostaghimi a fifth grade science and social studies teacher at Shelby Middle School in Shelby, Mississippi.

Click the links below to learn more about our diarists and to access their diaries.
 

Native American Schools Ponder, Assail Dropout Rates

With the high school dropout rate for Native Americans among the highest in the country, reservation and public school officials are searching for new ways to keep teens in school. This article is a part of a continuing Education World series, Lessons from Our Nation's Schools. Included: Programs designed to reduce the high school dropout rate among Native Americans.
For many administrators of Native American grammar schools, the biggest challenge is preparing students to leave them.
Native Americans long have had one of the highest high school dropout rates of any ethnic group in the nation. Reducing that figure is a priority for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Indian Education Programs and individual BIA schools such as those in Maine: Beatrice Rafferty School, on the Passamaquoddy reservation in Perry, and Indian Island School, on the Penobscot reservation. Although those schools serve students only through grade eight, dropout prevention has become part of their mission.
"My biggest problem is getting them from eighth grade into a [secondary] school," said Linda McLeod, the Indian Island principal.

DROPOUT RATE REMAINS A PUZZLE
The challenge of curbing the Native American dropout rate is nationwide, although progress has been made. According to figures from the BIA Office of Indian Education Programs, the national dropout rate for Native American youngsters decreased from 17 percent in 1992-1993 to 10 percent in 1999-2000. Those figures, though, include only students who attend BIA secondary schools, not public schools, according to Gaye Liea King, special assistant to the director of the Office of Indian Education Programs. Among the reasons for the decrease in the dropout rate are more improved record-keeping, prompted by the BIA's stress on greater accountability, King told Education World.
Few of the K-8 BIA schools are able to keep track of students once they leave to determine if they graduate from high school, added King. Both Maine schools, though, follow their alumni, and their high school dropout rates are higher than the national average. Indian Island's alumni dropout rate has averaged about 25 percent over the past few years, while Beatrice Rafferty's alumni dropout rate is about 60 percent.
BIA PUSHES FOR CHANGE
All BIA schools receive money for dropout prevention programs, according to Lana Shaughnessy, a spokeswoman for the BIA education department. "One of the goals of this office is a 90 percent daily attendance rate or better," Shaughnessy told Education World. The BIA also conducted a survey of middle school students in 1997 to determine which at-risk behaviors among students could contribute to them dropping out of school. Results of a second survey, done this year, still were being compiled.
The 1997 study, which surveyed 6,990 sixth- through eighth-graders out of a total BIA middle school population of 8,932, showed that by age 11, 36 percent of students had smoked a cigarette, 26 percent had their first alcoholic drink, 18 percent had smoked marijuana, and 5 percent had had sexual intercourse.
National studies also have cited the clash of Native American and Anglo cultures as a factor affecting native students' adjustment to public high schools. Some students from Beatrice Rafferty School told Education World that students at public schools made fun of them when they demonstrated native dances at the public school.
In addition, reservation schools often are small, and native students can feel intimidated when they move on to large public high schools. Native youngsters also learn better through a hands-on approach to learning rather than by direct instruction, according to some research.
McLeod, Indian Island's principal, said that although she thinks there may be some cultural clashes and bias at the area high schools, the main problem is that her school's graduates feel overwhelmed when they leave the 114-student Indian Island School for a larger high school. Students receive a lot of individual attention at Indian Island, where many of the classes have fewer than 10 students.
In 2000-2001, Indian Island School had eight eighth-graders; half planned to attend Orono High School, in Orono, which has an enrollment of 300 to 400 students, and half planned to go to Old Town High School, in Old Town, which has about 800 students.
"They go to Old Town, and they are lost," McLeod said. "They [the Indian Island graduates] know four kids in this pool of 200 kids, going in different directions, and they get lost very easily. And unless they are really self-assured and feel good about themselves, it's very easy for them to give up."
Students generally do well in their freshman year, but the largest number drop out in their sophomore and junior years, McLeod said. If they fall behind in their work as sophomores, they find it difficult to catch up, especially because they are accustomed to one-on-one attention, she said. Often those students miss too many classes to get course credit and drop out.

Treasuring Kids and Their Educations on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

As the smallest K-12 public school in North Carolina, Ocracoke School strives to provide diverse learning opportunities in a place that can be reached only by ferry or plane. The small number of students and their isolation on their island home on the Outer Banks foster a close relationship between the school and community. Included: Principal George Ortman talks about how Ocracoke School achieves its success.

A student-created mural in the school's commons area reflects the island's swashbuckling past. (Education World photo)

Far from the mainland and "mainstream" ideas, the landscape on Oracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks is picturesque, and the residents practical. With access only by ferry or plane, the 14-mile-long Ocracoke Island is remote by almost any standard, and yet those who are tasked with educating its youth say its one school and fewer than 100 students lack for nothing. "The geography of the area first drew me to Ocracoke," George Ortman, principal of the K-12 Ocracoke School, told Education World. "I decided to start a new chapter in my life in North Carolina near the coast. As an avid fisherman, the draw was a natural one. Having lived on a peninsula for almost 30 years, an island had its appeal -- sound on one side, and ocean on the other."
The island's beauty only was outdone by the friendliness of the residents. "They impressed me as honest and hardworking people," Ortman recalled. "They have an intense interest in the education and welfare of their children and demonstrate this through their involvement in all facets of their children's education."
IT TAKES A VILLAGE...

A Powerful Partnership In such a challenging setting, what makes Ocracoke School work? George Ortman believes its island location has produced a strong and effective partnership between the school and community. "The reason we have been so successful with our students is because of the cooperation between and among our teachers and our parents and community," said Ortman. "All are connected, one to the other. Students help students, parents know each other's children, and do not hesitate to correct any inappropriate behavior of their own as well as their neighbors' children. The children know that if they are rewarded for their accomplishments at school, they receive additional praise at home. On the other hand, if our children misbehave at school and receive a consequence here at school, they receive a consequence at home that is usually more severe. Parents work hand-in-hand with the school."

As the smallest school in the state with only 93 students, no one slips between the cracks at Ocracoke. Teachers become very involved with each student and his or her needs. "You get to know the children, where they live, their parents, their grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins and even their dogs and cats," Ortman said. "It doesn't get much more personal than that."
The attention is paying off. All of Orackoke's students in grades 3-12 passed the state tests in 2003-2004, with only three of the students requiring a second try. The teachers are attuned to the students' educational needs, and the parents are very much involved in their children's education. The majority of the students strive to perform at the high benchmark established by both teachers and parents. As in other areas, some graduates choose to remain in the area or return after further education, while others move on.

Saving a Community's Heart: The Small Rural School

At the center of many small, rural communities is the school -- and as states look for ways to save money, more small districts are being consolidated. The Rural School and Community Trust, though, argues that rural students benefit from small, local schools. Included: Resources for rural school districts opposing consolidation.
Among the latest challenges to small, rural schools in the U.S. are attempts to consolidate them into large, regional districts. Some states feel that having fewer, larger districts will be more efficient and save money. But the Rural School and Community Trust, under its president, Rachel Tompkins, is helping communities hang on to their schools. The Rural Trust, a non-profit organization that supports rural schools and communities, provides communities with research showing that especially in low-income areas, small community schools can be critical to student success. The Rural Trust arms readers with the Consolidation Fight-Back Toolkit, a list of studies to convince states of rural schools' importance.
Tompkins has been with the Rural Trust since its founding in 1995. She spoke with Education World about the Rural Trust's commitment to preserving small rural schools.
Education World: What sparked the Rural School and Community Trust's interest in the school district consolidation issue?
Rachel Tompkins: Rural people in many states told us their concerns [after school districts were consolidated] about long bus rides for their children -- now sometimes as long as two hours each way -- and the loss of an essential community institution, the local school. A mounting body of research confirms the connection between small schools and student learning, particularly for children from poor communities.
EW: Why are more states looking at the issue of district consolidation?
Tompkins: Policy makers have the mistaken view that consolidation is the only way to save money and improve curriculum. This is not so and there's substantial research and practice to demonstrate that.
EW: Why are small schools so important in rural communities?
Tompkins: Schools often are the largest employer in rural communities and the major customers for local businesses. They are essential to a sustainable local economy. School facilities often are the location in town for music, sports, and all sorts of public events. Also, school principals, superintendents, and teachers are community leaders in many organizations, churches, town and county government. When schools close in rural communities, the economy and community infrastructure often suffer fatal blows.
EW: What kind of support is needed from state and federal governments for small rural schools to remain viable?
Tompkins: State and federal policies should provide resources at levels that enable hard-to-staff schools to recruit teachers. That means not basing pay on the cost of living, but on the cost of recruiting and retaining teachers. Federal policy also should continue and expand the e-rate program to enable schools to make maximum use of distance learning. In addition, state policies should encourage appropriate use of distance learning, should allow for flexibility in the ways schools structure curriculum offerings, and should encourage district collaboration in the use of teachers.
States

Calendar Exposes School Financing Problems

When bake sales and walk-a-thons aren't enough to save critical school programs, what's a community to do? Members of the Long Tom Grange in Junction City, Oregon, found a solution: they "took it all off" and (discreetly) posed for a calendar that drew media attention -- and orders -- from around the world. Thrilled with the project's success, the grange men hope the calendar also will expose the naked truth about school financing. Included: A description of the calendar fundraising project.

Bake sales long have been a mainstay of school fundraising efforts, but one Oregon community decided to market a different sort of "bun." Tired of watching budget cuts result in increased class size and shrinking programs in Junction City School District 69, 12 members of the local Long Tom Grange decided to bare it all for their schools.
The product of their civic mindedness is the Men of the Long Tom Grange Calendar. Advertised as a "shameless fundraising project for the public schools of Junction City, Oregon," the calendar features the grangers, all married and ages 45 to 70, posed mostly-- but discreetly -- naked.
Suddenly, Junction City is home to a year's worth of celebrities -- but the calendar men aren't complaining.

"We're up in that age category where we're not that concerned about appearances," explained Larry Engels, a contractor also known as Mr. April. "We're not going to win blue ribbons in any category. Plus, we're all hams. At least, I am. We'll soak up any fame that comes our way."
Fame is indeed raining down on the calendar crew. Coverage from national media including CNN and The Today Show spurred so much Internet traffic that the calendar Web site almost imploded. The group also negotiated with other talk show hosts, including Jay Leno, Sharon Osbourne, and Wayne Brady about possible appearances. And did someone say "movie?" It's not out of the question.
Not only that, but at $17 each, calendar sales are booming; and it looks like the photos of the grangers will be decorating homes in all 50 states and a few foreign countries.
Public response "is beyond our wildest expectations," said Robin Pfeiffer (Mr. March), a retired teacher and a vineyard owner. "We thought we might get more flak, but because it is for education, we haven't. The reception and support throughout the community and nation has been unanimous. We are flabbergasted and overwhelmed."
While enjoying the "exposure," the calendar men also know they are raising awareness of a serious issue. "About 50 percent of this is to highlight the plight of education," Pfeiffer said. "We're not trying to just raise money, but also to call attention to the situation so that they [state, federal governments] do something to fund education. People just can't go around dropping their drawers for the schools. We need help from the legislature and the voters."
DROPPING DRAWERS FOR A SERIOUS CAUSE
The idea for a calendar was proposed while grange members were brainstorming a fundraising project to help the local schools. Such programs as art and music were eliminated or sharply reduced because of budget cuts, and 20 of the districts 111 teachers were laid off before school started, according to Jim Bradshaw (aka Mr. August), a country club manager and member of the Junction City board of education.
"The fact is, the s

Reporters' Notebook: Native Americans Struggle, Build Pride

For the second installment in the Education World series Lessons from Our Nation's Schools, editors Diane Weaver Dunne and Ellen R. Delisio traveled to rural Maine to visit two Native American reservation schools. They learned about Native American culture, learning styles, and the people who teach and learn at these schools. Included: Descriptions of how the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government evolved from enmity to separation.

Last spring, Education World editors Diane Weaver Dunne and Ellen R. Delisio visited two Native American reservation schools in northern Maine: Indian Island School on the Penobscot reservation north of Bangor and Beatrice Rafferty School on the Passamaquoddy reservation in Perry. Learn more about their visit in our five-part series. The five articles are detailed below. Click on any headline for a complete report.
Teachers on Mission to Save Heritage

Native American students have responded eagerly to the introduction of native studies to the curriculums at Indian Island and Beatrice Rafferty schools. Tribal leaders are hopeful that the resurgence of native studies will help this generation recapture its now struggling culture.
Reservation Schools Preserve Cultures, Boost Academics
Infused with state and federal money but facing more requirements and students with challenges, staff at two Native American schools talked with Education World about meeting their two missions: passing on Native American culture and boosting academics.
Native American Schools Ponder, Assail Dropout Rates
With the high school dropout rate for Native Americans among the highest in the country, reservation and school officials are searching for new ways to keep teens in school. News editor Ellen Delisio explores programs designed to reduce the dropout rate of Native Americans.
Principal Primes Kids to Succeed
A Texas transplant, principal Donald W. Salm told Education World he is impressed with the caring staff and community members of Beatrice Rafferty School. Salm talks with Education World editor Ellen R. Delisio about life on the reservation and his goals for the school's students.
Indian Island Principal Reflects On Native Schools' Goals, Challenges
Education World news editor Diane Weaver Dunne talks with Linda McLeod, principal of Indian Island School. McLeod reflects on the challenges reservation educators must overcome, and how those challenges are often similar to those at other rural public schools.

Rural Children, Real Challenges

"You can't build a house without a hammer and saw, and you can't expect an adult to build a successful life if the tools of learning and health weren't instilled in childhood," says Joan Benso of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. Her organization's recent report about the state's nearly 500,000 rural children suggests that many are dealing with challenges as difficult as those of kids in urban areas. Included: Highlights from a report that surprised even its creators!

"The conventional view of a child in poverty is a child of color, sitting on the stoop of a rundown row house. With the facts presented in this report, the picture now includes a child in a rural setting, facing the same obstacles to learning, health, and general well-being that the urban child in poverty faces." -- Joan Benso Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children

Lawmakers and citizens often think that urban children need the most attention when it comes to issues of health and education. But in Pennsylvania, officials of the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) hope to change that perception. They recently released a report, Miles to Go: The Well-Being of Pennsylvania's Rural Children, which found that life for rural children can be every bit as challenging as for urban children. "We began this effort with a goal of myth-busting -- showing Pennsylvania lawmakers and citizens that there are children in need where people would least expect," said Joan Benso of PPC.

Although the report was designed to surprise lawmakers and the public, it also startled its creators. "Frankly, we encountered a few surprises ourselves," Benso told Education World. "The biggest surprise was the finding that the rate of rural childhood poverty actually exceeds [that of] urban childhood poverty -- that was a shocker."

Miles to Go: The Findings The following are among the findings published in Miles to Go: * More rural children (18 percent) than urban children (15.5 percent) live in poverty. * A single parent heads 24 percent of all rural families. * One in 12 rural children is born to a mother under 20. * One rural child in six is born to a mother who has less than a high school education. * Though fewer rural high school students drop out of school than the state average, only 18 percent of these dropouts plan to get a GED. * One rural infant in five is born to a mother who used tobacco during pregnancy. * There is one primary care doctor for every 358 rural children. * There is one pediatrician for every 3,636 rural children. * There is one dentist for every 584 rural children.

OVERCOMING INERTIA

Dr. P. Duff Rearick, superintendent of the http://www.greencastle.k12.pa.us/ ">Greencastle-Antrim School District in south-central Pennsylvania, would not be shocked by this finding from PPC. His district would benefit fiscally if its citizens could be persuaded to sign up for public assistance. They often refuse to declare their poverty status, and Rearick believes the main causes are pride and a distrust of government that is prevalent in the rural district.
"In this rural community, people value education -- to a point," explained Rearick. "They value a high school diploma but not education after high school. Only 11 percent of our residents have college degrees, and in 1995 we sent only 39 percent of our kids on to education after high school. With a lot of work we have raised that number to 67 percent in six years.
"A major hurdle for a rural district is overcoming the inertia present in a community," Rearick continued. "'Life here is good, I do not mind being poor, indeed I like the values, and my kids are going to do the same thing -- this is a frequent direct and subtle message sent to children."
A unique benefit of the school's rural location, Rearick reports, is that the active church life of the residents promotes strong families. When a student faces a problem or a parent conference is held, both parents typically attend. "We are the life for our kids and community," explained Rearick. "The social fabric for kids and parents circles around the school and church. Rural schools are a throwback in this respect. On Friday night, we are literally the only game in town. There is a strong sense of community."

Teachers on Mission to Save Heritage

On John Bear Mitchell's first day of junior high school -- off the Penobscot reservation where he lived and had attended grammar school -- a teacher scolded him for speaking in his native language. The boy nearly was expelled.

At the two Native American schools Education World visited in northern Maine, cultural heritage used to be maintained by a diminishing number of tribal members fluent in their native languages and knowledgeable about their traditions. But the introduction of Native American studies to the schools' curricula has yielded an enthusiastic response from students. Tribal leaders hope that the resurgence of native studies in many reservation schools over the past 18 years will help the next generation recapture its now struggling culture. Included: Descriptions of Native American studies programs.

Education World Visits Two Native American Schools Donald Salm is principal at Beatrice Rafferty School. To get a flavor for life at Beatrice Rafferty, read our Notes from the Classroom. More Lessons from Our Nation's Schools This article is part of the second installment in an ongoing Education World series, Lessons from Our Nation's Schools. In this series, Education World plans to visit and talk with educators, students, and parents in different parts of the country. Read about our visit to two Native American reservation schools in Maine in these stories Ed World Visits NYC Have you seen the first installment in our Lessons from Our Nation's Schools series? Read about Education World's visit to three New York City schools in Common Elements of Effective Schools.

That incident set the tone for a trying school year. Mitchell repeated seventh grade after failing every course, including physical education. "What bothered me was the racism," said Mitchell, 33, now the native studies teacher at Indian Island School, a Penobscot reservation school outside Old Town, Maine. "Almost every day when I was a student in Old Town [High School], I was called a spear-chucker and wagon burner. It affected me.
"I took a proactive position, though," he continued. "Instead of putting my head down and believing what I was hearing, I lifted my head up and I got my education in education so I could help our kids understand a little bit of who they are. Then they can talk about who they are when they are put in these positions and these situations." Mitchell, who has a master's degree, plans to earn a doctorate in curriculum development.
Mitchell and other native studies teachers at two Maine reservation schools Education World visited --Indian Island and Beatrice Rafferty School on the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy reservation in Perry -- believe teaching students about their culture instills pride and leads to greater academic success. They have committed themselves to preserving and passing on their culture and languages, often motivated by their own experiences with prejudice.

CULTURE IS PERVASIVE

From the first moment a visitor walks into Indian Island and Beatrice Rafferty schools, there is no mistaking that the students, teachers, and community members value their Native American heritage and language. At Indian Island School a floor mosaic at the school's entrance depicts a Native American man in traditional headdress, and the following words: Penobscot Indian Nation, purity, faith, and valor.
Nearly all of the school's hallway bulletin boards use the Penobscot language to identify the themes of student work. In the school's library, two carved wooden totem polls stand nearly 12 feet tall, the work of community members and the school staff. Large tapestries hang from the library's ceiling, along with many student-designed tapestries representing clans within the tribe.
At Beatrice Rafferty School, the school day begins with announcements that include a student reciting the Passamaquoddy word of the day over the school's public address system. The Passamaquoddy alphabet is displayed on the walls in some of the classrooms. Native American symbols such as woven "dream catchers" and "God's eyes" adorn the wall in the main office.
The tribal influence is more than native words and displays. The tribe's focus on the environment is evident in the school's food recycling program. During the lunch and breakfast periods, a tribal member teaches students to sort their garbage, with leftover food used as compost for the tribal garden.
Though it

Reservation Schools Preserve Cultures, Boost Academics

Infused with state and federal money but facing more requirements and students with challenges, staff at two Native American schools in Maine talked with Education World about meeting their two missions: passing on Native American culture and boosting academics. This article is a part of a continuing Education World series, Lessons from Our Nation's Schools. Included: Educators share insights about teaching a Native American population.

Education World Visits Two Native American Schools Donald Salm is principal at Beatrice Rafferty School. To get a flavor for life at Beatrice Rafferty, read our Notes from the Classroom. Ed World Visits NYC Have you seen the first installment in our Lessons from Our Nation's Schools series? Read about Education World's visit to three New York City schools in Common Elements of Effective Schools.

In many ways, this is the best of times for Native American schools. Although most are in rural areas, many are technology- and program-rich, thanks to state and federal funding. Curriculum is designed to prepare students academically for life off the reservation while grounding them in their native culture.
Meeting both missions, though, can also be the biggest challenge for Native American schools. Teachers sometimes battle to fit everything into the day as they juggle federal and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) standards. Social and family problems, as in many communities, affect learning.
"We are still struggling," Lana Shaughnessy, a BIA spokeswoman, said about its 185 schools meeting BIA standards. "We do have some excellent schools. But [schools] are all over the board [in terms of academic achievement]. It's always a challenge working in communities in poverty that are in isolated areas. There are so many factors."
BIA goals for students and schools include the following:

• Teaching children to read independently by the third grade.
• Having children be able to demonstrate knowledge of their culture and language.
• Ensuring that 70 percent of students are proficient or advanced in reading and mathematics.
• Achieving an individual student attendance rate of 90 percent or higher.
• Increasing enrollment, retention, placement, and graduation rates for post-secondary students.

MELDING THE TRADITIONAL WITH THE CONTEMPORARY Education World visited two Native American schools: Indian Island School on the Penobscot Reservation in Old Town, Maine, and Beatrice Rafferty School on the Passamaquoddy reservation in Perry, Maine. Those two schools typify the two missions of reservation schools.
At Indian Island School, student-written stories about robots hang on the walls alongside pictures of Native Americans. Instead of the photos of professional athletes displayed in many public schools to inspire students, Indian Island has Native American prayers and pictures of threatened and endangered species on its walls. Students learn their native language and culture not from an elder but in a classroom not far from a room filled with computers.
Even a fifth-grade science project at Indian Island about the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon will include illustrations of how the native Penobscots hunted the fish, a staple of their diet.
NATIVE STUDIES AS A HOOK
The native studies component often is the hook that pulls children into their schoolwork, particularly in the younger grades. Several students said it is their favorite subject. "I wouldn't like school as much without native studies," Gregory, ten, a fifth grader at Indian Island School told Education World. "I like learning Penobscot. I'm teaching my mom Penobscot." Gregory also is learning to paddle a canoe and play the drum in after-school programs.
The challenge is expanding the students' excitement about native studies to all subjects while fighting the perception that the curriculum is less rigorous than in other public schools.
"A lot of people think of a native school as being all cultural," said Shirley Mitchell, a first-grade teacher at Beatrice Rafferty School and a member of the Passamaquoddy tribe. "It's a way to get the kids here, for them to get an identity. Some parents don't want it [teaching the culture]. But the kids understand it and are receptive to it."
At the same time, "The administration is very concerned with academics, and they do what they can to stress that," Cindy Emerson, an aide in Beatrice Rafferty School's kindergarten class, said.
The BIA has recognized how much excitement the native studies component generates and is working to infuse native culture throughout the curriculum in the BIA schools, Shaughnessy said. "It makes the subject areas more relevant."
The list of requirements keeps growing, however. "Each year, it seems, there are more things to include," Indian Island fourth-grade teacher Susan Eaton said.

Native American Schools Ponder, Assail Dropout Rates

With the high school dropout rate for Native Americans among the highest in the country, reservation and public school officials are searching for new ways to keep teens in school. This article is a part of a continuing Education World series, Lessons from Our Nation's Schools. Included: Programs designed to reduce the high school dropout rate among Native Americans.
For many administrators of Native American grammar schools, the biggest challenge is preparing students to leave them. Native Americans long have had one of the highest high school dropout rates of any ethnic group in the nation. Reducing that figure is a priority for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Indian Education Programs and individual BIA schools such as those in Maine: Beatrice Rafferty School, on the Passamaquoddy reservation in Perry, and Indian Island School, on the Penobscot reservation. Although those schools serve students only through grade eight, dropout prevention has become part of their mission.
"My biggest problem is getting them from eighth grade into a [secondary] school," said Linda McLeod, the Indian Island principal.

DROPOUT RATE REMAINS A PUZZLE

The challenge of curbing the Native American dropout rate is nationwide, although progress has been made. According to figures from the BIA Office of Indian Education Programs, the national dropout rate for Native American youngsters decreased from 17 percent in 1992-1993 to 10 percent in 1999-2000. Those figures, though, include only students who attend BIA secondary schools, not public schools, according to Gaye Liea King, special assistant to the director of the Office of Indian Education Programs.

Education World Visits Two Native American Schools Donald Salm is principal at Beatrice Rafferty School. To get a flavor for life at Beatrice Rafferty, read our Notes from the Classroom. More Lessons from Our Nation's Schools This article is part of the second installment in an ongoing Education World series, Lessons from Our Nation's Schools. In this series, Education World plans to visit and talk with educators, students, and parents in different parts of the country. Read about our visit to two Native American reservation schools in Maine in these stories:

Among the reasons for the decrease in the dropout rate are more improved record-keeping, prompted by the BIA's stress on greater accountability, King told Education World. Few of the K-8 BIA schools are able to keep track of students once they leave to determine if they graduate from high school, added King. Both Maine schools, though, follow their alumni, and their high school dropout rates are higher than the national average. Indian Island's alumni dropout rate has averaged about 25 percent over the past few years, while Beatrice Rafferty's alumni dropout rate is about 60 percent.

BIA PUSHES FOR CHANGE

All BIA schools receive money for dropout prevention programs, according to Lana Shaughnessy, a spokeswoman for the BIA education department. "One of the goals of this office is a 90 percent daily attendance rate or better," Shaughnessy told Education World. The BIA also conducted a survey of middle school students in 1997 to determine which at-risk behaviors among students could contribute to them dropping out of school. Results of a second survey, done this year, still were being compiled.
The 1997 study, which surveyed 6,990 sixth- through eighth-graders out of a total BIA middle school population of 8,932, showed that by age 11, 36 percent of students had smoked a cigarette, 26 percent had their first alcoholic drink, 18 percent had smoked marijuana, and 5 percent had had sexual intercourse.
National studies also have cited the clash of Native American and Anglo cultures as a factor affecting native students' adjustment to public high schools. Some students from Beatrice Rafferty School told Education World that students at public schools made fun of them when they demonstrated native dances at the public school.
In addition, reservation schools often are small, and native students can feel intimidated when they move on to large public high schools. Native youngsters also learn better through a hands-on approach to learning rather than by direct instruction, according to some research.

Are Smaller Schools Better Schools?

Reforming public education may be as simple as creating smaller schools. The results of two recent studies indicate that small schools may be the remedy for lots of what is wrong with public education. Small schools can reduce the negative effects of poverty, reduce violence, and increase parent involvement and student accountability.
Creating a better school may be as simple as creating a smaller one. The results of two recent studies indicate that small schools may be the remedy for lots of things that are wrong with public education, especially for the nation's poor children. The separate studies credit small schools with reducing the negative effects of poverty on student achievement, reducing student violence, increasing parent involvement, and making students feel accountable for their behavior and grades.
Educators have long known that poverty hurts student achievement. Researchers Craig Howley, of Ohio University and the Appalachia Educational Laboratory, and Robert Bickel, of Marshall University, set out to find out whether smaller schools could reduce the negative effects of poverty on student achievement. In four separate studies of seven states, they repeatedly found that poor kids do better if they attend a small school. In fact, in the most recent four-state study, the correlation between poverty and low achievement was ten times stronger in larger schools than in smaller ones in all four states. Howley and Bickel found that the benefit of smaller schools was particularly important in the middle grades, when children are most at risk of dropping out.
The researchers initially evaluated schools in California. Howley then replicated the research in schools in West Virginia and Alaska.
More recently, the Rural School and Community Trust, a national nonprofit organization, asked Bickel and Howley to study School Size, Poverty, and Student Achievement in Montana, Ohio, Georgia, and Texas. The study included 13,600 urban, suburban, and rural schools in 2,290 school districts.
They found that at least one-fourth of the schools serving moderate- to low-income communities in Texas, one-third in Georgia, and two-fifths in Ohio are too large for students to achieve top performance. In Montana, among kids in grade 8 in larger districts, the power of poverty over achievement was 2.5 times greater than in smaller districts overall and three times greater in elementary-only districts.

SIZE MATTERS

"Everyone knows that there is a strong association between social class and achievement and that this association works very much to the disadvantage of economically disadvantaged students," Bickel told Education World. "The California research, however, had the virtue of demonstrating that this disadvantage was exaggerated as school size increased."
Each time Bickel and Howley conducted another study, the results were very similar. "It's very unusual in education research to find this degree of consistency," Bickel said.
Howley and Bickel did not base their findings on a definition of what constitutes a large or small school but looked at school size on a continuum. They found that poor students from relatively smaller schools outperform poor students from larger schools.

TEST SCORES DROP IN LARGE SCHOOLS

A new study, Small Schools: Great Strides, reveals some significant potential benefits of small schools. Dropout rates are significantly lower. Students have higher grade-point averages. Students have better attendance records. Fewer students fail courses. Students demonstrate persistence toward graduation Fewer students are retained at the elementary level. Students achieve higher standardized test scores in reading.

In Georgia, achievement scores in schools serving children from poorer communities fell on 27 of 29 test scores as the school size increased. In Texas, scores dropped on eight of ten tests. In Ohio, at all grade levels, students in both smaller schools and smaller school districts that served poorer communities had a higher achievement rate. The researchers also found all students benefited from attending small schools, regardless of the levels of community poverty. That was especially true in Montana. In fact, groups of less-affluent students out-performed groups of more-affluent students on standardized tests in the eighth grade if they attended a smaller school

SMALL SCHOOLS MAKE 'CENTS'

"A common argument for making schools larger is expressed in terms of economics of scale: Large schools save money," Bickel said. "Recently, however, using the Texas data set, we have found that 116 districts that have only one school for all grades have an expenditure per pupil that averages about $389 lower than the more conventionally modern schools. These schools tend to be small, they have at least 13 grade levels from kindergarten to grade 12, and the students are distributed more or less evenly across grade levels.
"Hardly sounds like a modern consolidated school," Bickel continued. "So perhaps cost in dollar terms is not a barrier to making schools more equitable places."

'TEACHER SATISFACTION WENT WAY UP!'

Another study also linked student achievement with small schools. The two-year study, Small Schools: Great Strides, was conducted by Bank Street College of Education and funded by the Joyce Foundation.
A team of seven researchers took a close look at 150 small schools in Chicago, many created as part of education reform that started in the city during the past decade. The schools had enrollments between 200 to 400 students, far below the national average of 741, said Pat Wasley, one of the principal co-investigators of the study.

Scrambling for Staff: The Teacher Shortage in Rural Schools

 

When Reid Riedlinger advertises for staff, he offers them subsidized housing, laptop computers, eight computers and a copy machine for each classroom, and a full-time teaching assistant! Riedlinger, superintendent of schools in the two-building Wellpinit School District, which serves 402 K-12 children on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington, also offers classes that average just 17 students. Plus, he told Education World, he throws in free breakfast and lunch if teachers eat it with students, and he promises no staff meetings longer than 30 minutes. To try to staff the state's schools, Alaska initiated the Rural Education Partnership Program, a one-year program that helps Alaska natives and others already living in rural districts obtain teaching certificates. The educators work with the local school district, community, and university while earning their credentials. Currently, about 60 percent of those enrolled are Alaska natives, director of Alaska teacher placement Mary Ellen LaBerge told Education World.

With an aging teaching force, mandated class size reductions, and the swelling numbers of immigrants and baby boomer children, U.S. schools will need an unprecedented number of new teachers over the next decade. Between 2 million and 2.5 million -- an average of more than 200,000 annually -- new teachers will be needed, according to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF). It is assumed that about half of those teachers will come from a pool of people newly prepared for the profession, and the rest will be returnees from the reserve pool of teachers.
However, those who left teaching may not be that likely to return. In many cases, they view their current salaries, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement much more favorably than do those who stayed in teaching. And as for the teachers currently being prepared to teach, in a series of reports written for the NCTAF Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond found the following:

• After they graduate, only about 60 percent of students trained as teachers actually enter the profession.
• Thirty percent of the traditionally trained teachers, 10 to 15 percent of teachers prepared in five-year teacher preparation programs, and 60 percent of those prepared in truncated alternative programs leave the profession by their third year.
• Of those who enter the profession, most teachers in public schools are non-Hispanic Caucasian females; the proportion of minority teachers is far less than the proportion of minority students.
• More than 25 percent of those hired each year are not fully prepared and licensed for their jobs, and those teachers are assigned primarily to the most educationally vulnerable children.
• Even if new teachers have certification, they are frequently not certified in areas of greatest need, such as math, science, and special education.

In addition, Hammond found, teachers are hesitant to move from where they are to rural or remote regions where they may be most needed.

RURAL PENNSYLVANIA

Though some believe the current supply of teachers is inadequate, "national figures seem to indicate that there are enough teachers to go around," Timothy Collins, director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools and coordinator of a recent symposium for the National Rural Education Association told Education World. The problem he perceives is one of subject shortages and geographic distribution. Once a teacher has years in a system, he or she may be reluctant to move to a rural or remote region, starting over again on the bottom rung of a salary scale that is not adjusted for past experience. "That 20-year teacher has really locked himself or herself into a job by the time [the teacher has] stayed at [a] district for four or five years," executive director Joe Bard of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools told Education World. "The people teaching should have broad exposure to and knowledge of the world. Instead you get folks who teach within 25 miles of where they went to high school and college.
"A district that can put $14,000 behind each child can attract different teachers than a district that can put $6,000 behind each child," added Bard.
Several years ago, Pennsylvania offered a program of forgiveness of student loans for teachers who took jobs in rural or urban districts. "That program has sadly fallen by the wayside," said Bard.

THE SITUATION IS CRITICAL IN ALASKA

Like those in Pennsylvania, Alaska's "Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna school districts hurt themselves a few years ago when they stopped giving new hires monetary credit for their years of experience," Alaska's teacher placement director Mary Ellen LaBerge told Education World. "Unless you are in a specialty area, teachers coming into the systems come in at entry level." Not recognizing past experience, not providing inducements to relocate, and paying a flat salary certainly do not help a rural or remote area's teacher recruitment, said LaBerge. In October of the current school year, there were 84 teaching vacancies in Alaska. About half of those were in the Anchorage area, and more than a third of the vacancies were in special education, John Holst, superintendent of the Sitka (Alaska) School District told Education World.
"We are experiencing extreme shortages in special education," said Holst. "Recent changes in the federal laws guiding special education programs have made it much more difficult to be in simple compliance with student discipline, meeting paperwork requirements, and dealing with providing for the needs of what appears to be a growing population of students who qualify for special services."
"We have many teachers in our regular classrooms who previously taught special education and even have maintained their certification," Holst added. " Most of them would quit or move elsewhere if they were required to do special education. We do not have the ability to differentiate pay for such positions as special education."
In addition to the 84 teaching vacancies, "we have 42 teachers on waivers right now," added LaBerge. "That means special education teachers who haven't finished their degrees are in the classroom as full-time teachers. Districts are becoming very creative -- using aides and paraprofessionals for teachers."
In addition, noted LaBerge, many of the rural districts are forced to use teachers endorsed in one area to teach classes in other areas. "This in turn causes retention problems," she told Education World. "Teachers required to teach out of their endorsement area reach stress levels much faster and become discouraged and/or overwhelmed much easier. Morale can be low, and turnover is much greater in districts that have to resort to this."
One other trend that LaBerge has noticed is that teachers seem to be "jumping" contracts. "We have had more teachers walk out on contracts this year than ever before," she said. "Signing bonuses -- generally, we don't have them."

BONUSES AND CREDITS DON'T ALWAYS HELP

Although most Alaskan schools do not offer signing bonuses or adjust pay to reflect a teacher's past experience, even rural schools that do are having trouble finding and retaining quality teachers. "Several schools [in Nebraska] offered signing bonuses, and almost all schools are now allowing unlimited years of experience to new teachers," Matt Fisher, principal of Chase County High School (Imperial, Nebraska), told Education World. Yet "here in rural Nebraska we are definitely seeing a shortage of qualified teachers."

From the Principal Files

Principals Launch
School-Wide Wellness Programs

Many schools weave health awareness programs into their curriculum. Those programs improve school climate as they build wellness awareness in the wider community. Included: Principals share school-wide fitness, health, and nutrition awareness programs.

"When our bodies feel right, our minds work right!"

Thats the motto of the Wellness Committee at Pulaski Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware. The committee has arranged many programs aimed at bringing that motto to life in their school.

Heart Healthy Feast Valentines Day week is a very special week at Parker School in Middlesex, New Jersey. To promote wellness that week, we coordinate with the American Red Cross and their Jump Rope for Heart program, says Principal Maureen Hughes. Physical Education classes have jumping stations with different activities at each. We also hold a Heart Healthy Feast, added Hughes. Each class contributes a different healthy snack -- celery sticks, carrot sticks, pretzels, you name it. The students bring in the healthy snacks in small snack-size plastic bags. On Valentines Day, we love our hearts. Classes visit the display of healthy snacks and choose two for their celebrations. In addition, all teachers plan grade-appropriate classroom activities that week to support education about heart health.

Our Wellness Committee has been working hard to incorporate activities and events that will enhance physical exercise and promote a cohesive, fun environment, says Principal Tracey N. Roberts. They plan healthy living activities for staff, students, and families.
Roberts explained how Pulaskis focus on wellness starts first thing in the morning with JAMmin Minutes, a program that is a regular feature of the schools morning announcements.
At the end of the daily announcements, we play music and announce the physical exercise that everyone is expected to do while the music is playing, Roberts told Education World.
And sometimes the music meets up with the curriculum. During Hispanic Heritage Month, we teach a Spanish phrase, tell a fact about a person of Hispanic heritage, and play Latin music so that the students can exercise to a different sound, Roberts explained.
The schools wellness program extends to snack time, too. As partners in the federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, all Pulaski students are served a healthful snack each day. The snacks range from cucumbers or cauliflower to kiwi or pears. Students are encouraged to at least taste each days snack. The snacks are served during D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Time or another appropriate time.
This year, as in years past, Ronald McDonald will pay a visit to Pulaski to encourage children to exercise. Last years assembly program was titled Move It Minute and this years program is called Get Active With Ronald McDonald. Ronald will be coming to us in January, notes Roberts, so we can remind students and staff about our goal of being active as the new year arrives.
In addition, the school is participating this year in the CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health)
Program, a scientifically-proven program that promotes physical activity, healthful food choices, and smoking prevention.
At Pulaski, staff as well as students benefit from programs the Wellness Committee has initiated. Last year, Pulaskis teachers started a Walking Club. Interested staff members met after school in the parking lot and walked a pre-determined path. The program helped build camaraderie among staff members and provided support for those who were trying to reach a weight-loss goal, said Roberts.
This year, the Walking Club concept is being expanded to include students. During the first 10 minutes of each recess period, students walk around the perimeter of the schools playground. Teachers log the students minutes and provide incentives. For example, students earn cute toe tokens for reaching milestones such as 50, 100, and 200 minutes of walking. They proudly display those tokens by attaching them to little chains that hang from their book bags, knapsacks, or coat zippers. A chart in the main hallway displays for students, staff, parents, and visitors exactly how many minutes Pulaski's Panthers have pranced.

GET FIT -- FAST!

Not all schools have a Wellness Committee that produces such active and multi-faceted programs as the ones at Pulaski Elementary, but most schools are doing their part to get out the message that exercise and good nutrition are key to being ready to learn and living healthful lives.

The Pied Piper When the weather doesn't allow students at Strong (Maine) Elementary School to go out to play, principal Felecia Pease can often be seen marching the halls with a line of students behind her. She is taking the students for a Principal's Walk. Students pair up and we take a walk around the inside of the school, explained Pease. Part of this walk also involves following the leader and doing what I do. The walk usually ends in the gym with the entire K - 8 student body in a giant circle playing a game of Hokey Pokey.

At Grace Day School in Massapequa, New York, Operation Wellness (OW!) invites students, faculty, and families to participate in cardio-blast exercise workouts, yoga sessions, weekly stretch programs, nutrition lectures, karate, cooking classes, and after-school fitness clubs. Some events are one-time only and others are ongoing. Some tie in to curriculum and others are just for fun.
Larry Anderson, who heads the school, says the newest program is proving to be one of the most popular. Project FAST (Fitness, Agility, Skills, Teamwork) is an after-school program led by an outside vendor who runs similar programs in a number of schools in the region. FAST is actually two programs, one for younger students and another for older students. The programs emphasize healthful and minimally competitive recreational activities. Registration for both programs maxed-out quickly, added Anderson.
Many of our students are two-, three-, or four-sport athletes who have huge after-school practice and competition schedules, notes Anderson. The FAST programming is especially important for those who are more interested in recreational endeavors rather than mega competition, travel teams, and the rest.
A Zumba Dance class, the latest fitness craze, is a pending addition to Graces Operation Wellness offerings, added Anderson.

A Teacher's Back-to-School Supply List

Each summer, teachers send home to parents a list of school supplies students will need during the upcoming school year. Until now, however, little thought has been given to the school supplies teachers might find useful. Noted educator Howard Seeman corrects that oversight with this back-to-school list for the well-equipped teacher. Included: Twenty-seven must-have items.
Veteran teachers will tell you that every year they realize there's another little thing they could carry with them, or keep in their desk, to help them with their teaching. By the time a good teacher has been teaching five years, he or she has learned to be well equipped.
Why wait years? Below is a list of items -- most of which you can easily carry in a pencil case -- that will be very helpful for your teaching this year.
BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES

1. A piece of chalk -- in case the classroom you're assigned to has none.
2. An eraser or small rag -- in case the classroom you're assigned to has none.
3. A piece of colored chalk -- in case you want to underscore something.
4. A few rubber bands -- in case you need to band some things together.
5. A pad of sticky-notes -- in case you want to stick a note onto something.
6. A mechanical lead pencil -- because they're always sharp, don't require a pencil sharpener, and are fine, clear, and erasable.
7. Press-on white labels (either address label size or one-line width labels) -- so you can white out or label anything.
8. A black ink ballpoint pen -- for making carbon copies or for writing that's more reproducible by a copier than that produced by a blue ink pen.
9. A package of 3 x 5 cards -- for class participation exercises, sort-able notes, hall passes
10. A yellow highlighter pen -- to highlight points in your lesson plan that you inadvertently omitted, need to review.
11. A red pen -- to write evaluative notes on students' tests, homework
12. Loose-leaf reinforcements -- to keep pages from falling out of your binder.
13. Wet-wash pad -- for quick cleanups.
14. A single-edged razor blade (instead of bulky scissors) -- for cutting out magazine articles, pictures... They usually come with a protective cardboard over the blade.
15. A small tin of aspirin -- in case of a headache.
16. Some large and small paper clips -- to clip together homework or test papers from particular class periods.
17. A piece of carbon paper -- in case you want to keep a copy of notes you write to parents or students.
18. A see-through plastic pencil case -- to carry all the above items.
19. An appointment book -- to keep track of weekly appointments, things to do
20. A cell phone.
21. A grade book -- for taking attendance, checking homework, giving credit for class participation
22. A pad of newsprint (rolled up?) -- to make notes on; especially useful when you'll teach the same lesson more than once-- in different rooms.
23. A magic marker or two -- to make notes with.
24. A small stapler -- for securely posting items on a bulletin board or attaching papers.
25. Cardboard -- to place over a door or window to cut down on hallway distractions.
26. A small can of machine oil -- in case a squeaky seat or door distracts students.
27. This list -- to check over a couple of days before school starts.

First Day of School Letters and Survival Kits Build Communication

Many teachers and administrators have started introducing themselves to parents and students before school starts, or right at the opening bell. Some have even started providing "survival kits" to help students weather the first few days of school. At some schools, teachers are welcomed with "survival kits" of their own! Included: Examples of survival kits for students and teachers.

A Student Survival Kit To make survival kits for your students, place the items described below in brown lunch bags and include this handout: "The items in this bag have special meaning: * The cotton ball is to remind you that this room is full of kind words and warm feelings. * The chocolate kiss is to comfort you when you are feeling sad. * The tissue is to remind you to help dry someone's tears. * The sticker is to remind you that we all stick together and help each other. * The star is to remind you to shine and always try your best. * The gold thread is to remind you that friendship ties our hearts together. * The rubber band is to remind you to hug someone. * The penny is to remind you that you are valuable and special. * The toothpick is to remind you to "pick out" the good qualities in your classmates. * The bandage is to heal hurt feelings in your friends and in yourself. * The eraser is to remind you that we all make mistakes, and that is okay. * The Life Savers are to remind you that you can come to me if you need someone to talk to.

More teachers are starting off the school year with letters to parents and students to introduce themselves and set a tone for the year.
The letters are a good way to establish positive communication with parents, several teachers told Education World. "I think it's professional," said Dorothy Peselli, an English teacher at Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersey. Peselli, who distributes the letters the first day of school, told Education World, "It gives parents an image of you as a professional. If you start communication off in a positive manner, you will have the parents on your side when you need them."
In her letter to parents, Peselli encourages them to call or e-mail her with specific concerns about their children. "I want to work as a team to ensure that your child becomes an independent lifelong learner," Peselli wrote to parents last September. She also telephones the parents of all her students at the beginning of the year.
Peselli includes with the letter a classroom handbook listing policies and procedures. And she requires that both parents and students read and sign statements (included in the letter!) that they read the handbook. The student letter also lists needed supplies and dispenses encouragement. "Please come to class ready to work and learn. This will be an exciting year for all of us," it says.
Last year, Peselli taught at a different high school and she recalled that parents there were "shocked," but appreciative, that she had so much contact with them. "I received roses and a thank you note from one boy and his mother," Peselli said. She wishes her own children's teachers would take the time to write notes as well. "I never got a letter home from any of my daughter's high school teachers," she said. "It would be nice to know the background of some of the people who are teaching my daughter."