WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST

FELLOWSHIP REPORT

Best Practice In Addressing Educational Disadvantage

2011 Travelling Fellowship to the United States

Adrian TARKA

Contents Page

1. Introduction

1.1 Objectives

1.2 My choice of destinations

2. Visit to the US

2.1 Baltimore

2.2 Washington DC

2.3 New York

3. Actions since my return to the UK

4. Conclusion

5. Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

Having graduated last year and deciding to apply for Teach First, I felt an application for the

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT) would empower me in preparation for my

career journey beginning in Key Stage 2 education as a teacher. I attended Keele University

and graduated with a joint honours degree in Law and Sociology in July of 2010. I have

worked as a group facilitator and student mentor for the Windsor fellowship charity for the

past 5 years. Through this organisation I have also been able to undertake internships both at

Deutsche bank and Tesco Head offices in Welwyn Garden city. I have also worked on

educational projects such as the “Haringey schools project” in which I delivered

employability skills lessons to students aged 15 and 16.

Through my work with the Windsor Fellowship Charity as a group facilitator I have

developed a passion for encouraging the progression and self development of young people.

This was through work as a group facilitator and personal mentor. I mention this as it was the

beginning of journey in supporting young people’s personal development. At age 17 I was

not aware that this would blossom into a career educating young people as it will very soon.

Being able to share my passion for learning in this fully committed role was supported by my

findings through my trip to the USA, made possible by the WCMT. I chose the USA for my

travels as I was keen to visit the country where the concept for “Teach First” a programme I

had gained entry to in the UK had begun. “Teach First” originated in the USA and I identified

a number of Eastern States where the programme had been in place for a number of years.

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust provides individuals with the opportunity to travel the

world and undergo research projects for the wider benefits of the UK. Through a number of

wide ranging categories, candidates are able to apply through their own proposed research

titles and subsequently travel the world for the purposes of further development of

themselves as well. It must be noted however that the key to my travels being successful was

the passion I have for my area of research. Looking into best practice in addressing

educational disadvantage was an ideal focus for me as it marries itself well to my career

direction as a primary school teacher. This in turn meant that I could make findings in

support of this report as well as my own personal career.

Through my Teach First training and an application of the findings from my trip I will take

the learning and apply it to my career in teaching. I also intend to use my links in education

gained through work with the Windsor Fellowship to work further with those from

disadvantaged communities. Most importantly, in pursuing a career in education and the best

practice I learned and the networks I have been able to make will set me up for a successful

start in a challenging area of work. As “Teach First” works with disadvantaged schools, my

experience on this research project will provide a support mechanism for my own future

career. This will benefit the children, schools and communities in which I will be an active

member in my career as a teacher having recently completed the six week summer institute

with “Teach First”.

1.1 OBJECTIVES

Travelling on this fellowship allowed me to achieve my main objects which were:-

Witnessing an alternate education system in practice through observing

lessons, shadowing and interviewing teachers and head teachers;

Understand through a different social set up how to best manage disruptive

behaviour and create the optimum culture for learning within a school;

Analyse extracurricular approaches to educational support and think through

how they could be implemented here in the UK;

Come to an understanding of the main barriers to progress and educational

attainment and how to tackle them.

1.2 My Choice of Destinations

Before travelling out to America I understood the importance of establishing a strong

network of contacts. In applying skills of pre planning I made a number of calls to schools on

the east coast of the USA. The cities I had originally targeted included new York, Baltimore,

Washington D.C. and Chicago. Using the internet I obtained contact details for schools and

began making a number of calls as well as sending emails to the relevant people. I understood

the key people to contact were the Principals (equivalent of headmasters) as they were in

positions of authority and could facilitate my access to their schools. This was a relevant

point as checks for visitors in schools can be quite stringent for safety purposes, especially

being that I was visiting elementary (primary) schools during my trip.

2.0 Visits to the USA

2.1 Baltimore

Working just outside Baltimore I spent my first two weeks in a small town called Owings

Mills. I commuted to the nearby town of Columbia to visit Running Brooke Elementary

School. Whilst there I met daily with the current principal Mr Troy Todd. This man is an

experienced professional who provided me with the opportunity to shadow him in his day to

day workings as a leader and first point of reference for this particular institute of education.

http://rbes.hcpss.org/

Networking was an integral part of my preparation and planning for my six week sojourn in

the USA. This commenced in the UK and also was phased throughout my stay in the US.

Initial contacts led to others and opened us a range of contacts both in educational, voluntary

and community establishments. I knew that established professionals could help me further

my network of contacts and meet individuals from different positions within education. My

approach upon beginning my travelling fellowship was to meet as many people from

different roles as possible. I decided this because I felt just meeting teachers would have

provided an unbalanced perspective of American education. This being the case I made a

point to meet those who worked in Charity’s and made an attempt to understand their unique

perspective on educational and personal development for young people. I found this to

provide a different insight which was in itself very useful. Balancing these two approaches

was key to the findings of this report. The purpose of this of course was to gain experience to

support my mission at “Teach First” in order to bring a range of approaches in meeting

desired educational outcomes for disadvantaged young people.

Following Mr Troy Todd of Running Brooke Elementary School was a valuable experience

which taught me a lot of different things. In this role I was able to observe practice in

managing behaviour effectively in the school as the principals’ office was the point of referral

for especially misbehaved students. I understand the importance of regulating behaviour for

the purposes of educational progress. Behaviour management is often a problem in

disadvantaged communities and witnessing Mr Todds' methods was an important learning

curve for myself. Pupils who were referred to the office were for an amount of time were

expected to complete their assigned work in the office and then let back to join their

classrooms after speaking with the principal. It was during these discussions that I observed a

tendency of establishing a purpose for the child’s wrong doings, it was this rather than simple

shouting or chastisement that was the foundation of the conversation. Following this the child

was usually reminded of the expectations and regulations within the school so they

themselves could make the connection between their actions and why they shouldn’t be

repeated. It was the tone of these conversations that I found particularly interesting, it was

about solidifying an understanding of the purpose of school and its importance through

speaking to children and garnering responses to support this fact. The children appeared to

have a clear understanding of the hierarchy of authority and this made such conversations

effective and significant. It was the exact opposite of talking to poorly behaved children and

not being able to access an understanding from the child about the importance of positive

change.

As well as observing behaviour management I was able to spend some time in classrooms

working with and observing lessons of all ages in the elementary school. When possible I

aimed to focus more on the older age group of children around 10 years old. This was

because at the time it was my desire to work with this age during my upcoming personal

journey as a teacher. I understood the importance of witnessing all age groups being taught

and made an effort to spend at least half a day in each grade (these being year groups).

Fortunately I was able to observe methods of maximising cost effective technological input

into teaching. A Mr Soskil who taught 3rd

grade at Running Brook Elementary school showed

me a number of effective methods of incorporating interactive software into teaching for the

children. Through this I was able to understand the efficient learning which can be

undertaken using modern methods which are typically more engaging and inspiring for the

kids.

This page contains pictures of the school grounds for Running Brooke Elementary school

As well as the targeted research in my chosen area of interest I had planned to also take the

opportunity to sightsee extensively and to socialise in order to experience the cultural aspects

of my travel in the USA. I accompanied the 5th

grade to a baseball game at the nearby

Baltimore Orioles stadium. As well as enjoying the atmosphere and taking in everything in

the experience from the overpriced food to the long playing delays involved with baseball, I

was given a supervision role for the children in helping their parents maintain good

behaviour.

I found this useful as a means of practicing representing the institution whilst outside of

school grounds. Being an example role model in the way I conduct myself whilst being

responsible for the reputation of the school and keeping the children in order was an

obligation I enjoyed. I feel such a trip only served to enhance my understanding of the duties

incorporated with successful teaching and maintaining a professional identity.

This page contains pictures of my visit to Baltimore Orioles Baseball stadium to watch their

match against the Texas rangers.

Fortunately during my time at Running Brooke Elementary School there were a number of

trips to other cities during which I was able to support as a group leader of small parties of

children, these were five or six in number and it was my responsibility to keep them focused

on the tours that were taking place and ensure they well behaved at all times whilst they

themselves were also representing the school.

I went to St Mary’s city in South Maryland with the 4th

grade. There were two coaches of

children who made the 2 hour trip, and a number of parents assisted as well as the

accompanying group of teachers. Shortly after our arrival we were taken on a tour of an

outdoor museum, this included viewing various buildings which were typical of the early

English settlers in this part of the world. They all had differing purposes, which ranged from

a printing press to a small shop for local trade.

http://www.stmaryscity.org/Garden/Map.html

We also spent some time on a ship that would have been used for the trans Atlantic voyages

undergone to transport tobacco which was the key resource for export from the region at the

time. We were told of the living conditions and quarters as well as the value of goods for an

education on the trade that was very complete and informative. Such a tour was assured to be

a valid and memorable experience for the children as first hand experiences such as these

whilst outdoors often stick in their memory. The children seemed to enjoy participating in re-

enactments of everyday living whilst on the tour.

Below is a picture of the ship upon which part of the tour was held.

Above is a picture of a small patch of grounded used to simulate farming techniques in the

area during the 16th

century.

Whilst on the tour the staff at the museum guided us through everyday living environments in

the true fashion of English settlers from the 17th

century. They were dressed and spoke as if

from the time for a full emersion into the time period, this proved successful and the ultimate

educational experience as the children thrived in being submerged in this imaginary culture

from a time past. The children clearly benefited from the adult tour guides genuine approach

to historical education and took very well to the voices and performances of the tour guides.

This supported the notion of drama and role play as a catalyst to the education experience. I

also felt this showed the benefits of visiting somewhere outdoors for learning, an alternative

approach to typical classroom teaching again proved memorable and enhanced the learning

experience far more than would be the case in the classroom.

Below are pictures of the talk we were given on the use of tobacco as the major export from

the period.

Above is a picture of a freed African slave who worked on the plantation during the 16th

century. This story was another part of this multi faceted educational tour. This was of

particular interest to myself and the many African American students who attended the

school and the trip to St Marys city South Maryland

Above are pictures of the talks we were given during the tour of the native American

settlement.

This trip was also particularly interesting as we were given an educational tour of some

settlements of native Americans. We observed typical accommodation which contained

animal skins and bones and we were lectured on how they were used to make tools and the

general lifestyle of the native Americans. As a people whose information is not as readily

accessible I highly valued this opportunity to learn about them as I found it significant in

understanding American culture and history. There were a lot of examples of common items

and tools to accompany the tour, this interactive aspect only served to further enhance the

experience.

Below are some structures which were often used by the native Americans.

Here are images of the contents of the structures including garments and animals skins as

well as tools

Whilst at Running Brooke Elementary school I was also provided with the opportunity to go

on another trip. This one was to the original capital of the USA Philadelphia located in the

state of Pennsylvania. There was a similar sized group of children of two coaches; I travelled

along with some parents and teachers on this trip also. This day included a tour of part of the

city of Philadelphia, which had a number of places of note where we stopped for discussion

and reflections on what we were learning. This experience was also through a guided tour

where we were educated and asked thought provoking questions about the city as we walked

around and viewed the various buildings and monuments. Another valuable experience

during which I was able to take in more of the significant culture and history of the country.

2.2 Washington

Whilst staying in Washington D.C the local schools were on Spring break for 2 weeks. I

decided to utilise this time in meeting with some teachers as well as those who worked for

various educational charities. When I met these individuals I held extended conversations

with them in order to obtain as much relevant information for my mission as possible. I made

a point to avoid appearing as if I were conducting a formal interview. This is because I

wanted the nature of the conversation to be as relaxed and therefore honest and open as

possible. I believed this technique would yield the most valuable information, much of which

I noted down and will share subsequently.

Firstly whilst staying in the nation’s capital I met with a Ms Helen Westmoreland. I went to

the offices for the charity “The Flamboyan foundation” which was located in Washington

D.C. This individual was the Director of program quality for the charity which is based in

Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico working to support education in public schools. In D.C the

school operates in the poverty wards which are 5, 7 and 8. This particular charity is a private

family non profit organisation whose focus is narrow within education, the first founder was

one of the original cohorts of teach for America. The American organisation after which

teach first is modelled.

http://flamboyanfoundation.org/

We spoke at length concerning key findings of the charity and most importantly discussion also

focused on parental involvement in education. In an effort to successfully address educational

disadvantage it is important to understand the different ways children may be disadvantaged in

education, a lack of parental involvement in a child’s education is a key barrier to progress for those

in these circumstances. It was beneficial for me to learn about family engagement and the

charities approach to its intense outcomes based planning process.

During this conversation I noted that long term strategies devised to tackle the key barriers

was the best approach to engaging parents.

Parents had provided feedback which stated that,

many of their attempts to engage in their child’s learning were blocked;

There was a lack of timely information surrounding their child’s learning;

They did not feel valued as a partner in their child’s education.

Rather significantly it also emerged the greatest challenges for these children’s

attainment were indeed their own attitudes towards education, there was a common

theme of disinterest and low aspirations at the core of poor educational performance.

With no doubt that parents wanted their children to do well many were concerned as

to whether it was a part of their job to facilitate this progression in their children and

if so how they could do this? On top of this there were found to be poor accountability

systems for the students themselves. Overall I feel successful communication between

the home and the school and the understanding that it was a group effort to progress

the child in their learning was a sound basis to progress these issues. This being the

cause I concluded that the following solutions were best in improving these relations.

Having high expectations

Holding a child accountable

High career expectations

Parents could take action in the home to provide active support through the following;

Turning TV off

Reading with children

Homework help

Communication issues as well as the children’s inability to defer gratification for their

hard work in schools were the key findings for me from this meeting.

In view of a different approach to educational support I met with a Mr Brandon Hall

from AAA (Academic Athletic Achievement academy). He is an instructional aid and

academy coordinator. This individual previously worked as a programme coordinator

for Baltimore recreational programme in Maryland. Having experience in supporting

children’s interest outside of school with a view to keep them engaged and out of

trouble was his field of experience. For this reason I valued this meeting as another

approach to the wider picture which is addressing educational disadvantage.

Utilising the children’s interest in sports allowed the programme to incorporate

employability skills and instil some understanding of the importance of career

directions and aspirations for people subject to educational disadvantage. There were

programmes included such as sports branding and sports journalism to incorporate

this.

There were also several trips such as that to the NBA headquarters in New York and

wizards sports ex pro to hear some speakers. These experiences served to access

existing passions in the young people and direct them towards a career and an

education. This programme was also a very complete general education programme as

the maths, science, social studies and English lessons provided academic support as

well. Young people are given tasks such as managing budgets also as well other

activities incorporated in their sporting interests. Statisticians were manipulating data

from their games. The young people in AAA are also taught to familiarise themselves

with the elementary aspects of business.

Similarly to my first meeting I was also able to indentify some social factors

contributing to inhibiting educational attainment which were

An epidemic of giving children what they want without having to work for it

Not doing chores

Failing to understand social hierarchy.

At the core of the AAA was the understanding of a healthy work life balance.

The children involved had to maintain a 2.0 GPA (grade point average), and

academic support was provided for those who struggles with this. A

community service aspect was incorporated to encourage them to appreciate

what they have, where they are and where they are going.

The following are pictures of the various monuments in d.c. I was able to visit

during some time on weekends

2.3 New York

During my time in New York I was able to meet with Mr Mark Williams at the Teach for

America head offices. Whilst there I had an extended conversation which provided some

useful information for the purposes of my research. I met with a Mr Mark Williams. He was

also working with teach for all, the umbrella programme by which teach first and teach for

America are modelled. This network of independent organisations share the common focus of

setting about to eliminate educational inequality.

Mr Williams works with the 19 different programmes worldwide spending time sharing

innovations between all of them, for this reason I felt he could best provide me with

information regarding my mission as he had an experience of the runnings of educational

systems from several different parts of the world.

In working with children of a kindergarten age and upwards Mark had some insight top share

with regards to basic teaching techniques. The foundation of independent learning which is

reading was a particular focus of mine and Mr Williams shared the following information if

support of maximising teaching children to read. This included

Attending professional workshops that discuss best practice in reading instruction

Sharing experiences with fellow professionals, namely other teachers

Figuring out how to maximise instruction and prepare kids for success.

In wider discussion of Mr Williams’s educational journey I was able to absorb further

information to support me in my teaching role which include such hints as;

Making bonds with children’s families and the wider community

Communicate the passion you have for your position through your work,

children will become very aware of and receptive of this and take to learning

more passionately also

Spend time working with parents such as instructing them how to read to their

kids at home

The following are some images of the sights I was able to see in new York during my time

there. This portion of the trip was only a week long as I stayed in d.c. to carry out more work

there.

4.0 Actions Since My Return To the UK

1. Integrate learning in Teach First six week training and in day-

to-day activities in school.

During my six week course with Teach First the knowledge and experience I gained during

my travels enables me to participate in debates and discussion with my peers based on my

learning and experience of what worked well in the American elementary educational

system. I was also able to implement some of my learning and findings during my time

appointed to school visits on the programme. Most useful were the communication

techniques in regulating behaviour and ensuring a good culture for learning in the classroom

through this. The practical application of this approach was garnered during my time spent in

Baltimore with Mr Troy Todd at Running Brooke Elementary school. Spending time talking

to children utilising the methods learnt in this way was definitely very effective and

extremely useful.

2. Meetings with Dr Jordan

Having returned from my travelling fellowship on May 16th

I have had time to have a number

of discussions and meetings with Dr Elizabeth Jordan. This is a 2010 Churchill fellow who

travelled and did a study focused on parental engagement in education, there was some

crossover between the two projects and as a result I have found meeting and discussing my

travels incredibly useful.

3. Plans to make presentation to Windsor Fellowship

Having contacts with the Windsor fellowship I intend to make a presentation of my findings

to support their mission, an aim which is very much in line with my own research as

addressing educational advantage for young BME people is the goal of the charity. A visit to

their head offices will allow me to share my findings for further implantation through an

established organisation which has access to large numbers of young people who are

planning for a career in education or who can benefit from the general application of the

learning gained from my travel and my research project.

4. Keep in touch with Mr Todd as a mentor

I intend to keep in touch with Mr Troy Todd as a mentor. I believe his professional

experience and methods to be of infinite value to myself and will apply them myself during

my own experience as a teacher in primary school.

5. Meeting with Ms. Roe

Since my return I have also been able to meet with another 2011 Churchill fellow to discuss

the results and successes of my trip.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion I was able to witness behaviour management techniques and approaches during

my time in Maryland as well as appreciate firsthand the contribution to education that well

planned and organised outdoor excursions can have. During my time in Washington d.c. I

was able to learn about approaching education from outside the school, and how community

initiatives which support children’s aspirations can in turn assist in promoting their

attainment. In new York I was able to learn from experienced professionals and record

instances of success in teaching when they applied their own innovative and creative

methods. An example of such methods was promoting reading using images of the teachers

holding their favourite books located around the school, it is information such as this that will

enhance my own personal experience as a teacher

As well as everything I learned regarding my research I was also able to enjoy and experience

several of the sights of the east coast of the USA.

6. Acknowledgments

I would like to thank everyone who supported me during this unique and life enhancing experience.

Firstly I would like to thank the WCMT for making this journey possible and providing me with the

opportunity to travel and develop myself in this way, working in what I have a passion for and being

able to share my findings upon my return is of great value to me. I would also like to thank Wabei

and Mundia Chitambala as well as Mr and Mrs Ngum, Mr Mensah-Bonsu and Dr Elizabeth Jordan for

assisting and accommodating me during my travels. Thus enabling me to focus on garnering as much

information as possible during my time in the USA.

In light of the information I was able to gather to make this report possible I would like to thank Mr

Troy Todd of Columbia Maryland. Mr Brandon Hall, Ms Laguna, Mr Hooks and Ms Helen

Westmoreland of Washington d.c. and also Mr Mark Williams and the teachers of PSIS-189 from the

Bronx new York.