Going Green: Should Public Schools Teach Green Lessons?

Public school gardens have been sprouting across the country, especially in California, which is the home state of culinary pioneer and “slow food” spokeswoman Alice Waters. As a champion of local agriculture, Waters inspired one of the first school gardens in Berkeley, California, and many public school campuses have followed in these green footsteps.

However, a fierce debate over the merits of public school gardens erupted following an article in The Atlantic by Caitlin Flanagan that criticized the practice of devoting class time in public schools to the cultivation of school gardens. Flanagan argued that by allowing students to spend school hours working in a garden, schools may do students a disservice academically. She reminded readers that California's public school system has long struggled with achievement gaps and graduation challenges. When a state's public school system is failing to meet the academic needs of its students, should it spend time and resources on a school garden program?

Flanagan's anti-garden argument was not taken lightly by those who count themselves as advocates of school gardens. Her article sparked responses from both sides of the debate, forcing parents and teachers to clarify their positions on this now controversial topic.

Families interested in how schools are expanding hands-on learning may also want to read Public School Review’s article on What Is Project-Based Learning?.

Garden Advocates

Tending a garden helps students learn to make better food choices

Cultivating a garden teaches students about fruits

Since the nation entered an economic recession in 2008, public school systems across the country have been grappling with some of the most severe state budget crises in recent memory. As governors introduce their budget proposals for the 2010-2011 school year, school districts are learning that the belt-tightening and difficult choices are likely to continue next year.

Hawaii

In Hawaii, the Department of Education has managed its budget crisis by instituting mandatory furlough days for public school teachers. The furlough days have resulted in Hawaii public schools being closed on seven Fridays since October 2009.

The closing of public schools on Fridays has prompted strong reactions from public school parents in Hawaii. Parents have formed two grassroots organizations: Save Our Schools Hawaii and Hawaii Education Matters. The groups have been pressing Hawaiian legislators to restore the 27 furlough days that are planned for the remainder of the 2009-10 school year.

Hawaii’s governor, Linda Lingle, has been working to try to find a way to get students back in school on the planned furlough days. The Honolulu Advertiser reports that the governor, the state Department of Education, and the Hawaii State Teachers’ Association are in the process of negotiating terms that might allow students to return to the classroom on some of the upcoming furlough days.

However, any solution that the negotiators propose will inevitably involve compromises. The teachers’ union is concerned that the governor’s proposal to restore furlough days will result in a severe budget shortfall

As the United States takes its first steps into a new decade, public education is being scrutinized from every angle. Some advocate eliminating teachers’ unions and tenure, making instructors directly accountable for their students’ progress on standardized tests. Others maintain that the K-12 public education system is suffering from a critical shortage of qualified teachers, and improved salaries and working conditions are needed to recruit the best talent.

While policy-makers debate the feasibility of such large-scale changes, some school districts are trying to improve the educational outcomes of their public high school students by making a small, simple, but potentially powerful change. These school districts are considering changing school start times from the traditional 8:00 am to a later 8:30 am. What is their reasoning? Well-rested students learn better.

The Benefits of Later School Start Times

From improved learning to better health, there is a myriad of reasons public schools are considering starting school at 8:30 am.

Works with Teenagers’ Natural Sleep Rhythms

According to the National Sleep Foundation, children undergo a shift in sleep patterns when they enter puberty which causes them to remain alert later into the evening and to remain sleepy later in the morning. In other words, teenagers are naturally inclined to stay up later at night and wake up later in the morning.

Advocates argue that an 8:30 am start time improves students’ chances of success. In the early morning, when their brains are not

As our nation’s politicians and policymakers look for ways to improve America’s public education system, the teaching institution is coming under direct fire. From conducting background checks on teachers to holding instructors accountable for students’ lackluster test scores, the entire foundation of our education system is being challenged.

Interestingly, a model for improving the quality of our teachers may already exist in the Teach for America program. This is a nonprofit organization that recruits high-achieving college graduates to teach for two years in low-income schools. Teach for America teachers do not have to undergo the traditional credentialing process; they receive “boot camp” training and then are given full responsibility for a classroom of students.

Yet despite their lack of traditional teaching credentials, Teach for America teachers are often more effective than their veteran teacher colleagues at improving student performance. In part, this success can be attributed to the rigorous analysis that the organization performs of its teachers.

This video offers some pros and cons of the Teach America experience.

How Teach for America Measures Performance

For the past decade, Teach for America has analyzed the profiles of its teacher applicants and the test scores of students in an ongoing attempt to identify the traits that the best teachers have.

Teach for America’s internal analyses identify a teacher as one of the “best” if the teacher moves his or her