[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast for April 2, 2013

[Art Snyder]

                April 2, 2013 - In This Issue:
       So much for the Finnish Miracle
  The high cost of low-cost testing
  Forgotten subgroup: high-poverty high-achievers
  Recipe for secondary school success
  Early college schools: Compelling numbers
  The growing voucher trend
  Project evaluation in six (easy?) steps
  Evidence-based, but who supplies the evidence?
  Atlanta: The wages of high-stakes testing
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            
So much for the Finnish Miracle

A new report from the Brookings Institution discusses the latest U.S. student results for the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Forty-nine nations and nine benchmarking participants took part in the PIRLS, given in the fourth grade, and 63 nations and 14 benchmarking participants took part in the TIMSS, given in both fourth and eighth grades. American students did "reasonably well" in reading, math, and science, but perhaps more significant is how other countries -- for instance, Finland -- fared. On the 2011 TIMSS, Finland and the U.S. had statistically indistinguishable math scores for both grades, but Finland declined by 38 points from 1999 to 2011 -- one of the largest declines recorded by the TIMSS. Of the "A+ countries" -- Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Singapore (those scoring at the top of the 1995 TIMSS rankings in eighth-grade math) -- two had statistically significant gains, three had statistically significant losses, and one scored about the same. In all of this, author Tom Loveless stresses that causality is difficult to determine from cross-sectional data. Curriculum surely plays a role, but more work is needed to isolate curriculum effects in international data, and more testing of well-formulated hypotheses using longitudinal models. Ideally, randomized trials of the best curriculum programs could tease out unobserved influences on learning, such as cultural values regarding academic success, parenting practices that promote achievement, and peer status based on working hard at school.??More

 
The high cost of low-cost testing

A new report from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education argues that spending on standardized testing must support higher-quality assessments with open-ended and performance tasks that measure complex learning, scored by teachers and by sophisticated artificial-intelligence engines. Although apparently low in cost, today's state testing programs are fragmented, disjointed efforts, unable to measure the most important learning goals, and not useful toward understanding how students think or what help they need. Current investments, which total less than half of 1 percent of overall per-pupil spending, could support assessments that tap critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The report calls for a coherent system that not only provides assessments of deeper learning but also offers formative supports for instruction and interim tools so teachers can make formative evaluations. States can achieve this goal by: understanding how state and local components of a high-quality assessment system can operate together; taking advantage of cost savings associated with multi-state consortia and use of technology for online delivery and scoring and reporting; involving teachers in developing and scoring assessments in ways that support teachers' professional learning; and combining state and local resources strategically. The question for policymakers must shift from, "Can we afford assessments of deeper learning?" to "Can the United States afford not to have such high-quality assessments?"?More


Forgotten subgroup: high-poverty high-achievers

A new report from the Kingsbury Center at the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a follow-up to an earlier longitudinal study of high-achieving students, looks at the academic growth of 35,000 elementary and middle school students in 31 states, with particular attention to the growth and performance of high-achieving students from high-poverty schools. For the purposes of the study, "growth" focuses on change over time and "performance" focuses on single points of time. Researchers found that while the vast majority of high-achievers were on track for college readiness, significant achievement gaps existed between students in poor schools and students in wealthy schools. To close this achievement gap, high-poverty schools will need to offer their high-achievers the accelerated and advanced programs that are standard in wealthier schools. The average rates of academic growth by high-achievers in wealthy and poor schools were nearly equivalent, indicating that accountability policies based on academic progress are a better measure of school effectiveness than the proficiency-driven approach of NCLB. Within high- and low-poverty schools, growth rates varied tremendously; some schools showed extraordinary growth and others showed abysmal growth. To ensure that high-achievers receive adequate resources within their schools regardless of school poverty, top performers in each school must be recognized as a subgroup when setting accountability policy and evaluating school programs. More



Recipe for secondary school success
A new report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York calls for a focus on how schools can bring all students to the greater levels of achievement that the Common Core State Standards and the eventual Next Generation Science Standards will demand. The new standards will hold all students to a significantly higher bar for graduation, and schools must simultaneously lift average students and support and motivate students who are behind. Individual interventions such as adjusting curriculum, strengthening teacher preparation and professional development, or increasing quality learning time are important, but in isolation are unlikely to produce outcomes that help all students. The report calls for a comprehensive school redesign effort, and puts forward 10 design principles that can produce school models that help all students. A high-performing secondary school would: integrate youth development and engagement through caring, consistent student-adult relationships; prioritize mastery of standards aligned to college- and career-readiness; continuously improve operations using performance data and analytics to improve curriculum and instruction; develop and deploy collective strengths through teacher teaming and differentiated roles for adults; manage school operations with purposeful use of time, people, and technology; maintain an effective human capital strategy through consistent, high-quality systems for sourcing and selecting teachers and staff, and through individualized professional development; empower and support students through key transitions into and beyond high school; remain porous and connected via effective partnerships with organizations that enrich student learning and increase access to community resources; have a clear mission and a coherent culture; and personalize student learning through a variety of learning modalities.?More
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See the 10 Design Principals



Early college schools: Compelling numbers

A new brief from Jobs for the Future reports that over 75,000 high school students nationwide -- most from underserved populations -- are learning college-level material and earning free college credits in early college high schools. Early college schools provide aggressive supports to help students tackle college coursework and drive their own learning through group work and other interactive classroom strategies.?Ninety-three percent of early college students graduate high school, versus 75 percent nationally. Seventy-six percent immediately enroll in college, eight percent higher than the national average, an even higher difference in comparison with particular subgroups: 14 percent higher than the national average for blacks, 16 percent higher than the national average for Latinos, and 26 percent higher than the national average for low-income students. Ninety-four percent of early college students earn some college credit for free, an average of 36 college credits, saving 30 percent toward a bachelor's degree or 60 percent toward an associate's degree. And early college high schools serve students traditionally underrepresented in college: Seventy-seven percent of students attending early college high schools are students of color, 57 percent from come from low-income families, and 45 percent will be the first in their immediate families to attend college.?More


 
The growing voucher trend
Rather than finance a system of neighborhood schools, a growing number of legislators and governors would funnel public money directly to families, who could then choose public, charter, private, religious, online or home schooling for their child, write Fernanda Santos and Motoko Rich in The New York Times. The Indiana Supreme Court just upheld its state voucher program, and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has signed a tax-credit legislation so children can withdraw from failing public schools and enroll in private or better-performing public ones. Arizona, which already has a tax-credit scholarship program, has broadened eligibility for education savings accounts. And in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie, in an effort to circumvent his legislature, has inserted $2 million into his budget for vouchers for low-income children. Currently, 17 states offer 33 programs that give parents taxpayer money to send their children to private schools. However, it has not been established that students attending private schools through vouchers get better educations; research tracking students in voucher programs has not shown clear improvements, and many students don't take state standardized tests. "At the same exact time that accountability and transparency seem to be the watchword for how we spend these dollars in an austerity-ridden environment, there's absolutely no accountability with vouchers," said Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers. More

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Related
    
Project evaluation in six (easy?) steps

A new brief from Education Northwest looks at lessons learned over decades of experience that can help state and local education agencies and nonprofits use project-evaluation results for continuous improvement. Lesson One -- be clear about your organization's evaluation needs: Why are you evaluating your program? What questions do you need to answer? Two -- use appropriate measures: Select metrics, measurements, and assessments that are tightly linked to a project's activities and can provide compelling evidence of goal accomplishment. Three -- build a strong working relationship with your evaluation partner, to ensure regular, ongoing communication between project leaders and the evaluator so that the evaluator is kept abreast of changes, developments, challenges, and successes. Four -- ensure data evaluations are useful via comprehensible charts and tables with a clear narrative. Five -- build capacity for internal evaluation, using frequent and targeted data collection to inform program decisions. Finally, Lesson Six -- maximize use of evaluation findings. Evaluation results can confirm or discredit assumptions, celebrate success, focus attention on an issue, and help build a culture of inquiry and continuous improvement. These are more likely when multiple stakeholders have opportunities to discuss and apply evaluation results to meaningful program decisions.?More



Evidence-based, but who supplies the evidence?

A new report from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education examines how state education agencies (SEAs) search for, select, and use research and other kinds of evidence when adopting research-based practices for improving low-performing schools. The authors studied three SEAs from different parts of the country with varied structures, and staff sizes ranging from 250 to 500. Using a combination of surveys and interviews, they found SEA staffs used multiple types of information to inform their work, but relied most heavily on advice from colleagues. This information often flowed across departments and offices, contrary to the notion of agencies as segmented and siloed. The researchers found a large number of external organizations were part of SEAs' research advice networks and played a catalyzing role in the design or elaboration of research for policy. Knowledge gained from these intermediaries tended to calibrate the SEA's work of improving low-performing schools and districts. External organizations were particularly important where SEAs lacked expertise or staff capacity. Researchers also found each SEA had central internal staff who were important in brokering research on school improvement. Identifying and cultivating such influential actors, and connecting individuals now isolated or only weakly engaged in these communication networks, could create a more robust exchange of knowledge around school improvement.?More


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Atlanta: The wages of high-stakes testing

Beverly Hall, former superintendent of Atlanta, Georgia, is one of 35 Atlanta educators indicted by a Fulton County grand jury, Michael Winerip reports in The New York Times. During the decade she led the district of 52,000 children, predominantly poor and African-American, students often outperformed wealthier suburban districts on state tests. Those test scores brought fame -- in 2009, the American Association of School Administrators named her superintendent of the year -- and fortune: She earned more than $500,000 in performance bonuses. Prosecutors say Hall and other teachers, principals, and administrators "conspired to either cheat, conceal cheating or retaliate against whistle-blowers in an effort to bolster C.R.C.T. [Georgia's Criterion-Referenced Competency Test] scores for the benefit of financial rewards associated with high test scores." Paul Howard Jr., the district attorney, called Hall "a full participant in that conspiracy. Without her, the conspiracy could not have taken place, particularly to the degree it took place." Hall, who retired in 2011, has been charged with racketeering, theft, influencing witnesses, conspiracy, and making false statements. Prosecutors recommended a $7.5 million bond for her; she could face up to 45 years in prison. Cheating has grown around the country as standardized testing has become a primary means of evaluating teachers, principals, and schools. No state approaches Georgia in its effort to root it out, writes Winerip.?More


          BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
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System failure

California's community colleges -- the nation's largest public higher education system -- have lost so many teachers and classes that students are being driven away.?More

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Not exactly a mandate
Fifty percent of California voters agree with Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to give more funds to school districts that serve low-income children; a separate Brown plan to give local districts more funding control is favored by 59 percent.?More
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No more pay-to-play
The California Department of Education has issued a memo detailing what students and families can and can't be required to pay or provide for school.?More
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BRIEFLY NOTED
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Chronic dysfunction
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has announced the state will assume control of Camden public schools, describing a district "at the breaking point" with "chronic and severe" problems, making it the fourth school district under state control and the first for the Christie administration. More
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Rewarding initiative
Maine is increasing funding and expanding courses for a program that provides free online Advanced Placement courses to students who can't get them at their local high school. More
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As you sow, so shall ye reap
In a renewed effort to boost the number of college graduates in fast-growing fields, Massachusetts has awarded $2 million in scholarships to public college students pursuing degrees in science, business, and health care. More
?Enough already
Seattle school leaders have decided to relax some requirements for the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) exams that are the focus of a teacher boycott. More
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Erasing stigma
West Virginia lawmakers have unveiled a plan to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students who attend public schools, regardless of socioeconomic status. More
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Heavy maneuvering
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders have reached an agreement on changes to a state law that ensures new teacher-evaluation systems are in place even after contracts between local school districts and unions expire; this does not resolve the standoff between New York City and the UFT. More
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Any better ideas?
Increased enrollment in Algebra I in middle school hasn't led to higher math performance for states on the NAEP, according to the Brookings Institution. More

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GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES


Examples of Excelencia
The Examples of Excelencia initiative recognizes programs and departments at the forefront of increasing academic opportunities and improving achievement for Latino students at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels. Maximum award: $5,000; recognition at special events; a highlight in the 2013 edition of What Works for Latino Students in Higher Education; and inclusion in the web-based Growing What Works Database. Eligibility: programs and departments at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels of higher education. Deadline: April 26, 2013.
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Earth Island Institute: Brower Youth Award
The Earth Island Institute Brower Youth Award recognizes young people for their outstanding activism and acaievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy.? Maximum Award: $3,000, a trip to California for the awards ceremony, and a wilderness camping trip. Eligibility: youth ages 13-22. Deadline: May 13, 2013.
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Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Talent Development Award
The JKCF Talent Development Award celebrates K-8 educational organizations committed to the deliberate cultivation of high-potential students' talents, skills, and passions. Major criteria considered for the Talent Development Award include: alignment with the Foundation's commitment to identifying, cultivating, and/or promoting exceptionally talented students who have financial need; focus on students in grades K-8; high apparent effectiveness as demonstrated through internal reviews, external evaluations, and/or scientifically-confirmed research; strong leadership with a clear vision and the capacity to influence stakeholders; a noteworthy, innovative solution that could be replicated. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: K-8 educational organizations. Deadline: rolling.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"It would be an unusual profession where at least 5 percent are not deemed ineffective." -- Grover J. Whitehurst, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, in an article reporting that many states are finding their percentage of effective or highly effective teachers to be in the high 90s, student outcomes notwithstanding.

 

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