Re: Fw: from THE EFFECTIVE SCHOOL REPORT, December 2002, VOL XX, No. 11

[Art Burke <aburke@VANSD.ORG>]

Amen.

Art

>>> gkc@LOUISVILLE.EDU 12/04/02 06:50PM >>>
If anyone ever needs a good example of the fine art of snake oil sales,
you now have one.

George K. Cunningham
University of Louisville

>>> wcala@ROCHESTER.RR.COM 12/04/02 09:12PM >>>
Utilities
----- Original Message -----
From: news@schoolmatch.com 
To: William Cala
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 5:34 PM
Subject: from THE EFFECTIVE SCHOOL REPORT, December 2002, VOL XX, No.
11


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      from THE EFFECTIVE SCHOOL REPORT, December 2002, VOL XX , NO.11


      Education Research: Neither Fact Nor Science

      Commentary

      By

      William L. Bainbridge & M. Donald Thomas



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        There is a large and growing concern about the quality of
education that many of our children and young people are receiving
today, and the effect that it may have on their future-and the future of
our nation. In this commentary, two noted educators present a bold and
straight forward view of what it will take to improve the educational
opportunities for all children and young people. Whether or not you
agree with all they present, you should find that the presentation will
stir your emotions and bring attention to a need to educate all
children--regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. --THE EDITORS


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Edmund Burke stated: "[In] the flourishing state of things, there
is appearance enough to excite uneasiness and apprehension. I admit
there is a cankerworm in the rose." The same can be said about research
in education. What is reported in lofty statistical languages often
disguises the many fallacies upon which the conclusions are based.
Within the flowers of education research the cankerworms are found in
great abundance.

      The problem is that education is a social phenomenon and not a
physical or biological science. It is easier for us to understand the
working of the universe than to "research" what establishes learning in
the classroom, or anywhere else for that matter. Understanding what
factors contribute to learning are complex, interrelated and cannot be
controlled as they are in medical research. At best, educational
research can produce anecdotal data, hunches, observations and guesses.
But it cannot produce causal relationships.

      Thus the so-called "research in effective schools" is a mish-mash
of personal opinion and snake oil salesmanship. Much of it is aimed at
controlling needed expenditures to provide an adequate and high quality
education for all children, particularly children who live under poverty
conditions. What education studies have found, if they have discovered
anything, is that there is no "magic bullet," no single set of
circumstances that influence student achievement, except that the
quality of the teacher is the most powerful factor. The same is true in
any service area: medicine, law, architecture, engineering or
accounting.

      In education, we are attempting to improve learning with
meaningless slogans: "No child left behind," "effective schools for
all," and "all children can learn." At the same time, we continue to
support our schools at a financially inadequate level to educate well
all the children. Mushy research is no substitute for hard money to pay
for quality education personnel and appropriate social services for our
children.

      What we need to understand is that whatever we believe will
improve learning is often limited by forces which cannot be controlled
by the school: poverty, dysfunctional homes, influence of peer groups
and general hostility of public policy against our children--"zero
tolerance," "no social promotion" and "high stakes testing." At the same
time, the achievement gap between poor and affluent children continues
to widen each year.


      Research That Is Meaningful

      Rather than focus on education research, we should learn from
studies conducted in biology and child growth and development,
especially research in brain development. Therein lies our ability to
have all children enter first grade "ready to learn."

      Excellent advice is provided by Dr. James J. Gallager, who
states:


        "One of the current hot educational issues, for example, is how
we might close the achievement gap between minority and majority
students that has been evident for a number of years. A large number of
potential solutions have been proffered by ambitious educators and
researchers who are content to ignore the fact that the basis for this
gap lies only slightly in the educational process and teacher
preparation and more deeply in the sociocultural background of various
subgroups in our society."

      In short, we must provide services to children prior to entering
kindergarten or first grade.If we are serious about educating well all
the children, we need to stop trying to prove that is can be done "on
the cheap." Rather, we need to set up a model school, with appropriate
resources and support systems that will provide a quality education for
children living under poverty conditions.

      Will it cost more? Yes!

      Will it close the gap between rich and poor? Yes!

      Will it save money in the long run? Yes!

      Will it create greater "capital" for our nation? Yes!

      Will it be much more effective than the coinage of slogans and

      reliance on a mish-mash of education research? Absolutely!!


      Blueprint For Successful Learning

      What would such a school look like?


        a.. Children will begin at age 3 with certified teachers at a
ratio of one teacher for ten children. Concentration would be on
creating synaptic density by a variety of social, physical, and
linguistic stimulation.
        b.. Children would have a wide array of sensory stimulation,
especially in the formation of sounds needed to acquire the ability to
read later on. Further, the school would provide experiential
opportunities to develop an extensive vocabulary and recognition of
environmental symbols.
        c.. Children will attend school for at least 210 days per year.
Part of the time, parents would be required to be in school with their
children. In addition, parents will be provided with high quality parent
education, instructional materials and knowledge of child growth and
development. They would also be taught processes by which children learn
at home: conditioning, behavior contagion, and verbal verification.
        d.. All children will be provided take-home computers and
software.
        e.. Food service programs will provide children with a high
protein diet.
        f.. Children will be provided with many exploratory activities
in music, art, and physical activities.
      The school may wish to provide other components if needed:
medical and dental examinations and/or counseling services.

      This school will increase the learning capacity of all children,
especially those that live in disadvantaged conditions. So why wait any
longer. Let's put our money where our mouths have been for so many
years--"the future of our nation depends on our children," "no child
left behind," "all children can learn" and so on. If we are serious
about what we say, then let's start by establishing at least one model
school to show that what we say is possible when we provide adequate
resources to educate well all our children. It must become, as William
James stated, our moral equivalent for war!

      ------------------------

      Dr. William L. Bainbridge, currently serves as President and CEO
of SchoolMatch, and as a Distinguished Research Professor at The
University of Dayton. He is the former superintendent of three school
districts in Ohio and Virginia, and former Assistant to the Ohio
Superintendent of Public Instruction. He has served as a lead consultant
in SchoolMatch Audits of Educational Effectiveness in school systems in
over 30 states. He was named Educator of the Year by the Ohio PTA and
has served as educational consultant to over 400 corporations and
hundreds of school systems. He is a Fellow of the American College of
Forensic Examiners and Diplomate of the National Academy for School
Executives. He has been featured on NBC's Today Show, ABC's Good Morning
America, CNN, NPR, CBS radio and over 400 national and local television
and radio programs. He earned his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University.

      Dr. M. Donald Thomas serves as Chairman of the SchoolMatch
Advisory Board. He previously served as an educational accountability
advisor to the governors of South Carolina, Tennessee, and South Dakota.
The former Superintendent of Schools in Salt Lake City, Utah, also was
Superintendent of school systems in Illinois, New York and California.
He has achieved national recognition as a school administrator,
education reformer, researcher, author and speaker. The Horace Mann
League honored him as "Educator of the Year" 1997. The American
Association of School Administrators presented him with their
Distinguished Service Award in 1987. Thomas earned his doctorate at the
University of Illinois.






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