It pays to be popular. Literally.
In a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, researchers found that a student’s popularity correlates to how much he or she makes later in life.
According to Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Derby, “Quantifying something that is as ephemeral as popularity is a tricky proposition for the researchers.” Rather than measuring what a person may have thought about their popularity, the role of family income or other influencing factors, the study measures popularity by looking at social connections and the ability to form friendships.
Photo by Tulane Public Relations via WikiCommons
Nils De Vita (Los Angeles ’90) teaches math at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, NY.
Tenure for teachers has become a political football in state capitals across the nation. I understand the tension, because I’m in an unusual position. I’m a member of Teach For America’s charter corps and have worked at two summer training Institutes. I’m also a 23-year teaching veteran, elected union delegate for my school, and an AFT teacher leader charged with tackling issues that promote and protect public education for all American students. I’m considered conservative by TFA standards but progressive within the union.
Photo by Unknown via WikiCommons
In a climate where massive budget cuts are forcing public school districts to lay off hundreds of teachers, it is no wonder why unions are eager to arm their teachers with the relative security of tenure. However, in a world where we use “tenure” interchangeably with “highly qualified,” are we really putting the best teachers in front of our kids?
Tenure came about in the early 19th century to protect teachers from being fired for illegitimate reasons such as race, gender, or favoritism. Women could lose their jobs for getting pregnant or wearing pants (how dare they?), and tenure provided them with protection from this unfair discrimination. Since then, tenure has morphed into a no-questions-asked policy that preserves jobs for even the lowest-performing teachers.
Photo provided by U.S. National Archives and Records Administration via WikiCommons
This is the kick-off post for an ongoing series on Pass the Chalk called Point/Counterpoint, where two bloggers will argue opposite sides of a pressing issue in education. Today, blogger Erin Teater argues for gender-segregated schools. For the other side of the issue, check out "Boys Have Cooties: The Trouble with Separating the Sexes."
Single-sex schools seem to be a hot topic right now. Single-sex education in public schools was legalized in 2006, and today, there are only 116 public schools across the country that are truly gender specific. I have had the opportunity to work with 3 of those 116 schools: Walipp in Houston, and Urban Prep and the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Chicago.
2012 Commencement, Courtesy of Urban Prep Academies.
Data supporting or contesting single-sex schools varies, depending on who you ask, so I will only speak to my experiences and what I have seen. When the opportunities are leveraged, I have seen tremendous things come out of all boys and all girls schools. Simply segregating the sexes does not alone close the achievement gap. Sorry, it’s not that easy. You still need all that other stuff (you know, strong teachers, high expectations, purposeful leaders, etc.).
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