A Letter to Student-Athletes

October 14, 2014

Dear High School Student-Athlete:

There are many reasons to participate on a high school sports team.  Movement is the only way to nourish your brain.  A coach can be another adult in your life who wants you to succeed.  Your teammates become friends for life, and what’s cooler than representing your community?

In the New York Times bestselling book SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Harvard Professor John J. Ratey, MD, it was reported that three months of exercise increased blood flow to the brain’s memory and learning areas by 30%.  There you have it.  The science behind why student-athletes outperform the general school population academically.  Athletes are also most likely to succeed in college and their chosen profession.  “Dumb jock?”  Don’t believe the myth!

When I was in high school (soon after Noah’s flood), I became bored during my sophomore year.  My grades were fine, but I wanted to quit school to experience more adventures in life.  The day I planned to drop-out, my PE teacher asked me to join his track team.  It was just the injection of adventure I needed.  To challenge myself to run faster, and to try to jump higher and farther every day was thrilling.  My coach spoke quiet words of wisdom as needed, and the thought of not finishing school never again crossed my mind.  Before graduating, I experienced the thrill of running on one of New York City’s best 3200 meter relay teams!

The teammates I met nearly 30 years ago are friends of mine to this day.  They are engineers, attorneys, police officers, civil servants, and great parents!  If I need expert advice, I know who to call.  When my spirits are down, they are there to lift me up.  I could not imagine growing old without them.  We were soldiers on the same high school battle grounds, so they know where I’m coming from.

For all of the above reasons, and many more, your participation on one of our high school teams will benefit you in ways yet to be revealed.  I support your continued growth, and will remain a resource for you as long as I walk this earth.  I’m confident your coaches will do the same.

Sincerely,

Jonathan T. Jefferson, Ed.D.

Director of Health, PE, & Athletics

Exercise and the Brain

Exercise and the Brain

By Jonathan Jefferson

“SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John J. Ratey, MD is the one book that all educators must read to fully understand the inseparable connection between exercise and the brain’s ability to acquire knowledge.  Long before this well structured, research-based book was released in 2008, I had admonished my colleagues that it was a misnomer to equate academic learning and exercise as two separate spheres if for no other reason than that the brain can only receive nourishment through movement.  Movement increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain priming it for the development of new neuron-passage ways.  Recent studies have also shown that coordinated movement (e.g. dance, martial arts, & yoga) are the most effective “steroids” for the brain.

Why is this topic important?  Far too often we find well-intentioned educators unwittingly act on assumptions which are too detached from prevailing research to be anything but ineffectual.  Having students engage in physical activity before classes and exams is much more beneficial than having them sit quietly and read.  However, the “control freaks” contingency of educators are disinclined to relinquish their illusion of control, which ultimately contributes to the detriment of student performance.  Let us truly put kids first and embrace the maxim of doing what is best for them; not what is most convenient for the adults.

Dr. Ratey thoroughly shared the success of Naperville Illinois’ school district in his book.  This district is lead by their physical education and wellness program.  On the 1999 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Naperville’s eighth graders placed sixth in the world in math and first in science.  He also reported that in Naperville students are deliberately scheduled for their most difficult classes following physical education class.  This is done to take advantage of their brain’s readiness to learn at that time.  Imagine that; a striving school district actually applying proven research to a successful end.

I am not surprised that “SPARK” is a best seller.  The research shared explains the benefits of exercise on stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficit, addiction, hormonal changes, aging, and learning.  There is something for everyone, and acting on the research shared can improve the quality of life for many.

In addition to this fine work, another great read specific to movement and the brain is Math and Movement by Suzy Koontz.

Bullying

Bullying

Dr. Jonathan T. Jefferson

“Never be bullied into silence.  Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.” – Harvey S. Firestone

Chapter three of my book MUGAMORE begins with the above quote.  Bullying is one of the topics touched upon in that chapter, which is based on true personal accounts experienced during the 1976 – 77 school-year.  Believe it or not, as I keenly look back on my third-grade experiences, I believe the merciless physical and verbal abuse endured may have inadvertently led to beneficial outcomes in the trajectory of my life.

  

 How, you might ask, could being bullied have possibly produced positive outcomes?

Well, let’s consider that I had just been transferred from my neighborhood school to a higher performing school ten miles away.  As a late-year baby (November), I began kindergarten at age four.  I was physically smaller than most of the other children; especially the boys, and now I was academically smaller as well.  Canadian hockey fans know the benefits of being born earlier in the year (author Malcolm Gladwell gives extensive attention to this topic in his book Outliers).  In my case, consistent fear for my physical well-being made focusing on third-grade academics difficult at best.  After a miserable school-year fraught with repeated absences, I was back in the third grade the following school-year (’77-’78).  However, the gift of retrospect maintains that this was the best thing that could have happened to me.  During my second third-grade stint I found the other children were more my size -- physically and academically.  Consequently, I quickly found my stride and soon after began to thrive above and beyond expectations.

Clearly, I am not a proponent of bullying, nor am I promoting it as a path to some greater end-game.  It was just a coincidence that it contributed to a pivotal decision made for me by a concerned teacher.  The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) that became a law in New York State on July 1, 2012 is a step in the right direction.  It “…seeks to provide the State’s students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function.”  To make this law complete, employees of the school system should have been afforded the additional protections (no intimidation, no taunting, & no bullying), and statements against cyber bullying should have been included.

To learn more about what you can do to contribute to a bully-free society, visit the following sites: www.bullying.org, www.cyberbullying.ca, and www.bullyingawarenessweek.org. There are a growing number of resources available on this topic.  Hopefully, in the near future, no child will need to experience the perils I did my first year in third grade.

30 Years After A Nation at Risk - Risky Business

30 Years After A Nation at Risk – Risky Business

By Jonathan T. Jefferson, Ed.D.

Author of MUGAMORE…

“It’s like déjà vu all over again.”  In 1983, the once internationally prominent United States education system was unceremoniously awakened.  A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform was released by President Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in Education.  Politics aside, it can be said that this report lead to an assessment crazed generation. 

Standardized tests of achievement (not to be confused with aptitude tests) should be administered at major transition points from one level of schooling to another and particularly from high school to college or work.  The purpose of these tests would be to: (a) certify the student’s credentials; (b) identify the need for remedial intervention; and (c) identify the opportunity for advanced or accelerated work.  The tests should be administered as part of a nationwide (but not Federal) system of State and local standardized tests.  This system should include other diagnostic procedures that assist teachers and students to evaluate student progress.  (A Nation at Risk)

At the time of this Commission’s report, the United States was still among the educational leaders on the world’s stage.  Thirty years later, and our country is struggling to maintain its status in the top twenty.  What is the answer now?  Will Common Core State Standards (CCSS) close the gap?  It remains to be seen whether or not CCSS is the answer, but already risky measures are being implemented.

Statewide assessment tests are being developed to measure how well students are meeting the CCSS.  In some states (e.g. New York), the results of statewide assessment tests are being used to evaluate teachers and principals.  This is quite risky indeed.  There are teachers who have been previously identified as highly effective who are now reluctant to teach struggling learners.  These teachers are concerned that low scores by struggling learners on state assessments will reflect poorly when the teacher is rated.   Other consequences of these measures may include a rush to label students with a disability (ADD, ADHD, ED, etc.).  Once deemed disabled, the onus of the student’s poor test scores is no longer on the teacher or principal.

Common Core State Standards geared toward college and career readiness is a good thing.  Rushing to develop assessments for an overly assessed populous, and connecting those rushed assessments to teachers’ and principals’ evaluations is a dangerous thing.  When every student K – 12 has been educated since kindergarten toward CCSS, then evaluating the impact of CCSS would be justified.

A Few Words on Leadership

A Few Words on Leadership

By

Dr. Jonathan T. Jefferson

            Leadership is one of those areas that has been, and continues to be, thoroughly researched.  I am one of those guilty academics who spent years in a doctoral program immersed in the topic.  Ironically, it is not empirical peer reviewed literature that has taught me the most about leadership, but personal experience and observations.  My observations of transitional, transformational, democratic, autocratic, and laissez-fair leaders have molded my methods of influencing others.

            Transitional leaders are those in positions of authority during a time of change; specifically, when shifting from one paradigm/policy to another.  Today’s shift to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has exposed a lot of leaders.  Those who were proactive in learning as much as they could about the CCSS before implementation, and sharing what they learned with their colleagues, have not been overwhelmed by its emergence.  The same can be applied regarding the new federal health care legislation.  Don’t simply accept the hype.  Do some homework.

            Transformational leaders arise from every walk of life, and have the ability to move people to give of themselves for the betterment of all without those individuals expecting anything in return.  Malala, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ghandi just to name a few have exhibited transformational traits.  Democratic leaders need to gain the consensus of a majority in order to get issues addressed.  As noble as participatory leadership appears, it can lead to divisiveness, favoritism, and downright cruelty if wielded without integrity.

            On the extremes, there exists authoritarian leaders and those who chose to simply delegate.  Not validating what others bring to the table can only benefit a leader for a limited time.  When their own innovative ideas dry up, so does their effectiveness.  Putting off direct involvement until absolutely necessary can lead to chaos and disorder.  Therefore, those extremes are to be avoided as much as possible.  

            How have I been molded by my experiences?  First and foremost, I am not the perfect leader.  Being human, knowledge of the best leadership approach in specific situations does not always equal application of such.  I do try to be proactive regarding changes coming to my areas of responsibility.  On many occasions I go above and beyond in order to model for my staff the potential benefits bestowed upon the group if each individual can manage to give a bit more.  When I speak from the heart, it often motivates others to further exert.  Validating the opinions and expertise of subordinates never hurts, but the final decision still falls on the shoulders of the person in charge.  Rarely, if ever, am I autocratic.  When I delegate, it is always from a position of trust.  Yet trust, ultimately, is a two-way investment.  The more I procure my subordinates’ trust, and the more they gain mine, the more easily our joint-objectives might be attained.

Is Stop-and-Frisk as Flawed as Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools?

Is Stop-and-Frisk as Flawed as Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools?

By Dr. Jonathan T. Jefferson

Author of MUGAMORE: Succeeding without Labels – Lessons for Educators

There is no empirical evidence that New York City’s stop-and-frisk practice by police has had a significant impact on the reduction in crime.  In a recent New Yorker interview, Mayor Bloomberg himself said, “If I had a son who was stopped, I might feel differently about it.”  Soon to be reported current research may further dampen the ethos of stop-and-frisk.  Another equally damaging, widely used, and seldom debated policy is that of zero tolerance policies in schools.  Unlike stop-and-frisk, there is mounting evidence against the results of zero tolerance.

“Decisions based on zero tolerance policies can have seriously harmful consequences, in particular for first-time offenders-consequences that impair academic progress, reputation, career opportunities, and emotional development especially with regard to trust in the educational system”  (Kajs, 2006, p. 26).  In a study by Kajs (2006), the consequences for an eighth-grade student who brought a pencil sharpener to school happens far too often.  The student’s parent bought the device in South Korea, because it was the same type of sharpener the parent used as a child.  The sharpener had a two-inch blade that folded into the handle.  This high-performing student was removed from the position of student council president, kicked out of the honor society, and required to attend a disciplinary class for a week.  These apparently harsh consequences were met with a federal lawsuit.  Could not reasonable educators see that this was an honest error?  It would seem that simply informing the parent and child, and perhaps issuing a warning, was all this entire event warranted.  However, “zero tolerance laws and policies can prevent school administrators from applying creative and tailored responses to infractions by students” (Kajs, 2006, p. 21).

As a four-year-old kindergarten student in 1974, I was curious about what was behind the large door at the rear of my classroom.  When I saw a girl go behind the door, I thought it was permissible for students to go back there; hence, I followed her.  It turns out the door led to the bathroom.  I sat in a corner of the bathroom while my classmate used the toilet until the teacher’s assistant came in to tell me to return to my seat.  That was the end of it.  I shudder to think how a four-year-old would be treated today.  Would a zero tolerance policy have labeled me a sexual deviant, and placed me in a specialized school while being heavily medicated?  According to Verdugo (2002), the lack of clarity in zero tolerance policies do not consider a student’s intent [innocent curiosity], or circumstances related to the behavior [unfamiliar environment].

Working as a school administrator, I often hear colleagues advocating for treating all students equally.  Hearing this makes me cringe.  Often times, equal consequences are not fair.  Should an eighth-grade honor student with a two-inch sharpener, who has never been in trouble, be treated the same as a high school gang member with a two-inch shank?  How about a four-year-old kindergarten student unwittingly entering a bathroom with a girl being disciplined the same as a 17-year-old boy knowingly entering a bathroom with a girl?  Clearly, equal would not be fair.  Casella (2003) makes the point that discipline policies that criminalize youth cannot be successful.

Casella, R.  (2003). Zero tolerance policy in schools: Rationale, consequences, and alternatives.  Teachers College Record, 105(5), 872-892.

Kajs, L. T.  (2006). Reforming the discipline management process in schools: An alternative approach to zero tolerance.  Educational Research Quarterly, 29(4), 16-28.

Verdugo, R. R.  (2002). Race-ethnicity, social class, and zero-tolerance policies.  Education and Urban Society, 35, 50-75.  doi:10.1177/001312402237214