Sexting / Administration Communication With Staff

One of the perils of all the new technology today is we have put valuable tools in the hands of today's youth who have little or no understanding of the possible consequences of their misuse. We have all heard the stories of various social networking tools being misused, with students discussing underage drinking activities, cyber-bullying, and discussing illegal or immoral acts they have committed. At Ethics Day in Bismarck, one of the speakers used a quote that really hit the issue on the head. He said, "Once on the Internet, forever on the Internet". Students don't realize the consequence of being so bold and open on the Internet, telling things that anyone and everyone may ultimately have access to.

One issue that concerns me is the use of sexting. This term refers to taking nude pictures of themselves or friends, some even performing sexual acts, and texting these pictures to friends. The students that participate in this activity don't understand that these pictures will in all likelihood be forwarded to other friends, and before long they may be seen by most other students in the school and beyond. Why would you want other people to see these photos, especially when they may fall into the wrong hands. There is also the concern of minors being the subject of the photos. When this happens, you in essence have child pornography. Not only are the students who took the pictures breaking the law, but anyone who possesses or passes on the pictures guilty of possessing or distributing child pornography, which is a federal crime. Students found guilty of this crime will also have to spend the rest of their lives as registered sex offenders. Students need to stop and think about the consequences of misusing these technological tools.

This brings me to the second issue I would like to discuss. There is a difficult balance between personal privacy and the need for administrators to keep the teaching staff informed of issues within the school. If there is a known instance of sexting or other crimes within a school, should the staff be advised of these circumstances? We don't need to know the names of the students involved, but wouldn't it be better if we knew about these issues before we here students talking about them? It never fails that the students will find out. How can we use this as a teachable moment if we don't know before a student says something about it? What are your thoughts?

Charter School vs Public School Performance

Kevin Hart recently wrote an article for NEA Today entitled, "Report: Charter Schools Making Achievements Worse?" This report creates a question whether charter schools are being held accountable for their performance the same way public schools are.

I have very little understanding of charter schools, since they are not prevalent in North Dakota. It is my understanding the public schools in areas where charter schools exist feel threatened by charter schools. The fear is that charter schools will attract the high achieving students as well as the best teachers away from the public schools. We all know that a good education depends on quality teachers and administrators, proper resources, students who want to learn, and supportive parents. If the best students and teachers are leaving public schools to go to charter schools, it is easy to understand the concerns of public schools, especially in low-income and high minority schools.

According to Mr. Hart, charter schools were founded on the premise of freedom with accountability. It is understandable for parents to want the best possible education for their children. However, Diane Ravitch, a New York University professor and former Assistant Secretary of Education analyzed the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics data which was compiled by the U. S. Department of Education. She concluded that public school students are not only outperforming charter school students, but the gap is increasing.

Public school fourth graders outperformed their charter school counterparts by six points in Math in 2003; that gap today is eight points. For eighth graders, public school students continue to outperform charter school students by seven points. What concerns Ms. Ravitch is that charter schools have been promoted as an opportunity for educational change. However, accountability for performance seems to be lacking. If charter schools are going to be a choice when compared to public schools, they also need to have similar accountability. Without that accountability, it will be difficult for parents to make an informed decision on the best educational choice for their children.