[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast - May 14, 2013

[Art Snyder]

                May 14, 2013 - In This Issue:
       More Latinos college-bound
  Leg up long before application time
  Evidence in exchange for federal billions
  A sea change in education philanthropy
  Take back the charter movement
  Common Core: Not ready, somewhat able, but at least willing
  Bullying: a complete resource
  Diversity and delicate politics
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            
More Latinos college-bound
A new analysis from the Pew Research Hispanic Center of U.S. Census Bureau data finds a record 69 percent of Hispanic high school graduates in the class of 2012 enrolled in college last fall, two points higher than the rate among white counterparts. This increase in Hispanic college matriculation accelerated with the recession in 2008, while it declined among whites at the same time. The most recent data also show that in 2011, only 14 percent of Hispanic 16-to-24-year-olds were high school dropouts, versus 28 percent in 2000. The dropout rate among whites also declined during that period, but by less. However, Hispanics continue to lag in several key higher-education measures: Hispanic students are less likely than white counterparts to enroll in a four-year college (56 versus 72 percent), less likely to attend a selective college, less likely to enroll in college full-time, and less likely to complete a bachelor's degree. The brief posits the rise in high school completion and college enrollment by Latino youth may be driven in part by declining fortunes in the job market. Since 2007, unemployment among Latinos ages 16 to 24 has risen seven percentage points. Another factor, however, could be the growing importance that Latino families place on a college education. More

 
A leg up long before application time
If the Supreme Court justices, who will soon rule on a case involving the University of Texas at Austin, curtail or abolish the use of race and ethnicity in college admissions nationwide, then the experience of California and other states that have outlawed affirmative action could point to new ways for public universities to compose racially and economically diverse student bodies, writes Richard Pérez-Peña in The New York Times. States such as Florida, Michigan, and Washington have undertaken a series of approaches, giving applicants extra consideration for poverty, language barriers, low-performing schools, and troubled neighborhoods of origin. But whatever the merits of race-blind admissions, gifted poor and minority students continue to be less likely to take the right classes for college admission, take the SAT or ACT, get academic help where needed, fill out complex admission forms properly, or apply to competitive colleges. It is not enough, university administrators say, to change the selection of students; we must change the habits of students themselves, long before application time. California's public universities and counterparts around the country have started to embed themselves deeply in disadvantaged communities, working with schools, students, and parents to identify promising teenagers and get more of them into college.  More


Evidence in exchange for federal billions
A new brief from the Brookings Institution reviews the four main federal programs geared toward increasing graduation of disadvantaged students from college. It finds that the TRIO programs (Upward Bound, Talent Search, Upward Bound Math-Science, and Student Support Services) at around $1 billion per year, show no major effects on college enrollment or completion. As a remedy, the authors propose dramatically changing the funding of these programs using an evidence-based approach. Programs should be consolidated, and organizations receiving grants must show, based on rigorous analysis, that they are helping disadvantaged students to enroll in and graduate from college. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) should also broaden eligibility for funding and allow any two- or four-year college, local education authority, nonprofit, or for-profit agency with a record of conducting education interventions to compete for grants. All applications should be considered on a competitive basis. ED must also make clear that evidence is crucial in determining awards: Rigorous evidence merits greater funds. ED must also have flexibility in distributing funds among programs and approaches. Finally, the department must be able to use 2 percent of its annual funds ($20 million) to plan coordinated research and demonstrations featuring large-scale, random-assignment studies that determine whether well-defined interventions or specific activities (such as mentoring, tutoring, etc.) actually increase college enrollment and completion. See the brief 


A sea change in education philanthropy
As more foundation money floods into K-12 education, it is going to fewer and fewer groups, reports Sarah Sparks in Education Week. Philanthropy is moving away from traditional public schools and toward "challengers to the system" -- primarily charter schools -- with funders in general becoming more active in shaping how those challengers develop. Researchers tracked grants from the 15 foundations that gave the most to K-12 education in 2000, 2005, and 2010. At the start of the decade, less than a quarter of K-12 giving from top foundations -- about $90 million -- was given to the same few groups. Five years later, 35 percent of giving, or $230 million, went to groups getting support from other foundations, and by 2010, $540 million, representing 64 percent of major foundation giving for K-12, was similarly aligned. The groups on the receiving end have shifted, too. In 2000, the top groups subsidized were the Rural School and Community Trust; Annenberg Challenge schools; the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative; and the Public Education Network. A decade later, the top five were the Charter School Growth Fund; the NewSchools Venture Fund; KIPP; Teach For America, and the D.C. Public Education Fund. Researchers found that even within the charter sector, foundations focused on expanding the biggest players rather than on single-school charter holders. In the process, both funders and charter operators reported less focus on being integrated into and responsive to a particular community, and more on "building a brand" for schools that could be scaled up quickly. More


Take back the charter movement
As a longtime supporter of charter schools, Edward Fiske in The News-Observer writes he is distressed to watch Republican legislators "attempting to hijack this once-promising notion for school improvement, and transform it into a force for undermining public education in North Carolina." Fiske feels the promise of charters was originally many-faceted: freedom to innovate and explore new curricula and teaching methods that, if successful, could make their way into traditional public schools. Parents and students had a wider range of educational options, and teachers had space to work in collegial fashion around innovative educational visions. There is now a movement afoot in North Carolina to make charters the norm, and this would require a cumbersome bureaucracy that would eventually stifle the educational creativity for which charters were established. Republican leaders in the North Carolina legislature are pushing a charter school "reform" program that would undermine the fundamental principles that have driven the charter movement in North Carolina and elsewhere. All North Carolinians who believe in the importance of quality public education should resist the Republican proposals, Fiske says. Students whose experience in a charter does not work out will need access to traditional public schools. The movement needs advocates who still believe in the promise of charters and the possibilities they hold. More

     
Common Core: Not ready, somewhat able, but at least willing
A new poll of 800 teachers conducted by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) finds that most public school teachers feel unprepared to teach math and reading to the Common Core standards, which are rolling out in 45 states and the District of Columbia, The Washington Post reports. While a clear majority -- 75 percent -- of teachers surveyed said they support the Common Core, less than a third said their districts have given them adequate training and resources to teach them. All participating states are expected to have the standards in place by 2014, when students will take new standardized tests based on them. Two states -- Kentucky and New York -- have already tested students on the new standards. In New York, teachers, parents, and students complained the tests were poorly designed, covered material that had not been taught, and frustrated children to the point of tears. Like many other states, New York intends to use the test results in decisions about student grade promotion, teacher job evaluations, and school closings. AFT President Randi Weingarten has called for a moratorium on Common Core-related consequences for at least one year until teachers and students across the country are sufficiently prepared. Among the teachers polled, 83 percent supported the moratorium. More       See the survey        Related


Bullying: a complete resource
An extensive and comprehensive report from the American Educational Research Association presented in a series of 11 briefs identifies the causes and consequences of bullying, highlights training and technical assistance opportunities to help faculty and staff at all types of institutions to address bullying, evaluates the effectiveness of current anti-bullying policies and prevention programs, and assesses the current bullying research, interventions, and legislation. The educational settings in which bullying occurs, and where prevention and intervention are possible, must be understood as contexts for positive change. Yet many administrators, teachers, and related personnel lack training to address bullying, and do not know how to intervene to reduce it. Bullying can include physical aggression such as hitting and shoving, and verbal aggression, such as name-calling. It can also include social or relational forms of bullying in which a victim is excluded by peers or subjected to humiliation, and can occur face-to-face or through digital media. Since bullying is part of the larger phenomenon of violence in schools and communities, and it is not fully clear to what extent victimization and bullying overlap, the examination of victimization and bullying should involve interactions among all community members, including youth, teachers, school staff, and parents.
See the report       Related 


Diversity and delicate politics
As a number of states consider policies that would select academically stronger individuals for teaching programs, fears are surfacing about how this will affect teacher diversity, reports Stephen Sawchuck in Education Week. On nearly all measures that states are considering, from GPAs to licensure-test scores, minority candidates tend to have weaker scores than white counterparts. The teaching profession is already far less diverse than the students it serves. For state officials, the quandary poses a politically sensitive set of choices. "When you're working with instruments like SAT, ACT, GPA, which all have significant limitations, you have a responsibility to think about what the unintended consequences are," said Mary Brabeck of New York University. "But I really reject the idea that quality and diversity are somehow in conflict. We want a diverse, highly qualified teaching force, and these factors are interrelated." About half of U.S. states have agreed to raise admissions standards for teacher preparation, though some changes appear more symbolic than substantive. Sandi Jacobs of the National Council on Teacher Quality, which has criticized low entry standards across the states, endorses flexibility. "You do want to have room to say about a candidate, 'There's something about her that makes me think she'll be a great teacher,' as long as that percent is not huge," she said. More

BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
Missing in action
More than 1.8 million California students -- almost a third of the state's entire student body -- were classified as "truant" in 2010-11, according to new figures released by Attorney General Kamala Harris. More
 
Not pandering to teachers, at any rate
Los Angeles' two mayoral candidates support making teacher evaluations public, going well beyond a level of disclosure that is supported by top school district officials. More
 
Clawback
Orange County may owe the state as much as $150 million after a judge tentatively ruled this week that it must pay back funds originally meant for local schools and community colleges. More

 BRIEFLY NOTED


Bummer for Jindal
The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that the current method of funding the statewide school voucher program is unconstitutional. More
 
Raze the horror
A task force of local leaders have unanimously recommended tearing down Sandy Hook Elementary School and building a new one on the site. More
 
Welcome news
Education was one of the Florida legislative session's biggest winners, budget-wise. More
 
Separation between church and state takes another hit
Surrounded by dozens of cheering students from eight religious schools, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed into law a measure that will let more children in the state use tax dollars to enroll in such schools. More
 
They have seen the future
Starting as early as spring 2015, the ACT college admissions exam will go digital, reflecting students' tech savvy and the demand for quicker results. More
 
Starting to seem inevitable
Gov. Nathan Deal has signed a bill to standardize annual evaluations for Georgia teachers and principals based, in part, on student performance. More
 
The smart money
Top teachers in Metro Nashville's five lowest-scoring schools might earn a bonus next year thanks to a state plan that will reward them for staying in troubled schools or give them a pay boost for moving to one. More


GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
American Academy of Pediatrics: CATCH Resident Funds Grants
2013 CATCH Resident Funds grants will be awarded on a competitive basis for pediatric residents to plan community-based child health initiatives. CATCH Resident Funds projects must include planning activities, but also may include some implementation activities. Maximum award: $3,000. Eligibility: pediatric residents working with their communities. Deadline: July 31, 2013.
 
NSTA: Making a Difference Award
The Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association "Making a Difference" Award recognizes excellence in a science program developed and implemented by middle-level science teachers, grades 6-8. Entries must show innovative and effective teaching strategies combined with a science program that has influenced students to explore and investigate science and its application to global problems. Maximum award: $2,500 to be used to enhance or expand the winning science program; the winning school's lead science teacher and principal will be awarded coach airfare and two nights' hotel accommodation to attend NSTA's National Conference. Eligibility: innovative middle-level science programs. Deadline: November 30, 2013.
 
NSTA: Wendell G. Mohling Outstanding Aerospace Educator Award
The Wendell G. Mohling Outstanding Aerospace Educator Award recognizes excellence in the field of aerospace education. The recipient will be honored during the Awards Banquet and the Aerospace Educators Luncheon at the annual NSTA Conference. Maximum award: $3,000; plus $2,000 in expenses to attend NSTA's National Conference. Eligibility: K-12 teachers of science in formal education settings (elementary, middle, high school). Individuals must be nominated and have a minimum of three years teaching experience. Self-nominations will be accepted. Deadline: November 30, 2013.
 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"A lot of our schools were built 50 years ago. They were built as part of the community, we want them to be part of the community, but the design was that the community could be there at any point at any time." -- James Dorer, chief security officer for the Scottsdale, Arizona district, regarding new school security renovations in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings.

 

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