Racial Inequality Within the Education Field
Racial Inequality Within the Education Field
Given recent events, I have been debating whether to discuss my thoughts and feelings toward racial inequality. After seeing our beautiful students coming back to our center this week, I realize that it is time for me to speak out on this growing issue.
There are many statistics that prove that the more math you know, the more likely you are to finish college and earn a higher salary. It seems easy, right? WRONG!
In 2012, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) conducted a research study on disparity facts and statistics, concluding that students of color are more likely to have:
- Limited access to advanced courses and college-ready programs
- Inexperienced or novice teachers
- Teachers who place lower expectations on them
- More discipline concerns and less instructional time
The list of disparities goes on.
It should come as no surprise that a 2015 study by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reported only 7% of Black students scoring at or above proficiency in math courses compared to 32% of white students.
When I was obtaining my Master’s in New York City, NY, I witnessed these disparities first-hand. As a junior teacher, I remember having to bring my own math teaching resources because the school did not have enough for all of the students in the class. Moreover, I spoke to several math teachers, primarily trained as art or gym teachers, who taught math because the school could not maintain a qualified math teacher. I also recall speaking with students working full-time to support their families who were housing-insecure and worried about their next meal. I understood why learning algebra was not a priority when compared to the more immediate challenges they had to face. It troubles me that today there are disparities that still exist everywhere, especially in education.
Our team will do our part in lifting our students to a world where their opportunities are limitless and they will be able to lead and work towards a more equitable future for all. My team and I have had the privilege to work in several charter and public Baltimore city schools in partnership with Morgan State University (MSU), a wonderful Historically Black College University (HBCU) where one of our founding tutors, Ken Wyatts, is currently a senior math major. Our work includes designing small group stations focused on helping students with their learning and introduce real-world examples of how math can be helpful to their future. In 2020-2021, we are excited to be a continued partner with MSU supporting Baltimore City high school students preparing for colleges and chosen trades.
There is a lot of work to be done especially in the math learning space and while the journey is difficult, data shows that finding a solution for bridging racial inequality in education – especially in math – is well worth the effort.
Sources:
Math Milestones: The Critical Role of Math Achievement in Student Success
Math Achievement Trajectories Among Black Male Students in the Elementary- and Middle-School Years
High-quality summer programs help reduce learning loss
High-quality summer programs help reduce learning loss
Source: summerlearning.org
Research shows that high-quality summer programs help reduce learning loss.
Keep your child’s brain sharp in a fresh and fun way with our Summer Enrichment Camps!
Coronavirus’ Impact on Education and What We Can Learn from China
COVID-19 Impact on Education and What We Can Learn from China
With the recent school closings, many wonder how education could change for their children. We look to China for some answers. With well over 80,000 cases, and as the first country to be hit with the virus, massive infrastructure changes were made to address the need for continued education. The largest technology players, such as China Mobile, Baidu, Alibaba, and Huawei have helped to bring infrastructure and courses to Chinese students and families. After researching and speaking to an education curriculum distributor in Beijing, China, here are the takeaways from that conversation:
- Online Learning is Now a Legitimate Form of Learning – While students have been learning online for some time, it has never been to this scale across all ages. The Chinese government has made virtual learning official; Therefore, there is no question that online learning is a solid alternative to the traditional classroom setting. The growth and legitimacy of online learning offer tremendous opportunities for digital learning, large-scale infrastructure support, non-traditional classes, and innovation in both curriculum and instruction.
- Learning Online is Happening at All Ages – Imagine you are in your house and a box from school arrives or a set of instructions from your teacher comes via email. In it are the materials you are to use during your lesson. Your job is to go online at a designated time when the teacher is teaching and share your work with your fellow students. You may collaborate offline with fellow classmates and get back online when you have completed the work. It sounds like a high school or college class, right? This is happening with elementary school students as young as five-years-old with minimal parental intervention.
- Teachers Have to Learn to Teach Online – What may work in a traditional setting may not work online. Teachers have to learn new skills, such as speaking naturally in front of a camera, using chat rooms, marking up presentations and papers in real-time, setting up schedules for live-streaming, assisting students with technological issues, and managing the attention of younger students.
- What We Have Learned – We are advising our students to continue with us online. Our tutors are comfortable and trained to work with students virtually and will help your child get comfortable with the new learning environment quickly. If you choose to come to our center, we will remain open for now and will follow CDC guidelines for safety.
- What We Will Do to Help – We will send ideas on how to create study plans for your children, where to find free resources, and how to prepare your children for online learning. There will be more to come in the next few days.
If you have any questions, suggested topics, or want to know more about online learning with us please feel free to contact [email protected]
Sources:
Pandemic Measures Stoked Fears in China of Biometric Data Collection: Study
Here are some of the latest China apps and platforms people are using to combat the coronavirus
China’s traditional schools embrace online learning as coronavirus forces students to stay at home
Read Why America’s Smartest Students Fail Math
Read Why America’s Smartest Students Fail Math
Eurekii was built on the philosophy that students must think through problems to understand them deeply. We embrace problem-solving, critical thinking, and context.
To our delight, here’s an article that embodies what we believe and what we strive to do each day.
It’s a must-read. Enjoy!
Does our approach to teaching math fail even the smartest kids?
Case Study: Math Engagement Workshop for Teachers Grades 3-5
Case Study: Math Engagement Workshop for Teachers Grades 3-5
Introduction
AIMS is an established association of independent schools in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Roughly 120 member schools serve more than 45,000 students in grades PK – 12. Among the many ways AIMS supports its members is by creating a variety of professional development opportunities. Teachers are looking for new and fresh approaches to teaching and presenting content, especially for key content areas like mathematics. AIMS recognized the need to provide a workshop to support critical foundational content in grades 3-5, including whole number and decimal operations, fractions, fluency, and strengthening number sense.
Eurekii’s Involvement
Eurekii’s founder, Dr. Phyllis Hillwig, gave a two-hour workshop designed to engage teachers with simple games that can be adapted easily across grades, levels, and content areas. Nearly two-dozen educators, including elementary teachers, math and learning specialists, and high school math and science teachers, were in attendance. Teachers played a variety of games and shared how they would adapt these games to use in the classroom the next day and throughout the year.
Teachers competed to get as many numbers on the number line with the endpoints -5 and 5!
Outcomes
Many attendees were pleased with the workshop and have already started to implement the engagement ideas in their classrooms. As a result of this workshop, AIMS and Dr. Hillwig will be jointly planning workshops that focus on tackling non-trivial word problems and engagement strategies for middle school teachers.
“Thank you so much for presenting such an engaging and relevant workshop for our AIMS community members. I wish all workshops were as hands-on and interactive as the one that Phyllis designed and presented.”
– Alecia Berman-Dry, Director of Outreach and Professional Development (AIMS)
“I loved your presentation yesterday, and the vibe I got from the others was positive as well.”
– Stephanie L., instructional leader
“Our three teachers who came really enjoyed it. They loved all of your ideas and the game ideas shared.”
– Becky S., math supervisor
“Thank you for such an engaging and FUN workshop.”
– Stephanie M., learning specialist
Why Getting An “A” May Not Be Good Enough
Why Getting An “A” May Not Be Good Enough
As we move towards report cards, midterms, and the end of the semester, it is natural that we all look at our children’s grades to take a temperature on their progress. If your child is failing or not doing well, this is an indicator to get support. However, when hearing that their children are getting As or Bs, many parents think, “I don’t have to worry. My kid is doing great.” That may very well be true. However, here are four reasons why you shouldn’t take As and Bs for granted.
1. Grade inflation is rampant: In a 2017 study from “Inside Higher Education,” the average high school GPA was 3.38, and according to the National Household Education Survey, 81% of high school students get As and Bs. Just because you are getting an A or B doesn’t meet you understand content deeply. This is very noticeable when your child takes a standardized test that is statistically normed. You can argue that a test doesn’t indicate everything or that your child is not a great test-taker. However, the reality is, your child’s standardized test scores are indicators of what they were able to retain and truly understand.
2. Low expectations are tolerated: In Amanda Ripley’s bestseller, The Smartest Kids in the World: and How They Got That Way, Ripley surveyed 202 foreign exchange students on the level of difficulty of the classes in the United States compared to other countries. About 90% of the students said their classes in the U.S. were easier than anywhere else they’ve studied. You may ask, “How can this be when parents are so involved?” Many parents in the United States are involved with their kids— with clubs, sports, fundraisers and many other things. However, their involvement doesn’t often include questioning whether the curriculum is sufficiently challenging, especially if their students are getting high grades with minimal effort. If your child is working really hard and getting Bs, that should be better than a kid getting As without having to really work for it.
3. It’s Too Much Work to Give Below a B: Several years ago, I taught Advanced Algebra in a very good school. One of my students who didn’t put in the work should have scored a C. My colleague told me to do whatever I could to give him a B-. “But he doesn’t deserve a B-,” I protested. “He deserves a C.” My colleague said, “Do you want to create more work for yourself? Do you want our supervisor questioning why you can’t instruct that student well enough to get a B? Do you want the parents calling you? Do you want to bring this school’s rating down? Give him that B- and save yourself the work.”
4. Later in life, “A” students don’t do as well as “C” students do. Popular business author Robert Kiyosaki’s 2012 book, Why A Students Work for C Students and B Students Work for the Government, tells a surprising tale. Later in life, “A” students typically don’t have the level of success or creativity that “C” students do. They are more prone to rule-following, are afraid to fail, and take fewer risks. This is why some of the most financially successful people (including U.S. Presidents) were not “A” students, but “C” students or didn’t even finish school. In the business world, among the most famous are Bill Gates, creator of Microsoft, and Steve Jobs, creator of Apple.
So, what is the lesson here? If your children are getting high grades easily, find ways to challenge them, both in and out of school. Focus on developing critical thinking, creativity, grit, and problem-solving skills. Building these skills will do more for them than any letter grade will.
Sources
Parents Have the Power to Challenge Educational Complacency
What Makes The ‘Smartest Kids In The World’?
There’s an epidemic of grade inflation and unearned As in American high schools
8 of 10 Self-Made Millionaires Were Not ‘A’ Students. Instead They Share This Trait
Building a “Math Culture” at New Song Academy
Building a “Math Culture” at New Song Academy
Introduction
New Song Academy, a K-8 public school located in West Baltimore, MD, wanted to increase achievement expectations to complement its warm and nurturing school environment. School leadership also wanted to place a strategic focus on mathematics.
Executive Director Mark Carter believes in setting high expectations for both students and teachers, often saying that they have “superpowers” to achieve great things. For these classroom superheroes, Carter’s goal was threefold:
- Bring out the greatest potential in students.
- Raise awareness and comfort around math among the professional staff.
- Bridge the gap between student’s classroom performance and their standardized test scores, particularly in mathematics.
Carter wanted the school to do more than “teach math.” This would start with rebooting the math experience for the teachers and learning instructors. Once the staff was more excited about math, Carter knew they would naturally translate this excitement to students in their classrooms.
Eurekii’s Involvement
Rebooting the math experience started with a professional development half-day, a day that was anything but boring. Eurekii Founder Dr. Phyllis Hillwig was invited, along with her team member Charles Hartley, to lead a fun, creative event designed to further the school’s goals.
The event included team building, math games, and the application of math to real-world problems. Staff got to tackle real issues, not just learning real-world applications that math students would enjoy and that would be relevant to their daily lives, but also with respect to reducing math anxiety and setting expectations for students, teachers, and parents.
Outcomes
The math event was a huge success. In addition to sharpening their math skills, teachers and learning instructors had the opportunity to reduce their anxiety around math and learn that math can actually be fun.
As a result of the experience, the New Song team developed action steps for creating a stronger math culture for the school. Teachers actively engaged in the process, coming up with ideas for integrating math into their disciplines (reading and language arts, science, social studies, and specials), including the incorporation of math terms, questions, and pictures into those disciplines to encourage math thinking and questioning.
“Eurekii’s math training gave our staff time to reflect and think about their own math anxieties, experiences, and how to improve those for our students. I appreciated their fun and playful way of helping everyone see a different side and importance of math. I look forward to working with Phyllis and her team to continue to strengthen the math culture of our community.”
— Mark Carter, Executive Director, New Song Academy
My Four Favorite TED Talks on Education
My Four Favorite TED Talks on Education
Math Class Needs a Makeover – Dan Meyer, Math Educator
Why It’s One of My Favorites:
We are taking the joy out of learning real math, and in this TED talk, one of America’s most popular math educators does a brilliant job explaining the problem and why it is important for us to do something about it.
Changing Education Paradigms – Sir Ken Robinson, Creativity Expert
Why It’s One of My Favorites:
Is there a better way to approach our children’s education? Sir Ken Robinson, British author, speaker and international advisor on education, challenges conventional wisdom and addresses the growing trends in ADHD.
Creative Ways to Get Kids to Thrive In School – Olympia Della Flora, Educator
Why It’s One of My Favorites:
We can’t educate our children in a vacuum. For children to thrive and learn, this school principal argues that we must address their social and emotional needs, as well as their educational ones.
Teaching Kids Real Math with Computers – Conrad Wolfram
Why It’s One of My Favorites:
In this video, Conrad Wolfram, mathematician, technologist and entrepreneur, challenges the need for teaching procedural calculation in mathematics — something our students spend a lot of time doing (and maybe they shouldn’t).
The Eight Math Practices and Why Everyone Should Know Them
The Eight Math Practices and Why Everyone Should Know Them
In every industry and field of study, there is always a set of best practices or rules that are the results of years of research, expert analysis, and international test comparisons that ensure the best and most accurate outcomes. In mathematics, practicing mathematicians, math educators, and researchers have aligned with the following eight core best practices. How many of these do you know?
Source: https://www.resa.net/
To truly learn and do mathematics, students should be following all eight of these best practices. How many are being taught in your students’ learning environment?
Now, notice what these eight things are not. They are not:
- Memorizing and applying rules and formulas to work problems through procedurally and mechanically without understanding the purpose or why you are doing it.
- Once you find your answer, not knowing how to check your answer for reasonableness.
- Thinking that getting to the answer quickly is the same as being good at math.
- Believing there is only one way to approach a problem.
- Not being able to give a mathematically grounded reason for your thinking process or answer.
Too many students struggle with math, but I would argue that the math they are doing is just one dimension of math. Real math learning has multiple entry points and invites learners to make sense of problems. Once math makes sense, it is much easier to arrive at the right answer.
So why should you know the eight math practices? Because knowledge is power! Once you know the eight math practices, you know what learning math looks like and can compare that to what your children are doing and how you can best support their math learning journey.
The Four Realities of Common Core Math
The Four Realities of Common Core Math
You’ll hear parents say, “Math is math! Why does my third grader have to explain how to multiply 2 x 3 when it’s obvious?” The answer is: Common Core.
First, let’s define the Common Core approach to mathematics. The ultimate goal is to help students understand that there are multiple ways to approach a problem and that a problem or concept should be grounded in understanding. For example, you don’t want just to learn multiplication by memorizing facts. Common Core’s philosophy is that students should know that 2 x 3 is really two groups of three and that you can define multiplication as repeated addition.
Most parents learned multiplication through basic memorization. It is certainly more efficient from a time perspective simply to focus on memorizing the multiplication facts rather than having a student explain how he or she got the answer. But helping a child understand how they got the answer has far greater benefits.
The promise of Common Core is huge. Maryland is using most of it, even if it doesn’t call it that. Just compare the Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards against the Common Core Math Standards and you will see. But what’s the problem? There are realities that make Common Core implementation difficult.
Here are some of the positive and negative realities of Common Core math:
COMMON CORE SUPPORTS CRITICAL THINKING
Experts agree that the jobs of tomorrow require critical thinking, complex problem-solving skills, and great communication and people skills. Learning multiple ways of doing something and having to explain it is much harder and promotes critical thinking and problem solving compared to “just do what I do.” However, teachers are often required to cover material by a certain time and do not have the time to allow this process to occur.
COMMON CORE AND MATH FLUENCY WORK TOGETHER
Knowing your facts well is great until you forget them. When you do, you must have a way to rebuild that understanding to help you remember those facts. For example, if you forget 5 x 7, you can still find this answer by using number sense. You know that 5 x 1 = 5 and 5 x 2 = 10, so you can continue to build up to 5 x 7. Common Core supports fluency, but it starts with understanding.
COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM ARE OFTEN MIXED UP
Let’s say a mathematics teacher is required to teach CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3.A. When it comes to teaching this standard, there are two parts to it: the standard itself and the curriculum.
The standard is “understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts referring to the same whole.” The curriculum is how to teach that standard. If you ask different teachers or read a variety of books, you’ll find multiple ways to teach this standard, and sometimes, those questions, methods, and approaches are not aligned or well executed. This is why parents get frustrated and students get confused. It isn’t the standard that’s confusing. It is the interpretation of how to teach it.
Common Core Math Is Harder Than the Old Traditional Math
Some parents believe in the traditional way of teaching math because, frankly, that is what they know and are used to. Throw in the confusion of curriculum vs. standard and the varied execution of the teaching of that standard and you can get a lot of confused kids and parents.
But here’s the reality: The new Common Core Math Standards are meant to guide instruction towards understanding and go deeper in understanding a concept. If you promote thinking rather than just mechanics, it will be harder, and that’s not a bad thing if you are ultimately preparing for the future that requires complex problem solving to thrive.