A Look at the Numbers

It's an inescapable fact that education is currently driven by data: numbers, scores, graphs, and charts are our main (only?) means of determining whether the ways and means by which our children are educated have value. Progress is key, and it is measured by an endless trail of formal assessments--buttons clicked, letters circled, and bubbles filled in. I see this again and again in the schools where I am working, from the time students enter kindergarten to the time they graduate high school. I think many people are interested in the alternative methods of education that I blog about (Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, etc), but are hesitant to embrace them because of their lack of emphasis on data. "Without the information gathered through assessment programs, how will we know that students are hitting their benchmarks?" they wonder. It's a very different frame of mind than the one I possess, but it is undeniably here to stay for the time being. And so I wonder: how do we convince those that are so very focused on assessment data that alternative models of education are effective?

Well, we can attempt to play the game and compare the numbers.

In October 2012, Larrison, Daily, and VanVooren published a study in Current Issues in Education titled "Twenty Years and Counting: A Look at Waldorf in the Public Sector Using Online Sources." This study aims to examine the effectiveness of Waldorf Education in public charter schools by comparing standardized test score data and parent comments with those from non-Waldorf public schools that teach using traditional educational methods. Waldorf charter schools (sometimes called "Waldorf-Methods" or "Waldorf-Inspired" charters) are one of the fastest-growing options for alternative education in the country. Waldorf-methods charter schools combine a Waldorf curriculum and environment with the standards of a public school. Their adherence to public school standards necessitates some adjustments, such as beginning formal reading instruction in kindergarten instead of in first grade, but the values and ethos of a Waldorf school remain. Literacy is imaginative and hands-on, stemming from poems, songs and verses, and stories are retold by students through dramatic play. The curriculum is arts-infused, and kindergartners learn their letters through pictures that gradually morph into the familiar symbols we know. Learning comes at a slow and steady pace, with students allowed to develop and flourish at a more individual rate than the hurried one that is pushed in many public school classrooms. Because Waldorf charters are funded publicly, though, students are required to take yearly standardized tests, just as they would in a traditional public school. Larrison et al use this scoring data to establish the efficacy of the Waldorf method as compared to traditional educational methods in their study.

The table above compares standardized testing scores between public Waldorf charters and district averages in the year 2008. In both reading and math, notice the trend that Waldorf students begin with lower test scores in the primary grades, but by eighth grade their scores have significantly surpassed students in schools with traditional methods.

The second set of graphs compares students in public Waldorf charters in California with students in non-Waldorf schools in the same or neighboring districts that share similar demographics. Again, the trend shows Waldorf students with lower test scores in earlier grades, but a jump to surpass their non-Waldorf peers by the later grades.

What does this study suggest? Larrison et al write, "The question this data presents is whether there
is any value at all of using test scores in determining the quality of education particularly in the early grades...Given that early test scores appear not to hold any predictive value for a student’s ultimate academic success, at least for Waldorf, and there is no reason to suspect these children are biologically unique, it is important that we reconsider the utility of early grade testing at all." They conclude that "[the] lack of correspondence of test scores to qualitative measures of schools performance should be a considerable concern for policy makers who support testing in the early grades. If we are to gauge schools based on test scores then these tests should at least be reliable measures of student outcomes in later grades. If not, then we must question the expense, time and stress of testing at all. Until reliable measures of school quality are available, the impact of testing should be minimized, especially in the lower grades."

In addition to bringing into question the effectiveness and rationale for standardized testing in the early grades, this study shows that a slower, more developmentally-appropriate approach to reading instruction in early childhood and the primary grades does not mean poor proficiency in the later grades. In fact, it shows the opposite: that the Waldorf approach to early literacy builds a foundation for future proficiency.

With this information in hand, perhaps we can move forward with providing young children with holistic, child-centered education in public schools.

The Waldorf Experience: A Remarkable Education

Here we have another video about Waldorf education--this time from the Waldorf School of Bend, Oregon. I feel that this is a fairly accurate look at life in a private Waldorf school.

The Third Teacher

     Last week I wrote an overview of the Reggio Emilia approach and how it relates to literacy in early childhood and the primary grades. I touched briefly on Reggio's idea of the learning environment, but I think it's so interesting and inspiring that I'm going to devote this week's entry solely to the Reggio classroom.

     The Reggio Emilia approach refers to environment as the "third teacher," after parents and teachers. This means that the learning environment should be constructed in such a way that it is not just a container in which learning occurs, but is a space that inspires and facilitates learning in all students. Teresa Strong-Wilson and Julia Ellis collaborated on Children and Place: Reggio Emilia's Environment as Third Teacher (Theory Into Practice, 2007), a wonderfully written article that explores the concept and effectiveness of the Reggio learning environment.

     Strong-Wilson and Ellis identify eight principles that guide the construction of a Reggio Emilia classroom: aesthetics, transparency, active learning, flexibility, collaboration, reciprocity, bringing the outdoors in, and relationships. The Reggio Emilia approach looks at the learning environment from the child's perspective. Strong-Wilson and Ellis contrast the environments of a typical kindergarten classroom (visually busy, and full of commercially-produced, stereotyped images that may "silence the actual lived experiences of those individuals learning together") with an environment that inspires inquiry by utilizing natural light:

"Because it was located where the undergrowth was thickest, the classroom was often enveloped in a greenish light. Topics rich in local anecdote and story, like the sasquatch, could come alive. The filtered greenish light also reminded her of her "deep down" image of the child and those "secret spaces of childhood" where she used to play hide-and-seek with other children in the neighborhood."

      Reggio Emilia encourages teachers to look closely at their classrooms to envision ways that it could "speak" to the children and invite investigation and inquiry. Examples provided by Strong-Wilson and Ellis include placing small mirrors around the classroom, positioning easels in naturally lit areas, and introducing provocations--carefully selected items in the environment that may spark discussion and imagination, such as a pencil and paper in the block corner or a pizza box in the kitchen center. Other strategies for enlivening the learning environment include introducing realistic objects for play (real pasta in the play kitchen) and storing materials in transparent containers so that children are inspired to sort, organize, and recognize patterns of color and texture. Such changes, assert the authors, "animate the environment" for children, foster care for their surroundings, and encourage them to think inventively about materials.

     Following the eight principles identified in the article, Reggio Emilia classrooms have many common elements, including flexible, open arrangements that promote social interaction, neutral spaces with limited visual distractions, use of natural and authentic materials (baskets made of wicker instead of plastic), natural light, plants, and other "outdoor" elements, easy access to materials, and documentary displays of student work. Have a look at some truly inspiring Reggio Emilia classrooms:

     I can hear you saying, "Wow! Those are really amazing spaces. If only we could all work in a dedicated Reggio environment with custom-built furniture!" But don't dismay. For those of us who work in traditional classrooms but would like to integrate Reggio methods, there are plenty of resources out there to make a space more Reggio-friendly. One blog I especially like is The Third Teacher, an educator from Canada who works to integrate Reggio Emilia methods in her classrooms. In one of her posts, she gets some feedback from an experienced Reggio educator who makes the following suggestions:

• move the group carpet out of the corner to the center of the room. This created a welcome focus and allowed for centers to branch of from the carpet and make use of the walls.

• hang all the poems written on chart paper in one low and accessible place (the side of the filing cabinet). The poems were previously spread out in all areas of the classroom and added to the visual distraction. The children actually used them more by reading them and lifting them like a hanging book for reference.

• remove the alphabetized word wall off the display boards and replace with a usable clear pocket chart. The children then found the word they needed and could take the word (on card stock) to any centre in the room, then return it.

• cover busy patterns or unappealing surfaces with felt – to soften the dividers used for a reading area.

• add a sheer curtain over a reading area to define the space and filter the light from the window. This change enhanced the reading center and made it more inviting to the children.

• remove a shelf that blocked a view of the carpet area when entering the classroom to the side of the room as a divider between two learning centers.

• remove the yellow and red bins.

You can see the difference before and after makes in this space!