"Diplomas Now" Offers Potential Dropouts Lots of Help, Catherine Gewertz, 12/14/09
Kay's comment: It's good to see a dropout prevention program in the news. This one has similar goals to the dropout prevention program that I led some 20 years ago: increase attendance, increase passing grades/credits earned, decrease discipline referrals, decrease suspensions, participate in vocational training. Even though I did not have the resources that this one does, many students did graduate with a high school diploma.
The 750-student middle school in upper north Philadelphia is a showcase for a comprehensive approach to dropout prevention. It produced such dramatic improvements in attendance, behavior, and course-passing rates last year that it’s being tried this year in 11 more middle or high schools in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and San Antonio.
Math Remains Sore Subject for Students with Disabilities by Michelle Diament, 10/20/09
Students with disabilities continue to struggle with math ...
Kay's comment: Math is the subject area that gives my GED students the most difficulty, and it has been the most difficult subject for me to learn and teach. For those of us who find math difficult, we tend to dislike it and avoid it. While this is a normal reaction to aversive things in general, I think math teachers should take a look at how to make math less threatening and more inviting to learn. Retention is another issue. While I learned much math in school, I've never had a need for it, so I've forgotten most of it. Like learning a foreign language, if we don't use it, we lose it. And, how much math do we need to learn for functional living anyway? Do we all need to know algebra and geometry and calculus? I think not. But, we all do need to know consumer math.Among the top reasons why teachers are deemed unsuccessful or leave the profession is their inability to effectively manage student behavior, experts say.
