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June 25, 2010 |
Click here to read printable version |
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| One percent more than enough |
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Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett are asking hundreds of rich Americans to pledge at least 50 percent of their wealth to charity, and in an op-ed on the website CNN/money.com, Buffet explains his thinking behind his own pledge of 99 percent of his wealth to philanthropy during his lifetime or at death. Measured by dollars, Buffett writes, his commitment is large, but in a comparative sense, many give more to others every day. Millions regularly contribute to churches, schools, and other organizations, forgoing movies, dinners out, or other personal pleasures. In contrast, Buffet says he and his family will give up nothing they need or want by donating 99 percent of what they have. Moreover, he is not donating his most precious asset -- time -- a gift that "often proves far more valuable than money." His vast fortune comes from a combination of "living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest," and his being "male and white also removed huge obstacles that a majority of Americans have faced." It is also the result of "an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions."
Read more | See the report | Back to top
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| Et tu, Randi? |
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A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, writes American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten in an op-ed in The New York Daily News. Her editorial responds to an earlier piece in the same paper by D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee that suggests New York City could learn from the new D.C. teachers' contract. Applying D.C.'s solutions to New York's problems is overly simplistic, Weingarten says: "Akin to doing test prep instead of teaching and learning: It ignores context, only touches on the facts, and provides a quick-and-easy fix instead of a real solution." In the context of New York, after a "rocky start," the teacher union, community, mayor, principals, and teachers worked together for several years "to hone legislation governing the city's schools." During that time, Mayor Bloomberg and the UFT negotiated three collective bargaining agreements to strengthen schools and improve student performance. D.C. has been "beset with fads and tinkering," and any successes that Rhee can claim during her stewardship are a continuation of reforms initiated by her predecessor. "Anyone who thinks the D.C. contract is an example of how New York should abolish teacher tenure is just plain wrong," Weingarten writes. She had come in for particular praise in Rhee's editorial.
Read more | See the report | Back to top
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| Teaching is a human endeavor of caring, not business |
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In an entry on The Washington Post's Answer Sheet blog, Valerie Strauss publishes a recent letter to President Obama and U.S. lawmakers by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, a community of 36 communions with a combined membership of 45 million people. Strauss writes that the letter criticizes the administration's effort to increase the number of charter schools, to turn federal money used to help poor children into competitive grants, its punitive approach to low-performing schools, and the "ugly" demonization of public school teachers. "As a people called to love our neighbors as ourselves," the letter reads, "we look for the optimal way to balance the needs of each particular child and family with the need to create a system that secures the rights and addresses the needs of all children." The authors state their concern over the civil right to education being redefined as the right to school choice. "While competitive, market-based ‘reforms' may increase educational opportunity for a few children, or even for some groups of children, do they introduce more equity or more inequity into the system itself?" the letter asks.
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| Report finds KIPP gains substantial |
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A new report from Mathematica of 22 Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools nationwide shows that after three years, middle school student gains in math are large enough in half the schools to significantly narrow race- and income-based achievement gaps among students. "For the vast majority of KIPP schools studied," the authors write, "impacts on students' state assessment scores in mathematics and reading are positive, statistically significant, and educationally substantial." The report is the first in a series on data from a national evaluation of KIPP Middle Schools commissioned by the KIPP network, and is the first to apply a rigorous methodological approach across a nationwide sample of the network's schools. The researchers stress they found no evidence that KIPP middle schools systematically enroll more advantaged students from their districts, and found no systematically higher (or lower) levels of attrition among KIPP middle schools compared with other district schools. Grade repetition rates are elevated at KIPP middle schools in comparison with district public schools, particularly in fifth and sixth grades. The remainder of the study will expand the sample to more KIPP schools, make use of randomized experimental research designs in a subset of schools, and incorporate additional outcome measures beyond state test scores.
See the report | Related | See the report | Back to top
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| Low cost, stunning results |
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In a profile of the Boston program City Connects on his Public School Insights blog, Claus von Zastrow writes that a rigorous study by Boston College, which runs the program, "tells a pretty stunning story." City Connects (CCNX) exists in 11 Boston elementary schools, and works to link each child to a "tailored set of intervention, prevention, and enrichment services located in the community." The beneficial impact of CCNX on student growth in academic achievement (across grades 1 to 5) was on average approximately three times the harmful impact of poverty. By the end of grade 5, achievement differences between CCNX and comparison students indicated that CCNX intervention moves students at the 50th percentile up to or near the 75th percentile, and students at the 25th percentile up to or near the 50th. For multiple outcomes, the treatment effects were largest for students at greatest risk for academic failure. After grade 5, the lasting positive effects of CCNX intervention can be seen in middle-school state standardized test scores, ranging from approximately 50 percent to 130 percent as large as negative effects of poverty. Von Zastrow conducts an interview with two of the program's leaders, who explain that at root, the program ensures that already existing services actually reach students previously under-served. Implementing the program by putting a support person and the model into schools costs a little less than $500 per student per year.
Read more | See the report | Back to top
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| What we could learn from Finland |
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In an article in Rethinking Schools adapted and excerpted from her book The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future, Linda Darling-Hammond writes that she "wonders what we might accomplish as a nation if we could finally set aside what appears to be our de facto commitment to inequality, so profoundly at odds with our rhetoric of equity, and put the millions of dollars spent continually arguing and litigating into building a high-quality education system for all children." By way of contrast, Darling-Hammond presents Finland, which in the 1970s was not succeeding educationally and therefore "built a strong educational system, nearly from the ground up." This was at a time when the U.S. was the "unquestioned education leader in the world." Over the past 40 years, Darling-Hammond writes, Finland has shifted from a highly centralized system that emphasizes external testing to a more localized system in which highly trained teachers design curriculum around "very lean" national standards. The system is implemented through equitable funding and extensive preparation for all teachers, and its logic is that "investments in the capacity of local teachers and schools to meet the needs of all students, coupled with thoughtful guidance about goals, can unleash the benefits of local creativity in the cause of common, equitable outcomes." This is, she points out, the exact reverse of education policy trends in the United States.
Read more | See the report | Back to top
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| Mission impossible |
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Want to assess teachers on student performance? Okay, says Michele Kerr, a first-year, second-career, "highly qualified" high school teacher of math, English, and social science: "Let's negotiate." In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Kerr writes that she speaks for many teachers when she says she's willing to be tested on student performance, provided certain conditions are met. Her proposal: that teachers be assessed based on only those students with 90 percent or higher attendance; that they be allowed to remove disruptive students from their classrooms on a day-to-day basis; that students who don't achieve "basic" proficiency in a state test be prohibited from moving forward to the next class in the progression; and that teachers be assessed on student improvement and not an absolute standard -- the so-called value-added assessment. "I suspect," writes Kerr, "that my conditions will go nowhere, precisely because they are reasonable. Teachers can't be evaluated on students who miss 10 percent of the class or don't have the prerequisite knowledge for success. Yet accepting these reasonable conditions might reveal that common rhetorical goals for education (everyone goes to college, algebra for eighth-graders) are, to put it bluntly, impossible. So we'll either continue the status quo at a stalemate or the states will make the tests so easy that the standards are meaningless."
Read more | See the report | Back to top
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| The cost of immigration enforcement to children |
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A new policy brief from First Focus analyzes the impact of immigration enforcement on the more than 5 million children living in the United States today with at least one parent who is an undocumented immigrant, and its impact on state child welfare agencies. Although current federal policies direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to consider the wellbeing of families in work-site raids, ICE's prioritized programs provide no family-related protections, putting children at risk of losing a parent and placing unnecessary strain on the child welfare system. The report also highlights difficulties children face in reuniting with their parents after entering the system, particularly if a parent has been apprehended for immigration reasons or has even a minor, non-criminal offense in his or her history. If a parent is detained or consequently deported, that parent can't participate in child welfare case plan requirements or family court proceedings, increasing likelihood that parental rights will be terminated. The authors provide critical recommendations to enforce immigration law while keeping children with families whenever possible. The brief recommends policies to ensure that children who do enter the child welfare system receive appropriate care, and that apprehended parents receive due process.
See the brief | See the report | Back to top
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| Public money, religious sponsors |
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Four of the 27 new charter schools to open in New York City have ties with religious organizations, though their leaders have stressed that curriculum and instruction will be secular, The Wall Street Journal reports. Supporters say the schools will alleviate overcrowded classrooms and heightened demand for charters, especially in neighborhoods with low-performing schools. However, the development blurs the line between church and state, and calls into question the distinction between public education and private groups, an issue with which charter schools already contend. "This is not about proselytizing," said the Rev. A.R. Bernard, whose Brooklyn-based nondenominational Christian Cultural Center has a membership of 33,000 and is opening one of the schools. Mr. Bernard said that while no aspect of the curriculum is explicitly religious, his faith informs his values of community and respect, and consequently will inform those of the school. The new Culture Arts Academy Charter School at Spring Creek will open in a neighborhood where an average of 70 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and will share the same building -- but on a different floor -- as the private school Mr. Bernard previously founded, Brooklyn Preparatory School.
Read more | See the report | Back to top
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| GED no boon |
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A new report by economists at the University of Chicago, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, raises questions about whether GED-based programs are the right approach to make sure students complete high school, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The report looks at a variety of studies on GED recipients over the years, and concludes that people who receive GEDs fare little better economically than high school dropouts when factors such as their greater academic abilities are taken into consideration. The authors also assert that the availability of the GED at younger ages could push more students out of traditional school programs. Although not enough data exist on the GED options programs to evaluate their graduates' results afterward, co-author Nicholas Mader pointed to one study that found that Oregon school districts with options programs experienced a five percent decrease in their four-year high school completion rates. "On one hand, we would really want those programs to target kids that are going to drop out, so it gives them something to stay in school," Mader said. "On the other hand, it's possible that, at least for some kids, they would have been able to finish high school along a regular track, but this is kind of an easier means of just finishing up."
Read more | See an abstract of the report | See the report | Back to top
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BC unveils new leadership program
Boston College will launch an innovative training program for school principals in January, the first in the nation to convene education leaders from Catholic, charter, and district public schools to improve urban education and prepare more low-income students for college.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/06/20/urban_schools_are_focus_of_bc_gift/
School choice on the ropes in Jersey
The fate of a school-choice bill backed by New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie is in flux after a sponsor announced significant changes in hopes of winning quick legislative approval.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/gov_christie_to_review_propose.html
Give peace a chance
The Pinellas School District in Florida is launching a new effort to make discipline more uniform across all schools and, when appropriate, defuse negative behavior rather that meeting force with force.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas-schools-take-tack-of-calming-disruptive-students/1104053
Less than half, but better than nothing
Boston school officials have announced a tentative agreement with the teachers' union on a plan to overhaul the city's 12 underperforming schools, in a new state negotiating process that attempted to resolve a divisive battle over compensating teachers for working extra hours.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2010/06/21/teachers_city_reach_extra_hour_agreement/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Education+news |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
ESA: President's Prizes for Outstanding Achievement in Primary and Secondary Education
The Entomological Society of America's President's Prizes for Outstanding Achievement in Primary and Secondary Education recognize educators who have gone beyond the traditional teaching methods by using insects as educational tools. Maximum award: $400 to the winner's school to purchase teaching materials required to expand the use of insects in the teaching curriculum; $400 to the winner for expenses associated with travel required to present a paper or poster on the use of insects in primary or secondary educational programs at a peer professional venue of their choosing; gratis registration to attend ESA's annual meeting; and an $800 award to the winner for expenses associated with travel, hotel arrangements, and all other costs associated with attending the annual meeting. Eligibility: primary teachers (grades K-6) and secondary teachers (grades 7-12). Deadline: July 1, 2010.
http://www.entsoc.org/awards/professional/educational.htm
LEGO: LEGO Smart Creativity Contest
LEGO Education is inviting K-12 teachers and home educators from across the United States to register as contestants for the 2010 LEGO Smart Creativity Contest, challenging classrooms coast to coast to become LEGO Smart. Maximum award: a LEGO Education gift certificate, LEGO Smart gift valued at $500, and recognition. Eligibility: legal residents of the United States employed or working within the education field (K-12) at time of entry. Deadline: pre-registration by July 30, 2010.
http://www.legoeducation.us/about/item.aspx?art=3465&bhcp=1
ASCD: Outstanding Young Educator Award
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development is seeking nominations for its Outstanding Young Educator Award, which recognizes a teacher under the age of 40 who demonstrates excellence in his or her profession, a positive impact on students, creativity in the classroom, and leadership in his or her school or district. Maximum award: $10,000; an all-expenses paid trip to the ASCD annual conference in March for the winner and one companion, including registration, travel, hotel, and meals. Eligibility: pre K-12 teachers under age 40; no self-nominations accepted. Deadline: August 1, 2010.
http://www.ascd.org/programs/Outstanding-Young-Educator-Award/Outstanding-Young-Educator-Award-Program.aspx
Wild Ones: Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program
The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program gives small monetary grants to schools, nature centers, or other non-profit educational organizations for the purpose of establishing outdoor learning centers. Funds will be provided only for the purchase of native plants and seed. Eligibility: schools, nature centers, and other nonprofit and not-for-profit places of learning, including houses of worship. Deadline: October 15, 2010.
http://www.for-wild.org/seedmony.htm
Vernier/NSTA: Technology Awards
The Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards promote the innovative use of data-collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld device in the science classroom. Maximum award: $1,000 in cash for the teacher, $1,000 in Vernier Products, and up to $1,000 toward expenses to attend the annual NSTA National Convention. Eligibility: Current teachers of science in grades K-College. Deadline: November 30, 2010.
http://www.vernier.com/grants/nsta.html
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"We cannot imagine any staff development approach or any conversation with our employees that would sufficiently prepare them to simply make assumptions and guesses about a student's race and ethnicity."
-- Federal Way Superintendent Tom Murphy of Washington State, in a letter regarding a new federal policy that asks officials to guess the ethnicity of a student when parents don't provide information, June 18, 2010
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_student_ethnicity_data.html
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