Thompson: Data

Back in the day when teachers took roll by scan sheets and we quickly received printouts of the reasons for absences (cutting, medical, bereavement, legal, etc.) that data was far more valuable than all of the test score and benchmark statistics of today. Not wanting to sound like a Luddite, I have censored my true thoughts on data until I was inspired by Sherman Dorn’s "channeling"of Gerald Bracey.

The last time I had professional development on the nuances of special education laws, we were allowed to know which students were identified as ADHD. Presumably that data is still in those mysterious "504" files along with equally confidential information about students' mental illness, risk for suicide, and the ways that they are coping with family tragedies. For all I know, there may be school files on students' homelessness and/or probation status. If teachers can not be trusted with such crucial information, shouldn’t there be professionals in our schools who can use that data to help address the socio-emotional needs of our most troubled children?

While young teachers are indoctrinated into data-driven instruction, it is the veterans who figure out ways to obtain the really important data in real time. In my district, for instance,

on the right side of a computer screen we can often find the telephone number 505--****. Call it and the juvenile authorities will provide no information, but it allows a teacher to confirm that the quiet kid who is now acting out is homeless. Veteran teachers know sports coaches as the best repository for family background information. Back when we had locked paper files, I would get permission and search them for incredible insights, and when the middle school moved into our building I found a gold mine of my freshmen's histories.

Being a former ACLU Board member, I understand confidentiality, but at graduation I always wish that I had understood more pieces of the puzzles at the beginning rather than the end of the year. Being a popular teacher, the students are much quicker in sharing their most intimate worries with me, but that process always unfolds at its own pace. I’m always left worrying about the unknown others who are off their meds, who are giving into self-destructive urges, or just are just giving up.

I understand the difference between capital and operational budgets and that Title and IDEA funds have complex rules. But I can not understand why money is no object when buying the latest digital toys from vendors, but we can’t afford the mentors that our troubled youth need. How can society invest billions for instructional data that may push test scores across the cut-off signifying "proficient," while starving the data systems that can mean the difference between life and death.

And getting back to 504s, even if we can't get more than tantalizing glimpses of their data, they are a reminder of the need for far more service providers in our schools.  Since a 504 is the legal equivalent (we are told) of an IEP in terms of Long Term Suspensions, the regular teacher participating in the determination of whether an offense which could result in LTS is an outgrowth of the student's disability can gain a understanding of a student's behavior - after the fact.  We also get carefully worded, typed memos saying that a student can go to the restroom without seeking permission, leave class early to go to the clinic, or use the faculty's restroom.  (Before leaving for Morocco for seven weeks, I once had to find someone to take over the single most important activity on my daily "to do" list, and it was an eye-opener.  Each morning I would find a janitor to unlock the faculty restroom in a cat and mouse game with teachers who would have it relocked because they couldn't read between the lines, and understand that my sweet kid on a 504 had a justifiable reason for seeking additional privacy.)  - John Thompson

Disclaimer.  Having been a legal historian, I am reluctant to describe my understandings of the law without actually knowing the letter of the law.  I make no assumptions on whether I have been properly or improperly briefed over the years, but that is the point.  I am describing one teacher's understanding of the law and the effects I see in schools. 

Comments

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Cheryl Sattler
This is really interesting. I still run into teachers who tell me they're not allowed to know which students fall into which AYP subgroups - especially free/reduced lunch eligibility. (This despite a long-standing memorandum of understanding between Agriculture and ED.) IS there anything to prohibit sharing this info? Why was scantron abandoned for... Read More attendance? Florida is becoming well-known for its data system but the system doesn't provide any data to teachers (and precious little to administrators) - seems like this is the EXACT kind of stuff we need for risk analysis for kids.