Thursday, May 27, 2010

DUH Report: Percentage of high-poverty schools rises - Boston.com

Report: Percentage of high-poverty schools rises - Boston.com

Report: Percentage of high-poverty schools rises

By Christine Armario

Associated Press Writer / May 27, 2010

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The percentage of public schools where more than three quarters of students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch -- a key indicator of poverty -- has increased in the past decade, and children at these schools are less likely to attend college or be taught by teachers with advanced degrees.

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The findings come from a special report on high poverty schools included in the 2010 Condition of Education study, which reports on a broad range of academic indicators across K-12 and higher education.

The U.S. Department of Education report released Thursday found that the percent of high poverty schools rose from 12 to 17 percent between the 1999-2000 and 2007-2008 school years, even before the current recession was fully felt. By comparison, the overall poverty rate for children increased from 17 to 18 percent, leading researchers to believe that that a higher percentage of poor kids were signing up for the meal program.

In all, there were 16,122 schools considered high-poverty.

Michigan Democrats vote to restore schools money

by Tim Martin, Associated Press Writer

The state's public schools would get $65 more per student through a version of a budget bill approved by the Democrat-run Michigan House.

Mexico to ban junk food from schools to fight fat

by Mark Stevenson, Associated Press Writer

Mexico is looking to battle the bulging waistlines of its children by banning the sale of junk food in its schools, including many of the traditional treats generations of kids have grown up with.

Chancellor under fire for president removal

A state senator says Connecticut State University System Chancellor David Carter should be replaced for the way the president of Southern Connecticut State University was removed from her job.

The Condition of Education: Teacher/Student Ratios � The Quick and the Ed

The Condition of Education: Teacher/Student Ratios

by Chad Aldeman

The annual Condition of Education data compendium put out by the National Center for Education Statistics is not the most exciting event ever–all of the information is culled from surveys and products publicly available elsewhere–but it’s an excellent resource and it presents a nice opportunity to step back and look at trends in US education. Last year, I used it to write a series of posts on the dramatic increase in Master’s degrees awarded in education, the college wage premium, and economic and racial segregation in our schools. Those trends have not changed, but over the next few days I’ll be using this year’s Condition of Education to highlight some other important developments.
The first trend, and the one that’s most related to current events, is falling teacher/ student ratios. In 1990-1, public school districts employed one teacher for every 17.4 students. By 2007-8, that ratio had fallen to 15.7 to one, the lowest on record.
This change alone is responsible for more than 300,000 full-time teaching jobs. To estimate how much this costs

Education Research Report: The Condition of Education 2010

The Condition of Education 2010

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

The National Center for Education Statistics today released The Condition of Education 2010, a Congressionally mandated report to the nation on education in America today. It covers all aspects of education, with 49 indicators that include findings on enrollment trends, demographics, and outcomes.

The report projects that public school enrollment will rise from 49 million in 2008 to 52 million by 2019, with the largest increase expected in the South. Over the past decade, more students attended both charter schools and high-poverty schools (those in which more than 75 percent of the students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch). One in six U.S. students attends a high-poverty school; and the number of charter school students has tripled since 1999.

This year’s report features a special section that looks closer at these high-poverty schools in America, examining the types and locations of schools, the characteristics of the students and their teachers and principals; and student achievement. It finds a wide and persistent gap in educational achievement.

Report findings include:
• In 2007-2008, about 20 percent of all elementary students and 9 percent of secondary school students

Without Good Schools, Business Is Doomed | California Progress Report

Without Good Schools, Business Is Doomed

by kaldveer

By Robert Cruickshank
The San Francisco Chronicle's article on the Alameda parcel tax for schools vote posits a false choice. The article by Carolyn Jones makes it sound as if Alamedans have to decide between their schools and their businesses. In reality, the choice is between good schools and strong businesses on the one hand, and bad schools and declining business on the other:

"If it passes, many small business owners, already struggling with the recession, say they'll be forced to close, stripping Alameda of its mom-and-pop charm. If the measure fails, the district's superintendent warns that half the schools in town would close.
"If this doesn't pass, all bets are off in Alameda," said Encinal High School Principal Mike Cooper, a fifth-generation Alamedan."We're watching the collapse of public education. We've been trying to make this work, but something's got to give."

Are Obama, Democrats Really “Remaking Washington”?

by kaldveer

By Randy Shaw
In the May 21 New York Times, business writer Dave Leonhardt argued that “Congress and the White House have completed 16 months of activity that rival any other since the New Deal in scope or ambition.” Citing the stimulus bill, health care, education, and the pending regulation of Wall Street, Leonhardt concluded that Democrats are ushering in a “generation shift in how Washington operates,” and that Obama “looks more like the liberal answer to Ronald Reagan.” Leonhardt makes a persuasive case for a transformational Obama presidency, which raises the question why so few progressives share this perspective.
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CARA Seniors Speak Out Against Lethal May Revise Cuts

by christine

By Nan Brasmer
Last week, the lives of millions of California seniors were sold down the river when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled his May revise budget, which included extraordinarily painful cuts targeting the very services that countless seniors depend on.
But not only does the Governor’s May revision fail to address any of the challenges currently facing our state, but it serves as a collective death sentence for our struggling seniors that now find themselves on the chopping block while corporate and other special interest groups are given billions in hand-outs and other “rewards” while the rest of California endures insecurity and hardship.
That’s why more than two dozen seniors from the California Alliance of Retired Americans (CARA), California’s largest grassroots senior advocacy organization representing over 850,000 seniors and their families, traveled to the Capitol on Thursday (May 20th) to deliver more than 500 handwritten letters to State Assemblymembers and Senators.
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Notes from the news, May 27 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, May 27

by Erika Owens

Behind the West Philly delay The Notebook blog
The SRC delayed approval of Johns Hopkins/Diplomas Now as a Renaissance Schools provider for West. The earliest the vote can happen now is June 6.
See also: SRC delays vote on matching West with Hopkins/Diplomas Now The Notebook blog
West Philadelphia High still in limbo Philly.com
SRC OKs spending plan that relies heavily on state aid The Inquirer
The approved District budget assumes $148 million in state aid that is tied up in state senate budget negotiations and federal aid that the District must submit a grant application for.
See also: District budget ok'd despite uncertainty The Notebook blog
Schools hear harsh words on budget squeeze Daily News
Ackerman pledges visit to the Childs school Daily News
She also pledged to include parents on a transition panel.
After 4 Years, 'School of the Future' Mired in Mediocrity KYW
The school graduates its first class this year, but a parent told the SRC that students lack basic skills.
See also: School of the Future having problems in the present Daily News
Phila. Mayor Promotes the Value of Education KYW
South Philadelphia: ‘Mighty Words’ Helps Kids with Writing Philadelphia Neighborhoods
Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.
Click here to get Notes from the news in your inbox every day.
Notes from the news

Attaching a school funding bill to a war funding bill. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Attaching a school funding bill to a war funding bill.

by preaprez

The $23 billion federal school funding bill is running into big trouble, even after a massive call-in campaign organized by the NEA yesterday.
The $23 billion was originally attached to a Senate appropriations bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
How do I feel about linking my pay to war funding. No need to ask.
But the Senate wouldn’t even do that. They dumped the schools and kept the wars.
No surprise there.
The House will probably try and attach the education funding in their version of the war appropriations bill.

The Educated Guess � Is CALPADS unfixable? No answer yet

Is CALPADS unfixable? No answer yet

Posted in CALPADS, Data

State education officials expressed deep disappointment last week on learning that California was out of the running for money to expand the statewide student data system.

They haven’t heard yet why the state placed 26^th out of 50^th in a grant competition that funded only the top 20 states. But they shouldn’t be surprised if the feds’ answer is, “Are you kidding? Why would you expect taxpayers to enlarge a data system when you have yet to get it to work right?”
Nearly one year into its operation, CALPADS, the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, is still struggling. Five months after a consultantwarned of an imminent system collapse and urged a top-to-bottom review, the student data system is still being fixed. It will take at least a month before it becomes clear whether the processes work, and the system can perform as designed. Still to be determined is whether management problems – a big factor behind the poor operation – have been straightened out.
(Read more and comment on this post)

By John Fensterwald on May 27th, 2010

Hour of decision for low-performing schools

Posted in Turning around failing schools

With the June 1 deadline looming for school districts to apply for dollars for chronically poor-performing schools, the state hasn’t heard from the U.S. Department of Education whether it’s getting any money to actually pass around. That unanswered question has added uncertainty to what’s already a been tense process for districts.
California’s share of the $3.5 billion one-time stimulus money for School Improvement Grants is supposed to be $414 million – a hunk of change for districts to help turn around schools. And there’s no saying an amount nearly this large will be available for that purpose in coming years, given the federal deficit and growing criticism in Congress over the prescriptive methods that President Obama has chosen as remedies for failing schools.
(Read more and comment on this post)

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan does his best Rivers

Duncan does his best Rivers

by Mike Klonsky

Arne Duncan got bad grades on his phone call with teachers. He calls Cody back. Does his best Joan Rivers: "Can we talk?"

But will congress and the administration take heed of BBA's new talking points on ESEA re-authorization? Including:

Neither schools nor teachers should be held accountable based primarily on test scores of students. Such accountability can lead to

This Week In Education: AM News: Duncan Et Al Keep Pushing EduJobs

AM News: Duncan Et Al Keep Pushing EduJobs

by Alexander Russo

Dems trim jobs bill to woo moderates: Economic relief legislation pared back as union leaders and business lobby battle behind scenes... Teach for America expands into Detroit: The national organization will send 100 of the top college graduates from across the U.S. to teach at public and charter schools in the city. How should we teach our future teachers?: Ball said the people who will someday replace the nation's 3.8 million teachers need to learn how to do the same things in the right way, much like doctors who are all trained to deliver a baby, suture a wound and give a shot... Ann Curry Cites Wrong School's Alumni in Speech: In a commencement speech to graduates at Wheaton College in MA on Saturday, the 'Today' show's Ann Curry named some of the famous alumni they were joining. Unfortunately, the graduates she named, including Billy Graham, went to a different Wheaton College -- an evangelical school in Illinois with the same name.

Sec. Duncan on Innovation at the Aspen Institute :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Sec. Duncan on Innovation at the Aspen Institute

by Frederick M. Hess • May 27, 2010 at 9:15 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Yesterday, the Aspen Institute hosted Secretary Duncan and i3 chief Jim Shelton for a lunch conversation on educational innovation. There were maybe 35 or 40 folks in attendance, including hotshot supes Jack Dale and Jerry Weast, a handful of influential wonks, a smattering of reporters, reform studs like Common Core avatar David Coleman and New Leaders honcho Jon Schnur, NEA executive director John Wilson, and other assorted heavyweights.

On the whole, I thought it was better than Duncan's formal speeches. He spoke without any evident notes, pretty much steered clear of the "it's for the kids" rhetoric, didn't filibuster, and was admirably direct in responding to some questions--issuing strong affirmative answers to questions about whether the feds should financially penalize colleges which don't graduate students and whether textbooks are an anachronism.

Not much news, but a few points of interest. As Andy Rotherham pointed out yesterday, Duncan said multiple times that he anticipates only about 70 i3 winners--which would mean that more than 95% of applicants can expect to come up empty. And Duncan indicated that he doesn't want to hear any more complaints about

Eduflack: "Much Superior" Virginia?

"Much Superior" Virginia?

by Eduflack

For weeks now, we have been hearing about states that have decided they will not pursue Race to the Top, Part II. Over at Politics K-12 , Michele McNeil has a dozen or so states that either have decided not to apply or are dangerously close to not applying before next Tuesday's drop-dead date for the final taste of the $4 billion pot.

This shouldn't be surprising. More than 40 states put in hundreds upon hundreds of hours of work and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants to prepare their Phase I apps. Two states, Delaware and Tennessee, won in the early round. Those remaining states were left with detailed judges' scores to help guide a redo due June 1. But some states simply don't have the stomach for it, offering a host of reasons not to pursue.

Perhaps one of the most interesting reasons for declining was offered yesterday by Eduflack's home state of Virginia. According to the Washington Post, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is not entering the Race because of the Common Core Standards. The chief executive of the Old Dominion claims that Virginia's current academic

How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People | Intercepts

How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People

by Mike Antonucci

In the latest example of shooting yourself in the public relations foot, we hear from Hardy L. Brown, publisher ofBlack Voice News, a weekly newspaper in Riverside, California. Mr. Brown recounts how the California Teachers Association approaches community outreach:

For the past couple of years, California Black Media, a coalition of 22 African American newspapers across the state founded by myself and co-publisher Cheryl Brown, has sponsored a summit in Sacramento on various issues that impact the Black community. We invite experts on various topics to be a part of the panels so we can become better informed to educate our readers. This year the topics were “Crisis In Our Schools” and “Contracting With Our Small Businesses.”
Invitations were sent to select organizations to request that a high ranking policy maker represent that organization on the education panel and the CTA did not respond in a timely manner so we moved ahead. Working on a tight deadline to print the program and alert our readers of the event,

Attaching a school funding bill to a war funding bill. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Attaching a school funding bill to a war funding bill.

MAY 27, 2010

tags: School funding, War funding

by preaprez

The $23 billion federal school funding bill is running into big trouble, even after a massive call-in campaign organized by the NEA yesterday.

The $23 billion was originally attached to a Senate appropriations bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How do I feel about linking my pay to war funding. No need to ask.

But the Senate wouldn’t even do that. They dumped the schools and kept the wars.

100,000 teachers might get laid off nationwide Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Education- Everything you need to know about the world of education.

100,000 teachers might get laid off nationwide

Obama scrambling to pass $23-billion bill that would ease cuts.

VALERIE STRAUSS

The Answer Sheet

Posted at 6:30 AM ET, 05/27/2010

Vocabulary twist: Teaching words OUT of context

New vocabulary words should be taught in literary context. That's the conventional wisdom. But a teacher writes about how she she was successful with her students by being unconventional with vocab lessons.

Continue reading this post »

Surviving the college search with family intact

Picking a college is like juggling plastic explosives. The generation gap between parent and child is large. Other family issues intrude. Popular culture insists it is the most important decision parents and children will make together. But students often do not share the parental sense of urgency. Much can go wrong.

Continue reading this post »

"Higher-needs schools are hit inequitably" by the cuts, says Jennifer Moless, a kindergarten teacher in San Francisco. Moless has been pink-slipped but has also been told she's likely to get a reprieve. (Randi Lynn Beach-TWP)

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Report: Percentage of high-poverty schools rises

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Sec. Duncan on Innovation at the Aspen Institute

Attaching a school funding bill to a war funding bill.

100,000 teachers might get laid off nationwide

MORE ON EDUCATION

VALERIE STRAUSS