Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
My Research Results
I began my research convinced that our society does not adequately prepare its’ young people to assimilate their education along with their individual personality and attributes, to better identify potential careers that will resonate with them, and ignite their passion to learn more, as a result.
I completed this paper more convinced than ever that this is a missing piece in American education. We tell youngsters that they will fail without a degree from a four-year college or university and then we proceed to make that prediction a reality. The majority of young people, regardless of socio-economic status, drop out of high school due to lack of interest and a feeling of disassociation.
In an article I read just the other day (posted on my blog), I saw that Delaware, in an attempt to make high school “more relevant” will require students to create a “student success plan and pursue a career pathway designed to guide them through high school and their first year after graduation.” Valerie Woodruff, DOE Secretary, says that students must be better prepared for “success in college, work, and citizenship when they graduate. We need to focus on having all students finish with their goals in mind.”
Woodruff explained that before they created the new initiative they held a “listening forum.” They brought together representatives from every Delaware high school and asked about middle school and high school and “what they needed.” She stated that “three strong messages emerged from the comments made by the students: They said they need us to expect more of them and also need us to help them. They said they need to know people in school care about them and that someone they can connect to is paying attention to them.”
Part of their program will include a “career cruising” component that will address middle schoolers and the need for them to not only see potential career opportunities, but to also investigate the requirements that those careers demand. And so I become more convinced on a daily basis that “Career Discovery” can be a tool to help the youngsters in Lawrence know that “people in school (and their community) care about them.”
While Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Lawrence currently has a partnership with the Guilmette Middle School and provides approximately 45 Guilmette students with Big Brothers or Big Sisters; I believe that we can increase the effectiveness of this already successful program by adding another dimension. I developed the following PowerPoint presentation to describe the Career Discover Program to the Mayor and/or Superintendent of Schools in Lawrence.
The Career Discovery Process
A Pilot Program for Guilmette Middle School
6th, 7th, and 8th graders
Slide 1
In their position paper – Reinventing the American High School for the 21st Century, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) tells us that:
"America has evolved from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy, and workers must be prepared to apply increasing knowledge and skills that can be quickly upgraded and adapted to meet the rapidly changing conditions of the 21st century".
Slide 2
U. S. Educational Gaps
The United States is beset by the following three education gaps:
1. Domestic achievement gap - the disparity in learning among American students, correlated to racial and economic status.
2. International achievement gap - the discrepancy between U.S. students and young people from other nations who are more highly educated and often able to carry out skilled work for lower wages than skilled U.S. workers.
Slide 3
U. S. Educational Gaps
3. “Ambition gap” – the term coined for the more disturbing aspects of American culture that are devaluing hard work, personal achievement, exerting effort toward reaching future goals and other aspects of strong character. These factors are contributing to an overall lack of focus and purpose among American youth.
Slide 4
Background Students with access to information technology in their out-of-school life, regularly use commercial learning and gaming resources that are highly Individualized and customizable to their particular interests and tastes.
Our industrial model of education often continues to treat students as parts of mechanistic system, expecting them to fit into the system rather than investing in them as uniquely gifted individuals.
Slide 5
Background
In the past, minorities and women were often told they were not “college material”; now, it seems that the pendulum has swung to the other extreme, where all students are directed to four-year colleges.
Students were not provided with a clear awareness of career and income opportunities for careers requiring a two-year degree or industry-based certification.
Slide 6
ACTE Suggestions
ACTE suggests that educators:
Ensure a smooth transition between eighth and ninth grade; while engaging in specific career-related learning experiences.
Place a renewed focus on the transition of students from high school into further educational and career opportunities.
Slide 7
ACTE Suggestions
1. Encourage students to reach for challenging personal goals and see themselves rising to management and leadership roles within their chosen professions—roles; while not prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions (e.g. going to four-year college) for each and every student.
2. Align middle school instructional programs to meet the expectations of these career/college preparedness goals
Slide 8
ACTE Suggestions
3. Give students structured opportunities to identify their evolving personal interests, and interactively connect those interests to employment opportunities and planning for postsecondary education.
Slide 9
Learnings
Clarify that while each student at the new Lawrence High School must choose the school they will attend; this does not mean they have chosen a career.
Students who take these career based classes may discover that a career area is not a good fit for them, and they opt to pursue a different interest in the latter part of high school or in postsecondary education.
Slide 10
Learnings
Students benefit from this experience through increased self-awareness and circumventing the time and money that would have been spent if college was the only opportunity for serious career planning and experimentation.
Slide 11
Objectives
Use the Career Discovery Program to provide students with the support and tools they need to make an informed decision as to which school - within Lawrence High School - they will attend.
Create and coordinate the Career Discovery Program, a three year program, to gradually prepare Guilmette Middle School students for their transition to high school.
Slide 12
Goals
Administer the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) to provide each youngster with a guide to their “discovery” process.
Provide students with information, tools and support to help them discover themselves, and investigate potential career choices that best suit their individual personalities and potential passions.
Provide students with mentors who will work with them throughout their discovery process.
Slide 13
The Necessity
Lawrence has a graduation rate of 41%.
The majority of youngsters drop out of school due to lack of interest and boredom, regardless of socio-economic status.
The new Lawrence High School will contain six schools, each limited to 500 youngsters per school. While this will provide a better learning environment for Lawrence students; it requires that they choose the school they wish to attend before they are psychologically prepared to make that decision.
Slide 14
The Plan
Desired outcomes:
Administer the Murphy Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) –to 6th grade young students attending the Guilmette Middle School during the 2007/2008 school year.
Create and coordinate a process that will support 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Guilmette Middle School students through a career discovery process.
Slide 15
The Plan
Desired outcomes:
Provide students and mentors with information to assess the careers that might prove most attractive to them.
Provide ongoing support and tools to prepare Guilmette students to effectively choose the school within Lawrence High School that they wish to attend.
Slide 16
The Plan
Required resources:
Formal school time (minimum of two hours per month) devoted to this process and related activities.
One full time guidance counselor or consultant to coordinate the Career Discovery Program and work individually with students throughout the school year.
Funding for coordinator salary and the costs associated with the assessments.
Slide 17
The Plan
Next Steps:
Set up an initial meeting with Mayor Sullivan and Principal Heneken, prior to the end of the 2006/07 school year to present the Program.
Upon approval, coordinate steps needed to begin the Program with 6th graders in October 2007.
I completed this paper more convinced than ever that this is a missing piece in American education. We tell youngsters that they will fail without a degree from a four-year college or university and then we proceed to make that prediction a reality. The majority of young people, regardless of socio-economic status, drop out of high school due to lack of interest and a feeling of disassociation.
In an article I read just the other day (posted on my blog), I saw that Delaware, in an attempt to make high school “more relevant” will require students to create a “student success plan and pursue a career pathway designed to guide them through high school and their first year after graduation.” Valerie Woodruff, DOE Secretary, says that students must be better prepared for “success in college, work, and citizenship when they graduate. We need to focus on having all students finish with their goals in mind.”
Woodruff explained that before they created the new initiative they held a “listening forum.” They brought together representatives from every Delaware high school and asked about middle school and high school and “what they needed.” She stated that “three strong messages emerged from the comments made by the students: They said they need us to expect more of them and also need us to help them. They said they need to know people in school care about them and that someone they can connect to is paying attention to them.”
Part of their program will include a “career cruising” component that will address middle schoolers and the need for them to not only see potential career opportunities, but to also investigate the requirements that those careers demand. And so I become more convinced on a daily basis that “Career Discovery” can be a tool to help the youngsters in Lawrence know that “people in school (and their community) care about them.”
While Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Lawrence currently has a partnership with the Guilmette Middle School and provides approximately 45 Guilmette students with Big Brothers or Big Sisters; I believe that we can increase the effectiveness of this already successful program by adding another dimension. I developed the following PowerPoint presentation to describe the Career Discover Program to the Mayor and/or Superintendent of Schools in Lawrence.
The Career Discovery Process
A Pilot Program for Guilmette Middle School
6th, 7th, and 8th graders
Slide 1
In their position paper – Reinventing the American High School for the 21st Century, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) tells us that:
"America has evolved from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy, and workers must be prepared to apply increasing knowledge and skills that can be quickly upgraded and adapted to meet the rapidly changing conditions of the 21st century".
Slide 2
U. S. Educational Gaps
The United States is beset by the following three education gaps:
1. Domestic achievement gap - the disparity in learning among American students, correlated to racial and economic status.
2. International achievement gap - the discrepancy between U.S. students and young people from other nations who are more highly educated and often able to carry out skilled work for lower wages than skilled U.S. workers.
Slide 3
U. S. Educational Gaps
3. “Ambition gap” – the term coined for the more disturbing aspects of American culture that are devaluing hard work, personal achievement, exerting effort toward reaching future goals and other aspects of strong character. These factors are contributing to an overall lack of focus and purpose among American youth.
Slide 4
Background Students with access to information technology in their out-of-school life, regularly use commercial learning and gaming resources that are highly Individualized and customizable to their particular interests and tastes.
Our industrial model of education often continues to treat students as parts of mechanistic system, expecting them to fit into the system rather than investing in them as uniquely gifted individuals.
Slide 5
Background
In the past, minorities and women were often told they were not “college material”; now, it seems that the pendulum has swung to the other extreme, where all students are directed to four-year colleges.
Students were not provided with a clear awareness of career and income opportunities for careers requiring a two-year degree or industry-based certification.
Slide 6
ACTE Suggestions
ACTE suggests that educators:
Ensure a smooth transition between eighth and ninth grade; while engaging in specific career-related learning experiences.
Place a renewed focus on the transition of students from high school into further educational and career opportunities.
Slide 7
ACTE Suggestions
1. Encourage students to reach for challenging personal goals and see themselves rising to management and leadership roles within their chosen professions—roles; while not prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions (e.g. going to four-year college) for each and every student.
2. Align middle school instructional programs to meet the expectations of these career/college preparedness goals
Slide 8
ACTE Suggestions
3. Give students structured opportunities to identify their evolving personal interests, and interactively connect those interests to employment opportunities and planning for postsecondary education.
Slide 9
Learnings
Clarify that while each student at the new Lawrence High School must choose the school they will attend; this does not mean they have chosen a career.
Students who take these career based classes may discover that a career area is not a good fit for them, and they opt to pursue a different interest in the latter part of high school or in postsecondary education.
Slide 10
Learnings
Students benefit from this experience through increased self-awareness and circumventing the time and money that would have been spent if college was the only opportunity for serious career planning and experimentation.
Slide 11
Objectives
Use the Career Discovery Program to provide students with the support and tools they need to make an informed decision as to which school - within Lawrence High School - they will attend.
Create and coordinate the Career Discovery Program, a three year program, to gradually prepare Guilmette Middle School students for their transition to high school.
Slide 12
Goals
Administer the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) to provide each youngster with a guide to their “discovery” process.
Provide students with information, tools and support to help them discover themselves, and investigate potential career choices that best suit their individual personalities and potential passions.
Provide students with mentors who will work with them throughout their discovery process.
Slide 13
The Necessity
Lawrence has a graduation rate of 41%.
The majority of youngsters drop out of school due to lack of interest and boredom, regardless of socio-economic status.
The new Lawrence High School will contain six schools, each limited to 500 youngsters per school. While this will provide a better learning environment for Lawrence students; it requires that they choose the school they wish to attend before they are psychologically prepared to make that decision.
Slide 14
The Plan
Desired outcomes:
Administer the Murphy Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) –to 6th grade young students attending the Guilmette Middle School during the 2007/2008 school year.
Create and coordinate a process that will support 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Guilmette Middle School students through a career discovery process.
Slide 15
The Plan
Desired outcomes:
Provide students and mentors with information to assess the careers that might prove most attractive to them.
Provide ongoing support and tools to prepare Guilmette students to effectively choose the school within Lawrence High School that they wish to attend.
Slide 16
The Plan
Required resources:
Formal school time (minimum of two hours per month) devoted to this process and related activities.
One full time guidance counselor or consultant to coordinate the Career Discovery Program and work individually with students throughout the school year.
Funding for coordinator salary and the costs associated with the assessments.
Slide 17
The Plan
Next Steps:
Set up an initial meeting with Mayor Sullivan and Principal Heneken, prior to the end of the 2006/07 school year to present the Program.
Upon approval, coordinate steps needed to begin the Program with 6th graders in October 2007.
"Reiniventing American High Schools for the 21st Century
In January 2006, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) released its position statement on high school reform, “Reinventing American High Schools for the 21 st Century.” This paper outlines the association’s view on high school reform and how career and technical education (CTE) can contribute to these efforts." Hans Meeder, executive vice president of Visions Unlimited, Inc. and former deputy assistant secretary for education in the U.S. Department of Education (Office of Vocational and Adult Education), authored the report and led discussions with the ACTE Advisory Committee, which was formed to provide input for the paper.
In its report, ACTE promotes a number of CTE strengths and resources that will help improve the nation’s high schools and help prepare all students for postsecondary education and the 21st-century workforce.
Emphasis was placed on the importance that there should not be an artificial split between the traditional college prep and CTE curricula and that career/vocational coursework should not be delayed until the later years of high school. Instead, a modern, rigorous curriculum needs to be connected to an interest-based curriculum so that all students can reach academic and career readiness.
I used the ACTE suggestions as a basis for the powerpoint presentation that I created to use to make the case for piloting the Career Discovery Program at the Guilmette Middle School in Lawrence.
For more information about ACTE’s position statement or to download a copy, go to the ACTE Web site at: http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/
high_school_reform.cfm.
In its report, ACTE promotes a number of CTE strengths and resources that will help improve the nation’s high schools and help prepare all students for postsecondary education and the 21st-century workforce.
Emphasis was placed on the importance that there should not be an artificial split between the traditional college prep and CTE curricula and that career/vocational coursework should not be delayed until the later years of high school. Instead, a modern, rigorous curriculum needs to be connected to an interest-based curriculum so that all students can reach academic and career readiness.
I used the ACTE suggestions as a basis for the powerpoint presentation that I created to use to make the case for piloting the Career Discovery Program at the Guilmette Middle School in Lawrence.
For more information about ACTE’s position statement or to download a copy, go to the ACTE Web site at: http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/
high_school_reform.cfm.
The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning
The following excerpts are taken from the article: The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning by Karen M. Pellino - Originally Posted At: http://www.teach-nology.com/Articles/teaching/poverty/
The Concept of Being At-Risk
The term at-risk refers to children who are likely to fail in school or in life because of their life’s social circumstances. It does not appear that any one single factor places a child at-risk. Rather, when more than one factor is present, there is a compounding effect and the likelihood for failure increases significantly. Poverty is considered a major at-risk factor (Leroy & Symes, 2001). Some of the factors related to poverty that may place a child at-risk for academic failure are: very young, single or low educational level parents; unemployment; abuse and neglect; substance abuse; dangerous neighborhoods; homelessness; mobility; and exposure to inadequate or inappropriate educational experiences.
Implications for Curriculum Adaptations
In summary, the following are highlights of what must be considered when developing curriculum in schools or classrooms where students of poverty are involved.
· Provide all students with a rigorous curriculum.
· Have high expectations for all students.
· Make students responsible for their own learning.
· Provide support to students and their families. Involve parents. Early intervention is critical.
· Help children to succeed.
· Create an environment and use activities that foster mutual respect, resilience, self-esteem, self-regulation and self-efficacy.
· Develop relationships with students to identify their needs (emotional and intellectual) and identify their individual learning style.
· Emphasize that each student is unique with value, talents and abilities.
· Promote awareness and acceptance of diversity. Encourage students to recognize similarities as well as differences.
· Use principles of constructivism to make learning interesting, valuable and relevant to students. Teach for meaning.
· Provide developmentally appropriate, meaningful learning activities and use thematic or integrated instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry and authentic learning.
Poverty should not be an excuse for us to expect less from our students. They indeed come to us with numerous issues and challenges that interfere with their learning. We need to focus on their learning, find ways to help them overcome these challenges and gain the most they can from their education. Their education is likely their one chance to break the poverty cycle and escape. Just because they are poor doesn’t mean they cannot succeed. It is actually one of the best reasons for them to succeed.
The Concept of Being At-Risk
The term at-risk refers to children who are likely to fail in school or in life because of their life’s social circumstances. It does not appear that any one single factor places a child at-risk. Rather, when more than one factor is present, there is a compounding effect and the likelihood for failure increases significantly. Poverty is considered a major at-risk factor (Leroy & Symes, 2001). Some of the factors related to poverty that may place a child at-risk for academic failure are: very young, single or low educational level parents; unemployment; abuse and neglect; substance abuse; dangerous neighborhoods; homelessness; mobility; and exposure to inadequate or inappropriate educational experiences.
Implications for Curriculum Adaptations
In summary, the following are highlights of what must be considered when developing curriculum in schools or classrooms where students of poverty are involved.
· Provide all students with a rigorous curriculum.
· Have high expectations for all students.
· Make students responsible for their own learning.
· Provide support to students and their families. Involve parents. Early intervention is critical.
· Help children to succeed.
· Create an environment and use activities that foster mutual respect, resilience, self-esteem, self-regulation and self-efficacy.
· Develop relationships with students to identify their needs (emotional and intellectual) and identify their individual learning style.
· Emphasize that each student is unique with value, talents and abilities.
· Promote awareness and acceptance of diversity. Encourage students to recognize similarities as well as differences.
· Use principles of constructivism to make learning interesting, valuable and relevant to students. Teach for meaning.
· Provide developmentally appropriate, meaningful learning activities and use thematic or integrated instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry and authentic learning.
Poverty should not be an excuse for us to expect less from our students. They indeed come to us with numerous issues and challenges that interfere with their learning. We need to focus on their learning, find ways to help them overcome these challenges and gain the most they can from their education. Their education is likely their one chance to break the poverty cycle and escape. Just because they are poor doesn’t mean they cannot succeed. It is actually one of the best reasons for them to succeed.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
More news - Schools within Schools
Smaller schools make grade
By Susan Snyder
Inquirer Staff Writer
The Philadelphia district has divided Kensington and other major high schools into smaller units in the same buildings, seeking better grade scores and a safer atmosphere.
Sandra Ruffin-Pearson picked up a disturbing rumor last December from her students at Vaux High in North Philadelphia: A local gang was planning some kind of trouble and possibly targeting Vaux. It helped that the veteran principal knew every one of her students by name.
" 'Keep it out of my school,' " she remembers telling a group of the housing-project tenants, some former students. " 'Do whatever you need to do, but do not bring it into the building.' They said, 'All right, Ms. Pearson. We're going to make sure we take care of it.' "
She hasn't had a problem since.
Vaux, with just 408 students, is one the Philadelphia school district's 33 small high schools, more than half of which have opened since soon-to-depart schools chief Paul Vallas took the helm in 2002.
The small-schools movement has been sweeping urban school districts in recent years, much of it pioneered by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, although results haven't all been impressive.
In Philadelphia, the district's small high schools, each with 700 or fewer students, are showing better test scores, higher pass rates, greater attendance and fewer suspensions than its 21 large high schools of more than 1,000 students, a new district report shows.
"Personalization has been the key," said Al Bichner, the district's deputy chief academic officer, who oversees high schools. "Teachers getting to know students by name, building relationships."
But the jury is still out on achievement, said Rebecca Reumann-Moore of Research for Action, a Philadelphia group that is in the midst of a two-year study of the city's small schools.
District data also show that dividing large high schools into smaller units doesn't necessarily make them safer.
Two high schools - Kensington and Olney - that were broken down into smaller schools within the same building had significant drops in violent incidents in their first year under the new model, but incidents are up again this year.
Still, the results are promising and the district should stick with its small-schools plan, said Reumann-Moore, of Research for Action.
"One problem in urban school reform is changing strategies too quickly and not giving something time to work," she said.
"We need to try to build on that to give it a chance for success. It's not a panacea but it's promising."
That is why the district remains committed to creating 10 more, even though they cost more at a time when the cash-strapped district is facing a deficit.
Newly created small schools also appear to be doing better than existing schools that have been broken up and reduced in size, the Research for Action study shows.
Reumann-Moore and a colleague, Tracey Hartmann, cite several reasons for their success: They brought on their principals earlier, had more time for planning, started with one grade, had more autonomy in selecting staff, and seemed to get more district support.
The district should find a way to give all of the schools equitable support, they said.
District spokesman Fernando Gallard acknowledged the group's findings and said the district would like to be able to open each small school in a separate location.
"We have to work within our financial reality. This is the only way we can do it right now. Hopefully, as the schools go forward, a new culture will be created and you'll see faster progress," he said.
Small schools account for more than half of the district's 60 high schools.
Unlike some other large cities, Philadelphia has implemented its small-schools project with no major grant or foundation dollars, which the researchers cited as a shortcoming. New York City received $70 million and Chicago $25 million.
On the down side, smaller schools tend to have fewer athletics and extracurriculars, although some of the Philadelphia schools are banding together to create programs. And because staffs are smaller - typically there's only one principal - they are stretched.
When Vallas arrived in Philadelphia, he vowed to decrease the size of high schools while giving parents choice with smaller, theme-based high schools. The result is a decrease in the average size of high schools, from 1,700 students to about 800.
"In the past, if you didn't win the lottery and get into one of the few citywide magnet schools, you were stuck. Well, no more," Vallas said. "Clearly, we've dramatically expanded school choice."
He mandated that the schools be academically aggressive with college preparatory courses and partnerships with universities. Small, by itself, he said, wasn't enough.
To create the smaller schools, the district has made annexes or satellite campuses into free-standing schools, converted middle schools into high schools, and opened new schools in other locations, such as the much-heralded High School of the Future, in partnership with the Microsoft Corp.
There's a science school in partnership with the Franklin Institute, a high school in partnership with the National Constitution Center, and an academic magnet in South Philadelphia. A performing arts high school is slated for the Northeast and an international high school with the University of Pennsylvania is in planning.
Since Vallas' arrival, the district also has broken down several of its large high schools. Kensington was divided into three schools, with a new fourth campus to be built.
Olney High was split into two schools and plans call for it to be reduced further when a new charter opens.
The smaller high schools are popular among parents and students.
The Science Leadership Academy, which opened in September in partnership with the Franklin Institute, drew more than 2,000 applications for 120 slots, more than double the amount that came in last year.
The 110-student school, which serves only ninth graders and will add an upper grade each year, won't exceed 500 students.
The district also plans to reduce the size of two of its most troublesome high schools: Germantown and West Philadelphia.
Germantown will close a section of its sprawling 400,000-square-foot building, allowing security to concentrate on a smaller area. Germantown was in the news recently after two students attacked a teacher and broke his neck.
A new West Philadelphia High is planned for a site near the existing school for no more than 800 students, Vallas said. Its opening is at least two years away.
In the meantime, the district will divide the existing 1,100-student West Philadelphia into smaller units next year and close off part of the building.
At Vaux, scores on benchmark testing, given every six weeks, are up and attendance is running in the mid 80s, higher than the average percentage for high schools, Bichner said. The school hopes this year to meet federal benchmarks in reading and math.
Staffing has become easier as the school's reputation improved, Ruffin-Pearson said.
"This is the first year we have teachers in every area we need, except for chemistry."
There was only one teacher assault at the school this year - an honor student who pushed past a teacher in anger after returning to school from a funeral, she said. That student was removed from the building.
Vaux has used its funding to lower class size to 20, below the norm of 33.
Matthew Tsikata, a math teacher, said he is happier at Vaux than he has been at several large city high schools. He has more support from the administration. Communication with students is better.
"I'm more able to express myself compassionately to them," he said. "When numbers are larger, it's much more difficult to reach them."
Students say they like the smaller environment, too.
"You learn more," said Brittany Darden, 17, a senior, "more attention from teachers."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or ssnyder@phillynews.com.
Find this article at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070422_Smaller_schools_make_grade.html
By Susan Snyder
Inquirer Staff Writer
The Philadelphia district has divided Kensington and other major high schools into smaller units in the same buildings, seeking better grade scores and a safer atmosphere.
Sandra Ruffin-Pearson picked up a disturbing rumor last December from her students at Vaux High in North Philadelphia: A local gang was planning some kind of trouble and possibly targeting Vaux. It helped that the veteran principal knew every one of her students by name.
" 'Keep it out of my school,' " she remembers telling a group of the housing-project tenants, some former students. " 'Do whatever you need to do, but do not bring it into the building.' They said, 'All right, Ms. Pearson. We're going to make sure we take care of it.' "
She hasn't had a problem since.
Vaux, with just 408 students, is one the Philadelphia school district's 33 small high schools, more than half of which have opened since soon-to-depart schools chief Paul Vallas took the helm in 2002.
The small-schools movement has been sweeping urban school districts in recent years, much of it pioneered by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, although results haven't all been impressive.
In Philadelphia, the district's small high schools, each with 700 or fewer students, are showing better test scores, higher pass rates, greater attendance and fewer suspensions than its 21 large high schools of more than 1,000 students, a new district report shows.
"Personalization has been the key," said Al Bichner, the district's deputy chief academic officer, who oversees high schools. "Teachers getting to know students by name, building relationships."
But the jury is still out on achievement, said Rebecca Reumann-Moore of Research for Action, a Philadelphia group that is in the midst of a two-year study of the city's small schools.
District data also show that dividing large high schools into smaller units doesn't necessarily make them safer.
Two high schools - Kensington and Olney - that were broken down into smaller schools within the same building had significant drops in violent incidents in their first year under the new model, but incidents are up again this year.
Still, the results are promising and the district should stick with its small-schools plan, said Reumann-Moore, of Research for Action.
"One problem in urban school reform is changing strategies too quickly and not giving something time to work," she said.
"We need to try to build on that to give it a chance for success. It's not a panacea but it's promising."
That is why the district remains committed to creating 10 more, even though they cost more at a time when the cash-strapped district is facing a deficit.
Newly created small schools also appear to be doing better than existing schools that have been broken up and reduced in size, the Research for Action study shows.
Reumann-Moore and a colleague, Tracey Hartmann, cite several reasons for their success: They brought on their principals earlier, had more time for planning, started with one grade, had more autonomy in selecting staff, and seemed to get more district support.
The district should find a way to give all of the schools equitable support, they said.
District spokesman Fernando Gallard acknowledged the group's findings and said the district would like to be able to open each small school in a separate location.
"We have to work within our financial reality. This is the only way we can do it right now. Hopefully, as the schools go forward, a new culture will be created and you'll see faster progress," he said.
Small schools account for more than half of the district's 60 high schools.
Unlike some other large cities, Philadelphia has implemented its small-schools project with no major grant or foundation dollars, which the researchers cited as a shortcoming. New York City received $70 million and Chicago $25 million.
On the down side, smaller schools tend to have fewer athletics and extracurriculars, although some of the Philadelphia schools are banding together to create programs. And because staffs are smaller - typically there's only one principal - they are stretched.
When Vallas arrived in Philadelphia, he vowed to decrease the size of high schools while giving parents choice with smaller, theme-based high schools. The result is a decrease in the average size of high schools, from 1,700 students to about 800.
"In the past, if you didn't win the lottery and get into one of the few citywide magnet schools, you were stuck. Well, no more," Vallas said. "Clearly, we've dramatically expanded school choice."
He mandated that the schools be academically aggressive with college preparatory courses and partnerships with universities. Small, by itself, he said, wasn't enough.
To create the smaller schools, the district has made annexes or satellite campuses into free-standing schools, converted middle schools into high schools, and opened new schools in other locations, such as the much-heralded High School of the Future, in partnership with the Microsoft Corp.
There's a science school in partnership with the Franklin Institute, a high school in partnership with the National Constitution Center, and an academic magnet in South Philadelphia. A performing arts high school is slated for the Northeast and an international high school with the University of Pennsylvania is in planning.
Since Vallas' arrival, the district also has broken down several of its large high schools. Kensington was divided into three schools, with a new fourth campus to be built.
Olney High was split into two schools and plans call for it to be reduced further when a new charter opens.
The smaller high schools are popular among parents and students.
The Science Leadership Academy, which opened in September in partnership with the Franklin Institute, drew more than 2,000 applications for 120 slots, more than double the amount that came in last year.
The 110-student school, which serves only ninth graders and will add an upper grade each year, won't exceed 500 students.
The district also plans to reduce the size of two of its most troublesome high schools: Germantown and West Philadelphia.
Germantown will close a section of its sprawling 400,000-square-foot building, allowing security to concentrate on a smaller area. Germantown was in the news recently after two students attacked a teacher and broke his neck.
A new West Philadelphia High is planned for a site near the existing school for no more than 800 students, Vallas said. Its opening is at least two years away.
In the meantime, the district will divide the existing 1,100-student West Philadelphia into smaller units next year and close off part of the building.
At Vaux, scores on benchmark testing, given every six weeks, are up and attendance is running in the mid 80s, higher than the average percentage for high schools, Bichner said. The school hopes this year to meet federal benchmarks in reading and math.
Staffing has become easier as the school's reputation improved, Ruffin-Pearson said.
"This is the first year we have teachers in every area we need, except for chemistry."
There was only one teacher assault at the school this year - an honor student who pushed past a teacher in anger after returning to school from a funeral, she said. That student was removed from the building.
Vaux has used its funding to lower class size to 20, below the norm of 33.
Matthew Tsikata, a math teacher, said he is happier at Vaux than he has been at several large city high schools. He has more support from the administration. Communication with students is better.
"I'm more able to express myself compassionately to them," he said. "When numbers are larger, it's much more difficult to reach them."
Students say they like the smaller environment, too.
"You learn more," said Brittany Darden, 17, a senior, "more attention from teachers."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or ssnyder@phillynews.com.
Find this article at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070422_Smaller_schools_make_grade.html
Effective Career Development Programs Begin EARLY in the Educational Continuum
According to Maddy-Bernstein and Dare, in their article Career Guidance for Elementary and Middle School Students, during their review of exemplary career guidance and counseling programs, OSS (Office of Student Services) discovered that effective programs create the most positive difference when it comes to student outcomes. “Students at all grade levels fair better when they:
are exposed to career awareness and exploration before they make critical choices at the high school and postsecondary levels;
have continued assistance identifying their strengths, interest, and aptitudes;
are helped to view career paths as a broad range of options available to them;
have a well-planned, structured school program to assist them in understanding the world of work;
have an opportunity to work/volunteer in business through secondary school programs;
find curriculum challenging and relevant to their interests;
and work with their parents, counselors, and teachers to select school courses and programs.”
They go on to state that truly effective programs addressing career development are systemic. They begin early in the educational continuum. All learners and especially those “most at risk of failing in our schools and society” must have accessibility and it should be “embedded in the elementary and middle school curriculum as well as secondary and postsecondary curriculum.
are exposed to career awareness and exploration before they make critical choices at the high school and postsecondary levels;
have continued assistance identifying their strengths, interest, and aptitudes;
are helped to view career paths as a broad range of options available to them;
have a well-planned, structured school program to assist them in understanding the world of work;
have an opportunity to work/volunteer in business through secondary school programs;
find curriculum challenging and relevant to their interests;
and work with their parents, counselors, and teachers to select school courses and programs.”
They go on to state that truly effective programs addressing career development are systemic. They begin early in the educational continuum. All learners and especially those “most at risk of failing in our schools and society” must have accessibility and it should be “embedded in the elementary and middle school curriculum as well as secondary and postsecondary curriculum.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
More Reason to Provide Support to Middle School Students
Eileen Bernstein author of Middle School and the Age of Adjustment : A Guide for Parents tells us, a middle schooler enters the sixth grade as a child and two years later emerges as an adolescent and goes through tremendous changes in the process. And these youngsters often change from day to day. Middle school can be very exciting - with the change to a seven-period day and more freedom. But they must also endure the adjustment from one teacher who really cares to seven teachers who really care but have 150 students to care about. The physical, social, and emotional changes are always present in the mind of a middle school child. The requirements for adapting can be daunting. Throw in the higher academic requirements and the organizational responsibilities, and you will see children who are struggling to make sense of their world.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Good Article!
I like this article - it reaffirms the need to look at students as individuals, rather than applying a "one size fits all" approach.
CapeGazette.com - Covering Delaware's Cape Region | 302.645.7700
4/17/07
State education officials
strive for student success
By Georgia Leonhart
Cape Gazette staff
Delaware students who will be freshmen in school year 2007-08 face new graduation requirements, including more math, science and foreign language credits. They will also be required to create a student success plan and pursue a career pathway designed to guide them through high school and their first year after graduation.
The new requirements are part of the Department of Education (DOE) “Reaching Higher for Student Success” initiative.
“This initiative is not just a program, it is an overall effort. We want high school to be more of a springboard for effective success,” said DOE Secretary Valerie Woodruff.
“High school needs to be more relevant. We must ensure students are prepared for success in college, work and citizenship when they graduate. We need to focus on having all of the students finish with their goals in mind,” Woodruff said.
Students speak
Woodruff said she wanted to hear from students before the initiative was created, and held a “listening forum.” During the forum representatives from every high school in the state were asked about their middle school and high school experiences and about what they needed.
Woodruff said three strong messages emerged from the comments made by the students: “They said they need us to expect more of them and also need us to help them. They said they need to know people in school care about them and that someone they can connect to is paying attention to them.”
Based on student needs and ongoing research, the initiative was created. Components of the initiative include individualized student success plans, new graduation course and credit requirements aligned with state college entrance requirements, expanded advance placement offerings, improved career and technical education and real-world experience for students.
Student success plans
New graduation requirements require every student from eighth grade on to have an individual student success plan that goes one year beyond high school, which will be used to implement each student’s career pathway.
New regulations define a career pathway as “a planned program of at least three credits in sequenced or specialized courses designed to develop knowledge and skills in a particular career or academic area.”
Woodruff said there is no intention to tie any child into a definite career-path decision. “Our intention is to have them focus on doing something and to help them learn about forming goals at an earlier age,” Woodruff said.
To assist in preparing the plans a new online tool called “Career Cruising” will be made available in every middle school and high school. The tool is expected to provide students with a range of possible career choices based on their interests while explaining the requirements for each choice.
“We need to help the students understand there are certain requirements they must meet to pursue their options,” Woodruff said. If a student is interested in animals, for example, she may have options ranging from being a veterinary assistant to a veterinarian, a trainer, park ranger, professor or a farmer. There are hundreds of options. Knowing the requirements gives them the opportunity to keep many options open and pursue several options at the same time, she said.
Districts and charter schools have been given the responsibility of establishing the purpose and content of their career pathways.
Cape’s ready
The Cape Henlopen School District will have no problem providing the resources to allow its incoming freshman class to meet the new career-pathways requirements, said Michael Kelley, district supervisor of curriculum and instruction. Cape and many schools throughout the state have had similar programs in effect for several years, he said.
“Our students already need to have three elective credits that show movement toward a particular goal,” Kelley said. The 13 possible pathways Cape students may now focus on are listed in the district’s course catalog and include agriscience; computer technology; business, finance and marketing; food; and visual and performing arts. The district is also creating a health career pathway, Kelley said.
The things that are new about the statewide career pathway requirement are it requires use of a formal student success plan and is tied in with increased credit and course requirements, Kelly said. Though the district does not anticipate any difficulties meeting the new career-pathways requirements, it does predict possible problems regarding other new graduation requirements, he added.
“Probably the district’s biggest issue is with the increased graduation requirements,” Kelley said. “Will additional staff be provided to meet the additional foreign language, math and science requirements?” he asked.
But Kelley is confident regarding the career pathway and success plan requirements. “We will be ready before the new school year begins,” said Kelley.
“Our guidance counselors and principal will take the lead role in establishing and ensuring compliance with the new system,” Kelley said. All Cape high school guidance counselors plan to attend DOE’s student success summit, Friday, April 27, at Dover Downs to learn more about the form and content required for the student success plans, he added.
The online Career Cruising tool will also be demonstrated during the summit.
Additional opportunities
Woodruff said she is also looking for expansion of the Advanced Placement program and more opportunities for students to gain real life experience in their chosen paths. “We want to see community partnerships between businesses and educators that will allow externships for teachers and will pair community businesses and students who can shadow professionals or become interns,” she said.
The Reaching Higher for Student Success initiative is funded in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the National Governor’s Association Honor States Pro-gram. Delaware was one of 10 states to be awarded a $2 million grant.
Contact Georgia Leonhart at georgial@capegazette.com
CapeGazette.com - Covering Delaware's Cape Region | 302.645.7700
4/17/07
State education officials
strive for student success
By Georgia Leonhart
Cape Gazette staff
Delaware students who will be freshmen in school year 2007-08 face new graduation requirements, including more math, science and foreign language credits. They will also be required to create a student success plan and pursue a career pathway designed to guide them through high school and their first year after graduation.
The new requirements are part of the Department of Education (DOE) “Reaching Higher for Student Success” initiative.
“This initiative is not just a program, it is an overall effort. We want high school to be more of a springboard for effective success,” said DOE Secretary Valerie Woodruff.
“High school needs to be more relevant. We must ensure students are prepared for success in college, work and citizenship when they graduate. We need to focus on having all of the students finish with their goals in mind,” Woodruff said.
Students speak
Woodruff said she wanted to hear from students before the initiative was created, and held a “listening forum.” During the forum representatives from every high school in the state were asked about their middle school and high school experiences and about what they needed.
Woodruff said three strong messages emerged from the comments made by the students: “They said they need us to expect more of them and also need us to help them. They said they need to know people in school care about them and that someone they can connect to is paying attention to them.”
Based on student needs and ongoing research, the initiative was created. Components of the initiative include individualized student success plans, new graduation course and credit requirements aligned with state college entrance requirements, expanded advance placement offerings, improved career and technical education and real-world experience for students.
Student success plans
New graduation requirements require every student from eighth grade on to have an individual student success plan that goes one year beyond high school, which will be used to implement each student’s career pathway.
New regulations define a career pathway as “a planned program of at least three credits in sequenced or specialized courses designed to develop knowledge and skills in a particular career or academic area.”
Woodruff said there is no intention to tie any child into a definite career-path decision. “Our intention is to have them focus on doing something and to help them learn about forming goals at an earlier age,” Woodruff said.
To assist in preparing the plans a new online tool called “Career Cruising” will be made available in every middle school and high school. The tool is expected to provide students with a range of possible career choices based on their interests while explaining the requirements for each choice.
“We need to help the students understand there are certain requirements they must meet to pursue their options,” Woodruff said. If a student is interested in animals, for example, she may have options ranging from being a veterinary assistant to a veterinarian, a trainer, park ranger, professor or a farmer. There are hundreds of options. Knowing the requirements gives them the opportunity to keep many options open and pursue several options at the same time, she said.
Districts and charter schools have been given the responsibility of establishing the purpose and content of their career pathways.
Cape’s ready
The Cape Henlopen School District will have no problem providing the resources to allow its incoming freshman class to meet the new career-pathways requirements, said Michael Kelley, district supervisor of curriculum and instruction. Cape and many schools throughout the state have had similar programs in effect for several years, he said.
“Our students already need to have three elective credits that show movement toward a particular goal,” Kelley said. The 13 possible pathways Cape students may now focus on are listed in the district’s course catalog and include agriscience; computer technology; business, finance and marketing; food; and visual and performing arts. The district is also creating a health career pathway, Kelley said.
The things that are new about the statewide career pathway requirement are it requires use of a formal student success plan and is tied in with increased credit and course requirements, Kelly said. Though the district does not anticipate any difficulties meeting the new career-pathways requirements, it does predict possible problems regarding other new graduation requirements, he added.
“Probably the district’s biggest issue is with the increased graduation requirements,” Kelley said. “Will additional staff be provided to meet the additional foreign language, math and science requirements?” he asked.
But Kelley is confident regarding the career pathway and success plan requirements. “We will be ready before the new school year begins,” said Kelley.
“Our guidance counselors and principal will take the lead role in establishing and ensuring compliance with the new system,” Kelley said. All Cape high school guidance counselors plan to attend DOE’s student success summit, Friday, April 27, at Dover Downs to learn more about the form and content required for the student success plans, he added.
The online Career Cruising tool will also be demonstrated during the summit.
Additional opportunities
Woodruff said she is also looking for expansion of the Advanced Placement program and more opportunities for students to gain real life experience in their chosen paths. “We want to see community partnerships between businesses and educators that will allow externships for teachers and will pair community businesses and students who can shadow professionals or become interns,” she said.
The Reaching Higher for Student Success initiative is funded in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the National Governor’s Association Honor States Pro-gram. Delaware was one of 10 states to be awarded a $2 million grant.
Contact Georgia Leonhart at georgial@capegazette.com
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Creating the Plan
How did I identify this training need?
Lawrence has a graduation rate of 41% and research tells us that the majority of youngsters drop out of school due to lack of interest and boredom. The new high school will contain six schools within a school and will be limited to 500 youngsters per school which will provide a much more positive learning environment for Lawrence students. This requires, however, that youngsters choose the school they wish to attend prior to their being psychologically prepared to make that decision.
How am I assessing the “current state” and identifying the desired outcomes?
I have researched the census data pertaining to Lawrence youth as well as "background factors" that tend to be a predictors of dropping out. Some of the factors include:
- Low income socioeconomic status
- Families are relatively new to the United States
- Single parent families
- English is not the first language
- Low English proficiency
According to my research, Lawrence is one of the poorest cities in the United States, and is the poorest in Massachusetts. The following statistics underscore the existence of these "background factors" for the majority of Lawrence youngsters:
- 83.1% of Lawrence students come from low-income households
- 49.9% live in households below the poverty line
- Approximately 75 percent of school-age children in Lawrence qualify for government-subsidized food programs – meaning that three out of four children in Lawrence are at risk for hunger.
- 69% of the population of Lawrence are Hispanic
- 82.5% of Lawrence youngsters do not have a first language of English
- 64.4% Lawrence households where a language other than English is spoken at home
- 53% of households with children under 18 are not in married couple households
What are the desired outcomes?
My intention is administer the Murphy Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) –the young persons’ version of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), to 6th grade youngsters’ attending the Guilmette School during the 2007/2008 school year. I wish to create/coordinate a process that will support students throughout grades 6, 7, & 8 at the Guilmette in terms of career development. I intend to determine whether working with these students individually regarding their personalities/types and the careers that might prove most attractive to them will substantially prepare them to most effectively choose the school within Lawrence High School that they wish to attend.
What resources (time, people, money) will I need?
It will be critical to devote some formal school time to this process. I suggest that each child be given a minimum of two hours per month to spend on process related activities. This would require the services of one full time person guidance counselor/consultant to work specifically with the youngsters throughout the school year. We will need money for that salary as well as the costs associated with the assessments.
What are some possible obstacles to success?
The primary obstacles will be lack of support from school/city administrators and lack of funding to proceed with the pilot program.
What factors are critical foe success?
The principal of the Guilmette is already on board with the program itself, the next critical factor will be to obtain permission from the Superintendent and/or school committee. Since I would like to personally coordinate this process, a personal factor is to obtain the confidence and support of the same constituents so that they would consider me for that role.
What steps need to be taken to accomplish the objectives?
1. Set up an initial meeting with the Mayor and the Principal, so that I can present the idea.
2. The remaining steps are dependent upon the results of that meeting.
What deadlines do you need to meet?
I would like to set up the meeting prior to the end of this school year, so that with approval we could coordinate the process to begin with the current group of 6th graders in October 2007.
How will you know you’re on the right track?
We will obtain ongoing feedback from students and teachers, so that we can make adjustments as needed. We will have quarterly meetings with process participants - one with involved adults and another with youngsters to determine what is going right and what needs to be tweaked.
What will success look like?
Ultimately success will look like 8th graders in the Guilmette who feel strongly about the school choice they are making for high school and are committed to that choice.
What is the time line?
Present through end of school year 2010.
Lawrence has a graduation rate of 41% and research tells us that the majority of youngsters drop out of school due to lack of interest and boredom. The new high school will contain six schools within a school and will be limited to 500 youngsters per school which will provide a much more positive learning environment for Lawrence students. This requires, however, that youngsters choose the school they wish to attend prior to their being psychologically prepared to make that decision.
How am I assessing the “current state” and identifying the desired outcomes?
I have researched the census data pertaining to Lawrence youth as well as "background factors" that tend to be a predictors of dropping out. Some of the factors include:
- Low income socioeconomic status
- Families are relatively new to the United States
- Single parent families
- English is not the first language
- Low English proficiency
According to my research, Lawrence is one of the poorest cities in the United States, and is the poorest in Massachusetts. The following statistics underscore the existence of these "background factors" for the majority of Lawrence youngsters:
- 83.1% of Lawrence students come from low-income households
- 49.9% live in households below the poverty line
- Approximately 75 percent of school-age children in Lawrence qualify for government-subsidized food programs – meaning that three out of four children in Lawrence are at risk for hunger.
- 69% of the population of Lawrence are Hispanic
- 82.5% of Lawrence youngsters do not have a first language of English
- 64.4% Lawrence households where a language other than English is spoken at home
- 53% of households with children under 18 are not in married couple households
What are the desired outcomes?
My intention is administer the Murphy Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) –the young persons’ version of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), to 6th grade youngsters’ attending the Guilmette School during the 2007/2008 school year. I wish to create/coordinate a process that will support students throughout grades 6, 7, & 8 at the Guilmette in terms of career development. I intend to determine whether working with these students individually regarding their personalities/types and the careers that might prove most attractive to them will substantially prepare them to most effectively choose the school within Lawrence High School that they wish to attend.
What resources (time, people, money) will I need?
It will be critical to devote some formal school time to this process. I suggest that each child be given a minimum of two hours per month to spend on process related activities. This would require the services of one full time person guidance counselor/consultant to work specifically with the youngsters throughout the school year. We will need money for that salary as well as the costs associated with the assessments.
What are some possible obstacles to success?
The primary obstacles will be lack of support from school/city administrators and lack of funding to proceed with the pilot program.
What factors are critical foe success?
The principal of the Guilmette is already on board with the program itself, the next critical factor will be to obtain permission from the Superintendent and/or school committee. Since I would like to personally coordinate this process, a personal factor is to obtain the confidence and support of the same constituents so that they would consider me for that role.
What steps need to be taken to accomplish the objectives?
1. Set up an initial meeting with the Mayor and the Principal, so that I can present the idea.
2. The remaining steps are dependent upon the results of that meeting.
What deadlines do you need to meet?
I would like to set up the meeting prior to the end of this school year, so that with approval we could coordinate the process to begin with the current group of 6th graders in October 2007.
How will you know you’re on the right track?
We will obtain ongoing feedback from students and teachers, so that we can make adjustments as needed. We will have quarterly meetings with process participants - one with involved adults and another with youngsters to determine what is going right and what needs to be tweaked.
What will success look like?
Ultimately success will look like 8th graders in the Guilmette who feel strongly about the school choice they are making for high school and are committed to that choice.
What is the time line?
Present through end of school year 2010.
My Research
My intention is to use the Murphy Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) to help them discover more about themselves and the careers that people with their personality type tend to be drawn towards. We expect youngsters to make decisions regarding career choices before they are psychologically ready to do so. I believe that if we work with youngsters using their MMTIC results beginning in the sixth grade - we can better prepare them for their transition to high school. Research tells us that more youngsters drop out of school due to lack of interest and boredom than any other reason and this is true regardless of socioeconomic status. If we help youngsters find their way to an interest that correlates with their personality and perhaps ignites their passion - we will help them become more engaged and find their way to new possibilities.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
New Additions
I was finally able to start personalizing my blog. It's fun - but I could easily get lost in it. Redoing templates, colors, pictures - so many options! I realized that I did not lose my first posting. I just expected to see everything all at once. Well now that I have had my fun, I suppose it is time to start displaying some my project information. That's next - unless of course another template, color or font grabs my attention first.
My original posting is lost!
I am not sure what I did but somehow I lost the posting I created in class. I was excited to be blogging as this is not something I have done before. I have not been as diligent as I had intended when it comes to making entries, but I have done lots of research and posted it on de.licio.us Sometimes I get into that research spiral, where one piece brings me to another and that to another until I am so far away from my original search that it is hard to get back. I know I entered with a question and that I have the answer - I just sometimes don't remember what the question was.
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