[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast - June 4, 2013

[Art Snyder]

                June 4, 2013 - In This Issue:
       It's the Readin', not the 'Rithmatic
  Pockets of deep poverty
  Enrolling Latinos at the get-go
  What price ELL education?
  Triggering a questionable outcome
  Let's get off-track
  Whose SPED responsibility?
  BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            
It's the Readin', not the 'Rithmatic
Educators, policymakers, and business leaders have publicly lamented the state of American math education -- particularly in comparison with other countries -- but reading may be the bigger hurdle, reports Motoko Rich in The New York Times. "Math is very close-ended," explains Brett Peiser of the Uncommon Schools charter network, which enrolls low-income students in Boston, New York City, Rochester, and Newark. Reading difficulties, he said, are more complicated to resolve: "Is it a vocabulary issue? A background-knowledge issue? A sentence-length issue? It's a three-dimensional problem that you have to attack." A Mathematica study of schools run by KIPP found that on average, students enrolled in KIPP middle schools for three years had test scores indicating they were more than a full grade level (11 months) ahead of the national average in math. In reading, KIPP's advantage was only eight months. Among large public urban districts, six raised eighth-grade math scores on the NAEP from 2009 to 2011, but just Charlotte, N.C. did so in reading. Experts say math is more culturally neutral, and requires less background knowledge, on top of the fact that reading development requires much more practice. Over time, educators of disadvantaged students hope to produce reading results similar to those in math. One strategy is to start with intensive reading instruction when children are younger.?More


 
Pockets of deep poverty
In a post for the Hechinger Report website, Jill Barshay notes that data in the Condition of Education 2013 report by the National Center for Education Statistics show poverty has become so concentrated in America that one out of five public schools was classified as "high-poverty" in 2011 by the U.S.? Department of Education, a 60 percent increase from 2000. To attain a "high-poverty" designation, 75 percent or more of a school's students had to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Even so, ?"free or reduced-price lunch" is an imperfect measure. Many families and students feel it a stigma to accept discounted or free lunch and don't sign up, so poverty rates in high schools especially are probably much higher. Poverty also varies by location:?A mother with two kids making under $35,000 qualifies for subsidies -- poor for New York City, Barshay writes, but maybe not destitute in Utah. However, a commenter to her post notes that across the country, anything below $45,000 is low-income, according to the Census Bureau. He directs readers to MIT's living wage calculator, one page of which shows that in Salt Lake City, Utah, an adult with two children would actually require $47,538 to make the bills this year. In Queens, NY, the number would be $67,178.?More?



Enrolling Latinos at the get-go
"Less than half of Hispanic children attend any kind of preschool -- that's kind of staggering," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told reporters last week, according to The Washington Post. "This is the fastest-growing population, with a lower-than-average participation rate." Poor children who attend quality preschool programs are less likely to end up in the criminal justice system, more likely to be employed and earn higher incomes, and less likely to receive public benefits as adults. "We can keep trying to play catch-up, or we can have an effect on the front end by leveling the playing field from the beginning," Duncan said. In some cases, Hispanic children lack access to preschool; in others, Hispanic families are reluctant to take advantage of available opportunities. President Obama has proposed a federal partnership with states to offer universal preschool for all 4-year-olds. The federal government would nearly double the federal tobacco tax from $1.01 to $1.95 to raise $75 billion over 10 years, and provide matching funds for enrolling children from families at up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. States must enroll at least 50 percent of their low-income and middle-income children in order to qualify. Each state's contribution would start at 10 percent for the first two years, increasing to 40 percent by the fifth year.??More



What price ELL education?
In Nevada, home to the highest density of English language learners in the nation at 31 percent, what's taking place in classrooms -- and what is not -- has parents worried, lawmakers concerned, and a civil rights group investigating, reports the Associated Press. If percentages hold, fewer than one in three ELL students will graduate from Nevada high schools, according to federal data. The average state funding rate nationally for ELL students is 1.39, meaning districts spend 39 percent more on those students. If a district spends $10,000 per student, it adds $3,900 for every ELL. In Clark County, Nevada's largest district and the fifth largest in the nation, the district allots $119 per ELL student per year, according the Lincy Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval this spring proposed $50 million in state funding for ELLs over the next two years, a historic move in Nevada, one of eight states that don't provide extra money for English learners. That would translate to $358 in new funding per ELL student per year, but it's not nearly what some think is needed. And while other states have robust funding for ELLs, they're not necessarily translating dollars into success: Lawsuits have been filed in 44 states over concerns that ELL students aren't getting an equal education.?More



Triggering a questionable outcome
The recent ouster of Principal Irma Cobian from Weigand Avenue Elementary School in Watts is prompting elected officials and education groups to call for closer monitoring of trigger campaigns, reports The Los Angeles Times. Cobian's removal was California's first successful campaign to remove an administrator, and demonstrates the power that can be wielded by disaffected parents. Yet dissatisfaction with Cobian was far from universal: She had the full support of her teachers, as well as praise from LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy. Still, the district verified signatures of parents representing 221 of 420 students, 53%, and under California's 2010 trigger law, Cobian was compelled to go. In a show of loyalty, 21 of 22 teachers have asked for transfers to other schools, several saying the petition has poisoned the campus. The parents behind the campaign, who were assisted by non-profit Parent Revolution, have denied allegations that they misled or harassed anyone into signing, as some have alleged. As they noted, the petition -- printed in both English and Spanish -- clearly stated the demand to remove the principal. Ben Austin of Parent Revolution said the move against Cobian was justified -- the school had "academically flat-lined" and the children could no longer wait for improvement.?More


     
Let's get off-track
The final installment in a series of ten briefs from the National Education Policy Center on current research examines the evidence about enrolling students in particular classes, curricula, or courses of study based on perceived ability -- i.e., tracking. Author William Mathis writes that the research conclusively shows tracking has been "harmful, inequitable, and an unsupportable practice." Initially touted as a way of tailoring instruction to the diverse needs of students, tracking has become a way to stratify learning opportunities, limiting the more beneficial opportunities to high-track students and thereby denying these benefits to lower-tracked students. This plays out in a discriminatory way, segregating students by race and socioeconomic status. Low-tracked classes have watered-down curricula, less-experienced teachers, lowered expectations, more discipline problems, and less-engaging lessons. High-quality curricula for all students together benefit both high-achieving and low-achieving students, as numerous examples in other countries show. Yet despite incontrovertible evidence, resistance to eliminating tracking is substantial. Arguments in favor of tracking are made on the grounds that it assures high-track courses will not have a diluted curriculum and that meritocracy will be preserved, though preservation of privilege is a clear subtext. Mathis strongly recommends that given the clearly documented negative effects of tracking, curricula that separate students by race, socioeconomic status, or assumptions about ability should be eliminated.?More.



Whose SPED responsibility?
California and federal laws allow students with disabilities to receive special education until age 22, but the laws are so vague about provision of service that many young inmates fall into graduation limbo, writes Joanna Lin on the Center for Investigative Reporting website. For instance, when Michael Garcia -- who was receiving special education -- was transferred from juvenile hall to the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail at 18, his education abruptly ended. For the next 19 months, he was unable to work toward the diploma he'll need for most jobs and to attend college. He's spent five years in legal battles trying to hold someone accountable, and the California Supreme Court is expected to hear his case this year to determine whether an incarcerated student's local school district -- the one in which parents reside -- is responsible for his or her special education (the decision will come too late for Garcia, 23 this month). The case has implications for districts across the state that could be required to send teachers into jails to instruct special-education students. In L.A. County jails alone, attorneys for Garcia estimate, between 400 and 700 young adults are eligible for special education on any given day. LAUSD currently provides special education services to just one of L.A. County's 18,520 inmates, according to the Sheriff's Department.?More


BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
Manna from the feds
California's effort to improve early learning programs, supported by a Race to the Top grant, has received news of a pending supplemental grant of about $22 million.?More
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Bridge to alignment
California's new two-year kindergarten program was designed to better align students' developmental readiness with state curriculum, but it's bridging the divide between the early-childhood community and the K-12 system, a scenario other states are interested in replicating.?More
BRIEFLY NOTED?
Tough blow
The Colorado Supreme Court's reversal of the Lobato school-finance lawsuit handed a stinging defeat to plaintiffs, who for eight years had sought greater and more equitable education funding.?More
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But is it a net gain?
Indiana's voucher program could return roughly $5 million to the state's schools this year -- nearly $800,000 more than last year, the state's top school finance officer says.?More
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A window on transparency
Education Week has updated its chart showing each state's laws regarding access to teacher-evaluation ratings.??More
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Home cookin'
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged nearly $800,000 to start a Washington-state charter-school incubator to give charter schools extra help with start-up planning.?More
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Pulling out the rug
When Congress enacted the sequester in March, they cut $60 million for American Indian schools across the country, a drastic cut for entities that don't receive state funds.?More

GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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AASA: National Superintendent of the Year
The American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year Program pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation's public schools. Maximum award: recognition; a $10,000 scholarship to a student in the high school from which the National Superintendent of the Year graduated. Eligibility: Any superintendent, chancellor, or top leader of a school system in the United States, Canada, or international school who plans to continue in the?profession. Deadline: varies by state.
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Open Meadows Foundation: Grants for Women and Girls
The Open Meadows Foundation is a grant-making organization for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls. It funds projects that reflect the diversity of the community served by the project in both its leadership and organization; that build community power; that promote racial, social, economic, and environmental justice; and that have limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding. Maximum award: $2,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations with an organizational budget no larger than $150,000. Projects must be designed and implemented by women and girls. Deadline: August 15, 2013.
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Siemens/The College Board: Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement
Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement fosters intensive research that improves students' understanding of the value of scientific study and informs their consideration of future careers in these disciplines. Maximum award: $100,000 college scholarship. Eligibility: students must enrolled in high school (grades 9-12) during the 2013-14 school year, individually or as a team. Deadline: September 30, 2013.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"We send these books to them in their little name, with their name on it. They look forward to go into the mailbox. This is theirs. This is mine. So I am going to either learn to read it, or I'm going to make somebody teach me how to read it." -- Dolly Parton on the PBS NewsHour, explaining how her foundation distributes almost 700,000 books a month to children. Parton recounts that her father, whom she calls "a brilliant man," could neither read nor write.

 

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