Power of ICU: The End of Student Apathy...Reviving Engagement and Responsibility

by Danny Hill

This book provides the evidence and builds the case to end student apathy while providing concrete methods on how to do it.

Genres: Nonfiction

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Danny Hill was born in working-class Stoke-on-Trent, England, in 1978. An avid reader of short stories, he draws his influences from a multitude of genres. His personal favourite short story is the little known William Trevor tale 'A Meeting in Middle Age'. His favourite book is Richard Matheson's 'I Am Legend'.
Danny Hill adpots horror as his chief genre, but has been successful with his gritty, suburban tales, a number of which have been published by Byker Books. He is currently working on his first novel, a horror story set in the Staffordshire Peak District.

Reviews

[Glenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a book study at my school. It is another in the never-ending stream of poorly written books someone in the district office decided we should read and implement, of course before having had a chance to fully implement the last program. ICU borrows from the medical profession and claims that a student w/ missing assignments should go on the ICU list that all teachers and support staff implement. It's theme is a message to teachers: "It's not about you." Of course, the authors make fixing students all about school personnel and claim that once kids get placed on the ICU list and discovers s/he must complete all assignment, the students will develop enough motivation to work. The evidence is anecdotal and the analogies flawed at least to teachers who realize a student isn't a classic vehicle.
The goal of getting students to complete all work, while admirable, furthers the agenda of standardizing grading, emphasizing summative assessments to the exclusion of formative assessments, blames teachers for students' lack of motivation, and proposes yet another "no zeros" grading policy. While there is much to like in Hill's program, without unfettered support from the district office, building leadership, parents, coaches, and all adults in the system, the program is doomed to fail. It really is an all-or-nothing deal, despite author claims to the contrary.
Finally, the book is poorly written. I wanted to take a whack at it w/ my purple pen.

[Matt Carpenter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled with this book. The method presented for ending student apathy was to make school more user-friendly for students. I could see the purpose if it were a school that demands 50+ pages of reading and homework every night but with all that teachers are currently required to do for students, easing up on restrictions is not the answer. I know it worked in some places and that's fine, but in our school we tried what was mentioned in the book and it damaged teacher morale and increased student laziness. I can't recommend it.

[BJ Schall · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find the Power of ICU to be a book full of contradictions. The goal of the ICU program is meant to encourage and promote a focus on student learning. However, the system itself seems to be focused on the goal of high graduation rates and derives its emphasis from the broken system created by standardized testing.

The concept of an ICU puts increased pressure on teachers to focus on the struggling students, which will inevitably detract attention away from the advanced students. Also, the claim that this system no longer "enables" students is basically a discussion on semantics in many cases. Saying, "You get a C" does not mean the teacher is just GIVING a grade. The word earn would be implied in this statement, but the authors like to pick out these tiny inconsistencies to push their agenda.

The biggest issue with this book is the lack of quality instructional advice. This book is full of anecdotes on the success of the ICU system but never conclusively explains the reasons behind the success. There is almost no research in this book backing up the authors' claims. The book claims to end student apathy when in reality it is a system which promotes glorified hand-holding. No matter what this book says, there are certain levels of responsibility which cannot be avoided in higher-level education and beyond. If the ICU were implemented in a school which was full of nothing but at-risk students, it may be effective to promote graduation. However, it punishes those students who are average or above-average by taking the emphasis away from them.

[Jessica Limmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are great ideas in theory. As an English teacher, and former writer/editor, I found the book poorly written and edited. The campus I just left is preparing to implement these practices next year and I do look forward to hearing how it works.
However, I wish the author had included actual research instead of personal anecdotes that feel (as others have said) a bit like an infomercial. I'm skeptical, but hope my former colleagues and students see successes.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part of a book study at school. Glorified hand holding and elimination of student accountability for learning.

[Whitney Hamilton]

I actually really love the concepts put forth in this book. This is another that I own, appreciate, but never quite finished, and now that I’m not teaching, finishing it is not a priority.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book lines up nicely with my evolving philosophy of education.

[Jacob Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must have read a book that was different than the one some of these other reviewers did. In no way does "The Power of ICU" leave advanced students out to dry or try to take focus away from them. This is about changing the entire student culture to one that does not accept apathy from any level of student. It is not at all about "hand-holding" but rather promotes the idea that multiple teachers and mentors, along with parents, work in tandem to be consistently reminding students of missing work and providing opportunities for them to finish and turn in this missing work. If a teacher believes that allowing students to do their work, no matter if it is late or not, is "hand-holding" then fine. I thought the focus of education was for a student to learn. I didn't realize that it was to learn only within a time frame specifically determined by a teacher.

The ICU culture is one that would work in any school system, not only in a poverty/at-risk one. ICU promotes the idea that teachers need to provide quality assessment and practice to the student while expecting a quality return in the work provided to the teacher from the student. For those students that do not do do the work, a support structure is in place to ensure that they must complete it. This is done through constant communication with parents so they always know if their child has missing assignments, and through communication of multiple teachers/mentors with the student directly. The ICU list is the catalyst for the communication in that all teachers/mentors have access to the list so they will know what students are missing assignments and what those assignments are. Not only does the list not allow a student to "hide" from the responsibility of missing work, in allows teachers/mentors the ability to know what the student is actually missing so they know what to help the student with. "The Power of ICU" also promotes that all teachers and staff in the school become "lifeguards" which means they are mentors to an assigned set of students. It is the job of a lifeguard to make regular contact with their assigned students, especially if one of their student gets placed on the ICU list. The lifeguard is also to help tutor and mentor these students.

"The Power of ICU" would benefit any school system. I did not think that it blamed teachers for lack of student motivation. It really recognizes that for students to be motivated teachers, parents, and the student all need to be working together and on the same page. Also, this does not promote a "no-zero" policy, it promotes a every student completes every assignment and does so with quality. The mindset is different, instead of "no teacher will give a zero" ICU says that students will not get a zero because they will complete all of their work.

I would suggest at least reading the book with an open mind. I have spoken to other teachers about ICU and I know some that really like it and some that are hesitant about it. I think that many teachers get jaded towards new ways of thinking because our schools present us with so many different "initiatives" that fail or go away. "The Power of ICU" is unique because it's not really an initiative. It's something that, from an education standpoint, we should already be passionate about and doing. It's about students completing their work, all students, and it's about providing quality learning opportunities to our students. I really recommend reading this and allowing it to challenge you. It was a real experience to me (as if you couldn't tell by this review) and has really changed the way that I think about education. Our school did a book study on this and it transformed many of the teachers and administration. So much so that we are implementing the Power of ICU in our school this year. I hope that this affects you just as much as it did me and many of my colleagues.

[Mrs. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Power of ICU has really changed my way of thinking as an "instructional leader". I would highly recommend this read to any educator at any grade level. If you want to learn how to help students who are apathetic and help all students in general, this is for you. The ideas presented do require an open mind and simply someone who wants all students to learn and find success. It is a quick read so busy teachers don't have to worry about finding enough time to read it.

[Sarah Zerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the info-mercial feel and the typos, this book does offer another way to approach grades in a school. For that, I am glad to have read it. I hadn't really thought through the fact that we give students a pass on the work when we give them zeroes. This approach advocates for incompletes instead. Students must do the work. I have pretty much gotten to this point in my own teaching, but it was great to read this longer argument for it.

[CJ]

Wonderful concept but difficult to get good buy - in from teachers.