| Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast
"Public Involvement. Public Education. Public Benefit."
April 9, 2010
==========================================
To read a colorful online version of the NewsBlast with a larger typeface, visit:
http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_current.asp
Détente in D.C.
Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and the Washington Teachers' Union have reached agreement on a new contract, ending two years of often-rancorous negotiations, The Washington Post reports. The proposed pact, which must be ratified by union members and approved by the D.C. Council, provides teacher salary increases of more than 20 percent over five years, much of it paid through a group of private foundations that have pledged $64.5 million. The voluntary pay-for-performance program would let teachers earn annual bonuses for student growth on standardized tests and other measures of academic success, and calls for dramatically expanded professional development opportunities for teachers, and mentoring and induction programs for new educators. It also gives Rhee and her school principals more latitude in firing teachers if budget cuts or low enrollment force closure of schools. The 103-page deal differs significantly from Rhee's original vision for a collective bargaining agreement, first developed in 2008. Despite this, and "although it was a long, sometimes difficult process, it was the right process to go through," Rhee said. "We've come to an agreement everyone thinks is a good agreement . . . It took a lot of courage to get here."
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/06/AR2010040604392.html
A trove of data for Tennessee educators
Though Tennessee has kept detailed measurements of student achievement for nearly two decades, until January of this year the data were off-limits to teachers for use in improving instruction, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. In a special session, the Tennessee General Assembly passed sweeping education reforms, and since then, every teacher in the state has been given a password to access the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) online. "Most districts use TVAAS as a way to measure learning, but its most powerful role is to improve instruction," said Dan Challener, president of the Public Education Foundation, a local education fund. "If we can understand why someone got an A, we can replicate it." The data are complicated and can be difficult to understand, so state officials will use some of the state's newly won Race to the Top money to train teachers in its use. Lawmakers also voted to make TVAAS scores 35 percent of tenure decisions; teachers can review their scores whenever they want. Access to the data was previously restricted to protect teachers from "finger-pointing," according to one official. Even with more access, the data still will be kept confidential to avoid public lists of "best and worst teachers."
Read more: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/apr/04/untapped-resource-state-unlocks-data-storehouse/?print
The woman with the stopwatch
In an interview with the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Joanne Weiss, director of the Race to the Top Fund, explained the philosophy behind the initiative. Weiss was formerly with the NewSchools Venture fund, a nonprofit in the vanguard of venture philanthropy. The idea the fund is trying to promulgate, she says, is that standards and assessments, human capital, data systems, and school turnaround are the pillars of education reform. "The goal here," says Weiss, "is to identify the states with the best ideas and give them funding to replicate their good ideas and show the rest of the country how to do it." The initiative does not aim to be prescriptive: "The truth is that we don't know exactly how to turn around schools. The truth is also that excuses and inaction don't help students who are trapped in these schools. It's a real dilemma, not a fake one. But at the department, our feeling is that we have some models of success on which to build and we need to step up to the plate and start working on it." Next up: reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, during which the department plans to talk a great deal about the role of competitive funding vs. formula funding.
Read more: http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/qa_joanne_weiss/
The real race
An analysis of the Race to the Top (RttT) proposals and scoring by The New Teacher Project (TNTP) finds that while RttT had far-reaching effects for all applicant states, there were flaws in the judging process that ED must address if the competition is to have long-term impact. TNTP's analysis identified several "Areas of Concern" in the scoring process. It found a lack of differentiation in the overall scoring of finalists' applications; inflated scores; and that outlying reviews had a magnified influence on final standings. A different scoring system, in which the highest and lowest scores for each state were discarded, would have resulted in significantly different outcomes for some states, most notably Louisiana and Georgia. As a remedy, TNTP proposes a full assessment of each reviewer's ratings and comments in Round 1 to determine fidelity to rubric, with reviewers who show significant inaccuracies or deviations from guidance not invited to return. Reviewers should also receive significantly more training -- at least three full days -- and should participate in norming sessions with other reviewers. Processes for monitoring work by reviewers should be made more robust, with basic score controls across applications. Finally, ED should automatically drop the highest and lowest final scores from each panel.
Read more: http://www.tntp.org/publications/other_publications.html#RealRaceBegins
Related: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/education/05top.html?ref=education
Strides for ELLs under NCLB
According to a new study from the Center on Education Policy, English language learners (ELLs) made progress on state tests over the last three years, USA TODAY reports. The study looked at state tests in math and reading from 2006 to 2008, the years after federal testing for ELLs under the federal No Child Left Behind law became finalized. Twenty-five of 35 states with sufficient data made gains in fourth grade reading among English language learners. In grades four and eight in reading and math, 70 percent of those states made gains in the number of students scoring "proficient." "The report ought to offer some hope that with all the kids in the country now who are English language learners because of immigration, they are progressing," said CEP director Jack Jennings. "Not as fast as we would want, but the accountability on school districts is resulting in more attention to these kids and them doing better on tests." While offering some positive news, the study also noted significant gaps between proficiency levels among English language learners and other students: Of the 35 states examined, 11 had differences of more than 30 percentage points between English-learner students and their non-ELL counterparts.
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-04-06-english-learners_N.htm?csp=34
See the report: http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document_ext.showDocumentByID&nodeID=1&DocumentID=305
Health and drop-out risk
A new report released by the California Dropout Research Project (CDRP) describes connections between health and failure to graduate high school. The report synthesizes existing research, and highlights three distinct pathways in which health and dropping out are connected: childhood physical illness, childhood mental health problems, and adolescent risk behaviors. Research reported in the February 17 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association found that 25 percent of children in the U.S. have chronic health conditions. Another study found that in 2005, children in California who suffered from asthma missed 1.9 million days of school. While not as commonly diagnosed as physical illnesses and chronic conditions, mental health issues affect almost one in five children and adolescents; as many as 80 percent of these children go untreated for their mental health problems. "Expanding access to medical care and providing disease management support are strategies that will help to improve educational performance," said Russell Rumberger, director of the California Dropout Research Project. "The report underscores the need for health care reform and demonstrates how it can help address America's dropout crisis."
See the report: http://cdrp.ucsb.edu/dropouts/pubs_reports.htm
Teachers take charge
In a profile of a 2,100-student high school taken over by teachers rather than outside charter operators, The Los Angeles Times writes that "staffers at Jefferson have taken on the crucial test of whether they can fix one of the most historically troubled, low-achieving campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District." Though the alma mater of Ralph Bunche and Alvin Ailey, the school, now a hub for working-class Latino immigrants, had a dropout rate of 58 percent in 2007. The school's new plan includes opening all classes to parent observation, and having teachers monitor colleagues' performance. Traditional suspensions are to be avoided, since sending a student home for breaking a rule leads to lost educational time. Instead, a parent conference can replace a suspension to preclude worsening behavior. Faculty members are now making unannounced home visits to students who flunk three or more classes, and the staff has started tracking down students on campus who aren't in classrooms. Tutoring or other educational activities accompany disciplinary detentions. The challenge for the school is tough, despite these measures, its progress, writes The Times, it is like that of many of its students: two-steps-forward, one-step-back.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-jefferson5-2010apr05,0,4729139,full.story
Mixed initial outcomes for cash transfers
A new report from MDRC looks at initial outcomes of the 2007 Opportunity NYC - Family Rewards program, an experiment in privately funded, conditional cash transfer. Aimed at low-income families in six of New York City's highest-poverty communities, the three-year program tied cash rewards to pre-specified activities and outcomes in children's education, families' preventive health care, and parents' employment. Initial findings varied across a range of measures. For example, the program reduced poverty and hardship, and increased savings and the likelihood that parents would have bank accounts. It did not improve school outcomes overall for elementary or middle school students, but did increase school attendance, course credits, grade advancement, and standardized-test results among better-prepared high school students. It somewhat increased families' continuous use of health insurance coverage, reduced their reliance on hospital emergency rooms for routine care, and increased receipt of medical care. It substantially increased families' receipt of preventive dental care. It increased employment in jobs not covered by the unemployment insurance (UI) system, but reduced employment in UI-covered jobs. MDRC's randomized control trial involved approximately 4,800 families and 11,000 children. Future reports will present longer-term findings, eventually covering all three years of program operations plus two additional years after the cash incentives are no longer offered.
Read more: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/549/overview.html
Related: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/opinion/25kristof.html?scp=7&sq=Kristof&st=cse
Related: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/nyregion/31cash.html?scp=1&sq=cash%20transfer&st=cse
Abstinence-only returns
A controversial abstinence-only approach to sex education that recently saw its federal support severed is getting a new, $250 million lease on life under the final healthcare package signed by President Barack Obama, according to Education Week. At the same time, the health-care law provides $375 million over five years to promote more-comprehensive approaches to sex education that touch on both abstinence and the use of contraceptives to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The emphasis in the comprehensive program is on funding efforts that are "evidence-based," "medically accurate," and "age-appropriate," the law says. Critics of the federal abstinence-only program expressed dismay at its restoration. "It really is a very rigid, abstinence-until-marriage program," said Heather D. Boonstra, a senior public-policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that promotes sexual and reproductive health through research and policy analysis. Looking ahead, Ms. Boonstra said a key question is how the administration fleshes out the core ideas driving grant decisions for the two separate initiatives in the fiscal 2010 budget. "What do we mean by evidence-based? What is medically accurate and age appropriate? And when is it appropriate to shift our messages from delay [sex] to contraceptives?" she asked. "They'll have to provide some direction for programs on the ground."
Read more: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/04/07/28sex_ep.h29.html?tkn=QYZFUZhRIMSxsq5atF6RP9lJ20jwTJEOSejm&print=1
BRIEFLY NOTED
Quite happy to mess with Texas
Hispanic lawmakers and academic experts blasted the Texas State Board of Education for minimizing the contributions of minorities as it attempts to rewrite guidelines for the teaching of history and social studies.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9EPU4LO3.html
Short-changed in Alaska's Bush
Alaska's oversight of rural schools is so flawed that a state judge has threatened to appoint a takeover "master" to bring to students the basic education she says they are being denied.
http://www.adn.com/2010/04/06/1215031/judge-threatens-to-appoint-master.html#ixzz0kWS36umY
Florida forges ahead
A new bill moving through the Florida legislature would place all new teachers on annual contracts, link salary increases and professional certification for all teachers to student learning gains, and require school districts to divert five percent of their funding back to the state to pay for the program.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/06/1564993/controversial-bill-is-pushed-forward.html#ixzz0kWQTHOmD
No joy in sex
A Wisconsin prosecutor has warned that educators teaching the state's new sex education curriculum, which requires schools to include birth control and sexually transmitted diseases as part of comprehensive classes, could be arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of children.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_0e1496a2-41e1-11df-aeea-001cc4c03286.html
Funded or not, here they come
Illinois officials plan to move forward with a series of reforms included in their Race to the Top application, such as linking teacher evaluations with student growth and new student assessments, even if they aren't federally funded.
http://www.sj-r.com/state/x1838119759/State-officials-insist-on-school-reform-willl-happen
GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Young Scholars Program
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program selects high-achieving youth in the Unites States with financial need and provides them, throughout their high school years, with individualized educational services that enable them to develop their talents and abilities. Award: funding and support services. Eligibility: students entering the eighth grade in the fall of 2010 and planning to enter a U.S. high school, who also demonstrate financial need. Deadline: April 26, 2010.
http://www.jkcf.org/scholarships/young-scholars-program/
Earth Island Institute: Brower Youth Award
The Earth Island Institute Brower Youth Award recognizes young people for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy. Maximum award: $3,000; a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend the awards ceremony on October 19, 2010; participation in a week of speaking engagements, trainings, and environmental conferences leading up to the ceremony. Eligibility: North American youth ages 13-22. Deadline: May 15, 2010.
http://www.broweryouthawards.org/article.php?list=type&type=12
Best Buy Children's Foundation: @15 Community Grants
Through the @15 Community Grants Program, Best Buy teams across the United States select non-profit organizations that provide positive experiences to help teens excel in school, engage in their communities, and develop leadership skills. Special consideration will be given to programs that serve a diverse population in local or regional communities; build social, academic, leadership, and/or life skills in early adolescents (primarily ages 13-18); show positive results against a demonstrated community need; and reach at-risk children in working families. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: organizations that have current 501(c)(3) tax status and are serving a diverse population of young teens in the areas of learning, life skills, leadership, or relationship development. Deadline: applications accepted June 1-July 1, 2010.
http://www.bestbuy-communityrelations.com/local_donations.htm
Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: Melody Program
Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation Melody Program provides musical instruments and instrument repairs to existing K-12 school music programs that have no other source of financing to purchase additional musical instruments and materials. Eligibility: music programs that take place during the regular school day. Schools must have an established instrumental music program (i.e. concert band, marching band, jazz band and/or orchestra) that is at least three years old. Maximum award: $8,000. Deadline: August 1, 2010.
http://www.mhopus.org/teachers.asp
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"There is more than $3 billion in Race to the Top funds up for grabs in subsequent competitions. Not a penny of it is due Massachusetts by right or even by virtue of its top standing among the nation's schools. But it would be nice, next time, not to be marked down for the things we do well."
-- Lawrence Harmon, Boston Globe, April 6, 2010
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/04/06/not_a_race_to_the_top_for_massachusetts/
The PEN Weekly NewsBlast, published by Public Education Network, is a free electronic newsletter featuring resources and information about public school reform, school finance, and related issues. The NewsBlast is the property of Public Education Network, a national association of 79 local education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income communities throughout the nation. Please forward this e-mail to anyone who enjoys free updates on education news and grant alerts. Some links in the PEN Weekly NewsBlast may change or expire after their initial publication here, and some links may require local website registration.
Your e-mail address is safe with the NewsBlast. It is our firm policy never to rent, loan, or sell our subscriber list to any other organization, group, or individual.
TO UPDATE OR ADD A NEWSBLAST SUBSCRIPTION
PEN wants you to receive each weekly issue of the NewsBlast at your preferred e-mail address. If you are already a subscriber and would like us to change your e-mail address, please click on "Update Profile/Email Address" near the bottom of the NewsBlast mailing. People wishing to add a NewsBlast subscription can go to PEN's website (http://www.publiceducation.org) and follow the instructions in the lower left-hand section of the homepage. Current subscribers can unsubscribe by clicking the appropriate link near the bottom of the NewsBlast mailing. If you use spam filters to protect your inbox, you may wish to take a moment right now to add PEN@publiceducation.org to your e-mail address book, spam-software whitelist, or mail-system whitelist. Adding the address will help ensure that you receive the NewsBlast and that your e-mail software displays HTML and images properly.
To view past issues of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast, visit http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_past.asp.
If you would like to submit a proposed article or news item about your local education fund, public school, or school-reform organization for a future issue of the NewsBlast, please send a note to PEN@PublicEducation.org. For the NewsBlast's submission policy, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_submission_policy.htm.
Kate Guiney
Contributing Editor
PEN Weekly NewsBlast
Public Education Network
601 Thirteenth Street, NW
Suite 710 South
Washington, DC 20005-3808
PEN@PublicEducation.org |
No comments:
Post a Comment