The School In the News
Read about the School and its activities in the news
5/5/09 - Frederick Morrison and Susan Dynarski on the age at which children start school in The Times.
Frederick Morrison, professor of education, School of Education and professor of psychology, LS&A Department of Psychology, and Susan Dynarski, associate professor of education, School of Education, and associate professor of public policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, are quoted in an article in the May 5, 2009, Times. The article is about new options for parents in the U.K. to delay the age at which children start school—Morrison and Dynarski comment about how the practice of holding children back affects education in the U.S.
4/30/09 - Teachers should be licensed on the basis of performance, writes Deborah Ball in a Detroit News editorial.
In an editorial in the April 30, 2009, Detroit News, Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the U-M School of Education, considers problems with current teacher certification practices and discusses reforms being developed at the School of Education.
Ball writes: "The University of Michigan School of Education is developing a teacher education curriculum that focuses squarely on developing teachers' skills with the core tasks of teaching.
"We are designing coordinated performance assessments that will determine whether teacher candidates can perform each one competently. The curriculum will include carefully sequenced opportunities to practice these skills in a variety of settings. We will require students to demonstrate proficient performance with each set of skills before we recommend them for an initial teaching license. We should not allow people to enter classrooms who cannot demonstrate that they are safe to practice, based on entry performance standards."
On April 15, 2009, the University of Michigan issued a news release on this topic featuring Deborah Loewenberg Ball and Francesca Forzani, doctoral candidate and project manager for the Teacher Education Initiative.
4/28/09 - Elizabeth Birr Moje discusses reading on the Web in Time For Kids magazine.
Elizabeth Birr Moje, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and associate professor of education, is featured in a debate in the April 24, 2009, Time For Kids magazine. The question is "Does surfing the Internet count as reading?" Moje argues that the answer is yes: "Studies show that reading on the Web is a sophisticated reading experience because readers must process information in so many different forms: photos, videos, charts and graphs. The information that readers access is unlimited. Links may lead to related information, which might enrich the reading experience. Giving home Internet access to low-income kids has been shown to improve standardized reading test scores."
Ken Pugh of the Yale University School of Medicine takes the counter position.
4/27/09 - Tabbye Chavous receives 2009 Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award.
Tabbye Chavous, associate professor of education, School of Education; associate professor (adjunct) of psychology, LSA; and chair of the Combined Program for Education and Psychology (CPEP), was one of six U-M faculty members to receive the 2009 Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award from the U-M Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Affairs.
"Building an educational system and educational practices that respect diversity and work to redress inequities is a fundamental social project: [Chavous] embodies the hard work, generosity of service and skillfulness required to develop this agenda," Theresa Lee, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, and Deborah Ball, professor and dean of the School of Education, wrote in a nomination letter.
An article about the award recipients appeared in the April 27, 2009, University Record Online.
4/13/09 - Klotylda Phillippi and U-M students in article about student-teachers in Canton, MI.
An article on the Hometownlife.com website describes the experiences of some University of Michigan School of Education students as they engage in their student-teaching at Tonda Elementary School in Canton, MI.
Klotylda Phillippi, lecturer, says "We're observing (the student teachers) as well so we can see how they did with what we thought we were teaching them, and how that played out in the classroom as they work with the teachers and students. It's a wonderful relationship for our student teachers and U-M. The quality of the Plymouth-Canton teachers, administration and curriculum are so strong. It's a good place for my students to see what good teaching looks like."
Phillippi taught for 30 years in Plymouth-Canton.
4/21/09 - Degree of sports fandom linked to homophobic and sexist attitudes
University of Michigan School of Education doctoral student Matthew Holsapple presented his research on the relationship between degree of sports fandom and prevalence of bigoted attitudes at the American Educational Research Association conference on April 16. Holsapple and Deborah Taub of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro coauthored the research.
The work was covered on the Inside Higher Education website.
3/26/2009 - Michigan Matters, an SOE-affiliated program, allows young students to converse with story characters.
An article in the March 26, 2009, Manistique Pioneer-Tribune [.pdf] describes the participation of a fifth grade class with the Michigan Matters program. This program was developed and is administered by the Interactive Communications & Simulations group, which is comprised of faculty from the School of Education, from the School of Information, and from the UM-Flint School of Education & Human Services. The group develops and supports an assortment of web-based educational programs.
From the School of Education, Lecturers Jeff Stanzler and Gary Weisserman are affiliated with the project.
Michigan Matters offers schools a variety of online storybooks, which are intended for upper elementary students. As the students read the virtual stories, they are prompted to answer questions. The students’ comments are then responded to by U-M student mentors who speak in the voices of characters in the stories.
Approximately 20 schools throughout Michigan are participating in Michigan Matters.
Michigan Matters was also the topic of an April 28, 2009, article in the Daily Press.
3/12/09 - John Burkhardt and Nancy Miller preview Michigan's forthcoming college access network and portal.
In a March 12, 2009, editorial in the Ann Arbor News, John Burkhardt, clinical professor of higher education at SOE, and Nancy Miller, director of the Jackson Legacy Program, write about the Michigan College Access Network. The network, which will be officially launched on April 28, "will bring together Michigan's community-based organizations that provide college access programs, resources, and services to Michigan students."
The network will lead in the development of a statewide college access portal that is intended help students make the transition from high school to college. "It will be a comprehensive tool for Michigan families, counselors, and educators to help students access a postsecondary education," write Burkhardt and Miller.
The developers of the Michigan portal will be influenced by experiences with related portals in North Carolina and Ohio. The Michigan network and portal will be birthed in the context of Governor Jennifer Granholm's goal of doubling the number of college graduates in Michigan.
3/2/09 - Susan Dynarski and Ed St. John are quoted in an article on Michigan's college scholarships in a March 2, 2009 article in the Lansing State Journal.
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has submitted a budget proposal for the coming fiscal year that includes a cut of $18.8 million from need-based scholarships given by the state. Simultaneously, she seeks to increase state merit-based scholarships by $59.5 million. The net result is an increase of over $40 million in state-sponsored scholarships.
In a March 2, 2009, article about this aspect of the governor's budget proposal in the Lansing State Journal, two University of Michigan School of Education faculty members are referenced. Susan Dynarski, associate professor of education and associate professor of public policy, is referred to as having written that merit scholarships increase the likelihood that students will attend college by five to seven percentage points. One of the advantages of merit-based scholarships, according to Dynarski, is their simplicity.
Ed St. John, Algo D. Henderson Collegiate Professor of Higher Education, is quoted, saying that he believes it's the wrong time to be reducing need-based aid: "With more people losing their jobs, we need to do more on a need basis rather than this vanity basis," he said.
1/28/09 - Steve DesJardins, associate professor of higher education, is featured as the "profile of the week" at the University of Southern California's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice website.
1/27/2009 - Deborah Ball comments on teacher quality and compensation in a January 27, 2009, Christian Science Monitor article about Washington, D.C. school Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
A January 27, 2009, Christian Science Monitor article profiles Michelle Rhee, the chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools. Rhee would like to increase teacher compensation while removing teachers’ tenure protection—the idea being that money will reward and attract good teachers while abolishing tenure will allow the schools to jettison bad teachers.
In this article, Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the U-M School of Education, comments: “You can fire people who aren’t doing a good job, but if you then don’t have good people to put in their place, it can backfire. I think it’s frankly more than just finding good teachers and paying them enough. You can pay people as much as you like, and they still couldn’t teach a kid to read.”
1/17/2009 - In the Detroit Free Press, Susan Dynarski says government student loans continue to flow, despite economy.
In an article in the January 17, 2009, Detroit Free Press on student financial aid, Susan Dynarski, associate professor of education, said government loans for financial aid continue to be written, despite the gloomy economic picture and the credit squeeze.
1/16/2009 - Ed St. John and Karen Moronski assess a Florida merit scholarship program and recommend reconsideration.
Ed St. John, professor of higher education, and doctoral student Karen Moronski recently released a report on a merit-based scholarship program in Florida called the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. In the report, St. John and Moronski offer both praise and criticism of the program, noting that it has failed in its objective of improving academic achievement but could be part of the reason for the increase in Latino attendance at Florida colleges.
With the program’s failure to meet all of its objectives, coupled with the state’s economic situation, St. John and Moronski write: "there may be reasons to think about how to do the program better given the state's financial crisis."
St. John and Moronski’s report was written for Enlace Florida, a network that promotes college readiness, access, and success for Latinos, African-Americans, and other underrepresented students.
The story was covered in an article in the January 16 South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
1/12/2009 - Elizabeth Moje comments on an increase in reading among adults in January 12, 2009, NY Times article.
An article in the January 12, 2009, NY Times reported on the findings issued by the National Endowment of the Arts that used 2008 national census data and showed an increase in fiction reading by U.S. adults—a reversal of a 25-year downward trend. Elizabeth Moje, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, associate professor of literacy, language, and culture, provided her perspective, cautioning against making too much of this relatively small amount of data. “It’s just a blip,” she said. “If you look at trend data, you will always see increases and decreases in people’s literate practices.”
To view Professor Moje's faculty profile, go to: sitemaker.soe.umich.edu/soe/faculty_introduction&mode=single&recordID=50893
To view Elizabeth Birr Moje's website, go to: www-personal.umich.edu/~moje/
12/30/2008 - Liz Kolb suggests that teachers and students use cell phones to enhance learning
While some would like to have cell phones banished from classrooms, doctoral student Liz Kolb believes that teachers and students alike can use cell phones to enhance learning. Kolb's book, "Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education," provides teachers with examples and suggestions of ways that phones and their features can be used to supplement lessons.
In an article in the December 30, 2008, Detroit Free Press, Kolb suggests that students might use cell phones with cameras to document field trips or otherwise add photography to more traditional lessons. Other teachers have had students contribute to class audio programs by using their cell phones.
Liz Kolb is also featured in an article in the January 7, 2009, Education Week, titled "Students Turn Their Cellphones On for Classroom Lessons."
12/15/2008 - Susan Dynarski's research on "redshirting" featured in the NY Times' anthology of the year's most intriguing ideas
Susan Dynarski, associate professor of education, and her doctoral student David Deming at Harvard Kennedy School, published their investigations into the practice commonly known as "redshirting"–delaying the entry of a child into kindergarten so that he or she will be older. According to Deming and Dynarski, in 1968, 96 percent of six-year-old children were enrolled in first grade or higher; by 2005, the proportion had dropped to 84 percent. About a quarter of that change is explained by revisions to school-entry laws; the remainder seems to reflect the actions of parents who believe that keeping their children out of kindergarten for a year after they're eligible to attend will result in the children being better able to learn, socialize, and behave.
Deming and Dynarski's research indicates that the consequences include penalization for children who enter school "on time," as teachers' standards for readiness rise to match older students. Also, children who choose to drop out of school as soon as the law allows them end up with one less year of education if they began school a year later. And, in the long-term, those who start kindergarten a year later will have one less year in the workforce, with resulting economic impact both to the individual's lifetime earnings and to their contributions to Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid.
Read the coverage in the NY Times
Read "The Lengthening of Childhood" by David Deming and Susan Dynarski, (Journal of Economic Perspectives 22:3, pp. 71-92, 2008).
(Access is restricted to University of Michigan affiliates.)
12/8/2008 - Ed St. John discusses the declining affordability of higher education in the Lansing State Journal.
On December 3, 2008, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released its biennial report card measuring the performance of the nation and of each state in providing education and training beyond high school.
Among other areas, the report assessed the affordability of higher education in each state. Michigan, like 48 other states, received an “F” for affordability.
In an article on this topic in the December 4, 2008, Lansing State Journal, SOE’s Ed St. John, professor of higher education, comments on the affordability of higher education in Michigan: "What has happened in this state incrementally is we've shifted money from our need-based grants to these promise grants and merit grants," he said. "What we're doing is draining money from meeting need to a form of aid that doesn't improve access.
"The headline should read 'Four-year colleges are already unaffordable for low and middle-income students,' " he added. "We've crossed that point. We're outside that average. We're deviants of the worst kind."
11/12/08 - Susan Neuman’s research on factors affecting literacy among low-income children cited in a Washington Times article.
Susan Neuman, professor of education at U-M School of Education and a former Bush administration assistant secretary of education, has published research on the availability of books in neighborhoods and how it differs based on the income of the inhabitants.
For example,she found that in low-income neighborhoods there was an average of one book for every 300 children while in middle-income neighborhoods there was an average of 13 books for every child. Her studies of 100,000 school-age children nationwide found that access to books, not poverty, was the critical variable affecting learning to read.
Neuman’s work is cited in a November 12, 2008, article in the Washington Times. The article is about a nonprofit group called First Book that provides books to low-income children.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/12/first-book-first-step-to-literacy/
11/06/08 - Dean Deborah Loewenberg Ball is quoted in an article that appears in the November 6, 2008, Washington Post.
The topic of the article is the challenge posed to elementary-school teachers and students by math instruction. While many teachers relish teaching reading, others lack confidence or skills in teaching math. An increasingly popular response by schools is the use of math specialists who enhance or lead math instruction.
Dean Ball weighs in on the complex mathematical understanding required of a teacher even when giving lessons in simple mathematical procedures.
The author of the article also invokes the recommendation of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel that encouraged the use of math specialists. Dean Ball was a member of that panel.
The Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110504776.html
8/4/08 - “Lengthening of Childhood” paper by Professor Dynarski receives media attention
A recent paper, “The Lengthening of Childhood,” authored by new School of Education faculty member Susan Dynarski and her colleague, David Deming, examines “academic redshirting,” the practice of enrolling a child in a grade lower than the one for which he or she is eligible. Dynarski and Deming conclude that the “late state of boys in primary school explains a small but significant portion of the rising gender gaps in high school graduation and college completion.” The paper has been discussed in Slate, Atlantic Monthly, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Sun.
To read “The Lengthening of Childhood” by David Deming and Susan Dynarski, (Working Paper 14124, National Bureau of Economic Research, June 2008) go to: http://www.nber.org/~dynarski/Deming_Dynarski_Childhood.pdf.
To read articles and blogs mentioning “The Lengthening of Childhood,” go to
Slate
Atlantic Monthly
Wall Street Journal
New York Sun
Portfolio.com
8/2/08 - The dilemma of expulsions: They increase as more schools go to zero tolerance
"We're in a climate today in which zero tolerance is influencing the ways in which things once considered minor infractions are considered major infractions, or the sign that a major infraction is about to occur," said Robert Jagers, University of Michigan associate professor of education. "That's complicated by schools and teachers that are under pressure to perform academically. In some ways, it's easier for a teacher or school to get rid of you than to deal with you."
Click here to read the complete article in the Ann Arbor News.
7/31/2008 - Get bolder in effort to lift all children's education by Susan Neuman
Six years after the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind law, there is frustratingly little evidence that it will close the achievement gap between low-income, minority children and their middle-class peers. Despite the heroic attempts of many dedicated educators, NCLB-inspired school reforms, like so many others before, have failed and will continue to fail to change the trajectory of our disadvantaged children.
Click here to read the complete opinion piece by Susan Neuman at the Detroit Free Press.
2/4/2008 - Vision for Excellence
Marvin W. Peterson, a professor of higher education at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, says universities faced increasing pressure from policy groups, minority coalitions, and lawmakers over access and academic quality from 1985 to 1995. During that period, a more comprehensive approach to strategic planning emerged, he says, and institutions began studying their interaction with the world beyond campus rather than just focusing on internal challenges.
Click here to view the Chronicle article
12/7/2007 - U.S. Expert Panel Sees Algebra As Key to Improvements in Math
Math educator Deborah Ball of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, demurred, arguing that retaining the phrase would hamstring teachers who may want to use student-derived approaches in their lessons. "We're not talking about how to teach math in this paragraph," she explained, "and the use of alternative algorithms can be a useful tool for teachers. I'd like to drop the 'the.' " After more discussion, her view was adopted unanimously.
Click here to view the Science Magazine article
10/31/2007 - New Century Schools
"Perhaps a void this [study] helps fill is the understanding that making structural changes alone isn't sufficient," she said. But Valerie E. Lee, an education professor at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, who has studied the effects of creating small schools, said that a difference of 1.4 credits "isn't much" of a return for the massive investment of resources the New Century initiative represents. She also questioned the validity of the graduation-rate data, saying the fact that students elect to attend New Century high schools might suggest added motivation or engagement that affects the schools' outcomes.
Click here to view the EdWeek article
10/17/2007 - After Four Decades, Pioneer of Calculator Still Leads K-12 Field
“TI’s genius was to recognize that the key to the acceptance of its technology in schools was tying it to the existing curriculum— everything follows from there,” said Elliot Soloway, a University of Michigan education professor who has developed methods of using hand- held computers in science classrooms. “They got well-accepted by math educators.”
Click here to view the Ed Week article
9/17/2007 -XM Radio and Jumpstart Challenge D.C. Residents to Help Deliver a New Book to More than 4,000 Underprivileged D.C. Preschoolers
Monday, September 17 at 4 p.m. ET on Take Five (XM 155) -- XM on-air host and journalist Judith Warner will talk to Dr. Susan Neuman, Jumpstart board member and professor at the University of Michigan School of Education, about the early education gap on "The Judith Warner Show."
Click here to read the entire CNN article.
9/11/2007 - MAKE NOISE: Stand up and holler at libraries’ new story hours
Public librarians are enlisting a lively supporting cast - everyone
from dump truck drivers to professional musicians to Spanish speakers -
to help them entertain during weekly story hours. They also sing
songs, dance and make crafts to keep kids coming back to the free
programs.
"It´s no longer a quiet place where people are saying ´shush´ all the time," said Susan B. Neuman, a professor of education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Libraries needed to change because of growing competition from gymnastics classes, art lessons, music appreciation and many other classes geared to toddlers and preschoolers, said Neuman, who studies children´s programming at public libraries.
Click here to read the entire Niagra Gazette article.
8/20/2007 - Who are young Americans' heroes? Mom, Dad
Jacquelynne Eccles, a University of Michigan psychology professor who has studied young people, says surveys she has helped conduct since 1980 have consistently found that parents are youths' most oft-named heroes.
"They're gradually moving out of the family, which is what they should be doing, but that doesn't mean that they feel less close to their family," Eccles said. "Parents often take it personally and believe it's a rejection of the family, when in fact it's really a broadening out."
Click here to read the entire Chicago Tribune article.
7/27/2007 - Remarks by the President in Presentation of 2005 and 2006 National Medals of Science and Technology
2006 National Medal of Science to Hyman Bass, for his fundamental contributions to pure mathematics, especially in the creation of algebraic K-theory, his profound influence on mathematics education, and his service to the mathematics research and education communities.
Click here to read the entire BusinessWire article.
7/27/2007 - Bush Awards Science, Technology Medals
The president drew laughter when he said: "In a single room, we have thinkers who helped formulate and refine the Big Bang theory of the universe, the bootstrap resampling technique of statistics, the algebraic K-theory of mathematics. I'm going to play like I understand what all that means."
Click here to read the entire Chicago Tribune article.
7/27/2007 - Bush to honor Michigan math professor
A University of Michigan professor will be honored in a White House ceremony Friday by President Bush with the National Medal of Science - the nation's highest honor for scientific achievement.
Hyman Bass, a professor of mathematics and mathematics education, is one of eight laureates who will receive medals administered by the National Science Foundation.
Bass is the first Michigan researcher to win the award in 21 years. Five other Michigan researchers won the award between 1974 and 1986.
Click here to read the entire Lansing State Journal article.
7/18/2007 - Medals for masterminds
Back in May, we listed the eight 2005 National Medal of Science winners, including Nobel laureate Torsten Wiesel. Here are the science laureates for 2006, as announced this week:
Hyman Bass, mathematician at the University of Michigan: Bass' fields of interest include algebraic K-theory, number theory, group theory and algebraic geometry, according to his biography. He's also played an influential role in developing teaching materials for math education.
Click here to read the entire Cosmic Log article.
7/2/2007 - Program aims to keep skills sharp over break
A recent study conducted in Pennsylvania by Dr. Donna Celano of Temple University and Dr. Susan B. Neuman of the University of Michigan concluded that children who participate in summer reading programs, like the one at the local library, read on higher levels than those who attend summer camps.
The library's summer reading program for youth, "Reading Road Trip," gives youngsters credit for exploring reading materials other than books, such as newspapers and magazines.
Click here to read the entire Herald-Mail article.
6/20/2007 - How to Choose the Best Online Training for Teachers
“The thing we think is most important to supporting online professional development is the same as with traditional professional development,” says Barry Fishman, an associate professor of education and learning technologies at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. “Coherence is one of the most important things, as well as the relationship between what the teacher is being asked to do in the classroom.”
Click here to read the entire EdWeek article.
6/20/2007 - Historic school is celebrated as it closes
But it only became a high school by force. During the Depression, parents protested the rising population of black students attending Eastern High. The school board bowed to the pressure and decided in 1933 that Miller Intermediate School would become a small high school. Most students came from or near the Black Bottom area.
A transfer policy allowed whites in the area to go to Eastern, according to "The Rise and Fall of an Urban School System: Detroit, 1907-1981." "It was one of the clearest examples of racial segregation," said University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Mirel, the book's author.
Miller was never expected to succeed, alumni say. It never had the classrooms, athletic fields or resources to be a high school, Mirel and Jones said.
Click here to read the entire Detroit Free Press article.
6/11/07- It Seems to Exist, But How to Measure Class Gap in Reading?
For example, in the middle-class Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia, home of 1,239 children, Susan Neuman and Donna Celano counted about 16,000 children's literature titles for sale in stores for a 2001 study. In low-income Kingsessing, there were just 55 titles for sale for 9,686 children. Chestnut Hill's library had six times as many children's books per child as Kingsessing's.
Prof. Neuman, a University of Michigan professor of education and former U.S. Assistant Secretary for elementary and secondary education, says she has used the Adams stat in presentations to research audiences. "I am always cautious when using these numbers," Prof. Neuman says. "At the same time, there is at least evidence that some of this might be true."
Read the entire Wall Street Journal article here. 
6/11/07 - Bracing for life without Pfizer
Some workers are changing careers so they can stay in Michigan. After 15 years with Pfizer, Edward Lenoir, a 39-year-old chemist, plans to teach high school chemistry or integrated science. To get his teaching certificate, the Pittsfield Township resident has enrolled in the one-year University of Michigan Master of Arts with Certification program.
Though teaching will mean a pay cut, he will get to enjoy three months off in the summer. And a generous severance check from Pfizer will help him and his family adjust to the lower income.
Tuesday was Lenoir's last day at Pfizer, but it wasn't the first time he's been let go by the drug giant. In 2003, he found himself out of work when Pfizer closed a research center in Holland Township.
Read the entire Detroit Free Press article here.
6/3/07- Math instruction a complex equation with many wrong answers
How hard can it be to teach math?
Harder than you think, says Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the University of Michigan's School of Education and a former math teacher.
At a recent conference for education writers, Ball proved her point by asking a room of about 50 journalists to multiply 49 times 25. No problem, the journalists said.
Then Ball wrote out the same problem with three wrong answers, including the internal calculations. So, she asked, what was the logic behind each mistake?
Only a few knew the answers to one or two; nobody could explain all three.
Read the entire Kalamazoo Gazette article here.
5/1/07- Wanted: Crisis President
The shift in leadership priorities began after September 11, 2001, says Michael N. Bastedo, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. Before the terrorist attacks, he says, search committees would have been unlikely to ask presidential candidates such questions as, "What would you do if someone bombed your campus?"
Read the entire Chronicle article here. (subscription required)
4/10/07 - Dewitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Distinguished Lecture - Deborah Loewenberg Ball The Case for Ed Schools, and the Challenge.
View the AERA presentation here.
4/18/07 - Trust in public education falls
Michigan charter schools are booming, going from 19,053 students in 1997-98, to 91,567 students in 2005-06. It's unclear how many students are home-schooled because parents don't have to report to the state, officials said.
Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean in the School of Education at the University of Michigan, said confidence might be dipping because parents know schools face declining state resources.
Read the entire Detroit News article here.
4/5/07 - Scholars Suggest Policies to Bolster Teacher Quality: Approaches range from pay incentives to better training and conditions.
According to Heather C. Hill, an assistant professor of education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the average professional-development program is of little benefit. But a few programs have demonstrably improved teaching and learning.
Ms. Hill identifies three important characteristics of those effective programs: They involve a substantial time commitment, such as a two- to four-week summer program; they are targeted, for example, on specific content knowledge or subject-specific pedagogy; and they are linked to the instructional goals and curriculum materials of districts or schools.
Read the entire EdWeek article here.
4/5/07 - Software's Benefits On Tests In Doubt
Nonetheless, some experts said the software holds promise. Elliot Soloway, professor of educational technology at the University of Michigan, said that teachers need to be better trained and that administrators need to wait more than one year to see results. He said he worried that the study would scare off school districts.
Read the entire Washington Post article here.
3/10/07 - NCLB and the Future of Federal Education Policy
Panel 2: Can Any Reform Survive Politics? (Or Does Politics Destroy All?)
Featuring Dick Armey, Chairman, FreedomWorks, former House Majority Leader; Neal McCluskey, Policy Analyst, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute; and Susan B. Neuman, Professor in Educational Studies, University of Michigan, Former Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
View the entire presentation at the Cato institute Web site.
3/9/07 - Coleman announces funds to hire former Pfizer employees
In a speech Thursday, University President Mary Sue Coleman said the University will earmark $3 million over the next three years to hire former Pfizer scientists.
Pfizer, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, announced in January that it planned to close its Michigan offices, leaving 2,100 white-collar workers out of work. Coleman said the University will do all it can to prevent an exodus of talented scientists and administrators from the area.
The $3 million fund, split into $1 over the next thre years, could create 20 new research positions at the University, but Coleman said Pfizer employees should also look for openings in existing University positions.
The University’s School of Education will also give Pfizer employees the opportunity to return to school and earn a Masters of Arts with Certification, which would allow them to become teachers at the University, Coleman said. More than 175 interested Pfizer scientists have filled out forms, she said.
Read the entire Michigan Daily article here.
3/9/07 - Pfizer workers explore teaching prospects
In addition, about 175 employees attended a lunch-time presentation in February by U-M faculty about the one-year program aimed at helping people trained in one field to become teachers. Another 120 attended a presentation by Eastern Michigan University.
"We were pleasantly surprised by the level of interest and the eagerness," said Edward Silver, U-M School of Education's associate dean for academic affairs.
While it's too early to tell how many employees will sign up for the program, education leaders are thrilled by the prospects.
Read the entire Detroit Free Press article here.
3/9/07 - U. of Mich. wants Pfizer researchers
Coleman also said the university's School of Education is working to assist Pfizer employees interested in its fast-track Master of Arts with Certification program. She said 175 filled out forms expressing interest in the program, designed to help mid-career workers transition into teaching.
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3/08/07 - Republican Congressman to Introduce No Child Left Behind Alternative
The ideal size for a high school for optimum academics would be 600 to 900 students, as determined by a study conducted by Valerie Lee of the University of Michigan and Julia Smith of Oakland University.
Students in smaller schools learn less, but students in larger schools learn significantly less, according to the University of Michigan Web site, www.soe.umich.edu.
Read the entire Arkansas Traveler article here.
3/08/07 - Republican Congressman to Introduce No Child Left Behind Alternative
"It just doesn't work," Susan Neuman, former assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the Department of Education, said of the NCLB. "We've stopped improvement with greater accountability."
Read the entire Cybercast News article here.
2/28/07 - Lessons Learned on ‘Scaling Up’ of Projects
Having developed a technology-based teaching unit on weather that appeared to work well for middle school students, Nancy Butler Songer and her colleagues at the University of Michigan decided in the late 1990s to take the next logical step in their research program: They scaled up.
Over two years, they recruited tens of thousands of teachers, students, and scientists from around the world to share data and take part in their Kids as Global Scientists computer network. But the researchers found it difficult—if not impossible—to reliably assess what was happening in all those schools and classrooms. Had their software program attracted a wide range of teachers or just the mavericks who were hungriest for change? Were teachers carrying out the lessons faithfully?
“We quickly realized that measuring impact by how many people does your intervention touch or influence was a pretty simplistic way of looking at it,” said Ms. Songer, a professor of science education and learning technologies at the campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. “The integrity of the program could be anything.”
Read the entire Education Week article here.
1/31/07 Computer Animation Being Used to Bring Science Concepts to Life
At the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, researchers are testing a hand-held computer tool that allows middle school students to view and create their own animations of chemical reactions.
Initial studies suggested that the program, called Chemation, was no more effective than physical models, using balls and sticks or gumdrops and toothpicks, at conveying key chemistry concepts.
But a deeper probe suggested that the lukewarm showing may have been due to a small program glitch.
“We saw kids with the animation tools model a reaction, and one end product would be a gas. There would be a single atom left over, and they would just scratch it out,” said Chris Quintana, an assistant professor of learning technologies at the university. “With the physical model, it was just more apparent that you should end up with same number of balls that you started with.”
Read the entire Education Week article here.
1/23/07 - MEAP writing scores lag: Why can't kids do better?
Is longer test better gauge?
Martin Ackley, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education, said a lengthier test will better reflect students' writing skills.
Anne Ruggles Gere, a professor of education and English at the University of Michigan, attributed the scores to the No Child Left Behind Act, which forces educators to focus on math and reading scores at the expense of writing.
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, where more than 90 percent of students passed reading and math tests at grades three and four, saw just 59 percent of students pass third-grade writing and 50 percent pass fourth-grade writing. Writing scores in the district soared by fifth grade to 71.5 percent passing, still lagging about 20 percentage points behind the number of students who passed reading and math tests.
Read the entire Detroit News article here.
1/15/07 - Courant is new University librarian
Deborah Ball, dean of the School of Education and the William H. Payne Collegiate Professor of Education, served as chair of the library's search committee.
"It was clear during the search that eyes around the world are on this University library. The University of Michigan is leading the way in what libraries are becoming and the roles they can play. Paul Courant brings to the helm of our work a unique combination of vision, wisdom and skill for the exciting possibilities and challenges that lie ahead for us here," Ball says.
Click here for the entire University Record article.
1/15/07 - 51,000 opt out of Detroit schools
Nowhere was the drop as significant -- or critical -- as in Detroit, and it comes with ramifications for the far-flung suburbs as well as the state's largest district.
"At some point, the system just will not be viable," said Jeffrey Mirel, a professor of education and history at the University of Michigan who has studied the Detroit schools.
Click here to read the entire Detroit News article.
12/25/2006-Coppin might forgo a dean
"I think they are probably underestimating the amount of coordination that will be required in order to get decisions made," said Michael Bastedo, a higher education scholar at the University of Michigan. "But it would be a very interesting sort of experiment to see if a model like this could work."
Click here to read the entire Baltimore Sun article. (Article Expired)
11/15/2006-Technology Helps Teachers Home In on Student Needs
... "Teachers always used to tell us in school, `Show your work,´
" said Elliot Soloway, a professor of computer science at the
University of Michigan, in ... (subscription required)
Click here to read the entire Ed Week article.
11/7/06-Harrisburg High: How big?
That number came from a Denver agency called Midcontinent Research for Education and Learning. Bryan Goodwin, the agency's director of communications, said researchers Valerie Lee at the University of Michigan and Julia Smith at Western Michigan looked at studbut i ent achievement, economics and other issues to consider school size.
Click here to read the entire Argus Leader article.
11/5/06-Foundation's small-schools experiment has yet to yield big results
Valerie Lee, a University of Michigan professor and co-author of a new book about five big-school conversions, cautions that the phenomenon is still so new it's hard to draw hard conclusions about its value.
One troubling finding, Lee said, was that social stratification at all five schools increased, with the motivated students with good grades gravitating toward one or two of the smaller units, and unmotivated students to others. its
"The students and teachers all recognized that there was one subunit where all the loser kids were," Lee said. "We had kids say: 'We know we're losers, and here we are all together in the loser academy.' "
Click here to read the entire Seattle Times article.
9/29/06 - Detroit's public schools may soon be down for the count
Jeffrey Mirel, a professor of education and history at the University of Michigan, notes that Detroit's schools once were seen as among the nation's finest. But those days are long gone.
What's happened is a series of failed efforts to reform education by changing the way the schools were governed, Mr. Mirel said Wednesday. His book, The Rise and Fall of an Urban School System, Detroit 1907-1981 is the classic study of the subject.
"Things have clearly gotten worse since my study ended - and they were pretty bad then," he said. "What needs to happen has to do with curriculum and learning, what goes on between teacher and student in the classroom."
Click here to read the entire Toledo Blade article.
9/28/06 - Federal college plan could spell disaster
Michigan can, however, thank Spellings for her commitment to streamline the cumbersome federal financial aid process, and for her call for an increase in federal Pell Grants and other college aid. Affordability drives whether a high school student goes to college. When need-based grants go up, college-going rates rise with them, says Professor Edward St. John of the University of Michigan's School of Education.
Click here to read the entire Detroit News article.
9/27/06 - Parents give special ed failing grade
Special education can include everything from learning impaired students to those with emotional problems, physical disabilities and speech issues.
"At this stage, we are training fewer people, which results in a shortage of teachers in the districts," said Percy Bates, professor of education in the psychology department at the University of Michigan.
He said some educators thought generalized training would increase the pool of teachers, but eliminating specialties may have reduced the number of people who are interested in the field.
Click here to read the entire Detroit News article.
9/11/06 - Long strike could sink schools, judge told
Jeffrey Mirel, a professor at the University of Michigan who wrote "The Rise and Fall of an Urban School System" about Detroit's schools, predicted the strike would not be easy to settle.
"They're asking for a giveback and that's going to be tough for educators to do, for anyone to do," he said.
Read the entire Detroit Free Press article.
8/14/06 - HealthWrap: Of kids, aging and white wine
Mahoney and co-authors, Drs. Angel Harris of the University of Texas at Austin and Jacquelynne Eccles of the University of Michigan, say organized activities do not dominate American young people's free time; many alternatives, such as educational activities, playing games and watching television, consume as much or considerably more time.
Read the entire United Press International article.
8/10/06 - Computers may spruce up classroom technology.
The district has been working with experts from the Go-Know company to learn how to incorporate the handheld-hybrid computers into their teaching curriculums.
Sprayberry said several studies have linked similar devices to higher achievement scores, and she is confident that Goose Creek can replicate those results. Professor Cathleen Norris from the University of North Texas and Professor Elliot Soloway of the University of Michigan, both experts in the emerging technology, will help train teachers in how to utilize the handheld-hybrid computers in their classrooms.
Read the entire Baytown Sun article here.
7/31/06 - Schools push to win pupils: Detroit plan will tout high achievers, niche programs.
The campaign will spotlight unusual schools and programs, like the culinary program at Golightly Educational Center and David Aerospace Technical High School plus the expansion of the Foreign Language Immersion & Cultural Studies Schools.
"It's not a bad approach," said Jeffrey Mirel, author of "The Rise and Fall of an Urban School System," a book about Detroit schools. "They've got to do something to stop the hemorrhaging of students."
Read the entire Detroit News article here.
7/26/06 - Page's U-M work hinted at future
But some in Ann Arbor always expected big news from Larry Page.
"Larry was different from everybody else from the get-go," said Elliot Soloway, a computer science professor in U-M's engineering school who took Page under his wing.
"The projects that he did as a student were always more ambitious -- more visionary -- than all the other students."
Click here to read the entire Detroit News article.
7/25/06 - Regents approve tuition increase
The report also shows that the 56 percent of Michigan undergraduates who take out loans to pay for college owe about $17,941 in loan payments upon graduation.
School of Education Prof. Edward St. John, said the college-cost burden has now transitioned from reliance on tax dollars to students and families.
But St. John said that given the financial aid available, the tuition increase "really isn't that much of a burden on students."
Click here to read the entire Michigan Daily article.
7/18/06 - MSU increases tuition
There are similar programs across the country, many sponsored by states rather than individual institutions, according to Edward St. John, of the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan.
They have a good record, he said, of encouraging low-income students to go to college and stay in college.
While he lauded MSU for creating the program, he added it speaks poorly of the state that such aid wasn't already available to the poorest students.
Read the entire Lansing State Journal article.
7/16/06 - Math is elementary for Deborah Ball:Adding up teaching approaches at the PC Mathematics Institute
Eager fifth-graders plus Deborah Ball equals the Elementary Mathematics Teaching Lab at this year's annual Park City Mathematics Institute summer session.
Ball, Dean of the School of Education at the University of Michigan, is interested to learn what teaching approaches are most effective when it comes to elementary math instruction.
In an effort to do this, 21 fifth-graders from around the Park City School District volunteered to participate in her Elementary Mathematics Teaching Lab. Over the course of this week they will work out problems she assigns to them as professors and graduate students from around the country observe her work.
Click here to read the entire Park Record article.
7/5/06 - Mindless reading seen as fundamental
Karen Wixson, a nationally recognized reading expert and professor of education at the University of Michigan, cautioned not to read too much into all this.
"This is a long ways away from having implications for reading instruction," Wixson said. "It could, eventually, down the line. But to draw inferences about this as a contributing factor toward reading comprehension would be a huge, huge leap."
Click here to read the entire Seattle Post-Intelligencer article.
6/15/06 - Education schools to be graded
Lisa Kurtz, a 20-year-old student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who is studying to become a teacher, said the grading system could make a difference for grads when it comes to getting a job.
See box accompanying the story on college and university report cards, which also quotes teacher education student, Lisa Kurtz.
Read the entire Detroit Free Press article.
6/15/06 - Grandmaster Flash - Fred Goodman’s lifelong fascination with games isn’t zero-sum
While most people spend their lives playing by the rules, Fred Goodman has spent his making them. When you’ve made a career of creating games, it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between work and play. Since officially retiring last year after nearly five decades in the education department at the University of Michigan, Fred Goodman claims he’s taking it easy, and has more time for projects, such as jurying Game Show Detroit.
Read the entire Detroit Metro Times article.
5/30/06 - U-M study: Reading First federal literacy program is working
The state of Michigan was the first in the nation to sign up for and implement the Reading First program that is part of the No Child Left Behind law signed by President George W. Bush in January 2002. U-M School of Education professor Joanne Carlisle, who has been monitoring and grading the efforts of the programs across the state of Michigan, declares the program a success so far.
"Michigan was the first state to start its plan, meaning we have one more year of outcome-based data than any other state," Carlisle said.
Read the entire UM News Service release.
5/30/06 The Future of a Dinosaur
Elliot Soloway, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, and a proponent of in-class hand held devices, said that the institutions “promulgate the gap [between available technology and its use in the classroom] by waiting for data … we have to move first.”
Click here to read the entire Inside Higher Education article.
5/19/06 For top N.J. students willing to stay close, college can be free
Education experts say that for many students, community college is a good choice.
Richard Alfred, an associate professor of education at the University of Michigan, said community colleges differ from bigger state universities because they have smaller classes, first-year classes are taught by full professors rather than graduate students and teachers focus on students, not research.
"Just run the numbers. The better learning experience in the first year of college _ other than a liberal arts college _ is at a community college," he said.
Click here to read the entire Newsday article. (Article no longer active)
5/15/06- U.S. Asks Panel to Add It Up
One camp is represented by two professional mathematicians--Harvard's Wilfried Schmid and Hung-His Wu of the University of California, Berkeley--who have been vocal critics of the reforms. The other camp's roster includes Francis "Skip" Fennell, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the nation's leading math education organization, which has championed many of those reforms, and math educator Deborah Loewenberg Ball of the University of Michigan. But Ball and Schmid are also members of a small group that has pushed to find common ground between the reformers and their critics. The panel's vice chair is Camilla Benbow, an educational psychologist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who co-directs a longitudinal study of gifted math students.
Read the entire Science Magazine article.
Visit the Science Panel Web site.
4/25/06 - Social Katrinas threaten to overwhelm society's under-funded levees
General Motors Chief Executive Rick Wagoner is telling Detroit not to panic. No emergencies here. Sounds familiar doesn't it? There was no emergency in the evacuation of people from New Orleans' Ninth Ward either. Until suddenly, emergency turned into tragedy.
As we look across our country, how many more levees are straining to hold back disaster? How many social Katrinas threaten to overwhelm our neglected collective infrastructure?
One of our most neglected levees is the lack of economic diversity needed to sustain economic development beyond the Big Three automakers.
Click here to read the entire Detroit News column by Paula Allen-Meares.
4/16/06-State warns colleges: Prep teachers better
Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the University of Michigan's School of Education, said she wants her students to spend more time in actual classrooms, particularly in urban schools, so they have more practical experience, such as dealing with parents.
Click here to read the entire Detroit News article.
04/09/06 - The Myth of ’The Boy Crisis’
One group of studies found that although poor and working-class boys lag behind girls in reading when they get to middle school, boys in the wealthiest schools do not fall behind, either in middle school or in high school. University of Michigan education professor Valerie Lee reports that gender differences in academic performance are “small to moderate.”
Click here to read the entire Washington Post article.
04/07/06 - Detroit shuts schools, seeks $1.5B bond
"Good-looking schools without high-quality education going on in them is not the most important thing Detroit needs," said Jeffrey Mirel, author of "The Rise and Fall of an Urban School System," a book about Detroit schools. He believes the district should focus on improving learning by reducing class sizes and paying teachers more, for example.
Read the entire Detroit News article.
3/20/06 - The University of Michigan at Detroit?
While this can only be counted as a minor bright spot when it comes to UM getting involved in Detroit, there is more substantial good news found in School of Education-run programs. Since one of Detroit’s chief problems is the public school system, it makes natural sense to look at ways in which UM’s well-renowned School of Education shares its resources.
In more than one published statement, the Dean of the School of Education, Deborah Loewenberg Ball, stressed the importance of the school of education and its future teachers in helping presently “underserved” children, which one can infer are students stuck in poorly-funded schools. This is seen as an urgent matter and factors into the School of Education’s research and outreach.
Read the entire Michigan Review article here (Article no longer active).
2/12/06 - Tough classes may scare students away
Edward St. John, a professor at the University of Michigan who researches the transition from high school to college, found that increasing financial aid can have a bigger effect on the number of kids enrolling in college.
"There are low-income kids that are prepared who find it very difficult to go to college," St. John said.
Click here to read the entire Free Press article.
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