Building a Strong Foundation for School Success around the Common Core Standards at Home and School

Patricia A. Edwards, Ph.D.Distinguished Professor

Michigan State University2010-2011 President, International Reading Association

Sage Spring Speaker SeriesMarch 18, 2013

So here we are in March of 2013

“Many mothers are distressed about releasing their child to the care of the a distant person because they fear the external judgments made about their parenting during the first five years of the child’s life” (Lightfoot,1978, p. 87).

Many of these mothers are distressed, according to France and Meeks (1987), because they “do not have the basic skills [and] are greatly handicapped in meeting the challenge of creating a ‘curriculum of the home’ to prepare their children to succeed in school” (p. 222).

France, M. G., & Meeks, J. W. (1987). Parents who can’t read: What the schools can do. Journal of Reading, 31, 222-227.

 

Nurturing Relationships

Relationships are the foundation of all infant learning

All early experiences are in the context of a relationship with an adult

Language develops as a result of experiences

Any other “bites” of research?

Modeling

Experiences

Experiences with Print and Writing

Environmental Print

What are the everyday experiences children have with print and writing?

Language

Hart and Risley (1995) conducted

a longitudinal study of children and families from three groups:

Professional families

Working-class families

Families on welfare

Hart & Risley (1995)

Interesting Fact

By one estimate the typical middle-class child enters first grade with 1,000 to 1,700 hours of one-on-one picture book reading, whereas a child from a low-income family averages just 25 hours.

Source: Every Child Ready to Read, Association for Library Service to Children

It’s never too early to give a baby a book!

“ The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which

makes you think.”McCosh

“We never really leave our non-reading children behind. We may forget about them, but we are chained to them socially and economically. Like a ship and its anchor, we must either lift them up or drag them along behind us. It is time we teach our Tony’s to read. It’s the promise of education.” (p. 145)

The Face of a ChildAdapted from:

Annual Growth For All Students, Catch-up Growth For Those Who Are Behind

- Lynn Fielding, Nancy Kerr, and Paul Rosier

Poor Reading Ability Leads to…

academic disengagement

and dropping out of school

(Reschly, 2010).

Jonathan Kozol

The Building Blocks of Literacy

OralLanguageTalking &listening

PhonologicalAwarenessThe sounds of spoken language

AlphabetKnowledgeThe shapes &sounds of letters

ConceptsOf PrintHow to “use books &print

The path to literacy begins long before children begin formal reading instruction, and experiences that occur in the home influence the later course of children’s reading success. (Peterson, 2007, p. 8)

Families

Families provide the foundation for reading achievement

“Literacy begins in the home, not the school…

instruction should build on the foundation for

literacy learning established in the home”

(Au, 1993, p. 35).

Schools are communicating with a variety of parent groups

Unwed teenage mothers Two-parent homeless

families Single-parent families Stepfamilies Working mothers Foster families Grandparents

Schools are communicating with a variety of parent groups

Gay and lesbian families Two-parent families Low-literate parents Culturally diverse parent

groups Extended, reconstituted or

blended families Unemployed parents

Parents differ in their perceptions and conceptions about school and the schooling process.

Differentiated Parenting and Parentally Appropriate

I coined two terms: differentiated parenting and parentally appropriate (Edwards, 2009). I proposed the concept of differentiated parenting as a way to urge schools not to place all parents into one basket. When schools design programs for parents, one size does not fit all. I used the term parentally appropriate to stress the point that “because parents are different, tasks and activities must be compatible with their capabilities” (p. 83). This is not to say that parents’ goals for their children vary greatly (they all want their children to succeed in school), but it’s clear that their children’s perspectives, and abilities affect their capacity to support their children in particular ways (Edwards, 2009).

Transforming the Education System

What was the need for common standards?

Additionally, as Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says, “For the first time, a child in Mississippi and a child in Massachusetts will be judged by the same yardstick.” Newsweek, April 11, 2011

Who’s been left behind?

Russian Satellite Sputnik in 1957

Six Goals of Dakar - EFA

1. ECCE - Early Childhood care and

education.

2. UPE - Free and compulsory basic

education .

3. Learning opportunities for Young &

Adults.

4. Literacy Rate (50% improvement).

5. Gender equality - elimination of

gender disparities.

6. Quality of education - Learning

achievement.

An educational achievement league of 24 rich countries

The Top 5 Other countries1 Republic of Korea 1.4 12 France 12.6

2 Japan 2.2 18 USA 16.2

3 Finland 4.4 19 Germany 17.0

4 Canada 5.0 21 Spain 18.6

5 Australia 6.2 22 Italy 20.2

The table shows average ranks of all five measures. Source: UNICEF Innocenti Report Card No 4, November 2002.

National Reports

A Nation At Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform (1983)

Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading (1984)

President Lyndon B. Johnson State of the Union address, January 8, 1964

The legacy of the War on Poverty remains in the continued existence of such federal programs as Head Start and Job Corps.

President George H. W. Bush (Daddy Bush)"By the Year 2000 -All children in America will start school ready to learn. The high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent. All students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter including English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics an government, economics, the arts, history, and geography, and every school in America will ensure that all students learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in our nation's modern economy. United States students will be first in the world in mathematics and science achievement.

Every adult American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Every school in the United States will be free of drugs, violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.

The nation's teaching force will have access to programs for the continued improvement of their professional skills and the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to instruct and prepare all American students for the next century.

Every school will promote partnerships that will increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children."

President Bill Clinton—State of the Union Address, January 23, 1996

“Parents who know their children’s teachers and help with the homework and teach their kids right from wrong—these parents can make all the difference.”

President George W. Bush

Reading FirstEarly Reading First

Because of No Child Left Behind, closing the achievement gap is now a national priority.

President Barack Obama—September 8, 2008, Dayton Ohio Speech

[Success] starts in our families. Because no education policy can replace a parent who’s involved in their child’s education from day one—who makes sure that their children are in school on time, helps them with their homework after dinner, and attends those parent-teacher conferences. No government program can turn off the TV set or put away the video games or read to your children.

History of Standards

1989 – National Governors Association gives birth to the standards movement

1990 – National Education Goals Panel established

1996 – Achieve, Inc. launched 2001 – No Child Left Behind becomes law 2009 – Common Core State Standards

effort 2010 – Common Core State Standards

Where did Common Core State Standards (CCSS) come from?

Strengths of the New Common Core

Parents will know what is expected of their children at each grade level.

Standards give parents specific information when talking with teachers during the school year.

Standards assure parents their children have access to the same high-quality education as other students in New York and in other parts of the country.

Parents will know that their child is learning skills and knowledge to be successful in the 21st century.

What are the benefits for parents of common standards?

A common set of standards ensures that all students, no matter where they live, will be focused on graduating from high school prepared for postsecondary education and careers. In an increasingly mobile society, families with children transferring to new schools will not have to adjust to new learning expectations. Standards will be the same for all students in states adopting the CCSS, making transitions smoother for students.

In a competitive global economy, all students must compete with not only American peers in other states, but with students from around the world. The CCSS were designed to prepare students to succeed in this environment.

Common standards will facilitate conversation among parents, teachers, and children about high-level academic learning goals. Because common standards define exactly what students should know and be able to do at each grade level, they will help parents hold their schools accountable for teaching students in ways that support learning of the important content and skills defined by the CCSS.

With adoption of the CCSS, states and districts can share experiences, methods of assessment, teaching practices, instructional materials, and approaches to helping parents support and reinforce learning at home.

What are the benefits for parents of common standards?

A common set of standards ensures that all students, no matter where they live, will be focused on graduating from high school prepared for postsecondary education and careers. In an increasingly mobile society, families with children transferring to new schools will not have to adjust to new learning expectations. Standards will be the same for all students in states adopting the CCSS, making transitions smoother for students.

In a competitive global economy, all students must compete with not only American peers in other states, but with students from around the world. The CCSS were designed to prepare students to succeed in this environment.

Common standards will facilitate conversation among parents, teachers, and children about high-level academic learning goals. Because common standards define exactly what students should know and be able to do at each grade level, they will help parents hold their schools accountable for teaching students in ways that support learning of the important content and skills defined by the CCSS.

With adoption of the CCSS, states and districts can share experiences, methods of assessment, teaching practices, instructional materials, and approaches to helping parents support and reinforce learning at home.

Parent Questions Will my child’s teacher be doing anything different? Teachers will be preparing their lessons with the new standards in mind and

working with the students to help them achieve expectations. Will expectations of my child change? Students will be learning based on new standards, however, changes will be

made gradually. Teachers will be working to make sure students are prepared for the next grade level, including new standards when appropriate.

How will I know when my school is teaching the new Standards? Each school may have a different timeline for their school to use the new

standards. Ask your child’s teacher or principal about the new standards. New assessments based on the new standards will replace ISAT and PSAE beginning in 2014.

How can I help my child? Continue to talk to your child about what they are learning. Talk to the teachers

regularly about your child and how he or she is doing. Ask your child’s teacher for suggestions on how to support school work at home.

Standards

Assessment

Accountability

Aligning the Education System to College- and Career-Readiness

Why Now?

Increase awareness of global integration- economy and society (supports move away from local control over education)

All students approach

21st Century technology and mobility

State led

Political and financial incentives

Intentional design limitations

: How teachers should teach.

All that can or should be taught.

The nature of advanced work beyond the core.

The interventions needed for students well below grade level.

The full range of support for English learners and students with special needs.

Everything needed for students to be college- and career-ready.

America's future walks through the doors of our schools every day.

Mary Jean LeTendre

A final

thought…

Questions?

For More Information...

Contact:

Patricia A. Edwards, Ph.D.

Michigan State University

Teacher Education Department

304 Erickson Hall

East Lansing, MI 48824-1034

Phone: 517 432-0858

E-mail: edwards6@msu.edu