Spending money differently can produce higher graduation
and college attendance rates in urban students
By Joe Nathan
Would high school students gain if their teachers met
with 2 and 4 year college faculty to understand what they expect of freshman? Would
junior and senior high school students enjoy and learn from 2-4 day bike trips
across Minnesota? Might faculty and students gain from stopping traditional
classes for a week or two in January, so that they could focus on one project?
Would a summer math program be enhanced if students combined classroom work
with visiting a bridge and talking with an engineer who explained the
mathematics of bridges? A new report by award winning, freelance writer Chuck
Benda says "Yes".
All kinds of schools could use these ideas, because none
cost a lot of money. Existing funds could be re-allocated to make them happen.
Benda's report described five small charter public high schools that the
organization I work with helped start, along with some start-up assistance from
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The schools now are operating, like
other public schools, on tax funds allocated by the Legislature, provided by
taxpayers like you and me. State figures that Benda quotes show the five
schools:
·
. Averaged 96% high school graduation rate,
compared to Minnesota's statewide graduation of 91.6%, using the method
currently used to compile graduation statistics under No Child Left Behind.
·
. Averaged 85.7% enrolling in some form of
higher education, compared to the Minnesota average of 65.3% in 2006, the last
year for which published data is available from the Minnesota Office of Higher
Education.
Benda also described:
·
A meeting involving all five schools and college
professors in math, science, writing and English to discuss expectations of
first year college students.
·
High
school and college faculty reported that they had not done this before and
found it very valuable. Any school could ask nearby colleges and university
professors to meet for an hour or two on a teacher-training day.
My experience is those college faculties are open to
doing this.
·
A cooperative summer math program combining
classroom work with a visit to local bridges.
·
A city engineer helped the students understand
how math is vital for bridge design and maintenance (and yes, there was
conversation about the bridge that fell).
·
Travelers Insurance provided two speakers who
discussed ways they use math in their jobs.
Again, my sense is that city or county officials and
business people in any community would be glad to cooperate with math teachers
on this kind of program.
Used school time in somewhat different ways, including
bike trips focusing on ecology and history, 1-2 week periods when everyone
worked on a single project like a play, dance performance, or community service
project.
The report describes shortcomings, as well as successes
of the project.
We hoped that the schools would cooperate on a payroll or
personnel office. But they "contracted out" these services. Benda
thinks they could have saved money by collaborating.
The schools also had somewhat different calendars and
class schedules.
As Benda wrote, the same or more similar schedules
"would automatically open the door to easier cooperation and
collaboration."
The five schools included Augsburg/Fairview Academy for
Health Careers (grades 9-12), Great River School (grades 7-12), Minnesota North
Star Academy (grades 9-12), and St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists
(grades 9-12) and Twin Cities Academy High School (grades 9-12). The report is
posted at www.centerforschoolchange.org