Dear Friend of MeckEd,

MeckEd’s first annual Teachers of Excellence is tonight at 6 p.m. We, along with the community, will thank and honor outstanding CMS educators who have mastered instructional practices and are leaders in their professional and school communities. If you would like to attend this unique, celebratory event, it is not too late to purchase your ticket. Learn more information below.

View the list of the 2012 Teachers of Excellence.

Read the complete May 9th e-Newsletter

First one member on the review panel for the annual Broad Prize for Urban Education then another noticed the same thing: Plenty of large urban school districts nationwide were making solid progress with Hispanic students closing achievement gaps with white students. But African-American students continued to lag.

In theory, the experts should not have been seeing what they were seeing. The federal data tracking Hispanic and black students show that they are making roughly the same progress (not much) in closing learning gaps. That left the review panel members puzzled. Was this an illusion?

It appears the Broad Prize panel was seeing something very real that suggests Hispanic and black student should be taught differently.

One reason the trend doesn’t appear in federal data is the Broad panel was looking at different indicators, such as “college readiness” data. The ACT college admissions test, for example, weighs student college readiness on a scale: Between 2002 and 2011, the percentage of black students taking the ACT who met all the readiness benchmarks rose from 3% to 4%. Among Hispanic students, that rose from 8% to 11%.

Latino-black differences

The College Board, home of the SAT college admissions test, has similar revealing figures about their Advanced Placement courses: In 2010, black students made up 14.6% of high school graduates but only 8.6% of AP test takers. By contrast, Hispanics made up 17% of graduates and 16% of test takers.

This Hispanic-black separation can be seen in many school districts, and not just in the college readiness data. Take San Diego as an example: Regardless of the measure used — state reading and math tests or the district “exit” exams students need to pass to graduate — Hispanic students in recent years have been making faster progress than black students.

This revelation comes as no surprise to Amy Wilkins from The Education Trust, an advocate for poor students. “African-American students are more socially and economically isolated than Latino students,” said Wilkins. “Black kids are less likely than Latino students to get strong teachers,” she added. “They are less likely to go to the better funded majority white schools.”

This observation matches my own reporting over the past two years. While reporting a book on how former chancellor Michelle Rhee was faring in Washington, D.C., I spent months observing the schools serving black students in the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

Then, while researching another book on what’s working in American public education, I traveled nationally and visited several all-Hispanic schools. In Houston, I toured an “Apollo” high school where a reform principal, given fresh resources and the power to pick her own staff, had turned around a school in just one year.

A high school, in just one year?

Rhee, who was broadly criticized for her hurry-up reforms, gave new principals a year just to achieve “lock down” — orderly hallways and classrooms. In the second year, they were expected to produce academic gains. Many principals fell short on both those timetables. And high schools are the hardest.

But in Houston, a high school achieved both in just one year.

Success in San Jose

In San Jose, I spent time at the Rocketship charter schools serving poor Latino children who were producing test score results that approached scores at some middle and upper-middle schools in Santa Clara County. I haven’t seen anything like that in Washington, even at the high-performing charter schools.

Don’t assume educators have cracked the Hispanic student code to academic success. Their dropout rates are abysmal, and their college attainment track record is no better than black students. Additionally, don’t assume black students are somehow “failing” compared with Hispanics.

The real lesson is that we need to stop lumping blacks and Hispanics together — both in terms of how we measure progress and in terms of policy — as “students of color.” The groups have different education needs.

At successful all-black schools, school staffs build cultures based on social justice and employ highly structured curricula that emphasize verbal instruction, explained one researcher.

At successful Hispanic schools, you are more likely to see a school culture based on connections to family with teachers employing an unstructured curriculum emphasizing visual instruction.

Lumping the two groups together only shifts attention away from differing strategies that can work for each group.

In San Diego, for example, educators attribute the faster gains by Hispanic students to better professional development aimed at teachers tasked with teaching English-as-a-second-language students. Improvements in language then spilled over into math.

Couldn’t something similar be developed for teachers in mostly black schools?

The lesson: Dispense with the “students of color” category.

*Please note the views expressed in For Your Consideration are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MeckEd.

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South Charlotte Weekly
May 10, 2012

Several south Charlotte teachers were recently announced as 2012 MeckEd Teachers of Excellence.

MeckEd, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for public education in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, will recognize and honor 40 “outstanding” CMS teachers who have mastered instructional practices and are leaders in their school and professional communities. Teachers were chosen for the award after being nominated by their principals.

A ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 16, at the Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St., and will feature a presentation of awards by CMS leaders and local elected officials. A reception will begin at 6 p.m., with programs and awards following from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event is open to the public.

The following south Charlotte teachers will be honored:
Cotswold Elementary: Ragin Kenny
East Mecklenburg High: Robin Kolodziey
Jay M. Robinson Middle: Emily Neill
Myers Park Traditional: Tosha Arriola
Providence High: the late Paul Jackson
Providence Spring Elementary: Joni Strama
Randolph IB Middle: Michael Pillsbury
Sharon Elementary: Stephanie Dixon
South Charlotte Middle: Debbie Britt
South Mecklenburg High: Diana Shell

It is virtually impossible to overstate the importance or the difficulty of a classroom teacher’s job. The future of our country and our community is literally staring up into the eyes of CMS teachers every day. For this reason, MeckEd, the local public education advocacy group, is stepping up to publicly thank and recognize teaching professionals in our community.

Last week was national Teacher Appreciation Week. Parents, students, PTA groups and others reminded educators that their dedication and commitment is truly appreciated.

This Wednesday, May 16th, MeckEd will take that appreciation to a higher level and publicly honor 40 of CMS’s outstanding teachers at the first annual MeckEd Teachers of Excellence reception and awards program. MeckEd is providing a platform for the community to celebrate the MeckEd Teachers of Excellence honorees in a very public display of recognition and thanks. These teachers were identified as being masters of their craft, tireless advocates for children and leaders in their profession. Their stories represent a sampling of the passion and talent found in our school system.

Honoree Susan Thomasson, a 5th-grade teacher at Thomasboro Academy, is one such teacher. According to Thomasboro assistant principal Jessie Baker, Susan has the willingness to do whatever it takes to help her students succeed. “Ms. Thomasson is completely dedicated; her students might as well be in her own family,” she says. It is this type of dedication, love, persistence and a belief that all students can learn regardless of socio-economic conditions and home situations that enable Susan Thomasson to be so incredibly successful. When you walk into her classroom, you feel the belief she has in her students and the respect her students have for her is readily apparent.

Susan describes her own motivations in a very humble manner: “I never give up on them. They motivate me every day. I want them to feel good about themselves. Even though they are struggling, I see improvement. I know I am helping our future.”

MeckEd believes effective teachers and leaders in every school are the essential keys to long-term success in our public schools. As a community, it is imperative that we step up and support our educators and value the profession of teaching. Excellent public schools with students who attain sustained and measurable growth are the preeminent economic stimulus package for our society. As Thomas Jefferson said so many years ago, education is the great equalizer. It is, and has been, the cornerstone of our democracy.

MeckEd Teachers of Excellence is an opportunity for you to applaud CMS’s outstanding educators. MeckEd invites you to join us as we celebrate and thank 40 examples of stellar CMS educators this Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at the Mint Museum.

By Bill Anderson, MeckEd executive director

Learn about the 40 Teachers of Excellence, and get event details and tickets: www.mecked.org

Executive Director Bill Anderson discusses the 2012 MeckEd Teachers of Excellence and the importance of valuing teachers with News 14′s Rob Boisvert.

CHARLOTTE – MeckEd will honor a local high school math teacher as one of its 40 Teachers of Excellence at its annual awards program.

Hopewell High School’s James Cross was chosen to receive the honor. Cross and other award winners will be honored at the 2012 MeckEd Teachers of Excellence awards night Wednesday, May 16, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mint Museum.

For more information, call MeckEd at 704-335-0100.



Dear Teachers,

There is a Japanese proverb that says, “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” By the time your students graduate from high school, they will have spent about 10,000 hours at school being instructed by more than 30 teachers. That’s why almost everyone has a story about a teacher who has touched his or her life.

Just like so many politicians, artists, astronauts, entrepreneurs and surgeons, I am who I am today partly because of a great teacher. After dropping out of school, I found my way back and landed in Herman Katz’s English class. Mr. Katz believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself, and over 40 years later I sometimes still spot his kind smile and horn-rimmed glasses among the sea of faces at my speaking engagements.

Teachers devote their lives to giving our children the tools to succeed and inspire them to do it.

It is you who listen to our children, who challenge them, and who encourage them to stand up for their values. You will teach our future U.S. presidents the importance of the Constitution, show the next Carlos Santana how to strum a guitar, and demonstrate the Scientific Method to the bright young student who will cure cancer.

The simple truth is that, as a nation, we must invest in a strategy that places appropriate value on the contribution that you and your colleagues make to our collective future. Teacher attrition rates are far too high, and given that you are the builders of our future, losing even one good teacher is too many.

Working closely with the teachers at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, I have seen firsthand the inspiring effects of teachers leading their schools in shaping innovative district initiatives. We must continue to expand career and leadership opportunities like these, opportunities that allow you to develop your practice, foster a school culture that encourages collaboration with your colleagues, and empower you with the autonomy to innovate and thrive.

Moreover, any efforts to brighten our nation’s future must be built upon a deep appreciation for your incredibly important work. On this Teacher Appreciation Day, I’d like thank you for your countless hours, your sweat and tears, and your relentless commitment to our children. And I’d also like to thank you in advance for inspiring the next generation of amazing teachers.

Very truly yours,

Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Los Angeles Mayor

Dear Friend of MeckEd,

I hope you all will find a few moments this week to thank a teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week. Do you want to show your genuine appreciation for teachers? Join us on May 16^th for MeckEd’s first annual Teachers of Excellence event to thank and honor exceptional CMS educators who have mastered instructional practices and are leaders in their professional and school communities. This celebratory event is only one week away, so if you have not yet purchased your ticket, you can do so here.

View the list of the 2012 Teachers of Excellence.

Read the complete May 9th e-Newsletter

Dear Friend of MeckEd,

We hope you will join us for the first annual MeckEd Teachers of Excellence event on May 16th! MeckEd will honor 40 CMS teachers who have mastered instructional practices and contributed positively to their school and professional communities. We hope you will be part of this community effort to say thank you and celebrate the work of these outstanding educators.

Read the complete May 2nd e-Newsletter

Ernesto “Che” Guevara, that black-bearded dreamer featured on the walls of virtually every college dorm, once said, “Knowledge shall make us free.”

What does freedom mean?

For an undocumented student, freedom means living without fear of being ripped away from his home. Freedom means not having to be scared every time she sees the red and blue lights of a police car blinking. Freedom also means not having to be afraid of the future.

There is a not-so-well-known problem that lies on the center of the immigration debate. Our undocumented youth are used to hearing, You can’t. You cannot drive. You can’t get a job. You can’t live here. The harshest can’t I’ve ever heard is You cannot go to college.

I arrived to this country two years ago with a tourist visa that was to expire six months later. Soon, I discovered that, like every other undocumented student, I did not have the same rights or opportunities that my classmates had. I found myself having to struggle against a culture that was new to me, using a language I barely had knowledge of. One day, when talking to my dad — a blue-collar, Spanish-speaking worker — about my possibilities of going to college, he simply told me, “If you want to go to college, you will have to pay for it yourself.”

At the end of my junior year, I had no resources and no idea of what to do in order to get into college. I looked for advice in the Mexican embassy, where a woman from the health department told me that the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte had recently started an initiative to help students that, like me, thought themselves hopelessly alone in the pursuit of a college education. Two days later, I attended my first College Access Para Todos meeting. After 30 minutes of counseling with two volunteers, I was on track with everything I needed to do to go to college. One minute after that, I decided to join the group.

College Access Para Todos exists to address the large amount of can’ts to which undocumented students are exposed. This is how the process goes: a student (usually a senior) arrives by recommendation from either his/her ESL teacher or one of the Hispanic newspapers that have so gladly agreed to promote us. The student says, “I didn’t know I could go to college” and we yell at the student for a little bit. We teach him/her how to register for the SAT/ACT and start tutoring him/her. We teach him/her how to look for good scholarships and apply for them. He/she gets accepted into a couple of colleges with a decent amount of financial aid. We celebrate.

In the time I’ve been working with College Access Para Todos, I have seen cases that make one question the quality of the educational system in relation to undocumented youth. It is not uncommon to receive students with a 4.0 grade point average who were unable to get into college on time because of a counselor’s misinformation. When asked the question “What are you good at?,” the most common answer the students give is “nothing.” Ironically, those who answer “nothing” end up being the ones displaying the most advanced reasoning during the SAT prep sessions and essay-writing workshops.

Read more

*Please note the views expressed in For Your Consideration are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MeckEd.

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