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Education in Small Schools of Pennsylvania: What Parents Should Know

by James D. DiFebo

189 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0547; ISBN 1-55369-734-0; US$21.00, C$28.26, EUR18.40, £12.80

Education faces many problems today. The community must have input for education to improve in the public schools.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      reviews      catalogue info

About the Book Education in Small Schools of Pennsylvania addresses the problems that have plagued education in the past and the most recent problems in education. Each chapter of the book contains one major problem facing education in small schools of Pennsylvania today. The first part of the chapter presents the controversy surrounding the topic, involving the ongoing debate found in the media. More importantly, the second section provides the answers to these issues, which are found by utilizing educational research and the experience of the author. Many of the problems facing the small schools can be solved without money. For the most part, educational problems can be solved using logical and pragmatic solutions. The family in America has changed, and this has translated into the public schools being the fundamental environment responsible in dealing with most of the problems facing the family unit. The schools can not do it alone. The new thinking is that the community should be made aware of the problems of the small schools and should be included in the solutions. This book contains the author's 25 years of experience in the small public schools of Pennsylvania. It is unique, in that, many of the problems of the public schools can be solved using new methods but without new money. This work is concerned mostly with small schools in Pennsylvania; however, the issues are national in scope. The specific audience is parents, educators, administrators, school board members, educational advocate groups and the growing number of the public who are concerned with improving education for the children in our schools.

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About the Author I graduated from a small school in Pennsylvania and received my doctorate in education from West Virginia University. After teaching college in New York City, I returned to the small school environment and continued teaching there for 25 years. My wife Judy and I manage apartment buildings, one of which previously served as the local high school in a small town. I have two children, Bryan, an environmental biologist, and Janine, who is also a teacher in a small school. ~James D. DiFebo

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Sample Excerpts and Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter 1	Are Small Schools Better Than Large Schools?	4
Chapter 2	Can Violence In Schools Be Stopped?	14
Chapter 3	Are Guns A Problem?	24
Chapter 4	What Can Be Done About Drug Abuse?	33
Chapter 5	How Does Money Affect Small Schools?	39
Chapter 6	Why Do We Have Administrators?	44
Chapter 7	How Can School Boards Be More Effective?	53
Chapter 8	Are Strikes Effective In Small Schools?	60
Chapter 9	Are Vouchers A Problem?	67
Chapter 10	How Equitable Are Charter Schools?	79
Chapter 11	How Do Cyber Schools Affect Education?	86
Chapter 12	Have Vocational Schools Failed?	93
Chapter 13	What Can Be Done About Learning Disabilities?	103
Chapter 14	Do Test Scores Really Work?	110
Chapter 15	Is Homework Really Necessary?	119
Chapter 16	Is There Too Much Pressure on Kids?	132
Chapter 17	Can Your Kids Really Communicate?	139
Chapter 18	What Can Be Done About Gender Discrimination?	147
Chapter 19	Can The Schools Develop Character?	147
Chapter 20	Why Are the Old Ones Still Teaching?	164
Chapter 21	Are Teachers Misunderstood?	170
Chapter 22	How Can We Improve the School?	178

Are small schools better than large schools?

Small schools also allow for a closer collaboration between teachers. Teachers in smaller school districts can more easily discuss and remedy the academic and social problems of their students because of closer personal relationships and more familiarity with the students. Because of this closer teacher/student relationship, teachers can communicate more effectively with parents concerning the students* strengths and weaknesses.

Can violence in schools be stopped?

Any school violence that threatens human life is devastating to the community and, for the most part, was nonexistent in the past. To undersatnd why serious school violence occurs, one must look at th echange that has taken place in the family unit. Thirty years ago it was the norm to have one parent at home most of the day. The stay-at-home mother usually saw the children off to school and was waiting for their return to find out how their day had gone. Today*s world is much different with both parents working to make ends meet.

What can be done about drug abuse?

In rural America, smoking, drinking and drug use are more widespread than in urban areas, according to the National Center of Addiciton and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. According to the United States Conference of Mayors, eigth graders in rural areas are 104% more likely to use amphetamines, and 50% more likely to use cocaine. (CASA 2000.) These same eigth graders smoke more marijuana, use more crack cocaine, drink more alcohol, and smoke twice as many cigarettes as their city-bred counterparts.

Why do we have administrators?

Teachers have to be accountable for what happens in the classroom. Administrators have to be accountable for what happensin the entire school. Acocuntability is a much used work in education today, and it must be pointed out that the admnistrators also are under more pressure to show accountability than ever before. The new Pennsylvania State Standards, which bear directly on the leadership of the administrators and school district, have changed the philosophy of th eschools in Pennsylvania. Curriculum must be tailored or sometimes changed in order to meet these standards, equiring more work and energy on the part of the administration. The way in which these changes will occur depends on the type of leadership philosophy of the administrator.

Are vouchers a problem?

Vouchers are government money used to help pay for a student to attend the school of choice. Probably no issue in education has brought about "brother fighting brother" as the voucher issue. Vouchers have caused fighting between Republican and Republican, Democrat and Democrat, Black and Black, and Christian and Christian. The "voucher" issue has been around since the early 1960*s when it was suggested that a voucher equal a certain number of dollars be given to parents top be used to help pay for the child*s education in any school of their choosing. The purpose was to prevent schools from becoming a government monopoly, in that a student must ordinarily attend a school in the area in which the family resides.

How equitable are charter schools?

Accountability requires that the charter school meet the same standards as regular public schools. According to the Pennsylvania School boards Association some charter schools have 50% of their students scoring in the lowest quartile of the PSSA (Pennsylvania State Schools Assessment). Moreover, charter schools do not need to operate under the same rules as public schools. Only 75% of charter school teachers need to hold a professional teaching certificate, and the remaining teachers just need knowledge and/or experience in the area.

Do test scores really work?

One thing for certain is that teachers, administrators, and school districts are being held accountable for the test scores of their students. However, teachers will be the ones held most accountable. Test scores of the school are made public by the media, and individual districts look favorably or unfavorable on teachers based on the results of their students* test scores.

Is homework really necessary?

Homework is given in order for the child to demonstrate mastery of a teaching lesson. It was intended that homework help to bridge the gap in the school between the parent and the teacher. If the child brings the work home, then the parent is informed as to what is happening in the classroom.

A study conducted regarding homework in 1998, however, shows that homework does not bridge the gap between home and school. The nonprofit Public Agenda study showed that only half the parents made their children do the required homework and 34% revealed that there was always a struggle to have their child do homework (Strauss 2002).

Is there too much pressure on kids?

The over-scheduling of fast-track students is most difficult to deal with, because it goes against the American way. Most Americans believe in the adage that "hard work will lead to a better life." Parents naturally pass on to their children the idea that working hard is a good trait to possess. Most parents are happy that their child is involved in a lot of activities as long as the child is making good grades.

Can schools develop character?

More recently, character education has resurfaced in public schools due to public and political support for the school*s responsibility to teach good moral character. By the 1990s business also favored a curriculum promoting the positive character traits necessary in the work place, such as the ability for workers to cooperate with each other and the responsible behavior of arriving at work on time and coming to work every day.

Why are the old ones still teaching?

Full retirement in teaching for the State of Pennsylvania is after thirty-five years of service. To retire with fewer years of service means that the teacher will have substantial penalties reducing his or her pension. In the past the State had passed a bill, in two-year increments, that provided for "thirty and out." That meant a teacher could retire with thirty years of service, and no penalty would be assessed on their pension. The state has not passed a bill for "thirty and out" in the last five years.

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Reviews

"What Parents Should Know" is an appropriate subtitle for Education in Small Schools of Pennsylvania by Dr. James D. DiFebo. The author suggests answers to the problems plaguing small schools ranging from drugs and violence among students to the retirement of older teachers.

The book captures the reader's interest at the beginning of each chapter. Vignettes, perhaps taken from the author's experience, but definitely enhanced by his creativity, introduce the reader to the situation presented in the chapter. Dr. DiFebo goes on to discuss the problem in detail and give a pragmatic, reasonable solution to the situation described.

The language is easy to read and understand, which makes the book appeal to the universal audience. Students, parents, and educators alike can relate to the book on some level. The solutions given are practical and should make all readers see that change is not only necessary, but possible. Nationwide educators, as well as residents of small Pennsylvania towns will benefit from reading the book.

Michele Nakich, Educator

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Catalogue Information

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