BUILDING ETHICAL COMMUNITIES

Dr. Donald McCabe, also known as, “Dr. Ethics” is a recently retired professor of Management and Global Business at Rutgers University. He devoted his research to questions of student integrity in their academic work. He has also worked as a consultant to schools that wish to change their existing policies.

I asked Professor McCabe some questions about his research and beliefs regarding academic dishonesty.

Are there specific strategies that teachers need or can use to address academic dishonesty?

McCabe: There are a variety of strategies available, all of which have both supporters and critics…While at least some, and perhaps many, feel I am naïve, I feel that the only way to solve this problem of cheating in the long run is to create an environment in our schools that encourages honest work by students. While others keep looking for a quicker fix, I don’t think there is one that will have a lasting impact…In my view, teachers need to start the hard work of changing the environment in their classrooms away from an emphasis on grades to one on learning. Not an easy task and one that will require the cooperation of parents.

What is the parent’s role?

McCabe: Indeed, this will be a very challenging task for parents – perhaps impossible. (We live at a time) when the world economy is shifting in ways that may suggest lesser opportunities for the rising generation of American students, and staying in school probably will become an even more important barometer of future success…Basically parents need to help their children understand that integrity and honesty are more important than simple academic success. Unfortunately, few parents probably believe this in the case of their own children – especially when their children note that others are getting ahead by cheating. In many ways, for the sake of the larger society, we need parents who are willing to accept that their children may not do as well financially as their parents have done.

How does dishonesty evolve over a child’s academic career?

McCabe: Children in the early elementary grades are consumed to some extent with the question of fairness… I feel strongly that (middle school) is a point where friends are encouraging each other not to always listen to everything that their parents and authority figures have to say and, in most school systems, junior high is when students begin to have a variety of different teachers versus the one strong parental substitute we probably all remember from our early school years. The “removal” of such an authority figure at a time when children are starting to spread their own wings a bit seems to come together in a sort of “perfect storm” and there are data which suggests this is when cheating in school becomes a greater problem.

How has technology helped/hampered cheating?

McCabe: This is a double-edged sword. While allowing teachers to more effectively check for plagiarism, etc, it has also given students many new “weapons” to use to try to deceive teachers…It’s not clear yet where this will settle out but for a number of years the advantage has been with students who understand, and know how to use these technologies more effectively than most teachers – myself included.

  

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

SEPTEMBER IS ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH

They’re baaaack - at school. Many parents, myself included, are very happy that the new school year has commenced. Although summer will be missed, costly summer camps, fluctuating schedules and restless children will not. For working parents, kids being back at school is the best place for them to be. My mom worked nights and was thrilled to have all seven of her children at school so she could sleep. As a result, we didn’t miss much school.

It turns out, that was a very good thing. Absenteeism is a clear-cut predictor of a bleak educational future, which – no surprise – leads to less than ideal career opportunities. By 6^th grade chronic absenteeism (missing 10% or approximately 18 days of school) has a direct correlation to students dropping out of high school. By 9^th grade, missing 20% of the school year is a better predictor of dropping out than test scores.

The good news is the converse is also true, especially for children raised in poverty. One of the most effective strategies for providing pathways out of poverty is to do what it takes to get students to school on time, every day. This alone, even without all the school improvement efforts, will drive up achievement, increase high school graduation, and raise college completion rates.

There are a plethora of reasons why students miss school but for simplicity reasons we can break them down to three broad categories: students who cannot attend school due to illness, housing instability, or other poverty related problems, students who will not attend to avoid bullying, harassment, or embarrassment, and students who do not attend school because they, or their parents, do not see the value in being there and no one stops them from not attending.

So, what can we do? Get the word out. Bring up the importance of attendance at PTA meetings, back-to-school night, and any time you have an audience of parents. Discuss with administrators the climate of the school. Make sure there are positive discipline policies in place and a comprehensive anti-bully policy.

Help your child maintain daily routines, going to bed and waking up around the same time. Don’t let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomachaches may be signs of anxiety. If so, talk to them and their teachers about school behavior and academic engagement. Ask for help from teachers, administrators, afterschool programs, or other parents if you’re having trouble getting your child to school. Maintain open communication with school staff by making sure they know how to contact you and vice versa.

Know your children’s friends. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school and students without friends can feel isolated. Keep track of when your child misses school. The number of days missed can sneak up on you.

The bottom line - attending school matters greatly. It matters most to students who live in poverty. Chronic absenteeism is a key determiner of high school graduation and continuing on to college. If chronic absenteeism is not measured, it cannot be monitored or acted upon so make sure your school is tracking attendance and ask what incentives there are for students to come to school every day, on time. As a community, it is imperative to ensure that our kids are ready, willing and able to attend school every day. Their future, and hence our future, depends on it.

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

STUDENT SUPPORT WORKS, STUDENT SUSPENSION HURTS

 Parents and their young have begun the annual pilgrimage to numerous retailers, department stores and online sites spending a small fortune on shiny new shoes, snazzy backpacks, pencils, pens, binders, electronic tablets, folders, notebooks, markers, crayons, and cool new back-to-school clothes. Kids are beginning to miss their school friends and are eager – though perhaps not admittedly – about beginning the new school year. Tragically, however, not all are excited about returning to school. Many students have fear of failure because they have failed at school before. Not because they don’t complete their homework or do poorly on school assignments. They fail because of antiquated, ineffectual, and harsh discipline policies and practices that ostracize children. I’m referring specifically to out-of-school suspensions.

Schools have barraged parents with messages on the importance of kids being at school, on time, everyday, yet some kids are told, and in some instances told repeatedly, to stay home.

A study by the American Psychological Association found that zero tolerance policies not only fail to reduce violence in schools but have instead increased disciplinary problems and dropout rates. Students who have been suspended are three times more likely to drop out by the 10th grade. Dropping out, in turn, triples the likelihood that a person will be incarcerated later in life.

Research conducted by the Center For Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project of UCLA found that American children are losing almost 18 million days of instruction due to suspensions. Yes, you read correctly, an astounding 18 millions days! The bottom line – out-of-school suspensions have proven counterproductive yet remain the primary form of discipline in schools.

So, what can we do? We can talk to our school officials. We can ask about suspension policies and the number of instruction days missed due to out-of-school suspensions last year and prior years. If the discipline policies are effective, the rates of out-of-school suspension should be decreasing. A conscientious administrator will also have suspension data disaggregated by student race, grade, and gender along with information on the types of infractions, and date, time and location of offenses in order to best implement future preventative actions.

We can ask what alternatives discipline strategies have been put into place to reduce out-of-school suspensions. Some examples include Saturday school, in-school suspensions, and mandatory community service. Even if your child has never been and is very likely never to be suspended, the whole school climate is negatively impacted by student suspensions, not to mention the financial impact. Many schools are funded by average daily attendance. We can talk to other parents or bring up the subject at a PTA meeting, underscoring the need for progress on reducing out-of-school suspensions.

We can all agree that students and teachers are entitled to a safe educational environment that is conducive to both teaching and learning. Of course there are times when a school’s authority to suspend a student plays an important role in securing a safe environment. Yet too often suspensions, specifically out-of-school ones, serve as a quick fix for student disciplinary problems that require more supportive remedies.

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTIVATION AND LEARNING?

With so much attention on test scores and budgetary concerns, it’s refreshing to learn some folks are keeping their focus on what matters most to parents and teachers – figuring out the best practices to motivate and educate children.

Redwood City School District and Stanford’s John W. Gardner Center continue a longstanding partnership in their efforts to gain a deeper understanding of the practices that effectively promote student motivation, engagement, and ultimately, achievement.

They surveyed all Redwood City School District middle school students in the spring of 2009 and again in 2010 regarding their experiences in their classrooms and their beliefs about themselves as learners.

The research is ongoing and they have already completed many rounds of data collection. They have learned some interesting and encouraging information about the relationship between student’s classroom experiences, motivational beliefs, and academic achievement.

The data clearly showed that a safe and caring setting is the ideal climate for learning. Caring classrooms have students that treat each other with respect and teachers who foster this by letting students know they are not allowed to make fun of each other for a wrong answer or mistake, stating that mistakes are part of the learning process.

 

They also set aside time for individual conferences and provide individual feedback regarding the student’s growth and areas for improvement (versus public feedback that make comparisons between students) and create opportunities for students to revise their work, give private feedback about grades and also time for students to work with each other.

These classrooms tend to inspire student motivation and benefit all students, especially and inclusive of low-income students.

Test scores back up these results. The JGC analysis showed that there is a relationship between higher motivation and higher achievement evidenced by elevated California State test scores. This is true for all students – regardless of prior achievement. This means that if teachers can improve student motivation, then they are also very likely to see improvements on standardized tests.

The JGC staff are encouraged by the outcomes hitherto.

“These results remind us that motivation is not a static trait. Motivation is not something that a student simply has or does not have. Rather motivational beliefs are malleable and very responsive to classroom practices. Perhaps even more exciting is the evidence that students' motivational beliefs can shift within the course of less than one academic year. It is also important to highlight that these motivating and caring practices are doable and already present in many classrooms in Redwood City. We hope these findings will serve as a catalyst for more reflection and conversations between researchers, teachers and parents about specific strategies for motivating students to deeply engage in their learning.”

When planning the new school year administrators and teachers should, in conjunction with analyzing and disaggregating test scores, have another conversation. Is the designated curriculum backed up with constructive strategies and teaching practices that improve proficiency as well as foster curiosity in a welcoming environment? What does that classroom look like?

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.