Midway through the morning, Dr. Starr posted this tweet about a classroom practice:
I was interested to learn more about "equity sticks," after all, Dr. Starr described them as a "KEY EQUITY STRATEGY" for schools with lots of racial diversity. After all, Dr. Starr's mission is to close the achievement gap, and he says "equity sticks" are a key strategy in that regard. MCPS even has an "Equity Initiatives Unit" with 10 employees. Surely they must be involved in developing the "equity sticks" strategy and training teachers in its implementation. Why, even a sample evaluation form showing MCPS's vaunted Professional Growth System cites approvingly a teacher's use of "equity sticks."
Well.
"How can we keep all students engaged? How can we assure that we are calling on each student in our classroom rather than the "selected few?" How can we make each child responsible for his own learning? One trick I have found is equity sticks.
Equity sticks can be Popsicle sticks, index cards, bookmarks, etc. On each stick, you write the name of a student in your class. When you ask a question, you simply choose a stick and that student will answer. After turn and talk, choose a stick and let that child answer. This way, you are assuring equity during discussions."
So, to summarize:
"Equity" seems to mean that MCPS wants to take away the judgment of the individual teacher about which student to call on in class. I can understand the utility of some random name drawing system in a classroom...but...c'mon! "EQUITY STICKS?"
THEY ARE POPSICLE STICKS! Our "close the gap" strategy, our "KEY" strategy, is POPSICLE STICKS?
I'm a teacher in the county. I use the sticks because it keeps the kids on their toes during instruction. They pay attention because they never know if or when their name will be called. There are times when I do choose specific students to answer questions if I want to steer class discussion in a certain direction. But using the sticks is about accountability when the teacher is providing instruction. And we use popsicle sticks because they're cheap and easy to replace if lost or damaged. It seems cheesy and Mr. Starr trumpeting their use seems over the top, but they work.
ReplyDeleteWhatever works to keep kids paying attention is fine by me. But the term "equity sticks" just represents the worst kind of edu-babble that Starr has embraced. Does it work to keep kids on their toes? I'll take your word for it! But as a "key strategy" to bring equity across the school system and close the achievement gap, I'm not buying it.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, not everyone calls them "equity sticks." Cheesy name. That said, it does help teachers on occasions when they're trying not to call on the same students all the time, or to leave out the kids who somehow manage to fly under the radar much of the time; despite our best efforts at equity, it is sometimes helpful for us to have a tool that randomizes responders to a question, or (in elementary schools especially, where fairness perceived by students is important to the kids) impartiality in selecting kids for classroom jobs or tasks.
DeleteBut I agree, calling them "equity sticks" makes my skin crawl. They're just simple randomizers, to be used when it makes sense to use them - no need to make them something they aren't.
I'm also a teacher in the county and I agree with the above teacher. They work. I teach high school and use note cards instead of sticks because I have 5 classes, and its easier to binder clip 5 sets of notescards. They're a great tool for keeping the class engaged. It does bring equity into the classroom. Don't knock it until you've tried it or observed it in action.
ReplyDeleteSo the achievement gap has been completely closed in your classroom through the use of Popsicle sticks?
DeleteThe point of this post is that Joshua Starr is claiming to the world that this is a "key equity strategy." Focus on the word KEY. If this is the key that closes the achievement gap then we should immediately copyright it, call them MCPS sticks and sell them to school systems across the country along with our KEY Pearson curriculum and our KEY Wireless Generation software.
Janis, Anon didn't claim that they "completely closed" the achievement gap. S/he said it "bring[s] equity into the classroom." It's a tool, like computers are tools and pencils are tools and whiteboards and even the dreaded Promethean boards, overpriced though they are, are still tools.
DeleteJoshua Starr has called these a "key equity strategy". Please see posting above for his Tweet.
DeleteThere's a difference between something being an "equity strategy" - aka "classroom tool" and "closing the achievement gap."
Delete"Equity sticks" *is* a dorky name for them, but hyperbole serves no purpose here either.
Joshua Starr's words. See above. He links them to racial diversity. Again, this is Twitter. His choice to sell his brand in this manner. NYC turned him down, we'll see who is interested in him next.
DeleteI think you are really taking a small thing and blowing it completely out of proportion.
DeleteAre you referring to the Superintendent?
DeleteIs there also a bridge up for sale?
ReplyDeleteEquity sticks take away autonomy for teachers who actually might want to call on certain students for strategic reasons. That would require thought, though, and we don't want that, do we?
ReplyDeleteIf a teacher decides to use them for every single instance when they call on students, then yes, it does. But you're not giving teachers a lot of credit by assuming that's what we/they all do, or how we/they all use the sticks. There are even some principals, maybe even *many* principals, in MCPS who allow the teachers in their schools to use their judgment from time to time, if you can believe it. :-)
Delete