Houston Blog
My blog from Houston, Texas. Updated most weeks, usually on Sundays.
Hardly a day goes by without a new article being published that claims to have found the secret to successful schooling. More computers, larger classrooms, smaller classes, healthy food, school uniforms, more testing, less testing, more emphasis on ‘The Basics’, boost creativity, emphasize rote memorization, more emphasis on language learning, more emphasis on the creative arts, more emphasis on (insert whatever you what want to see boosted) – all these factors, plus many more, get periodic mentions in the vast array of education articles that attempt to boost the circulation figures of the newspapers.
Most of these articles are written by journalists, some of whom are well-meaning idealists, but many of whom are simply struggling to find a story to meet their deadline on a slow news day. Very few of the articles are based on sound research.
Conducted by three Economics Professors from Harvard and Columbia Universities, the study used public records to follow the progress of students after they had graduated from high school. Although I have only read a review of the research so far (I am still tracking down the original paper), I was fascinated, though not surprised, by their findings.
The research showed that if a Primary School student has an excellent teacher for even just one year, the student’s future income is likely to be boosted by an average of about 2% per year. That may not sound very much, but if a government could boost its GDP by the same amount, it would negate the entire effect of the current financial crisis.
I suppose that none of this should really be a surprise. Most people can recall their best and their worst teachers with no difficulty (which is itself a measure of teachers’ impact on young, formative lives). I remember some years ago when I was Head of an old, very established boys’ school in Adelaide (Australia), I would often find myself chatting at reunions with men in their eighties, nineties, and sometimes even centenarians, who loved to recall vividly the names, nicknames, demeanor and effectiveness of their former teachers. And I find the same thing happens today when I attend gatherings of Awty alumni – the conversation very quickly turns to questions and affectionate anecdotes about former teachers.
Although our students are now on summer holidays, Awty continues to be a very active place for the faculty and staff. Teachers were very busy this week in meetings and, for many, packing up belongings for the move into the new classroom and administration building (to be known as The Levant Foundation Building) in a few weeks time. Our grounds staff had an especially busy time putting finishing touches on The Levant Foundation Building and with construction accelerating of the new multi-storey parking garage.
I hope you find the photos below showing the building progress as exciting as I do. The first six photos show the new administration and classroom facilities that will be known as The Levant Foundation Building, while the final six photos show this week’s construction of the new parking garage.
When we return in August we will find a transformed campus.
No surprise - teachers are very important
Sunday, 10 June 2012
I have resolved to try and explore at least one new place every week during June and July. Last Sunday afternoon, I managed to find time to drive to the northern outskirts of Houston and visit the village of Spring, or as it is sometimes known, Old Town Spring. Although the drive was short, Spring’s main street was a world away from the bustling city of Houston.