Empowering Middle School Students with Learning Difficulties :Empowering Middle School Students with Learning Difficulties A proposal to be presented to the administration of The Essence School, I.S. 311 in East New York, Brooklyn Presented by Kate Douglas EDUC 803 Summer 2008


Table of Contents :Table of Contents Introduction Rationale The vision Program components Existing curriculum Sources consulted Click on the gray box in the bottom right corner of the slide to navigate back to the Table of Contents.


Introduction :Introduction I teach seventh-grade English at I.S. 311, also known as the Essence School, in East New York, Brooklyn. My students are nearly all Black and Hispanic, and most qualify for free lunch. My school is decent by New York City public school standards, but in reality, many of the students are not receiving the education– or the care– they deserve.


Introduction :Introduction Like many poor minority students, especially those who go to school in urban areas, many of my students are lagging behind in their reading, writing, and math skills, and some are barely able to read at all. In addition, I’ve noticed that most of my students struggle with organization, attentional control, and study skills. As middle school teachers we expect that someone else has taught our students these critical skills, and we don’t see it as our job, so the students fall even farther behind. Reading the work of Mel Levine really changed my perspective, though. What if I used his phenomenological approach with all of my students? And what if I gave my students the tools to advocate for themselves and understand what they needed as learners? What would that look like, and how might things changes in my classroom as a result?


Rationale :Rationale Why should my students learn about themselves as learners? Middle school is a time when students need to learn to advocate for themselves at all levels. This will help them make a successful transition to high school, when they will have many teachers who don’t know them well, and the students will have to be more independent in their study skills and learning techniques. Many schools (including mine) don’t have the resources to devote to special needs students in particular. These students, especially the ones with IEPs, should know what accomodations work best for them so they can be successful even without the teacher involvement that students at more well-resourced schools receive.


Rationale :Rationale Why is this particularly important for lower income students of color? African-American students are over-represented in all categories of special education, but particularly in the categories of MR, ED, and multiple disabilities (Skiba 2005). This leads one to conclude that, once identified as learning disabled, African-American children are more likely than white students to be placed in a category that puts them in a more restrictive, non-mainstream classroom environment. In fact, African-American students identified as learning disabled (LD) are 3x as likely as other LD students to be placed in a separate classroom setting (Skiba 2005, p.420). The comorbidity of learning disability (LD) with emotional disturbance (ED) in students of color leads to the practice of placing students in a more restrictive environment with a false disability label (Harry and Klinger 2006, p.135). The bottom line… because of their race and SES, my students are more likely than their white peers to be tracked into an unequal system of special education in the NYC public schools.


The Vision :The Vision For a variety of reasons (lack of resources for special needs students, systemic over-representation of minority students in special ed, achievement gap between poor children of color and their white peers), the Essence School would benefit from creating a program where all students could learn about their own learning strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies to address them. This program would be implemented school-wide and could be incorporated into the existing 37.5 minutes of advisory/small group time held 4x/week.


Program Components :Program Components Teacher-guided assessment of individual learners, such as: Learning style inventory (including multiple intelligences) Memory tasks Attentional control Organizational skills Language processing Mathematical skills and strategies


Program Components :Program Components Demystification of learning differences. According to Levine (1994), this is “a process which provides children with more accurate personal insight” and understanding of their unique learning profile (p.256). It also includes: Introducing the “all kinds of minds” mentality Discussing the learner’s strengths in a specific, concrete way Enumerating the learner’s weaknesses and areas of improvement, focusing on no more than 3 at a time Leaving the learner feeling optimistic about the future Forming alliances with adults who can help the child to reach their goals


Program Components :Program Components Developing strategies the student can use to become a stronger learner. These strategies can be collected and recorded in a Learner’s Portfolio (Krebs 2002), which would complement the student’s existing portfolios in the academic subject areas. Students could keep track of: What they know about themselves as learners “What Works for Me” in the classroom Questions they have as they continue to understand their own learning Strategies might be organized around: Homework time In-class learning Studying for exams Staying organized Focus and attention


Existing Curriculum :Existing Curriculum Luckily, the Essence School doesn’t have to create this program from scratch! Several curriculum guides exist for just this sort of program. Teacher leaders could borrow from these established programs and their related professional development opportunities to create a unique model that works for Essence. Available resources include: • Mel Levine’s Schools Attuned program and related publications (Keeping a Head in School, etc.) • Typing software and other technology curriculum • Websites such as sparktop.com, which are interactive and designed for kids to use • Many different advisory program guides, such as The Advisory Guide published by Educators for Social Responsibility


Sources Consulted :Sources Consulted Brinckerhoff, L. C. (1994). Developing effective self-advocacy skills in college-bound students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 29, 229-237. Harry, B. and J. Klinger (2006) Why are so many minority students in special education? New York: Teachers College Press. Krebs, C. S. (2002). Self-Advocacy Skills: A Portfolio Approach. RE:View. 33(4), 160-63. Levine, Mel (1994) Educational Care: A system for understanding and helping children with learning problems at home and in school. Cambridge: Educator’s Publishing Service, Inc. Poliner, R.A. and C.M. Lieber (2004) The Advisory Guide: Designing and Implementing Effective Advisory Programs in Secondary Schools. Cambridge: Educators for Social Responsibility. Skiba, R.J. et al. (2005) Unproven links: Can poverty explain ethnic disproportionality in special education? The Journal of Special Education 39(30), 130-144. Weimer, B. B. (1994). Self-Advocacy: A Working Proposal for Adolescents with Special Needs. Intervention in School and Clinic. 30(1), 47-52.