[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast — Jan. 7, 2014

[Art Snyder]

                                        January 7, 2014 - In This Issue:
                Urban districts advance
      Missing from those Shanghai scores
      The failing schools that suddenly aren't
      SEAs: The time is now
      ELLs and the policies around them
      Toward a (truly) universal pre-K in NYC
      The impact of tablets (elsewhere)
      Hurdles for teacher leaders
      BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
      BRIEFLY NOTED
      GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                                                                                                Urban districts advance
     On  the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), a specially collected and  analyzed data set of the NAEP, reading and mathematics achievement since  2011 rose notably in a few big-city districts, particularly the  District of Columbia and Los Angeles, reports Lesli Maxwell for  Education Week. In math, four out of 21 urban districts saw  statistically significant gains in the 4th grade from 2011 to 2013;  three did so in the 8th grade. On the reading exam, five out of 21  participating districts posted significant gains for at least one grade  level from 2011 to 2013, an improvement from two years ago when  Charlotte-Mecklenburg alone did. Houston, winner of the Broad Prize for  Urban Education for this year, was the one TUDA participant to decline  in reading achievement, with 4th graders there posting scores five  points lower than in 2011. In the decade since TUDA results in reading  and math were first reported, nine out of the 10 originally  participating districts posted greater score gains than the nation in  both subjects. That said, racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps  remain stubbornly large in most urban districts, including those that  demonstrated progress. The urban assessment program incorporates results  for charter schools in a handful of TUDA districts including Los  Angeles, but not the District of Columbia. More. Related
  
  
         Missing from those Shanghai scores
     In  an article on the Education Next website, Tom Loveless writes that the  ranking of Shanghai at the top of the 2012 Programme for International  Student Assessment (PISA) scores is misleading. Shanghai's school system  excludes most migrant students who have moved from rural areas of  China. Shanghai's population today is about 24 million people, with 13  million native residents and 11 million migrants. Exclusionary  enrollment practices are rooted in China's hukou system, centuries-old  but created in its current form by Mao Zedong in 1958 to control  internal mobility. Part domestic passport and part municipal license,  rural hukous bar those holding them from a host city's services like  social welfare programs, healthcare, and much of the school system.  Hukous are also hereditary. PISA publications portray Shanghai as a  paragon of equity. The data indicate officials in Shanghai only count  children with Shanghai hukous as its population of 15 year-olds, and the  OECD accepts those numbers. PISA officials are not shy about offering  policy advice to countries, Loveless writes, especially those they  believe will promote equity: delaying tracking and ability grouping,  reforming immigration, redistributing resources to poorer schools, and  expanding early childhood education, for example. Yet they are silent on  a discriminatory policy affecting millions of Chinese children. More
  
  
        The failing schools that suddenly aren't
  
     A  report from the New America Foundation finds that 4,500 -- or 65  percent -- of schools tagged for improvement under NCLB were eased from  interventions under waivers, since states now employ accountability  systems based on relative, rather than absolute, measures of  performance. Two in three schools identified under NCLB as  low-performing were not deemed so under the new systems. In ten states  (DE, IN, MN, MS, MO, NJ, OK, OR, TN, VA), most schools undergoing  improvement were in their first two years. But in five states (AZ, MA,  NV, RI, SC), at least half of schools eased from interventions had been  in corrective action or restructuring for five or more consecutive  years. The dramatic change is the result of a new federal approach: At  least 15 percent of Title I schools must now be designated priority or  focus. Eleven states (AZ, DE, FL, MA, MN, MO, NV, NJ, RI, SC, VA)  classified fewer priority or focus schools in 2012-13 than under NCLB in  2011-12. The report posits waivers as an opportunity for states to  rethink how they identify and improve their lowest-performing schools,  and recommends an ambitious federal and state research agenda for waiver  implementation, especially as the U.S. Department of Education begins  renewing waivers during 2013-14. More
  
  
        SEAs: The time is now
  
     A  new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education explores  obstacles that inhibit state education agencies (SEAs) from better  supporting school and district improvement. Federal and state  initiatives like the Race to the Top, School Improvement Grants, and the  Common Core State Standards pose challenges most SEAs are unprepared to  meet. To transform from compliance monitors into effective drivers of  reform, SEAs must leverage their authority and funding. Few SEAs engage  in budget analysis around whether investments align with priorities or  are successful, and many fail to hold districts accountable for  implementation of federal programs, instead deferring to "local  control." SEAs are also challenged in finding talent to drive and  sustain transformation: Some are unwilling to replace staff, some change  staff too often based on leadership shifts or disruptive  reorganization. The study recommends that reform-minded chiefs find ways  to repurpose existing resources, improve internal communication, and  cede control to districts and schools already doing good work. Agencies  should be transparent about financial resources, and look for  opportunities to redirect funds and staff in support of school  improvement, seeking state and federal waivers when needed. Most SEAs  can act now to improve student performance, rather than waiting for  greater funding or legal authority, and must identify the sweet spot  where will, authority, and resources come together. More
  
  
        ELLs and the policies around them
  
     A  new brief from the Education Commission of the States examines reform  issues around English Language Learners (ELLs), who as of 2010-11 were  one in every 10 public school students in the United States. More than  25 percent of ELLs speak a language other than Spanish, and 10 percent  speak a language that is not in the top ten; in some states, a majority  of ELLs don't speak top-ten languages. The brief reports that ELLs'  academic performance significantly lags non-ELL peers, a situation that  more rigorous state standards and assessments may exacerbate. Students  in ELL programs over a number of years -- "long-term English learners"  -- fare the worst; many drop out. The means to demonstrate English  proficiency -- and thereby exit an ELL program -- vary from state to  state and district to district. And many classroom teachers lack the  specific knowledge and skills to bring ELLs to proficiency in the four  domains of language acquisition: speaking, listening, reading, and  writing. The brief recommends that ELL intervention and training be  extended to early childhood programs to encourage English acquisition as  early as possible. Teachers need specific knowledge and skills (not  necessarily knowledge of a student's native language) to bring ELLs to  proficiency. Pull-out programs should be minimized, and ELL access to  core standards and the general curriculum be ensured. More
  
  
                       Toward a (truly) universal pre-K in NYC
  
     Mayor  Bill de Blasio has unveiled a campaign to win a tax on high-earning New  Yorkers to vastly improve the city's pre-kindergarten and after-school  programs, reports Al Baker in The New York Times. De Blasio has  assembled a high-powered taskforce and media campaign to apply political  pressure in Albany, where he needs state leaders' approval to raise the  city's tax rate to 4.41 percent, from 3.87 percent, on income over  $500,000, a difference of about $530 for every $100,000 above that  threshold. There will be hurdles. Democrats in the Legislature support  the plan but face re-election next year, as do Republican counterparts  and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Republicans, who have partial control of the  State Senate, have opposed tax increases and can effectively block any  legislation in the chamber. Cuomo, a Democrat who wants to reduce taxes,  has found allies among them, though he also said he supports de  Blasio's ultimate goal; he and legislators could possibly seek  alternative ways to pay for pre-kindergarten expansion, but this would  almost certainly require expanded pre-k across the entire state. The  city media campaign includes a website, upknyc.org, and an accompanying  video of children in school, narrated by de Blasio's wife Chirlane  McCray. The video has been sent to tens of thousands of city residents. More
  
  
        The impact of tablets (elsewhere)
  
   A  new study of mobile learning among fifth graders at a Chicago public  school where 94 percent of students receive free and reduced-price lunch  looks at how teachers and their students used tablets both in class and  at home, reports Katrina Schwartz for KQED. The study, by Project  Tomorrow and Kajeet for Education, found students used tablets more than  anticipated. Though only 56 percent of students envisioned using  tablets for internet research before the study, 93 percent did. Only six  percent of students thought they might use the tablet to create videos;  in fact, 39 percent completed video projects. Other uses included  project work, educational games, homework, checking grades,  communicating with teachers and classmates, receiving reminders, and  organizing schoolwork. Home internet access improved greatly when  students were allowed to bring a device home: At the end of the school  year, 53 percent of students reported having access to high-speed  internet, up from 39 percent, perhaps indicating that parents were  prompted to invest in high-speed connectivity for the entire family. The  study also indicates that teachers can't be expected to immediately  achieve integration with tablets, and need professional development to  understand how to formulate effective lessons as well as time to  experiment and discover value in mobile devices. More
  
        Hurdles for teacher leaders
  
   Why  must teacher leadership be so difficult? asks José Luis Vilson in a  post on the Center for Teaching Quality website. Encouraging teachers in  leadership roles helps all involved: Teachers can demonstrate  professional growth over time and help fill voids in their school,  principals can cultivate leaders in their buildings and work with them  on mentoring new teachers, and students get a teacher with a macro-view  of their school and access to expertise. Yet leadership of this kind  also often requires a level of honesty that our education system doesn't  value. It is also true that sometimes a person who wants her voice  heard isn't trying to be part of the solution, perhaps one reason why  some assuming leadership roles may fear being shut down. The most  effective of us know that our voices come with a responsibility, Vilson  writes: Speaking up means providing more than, "See, the problem is ..."  So teacher leadership is any number of things: creating, facilitating,  and helping matters that directly influence student learning. Curriculum  development? Yes. Data creation? Perhaps. Disciplinarian work?  Possibly. Mentoring other teachers? Absolutely. "Little revolutions"  won't go anywhere if teacher-leadership advocates don't clearly define  the goals. More
  
                        BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
    Urban districts step ahead
   L.A., Fresno, and San Diego Unified showed gains among urban districts on the NAEP. More
    
   Think globally, legislate locally
   Gov.  Brown blasted the notion of government-imposed standards for public  schools in a speech to technology business leaders, saying he opposed  efforts from Washington and Sacramento to dictate education policy. More
    
   Follow the money
   California's  average teacher salary is the fifth highest in the nation this year,  but its per-pupil spending is 12th lowest, indicating the state is  committing an extraordinarily high proportion of each school dollar to  salaries, and relatively little on administration and other school  expenses. More
    
   An ever-expanding price tag
   L.A.  Unified School District is planning to spend more than $700 million to  upgrade servers, pull wires, and connect antiquated schools to a data  grid -- a necessary part of its massive effort to get every student and  teacher on wi-fi. More
    
   Not public, not welcome
   New  eligibility requirements for participating in the California Public  Employees' Retirement System exclude private operators of charter  schools, officials at the California Charter Schools Association say. More
                        BRIEFLY NOTED 
    Rural systems to the fore
   Five winners -- Houston  Independent Schools and several rural districts -- will share $120  million in the second Race to the Top district competition from the U.S.  Department of Education, which again asked districts to come up with  their best education-improvement ideas focusing on personalized  learning. More
    
   Fast and loose
   Louisiana's  controversial school voucher program has too few safeguards to ensure  that participating private schools spend public money properly and  educate the students they admit, a legislative auditor has found. More
    
   More early-learning largesse
   Six states -- Georgia,  Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont -- will  receive $280 million in federal grants in the third round of the Race to  the Top Early Learning Challenge. More
    
   For a total of nine
   The D.C. State Board of Education has voted to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards. More
    
   Trial run
   Seventeen school  districts in Minnesota are testing a new type of evaluation for teachers  that includes pre-evaluation discussions, chats about educators'  strengths and weaknesses, and the establishment of performance goals. More
    
   All together
   Members of 11 school  boards from urban, rural, and suburban districts in New Jersey have  joined with education and community leaders to help local boards  identify strategies to improve student performance and close the  economic achievement gap. More
    
   Meet the new boss
   Mayor Bill de Blasio has  appointed Carmen Fariña, a former top official of the New York City  Education Department, to be New York City Schools Chancellor. More
    
   So that was the problem
   North Carolina State  Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson said that where  education results have fallen short of goals, state application writers  for the Race to the Top were "too aspirational." More
    
   Make way for burgers
   The U.S.D.A. says it's  making permanent rules that allow schools to serve larger portions of  lean meat and whole grains in school lunches and other meals. More
                        
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
 
 
     National Summer Learning Association: Excellence in Summer Learning Award
   The Excellence in Summer  Learning Award recognizes an outstanding summer program that  demonstrates excellence in accelerating academic achievement and  promoting positive development for young people between kindergarten and  12th grade. Award: national recognition, increased press opportunities,  conference presentations and complimentary registrations, professional  development opportunities for staff, and increased publishing  opportunities. Eligibility: public or private organization or agency  (schools, community-based organizations, libraries, universities,  faith-based organizations, etc.) serving young people between the ages  of kindergarten and 12th grade over the summer months. Deadline:  February 14, 2014.
    
   Bezos Family Foundation: Bezos Scholars Program at the Aspen Institute
   The Bezos Scholars Program at the Aspen Institute seeks students who  are independent thinkers, demonstrated leaders, and engaged community  members. Participants meet one another and engage in seminars and  informal meetings with the international leaders, acclaimed thinkers,  and creative artists who participate in the annual Aspen Ideas Festival.  Following attendance at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the student/educator  scholar teams will return home and create Local Ideas Festivals in their  schools. Maximum award: participation in the Aspen Ideas Festival, June  26 - July 2, 2014. Eligibility: applicants' schools must be public high  schools (including charter and magnet schools) where at least 25  percent of students are eligible for the free/reduced lunch program.  Potential scholars must be legal U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in  their junior year with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and be taking Advanced  Placement or International Baccalaureate classes. Scholar applicants  should demonstrate leadership in school and the community and have  scored exceptionally well on PSAT/SAT/or ACT. Deadline: February 18,  2014.
  
    
   QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
   "It's a misconception  that urban school students are not capable of self-discipline. Anyway, I  don't discipline; I harness passion and curiosity. When things look  like they could get out of hand, I notice it quickly and don't let it  escalate. That said, it helps to set boundaries early on. My first year  out of school, I decided I should be as "scary" as possible, then after  that I'd have a "reputation." In truth, I am not that scary." -- East  Oakland teacher Elizabeth Solis.
  
 
   
 
    
  

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