Schools: Events: Class Disrupted: Disorder and Its Effects on Learning and School Culture

Class Disrupted: Disorder and Its Effects on Learning and School Culture

October 31, 2007

Location: Washington, DC

On October 31, Common Good convened a forum to draw attention to an often over-looked yet deeply important issue in our public schools--disorder and its effects on learning and school culture. Attendees spanned disciplines and sectors with many educators, mental health professionals, policymakers, business leaders, academics, and reformers present. They discussed the complexity of school disorder, in light of contributing factors and solutions, and how imperative it is that energy be directed towards building healthy and positive school cultures in order to improve student achievement. Deborah Wadsworth, Senior Advisor to Public Agenda, opened the day reminding those in attendance that “all too often it seems we are asking students to increase their academic performance in an environment that is intrinsically hostile to learning.”

SPEAKER BIOS: For more information about the forum participants, click here.

AGENDA: For a copy of the agenda, click here.

WEBCAST: To watch a video of each panel and Randi Weingarten's keynote address, please select from the links below, which are segmented by speaker, discussion, and Q&A.

Janet Corcoran

Welcome and Opening Remarks: Janet Corcoran, President, Common Good Common Good President Janet Corcoran welcomed attendees, panelists, and commentators, emphasizing Common Good’s commitment to helping “identify what actions must be taken to restore order and a culture of respect in our schools.”

Deborah Wadsworth

Panel 1. Disorder and Disrespect: A Look Inside Schools The first panel tapped into the experiences of teachers, principals, superintendents and special educators in order to communicate the problem of disorder in schools today. Presenter/Moderator: Deborah Wadsworth, Senior Advisor, Public Agenda; Member, Common Good Education Advisory Board   » Selected data and news clips on school disorder Panelists: Frederick Brigham, Associate Professor of Special Education, George Mason University Drema Brown, Director of Aspiring Principals and School Achievement, New Leaders for New Schools Dee Phillips, Special Assistant to Federation President, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers   » Power Point: Disorder and Disrespect in the School District of Philadelphia Jerome F. Wartgow, Former Superintendent, Denver Public Schools Q&A

Andrew Rotherham

Panel 2. The Effects of Disorder on Learning and Culture In the second panel, William Damon discussed the importance of creating a "moral community" in schools. David Osher argued that students cannot succeed academically in an environment that is disorganized and hostile. And Eric Hirsch presented data connecting teachers’ willingness to leave the profession with their perceptions of safety and trust in the school community. Deborah Meier concluded the panel by highlighting the misperceptions that exist between adults and students and the need to build stronger connections between the two. Moderator: Andrew Rotherham, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Education Sector; Senior Fellow, Progressive Policy Institute Panelists: William Damon, Professor of Education, Stanford University; Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence Eric Hirsch, Director of Special Projects, New Teacher Center at UC-Santa Cruz   » Power Point: Educator Perceptions of Safety and Discipline Issues Deborah Meier, Senior Scholar, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University David Osher, Managing Director, American Institutes for Research   » Power Point: The Relationship Between Safety, the Social Emotional Conditions for Teaching & Learning, and Learning Q&A

Frederick M. Hess

Panel 3. Law, Legal Consciousness, and Student Discipline Richard Arum led the third panel by presenting his most recent work, "The School Rights Project," a study based on empirical data from educator and student surveys revealing perceptions of law and the fairness of law in schools. “Fairness of school discipline is central to youth socialization,” says Arum. “You can’t get kids to internalize norms and values of society unless they think discipline is fair.” Professor Arum was joined by others in pointing out the impact of law and legal consciousness on student discipline.  Moderator: Frederick M. Hess, Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute Presenter: Richard Arum, Professor of Sociology and Education, New York University » Power Point: Law, Legal Consciousness and Student Discipline Discussants: David Bloomfield, Associate Professor of Education, Brooklyn College Charlotte Frank, Sr. Vice President, Research and Development for McGraw-Hill Education John Stewart, Eighth Grade English Teacher, Gunston Middle School, Arlington, VA Discussion Q&A

Randi Weingarten

Keynote Address: Randi Weingarten, President, United Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten energized the audience in her keynote address by sharing specific examples of what schools can do to improve student behavior and by emphasizing that, “When you have somebody who ought not be in that classroom and every single day disrupts it, everybody else in that classroom gets hurt. And the teacher can’t do what she ought to do.”

Philip K. Howard

Panel 4. Restoring Order and a Culture of Respect: How Can We Turn This Around? The final panel provided possible solutions for reducing classroom disorder and improving school climate, ranging from schools receiving tangible supports, such as increased mental health services and teacher training, to a complete rethinking of how the school community goes about setting and enforcing behavior expectations. Moderator: Judith Rizzo, Executive Director, James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Panelists:  William Damon, Professor of Education, Stanford University; Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence Joan Goodman, Professor of Education, University of Pennsylvania Greg Greicius, Senior Vice President, Educational Initiatives, Turnaround for Children Philip K. Howard, Founder and Chair, Common Good Carol Lieber, Senior Consultant, Educators for Social Responsibility Discussion Q&A

Peter Yarrow

Closing Remarks: Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary; President and Founder, Operation Respect Ending the day with the inspirational words and music of Peter Yarrow, Class Disrupted opened the door to an issue that is all too often neglected in our schools.