Article #2 Students Recall Special Schools Run Like Jails

“Students Recall Special Schools Run Like Jails” is an article written by Timothy Williams of the New York Times.  It details accounts of physical violence among several of the students from a network of “tough love” boarding schools based on a World Wide model established in Utah. This “tough love” includes accounts of staff members roughing up students, taunting them, and cutting their long hair.  When students become suicidal the punishment is even worse.  Several parents state that they sent their children to these schools for therapeutic help, however none of the students are receiving mental health counseling.

Nearly two dozen of the programs have been closed after multiple claims of child abuse that the school denies.  The author of this article concludes that these programs actually thrive because the laws are far less ridged for private boarding schools.  Generally within public schools physical punishment, isolation, and other severe discipline methods are not allowed; however there are no federal laws pertaining to schools that are set up like the ones mentioned in this article.  These schools are generally not inspected, and they are not required to be licensed or accredited.

“Everyday activities like speaking, using the bathroom, walking freely between rooms, taking showers and talking to parents are limited by the staff…When I stopped eating, they put me in a room for a few days,” he said, referring to a small isolation room used to punish students. He said his pants and jacket were taken away, leaving him with only his T-shirt and underwear in a room so cold he shivered.  After violating a rule prohibiting passing gas without permission, staff members had hogtied him with duct tape and rope and left him in that position for 8 to 12 hours.”

We recently read on pages 312 and 313 the value of focusing on solving problems, rather than punishment.  According to our text the punishment that is occurring within these schools is ineffective and causes students to be more aggressive, learn less, and value learning less.  One of the most important things that I remember reading was that by punishing we allow students to project blame and anger, rather than to accept responsibility for their behavior.

Most of these students have been sent to this school to obtain help, and instead it appears to me that the opposite is happening.  “Violating rules often leads to being placed in isolation, or being “restrained” — held on the floor for as long as an hour by staff members, who students say twist their limbs in painful positions until they stop resisting. Other punishments at World Wide programs have included pepper spraying, handcuffing, being forced into dog cages and being made to sit or stand in uncomfortable positions for hours, according to former students and claims in lawsuits.” 

On page 23 in our textbook it details the harm the peer harassment can do to students.  This includes illness, school avoidance, poor academic performance, increased fear and anxiety, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.  It saddens me to read that this is the link between harassment from peers, because I firmly believe that the physical and mental harassment listed above that has been acted out by the adults would inflect even worse things.  The adults are supposed to be within the schools to help the kids not make things worse!

 

References

Jones, V., & Jones, L. (2013). Comprehensive Classroom Management (10 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.

Williams, T. (2013, July 23). Students Recall Special Schools Run Like Jails. - NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/us/students-recall-a-school-run-like-a-prison.html?pagewanted=4&_r=1&ref=education&pagewanted=all&

Article Review: Retooled Summer Schools

Motoko Rich, writer for the New York Times, takes the time to investigate new style of summer school being implemented by many large school districts.  These programs are not for students who have failed to reach a certain academic level.  The fear is that many students are in danger of falling behind over the summer, so these programs are set up to help keep students, specifically those from a disadvantaged background, at a level playing field.  Research shows that students fall back a month academically during summer break.  Nikolai Vitti, a superintendent at one of the schools, points out the sad reality that there are children who are “sitting at home, waking up at 11 in the morning, eating doughnuts, and watching cartoons.” 

The program runs six weeks for eight hours a day and contains no more than 15 students per class.  Studies include art, music, forensic science, marine biology, sailing, fencing, and karate lessons. The students have also gone on field trips to museums, theatres, the bowling alley, the movies, and a wildlife reserve.  A portion of the academics is similar to the regular school year; however there are other creative activities that the students are involved in.  For example, a group of fourth grade students met in the library to create scripts that would later be produced as a short film.  The teacher in charge of this entertaining activity states, “They don’t even realize that they are learning to write and present themselves while they are writing these scripts.”

These programs are funded by the Wallace Foundation, which is a private charitable organization that has donated $50 million for evaluation of academic results connected to summer school.  Starting this summer there are 5,700 fourth grade students involved in the program.  These students will have their standardized test performance and behavioral factors evaluated over at least a two year program.  Not only does the funding allow for several field trips, the teachers are also able to offer greater incentives, like an ice cream party for students with perfect attendance. 

Personally, I believe that this program is a great idea.  My daughter has a specialized education plan for reading and mathematics during the school year.  When we have our first IEP meeting the teachers always point out that they don’t have a lot of growth to show us, because most of the first month of school is review for the students from the previous year.  Within the education program we are constantly learning about time management.  If we are able to dedicate a portion of the summer to continuing students education the month of time could probably be greatly reduced. 

This program has been set up to help all students, but particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds.  On page 47 in our textbook it talks about students who are at risk for school failure.  The book indicates that ethnicity, disability, and income all impact academic access and success.  The book points out that one of the goals should be to “provide the knowledge and skills to more effectively serve the learning needs of a wide range of students.”  I believe that this summer school program is an excellent example of a set of people going beyond what is required of them to help reach these at risk students. 

Research from the textbook on page 57 states that students raised in poverty needed a supportive adult within the lives.  The adult who believed in them and supported them was linked to their success.  Look at the impact that these teachers are going to making on these students who normally may have been in bed until 11 in the morning, eating doughnuts, and watching television.  The “warm demanders” within this program could mean the difference between the students having the desire to finish their education.  Students want teachers who care, and what better way to show that they care then to give up a portion of their summer and dedicate it to making a difference in these kids’ lives?

I love the idea of the teacher who took her writing lesson and turned it into an exciting activity involving writing a script and producing a short film.  The principal of this school pointed out that this type of engaging instructional activity should be what school is like all year long.  Page 248 of our textbook shares that research shows that “teachers who are more effective in enhancing students’ motivation to learn show an interest in and excitement about learning and model task-related thinking and problem solving.”  The teacher was enthusiastic about the activity, and the kids didn’t even realize that they were learning through the activity.  This is the type of attitude the teachers and students should have about school!

References

Jones, V., & Jones, L. (2013). Comprehensive Classroom Management (10 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.

Rich, M. (2013, June 30). At Retooled Summer Schools, Creativity, Not Just Catch-Up - NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/education/at-retooled-summer-schools-creativity-not-just-catch-up.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Sample Post - Meet my family!

The start of the Schlegel family

Kali - 12 years old, Kade - 6 years old

Grace - 22 months, Annie - 6 months