ETAA is deliberately patterned after the ASI Model for Program Improvement. This design comes from Dr. Retana’s book, How to Raise Latino Student Achievement in Schools. The triad of ATTITUDE, STRUCTURE, and IMPLEMENTATION form the construct of best practices.
If you have any questions or comments about the ASI Model, please contact Dr. Nicolas Retana at the following email address etaacharter2@yahoo.com or use the form provided at the end of this blog.
TEACH H.A.R.D (November 9, 2009)
What should we expect from teachers? One of the myths of this profession is that every teacher in the classroom is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that each of their students maximizes his or her potential. This is a tough statement, but a true one.
In order to sort through the mess of teacher expectations, behavior, experience, joy, sorrow, etc., it’s important to keep the message simple, clearly defined, and then expect the teachers to do the job. I have come with a concept appropriately called, “Teach HARD!” What I mean by this acronym is that I want my teachers to be:
HONORABLE: treat all children as if they are gifted, be polite and professional, give lots of earned positive reinforcement, understand that the human condition can and will prevail, have high expectations, but not absurd ones, follow the rules, know and love the job.
ALTRUISTIC: enter each day with a passion for reaching excellence, think life-changer, know that you do make a difference, care about humanity, respect your colleagues, but care about kids more.
REFLECTIVE: question your decisions, strive to improve, how has your mindset affected your job, did you laugh today, how is your attitude affecting your day, am I communicating well, etc.
DELIBERATE: actions should have a reason, are you working effectively, are you prepared to teach the lesson, is your classroom organized, are you fulfilling the purpose.
Take a quiz. Why was your favorite teacher, your favorite? Because they taught H.A.R.D.!
STIMULUS FUNDS (May 7, 2009)
Now that we are all hovering like vultures in anticipation of the stimulus funds, certain questions need to be asked:
-How stimulating will these funds be?
-Are we stimulated just once a year?
-Are we all being stimulated equally?
I ask these questions tongue-in-cheek; however, history has shown that equitable distribution of federal dollars is an oxymoron. There is never anything equitable about it. Why? Because, as already reported, it would have taken too much time to determine an equitable way of distributing the funds to so many districts, plus the money needed to leave Washington D.C. fast, in case it somehow got lost bailing out another for “profit” company.
So now school districts that already are in excellent financial shape will be further rewarded by more dollars whose intent was different. I wonder if they will give the money back. They could go “Robin-Hood” on us and be altruistic…nah it won’t happen. Back to reality.
The sad truth is that many school districts have limited resources due to location, location, location. Let’s call it single parent birthright geography vs. Rancho Santa Fe gated community indulgence.
OK, so now that we know that the money is on its way, what will it really do? Will it inspire mediocre teachers to suddenly become like Sidney Poitier’s character in To Sir, With Love? Will it create more time for the over-worked and stressed out principal to monitor instruction? Will it fix the leaky roof or put more computers in the classroom?
Being the cynic that I am in respect to federal dollars and how the money can be spent by schools, I predict that it will get absorbed in the awfulness of an already ineffective cast of suspicious expenditures. By the end of the fiscal year, large districts will be unable to determine its effectiveness. They will appoint a task force tentatively entitled, “The Stimulators,” to prepare a mundane report, which will begin with ten pages of accolades for the superintendent and school board. And then after that exercise, a few paragraphs of accountant-speak, full of graphs, pie charts, and new math statistics will surprisingly state that the ELL population has benefitted mightily because now English is being taught in their fourth year of school attendance rather than the sixth. See, progress was made by the federal dollars.
Oh well…at least I can sleep well knowing that my tax dollars are at work.
WHAT I WANT ETAA STUDENTS TO KNOW (April 3, 2009)
As we work toward completion of our fourth year, we now have students who are completely acclimated to what we want them to know, how to behave, and a deep understanding of the key elements in executing the Six Principles of Success. Recently, a woman from another school district asked me what I felt were the most important attributes for a Latino child to have as they go through school. It was a good question and one that I have given a lot of thought. Here goes:
SIX IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS
• Assertive Behavior: The stereotype of the docile Mexican (Yes, this was
actually stated in my own schoolboy history books) is a myth that needs to
be shattered once and for all. To ensure that kids are assertive is to take
them through a series of steps, methodically given, so that they can
experience why and how they need to “speak up,” “demand,” “debate,”
and WIN!
• Scholarly Behavior: It’s important for students to learn the principles of
how to be a scholar. We teach our students how to study, why it’s
important, critical thinking skills, and to question everything. Research is a
practice that our students are learning so that their opinions can be formed
through reviewing literature, experimentation, and qualitative study.
• Public Speaking: We expect our students to have a weekly opportunity to
speak publicly. This skill is critical for success. We do not allow students to
be shy, timid, or without confidence, so we prepare them to have the
confidence to be assertive in a public forum. The more times that our
students engage in public speaking, the better they are able to formulate
their thoughts and be quick-witted.
• Access: We teach our students to understand the concepts of birthright,
privilege, access and how some people have exclusive doors opened, while
others do not. The mission is to teach our students how to get through the
closed doors. First and foremost is the ability to recognize that these doors,
while historically closed, can be opened…but with skill.
• Global Perspective: Our teachers impress upon our students the notion
that we all belong to a global pattern of life. Relationships are not just
familial, but global. A good example of this perspective is the recent
financial crisis and its impact on most economies of the world. We want
them to think bigger than just Madera.
• Competiveness: Every one of our students is competitive—they do not
like to lose. We have engendered this trait since the school opened. Why?
Because to not enter the battle, for fear of losing, dooms one to a life of
missed opportunity and potential. Stephen Covey speaks about the 10%
rule. This means that for every opportunity, even though 80% of people
could be qualified, only 10% will ultimately enter the fray. Why is the
number so disproportionate? The prevailing cancer of fear to compete, due
to fear of failure, prohibits one from competing.
These are the important six traits that I want our kids at ETAA to know, believe, and demonstrate when they leave our school on their way to high school. Nothing was more revealing to me than a recent dialogue I overhead between two seventh graders. It went like this: “The reason that we will dominate once in high school, is because we are ETAA kids and we know how to win.”
SCHOOLS AND FINANCES: WILL WE EVER LEARN? (March 31, 2009)
Right now with a down economy everyone seems to be in a state of depression. School leaders are in a particularly angry mode. But where does the responsibility of shortfalls begin? In the recent golden years of California money surpluses, public schools received some nice amounts of cash that had previously not occurred. What happens during these times of mother lode?
As we know, public school budgets are open for all to scrutinize, question, and come calling with open hands. Everyone demands a piece of the large pie: teacher unions, boards, schools, and parents. Vendors come in to persuade school officials on the latest greatest gimmick to improve student success, conferences spring up like weeds, and every school principal demands more technology. With this as the backdrop, superintendents and school boards love having the power to dole out money like a bailout politician. It makes them feel good. They love the “goodwill” and pats on the back that union officials are going to give them, the free and extravagant dinners that vendors will provide at conferences, and the applause they get from parents when Johnny has his own school laptop.
Unfortunately, the pot at the end of the rainbow has dried up. What’s occurring now? Well, you must keep in mind, that everyone has a very short memory, and the wonderful feelings that permeated central offices due to the 12% pay raise have become dark clouds. Now school officials are subject to union protests, angry parents, overworked principals, and threatened board members.
It’s fairly obvious what the cycle engenders. It’s predictable. Imagine if school officials would have said to the demanders, “Look, we plan to save this cash and not allow the district to get caught up in a short term pang of euphoria.” What kind of courage would it have taken for the school superintendent to say this in the midst of his or her buddies getting nominated for “Leader of the Year,” because of their deep devotion to flowing dollars to the demanders? It would take real moxie, guts, bravery, and far sightedness to have done so, but like most politicians, school superintendents like to be liked. And now school districts find themselves in the horrible position of having to layoff good employees, try to void contracts, suspend building repairs, and cancel orders. Will we ever learn?February 23, 2009
I recently had a phone call from a protégé who is now working as a principal in a difficult school district. Her question to me was, “What can I do to ensure some continuum of success?” Since she took over the mantle of leadership, her school has done better than in previous years, but she still has to overcome many challenges.
I used an analogy to explain to her how the term consistency can be used in a school setting. Why this word? For too many school districts, changes in administration are usually coupled with complete overhauls of the curriculum, personnel, rules and mores, traditions, etc. This is what has occurred in her district. The frustration of having to re-train her teaching staff to acclimate themselves with the new vogue curriculum has not borne much fruit. Here is the analogy:
Imagine a huge oak tree in the forest. This strong and majestic tree has survived countless changes, yet has still grown and maintained its strength. Your base curriculum should be like the trunk of a strong tree. The branches represent the diversity of your teachers. These branches change over time, but are rooted to the strength of the trunk. The base curriculum needs to have time to develop and foster new annual leaves and fruit. The message is DON’T CUT THE TREE DOWN, because the new park ranger wants to put a grove of Aspen instead of keeping the majestic oak. Consistency provides the ability for the tree to grow and prosper in spite of changes in weather, habitat, soil, etc.
When consistency is maintained, it provides a cushion of security for teachers who are already overwhelmed with state and national mandates. The base curriculum is the one thing that can be the stabilizing force when rapid change continues to affect all things educational. We do a lot in this business to maintain a sense of frenetic , disparate, and schizophrenic behaviors, which do more damage to kids than most will accept. It’s time to change this behavior and really think about how consistency can provide the pattern for success.
December 9, 2008
As our students get overwhelmed (sucked into) with commercials, “reality shows,” and the constant buzz of popular culture, it becomes more difficult for educators to keep the focus on academics. Unfortunately, the researchers whose primary job is to keep kids engaged in this quicksand know the tricks better than parents, teachers, or any adult who would like to change this pattern. Every year the problem seems to get worse. Over time, what is created is an adult who suffers from AGGRESSIVE IGNORANCE. I wish this term was coined by me, but the credit goes to my older son as we were discussing politics. In giving some thought to this term, certain characteristics of AI can be described. Here are a few:
- A desire to not engage in critical thinking or the inability to do so;
- The ability to give a superficial response to a question that merits a thoughtful answer;
- The notion that only one perspective counts or is relevant;
- Demonstrating a lack of individual thinking for the rush to ride the herd—
comfort is found in groupthink;
- The desire to expect success or fame without having done anything;
- The ability to lay blame on a singular person without acknowledging context;
- An ineptness to correlate issues in a global manner that show connectivity and relevance;
- A narrow-mindedness and prejudice that is so rooted that tangible evidence
debunking the view is dismissed.
The poison of this kind of thinking is that it leaves society vulnerable to corruption from all angles. It is with reason that tyrants or dictators subterfuge, imprison, censor, or kill the intelligentsia of a society. Without thinkers and writers, it is much easier to manipulate the AI’s to conform to one idea or goal, regardless of the consequences. It is up to us, as educators, to ensure that we teach our students of these dangers.
November 18, 2008
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a book signing featuring Victor Villaseñor, author of Thirteen Senses and many others. To attend one of his book signings is an historical and spiritual experience. Why? Mr. Villaseñor shares his personal story as a Mexicano growing up in San Diego County. He shares the true narrative of many Latinos going through the school system and not having role models, high expectations, etc. But what sets him apart is that he channeled his inner anger toward a more productive manifestation of dealing with this emotion—he became a best-selling writer. More importantly, he brings to his readings a sense of Latino culture in a clearer and more jazzy and vibrant way of understanding. The manner of seeing the depth of Latino culture, 
into one that is more real and meaningful—if one is open to view it for what it is—occurs when one uses senses that lie dormant deep within our body.
He gives an example of questioning materialism when he realizes, through a flood of emotions, that the Indian woman he sees as being poor is really very wealthy. She wears the beautiful colors of her culture, she is at peace with her life, she wakes up each morning in a breathtaking landscape (Mexico’s copper canyon), and is skilled and tutored with ancient pedagogy unknown and unseen by most. His epiphany is a result of using other senses buried within his soul and brain that provide light for this realization.
Our task as educators is to develop these senses, because they are the forgotten keys to life success. If we are able to show our students these multiple paths of feeling, much like an octopus searching for prey, our students will be able to see through the veneer of privilege, be able to see the destructive forces of racism, show coherence in why it is important to rescue the planet, and more importantly, see the tremendous value of being satisfied with one’s being. Our Latino culture is beautiful beyond words, but in many schools, we only superficially attempt to share it, rather than study, listen, and appreciate the voices of los ancianos, indios, músicos, curas, danzantes, and so many other people whose senses are more refined than ours.
ON TODAY’STEACHERS (November 12, 2008)
Due to the environment of high stakes testing, the teachers that are entering the profession have taken pedagogical shortcuts that previously (pre-1995) teachers did not. What do I mean by this statement? There was a time when becoming a teacher, and colleges emphasized this, had at its core the notion of creating intelligence. The focus of becoming smarter was on the future teacher. The idea was that well read, critical thinkers, artful demonstrators, experts on pedagogy, and strength in core subject knowledge were viewed as the traits of the education major. There was little to no emphasis on standards-based instruction as currently defined. Now, teachers have technological access that does the work for them. Why delve deep into analyzing a particular trend or issue, when a software program can provide the end result. What is now lacking is the journey to that end result which was the setting for the traits that are mentioned above. It was not uncommon for education majors to research pedagogy and its relation to cognition almost as if writing a dissertation. Professors felt that emphasis on writing and researching were primary foundations for then being able to translate this knowledge to students.
It appears to me that the shortcuts have created limitations with today’s teachers. Basically, there is a gap in the depth of understanding chart that is similar to a colander which allows some things to fall through while saving others. Rather than a colander style of retention, there needs to be stainless steel bowl capturing the thoughts, nuances, depth, flavor, facts, etc. of knowledge to enhance the art of teaching, which is more than just doing a google search on a particular topic. There is little thinking in the google search.
Literate educators need to be more than “Cliff Note” readers. They need to have deep depth of understanding. Everyone, regardless of subject matter, should be required to read great novels like Don Quixote, Shakespearean plays, and the poetry of Maya Angelou. We need our teachers to be great thinkers so they can impart this trait to their students. The over-testing has created such stress within schools that have similar populations as ETAA, that lesson planning and lesson talking (being with subject and grade level peers in meetings) become exercises in trying to solve the riddle of: what can we do now to increase our API or meet the federal AYP?
In today’s complex world we need for our children to be able to see relationships, interpret actions, and essentially be excellent critical thinkers. The “soundbite” understanding of issues is not enough. A good example is Joe the Plumber, the symbol of the right, who should not be the role model that children aspire to become. Joe, essentially gave plumbers a bad name. The manipulation of this cartoon character to gain votes is the anti-scholarly way of being. We, as Americans, cannot continually graduate students who are unable to see through the veneer of mass media for what it really is, commercialized blasts of news like pellets from a shotgun with some hitting and more missing. My hope is that renewed emphasis on scholarship will occur within an administration of highly educated people.
THE BEFUDDLED READER (November 8, 2008)
The biggest issue that we face at ETAA with our large population (practically most) of once defined ELL’s is that they do poorly on English language arts comprehension tested questions. Many of them have tried to internalize strategies for success. One example is that they immediately go to the questions, read them, and then go back to the narrative (passage) and as they read it are trying to see if they can find the answer to the questions they previously read. The problem therein lies in what I am terming the “befuddled reader” strategies to comprehension. If a student is dutifully trying to devise strategies for reading success, as graded on standardized tests, failure can result and usually does because they have confused the manner in which to approach the problem. What is a better strategy? Using the example mentioned above, it makes more sense to read the narrative once and then re-read it for a better contextual understanding. Follow this practice by reading the first question, going back to the narrative for the answer, and then moving to the next question, etc. This pattern is more deliberate and focused. It causes the reader to stay on track much like a star in orbit.
I am not talking here about phonics, subject verb agreement, etc. This issue is about being able to read and then comprehend, with clarity, what the author of the passage wanted the reader to know and understand.
Vocabulary creation is an area that is not done enough. Mundane re-writing of definitions out of a dictionary is not the way to ingrain the meaning of the new word. Every single day, teachers need to ensure that their students use new words. They also need to see the many applications of these words so that they become internalized in their scholarly thinking quest. Speak like you are intelligent is the mantra that we emphasize at ETAA.
When questions deal with comparisons, contrasts, or nuances, the teacher needs to recognize that these higher order skills require a different model for understanding and teaching. Fortunately, there is excellent research on the brain that appears to question some of the education myths that have limited the power of teaching and understanding. Cognition is now becoming better understood.
ATTITUDE (October 24, 2008)
For many schools the adults on campus do not see that their lack of enthusiasm, lack of cohesiveness, ignorance of pedagogy, the Rudyard Kipling complex* contribute to under-performance.
Their selfish and unruly behavior, like a neon light, can be sensed by students who then shut off knowing full well that their ability to change classes is virtually impossible. They are stuck with the uncaring, unsympathetic, and negligent teacher. The children of color or poverty are yoked and shackled like slaves to the teacher whose aim is to complete the day with as little effort as possible. These teachers exist in unfortunately large numbers and are more prevalent in secondary schools, where they can mask student failure as the result of children who don’t care, unengaged parents, and stereotypical complacency.
This is not true of the student whose parents understand how to engage in the school organization and who are unhesitant to advocate for their child. The school counselor or under-principal leader is aware of these parents and their influence and typically will grant them their wishes so as to avoid any conflict. So not only to children of privilege receive the best most loving and kind teacher, but also the intrinsic nature of these teachers to ensure that all children succeed to a high level. Expectations, trust, and communication are norms that they implicitly have as tools to ensure that this occurs. Teachers on campus know who these folks are and they make damn sure that their own children are in their classrooms.
What can be done about this situation? If the attitude of the school adults is one of concern and high performance, they won’t allow this kind of cancer to grow on the campus. In other words, they recognize their own prejudices, the failure of some teachers, the inconsistency of administration, and the lack of effort to try and discern why José isn’t performing. And by recognizing these issues, they move to make the necessary changes without fear or retribution. This is not that difficult if the school adults have created an environment of trust and high expectations. Why can’t fellow teachers tell the rotten apple that they are infecting the barrel? Why can’t parents go to the administration and insist that that the racist not be allowed to teach on campus? This has been done and usually without that much effort. I am amazed what power four of five adults can have on a campus environment.
That simple little word—courage—must be at the forefront of the decision-making process. Administrators, teachers, and the entire school community need to discuss what this means. It can be the impetus to ensuring that the path to high performance is clearly marked and free of land mines.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DEEPER ISSUES THAT PREVENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS? (October 13, 2008)
Typically, the news is usually bad when discussing our public education. In large districts, many of the schools perform below the state or federal expectations. The schools get money, the principal is changed, some new computer literacy program is purchased, a parent involvement specialist is hired, the office is remodeled, and yet, achievement remains poor. Why?
There are more education gurus, studies, books, conferences, and research spent on that central question that one would think the cure has been found. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The dimension that is difficult to quantify is the human dimension. The human dimension is the one variable that does not remain consistent, nor is it predictable. Sure, there have been various commonalities or attributes that most effective principals or teachers manifest daily, but the collective behavior of the adults toward improving student achievement is at the core of the problem.
To suggest that a simple reconstitution of the school is all it takes has a predictable outcome—tremendous enthusiasm at the beginning, total buy-in, a sense of importance, school achievement improves, and then it all begins to unravel because the human dimension has changed from the initial overhaul.
The hard part is recognizing this critical problem and then finding ways of addressing it. But it is not easy. It requires a strong, bold, and steady effort, instead of the more typical passive and tepid one. Why? Because human nature—no matter how many leadership workshops one may have attended—believes in an innate expectation that the adults on campus have an inherent desire to ensure that achievement occurs. It is similar to what Hernando Cortes must have felt of his soldiers as they trudged through the jungles of Mexico toward the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. These Spanish men and boys all had the same spirit, courage, and desire to fulfill the outcome that motivated him. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, which is why he burned his ships to secure that they either follow him or die of a blow to the head with an iron club.
In public schools, iron clubs are not allowed, so the leaders must resort to other means to get people to gather and rally around the common denominator of raising achievement. That is the most difficult part of the equation. It is easy to avoid under the guise of “we are all professionals,” “experience,” and “salary increases.” All of these beliefs and many more seemingly would be catalysts for improvement, but they don’t. The crux of the issue of the human dimension is that like an onion, the central core requires peeling off of layers that can make one cry. I really believe that terror and fear are the buffers to meaningful change. Here is what I mean. How many times have you, as a teacher, gone into a faculty lounge and heard a disparaging remark about a student or a colleague. Did you confront the speaker, or did you simply ignore the blasphemy and walk away, by rationalizing in your mind that it wasn’t worth the headache. This rationalization is impure, because the damage will continue and if ignored completely, other disciples of negativity will take root and infect the human dimension of success.
WHAT IS THE ASI MODEL OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT? (October 9, 2008)
The ASI model came to light when I began to work for low performing schools in numerous districts in California. The school leaders of these schools struggled to conceptualize or articulate a coherent definition of what made their school tick. Nor could they easily describe the ways to crawl out of the hole of low student performance. Most school leaders could recite the typical attributes of successful schools that they learned about in college—safe and orderly environment, parental involvement, etc. While these attributes are good, they miss the depth of understanding necessary to raise achievement in a school whose population is specific. In these cases: schools with a majority or super majority of poor Latino children, whose home language is Spanish. This is the group of children that the ASI Model of School Improvement targets. Having said that, any school can use the philosophy and improve student achievement if they adhere to the tenets that will be described in this web link.
ASI stands for Attitude, Structure, and Implementation. In Spanish, the word “así” means LIKE THIS. The implication is that if you follow the model, like this, you will raise achievement with the population just described.
My goal, for this link to our website, is to offer insight into the ASI Model of School Improvement. The fact that we have been successful, at Ezequiel Tafoya Alvarado Academy (ETAA), by using my model is testament that it works!
You may contact Dr. Nicolas Retana using the following form.