OUT-OF-SCHOOL FACTORS THAT
AFFECT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

A 2009 report by David C. Berliner, Regents’ Professor of Arizona State University addresses six out-of-school factors that impact school success: (1) low birth-weight and non-genetic prenatal influences on children; (2) inadequate medical, dental, and vision care, often a result of inadequate or no medical insurance; (3) food insecurity; (4) environmental pollutants; (5) family relations and family stress; and (6) neighborhood characteristics.

Based on these six factors, it was recommended that efforts be made to:

• Reduce the rate of low birth weight children among African Americans,
• Reduce drug and alcohol abuse,
• Reduce pollutants in our cites and move people away from toxic sites,
• Provide universal and free medical care for all citizens,
• Insure that no one suffers from food insecurity,
• Reduce the rates of family violence in low-income households,
• Improve mental health services among the poor,
• More equitably distribute low-income housing throughout communities,
• Reduce both the mobility and absenteeism rates of children,
• Provide high-quality preschools for all children, and
• Provide summer programs for the poor to reduce summer losses in their academic achievement.

Sadly it appears efforts to address these issues have been placed almost solely at the doors of local schools with no clear thought of how addressing these factors would affect classroom instruction.  Now it’s true the definition of a school is: an institution for teaching children, but I do not believe that definition is an open invitation for society to broaden that definition to include teaching the behavior and conduct a children should be taught in the home, at church or in the community.  Schools are here to reinforce that, but should not be required to teach it.  

This study showed that students spend 1,150 hours annually in schools vs 4, 700 annual hours spent out-of-school.   Thus it is inconceivable for educrats to think that educators can offset the affects of what a child is exposed to in their home, community or church within the normal school day and still impart to them the information and skills required so they can thrive academically. 

Consequently, teachers are not allowed to teach, but instead regurgitate unrelated concepts that will appear on a state assessment; principals are so overwhelmed with paperwork there is little to no time to perform as the instructional leader of the schools; superintendents spend much of their time justifying what is needed to run a sound school system against the pet projects of board members and politicians and central office has become a political black hole.  Moreover, schools have been forced to address these out-of-school issues with a one-size-fits-all framework that neither accommodates the different talents and interests of our students, nor help them cope with their out-of-school issues.

Educrats, are so focused on outcomes that they have failed to consider that OUTCOMES ARE THE RESULT OF INPUT and a schools’ input is not the sole input that impacts a student’s academic performance.  Yet, educators, our dedicated professionals who invest their personal time and money beyond school budgets to serve our children have been labeled the main destructors of our educational system, when in fact the majority of them like parents and students are the victims.

There is no “I” in team and therefore schools alone cannot bear the failure of our schools and ultimately our children.  It’s time for put away the politics as usual of blaming the most vulnerable to hide failures of others and for all team members (elected official, school officials, teachers/administrators and community) to come together as one collective body and engage in honest dialogue around these six issues.  Each team member must then assume their respective responsibilities and carry out their respective duties with integrity.  With the right INPUTS from all team players our schools can be transformed to high performing schools achieving positive ACADEMIC OUTCOMES.

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Please join us as we work to reverse the trend of declining communities by strengthening the role of parents in their child's education.  Please visit nehemiahsvision.org for more information.

WHY ARE WE NEGLECTING THE CHILDREN?

I used to love watching a segment of a former talk show host called Things That Make You Go Hmmm.  The points introduced in that segment were not only mind-boggling, but quite funny.  As I look at the many things that are having a negative impact on our youth, I still find myself saying Hmmm, but I can’t find anything funny.  Here is my list of Things That Make You Go Hmmm.

1.   Building capacity limitations can be established and enforced for commercial and government buildings, but not for public schools?  You can always find a room capacity notice nicely framed and placed conspicuously in a building, conference room or banquet hall letting you know this limit is being enforced for fire safety reasons.  Does this mean that a building of students at 130% capacity is safer then a building of adults at 101%?  Hmmm

2.   When I was an instructor at a technical school we had to adhere to an instructor/student ratio of 12/1.  If a thirteenth student was enrolled in my class, the school was required to give me an assistant.  If the governing powers of adult learning institutions can establish an instructor/student ratio that is strictly enforced to ensure the quality of instruction, why can’t our school boards, and local and state legislators come together to do the same for our public schools.  Hmmm.  

3.   Local governments can negotiate commercial construction to include roads and specific structures to attract certain retailers, but can’t negotiate residential construction to include schools and community centers that are paramount to a child’s educational growth.  Hmmm.

4.   Medical reports indicate that childhood obesity is increasing, while physical education programs in schools are continually being cut.  Hmmm.

5.   Driver’s education has been taken out of most schools yet we ponder why so many teenagers are involved in serious car accidents.  Hmmm.

6.   The state of Maryland considers a child emancipated at the the age of 18 and therefore child support payments stop.  The federal government considers this same child dependent when applying for financial aid for college unless they are 24 years of age or older, has a dependent, is married, in the military, is enrolled as a graduate student or are orphaned or a ward of the state, which generally means the custodial parent pays for the child's college tuition.  The federal changes have been in effect for over twenty years so it’s baffling why state legislators have not amended child support laws to allow the custodial parent to request a waiver for child support to continue during the child’s years in college.  Hmmm.

7.   Adults that struggle with reading are offered reading classes.  Students that struggle with reading are placed in special education.  Hmmm.

8.   A creditor’s bill two months delinquent remains delinquent until paid in full with late fees or interest accruing.   

When a non-custodial parent refuses to pay their court-ordered child support for months or years no interest or late fee are assessed to their outstanding debt.  Even sadder is some custodial parents do not receive their child support payments until the non-custodial parent retires.  Imagine our tax dollars being spent to collect child support for children now 30 year old or over.  Hmmm.

9.   Teachers are required to teach according to a script that sets the unrealistic expectation that all children can learn the same information, on the same day, at the same hour, within the same minutes, in the same way.  Hmmm.

10.  Students are given 180 days to master learning goals outlined by the state, but tested approximately 100 days into the school year to demonstrate they have mastered those goals.  Hmmm.

11.  If America has not properly educated children for the past 40 years than how can we trust the research of the experts that were educated under the same flawed system?  Hmmm.

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Issues affecting the education of our children doesn’t always start and stop at their school or home.  All stakeholders must come together and demand that our children receive quality services from all levels of government.  Join us in our effort to rebuild public schools.  Visit nehemiahsvision.org.



Finally

For years I put off starting a blog.  I kept saying I would get around to it.  Now I finally see I can wait no longer.  Public education is on life support and if we don't take steps to saving public education we will soon find ourselves waiting in lottery lines just our children having the opportunity to go to school.  That is, of course, you do not have the inside "hook up" or the money to pay for a quality education. 

Please join this cause to empower parents to have control over the academic outcomes of their children.