Podcasting or Teaching in An Alternative High School

Hello-- My name is Jack Murphy, and I am a high school English teacher in Chicago. My school is called Truman Middle College, an alternative high school for students 16-21 who have dropped out of public schools and are returning to earn their degree.I am writing both to express my appreciation for this journal, which I have found very useful and inspiring, and also to submit a proposal for 2 possible articles.I have two ideas I would like you to consider: one a short piece on a very successful project I have used in my class and another a longer piece on the nature of working at a school like mine.1. Podcast assignment: a very interesting and successful project I have used in my English class several times now has been a podcast. Students decide whether they want to work on their own, in pairs, or in groups. Each group is challenged to create a podcast segment that connects to the theme Truman Middle College, a la This American Life. The broadness of this theme allows for practically endless variations-- from anodyne issues such as the school bathroom, commutes, and going to school with siblings to deeper issues such as inequality in the school system, student subjugation at the hands of school authority figures, and dealing with Chicago gun violence.The assignment is successful for several reasons, among them 1) student choice in topic 2) a fresh and interesting outlet for the skills and tools we have honed throughout the semester (interviewing, story telling, figurative language, etc), 3) technology such as garageband that students find engaging and useful outside of the classroom (creating the fabulous situation where certain students, often quiet or disengaged, become classroom experts in the program, volunteering to assist and teach others, including their teacher).2. Teaching At An Alternative High School- This could be a longer reflection on the nature of teaching at a school like TMC. The students at my school have all been kicked out of another school, for a wide variety of reasons. We have students who have been incarcerated, students who have children of their own, students who work a fulltime low-wage job in addition to being a fulltime high school student, just to name a few obstacles they face. Our attendance is absolutely atrocious, students are often extremely bitter about schooling in general after a lifetime of bad experiences, and even the most dedicated are often too exhausted, hungry, or depressed to enjoy consistent success. It is at our little school you see the full tyranny of capitalism in full fury, as well as all the conflicting incentives and agendas imposed on teachers by CPS, the charter network, and the high-stakes testing regime. Much effort made by admin or teachers is often in pursuit of good data and other symbols of productivity, at the blatantexpense of the student population. It is my 5th year as a teacher at this school (and 8th in general, all spent in Chicago) and nothing has done more to radicalize my politics than seeing what these young people are forced to endure on a daily basis. Thank you for reading. If either of these ideas interest you, please let me know and I can produce the pieces.

Stakeholder Perceptions of Barriers and Solutions to Significant Post-Secondary Enrollment Option Expansion for High School Students

Post-secondary experiences for students still in high school have been promoted as a means to increase academic rigor and create a better-trained workforce. Yet little is known regarding supports needed to significantly increase such options. This study obtained input from 411 stakeholders in one Midwestern state, including 201 district superintendents, 181 high school principals, and 23 college dual enrollment officers regarding their use of these options, their perceptions of barriers to program expansion, and their ranking of possible solutions to overcome the barriers. Findings demonstrate that all parties find postsecondary options of value, with traditional dual enrollment the most used option. Although all groups identified funding as a primary barrier, other systemic barriers were of great concern. Participants suggest that expansion of Advanced Placement and early and middle college programs, financial assistance for dually enrolled students, and increased program availability for career and technical options would be beneficial.

Solutions to Calendar

Problems 1 7 and 25, 26, and 28 are adapted from Recreational Math Problems for High School Students Book I and Book II (revised 1984). The problems were used in Wellington County (Ontario) mathematics contests and prepared for the Grand Valley Mathematics Association under the guidance of Gary Flewelling. Problems 8 13 are adapted from Puzzles for Pleasure by Barry R. Clarke (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994). Problem 14 was contributed by Agnes Tuska and Larry Cusick, both of California State University-Fresno, 5245 North Backer Ave., Fresno, CA 93740. Problems 15 24 were submitted by Elias Jonas, Truman Middle College, 1145 West Wilson, Chicago, IL 60640. Problem 27 is taken from 101 Puzzle Problems by Nathaniel B. Bates and Sanderson M. Smith (Concord, Mass.: Bates Publishing Co., 1980).

Solutions to Calendar

Problems 2–9 were submitted by Elias Ionas, Truman Middle College, 1145 West Wilson. Chicago, IL 60640. Problems 10–12, 18, 19, 30, and 31 were prepared by Victor G. Feser, University of Mary, 7500 Uruversity Drive, Bismarck, ND 58504-9652. Problems 13–17 were adapted from Applied Combinatorics with Problem Solving by Bradley W. Jackson and Dmitri Thoro (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1990). Problems 20–22 were adapted from 150 Puzzles in Crypt-Arithmetic by Maxey Brooke (New York: Dover Publications, 1963). Problems 24–28 appeared in the Wisconsin State Mathematics Meet, 13 May 1972. Thanks go to Gerry Rising, State University New York, Buffalo, NY 14222, for providing the Wisconsin contest material.