Our parent-teacher conference

Thursday, Paddy and I met with Sarah's Kindergarten teacher. Though we'd had conferences with her St. Mary's Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) teachers in the past, this seemed more like the "big time".

Sarah is in a two and a half hour session, in a class of twenty kids. Pad and I were greatly impressed at the level of detail in her teacher's assessment of our daughter's progress.

Either the time slot after us had not been filled, or the parents were no-shows. In any case, this afforded me a chance to talk with Sarah's teacher about some broader issues. By the way, I didn't ask the teacher's permission to use his/her name - so I'm not going to. I'll just use "The Teacher".

The Teacher is a long serving, highly skilled, really impressive person. Not surprising to find at Hay School. The school has the highest percentage of "Highly Qualified Teachers" as determined by the National No Child Left Behind Act in the SBCSC. Hay pioneered the Wilson LiPS reading program in the SBCSC - which has been wildly successful. Everyone there is immensely proud that Hay has acheived Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals four years running.

But Hay has new challenges this year.

Nearby Hamiliton was converted to a Traditional Magnet program. I thought we'd researched our options pretty thoroughly, but we missed this one. At any rate, the enrollment was cut off earlier than many folks in the neighborhood expected - and their children were assigned to Hay. This has led to a weird situation of undersized classes at Hamilton and a lot of pissed off parents at Hay.

Additionally, many Monroe area parents opted to shift their children to Hay. Monroe is on probationary status, and their students will be shifted to Studebaker for the second semester. And Hay has an ongoing relationship with Wilson (on the west side) of accepting students from that district.

As a result, Hay was forced to create four new classes about a week into the school year. The school's plenty big enough - but there are other challenges.

So this has created a level of chaos this high functioning institution is unaccustomed to. The Teacher noted that discipline issues have really become prominent. One incident mentioned was a Kindergartner biting another child.

The Teacher mentioned that the school had responded by tightening its requirements for children's behavior. I was left with the impression that Hay School is up to the task.

I mentioned to The Teacher that I was highly sympathetic to the discomfort suffered by the academic professionals at Hay. On the other hand, I couldn't help thinking that dispersing hard to manage students into successful environments might be be a recipe for successful outcomes. It's a lot to ask, I know. But breaking up challenged groups into more promising situations could be just the thing.

PS.. The Teacher and I also discussed ways that the State is sabotaging good Kindergarten practices. More on that later.

Citizen letters of support:

Steady hand

At this time of transition for the South Bend Community School Corp. Board of Trustees, the voters would do well to consider the candidacy of Don Wheeler for member at-large. His grasp of the issues and steady hand are needed in times like these.

Not only an award-winning business owner, Wheeler has found the time for extensive volunteer work within our community, including working with Habitat for Humanity as a crew leader and with the Dream Team for Unity as a mentor for our youth.

Add to this his openness to citizen input and his common-sense approach to problem solving, and you will find an unusually well qualified candidate for the board of trustees. When you look over your ballot on Nov. 4 and see all the people running as at-large candidates for the school board, please take the time to find and vote for the candidate by the name of Don Wheeler.

Dale Gibson
South Bend

from the South Bend Tribune - October 24, 2008

At-large seat

I heartily endorse Don Wheeler for an at-large seat on the South Bend Community School Corp. Board of Trustees. Wheeler is exactly what our school corporation needs: committed, responsible, thorough, thoughtful and independent. With a kindergartner of his own, he also has a personal stake in the long-term success of our school system.

I have had children in the South Bend schools for the last 20 years, and I continue to be appalled by the school board's inability to address the problems that plague our schools and hamper our children's achievement and success. We need school board members who can move beyond internecine squabbles and imagined personal slights. We need school board members who can identify and focus on the most important problems our schools face, investigate these problems thoroughly and rationally, work together to solve them, plan creatively for the future, and work in harmony with the school corporation administration.

Electing Don Wheeler to the SBCSC school board will be a first step in achieving these goals.

Fern Hamlin
South Bend

from the South Bend Tribune - October 24, 2008

Don Wheeler

Having known Don Wheeler and having worked with him on projects in our community, I know him to be a person of intelligence and integrity who is committed to social justice. I strongly support him as at-large candidate for the South Bend Community School Corp. Board of Trustees.

Wheeler's Web site (http://wheeler4rkids.org/) includes descriptions of some of the innovations he proposes as concrete ways to improve our schools. As an involved parent, successful business owner and active community member, Wheeler has shown he is a thoughtful person who can get the job done.

Please join me in voting for Don Wheeler on Nov. 4.

Mary Porter
South Bend

from the South Bend Tribune - October 24, 2008

For children

I support Don Wheeler, at-large candidate for the South Bend Community School Corp. Board of Trustees. Wheeler has proposed an initiative that would reward outstanding teachers who are willing to take on more challenging positions as needed to improve our schools.

In his "Teach For South Bend" proposal, Wheeler suggests that we approach the business community to help establish and administer a fund which would offer incentives to talented teachers willing to take on more challenging assignments. Another key element of the program would be to establish a robust mentoring program for those teachers.

Programs like this have failed elsewhere because they lacked the mentoring component.

I agree with Wheeler that it's time to start taking strong action towards positive results. Our children and our community deserve no less.

Chaunce Windle
South Bend

from the South Bend Tribune - October 24, 2008

Don Wheeler

Election Day is fast approaching and there has been little discussion of one of the most important contests in our area — the South Bend Community School Corp. Board of Trustees. The board's behavior over the past year has been questionable at best. The board is in need of new ideas and leadership.

I would strongly recommend Don Wheeler for serious consideration for an at-large seat. I have known Wheeler for more than a decade. He is a blue-collar guy with a first-rate mind. During the past few years Wheeler has become active in politics and has written on a number of national and local issues. He wants to make a difference and has proposed some innovative ideas for the South Bend schools.

I am not going to try to convince you here, but if you are seriously concerned about public education in our area, I suggest you visit Wheeler's Web site wheeler4kids.org and decide for yourself. He and his wife recently enrolled their daughter at Hay Elementary and they are both committed to the success of the South Bend schools. Take a look and I think you will agree that Don Wheeler would be an excellent choice.

Thomas R. Platt
South Bend

from the South Bend Tribune October 21, 2008

Her choice

As someone who is active in social action causes in Michiana, I'm supporting Don Wheeler for the South Bend Community School Corp. Board of Trustees.

In the meetings I go to, and the projects I work on, I've seen Wheeler there as well. I know him to have a commitment for better outcomes for people who struggle. I know he will focus on addressing the thorny challenges facing children who come from families who have experienced intergenerational poverty.

As he said to me once, it ought to be enough that it is the moral thing to do. But even if that's not enough, our community's future is completely dependent upon our children's future.

Please remember Don Wheeler for South Bend school board on Nov. 4.

Deb Drummond
South Bend

from the South Bend Tribune October 21, 2008

MLK Senior Men's Club forum

Remarks as prepared for the Martin Luther King Jr., Senior Men's Club School Board Candidate's Forum.

I became interested in running for School Board around the time we were looking into Kindergarten options for our daughter. One of those programs was Kennedy Academy.

The phrase “students ready to learn” was used many times in the presentation there. This is the key factor in admissions, and the fact it is stressed emphasizes that many children entering Kindergarten aren’t “ready to learn”.

Then I thought back to when I had mentored a fourth and then fifth grader at Eggleston Elementary. His teacher held after school sessions with what she called her “Homework Club”. The Club consisted of about a half dozen 5th graders who – while eager – weren’t ready to learn. They didn’t have the skills or the habits needed.

How can that be? More importantly, what can we do about it?

For one thing, two and one half hour long classes are not enough time for our children in Kindergarten – and they don’t work well with most family’s lives. Additionally, the state has created barriers to our success by allowing Kindergarten to be optional and by having the earliest age cut-off date for school admission in the nation. To top it all off, there is a popular practice of “redshirting” Kindergartners – holding them back beyond the legal entry date – that many school systems condone.

This combination of factors creates several negative outcomes and they are particularly onerous for children with disadvantaged backgrounds. I don’t have time to make the case here, but you’ll find my source materials – including a recent Harvard study – on my website wheeler4rkids.org .

But let me present this First Grade scenario: Some children will enter at age six with two years of high quality pre-school and a year of Kindergarten under their belts. In the same classroom, there may some seven year olds in their first formal education setting ever. Their teacher will have about twenty students. Does this level of disparity make any sense? Does it work towards positive outcomes? I don’t think so. And I'd add that, unless and until we can assure ourselves our children leave Primary Centers ready for the next step, it's awfully hard to properly evaluate any of our later programs.

We have made progress in our schools, but it’s clearly uneven. That’s why I’ve proposed a Teach for South Bend initiative – asking the business community to partner with us – to create a fund to reward teachers willing to take on the really tough assignments. And to create a robust mentoring program to ensure these efforts succeed.

Finally, the school board needs to form a new partnership with the community. Let’s return to having half the meetings in schools – at times it's easier for people to attend. Let’s embrace community involvement and respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

As a business manager, it was my habit to urge my department heads to find the easiest way possible to do the job correctly. Identify barriers - and eliminate them.

That would be my approach as your Trustee.

Don Wheeler

The Candidate

Don Wheeler is an eighteen year resident of South Bend. He is married to Dr. Patricia Blanchette (Associate Professor of Philosophy, Notre Dame University) and their daughter, Sarah, is enrolled in Kindergarten at Hay Primary Center.

Don is the owner and a licensed inspector of and for DonVila Services, LLC. Don also has fifteen plus years of management experience in services industries – gaining a reputation with national companies (including Kmart and Outdoor World Resorts) as a trouble shooter and a team builder.

Don is a past winner of the Chamber of Commerce’s “Alive With Service” award, has mentored in the Dream Team for Unity program and served as a Sunday School teacher at First Unitarian Church of South Bend. Don also founded the website Progressives, South Bend http://progressivessouthbend.org/ , served as co-captain for One America of St. Joseph County, been active in the St. Joseph County chapter of Habitat For Humanity over several years and served as a House Captain for Rebuilding Together – St. Joseph County (formerly Christmas in April) last year and will continue for the foreseeable future.

My "elevator speech"

The South Bend community has passion and energy to bring to bear – and an eagerness - to make a difference in our public school system. But many citizens feel unheard and unwanted in our current way of doing things. So the question is, what do we do about it? Also, what else can we do enhance our children’s futures? Here are a few ideas:

Form a New Partnership

School Board meetings can be tough to get to, and some citizens have felt ill-treated. Let’s return to having half the meetings in neighborhood schools and later in the evening – enabling folks to clean up and grab a bite after work first. When we meet, let’s observe the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Enhance outcomes in our Primary Centers

Full day Kindergarten is a must and it should be focused on enhancing learning skills. We also need to work with the State to eliminate policies (Kindergarten as optional, the earliest age cut-off date in the nation) which create First Grade classes with huge disparities in students’ abilities. Only when we can assure ourselves that our children leave Primary Centers ready for the next step, can we then properly evaluate programs for our older children.

Create a “Teach For South Bend” program

Some of our schools seem to be doing quite well, while others aren’t enjoying the same level of success. Clearly the challenges are greater in some of our schools. Let’s ask the business community to join us and create a fund to reward teachers willing to take on the most challenging assignments. Let’s also create a mentoring program to help these teachers be successful.

How about a "Teach For South Bend" initiative?

What a wonderful achievement and honor Tania Harman of Warren Primary Center accomplished. As announced in the South Bend Tribune on Sept. 23, Ms. Harman is our Indiana Teacher of the Year.

Something that particularly grabbed my attention is that Ms. Harman volunteered to leave a comfortable post at Wilson Primary Center to take on a new challenge at Warren. She is to be commended for that. From the Tribune:

Maritza Robles, director of the corporation's bilingual program, said she knew long ago that Harman was a special teacher and tremendous asset to the ENL program.

So much so that Robles went to her when the ENL program expanded to Warren. "Based on seniority, she didn't have to leave Wilson," Robles said. "She said, 'I will go wherever you need me to.' To me, that's when you know she wants what's best for students."

This is Harman's 21st year as a teacher in South Bend. She also has taught at Kennedy, Monroe and Lafayette.

There are a lot of gifted teachers in our corporation, and not all of them are willing to be as selfless as Ms. Harman. I don't blame them. It's not reasonable for us to expect that.

But what if we could create incentives to provide for those folks willing to take on the extra challenge?

I will never forget the young mother who addressed the School Board in June and asked "Why is it that we seem to be making good progress in Primary Centers on the perimeter of the corporation, and doing so much less well in schools near the center?'

The simple (and not very satisfying) answer, I believe, is that it's a harder job. I gather that very well meaning people go into these situations, become discouraged fairly quickly, and leave. I've heard from people who've studied this issue that mentoring is critical to helping teachers succeed in situations like these. So it seems clear that we need teachers in the tougher schools with the proper skills and experience and/or strong mentors to guide them. We won't be able to anything like this for free, of course.

But the business community, and the Chamber of Commerce in particular, have displayed a real eagerness to be part of the solution to the challenges we face. So what if we were to ask them to handle fund-raising and administration of a new program "Teach For South Bend", which would provide grants/stipends/bonuses to our gifted teachers willing to take on the extra challenge?

I will be meeting with the Chamber next month, and will ask for their feedback. I've discussed this idea informally with the NEA-South Bend leadership. Though it won't fit into our current agreement, that agreement ends soon. I was assured a well-crafted proposal along these lines would be considered seriously.

A New Partnership: The School Board and The Community

There is a puzzling question I've been asked a number of times by groups contemplating endorsements of SBCSC Board candidates. It's been phrased in different ways, but the gist is "What would you do if you win and discover there is 3-3 split on most issues?" This particular phrasing first evoked a slightly light-hearted response from me: "Oh, in other words, I'm Sandra Day O'Connor?"

I guess that reaction was a response to how weird the question struck me. It seemed weird that a non partisan body with a strict mission could ever be in that place, and it seemed weird that anyone would think I would adjust my actions because of this sort of political intrigue.

Eventually, when you hear similar questions enough times, you realize it isn't that the question is weird. It is, rather, that the situation is weird. Long time Board observers already know this, but I'm a newbie.

It would appear that one member of the Board (not up for election) is something of a control freak, and an adherent to the Joan Raymond regime. I've been warned that this person would likely attempt to assimilate (Borg-style) any new member to the collective. "Resistance is futile..."

I've mentioned many times that the Board has a lot of work to do to repair it's relationship with the community and that it is imperative that it do so. What I am learning is that some of the problems go back to decisions made during the Raymond regime.

I got my first clue about this when I proposed that School Board meetings should happen in schools - and at an hour when people who work hard for a living can get cleaned up and grab a bite to eat, and come hear what's going on and pitch in if they want to. Know what? Half the meetings used to be done that way - prior to the Raymond regime.

Now, all the meetings are held in the downtown building at 5:30. It's a scramble to find parking, and the room is miserable. There's limited seating for spectators. The board is seated in a U shape, on risers. Spectators on the wings are treated to views of Board member's backs. As I put it to the South Bend Tribune's Editorial Board, "The likelihood is that the people most likely to deal with this level of inconvenience are those who are really, really mad at you. Is that the only group you want in front of you? Does that seem like a good strategy?" Not to me.

Another precept of the era seems that honest debate in front of the public is discouraged. I'm sure that idea was designed to present a united front. I think we can safely conclude that hasn't worked. And when you think about it, that united front could only come from behind the scenes conversations and negotiations. That way I read the law - that would be illegal.

The open meeting act was designed to include the public in decision making. At the very least, the idea was that citizens should be given an understanding of what leads to the decisions made in public policy. It wasn't created just for citizens to witness an event. At last week's "No Excuses" vision meeting, I explained why I think this is so important.

First of all, if there is no vigorous discussion of issues in public, citizens are likely to conclude (rightly or wrongly) that "the fix" is in. Secondly, serious debate will help citizens understand that this stuff is really, really hard.

The new partnership requires honest debate, more transparency, making it easier for community participation and making community participation matter.

That's how I see it.

"No Excuses" and the PTO

My wife and I divided up our public education encounters Thursday evening. We had both wanted to attend the Hay Primary Center Parent-Teacher Organization meeting, but the civic group "No Excuses" had invited all the school board candidates to something of a brainstroming session the same evening.

My session was interesting. It was good to meet some of the other candidates and it was informative to hear some ideas batted around. But while we discussed theory, Paddy's meeting had to do with application.

PTOs, it turns out, are critical in the operation of their schools - but in ways you likely wouldn't expect. Here's what Paddy told me happened.

The school principal, Craig Haenes, professed great enthusiam as looked out at the roughly one dozen faces. "What a turnout!" he declared. The group of mostly rookies (parents of Kindergarteners) may have had a different reaction. (We really like this guy, by the way).

In any case, the newbies were brought up to speed quickly.

Through fundraising activities, the Hay PTO raises about $8,000 annually. Great! you might think, We can do all sorts of extra cool things for our children! But as our friendly fake consultant might admonish, "Not so fast, gentle reader."

Not to say cool things don't happen. PTO members put in eight hours labor to make sure monthly "Popcorn Fridays" happen. And Mr. Haenes takes a very active role in collecting "Box Tops for Education" from General Mills and Betty Crocker products and a similar coupons from Tyson chicken products. These companies pay cash to schools that collect the coupons. Hay school uses their funds to sponsor ice cream socials for our children.

Now a word from our sponsor...

If you buy Cherios or cake mixes (any General Mills or Betty Crocker product), or Tyson Products, please cut out these coupons and periodically bring them to the office of the school of your choice. Additionally, Martin's Supermarket customers can assign a school to benefit every time a customer's Martin's card is scanned. A similar program exists for Target Redcard users. All these companies are rightfully proud of these programs, and the money raised for schools is significant.

Back to our program..

However, a lot of the $8,000 is used for things that might not strike some folks as all that much fun.

Part of Mr. Haenes' purpose in attending was to ask for money.

Would the PTO fund $150 for copier toner? Would the PTO agree to allocate $100 for scholastic magazines - so the teachers wouldn't have to pay for them themselves? Yes and yes.

Hay Primary Center's census swelled unexpectedly by 100 students - requiring five additional classes. These five additional classes require five modest "emergency kits" at five dollars each. Would the PTO fund $25 for this purpose? Yes.

I'm left with two strong impressions. First, I can't believe we have to do things like this to make schools run. Secondly, the dedication principals, teachers and the community have to doing whatever it takes - is something to behold.

Kindergarten, and, children ready to learn

We have at least one magnet program in our network of Primary Centers which screens for "children ready to learn". Children who aren't, aren't accepted. As many people involved the Dream Team For Unity mentoring program will know, we find children unready to learn in later grades.

So one thing we might want to really concentrate on is a way to get all of our children off to the best start possible. Maybe the job of Kindergarten should mostly be about getting all of our children ready to learn.

The National No Child Left Behind program has controversies at many levels. (Yet another federal unfunded mandate comes to mind). But the one you hear the most is that it forces schools to "teach to the test". Actually, I worry that the situation is worse than that.

The tug is to abandon efforts aimed at long-term systemic improvement for school districts and corporations - in favor of short term test score enhancement strategies. In other words, the distraction isn't confined to the classrooms.

It's a bit ironic, because comprehensive, systemic improvement approaches are bound to improve test scores over time. And the better test scores achieved through this approach will indicate true and continued success.

I would want to talk with experts in this area - which certainly includes the teachers who meet with our young children five days a week - before proposing a formal approach. But I have some general ideas.

If we want the children who leave Kindergarten (and I've already said I believe it should be universal and full-day) "ready to learn", we may need to be more focused on learning skills than on learning certain things. Some of the focus should be on these areas:

The thirst - Our children are born curious, born learners. Tough circumstances can discourage these qualities at an early age. In those cases, the qualities must be restored.

Critical thinking - This comes naturally to humans... think "The food is hot; therefor, I should wait a bit to eat it". Helping our children move from this example to more complex issues isn't all that tough and might be one of the most effective tactics of real learning.

Imagination and/or visualization - Seeing the possibilities. Coupled with critical thinking, our children become skilled innovators, challengers to conventional wisdom.

Collaborative skills - Working with another child or more children works towards an appreciation of others' talents and learning negotiation and compromise. (I don't know how your house works, but in my house - with our five-year-old - negotiation and compromise happens fairly frequently).

This list is meant as examples of what I mean and likely incomplete. It is also quite raw. I'm looking forward to the input of educators and other interested parties to form an effective strategy.

But I continue to believe that our High School graduation outcomes will improve when we ensure successful launches for our youngest learners.

"Redshirting" Kindergartners - what the studies tell us

It is an increasingly popular trend to delay entry to the public school system - particularly in more affluent households (and particularly with boys). The thinking is, roughly, to gain social and physical advantage. Many school systems don't discourage this practice because these older students often test slightly better than their more age-appropriate classmates. This reflects thinking of short term advantages for school status as opposed to long term benefit to our children.

It turns out that there are significant downsides to this practice. In Indiana, these are more pronounced.

The birthday cutoffs span six months, from Indiana, where a child must turn 5 by July 1 of the year he enters kindergarten, to Connecticut, where he must turn 5 by Jan. 1 of his kindergarten year. Children can start school a year late, but in general they cannot start a year early. As a result, when the 22 kindergartners entered Jane Andersen's class at the Glen Arden Elementary School near Asheville, N.C., one warm April morning, each brought with her or him a snack and a unique set of gifts and challenges, which included for some what's referred to in education circles as ''the gift of time.'' ( from the New York Times )

From a recent Harvard study (by David Deming and Susan Dynarski), we note changes in Kindergarten composition:

Forty years ago, 96% of six-year-old children were enrolled in first grade or above. As of 2005, the figure was just 84%. The school attendance rate of six-year-olds has not decreased; rather, they are increasingly likely to be enrolled in kindergarten rather than first grade. This paper documents this historical shift. We show that only about a quarter of the change can be proximately explained by changes in school entry laws; the rest reflects "academic redshirting," the practice of enrolling a child in a grade lower than the one for which he is eligible. We show that the decreased grade attainment of six-year-olds reverberates well beyond the kindergarten classroom. Recent stagnation in the high school and college completion rates of young people is partly explained by their later start in primary school. The relatively late start of boys in primary school explains a small but significant portion of the rising gender gaps in high school graduation and college completion. Increases in the age of legal school entry intensify socioeconomic differences in educational attainment, since lower-income children are at greater risk of dropping out of school when they reach the legal age of school exit.

OK, you wonder, what are the downsides? Also from the Harvard paper - the conclusion:

First, increases in the age of legal school entry intensify socioeconomic differences in educational attainment. Lower-income children are at greater risk of dropping out of school when they reach the legal age of school exit; increases in age at school entry therefore disproportionately decrease their completed education. Further, young children who enter school later spend more time in unequal environments. Whether at home or in formal care, children who start school later linger in settings whose quality is positively correlated with parents’ human capital. This point is exactly the one made by advocates of early childhood interventions: insofar as home environments are unequal, delaying public schooling increases the likelihood of unequal outcomes (Kirp, 2007; Heckman and Masterov, 2007).

Second, red-shirting disadvantages children who enter school on time. In kindergarten, the most advantaged children are the oldest in the class, reinforcing socioeconomic gaps in school readiness: “[C]hildren who may be at academic risk from factors associated with poverty face the additional hurdle of being compared to advantaged children 12 to 15 months older. . . . the youngest children may appear to be immature and unready to tackle the tasks their significantly older classmates find challenging and intriguing” (Crosser, 1998). Younger children in the classroom are more likely to be labeled as
learning disabled (Elder and Lubotsky, forthcoming). Ironically, the racial and socioeconomic segregation of the United States softens this dynamic, since in our school districts the most advantaged and least advantaged children rarely share a classroom. But the standardized test scores of children of the same grade are compared across districts and states, and the relative ages of these children will contribute to the distance between the scores of rich and poor districts.

(much more source material is linked in the left margin of the blog)

As Dr. Robert Zimmerman put it, the most challenging aspect we face is creating successful outcomes for our most disadvantaged children. Optional Kindergarten and delayed entry don't seem to work towards overcoming this hurdle. Maybe we should try something else.

Opportunity lost - but we must perservere

Recently, Maureen McFadden, news anchor of WNDU television, conducted a forty-five minute interview with former South Bend School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Robert Zimmerman.

Ms. McFadden did a very nice job of drawing Dr. Zimmerman out. In early part of the interview, Dr. Zimmerman was quite reserved and diplomatic in his responses to questions about how he and the SBSC Board got along. Later on, he was much more animated when asked about his accomplishments and the challenges we still face.

"If you look at the 20 months we were here, we implemented an awful lot of initiatives, we did our study and brought the community involved in the Career and Technical Education and created a five year plan for that," he explains.

Last year saw some improvement in South Bend's graduation rate and ISTEP, but Zimmerman says the biggest issue facing South Bend Schools is not the teachers, the board, or the superintendent.

When Ms. McFadden asked this question, we got a pretty clear view of opportunity lost for our children.

McFadden: "Now that you've distanced yourself, what do you think is needed for South Bend schools to succeed?"

Zimmerman: "I continue to think that it's got to be an initiative of the entire community. We really have got to get our hands around how we deal with children of poverty. Generational poverty continues to be the number one difficult issue that any large urban district is dealing with. Most of the kids that struggled in our system were kids who came out of generational poverty."

He says a lack of education affects the whole community, and we can all make a difference."You can do your part by stepping in there and being a mentor and reading to a child and helping to make a difference in that one child's life," he says.

And he's proud of what he did in 18 short months on the job.

"I feel that I can walk away, in the short time that I was here, and not second-guess my reasons for making the decisions I did. My decisions were always around what was best for the kids."

full video at: http://www.wndu.com/specialfeatures/headlines/27156489.html#

Dr. Zimmerman described in great detail the challenges of engaging students from multi-generation poverty households, and what it takes to turn them around. The link above with take you to the site where you can watch the entire interview. It's well worth your time.

As I watched the interview, I saw someone who probably knows as much about the impact of generational poverty on childrens' futures as anyone I've come across. His recounting of conversations with students in this trap was revealing and amplified that his awareness comes not just from study - but from practical experience as well.

It was also helpful to me as a School Board candidate, that an expert identified the single biggest challenge to our success, as what I've always felt it was. That, and the fact he was positive that steady progress was attainable, energizes me as I try to make my case to my fellow citizens.

Three key obstacles to our success

The way Kindergarten operates in our neighborhood schools is something of an anachronism. The two and one half hour sessions come from an age when most children were in two-parent households where only one parent worked outside the home. For most children, this would be their introduction to formal education, and I'm sure folks thought it would be for the best to ease them into it. The serious learning would begin in First Grade.

None of this fits today's reality, so there is no justification for continuing in this manner.

State policy also makes things more difficult for us. (1) Kindergarten is optional and (2) Indiana has the earliest age cut-off in the United States. There are many reasons this should concern us.

Many of our children have the benefit of high quality private preschool (think Early Childhood Development Centers at Notre Dame and St. Mary's). Those children will attend Kindergarten - some may choose to stay where they are. If they do, it will likely be a full day session - just as pre-school was.

On the first day of First Grade these six-year-olds may well be seated next to a seven-year old who is in a formal education setting for the first time. Imagine the task of the teacher, looking upon his/her 25 charges, with this level of disparity.

Universal, full day Kindergarten would give us a chance to even the odds

Next, I'll discuss what recent studies have to tell us about all this. Later, I'll offer some ideas about a possible change in emphasis in Kindergarten curriculum.

I meet with TAP

Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting with representatives of TAP (Transforming Action through Power). They have invited all candidates for the South Bend School Board to meet with them, and have sponsored a forum at Little Flower Catholic Church for the at-large candidates at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

This meeting was very helpful for me. TAP is highly focused on issues about improving educational opportunity, addressing poverty housing issues, mitigating youth violence and preserving the dignity and rights of our immigrant community members. As my wife Paddy commented when I showed her the invitation: "I can see why you like these guys".

There were two elements I was not expecting.

The first had to do with a situation where the SBSC mandated daily school schedule prevents (in practical terms) the ability to achieve the objectives of the High School magnet curriculum AND satisfy state required course completion. They pointed in particular to Adams - which has a pretty high-powered college prep./college credit magnet program. Apparently, it is the case that you can't physically satisfy the State requirements AND fulfill the magnet program goals. I was told neighboring districts operate similar programs without this problem

I found it a bit disheartening that these folks had to present this problem to a potential School Board member. Seems like this problem should have already been solved.

The other element that became clear as I listened to their questions, was how left out of the process they felt. Question after question had to do with "Would you welcome community involvement in (fill in the blank)?" At some point I felt compelled to ask, "Is there an opposing view?"

There isn't, really, I suspect - yet the current Board has made citizen input seem unwelcome. At least that's TAP's view.

If people this reasonable and dedicated feel this way, they can't be too wrong. I look forward to discussions with more groups and individuals. It seems clear we must change the way we do things.

Why we must start at the beginning

Everyone agrees that our High School graduation rate is unacceptable. Everyone agrees (I think) that this fact serves no one's interest.

There is a line of thinking that claims the problem lies with Intermediate Centers (Junior High Schools) and/or High Schools. But it's my opinion that we could only know that if we could be certain that all our children left the Primary Centers equally equipped to succeed. Otherwise, those institutions' outcomes may only reflect problems which occurred earlier.

I see three key factors that make that outcome pretty much impossible - but I'll deal with that later. For now, lets consider the disparities we can easily observe.

The South Bend School Corporation website makes gathering information pretty tough. One needs to go to each Primary Center's website for data - which makes comparisons difficult.

For our purposes here, I'm overlooking the two ongoing magnet programs (Kennedy and Tarkington) and concentrating on the neighborhood school system. Below are links to the National No Child Left Behind summaries for three Primary Centers. Whatever one thinks of the NCLB program, it offers some opportunity for comparison within our school district.

Coquillard http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/AP/ayp2005schl.cfm?schl=7533
Wilson http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/AP/ayp2005schl.cfm?schl=7588
Hay http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/AP/ayp2005schl.cfm?schl=7313

Two of these (Coquillard and Wilson) have serious challenges. Hay is doing far better. In fact, due to Wilson being in a probationary status, a significant number of their students attend Hay. Still, Hay seems to perform well overall. In fact, it eclipses state averages.

Hay's principal, Craig Haenes, attributes much of their success to the Wilson LiPS reading program - which seems to help struggling readers quite effectively. He, in fact, pioneered the program in the SBSC.

But interestingly, unlike most schools, Hay's math scores are slightly higher than their English scores. In contrast, Coquillard has an overall English score of 54% and a math score of 49%. So there's more at work, I think

I attended a Board meeting in June of 2008, where a young mother asked the Board of Trustees why it was that the outer ring of Primary Centers seemed to be faring pretty well while the inner schools seemed to be whithering away.

I think the next Board of Trustees needs to be able to answer that question.

Donald W. Wheeler

What got me started

After two years at Saint Mary's Early Childhood Developmental Center, our daughter, Sarah, was ready to move on to Kindergarten. My wife, Paddy Blanchette, and I started exploring our options late last Fall.

We have many advantages; therefor, so does Sarah. Private school options would have been financially onerous - yet possible. But we think removing students with a less challenging path to success from public systems is a recipe for disaster for public education. So we concentrated our efforts on public school options - and there are many.

There are 4 magnet programs, a charter school and a neighborhood Primary center as options for every family within the boundaries of the South Bend School Corporation. I wrote about our own process of decision making on the blog Progressives, South Bend . The series began with The Kennedy Academy Cattle Call . As I reflected on that institution's focus on "students ready to learn, I developed some concerns which I discussed in The Other South Bend - The Education Component .

The Next Stop On Our Kindergarten Odyssey switches back to our own process, and the epilogue (I hope) ties things together.

So, I've been thinking about this for a while. Along the way, I have drawn some conclusions and also have identified things I need to learn more about. In the coming weeks I hope to meet with teachers, administrators and parents to share the benefit of their experience(s). Should I be selected to serve on the Board, that process will be ongoing.

Donald W. Wheeler