1. Kylene Beers President of National Council of Teachers of English *genteel - Webster’s definition: having an aristocratic quality or flavor, pertaining to upper class, elegant, marked by false delicacy...

2. “And there it was—that declaration that those kids, those kids whose lives are limited not by their potential and not by their poverty but by the interpretation of what that poverty means they can achieve” When poverty defines potential... “They do better with strong discipline... Some kids can handle higher level thinking discussions, but not the kids here....If we can get them to memorize facts, we believe we’ve come a long way.” --- some teachers

3. We ask you to read this article carefully. In addition to stimulating our thinking about the context in which we work, we are using a reading process that models Before, During, and After Reading Strategies. Please think about how you might use these before, during, and after reading strategies in your classroom.

4. Set-Up for Reading – Establish a purpose: In many urban schools, there is overwhelming poverty which results in daunting challenges to students, parents, schools and the community. Student achievement in many of these urban schools has remained far below state and national averages for many years. WHY? More Purpose for Reading: Do you think teachers, students, parents, and administrators might answer that question the same way?

5. Help Student focus on important elements – Notetaking skill. As you read, underline, highlight, or use post-it notes to flag sections in the article that strike you as IMPORTANT, INTERESTING, RELEVANT, QUESTIONABLE Put a STAR beside sections that are most key to the article and relevant to you. You will be discussing your reactions to the reading with your table. Take 10 minutes to read.

6. Learn from other readers as you deepen understanding of the text – Collaborative Learning Share key ideas and any commentary about the article. Agree? Disagree? Question? Make connections to self and what you know Connect to your own experience as a teacher in an urban setting.

7. 1. All students should be expected to meet high academic standards and graduate with the skills to do college-level work. Research: 75% of teachers and 66% of principals did not believe students at-risk of dropping out would work harder if more were demanded of them. 2. The drop-out problem is a “crisis,” not just a major problem. Research: Only 14% of principals and 11% of teachers viewed the dropout problem as a crisis. Taken from On the Frontlines of Schools: Perspectives of Teachers & Principals on the High School Drop-Out Problem-Civic Enterprises

8. 3. The main reason students finally drop out of school is lack of parental involvement and support at home. Research: Most teachers and administrators cited lack of parental involvement & support at home as the core problem that causes students to finally decide to leave school. 4. Boredom is one of the main reasons students leave school Research: Almost half the students (47%) say they drop out of school because they found it boring, uninteresting, irrelevant to their real life. Teachers disagreed. 20% of them say boredom is a factor but that students just don’t try.

9. 5. Students who drop out believe they did not have the academic skills to achieve in high school. Teachers & Students agree on this one: 62% of the teachers 60% of the principals 45% of students who left report that their middle and elementary school did not prepare them for high school