Obama quit smoking and why it matters…

Wellit doesnt really.

Yesterday, Michelle Obama confirmed that Mr. President has finally kicked his smoking habit.  Its been almost a year, she said yesterday, at the First Ladys Lets move anti-childhood obesity campaign luncheon, when questioned if he stopped smoking. Good for him.

Smoking is a nasty habit. The amount of chemicals in cigarettes in astounding. Smoking, as we all know now, causes a long list of health diseases and long-term illnesses.

The Ticket, a political blog on Yahoo!, quickly turned the tables to see if other key players in our nations Capitol would follow the leader to kick the habit.

It turns out, thats not the case for House Speaker John Boehner (R- Ohio) who argues he wants to reserve his right to smoke tobacco products.

Tobacco is a legal product in America, Boehner told CBS in a Face the Nation interview last fall. The American people have a right to decide for themselves whether they want to partake or not. There are lots of things that we deal with and come in contact with every dayfrom alcohol to food to cigarettesa lot of the things that arent good for our health. But the American people ought to have the right to make those decisions on their own.

Boehner definitely has a strong mindset. Hes not one to follow trends in order to look good. He takes a stand and stays with it- not something you see much in politics.

Theres still some debate on whether or not Obama has actually quit smoking. According to his first physical exam as President, doctors say, despite his excellent health condition, he still struggled with smoking. That was back in February of last year. However, both Michelle Obama and people close to the President are convinced hes stopped smoking.

Smoking has been on a sizable decline in past decades, according to research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From a teens perspective, smoking is no longer considered a cool thing to do. Teens do it in high school, but for the most part they are frowned upon. This was not the case when our parents were in school, however.

Thoughts on Obama kicking the habit? Does it matter?

Always in motion is the future. – Yoda

Its Friday afternoon, and your week isnt over yet. You, like many other graduate students at the College of Charleston, plan on attending the Graduate Student Association for its monthly meeting in room 409 of the Stern Student Center. The Executive Board will call the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m., but you plan to be there a little earlier so you can stock up on some of the free food and drinks. Youre excited because you will spend an hour with colleagues who are working diligently to make life better for graduate students across campus.  Join a committee, you may. May the Force be with you.

UF offers new microbiology degree at Fort Pierce research center

FORT PIERCE — With the expectation that research centers like Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter and Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in Port St. Lucie will soon demand qualified workers, the University of Florida plans to offer a new bachelor of science degree in microbiology and cell science at its Indian River Research and Education Center here.

The new degree program will begin in fall 2011 and feature online lectures and course work, with live laboratory classes conducted by UF professors at the center at 2199 S. Rock Road, west of Fort Pierce.

The program will provide the last two years of a four-year degree and is designed to accept all prerequisites students have earned as part of an associate in arts degree from other state colleges or universities. Part-time students can pursue the degree during a time period longer than two years.

Some of the courses offered in the program are: microbiology, immunology, virology, pathogens, parasitology, astrobiology, molecular genetics and other related courses. These courses will provide students with a background required to pursue careers in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, veterinary science, biomedical research and basic research fields.

Lectures will be available at times convenient to students by streaming audio, video and PowerPoint presentations. Student support will be provided by professors, teaching assistants and academic advisors by e-mail, in chat rooms, and by telephone.

“Our students typically are employed full-time, have families and other obligations,” said IRREC Professor and Director Peter Stoffella. “This program is paced for serious full-time or part-time serious students who will seek employment with research institutions in our area, which we are finding in increasing numbers along the Research Coast as more research firms move here.”

Those interested in enrollment may contact Jackie White, coordinator of academic support services at (772) 468-3922, Ext. 148, or e-mail: jkwhite@ufl.edu.

The program website may be viewed at http://microcell.ufl.edu/students/offcampus/curriculum.shtml.

Sully’s Court: My future viewing habits

What I’m looking forward to this weekend by channel surfing expertly (unless wet snow blocks by satellite signal): — Butler-Cleveland State: Want to see how bad a car wreck Butler has become but also Cleveland State has something to prove in this one. — VCU-James Madison: I’ve decided JamMad is as wacky as Seton Hall and I want to see how they react in a big game in the CAA. — Illinois-Northwestern: This has at-large bid implications for the Mildcats; should be intense. — St. John’s-UCLA: Can the Redmen go cross-country and still keep it up? Beating Duke and UCLA in the less than a week is impressive anytime. — ODU-George Mason: Good rivalry, major CAA implications. In fact, VCU-JamMad, ODU-Mason is a CAA tournament semifinals preview. — UNLV-BYU: You have to ask why I’d watch? Just to see Jimmer do something else fantastic. Plus this is one of those hidden rivalry games. Dislike on both sides. — Kansas-Nebraska: Dangerous road game for the Jayhawks and a victory by Nebraska would really help the NCAA profile. — Washington-Oregon: Want to see if the Huskies can bounce back from Thursday’s stinker in Corvallis and I want to test my mental toughness. Can I watch an entire game looking at Oregon’s court without getting a headache. — UConn-Seton Hall: The Wild and Wackies will pull off the upset in beautiful downtown Newark. — Colorado-Missouri: I’m partial to Mizzou, they need to assert themselves here. — Murray State-Austin Peay: The traditional rivalry in the Ohio Valley, one of these two will win the league. — Kentucky-Florida: This will no doubt be a wild one in Gainesville. I find Florida’s games very entertaining. — Santa Clara-San Francisco: I haven’t seen either and both have really improved. — Rutgers-Notre Dame: I’ve really become attached to the Irish. Rutgers will challenge them. — Michigan State-Wisconsin: Just like Butler, I want to see how bad it can get for Sparty. — Ohio State-Minnesota: I predict an upset in the old Barn in Minny. — Florida State-North Carolina; We’ll see if the Tar Heels have really turned the corner.

Then the Super Bowl: Packers over Steelers 24-10. Glub, glub, glub in Puget Sound: Washington seemed like a possible Final Four darkhorse, an experienced, athletic team that with a good draw could advance far into the NCAAs. Then in the last six days they lost to arch-rival Washington State in Pullman (no shame in that) but Thursday night they fell to Oregon State 68-56. Really good teams don’t do that. The Pac 10 is down, Washington will win it but after they went down meekly Thursday night, it’s hard to get excited about them as a tournament team. Oregon State has lost six of seven coming in and the Craig Robinson era has been a disappointment. He needed the win.

On the other hand: Arizona met the challenge on the road in the Pac 10, holding Stanford at bay 78-69. The Wildcats may not win the Pac 10 but they might be the best team in the league. Star center Derrick Williams played with a wrapped right hand because of sprained pinky but he still went for 21 points and eight rebounds.

Zags have life: Gonzaga handed Portland its first home loss of the season 67-64 just six days after the Pilots blasted Saint Mary’s on the court. Surprising scores, amazing margins: Oregon 69, Washington State 43: Coming off an upset over Washington this is incredibly disappointing for WashState. Maybe the strangely decorated court affect them. Youngstown State 62, Butler 60: Doesn’t even seem possible. The Fightin’ Jaworskis had to score the last 10 points to win the game at home. Honestly? There has to be something really wrong at Butler, Loses like this indicate hidden injuries or team discord. No doubt it’s the latter. College of Charleston 79, Wofford 54: A complete beatdown as C of C asserts itself again in the Southern Conference.

Portage school officials’ conflict intensified by quest to stay on top

PORTAGE In a 2010 state ranking of school performance, Portage had five of the seven highest-rated schools in the region.

Portage Central and Northern high schools are the only local entries on Newsweeks annual list of Americas top high schools.

For three years running, Portage Central has had the top average ACT scores among the areas 37 public high schools.

Portage Public Schools continues to be the regions gold standard for academic excellence for many. And its dumbfounding to them that the school board may dismiss Superintendent Marsha Wells on the grounds that they want a stronger academic leader. 

People in our community are absolutely shocked that six members of the school board want to replace Wells, said Trustee Randy Van Antwerp, Wells sole supporter on the board. Most people see this district as heading in the right direction.

Van Antwerp ticks off the districts points of pride its stellar theater and music programs, its championship forensic teams, the regions only International Baccalaureate program.

Board trustees have been visiting a school each month and were seeing motivated and inspired teachers, professional learning communities, new instructional program, new behavioral programs, increased use of data, Van Antwerp said.

Do you really think this is happening by accident? And not driven by the superintendent?

But other trustees say that, under Wells leadership, Portage has been standing still or even falling behind other districts, such as Mattawan, Gull Lake and Schoolcraft, in academic achievement.

They say too many people are taking the districts reputation for granted,  and ignoring the fact that other districts are catching up and surpassing Portage.

Their concerns are backed by data on state assessments tests.  

For years on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests, Portage was consistently among the top performers among the 35 school districts in the Gazettes circulation area. That has changed.

In the 2009 MEAP math and reading scores in grades 3-8, Portage ranked as one of the top five districts in four of the 12 categories. Schoolcraft had higher passage rates than Portage in 10 of 12 categories; Mattawan outranked Portage in nine categories; Vicksburg, in six.

The issue is not that Portages scores are dropping, but that other districts have seen larger increases.  

For example, Portages passage rate on the MEAP reading and math tests has increased an average of about 1 point since Wells started at Portage in 2007. Meanwhile, the statewide numbers have improved by an average of 5 points.

Another example: Portage shows little change in the percentage of students who test as fully college ready by ACT standards, while other districts are seeing their numbers jump.

In 2010, 26 percent of Portage juniors tested as fully college-ready, 0.4 percent more than 2008. Meanwhile, Mattawans numbers rose 5.8 points to 30.4 percent and Gull Lake by 3.9 points to 26.8 percent during the same period.

My concern is the trajectory of stagnation, board Trustee Melanie Kurdys said. We cant just look at our scores in isolation. We can say that were proud of our reading, but theyre not among the best in the area. When you look at the big picture, were dropping.

My worry is that a lot of people are still judging us by Portages heyday. But as a board, our job is to make sure that were not resting on our laurels.

Changing base
The school districts reputation involves more than just pride. This also is an economic-development issue.

For years, Portage was considered the choicest district in the region a reputation that boosted property values and drew new residents to the community. But in the past decade, the Portage community, and the school system, has undergone a demographic shift.

One reason is that suburban sprawl has pushed high-end residential development to school districts such as Mattawan.

Another factor is that Portage is no longer the world headquarters and research center for a major pharmaceutical company, as a series of mergers turned what was once The Upjohn Co. into a division of Pfizer. 

As Pfizer moved operations out of Kalamazoo County, Portage has seen an exodus of affluent families and their high-achieving children.

Census numbers tell that story: In 2000, the city of Portage had a poverty rate of 4.8 percent and a median family income of $61,285 to $78,169 in 2009 dollars.

In 2009, the citys poverty rate was 9.1 percent and the median family income was at $70,775. 

The latest census data also shows that among area school districts, Mattawan, Schoolcraft and Gull Lake now all have a higher median family income than Portage Public Schools.

Yet another factor is The Kalamazoo Promise.

For decades, Portage was one of the main beneficiaries of middle-class flight out of Kalamazoo Public Schools.

The Promise, a universal scholarship program for KPS graduates started in 2005, stopped that flight in its tracks and Kalamazoo has seen its enrollment grow 20 percent in the past five years.

The result of all this is that Portage Public School has seen its enrollment decline and its proportion of at-risk students grow. Its a trend that has preceded Wells and continued under her watch.

Since fall 2007, Portages enrollment has dropped about 2 percent, from 8,711 to 8,559 students, according to state data. Meanwhile, the number of Portage students who qualified for the free and reduced-price lunch program has grown from 19 to 24 percent.

Looking for leaders
When Wells came to Portage in the summer of 2007, she promised to take the district to the next level academically. But she also had a lot of other challenges.

A few months before Wells joined the district, Portage voters had rejected a $145 million bond issue for school construction. Wells first order of business was getting a bond issue passed.

She and the board downsized the request and split it into two parts; both ballot issues were approved in the November 2007 election.

Since then, Wells has been heavily engaged in the construction of two new elementaries, which opened in 2009 and last fall; a major renovation of Portage Northern High School, which is to be completed this year; and a new building to replace Portage Central High School, which will open in 2012.

Wells also has had to confront major budget shortfalls, a result of the states budget crisis and the districts enrollment declines havent helped.

Last year, Portage teachers and administrators temporarily cut their pay by 2 percent to help balance the budget.

Wells has declined to be interviewed since the Jan. 17 meeting when a majority of board members said they want to replace her.

Her supporters point out that, even in the midst of construction and budget demands, she has stayed focused on academics.

Karen Witvoet, principal of Portages Angling Road Elementary School, was among those at Mondays meeting who addressed the board in support of Wells.

She described the superintendent as a strong instructional leader who is committed to excellence she clearly articulates her vision and educational focus on student achievement and academic success for all students.

I cannot recall an administrative meeting that hasnt contained dialogue and thoughtful conversations about data collections, how we are using data to make instructional decisions, and how to work with staff concerning data results and instructional impact for student success, Witvoet told the board.    

Superintendent Wells consistently asks probing questions about student data, about meaningful instruction, and expects me and my staff to own the data, differentiate instruction, and develop innovative strategies to improve individual student results.

The six trustees seeking to replace Wells say they want a leader who will take Portage to super-tier status, one of the top districts in the state and country. They want a superintendent who is driving academic achievement with a plan for substantial, systemic improvements.

Some trustees point to Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Michael Rice, who also started in 2007. Although his district also has had major construction projects, he has implemented a long list of academic reforms.

What is Wells top initiative or biggest achievement in improving Portage academics?
Van Antwerp pointed to the pilot project in Chinese language instruction that started this year in Portage elementaries in cooperation with Western Michigan University.

But the other board members say that example just proves their point: Its an interesting pilot project, but thats all it is, trustee Bo Snyder said.

He and his fellow trustees agree with Van Antwerp that many great things are happening in Portage classrooms. But its being driven, Snyder contends, by the individual efforts of teachers and principals rather than leadership at the top.

Right now, I think we have bottom-up reform, trustee Joanne Willson said. But were not getting what we want from central administration.

I see a lot of good management out of Marsha, but not enough good leadership, trustee Geoffrey Howe said. During our school visits, we keep seeing pockets of innovation that are great, but theres not an organized structure to share those innovations systemically.

Setting priorities
At a Jan. 17 board meeting, Wells said she was unclear about the boards super-tier vision and what trustees would like to see happen.

In turn, trustees say Wells cant have it both ways: She cant simultaneously complain that trustees are micromanaging and then say theyre not giving her enough direction.

Trustees say theyre more than willing to let Wells set some specific goals on how and where to improve achievement and make the issue her own and she hasnt done that.

When pressed on specific changes they would like to see, the trustees list several priorities:
 
  They would like Wells to set benchmarks, such as ACT results or third-grade reading scores, and then measure the districts annual progress against those benchmarks.  

When trustees have tried to point to various numbers, they say they get criticized because administrators say theyre looking at the wrong numbers.

So theyre asking this: Lets agree on what the benchmarks are and go from there.

As a board, weve been given no evidence to show whether our achievement has improved, stayed the same or gotten worse under Superintendent Wells, Kurdys said.

The only evidence that we have has been gathered by individual board members, and what weve found is disturbing.We dont know where we stand today.
Kurdys and other trustees would like the district to figure out a way to implement all-day kindergarten.

Wells has said the district doesnt have the space or the money. Trustees point out that other districts have found creative ways to address those issues. Comstock partnered with its community center to create a full-day program for kindergartners; Kalamazoo uses its Title I money.

Several trustees see the districts science curriculum as inadequate and say it needs to be overhauled. That process is ongoing, but some trustees have said they are frustrated that it has been delayed for another year.

Several trustees said they are worried that struggling students arent getting the help they need. An example from Willson: At Portage Northern, 70 of the 323 ninth-graders test as reading below grade level, trustees were told. Interventions have been put in place for the 15 students who are reading below third-grade level, but not for the other 55.

An example from trustee Rusty Rathburn: Portage seventh-graders are required to take foreign language; while that may be a sound strategy for most students, he says, struggling students may benefit more from an extra class period in English language arts.

Snyder said theres also an issue with providing an appropriate curriculum for high-achieving elementary and middle school students.

He said that not all Portage elementaries use differentiated instruction, in which classroom instruction is taught simultaneously at several levels.

Under differentiated instruction, for instance, a high-achieving student might have a different homework assignment than a remedial student. Snyder said the lack of challenge in some elementary classrooms for some students is driving families to put their children in private schools.

The last resort
In addition, trustees say they want contract negotiations to put a priority on student achievement something they feel hasnt happened with Wells.

They say they are worried about changes in the teacher contract that undermine instruction. For instance, several trustees question a permanent reduction in the number of school days in exchange for a six-month reduction in salary a bad tradeoff, in their minds.

Portage is now at 170 school days a year, one of the shortest school calendars in the county.

Another problem, trustees say, is the move to have secondary teachers teach six out of seven class periods a day instead of five out of seven periods without a reduction in class size.

Kurdys says she pushed reducing the number of planning periods, but the idea was that teachers would have the same number of students that they did before and this would be a way to reduce class size.

Instead, teachers have less planning time, more students and are overwhelmed.

Moreover, the shortened school year and the loss of a planning period means that teachers now have substitutes for six hours a month so that they can have common planning time and professional development with their colleagues.

Teacher absenteeism hurts instruction, so that six hours of substitutes a month hurts students, they say.

Trustees say they are well aware that Portage needs to figure out ways to cut costs, but measures that hurt instruction should be the absolute last resort.

Van Antwerp says his fellow board members should be applauding rather than criticizing Wells efforts to balance the budget.

Right now, our fund balance is higher than we planned, he said, adding that Portages signature programs wouldnt be possible without sound financial management.

Residents react
Board critics say that if trustees want to improve the district, they are going about it in the wrong way.

Trustees public criticism of Wells only hurts the districts reputation and will make it harder to find a new superintendent when Wells leaves.

The controversy is making Portage the laughingstock of Michigan, said Joe Heywood, a retired Upjohn Co. vice president and former president of the Portage Education Foundation.

There is also a sense that the board is setting the bar unrealistically high.

This is not the time to pursue a vision of becoming a super-tier district, said Patrick Flynn, band director at Portage Central High School, who spoke at Mondays meeting.
We have enough going on already.

Weve got some real momentum going on in this district and it has to do with construction. Its a PR thing every day. People in this region are talking about Portage. Were not just about test scores. Were about facilities.

Van Antwerp said hes unsure that there is community support for becoming a super-tier district.

Im getting feedback that we dont need to be super tier, Van Antwerp said. We just need to be the best in this area.

Linda Teare, a retired Portage educator, told the board last week that shes tired of their negativity.

There are many, many positive things that are happening in this district, Teare said. You need to applaud the positive.

Contact Julie Mack at or 269-388-8578.

 

 

Government teacher training reforms are misguided

Educationalists have attacked proposed reforms to teacher training. 

For those who view teacher training as an unnecessary evil, the changes and cuts will be welcome.

There is a mythology that persists around university teacher training that we are only interested in producing indoctrinated leftie teachers, caring little about teaching children the facts of their subjects and more about the process of teaching, trying out trendy ideas.

We are accused of ignoring basics, like behaviour management, in favour of untested “theories” of no use to real teachers.

The truth is somewhat removed from the rhetoric.

Universities care passionately about producing excellent teachers who can inspire and teach children the knowledge, understanding and skills that are important for life and work.

What is forgotten is that far from being the radical delivery mechanisms of trendy teaching, we have been subject to an almost oppressive regime of prescriptive standards and constant inspection.

We are not free to do what we like.

If Mr Gove’s decentralisation model for schools was applied to teacher training, with universities working in partnership with the schools, much as we do at present, to design training programmes that deliver a greater emphasis on subject knowledge, linked to tried and tested teaching models, we would hear far less about “poor” teacher training.

Far from shortening the training year, if it was extended to two years with the exit award being a Masters degree containing a mix of subject knowledge and strategies for how best to deliver that knowledge, it may not just solve the training problems that many perceive exist, it would reduce the stress on new teachers and stop the high drop-out rate we see.

The cuts, however, raise two major issues that we must tackle immediately.

By abolishing the bursary for all subjects other than maths, sciences and modern foreign languages I suspect that many prospective students who currently hold conditional offers of places for next year will have to reconsider seriously teaching as a career.

Many career changers will have calculated factored in bursary as their main financial support mechanism.

Others, e.g. recent graduates with high student loans, will be thinking whether or not they can now afford the luxury of teacher training given the need to borrow yet more money to fund their studies.

In the sciences Michael Gove has insisted, not unreasonably, that we look to recruit more specialists – about 50 per cent more physicists for example than we are currently training. In tandem he has increased the entry level to a 2:2 degree minimum – but where are all these well qualified physicists suddenly going to appear from?

Do we have enough career changers, graduates and suitably qualified physicists to meet this new demand?

I suspect not.

Sussex University has run subject knowledge enhancement courses in physics and chemistry successfully for over six years.

In that time over 200 extra physical science specialists have entered initial teacher training.

Schools locally and nationally value all our trainees; our post qualification employment rate is very high, at about 85 per cent.

With half our current intake of 60 science trainees studying either chemistry or physics we know that they also will be in high demand next year.

Yet at first sight some of them would not fit the profile of a science teacher – an Oxbridge philosopher, an ex-army engineer – now successfully teaching physics; career changing accountants, insurance professionals and a music graduate teaching chemistry in schools ranging from a challenging academy in south London to a local sixth form college.

These high quality trainees would have been unlikely to gain a place on an employment-based route.

Their passage to teaching came via a six month subject knowledge enhancement programme run at Sussex.

At present we have no word about the future of such enhancement programmes, which cover physics, chemistry maths and modern foreign languages – those subjects that have been identified as “vital to the economy”.

I trust that the word, when it comes, is supportive of these vital entry routes.

Teaching is not all about Oxbridge degrees, intelligent graduates lecturing silent children seated in rows, delivering facts and figures as suggested by Katherine Birbalsingh in her recent Telegraph article.

Teaching needs the university input, the theoretical basis of why we teach and how we teach, in order to maintain its professional status.

The focus on high quality subject based input demanded by Michael Gove requires high quality enhancement programmes.

Rather than write off university teacher training as leftist indoctrination, I would urge its critics to look at what is actually happening.

We produce excellent teachers in spite of the strictures of Ofsted, prescriptive standards and Whitehall dictats, not because of them.

*James Williams is a lecturer in science education at the University of Sussex, School of Education and Social Work.