Now, heres nbc bay areas jessica aguirre. Jessica aguirre hello, and welcome to this news special in class action. We cover one of our most important institutions, our schools. And tonight, we begin with the issue affecting students all over the bay area, the Teacher Shortage. Now, we have been telling you about this for the last few months, lots of classrooms, but not enough teachers, School Districts struggling to fill teacher openings, and the problem is the pipeline. Fewer and fewer people are actually going into teaching. But there are new signs that may be beginning to change. At the beginning of the school year, the Teacher Shortage in the bay area hit crisis levels as districts scrambled to fill classrooms. Female weve seen a sharp decrease in the number of individuals coming out of credentialing programs. Jessica those credentialing programs are the allimportant pipeline for new teachers. Linda well, weve had an enormous drop over the last dozen years in the number of teachers going into preparation, so its been a 70 drop. Jessica the teacher pipeline cratered for many reasons, including layoffs and low salaries. But for the first time in years, theres a trickle that could translate into good news. Linda weve had a slight uptick in the beginning of the school year, in response to the fact that districts are hiring again instead of laying people off. Jessica take cal state east bay. Enrollment is up this year in the teacher credential program. Jenna landry ive fought it for a long time. All through my undergrad, i tried to change majors, i tried. And last year, i worked fulltime in a classroom and i was like, okay, stop fighting it. Apply to the credential program. Jessica the job market is expected to be good for these teachers in training. Chelsea brazil i feel really good because i know that im not going to have to stress out like people did years ago about finding a job your first year. Jim zarillo most of our graduates last year had offers from more than one district. Jessica college of education interim dean jim zarillo says he expects enrollment to continue to gradually increase because the job market is strong. Jim there couldnt be a better time to become a teacher. Jessica no one knows yet if a rise in enrollment in credentialing programs can undo years of dwindling teacher numbers. Linda its not at all clear whether the uptick is going to be enough to staff the demand that is happening now and coming in the future. Jessica but for a teaching profession battered by years of bad news, it is a welcome change. Jim were coming back, were coming back. Jessica lets hope that that trend really does stick. Okay, now to our ongoing coverage of earthquake safety in schools. As weve shown you before right here on class action, Public Schools are highly regulated for seismic safety. However, private schools are not, except in San Francisco. It is the first and only city in california to require private schools do seismic evaluations. San francisco Friends School has an unusual seismic story that starts with a historic old building. Male it was built to house levi strausss bluejean Assembly Plant back in 1906. Jessica before the school moved in, it had to do a massive retrofit. Male we completely gutted the entire building, basically put the entire building, 82,000 square feet, on stilts, and lifted it up off of its then foundation, and then created a whole new foundation, and then set the Building Back down. Jessica everything inside this old building is basically new. Male you see a lot of steel everywhere, in every classroom, in every office, in every common area. Youll see these huge steel ibeams that are holding up the building in addition to the original foundation, and preparing it to withstand an earthquake. Jessica an earthquake no one wants to experience, but everyone knows is coming. Simin naaseh its just a matter of time. It may not happen tomorrow, may happen, you know, the next day or 15 years from now, but we know that it will happen, thats one thing were sure about. Jessica as part of San Franciscos ongoing effort to reduce risk, the city has put in place the first law of its kind in california. Private schools have to evaluate seismic safety. Patrick otellini at first, people realized that theyre a little shocked that this isnt already required. Jessica Public Schools have been regulated since the early 1930s, but not private schools. Patrick especially the parents that we surveyed, where you ask them and they assume because their kids were in private school and they were writing that check every month, that of course it must meet the same standards as the Public Schools, and thats just not the case. Jessica that doesnt mean private schools are dangerous. Theyre supposed to adhere to building codes. And a city report shows 43 of private School Buildings are likely to perform well in earthquakes. But 33 might perform poorly. And for 24 , there just isnt enough information. Simin i think a good first step is evaluating the buildings, and assessing the nature of the risk and the magnitude of the risk. And thats what this ordinance is trying to do. Jessica there are an estimated 113 private schools in San Francisco, many in older buildings. Schools occupy a movie theater, a victorian mansion, a former mayonnaise factory, a wide variety of campuses facing the same deadline. They have 2 years to complete the earthquake review. Patrick the schools are going to do these evaluations, and theyre probably not going to want to sit on them. Jessica thats exactly what happened at the archdiocese of San Francisco, which operates more private schools than any other school group, 34 total. David finn we got a call one day that an engineer had identified one of the sites as being at immediate risk, based on the configuration of building. Jessica the classroom was a kindergarten located on the bottom floor of a building used for other parish purposes. Its permanently closed. David the school was closed by the end of the day, that particular site, and the children removed. Jessica the archdiocese evaluated all of its schools ahead of the deadline. And its not the only private School Entity already correcting deficiencies. The fixes are voluntary. Schools are not required to retrofit. The law simply doesnt go that far. Patrick we see schools in every type of building under the sun. And so, to come up with a uniform standard, a way to retrofit this, its not fair because some schools would be very cheap to retrofit given their construction type, other ones might be very expensive. Jessica but experts say if the law spurs action, its an important first step. Simin putting our head in the sand and ignoring the risk isnt going to help us. But knowing what our vulnerabilities are, and addressing them and mitigating them, will help. Jessica now again, those seismic reviews will be public, so you can check them out yourself if you want to. Now, for some followups on some stories weve been covering in class action. A highprofile math program is getting results. Elevate math is a Summer Intervention Program from the Silicon Valley education foundation, and it helps incoming eighth graders prepare for algebra. New numbers from the department of education show the program is working. Elevate math students scored nearly 24 higher than their peers on algebra readiness tests. And hats off to the winners of the National Blue ribbon award. They include this school, vintage hills elementary in pleasanton. It is one of 11 bay area schools honored for Academic Excellence or progress in closing the achievement gap. Ann jayne we are ecstatic. And its just validation for all the hard work of all the administrators, stakeholders, Staff Members who have come before me. Jessica those blue ribbon schools were honored at a ceremony in washington, d. C. Now, we are just getting started. When we come back, black minds matter, a new look at discrimination and racism in schools, and the challenges facing black students. [music] jessica youve heard of black lives matter . Well, this is black minds matter. Hundreds of students and activists rallied in sacramento this month. They say progress for black students in california is too slow, and theyre demanding more action. Now, im joined now by ryan smith. Now, ryan actually emceed that rally. Hes executive director of Education Trust west, which just issued a new report entitled black minds matter. And i know youre taking a page from the black lives matter momentum thats happening right now. But really, we cant separate those two. Black lives matter, black minds matter, those are very connected. Ryan yeah. I would say just as young black youth are seeing other young black youth who are unarmed being brutalized by the police, the same thing happens within the education system. Weve made policies and decisions that really affect the lives and minds of black students. So, although this isnt connected to the black lives matter movement, it is inspired by it. Jessica right, lets talk about the report itself because the report was fascinating to read. The report looks at the experiences and outcomes for black kids preschool through college. Lets show you this. Black children in california are the least likely to be placed into gifted and talented programs, have access to the full sequence of college prep classes, were talking about those a through g courses, graduate high school in 4 years, or complete a degree, a college degree. And they are most likely to be suspended or expelled, taught by ineffective teachers, require remedial courses when they enter college. Now, when you look at this report, its pretty dismal, the picture that you see. And its obvious why we also see this pipeline from school that fails students into the prison system. Ryan yeah, and actually, theres tons of bright spots. Theres thousands of africanamerican students who do well in the state. But when we looked, disproportionally africanamericans are more likely, as you said, to be suspended and expelled, less likely to be in college prep courses. These are things that we make decisions about. We arent putting the types of classes necessary for students to actually get into college. We are suspending our students in places, in some places otherand pushing them out in other places. Jessica and this starts very early too because one of the things your report points out is that when school starts, often africanamerican students are already behind their caucasian peers when it comes to being able to read, and that that puts them at the disadvantage. Ryan yeah, and we havewe know that theres a disproportionate amount of africanamerican students who are lowincome and live below the poverty line. I mean, if we dont prioritize the education of africanamerican students, theyll never catch up. So, instead of giving those who have the least the most, we continue to make the same choices that give them the least over time. And thats the reason why we see the type of statistics that we see in the report. Jessica that rally was so powerful too because you saw people really demanding change. One of the tshirts said black minds matter, and then the other side said young, gifted, and black. Tell me what that means. Ryan so, all of our students are gifted. They all have amazing talents, and we need to make sure were not squandering that talent. So, wearing a young, gifted, and black shirt represented that they have all the potential in the world. It is our duty as adults to really invest in them. And if you saw the thousand faces, majority black, but also brown and also white, who came to say, lets focus on these students, you know thats a movement being made. And i think we need to engage students, we need to engage educators in changing the course for black students, for changing the course of latino students, and for lowincome students across the state. Jessica and really giving them the access that the other students have so that they can flourish at the same pace. Now, the highest concentration of black students in the state in the bay area is alameda county, solano, contra costa, and San Francisco. How do you see those counties dealing with the needs of africanamerican students . Ryan yeah, and its amazing. So in the bay area, we actually have four of the largest five counties, have the highest concentration of black students. So, we have a serious amount of black students that we need to support. There are a number of things that are happening in San Francisco and in oakland. They actually have departments that are focused on achievement of black students, on black male and black female students. Jessica are we seeing results with those . Ryan and you are; youre already seeing an increase in the number of black male students who are graduating from oakland because they have a course designed to really support them. Jessica theyve been on our show. Ryan yeah, and you know, and its great to see what Chris Chapman and the superintendent, antoine wilson, are doing over there. And youre starting to see those trends across the state as well. San francisco has a preschool for all program, and 75 of the highest concentration community where you see black students are actually enrolled in that program in San Francisco. Jessica so, what do the other schools need to do besides these two . Longterm and shortterm, what do you see making a difference . Now that youve got this momentum with this campaign, how do you want the other counties to show that black mind matters . Ryan absolutely, so, number one, we need to ensure that black students, and latino students, and lowincome students have access to College Preparatory courses. That has to happen. Ap classes should happen everywhere, not just in upperincome courses. We need to find our most talented, most effective teachers, and incentivize them to come to our most underserved communities. Jessica which are highly segregated many times. Ryan absolutely, and we need to provide expanded learning opportunities. We need more afterschool programs. We need more Summer Learning opportunities so that students can actually get ahead. But lastly, we need to put equity at the center of our conversation, meaning all students should have the same opportunity. But lets not pretend that theyre all starting in an equal place. Those who are starting way beyond and before the starting line need to have a boost, so we need to be giving those resources to those students. Jessica very well done. Black minds matter. Ryan black minds matter. Jessica black minds matter. Thank you very much, ryan. Well be right back. [music] and way too much to do, thats how a lot of High School Students describe their lives these days. In addition to school and homework, theyve got jobs, all those extracurricular activities, theyve got the volunteering. Really, youre in high school and it can feel like a rat race, and youre still just a kid. Now, the authors of a new book, overloaded and underprepared, say it is time for kids to take a breather. They say schools and parents can help their students create a more balanced life, a life with more meaning. Thats what we all would like. Denise pope is one of those authors. Shes a senior lecturer at stanfords graduate school of education and the cofounder of challenge success, which challenges the conventional wisdom of what it means to succeed. So, thank you so much for being here. So, okay, we know the kids are overloaded, and we know theyre pushed to the max. But now youre telling me, after all that, theyre also underprepared . That does not sound good. Denise pope i know. Unfortunately, its true, though. When we look at these kids coming out of really good high schools, the kids with sort of top grades, top test scores, what were finding is theyre actually lacking in some very basic skills that they need to succeed when they get out. They do not know how to communicate well, they dont know how to collaborate, right, how to think critically, how to be creative and think outside the box, because theyve been little robostudents all the way through. Jessica i have to say, when i was reading about it, it really sounds like kids lives are almost mirroring adult lives, but in a mini form. Always on the go, on the go, theres no time for reflection, theres no time to catch your breath. You just go, go, go. Denise exactly, and heres the problem. They are not physiologically miniadults. So they need even more sleep than we need, they need even more time for downtime and reflection to figure out, who am i . You know, whats my identity . And they need time to process all these things that theyre doing and learning. Jessica because theyre not really doing it. You think youre talking to an adult. My daughters in high school, and a lot of times i think im talkingshe looks like an adult to me. And then i see this blank stare on her face, and im thinking shes not processing the information im giving her. Denise no, and physically, their prefrontal cortexes are not fully formed till theyre in their late 20s. So, we have to still be a scaffold for them. We have to still help them through and really do what is developmentally appropriate for kids their age. Jessica so ill tell you this. At least 3 times a week, i come home and i find my daughter at 1 oclock in the morning, when i get home, completely asleep, books on her, lights on, out. But then when i say to her, okay, weve got to give up this, weve got to give up this, youve got to give up this so that you can have a more normal life, no, no, no, i have to do these activities. I cant get into college. I have to do this volunteering. She doesnt know, and i actually dont know, how do i make her take a breather . I dont know how to do it either. Denise right, no, its really hard. So, theres a couple of suggestions. If you look at the protective factors for kids, you need whats considered playtime, downtime, and family time every day. She needs some time just to chill. She needs to get enough sleep. One oclock in the morning does not sound like its enough sleep. And she needsyou need time as a family, which can also happen on weekends and whatnot. But she also has to look at ityou know, we use the buffet table analogy. When you eat at a buffet, you take the biggest plate and you takeyou go back for seconds and thirds and fourths. And the nutritionists will say, dont do that. Take a small plate, go down the buffet lines, take what you want, and then walk away from the buffet. Shes doing too many activities. Shes overloaded. And theres a myth that you need to do a million things to get into college, and its actually not true. Theyve realized that these kids are overloaded, and they dont want the aftermath that are ending up in their freshman dorms. Jessica so, you also talk about that you need to have some of this downtime in school. How do you get a high school to say, oh, i know we only have the 45 minutes of instructional time, but im going to give you some downtime now . Denise well, that is the exact thing. We move away from the 45minute instructional day. So, what we do is we help schools actually change their schedules. So, you have maybe a late start. And during that late start, the kids sleep in and the teachers Work Together because teachers are up, adults are up at that hour, right . You have longer periods, but they dont meet every day, so youre not losing instructional time, but you actually gainwhats lost with all those transitions, theres so much time lost with the start and stop, right, each time. So, when you make a longer period and do it less frequently, youre actually gaining. Jessica are the schools receptive to these ideas . Denise absolutely, we have worked with 130 schools so far across the us. We have schools in the book, case studies of schools that have made the changes, and how theyve hit through some of those obstacles to change. Jessica how did parents react to the changes . Denise you have to educate the parents as to why youre doing it. And one of the things we see, even lets take the late start as an example. You might have parents who say, i have to get to work at the same time. I have to drop my kids off at the same time. Thats fine because what those kids gain is an extra hour to do homework, or take a nap, or hang out with friends. So, we can make this work, even when parents schedules dont make that work. Jessica so, the other thing i was going to ask you about is homework. We keep talking about no busy work, no homework. I know youve talked about this extensively. I feel like its notthe messages isnt really getting out there because my daughter has a ton of homework all the time. Denise right, so we do a lot of work with homework. So, some of the things we do is we actually have teachers shadow kids for the day, go through and figure out how much homework they would have to do if they were that child, and really realize that, after that long, exhausting day, not to mention 2 hours of sports practice and piano and ballet and whatnot, to start the homework. So, homework is one of those things we have to really get both sides on board. You have to say to the kids, youre distracted with social media. Youre starting way too late. After youre too tired, youre going to read that same paragraph three times. But teachers, youre assigning too much, and a lot of it is not necessary. Theres a confusion between rigor and load. You can be rigorous, you can get someone to really understand something indepth, without assigning 80 problems. Ten might be just as good, just as valuable. Jessica i know we only have 30 seconds, but youre a big fan of projectbased learning. Denise absolutely, projectbased learning is where its relevant, interesting, and engaging, and it sticks, as opposed to sort of worksheet, rotebased memorization. Jessica im going to take this that i need to be less burdened myself, so im going to apply it. I think all of us adults could apply this to ourselves as well. Thank you, denise, for being with us. Well be right back. [music] for us. Our thanks to ryan smith from Education Trust west for joining us to talk about black minds matter. You can see his full report on Education Trusts website. Also, denise pope from challenge success at stanford joined us. Her new book is overloaded and underprepared. You may want to check it out. Thank you for joining us and watching this class action special. We hope to see you next time. [music] [music] ono offdays, or downtime. Ason. Opportunity is everything you make of it. This winter, take advantage of our seasons best offers on the latest generation of cadillacs. The 2016 cadillac srx. Get this lowmileage lease from around 339 per month, or purchase with 0 apr financing. Our Justin Bieber exclusive, on set with Jennifer Lopez and all access to simon cowell. Welcome to access hollywood. Music maker special. Lets start with the conversation with justin. He built a musical empire and after high profile missteps, he is looking to rebuild his image. Clearing the slate as a young man and focusing on his music. What are do you mean your first number one . Yeah. Billboard hot 100. How much pressure was on you to do that . Did you put on yourself . I have been working for this