Public School Gardens: Good for Learning or a Waste of Time?

Since the nation entered an economic recession in 2008, public school systems across the country have been grappling with some of the most severe state budget crises in recent memory. As governors introduce their budget proposals for the 2010-2011 school year, school districts are learning that the belt-tightening and difficult choices are likely to continue next year.

Hawaii

In Hawaii, the Department of Education has managed its budget crisis by instituting mandatory furlough days for public school teachers. The furlough days have resulted in Hawaii public schools being closed on seven Fridays since October 2009.

The closing of public schools on Fridays has prompted strong reactions from public school parents in Hawaii. Parents have formed two grassroots organizations: Save Our Schools Hawaii and Hawaii Education Matters. The groups have been pressing Hawaiian legislators to restore the 27 furlough days that are planned for the remainder of the 2009-10 school year.

Hawaii’s governor, Linda Lingle, has been working to try to find a way to get students back in school on the planned furlough days. The Honolulu Advertiser reports that the governor, the state Department of Education, and the Hawaii State Teachers’ Association are in the process of negotiating terms that might allow students to return to the classroom on some of the upcoming furlough days.

However, any solution that the negotiators propose will inevitably involve compromises. The teachers’ union is concerned that the governor’s proposal to restore furlough days will result in a severe budget shortfall

As the United States takes its first steps into a new decade, public education is being scrutinized from every angle. Some advocate eliminating teachers’ unions and tenure, making instructors directly accountable for their students’ progress on standardized tests. Others maintain that the K-12 public education system is suffering from a critical shortage of qualified teachers, and improved salaries and working conditions are needed to recruit the best talent.

While policy-makers debate the feasibility of such large-scale changes, some school districts are trying to improve the educational outcomes of their public high school students by making a small, simple, but potentially powerful change. These school districts are considering changing school start times from the traditional 8:00 am to a later 8:30 am. What is their reasoning? Well-rested students learn better.

The Benefits of Later School Start Times

From improved learning to better health, there is a myriad of reasons public schools are considering starting school at 8:30 am.

Works with Teenagers’ Natural Sleep Rhythms

According to the National Sleep Foundation, children undergo a shift in sleep patterns when they enter puberty which causes them to remain alert later into the evening and to remain sleepy later in the morning. In other words, teenagers are naturally inclined to stay up later at night and wake up later in the morning.

Advocates argue that an 8:30 am start time improves students’ chances of success. In the early morning, when their brains are not

As our nation’s politicians and policymakers look for ways to improve America’s public education system, the teaching institution is coming under direct fire. From conducting background checks on teachers to holding instructors accountable for students’ lackluster test scores, the entire foundation of our education system is being challenged.

Interestingly, a model for improving the quality of our teachers may already exist in the Teach for America program. This is a nonprofit organization that recruits high-achieving college graduates to teach for two years in low-income schools. Teach for America teachers do not have to undergo the traditional credentialing process; they receive “boot camp” training and then are given full responsibility for a classroom of students.

Yet despite their lack of traditional teaching credentials, Teach for America teachers are often more effective than their veteran teacher colleagues at improving student performance. In part, this success can be attributed to the rigorous analysis that the organization performs of its teachers.

This video offers some pros and cons of the Teach America experience.

How Teach for America Measures Performance

For the past decade, Teach for America has analyzed the profiles of its teacher applicants and the test scores of students in an ongoing attempt to identify the traits that the best teachers have.

Teach for America’s internal analyses identify a teacher as one of the “best” if the teacher moves his or her

Several years ago, the word “sexting” was not part of American vernacular. Unfortunately, in the past year, the word has become a part of our society, permeating news articles as a description of a disturbing trend: teenagers sending sexually explicit photos of themselves and other teens using their cell phones.

The Unfortunate Consequences of Sexting

The trend became the focus of increased attention after a high school student’s suicide in July 2008 was attributed to sexting. Jessica Logan, a senior at an Ohio high school, had sent nude photos of herself to a boyfriend.

After the relationship ended, her ex-boyfriend sent the photos to other female students at Logan’s school, which resulted in months of harassment and teasing for Logan. Logan reported, according to MSNBC, that the other girls called her a "slut" and a "whore," and that the teasing was so disruptive that she began to skip school. Logan hung herself one month after her high school graduation.

Logan’s parents recently filed suit against the high school and several other defendants, alleging that the school and the local police did not do enough to protect their daughter from being bullied and harassed, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.

According to a recent study commissioned by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, “20 percent of teenagers have taken nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves and sent them to someone or posted them online,” reports the New York Times blog