[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast — April 28, 2015

[Art Snyder]

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 ?April 28, 2015 - In This Issue:
Abolishing senior year: a win-win scenario
A better vehicle for reformist passions
Expand learning time
No compelling reason for vouchers
Black is suspendable
Second chances in New Orleans
Regrettable Finnish fairy tales
The states of high school computer science
BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
BRIEFLY NOTED
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
 Abolishing senior year: a win-win scenario
For many high school seniors, spring means high school is over and it's okay to check out, writes Andrew Rotherham for U.S. News & World Report. At the other end of the educational path, many parents struggle to afford high-quality preschool for their four-year-olds. Rotherham's solution: Why not abolish senior year, and use that money for universal access to pre-K? High-quality pre-K programs would cost tens of billions annually, and Rotherham finds most proposals for funding pre-k to be "fanciful": cut the defense budget; close corporate tax loopholes; raise taxes. Yet funding for the 12th grade, if instead put into high-quality pre-k expansion, would increase the return on investment of these public dollars. Nor would replacing senior year mean turning students loose after junior year. Senior year could be used for gap-year activities, remedial and preparatory classes, athletics, vocational training, internships, or national service. The policy change could be seen as an equity strategy: If states invest in remedial and preparatory support, the gap year could diversify participation in higher education. At a minimum, most students would be more mature and prepared for college socially and emotionally after a year's break doing something besides school. More
 A better vehicle for reformist passions
K-12 education reform is an "exhausted, blood-soaked battlefield," writes Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times. Yet something everyone can agree on, and surely a better place to channel reformist passions, is early childhood education. Abundant evidence shows that education early in life can break the poverty cycle. Interventions typically produce cognitive gains that last at least a few years, and produce better life outcomes in terms of incarceration, teen pregnancy, and high school graduation. Education inequity is America's original sin, in Kristoff's view. A majority of American children in public schools receive free or reduced-price lunches, and often have second-rate teachers in second-rate schools -- even as privileged kids have superb teachers. Early education offers a chance for reform progress because it hasn't been politically polarized. That said, there will be battles. Some advocates emphasize the first three years of life, while others focus on four-year-olds. Some target the most at-risk children, while others emphasize universal programs. But early childhood is not (yet) a toxic space. So let's redeploy some of our education passions, on all sides, to an area where we can find common ground, and provide a foundation for young children aged 0 to 5. More
 Expand learning time
Educating students in poverty requires more time than is provided in the traditional school calendar, writes Jennifer Davis of the National Center on Time and Learning in The Hechinger Report. To address socioeconomic disparity, all the research indicates schools must offer more and better in-school learning and enrichment. High-needs students both require and want additional opportunities and supports to flourish. Expanded-time schools across the country have doubled in the past year, which translates to a million new students accessing additional academic hours -- yet this is not enough, Davis says. In 2014, 35 districts in ten states implemented extended time, with other states investigating the policy, but the movement must continue to build. Policymakers must integrate expanded learning time into a comprehensive reform strategy, with incentives for schools and districts that undertake it. Expanded learning time is vital to closing the achievement gap, and can build a foundation for every child who starts life academically behind. Incorporating expanded learning time into school-improvement will significantly impact the achievement gap, according to Davis. More
 No compelling reason for vouchers
A new study from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability finds no measurable difference between Indiana students using school vouchers for private education and their peers in Indiana public schools. Indiana has one of the more comprehensive school-choice programs in the nation. At its core, Indiana choice legislation uses public tax dollars to subsidize school choice in the form of vouchers, state income-tax deductions, and state income-tax credits. The report finds that school choice in Indiana is "designed to funnel taxpayer money to private schools, with little evidence that demonstrates improved academic achievement for students who are most at risk." No independent research on longstanding voucher programs in the U.S. -- Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Washington, D.C. -- has found any statistical evidence that children using vouchers perform better than children who do not and remain in public schools. Indiana spent $115 million on vouchers in 2014-2015, which equates to $115 million of taxpayer money annually diverted from enhancing student achievement by following the evidence-based strategy of building capacity in the state's public school system, instead subsidizing students attending private schools. The report concludes it finds "no compelling reason to subsidize Indiana school vouchers with public taxpayer dollars." More
 Black is suspendable
A new study in Psychological Science investigates the role of racial bias in educators, Julia Lurie reports for Mother Jones. Stanford researchers designed a study in which K-12 teachers were presented with mocked-up disciplinary records showing a student who'd misbehaved twice. Both infractions were minor: One for insubordination, the other for class disturbance. Record substance never changed, but some bore stereotypically black names (Darnell or Deshawn), while others had stereotypically white names (Jake or Greg). Teachers answered a series of questions about how troubled they were by the infractions, how severe discipline should be, and the likelihood that the student was "a troublemaker." Teachers' responses after the first infraction were about equal, but after hearing about the second infraction, a gap emerged: On a scale of one to seven, teachers rated severity of discipline at over five for "black" students, compared to four for "white" students. On a one-to-seven scale, a single point is a 14-percent increase -- of considerable statistical significance. A follow-up experiment took the questioning further, finding teachers were more likely to judge students perceived to be black as engaging in patterns of misbehavior, and could "imagine themselves suspending the student at some point in the future." More
 Second chances in New Orleans
In a profile of Crescent Leadership Academy (CLA), Eric Westervelt and Anya Kamenetz report for NPR that more than half of its students matriculate after removal from the city's charters, mostly for fighting, weapons, or drugs. At least half are in the juvenile or criminal justice system, and 15 percent are homeless -- living with friends, extended family, or in shelters. A persistent complaint after the wholesale makeover of the New Orleans district has been that many charter high schools impose a one-size-fits-all, zero-tolerance discipline policy. The Recovery School District (RSD) also lacks coordinated functions like dropout-prevention, placement assistance, and adolescent mental health services. A class-action lawsuit against the RSD last year argued that students with learning disabilities and mental health issues were shuffled among schools and harshly disciplined. Many students at CLA carry such diagnoses. A consent decree in December requires charters be held accountable for serving students with disabilities, and that the RSD must better track youth placements. CLA's first-year principal Nicholas Dean is an Air Force veteran whose smart watch indicates he walks 5.5 miles a day, roaming the halls and grounds of his school. CLA was once considered a dumping ground, but critics see changes. The biggest, according to students, is school culture, which now clearly communicates that principal and teachers care about helping students reach goals. More
 Regrettable Finnish fairy tales
A new brief from Cambridge Assessment addresses a series of misconceptions and misrepresentations about the education reform process in Finland. Though Finland's reforms are impressive, "myopia and elementary errors in enquiry" by foreign analysts have given rise to "Finnish fairy stories." The real story of Finland is subtle, challenging, and interesting, with the greatest insights gained from looking at history. The Finns effected wholesale, coherent system change. The moving of an entire system to fully comprehensive education required social consensus, policy, and meticulous, centralized implementation. Following Finland's emergence at the top of the first PISA survey in 2000, educational tourists to Finland asked about its system in 2001 -- not during the 1970s and '80s, when standards rose. At that time, policy formation and implementation in the system were distinctive, and very different from 2000. For instance, in the 1970s, Finland had highly centralized school inspection and testing, negating the "Finland has no national testing" misconception. The author draws attention to many other "fairy tales," and notes Finnish standards are no longer in the ascendant. Even in 2000, Finland was on a downward trajectory. The mistake has been considering PISA as a longitudinal rather than cross-sectional analysis. TIMSS, which takes a more curriculum-focused look at math and science, indicates a Finnish decline. More
 The states of high school computer science
A new ECS Education Trends brief identifies which states allow (or require) districts to apply computer science coursework toward completion of high school graduation requirements in math, science, or a foreign language. Computer science and coding skills are widely recognized as valuable in the current and projected job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 37.5 percent growth from 2012 to 2022 in "computer systems design and related services" -- from 1,620,300 jobs in 2012 to 2,229,000 jobs in 2022. Yet an alarming absence of female and minority students in courses such as AP Computer Science persists: Of AP Computer Science exam-takers in 2013, 81 percent were male and 82.5 percent white or Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander. Nine out of ten K-12 schools don't offer computer-programming coursework, according to analysis. The brief finds 14 states allow students to fulfill a math, science, or foreign language credit for graduation by completing a computer science course. Two states -- Arizona and California -- don't mandate statewide recognition of computer science as fulfilling graduation requirements, though districts may apply it toward math requirements. Four states -- Louisiana, Massachusetts, Texas, and Virginia -- award a special diploma, endorsement, or other recognition to high school graduates who have earned certain computer science credits. More
 BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
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Common wha?
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 55 percent of California public-school parents surveyed say they have not heard at all about the Common Core tests that schools are giving students grades 3 to 8 and grade 11 starting this spring. More
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Payback
Over about 14 months, teachers would collect back pay and raises totaling 14.3 percent of their annual salary, according to calculations Los Angeles Unified relied upon in negotiating a tentative contract with United Teachers Los Angeles.?More
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A heavy lift
Former Oakland Schools Superintendent Tony Smith, who resigned his post April 2015, will become Illinois's state superintendent of education?on May 1 at a time of fiscal and political crisis?for the Chicago public schools.?More

 BRIEFLY NOTED?
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So don't hold your breath
Despite signs of growing bipartisan support for legislation reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 52 percent of Washington's education stakeholder community says it won't happen while President Barack Obama is in office. More
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Don't make him come over there
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said that the federal government is obligated to intervene if states fail to address the rising number of students who are boycotting mandated annual exams.?More
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Listen all y'all, it's sabotage
Members of an anti-Common Core Facebook group leaked pictures of a New York state English Language Arts exam on April 23.?More
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No rush, guys
Montana has joined every other state in the nation with an anti-bullying law.?More
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Dismissed
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has dismissed a school funding complaint brought by several districts, parents, and groups alleging that Pennsylvania's method of paying for education is unconstitutional and inequitable.?More
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No money? No school.
Six more Kansas districts have shortened their calendars due to financial issues. More
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Ready for career-ready
The Ohio Department of Education has selected the ACT WorkKeys test to assess job-readiness skills as part of new graduation requirements that start with this year's freshmen.?More
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Unsettling
Last year, more than 7,400 Louisiana public school students in kindergarten and first, second, and third grades were handed out-of-school suspensions.?More
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Pre-emptive
As Tennessee prepares to defend itself in court over its level of public education funding, its legislature has passed a budget appropriations bill that could discourage local school districts from pursuing similar legal action in the future.?More
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Early and often
The Colorado Board of Health has voted unanimously to approve rules that would require parents more frequently to submit non-medical exemption forms opting children out of immunizations to schools and child care facilities.?More
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Where he stands
Gov. Chris Christie recently offered some of his most expansive comments -- if not an outright defense -- on the new PARCC tests and against the movement that has seen as many as 50,000 students sit out the exams.?More

 
 GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

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Farmers Insurance: Dream Big Teacher Challenge
Are you a teacher with a big dream that has the potential to impact the lives of the children and families in your school and community? Is funding the only thing standing between you and the realization of that dream? Then Thank America's Teachers invites you to step up to the Dream Big Teacher Challenge and submit your proposal for one of six grants. Maximum award: $100,000. Eligibility: current K through 12 teachers in the United States who submit a qualified proposal. Deadline: June 30, 2015. More
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ASIS&T/ Thomson Reuters: Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award
The Thomson Reuters Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award recognizes the unique teaching contribution of an individual as a teacher of information science. Maximum award: $1,000; $500 towards travel or other expenses to the grant recipient, contingent upon the recipient's attending the ASIS&T annual meeting. Eligibility: individuals directly engaged in teaching some aspect of information science on a continuing basis, in an academic or a non-academic setting; nominees need not be associated with an educational institution; however, teaching information science must represent a significant work responsibility although it need not occur within the traditional classroom. Deadline: August 1, 2015. More
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State Farm Foundation: Grants
State Farm is committed to meeting the needs of our communities by focusing our giving in three areas: Safe Neighbors (safety), Strong Neighborhoods (community development), and Education Excellence (education). Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; Canadian charitable organizations, educational institutions, and governmental entities. Deadline: October 31, 2015. More

Quote of the Week:?
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"When I think about the really unfortunate argument that's been going on around Common Core, it's very painful, because the Common Core started off as a bi-partisan effort -- it was actually nonpartisan. It wasn't politicized, it was to try to come up with a core of learning that we might expect students to achieve across our country, no matter what kind of school district they were in, no matter how poor their family was, that there wouldn't be two tiers of education." -- Hillary Clinton at Kirkwood Community College in Monticello, Iowa earlier this month. More

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