It's Not Teachers - It's Poverty (and when will that get the attention?)

A heartfelt guest post from The Washington Post's Answer Sheet written by Brock Cohen about the REAL issue that holds back schools in closing the achievement gap. 

This was written by Brock Cohen, a teacher and student advocate in the Los Angeles Unified School District who contends that we can no longer afford to trivialize the critical role that poverty plays in a child’s learning experiences – and that true school reform begins with social justice. Brock’s students were recently featured in an NPR piece that charts some of his students’ daily struggles as they pursue their education.

He starts off with hearts and flowers from NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan and even the President.  That's all good and well but charters and TFA are just distractions. 

What had grown increasingly clear to me was that my students’ academic struggles did not simply stem from inaction, ineffective parenting, drug use, or neglect. While these elements were usually present in various forms, or to greater or lesser degrees, they weren’t the root causes of their failure; they were the effects of poverty. What I’d learned in less than a semester of teaching was that poverty wasn’t merely a temporary, though unpleasant, condition — like a hangover or the sniffles. It was a debilitating, often generational, epidemic.

There are relatively few schools -traditionals and charters - who are making progress at closing this gap.  To do that, you need what many of these students don't have - parents who are able to be present in their child's academic life.  KIPP succeeds because it is able to find parents who are determined to get their child on track and find the discipline (and longer days) something that both the parents and KIPP believe will do the trick.  But even with KIPP, many kids fall by the wayside.  Their attrition rate is very high.

It is quite easy to talk about changes at the school level.  It's easy to point the finger at teachers (although why it's just teachers and not administrators and school boards is a mystery). 

It is VERY easy to say "have a 'no excuses' culture" at a school and that will do it.  The realities, as Mr. Cohen points out, are quite different but we do not want to talk about those. 

Poignant writing:

Despite, in many cases, being less than a school year away from graduation, many of my students were not doing – or even attempting to do – even the simplest assignments. And yet some of my most apathetic kids routinely offered to straighten up my cluttered desktop or sweep my classroom. What I was gradually seeing was that many of them wanted to take pride in doing something well; maybe they’d just surmised that academic success was too far beyond their grasp. I started to wonder if at least some of their apathy was actually a white flag being waved in the face of repeated failure.

Many parents were cobbling together livelihoods by working multiple low-wage jobs that often took them away from home for the critical late-afternoon and evening hours during which kids rely heavily on caregivers for guidance and discipline. Others were dealing with their own personal demons wrought by drugs, alcohol, or destructive relationships. Some were simply M.I.A., and I never found out why. Because many of my students were saddled with learning disabilities — a frequent characteristic among high-poverty populations of children — I attended scores of I.E.P. meetings in which my special needs students were left to discuss their challenges, progress, and goals without a caregiver in the room.

In education, there are choices to be made that can indeed move the needle of student achievement. Developing a collaborative model, for example, can lead to improvements in the skills and study habits of disadvantaged children. But closing the so-called achievement gap between rich and poor will first require Americans to recognize a far more uncomfortable reality: The policies employed to purportedly address the struggles of low-income children have ushered in a new era of school segregation. Claiming that poverty is no excuse for student failure trivializes the damage caused by years of actions and inactions that have widened the gaps between rich and poor communities. Good schools aren’t molded through harsh sanctions, private takeovers, or even soaring rhetoric. They emerge from healthy, stable communities. That is, they emerge from a commitment to justice.

Comments

David said…
Adding to your post, here is a US Department of Education study that says the issue is poverty and all the problems poverty creates:

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011004.pdf

Table 6 on page 15 of the study is particularly good. Short summary of that is that the US is on par with other industrialized countries if you exclude poverty-stricken public schools, which does imply the problem is poverty and lack of a social safety net here in the US.

Combined with the impact of summer learning loss, which apparently accounts for 2/3rds of the achievement gap, running school for longer hours year-round, and with social programs (clinic and free food) for the kids might be the solution. That may be expensive, but it likely is the only solution that actually will work.
VennD said…
I don't know why I continue to be shocked that you have no idea what you're talking about.

1. Poverty, in and of itself, is not the cause for poor education. If this were true, we wouldn't see any schools make gains.

2. The research has shown that parent engagement is most successful when the school reaches out to the parents, not the other way around. Self-efficacy of parents is often contributed to the personal invitation from a teacher.

For example, Mercer Middle School has seen tremendous gains in SE Seattle. Did this happen because parents were suddenly more motivated? No. Mercer Middle School has an incredible home visitation program at the beginning of the year. The administrative staff and teachers are transparent about their data, and talk to parents about it.

It's about changing school culture. It's about seeing parents - at all income levels - as having assets to bring to a school. It's incumbent on the school to change the culture and bridge the gap.

Schools need to see the importance of families as a strategy for success instead of working from a deficit model.

For more information, see: Karen Mapp, Kathleen Hoover-Dempsey, Joyce Epstein, and even the UW's Ann Ishimaru.
dan dempsey said…
David makes good points above.

I am reminded of the "never let a good crisis go to waste, when it can be used to push something you want". The SPS has been at the forefront of using the achievement gap as a reason to push programs staff wants.

It is not hard to connect political donors wishes to Obama/Duncan education policies. I would be surprised if Romney would be much different.

Here is a good article on the Value Added Measure for teacher evaluation=>

Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response
======

Worse, the testing mania of the last generation has created demand for primitive teach-to-the-bubble-in-test computer systems, not interactive programs that liberate children's imaginations. For instance, if Gates would really listen to teachers, he would understand that bogus "credit recovery" programs, designed to jack up accountability numbers, illustrate a key dynamic that has slowed technology. It is one of many examples of data-driven systems spending billions to jack up meaningless statistics, while shunning real innovations.
Anonymous said…
So much anger, Venn D. Perhaps it is both. I agree that Mercer Middle School has succeeded. At least, according to what I heard. But that's not the whole story.

How did they do it? We should look at it closely and try to replicate it if possible.

I'm for that.

But to dismiss all the research that shows poverty to be a huge factor in lack of school success is crazy.

Melissa and Charlie, I wish we could have a really good inside look at exactly what did happen at Mercer: class sizes, student-teacher ratios, strategies used, etc. I haven't seen that and I wonder that no one has published an article on the miracle at Mercer. Why not? This should be national news. Has it been overrated?

Or have they and I missed it?

n...
Anonymous said…
This is just my opinion, but I see Mercer as the default MS for southend parents who are already at least somewhat motivated or very motivated. Parents who could get their kids into Mercer rather than Aki did just that. Consequently, Aki got stuck with more of the problems and Mercer not as much.

That combined with all the good things Mercer has been doing (and ditching the SPS math was huge) has helped the school succeed.

With the new SAP, more kids are attending Aki who would have opted for Mercer, so maybe we'll see things improve there as well.

SolvayGirl
Anonymous said…
The Seattle Times did a front page story awhile back on the success at Mercer. It is a model that should be looked at closely.

One thing Mercer did was change the math curriculum. They left behind the mandated discovery methods that are in place in most Seattle public schools. Mercer went back to teaching real math and it showed results.

Instead of throwing money at STEM programs, charter schools or common core standards, it would help to look closely at the curricula we are now using and make improvements. Mercer showed how that can be done by using Saxon math instead of the discovery methods. I hope the new superintendent builds upon this success.

S parent
Anonymous said…
Another thing Mercer did was kick out all its behavior problem students. The easiest way to improve a school is to kick students out who don't fit the mold of the school. That practice is not just for charters you know. How many EBD students living in the service area of Mercer are served at Mercer? Not very many. Kicking students out has worked at lots of SPS schools.

Another Parent
Anonymous said…
Don't assume Mercer kicked out all of its "behavior problems."

Every Seattle school moves some children around who are being self-destructive or who have crossed the point of no return. And every school gets assigned struggling children who have been expelled from another school. Mercer is no different. While I don't work there, I know teachers who do, and it's simply not true that they cleaned house and got a magically well-behaved and motivated population.

A more likely explanation is that when kids feel respected, challenged and successful, their behavior problems disappear. Is it possible kids who were misbehaving because they were angry and bored are now putting that energy into their academics at Mercer? Yes. That's a much more likely explanation, and it's a strategy other schools can try.

SeaTeach
Anonymous said…
SeaTeach at 1:56

you sound like 1 of those admin edu-crats or 1 of those teachers in their own magic bubble or a deformer with The Solution!!

"when kids feel respected, challenged and successful, their behavior problems disappear. "

Maybe you should join VennD and work to get rid of THE obvious problem - teachers who don't respect their kids and who don't challenge their kids -

With all the Gate$ Astro Turfs in town, surely the 2 of you can get a job applying your expertise of making sure the managements of the broken systems are never held accountable!

WinstonLovedBigBrother
Anonymous said…
Hey WinstonLovedBigBrother,

My son works with challenged and autistic students in the Portland area. He uses Montessori techniques and they do feel respected and challenged. They also behave.

Stop demonizing teachers. It isn’t helping.

S parent
SeattleSped said…
'scuse me S parent,

but WinstonLovedBigBrother's post appeared tongue in cheek to me. Obviously, as a parent of one of those self-same students, I KNOW our students could perform better. Can someone tell me whether Mercer got dispensation to offer more support? Seeing as how MMS was a poster-child, was that the difference? Do any of the $$ paid JSCEE employees have any clue? Why not, if that was their function?
Charlie Mas said…
I think we should write something about what happened at Mercer.

It wasn't just a matter of changing the math materials or kicking out some of the kids. And it didn't happen overnight.

It was largely a matter of shifting the perspective of the staff and the way they did their work and shifting the culture of the school. Mercer is a good, strong example of how some of the best elements of the "no excuses" approach can be implemented in a public school.

Central to the effort was the culture change.
Dorothy Neville said…
Yes, the Mercer story is multidimensional. One anecdote I was told -- in order to combat absenteeism and tardies, students who needed them were given alarm clocks. PTA or some other grant paid for them (I am not sure which). That was just one of the tools they used to increase attendance.
Anonymous said…
Who paid for the Saxon math materials? Was is district money?

curious
David said…
VennD, it is possible for individual schools in poverty to succeed (by carefully selecting students or teachers, for example). The study cited says, overall, progress on low performing schools requires longer hours, clinics, food, and other efforts to address poverty.
Anonymous said…
I see lots of suggestions, ideas and beliefs but not many specifics except for the alarm clocks.

I hope you do investigate this phenomenon and get us some specifics on just how the culture was changed.

I'm interested.

BTW, principals who can pull this stuff off (including Eckstein's Whitworth) should be transferred to schools that really need them. Extra pay is fine with me contingent on increasing student achievement.

n...
Sahila said…
Ok - say you do make a tiny bit of difference for the current batch of students...

what happens for the next batch?

and the one after that?

and what happens if/when any of these kids graduates high school, college even AND THERE ARE NO JOBS FOR THEM?

AND their kids grow up in poverty, experiencing all the problems that despair brings with it...

none of this will change UNLESS WE CHANGE OUR SOCIETY...

its all a waste of effort UNLESS you are willing to tackle the root cause - a society/economic system that is designed - in fact needs - to maintain at least a minimum level of poverty, preferably as much poverty as it can get away with, without falling into complete disintegration....
Anonymous said…
There has been a fairly large amount of research on lead poisoning as one of the impacts of living in poverty and the effects that has on learning. Cities with old public housing where lead-based paint was used and has not been removed have higher numbers of students with learning disabilities, low IQs, and other problems associated with lead poisoning.
An older article, but a good discussion of the impacts of poverty on children.
https://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/07_02_03.pdf
CT
Anonymous said…
absolutely agree with VennD. Schools must reach out. i would like to know more about Mercer's program. Transparency about data? who wouldn't want that?

Interested
Carol Simmons said…
I totally agree with Sahila's comments as I usually do.

For info purposes:
I called a former Principal of Mercer and asked what had changed regarding a "culture shift" since she had been there. She said that when she was there, there were staff members who did not want to "change." She is not a union supporter and knows that I am and we seldom agree on politics, educational philosophy, charter schools, TFA and etc., but this is what she said. She said that there is a group of teachers "mostly young" who got together and worked together and agreed on curriculum, services, rules and regs and etc. etc. She said some of the "older" teachers resisted but there were some who went along with the new young teachers and their ideas....?? Math was an example she used. She also said that the TFA recruits were extremely effective, but left. She said she tried to do some of these things.....did not mention alarm clocks..but "was ahead of her time." She says the same "good things" are happening at Roosevelt? She attributes most of the positive changes including the rise in test scores to this group of teachers. I asked about the Principals. She said that Mercer's most recent Principal supported what the teachers were doing. That Principal is gone now. I wish I had inquired about current stats regarding drop outs, push outs, disproportionality issues.....I will say that she worked hard to prevent disproportionality in student referrals for discipline infractions while she was there.

Just for your info.

Carol
dan dempsey said…
Carol,

Thanks for the report above on Mercer.

..... a group of teachers "mostly young" who got together and worked together and agreed on curriculum, services, rules and regs and etc. etc. She said some of the "older" teachers resisted but there were some who went along with the new young teachers and their ideas....?? Math was an example she used.

In John Hattie's "Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning"
He recommends the agreement mentioned above as step one. He then shows how the teachers can develop systems to evaluate the efficacy of the plans and goals that they have put forth. This results in a system of continual improvement.

You will notice that such a system requires no interference from the central office. It is student focused at each individual school and is not a one size fits all plan so preferred by MGJ, Enfield, etc. .... This is a plan that produces improvement rather than increasing central office employment.
Jan said…
Yes, yes, yes. The teachers -- at the schools -- getting together to brainstorm on what the EXACT issues are, and then coming up with implementable solutions to address them! Somewhere there is a website that showcases specific highly effective schools, and time and again -- that is what has happened. Sometimes, it is a great principal who pulls together an incredibly cohesive staff (either reenergizing the existing one, or building a new one willing to participate). At a minimum, it requires a principal who will support, or not interfere with, the teachers who have mobilized. In all cases, it requires that the downtown folks NOT interfere (ideally, the downtown staff should be a resource -- what are you planning? how can we help? what resources do we have access to that we could make available to you? -- but that would require a level of service (and humility) on the part of the downtown folks that seems largely missing in the SSD).

Thanks for taking the time to make the call, Carol. How can parents and the community mobilize to "encourage" this sort of action in OTHER schools?
I will be speaking with Superintendent Banda in August and I will ask him about duplicating Mercer's success in other schools.
Anonymous said…
Carol - I do love that "mostly young" thing.

Does anything think that there are some common desirable characteristics of 20 somethings, regardless if the career is cooking, software, teaching ...?

- young or no kids of their own, so 60 and 70+ hour work weeks show they're motivated!

- not yet taking care of falling apart adults (isn't that why they went to college got a career MOVED AWAY!) so 60 and 70+ hour work seeks show dedication!

- few or none of the body break downs that happen at 35 and 45 from working so hard at work that you neglect your body, soul and head, because 60 and 70+ hour work weeks show they have energy!

- amenable to fixing problems other's have caused because they haven't yet spent 10 or 15 or 20 years fixing problems others have caused, and 60 and 70+ hour work weeks show they're dedicated!

I wonder if the Principal would be honest enough to admit that the magic relied on 20 something energy, which is scalable if you fire everyone over 35, and which is sustainable ... when you fire everyone over 35!

Oh well, it is America - it is just too hard for managers to figure out robust SYSTEMS which work, and so much easier, and profitable, to be a powerpoint parasite selling snake oil.

1984StillWinning
Anonymous said…
Now let's look at another example. McClure. You take a southend school (because that is where the students used to come from) and it has all the run of the mill south end problems. Does it improve when you remove those "problem" students "in poverty"?

Everyone assumes that when you remove the southend kids (NSAP) the problems will go away. Nothing could be further from the truth. The same administration and teachers remain at McClure, the same low expectations and lack of teacher oversight. And the school still sucks! Many teachers provide no curriculum, no syllabus. My kid watched videos for many classes, sometimes for weeks on end. And bullying? Well that begins with the administration. It shouldn't be surprising that it is a problem with students. The administrators rarely leave their offices except to randomly punish somebody. There's no teacher oversight by the principal (who is a perpetual victim) and no teacher accountablity. Good teachers leave as soon as they can. It's no surprise that only a small percentage of the service area's graduating 5th graders wind up at McClure. In a very high SES area, this should be a great school. But no. You can remove the students in poverty with NSAP, but you can't take the poverty mentality of low expectation out of the administration and faculty.

It's not ALL about the kids and the misfortune of their poverty! Let's get real here. Poverty mentalities pervade school STAFF, and most importantly, principals!

Parent

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