The Flat World and Education

1. The Flat World and Education How Our Re-Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Nation’s Future

2. Fighting for the Right to Learn Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5000 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental.... The freedom to learn ... has been bought by bitter sacrifice. And whatever we may think of the curtailment of other civil rights, we should fight to the last ditch to keep open the right to learn… -- W.E.B. DuBois (1949)

3. Expectations for Learning are Changing The 21st century context means new expectations: • Ability to communicate • Adaptability to change • Ability to work in teams • Preparedness to solve problems • Ability to analyse and conceptualise • Ability to reflect on and improve performance • Ability to manage oneself • Ability to create, innovate and criticise • Ability to engage in learning new things at all times • Ability to cross specialist borders Chris Wardlaw, "Mathematics in Hong Kong/China – Improving on Being First in PISA"

4. 20th Century Teaching Cannot Meet 21st Century Needs

5. 20th Century Schools Were Not Designed to Meet these New Demands In current U.S. system: 70-75% graduate from high school 60% of graduates go on to college 40-50% of college entrants finish About 30% of the age cohort gets a degree Yet 70% of jobs involve “knowledge work” requiring specialized higher education

6. The U.S. is Falling Behind in Educational AttainmentApproximated by percentage of persons with ISCED3 qualfications in age groups 55-64, 45-55, 45-44 und 25-34 years 1 % 13 1 27 1. Excluding ISCED 3C short programmes 2. Year of reference 2004 3. Including some ISCED 3C short programmes 3. Year of reference 2003.

7. U.S. Outcomes in International Perspective (8th Grade PISA Results in OECD Nations, 2006) Science Finland Canada Japan New Zealand Australia Netherlands Korea Germany United Kingdom U.S. is # 21 / 30 OECD nations #31 / 40 top nations Math Finland Korea Netherlands Switzerland Canada Japan New Zealand Belgium Australia U.S. is #25 / 30 OECD nations #35 / 40 top nations

8. Inequality InfluencesLow US Rankings

9. U.S. Leads in % of Children in Poverty, 2007 (OECD Nations) 30.0% Mexico 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% UK Italy Spain Japan Austria Poland Ireland Mexico Greece Belguim France Finalnd Portugal Sweden Norway Denmark Hungary Germany Switzerland Netherlands United States Luxembourg New Zealand Czech Republic 22%

10. The Consequences of Under-Education • A new high school dropout in 2000 had less than a 50% chance of getting a job • That job earned less than ½ of what the same job earned 20 years ago • Dropouts cost us >$200 billion / year • Lack of education is ever more strongly correlated with welfare dependency and incarceration • Prison populations have tripled and corrections costs have increased by 900%, now competing with higher education costs

11. Sources of Inequality Nationwide, schools serving minority and low-income students have • Lower funding levels • Larger class sizes • Less well-qualified teachers • Less engaging and challenging curriculum • Fewer college preparatory or AP courses • Larger school sizes • Fewer computers, books, supplies

12. Segregation Supports Inequality • 2/3 of Black and Latino students attend predominantly minority schools with lower levels of instructional resources • Within “integrated” schools, most minority students are concentrated in low-track classes which receive less well-qualified teachers, less engaging curriculum, lower-quality materials, and communicate a message of inequality

13. Curriculum Access Matters for Learning Holding SES constant, minority and white students who have equally well-qualified teachers and comparable curriculum perform comparably in reading and mathematics.

14. The Teaching Gap Creates Most of the Achievement Gap • The least experienced and prepared teachers generally teach the least advantaged students • High attrition rates for less-prepared and supported teachers create a revolving door and lost resources in less advantaged schools • Students taught by underqualified teachers have significantly lower achievement in reading and mathematics

15. Underprepared Teachers Decrease Student Achievement

16. Although expert teachers are the greatest influence on learning, the U.S. invests less in teaching than other countries • Preparation is uneven and largely unfunded • Salaries are unequal and noncompetitive • Well-prepared teachers are unequally distributed • Mentoring for new teachers is rare • Professional development is “hit & run” • Learning & collaboration time is scarce: US teachers teach far more hours and have less preparation time than any other advanced country

17. High science performance Durchschnittliche Schülerleistungen im Bereich Mathematik High average performance Large socio-economic disparities High average performance High social equity Strong socio-economic impact on student performance Socially equitable distribution of learning opportunities Low average performance Large socio-economic disparities Low average performance High social equity 15 Low science performance

18. Excellence & Equity Together • “Excellence and equity are not opposing concepts.  The definitions of the words include each other.  • Excellence without equity is simply not excellence; it is privilege.  • Excellence is superlative performance starting from a level playing field; performance made superlative through extraordinary effort and talent, not from the relative advantage of some at the expense of others.  • True excellence requires equity as a precondition.”

19. Excellence & Equity Together And equity without excellence is not equity, it is tokenism and leads to a mediocrity that is good for no one's kids.  Equity means we push every one of our students to excellence and tell them in no uncertain terms: we will support you along the way, no matter who your parents are, where they may have been born...the color of you skin...where you live...how much money your parents make...the structure of your family...your prior academic performance...or even how long you have been in the district.  You are ours and we will support you.” -- Adam Urbanski

20. What are High-Achieving and Steeply-Improving Nations Doing? • Universal preschool and health care • Equitable funding with investments in high-need schools and students • Large investments in initial teacher education and ongoing support • A lean curriculum & performance assessments focused on higher order skills • Focus on multilingual, multicultural education

21. Arguments Against Equalizing Resources • Those Students Can’t Learn Anyway • Tests take care of everything (Measuring outcomes means we don’t have to worry about inputs) • Money Doesn’t Matter -- Preschool -- Teacher Qualifications -- Learning Materials and Curriculum Access -- Facilities

22. Can tests take care of everything? What happens when the system is guided by attaching rewards and sanctions to current tests? What are the results of testing without investing?

23. The “Texas Miracle” Achievement Gap Appears Narrower

24. Cohort Progressions through High School, Classes of 2000, 2001, and 2002: Brazos City, TX

25. 2006 John 100 Sandra 90 Jorge 80 Maura 70 Jasella 60 Francisco 20 Ave. Score = 70 % meeting standard = 66% 2007 95 85 70 65 55 --- Ave. Score = 74 % meeting standard = 80% Dilemmas of Test-Based Accountability: Rewards or Sanctions?

26. In the U.S. under NCLB: • Every state has gained steeply on state tests, BUT • Gains have slowed on the Nat’l Assessment of Educational Progress, and even dropped in 8th grade reading, • U.S. scores and rankings dropped from 2003 to 2006 in math and science on PISA– a test measuring higher order thinking and performance skills.

27. NAEP, 8th and 12th Grade Science 1. What two gases make up most of the Earth's atmosphere?  • A)  Hydrogen and oxygen • B)  Hydrogen and nitrogen • C)  Oxygen and carbon dioxide • D)  Oxygen and nitrogen 2.   Is a hamburger an example of stored energy? Explain why or why not.______________________________________________________________________

28. Expectations for Learning are Changing The 21st century context means new expectations: • Ability to communicate • Adaptability to change • Ability to work in teams • Preparedness to solve problems • Ability to analyse and conceptualise • Ability to reflect on and improve performance • Ability to manage oneself • Ability to create, innovate and criticise • Ability to engage in learning new things at all times • Ability to cross specialist borders Chris Wardlaw, "Mathematics in Hong Kong/China – Improving on Being First in PISA"

29. SINGAPORE SCIENCE PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT As part of the Science Examination, Students must: • Identify a problem, design and plan an investigation, and evaluate their methods and techniques • Follow instructions and use techniques, apparatus and materials safely and effectively • Make and record observations, measurements, methods, and techniques with precision and accuracy • Interpret and evaluate observations and experimental data SINGAPORE EXAMINATIONS AND ASSESSMENT BOARD 29

30. High School Biology Exam, Victoria, Australia 3. When scientists design drugs against infectious agents, the term “designed drug” is often used. A. Explain what is meant by this term. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scientists aim to develop a drug against a particular virus that infects humans. The virus has a protein coat and different parts of the coat play different roles in the infective cycle. Some sites assist in the attachment of the virus to a host cell; others are important in the release from a host cell. The structure is represented in the following diagram: The virus reproduces by attaching itself to the surface of a host cell and injecting its DNA into the host cell. The viral DNA then uses the components of host cell to reproduce its parts and hundreds of new viruses bud off from the host cell. Ultimately the host cell dies.

31. Analysis and Application of Knowledge B. Design a drug that will be effective against this virus. In your answer outline the important aspects you would need to consider. Outline how your drug would prevent continuation of the cycle of reproduction of the virus particle. Use diagrams in your answer. Space for diagrams is provided on the next page. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

32. Design and Scientific Inquiry Before a drug is used on humans, it is usually tested on animals. In this case, the virus under investigation also infects mice. C. Design an experiment, using mice, to test the effectiveness of the drug you have designed. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

33. In addition…. The Focus on Test-Based Accountability--and the Achievement Gap--turns the public’s gaze away from the Opportunity Gap.

34. New Jersey Math Achievement Trends, 4th Grade NAEP 260 White, 255 250 White, 248 240 National Ave., 239 White, 239 White, 236 Hispanic, 234 Black, 232 230 National Ave., 226 Hispanic, 224 NAEP Scale Score National Ave., 222 220 Black, 217 National Ave., 219 210 Hispanic, 206 Black, 204 Hispanic, 204 200 Black, 198 190 1992  1996  2003   2007   Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP Data Trends What Happens When the Arguments Against Equity Finally Fall?

35. The New Jersey Story • Parity funding for high-need districts • Investment in high-quality preschool with highly prepared teachers • Whole school reform based on understanding child development and engaging parents • Teacher education & PD focused on urban teaching • Early literacy programs -- Expert coaches -- Teacher development for language-rich teaching -- Bilingual classroom libraries -- Focus on student work and authentic reading • Performance-based assessment

37. Characteristics of Schools Studied in NY, IL, & CA • Predominantly low-income students of color • Graduation rates above the state average (averaging 90%) • 80-100% of students accepted to college • Non-selective admissions • Engaging, empowering approach to education, connected to communities and families

38. Personalization • Small Schools • Reduced Pupil Loads • Long-term Relationships • Advisory Systems • Close parental contact

39. Rigorous & Relevant Instruction • Untracked college prep coursework made relevant, interdisciplinary, and problem-oriented • Supports for student learning • Internships • Project-Based, hands-on, language-rich learning • Performance Assessment & Portfolios • A Culture of Revision and Redemption

40. Hands-On LearningCreates Engagement & Success

42. Professional Collaboration & Learning • Intensive retreats • Shared planning time • Teaching teams • Regular professional development • Inquiry about student learning • Leadership focused on instruction

43. What We Need In Order to Achieve Instructional Quality & Equity • High-Quality Preschool Education • Adequate and equitable resources • Schools designed for effective caring and teaching • Well-trained teachers and principals in every school -- Urban teacher & leader residencies & Grow Your Own Programs -- Service scholarships to prepare & serve in high-need fields and locations • Curriculum for all students focused on higher-order thinking and performance skills • Performance assessments developed with language needs in mind

44. Insisting on Quality Education as a Civil Right "On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' And Vanity comes along and asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But Conscience asks the question 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, But he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right."  -Martin Luther King, Jr., "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution", March 31, 1968