sws - 01 memo-2-texas: alternativeeducation vs. dropouts

San Marcos CISD 2011: San Marcos CISD 2011:

Phoenix Academy

graduated 30% of district

graduates!

Is that a ‘good’ thing?

Prepared by: Derly Andre Tijerina, Independent Consultant January 2012

Table of Contents

Executive Summary:Memo to Texas RE: Alternative Education

1

DropoutsTexas Public School Reports P-16 Committee Presentation – Sam Houston State Univ.

2

Effects of PovertyImpact of Poverty on Education Working with Students and Adults from Poverty

Educating beyond Irritating Behaviors

3

4

Concerted CultivationSociology of Families – Brines 2006 Social Class and Family Life

Teaching with Poverty in Mind Make Special Ed “Special” Again

5

The Problem

On-line LearningiNACOL The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face Education

C t B d C i l

6The

Solution

Capacity Building as P.D.The Shanker Institute The Imperative for Professional Development in Education

Computer Based Curriculum (CBC)A+Learning System Comprehensive Description + Systems View for Planning

7

8

Best Practices In Alt EdNAEA Exemplary Practices in Alt Ed Indicators of Quality Programming 9

Template

Legacy of Success: PathfindersComments from Superintendents Program Evaluation Data 2008 - 2011 10

p&

Model

_________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________ Prepared by: Derly Andre Tijerina, Independent Consultant 1

Memo to Texas To: Texas Public School Systems – Strategic Planners

From: Derly Andre Tijerina, Independent Consultant

Date: January 2012

Re: Alternative Education in Texas Public School Systems

Overview

In March of 2005, I joined the educators of Texas in wrestling with dropout issues. After a decade

teaching architects to use CAD systems and a decade teaching healthcare IT people about data

integration, by some miracle of circumstance, I started working with Alternative Schools. I saw

educators diagnose and prescribe (just like healthcare). I saw interventions designed and applied to

accelerate student learning. Along the way, I have witnessed a sea change. Schools were being

asked to use data to measure outcomes (just like healthcare). Education, which has ALWAYS been a

qualitative process – defined by humanities – was forced into science, which measures objectively

and decides by the honorable assessment of mathematical (i.e. statistical) judgments. Now, we are

learning (collectively) how kids learn and what to do (specifically) with kids who struggle.

During a recent meeting with curriculum planners at San Marcos CISD, a general question was raised

about Alternative Education. When the community learned that the SMCISD Alternative Program –

The Phoenix Academy – had graduated 30% of the SMCISD graduates, board members asked, “Is

that a ‘good’ thing?”

This is an important question to explore. The reality of the situation can easily be buried in personal /

local perceptions, while the larger context of the question is overlooked. So here, I offer some industry

overviews that describe a climate of change in the national dialogue about education. This allows us to

begin the discussion about a specific alternative school setting – the Phoenix Academy in San Marcos,

Texas – with a valid review of the background conditions that are being addressed in the community.

Community in this context extends to the national debate and the realities of a global economy.

_________________________________________________________________________________


There are four specific concepts that frame the discussion, followed by a summary conclusion:

1. Dropout rates suggest an epidemic in the U.S. workforce.

a. 36% of Texas students who enter the 9th grade, do not finish high school in four years.

b. The chances are 50/50 that a black or Hispanic male will graduate high school.

c. In 2005, the USA graduated more sports-exercise majors than electrical engineering majors.

d. Top students from American schools are from immigrant families.

2. Students have changed. Schools have not.

a. Technology has revolutionized learning, but (many, perhaps most) teachers have not

joined the revolution. Schools continue as (generally) low-tech environments.

b. Advanced professional development shows new focus on “capacity building” so that a

teacher can successfully serve more students with required/necessary learning activities to

achieve stated goals through expanded use of technology. [see APPENDIX 8: Shanker Institute

– The Imperative for Professional Development in Education].

c. Struggling students respond to a blended model for learning. The blended technique

combines self-paced learning, in which personal progress or “control” of “instructional

materials” is in the hands of each student, AND highly qualified teachers are available for

as-needed direct teach.

_________________________________________________________________________________


d. Just-in-Time Direct Teach is a technique that was invented by SMCISD staff and has

evolved organically. It has also been validated independently in national experiences with

education as “blended-learning” by iNACOL [APPENDIX 6: North American Counsel on Online

Learning – Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-to-face Education, 2011].

3. At-risk students need more than “knowledge” of core curricula. New understanding of

social/family development indicates that there may be two distinct issues that need to be

publicly addressed; Natural Growth adolescents manifest behaviors of low-performing

students and Suburban Non-conformists resist the authoritarian structure of the classroom.

Add another dimension to the scenario by considering the “Net Gen” affect. This amplifies the

tension between students and the classroom environments where they are supposed to learn.

Both Natural Growth adolescents and Non-conformists fail academically in traditional school

settings:

a. Natural Growth adolescents lack behavioral/socialization skills (e.g. self-discipline,

time management, social response filtering, etc) that are necessary for traditional

public school settings.

“Natural Growth” and “Concerted Cultivation” are both parenting styles. Natural growth

kids grow with age-mates and seldom interact with literacy exercises or adult conversation.

Under “natural growth parenting”, children grow “on their own”. Concerted Cultivation, on

the other hand, takes place in suburbia in the form of dance and piano lessons, soccer and

gymnastics, visits to libraries and museums. It is a silent invisible marker of upper and

middle class America. A child in a family practicing concerted cultivation experiences

scheduled activities with adults and peers with focused intent on doing something “as

instructed” by the adult specialist. The Concerted Cultivation vs. Natural Growth question is

a defining factor in a student’s capacity to learn. Alternative education environments are

responding to the needs of these students, who lack social/interpersonal skills that “would

be” provided by family-centered or a home-based style of cultivation.

Natural Growth adolescents manifest

behaviors of low-performing students and

Suburban Non-conformists resist the

authoritarian structure of the classroom.

_____

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_________________________________________________________________________________


d. It is the province of Texas Public Schools to serve all students.

Regardless of specific personal circumstances, the public school alternative education

system should accommodate all students. Each student needs to harmonize personal

growth in terms of cultural education (soft skills) and academic goals. The Phoenix

Academy provides systemic balance of academic and guidance counseling to act as a

harmonization function between the student and the (overall) environment. The slogan

goes, “Whole child – whole environment”.

4. If a new team of educators used Best Practices [see APPENDIX 9: Exemplary Practices in

Alternative Education – Indicators of Quality Programming, NAEA 2009] to design an exemplary model to

deliver alternative education services in San Marcos in 2011, then that model would look very

much like the Phoenix Academy.

a. The Pathfinders [see APPENDIX 10: A Legacy of Success – Pathfinders 2004-2009] original model

has been replicated successfully: A review of a local PLC (Professional Learning

Community) reveals a steady flow of Texas school districts who have found detailed

guidance from a site visit to Phoenix Academy. During site visits SMCISD educators share

their formula that blends computer-based curriculum (CBC) and direct teach, as needed

within a carefully integrated “environment” designed to cultivate learning.

b. The personalization of the overall “environment” creates a highly adaptive setting that is

both complex and delicately balanced to focus on each student’s learning goals.

c. The use of mandatory note-taking, introduces the learner to a system of mediated

scaffolds that organize and sustain big ideas. The practice is called the Principle of

Conspicuous Strategies (The Construction of Instructional Interventions, Simmons et al, Texas A&M

University 2005, pg10), which suggests that multiple exposures to empirical supports is an

efficient and effective method of accelerating the rate of engagement with instructional

materials.

d. The use of lessons, units, and courses formulate a consistent model [see APPENDIX 7: A

Comprehensive Description of the A+ Learning System] for completing semester-sized periods for

learning (specifically, half-credits). This also establishes a modular basis for a token

economy in which specific behaviors (e.g. mastering lessons in an assignment list) are

rewarded with some token (e.g. apple icons awarded for mastery of a lesson, and half-

credits earned are recorded with the Academic Counselor on a transcript). The transcript

reflects the exact graduation requirements as any SMCISD graduate.

e. The Phoenix Academy has been recognized as an example of Practitioner Wisdom in the

2011 A+ User Group PLC, which is a direct result of SMCISD efforts in 2008. [see APPENDIX

10: Legacy of Success – A History of Pathfinders 2004-2010]

_________________________________________________________________________________


5. Summary Conclusion:

It should be no surprise to learn that the indicator for socio-economic status (SES) is the single

most significant determinant of the question regarding Natural Growth vs. Concerted Cultivation. It

is the imperative of public schools to compensate for the effects of poverty wherever possible. If

we (as a community) fail to expose a student to cultivation experiences as a child, then as

adolescents, they must be accelerated through a prepared environment that is well-structured for

learning. This can best be achieved by developing environments where persistent human

guidance directs the energies of a student onto learning paths, which are comprehensive, lean and

well-documented. The alternative education setting is the most successful model (to-date) for

building and sustaining learning environments that can adapt blended behavioral and academic

services to accommodate all learners.

The balance of our discussion should explore these four concepts in detail. The Summary Conclusion

should be in the background all the time. How can we eliminate the generational effects of poverty

more directly than by cultivating environments for any student to discover success (regardless of their

socio-economic or circumstantial background)?

* “Although the reduction of poverty is generally not the direct province of educators, intercepting and altering the potential negative outcomes associated with poverty are.” [excerpted from] - The Construction of Instructional Interventions: Accelerating the Vocabulary Development and Comprehension of Children in Low-Income Households / Simmons, et al: Texas A&M University

*“The direct province of educators is to

intercept and alter the potential negative

outcomes associated with poverty.”

_____

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_________________________________________________________________________________


be tolerated, not among students and not between students and staff. Each student has a clear

understanding of what is expected academically and that is their focus throughout the school day.

Only technology could meet the flexibility requirements that enabled Pathfinders to modify instructional

services for each student. The technology issue was addressed with a comprehensive Computer

Based Curriculum [see APPENDIX 7] that covered 95% of required TEKS. This baseline curriculum was

used for self-paced learning, while highly-qualified teachers were nearby for Just-in-Time Direct Teach.

This introduced a subtle change of perception.

In traditional school settings, the “teacher” was part of the “system” and the “system is (perceived to be)

AGAINST me (the student)”. Within the new environment, the “system” is on the computer and the

“teacher” is now on “my side” (to help me complete – or defeat – the curriculum on the computer). The teacher

becomes a guide or coach to assist the student’s journey “through” the learning environment. The

alternative school system creates a new environment by blending teacher teams, student groupings,

and reasonable work/growth expectations through self-established goals.

But there is more to it than the mere intelligent design of a “program”. The personality of every

community can be seen in its struggle against the progressing edge of failure. This is where local

educators apply personal human energy to reach disengaged youth. These are local kids, who are

attached to the community in a variety of ways. Disengaged youth in downtown Houston need a

different environment than students who grew up with loggers in the piney woods or ranchers in the

buffalo prairies of West Texas. These “programs” are personalized for each community.

This is a poignant moment in this particular analysis. When we search national resources for a clear

definition of the problem and a sketch of promising practices that only imply an effective response,

when we look at data that suggests that at-risk students are being well-served (e.g. graduation rates

increase, while dropout rates decrease), then a thorough search will lead us back to the Phoenix

Academy for a model of “what works” in the public schools systems TODAY.

Item 4 Applies the General Issues in Item 3 to San Marcos CISD

Items three (3) and four (4) are presented as solutions. This definition of the dropout problem brings

behavioral dimensions into focus. IF Concerted Cultivation includes soft skills and problem-solving

techniques that enable students to “succeed” in a 21st Century workforce, AND the workforce is

dominated by cultural expectations derived-from Concerted Cultivation, THEN the community should be

focused on adolescent students who lack the “cultivation” experience. These students, from Natural

Growth environments, can learn in an environment properly cultivated academically and behaviorally

for “learning”.

Likewise, if young suburban non-conformists have evolved into confrontational irrational students, then

it is the obligation of the public school system to adapt appropriate services to reach them in new non-

conforming ways. These students need an alternative. If they (students) perceive a lack of control or

respect in their current/local/daily situation, then they cannot learn what is expected of them. They

cannot learn because they lack social skills to focus academically as they assimilate into environments

_____

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_________________________________________________________________________________


Conclusion:

Therefore, the alternative education system provided by public education (LEAs – Local Education

Agencies) needs to address the expectations of at-risk students by personal and environmental

adjustments. The personal components are addressed through the development of “soft skills” via

behavioral counseling, interactivity with peers and adults (supervisors, teachers, learning-coaches,

etc.), group work projects and peer collaboration. The soft skills are above and beyond the traditional

learning goals and objectives, but “can be” provided by educators with a keen eye on the academic

objectives and a clear understanding of the teen behaviors that threaten success.

The academic expectations of traditional school environments (i.e. TAKS Tests and earned credits)

remain exactly the same. Alternative environments maintain these expectations but meanwhile, they

perform on the front lines of disruptive cultural changes. The cultural shift manifests in a dizzying array

of unanticipated behaviors exhibited by Natural Growth adolescents and suburban non-conformists

amplified by the “Net Gen affect”. These student-by-student innovations on behavioral nuances can

only be handled with guidelines and some latitude so that dedicated educators can observe, adjust,

learn and adjust again.

The TEA required learning objectives are consistently met by instructional materials that present

“learning activities” in well-documented sequences. ALL SMCISD graduates pass the SAME

achievement tests. However, it is the alternative setting that builds an environment which cultivates

successful behaviors at the same time. They tweak the environment through complex personalized

adjustments to a “school system” with many moving parts. Together, it provides a consistent self-

paced learning environment through computer-based curriculum (CBC).

Dropout Rate calculations and Leaver Codes blur any analysis of exact dimensions of the cultural shift

we are all living through. We use Exit Level TAKS Tests on the academic side to provide some kind of

clarity. But, it is imperative to note that we collectively lack ANY effective measurements for the

behavioral side of this equation.

In the end, the education “system” should reach as many students as humanly possible. And so far,

the Phoenix Academy model is among the most successful sustained models anywhere.

end

Table of Contents


1

DropoutsTexas Public School Reports P-16 Committee Presentation – Sam Houston State Univ.

2

Effects of PovertyImpact of Poverty on Education Working with Students and Adults from Poverty


3

4

Concerted CultivationSociology of Families – Brines 2006 Social Class and Family Life

Teaching with Poverty in Mind Make Special Ed “Special” Again

5

The Problem

On-line LearningiNACOL The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face Education

C t B d C i l

6The

Solution

Capacity Building as P.D.The Shanker Institute The Imperative for Professional Development in Education

Computer Based Curriculum (CBC)A+Learning System Comprehensive Description + Systems View for Planning

7

8

Best Practices In Alt EdNAEA Exemplary Practices in Alt Ed Indicators of Quality Programming 9

Template

Legacy of Success: PathfindersComments from Superintendents Program Evaluation Data 2008 - 2011 10

p&

Model

Table of Contents


1

2

Dropouts3

4The

Dropouts

5

The Proble

m

On-line Learning

C t B d C i l (CBC)

6

Capacity Building as P.D.

Computer Based Curriculum (CBC) 7

8

Best Practices In Alt Ed9

Legacy of Success: Pathfinders10

Table of Contents


1

2

Effects of Poverty3

4

5

The Problem

On-line Learning

C t B d C i l (CBC)

6



8



SHORT STORY: […in order to alter the potential effects of generational poverty…] Students need:Students need: 1) direct-teach, 2) relationships, and 3) an environment that teaches coping skills.

Table of Contents


1

2

Irritating BehaviorsEducating beyond

3

4

Irritating Behaviors

5

The Problem

On-line Learning

C t B d C i l (CBC)

6



8



SHORT STORY: Poverty affects behavior in specific ways.

SHORT STORY: We are setting up students for failure when we stretch Special Ed services to include

“behavioral disorders” that do NOT warrant accommodations in the workforce Coping skills withinaccommodations in the workforce. Coping skills within

a public school setting are necessary for long term success. MOST damaging is a lowered expectation for

behavior, which must be addressed with learned responses to stress(es) in the environment.

Table of Contents


1

2

3

4

5

On-line Learning

C t B d C i l (CBC)

6



8

Concerted Cultivation



Table of Contents


1

Dropouts 2

Effects of Poverty


3

4On-line LearningConcerted Cultivation

5

On-line Learning

6

7

8



Table of Contents


1

Dropouts 2

Effects of Poverty


3

4Computer BasedConcerted Cultivation

5

Computer Based Curriculum (CBC)

6

7

8

Best Practices In Alt Ed

9

Legacy of Success: Pathfinders

10

Table of Contents


1

Dropouts 2

Effects of Poverty


3

4Capacity BuildingConcerted Cultivation

5


6

7

8



SHORT STORY: “Improvement” implies a coherent system in which measurements are recorded. New work is done and a

second measurement is concluded. Then, the “system” attempts to deliberately alter the measurementto deliberately alter the measurement.

Schools / school-systems / school-people are not prepared for the process and (most likely) missing skills, concepts, work

habits and practice patterns that make real changes conceivable (but NOT quite impossible).

Table of Contents


1

Dropouts 2

Effects of Poverty


3

4

Concerted Cultivation5

On-line Learning

C t B d C i l

6



8

9Best Practices in Alt EdLegacy of Success: Pathfinders

10

Table of Contents


1

Dropouts 2

Effects of Poverty


3

4

Concerted Cultivation5

On-line Learning

C t B d C i l

6



8

9Legacy of Success:

P hfi d 2004 200910

Pathfinders 2004-2009

sws - 01 memo-2-texas: alternativeeducation vs. dropouts

Documents

alternative education

educators of texas

alternative schools

san marcos cisd

specific alternative

smcisd alternative program

derly andre tijerina

phoenix academy