A New Perspective on ECHS Programs

One of the things I’ve been reading a lot about recently (thanks to my job) is Early College High School (ECHS) programs. I admit that until recently I wasn’t a fan. This is largely because the primary program model I’ve been working with accepts only “under-served” students, which means minorities, potential first-generation college goers, and kids from families that fall below the poverty line – usually because they are single parent families or on public assistance. 

I get tired of “under-served” population programming very quickly, because it frustrates me to watch parents work their butts off and sacrifice for years to keep their marriage strong, provide their kids the support and discipline they need to do well in school,  and to support their families through any jobs they can get only to find their kids disqualified from programs that could have been amazing opportunities for them while Joe Shmoe’s six kids by five “baby mamas” get handed supports and opportunities they don’t appreciate (paid for by taxes they didn’t pay into) left and right.

But reading Is College Worth It (reviewed in a recent post) changed my perspective. I had forgotten until reading it that Project Lead the Way is an ECHS program – just a different model than the one I’ve been dealing with lately. My brother participated in PLTW when he was in high school, and it was a fantastic thing. A STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) based program, it took any students with an interest and skills in technology and let them earn college credit while still in HS that would transfer to two key local colleges – one a community college (to complete an Associate’s degree) and one a national leader in Technology degrees. I was fascinated to learn that a large percentage of projected jobs in the next several decades will require more than a HS diploma but less than a Bachelor’s degree.

The upshot? ECHS programs are a perfect tool to meet the demands of the coming decades.

Imagine for a moment the impact on the US economy if every child had access to an ECHS program. Not everyone would participate, course. Academically strong students seeking futures as doctors, lawyers, astrophysicists, or anything else that requires an advanced degree would do fine in a normal HS environment (though the current system could use some overhauling). But students headed into business, technology, nursing or other fields that require only Associates degrees to start could graduate from HS ready for the workforce! Can you picture the scale of the impact it would have on our economy if, instead of starting their work careers at 22 or 23 with a boatload of debt, students started their careers at 18 or 19 unencumbered? If they were able to earn competitive wages, support themselves and their families, start saving for a house and investing in a retirement fund that many years earlier? How much further ahead would they be in life at 30, 40 and 50 if we could give them this opportunity?

And what about the rest of us? ECHS programs leverage the strengths and resources of High Schools and Community Colleges – both taxpayer funded already. Don’t you want more bang for your buck? Getting kids two degrees in the time it used to take to get them one? Colleges spend billions of dollars annually on remedial courses and related support programs, essentially repeating the material students should have gotten in HS. The sad truth is that these programs suck down the funding and spit out little in the way of return on investment.

If you’re a more touchy-feely personality, there’s a less economic side to this argument as well. It’s a well-documented fact that a large proportion of students leaving HS and enrolling in our nation’s community colleges are academically unprepared to be there; they just didn’t get the education they needed in HS. A shockingly high number of these students never complete their degrees. They get mired in remedial classes and suffocate in discouragement until they quit, or they just can’t hack the college curricula and flunk out, burdened by debt and no more equipped to land a stable, good-paying job than they were before.  When these students can be re-routed, plugged into a BOCES or ECHS program that focuses on their skills and doesn’t require them to struggle through pre-requisite courses they’re not equipped for (English Comp 101, anyone?) they become confident, independent members of society with great jobs and strong careers.

So I’ve changed my tune on ECHS programs – I’m a fan! But only when such a program is done right; every child should have the opportunity to access the educational path best suited to their gifts and goals. (More ranting on that in another post, I’m sure.) In the meantime, I look forward to seeing more ECHS models developed and implemented and hope that this wonderful opportunity won’t be lost through political machinations and credit-mongering.

Silence

Bonus points if you know why
this picture goes with this post.

It’s been a bit quiet around the blog as of late – for that I apologize. I blame the month of March. You see, we were patiently waiting out the cold gross winter that lingered and clung and refused to give way to anything resembling spring. We planned out house projects and told ourselves that we were saving up money for them and that it was fine that it was still too gross to dive in to any of them. But patience has never been my virtue, and by the middle of March it was wearing quite thin. So we comprised. We picked a *tiny* project – just replacing the clunky, dysfunctional closet doors in our bedroom with some nice bi-folds that would let in enough illumination to actually see what you were looking at when you opened them.  My handsome Prince also promised to build me some shoe cubbies on the side of my closet, which I was very happy about. Thus, on an innocuous Saturday morning, we headed to the Toy Store (aka Lowe’s). 

We came home with no closet doors but nine boxes of bamboo flooring, two gallons of paint, a giant box of flooring staples and a slab of sub-floor… we then proceeded to spend the rest of the weekend out the trim and (disgusting) carpet in our bedroom, cutting out and replacing a ruined section of the subfloor and taping the room for painting. We pretty much haven’t stopped moving since. Around work and my volunteer work at the museum, we’ve plowed from one project straight into the next.

• New flooring laid in the bedroom, complimented by new paint  
• Renting a ginormous dumpster (the second in a year) which we completely filled (again)
• Ripping every last shred of the remaining (gross) carpet out of our house
• Tearing down the mouse-skeleton infested insulation and water-damaged 2x4’s that lined the basement
• Building & planting a raised-bed garden and two window boxes (have to keep the basil out of border collie reach or they snack on it!)
• Chopping and stacking the first run of firewood for next year so it has time to season (including taking down several trees)
• Cutting back the overgrown apple trees
• Clearing brush that has entangled the edges of our yard like the thorny hedge surrounding Sleeping Beauty’s castle

On the side, of course, are the little things – trying to keep up with the mud our furry babies track through the house, keeping a menu written and meals made around skewed schedules, the first vegetable canning of the season. Oh, and sleep. We try to get a little sleep in here and there!

Somehow, amidst all our projects, the month of April evaporated and May is half gone. I’m not sure where it all went when I wasn’t looking, but a quick glance at this page tells me it didn’t go in to blogging! There’s been lots churning around my head as my hands were busy, though, and I hope to catch up at least a little on recording my thoughts here before June’s workload hits me over the head and I wake up again in August.

As a side note, Menu Idea Mondays are suspended for the summer. I do more canning than proper cooking in the summer, and menu planning largely goes out the window as I base meals on whatever came out of the garden or farmer’s market looking particularly spectacular. (Or, honestly, whatever I can throw together in ten minutes or less without turning on the oven as we work on and around the house until well past our usual meal times.) I’ll post recipes as time and opportunity allow, though, so keep an eye out!

Is College Worth It by William Bennett

Former US Secretary of Education Bill Bennett tackles a question that should be on the mind of every American as our economy struggles and battles over funding for education rage at all levels. In this well researched, well reasoned and unbiased book, Bennett gives students, parents, educators and policy-makers the unvarnished facts about the value and (often hidden) perils of pursuing a college education.

This book was a quick read, but I was very impressed; the author's perspective was unbiased and down-to-earth. He made equal, judicious and effective use of individual stories and statistics. Bennett provides clear and reasonable alternatives to the current broken system (including examples and praise for the pioneers already doing things right) and practical guidelines for parents, students and educators. There are great insights on how to get the most out of your college experience if you attend and equally valuable information on the best educational and career alternatives – because college isn't for everyone. Every family and every educator should have access to the truths in this book before students start high school – it could change the foundations of education.

Menu Idea Monday: Panda Express Chow Mein

Photo and recipe from Favorite Family Recipes

Neither of us have ever eaten at a Panda Express, so I can't tell you whether this is even remotely close to the dish it is named after, but I can tell you it was awesome!

This recipe for Panda Express Chow Mein was fast, easy, cheap, healthy and delicious - that's a lot of great things in one dish!

I skipped the celery because I didn't have any, but otherwise made to spec. I used dry noodles from the "ethnic" isle at the grocery store, and they turned out great. I expect this to be a go-to dish this summer: as a one-dish skillet meal there is no piles of dishes to wash and no turning on the oven on hot days. There's also no rare, hard to find or expensive ingredients - yay!

I added diced pork when I made it for a full, slightly heartier dinner, but it would be great without any meat for a light lunch and would pair equally well with chicken or beef. Add in whatever you've got on hand and enjoy!

Menu Idea Monday: Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls

A couple years ago we lived near a butcher shop that made it's own cabbage rolls. They were very good, but not cheap. I didn't know much about cabbage at that point, so I never attempted to make my own.

Recipe and photo from MelissaKNorris.com

When I ran across this recipe for Crockpot Cabbage Rolls, I figured it was worth a try. I put everything together the day before, dropped it in the crock pot insert and stuck it in the fridge. In the morning, I dropped it in the crock pot and crossed my fingers.

The verdict? Pretty good!

They taste a lot like the runza recipe I have and love, which is essentially all the same ingredients except that you dice the cabbage and wrap everything in pizza dough for a Hot Pocket effect. Eric and I both agreed that it needed something, though. I used twice as much onion as I was supposed to and it still came out somewhat bland. I also found a few not-quite-done pieces of rice, despite having it cooked it for 13 hours.

Next time I think I'll ladle the sauce across the bottom and between layers in the pot to ensure more even cooking for the rice. I'll also throw in some extra spices to give it more kick. Supposedly these freeze well, so I look forward to pre-making a bunch and throwing meal-sized batches in the freezer. Busy summer days of working outside ARE coming (despite the ridiculously lingering cold and wet of April), and I'll be greatful for cheap, healthy meals that go from freezer to crockpot without fuss.

It's Not Rocket Surgery

I ran across a blog post over at Teach for America by accident this past week while looking for something else. While I understood the writer's lamentations over the lack of veteran teachers in charter schools (and similar frustrations on the part of school districts and policy wonks over the lack of experienced, high quality teachers in Persistently Lowest Achieving Schools, high-poverty schools and high-minority schools), I can't help but shake my head.

There are perfectly logical reasons why we have a deficit of high-quality teachers where they're most desperately needed, and it's not exactly rocket surgery to understand them:

1. We're abusing our teachers. Having been a manager, I can tell you that very little sucks more than being assigned responsibility without authority. Every re-write of the educational paradigm makes teachers more and more responsible for student outcomes while giving them less and less to work with. This is particularly true in the three aforementioned types of school, which routinely suffer from low parental involvement and are burdened with principals and administrators who are so tied up in political correctness and legalese that they can't provide any kind of functional discipline, backup or authority. We expect teachers to work miracles with troubled kids and deny them the very tools that have been document-ably proven to make the difference between success and failure. Of course they're not going to freaking stay! They're going to survive a couple years - just long enough to get a solid resume, and then either transfer to a better district or move into a different career field where they can use their skills to actually get somewhere.

2. Teachers care about quality of life, too. Despite the pleas and coaxing of Fair Housing advocates, the reality is that people naturally gravitate towards the best neighborhoods they can afford to live in - the kind that make them feel safe and give them a return on investment. Teachers holding down solid jobs want to live in safe, pleasant communities just like everyone else - and they districts they are being begged to work in rarely fit the bill. Who wants to have to worry about their safety and the safety of their family 24/7 - you pissed off a kid on Thursday and he might come vandalize your house on Saturday. But because he's a minority or because the cops are already overwhelmed or whatever, nothing will happen to him and it will be your loss - physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.. not a real great motivator, guys.

3. Teachers have financial responsibilities. If you've ever looked at the tenure track system, it quickly becomes clear that it's not designed to promote flexibility. Every time you leave a position or a district, you start over at the bottom of the barrel, with no security. You can be the best teacher in the school, but if you're the newest hired, you're the first to go when budgets get tight. Charter schools don't even count in that system! Considering that teachers are required to get their Masters, very few come out of school without significant student loan debt. Add that to rising costs of living across the board and the fact that many teachers are married and/or have families to provide for, and it shouldn't be surprising that so many of them choose to stay where they are even if it isn't great. In today's unstable economic times, they can't afford to toss what little financial security they may have to wind and go off on a jaunt to teach troubled kids for a few years.

4. Have you looked at the rules lately? At least two of the four options provided to Persistently Lowest Achieving Schools who have been legally mandated to overhaul their programming include firing at least 50% of the staff. Who exactly wants to sign up to work somewhere that has such an incredibly high probability of tossing you out the door without reason or appeal when they inevitably are required to pick an overhaul method?! (See #3)

So yes, I hear and understand the lament that new teachers struggle to thrive without the wisdom, guidance and stabilizing influence of their more experienced peers. I acknowledge the research demonstrating that experienced teachers play key roles in troubled districts among struggling kids. But with all due respect, the modern educational system engineered this problem.

They also have the means at their disposal to fix it. So don't go online and gripe about how unfair it all is. Own up to your errors, and hold your system accountable. It won't be pretty, certainly not at first, but it CAN be changed. Not by throwing money at the problem, or by guilt tripping people, but by systematically changing the factors that keep a strangle-hold on mobility and by working with municipalities to create Walk to Work and other intentional, safe neighborhoods in which teachers can live while serving troubled districts. Practical solutions to specific problems will go a lot further than whining.

High Efficiency Washers & Dryers: Things to Know

We've had our new washer & dryer for a several months now, and I've been thinking I should review them here. We did a ton of research before picking our new set, and there wasn't quite as much practical info as I would have liked. So in hopes of helping other people decide, here are some facts and pointers for anyone considering purchasing a high efficiency, energy-star washer/dryer.

1. Buy them on sale. We were able to snag ours on sale the week before Christmas, and it was great! We also got them at Lowe's, where there's a military discount. If you have a friend/family member in the military and have the cash to do it, consider asking them to purchase your machines for you and just give them the money. You can save 10%, which adds up to a lot when you're talking about two items as pricy as these.

2. Get them installed. We pretty much do everything we can ourselves, including carting stuff home and installing it. These were the exception, and I'm so glad! In addition to being heavy (and needing to fit in an awkward space), these needed serious attention and patience to calibrate. When completely properly leveled, they are rock solid and nearly silent. If they are even the teeniest bit off, they rock and make a lot more noise. (Nothing obnoxious, but noticeable.) It is absolutely worth what it costs to have someone come install it for you. The guys from Lowes who did ours were amazing from start to finish. When the left, the machines were all but silent... then we had to move the washer a smidge to fix a wiring issue and it hasn't been the same since.

3. Check your cords. Washers and dryers apparently do not come with cords; they must be ordered separately. So know exactly what kind of hookups you have before you head for the store so you can ensure you have the right one. (Ditto for the vent pipe on your dryer.) Furthermore, some places will not install without a new cord - make sure you check and know the policy wherever you buy yours.

4. They take a lot longer. I am completely happy with our machines, and they definitely use a lot less energy. But as a trade off, every cycle on the washer is decidedly longer than the corresponding cycle in a standard machine. That's not an issue for me, but if you're like Jen Hatmaker (author of 7) and in the habit of throwing clothing in the washer an hour before you're supposed to be somewhere you're going to find yourself consistently screwed. I don't always agree with the dryer on what "done" looks like, so I sometimes run a manual cycle after whatever standard cycle I've chosen (permanent press, dedicates, etc) just to finish things off.

5. They can be stubborn. Cycles and their features (water temp, spin level) are set, and some won't let you adjust them. So if you have clothing that doesn't quite fit a given cycle, you may have to use the manual cycle and just come close to your ideal wash setting.  The washer also chooses the water setting it considers appropriate to the volume of a load; I have heard that some people manually add a few cups of water because they don't feel it's enough, but I've been quite satisfied with ours and haven't seen the need to intervene that way.

6. They sing. Again, not a huge deal around here - I just don't leave the dryer running when we're on our way to bed or it will wake us up singing when it's done. I imagine, however, that if you had a baby napping close enough to hear the chiming it could be crazy annoying. So if you're in that kind of situation, make sure you select a model that has the option to turn the chiming off - because not all of them do.

All things considered, our new machines are awesome and I'm so glad we have them. They keep up with the puppy fur, renovating dust and spring mud without complaint and I am no longer concerned about the housing burning down because I tried to do laundry.

If you're considering a new washer/dryer, do you homework! There are a lot of options out there, and considering the expense of even the cheaper models, it's well worth getting something that fits your needs and lifestyle.