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October 24, 2008 |
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| High dropout rate adding to economic concerns |
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The nation's "persistently high" high-school-dropout rate is adding to concerns about the growing economic crisis, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to a recent study by the nonprofit America's Promise, only about 70 per cent of public high school students graduate in four years, with only 52 percent in the 50 largest cities doing so. The study says a 50-percent reduction in the number of dropouts would generate an additional $45 billion a year in tax revenue. Marguerite Kondracke, president of America's Promise, calls dropouts "our next class of nonperforming assets." Public officials also are worried about rising costs for social programs and the criminal justice system, where dropouts account for 75 percent of state prison inmates.
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| Schools could benefit from layoffs in financial sector |
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Widespread layoffs in the financial sector could end up benefiting public schools, according to USA Today, with many former investment professionals switching to teaching, at least temporarily. The newspaper puts it this way: "Looking for a silver lining in the financial meltdown? How about this: Your child's next math teacher could be an absolute whiz." In a New York City teaching fellows program that trains career changers to work in schools, the proportion of applicants listing finance as their current job is 10 percent, compared with 6 percent in 2006. The prestigious Teach for America program, meanwhile, has seen an increase to 10 percent for trainees who majored in business. Says Tim Daly of the New Teacher Project: "These big moments ... and I think Sept. 11 was the last big moment ... cause people to look for work that has meaning to them."
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| Brookings report seeks federal innovation office for public education |
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A report from the Brookings Institution calls on the federal government to "change the game" in public education by creating a federal Office of Educational Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Department of Education. Written by Sara Mead of the New America Foundation and Andrew J. Rotherham of Education Sector, the report says such an office could "expand the boundaries of public education by scaling up successful educational entrepreneurs, seeding transformative educational innovations, and building a stronger culture to support these activities throughout the public sector." The authors cite the achievement gap between poor and minority students and their more affluent peers, along with findings that American 15-year-olds perform less well than students in 23 other countries in math and in 11 other countries in reading.
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| Georgia backs off class-size mandate |
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Budgetary concerns have led state officials in Georgia to pull back from enforcing a Truth in Class Size law enacted two years ago. Back then, notes the Macon Telegraph, Gov. Sonny Perdue was threatening to withhold funding from any school districts that failed to comply with the law, which called on schools to limit class sizes to 20 students for kindergarten, 21 students for grades 1-4, and 28 students for grades 4-8. Now, however, Perdue has asked the state education board to "grant all reasonable class-size waiver requests" during the next two years. Said Superintendent Sharon Patterson of the Bibb County schools: "If we go over one student, we're expected to hire one extra teacher. It's money that is not available."
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| Latino college aspirants hurt by income squeeze, analysis shows |
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A growing income gap between Latino college students and their white counterparts is putting new pressure on Latinos aspiring to higher education, according to an analysis by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute. Drawing on its annual survey of college freshmen, the institute says in a report that the number of Latino males entering four-year institutions is dropping in the face of financial pressures. While the household income of Hispanic students entering college has increased by five percent since 1975, the report says, the gap between their median household income and that of whites has increased fourfold (to $32,965 in 2006). As a result, says José Luis Santos, assistant professor of education at UCLA, "adequate financial support remains critical to both college choice and persistence for Latinos." Meanwhile, the institute notes, the proportion of first-generation Latino students for whom neither parent had education beyond high school dropped from 69.6 percent in 1971 (when the proportion was 37.3 percent for non-Hispanic whites), to 38.2 percent in 2005 (compared with 13.2 percent for white students). The institute's director, Sylvia Hurtado, a co-author of the report, says Latinos are "just barely catching up to where non-Hispanics were in the 1970s, which is really scary. That means -- yes, everyone has seen some progress, but we're still in last place and we're running in place."
Read more | Report | Another take | Back to top
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| Spotlight on chronic absenteeism in NYC elementary schools |
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"While New York City has long struggled with attendance problems in the high schools and middle schools, problems at the elementary schools have been largely overlooked until now," says the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School in releasing a report about chronic absenteeism in the lower grades. Last year, according to the report, more than 90,000 children in grades K-5 -- more than 20 percent of enrollment -- missed at least one month of school, and the proportion approached one-third of the students in high-poverty neighborhoods. The report details how chronic absenteeism at an early age can signal "much more serious problems in a family, such as domestic violence, child abuse, mental illness, and criminal justice system involvement, all commonly associated with child welfare involvement." It calls for attacking the problem with strong partnerships involving public schools, community organizations, and other institutions, and it suggests an approach for "targeting schools with the greatest need, including a possible structure for supporting practical assessments."
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| Cash-for-grades program backed by Chicago's mayor |
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Defending a Chicago Public Schools program that pays students for their academic achievements, Mayor Richard M. Daley has rejected criticism that it amounts to "bribery," reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Daley's comments came a day after nearly $266,000 in cash rewards were distributed to 1,650 students in the city. The mayor said suburban parents often rewarded their children for good grades, so inner-city kids -- many of whom "have nothing" -- deserve similar consideration. Speaking of public school students, he added: "Some don't even have parents. They're lucky to get Christmas gifts. They're lucky they get a hug once in a while. They get it at school." Chicago's privately financed "Green for Grades" program, currently operating in 20 high schools, offers freshmen and sophomores $50 for each A they earn, $35 for each B, and $20 for each C in English, math, science, social science, and physical education in each five-week reporting period. Students get half their earnings up front, and the rest when they graduate, but any F grade disqualifies them for the marking period.
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| Rhode Island colleges expecting more veterans |
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Anticipating an influx of veterans with new G.I. benefits, Rhode Island's public colleges are taking steps to help them integrate into the student body and deal with bureaucratic problems, the Associated Press reports. Last year, about 1,220 veterans or their family members used government benefits to attend college in Rhode Island, with nearly 60 percent attending public institutions. The numbers are expected to increase next year as a result of the nation's new G.I. bill. At the University of Rhode Island, Christine Dolan, co-chair of a committee that supports student veterans, said colleges must be prepared to provide extra help to veterans, especially those who have been involved in combat. "If you've been deployed to a war zone, you're not really getting a lot of sleep," she noted, and veterans may experience difficulty in returning to a civilian routine. "That becomes a factor in their learning," said Dolan, a military spouse.
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| Virginia parents push for less-stringent grading system |
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Concerned that their schools' grading system is too strict -- the cutoff for earning an A is 93 points, instead of the more common 90 -- a group of parents in Loudon County, VA, is agitating for a more standard grading system for their district, the Washington Post reports. At issue is competition for college admissions and scholarships, with parents concerned that decision makers may not be aware of Loudon's system. Says Kathy Lague, co-founder of the parent-led group Fairgrade: "If you have an 84 in Loudoun County, you have a C. We're one of the few counties that has that." A similar drive is taking place in neighboring Fairfax County, where the cutoff point for an A is 94. Although many universities in the mid-Atlantic, where the bulk of Loudon and Fairfax students apply, are familiar with the counties' approach to grading, parents worry that schools outside the region are not. Higher grades also can affect non-academic matters, such as the cost of car insurance.
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| Baylor ends SAT incentives |
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In response to widespread criticism, Baylor University has ended its practice of offering incentives for previously admitted students to retake the SAT and improve their scores, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. Students were offered a $300 bookstore credit for retaking the college admissions test, and $1,000 if their scores rose 50 points or more. Baylor spokesman John Barry said the practice was aimed at distributing more aid to students by raising their SAT scores, but critics said it also appeared to be an attempt to influence national college rankings.
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PEN's annual conference: hotel deadline extended
The hotel reservation deadline for Public Education Network's annual conference (San Francisco, November 16-18) has been extended to October 31. Program details can be found online.
States compared on link between children's health and parents' income, education
The health shortfalls experienced by children of low-income and poorly educated parents are examined state by state in a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Arkansas voters to weigh lottery for college scholarships
The state's Supreme Court has cleared the way for a ballot proposal on November 4.
Disputes raging over spread of school dress codes
Parents and students are taking free-speech claims to courts throughout the nation.
How Richmond's schools produced big gains in reading
The benefits of scientifically based instruction are described in American Educator, a journal published by the American Federation of Teachers.
Helping students with disabilities
The federal Office of Special Education Programs has released a toolkit on teaching and assessing students with disabilities.
Dealing with the dropout crisis
The National Dropout Prevention Center broadcasts a free radio call-in program over the Internet.
'Education and the Next President': View the archived webcast
A debate between education advisers to Barack Obama and John McCain -- held at Teachers College, Columbia University, on October 22 -- is available on Education Week's website. |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
Lego: Grants for Early Childhood Education
The Lego Children's Fund provides grants to organizations for collaborative programs involving early childhood education and development, technology and communication projects that advance learning opportunities, or athletic programs that concentrate on underserved youth. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. Deadline: Nov. 1, 2008.
Target: Grants for Field Trips
Target Field Trip Grants support scholastic outings in situations where funds are otherwise lacking. Maximum award: $800. Eligibility: teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, and classified staff members in K-12 public, private, or charter schools. Deadline: Nov. 1, 2008.
Christian Science Monitor: Young Poets Contest
The Christian Science Monitor is sponsoring the 13th annual Young Poets Contest. Winning entries will be published in the newspaper in early January. Eligibility: students in preschool through high school. Deadline: Dec. 2, 2008.
Astronauts Memorial Foundation: Technology in Education Award
The Astronauts Memorial Foundation's Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award recognizes excellence in the development and delivery of technology programs in the classroom or in the professional development of teachers. Maximum award: $500 and recognition at the 25th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO, March 30-April 2, 2009. Eligibility: K-12 educators and district-level personnel in the field of educational technology. Deadline: Jan. 16, 2009.
Scholastic/Lexus: Environmental Challenge
The Scholastic/Lexus Environmental Challenge seeks to encourage middle- and high-school students to develop and implement environmental programs for their communities. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: students grades 6-12 and their teachers. Deadline: varies.
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"In a global economy, the single most important issue facing our country is an educated work force."
-- Houston Mayor Bill White, quoted 10/21/08 in the Wall Street Journal.
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.
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and Editor, PEN Weekly NewsBlast
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