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February 12, 2010 |
Click here to read printable version |
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| Never mind those who'd do well anywhere |
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In Raehoke, N.C., 48 seniors are in a fast-track program that earns a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit in five years -- completely free, reports The New York Times. Most programs like these serve affluent, overachieving students as a way to keep them challenged and to give a head start on college work, but the SandHoke Early College High School enrolls kids whose parents lack college degrees. SandHoke is one of 71 "early-college schools" in the state -- where high school students attend college courses -- specifically designed to eliminate the divide between high school and college for at-risk kids. "Last year, half our early-college high schools had zero dropouts, and that's just unprecedented for North Carolina, where only 62 percent of our high school students graduate after four years," said Tony Habit, president of the North Carolina New Schools Project, the nonprofit that spearheaded this reform. Significantly, North Carolina's early-college high school students are performing slightly better than their college classmates. This model is now spreading in California, New York, Texas, and elsewhere, and is seen as a promising approach to reducing the high school dropout rate and increasing the number of degree holders.
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| Ramifications for all: reformers, policymakers, educators, and students |
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In The Harvard Business Review, the headlining breakthrough idea (out of ten) for 2010 is that what motivates "knowledge workers" the most is not recognition, incentives, interpersonal support, or clear goals. It's a sense of progress. "On days when workers have the sense they're making headway in their jobs, or when they receive support that helps them overcome obstacles," the authors write, "their emotions are most positive and their drive to succeed is at its peak." On the other hand, days when they spin their wheels or encounter roadblocks to meaningful accomplishment, their moods and motivation are lowest. The article is based on a multiyear study that tracked day-to-day activities, emotions, and motivation levels of hundreds of knowledge workers in a wide range of settings. So what advice does The Business Review offer to those in charge? "Scrupulously avoid impeding progress by changing goals autocratically, being indecisive, or holding up resources. Negative events generally have a greater effect on people's emotions, perceptions, and motivation than positive ones, and nothing is more demotivating than a setback -- the most prominent type of event on knowledge workers' worst days."
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| Perceptions are real |
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The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the state of California has developed new workbooks to help educators make changes in school climate that can help close the gap between higher- and lower-performing students. The books includes data from state-sponsored school climate surveys conducted last year. "There are many factors that go into effective teaching and learning," said California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, announcing the initiative. "If students feel disconnected from their teachers or unwelcome at school, these factors can interfere with learning and contribute to the achievement gap." The workbooks include results of voluntary surveys given to school employees and students in grades five, seven, nine, and 11. The data show a disparity in how students and school employees perceive everything from expectations and academic rigor to campus safety and discipline problems. "When there is an achievement gap, there is often a safety gap and a student-engagement gap," said Greg Austin of the nonprofit WestEd, which helped the state Department of Education develop the workbooks. "We are dealing with perceptions. But perceptions are real."
Read more | See the initiative announcement | Back to top
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| Ask, don't tell |
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A third report based on data from the Retaining Teacher Talent study by Learning Point Associates and Public Agenda looks at what educators think about current ideas on identifying, recruiting, retaining, compensating, and supporting effective teachers. The report suggests that what teachers identify as good indicators of effectiveness are not always aligned with what policymakers or researchers think. The success of such reforms rests in large part on the support of those most directly affected -- teachers. The data indicate that issues such as the Race to the Top competition, increased funding for the Teacher Incentive Fund program, and the next reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act are not the policy options that seem most popular to teachers, who favor class size reduction and addressing student discipline. This disconnect suggests that teachers do not have a strong influence on these various agendas, which may be problematic when it comes to their implementation. The incentives that bring change in teacher behavior will ultimately determine success of these policies. Taking teachers' advice on what will improve their effectiveness, or working hard to communicate with teachers about how policies will improve student learning, or both, will likely give these reforms the better chance of success.
See tje report | Back to top
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| Whither Abbott? |
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A report from the Campaign for Education Equity at Teachers College of Columbia University examines impacts of court-mandated school finance reform in New Jersey over 30 years and describes the state's new school funding formula, the School Finance Reform Act (SFRA) of 2008, and its implications for so-called Abbott districts, as well as for other low- and middle-income districts in the state. Years of school finance litigation have established a comprehensive definition of an adequate education in New Jersey, and adequacy measures for poor urban school districts were benchmarked to education spending and programs in the state's wealthiest communities and to programs designed to meet the special needs of urban students. The SFRA replaced Abbott remedies with a single formula applicable to all districts. As intended, low- and middle-wealth non-Abbott districts benefit most from the new formula, but New Jersey now suffers a recession-driven and structural deficit, which will further hurt historically underfunded districts. The report finds that funding disparities between Abbott and wealthy suburban districts have reappeared, and concludes, "It is unlikely that the state will meet its obligation to fund SFRA fully without major dislocations to other parts of the state budget. And the pain will be spread across both low- and middle-income school districts, Abbott and non-Abbott alike."
See the report | Back to top
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| AP no 'silver bullet' |
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At a time when the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses has reached a record high, the percentage that fail the exams, particularly in the South, has also jumped, according to USA TODAY. These findings raise questions about whether schools are pushing millions of students into AP courses without adequate preparation, and whether schools are training teachers to deliver the high-level material. "The standards don't teach themselves," says Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University. Advanced Placement is not a "silver bullet" that will boost academic success. "You have to build the whole system," she says. "You can't just bring in one thing and think that it's going to solve everything." Last year, students took 2.9 million exams through the AP program. A score of 3 or higher on the point scale of 1 to 5 can earn students early college credits, depending on a college's criteria. USA TODAY's analysis found that more than 41.5 percent of students earned a failing score of 1 or 2, up from 36.5% in 1999. In the South, a census-defined region that spans Texas to Delaware, nearly half of all tests -- 48.4 percent -- earned a 1 or 2, up 7 percentage points from a decade earlier and a significant difference from the rest of the country.
Read more | Related | Back to top
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| The other gap |
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According to a new report from the Center on Evaluation & Education Policy, a convincing body of evidence suggests an "excellence gap" -- an achievement gap at the higher levels of academic performance that has been overlooked due to an emphasis on gaps among demographic groups at minimum competency levels. The economically disadvantaged, English Language Learners, and historically underprivileged minorities represent a smaller proportion of students scoring at the highest levels of achievement, and there is a persistent gender gap as well, with females performing better in reading and males performing better in math. Data show little progress in substantially reducing excellence gaps since the passage of NCLB, particularly in reading, although there is also little existing evidence to support claims that NCLB-mandated accountability systems are increasing excellence gaps. The report recommends that the closing of this other gap be made a national priority. Any policy discussions should include questions about how it will affect the brightest students, especially those from lower-income families, and how it will help other students begin to achieve at higher levels. "This attention need not come at the cost of addressing minimum competency," the authors write. "Yet continuing to pretend that a nearly complete disregard of high achievement is permissible, especially among underperforming subgroups, is a formula for a mediocre K-12 education system and long-term economic decline."
See the report | Back to top
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| Expanded choice illusory in Philly |
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A new study from Research for Action finds that despite dramatically expanded high school choices for Philadelphia students in recent years, most district pupils still end up in the city's large and failing neighborhood high schools, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Scant information for students and a lack of seats in magnet and citywide lottery schools renders choice "an illusion" for most, says lead author Eva Gold, and disadvantaged students unfamiliar with the system are shortchanged. The selection process "stacks the deck" against neighborhood high schools. Because it takes so long for the district to finalize acceptances, high school teachers and administrators often don't know who will attend in September, leaving them unable to fully prepare for their students. Magnet schools are the most selective, with students required to meet academic and behavioral criteria, and citywide admission is somewhat selective, with students required to meet some criteria but with spots filled by lottery. Rejected applicants to either type must attend neighborhood schools, which are the largest of the district's 62 high schools. The report urges a revamp of the selection process in ways that strengthen neighborhood high schools, which must take all comers.
Read more | See the report | Back to top
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| College- and career-ready, but for which college or career? |
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Under a proposal from the Obama administration, No Child Left Behind?s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) would be replaced with a different metric, but how exactly would this work? AYP is ?the accountability vehicle at the heart? of NCLB, but has been criticized as too rigid, prompting states and districts to retool their assessments, instructional plans, and even schedules in order to meet its targets. It has also been blamed for a watering down of standards, so that fewer schools get sanctioned under NCLB rules. The new metric would measure student progress toward readiness for college or a career, but these terms are yet to be more specifically defined. While some observers, such as Kati Haycock of the Education Trust, praise the general direction of proposed changes as a move ?toward a more nuanced set of decisions that don?t make it just pass/fail,? others find them overly vague. ?I don?t know how you collect the data that?s meaningful to say that a school is achieving [the equivalent of] AYP, especially when it comes to a career-readiness standard,? said Mark Bielang, a Michigan superintendent. ?Different skills apply to different careers. It seems a lot more like a portfolio-based [assessment] system would be appropriate.
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Denver looks to end 'dumping'
Superintendent seeks to end "forced placement" of teachers in the district's lowest-performing and highest-poverty schools.
http://www.indenvertimes.com/dps-tackling-forced-placement-of-teachers/
Related: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_14360487
RttT reviewers still cloaked in secrecy
The Department of Education has now revealed the judges include four lawyers, 15 former principals, 15 former district or state superintendents and 30 former K-12 teachers (with some overlap among the categories).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020702399.html
A higher bar in L.A.?
Los Angeles school district officials are planning to fire approximately three times the number of probationary teachers dismissed annually in recent years.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/education/la-me-lausd-teachers10-2010feb10,0,5160216.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Feducation+%28L.A.+Times+-+Education%29
Perhaps taking entrepreneurship in education too far
In his State of the State address, Nevada's Gov. Jim Gibbons proposed ?Education Gift Certificates,? essentially donations that would keep the education budget solvent.
http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/22509880/detail.html
San Francisco dismantles desegregation measures
For the first time in decades, the city?s schoolchildren may be automatically enrolled in their neighborhood public schools.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Students-can-stay-closer-to-home-83992462.html#ixzz0fHb6FwOd |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
American Civic Education Teacher Awards
The American Civic Education Teacher Awards recognize educators annually for exemplary work in preparing young people to be informed and engaged citizens. Maximum award: trip to Washington, D.C. to take part in an educational program that includes attending floor sessions and committee hearings in the U.S. Congress, meeting members of Congress and other key officials, and visiting historical sites such as the National Archives and the U.S. Supreme Court. Eligibility: elementary and secondary teachers of civics, government, and related subjects who have demonstrated special expertise in motivating students to learn about the Constitution, Congress, and public policy. Deadline: February 16, 2010.
http://www.civiced.org/aceta.html
Guardian Life Insurance: Girls Going Places Awards
The Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Program rewards the enterprising spirits of girls who demonstrate budding entrepreneurship, are taking the first steps toward financial independence, and make a difference in their schools and communities. Maximum award: three prizes totaling up to $30,000. Eligibility: girls between the ages of 12 and 18 as of December 31, 2009, who are enrolled in middle school or high school and are a U.S. legal resident. Deadline: February 26, 2010.
http://www.guardianlife.com/womens_channel/girls_going_places/girls_going_places.html
Civic Ventures: Purpose Prize
The Civic Ventures Purpose Prize recognizes Americans over 60 whose creativity, talent, and experience is transforming the way our nation addresses critical social problems. Maximum award: $100,000. Eligibility: Americans 60 years old by March 1, 2008 and currently working in a leadership capacity in an organization or institution (public, private, nonprofit, or for-profit) to address a major social problem. Deadline: March 5, 2010.
http://www.purposeprize.org/prize/
American Historical Association: Awards for Teaching of History
The American Historical Association Beveridge Family Teaching Prize recognizes excellence and innovation in elementary, middle school, and secondary history teaching, including career contributions and specific initiatives. Maximum award: $1,500. Eligibility: K-12 teachers in groups. Deadline: March 15, 2010.
http://www.historians.org/teaching/Beveridge.htm
Kohl's Corporation: Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarships
The Kohl's Kids Who Care Program recognizes and rewards young volunteers who transform their communities for the better. Maximum award: $10,000 scholarship toward post-secondary education. Eligibility: youth 6 to 18 years old, not graduated from high school by March 15, 2010. Deadline: March 15, 2010.
http://www.kohlscorporation.com/CommunityRelations/scholarship/index.asp
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"What is keeping us from bringing such examples [of extraordinary success] to scale is not a lack of solutions but a frailty of belief. We can absolutely replicate and expand success, and poverty does not have to mean low achievement and expectations."
- D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, February 8, 2010
http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=f6886a5e-628e-411d-89a8-c8f9f0a73f4f
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