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August 7, 2008

The demise of teachers?

It sounds like a page out of 2001: A Space Odyssey or some other wacky concept movie from the 80s (does anyone else remember Short Circuit?), but this story that came to us by way of CNN.com really got BoardBuzz thinking. It seems that an enterprising PhD student, Jacob Whitehill, has created a robot teacher. Yes, you read that right.

The teaching robots, or, Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) are computer systems that provide personalized instruction and feedback to students without human intervention.
Using facial expression recognition -- which allows a computer to react according to expressions a user makes, Whitehill made a video change speed by altering his expression.

Say what? BoardBuzz is amazed (and a little frightened -- we saw AI and I, Robot).

"Classical ITS typically have a somewhat rigid architecture of 'first I ask a question; then I wait for a response; then I talk some more; then I wait for another response.' Facial expression recognition, I believe, will allow the feedback from student to teacher to happen while the robot teacher is talking," Whitehill said.

Experts agree the latest developments in ITS open a plethora of new possibilities for how people could learn. The consensus among most is that further advancements in active, participatory systems, is where the future lies.

University of Memphis researcher, Dr Andrew Olney, who recently received a US$1.3 million grant to develop an ITS called Guru, said the key to future learning will be enabling interactive, one-on-one instruction.

"The technology can facilitate these more advanced learning scenarios," he said.

Although robot teachers of varying abilities have existed for more than 30 years, ITS developments such as Whitehill's and Olney's are pushing beliefs that robots could soon be as effective -- if not more effective -- than human teachers.

"The ITS which have been developed are already better teachers than people who have no experience," Olney said.

So, what is the future for today's teachers, classrooms, and textbooks?

What is the future, indeed. It certainly sounds as if this offers a lot of potential for classrooms, but BoardBuzz wonders if "human" teachers ever will be obsolete. What do you think? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Posted at 3:12 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Food for free?

That's not quite how school cafeterias aim to operate. BoardBuzz has covered before the struggle many schools are facing as the cost of food grows higher and higher , making it more difficult to serve healthy and complete meals. Yet, The Washington Post alerted us to another way school nutrition programs are losing money... theft!

Schools in Fairfax County, Va. have reported losing $1.2 million worth of prepared food within their school system. And with times already being tight, frustrated schools are trying to find solutions to keep hamburgers, wraps, French fries and other favorite treats from walking out of the cafeteria unpaid for.

A handful of high school and secondary schools have been selected to try-out cafeteria cameras for one year. Officials hope that these lunch-line surveillance cameras will prevent opportunities to steal and discourage students from swiping free snacks.

Penny McConnell, director of food and nutrition services, said she hopes the cameras will curb theft and send a message to students that stealing from the cafeteria is no less serious than shoplifting from a store. "I would hate for them to make this a habit and take it into the community," she said. "They could get themselves into some serious situations that could impact their futures."

BoardBuzz wants what is best for both schools and students: healthy meals and affordable prices. We are curious to see how the cameras work out and hope that cafeterias don't lose any more money during these tight times.

August 6, 2008

More districts allowed to flip tutoring & choice

The U.S. Department of Education has allowed more school districts in some states to offer supplemental educational services or tutoring in schools entering the first year of improvement under NCLB, see here, a change advocated by NSBA in the reauthorization of the law. The current statute requires districts to provide school choice in the first year of school improvement to allow students to transfer to a school that is not in the improvement status; and add tutoring in the second year of improvement.

Allowing school districts to flip tutoring and choice makes sense because transferring to a different school might not always be feasible for the students and/or the school. The change will enable struggling students to receive extra help immediately rather than wait for another year.

The following states and districts are approved to flip tutoring and choice under ED's SES pilot program:
All school districts in Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah; five districts in Alaska; and 14 districts in Virginia. In addition, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Indiana were allowed to change the order of tutoring and choice in some schools under ED's differentiated accountability pilot program.

Although this is a positive move, BoardBuzz can't help but wonder why only certain districts and states can have this flexibility. The participation of school choice nationwide is a dismal one percent of all eligible students, which clearly shows the option is not desirable or workable. Besides, such a transfer did not produce observable gains in student achievement, see here. Like many other flaws in the current NCLB, ED alone cannot fix them as they were written into the law. Only Congress has that authority.

Posted at 1:58 PM | Advocacy & Legislation | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Summer days drifting away...

BoardBuzz is certainly still enjoying the summer. And, it has been a good summer for us! While some of you have been enjoying lazy days at the beach, cook-outs, and summer vacations, BoardBuzz (ever the political junkie) has been most excited about Congress passing legislation that helps school districts on Medicaid Reimbursement, in the housing bill, and on the Higher Education Act. And nothing gets us going more than learning about where the Presidential Candidates (and potential VP's) stand on education issues. (We said we were junkies.)

Congress is on recess right now--taking a breather to spend some time in their districts. BoardBuzz hopes they get some rest because when they come back in September, we have a few more things we think they need to do before they adjourn for the elections in the fall. Some important issues that impact public schools just can't afford to wait until next year.

And NSBA has planned a Back-to-School Call-In Day for September 10! This gives school board members the opportunity to reach out to their members of Congress. By joining together, school board members can make a big impact on Capitol Hill. Learn about the issues at www.nsba.org/advocacy/actionplan and stay tuned for more details on the Call-In Day . . .

Posted at 11:14 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

The big questions for your school board elections

School board elections are getting into gear in lots of communities across the country. These critical contests generally don't get anywhere near the attention that they deserve. After all, almost nothing is more crucial to a community's well-being than strong public schools. And in many communities, the school district is the biggest local employer. For a good reminder of these realities, check out the Center for Public Education's resource, "All in Favor: Cast Your Vote for Student Success."

We've highlighted this one before, but just as a reminder, this handy brochure explains a bit about the role of school boards and their importance and why voters owe it to themselves and their communities to pay close attention. Better yet, it lists some of the most important questions voters should consider as they evaluate candidates.

But wait—there's more! As a new feature, at that same link you'll also get versions of the brochure that are specific to some individual states—Georgia, North Carolina, New York, and Ohio, so far. And for more depth, the Center also has compiled additional user-friendly resources on good governance.

If you're a voter, these resources can help you make sense of these important but sometimes obscure elections. If you're a board member or candidate, they might help you with explaining things to your constituents and voters. If you're a community organization like the local chamber of commerce, PTA, or League of Women Voters, the brochure is one resource you might consider printing up or linking to your website. And if you're a reporter or an editorial board, here's a helpful frame of reference for election coverage and endorsements. As these materials make clear, the hot-button issues may not be the ones that matter most for children.

Posted at 11:05 AM | Advocacy & Legislation | School Boards | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Hats off to health!

BoardBuzz has reported before (and here)about President Clinton's efforts to curb childhood obesity. And now he's honoring schools that have taken steps to help in the fight.

According to an article in the AP, Clinton said, "Despite the rising food prices and constrained budgets impacting programs nationally, these schools are using innovative approaches to curb the country's alarming rates of childhood obesity. Schools around the country are stepping up and making progress."

The schools being honored include Kenly Elementary School in Tampa, Fla., which banished candy from its building.
A fitness club is offered to students at the Pine Hill Middle School in New Jersey, and the staff does yoga twice a week.

The Healthy Schools Program started in 2006 and now includes nearly 3,000 schools and more than 1.66 million students. It provides in-person support to 1,364 schools and aims to boost that number to 8,000 by 2010.

What's your district doing to ensure that your students are healthy? Leave a comment and tell us about it. And for more information click here.

August 5, 2008

A new class clown

Associated Press (by way of USA Today) reported about one of BoardBuzz's biggest concerns: bullying. ( A topic we covered both here and here before.) What intrigued us this time, you may ask? The answers to bullying come from a clown!

Marvin Nash, a rodeo clown, has taken on a new challenge and is addressing childhood bullying with his program, Bullying Hurts. This educational community service program works to teach students what bullying is and how to deal with bullying both inside the classroom and outside the school community.

With elementary students learning how to handle bullying at younger ages, the program hopes to prevent hurtful, destructive, and even violent behavior as students grow older. As the program has developed over the past few years, more than 300 schools in 37 states have participated, and a component on cyber-bullying has been added.

Bullying is no laughing matter for BoardBuzz, but we're glad to see that this clown has been able to relate to students and make a difference.