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August 22, 2008 |
Click here to read printable version |
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The people and their schools: New poll results favor Obama |
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With back-to-back Democratic and Republican national conventions approaching rapidly, newly released poll results show that the American people hold strong opinions on a range of issues affecting public education, including seemingly decisive views about which presidential candidate would be best for the public schools. According to the 40th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll on the subject, if people were voting "solely on the basis of a desire to strengthen the public schools," they'd choose Barack Obama over John McCain by a margin of 46 percent to 29 percent. Four years ago, in a similar poll, President Bush and the Democratic nominee, John Kerry, each polled 41 percent. The latest poll, based on telephone interviews this past June with a national sample of 1,002 people, includes these other findings:
People trust Obama to do a better job on closing the achievement gap (59 percent, compared with 18 percent for McCain) and on funding education (48 percent to 28 percent).
People are dissatisfied with the No Child Left Behind Act, with 42 percent wanting to change the law significantly and another 25 per cent saying it should be allowed to expire.
Thirty-seven percent of the people think that using federal taxes would be "the best way" to finance public schools (compared with 35 percent for state taxes and 20 percent for local taxes).
When asked to grade the public schools in their own communities, 46 percent say they would give them an A or a B -- but only 22 percent would give those grades to schools in the nation as a whole.
Half the people favor relying on national educational standards to measure student achievement, while a slightly smaller group (46 percent) prefers state standards.
A plurality of Americans (37 percent) think there is "too much emphasis on achievement testing" in their local schools, while 34 percent regard the emphasis on testing to be "about right" and 23 percent think there's "not enough" emphasis.
Seventy-seven percent of the people want teachers to pass a national competency test before being licensed, in addition to a state test, in the subjects they will teach.
An analysis of the poll's results -- by William J. Bushaw, executive director of Phi Delta Kappa International, and Alec M. Gallup, co-chairman of the Gallup Organization -- is titled "Americans Speak Out – Are Educators and Policy Makers Listening?"
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Amid economic troubles, schools feel the pressure |
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Relatively few Americans are escaping the troubling effects of rising prices and a declining economy, so it's no surprise that public education is feeling the strain, too. But the outlook seems increasingly worrisome. School districts and students' families alike are struggling to cope just as the new school year is about to start. As the Associated Press puts it, they're facing "harder times and higher fuel prices." As a result, the news organization adds, "children will walk farther to the bus stop, pay more for lunch, study from old textbooks, even wear last year's clothes. Field trips? Forget about it." Schools are confronted by mounting costs for bus service, heating and air conditioning, classroom supplies, and -- you name it. It's "all because of the shaky economy," notes the AP. To help reduce expenses, one district in rural Minnesota will forego classes every Monday and tack on an extra 10 minutes to classes on other days. Nationwide, at least 14 other districts are following suit, according to a survey by the American Association of School Administrators.
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State revenue shortfalls worse than expected |
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In a report with clear implications for education spending in the coming year, the National Conference of State Legislatures says the decline in states' finances has proven to be worse than expected. Based on information from legislative fiscal directors through early July, the organization says more states have indicated gaps for the 2009 fiscal year than for 2008, with the cumulative difference between anticipated revenues and expenditures expected to triple -- to more than $40 billion. According to the report, it's unclear whether 2009 spending plans will remain stable, especially if Medicaid and other programs that tend to grow during economic downturns exceed budgeted levels. Moreover, the same revenue issues that undermined state budgets in fiscal 2008 can be expected to continue. All the same, not all states face fiscal challenges, says
William Pound, executive director of the legislatures group. "States that have significant portions of their tax bases tied to natural resources seem to have escaped major budget problems."
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'Drastic' outcomes for black male students detailed in Schott report |
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A new take on the troubling story of poor educational outcomes for black males comes from the Schott Foundation for Public Education in a report titled "Given Half a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males." It is, says Schott, a "drastic range of outcomes." Part of the picture: graduation rates below 50 percent nationally for black male students, excess referrals to special education programs, and disproportionately high rates of suspension and expulsion. The report, which provides details for 25 states and the District of Columbia, highlights the comparatively poor record of large urban school systems representing 40 percent of the black males in public schools. Black male students tend to fare better in states and areas with lower black populations, where schools are often more diverse and have more resources, the report says, while nationally, the graduation rate for black males trails the rate for white mails by 28 percentage points.
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For many first-generation college students, it's still a big step |
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Even though more and more college students have parents who went to college themselves, an estimated 35 percent of today's freshmen are still the first in their families to make the transition from high school to college. For many such first-generation students, that step remains challenging, observes the Northwest Herald in suburban Chicago, and to ease the transition, they often start out in community colleges. At McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Ill., for example, the number of first-generation students was 44 percent higher last fall than in the previous year, the Herald reports. It points to federal statistics showing that about 43 percent of first-generation students leave postsecondary education without earning a degree, but it adds that certain strategies may improve their prospects. The newspaper quotes Kathleen Cushman, who has written a two-book series called "First in the Family," as stressing the value of giving the students "some kind of experience on a college campus early enough in high school that they can imagine themselves there."
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California math mandate adds up to staffing problem |
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A controversial decision by the California State Board of Education to require basic algebra for all eighth-graders by 2011 has lent fresh urgency to a related problem, says the Sacramento Bee: the state doesn't have enough qualified math teachers to handle even current needs. The new mandate, strongly supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but criticized by the state school superintendent, Jack O'Connell, would roughly double the number of California eighth-graders who now take the course. Of those who do, however, only about 40 percent have been found to be performing at a proficient level. Meanwhile, about half of all eighth-graders in the state are still having trouble with sixth- and seventh-grade math. The Bee reports that school district leaders and principals are "scrambling to train elementary teachers to make sure younger children are ready for Algebra 1 by eighth grade. And they are training and recruiting in upper grades in anticipation of more high schoolers taking more math courses." At the same time, colleges and universities are working to prepare more math teachers. In an effort begun three years ago, the California State University system is trying to raise the annual production of math and science teachers to 1,500 by 2009-10, twice the number turned out in 2002-03.
Read more | See news release | Back to top
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Community colleges in Iowa face teacher shortages in key fields |
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Secondary schools aren't the only educational institutions in need of more teachers. According to the Des Moines Register, community college officials in Iowa say they cannot find enough teachers in high-demand fields such as auto mechanics and laser technology, resulting in delays in some students' course enrollments. In what M. J. Dolan, director of the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees, calls "an incredible need," officials report that many veteran instructors are retiring and others are leaving for higher-paying jobs in the private sector. Also contributing to the problem are record community college enrollments in credit and non-credit classes -- a total last year, says Dolan, of more than 400,000 Iowans, or about 14 percent of the state's entire population. The state is expecting a worker shortage of about 150,000 by 2012.
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Do cash incentives boost student performance? Stayed tuned |
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If you offer high school students up to $1,000 each to spur them to pass Advanced Placement tests for college, what will happen? A privately financed effort to do just that at 25 low-income public schools and six parochial schools in New York City has produced seemingly inconclusive results. Aimed mainly at black and Hispanic students, the initiative was meant to prepare more kids for college and give them a financial boost to get there. But despite the financial offers, the New York Post reports, the number of students passing their AP tests in the 31 schools actually dipped slightly below the 1,481 who passed in 2007, when no cash was on the table. Nevertheless, people behind the experiment said they saw many positive results to build on, including an 8 percent increase in the number of AP tests taken and a 19 percent increase in students scoring at the highest level. Passing rates at nine of the 31 schools increased more than 50 percent. The findings were released by the Council of Urban Professionals, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that distributes the money. "We're going to try and figure out what worked at these schools and how we can apply what happened at these schools to some of the other schools," said Whitney Tilson, a co-founder of the initiative. The idea of using cash incentives to motivate students to perform better is being tried by a growing number of school districts, notes the Wall Street Journal, "but whether they work is hard to say."
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Additional perspective |
Related research |
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Taking steps to provide an enriching school climate |
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In a recent column, Gene R. Carter, executive director of ASCD (that's the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) expands on the notion of educating the "whole child" by arguing that efforts in that direction must involve the "whole school." Carter refers to an HBO documentary that described a Baltimore high school where 50 percent of 9th graders dropped out by the end of the year, and two-thirds of the teachers were uncertified. In that context, Carter says, it's nearly impossible to provide a situation in which all children are healthy, safe, engaged in learning, supported by caring adults, and challenged academically. To build a nurturing environment, he suggests that schools evaluate their climate, put their evaluations to use, and leverage community resources. A whole-school approach, says Carter, means that the school "collaborates with its community to deliberately build and sustain a positive school climate."
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Key federal law on higher education is reauthorized |
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After a five-year delay, Congress has finally reauthorized -- and President Bush has signed -- a fundamental federal law on higher education. Add the word "opportunity" to the measure's name (as in "Higher Education Opportunity Act") and you have the key political idea behind it. But in an article headlined, "HEA: A Huge, Exacting Accountability Bill," editor Doug Letterman at the website Inside Higher Education asks: "Do the bill's pros outweigh its cons? Does it attack the major problems facing higher education and the country, and are its solutions likely to make a difference? And does the legislation's approach represent a change -- positively or negatively -- in the U.S. government's relationship with higher education, in ways that are likely to affect colleges and students?" Not everyone agrees on the answers. Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president for government and public affairs at the American Council on Education, is quoted as saying that while the current Congress may have done more for college students than any other Congress in a decade -- mainly through financial assistance and expansion of veterans' education benefits -- he doesn't see "a coherent vision behind the bill that says, 'We want to do these three things.' It is really a lot of very specific ideas stapled together."
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House-Senate report |
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PEN preparing for its annual conference: 'Legacy, focus, and impact' |
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Public Education Network will hold its 2008 annual conference November 16-18 in San Francisco, the city where local education funds got their start 25 years ago. The conference will examine the legacy of LEFs, the focus of their work, and the impact that their work has had on public education. LEF members and many others will come together to recognize the historic contributions of LEFs to education reform, and to look to the future of the field.
Preliminary agenda | Back to top
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Following are links to other items of interest since the July 25 issue of the NewsBlast, the last one to appear before our recent summer break.
New federal data published on high-school graduates and dropouts (2005-06)
A report from the National Center for Education Statistics includes breakdowns by race.
Exploring the variability of community schools
The Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA examines community schools in the context of educational improvement.
ELL policies, testing programs found to vary substantially from state to state
Research paints a complex national picture in the evaluation of English language learners.
'Making time: what research says about reorganizing school schedules'
The traditional school schedule -- 180 six-hour days per year -- remains largely intact, but useful strategies described in a report by the Center for Public Education can boost efficiency. |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
U.S. Soccer Federation: Grants for Soccer Programs
U.S. Soccer Federation Grants provide funding for programs that develop players, referees, and coaches through programs, field enhancements, or the Foundation's All Conditions Fields Program, with special emphasis on the economically disadvantaged in urban areas. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: anyone with a soccer-specific program or project that benefits a nonprofit purpose and meets the established focus for the 2009 grant cycle. Deadline: Sept. 15, 2008.
TASH/Wal-Mart: Inclusive Education Awards
The TASH/Wal-Mart Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education Awards honor contributions of individuals and school districts in advancing inclusive education and equitable opportunities for students in grades K-12, particularly those with significant disabilities and support needs. Awardees will be selected from these categories: Inclusive Education Administrator of the Year; Inclusive Education Teacher of the Year; Inclusive Education Advocate of the Year; Most Promising Inclusive School; Most Promising Inclusive School District. Maximum award: recognition; a library of books about inclusive best practices from Brookes Publishing. Eligibility: school districts and education professionals that work inclusively with K-12 students with disabilities. Deadline: Sept. 20, 2008.
Dollar General: Youth Literacy Grants
Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants help schools and local nonprofit organizations implement or expand literacy programs for new readers, below-grade-level readers, and readers with learning disabilities. Maximum award: $3,000. Eligibility: schools and nonprofits located in Dollar General?s 35-state operating territory and within 20 miles of the nearest Dollar General Store. Deadline: Sept. 24, 2008.
Freedoms Foundation: Awards in Private Enterprise Education
The Freedoms Foundation's Leavey Awards for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education honor outstanding educators who excite a commitment in their students to the free enterprise system and unleash the entrepreneurial skills of their students at the elementary, junior high school, high school, and college level. Maximum award: $7,500. Eligibility: U.S. citizens or permanent residents employed full time as educators at an accredited American school (grades K-12), college, or university. Deadline: Oct. 1, 2008.
Siemens Foundation: Math, Science, & Technology Awards
The Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology recognizes remarkable talent early on, fostering individual growth for high school students who are willing to challenge themselves through science research. Maximum award: $100,000. Eligibility: U.S. high school students. Deadline: Oct. 1, 2008.
Toshiba America Foundation: Grants for Science and Math Education
Toshiba America Foundation Education Grants contribute to the quality of science and mathematics education in U.S. communities by investing in projects designed by classroom teachers to improve science and mathematics education. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: K-12 teachers in public or private (nonprofit) schools. Deadline: Oct. 1, 2008.
To view more grants, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn."
-- Sir John Lubbock (1834-1913), British politician, naturalist, and archeologist
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PEN Weekly NewsBlast
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