Dr. Philip E. KovacsAssistant ProfessorDept. of Ed., UAH

Dr. Philip E. KovacsAssistant ProfessorDept. of Ed., UAHA’s, B’s then C’sMeany...A’s againHigh School English TeacherTeacher TeacherFoot in mouth master...practitioner of transcendental violence...

Against standards, accountability, rigor, and performance

A’s, B’s then C’sMeany...A’s againHigh School English TeacherTeacher TeacherFoot in mouth master...practitioner of transcendental violence...

Against standards, accountability, rigor, and performance

definitions...definitions...Standards: sameness (your child?)Accountability: to whom and for what?

Rigor: 1. strictness, severity, or harshness, as in

dealing with people. 2. the full or extreme severity of laws, rules,

etc. 3. severity of living conditions; hardship; austerity

4. a severe or harsh act, circumstance, etc. 5. scrupulous or inflexible accuracy or adherence: the logical rigor of mathematics 9. Obsolete; stiffness or rigidity

Performance: seals, clowns and cars (I think we could be thinking bigger)

Standards: sameness (your child?)Accountability: to whom and for what?

Rigor: 1. strictness, severity, or harshness, as in

dealing with people. 2. the full or extreme severity of laws, rules,

etc. 3. severity of living conditions; hardship; austerity

4. a severe or harsh act, circumstance, etc. 5. scrupulous or inflexible accuracy or adherence: the logical rigor of mathematics 9. Obsolete; stiffness or rigidity

Performance: seals, clowns and cars (I think we could be thinking bigger)

alternatives...alternatives...

Innovation: a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation

Responsibility: the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

Engagement: to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons)

Robust human development: Who are you? Where are you going? How are you going to get there? How can we help? Why should we? (http://www.essentialschools.org/)

Innovation: a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation

Responsibility: the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

Engagement: to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons)

Robust human development: Who are you? Where are you going? How are you going to get there? How can we help? Why should we? (http://www.essentialschools.org/)

It will be helpful for us to turn education

on its head...

It will be helpful for us to turn education

on its head...

Transformational Education

From Knowing to Doing

The educational paradigm has shifted

The educational paradigm has shifted

We rely on a model from the late 1800s, where subjects are disconnected, and children are removed from the very world we seek to prepare them for.

You can blame Harvard.

Imagine if doctors practiced the same way they did 120 years ago...

We rely on a model from the late 1800s, where subjects are disconnected, and children are removed from the very world we seek to prepare them for.

You can blame Harvard.

Imagine if doctors practiced the same way they did 120 years ago...

sorry....sorry....

“Educated”“Educated”

To be able to identify, access, and utilize information from various knowledge systems in order to effect change in a given space over a given amount of time.

Importantly: If you don’t know, you know where to go to find out, ultimately solidifying community ties. An educated person is a connected person...

To be able to identify, access, and utilize information from various knowledge systems in order to effect change in a given space over a given amount of time.

Importantly: If you don’t know, you know where to go to find out, ultimately solidifying community ties. An educated person is a connected person...

understood this way...understood this way...

An educated individual is a producer:

of ideas,of goods, of art, of _______...rather than a consumer or a spectator.

An educated individual is a producer:

of ideas,of goods, of art, of _______...rather than a consumer or a spectator.

This is not a change that will occur overnight

This is not a change that will occur overnight...but we live in a city that helped put a man on the moon...

...so we certainly live in a city capable of transforming schooling from knowing to doing...

...to do so we’ll need to encourage the risk-taking, ingenuity, and innovation that has kept this country great.

...but we live in a city that helped put a man on the moon...

...so we certainly live in a city capable of transforming schooling from knowing to doing...

...to do so we’ll need to encourage the risk-taking, ingenuity, and innovation that has kept this country great.

From the Fairly Straightforward to the

Very Ambitious

From the Fairly Straightforward to the

Very Ambitious

Inter-city CompetitionSwimming 2.0

Project DevelopersGo Green

Inter-city CompetitionSwimming 2.0

Project DevelopersGo Green

Inter-city CompetitionInter-city Competition

Federal legislation has created a risk-adverse environment for many teachers.

We can’t do much about the legislation, but we can provide incentives for teachers and schools that want to “do” outside of the box.

Federal legislation has created a risk-adverse environment for many teachers.

We can’t do much about the legislation, but we can provide incentives for teachers and schools that want to “do” outside of the box.

Inter-city CompetitionInter-city Competition

The Chamber can and should hold an annual competition for elementary, middle and high school classes.

The challenge: create an interdisciplinary project that transforms life for Huntsville’s residents.

The Chamber will fund the project of the three winners (up to X amount of dollars).

Ideally UAH’s faculty and students could help with implementation.

The Chamber can and should hold an annual competition for elementary, middle and high school classes.

The challenge: create an interdisciplinary project that transforms life for Huntsville’s residents.

The Chamber will fund the project of the three winners (up to X amount of dollars).

Ideally UAH’s faculty and students could help with implementation.

ExamplesExamples

First-aid-kits for the elderlyBiofuels for school bussesWindmills or waterwheelsWater-quality testingArt murals for underpasses“Urban Students Build the First High-Performance Hybrid Car” (These “at risk” students beat MIT...http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/stories/?storyId=10385)

First-aid-kits for the elderlyBiofuels for school bussesWindmills or waterwheelsWater-quality testingArt murals for underpasses“Urban Students Build the First High-Performance Hybrid Car” (These “at risk” students beat MIT...http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/stories/?storyId=10385)

The K-1 Attack will do 0-60 in 4 seconds and gets 60 miles to the

gallon.

Outcomes beyond 2b-4a=12

Outcomes beyond 2b-4a=12

This type of learning connects students to their communities and teaches them that they are change agents, not just spectators.

Citizens disinclined to support our schools see the immediate benefits of doing so.

We can reward good teachers and good teaching, and we can send a larger message to the community: change is possible; now lend us a hand.

This type of learning connects students to their communities and teaches them that they are change agents, not just spectators.

Citizens disinclined to support our schools see the immediate benefits of doing so.

We can reward good teachers and good teaching, and we can send a larger message to the community: change is possible; now lend us a hand.

Swimming 2.0Swimming 2.0

We can reward and keep great teachers while at the same time improving future teachers.

We can reward and keep great teachers while at the same time improving future teachers.

Identify the city’s best teachers by asking admins, peers, students, and parents.

Provide them a $1,500 stipend to work with secondary methods students for 40 hours.

(30 hours learning and 10 hours teaching under their supervision)

Identify the city’s best teachers by asking admins, peers, students, and parents.

Provide them a $1,500 stipend to work with secondary methods students for 40 hours.

(30 hours learning and 10 hours teaching under their supervision)

Why is this a good idea?

Why is this a good idea?

Pam Patrick says so...Students get instruction from master teachers, learning to swim via experience rather than from books alone.

According to one recent international study, the top school systems in the world find the right people to teach and help them develop once there. (www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/resources/pdf/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf)

We reward master teachers, and we keep them doing what they are great at doing...

Pam Patrick says so...Students get instruction from master teachers, learning to swim via experience rather than from books alone.

According to one recent international study, the top school systems in the world find the right people to teach and help them develop once there. (www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/resources/pdf/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf)

We reward master teachers, and we keep them doing what they are great at doing...

Project DevelopersProject Developers

Our project developers are tutors, coaches, and mentors.

Unfortunately, these words can have a negative connotation with parents and students.

Our project developers are tutors, coaches, and mentors.

Unfortunately, these words can have a negative connotation with parents and students.

They shouldn’t...They shouldn’t...

Alexander The Great had a tutor.

Tiger Woods has a swing coach.

There isn’t a single person sitting here who made it without the help of a mentor.

Alexander The Great had a tutor.

Tiger Woods has a swing coach.

There isn’t a single person sitting here who made it without the help of a mentor.

My students were all three and then some.My students were all three and then some.

I asked my students to act as project developers for eight “at risk” students at Butler High School.

They helped Butler students design projects according to their interests, as called for by cognitive scientist Eric Jensen and long supported by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.(http://www.jensenlearning.com)(http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19970701-000042.html)

I asked my students to act as project developers for eight “at risk” students at Butler High School.

They helped Butler students design projects according to their interests, as called for by cognitive scientist Eric Jensen and long supported by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.(http://www.jensenlearning.com)(http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19970701-000042.html)

Initial outcomes:Initial outcomes:

One of those eight dropped out of school the first week, but his mom called us to see if he could still participate.

Two more students “fell out” within three weeks.

One student was expelled.Four are successes, but my students aren’t satisfied...which is what makes my students great future teachers...

One of those eight dropped out of school the first week, but his mom called us to see if he could still participate.

Two more students “fell out” within three weeks.

One student was expelled.Four are successes, but my students aren’t satisfied...which is what makes my students great future teachers...

Success defined:Success defined: What we saw with our pilot program was 50% success with the most challenging students when they were given a significant voice in developing customized, learner-oriented projects.

Not only do the students get a significant voice in what they are doing, they get consistent, reliable, positive attention and feedback.

As a result, they began showing signs of “intelligent behavior.”

What we saw with our pilot program was 50% success with the most challenging students when they were given a significant voice in developing customized, learner-oriented projects.

Not only do the students get a significant voice in what they are doing, they get consistent, reliable, positive attention and feedback.

As a result, they began showing signs of “intelligent behavior.”

Intelligent BehaviorIntelligent Behavior1. Persistence: persevering when the solution to a problem

is not immediately apparent2. Decreasing impulsiveness 3. Listening to others - with understanding and empathy

4. Flexibility in thinking 5. Metacognition: awareness of our own thinking 6. Checking for accuracy and precision7. Questioning and problem posing8. Precision of language and thought

9. Ingenuity, originality, insightfulness: creativity 10. Wonderment, inquisitiveness, curiosity, and the enjoyment

of problem solving - a sense of efficacy as a thinker

(http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC18/Costa.htm)

1. Persistence: persevering when the solution to a problem is not immediately apparent

2. Decreasing impulsiveness 3. Listening to others - with understanding and empathy

4. Flexibility in thinking 5. Metacognition: awareness of our own thinking 6. Checking for accuracy and precision7. Questioning and problem posing8. Precision of language and thought

9. Ingenuity, originality, insightfulness: creativity 10. Wonderment, inquisitiveness, curiosity, and the enjoyment

of problem solving - a sense of efficacy as a thinker

(http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC18/Costa.htm)

Staying in SchoolStaying in School

If we make school relevant and rewarding, these students will stay in school.

If we continue to make demands without clear connections to the lived experiences of these young adults, they will not.

If we make school relevant and rewarding, these students will stay in school.

If we continue to make demands without clear connections to the lived experiences of these young adults, they will not.

Why does this matter?Why does this matter?

A black male student entering 9th grade in an urban high school has a 50-50 chance of getting a diploma four years later.

In one New York state prison, 79% of convicted male felons are high school dropouts.

In 1999, 52 percent of African American male high school dropouts had prison records by their early thirties (age 30-34).

A black male student entering 9th grade in an urban high school has a 50-50 chance of getting a diploma four years later.

In one New York state prison, 79% of convicted male felons are high school dropouts.

In 1999, 52 percent of African American male high school dropouts had prison records by their early thirties (age 30-34).

Fiscal issues...Fiscal issues... On average, a high school dropout received $5,300 more in

cash and in-kind transfers from the federal and state government than he or she paid in federal and state income and payroll taxes in 2002 and 2004.

In sharp contrast, the average high school graduate with no completed years of post-secondary schooling paid $2,125 more in taxes than he or she received in transfers, a net fiscal benefit to the government.

The fiscal benefits to the state increase substantially for those groups with post-secondary schooling, rising to $5,450 for those adults completing one to three years of college, $13,620 for Bachelor degree recipients, and nearly $20,000 for those with a Master’s or higher degree.

(www.bostonpic.com/youth/youth_pdfs/CLMS_Dropout_Fiscal_Cost_16P.pdf)

On average, a high school dropout received $5,300 more in cash and in-kind transfers from the federal and state government than he or she paid in federal and state income and payroll taxes in 2002 and 2004.

In sharp contrast, the average high school graduate with no completed years of post-secondary schooling paid $2,125 more in taxes than he or she received in transfers, a net fiscal benefit to the government.

The fiscal benefits to the state increase substantially for those groups with post-secondary schooling, rising to $5,450 for those adults completing one to three years of college, $13,620 for Bachelor degree recipients, and nearly $20,000 for those with a Master’s or higher degree.

(www.bostonpic.com/youth/youth_pdfs/CLMS_Dropout_Fiscal_Cost_16P.pdf)

Growing the projectGrowing the projectWe seek funding to grow the project from 20 undergraduates next year, to 60 by year three.

Ideally, ninth grade “at risk” students will have tutors, coaches, and mentors with them until they graduate.

UAH students will keep portfolios with the Butler students, and these can be passed from one UAH student to the next and ultimately developed into a website or a dossier for college entrance or employment.

We seek funding to grow the project from 20 undergraduates next year, to 60 by year three.

Ideally, ninth grade “at risk” students will have tutors, coaches, and mentors with them until they graduate.

UAH students will keep portfolios with the Butler students, and these can be passed from one UAH student to the next and ultimately developed into a website or a dossier for college entrance or employment.

Number 9?Number 9?

Shouldn’t we be number 1?

Shouldn’t we be number 1?

We could start with a green school.

We could start with a green school.

A) A rainwater harvesting system collects water for reuse in toilets and landscaping.

B) Students can grow plants on the soil-topped roof, which provides extra insulation and absorbs pollution.

C) Man-made wetlands cleanse wastewater as effectively as mechanical filters.

D) Extensive glare-proof windows reduce reliance on electric lighting and can be used for illumination.

E) Solar panels take advantage of a renewable energy source.

F) Composting bins provide material for the green roof and a lesson in ecology.

G) The geothermal system heats and cools the building safely and efficiently.

A) A rainwater harvesting system collects water for reuse in toilets and landscaping.

B) Students can grow plants on the soil-topped roof, which provides extra insulation and absorbs pollution.

C) Man-made wetlands cleanse wastewater as effectively as mechanical filters.

D) Extensive glare-proof windows reduce reliance on electric lighting and can be used for illumination.

E) Solar panels take advantage of a renewable energy source.

F) Composting bins provide material for the green roof and a lesson in ecology.

G) The geothermal system heats and cools the building safely and efficiently.

BenefitsBenefits Even though this school will have a high initial cost

compared to current schools, its environmental impact and future savings will more than make up for it.

Full solar power = 36 years Wind power = 6 – 15 years Geothermal Heat Pumps = 3 – 5 years Green Roofs = 13 - 18 years LEDs = 6 – 7 years Biodiesal=?

This school can help train a future generation in these new energy saving areas. Students would, in fact, run the school, understanding the STEM innovations undergirding the building.

Even though this school will have a high initial cost compared to current schools, its environmental impact and future savings will more than make up for it.

Full solar power = 36 years Wind power = 6 – 15 years Geothermal Heat Pumps = 3 – 5 years Green Roofs = 13 - 18 years LEDs = 6 – 7 years Biodiesal=?

This school can help train a future generation in these new energy saving areas. Students would, in fact, run the school, understanding the STEM innovations undergirding the building.

I asked UAH students if they could design

such a school...

I asked UAH students if they could design

such a school...

It was a silly question.It was a silly question.

Project spces:Project spces:

Hold 200 studentsHave a large library with fountainCafeteria that can feed 240 people per day

Auditorium that would hold 250 people

Solar panels SkylightsA gym and a playground

Hold 200 studentsHave a large library with fountainCafeteria that can feed 240 people per day

Auditorium that would hold 250 people

Solar panels SkylightsA gym and a playground

Next StepsNext Steps

1. We debate the merits and demerits of all four projects.

2. You graciously help UAH and Huntsville City Schools realize each of the four.

3. This is not simply a fiscal issue! We need your experience and guidance to realize each idea presented today.

1. We debate the merits and demerits of all four projects.

2. You graciously help UAH and Huntsville City Schools realize each of the four.

3. This is not simply a fiscal issue! We need your experience and guidance to realize each idea presented today.