[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast - April 30, 2013

[Art Snyder]

                April 30, 2013 - In This Issue:
       Still at risk, 30 years later
  One gap leads to another
  Dual enrollment delivers
  Making the feedback cycle 'virtuous'
  A kinder, gentler, more relevant math
  A new take on second languages
  That report on mayoral control, reconsidered
  Public education, private profits
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            
Still at risk, 30 years later
A new report by the Leadership Conference looks at bolstering both quality and fairness in our nation's public education system. When the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 1973 that state funding formulas for public schools based on local property taxes were not unconstitutional, students and officials in under-resourced districts resorted to state courts, where state constitutions either guaranteed a thorough education or had strong equal protection provisions. Yet despite court victories and countless hours of advocacy, organizing, and litigation, the remedy for unfair allocation of resources to schools is still incomplete. The report recommends that national policymakers hold Congressional hearings on the impact of fiscal inequity on underserved populations; dedicate a funding stream to high-poverty high schools; increase funds for the ESEA and Perkins Act programs; continue to enforce compliance with federal civil rights laws barring discrimination and inequality; aggressively enforce provisions in the ESEA that, if honored, would mitigate the worst disparities; hold states to promises made in ESEA waiver applications; and amend the U.S. Constitution to comport with international human rights law, guaranteeing an education that prepares every child for postsecondary education, a career in a field that pays a living wage, and civic participation. The report also issues recommendations for NGOs, philanthropies, and business. More

 
One gap leads to another
A new book from the Oxford University Press offers research-based essays by education experts that highlight the discrepancies in America's public schools, focusing on how policy decisions and life circumstances create an "opportunity gap" that leads to stark achievement gaps. The nation's high level of childhood poverty, coupled with the low level of social supports for low-income children's health and welfare, creates daunting obstacles for learning. At the student level, effective policies would address key health issues; correctly identify the needs of language minority students; and expand access to high-quality early childhood education. Policymakers should also reform state funding laws to promote equitable and adequate school funding, with federal assistance to states to develop those policies, and provide adequate resources for safe and well-maintained school environments. Furthermore, policymakers should broaden the school curriculum; provide more and better learning time during the school year and summer; end disparities created by tracking and ability grouping; reform testing; and reassess student discipline policy. At the community level, effective policymaking can advance stable and diverse communities by promoting affordable and better integrated housing, creating integrated magnet schools, enforcing existing civil rights laws, and prioritizing diversity in school-choice policies. More


Dual enrollment delivers
A new, three-year study from the James Irvine foundation tracking outcomes for 3,000 students across California found that career-focused dual-enrollment programs yield important benefits for those who are underachieving and underrepresented in higher education. The Concurrent Courses initiative is comprised of eight programs involving 10 colleges and 21 high schools. Sixty percent of the students in the study were students of color, and 40 percent came from non-English-speaking homes. Compared with other students in their districts, program participants were more likely to graduate from high school; more likely to transition to a four-year college rather than a two-year college; less likely to take basic-skills courses in college; more likely to persist in postsecondary education; and accumulated more college credits. The study recommends that policymakers remove funding penalties, so neither participating institution loses its per-pupil funding for dually enrolled students; make dual-credit earning consistent and portable; and standardize broad student eligibility. It also recommends that institutions continue to make dual enrollment available on both high school and college campuses; explore ways to ensure authenticity of the high school-based program format; provide professional development to dual-enrollment instructors; identify dedicated college staff to smooth logistical challenges; and obtain student consent to share college records.  More


Making the feedback cycle 'virtuous'
The reform movement will have failed if more rigorous teacher evaluations do not translate into system-wide improvements in teacher effectiveness within the next five years, according to a new paper from the Aspen Institute. To convert evaluation information into more effective teaching practice, teachers, principals, and system leaders must embrace a culture of ongoing, two-way feedback and commit to continuous improvement. The report explores how targeted, well-designed, and well-executed surveys can improve system reforms now underway. Districts can get the most out of surveys by identifying several practices critical to surveying employees effectively, and then use the information to improve individual and organizational practice. These practices are to: engage key stakeholders upfront; decide what needs to be known and what can be acted on to create visible change; leverage existing survey mechanisms within a district; share results and resulting actions with key stakeholders; report results at the school level, taking action to address issues identified by stakeholders; evaluate the effectiveness of solutions over time; and preserve survey anonymity to guarantee honesty. Through case studies, the report indicates how different organizations have successfully implemented the described "virtuous feedback cycle." More


A kinder, gentler, more relevant math
Math education experts say we're in crisis, and traditional approaches that treat math like "a cold-blooded subject amid the warm and engaging world of K-12 schooling" are a big part of the problem, writes Laura Pappano in The Harvard Education Letter. Narrow cultural beliefs about what math success looks like, who can be good at it, and what it's used for make students approach the subject with timidity -- or not at all. Unlike in other subjects, math students aren't encouraged to be puzzlers and questioners, according to Rochelle Gutiérrez, a professor of math education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The solution, Gutiérrez and others say, is to change students' relationship to the subject and help them build "math identities," make curricula more relevant, and recast our image of math success. "Mucking around" and puzzling, trying ideas, making mistakes, and then trying different ideas are paths to developing skills in deductive reasoning and in making and supporting an argument. For this reason, math education experts love problems that come directly from schools and communities. Which laundromat has the best deal for a family with five loads of clothes? Is the school overcrowded? Are Latino students disproportionately the subjects of school suspensions?  More

     
A new take on second languages
With hopes of preparing students for a competitive world economy, Utah is building one of the largest and most ambitious school-language programs in the nation, writes Jack Healy in The New York Times. Dual-language classes have existed for years, but they are growing fast in many states as educators look for ways to prepare American students for a polyglot global job market. Few have embraced the idea with the zeal of Utah, a state that passed an English-only law in 2000 and routinely ranks last in the nation on education spending. Republicans in Salt Lake City, the state capital, have pledged millions for the program. Four years after it began, nearly half of Utah's 41 districts offer programs in which elementary school students spend half the day learning in English and half in a foreign language. Fourteen thousand students are currently enrolled, and 20,000 signed up for next year. The dual-language programs start in first grade, and will eventually extend through middle school, with students taking advanced placement tests in ninth grade and then studying at a college level through the rest of high school. Right now, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin are offered. German is likely next, and educators have discussed Arabic. More


That report on mayoral control, reconsidered
A new review by the National Education Policy Center of a recent study on mayoral control by the Center for American Progress finds that the study's fiscal analyses suffer from inappropriate comparisons, and that it lacks valid evidence for its claim that mayoral control influences amount or distribution of school resources. The portion of the report that examines student achievement highlights positive findings in a few districts, but says little about alternative scenarios: mayor-led districts that did not see gains, and districts where achievement improved without mayoral control. Without examining these two other groups, it is hard to determine whether "mayoral control" is appropriately credited with the improvements identified. The report also fails to explain its statistical methods, and many of the findings presented don't actually show strong or relevant correlations between districts under mayoral control and the desired outcomes. However, the reviewer does feel the report offers useful information about the context for shifts to mayoral control in different cities, and what challenges may arise under such governance changes. The report's limitations, however, "preclude relying on either the report's findings or its recommendations in making policy decisions," in the reviewer's opinion. More


Public education, private profits
In Education Week, Michelle Davis examines the influence that education companies are trying to exert on education policymaking and legislation. She writes that some education observers are alarmed at increasingly aggressive moves by companies to make money from the K-12 system. "The corporations just woke up a few years ago to the billions and billions of dollars that exist in public education, and they just decided to go for it," says Gene Glass of the National Education Policy Center. "The incredible thing is how easy it is." Policymakers are particularly receptive to initiatives involving education technology, online schooling, and digital offerings, since such efforts are part of an emerging area for education. But precisely because the initiatives are cutting-edge, lawmakers may not have deep knowledge on these topics. Others view the expanding role of for-profit ventures to be a natural evolution of the interplay between private and public sectors in efforts to improve schools. The market is certainly growing: A report last year by the National Education Policy Center about for-profit education management companies that run brick-and-mortar charter schools, cyber charter schools, or both found that since 1995-96, their ranks increased from five to 99, and the number of schools that such companies operate increased from six to 758.  More

BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
Fightin' words
Facing resistance at the Capitol and in suburban districts toward his effort to shift education money to California's poor and English-learning students, Gov. Jerry Brown called his measure a civil rights issue and promised opponents "the battle of their lives." More
 
Strings attached
Gov. Jerry Brown would tie some state funding for California's public universities to a host of new requirements, including 10 percent increases in the number of transfer students from community colleges and percentage of freshmen graduating within four years. More
 
BRIEFLY NOTED

 
No surprise
Fewer than half of high school seniors are proficient in economics, according to the results of the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress. More
 
Another legislature gets it
The Minnesota House has decided to pay for free all-day kindergarten statewide, to make early-childhood education programs more affordable, and to pump more money into K-12. More
 
So much for that 'new era'
Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams has unveiled plans for a new accountability system that still rates public schools largely on student performance on standardized exams. More
 
In fact, they're merely mediocre
A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press shows that more Americans than not think U.S. 15-year-olds rank near the bottom on international science tests. More
 
Vote of no confidence
The version of the budget passed by the Michigan House prohibits the Michigan Department of Education from allocating funding for the implementation of the Common Core standards. More
 
Meanwhile, in Alaska
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development has announced that Alaska is joining a state-led consortium developing tests aligned with the Common Core standards. More
 
Now they're asking
Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Committee -- who haven't yet held a waiver hearing -- have sent U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, as well as state chiefs who were approved for the flexibility, letters asking a list of questions. More
 
A wider net, perhaps
Indiana district superintendents would no longer have to hold an Indiana superintendent or teacher's license under a proposal that has won final legislative approval. More
 
Guys, seriously?
New York state students who recently took Pearson-designed exams were treated to plugs for LEGO, Mug Root Beer, and products from at least half a dozen companies in their test questions. More 


GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES


Popular Science/Delta Faucet: Science Fair
Popular Science has teamed up with Delta Faucet to host a nationwide contest for the best original science projects in the category of sustainability. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: elementary, middle school, high school, and college students. Deadline: May 30, 2013.
 
National Weather Association: Sol Hirsch Teacher Grants
National Weather Association Sol Hirsch Teacher Grants to improve students' education in meteorology. Teachers selected will be able to use the funds to take an accredited course in atmospheric sciences, attend a relevant workshop or conference, or purchase scientific materials or equipment for the classroom. Maximum award: $750. Eligibility: K-12 teachers. Deadline: June 3, 2013.
 
PTO Today: Parent Group of the Year
PTO Today's Parent Group of the Year Contest is an excellent opportunity to showcase your hard work while giving your school the chance to win cash and prizes. Maximum Award: $3,000, and 100,000 labels for education points. Eligibility: all parent groups -- PTO, PTA, HSA, PTC, etc.; public and private schools; rural, suburban, and urban schools. Deadline: June 3, 2013.
 
Keep America Beautiful/Waste Management: Think Green Grants
Waste Management is joining forces with Keep America Beautiful (KAB) to encourage local solutions that showcase environmental stewardship and community improvement efforts. Grants will be awarded for programs that will improve communities, increase local recycling, or expand public education related to recycling. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: KAB-certified affiliates in good standing. Deadline: June 12, 2013.
 
Microsoft: DigiGirlz High Tech Camp
Microsoft DigiGirlz High Tech Camp for girls works to dispel stereotypes of the high-tech industry. During the camp session, the girls listen to executive speakers, participate in technology tours and demonstrations, network, and learn through hands-on experience in workshops. This year camps will take place at various dates throughout the summer in San Diego, CA; Charlotte, NC; Fargo, ND; Redmond, WA; Las Colinas, TX; and St. Louis, MO.  Maximum award: free attendance to camp. Eligibility: girls grades 9-11 in the 2012-2013 school year and at least age 13 at time of application. Deadline: varies by location.
 
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"This whole issue has been blown out of proportion. Nobody had a problem with having two proms until it got all this publicity." -- Wayne McGuinty, furniture store owner and City Council member, regarding the tradition of Wilcox County High School in Georgia for having an all-white and an all-black prom annually.


 

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