[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast — January 27, 2015

[Gifted and Talented in Ohio Discussion List]

                            January 27, 2015 - In This Issue:
       Sweeping changes, if adopted
  When reforms collide
  A litmus test for the Common Core
  Reforms without evaluation
  No hard conclusions for No Excuses
  Extended learning time, extensive benefits
  Allocated time ≠ learning time
  BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            Sweeping changes, if adopted
President Barack Obama used his penultimate State of the Union address to call for a dramatic expansion in college access and increased investments in early childhood that include help for parents with childcare costs, reports Alyson Klein for Education Week. The initiatives would be part of a proposed overhaul of the tax system already rejected by the Republican-controlled Congress. The president's speech made a prominent pitch for making the first two years of community college free for most students. The plan would offer nine million students an average of $3,800 a year to cover college costs -- an estimated federal price tag of $60 billion over a decade -- that would be covered through changes to the tax system that include raising the capital gains tax (which impacts investors), hiking the amount of inherited money subject to taxation, and placing new fees on financial institutions. Though Republicans have already dismissed the tax overhaul, the president framed the tradeoff as a way to support middle-class taxpayers, whom he said fueled the nation's economic recovery. However, Mr. Obama stayed above the fray on a key K-12 policy debate in Congress: As it rewrites NCLB, should the federal government should continue to require annual testing? More
 When reforms collide
Great Neck, New York teacher Sheri Lederman was an early believer in the Common Core, writes Amanda Fairbanks in The Atlantic Monthly. She was drawn to the idea that students across states could develop similar knowledge bases and skill sets for subject areas. That changed with the concurrent rollout of new standards on top of harder tests and a stringent new state teacher-evaluation system based on test outcomes. In the span of a year, Lederman's evaluation score dropped 13 percentage points, demoting her to "ineffective." In October, she filed suit against the state's education department, alleging the new evaluations punish teachers. Her lawsuit is part of a major backlash nationally against both teacher evaluations and the Common Core. Essentially, two groups of reformers -- for new standards and for teacher evaluations -- pressed their agenda at exactly the same time, ignoring what counterparts were doing. The collision may ultimately derail both ideas. Some supporters of the Common Core have blamed the Obama administration for stepping in with its own ambitious initiatives, sowing further confusion. The federal Race to the Top, for instance, incentivized states to attempt a mix of reforms simultaneously. The fallout has been an indefinite delay to accountability efforts in some states, and a re-examination of using student outcomes in teacher evaluations. More
A litmus test for the Common Core
Last fall, Louisiana's Education Superintendent John White drove to churches, schools, and Chamber of Commerce halls to promote the Common Core Standards to a state whose governor no longer wanted them, writes Kyle Spencer for Politico. White, once favored, is now the governor's most celebrated public enemy. The appeal of the Common Core, adopted by Louisiana's board of education in 2010, was that it wasn't punitive or piecemeal like many earlier reforms. Because it asked every teacher in the state to present more rigorous material, many hoped for a curative effect on a beleaguered system. But some feel White failed to see where opposition could form. Many parents learned about the standards only when they showed up in their kids' backpacks, so the notion that they were an Obama imposition easily went viral. White has held his ground, and Louisiana's 700,000 students are now learning material aligned with the standards and preparing for spring tests. He retains the support of Louisiana's board of education, its legislature, and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. Yet battle lines are drawn for the spring legislative session. Whether White can squash the rebellion may indicate whether less politically skilled reformers can salvage the standards in their own states, and whether low-performing states will undertake widespread reform after all. More
Reforms without evaluation
A new report from the OECD offers a detailed look at 450 education reforms adopted across OECD countries between 2008 and 2014. Sixteen percent focused on ensuring quality and equity in education; 29 percent aimed to better prepare students for the future, in some cases via vocational education or work-based training and apprenticeships; 24 percent focused on school improvement through development of positive learning environments and quality staff; and 12 percent focused on assessment. Given that the governance of education systems has become increasingly complex, 9 percent of reforms elaborated overarching visions. Eleven percent of all reform measures addressed funding at the system level, the institutional level, and the student level. For all of this -- critically -- the report finds that once most new policies are adopted, countries conduct little follow-up. Only 10 percent of policies that the OECD looked at had been evaluated for impact. Measuring impact more rigorously and consistently, the report notes, is not only cost-effective in the long run, it is essential for developing useful, practicable, and successful policy options. One in five 15-year-olds in OECD countries does not acquire the minimum skills necessary to participate fully in today's society. More
No hard conclusions for No Excuses
A new review from NEPC of a report evaluating "No Excuses" charters says it substantially overstates findings that the schools are closing achievement gaps between white and minority students. The reviewed meta-analysis examined 10 quasi-experimental studies of "No Excuses" charters, which it defined as having high academic standards; strict disciplinary codes; longer school days, or years, or both; and strong support for low-performing students. It compared achievement outcomes of students chosen in lotteries to attend such schools with students who entered lotteries but were not chosen. It concluded that students attending "No Excuses" schools showed, on average, achievement gains of 0.16 of a standard deviation in English-language arts and 0.25 of a standard deviation in mathematics. It acknowledged, however, that schools studied were not representative of charters without lotteries or that do not use a "No Excuses" approach. Other limitations of the report, not noted by its authors, include that "treated" and "control students" themselves aren't representative of the broader student population -- students who apply to no-excuses, over-enrolled charters are a self-selected group -- and that the meta-analysis draws from studies with relatively small samples of schools concentrated in the urban Northeast. The report also overlooks how student attrition at various schools might have affected individual study findings as well as the meta-analysis. More
     Extended learning time, extensive benefits
A new report from ReadyNation is critical of our 19th-century school schedule, designed when students went home to milk cows, air-conditioning didn't exist, and mothers worked in the home. This outdated calendar is especially harmful over the summer, when children forget knowledge and lose skills. Among disadvantaged students alone, learning loss wastes $21 billion of taxpayer dollars nationwide. Several cities are addressing this challenge. Rochester, New York has expanded the school day with the help of community partners, changing how students are taught; many New York City schools are slated to follow suit. Charters in New York City and Boston that have adopted more learning time enjoy outstanding results, as do regular public schools in Massachusetts and Texas. The U.S. Department of Education found that schools with expanded time allocate more of the day to math, science, social studies, PE, and music than those with a traditional schedule. They also use time better: Data informs teaching, students receive individualized support, and enrichment is a staple. These schools closely track student progress, create expectations for students to succeed and avoid misbehavior, and hold teachers and administrators accountable. For more productive employees now, and more productive youth in the future, policymakers must invest in greater and better learning time and bring our school schedules into the 21st century. More
Allocated time ≠ learning time
A new article in Voices in Urban Education by Nicole Mirra and John Rogers points out that allocated classroom time does not necessarily equal time for learning, and that a host of economic and social stressors undermine learning time in schools with low-income students. The number of days and minutes students spend in classrooms is similar across most California high schools, but the authors learned through a survey of 800 teachers that the experience of days and minutes differs drastically across communities. Teachers were asked how many students in typical classes were affected by economic and social challenges such as hunger or lack of medical or dental care. Across all ten listed stressors, teachers in high-poverty schools reported far more students impacted than in low-poverty and low-and-mixed-poverty schools, though typical class size did not differ. On any day, there's a 39 percent chance that at least one stressor affects learning time in a high-poverty classroom, compared with a 13 percent chance in low-poverty classrooms. Over the school year, high-poverty schools experience more disruptions like teacher absence, emergency lockdowns, and preparation for standardized tests. They also face daily time-loss factors like incorporation of new students or calls from the main office. The time loss adds up to roughly two weeks' learning time over the course of the year, and about 30 minutes per day. More
          BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
 
Early learning, common ratings
For the first time in California, thousands of early-learning centers in most of the state, from preschools to licensed child-care centers and homes, are in the process of implementing a common system to rate the quality of their programs. More
 
Non-compliant
Major California districts are failing to comply with a state law that requires them to evaluate teachers in part by how much their students have learned. More
 
His word is not bond
Determined to shed long-term state debt, Gov. Jerry Brown wants the state to cease issuing K-12 school construction bonds, leaving districts to pay for building and renovating schools. More
 
Daunted
Calling the new state-mandated local accountability plans "a daunting undertaking," the California Legislative Analyst's Office called on the Legislature to allow districts to write more focused annual plans for achievement. More
 
No vaccine? No dice.
Orange County's Health Care Agency has ordered more than 20 students without proof of immunization to stay home from Huntington Beach High School for the next three weeks after a measles-infected student was identified there. More

BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
 
Early learning, common ratings
For the first time in California, thousands of early-learning centers in most of the state, from preschools to licensed child-care centers and homes, are in the process of implementing a common system to rate the quality of their programs. More
 
Non-compliant
Major California districts are failing to comply with a state law that requires them to evaluate teachers in part by how much their students have learned. More
 
His word is not bond
Determined to shed long-term state debt, Gov. Jerry Brown wants the state to cease issuing K-12 school construction bonds, leaving districts to pay for building and renovating schools. More
 
Daunted
Calling the new state-mandated local accountability plans "a daunting undertaking," the California Legislative Analyst's Office called on the Legislature to allow districts to write more focused annual plans for achievement. More
 
No vaccine? No dice.
Orange County's Health Care Agency has ordered more than 20 students without proof of immunization to stay home from Huntington Beach High School for the next three weeks after a measles-infected student was identified there. More

          BRIEFLY NOTED 
 
Another ultimatum
Maine must make changes to its teacher - and principal - evaluation rules or risk losing a waiver from No Child Left Behind. More
 
They were misinformed
The cost of testing Wisconsin students over the next two years will be at least $7.2 million more than originally estimated, state documents show. More
 
Even Detroit's
Compared with big-city peers, the Philadelphia School District spends less per pupil than almost any other education system in the country -- even Detroit's. More
 
PARCCing prohibited
Mississippi is withdrawing from PARCC as it prepares to seek new bids for state tests. More
 
Big spender
In his State of the State address, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval called for a $1.1 billion tax increase and a major expansion of education programs. More
 
Can't hurt
The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has decided that pre-school teachers must take classes of their own to learn more about young children's care and development. More

          
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES


  
Fund for Teachers
Fund for Teachers enriches the personal and professional growth of teachers by recognizing and supporting them as they identify and pursue opportunities around the globe that will have the greatest impact on their practice, the academic lives of their students and on their school communities. Maximum award: $10,000 for teams; $5,000 for individuals. Eligibility: teachers preK-12 with at least three years' experience and who intend to return to the classroom the following year. Deadline: January 29, 2015. More
 
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 27 - July 3, 2015. 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 demonstrates leadership in school and community and have scored exceptionally well on PSAT/SAT/or ACT. Deadline: February 17, 2015. More 
 
Kohl's Corporation: Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program
Every year, Kohl's recognizes and rewards young volunteers across the country for their amazing contributions to their communities. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: legal U.S. residents of a state in which a Kohl's store is located between the ages of 6 and 18 and not yet a high school graduate as of March 13, 2015. Deadline: March 13, 2015. More
 
  
 Quote of the Week:
 
"[The struggle for civil rights] can be approached in ways that students don't feel that it's relevant. It's something their parents took care of. It's really important to extend Dr. King's message ... taking an intersectional approach, talking about gender stereotypes, class disparities." -- Johanna Eager, director of the Human Rights Campaign's Welcoming Schools program, which gives anti-bias training to teachers around family diversity, gender stereotyping and ending bullying. More


 

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