Funding alternative education

While visiting another blog yesterday, I found I had to comment on a post about the "extortion for education" mentioned there. I also decided to follow it up here. The cost of everything is going up all around us (just check out the gas pumps if you haven't already). Education is no exception, especially public education. As we educators know, we are tasked with doing much with very little more times than not. As an alternative educator, this becomes more challenging when my "school of choice" does not enroll the number of students needed to balance the budget. Even though we are part of the local Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) and receive funds from member public schools, our school of choice still charges each district "tuition" for those students who enroll in our programs. When those member districts fail to send us their students, we lose out. Our Alternative High School program, which had been found on two campuses, is now being consolidated to one location because there were insufficient students enrolled in the second location. Purchasing supplies was frozen for most of last year for our Division (Career and Technical Education), resulting in the teachers becoming creative with what we had stockpiled to make it through the year. No Child Left Behind has put forward mandates that programs such as the Alternative High School be available so that ALL children learn. However, we need to determine what the Alternative High School is, and how it is different from the programs available in the member districts for students with difficulties participating in regular education programs. This is a continuing challenge, to make the alternative program sufficiently different and successful in meeting state and national education standards. This is being done at our school through the development of unique programs such as a PreTech program for younger (ninth and tenth) grades, and other elective courses not usually offered at regular high schools. These programs and electives better meet the needs of the students sent to us, usually resulting in these At-Risk students completing school instead of dropping out. Many even continue on to colleges and rewarding careers that they had never considered before. I invite you, especially those of you who consider "Alternative Education" to be a negative option for students, to visit http://bocescareertech.org and learn about two alternative education graduates who will be moving on to success, instead of dropping out into failure. These programs can be, and often are, successful. However, we are also not likely to "blow our own horns" and let you know about it. Alternative Education programs are not always the solution, but they can be successful if supported. Two keys to this success: (1) programs and courses that are significantly different from that of the "regular" school, and (2) different locations that remove those At-Risk students from the environments in which they are experiencing so much failure and trouble. You need to shop around and determine what will work for your student. No Child Left Behind leaves little choice to school districts. Support your Alt. Ed. programs!

Teaching Science Through Case Studies

As a science teacher in an alternative high school, I spend many hours trying to develop lessons that actively engage my students, a diverse group of reluctant learners. Today's review of the news ideas revealed a new way to present science to students in the classroom: teaching through case studies. This pedagogical method can be applied in the high school classroom as easily as in a collegiate setting with undergrads. It is at the heart of inquiry-based Best Practices. The key is to present the students with a problem (the case study) that engages them by having relevance to their lives. In developing a new elective course for my school, this is the challenge I face. Fortunately, through my research today, I found out about the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. I believe this is a resource that can be used by science teachers at all levels. Please check it out!

Follow up on Technology in Alternative Education

As my summer school assignment has now begun, I find myself faced with once again teaching with limited technology available. Today, I went to the principal to determine if the computer lab for my department was available for use by my classes one day a week for the duration of the summer school program. The first thing the principal told me was, "Yes, if the computers are working." Limited resources in the private non-profit school in which I am spending my summer prevent the school from purchasing even 6 new computers, which would provide a class-set for this special education setting with class sizes limited to six students. The desktops in the computer lab are over five years old and the mother boards are going down almost daily. My curriculum, already available on the Blackboard CMS (http://www.blackboard.com), now must be converted to paper and pencil assignments, which these alternative education students balk at completing. However, they instantly become motivated when allowed time on the computers and the assignments are presented with the animation, bells and whistles present in many software packages available today. Finding the alternative teaching methods that match the different learning styles of the students makes it important that this school begin to look at their IT systems more carefully, and seek grants or other funding to provide such resources to the teachers. As a follow on to that, of course, teacher professional development must become part of the plan. Keep an eye out for future reflections on encouraging teachers to use instructional technology to reach these alternative education students!

The need for educational technology

I have spent my entire teaching career in alternative education settings, first for a private not-for-profit facility, and now in the local Career and Technical School. The divergence between the two schools is so obvious. The Career and Technical School has many forms of educational technology available, including access to online student information systems, curriculum mapping, in-class computer workstations for the students, Smartboards, laptops, LCD projectors and so on. By contrast, the private school had only limited computers, extreme restrictions on Internet access by both staff and students, and a local area network that crashed at least twice a week. The most advanced technology available for the teachers to use in teaching was one aging overhead projector for every two classrooms. Yet both schools are tasked with preparing their extremely diverse student populations with completion of State Education Department requirements and No Child Left Behind mandates. Today's students have different needs than those of the past. Likewise, today's teachers are entering the classroom well-versed in the use of educational software and many technologies not available in all classrooms. This can lead to frustration on the part of both student and teacher when the options to use the technology for learning are not available. Our students today are often better able to learn when the opportunity to use familiar technology is present. The performance of students in the two schools is not comparable. The private school struggles to have students succeed on State Education Department assessments, while the Career and Technical School's Alternative High School shows significant success rates on the same tests. Technology in the classroom provides alternative learning activities for those students who can benefit from them. This is one reason I am trying to implement more of it for my students who have alternative learning styles. We want our students to be life-long learners. To do that we need to get them interested in learning and keep their interest. Matching their learning styles to the instructional methods is the best way to do that.

Summertime Curriculum Development

As summer is starting, many teachers are enjoying a break from the grind of developing new teaching ideas to reach their diverse student populations. However, setting up a new course using technology tools for September can take the entire summer, especially if it is starting from observations made in your own classroom. After five years in alternative education settings, I find that many high school students in all grades (9-12) lack critical thinking and basic research skills needed to make informed decisions. As adults, these students will be expected to participate in our society, making decisions that affect not only their individual lives, but oftentimes those of others as well. I am spending much of my summer vacation developing a commencement-level high school elective course that focuses on developing those research and critical thinking skills. Among the tools I am using in creating the course is the Blackboard Online Course Management System. After researching a number of computer-based course managment systems, I have found Blackboard easy to use as a supplement to my regular face-to-face classtime lessons. By placing learning links, assignments and quizzes online, I am enabling my students who miss class, but have computer access at home to stay caught up. This is a great advantage with reluctant students who often spend time in out-of-school suspension, or miss days for other reasons. Many schools use this incredible tool, and training in how to use it is available online.

Master Teacher Help

Ever wonder how those "Master Teachers" do it? I found a resource that can let you in on some great ideas to try. Are you a new teacher? Or an experienced teacher hoping to make a bigger impact with your students? Adam Waxler is a Master Teacher in Social Studies at the Middle School level (and we all know how tough working with that aged student can be!) who is sharing his skills and experience in a new E-book.Click Here to get it today and prepare for your next class!

Welcome!

Welcome! This blog relates to technology used in educational settings, both public and private schools, high school and elementary. I am a high school science teacher and have earned a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with a specialty in Technology in Education. Check back often for information on technology available to use in your classroom or school. Feel free to post your own reviews of different forms of educational technology as well.