[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast — Sept. 4, 2013

[Art Snyder]

                September 4, 2013 - In This Issue:
       50 years later, what bars social mobility
  Our middle-skills gap
  Actually, small high schools work
  Teaching as a short-term stint
  Rolling back SPED allowances
  Trouble in waiverland
  More trouble in waiverland
  Steeling themselves for the CCSS
  BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            
50 years later, what bars social mobility

The resources that the affluent devote to their children are driving a gap between the academic outcomes of well-to-do children and everyone else, writes Sarah Garland in The Atlantic Monthly. That widening divide means kids born poor and kids born rich are increasingly likely to stay that way. When Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech a half-century ago, blacks lagged whites in school by more than three years. At the time, those in the 10th percentile of income lagged affluent children by a year. Fifty years on, social class is the chief determiner of opportunity in America. The country is far from fulfilling King's dream that race no longer limit opportunity, but parental income is more and more significant. According to a 2011 study from Stanford, the test-score gap between children of the poor (10th percentile of income) and children of the wealthy (90th percentile) has expanded by 40 percent and is 50 percent larger than the black-white achievement gap -- a reversal of 50 years ago. Middle-class children are also losing ground. The test-score gap between middle-income (50th?percentile) and poor children has stayed steady; the gap between affluent kids and middle-class kids is expanding. And though more poor and middle-income children are completing college, this is outstripped by the growth in college graduates among the wealthiest.?More


 
Our middle-skills gap

President Obama's near-exclusive focus on college leaves little room for apprenticeships and other pathways to rewarding careers, write Robert Lerman and Nicholas Wyman in a post on the PBS NewsHour website. Two out of every five young adults have no job, yet there is a shortage of machinists, computer numerical controllers, electricians, welders, healthcare technicians, and dozens of other middle-skill professions. The middle-skills gap stems from a general neglect of vocational education. However, some are addressing these problems: In New York City, 'P-Tech' school, a collaboration of IBM, the City's Education Department, and CUNY, offers a STEM-oriented, grades 9-to-14 curriculum with work-based learning that leads to a high school diploma and associate's degree. And in South Carolina, educators, employers, and the state government are collaborating to expand high school career and technical education, support a first-rate system of state technical colleges, and increase apprenticeships. In Pickens County in Appalachia, youth train for careers in grammar school, where they get hands-on experience with STEM concepts and problem-solving. This continues at the Career & Technical Center, where high school students access industry-experienced teachers and machine tools, computers, robotic systems, and other equipment. Local CEOs work with the superintendent on issues facing the local economy, and company managers and technicians regularly visit classrooms where they work with teachers and promising students. Since its 2007 launch, the program has increased apprenticeships in South Carolina sixfold. Its cost is a $1,000-per-apprentice-per-year state tax credit -- cheap, relative to the return to the state economy and income and sales taxes that 9,000 skilled people will pay over their working lives.??More



Actually, small high schools work

New findings from a multi-year study by MDRC show that small high schools in New York City, which serve mostly disadvantaged students of color, continue to produce sustained positive effects, raising graduation rates by 9.5 percentage points -- nearly 10 more graduates for every 100 entering ninth-grade students.?These effects are seen in virtually every subgroup, including male and female students of color, students with below-grade-level eighth-grade proficiency in math and reading, and low-income students. In addition, there is evidence that small high schools may increase graduation rates for two new subgroups for which findings were previously unavailable: special education students and English language learners. The schools also raise by 6.8 percentage points the proportion of students scoring 75 or more on the English Regents exam, a critical measure of college readiness used by the City University of New York.?Two prior reports by MDRC in 2010 and 2012 showed marked increases in progress toward graduation and in graduation rates for cohorts of students who entered these small high schools in 2005 and 2006. This report updates those findings with results from a third cohort, who entered ninth grade in fall of 2007. For the first time, it also includes a look inside these schools through the eyes of principals and teachers, as reported in interviews and focus groups.?More



Teaching as a short-term stint

Charter networks are developing a youth cult of teaching for two to five years, writes Motoko Rich in The New York Times. Teachers in traditional public schools have an average of 14 years' experience, and policymakers have long prioritized a reduction in teacher turnover, but charters are redefining the arc of a teaching career. Studies show that on average, teacher turnover diminishes student achievement. Some feel programs like Teach for America fill a need in the short run, but training and working environments must be improved so teachers invest in long careers. Many argue that charters are driving teachers away with longer hours and school years, and higher workplace demands. They also say schools and students need stability, and a system of serial short-timers is not replicable across districts nationwide. Charter leaders say they sustain rapid turnover in teaching staff because they prepare recruits and coach them as they progress. Given the increase in applicants who do not anticipate a life in teaching, districts are beginning to reward teachers for shorter trajectories: In D.C., Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson said high-performing teachers could be paid $80,000 by their third year of teaching. Charter leaders say similar pay structures could persuade their best teachers to stay longer, given that some leave sooner because the pay is low.?More



Rolling back SPED allowances

Since President Barack Obama came into office, his administration has upheld and advanced policies that increased the stakes of standardized testing, arguing that student progress trumps other concerns, writes Joy Resmovits for The Huffington Post. A 2003 NCLB regulation allowed states to use "alternate achievement standards" for up to 1 percent of students with the most challenging cognitive disabilities. In 2007, the Education Department (ED) tweaked the law to allow 2 percent of students per state to learn a curriculum based on "modified" objectives to be measured on an aligned test. Since then, a consortium representing special education students, including organizations such as the Easter Seals and the National Center for Learning Disabilities, have pushed to end the allowance. The Obama administration has now posted a proposal to roll it back, with states already administering alternate tests to use them for the last time this school year. The administration can act on its own accord, and is gathering feedback from the public until October 7 before making a final decision. States could still count 1 percent of kids, those with the most severe disabilities, as proficient on alternate assessments, even under the new regulations. The National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, plans to submit public comments in opposition to the proposal.??More


     
Trouble in waiverland

The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE) has released a report that seriously questions accountability plans under NCLB waivers, specifically whether use of "super subgroups" will result in fewer students of color receiving the supports and interventions they need. The waivers allow 41 states and the District of Columbia to create accountability systems that support only 15 percent of schools within a state, with 85 percent of schools receiving little help. Far fewer schools are being identified as Priority or Focus Schools under waivers: Specifically, 22 states identified fewer Title I schools and/or fewer schools overall, with some states like Missouri and Ohio identifying more than 400 fewer schools. In New Mexico, approximately 317 fewer schools were identified; and in the District of Columbia, 98 fewer. In 11 states with waivers, schools pegged for intervention dropped by more than 100. While some reasonably argue that current law over-identifies low-performing schools, the vast discrepancy in number of schools identified is troubling. CHSE urges the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to ensure that low achievement and graduation rates among African-American students, Asian and Pacific Islander students, English language learners, students with disabilities, Native students, Latino students, and economically disadvantaged students will each trigger clear interventions. ED should also strengthen requirements for states to focus on narrowing achievement gaps by maintaining its policy on reporting student achievement, but strengthening its policy on accountability for student subgroups.?More



More trouble in waiverland

In light of the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) placing three states on "high-risk status" for problems with NCLB waivers, sweeping flexibility in school accountability is clearly fraught with pitfalls, writes Michele McNeil in Education Week. Tying teacher evaluations to student growth has been one problem, but federal officials are also concerned about other issues: how states like Arizona, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will promote significant improvement in lowest-performing "priority" schools that haven't received School Improvement Grants; how states like Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah are intervening in schools with poor progress from specific student subgroups; and whether Florida, Louisiana, and South Dakota are measuring graduation rates in a meaningful way. Most waivers expire at the end of 2013-14, and ED will issue guidance about the renewal process. To that end, the department is conducting two levels of monitoring. The first level involves 90-minute phone calls with each state, and follow-up reports posted on the department's website. In the next level, federal officials will conduct site visits in each state for in-depth interviews about waiver implementation. States with greater problem areas and larger Title I grants (usually because of student-enrollment size) have priority. Federal officials have piloted on-site monitoring already with Louisiana and Colorado, which got waivers last year.?More



Steeling themselves for the CCSS
A new report from the Center on Education Policy finds that 27 states have already taken steps to assess student mastery of the Common Core (CCSS) by modifying state tests, or will do so before consortia-developed assessments are ready in 2014-2015. Officials in 30 states expect assessments developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium to better measure higher-order analytical and performance skills than current tests. Twenty-seven states in the consortia say the new assessments will drive instruction in positive ways, and a majority of states view the consortia assessments as an improvement over state tests in math (26 states) and in English language arts (25). Still, 17 survey states are considering using other CCSS-aligned assessments in addition to or instead of consortia tests, including three states that belong to neither consortia and 14 that were members of one or both at the time of survey. Anticipating lower passing rates on tests aligned to the CCSS, 19 states are working with districts to offer extra assistance and remediation for students who fail the exams. Many states report prospective challenges in administering CCSS-aligned assessments, including in developing, adopting, and implementing new or revised tests; providing technology and related support to administer online consortia-developed assessments; and ensuring state education agencies have sufficient staffing, expertise, and funding to implement a CCSS-aligned testing system.?More


BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
More time can't hurt
A measure signed by Gov. Jerry Brown will let aspiring teachers pursue an additional year of training, extending the maximum length of graduate teaching programs to two years.?More
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Now, to implement it
After years of meetings, a new plan to improve and expand early childhood education programs in California has been published.?More
BRIEFLY NOTED?
That should help our PISA scores
Chinese officials hope to rein in teachers who assign too much homework, as the country's Ministry of Education consider new rules that ban schools from requiring students to complete written tasks at home.?More
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Excellent news
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation plans to invest $5 million to enhance and develop family engagement efforts to support the education of children from birth to age 8 living in low-income and/or minority communities.?More
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Change is painful
After just one year, some schools around the country are dropping out of the healthier new federal lunch program, complaining that so many students turned up their noses at meals packed with whole grains, fruits and vegetables that the cafeterias were losing money.?More
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Part of the solution
A government survey has found 44% of school districts banned junk food from vending machines last year, up from 30% in 2006, including a drop in how many districts took a cut of soft drink sales, received donations from soda companies, or allowed soda-company advertising.?More
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Sobering
A new report from Share Our Strength finds that public school teachers spend $37 a month of their own money buying food for hungry students, on average, based on an "on-the-ground view of hunger" from 1,200 teachers and principals of kindergarten through eighth grade.?More
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Those bonuses in Newark
One hundred ninety Newark public-school teachers have learned they'll be getting bonuses in a merit-pay program funded by Mark Zuckerberg's foundation; only 3,200 teachers were eligible to begin with, and even fewer? -- 11 teachers -- qualified for the full bonus amount of $12,500.?More
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Viable alternatives
Iowa legislation has led to a state boom in technical high school education.?More
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Not to be left out
The GED test, which students must pass to receive the equivalent of a high school diploma, will soon reflect the Common Core.?More
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Good thinking
This year, Delaware is looking to hire 30 licensed professionals, such as social workers and mental health counselors, to serve as middle school behavioral health consultants in each district.?More
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A good thing?
The federal government has awarded Louisiana $158,085 to cover the costs of administering Advancement Placement tests to low-income high school students.?More

GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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IRA: Teacher as Researcher Grant
International Reading Association Teacher as Researcher grants support classroom teachers who undertake action research inquiries about literacy and instruction. Maximum award: $4,000. Eligibility: All applicants must be members of the International Reading Association (IRA) and practicing pre-K-12 teachers with full time or permanent half time teaching responsibilities (includes librarians, Title I teachers, classroom teachers, and resource teachers). Classroom teachers will be given preference. Applicants may apply as a collaborative group or individually. Deadline: November 1, 2013.
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NCTM: Professional Development Grants for Grades PreK-5 Teachers
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Professional Development Grants for Grades PreK-5 Teachers support professional development to improve the competence in the teaching of mathematics of one or more?classroom teachers. Maximum award: $3,000. Eligibility: current (as of October 15, 2013)?Full Individual or E-Members of NCTM or teachers at a school with a current (as of October 15, 2013) NCTM Pre-K8 school membership currently teaching at the grades PreK-5 level and with three or more years teaching experience. Deadline: November 11, 2013.
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NGA/Mantis: Mantis Award
The National Gardening Association Mantis Awards to charitable and educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their host communities. Maximum award: NGA selects 19 outstanding applicants to receive Mantis tiller/cultivators. Eligibility: Applicants must operate a charitable or educational program that is not-for-profit in the United States. Deadline: March 7, 2014.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"Some in Congress would reduce the federal government to a passive check-writer, asking nothing in return for taxpayers' funds. And they would lock in major cuts to education funding at a time when continued investment in education is the only way we can remain globally competitive." -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, arguing in an op-ed for the administration's preferred version of ESEA reauthorization.


 

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