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URBAN BOARDING SCHOOLS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES KEY TO SUCCESS? |
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Boarding schools, long an option for the affluent, could become a public school reality in Chicago, reports Carlos Sandovi and Stephanie Banchero for the Chicago Tribune. Under the plan, homeless children and those from troubled homes would be provided with the safety and stability required for learning to take place. The plan puts Chicago at the forefront of urban school reform, as cities continue to struggle to raise the achievement of students hampered by dysfunctional homes and neighborhoods. Arne Duncan, Chicago Public Schools chief, has dreamed for years about opening a boarding school, but only after he hired Josh Edelman did the idea take off. Edelman served for four years as the principal of The SEED School, the nation's oldest and most successful urban boarding school, which has 300 students who hail from low-income and sometimes troubled backgrounds. Nearly three-fourths of SEED students go on to four-year colleges. Edelman said his experience at SEED proved to him that family and community involvement are paramount to making an urban boarding school successful. |
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HIGH-RISK FAMILIES LIMIT PARTICIPATION IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES |
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As research mounts, it seems certain that participation in an out-of-school program is related to better outcomes for children. Nevertheless, research to date has examined family and neighborhood risks as if they operate separately. So, Child Trends conducted a study that combines the two by analyzing data for children ages 6 to 17 from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health. The study finds that the vast majority of children in low-risk families are involved in at least one activity with only 9 percent of children in low-risk neighborhoods not involved, compared with 10 percent in medium-risk and 18 percent in high-risk neighborhoods. By contrast, neighborhood quality does not seem to matter to children from high-risk families: nearly half are not involved in any activity regardless of neighborhood risk level. These findings suggest that active recruitment of children in high-risk families may be necessary if these children are to become involved in out-of-school activities. |
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FIRST YEAR TEACHERS ABOVE ALL MUST KNOW TO AVOID 2ND FLOOR BATHROOM |
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On her first day as a high school English teacher in a large urban public school, a new teacher expected to be greeted by the principal or chairperson, guided to her classrooms and provided with what she considered to be the essentials (schedule, curriculum, rosters and keys), writes an anonymous second-year teacher for American Educator. Instead, she was provided with only a piece of paper with two numerical codes and a warning not to use the women's bathroom on the second floor. After frantic inquiries, she learned that the codes signified that she would be teaching 9th and 10th grade English. She then asked a question that, two years later, has yet to be answered: "what is taught in 9th and 10th grade English?" In response, all she received was a list containing more than 20 books per grade and was told to select six books from the appropriate list and teach one book every six weeks. As her colleagues scrambled to inspect their classrooms, one experienced teacher kindly informed the neophyte that they wouldn't receive books for the first month, so she should try to do poetry. This led to the inevitable and also unanswered question: "what does 'do' poetry mean?" Before she had a chance to find out, her students arrived eager to know what was expected. So she reproduced the same vague responses that she was given. She felt sorry for her students that day and each day after because this was not the education they were intended to receive. When she hears the commonly cited statistic, that roughly 40 to 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession within five years, she wonders how many of those departures could be avoided if teachers were provided with clear and achievable expectations. |
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MINORITIES SOON WILL ACCOUNT FOR ALL H.S. GRADUATE NUMBER GROWTH |
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The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has released their annual report, "Knocking at the College Door," which forecasts numbers of American high school graduates. WICHE finds that the current rapid expansion in the number of high school graduates will reach a peak in 2007-08, when total graduates will exceed 3.34 million. After 2007-08, overall production of high school graduates will become much more stable and will slow moderately between 2008-09 and 2014-15. In terms of total production of graduates, states were categorized in six groups, including dwindling production (eight states), slowing production (10 states), stable production (17 states), manageable production (five states plus D.C.), rapid expansion (four states) and explosive growth (six states). The categories highlight how drastically different the futures of individual states look and show that the bulk of growth is concentrated in the south and west, especially in states with lower latitudes. WICHE also projects that the nation's public high schools will produce almost 207,000 more Latino graduates (an increase of 54 percent); about 12,000 more African American graduates (an increase of 3 percent); and nearly 197,000 fewer white non-Latino graduates (a decline of 11 percent). This means minorities will eventually account for all growth in high school graduates. |
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"NOT ON THE TEST" SATIRIZES CURRENT AMERICAN CURRICULUM TRENDS |
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Tom Chapin, a Grammy Award-winning musician perhaps best known for children's music, has released a new song titled "Not on the Test." The song satirizes the American education system's renewed focus on rote teaching, in which tests have become the sole reason to teach and learn. Music, art, drama and sports were what kept Chapin engaged in school. In addition, these subjects make the teacher's (and the student's) job easier and infinitely more rewarding. Unfortunately, they are also what have been cut from curriculums across the country as Chapin explains lightheartedly in song. |
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A HIGH SCHOOL'S CULTURE AND FILING A FAFSA KEY TO GOING TO COLLEGE |
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It seems which high school one goes to matters greatly, as a school's culture affects college attendance rates, according to a new report from the Consortium on Chicago School Research. The research indicates that of the 83 percent of Chicago high school seniors who said they wanted to earn a bachelor's degree or higher, only 59 percent actually applied to college. Further, just 41 percent of all Chicago high school students who said they wanted to attend a four-year institution enrolled the fall after graduation. The numbers are far worse for Latino students, as only 30 percent step foot on a college campus the semester after graduation. Another stumbling block on the path to college, besides not attending a school with a strong college-going culture, is the failure to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, more commonly known as FAFSA. The study notes that not filing a FAFSA presents a major obstacle to college enrollment. |
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STUDENTS INCREASINGLY TAKE OUT STAFFORD LOANS |
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The Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis report finds that, since 1995-96, the borrowing rate for subsidized Stafford loans increased among low-income dependent undergraduates and among independent students at all income levels. In addition, the rate of borrowing of any Stafford loan increased among all but those in the lowest income category. While the average amount of subsidized loans has leveled off over time, unsubsidized loans have continued to grow both in the amount of the average loan as well as in the percentage of borrowers. Unlike subsidized loans, interest on an unsubsidized loan accrues and is usually added to the principal of the loan while the student is still in school. The study notes that between 1995-96 and 2003-04, an increasing proportion of both dependent and independent student borrowers at all income levels took out unsubsidized loans either alone or in addition to their subsidized loans. In 2003-04, 73 percent of all dependent student borrowers took out the annual maximum amount allowed in subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans combined. This was an increase from 57 percent in 1995-96. |
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PARENTS WILLING TO BREAK THE LAW TO GET KIDS IN GOOD SCHOOLS |
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As in the United States (most recently in Chicago), local councils in England say increasing numbers of parents have been caught trying to cheat to place their children in popular schools, reports the BBC. Out of a survey of 31 councils, 24 said they had seen an increase in cheating. In fact, the numbers of cases detected in 2007-08 were nine times higher than those of two years ago, and nearly three times higher than last year. The Local Government Association says common examples of cheating are parents giving the address of a relative within the catchment area of a good school or renting a home in the area but then renting it to someone else. Still, the council admits it is unclear whether the numbers of people attempting to cheat the system are rising or that local councils are getting better at spotting bogus applications. |
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CALLING SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS "D****BAGS" NEVER A GOOD IDEA |
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When Avery Doninger, 17, called her school's administrators a mean name on her blog, she didn't intend to start a free speech debate, reports Stephanie Dahle for ABC News. In the blog post, Doninger called the administrators "d****bags" and asked other students to e-mail the school superintendent to complain. After her principal learned of the crude post, Doninger was barred from serving on the student council and from speaking at her upcoming graduation. The punishment turned Doninger's post into the subject of a First Amendment lawsuit that questions a school's ability to monitor and punish what students say online. "It's really important that students' speech rights are clarified and that schools can't reach into your home and discipline your actions outside of school," a more eloquent Doninger said. While students have First Amendment rights, that doesn't necessarily give them free rein to say whatever they want. In fact, courts have long allowed schools to restrict student speech under certain circumstances, like when speech causes substantial disruptions to the school day. However, when the speech takes place on the Internet, it makes the case far more complicated. For school districts to realistically punish students for online activity, the speech likely has to be under the school's jurisdiction. And deciding what speech is under school control is hazy at best because students often create and add content to web pages at home. The question of where the insidious speech took place is central to Doninger's case, which is still pending. |
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RESPECT STUDENTS, AS YOUR REWARD IS DISCIPLINE AND ATTENTION |
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When Elizabeth Legault began as principal at Calcutt Middle School in Central Falls, R.I., she entered a school that averaged about 1,000 suspensions a year, yet had a student body of only 800-plus. What made matters worse is that most suspended students simply got on their bikes and came right back, writes Julie Steiny for the Providence Journal. When they got back to school, the kids would ride up and down the sidewalks and make a racket, forcing their friends to admire their freedom. Like many schools, Calcutt's disciplinary philosophy relied on the assumption that adults can punish children into compliance. However, punishment does not improve behavior because it fails to cultivate cooperation or respect. Legault believes that "if you give respect, you get respect." So to win her teachers' trust and limit punishment as the be all, end all of discipline, Legault began relieving teachers of discipline issues altogether. Currently, non-teaching staff remove disruptive kids immediately upon the request of a teacher, allowing teaching and learning to continue. Calcutt has now become a pleasant and productive place, with kids no longer fighting in the hallways while waiting to be suspended. |
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SPELLINGS MARCHES TO HER OWN NCLB RE-AUTHORIZATION BEAT |
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Regardless of how re-authorization is moving, the Bush administration is trying to address one of the most common complaints about the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced March 18 that states may submit proposals for assigning different consequences to schools based on the degree to which they miss adequate yearly progress (AYP), reports Nancy Zuckerbrod for the Associated Press. Under NCLB, schools are judged in terms of AYP not just on average student scores but also on how certain subgroups perform. Educators have long complained that the consequences for failing to hit AYP should not be the same for schools in which one subgroup misses the mark as it is for schools in which many subgroups miss the mark. This new initiative will allow states to distinguish between "on-fire schools and those with a smolder," said Spellings. However, only a handful of states (10) will be able to participate at first and only carefully thought-out plans would get a green light. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) responded "I commend Secretary Spellings for giving schools greater flexibility, but experience shows it won't get us very far as long as the Bush Administration continues to shortchange its budget for school reform" (second link). |
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A DAY IN SALMON SCHOOL |
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Brittany Duncan, eight years old, enjoyed unearthing macro invertebrates, which provide a tasty snack for salmon in shallow water, as part of a national parks education program, reports Winston Ross for the Eugene (Ore.) Register Guard. To better understand the ecosystem that supports the sensitive fish, a United States Forest Service biologist helped Brittany scoop the bugs and transfer them into a plastic magnifying contraption. The program allows youngsters to perform their own research and ecosystem restoration, which includes water quality monitoring, conducting stream flow measurements, making biological assessments and rearing and releasing Coho salmon. Brittany found the whole time, even playing with the bugs, fascinating. |
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COACH, DON'T MENTOR, NEW TEACHERS |
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Baseball season is upon us and spring training camps are crawling with coaches, writes Harry and Rosemary Wong for Teachers.net Gazette. Within this setting, managers do not give each player a mentor to go to if he needs advice on fielding a grounder, after which he goes off to "reflect" on the proper strategy. Rather, each positional coach has a responsibility to bring out the best in every player under their charge. In turn, the coaches meet with the manager on a regular basis to assess progress. Baseball, like a school, is a team function -- everyone needs to understand the culture of the team and how it operates. Many educators use this same concept and have long since moved away from giving new teachers mentors. The coaches meet with the principal on a regular basis to assess the progress of every teacher and student. It seems to be working, as across the country the use of literacy/academic coaches have helped make significant test score gains. |
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HOW GOOD ARE STUDIES THAT FOCUS ON TEST ACCOMMODATIONS? |
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A new report has been released by the National Center on Educational Outcomes that summarizes test accommodations research that indicated that the most commonly studied accommodations were extended time, oral accommodations (e.g., reading aloud) and computerized administration. The report also notes that most oral presentation and timing accommodations empirically tested had a positive effect on scores. A more shocking report finding indicates that testing accommodations recorded on a student's individualized educational plan did not always match those provided. The report did uncover some promising trends, including the span of ages included in the accommodations studies (from elementary to adult education) and a focus on testing contexts. Still there were areas that could be strengthened in future research such as increasing the racial/ethnic diversity of participants and the construction of true scientific experiments looking at the effects of accommodations on scores for students with and without disabilities. |
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MARCH/SCHOOL MADNESS: CREATE DIVISIONS OF SIMILAR SCHOOLS |
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Teachers often complain that it is not fair to compare their school to others because of differences in demographics, writes Alexander Russo for This Week in Education. Still, many schools exceed ("Cinderellas") or fail to meet those demographic expectations on a regular basis. So, what about creating NCAA-like divisions (I, II, III) based on student poverty within public school systems? This could help some get past the poverty-achievement fixation and help others see that performance varies even among schools with similar demographics. Under this format, schools in a district or state could be easily compared to others, but unlike the NCAA divisions, schools would not be limited to certain achievement levels. This seems to be a quasi combination of the NCAA structure and English Premier League (which allows teams to change divisions based on past performance). The post provides a lighter way to think of the U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' latest NCLB tweak. |
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TAKE SOME TIME TO TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK |
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At Public Education Network, we are always searching for ways to make the NewsBlast more informative, readable and user-friendly. Help us to deepen our understanding of your areas of interest, how you use the NewsBlast and ways that we can improve quality. Please click below and answer a short survey about what you really like and what you really need from the NewsBlast. The willingness of readers to provide feedback has helped us to expand its appeal and become one of the eight most influential education information sources. Thank you for helping improve the content and readability of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast. |
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NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
"American Stars of Teaching"
The U.S. Department of Education will continue to honor exemplary classroom teachers who are successful in using innovative teaching strategies and raising student academic achievement as the American Stars of Teaching. One teacher from each state and the District of Columbia will be selected as representatives of the many teachers who are making a difference in the lives of students. Officials from the U.S. Department of Education will announce the 2008 American Stars by visiting the recipients in the fall of 2008. Maximum Award: recognition. Eligibility: teachers in the U.S. Deadline: March 31, 2008.
"Grants for Environmental Projects"
The Captain Planet Foundation funds hands-on environmental projects that encourage innovative programs that empower children and youth around the world to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Maximum Award: $2,500. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: March 31, 2008.
"Name this Website Contest"
New York City's Administration for Children's Services, in partnership with New Yorkers for Children and Youth Communication, has launched its first ever website for young people in foster care. They have created a temporary web address and are looking for help to get an official name for the site. The web address must include NYC in the name and the winning name should be short, simple, easy to remember and easy to spell. Maximum Award: A $200 Barnes & Noble gift card. Eligibility: youth ages 12-24 who are or have ever been in the New York City foster care system. Deadline: April 15, 2008.
"ING Unsung Heroes"
The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes innovative and progressive thinking in education through monetary awards. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, classified staff members with effective projects that improve student learning at an accredited K-12 public or private school. Deadline: April 30, 2008.
"Wireless Lab Sweepstakes"
Discovery Education and CDW-G will award wireless labs to five schools. Maximum Award: wireless lab valued at more than $50,000. Eligibility: legal residents of the United States who are 18 years and older and who are employed at accredited public, private or parochial school in the United States containing any class with students from kindergarten through Grade 12. Deadline: May 1, 2008.
"Award for Breakthrough Middle and Secondary Schools"
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the MetLife Foundation are calling for entries in the search for the nation's top "Breakthrough Schools." Applicants should be high achieving middle or high schools, or schools that are making dramatic improvements in student achievement, whose best practices and outstanding results can inform other schools as they further their own improvement efforts. Honorees will be chosen based upon documented success in implementing strategies aligned with the three core areas of NASSP's Breaking Ranks II publication. Those three areas are collaborative leadership; personalization; and curriculum, instruction and assessment. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: high-achieving middle and high schools where 40 percent or more of students are eligible for free and reduced-priced meals. Deadline: May 15, 2008.
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