Latest news with #The74
Miami Herald
20-06-2025
- Miami Herald
AI skeptic creates chatbot to help teachers design classes
AI skeptic creates chatbot to help teachers design classes While many educators spent the past two years fretting that artificial intelligence is killing student writing, upending person-to-person tutoring and generally wreaking havoc on scholastic inquiry, the well-known thinker and ed tech expert Michael Feldstein has been quietly exploring something completely different. For more than a year, he has led an open-source project with a group of about 70 educators online to build what's essentially a chat bot with one job: to guide teachers, step-by-step, through the process of designing their own courses-a privilege previously reserved for just a few instructors at elite institutions. The experimental software, dubbed the AI Learning Design Assistant, or ALDA, has yet to hit the market. But when it does, Feldstein said, it will be free. With any luck, it could mark a new era, offering teachers at all levels an easy way to design their own homegrown coursework, assessments and even curricula at a fraction of the cost demanded by commercial publishers. Feldstein has worked primarily with college instructors, and his work is widely applicable in higher ed. But it's got potential in K-12 education as well. He's pushing to democratize instructional design, a little-known academic field in which professional designers build courses by working backwards: They interview teachers to help them drill down to what's important, then create courses based on the findings, The 74 says. When it's ready, he said, ALDA could well shake up the teaching profession, making off-the-shelf AI behave like a personal instructional designer for virtually every teacher who wants one. And for the record, Feldstein said, there's an acute shortage of such designers, so this particular iteration of AI likely won't put anyone out of a job. 'What is this good for?' Feldstein is well-known in the ed tech community, having worked over the years at Oracle, Cengage Learning and elsewhere. A one-time assistant director of the State University of New York's Learning Network, he has more recently garnered a wide audience with his e-literate blog-required reading for college instructors and ed tech experts. Over the past few years, Feldstein has likened tools such as ChatGPT and AI image generators like Midjourney to "toys in both good and bad ways." They invite people to play and give players the ability to explore what's basically cutting-edge AI. "It's fun. And, like all good games, you learn by playing," he wrote recently. But he cautions that when they're asked to do something specific, they "tend to do weird things" such as return strange results and, on occasion, hallucinate. As a longtime observer of ed tech, Feldstein's approach has always been to step back and ask: What is this good for? "AI is interesting because there are many possible answers, and those answers change on a monthly basis as the capabilities change," he said. That makes the question harder to answer. Nevertheless, we need to answer it." ALDA's focus, he said, has always been on helping participants think more deeply about what teachers do: The AI probes students to find out what they know, then fills in the gaps. "As an educator, if I ask you a question, I'm trying to understand if you know something," he said. "So my question is directly related to a learning objective." By training, teachers naturally modify their questions to help figure out if students have misconceptions. They circle around the topic, offering clues, hints and feedback to help students home in on what they know. But they don't simply give away the answer. Over the course of the year, he and colleagues have broken down the various aspects of their work, including what they'd outsource if they had an assistant or "junior learning designer" at their side. The AI starts simply, asking "Who are your students? What is your course about? What are the learning goals? What's your teaching style?" It moves on from there: "What are the learning objectives for this lesson? How do you know when students have achieved those objectives? What are some common misconceptions they have?" Eventually teachers can begin designing the course and its assessments with a clear focus on goals and, in the end, their own creativity. Feldstein holds decidedly modest goals for the project. "The idea that we're going to somehow invent a better AI model than these companies that are spending billions of dollars is crazy," Feldstein said. But making course design accessible "is very doable and very useful." He has intentionally brought together a diverse group of instructors that includes both heavy AI users and skeptics. Among them: Paul Wilson, a longtime professor of religion and philosophy at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Though Wilson has taught there for 32 years, he has dabbled in AI over the past few years as it reared its head in classes, assignments and faculty meetings. He came away from Feldstein's sessions over the past few months with the outlines of not one but two courses: a world religion survey, which he designed last summer, and a course in pastoral care. The latter, he said, is a "specialty class" for ministers-in-training who are getting their first taste of interacting with congregation members. "They're doing field work," he said, "and this particular class is going to cover the functions they would have if they were serving in pastoral ministry." The course will cover everything from the business of running a congregation to the teaching and counseling duties of a pastor and the "prophetic" role-preaching and teaching the Bible, shepherding the congregation and offering spiritual guidance. Wilson said the AI let him tweak the course design in response to test users' suggestions. "By the end, my experience was that I was working with something valuable," he said. He is offering the class this semester. "I got a very good course design, with all the parameters that I was looking for," he said. Geneva Dampare, director of strategy and operations at the United Negro College Fund, said the organization invited six instructors from five HBCUs to Feldstein's workshop. Dampare, who has an instructional design background, joined as well. Many faculty at these institutions, she said, don't see AI as the menace that other instructors do. For them, it's a kind of equalizer at colleges that don't typically offer a perk like instructional designers. But by the end of the process last November, Dampare said, many instructors "could comfortably speak about AI, speak about how they are integrating the ALDA tool into the curriculum development that they're doing for next semester or future semesters." This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion: New Interactive Map Showcases Personalized Learning in All 50 States
Across the United States, a transformative shift is underway in K-12 education — one that reimagines how and where learning occurs and what it means to prepare students for the future. Real-world learning is increasingly happening beyond the classroom, in settings such as local businesses, nonprofits or technical training centers. This movement is supported by the growing adoption of competency-based education, an approach that allows students to advance based on mastery of skills and knowledge rather than their age or time spent in class. In this approach, learning is personalized, relevant and based on a students' experiences and aspirations. All 50 states now have competency-based education policies, a striking contrast to just over a decade ago, when only about half of the states had such programs in place. This reflects a growing commitment to recognizing multiple pathways to success, such as industry credentials, dual enrollment and other accreditations beyond the traditional K-12 diploma. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter In an increasingly competitive and ever-changing global economy, the traditional approach is clearly insufficient for the challenges ahead. Competency-based education responds to this challenge by ensuring that students master essential skills and acquire knowledge, rather than just memorizing facts. It equips learners with the durable and transferable skills they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. What's more, people across the country are demanding a shift in what learning looks like. A recent survey found that 91% of students, educators and parents agreed that there was an opportunity post-pandemic to 'reimagine public education to meet children's academic, social and emotional needs and ensure that all children can thrive.' The momentum behind competency-based education reflects this broad desire to fundamentally shift school culture, structure and instruction. Related At Aurora and KnowledgeWorks, we have worked alongside state, district, school and classroom leaders who are dedicated to learner-centered education. To support this movement, our organizations have partnered to launch a new interactive map to showcase competency-based education in every state. The tool gives visitors a quick view of how each state approaches these policies and highlights deeper stories of innovation, including: Arkansas: Fifteen schools in seven school districts are implementing increased out-of-school learning opportunities and focusing on plans that move students ahead when they've shown they understand the skill or concept instead of having everyone moving on at the same pace. Kentucky: Students set goals and make daily decisions about their learning, progressing when they're ready. Teachers act as coaches and help students develop skills for lifelong learning Nevada: Co-created its Portrait of a Learner framework in partnership with educators, students, community members and policymakers. The portrait reflects a shared vision for future-ready graduates and outlines the skills, knowledge and mindsets they will need by the time they graduate to succeed in college, career and life. Utah: Principals and educators worked together to ensure tools were in place that could be used to measure progress toward the 13 characteristics outlined in the Portrait of a Graduate framework. This helped both students and teachers, spanning preschool to postsecondary, understand the ultimate learning goals, track growth over time and identify what would be needed to reach the desired outcomes. Wisconsin: Schools like the High School of Health Sciences in Kettle Moraine are providing expanded opportunities and pathways and leveraging community partnerships with hospitals, veterinary clinics, fire stations and more to give students real-world experiences. Wyoming: A statewide pilot program that helps schools develop and implement instructional practices and assessments that are more responsive to students and aligned with the Profile of a Graduate framework. For states that don't have such programs, there's no need to try implementing them alone. KnowledgeWorks, for example, offers a roadmap that state leaders can follow to effectively advance competency-based policies, including those that are captured in the new map. Its suggestions include: Establish a clear and shared purpose, starting with a statewide Portrait of a Learner or Graduate framework, to define the essential skills students will need for future success Develop policies that remove restrictive funding limits, rigid assessment requirements and credits awarded based on time spent in class that hinder local innovation Design assessment systems to track mastery and inform learning progression Identify indicators to measure impact, defining metrics that will be used to gauge success and drive continuous improvement Support educators and students by providing professional development, coaching and resources that will help teachers shift their practices to those that are more student-centered. The education systems of the future will be characterized by student-centered learning that occurs both in school and in the community, guided by shared visions of what students should know and be able to do. The adoption of policies to support competency-based teaching and learning across all 50 states marks a significant shift in how education and success are viewed in this country. But long-term change will require ongoing collaboration among policymakers, educators and communities to develop the necessary infrastructure for this kind of transformation to take shape and sustain. Related An education system that truly prepares every student for success is possible, but only through collective effort and a shared commitment to innovation.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Educators Say Worst Fears Realized as High Schoolers Detained by ICE
Students in the Bronx high school that Dylan Lopez Contreras attended before he was arrested by immigration agents last month have sent hundreds of letters in recent weeks to the Western Pennsylvania detention center where he is being held. Written in a third-period elective class set aside for this purpose, staff made sure to send the missives individually, rather than in a single pile, hoping Contreras would enjoy their support over time while lawyers fight for his release. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Contreras, 20, didn't always have time for school — working to help support his family would often pull him away, one of his teachers told The 74 — but he left his mark on the ELLIS Prep campus. He was the one who introduced a fun new tradition, one that continues in his absence, maybe even in his honor: He got the kids to play Uno in their downtime. His teacher could hear their laughter over the game in the hallway. So when it came time to send Contreras a supportive note, telling him to stay strong during a dark time, one of them slipped an Uno card inside the envelope. 'I'm going to give him a +4,' the student told his teacher, referring to a card used to delay or prevent an opponent's victory. 'That would make him laugh.' Contreras' May 21 arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after a routine mandatory court hearing — and that of a Massachusetts high school junior who was picked up by ICE 10 days later on his way to volleyball practice — have intensified anxiety among educators who serve immigrant students. They say their early fears about President Trump's return to power are now playing out. And while these young men engage in separate legal battles, CNN reported last week that some 500 children who arrived in the United States as unaccompanied minors have been taken into federal custody by agents following 'welfare checks' that many advocates say are wreaking havoc. Families say the children have been increasingly difficult to find and extract from government 'care.' The efforts targeting children — some younger than 10 — may be the result of increased pressure from a reportedly furious White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller to boost the number of immigration-related arrests to 3,000 per day. Related Adam Strom, executive director of Re-Imagining Migration, said some school districts have been preparing for this escalation — creating rapid response teams and family support networks that activate when immigration enforcement occurs — but others are shocked at what they're witnessing. 'For other communities, this is a wake-up call … the unimaginable is happening in communities like their own, to students not so different from the kids in their own classrooms,' Strom said. After much protest, 18-year-old Massachusetts teen Marcelo Gomes da Silva was granted bond and released from custody Thursday. He said he had not showered in six days, had crackers for lunch and dinner, slept on a concrete floor with a metallic blanket and had to use the bathroom in front of 40 other men. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said he should never have been taken into custody by ICE agents, who later admitted they were looking for his father. 'While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes-DaSilva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,' homeland security officials said in a Twitter post. The New York and Massachusetts cases come amid others. An 18-year-old student from Colombia living in Detroit, was picked up May 20 as he was driving friends to join their high school field trip. Federal officials said he already had a removal order from a judge. In another case, a 19-year-old Georgia woman was held in an ICE detention facility for weeks after she was arrested by local police in early May on traffic charges that were later dismissed. As the cop told Ximena Arias Cristobal he was taking her to jail, she replied shakily that she couldn't go because she had finals the next week and her family 'really depends on this.' Released on bond May 22, the young woman is now facing deportation to Mexico, a country she left when she was 4. Far younger children — including toddlers — have been defending themselves in immigration court for years. And the many organizations that have helped them through the system are now under attack. Some have been issued stop work orders — Trump ceased funding for their legal representation — leaving them in further jeopardy. Nancy Duchesneau, a senior pre-K-to-12 research manager at the advocacy organization EdTrust, said it's too early to tell if the country's most recent immigration enforcement campaign — manifested in raids and surprise detentions after court appearances — has led to a drop in school attendance as it has in the past. Duchesneau noted that ICE's aggressive tactics disrupt learning and cause harm to a wide swath of students, not just immigrants or those with foreign-born parents. 'When we see trauma happen to other kids, or to other people, we still have emotional impacts from that,' she said. 'Seeing your friends taken away — kids that you know — even if you are an American citizen, we don't know what else could happen.' Like Strom, she said schools should make sure there are clear policies in place for when ICE agents visit campus and that both students and staff know their rights. Related Eric Marquez, one of Dylan's teachers at ELLIS Preparatory Academy, said he taught Contreras for weeks last fall before the young man, who worked as a delivery driver, started regularly missing school. 'If he had a chance to work, he worked,' Marquez said. His teachers understand that struggle. ELLIS Prep is a small specialized school that serves older newcomer students with limited English, nearly all of whom had arrived in the country just weeks or months before their admission. Many are behind on their credits and some have massive gaps in their education. Despite these challenges, Marquez said many go on to college. The 74 published a 16-month-long undercover investigation last year into how schools respond to enrollment requests from students like Contreras. The fictional teen in The 74's Unwelcome to America project, 'Hector Guerrero,' was also Venezuelan. But unlike Contreras, Hector, 19, was refused admission to more than 200 high schools across the U.S. where he had a legal right to attend based on his age. Related At the time of our reporting, Donald Trump, then a leading presidential contender, was once again vilifying immigrants on the campaign trail, a winning tactic for a man who rode a similar wave of xenophobia into office in 2016. Worry was beginning to build over how far he might go as president to deport undocumented children and families. Now five months into his second term, Marquez remembers the moment he learned his student had been arrested and was living out that fear. 'For me, it was soul-crushing,' the teacher said. 'It hit everyone. It was symbolic in a way. He was that over-age, under-credited student with a limited, interrupted formal education. But he was super smart. He totally can go to college. He really can.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Schwinn's Business Venture After Nomination to Ed Dept. Could Raise Questions
Just one month after President Donald Trump tapped her to be the second in command at the U.S. Department of Education, Penny Schwinn registered a new educational consulting business in Florida with a longtime friend and business colleague, according to state documents reviewed by The 74. The business venture never got off the ground, but the arrangement could raise ethical issues for Schwinn as she heads before the Senate education committee for confirmation Thursday. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The colleague with whom she co-founded the business, Donald Fennoy, told The 74 in an interview that the enterprise, named New Horizon BluePrint Group, was intended to combine their expertise as education leaders. Fennoy, the former superintendent of the Palm Beach County School District, was to consult with districts, while Schwinn, who has experience in Delaware, Texas and most recently as Tennessee's education commissioner, would focus on state leadership. The pair have known each other for a decade, Fennoy said, meeting when they were part of the 2015-16 class of the Broad Academy, an education leadership program. But the business does not appear among financial ties outlined in mandatory disclosure documents Schwinn submitted to the Office of Government Ethics on March 24. One reason could be that three weeks earlier, Schwinn's sister, Katherine Sully, replaced her as manager of the business, according to state documents. Sully, whose LinkedIn profile identifies her as an assistant principal at a Texas charter school, has far less educational experience than Schwinn or Fennoy. On Friday, as The 74 began asking Schwinn and the department questions about the venture, Fennoy dissolved the company, documents show, listing 'business never started' as the reason. 'Right when we were securing the name, she got a phone call,' Fennoy told The 74, referring to the nomination. The plan, he said, was to bring in at least one more leader with district experience and build a team to do work 'nationally and internationally.' On Jan. 18, Trump announced his pick of Schwinn to be the department's deputy secretary, citing her 'strong record of delivering results for children and families.' The LLC wasn't registered until Feb. 18. But pressed for details about why Schwinn registered the business after her nomination, Fennoy appeared confused about the timeline. 'This is on what day?' he asked in response to a reporter's question. He did not respond to additional questions sent by email. Contacted by The 74, Schwinn referred the matter to the Education Department. Madison Bidermann, a department spokesman, declined to address why Schwinn moved forward with a business venture after her nomination and said the nominee 'worked with the relevant ethics officials and resolved any conflicts.' Sully did not respond to attempts to contact her over email. The Florida LLC would have been just one of Schwinn's many business interests, detailed in the disclosure filed with the federal government. She stated in May that if confirmed, she would divest or resign her positions at multiple companies. Historically, potential business conflicts could raise red flags for senators vetting a potential nominee. As deputy secretary, Schwinn would be tasked with overseeing federal policy and a vast network of K-12 programs — the same policy and programs that districts might seek help from a consulting firm to navigate. She would also enter the department at a crisis point, as Education Secretary Linda McMahon drastically cuts staff and cancels funding to reach Trump's goal of eliminating the department. The proposed 2026 budget slashes over $4 billion from K-12 programs, raising concerns that officials won't be able to carry out their congressionally mandated duties The period between nomination and confirmation is typically a time when candidates distance themselves from financial entanglements and potential conflicts of interest. 'Once you're nominated, the typical rule of thumb would be that you kind of slow down,' said Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, interim vice president for policy and government affairs at the Project On Government Oversight, a nonprofit focused on government accountability. 'You probably wouldn't establish a new LLC, for example' But Schwinn is not a typical nominee, and this is not a typical administration. Trump reportedly held an exclusive dinner on May 22 for investors in his meme coin, a form of cryptocurrency. As president, he maintains control of his business empire. In the midst of negotiations with Vietnam over punishing U.S. tariffs, for example, the country approved the development of Trump hotels and golf courses. Previous reporting revealed that FBI Director Kash Patel refused to divest from a Chinese 'fast fashion' company, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's wife owned stock in companies that contract with that department. It's not unusual for administrations to run into trouble with officials who have close ties to the industries they oversee, Hedtler-Gaudette said. In 2022, his group filed a complaint about a Biden administration official in charge of digital services who had investments in the tech industry. 'But this administration is unique,' he said, 'and just doesn't seem to take any of that into consideration.' Schwinn is also an unusual choice. She has fans among GOP moderates and Democrats. The former charter school founder and Teach for America alum earned respect for directing COVID relief funds toward academic recovery in Tennessee and implementing far-reaching reforms in reading instruction. For a Trump nominee, she has also faced a high degree of conservative ire. Some of that is due to her past support for the kind of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives the Trump administration wants to eliminate from schools, like hiring more teachers of color. But accusations of conflicts of interest and other ethical lapses have followed her for years. They include a $4.4 million no-bid contract that the Texas Education Agency signed in 2017 with SPEDx, a Georgia software startup, despite what a state audit called Schwinn's 'professional relationship' with a subcontractor for the company. At the time, she was a deputy superintendent of the state agency. Critics also point to an $8 million deal in 2021 that the Tennessee Department of Education signed with TNTP, a teacher training organization where her husband Paul Schwinn was employed at the time. The state's procurement office approved the contract and Schwinn agreed to distance herself from the project, but some lawmakers still considered the deal a 'huge conflict.' ' 'Drain the swamp' is a phrase coined by President Trump, signifying the removal of corruption and special interests from government,' said J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-union association. 'Many conservatives oppose Penny Schwinn's nomination as deputy secretary of education, believing she embodies the interests they want to eliminate from the agency.' Related Others say she left the state better off. She pushed requirements that districts screen students for reading difficulties and use a phonics-based curriculum. After the state passed a literacy law in 2021, roughly 30,000 teachers received summer training in the science of reading. The investments paid off. Tennessee was among the first to see test scores bounce back after the pandemic. Results from 2023-24 show students continue to make gains. To many education advocates, she represents the best chance to shift the national department's focus away from culture war issues and toward bipartisan priorities like improving literacy and maintaining accountability. 'I certainly wholeheartedly hope she gets approved, and think members on both sides would be gratified by her performance in office,' said Rick Hess, director of education policy studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Yet dozens of conservative groups and individuals have sent senators letters outlining why they think she's wrong for the job. They list, for example, her affiliation with Chiefs for Change, made up of left-leaning district and state officials, and cite complaints about her support for a reading curriculum they say has elements of critical race theory, which holds that racism in America is systemic. Several were offended that Ruby Bridges' children's book about being the first Black child to integrate a white elementary school referenced 'a large crowd of angry white people.' Others thought a first grade book about seahorses was inappropriate because it explains how males carry the eggs. While never implemented, her plan to conduct 'well-being' home visits during the pandemic still angers parents who consider it an example of government overreach. If the committee advances Schwinn's nomination, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican who is running for governor, is expected to vote against her, multiple sources told The 74. 'She's a Democrat, through and through,' said Elizabeth Story, legislative chair for the Tennessee chapter of Moms for Liberty, the conservative advocacy group that opposes progressive ideas in school about race, sex and gender. 'We need President Trump to withdraw her.' Just after her nomination, she met with anti-DEI activist Chris Rufo in an apparent effort to reassure the Trump administration she would be a good fit. According to his Jan. 21 post on X, she promised to 'shut down the terrible programs at the Department of Education, fight critical race theory, gender cultism, and DEI in America's schools, and support new initiatives on school choice and classical education.' If she loses the support of some conservatives, she may have to lean on Democrats to secure her nomination. Related To Leslie Finger, an assistant political science professor at the University of North Texas, that would be an appropriate finale to a nomination that has veered far from the typical Trump playbook. 'In many ways, she seems opposed to the Trump administration's education agenda,' she said. 'One might think it was meant to show that they want to reach across the aisle on education issues, since she would be supported by bipartisan education reform types. But when has the Trump administration taken actions to signal bipartisanship?' Since leaving her post as Tennessee commissioner, Schwinn has invested in and been involved with companies at the forefront of education, her disclosure forms show. Those include Amira, an AI reading curriculum program; Odyssey, a vendor that manages education savings accounts in multiple states; and Edmentum, an online curriculum and assessment company. She's also a board member for Really Great Reading, a literacy program used in at least five states, and a consultant for BHA Strategy, a lobbying firm. Blake Harris, former communications director for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, founded BHA, where Schwinn served as chief operating officer until February. Two other LLCs she owns would cease operations, she wrote in a letter to the Education Department. John Pelissero, a government ethics expert at Santa Clara University in California, said her financial ties deserve a closer look. 'What she puts down on her disclosure form for her confirmation is always kind of an important starting point for how transparent she will be,' he said. 'Scrutiny should be given to whether she has the capacity to demonstrate that she'll act in the public interest.' Related Schwinn isn't the first Trump nominee to face opposition from Republicans. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former majority leader from Kentucky, voted against Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But those objections focused more on the nominees' qualifications, said Jonathan Collins, an assistant professor of education and political science at Teachers College, Columbia University. Conservatives' concerns about Schwinn, 'seem like more of a test — or critique — of her loyalty to the new Republican culture war coalition,' he said. 'She's as moderate as it gets. She's a pragmatist who in no way pushes far-left progressive policies.' Under McMahon, the department required states to sign a certification saying they wouldn't implement DEI programs. The Office for Civil Rights has also prioritized investigations into state and district policies allowing transgender students to compete against girls in school sports. Not all parental rights advocates are opposed to her nomination. Moms for America, founded in 2004, is a conservative, Christian organization that shares many of the same values as Moms for Liberty. Last year, the group presented Trump with its Man of the Century Award. The organization, however, said Schwinn would make 'an excellent choice' for deputy secretary, citing her 'extensive experience as an educator, innovator and state leader.' As the department's number two, she would oversee K-12 initiatives, which McMahon has said will prioritize the science of reading, school choice and giving states more control over education. 'She has a proven ability to improve student outcomes, champion school choice, and navigate crises like the pandemic,' the organization said in a statement to The 74. 'We stand by her candidacy for nomination as deputy education secretary and wish her the best in that role.' Disclosure: According to financial disclosure documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics, Penny Schwinn earned $250,000 as a consultant and adviser to the Walton Family Foundation. The foundation provides financial support to The 74.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion: How I Coach All Educators at My Baltimore HS to Be Reading & Writing Teachers
If you've been following education news, you know students' reading and writing skills remain low, especially after the pandemic, with no state having made gains since 2022. School districts need to do more to ensure every student enters adulthood fully literate. One step is to train all educators — not just those in elementary and English classes — to be reading teachers. Many states, including Maryland, where I live and work as a literacy coach, are embracing the science of reading, which uses brain science to teach children how to read. However, these efforts are focused at the elementary level, and older students are going through high school without the benefit of these best practices. My district, Baltimore City Public Schools, is working to address that problem. For the last four years, I have helped all teachers at Reginald F. Lewis High School weave reading and writing into their lessons. This is unusual, because while the district has had literacy coaches in elementary and secondary schools, most work only with English Language Arts teachers. This isn't enough. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Consider this: During a team meeting, teachers and I reviewed Maryland's state English test and found it had just one set of questions related to a literature passage. The rest were based on informational texts, such as historical primary source documents, scientific reports and graphs. Subject-matter teachers are best-suited to help students learn to read and analyze these passages. While all the teachers I work with know that students are coming to them with large literacy gaps, most weren't accustomed to working with a coach, especially a literacy coach. They were skeptical at first. Overcoming that required taking key steps. Related First, my principal had to make it clear that literacy learning was a schoolwide responsibility and that I was there to help. Then, I had to build strong relationships with teachers. I did that by listening, learning about the challenges they faced, observing instruction and providing feedback, and being a consistent and supportive presence in their classrooms. We studied data and set goals together. It was especially important to be patient. Change of this kind takes more than a single school year. Across classrooms, we raised the rigor. Because reading achievement was low, teachers had been using texts designed for elementary or middle schoolers. But what our high schoolers needed was reading material aligned to high school expectations. My job was to give teachers tools that they could use to help students understand what they were reading. These included strategies such as previewing complex vocabulary with students before diving into reading and offering multiple opportunities and ways to access difficult texts, such as through read-alouds or partnered reading. Those approaches improve reading fluency and are particularly appropriate when books or articles are challenging. Yet, even as the teachers helped students to access harder books, they had to pull back on doing too much. I found they were reading aloud texts that students were capable of reading on their own, or oversimplifying assignments and taking away opportunities for students to write answers that showed what they really knew. Related Today, the teachers know that I'm there to help their students learn in their particular content area and are proud that, after a sharp dip in proficiency directly after the pandemic, our students have made significant gains in English language arts proficiency. Overall, our school went from 10% English proficiency in 2023 to 27% in 2024, and we met our literacy progress goals for the first time since the pandemic. Teachers also like the engagement they see in their classrooms when students read aloud to their partners or speak up to answer questions. More recently, after we realized students were skipping written response questions on state assessments, we started weaving writing instruction into the school day. To tackle this, our school made writing instruction the focus of professional development and coaching. We all read 'The Writing Revolution,' by Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, and I provided support to teachers based on the approach in the book and training I received. Many teachers at first lacked confidence around teaching components of good writing, so I provided explicit modeling and coaching. In a math class, I'd have a teacher demonstrate what good writing looks like in that grade and subject — for example, writing a response to a question — and then we'd discuss ways to help students reach that level of proficiency. Today, nearly all teachers in my school are more comfortable providing writing instruction in their content area, and nearly all implement some kind of writing instruction every day. This means that students get multiple chances to practice writing and learn particular skills. I love hearing them saying things like, 'All my teachers are talking about segment fragments!' Or, 'Now we have to use conjunctions everywhere!' In January, teachers had reported that half or more of their students skipped writing tasks on any assignment. Today, nearly every student writes answers to assignments, and basic writing mistakes have dwindled. I've also been working to help encourage students to read independently. NAEP survey data show that a mere 14% of 13-year-olds read for enjoyment daily. It's a shocking figure but it reflects what I see. I often ask students what they like to read, and unfortunately a common answer is, 'I don't know. I don't really like reading.' Related After one of these exchanges, I asked my 10-year-old, who loves curling up with a book, what he would say to that. 'I would say they just haven't found the right book yet!' he replied. High schoolers have tons of interests and opinions; they just need to find a book based on these interests to ignite a love for reading. Sometimes I ask kids what movies they like, and the answer usually helps make a connection to books. I also encourage families to participate in summer library programs that give kids and adults a free book of their choice each month. I believe the successes my school has seen on classroom tests in literacy will also show in the state exams our students recently took. More importantly, I'm confident the skills they've learned will make a lasting difference in their lives, whatever path they choose.
