The Importance of Head Start and Title I

The US Deficit and Budget have been all over the news for the last several weeks and while I have thoughts on a bunch of the proposed or House passed budget cuts one in particular ties into the purpose of this blog.
 Last week Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and his colleagues passed $63 billion in budget cuts for the end of fiscal year 2011, with the understanding being that the cuts would continue into 2012.  These cuts are all to non-security programs and don't differentiate between successful and failing programs. The Department of Education is undergoing such cuts, particularly to Title I schools and Head Start.  Over all the Department of Education will lose almost $5 billion.  Source

Head Start and Title I assist people living in poverty and the schools who educate them.

Head Start provides a variety of services, but is most known for their pre-schools and before and after school care.  Most low-income families require both parents or all responsible adults to work, many times several jobs.  Therefore they can't provide care for young children and often don't have the time or energy to educate them on pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills.  (I'll do another post later about the necessity of these skills being learned before kindergarten.)  Head Start provides pre-school care for the children of these families.  They can't reach everyone and Head Start locations are run differently from each other, but once you get in the program you can stay in it, throughout all levels of school.

Head Start teaches skills necessary to academic achievement, they provide safe and supervised places for children of all ages, they provide homework help and academic enrichment.  Head Start even helps with college applications and scholarships.  Children enrolled in the program often achieve better in academics and are more likely to graduate from high school.  Head Start specifically assists children and families who do not have the resources to pay for or find this help from other places.  They combat the cyclical and systematic results of poverty and institutionalized racism.  For more information about Head Start and the affects of the budget cuts visit their web site here.

A Title I school is a school where 40% or more of the students live at a proverty level where they qualify for free or reduced lunches.  Basically this means approximately half or more of the students live at such levels of poverty that their families cannot afford to feed them.  When this is the case the schools receive assistance from the federal government, through Title I, to meet the specific needs of children living in poverty.  Title I started in the 1960s under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) states that schools must make adequate yearly progress to continue receiving funds.

How Title I funds are used is up to the discretion of the school.  They can be used for curriculum enhancement, counseling, increasing parental involvement, more staff and general program improvement.  Generally the funds are used for extra instruction in math and reading as these are some of the most important subjects, and since NCLB the test scores for these subjects affect the Title I funds received by the school.  Millions of children are assisted anually through Title I funds.  For more basic inforamtion visit here. Or the US Department of Education's site here.

Personally, I spent two years working at a Title I school where numerous children where enrolled in Head Start.  At this school over 80% of the children received free and reduced lunches and I helped run an after school program which improved children's literacy.  Parents had to enroll they're children in our program, and Head Start children did not attend as they received after school care and academic assistance through the Head Start Porgram. The school was making adaquate yearly progress so they were receiving the maximum Title I allotment. The school was also receiving grant money for being a community school (meaning they provided help for the whole community) and there were several other grants helping the school meet the needs of all the children.  My program and position was funded by one such grant. 

With these four programs providing extra money to the school they were able to provide 2 meals a day to the students who qualified, health services to the students and their families, run before and after school care with sports, arts, and academic programs.  They also were able to hold occasional events to promote community involvement and find out how they could better help the needs of the community. 

When I compare the kids I worked with at this school to others from similar backgrounds the differences are staggering.  They are more confident and happy, they're less likely to skip school or drop out, they could make goals and figure out how to reach them.  They also tested very high in the state standardized testing.  Which means most of them are at grade level. These children are having their basic health needs met, receiving academic assistance and getting adult support, and it took more then the Title I funds or Head Start to reach all the children in the school.  So the idea of cutting funding to Title I and Head Start, to further limiting the number of children they can help, is horrifying.  The effects of the budget cuts will be staggering and so hurtful to low income families and eventually the rest of the country.  Because everything is connected in some way, and the more one group falls into poverty, crime and illiteracy, the more everyone else does too.

Because of all of this I've signed the petition to save Head Start and I hope others will too.

Book Review - Silent Dreams by Dandi Daley Mackall

Dandi Daley Mackall is a children and young adult author who often writes about people who are or have been marginalized by society.  Silent Dreams is the story of Camilla, a young homeless girl, her mentally ill aunt, and how they relate to the community and find joy in the silent cinema of the early 1900s. The story introduces the reader to a variety of people who are homeless and was inspired by Dandi Daley Mackall's own introduction to a homeless woman.  The story of this encounter is included at the end of the book along with information about the history of silent film and a glossary for the words that children might not be familiar with.

Silent Dreams is also a poem.  The rhymes are standard couplets (the 1st and 2nd lines rhyme with each other).  It has an easy meter, almost a sing-song quality, that often makes poetry easier for children to read and understand.  Each page of the book is four lines which have one or two accompanying illustrations.   I think the illustrations are quite lovely (though in fairness I know the artist).   The vibrant colors are eye catching and the purple tones help add to the mood of the poem.

The content in Silent Dreams is appropriate for any age range.  It is set during a specific time in history and has to do with homelessness and mental illness so children might have questions and this is definitely a book I would read with kids and be prepared to discuss these themes with them.  The homelessness and mental illness are not the main focus of the story and are portrayed in a very open and accepting way.  This is a good book to use to introduce children to these issues, while showing them they don't need to be afraid of people who are homeless or have mental illness.  For children who have a personal connection to homelessness or mental illness it is especially important for them to encounter stories and characters with these issues to help children understand that they, or people they know, are not alone.  

The reading level for this story is about 1st grade.  The poetry adds a formula to the story and most words will be recognizable.  Words that aren't likely to be known to younger children are included in the glossary at the back of the book.  This is written at an Upper Emergent Reading level, but should be enjoyable to children who are not at that level.  As said before, this is definitely a book that I would read with children, even if they are Fluent Readers or above. 

Silent Dreams is the only book by Dandi Daley Mackall that I have read, but I'm definitely intending to read more.  Her books seem to have a variety of narrators and some deal with important times in history and/or help spread the stories of marginalized people.  I think it's important to support authors, especially children and young adult ones, who do this.  You can get more information about Dandi Daley Mackall and her books at her website Dandi Books  

Levels of Learning

A lot of schools and organizations talk about what level children are learning at or the need to increase higher level learning.  There are several options for exactly what they might mean, but probably they're discussing Bloom's Taxonomy.  Benjamin Bloom, with the assistance of several colleges, created levels of goals for the learning process for three different educational domains (Knowledge, Attitude/Emotions, and Physical Skills).  These levels start with the simplest skills and work up to the harder/higher levels.  Most educators, especially in regards to classrooms and testing, focus on the Knowledge Domain, so that's what I'll be explaining today.

Bloom's Taxonomy has been updated with some parts renamed or positions changed.  The image is of the original Taxonomy, but I'll discuss all the changes.  The first levels are at the bottom of the pyramid, these lower levels are necessary for the upper ones to be reached.

Knowledge/Remembering: This is the first and lowest level and has to do with recalling information. This means that a person is able to take in data, remember it and recite it back. The Key Words to describe this level of learning are defines, identifies, knows, lists, matches, recalls, recognizes and states.  For the other levels to build on this one it is necessary to remember this information for a long time.  Of course using this knowledge at a higher level helps with retaining it for a longer period of time.

Understanding/Comprehension: For most people to truely understand something they must be able to explain it in their own words.  So it's not just reciting a poem or reading a story but being able to explain the meaning of it. An example in math would be translating a word problem into a number problem. The Key Words are comprehends, converts, defends, estimates, explains, gives an example, infers, predicts and summarizes.

Application: This level is about using a concept or information in a new way.  Often this can mean an unprompted use of something a person already knows and understands.  Examples of this level in action are reading a recipe and changing the amounts of ingredients to fit the desired outcome or finding the theme of one story in class and continuing the find the themes of other books, movies, or TV shows without being asked to. The Key Words for this level are applies, changes, constructs, demonstrates, discovers, modifies, operates, produces, relates, shows, and solves.

Analysis: Refers to being able to break information into component parts. Examples are being able to learn the meaning of a new word from the context it's used in, recognizing logical fallacies and telling the difference between fact, opinion and inference.  The Key Words that describe this level are analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, desconstructs, differentiates, distringuishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, relates and seperates.

The last two levels are sometimes switched in order, I'll be explaining them in the order they appear on the graphic. However, I think Evaluation comes before Synthesis.

Synthesis/Creation: This level is basically the opposite of  Analysis.  It is the taking of different parts/information and building a new structure/pattern/meaning.  Examples would be writing new classroom rules, designing a machine to complete a specific task, using information from history/politics/science to explain an author's intent or a book's theme in a reading class.  This is one of the more openended levels and a very difficult one to test for, especially on standardized tests.  The Key Words are catagorize, combines, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, plans, rearranges, relates, revises and (re)writes.

Evaluation: This level involves making judgements about the value of information, ideas or materials.  In my opinion it is closely tied to Analysis.  Examples in action are selection the most effective solution to solve a math problem or science experiment, judging the worth/importance of historical documents, and being able to explain if the effect of a poem or story matches the author's intent. Key Words to describe this level are appraise, compares, concludes, critique, defends, discriminates, evaluate, interperets, judge, justifies, relates and supports.

Some acts or skills span two levels and some learning levels can be taught or performed at the same time as others.  For examples with reading, a person and read a book and gain knowledge and comprehension at basically the same time.  Likewise, a person can analyze information and evaluate it's worth in basically the same action.  This is because the higher levels are built on top of the lower ones.  So to learn at a higher level means you have already learned/or are currently learning at all the lower ones as well.  The importance of learning at all levels, and the difficulty in using Standardized Tests to assess the higher levels, are some of the main reasons for my dislike of High Stakes Testing, but that's another post.

Book List - Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month here is a list of books written by black authors or that have prominent black characters.  This list includes books for all ages.  Books, I've read myself and can personally recommend will be noted with a *.  The other books have been recommended by friends or co-workers.  This post will be updated several times over the month of February.

Pre-K and Kindergarten
In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers by Javaka Steptoe (A collection of poems by various authors.  Won the Coretta Scott King Award.  Also appropriate for older children)

Grades 1 - 2
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave  by Laban Carrick Hill ( A biography about a famous potter and slave, also appropriate for younger children)

Grades 3 - 5
* Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Won Coretta Scott King Award. It's the 1930s and Bud Caldwell is on the run from his abusive foster home.  Bud gets the idea that his father is a famous bassist and goes in search of him)
Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman (Boy travels back in time to meet Jackie Robinson)
* Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord (The year is 1947. Bandit, now Shirley, has just traveled from China to America.  Baseball hero Jackie Robinson helps Shirley make a place for herself)

Yound Adult
* Liar by Justine Larbalestier (Biracial Micah is 17, might have special powers, and is an uncontrolable liar.  This causes problems when her boyfriend Zach ends up dead and the police think she might be involved)

Authors
Bryan Collier (A children's author and illustrator. His work includes biographies of Barack Obama, John Lennon, Rosa Parks, Dave the Potter, and Mohammed Ali)
Mildred B Taylor (Especially famous for her Logan family books, about a black sharcropping family in the deep south right from the 1930s to the Civil Rights movement.  Some of her books are young adult, such as The Road to Memphis and Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry others, like Mississippi Bridge and The Friendship are appropriate for Grades 3 and up.)
Walter Dean Myers ( Preeminent writer for children and young adults.  Writes fiction, nonfiction and poetry.  Famous books include Monster, Scorpions, Hoops, 145th Street: Short Stories, The Blues of Flat Town and Countless others.)

Book Review - Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Love That Dog is written as the poetry journal of elementary school student Jack.  It takes place over the course of a year as his class learns about poetry.  Every entry is a poem and most are free verse responses to poems or Jack's teacher Miss Strechberry. Other entries are Jack's poems inspired by ones they learned in class. Tying the majority of the entries together are poems about a dog, a blue car, and why Jack doesn't have a pet any more.

This book is a great introduction to poetry.  Some of the poems are short free verse responses, such as "I tried. Can't do it. Brain's empty."  Jack also writes poems in various styles, and excerpts from some of the poems mentioned in his class are included in the back of the book.

The content level of this book is appropriate for anyone in elementary school.  However, it does deal with the loss of a pet and some children might find this very upsetting.  The content also includes feelings of uncertainty and low confidence in regards to school work and deals with over coming these emotions.

 Creech's word choice is very simple, yet she portrays these rich emotions and experiences.  The reading level is about 2nd or 3rd grade. But with all the line breaks children should definitely be Fluent Readers if they're reading this book to themselves.  This book helps to develop the reading skills necessary for poetry.  Also we only read Jack's responses, but he references lessons and conversations with his teacher, and letters he receives from his idol Mr. Walter Dean Myers.  This helps children learn inference, which is the use of deductive reasoning to draw a conclusion.

Love That Dog has won the Christopher Award, the Mitten Award (Michigan), and Claudia Lewis Poetry Award. The story of Jack is continued in Hate That Cat, which I have not yet read. Sharon Creech is also famous for her YA novel Walk Two Moons.

Book Review - Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor

The first Fancy Nancy book was published in 2005.  It's incredibly popular and has spawned 35 other books as well as dolls and costumes.  I've only read several myself, but the ones I have read are great and the illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser are absolutely charming.  The premise for all the stories is Nancy, an active little girl, who loves fancy things.  She dresses up in high heels, tutus, and boas, wants to learn French, and most importantly (for the books) has a complex vocabulary.  Every page has at least one word such as "iridescent" or "extraordinary" and then defines the word saying "that's a fancy word for..."

The reading level for this series is 1st grade and up.  The writing is formulaic and most words will be recognizable to the average 6 year old.  More specifically, I recommend it for children who are Upper Emergent or Early Fluent Readers.  However, the content is appropriate for much younger children.  I've read these stories to kids as young as 2 or 3. 

As well as improving children's vocabulary these books can be used to help somewhat older readers learn how to use context to discover the meaning of an unknown word.  Much of the fancy vocabulary will be unfamiliar to elementary students and is always used to describe a person, object, or action that is also being introduced or explained elsewhere.  Sometimes I'll have children guess the meaning of the fancy word before reading the definition that Nancy uses.

The first story is about Nancy teaching her rather plain family how to be fancy.  Following ones include dog sitting for a neighbor, meeting a boy from France, and throwing all sorts of parties.  Along with vocabulary, each book has an age appropriate lesson.  Often they're about getting along with other people and not allowing small upsets to ruin the day.  I've read these books with kids aged 3 to 9, they have enjoyable qualities for all children.

Reading Levels

Knowing a child's reading level can be difficult.  Schools use different types of testing and classifications, few of which mean anything to people who don't work in education.  And quite honestly, the specifics of some of these systems are unknown to me too.  What follows is a comparison chart of the different systems used in schools in the US. Please remember that all children learn and develop at different speeds and there is no one right level for children of a specific age to be.  The stages contain a bunch of different levels and scores.  This list only goes up to the 6th grade, when really different reading levels exist beyond. I'll also explain what some of these stages and levels mean and how this translates to the real world.

Emergent Readers need guidance and assistance from adults, either one one one or in small groups.  They spend lots of time sounding words out.  Good books for Emergent Readers have predictable texts with sight words.  This means the sentences should have a formulaic structure, such as See Spot Run, and many of the words should be for physical objects or actions (bowl, dog, mirror, run, jump) or ones they see written in many places (stop, red).

Fluent Readers are able to read paragraphs and so should be reading easy chapter books.  They are developing the ability to read without lots of pauses or stumbling over words they are familiar with when reading out loud.  Fluent Readers are also working on reading to themselves and might start to be able to guess the meaning of new words from their context.  It is important for Early Fluent Readers to continue reading over school vacations so that they don't lose the skills they've gained.  Children at this stage should spend some time reading with an adult and some time reading to themselves.

Self Extending Readers mostly read to themselves.  When they read out loud they are able to do so clearly with a minimum of pauses.  They can learn the meaning of new words from examining their context.  Self Extending Readers can read chapter books that take days or even weeks to complete.  They are learning (or know) how to apply back round knowledge and connect texts with other books they have read.  Self extending readers have the skills to learn and improve their reading abilities on their own. 

What this means in every day life:

The basic reading level needed to function in adult life is generally considered to be 5th Grade.  Medication and assembly directions are often written at this level.  The newspaper USA Today writes at this level.  The adverage person or TV journalist speaks at this level.

The general highest reading level, outside of technical/area of a college degree, is 10th Grade.  High School Standardized Tests assess at this level. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal are written at this level.  Any reading levels higher than this are related to a person's specific knowledge.  For example I have a degree in English/Creative writing and have taken college courses in Education, Womens Studies, and PostColonial Theory.  I read at the college level in these areas.  I know the specific jargon used and have the background information necessary to talk about the difference between "Post Colonial" and "PostColonial".  I do not have much college education in the sciences so if I read an article on medicine, global warming, or astrophysics, I can understand up to the 10th Grade reading level.  After that the information/writing is too specific and technical for me to understand.

Again, I feel it's important to state that these reading levels and stages are just a general guide line.  There are exceptions to all of these.  It's very possible for people to be Fluent or Self Eextending Readers and to not sound that way when reading aloud.  Also big jumps between reading levels are possible, especially for younger people. Because of my ADD and learning disabilities I was well behind most of my age group.  With tutoring from a specialist and reading out loud with my parents I jumped from being an Early Fluent to Self Extending Reader in half a year.  One of my roommates works at a middle school that is trying a new reading comprehension program.  They've just assessed its effectiveness and on average children's reading improved four grade levels in as many months. 

Book Review - Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones

The Chrestomanci is a nine lifed enchanter and the most powerful magic user in all the worlds (of which there are 12 series with most series having nine or more worlds in them).  Chrestomanci's world is 12A, our nonmagical one is 12B.  The Chrestomanci's job is to make sure other magical users aren't taking advantage or causing harm.  The Chrestomanci is also in charge of finding and training the next nine lifed enchanter.  All of this can lead to a great many adventures.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci are six stories which can be found separately or in three volumes.  Christopher Chant, or the Chrestomanci, and Eric "Cat" Chant are the most prominent characters.  Christopher is in every story, while Eric is a narrator in two of the six stories.  All the stories have diverse characters.  Some people are good, some are evil, most are some combination of smart, selfish, trusting, scared, unaware, and brave.  Male and female characters are equally well developed, with Witch Week and the Pinhoe Egg having girl narrators.  The stories share a theme of examining the role family and friendships play in growing up and thinking for ones self.  The content is appropriate for children aged 7 and up, but reading level is more for 4th and 5th graders.  Most of the stories have a more historic setting and might be confusing for children not used to the idea of boarding schools or labor possibly starting at a young age.  However, Diana Wynne Jones is a wonderful writer who creates complex worlds and characters.  Her books are as enjoyable for adults as they are for children.  These are great books for parents to read with their children.   

I recommend reading The Lives of Christopher Chant first as I thought it had the best the introduction to the worlds of Chrestomanci.  Diana Wynne Jones wrote Charmed Life  first and thinks that the best starting place.  For children who are not used to books with historical or fantasy settings Witch Week is set in a more familiar world and might be the best starting point.

Read further for specific book descriptions, but be aware of some unspecific spoilers.

Volume 1 contains Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant.  These stories are the best introduction to the world of Chrestomanci and the main characters of the series.

The Lives of Christopher Chant is the first book in the series chronological order. It best introduces the world of Chrestomanci, especially the idea of multiple worlds and the travel between them.  Christopher Chant is an aristocratic young boy who wants to become a professional cricket player, but his nine lives show he's the next Chrestomanci and his ability to travel to different worlds in his dreams gets the attention of his dangerous uncle. Over the course of the story Christopher goes to boarding school, befriends a Goddess, becomes a key person in a deadly smuggling ring,  fights for his friend's soul, learns about the complexities of family,  helps save the worlds, and accepts his role as the future Chrestomanci.

Charmed Life was written first and is the story of Eric "Cat" Chant, a young boy who's hopeless at magic and is completely controlled by Gwendolyn, his intelligent and ruthless sister.  The Chant children are orphaned at the beginning of the story and go to live with their distant uncle, the grown up Christopher Chant and current Chrestomanci.  The children have a hard time settling in and Gwendolyn causes lots of mischief and takes Cat along for the ride.  When Chrestomanci takes away Gwendolyn's magic she flees to another world and Cat comes into his own.  He realizes his own intelligence and magical powers and learns to stand up for himself and what a family really is.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume Two contains The Magicians of Caprona and Witch Week. Both stories have the standard Chrestomanci characters take a back seat to the protagonists of these two stories.  They also draw upon history with warring Italian city states, Shakesperian levels of rivalry, and a witch hunt and inquisition.

The Magicians of Caprona is told from the point of view of two brothers, Tonino and Paolo Montana, members of a powerful magical family who is constantly fighting with the other magical house of Caprona, Casa Petrocchi.  Unless Tonino and Paolo, with the help of Chrestomanci, can stop the families fighting and find the true words to the The Angel of Caprona, a powerful spell, their city is likely to be attacked and conquered by the other city states of world 12A's Italy. 

Witch Week takes place in England of World 12C, a technologically advanced world where witchcraft is illegal and punishable by death.  Four students at a boarding school for the children of executed witches discover they inherited their parents magical powers.  They summon Chrestomanci to their world and with his help outwit the dangerous Inquisitor and merge their world with the non magical 12B.   

 Volume 3 has the more recently written Conrad's Fate and The Pinhoe Egg.  These two stories were published over 15 years after the other books.

Conrad's Fate is set in a small town of Stallery and its neighboring mansion in the English Alps of Series 7.  It's protagonist is Conrad Tesdinic, a 15 year old with horrible karma, who is told by his uncle that if he doesn't go to Stallery Mansion as a footman and kill whoever is controlling the magic and possibilities then he will die within the year.  At the mansion Conrad meets the disguised Christopher Chant and together they must find and rescue Christopher's friend Millie and stop whoever is pulling the possibilities before Series 7 is destroyed, all while learning how to be proper footmen. 

The Pinhoe Egg is set in the villages and countryside that surround Chrestomanci Castle.  It tells the story of Marianne Pinhoe, the only girl and destined leader of a magical clan that hides their powers from the "Big Man" Chrestomanci.  It's a difficult summer for Marianne; she seems to be the only one who has noticed Grammer's started a magical war with the neighboring Farleigh's.  Also there's no way her family will approve of her friendship with Cat Chant, her giving him a magical egg, or teaching him about a special type of magic called dwimmer.   But that's nothing compared to how the Pinhoe's and Farleigh's react to Cat discovering the Wall, the families' secret trust, and persuading Marianne to help him pull it down.