Building Positive School Climates

May/June, 2014 • Volume 44 • 6
ADL’s Making Diversity Count program can help reduce bullying and bias

By ANDREA TOPPER

Today’s youth live in an increasingly diverse country. The U.S. Department of Education reports that in 2013, 49 percent of K-12 public school students were students of color, compared to 39 percent in 2000. By 2021, projections show that number will increase to 53 percent of K-12 public school enrollment.
New Jersey mirrors the national trend. According to New Jersey Department of Education data, in 2000 40 percent of K-12 public school students were students of color. That percentage grew to 50 percent in 2013. However, diversity does not necessarily translate into inclusion and respect for differences. Bias, discrimination and identity-based bullying among youth persist and can escalate into violence.

According to the National Center of Education Statistics, 28 percent of students ages 12-18 have been bullied in school. Findings from the Teen Online and Wireless Safety Survey indicate that 24 percent of respondents report being cyberbullied during their lifetimes. Students’ identity or perceived identity, such as sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity and physical appearance, is often reported as a key motivator for bullying. One in 10 students reports that someone at school has used hate-related words against them and over a third have seen hate-related graffiti at school. These experiences are teaching young people that it is acceptable to exclude, demean and behave maliciously toward those considered different.

Forty-seven percent of high school students do not tell anyone if they are the target of bullying behavior. They remain silent for fear of retaliation or of being accused of tattling or snitching. They do not think adults will handle it well, reporting that adults either do nothing or their actions did not improve the situation.

In light of these trends and demonstrating its commitment to anti-bullying, New Jersey passed the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (P.L.2010, c.122) in January 2011, and amended in March 2012. This comprehensive bill established a strong statutory, regulatory, policy and program framework to support the prevention, remediation and reporting of harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) in schools.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), founded in 1913, is an organization that remains committed to combating anti-Semitism, bias and bigotry through advocacy and anti-bias education programs. ADL has been a long-time leader in the development of Pre-K-12 curriculum affirming diversity and addressing bias and prejudice in schools. More than a decade ago, ADL was among the first to recognize the threat of bullying and cyberbullying and to develop effective bullying prevention and intervention programs for educators, students, parents and the community.

One of the programs ADL offers to schools and school districts across the country is a comprehensive online anti-bias training course called Making Diversity Count. This easy-to-navigate, self-paced online course provides teachers, administrators, counselors and school staff with useful tools and information to improve school climate and build culturally responsive and inclusive classrooms that promote respect, fairness and equity.

The course offers educators practical skills for helping students develop effective response strategies when they or others are targets of bullying. Through video vignettes of classroom situations, participants witness various acts of bias in the classroom. They then practice ways to respond to the bias by choosing different solutions and seeing the resulting outcomes. They can click on expert advice tabs and listen to authorities in the field offer suggestions in how to handle difficult and often unexpected situations. They can complete interactive activities, participate in a moderated discussion board, write reflections in a journal, adapt lesson plans for use in their own classrooms, and customize an action plan to integrate multicultural practices into their teaching. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate for 15 professional development hours.

Topics covered in the course include: working through the challenges of diversity in the classroom, exploring personal and student identity, defining exclusive and insensitive language, creating culturally responsive classrooms, understanding value-laden conflicts and confronting bias, bullying and name calling.
Educators say that this course is unique because it provides clear and practical ways to handle uncomfortable conversations and challenging circumstances. One educator said, “The course is designed to engage teachers by presenting real and interesting scenarios that truly tested the way I think about and approach diversity in my classroom. Diversity should count and for me, this course helped me examine my own teaching and provide tangible ways to make it count.”

In recent course evaluations of Making Diversity Count, 84 percent of participants reported that the course gave them specific tools to help make their classrooms more inclusive and bias free, 86 percent stated that it showed them ways to be more proactive managing cross cultural communication and 87 percent said they would recommend Making Diversity Count to a colleague.

The comprehensive course includes nine modules and typically takes 12-15 hours to complete. ADL suggests that participants complete the course in 12-16 weeks, which amounts to a commitment of about one hour per week.

ADL offers the course to a school or district for their teachers for a nominal license fee. For more information, contact Andrea Topper 212-885-7837.

Andrea Topper is project director of ADL Making Diversity Count.

Source: New Jersey School Board Association Newsletter

Mount Laurel students use ocean exploration to learn about STEM

May/June, 2014 • Volume 44 • 6
Under the Sea
Mount Laurel students use ocean exploration to learn about STEM
By JEANETTE RUNDQUIST

When the Mount Laurel School District wanted to start a new middle-school program a few years ago in STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – teacher Maureen Barrett was intrigued.  Barrett, who was an eighth-grade life sciences teacher, as well as an avid scuba diver, had seen a program on underwater robots during a marine educators conference, and “kept it on the back burner of something I’d like to do.”
The teacher submitted a proposal for an elective course on ocean exploration, and her idea was selected.  Almost three years after the STEM program began at Harrington Middle School in 2011, the class, which teaches scientific and engineering concepts by having seventh-graders build and use underwater robots, has become extremely popular with students and parents.

The ocean exploration course, which began as an elective, is now part of the regular schedule for all seventh-graders. An after-school club, the Sea Perch Team Club, competes in underwater robotics competitions, taking students to Rowan University, the University of Southern Mississippi and elsewhere. An Ocean Exploration Night for families is in the planning stages at the middle school.
The program was also recognized by the New Jersey School Boards Association in its 2013 School Leader Awards.

“What’s really great is the students are using a lot of tools. They’re building the control box from scratch, stripping wires and crimping and completing the circuit, putting in toggle switches. They’re learning to work with each other and collaborate, and they’re learning basic engineering principals,” Barrett said. “It’s not just, build a robot and play in the pool.”

The class gives kids a taste of what it really feels like to be an engineer or scientist. Students collaborate in teams of four to brainstorm and design ROVs – Remotely Operated Vehicles – using the engineering design process. They construct their robots from PVC pipe, wiring and assorted hardware. Using the robots in an 8-by-12-foot portable pool, they then perform underwater tasks like capping a miniature well, simulating the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“I wasn’t sure it would actually work in the water,” said one student in the end-of-class assessment. “It seems like only engineers do this type of stuff, not middle-school students.”

The students utilize other underwater robots called “Sea Perch” to do jobs such as collecting “crabs” made of PVC pipe and pipe cleaners. Students document their work throughout, in writing and a video journal, and do oral presentations. 

Learning opportunities go beyond the classroom. Students hear from guest speakers from the Philadelphia Naval Yard and industry; take field trips; and discuss current events in which underwater technology is used, such as the search for the missing Malaysian jetliner earlier this year. An autonomous underwater vehicle was employed in that search effort.

“They had to do research on not just that, but where else are (underwater vehicles) used?” Barrett said. “We’re building this cool little thing in class, but this is real life. This is how we’re exploring our oceans.”

Teamwork plays a big part in the course. Often that draws the most pride from kids.

“I’m most proud of our group,” wrote one student. “I’m proud of our group because we worked together and listened to what each other had to say.”

Mount Laurel Schools Superintendent Dr. Antoinette Rath said the program was so well-received “it was apparent we had to do more.” The district expanded STEM offerings to fifth through eighth grades, on topics such as LEGO robotics and the environment. 

A STEAM course – science, technology, engineering, arts and math, which brings arts in as well – was also added in middle school.

Corporate donations from partners such as Lockheed Martin and The Sallie Mae Fund, and grants from NJAET – the New Jersey Association for Educational Technology – and the Mount Laurel Public Education Fund, have provided support.

“These courses continue to be highly sought after,” Dr. Rath said, “and have opened new doors for many of our students.”

NJSBA’s School Leader Awards judge programs based on innovation, how well they meet student needs, the relationship of the program to the state’s curriculum standards, and program results.
Jeanette Rundquist is NJSBA communications officer.

Source:  New Jersey School Board Association Newsletter....

Your Child Is Going To School In September. Are You Ready?

Your child is beginning school in 

September: Are YOU READY?

What questions are you asking? 

• What should I do before my child starts school?

• What will my child’s kindergarten teacher expect of my child? 

• What can I do at home to help my child succeed in school?

• How can I tell how well my child is doing in school?

• How can I get the most out of parent-teacher conferences?

• How can I encourage my child to read?

• How much homework should my child have?

• How should I help my child with homework?

• How I can be more actively involved with my child’s school?

• What can I do to help make sure that my child’s school is safe and drug-free?

VISIT THIS SITE FOR SOME SUGGESTIONS
http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/questions/questions.pdf

Pride and Prejudice?

After the School Board Meeting on June 26, 2014, I noticed a young parent waiting around with her family. She spoke to her son saying, that is Mrs. Walker. I thought, oh no.

She approached me with her son and introduced the 2 of us. Another Community member was holding her youngest child. The young man stepped forward and told me this:

"I am an Academy student, but I will graduate from Dwight Morrow High School." He spoke with the pride and certainty that has been missing from the graduates of A@E since the first class earned diplomas from our Alma Mater.

Looking at them, I knew that at least one Englewood family understands what our group is trying to do. I hugged both of them and thanked them for the encouragement. That one exchange gave me enough fuel to carry on for a long time.

Join us. Help us dodge the bullets. Join the fight to save our traditions. We value our history. Some of our children are being taught to value their history also.   https://www.facebook.com/CelebrateDMHS

        Adios and Vaya Con Dios

How are the children?

The Englewood Public School District Joins the War on the Impoverished!

Earlier this year, Harley Ungar, an EPSD Board Member made a recommendation that any child in need of urgent intervention, as determined by the STAR RENAISSANCE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL, will be mandated to attend summer school. The district decided without a formal resolution and on the recommendation of a Board Member that these children will  be retained if they do not attend this urgent intervention.

There are problems with this:

1. Recommendations come from the Superintendent, not a school Board Member. 

2. We have not had a Superintendent since July 1 of 2011. This was confirmed in a letter dated April 24, 2014 from the Executive County Superintendent. Even without that obvious problem, there are other issues that must be addressed. 

3. Transportation has not been arranged for the children mandated to attend summer school.

5. Parents who do not have cars and depend on the school bus to transport their children during the school year are being punished for their economic status, yet again.

4. STAR RENAISSANCE is not a STATE MANDATED TEST. 

5. The children must be taught basic skills by the classroom teacher and supported by parents at home. The TEST does not teach.

6. Is the child failing the test or is the school failing the child?

We have 7 school buses that sit in the parking lot of Liberty School. Why are these buses NOT being used to transport the children to school?

The Board is set to spend a million dollars on a maintenance shed (which they claim will not be used for maintenance). It is said that this shed/office building/maintenance garage will house the buses, yet these buses will not be used to transport children to a program mandated by the school district. What exactly will these buses be used to do? We have been asking this same question for over 2 years.

There is something inherently wrong in this type of logic. How does the construction of this shed which has 3 bathrooms (2 with outside access), an office, a break room and a bay for maintenance of vehicles improve student achievement? We have a problem with priorities here. At the same time that students at Quarles are slated to be moved into $200,000 trailers, and the Alternative School Students are in a substandard building that costs over $26,000 per month for 12 months out of the year, we are building a million dollar building to house buses. 

Where are the priorities in EPSD?

How are the children?