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October 9, 2009 |
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| Lack of evidence or lack of research? |
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A frequent complaint about the Department of Education under President George W. Bush was that it promoted "scientific research in education" but endorsed policies lacking solid research evidence. The new draft guidelines for economic-stimulus money and Title I aid have some critics asking whether much has changed under the Obama administration, writes Debra Viadero of Education Week. The issue, according to Viadero, is less ideological bias than lack of credible education research, which has long been underfunded in comparison with disciplines like medicine. "There aren't a whole lot of conclusive findings about different strategies for reform, so policymakers have to look at the best available evidence, even though the evidence might not be rigorous or powerful," explained James Kohlmoos of the Knowledge Alliance, a group that represents research organizations. "It's not their fault. It's a generation's fault for not paying attention to this." Lack of research for new education initiatives has disappointed some advocates, who'd been encouraged by the president's pledge to "give science its rightful place" in government decision-making. Two priorities in particular are lacking in research, they say: evaluating teachers based on students' standardized test scores, and promoting the growth of charter schools.
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| Natural disaster hits Philippines schools especially hard |
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Post-Ketsana efforts to reopen schools in Manila descended into chaos this week, with some schools remaining under water and others occupied by homeless survivors with nowhere else to go, The Associated Press reports. The situation in the worst-hit parts of the Philippine capital reflected wider problems in the government's response to the disaster after the heaviest rains in more than 40 years killed nearly 300 people. As students were turned away from schools, mountains of debris festered around Manila and more than 300,000 people remained in evacuation centers, with part of the city's outskirts expected to be submerged into the new year. "We were instructed to resume classes today but look around, the situation will likely not allow it," said Eliza Servesa, assistant principal at H. Bautista Elementary School in suburban Marikina. Marikina was one of the worst-affected by tropical storm Ketsana, which produced flood waters that rose 20 feet and washed away entire neighborhoods along river banks, affecting nearly 3.9 million people. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the government closed all schools in Manila for one week and allowed many of them to become makeshift evacuation centers for people whose homes were flooded or destroyed. Late last week, almost 700,000 people were seeking refuge in such shelters, and the government said on Monday that 319,000 people were still staying in them with nowhere else to go. "We can't force them to leave. That is against humanitarian principles," Servesa said.
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| Emotional and behavioral development paves the way to achievement |
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According to a new report from MDRC, evidence suggests that improving young children's healthy emotional and behavioral development is both an important outcome in its own right and can also be a pathway to improved academic achievement. In survey after survey, the authors write, teachers consistently emphasize their need for professional development and other supports to help them address children's behavioral issues. The report offers a preview of promising findings from Foundations of Learning (FOL), a demonstration and random assignment evaluation in Newark and Chicago of an intervention that trains preschool teachers to better support children's behavior and emotional development. The model combined teacher training in effective classroom management with weekly classroom consultation, with mentors coaching teachers in workshop strategies and providing individualized support to the highest-risk children. The report found that program interventions improved teacher ability to effectively support children's behavior and emotional development; increased instructional time and created a positive climate for learning in classrooms; reduced conflict and acting-out behaviors by children; and improved children's ability to focus their attention, curb their impulsivity, and show greater engagement in the classroom.
See the report | Back to top
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| Give Kids Good Schools Week: help celebrate and improve public schools |
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The fourth annual Give Kids Good Schools Week takes launches October 11-17, 2009! Sign a pledge to Give Kids Good Schools, download web buttons or screensavers, review suggested questions for candidates in Public Education Network's voter guide, or send a letter to your local newspaper about how important public education is to you. All around the country, communities are holding events as part of the third annual Give Kids Good Schools Week. Guilford, North Carolina will be conducting their annual Education Leadership Academy with a central emphasis on the session on October 14th on Give Kids Good Schools. West Virginia's Education Alliance will hold a Capital City Pumpkin Drop on October 15. Houston A+ Challenge in Texas will present annual Student Voice Awards. These are just a few of the many great events this week to raise awareness -- and to Give Kids Good Schools. Check out what's happening in your area during Give Kids Good Schools Week! Thank you for taking action this week, and for all you do to Give Kids Good Schools!
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| In media and perception, unions suffer |
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In a recent column in The Wall Street Journal, Richard Whitmire of the National Education Writers Association and Education Sector's Andrew Rotherham write that "In recent months, the press has not merely been harsh on unions," but has championed controversial school reformers and agendas. "Editorial pages of major papers nationwide have begun to demand accountability for schools, despite objections from vested interests," they say, pointing to the "unexpectedly tough line on school reform" taken by the Obama administration as an explanation. Whitmire and Rotherham, themselves champions of reform and charter schools, contend that the shift in coverage has little to do with the media and more to do with public opinion about new possibilities for public education. If 300 (of roughly 4,600 nationally) high-performing charter schools can "take low-income urban students previously viewed as a lost cause and turn them out college-ready," why can't all schools? "How the teachers unions are answering that question explains much of the negative backlash against them," according to the authors. "Unions are asking the public to believe that teachers should never be judged on their effectiveness. Even if the media were in the tank for the unions, that would be a tough sell."
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| For higher minority AP enrollment, the long view |
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The latest research from the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management explores the wide disparities in advanced high school course-taking among race, poverty, and gender groups in Florida. The study finds that black and Latino students are less likely to enroll in advanced courses like Advanced Placement than their white peers because they arrive to high school with lower scores on eighth-grade statewide exams. When black and Latino students have the same eighth-grade test scores as whites, they are more likely than white students to enroll in these courses. Gaps in pre-high school performance explain much of the advantage of non-poor students over poor students, but don't appear to drive the higher rates of advanced course-taking among Asians and females. Despite concerns that schools serving minority and low-income students don't offer advanced courses, the report found few such disparities in Florida. In fact, Florida's black and Latino students attend schools more likely to offer advanced courses than do white students. The authors therefore support greater investments in disadvantaged children long before they enter high school, and suggest that a reallocation of students to different high schools is unlikely to remedy racial disparities in course-taking and may, in fact, increase them.
See an abstract of the report | Back to top
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| Achievement gap narrows but remains large |
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A new study from the Center on Education Policy examines student performance in all 50 states since 2002 when the No Child Left Behind Act took effect, reports The Christian Science Monitor. The study paid particular attention to the achievement gaps for minority and low-income students, focusing on "trend lines" -- for instance, for Latino students in fourth-grade reading, or for low-income students in high school math. In 74 percent of all trend lines, the gaps narrowed, most often because gains by lower-performing groups outpaced those by top-performing groups. Though the results are "good news for the country," according to Center President Jack Jennings, the news isn't all positive. In 23 percent of cases, the gap grew (though in some instances, both groups still made gains), and in a few cases, the gap narrowed because the achievement of higher-performing subgroups went down. Still, the gaps are large, in many cases with more than 20 points separating the scores of white and non-low-income students from those of African-American, Latino, and low-income students. In general, the news was more positive for Latino and African-American subgroups and for students at the elementary-school level. Fewer gaps narrowed for low-income and native-American subgroups and for students in high school.
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| NEA signals contract flexibility |
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In a move perhaps calculated to silence critics, the National Education Association has announced its Priority Schools campaign, which will direct members to ignore contract provisions that in the past have kept the best teachers out of schools with mostly poor and minority students, USA TODAY reports. The parent organization, the largest education union in the country, will ask local affiliates to draw up memoranda of understanding with districts that will "waive any contract language that prohibits staffing high-needs schools with great teachers," and will encourage "the most accomplished teachers-members" to start their teaching careers in high-needs schools, remain there, or transfer there. NEA has been criticized in the past for supporting contracts that let teachers with seniority transfer to more affluent schools. In response to the campaign announcement, skeptics point out that harder-to-staff schools can't simply poach better teachers from middle-class ones. However, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel clarified that the union would "support our locals in doing what they think is the best way to turn around these schools." One sticking point, he said, in retaining teachers was principal quality -- many experienced teachers prefer middle-class schools because their principals are often more experienced than those in hard-to-staff schools.
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| Rhee's agenda has an IMPACT |
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D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has launched what The Washington Post calls "a rigorous evaluation system" that will make District teachers among the first in the nation to have job security tied to standardized test scores. Teacher accountability is a cornerstone of Rhee's agenda and a goal for education reformers nationwide, who argue that the best way to improve schools is to continuously monitor and improve teacher performance. "Academic progress must be measured by growth," Rhee said. "By using value-added analysis we will finally be able to consistently reward and recognize the significant contributions of every adult in a school building." The $4 million IMPACT system will assess teachers against an elaborate new framework of requirements and guidelines that cover a range of factors, including classroom presence and how carefully they check for student understanding of material. The assessment will likely be another flash point in Rhee's relationship with teacher union leaders, who say student growth statistics are unreliable, and that the new assessment system -- which the District can legally impose without union consent -- is an instrument to identify and remove struggling teachers, not a means to help them improve.
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| No 'simple recipe' for teacher preparation |
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Variation within teacher preparation programs is as great as variation between programs, write authors of a new study from Teacher College Record, so comparisons often fail to pinpoint qualities that lead to positive teacher outcomes. This is especially true with alternative certification programs, whose supporters and opponents tend to argue from a research base that is "very thin." The new analysis looks at seven alternative certification programs, six of which have participants completing their credential requirements while full-time teachers. Overall, the study finds that effective alternative certification programs place candidates in schools with strong leadership, a collegial atmosphere, and adequate materials. They select well-educated individuals, or work to strengthen individual subject-matter knowledge, recognizing previous classroom experience as an asset. They also provide coursework tailored to candidates' backgrounds and school contexts, and provide trained mentors with time and resources to plan lessons with candidates, share curricula, demonstrate lessons, and provide feedback after frequent classroom observations. The authors caution, however, that "because of the variation in how individuals experience the same alternative certification program, as well as the variation in support and training within programs, the creation of effective programs defies simple recipes." Programs should start with an intensive assessment of each participant, and closely track progress throughout.
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| Boston union battles TFA contract 'enhancements' |
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An objection from the Boston Teacher Union (BTU) regarding contract particulars with Teach for America in Boston has prompted an investigation by the Massachusetts Division of Labor Relations, according to The Boston Globe. The division has determined a "strong likelihood" that the Boston School Committee violated the union contract in its agreement with the national program that allows greater rights for TFA recruits in retaining their positions during layoffs. The union has openly questioned the wisdom of bringing in the program at a time when budget cuts have forced layoffs of roughly three dozen teachers in the last school year. Another area of dispute is a portion of the TFA contract that would create a rehiring pool for its candidates in the event of layoffs, an arrangement not available to other new teachers. A representative for the school committee has said it didn't intend to break any collective bargaining rules when it entered into the agreement last summer with TFA, which it undertook to boost recruitment of minority teachers. The state is also examining whether the school committee withheld information in the last several months from the union about which positions have been filled by TFA recruits.
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Student told to dress "more manly" or be homeschooled
Jonathan Escobar wears skinny jeans, wigs, "vintage" clothing and makeup to school. "I don't consider myself a cross-dresser," he said. "This is just who I am."
http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/cobb-teen-told-he-156500.html
First day in, SCOTUS denies two ed cases
The Supreme Court declines to hear two cases with relevance to parental rights and the primacy of belief systems in education.
http://www.examiner.com/x-22987-Littleton-Homeschooling-Examiner~y2009m10d5-US-Supreme-Court-denies-to-hear-appealed-education-cases
Helping resolve conflicts before they get out of hand
The Conflict Resolution Unlimited Institute in Bellevue, Wash. works with students from third grade to high school, training them in peer mediation. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrylarge/2010001449_jdl05.html
Questions about financial arrangement between AZ private school and a charter-school operator
State records obtained by The Arizona Republic show that Sequoia Choice Arizona Distance Learning collected at least $1.9 million in taxpayer funds from 2005 through 2008 to teach courses to students of Joy Christian School.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/10/02/20091002sto-joy1002.html
Hardcore crackdown on zucchini bread by Klein and Bloomberg
Rampant favoritism shown to parent groups in New York Schools for distribution of fat- and sugar-loaded treats.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/nyregion/03bakesale.html?_r=2&hpw |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
New Leaders for New Schools
New Leaders for New Schools is a national organization promoting high levels of academic achievement for every child by attracting, preparing, and supporting the next generation of outstanding leaders for our nation's urban public schools. New Leaders is currently accepting applications for candidates who meet their 10 selection criteria and want to lead change for children in low-income communities by becoming urban public school principals. Eligibility: Applicants must have a record of success in leading adults, an expertise in K-12 teaching and learning, a relentless drive to lead an excellent urban school, and an unyielding belief in the potential of every child to achieve academically at high levels. Deadline: eligibility verification -- October 15, 2009; full application -- February 2, 2010.
http://www.nlns.org
YSA: UnitedHealth HEROES
UnitedHealth HEROES service-learning grants support youth-led innovative solutions to childhood obesity. Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that combines meaningful service to the community with a school-based curriculum or with program-based learning. Projects must engage youth ages 5-25 in the planning and implementation process and take place during Semester of Service 2010 (MLK Day, January 18, to Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25). Eligibility: Educators, service-learning coordinators, community groups or organizations, and students in the health professions. Deadline: October 22, 2009.
http://ysa.org/MyYSA/YSAContent/YSANews/tabid/219/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/175/UnitedHealthHEROESServiceLearningGrantsDeadlineOctober22.aspx
VFW: National Citizenship Education Teachers' Award
The VFW's National Citizenship Education Teachers' Award recognizes the nation's top elementary, junior high, and high school teachers who teach citizenship education topics regularly and promote America's history and traditions. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: teachers K-12. Deadline: November 1, 2009.
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=1832
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards
The 2010 SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards recognize the outstanding efforts of students and teachers across the country who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. Since this is an awards -- not grant -- program, entrants must demonstrate significant accomplishments that have occurred prior to the submission deadline. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: schools (grades K-12) and community groups. Deadline: November 20, 2009.
http://www.swbg-animals.org/conservation-matters/eea/about.htm
General Mills Foundation: Champions for Healthy Kids
The General Mills Foundation Champions for Healthy Kids grant program encourages communities in the United States to improve the eating and physical activity patterns of young people, ages 2-20. Grants will be awarded to nonprofit organizations and agencies working with communities that demonstrate the greatest need and likelihood of sustainable impact on young people's nutrition and activity levels through innovative programs. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3, community-based groups. Deadline: January 15, 2010.
http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/commitment/champions.aspx
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"What this model won't do is [save] every kid who gets shot, but what it does do is give us a fighting chance to identify those kids who are most in trouble."
-- Chicago Public Schools Chief Ron Huberman, unveiling a new $60 million program that will target the 10,000 high school students with the highest statistical risk of becoming involved in violence as victims.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/us/07chicago.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1255048346-m5CdvvlR+RDfVt/SfXldEw
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