Feedback from August 8th Youth Forum

We're late, but we hope you still take the time to read the feedback, and to send us even more comments.

Responses to the Request to Give a Homework Assignment to Schools

Dialogue & Relationship-Building

• [Sponsor] a dialogue between the teachers and the students about caring, compassion and learning
• More dialogue and communication between teacher and students needed to help teachers make their classes more fulfilling
• Tell the students about life experiences to push the students
• Have a teacher sit and have a one-on-one relationship
• Be more helpful to one another
• Teachers need to help their students in whatever need they have because some students need more help than others
• For Career High School: Teachers who are positive role models and share their experiences in order to motivate and guide students
• Find ways to provide feedback on students on a weekly or monthly basis to their parents / guardians.
• Plan dialogues between teachers, students, administrators and parents facilitated by Community Mediation
• Increase relationship building between the adults and students in a school
• Teachers make time for your student. Help them understand their worth.
• Kids want teachers who are emotionally involved and there for their students – not those who hand them a worksheet and read a magazine while they do the work.
• There should be more conversation about the expectations of the teachers, students and parents. Maybe an informational newsletter about graduation vs. college-entrance requirements; student-parent conferences.
• There needs to be more information sharing.
• Some teachers are extremely helpful in giving extra attention to students who need it or ask for it. But, some teachers are not approachable or helpful – teacher training is needed.

Reaching All Students

• Commit to developing and supporting people with all different perspectives and learning styles
• Learn more about the cultures that their students come from to better understand their behaviors and why they don’t achieve as they should

Social diversity

• [Provide] general motivation to all students, not only those who are doing well in their grades
• I would like to see a system that better supports the needs of teachers, accountability that ensures quality teachers in our schools, and teachers that provide opportunities for all youth. No favoritism, encourage all youth to do their best so that youth can realize and reach their full potential, not just those that are the “star students”.
• Motivate everyone to do better not just the kids who are most likely to succeed.
• Watch out for the quiet but eager learner. Teachers should always be ready to help the student who asks… even when asking ever so quietly
• How do you bridge the gap for the ones that fall between the cracks?
• [Teach to] different learning styles

Exploration by Schools & Teachers

• Describe what changes you would make to your school to make it more challenging and fulfilling to all the students
• Go to the other classes that are known for excellence and learn better ways to teach students certain skills needed not just in the classroom but also out of school
• Find out the ratio: for every household/student who has a set of parents/parent that cares, how many don’t or are not involved or not respondent.
• [Sponsor] a forum with teachers to discuss “why some teachers don’t care?” What’s different about teaching now than before?
• Challenge yourself at something you are not good at and plan what you want in life.
• Challenge yourself at something that you’re not good at. Write an essay on how you felt doing it. What changed? What you did, and would it be something that you could do on a regular basis?

School Staffing

• Seek out the kids in the non-magnet schools who are at the high schools in New Haven and pair them up with a mentor – establish an on-going relationship where they meet – to discuss life, school, ambitions and managing life as it unfolds for them – spend time together – commitment of time and presence
• Use student teachers more to help connect parents and teachers
• For all the large urban school districts: what guidance and support is available to students? How many guidance counselors are available? What is the counselor / student ratio? What professional development opportunities are available to teachers to better engage students in learning?
• Value the role of the guidance counselor and decrease the ratio of students to guidance counselors. Have the same student – guidance counselor relationship last for the full 4 years of high school- explain how the relationship can and should work
• Increase availability of guidance counselors
• Make sure there are at least 2 to 3 guidance counselors in each school (elementary, middle school and high school).
• Increase the number of guidance counselors and make sure they know their kids and help them think about the steps they need to take to be prepared for life after high school
• Assure more support services for all children, especially grades 4 to 9.

Motivate Learning

• Find out students’ interests and gear the learning towards those interests
• Instructors of courses should develop two ideas to make their subject more meaningful in today’s world.
• Have fun with learning
• Let the school know to push everybody and to not push certain people
• Challenge more in work all around
• Find out what students consider fun ways to learn that are still effective and implement them
• Make their school more engaging and warm. I am encouraging them to have their students want to come to school and to have teachers who care about their students more than their jobs
• Train the teachers in how to involve the students in their learning process – less lecture / more interactive learning to help the students learn how to learn.
• Schools in the urban communities: Work harder to motivate the youth. From the youth that I spoke with, what resounded and was reiterated the most was that their schools had low expectations for them, so they didn’t motivate or push the students. The schools basically need to CARE.
• Have to interest and engage youths in developing meaningful knowledge and life skills
• Help teachers (through pre-teacher prep and/or in-service) to create engaging classroom instruction and find a personal passion for their subject matter. Youth can tell when teachers do (or don’t) care about what they’re teaching and it makes a huge difference in how the kids feel about the subject matter
• Hire teachers or train existing educators to have high expectations for students and be prepared to empower pupils to meet these expectations
• Keep high expectations for all young people in high school
• Encourage all young people to go to secondary education: college, training, etc.

Standardized Testing Concerns

• [Build] better skills for standardized testing, classes to teach more about standardized testing like CAPT.
• Go to a class to learn the proper skills needed to teach students how to pass standardized tests
• Stop teaching to the standardized test
• Demand that the government prove that the standardized tests really predict future success
• Try to find a way to get kids to graduate without the “no child left behind” and the graduation test
• Kids and parents are sick of teachers having to “teach to the test.” Standardized testing sucks the life out of a creative curriculum.

Courses of Study

• Have set specific courses for certain types of professions or something along the lines of a certain profession that each student wants, like computer or science or teaching itself
• Find ways to place all students in at least one college track course in both math and English or in math, English and science.
• Integrate classes across subject areas
• Move / have a national / universal school system with the same lessons. If that cannot come to pass, eliminate SATs
• Have physical education classes a choice
• Give text books that are relevant and appropriate to each grade level
• [Offer] some new classes and career choice paths for more than one major
• [Offer] physical education and healthy lifestyle classes
• Kids want a well-rounded curriculum so they can have a better knowledge of what they need to follow the best path towards something that will help them in the future. They need a path.
• Find a way to connect topics or subjects in school to real life situations – either those currently pertinent to teens or to a future career path they may choose

Social Development & Enrichment Activities

• For Jonathon Law School in Milford: there are so many clubs yet no one knows about them because your options are so poorly advertised. Law should make the programs more known especially to the freshman coming in and just starting their high school careers.
• Require students to write a short reflective essay. Things to include: what was the most valuable thing(s) I learned in school this year? How have I improved from my start in September academically, socially, etc.? Am I prepared for the next level?
• [Offer the] opportunity for involvement to all students
• Help all students develop a set of values for life
• Create a context of appreciation for continual learning and not just a focus on content of subjects and courses, which may be irrelevant to the needs of tomorrow, by the time the students graduate
• Teach the truth
• For West Haven High School: find a way to accommodate ALL students in school activities (rather than catering to “involved” students). All students should have a voice and not have their voice drowned out by louder, more outgoing voices.
• [Provide] required time for social development
• [Provide] creative classroom activities in which students can show different kinds of knowledge and skills including social skills
• Focus on every child’s overall healthy development, not just grades.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each student and identify opportunities for all students
• Develop programs that will cater to the needs of most students

Overall Comment

• My group (2 youths) loved their schools. They had no complaints. The group also explored many of the programs within the 2 large high schools too. Actually, I came here expecting to hear awful reports. I am amazed and so happy that there are so many great programs in high schools.

We really welcome your comments.

A Heartfelt Thank You!

We were humbled by the overwhelming number of people -- especially of youth -- who came to the Forum on a beautiful summer evening. Thanks to everyone for coming. We'll post in the next day or so your feedback. Feel free to post additional comments in the meantime.

The Forum's Agenda

Here it is. Let us know what you think!

I. Sign-In, Mingle
Assign everyone to one of two groups: (1) YOUTH; or (2) ADULTS.

II. Welcome & Introductions

Review Agenda/Expectations

III. Small Group Discussions
(Facilitated by Dialogue Project volunteers.)

Review ground rules for discussion; suggest any additional ground rules.

Ask two questions:

(1) Youth: What do you want to get out of school?

(2) Adults: What did you get out of school?

Follow-Up Questions:

(1) Adults: What did your school(s) do (or not do) to help you get what you wanted out of school?

(2) Youth: What is your school doing now to help you get what you want out of school? What is your school not doing? What could your school do better?

IV. 5-Minute Break.

V. Homework for Schools

Reconvene in TWO GROUPS: YOUTH & ADULTS.

(1) Take 2-3 minutes to think about the discussions you just had in their small groups, and then writeon index card: ONE OR TWO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS FOR A PARTICULARSCHOOL OR FOR SCHOOLS IN GENERAL.

(2) Share one idea at a time, until everyone has shared at least one idea.

(3) Any additional ideas people want to share?

(4) Which assignments do you like best?

VI. Full Group Discussion

Reconvene as ONE BIG GROUP TOGETHER.

(1) Which Homework Assignments developed by your group do you like best?

(2) Which assignments from the other group do you like the most; and why?

VII. Thanks, and Good-By

As people leave, give us your index cards; you can’t leave until you give us your card.

Your Comments II

From a current New Haven educator:

This is a GREAT topic, lets hear from our youth! count me in. rain or shine I'll be there.
Please let me know if i could bring in some kids, two or three maybe?

[Of course, I said she could bring youth... then in a subsequent email she said:]

PS. Could we talk about developing a mentoring program for some of our Latino kids, especially those who are having difficulty finding success in the educational arena?

I think this is mostly due to their inability to connect...what takes place in the class room...with...going to college...with...future success.

Let's trend set! Let's organize to keep our kids from doing time in jail; lets re-route them into doing time in college! What better way for them to spend their time productively?

I know this is challenging, but I know we can do it!

(end of message)
------------------------------------

What energy! Comments? Who wants to rise to her challenge?

From a concerned citizen:

What particularly excites me about your forum is that are talking to and listening to the "voices" of the students themselves! I too hope to talk exclusively to the students themselves. As adults, we all seem to "think we know" what is happening in our schools "why there is racial predictability in achievement gaps" what's working and not working in schools etc., but it is extremely rare that the students are given the opportunity to have a "voice" in these discussions/problem solving, etc.

So, kudos to you for providing this opportunity to the students. I am confidant they have much to offer if we adults will listen and be open.
(end of message)
--------------------------

Please comment!

Your Comments

I've received a number of very thoughtful comments directly to my email. I'd like to share them. They've all been edited for brevity, and names are mentioned if I've received permission. The comments tend to be encouraging and positive. Please don't assume that's those are the only kind I'll post. It's what I've gotten so far, and I'm more than happy to post critical ones. I'm doing at least two separate posts at least, for readability's sake.

From Virginia Wilkinson, a retired educator:

Your questions make this program look positively enticing...

I was in New York today touching base with a noted educator, formerly at Teachers College, now at the Carnegie Foundation for Learning in Palo Alto, CA. I sat in on 1/2 of today's four hour workshop on "Building and Sustaining a Professional Development Community." She had 25 public and private school teachers, mostly the latter, I think, from across the country. In short, the intent of this week long program was to help teacher help themselves and each other become better teachers - a lifelong challenge - and to change the ethos of schools from the traditional model of places where adult teachers 'tell students what they should know' into the more dynamic model of places where adults and children are both learning and teaching...

On the train I was reading a book by the head of a fellowship program i was once in. Her book, a collaborative effort was "The Color of Excellence: Hiring and Keeping Teachers of Color in Independent Schools." Both of these topics - building diverse communities of teachers and learners and creating school communities where professional development is considered essential for all are my two priority subjects. We are not going to get school improvement in New Haven or elsewhere without cultivating - recruiting, training, supporting and promoting - high quality teachers from all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

I had a rich day!

Thank you for sending me this notice.

Virginia later wrote back:

Be sure to see the Education page in today's [ed., Wed., 7/26] NY Times (last page of Metro section) for 1) an interview with Dr. Andres Alonso, who has just become Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning in New York, and 2) the importance of play for children in kindergarten and early grades. Dr. Alonso has "a tireless belief that the system can improve, " a conviction that "Expectations for kids make an extraordinary difference," and "even with the kids who are the most challenged, there is the possibility of success." He emphatically dismisses any claims that schools cannot blame everything going on outside for their failure to motivate kids to achieve the levels of knowledge or skill proficiency they will need as productive adults and future parents.
(end of Virginia's message)
----------------------

I welcome your comments!

Planning Meeting with Youth, Youth Agencies, and Others

As promised, we met with two New Haven-based youth agencies, who brought 3 young people, to help us refine the plan for the upcoming forum. The meeting took place on Monday, July 24th. Other participants included a community volunteer, two education activists, three Community Mediation staff, and two Community Foundation staff.

We reviewed what we had planned so far, and asked everyone for feedback. Thanks to Polly Mygatt of Community Mediation for providing the bulk of the notes:

Potential discussion questions and thoughts on the ones what we already had:

• If you were going to give schools homework, what would it be?
• We want a challenging discussion ? Are our questions too safe?
• There is tension between institutional/social/personal responsibility - how do we press for real change and practical action at the same time?
• Possible backup questions for facilitators: (following "What do you *really* want to get out of school?")
• What's the most important thing your school could do to help you get that?
• What's the biggest thing your school could do to get in the way?
• Recall something you tried to do at your school but couldn't for lack of resources or some other reason?
• Avoid questions that lead to the same old answers eg. I should study harder.
• How do we get away from talking about personal performance (study harder) and move to "How to make an education system work for you?"

Possible ways to amplify youth voices:

• youth fishbowl idea
• Ask: What gets in the way of hearing youth voices on the issues of their own education?
• icebreaker involving physical movement - social barometer, have you ever...? etc.

How to incorporate resources/opportunities to get involved:

• have resource people speak at the end of the forum?

Ideas for recruiting youth

• church youth groups
• parent organizations
• YMCAs

Ideas for recruitment and resource table

• Citywide Youth Coalition
• Youth Development Training Resource Center
• Boards of Education
• Education Funds
• New Haven Network for Public Education
• Mothers for Justice
• Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education
• By the People
• ConnCAN
• Teach Our Children

Please feel free to add your ideas. We'd love to add to the above!