[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast — Sept. 10, 2013

[Art Snyder]

                September 10, 2013 - In This Issue:
       How to raise math and science scores in real life
  Schools foundations are uncharitable
  Scraping by in Mississippi
  The dearth of black male teachers
  The other parent factor
  Ripe for reform
  When you evaluate preschools
  Pervasive myths
  BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            
How to raise math and science scores in real life

If Massachusetts were a country, its eighth graders would rank second in the world in science and sixth in math, according to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss), reports Kenneth Chang in The New York Times. Behind Massachusetts's raw numbers are two decades of sustained efforts. The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 had three core components: more money (mostly to the urban schools), ambitious academic standards, and a high-stakes test that students had to pass before collecting high school diplomas. All students were taught algebra before high school. Parents were not offered vouchers for private schools. The state did not close poorly performing schools, eliminate tenure for teachers, or add merit pay. Some charters were allowed, but not many. Then the state stayed the course, even when many urban schools performed poorly on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Since then, test scores have risen markedly. Some credit the added money; others note successful countries operate schools at much lower costs. Some think high-stakes testing imposes accountability; others say it takes away time from learning. Some feel standards give clarity to what was expected of teachers and students; others find little correlation between standards and student performance. And some feel all three components were essential to the reform's success.?More


 
Schools foundations are uncharitable
In Hillsborough, California, public school parents get a request from the Hillsborough Schools Foundation for $2,300 per child, writes Rob Reich in an op-ed in The New York Times. The town's median household income is $250,000. Twenty ?miles away is East Palo Alto, where median household income is $48,700, and there is no schools foundation. When donors give to their child's school or district, their deductible contribution is treated by the federal government in the same way as a donation to a food bank or disaster relief. But these are not donations to the poor or people in crisis, Reich says. By lowering taxes for donors and diminishing tax revenues that would otherwise have been distributed to rich and poor schools alike, federal and state governments are subsidizing donations to the well-to-do and are complicit in deepening existing inequalities. Reich feels we can do much to improve this upside-down system of charity. First, wealthy school foundations like Hillsborough's should honor the equality-promoting standards released by the National Commission on Civic Investment in Public Education, which at a minimum require private giving to be aggregated across schools and shared equally within a school district; it could also channel private giving to support poor districts. Second, we should support political and tax reforms. Third, Congress should differentiate or eliminate charitable status for local education foundations.??More



Scraping by in Mississippi
With school underway throughout Mississippi, superintendents have few options for meeting district needs, writes Jackie Mader for The Clarion Ledger. Since 1997, Mississippi has fully funded its school system just three times, shortchanging schools by an estimated $1 billion in the past four years alone. Many feel Mississippi's lagging test scores and dismal graduation rates can't be fixed without better funding. Sixty-two percent of Mississippi's students graduate from high school within four years; one out of three eighth-graders attends a school without a science lab. Many Mississippi teachers have looked elsewhere for assistance: On DonorsChoose.org, nine Jackson Public Schools teachers have requested $7,000 for basic supplies. Since 1997, districts have been funded based on a complex formula known as the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which takes into account average daily attendance and percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. A new law mandates counting only students present for 63 percent or more of the instructional day. "A lot of the districts that are screaming they need more money because they're low-performing, they're already spending more than other districts," said Rep. John Moore, Republican, chair of the Mississippi House Education Committee. "If we went in tomorrow and doubled the amount of spending that we're putting in education, there's no data that shows that it would increase test scores."?More



The dearth of black male teachers
A post on the Albert Shanker Institute blog by Travis Bristol discusses the lack of black male teachers in public education. Some fault the academic under-achievement of black males, making them less likely to attain degrees in higher education. But many researchers and policymakers have failed to ask why many who do graduate and enter teaching go on to leave. Districts and schools, particularly urban ones, have as much difficulty retaining black male teachers as recruiting, Bristol says. An analysis of longitudinal data from the Schools and Staffing Survey found that minority male teachers, especially black, were more likely to move to other schools than teachers from other sub-groups. A meta-analysis of turnover and retention among teachers of color identified just one study that focused on black male teachers, and it found that they left the profession at higher rates than other groups. Little empirical research exists on how working conditions influence decisions for sub-groups. With the help of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University, Bristol designed a Black Male Teacher Environment survey and administered it to black male teachers in the Boston Public Schools. Survey responses indicate that those who are the only black male teacher on staff are more likely to want to leave their current schools. And despite ongoing efforts to increase black male teachers in the workforce, black men are more often movers and leavers when compared to other sub-groups.?More



The other parent factor
The recent New York Times article on youthful hiring in charters focused on high turnover, but overlooked another downside, writes Sarah Mosle in Slate Magazine. Many charters launch with few or no adults on staff who know parenthood and the inner workings of adult family life firsthand. Mosle herself was a Teach for America recruit 20 years ago when single and childless, then returned to teaching after having a child. She is acutely aware of how parenting has made her a better teacher, she writes. For instance, "I am more flexible about discipline, in part because I'd never want my daughter to be so docile she wouldn't rock the boat." She has an understanding that "children's lives are not static but instead endlessly fluid." Mosle gets agreement from Ryan Hill, founding principal of a KIPP school in Newark, New Jersey. When he started the school in 2002, he thought of it like a Silicon Valley startup, demanding 100 hours a week from himself and teachers. But the inevitable followed: Original teachers began to marry and start families, just as they were blossoming as educators. The charter was confronting issues like maternity leave. Unlike some charter proponents, Hill recognizes the value of his veteran teachers. "Our people who are proven, who are good, are so irreplaceable," he told Mosle. "It was just not an option for us to lose them."??More


     
Ripe for reform
A new analysis from the Manhattan Institute of teacher compensation in the nation's 10 largest districts finds that two reforms -- neither of which increase spending -- would allow districts to raise teacher salaries; offer greater retirement security than teachers now have; make teaching more attractive to people unsure they'll work for decades in the same district; and offer teachers more control over when they stop working. First, districts should adopt retirement systems where benefits accrue smoothly, year after year, without sudden, arbitrary jumps late in a teacher's working life. This allows talented people to teach for part of their career, or in more than one district, without harming their retirement. It also ends the unfair practice that places the majority of teachers on an insecure retirement savings path to support more generous pensions for the minority who work a full career in one system. Second, districts should increase compensation paid directly as salary, and reduce compensation devoted to retirement benefits, thereby matching the norm for similarly situated workers in the private sector. This would substantially increase teacher take-home pay in some systems. The paper asserts that these changes in teacher compensation would likely have a positive effect on teacher quality and student achievement without the need for higher taxes or reduced services.?More


When you evaluate preschools

A new study in the journal Science finds that preschools highly ranked by state evaluation systems produce student outcomes not significantly better than lower-ranked programs, because the evaluations include too many indicators, reports Christina Samuels in Education Week. Researchers examined the connection between student learning and Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) that have been created to evaluate preschools and share rankings with the public. The federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, as well as funding from states and foundations, have prompted widespread adoption of these systems, with nearly every state having or developing a QRIS. The study used data from two studies by the National Center for Early Development and Learning: the Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten and the Statewide Early Education Programs. Together, the studies give detailed information on prekindergarten teachers, children, and classrooms in 11 states between 2001 and 2004. After linking outcomes to the evaluation measures, researchers found that teacher interactions had the highest connection to student learning, followed by learning environment. Teacher qualifications, class size, and family partnerships had a weaker and sometimes inconsistent connection. Thus, rating systems that combined all those measures also had a weaker and less consistent connection to child outcomes.?More


Pervasive myths
In a post on her Digital/Edu blog for The Hechinger Report, Anya Kamenetz examines three pervasive education reform myths. The first is "disruptive innovation" -- an idea so different it creates an entirely new market and "value network" (e.g., mass-produced automobiles, personal computing) -- as a positive. Some argue it's disruptive in the wrong ways for public agencies and services. For instance, with widespread closings of "underperforming" schools in Chicago, poor kids have stayed in their neighborhoods because they are less accessible by public transportation and more divided by gang violence. High-achieving kids have transferred across neighborhood lines into higher-achieving schools, but low-testing kids have stayed put, transferring to schools marginally better than the ones they left. The second is the notion of "digital natives." Repeated studies show that youth use the internet in simple and passive ways, are not adept multi-taskers, and rarely use technology to create content rather than consume it. Third is the idea of learning styles. Few agree what the styles are -- visual? kinetic? reflective? impulsive? -- and experiments fail to sort people reliably. Different modes might be better suited to different kinds of lessons, not people. Also, Kamenetz says, learning is difficult. Instructing in a style they prefer might not be the best way to challenge them to understand difficult material.?More


BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
Plus ca change
California education officials have presented a proposal that would immediately do away with the standardized tests in reading, math, and social science that have assessed student learning and school performance since the late 1990s in favor of new ones.?More
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Monitoring the purse strings
A group of advocacy organizations want to influence how the Los Angeles Unified School District spends the extra $188 million it'll be receiving each year as part of the state's?new Local Control Funding Formula.?More
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A step in the right direction
This fall, 7,218 undocumented students in California have received Cal Grants from the state totaling $31 million.?More
BRIEFLY NOTED?
Strings attached
To get a two-year extension of their waivers, states must reaffirm commitment to college- and career-ready standards and tests as well as differentiated accountability systems that focus on closing achievement gaps, according to guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Education.?More
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Not to his taste
An Alabama state senator is calling on educators in his state to effectively ban Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, even though--or perhaps because--the book is on the list of "text exemplars" for 11th graders in the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts.?More
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Fails the smell test
Nearly one in three public school teachers got the top rating in the first year of Louisiana's new job evaluations, while 4 percent were labeled as ineffective.?More
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Nice work
The pass rate on Advanced Placement tests went up by 72 percent last year at high schools that took part in a National Math and Science Initiative program that trains teachers and gives students extra help on Saturdays.?More
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Conundrum
Because new Washington state money for full-day kindergartens can't be used to fund capital projects for new classroom space, putting it to use has brought logistical and financial challenges for some districts.?More
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Near miss
Seattle teachers have voted to approve a new two-year contract, ending the possibility of a strike and ensuring that students returned to school on time.?More
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Bellwether?
The first Atlanta school administrator to face trial in the largest school cheating scandal in the country has been found not guilty.?More

GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES


New Leaders: Aspiring Principals Program
New Leaders for New Schools is currently accepting applications for candidates who meet 10 selection criteria (see website) and want to lead change for children in low-income communities by becoming urban public school principals.? Candidates should have a record of success in leading adults, an expertise in K-12 teaching and learning, a relentless drive to lead an excellent urban school, and most importantly, an unyielding belief in the potential of every child to achieve academically at high levels. Eligibility: a minimum of 2-3 years of successful K-12 instruction experience; a teaching certificate preferred. This application is for candidates who are not currently in a school-based instructional or instructional leadership role and do not work in a district, charter management organization (CMO), or city that is offering the Emerging Leaders Program.
Deadline: October 24, 2013.
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AIA/NAR: Team America Rocketry Challenge
The Team America Rocketry Challenge is the world's largest rocket contest, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). Teams of three to ten students design, build, and fly a model rocket that reaches a specific altitude and duration determined by a set of rules developed each year. The contest is designed to encourage students to study math and science and pursue careers in aerospace. The top 100 teams go to Washington, D.C. for the national finals in May. Maximum award: $60,000 in cash and scholarships split between the top 10 finishers. NASA invites top teams to participate in its Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program. Eligibility: The application for a team must come from a single school or a single U.S. incorporated non-profit youth or educational organization (excluding the National Association of Rocketry, Tripoli Rocketry Association, or any other rocket club or organization). Team members must be students who are currently enrolled in grades 7 through 12 in a U.S. school or homeschool. Teams may have members from other schools or other organizations and may obtain financing from any source, not limited to their sponsoring organization. Teams must be supervised by an adult approved by the principal of the sponsoring school, or by an officially-appointed adult leader of their sponsoring organization. Minimum team size is three students and maximum is ten students. Each student member must make a significant contribution to the designing, building, and/or launching of the team's entry. Deadline: November 30, 2013.
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CVS Caremark: Community Grants
CVS Caremark Community Grants give funds to nonprofit organizations for programs targeting children with disabilities, programs focusing on health and rehabilitation services,?public schools promoting a greater level of inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs, and initiatives that give greater access to physical movement and play. Additionally, some contributions are made to organizations that provide uninsured individuals with needed care, in particular programs where the care received is of higher quality and delivered by providers who participate in accountable community health care programs. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: nonprofit organizations with programs targeting children with disabilities; public schools with programs for children under age 18 with disabilities. Deadline: October 31, 2011.
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USGA/Alliance: Grants for the Good of the Game
The National Alliance for Accessible Golf (Alliance) and the United States Golf Association (USGA) believe that golf should be open to everyone and support a wide variety of programs that create opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in the sport. They especially encourage inclusive programming-- opportunities that allow participants with disabilities and participants without disabilities to learn and play the game side by side. Maximum award: $20,000. Eligibility: tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations as defined under Section SOl(c) 3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code or government entities such as public schools or municipalities. Deadline: rolling.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"Either you have to pay now (for preschool), or you're going to have to pay a guy like me later." -- Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca, who oversees a prison system of 19,000 inmates, heading a lobbying effort by more than 1,000 police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors to convince Congress to enact the Obama administration's plan to expand preschool to every 4-year-old in the country.


 

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