Musical Elective of the Week

The Musical Elective of the Week is: Tracy Grammer.

Liam is away and so now Sara will play...the music of a beautiful singer-songwriter struggling to overcome the death of her musical and life partner.

It was Tracy and Dave, once upon a time. Dave Carter, that is. They were a pair-- they worked together in a "marriage in music" and made the most gorgeous albums. Then one day after a run, young Dave Carter suffered a heart attack and left Tracy all alone.

The outpouring in the music community was amazing.

Well somehow life went on, and Tracy continues to sing. I recommend all of her work and especially what she recorded with Dave. Once in awhile Tracy makes it to Madison. There was a time I even harbored hopes she'd sing at my wedding. (Didn't happen..too much money). I think she'll be here again next year.

A beginner should start with Tanglewood Tree. No doubt, you'll get hooked.

love is a garden of thorns, and a crow in the corn
and the brake growing wild
cold when the summer is spent in the jade heart's lament
for the faith of a child
my body has a number and my face has a name
and each day looks the same to me
but love is a voice on the wind, and the wages of sin
and a tanglewood tree

A Topic Deserving of a Thesis

Attention graduate students: good thesis topic here. Take note!

Inside Higher Ed reports a growing interest among colleges, particularly those in the South, at recruiting Jewish students. Wow, has the world changed. (For more on that, see Karabel's The Chosen.)

Why is this happening? Here's what the colleges say: "...We’re seeing a lot of other schools recognize the value and recognize the contribution that these students are making to a college campus..."

But of course, we must ask, what does "contribution" mean? Thankfully, the reporter does raise this issue--might colleges, faced with declining enrollments and revenues, be acting strategically to target a population with high rates of college-going, and relatively higher incomes?

It would be great to know more. Specifically: How widespread is this trend? What are the discussions like inside administrative offices? Which schools are successful at upping Jewish enrollment? What are the effects? How do the Jewish students feel on these campuses? That and so much more.

So, student-- go for it! And report back on your findings, please.

What Keeps Me Going

I'm in my 5th year as an assistant professor, and I'm just starting to figure it out. Tonight I received an email that helped clarify things quite a bit...

It comes from a student who took the very first sociology of education class I ever taught. I don't want to identify him so suffice it to say that he's a first-gen college student, an underrepresented minority, who had never traveled outside of Wisconsin when we met. Upon graduation he planned on a career in law, but was accepted by Teach for America and sent to New York City. (Again, he had NEVER been outside of WI....)

I've long wondered what happened to him. Here goes:

"Professor Rab:

Hey I am so sorry and this email is long overdue. I just wanted to give you a quick update on how things are going with me. This past year I completed my 2 years with Teach For America and received my masters in elementary education from Pace University. This past summer I worked for Teach For America as a corps member adviser training the new teachers and it was an awesome experience.

I have decided to remain in the classroom teaching 4th grade at PS XXX in the Bronx. I would like to pursue administration in the future. I have been placed in a lot of leadership positions at school as only a 3rd year teacher: data specialist, data inquiry team chair, school leadership team co-chair, grade team leader, etc. My plate is really full this year but well worth it. I am in the process of applying for grad school's again for a masters in supervision and administration. Following those 2 years I would like to get my PHD in Supervision and administration as well.

I have to say that meeting you and being in your sociology of education class really did inspire me from you being so young and talented at the time and me even being interested in education. Thank you! I hope all is well with your family and work."

And that's it-- I'm staying where I am. Right here. Where clearly, despite my best efforts, I matter.

Research To Keep An Eye On...

At a retreat of the National Academy of Education last week, I heard a presentation by Greg Walton (Stanford University) that took me by surprise. This guy conducted a series of experiments that showed that simply telling black students they "belong" in college and have struggles which are common and surmountable can have a direct positive impact, increasing their college achievement. Walton's are small but randomized controlled interventions in a lab setting, which makes for great confidence in the effects he estimates. At least for this population, which I'd characterize as black college students willing to participate in an experiment (a group arguably different from the general population, and also different from the population of white students willing to participate), a brief psychological encounter in a lab seems to make a big difference. I'd need to know more before I bought stock in this one, but in the meantime, Walton's research is something I'll be keeping an eye on....

Palin's College Choices

Here's a quick post that follows up on Sara's recent post ("Palin Is A Swirling Student!") about Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin's college education.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times ran a story ("Sarah Palin's college years left no lasting impression") that suggests that few professors and classmates can recall Palin from her college years. Even more interesting is the insight it provides into how Palin selected some of the colleges she attended. My guess is that Palin's is not an atypical approach. One of the reasons given in the article is that her family couldn't afford -- especially from Alaska -- to make the campus visits that often are a normal luxury available to students from wealthier families.

Palin's parents -- a high school science teacher and school secretary -- could not afford the college tours so common today. Their four children were expected to, and did, work their way through college.

"We didn't have the luxury of spending a week driving around visiting universities to see what they're like," said Kim "Tilly" Ketchum, a high school friend. "We were looking at pictures of campuses."

Palin and Ketchum picked the University of Hawaii at Hilo from a brochure.

Only after arriving in Hawaii did they realize that Hilo had rainfall approaching 100 inches a year. "The rain," Ketchum said, "was disturbing."

They attended orientation but never even enrolled.

The Wasilla girls soon moved to sunny Honolulu and enrolled in Hawaii Pacific University, a small private liberal arts school. They lived in an apartment in the Waikiki Banyan and took a bus to school.

Palin, a school spokeswoman said, attended full time as a business student.

The girls studied on the beach, tried surfing and pulled straight A's, Ketchum said. "We took the basic classes -- chemistry and biology, this and that."

But there was a problem. "When you're used to having some cooler weather, you get tired of the heat," Ketchum said. "We went one semester there before we realized we needed to go someplace else."

They transferred to tiny North Idaho College, on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene. Palin's older brother, Chuck Jr., had gone there before transferring to their father's alma mater, the University of Idaho in Moscow.

At North Idaho, Palin and Ketchum found what they had missed in Honolulu. They lived on campus before moving to separate apartments their second semester. "It was all very quaint," Ketchum said. "You kind of felt safe."

Election Day and Schools

A number of communities are canceling classes on Election Day due to a fear about possible threats to school security and student safety, reports the New York Times ("Safety Concerns Eclipse Civic Lessons as Schools Cancel Classes on Election Day").

The headline and the article suggests that canceling classes negates the possibility of using the voting process -- which often takes place in school gymnasiums and cafeterias -- as a real life civics lesson. In the current context, that's probably true, as these schools are trying to balance safety, security and voting all on their own without the support of policymakers.

I strongly favor making Election Day a national holiday. U.S. Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-Michigan) sponsored a bill (H.R. 63) in 2005 that would have accomplished exactly that. Since presidential elections only come around every four years, states should seek to codify election days as state holidays as well. In fact, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and West Virginia have already done so.

Making Election Day a national holiday would elevate the democratic process as something sacred, a protected day when real life can at least slow down and working families can easily find the time to cast their ballots and have their children accompany them if they so choose. The movement toward more early voting is certainly terrific, but there is something special about walking into a polling place on the actual election day and exercising your democratic right.

Here's an alternative initiative focused, in part, on the issue of why we vote on Tuesdays. (In short, because the Constitution says so, based on the needs of the 18th Century agrarian economy.) Why Tuesday? is supported by the likes of Bill Bradley, Jack Kemp, Norman Ornstein, Joe Trippi and Andrew Young. Cool.

Musical Elective Of The Week

The Musical Elective of the Week is Matt Nathanson.

Matt is a San Francisco-based singer/songwriter currently on a U.S. tour. (For local readers, he plays the Majestic Theatre in Madison on November 19th.) But he's originally from the Boston area -- as so many good people are. His sixth studio album, Some Mad Hope, was released in August 2007, featuring the single "Come On Get Higher."

Although I'm a very recent convert to Nathanson's music, I'd suggest that good entryways to his music would be his latest album or his first major-label release, 2003's Beneath These Fireworks that included the brilliant single "Little Victories" (used in Season 7 of NBC's Scrubs).

I'd put Matt's music and sound in the company of Howie Day, David Gray, Griffin House, and Amos Lee. He'd be a great addition to your Ipod filled with smart songwriters and deft folk/pop delivery.

Nathanson's web site is www.mattnathanson.com.

And I'll be awful sometimes
Weakened to my knees
And I'll learn to get by
On the little victories

--"Little Victories," Beneath These Fireworks (2003)

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Extra Credit--Past Musical Electives of the Week:

Hothouse Flowers
The Decemberists
Ron Sexsmith
Kasey Chambers
Lucinda Williams
Great Big Sea
Griffin House
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Neil Finn
Ray LaMontagne
Stuart Stotts
Dan Wilson
Kathleen Edwards

Debate Redux: DC Vouchers

Republican presidential candidate John McCain made a point to declare school vouchers an education policy grounded in research at Wednesday's debate. "And I've got to tell you that vouchers, where they are requested and where they are agreed to, are a good and workable system," said McCain. "And it's been proven." Not so fast, Senator!

Today's Washington Post offers a fact check on the federal "Opportunity Scholarship Program" which, of course, was imposed upon Washington, DC by the Republican-controlled Congress and President Dubya.

A U.S. Department of Education study released in June showed that students in the program generally scored no higher on reading and math tests after two years than public school peers. The findings are consistent with previous studies of the voucher program.

Leslie Nabors Olah, senior researcher for the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, a coalition of five prominent universities, said that the D.C. voucher program hasn't shown immediate benefits and that more research needs to be done.

"We have no evidence that vouchers work," Nabors Olah said.

Education Rears Its Head

Education made a surprise appearance in tonight's presidential debate starring Barack Obama and Bill Ayers John McCain. That was thanks to the final question from moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News. Thanks, Bob.

Obama noted that public education needs more money and reform. He prioritized early childhood education, teacher quality, and college affordability in his comments. In an earlier answer, he also cited his support of charter schools and teacher performance pay as examples of bucking his party. McCain spoke again primarily about choice and competition in education, even suggesting that a research consensus had been achieved regarding the effectiveness and impact of school vouchers. He also specifically touted the DC voucher program. Interesting. I wonder if he would support allowing DC public schools students to choose to attend schools in Montgomery County, Maryland or Arlington County, Virginia and provide funding to pay for their transportation (even on Metro)? That would be a real choice.

The full debate transcript can be found here.

That's Right, You're Not From Texas

A recent spate of press releases (see here and here) from the U.S. Department of Education announcing the departure of seemingly every single political appointee at the 11th hour of the Bush Administration suggests that being from Texas was and is a hiring requirement. True?

If Lyle is in need of a gig in between gigs, he may be in luck.

Washington Post Chastizes DC Teachers Union

Today the Washington Post editorial board weighs in on the on-going saga between DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and the DC Teachers Union.

WITH CONTRACT talks apparently going nowhere, D.C. teachers ought to be asking whose interests their union leaders are tending to at the bargaining table. They certainly aren't defending those of the system's many dedicated and qualified teachers, who apparently won't even get the chance to consider a bold pay plan that would net many of them six-figure salaries.

The two-tier salary system proposed by Ms. Rhee would require teachers seeking the top pay levels to go on probation for a year; apparently union leaders found that unpalatable. Yet Ms. Rhee was offering teachers a choice: No one would be forced to give up tenure, and those opting for the lower pay level would still get -- another fact overlooked -- a 28 percent salary boost over five years, plus $10,000 in bonuses.

Amen. I'm no union basher, far from it, but it is clear that the interests of all the teachers -- sometimes the most talented, often the younger generation -- is often not represented by older generation, often status quo-oriented union leadership. Such appears to be the case in the Nation's Capital.

The traditional steps-and-ladders compensation system for teachers needs to change in order to recruit a broader set of candidates to teaching -- individuals who are not necessarily in it for their lifetimes and who want to receive compensation based at least in part of their demonstrated impact on students and on their school communities -- and to retain individual educators who are making a real difference for kids.

It is also important that we don't lose sight of the fact that such new compensation systems should be developed in partnership with teachers and the associations that represent them. Now, if those groups are unwilling to come to the table or to bargain in good faith, then that presents a problem, because I believe that there is a growing consensus that teacher pay needs to change. But that isn't necessarily the norm.

Models such as Denver's ProComp are beacons in this on-going dialogue that follow the principle of engaging teachers and jointly developing a new system. The Joyce Foundation (which also funds my employer) is also funding some thoughtful work to recommend new ways of paying educators. Both initiatives are worth a look.

Rhee Cracks The Whip

I have little time for analysis this morning, but today's story in the Washington Post makes clear that DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has grown exasperated with the 11-month-long contract negotiations with the DC teachers' union. It appears that she is moving forward to impose some unilateral reforms.

Rhee made good yesterday on repeated threats to bypass labor contract negotiations by imposing her own program to fire ineffective teachers, including a measure that gives poorly performing instructors 90 days to improve or face dismissal.

The blueprint includes a new teacher evaluation system based primarily on student test scores and other achievement benchmarks. She has also decided to employ rules that are on the books but seldom used, including one that allows her to deemphasize the importance of seniority in deciding which teachers would lose jobs in the event of declining enrollment or school closures. Seniority would become one of multiple factors taken into account.

"Merit"-ocracy

The NY Times has an interesting editorial today arguing for a "broader definition of merit" in college admissions practices, taking up the now popular call to disregard (or at least supplement) SAT/ACT test scores. These tests were long only administered to a fairly elite group of high school students who knew enough to take them and could afford to do so, and now--while they're taken by a much broader base of students-- their scores are muddled by disparities in test preparation. In other words, rather than measuring simply what a student knows in terms of book knowledge, they also measure that student (and his family's) social and financial capital.

On that, I agree with the Times and all who make a similar argument.

Where we part ways is with regard to alternatives. The typical suggestion is for admissions to rely more heavily on high school coursework and grades. Coursework, at least, is a pretty strong predictor of college attainment. But if the goal is a "meritocracy" does this really get us closer? Shouldn't we take a step back and first figure out what we mean by encouraging "meritocratic" admissions to college?

A postsecondary education is hardly optional anymore. At least some form (be it technical training, an associates, or a BA) is needed to get a decent job, and perhaps even more importantly to feel like a valued member of society. Under such circumstances who doesn't merit admission to college?

One's high school grades and coursetaking certainly are partially reflective of effort and talent, but they are also substantially reflective of sheer luck. Does your high school or even your district offer an IB program? Do you go to school with a lot of other kids with high grades, or are your peers generally getting C's as well? How does your principal think about student achievement--are teachers who give all A's questioned? What about those who are "hard" graders?

My list could go on and on but my point is that social situations structure opportunity for coursework and good-grade-getting. These things are no less signals of social and financial capital as SAT/ACT scores are. We have to be honest about that.

If a college must narrow its pool of eligible students, and we acknowledge that there are few if any really "fair" ways to do so, then how about simply taking that eligible pool and selecting among them using a lottery? Let luck lead the way. Then you don't have to explain why student A is more "meritorious" than student B-- she's not. It was just dumb luck.

As an aside-- if colleges decided to do this, we'd be one step closer to being able to measure the actual value-added individual institutions provide. What an amazing contribution to society, and surefire way to encourage higher education to aim higher at serving students well. If your college would like to try this, feel free to send me an email.

(What) Does Palin Read?

What a bizarre exchange between Katie Couric of CBS News and veep wannabe Sarah Palin! I can only imagine the material that SNL will have to leave on the cutting-room floor this week. And this stuff writes itself.

Palin's answer to Couric's question about what publications she has read to stay informed about the news consists of her repeatedly saying "most of them ... all of them ... any of them that have been in front of me all these years." She doesn't specify a single publication, ending with: "I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news." Here's the full transcript, and here's the video.

Was Palin simply afraid to admit that Dog & Sled Magazine Russian Life Magazine USA Today is her only source of news? Or was she legitimately unable to recall the name of a single newspaper or news magazine that she may have read in the last 40 years? Yikes! I'm struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation that doesn't imply that Palin just isn't all that bright, curious or knowledgeable, let alone qualified to be vice president.

But, wait, there's more. Jonathan Martin of Politico reports that, in the same interview, she couldn't come up with a single Supreme Court case other than Roe v Wade.

On one hand, it's fun to find humor in all of this. But when I take a step back, this all makes me sad, frightened and even angry that someone so unqualified could potentially take the reins of our nation. I hold John McCain responsible for the fact that this even is a possibility. What does this say about his judgment? (Here's what the New York Times said on this issue.)

Last night on CNN, Bay Buchanan said that policy knowledge and intellect is not required of a presidential or vice-presidential candidate. All a candidate needs is a good story, she said. While technically true, what does this say about the average American voter if this really is the case? One could argue that George W. Bush gave rise to an era of anti-intellectualism -- and sociologist Todd Gitlin argued exactly that eight years ago in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Certainly, the McCain-Palin spin machine and its minions will continue to tap into this strain of anti-intellectualism to convince voters that Palin is "one of us" and distract from her lack of preparedness. The fact she's the veep candidate and not at the top of the ticket -- and the fact that the last eight years have resulted in the dismantling of the American economy and America's isolation in the world community -- hopefully should help voters avoid such distractions.

Palin is a Swirling Student!

What a day! Today, the day before the VP Candidate faceoff (I can hardly wait!), the AP busts out with a fabulous story that Sarah Palin switched colleges 6 times in 6 years!

This makes Palin what I referred to in my U. Penn. doctoral dissertation as a "swirling student." Changing colleges is relatively common among today's college students, but as my research shows, it's especially common for students with poor college grades. Palin started at U. Hawaii-Hilo, a four-year school. She moved to Hawaii Pacific (another 4-year) then to North Idaho College (2 year), then to U. Idaho (4 year), then to Matanuska-Susitna College (4- year), and then back to U. Idaho.

What to make of this? Well, as the AP story indicates, her reasons are very unclear. Normally, I would caution anyone against assuming these are indicative of poor decisions (but I won't do that, since this woman is clearly not a maker of good decisions!). But one thing is very, very clear -- it is INCREDIBLY hard to get a coherent, rich college education when you're constantly changing schools. Congrats to Palin for eventually attaining a degree, but it's far from certain that she learned anything from the college experience.

"Aha", you say-- well, that explains her incredible lack of intellect or awareness of the world around her, interest in reading newspapers and so on. Maybe those things are associated with a college education, not a college degree.

Musical Elective Of The Week

The Musical Elective Of The Week is Hothouse Flowers.

Hothouse Flowers, formed in 1985, is an Irish band fronted by 43-year-old Liam Ó Maonlaí along with co-founding member and guitarist/vocalist Fiachna Ó Braonáin, bassist Peter O'Toole, and drummer Dave Clarke.

Hothouse Flowers is a rock band built upon a foundation of traditional Irish music with influences from soul and gospel. Among its fans are U2's Bono who calls Liam "the best white soul singer in the world."

In its 20-plus years, Hothouse Flowers has toured extensively but produced only five original albums as well as a live album and a couple of best of compilations. The first album, People, came out in 1988 and scored the hit single "Don't Go." It was followed by Home in 1990 which included the modern rock hit "Give It Up" and a cover of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now." 1993's Songs From The Rain was perhaps the group's most critically acclaimed album -- and my personal favorite -- but it only achieved significant chart success in their native Ireland and in Australia. It includes the single "Thing Of Beauty" as well as the tracks "An Emotional Time" and "Isn't It Amazing."More recent albums are 1998's Born and 2004's Into Your Heart.

Apart from the Flowers, Liam has ventured out as a solo artist in recent years (including Rian, a 2005 album of traditional Irish music), has been involved in other musical partnerships (such as ALT with Andy White and Tim Finn and his more recent Mali Project), and is active in social causes (such as Nuclear-Free Future).

Here is the official Hothouse Flowers web site for more information.

Stand by the river on a moonlight evening
Lovers are loving and grievers are grieving
And the water does a dance upon the stones
I sit and listen, I will not ignore
A thing of beauty is not to be ignored

--'Thing Of Beauty," Songs From The Rain (1993)

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Extra Credit--Past Musical Electives of the Week:

The Decemberists
Ron Sexsmith
Kasey Chambers
Lucinda Williams
Great Big Sea
Griffin House
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Neil Finn
Ray LaMontagne
Stuart Stotts
Dan Wilson
Kathleen Edwards