High School football: moving from no way to okay

Recently, Slate's parenting podcast "Mom and Dad Are Fighting," aired a segment on kids playing tackle football. As my own kid (oldest, ninth grade) has started doing this very thing for the first time, I listened with interest, and responded to the conversation via email, and am sharing a version of that email here. I'll add that this captures much of what I've found myself saying to people who give me side-eye or offer outright judgment when they learn that my kid plays high school football. It doesn't happen often, but it happens enough to be a real thing. People + football = opinions, it turns out. Read through for an update, of sorts.

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Over the years, I've shifted from "no way" to "okay" and perhaps even "yay!" on the subject of football and my oldest kid, who is now a ninth grader and member of the freshman football team at Classical High School in Providence, Rhode Island (go Purple!). 

Though he's been wanting to play football for years, this is his first time on a team. When he was younger, I "no way"-ed his interest. His dad and I didn't particularly share it, and football seemed like a bummer combination: dangerous, time-consuming, and endlessly expensive, necessitating intensive, parent-driven fundraising commitments. Clearly, no way. 

High school approached, and at freshman orientation, he indicated interest in both soccer and football as fall sports. When the time came to choose, he broached the football subject again, and I knew that a flat "no way" wasn't going to cut it. Complex factors drove his interest in football: branching out socially (most of his close friends are soccer players), physical suitability (the kid is big, strong, and quick), and autonomy (football was finally within reach, at school - he didn't need us to help him find a team or make the necessary commitments). 

So we researched. We talked with football families at his high school about the coaching staff's training and responsiveness to head and other injuries. We talked with the coaches themselves about their training and experience and the ways they'd deal with a football novice (the coach's first words to me: "How do YOU feel about this?" Good question, coach). My son interviewed his pediatrician about football injuries. His pediatrician's take: kids get hurt in football and soccer, pretty much in equal numbers in high school. They are injured in other high-intensity contact sports, too. Avoiding football while embracing other sports in the interest of injury prevention is irrational.

After our info gathering, I felt that my son's serious interest in playing for his high school's football team, and all the good that might accrue as a result, outweighed my concerns, which didn't necessarily apply immediately. Worries about the effects of multiple concussions and other impact injuries may matter if he plays in college (highly unlikely) or professionally (vanishingly unlikely). But now, long-terms concerns about injury to his brain, body, and soul aren't rational.

As I listened to the three of you cover this ground, I identified with each of you in some ways, but also suspect that none of you are yet dealing with the specific focus and passion of an adolescent, who can and should have a meaningful say in the matter. Ultimately, had I forbade my son to play football in a carefully-run program, I would have been indulging my own prejudices to the detriment of my son's growing independence. Saying yes to football has strengthened our relationship meaningfully in ways that help him see that we care about his welfare and trust his judgement.

And he loves it. He's playing a lot, as a tight end, defensive end, kicker, and punter. I see him thriving as he masters new skills, makes new friends, and adjusts to high school's challenges and delights While I still don't love football, I love this kid wildly, and am glad that he helped me get to yes on this issue.

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Update: At last week's home game, a player from the opposing team was injured onfield at the start of the second half. The game stopped, and as far as I could tell, the coaching staff handled the situation as needed. Eventually, an ambulance arrived. Paramedics put on a neck brace and backboard and carried him off the field on a stretcher. Thank God his family was there, and I dearly hope he is now doing well and not significantly banged up. 

I realize that this could happen in any high-intensity contact sport, but it was still scary. Though we understand that this particular incident didn't actually involve a head injury, it nevertheless prompted us to talk with our kid about concussion symptoms and the urgent need to report them to his coaches if he were to experience any symptoms, a conversation I avidly hope that neither my kid nor any of his teammates (okay, nor any kid, ever, anywhere) ever need to have. 

More than a Test Score

Below is a slightly longer version of "More than a Test Score," which appears in March's East Side Monthly. The online version is here, paper versions at coffeeshops near you (if you're near me).

I wrote this a few weeks ago, and then read Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman's New York Times Magazine "worriers and warriors" piece, "Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart?" which looks at genetic and neurological reasons for our varied reactions to stressful situations, with a particular emphasis on the stress trigger that is a high-stakes standardized test. Had it been in print when I wrote "More than a Test Score," I would have cited it; as it is, I post-datedly cite it in conjunction.

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Illustration by Jessica Pollak

More than a Test Score

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” There’s some truth there, but I recommend that we not apply that adage to most aspects of formal education. Generally speaking, schools have changed a great deal. Following my own advice, I try to ignore my own experiences as a student when I think about the learning experiences of young people today (there is no way to write that sentence without feeling old). Of course, I am comparatively old, more than a generation removed from today’s high school students. During the intervening decades, the structures, practices, and environments in schools themselves have changed significantly.

However, even with the plus ça change caveat, when I think about the experiences of today’s high school students, I’m glad that I remember how it feels to get wound up about high-stakes standardized tests--not exams and other assessments associated with coursework. I’m talking about fill-in-the-bubble tests that compare you with nameless multitudes similarly confronted with a number two pencil and a test booklet. Back in the day, for many of us such tests often meant college entrance tests such as the SATs. I distinctly remember my internal monologue just before I took the SATs. “It’s one test, a couple of hours on a Saturday morning. Colleges are going to care more about how I am doing in school, day in and day out, year after year. This doesn’t matter in the long run.” Even though I was anxious, I knew that that the test in and of itself would not keep me from my life’s goals and thus was able to get through the SAT mostly unencumbered by panic.

I’m glad I remember how that felt, and suggest that if you graduated from high school more than ten years ago, you should do the same. During the past decade, federal and state policies have dramatically expanded the significance of high-stakes standardized tests, not just for students preparing for four-year colleges but for all students as they head toward high school graduation. Here in Rhode Island, high school graduation will soon depend on in part on partially proficiency (or better) on the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) mathematics and reading tests. Current Rhode Island Department of Education plans stipulate that this will concern the class of 2014 and beyond, meaning that this year’s 11th graders will be the first class affected by the implementation of the graduation requirements that include NECAP proficiency.

According to the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the new graduation requirements, this will have a deleterious effect on the number of graduates statewide, putting over 40 percent at risk of not receiving a high school diploma. In Providence, over two-thirds of students in Providence may not graduate. Students of color, English Language Learners, and special education students face even worse odds. Many of these students struggle with the NECAPs while demonstrating proficiency in their coursework. These are successful students who will be barred from high school graduation. What good does this serve?

The latest data indicate that 66 percent of Providence’s public high school students graduate within four years. What will happen when we add an arbitrary restriction such as the NECAPs other than complicating an already difficult situation? The effect on our economy as a whole, as well of the welfare of thousands of individual students, will be disastrous.

Students should graduate from high school when they have demonstrated that they have met high standards. The argument for incorporating the NECAP into the Rhode Island high school graduation requirements--which include successful completion of class requirements, comprehensive course assessments, and a Senior Exhibition project--is that NECAP proficiency indicates minimum levels of literacy and numeracy. Indeed, high school graduation should be meaningful. But it should get that meaning from what matters: classes, course, assessments, and rigorous projects. There’s no evidence that the addition of the NECAP requirement adds meaning to a high school education.

The current dominance of high-stakes standardized tests is having a chilling effect on students’ ability to pursue knowledge in any real depth. Approaches such as interdisciplinary project-based learning, which we know effectively prepares students for success as lifelong learners, are limited or nonexistent. Excessive focus on the tests has caused the curriculum to narrow, inquiry to be stilted, and opportunities for struggling students to gain proficiency in the skills they will need throughout their lives to be squandered. While systemic, lasting school improvement demands much more than reducing the emphasis on high-stakes standardized tests, we’re unlikely to get to where we need to go unless we commit to stop limiting the future of our young people, who are so much more than a test score.

PPSD High School Registration and Open High Schools + transportation issues

As is the case for middle schools, Providence Public Schools' high school registration and open houses are coming up soon, as follows:

Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 6:00-8:00pm
Mount Pleasant High School, 434 Mt. Pleasant Avenue

E-Cubed Academy, 812 Branch Avenue

Cooley & PAIS High School, 182 Thurbers Avenue

Classical High School, 770 Westminster Street

Thursday, January 26, 2012, 6:00-8:00pm
Central High School, 70 Fricker Street

Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School, 375 Adelaide Avenue

Providence Career & Technical Academy (PCTA), 91 Fricker Street

Hope High School, 324 Hope Street

The High Schools Open House flier from PPSD is here. For more, see last week's post about middle school registration for specific how and when info. The only differences for high school registration is that high school registrations are due by February 10 and that the "neighborhood" radius is three miles rather than one and a half miles for middle schools.

Unrelated to registration but related to the three mile neighborhood designation: if you're not already paying attention to Youth 4 Change Alliance's Transportation 4 Education campaign, please take a minute to visit their website to get up to speed on the ways in which inadequate transportation for high school students to and from school poses serious challenges to their ability to attend and, of course, succeed in school. Important issue that needs our attention - thanks to Y4C for the advocacy and light-shining.

Young Voices Survey + Upcoming Education Forums

I am aiming for every day posts here and realize that to do that, some days like today I need to be brief despite wanting to spend time and words and your attention in the details. So, to be brief, please to read this article about Young Voices' press conference yesterday in which they presented the results of a survey they've done about the state of education in Providence. Powerful work! It's so important to have clear evidence from the perspective of young people presented with strength and conviction about what's not working well about our schools, followed up by initiative for change.

I'm delighted and energized to see youth leadership here, and plan to attend to Young Voices' Youth-led Education Forums on Providence Schools that are scheduled to take place on Jan 27th (4:30-7) and Feb 10th (4:30-7) at the Cooley High School Cafeteria, 182 Thurbers Avenue. Their announcement says, "Everyone who has a stake in Providence schools (students, parents, teachers, community organizations, and school dept leaders) will gather for 2 Forums, out of which an actionable, 3-year plan will be created and implemented. In the 1st Forum (on Jan 27th), we will identify 3 Action Areas, and in the 2nd Forum (Feb 10th), we will identify Action Steps which make an impact in each of those areas. Then, a cross-sector Education Action Team will follow through on the Action Plan. Come partner with powerful, skilled, and passionate young people who have been working on systemic education reform for more than a year. The time is now, and your presence is critical. Please join us and more than 150 other adults and young people to move from discussion to action with real outcomes. We all need to work together, collaboratively, to bring about the change we desire. Please RSVP to Karen Feldman at kfeldman1@cox.net.

This ProJo story shares what sounds like great communication and student support work that's being done at Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School in Providence (formerly Adelaide High School, 375 Adelaide Avenue, 401-456-0676).

When Principal Robbie Torchon was told that one-fourth of his students at Alvarez High School failed at least three classes during the first quarter of this academic year, he didn’t blame the usual suspects: Truancy, tardiness and parental disengagement.

Instead, Torchon saw the dismal performance as a challenge. How, he asked, can the 600-student Alvarez — formerly Adelaide High School — get students to not only turn around their grades but set higher goals?

Torchon didn’t waste any time. He put each of the 146 failing students on academic probation, and then invited their parents to attend a conference in the principal’s office.

Read the story for more about what Torchon and Alvarez teachers are doing to create a culture at the school that provides support for all students to meet high expectations and succeed academically. By focusing on those high expectations, structuring ways to check in with student and their teachers, and relying on family members as allies, the school is doing what has been proven to work in similar settings, and is pointing the way to practices that make sense for all of Providence's high schools.

I was quite struck by Torchon's comments at the end of the story:

Although measurable results take time, Torchon said he already sees a shift in attitude. Teachers are taking a closer look at what they do in the classroom, students are beginning to take their work more seriously and parents recognize that the school cares about their children.

Still, Providence, he said, must reach a stage where school quality is no longer dependent on a charismatic leader: “It’s hard to become a principal in a city without a tradition of excellence.”

What will it take to establish that tradition of excellence? Providence has a wealth of educational assets, including school leaders like Torchon. By shaping a system that creates the best conditions for achievement not only within a particular school but within all of them, we will be able to contextualize and best take advantage of those assets.