DPS Needs to use Title 1 Funds to educate students properly

Detroit Public Schools have already been ordering to pay back Title 1 Funds in the past after a federal government investigation showed that they misused and abused funds so the government asked the state of Michigan Education Department for those funds back which is what ultimately lead to the audit of DPS finances and the appointment of an emergency financial manager by the state. Now it seems as if DPS could be in more trouble regarding Title 1 funds but this time both the state of Michigan and DPS will be blamed for misusing and abusing Title 1 funds that are suppose to go toward creating a 21st education curriculum for the youth of Detroit so that they can compete with students in other school districts who are at or above their current grade level in math and reading.

Therefore I want to offer some advice to Detroit Public Schools as to how they can use Title 1 funds to educate students properly instead of the way they are currently using it which hasn’t improved our students reading levels or our students’ math level. So the key to using title funds is to first find ways to motivate Title 1 students to achieve success because that is a daunting task for teachers and administrators who use Title 1 funds. Now Title 1 students face daily struggles just to survive. However, teachers must use student motivation techniques that help these students achieve success in the classroom. Every teacher faces the task of motivating students in their classroom. While some students enthusiastically walk into a classroom each day, others need motivation and inspiration to focus on school. Teachers in Title 1 schools encounter students facing life struggles many of us cannot even imagine. Encouraging these students to concentrate on school can be a daunting task for teachers.

Teachers in Title 1 schools face students with multiple distractions. Some of their students have part-time jobs to help families put food on the table; others act as a parent for younger brothers and sisters. Many times these students are faced with real world situations that other students take for granted. School takes a backseat to surviving for some Title 1 students. Often these students feel it is impossible to break the chain of events. They witness their parents following the same path as their grandparents, and think they are destined for the same journey. Many of these students know someone in jail, have used food stamps for purchases or have gone to bed hungry. At times, teachers of Title 1 students act as more than just teachers. They become a confidant when they need someone to talk to, a cheerleader for their achievements and a mentor when mom or dad isn’t available.

So teaching in a Title 1 school can be one of the most daunting or rewarding tasks. As an educator, your heart goes out to a student that tells you, “I couldn’t do my homework because we didn’t have electricity.” Reaching these students is essential to their success in the classroom. As a teacher in a Title 1 school, a teacher spends a great deal of time getting to know my students and finding out their interests, problems and situations in life. Class discussions or writing assignments at the end of a class period provide perfect opportunities. Middle schoolers love to participate in controversial discussion topics. These discussions are often very revealing. After a teacher understood his/her students, that teacher could incorporate their favorites into the lessons when possible. This tells the students that you as a teacher is really listening when they were talking. A pat on the back, a high five, a round of applause in class or a gold star sticker might sound cheesy, but for these students it’s what they are missing at home. It’s important the students find success early. Creating assignments that are manageable encourages confidence. Then, slowly increasing the difficulty as the year progresses provides the students with growing knowledge.

Still another student motivational tactic that teachers can use is a prize box. Buying cheap prizes: plastic rings, puzzles, bouncy balls, sticky hands, candy and other small toys in bulk can be enjoyed by all students’ even high schoolers. This builds up the importance of picking something from the prize box and reserves it for special or big achievements. A teacher can decorate a box with flashy gold paper and would call the students up to the front of the class to emphasize the importance of what they did. The students take pride in their achievements and it makes other students want to work harder so they can call to the front of the class to pick from the box. Trust me students of all kind like free stuff no matter what it is. Just think about college students and how many credit card pretenders targeted them by giving them free coupons to restaurants or free t-shirts. These are also ideas students can win especially if the teacher buys a coupon book, he/she could put some of those coupons into the prize box because who ever uses the whole coupon box anyway.

Now the primary job of a teacher is to create exciting, effective lesson plans. Title 1 teachers and students must connect for effective learning to occur. Teachers must be available for tutoring as these sessions can lead to big gains in the classroom. Teachers focus lesson plans around state established guidelines to prepare students for state tests. It is essential teachers prepare creative, effective lesson plans that meet the needs of every student. These guidelines shouldn’t inhibit the teacher. They should serve as a basis for the topics to be covered. As teachers begin to prepare lesson plans, they should consider a student’s background knowledge. Often Title 1 students lack background knowledge to make connections between examples and their own lives. Teachers must work to build student’s background knowledge, thus increasing their own experiences.

For Title 1 teachers to create effective lesson plans, they must connect with their students and determine what is important to these students. For example, a friend of mine who is a teacher in a predominately Hispanic Title 1 school, my friend thought it was important to read a variety of Hispanic authors. My friend picked stories that spoke positively about Hispanic culture and heritage, and presented the students with positive role models. Another activity my friend’s department utilized, inviting local slam poets to perform for the students, proved entertaining and effective. Many of the performers came from the same background and neighborhoods as they did.

An essential aspect to helping Title 1 students succeed is tutoring. Establishing certain days for tutoring, but more often than not a student would show up at a teacher’s door on an off day asking for help. It became easier to inform students at the beginning of the week what days a teacher would be available before and after school. While the students who didn’t like to attend after school tutorials can be enticed by snacks. Some teacher keep a drawer full of crackers, pretzels and fruit roll-ups only to be consumed if a student completed the work. This was a cost out of my pocket, but it was how teachers motivated some of their students to complete assignments. I’m sure for some it was also their dinner.

Below are few ideas for conducting tutoring sessions:
* Quickly review the previous day(s) material
* Answer student questions and provide examples
* Encourage students to work in partners to complete the assignment
* Assist students who need extra help
* Question students over the material to review (I often did this as a game.)

Title 1 students face daily struggles other students will never understand. These students struggle to survive, find food and stay out of trouble. However, teachers must meet these student's needs and help them succeed in the classroom. At times, unconventional methods reach these students. Often, Title 1 students lack the financial means to achieve success in the classroom. They don’t have the basic supplies or necessities to survive, much less successfully attend school. They come from single parent homes, where mom or dad works multiple jobs to support the family. Or both parents work long hours to provide the basic necessities for the family to survive. This leaves the oldest child with the responsibility of acting as the parent, providing dinner, helping with homework and ensuring everyone gets to bed.

Students struggle in these situations and face temptations since mom or dad is not around to supervise. It’s easy for kids to fall in with the wrong crowd and become involved with gangs, drugs, sex and alcohol. Once a student becomes involved with one or more of these activities, the chance of that student dropping out of school becomes higher. These are not the only factors that influence dropout rates. Some students start skipping school because no one monitors their attendance. Others must help their family out financially by obtaining a job. Title 1 students face an upward struggle.

Teachers in Title 1 schools work with students struggling to survive. Teachers must understand the student’s situation and work with that student to meet their needs and achieve success. Often, teachers in Title 1 schools come across students involved in gangs, parents working multiple jobs and students at-risk of dropping out of school. It’s not uncommon to find students who are homeless, hungry or have children of their own. Yet, it is a teacher’s responsibility to meet their student’s needs. At times this task can seem overwhelming to some teachers, but knowing your students and what is going on in their lives helps accomplish this task.

So how can Title 1 teachers meet student’s needs? Well, these teachers certainly don’t work by conventional means. Title 1 teachers must do what is best for their students, even if it seems a little unorthodox. Teachers must stay attuned to absences, skipping classes, student struggles and new friends. All of these could be signs of trouble ahead. Below are a few suggestions for meeting Title 1 student’s needs:

*Hold parent-teacher conferences wherever and whenever the parent can meet. This may mean during a break from their job or calling from your home phone at 10: 00 p.m.

*Provide after school tutorial sessions with snacks. Teachers stay after school to work, open up your classroom for students to work and stay out of trouble. Offer snacks as an incentive to get students to come and complete their work. this may be their dinner. Talk with your principal or local businesses about donations for snacks.

*Provide students with your cell phone number or school e-mail address. Most teachers think this is a big no-no. However, Title 1 students are different. Explain to the students these are only to be used in case of an emergency and layout the guidelines. I’ve known several Title 1 teachers who gave out this information and students never abused this privilege. In talking with some of the students, they felt a comfort knowing someone was there for them.

Teachers working with Title 1 students must document how they meet student's needs. While, this can seem like a laborious task at times, it can prove valuable in the long run. Student documentation leads to interventions and establishing plans of action for students get back on the path to success. Student documentation can be one of the most tedious tasks a teacher faces, but also one of the most necessary. While most documentation for how Title 1 funding is spent falls on administrator’s shoulders, teachers should document how they meet student’s needs. Below are a few handy ideas for documenting Title 1 student’s needs:

*Maintain a parent contact log. Phone calls, e-mails and parent-teacher conferences should be recorded on the log, along with date, time and brief description. It’s also a good idea to contact parents halfway through a grading period if students are failing. This gives students the opportunity to bring up their grades and make parents aware of the situation.

*Make copies of papers, tests and journals that provide insight into a student’s situation. If a teacher suspects serious harm to a student, it should be reported to the administration and the proper authorities immediately. These copies serve as a document if a teacher has suspicion of cheating, or if a student is consistently making the same mistakes in their work.

*Record students attending tutorial sessions. This allows teachers insight as to which students are working to achieve more. It also serves as proof a student was in your room on a certain day and at a certain time.

*For struggling Title 1 students, teachers should document the type of outreach they make to meet students' needs. Teachers should record accommodations, extra efforts, correction offered or anything intended to help the students.

*Document any unusual or strange behavior or comments. The student may be having a bad day, or it could be the start down the wrong path. Teachers should document tardies, absences, detentions and suspensions. These can play a vital role in later interventions.

When teachers document students proceeding down the wrong path, sometimes an intervention is needed. A teacher will collaborate with other teachers to determine if a pattern of behavior is developing. Then, a few options are available. Teachers can meet with the student to discuss the issues and troubles facing the student, develop a plan of action that will meet the student’s needs and encourage the student to work on changing their current path. Teachers can also call in the student’s parents to discuss the matter. Then, the teachers and parents can stage an intervention. A key to staging an intervention is student documentation. Teachers must provide the parents and students with documentation that a student’s actions are taking them down the wrong path.

A key to a successful intervention is consistency by both parents and teachers. During most interventions, a plan of action that meets student’s needs is developed and agreed upon by all parties. If parents and teachers consistently enforce the plan of action, a student can be successful in turning things around. However, if there is not consistency by one party, the plan of action may not work. It is important to continuously support a student and encourage them to work hard to attain success.

Now I say all of this because I am DPS and every school I attended was a Title 1 school but despite all of that I achieved because I had teachers who did exactly what I am describing and I had classmates who graduated from high school and college thanks to these teachers who went above and beyond to make sure their students were achieving. So if Detroit Public Schools really wants to make sure all of its students are being properly educating than this is how they can start doing it. While some teachers in DPS currently do a lot if not all of this, others don’t and until we get all teachers to do this than we will continue to see so many students fall behind the achievement gap as well as the learning curve. We have to do more and Detroit Public Schools has to make sure it is properly giving teachers and students the resources to achieve by making sure Title 1 funds are going towards student achievement and learning rather than filling the pockets of new programs that are not effective or have not improved student achievement in pockets of Detroit that need all the help it can get especially in these tougher economic times than usual.