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January 15, 2010 |
Click here to read printable version |
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| Quality Counts 2010 presents 'broad perspective' on common-standards |
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Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) has released its 14th edition of Quality Counts, an annual report card on public education as measured by states' education policies and outcomes, with a specific focus this year on the national debate over common academic standards. A 50-state survey by EPE found solid foundations for a unified approach to standards, since many states already look beyond their own borders for guidance. In a majority of states, national subject-matter organizations have influenced English/language arts or mathematics standards, or states have used the frameworks of other states to inform their own. Far fewer states have engaged in the type of international comparisons or benchmarking that has received attention in recent policy discussions. In addition, a number of states have reported challenges ranging from the political to the practical that they believe may complicate efforts to adopt common-core standards. Leading concerns include: securing a high level of input and support from stakeholders; possible disruptions to the state's own policy efforts; and misalignments between state expectations and the common standards. Overall, when graded across the six areas of policy and performance historically tracked by Quality Counts, the nation received a C; Maryland ranked highest with a B-plus, followed by Massachusetts and New York, both of which merited a B.
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| But what did Weingarten actually say? |
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Despite its positive, progressive aspects, the January 12 speech of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten -- which voiced support for tying student scores to teacher evaluations and making it easier to fire bad teachers -- still begs several important questions, writes Seyward Darby in The New Republic. Though Weingarten endorsed using test scores based on "valid and reliable assessments" as part of teacher evaluations, she didn't say how heavily they should be weighed against other measures, and she didn't indicate which tests were valid and reliable. She named a respected mediator (Ken Feinberg) to work with the union on creating a protocol for teacher discipline and removal -- but on closer inspection, this is less than bold, since public support for retaining teachers who have engaged in misconduct is nonexistent. Weingarten didn't address seniority policies, a thornier issue, fiercely defended by unions. Nor did Weingarten explicitly support tying teacher salaries to classroom work, another policy sticking point. Weingarten was vague on reform implementation and timelines, and she failed to say whether the nation's other large teacher union, the National Education Association, will also take up her recommendations. "Weingarten deserves praise for her progressive speech," Darby says, "but I'm saving thunderous applause until the outstanding questions about her proposals get answered."
Read more | Related Weingarten | Back to top
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| Reducing drop-outs by half: a stimulus in itself |
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The Alliance for Education has released a study with evidence that lowering the high school dropout rate would have important economic implications for the 45 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. In these cities, an estimated 600,000 students dropped out from the Class of 2008. If rates were reduced by half, these graduates would likely have bought homes worth $10.5 billion more than without a diploma, the report found. They would have supported 30,000 additional jobs and increased the gross regional product in their areas by up to $5.3 billion by the midpoint of their careers. They would have seen $4.1 billion in combined additional earnings in the average year, spent an additional $2.8 billion, and invested an additional $1.1 billion each year, boosting annual tax revenue by $536 million. They would have purchased an additional $340 million in vehicles. "The new findings from the Alliance for Excellent Education conclusively demonstrate that graduating from high school has significant positive economic and financial consequences for the business community and not just for the individual getting the education," said Edward B. Rust Jr., chairman and CEO of State Farm. "Assuring that all of our students graduate from high school with the skills necessary to compete in a global economy is something all businesses -- small and large -- should see as a priority."
See the report | Back to top
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| The time has come for detracking |
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A new policy brief from the Education and Public Interest Center offers three case studies of a school (a San Diego charter), a district (on Long Island), and a nation (Finland) that have "abolished curricular stratification and promoted outstanding student achievement." According to the brief, classrooms and schools where all students are taught a challenging common curriculum offer proof that detracking can produce increased achievement and far more equitable outcomes. While acknowledging the complexity of such a reform, the brief's strong recommendation is the elimination of curricular tracks that separate students by race, socio-economic status, or assumptions about learning potential. It proposes that states require districts to identify all curricular tracks, describe their composition by racial and socio-economic groups, and indicate student placement policies. Policymakers should communicate clearly to the public what the data demonstrate about tracking and the reasons for reform. Detracking should begin with the lowest track, and meaningful access to Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses should be available to all students throughout the reform process. The brief also advocates school, educator, and student support during the process, and presents model statutory code language that can be used by legislators seeking to implement these changes.
See the brief | Related | Back to top
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| Same monkeys, different funding trees |
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Asked whether Race to the Top (RtTT) and Investing in Innovation (I3) funds will affect which organizations provide products and services to improve public schools and how they do so, Marc Dean Millot answers "probably, no" in a post on Alexander Russo's This Week in Education blog. In fact, RtTT rules will reinforce current spending patterns. Money for assessments and data will probably go to firms already engaged by states and districts, he writes, and budget pressures on education agencies will channel the remaining money to in-house staff, with just enough going to universities for professional development (PD) content to meet federal requirements. "It will take a fair amount of marketing for for- or nonprofit PD providers to gain a significant share; the emphasis will be on using RtTT to keep the providers in place ('same monkeys, different (funding) trees')." Since I3 is confined to nonprofits, in Millot's view it will function as life-support to so-called new philanthropy investments, particularly charter management and teacher development organizations. Millot therefore feels RtTT and I3 are poor "industrial policy" for school improvement services. "RtTT and I3 are based on an assumption that particular kinds of strategies will improve performance, and this administration has a predilection for certain program offerings backed by the new philanthropy."
Read more: http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2010/01/millot-rtt-i3-programs-wont-change-the-supply-side-of-school-reform.html#more
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| Using high- or low-level practices, results are the same |
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"A little-noticed but unusually detailed study of teaching practices" reported by The Harvard Education Letter "delivers a depressing message you should keep in mind whenever you read anything about raising school achievement," writes Jay Mathews of The Washington Post. The study from the University of Michigan found marked differences in what teachers in adjoining classrooms were doing, even in schools ruled by comprehensive reform models that dictated how everyone used every hour of the day. According to the study, students in some classrooms may spend the majority of their classroom time on relatively low-level content and skills, while their peers in the class next door spend more time on higher-level content. The startling outcome is that student gains from highest-level practices like examining literary techniques and sharing writing with others were no better than those produced by low-level practices like asking questions that have answers at the back of the textbook chapter. Mathews cautions against despair, however. The data also showed that on average, some reform models did better than others, indicating a path for further study. Since we have long known that teacher practices vary widely, Mathews writes, the best course is to study some of the team-oriented schools that have closed achievement gaps, and "try to figure out why high-end methods don't work better than low-end."
Read more | See the article from Harvard Education Letter | See the study | Back to top
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| How do you screen for a relentless mind-set? |
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Predicting who will be a superb teacher and who will be merely average or poor is notoriously hard – Malcolm Gladwell's quarterback analogy comes to mind – but with its smaller sample set and its own organization's relentlessness, Teach for America (TFA) has retroactively tracked outcome data and tried to distill characteristics for its own admission process, reports Amanda Ripley in The Atlantic Monthly. Up to this point, TFA has kept its findings under wraps, but with the pending release of a book by its head of training and support, Stephen Farr, the group allowed Ripley access to its data compiled over 20 years. Rather than profile a TFA participant, however, Ripley takes the organizations conclusions and measures these against an excellent teacher in the D.C. public schools who is not an alumnus of the program. The similarities are the same: The two overarching traits of an excellent teacher as judged by student outcomes are persistence in the face of challenge and high life satisfaction. TFA has 30 data points for which it screens candidates, however, and refines these each year rather than relying on impressions. "If school systems hired, trained, and rewarded teachers according to the principles Teach for America has identified, then teachers would not need to work so hard," writes Ripley. "They would be operating in a system designed in a radically different way -- designed, that is, for success."
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| Recession brings socioeconomic integration |
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Parents and educators across the country say the recession has brought subtle changes to the culture of many public schools as some families, forced by finances to switch from private to public education, seek the personal attention they received at their former schools, reports USA TODAY. "We ask a lot of questions -- we follow up on things," says one former private-school parent in the Chicago area. "We contact the school board... We'll challenge teachers, we'll challenge coordinators." New York University education professor Pedro Noguera is starting to see the effects on the public system in New York City as affluent parents in parts of Brooklyn switch their children from private to public schools and in the process push the public schools to improve. "College-educated parents are not going to subject their kids to second-class education," he says. Their influx "absolutely has a huge impact," whether it's by volunteering in classrooms or campaigning for more funding. Says another former private school parent in Baltimore: "You come with a certain sense of, 'This is my school, it should be working for me.' I've heard parents say, 'That principal is my employee. I pay her salary.' " As Noguera points out, the shift in demographics is turning public education back into a democratic institution that truly serves all children.
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| Building, and collapsing, bridges in an all-female environment |
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A new program for students at an all-girls school in Montgomery County is trying to build bridges into the male-dominated field of engineering, reports The Washington Post. Teachers at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda hope their seemingly unique engineering course will make girls' interest in the field last longer. "It's about taking risks and getting them over the anxiety of always having to be right all the time," said physics teacher Chris Lee. The students, who range from sophomores to seniors, study such new technologies as artificial limbs, research bridge disasters, and build bridges and robots. Lee said that the aim of the course isn't to prepare girls for careers in engineering but simply to get their minds working on physical problem-solving in a way they don't in other subjects. But he's conscious of the imbalance between the sexes in the field he's teaching. If students do go on to an engineering job, "great," Lee said. "Certainly, the world needs more women engineers." About 17 percent of undergraduate engineering degrees were awarded to women in the 2006-07 school year, the latest for which information is available. Observers say a lack of women is holding the field back.
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| But will they stay? |
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School administrators in New Orleans have shaken up a pattern of local hiring by drafting educators from all over the country through a variety of national training programs, according to NPR. The dissolution of the school system after Hurricane Katrina and the dropping of the local teachers' contract offered the flexibility to do this, but the city also then faced a huge teacher shortage and cast a wide net to attract new talent. The dismal state of education before Katrina had also convinced local reform advocates to consider far-flung candidates to find those willing to confront one of the worst education systems in the country. Programs such as Teach for America and the New Teacher Project have found New Orleans to be a magnet for aging teachers who want to jump into education with both feet. Yet, some local advocates fear teachers from the recent influx won't stick around. The experience of New Orleans over the long term could answer important questions: Should teacher training programs be more selective? Should low-performing urban districts cast their nets nationwide to find the most dedicated teachers? Or should they focus on better training for teachers who are already in place?
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YEF Institute publishes new anti-gang toolkit
The publication draws on lessons learned from the California Cities Gang Prevention Network, a 13-city network formed to identify strategies for reducing gang violence and victimization.
http://www.nlc.org/IYEF/index.aspx
Majority-Minority milestone in the South
The South has become the first region in the country where more than half of public school students are poor and more than half are minorities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/us/07south.html?ref=education
Chicago rolls out vocational ed makeover
The CPS will overhaul its Career and Technical Education program to provide about 25,000 teens with skills they'll need to land well-paying jobs right out of high school.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-cps-career-schools-05-jan05,0,5889164.story
Greater depression than during the Great Depression
A new study finds that five times as many American high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues compared with youth of the same age who were studied in the 1930s.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/01/11/study_youth_now_have_more_mental_health_issues/ |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
Fiskars: Project Orange Thumb
Fiskars Project Orange Thumb grants Fiskars garden tools and materials such as plants, seeds, mulch, etc. to eligible gardening groups. Maximum award: $1,000 in implements and materials. Eligibility: gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, horticultural education, and/or sustainable agriculture. Deadline: February 19, 2010.
http://www.fiskars.com/content/garden_en_us/Garden/ProjectOrangeThumb/grantprogram
National Summer Learning Association: Excellence in Summer Learning
The Excellence in Summer Learning Award recognizes an outstanding summer program that accelerates academic achievement and promotes positive development for young people. Maximum award: national recognition, increased press opportunities, conference presentations, and complimentary registrations, professional development opportunities for staff, and increased publishing opportunities. Eligibility: public or private organizations or agencies (schools, community-based organizations, libraries, universities, faith-based organizations, etc.) serving young people between the ages of kindergarten and 12th grade over the summer months. Deadline: February 24, 2010.
http://www.summerlearning.org/?page=excellence_summer
Sodexo: STOP Hunger Scholarship
The Sodexo STOP Hunger Scholarship program supports the education of young people working to end hunger in communities across the United States, and brings attention to the innovative and effective solutions they are implementing toward ending hunger in their lifetime. Maximum award: a $5,000 scholarship award and a matching $5,000 grant in their name for the hunger-related charity of their choice. Eligibility: students enrolled in an accredited education institution (kindergarten through graduate school) in the United States who can demonstrate an ongoing commitment to hunger-relief activities in their community. Deadline: February 26, 2010.
http://www.sodexofoundation.org/hunger_us/scholarships/scholarships.asp
Caring Institute: 2010 Caring Awards
The Caring Institute is now accepting nominations for its annual Caring Awards. Nominees should exemplify caring and serve as worthy role models for others. Award criteria include length of service, scope and impact of work, challenges overcome, and imagination and innovation. Maximum award: All winners are honored at a special ceremony, and young adult winners receive funds for college. Eligibility: individuals from nine to 99 years old. Deadline: March 1, 2010.
http://www.caring-institute.org/caringawards.html
National Council for the Social Studies: Teacher of the Year
The NCSS Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Awards recognize exceptional classroom social studies teachers. Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility: social studies teachers who teach social studies regularly and systematically in elementary school settings or at least half time in middle/junior high and high school settings; NCSS membership required, self-nominations accepted. Deadline: April 1, 2010.
http://www.socialstudies.org/awards/teaching
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt why this country shouldn't allow large-scale assessment and for-profit companies to have anything at all to do with American teachers and students... There's never been an insider view of the testing industry like the one I've written, and I think my revelations confirm every nightmare anyone's had about that business."
– Todd Farley, in an interview with Alexander Russo, on his book Making the Grades, January 12, 2010
http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2010/01/some-people-who-tell-all-about-the-industry-they-worked-in-are-greeted-as-brave-whistleblowers-and-embraced-by-the-media-and.html#more
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