Education Article Sharing

We have spent the past week finding, reading, and critiquing articles on educational policy issues. Now it's time to share and discuss these articles in class. Students chose the following topics to analyze:

• special education
• zero tolerance policies
• social and emotional learning techniques
• alternative education
• school uniforms
• random drug testing in schools
• abstinence-only vs. comprehensive sex education
• physical education requirements
• international exchange students

Education Article Critique Assignment

Your education article critique assignment is due at the start of class on Thursday. All students should have found their article, gotten it approved, and read it by now. Wednesday's class period will be available for you to write the critique following the guidelines noted on the yellow handout. Read your directions!

What are we doing this week?

Education Article Search and Share

All this week, students will be researching and analyzing education articles using online databases. Anna Moss, our school librarian, will introduce our online database subscriptions to be used for this project. These articles and student responses will be used to focus our discussions of education policy and practice in the next few weeks of the quarter.

Be ready to get your search on!

New Student Welcome Activity

Snaps to all students and staff who participated in the New Student Welcome Activity on Wednesday, April 22. Great fun, great food, great company !!

New Student Welcome Activity

The New Student Welcome Activity is set for Wednesday, April 22 during first period. CLASS and Shabazz Experience I students will gather together for breakfast and fun activities. It will be a nice community building opportunity for all.

Defining a Leader

In the past two class periods, students have brainstormed and processed a working definition of a leader, leader characteristics, and leadership. We also discussed the process of coming to these definitions (who took control, what were the tangents, how the class worked together, group dynamics, etc.).

Here are the results:

A Leader has: self-confidence, goals and beliefs, charisma, strong public speaking/listening skills, intuition, an open mind, an educated understanding of goals and audience, the ability to take risks, a strong network, a support system, organizational skills, funding ($ support), credentials/education, an ability to give a positive first impression, assertiveness, people smarts, awareness, [is] centered, [is] honest, and [is] reliable.

A leader doesn't always have a positive goal. A leader doesn't have to possess all of the characteristics listed above to be effective (but it helps).

Leadership is the practice of organizing others toward a common cause.

Quarter Four Syllabus

C.L.A.S.S.

(Community, Leadership, Action, and Solutions in School)
Quarter Four – 2008-09

C.L.A.S.S. is a service-learning course working to develop strong, committed student voices at Shabazz in areas of personal leadership, student government, community building, group dynamics, conflict resolution, and problem solving. Understanding education policy, the public education process, and what it means to be a leader and positive contributor within an academic community will be our priorities for the quarter. Students will be required to complete a variety of academic assignments, proactively participate in discussions, and contribute to hands-on activities. Students will also examine and develop an understanding of leadership standards and group dynamics through analysis of a variety of text and media sources. Students will deepen their understanding of current educational issues by using Shabazz and the Madison school district as a test cases or lab site. Members of the course must bring with them a strong desire to enhance their current Shabazz community, a firm commitment to follow current Shabazz policies, an ability to complete individual assignment responsibilities, and a willingness to proactively work in cooperative groups.


To earn credit in this course, students are required to fulfill ALL of the following:

1. develop and maintain a positive rapport with Shabazz staff and students by following the three main Shabazz policies;

2. maintain a positive attendance record in this class;

3. pro-actively participate in class discussions, group trust building activities/stress challenge programming, project planning, committee assignments/projects (i.e., all-school meetings, information gathering and delivery in classes, school site clean-ups, school improvement activities, etc.);

4. plan and implement a New Student Welcome Activity (This service component is required and is a single opportunity that cannot be made up.);

5. build organizational skills;

6. complete written assignments as requested. The components for fourth quarter may include:

• A) Discussion and Journal Responses to various articles, texts, media pieces, and/or events during the quarter. This includes individual reflections on service components during the quarter.
• B) Education Article Search, Analysis, and Presentation.

7. assist with at least 2 prospective “shadow” student visitations, including lunch and break periods and completion of the C.L.A.S.S. Visitation Feedback Forms;


8. attend the MMSD Student Senate meetings and/or the Shabazz Lunch Advisory Group meetings. Student Senate Meetings dates are posted on the door of Room 35 and on Denise’s Course Blog site. Report back to the class on issues and the meeting process;

9. consult with Student Senate coordinators and Shabazz staff re: community initiatives;

10. assist with the MMSD Student Senate Liaison Election process.


Case Study Options:
• All-School Meetings (to be planned with Sally’s input)
• New Student Welcome Activity
• Information Delivery for student body
• Student Senate Meetings and/or Shabazz Lunch Advisory Meetings
• Conflict Resolution / Transformation Skills Discussion and Development as needed
• Increasing Student Voice/Leadership at Shabazz
• Analysis/testing of public relations “tools” used by Shabazz (i.e., Web site, UW/Edgewood/MATC class presentations, news pieces, BOE meeting presentations)
• Ongoing Birthday Greetings and care of Graduation Plants
• Analysis of Mission Statement and input on Policies and Practices
• Student Senate redesign input


The Process of Leadership:
By choosing CLASS, all students in this room have taken on the challenge to ensure that Shabazz continues as a safe, strong community that upholds its mission. You have agreed to act as strong supportive “voices” for your peers and school. As a CLASS student, staff and administration may often look to you to set the best example possible to new students, old students, staff, and the broader Madison community of what it means to be a positive Shabazz student. That is a big responsibility. Please evaluate your dedication to our school’s mission. Do you believe in the policies staff and students have set together? Do you really know how to follow those policies? Do you know your responsibility in making sure your classes run smoothly? Do you know how to create a safe and positive school environment in and outside of your classes? Are you ready to assess your personal leadership strengths and areas needing improvement? Are you prepared to serve as a voice for the school at district-level meetings? We must constantly re-evaluate where we are going with our individual responsibilities and our goals as a class and as a school. This type of processing and planning may seem tedious at times, yet it is crucial to keeping our cooperative education process strong at Shabazz. Let us all try to be patient with this process and use our resources to the best of our advantage.


Basic Class Stuff

Work Completion:
• Students must complete ALL assignments within the task guidelines to earn credit. Due dates are firm in this class. If a grace period is needed, a student must confer with Denise before the due date to work out a strategic plan for assignment completion. Due date extension agreements are made on a case by case basis. (Students with documented special education writing concerns must have a dialogue with Denise about those concerns in the first week of the course. Permission for extensions must be in line with a student’s IEP.)


Attendance Requirements:
• It is each student’s responsibility to ask for any assignments or responsibilities missed due to absences. Please do this on the day you return to class.

• The Shabazz attendance policy will be strictly enforced in all classes. Remember that all tardies are accounted for (3 tardies = 1 absence). Students arriving more than 15 minutes late will be marked absent. Students accruing more than 4 absences will no longer be eligible for credit in the class. Because this course is discussion and participation based, delayed credit is not possible.

• Students earn 1 comp. hour for each evening Student Senate Meeting they attend or for every 3 noon Advisory Meetings. (Maximum of two comp. hours.) Details of how that comp. hour works will be discussed in class. Students may only use that comp. hour for attendance in the CLASS class.


Book / Other Materials Return:
• All students must return books/other materials checked out for class (or for independent reading) to be eligible for credit. If a book is lost, talk with Denise about where you can find a replacement copy, or you may arrange for payment of the text with the office. Books have gotten extremely expensive in the last few years, so in order to maintain our excellent resource libraries here at Shabazz, we must keep close tabs on all our books.