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December 4, 2009 Questions surface over 'much-edited' charter report When think tank Education Sector published its recent report on charter management operations (CMOs), Alexander Russo and others at his This Week In Education blog were quick to note that the original author, Ed Sector co-founder Tom Toch, is no longer on the report, and its gist differs significantly from a draft of the report circulated in June. The contents are also at odds with a recent editorial by Toch in Education Week. The newer version of the study, "Growing Pains: Scaling Up the Nation's Best Charter Schools," falls in line with Education Sector's historical stance on charters: "while each CMO faces operational problems, the concept's success is more a matter of removing charter advocates' longstanding list of government barriers – inadequate per pupil payments, a lack of access to facilities or financing, etc., etc.," in the words of Marc Dean Millot in This Week In Ed. The original version, "Sweating the Big Stuff: A Progress Report on the Movement to Scale Up the Nation's Best Charter Schools," presented a different scenario entirely: "a compelling indictment of the 'new philanthropy's primary investment strategy for education reform" (again, Marc Dean Millot). Toch apparently removed his name from the report when he found that much of his analysis, as well as candid commentary from insiders in the charter movement, had been excised. Claus von Zastrow analyzes the earlier draft on his Public School Insights blog. Read more: http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2009/11/millot-read-tochs-draft-of-edsectors-cmo-report-here.html Related: http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/report-got-away Athletics, business, and education In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Harold Ford Jr., Louis Gerstner, and Eli Broad add their voices to the chorus in politics, business, and philanthropy that the administration's Race to the Top initiative must retain its competitive nature to do any good. "To be effective, Race to the Top funds cannot become a democratic handout," they contend. "Competition brings out the best performance. That's true in athletics and in business, and it's true in education." Good intentions and promises should not be the basis for funding, they write -- the administration must use results to gauge worthiness. Invoking the shibboleth of accountability, the authors say the old way of doing business would be to spread money around equally. The new approach gives governors authority and autonomy, but also comes with responsibility for results. "For decades, adult interests have been at the forefront of public education. Reform has been derailed by adults who wanted to protect the status quo and enjoy lifelong benefits. This time, the focus will be on learning in the classroom." The authors feel that states with a proven record and leadership to carry out the president's "aggressive reform menu" are deserving of RttT funds. Others are not. Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704500604574483473296731550.html Of innovation and big government For all the talk of innovation, most notably from the current administration, "Social policy is where the innovation agenda gets tricky," writes Dana Goldstein in The American Prospect. At its core, says Goldstein, social innovation holds that for-profit institutions are the best model for nonprofit ones, and that nonprofits, in turn, are more effective protectors of social welfare than "big government." This had particular valence in the 1990s after the fall of communism, when it was widely held that civil society sectors, with an assist from Western philanthropies, could better care for human needs than bloated socialist bureaucracies. Similarly, corporate social responsibility, rather than government regulation, would ensure that companies looked after the environment and public health. Today, advocates for social enterprise argue that divisions between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors must fall in order to address social problems, a notion the Obama administration has very much taken to heart. "The truth, though," in Goldstein's view, "is that big, top-down government programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare have done more than almost any nonprofit effort to lift Americans out of destitute poverty. Imagine what something like a national universal day-care system could do, in terms of encouraging work among poor parents and providing early childhood academic enrichment?" Read more: http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_innovation_administration Related: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/23/807248/-Remarks-by-the-President-on-STEM Mapping the economic cost of dropouts A new analysis by the Alliance for Excellent Education shows that the U.S. economy would grow significantly if the number of high school dropouts were cut in half. Nearly 600,000 students dropped out of the high school class of 2008 in the nation's 50 largest cities and surrounding areas. The Alliance's research shows that if just half of these students had graduated, earnings would have been more than $4.1 billion in additional income every year. Annual state and local tax revenues in affected areas would have jumped by nearly $536 million. The study also found that 65 percent of these additional high school graduates would have continued to college, many earning a PhD or other professional degree. Estimates were generated by an economic model based on graduation rates calculated by Editorial Projects in Education. Economic benefits were projected for U.S. Census-defined metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) consisting of a central urban area and its surrounding geographic area, provided the surrounds had strong social and economic ties to the city. The 4,900 high schools located within these MSAs currently have an average graduation rate of 69.8 percent. Over 900 of these high schools are so-called "dropout factories," where fewer than 60 percent of freshman progress to their senior year on time. Read more: http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/EconMSA Programs for college-readiness that work A new report from the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) evaluates 23 programs that support middle and high school youth as they prepare for college and careers. AYPF is quick to state that the round-up "clearly [does] not represent the universe of programs that are successful in helping youth prepare for college and careers." They are, however, the ones with quality evaluations. Based on these assessments, AYPF developed a logic model that holds that if young people have a "Foundation for Learning and Growth" that consists of knowledge, skills, and abilities, such as academic content; academic success behaviors; technical, problem-solving, team-work, and goal-setting skills; and college and career knowledge, then they will succeed. Personal resources like motivation, self-efficacy, resilience, and financial support for postsecondary education also play a crucial role. The report also identifies Ten Elements of Success for programs, grouped into the broad categories of Programmatic Elements of Success and Structural and System-Focused Elements of Success. In particular, the subcategories of Rigor and Academic Support (cited 18 times), Relationships (cited 17 times), and Partnerships and Cross-Systems Collaboration (cited 13 times) are important. Read more: http://www.aypf.org/publications/SuccessAtEveryStep.htm With space at a premium, tempers run high The strong support from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein for charters in New York City has led to a space and resource crunch that has angered parents of children at regular public schools, according to The New York Times. In New York State (as in most states), charters get no money for construction, compelling them to raise funds on their own or find a willing host. In other cities where charters are grudgingly tolerated by public school officials, these tensions don't exist, since charters must find their own facilities. In New York City, however, the Department of Education has been moving charters into regular school rooms they consider "underutilized," infuriating regular school parents. "Nobody wants to give up the space we have fought so hard for," said Ann Lupardi, a parent from non-charter P.S. 184. "These are science labs and art rooms that we helped find the money to get because we think they are essential." By the city's estimate, its schools are 80 percent full, but circumstances vary, with some at bursting point and others housing up to a dozen classrooms not used for instruction. Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/education/30space.html?_r=1 Skill in math not necessarily skill in teaching it A chief requirement of a successful math teacher is having majored in math in college, one might think, but research shows it has little advantage, according to Education Week. Counterintuitive? --perhaps, especially given widespread alarm among policymakers over STEM teacher credentials. A fundamental grasp of math is necessary, but what observers say is crucial is an instructional repertoire for teaching it. Math teachers need to "know the subject matter well and how to teach it," confirms Deborah Loewenberg Ball, a scholar who has studied math teaching extensively. "The problem is that the math major is not a good proxy for that." The National Council on Teacher Quality supports high school math teachers obtaining math majors, and middle school math educators getting a math major or minor, along with an additional minor that benefits their teaching. But having teachers with commitment and specialized skill in classrooms is of greatest benefit to students. The evidence of a connection between teaching success and other presumed measures of teacher knowledge and expertise, such as pre-service and professional development training or certification in math is also weak. Read more: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/11/25/13mathteach.h29.html?tkn=XYBFTClqmZ3YA3kLBRulyzS6QMiaqm6NCdh8 Related: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_teams01.453f64b.html 'Dangerous disconnect' between student aspirations and teacher missions Deloitte LLP has released a national survey that shows a wide divergence between what students and parents want out of high school and how teachers view their job responsibilities, reports The Orange County Register. In the survey, 40 percent of teachers said it was "somewhat important" or "not too important" that students from their high school attended college. In contrast, 70 percent of students indicated they "definitely" planned to attend college, even as only 22 percent of them indicated high school had done an "excellent" job preparing them for it. The study questioned 401 high school educators, 601 high school students, and 401 high school parents. Students and parents were all from lower-income families, defined as having a household income of less than $40,000 annually. Critics say the wording on the survey may have accounted for the apparent conflict in attitudes. "There may not be as big a disconnect as one interpretation may conclude," said 24-year educator Joanne Fawley, a government teacher and president of the Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association. "Teachers see mastery of the subject as a form of college preparation. The academic content standards are very, very, high, and the rigor provides the foundation for college, and for anyone moving into adulthood." Read more: http://www.ocregister.com/news/high-221907-school-students.html Blogging the path to college A new blog started by the nonprofit Center for Student Opportunity chronicles 10 students nationwide during their first year in college, writes The Wellesley Townsman. These freshmen share a common bond: They are first in their families to go to college. The blog officially launched at the beginning of the month and the goal is to have first-generation college freshmen give hope and advice to high school students who think college is not a possibility for them. "Everyone needs to know that everything is within reach," said blogger Nguyen-Ngo, 18, at Babson College in Massachusetts. "People get bogged down by SAT scores or GPAs, but they don't understand that looking beyond that, they have so much potential as well." Since middle-class kids are often exposed to the college process from their parents and their families, it's the first-generation students that need extra guidance and encouragement. More than 400 students across the country applied to participate in the blog, which also provides a $1,000 scholarship renewable for all four years of college. "When I was growing up, I didn't know anyone that was going to college," said Jesse Sanchez, a blogger who goes to Harvard. "I always thought it was impossible." Read more: http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1158536346/Babson-College-student-in-Wellesley-blogs-about-being-first-in-family-to-attend-college See the blog: http://csopportunityscholars.org Related (scroll down): http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/11/29/bu_considers_campuses_in_india_abu_dhabi/ BRIEFLY NOTED Aerospace engineering for grades three to five Wichita-area school will introduce engineering at the elementary level. http://www.kansas.com/news/top/story/1067547.html Texas district starts teacher institute with stimulus funds Manor District's four-day residencies instruct educators on how to create original, data-driven projects that they can use when they return to the classroom. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/23/1123manor.html Arizona law disregarding seniority in layoffs is challenged An education lobby has petitioned the Arizona Supreme Court that lawmakers and Gov. Jan Brewer exceeded their authority with a law that prohibits school districts from taking into account seniority or tenure in layoffs. http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=74912 Rhode Island district has charters coach regular schools In Central Falls, R.I., a pilot program in which instructional coaches from The Learning Community began working closely with teachers at two of the city's elementary schools has lead to a leap in reading scores. http://www.projo.com/news/content/central_falls_charter_11-30-09_R8G99MC_v39.361715c.html Can perceptions turn around the lowest-performing schools? Principal Mark Sanchez of Horace Mann Middle School in San Francisco's Mission District thinks so. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/22/BA1K1AM4OO.DTL#ixzz0YXjWDqRM Bringing parents into the conversation Milwaukee Public Schools will spend $4 million in federal stimulus money over two years to support a major parental involvement program in 35 schools. http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/77926592.html GRANT AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Recreational Boat & Fishing Foundation: Grants for Youth Programs The Recreational Boat & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) is offering grants to organizations with programs that offer multiple on-the-water learning opportunities; encourage long-term involvement of participants; provide training for instructors; promote conservation; and support existing RBFF partnerships. The successful grant applicant will also demonstrate partnerships with local, community-based educational, youth, and social service agencies as well as the appropriate state fish and wildlife, game, or boating agency personnel. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: youth-focused boating, fishing, and conservation organizations. Deadline: January 4, 2010. http://www.rbff.org/page.cfm?pageID=380 President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities: Coming Up Taller Awards The Coming Up Taller Awards reward outstanding after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities programs for underserved children and youth. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: programs initiated by museums, libraries, performing arts organizations, universities, colleges, arts centers, community service organizations, schools, businesses, and eligible government entities. Deadline: January 29, 2010. http://www.pcah.gov/cut.htm Welch's/Scholastic: Harvest Grants The Harvest Grants funding program helps schools across the United States create fruit and vegetable gardens. Maximum award: packages valued at $1,000 each. Eligibility: K-8 teachers. Deadline: February 6, 2010. http://www.scholastic.com/harvest/ Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation: Christopher Columbus Awards The Christopher Columbus Awards Program combines science and technology with community problem-solving. Students work in teams with the help of an adult coach to identify an issue they care about and, using science and technology, work with experts, conduct research, and put their ideas to the test to develop an innovative solution. Maximum award: $25,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World to attend the program's National Championship Week, plus a U.S. Savings Bond of $2,000 for each student team member. Eligibility: middle-school-age (sixth, seventh, and eighth grade) children; teams do not need to be affiliated with a school to enter. Deadline: February 8, 2010. http://www.christophercolumbusawards.com/ QUOTE OF THE WEEK "The people who said [the charter movement] was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread were wrong. The people who said it would be a calamity were equally wrong." - Robert Maranto, a University of Arkansas professor of education reform, in a Washington Post article on conflicting studies on charter outcomes, November 30, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/29/AR2009112902356.html The PEN Weekly NewsBlast, published by Public Education Network, is a free electronic newsletter featuring resources and information about public school reform, school finance, and related issues. The NewsBlast is the property of Public Education Network, a national association of 79 local education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income communities throughout the nation. Please forward this e-mail to anyone who enjoys free updates on education news and grant alerts. Some links in the PEN Weekly NewsBlast may change or expire after their initial publication here, and some links may require local website registration. People wishing to add a NewsBlast subscription can go to PEN's website (http://www.publiceducation.org) and follow the instructions in the lower left-hand section of the homepage. Current subscribers can unsubscribe by clicking the appropriate link near the bottom of the NewsBlast mailing. If you use spam filters to protect your inbox, you may wish to take a moment right now to add PEN@publiceducation.org to your e-mail address book, spam-software whitelist, or mail-system whitelist. Adding the address will help ensure that you receive the NewsBlast and that your e-mail software displays HTML and images properly. |
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