In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned praise

Michael Alison Chandler
The Washington Post
January 15, 2012

For decades, the prevailing wisdom in education was that high self-esteem would lead to high achievement. The theory led to an avalanche of daily affirmations, awards ceremonies and attendance certificates — but few, if any, academic gains.

Now, an increasing number of teachers are weaning themselves from what some call empty praise. Drawing on psychology and brain research, these educators aim to articulate a more precise, and scientific, vocabulary for praise that will push children to work through mistakes and take on more challenging assignments. Consider teacher Shar Hellie’s new approach in Montgomery County.

To get students through the shaky first steps of Spanish grammar, Hellie spent many years trying to boost their confidence. If someone couldn’t answer a question easily, she would coach him, whisper the first few words, then follow up with a booming “¡Muy bien!”

But on a January morning at Rocky Hill Middle School in Clarksburg, the smiling grandmother gave nothing away. One seventh-grade boy returned to the overhead projector three times to rewrite a sentence, hesitating each time, while his classmates squirmed in silence.

“You like that?” Hellie asked when he settled on an answer. He nodded. Finally, she beamed and praised the progress he was making — in his cerebral cortex.

“You have a whole different set of neurons popping up there!” she told him.

A growing body of research over three decades shows that easy, unearned praise does not help students but instead interferes with significant learning opportunities. As schools ratchet up academic standards for all students, new buzzwords are “persistence,” “risk-taking” and “resilience” — each implying more sweat and strain than fuzzy, warm feelings.

“We used to think we could hand children self-esteem on a platter,” Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck said. “That has backfired.”

Read more HERE.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 1/10/12

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, January 10 will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session - 10 a.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance, Henry E. Lackey High School JROTC

Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman

Motion to elect Wise as Chair by Cook; Second by Abell

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Motion to elect Cook as Vice Chair by Lukas; Second by Wise

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Motion to elect Lukas as Vice Chair by Bowie; Second by Pedersen

Lukas respectfully removed his nomination

Superintendent's update to the Board - Spoke of Cunningham's passing. Read report

Correspondence/Board member updates

• all took turns speaking of Mr. Cunningham
• Lukas - visit to schools, thank you
• Bowie - anti-bullying correspondence from parents; parents' rights; forum at Jaycees on 1/23
• Lukas - donation of tickets to the Nutcracker ballet in DC for under-privileged children...thank you
• Richmond - Ms. Dorsey and Mr. Cornette will be in charge of school operations

Education Association of Charles County update - read report

Student Board member update - see report

School administration - enrollment update

• 9/30 enrollment = 26,778
• 12/15 enrollment = 26,924
• greatest growth in African-American, Hispanic, and multi-racial ethnic groups
• greatest growth at Diggs, Davis, Neal, and North Point

CIP update - see report

ESOL program and Bunkyo trip - See Report

Policy #3430, Accounts: Opening and closing accounts - See Report

FY 2012 budget update - See report - breakfast

Legislative update

• no increase in state funding, but will remain steady; 7 counties in MD did NOT meet maintenance of effort
• teacher retirement may be put on counties

Unfinished business - none

New business

• Wade asked for our position on MLK Breakfast. Tickets are to be bought individually if we want to attend.

Future Agenda items - None

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Caleb Caine, fifth grade, Academic Achievement, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary; Jaylyn Pinchem, fifth grade, Personal Responsibility, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary; Micaela Patin, fifth grade, Career Readiness, William B. Wade Elementary School; Paul Adams, II, eighth grade, Academic Achievement, Matthew Henson Middle School
• Staff - Lauren Washington, first grade teacher, Jenifer; Velta Williams, Secretary to the Principal, Mudd; Audre Codrington, school psychologist IA, Wade; Immaculada Dove, special education, IA, F.B. Gwynn Educational Center; Michael Forrest, science teacher, Henson
• Resolutions: African American History Month - Accepting: AVID advocates and students; Jada Proctor, 7th grade and Michelle James, school counselor, General Smallwood Middle School; Loren Ward, 9th grade and Laura Buzzell, math teacher, Henry E. Lackey High School; Dielle McMillan, 11th grade, Daquan Patterson, 11th grade, and Jacqueline Cheaves, school counselor, Westlake High School
  Career and Technical Education Week: Accepting: Chitra Sharma, Chairperson, Charles County Commission for Women
  National School Counseling Week: Accepting: Michelle James, school couselor, General Smallwood Middle School; Wanda Proctor, school counselor, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School
• La Plata High School Thespian Society
• Nathan Freeman, winner of the 2011 Student Space Flight Experiments Program (SSEP) Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 mission patch design contest

Public Forum - 6 p.m. - None

Action items

• Minutes
Motion to accept the Minutes by Cook; Second by Abell
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
• Personnel
Motion to accept Personnel by Pedersen; Second by Cook
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 1/10/12

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/. 
Executive session - 10 a.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance, Henry E. Lackey High School JROTC

Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman
.
Superintendent's update to the Board

Reports of officers/board/committees

• Correspondence/Board member updates
• Education Association of Charles County update
• Student Board member update
• School administration - enrollment update
• CIP update
• ESOL program and Bunkyo trip
• Policy #3430, Accounts: Opening and closing accounts
• FY 2012 budget update
• Legislative update

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

• New business
• Future agenda items

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff

Resolutions: African-American History Month, Career and Technology Education Month and National School Counseling Week

• La Plata High School Thespian Society
• Nathan Freeman, winner of the 2011 Student Space Flight Experiments Program (SSEP) Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 mission patch design contest

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment