Monday, January 11, 2016

Education Spending Per Student by State

Education Spending Per Student by State:

Education Spending Per Student by State

The Census Bureau compiles data on education spending per pupil and elementary/secondary education revenues for each state.

Spending amounts shown reflects current spending, which does not include capital outlays, interest on debts and payments to other governments. Data was last updated in June 2015 for fiscal year 2013.

Please note that the reported totals cannot be reliably compared among states. Figures reported do not account for discrepancies in cost of living, which are typically calculated for specific metropolitan areas. In addition, accounting methods vary among state agencies. (State-by-state differences are listed in Appendix B of theCensus Bureau’s report on education finances).

Select a state in the menu below to view reported education revenues and expenditures by state, or refer to the table below to see how state totals compare after adjusting for inflation:

STEM Jobs Map

Metro area map shows jobs requiring science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.

Compare Educational Attainment Statistics for Metro Areas

How educated is your community? Compare educational attainment statistics for more than 500 U.S. metro areas.

High School Graduation Rates by State

Four-year state high school graduation rates for all students, low income students and children with disabilities.

Adequate Yearly Progress Scores: State Totals

State totals for schools meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements

Education Spending Per Student by State

View spending on public elementary and secondary education per pupil.

Education Spending Per Student by State:

Whistleblower Fights New York Officials to Enforce Their Own Child Safety Laws | gadflyonthewallblog

Whistleblower Fights New York Officials to Enforce Their Own Child Safety Laws | gadflyonthewallblog:

Whistleblower Fights New York Officials to Enforce Their Own Child Safety Laws

Stephen and Cathy Cole with their device for safe use of gym partitions. Photo: Long Island Business Times.

Are New York city and state officials doing enough to protect public school students?

Kathy Cole says no.

The co-owner of a gymnasium equipment company has been battling with city and state officials to comply with their own child safety laws for over a decade.

Her crusade stems from the crushing deaths of three students in New York and New Jersey over several years.

The problem is motorized partitions meant to close off sections of larger gymnasium spaces. Once set in motion, if safeguards aren’t put in place, and/or the devices aren’t properly monitored, they can shut on children causing fatal injuries.

In 1976 a boy in New Jersey was crushed and killed in the school gym electric partition. James Pesca, 12, was found lifeless, trapped between the cement gym wall and the partition.

In 1991, Deanna Moon met a similar end in her Long Island school. The nine-year-old got caught between the partition when she tried to slip through. Staff could not retract the wall off of Deanna’s neck so fire fighters had to use the jaws of life. It took 27 minutes to free her. Deanna’s mother was called to the scene but was restrained from coming inside and seeing what was happening. The elementary school student lingered in a coma and died nine days later from her injuries.

In 2001, twelve-year-old Rashad Richardson was looking for a teacher to give him a hall pass when he was crushed between a wall and a motorized room divider in his Whistleblower Fights New York Officials to Enforce Their Own Child Safety Laws | gadflyonthewallblog:

John Bel Edwards has said he wants to replace schools chief John White, but it's not clear he can | NOLA.com

John Bel Edwards has said he wants to replace schools chief John White, but it's not clear he can | NOLA.com:

John Bel Edwards has said he wants to replace schools chief John White, but it's not clear he can

Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards finished up announcing most of his major cabinet appointments and other top staff selections this week -- with one notable exception. Edwards has been quiet recently about what -- if anything -- he might try to do about Louisiana schools superintendent John White.

During the gubernatorial campaign, Edwards said several times he would like to see White replaced with a homegrown Louisiana educator. But since becoming governor-elect, he has gone silent on the current superintendent.

The issue is somewhat pressing. White's contract with the state expires Tuesday (Jan. 12), the day after Edwards takes office. Without a renewal, White will essentially be running the Department of Education on a month-to-month basis.

Edwards' silence could be because, as governor, he won't actually have direct control over whether White stays or goes. That power rests with the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, where it's thought there aren't enough anti-White votes to get rid of the superintendent.

Eight of BESE 11 incoming members would have to approve a new superintendent's contract. It's thought that only four board members would be in favor of replacing White.

"I don't plan on making any changes with Superintendent White," said Holly Boffy, a BESE member who may have a shot at becoming head of the board.

Still, White doesn't quite have enough BESE votes to get his contract renewed. He would need eight BESE members to want to keep him. It's thought that he only has seven at this time.

Edwards could put considerable pressure on BESE to get rid of White if desired, especially through the budget process. BESE is meeting next week -- the same day White's contract expires -- though a discussion of the superintendent is not on the agenda.

When asked about Edwards current views on White, the governor-elect's spokesman, Richard Carbo, would only say Edwards hasn't released any public statements about White recently.

For what it's worth, White has consistently said he would like to keep his job. "If the board wants me to stay, I'll stay," he reiterated in an interview this week.

White and Edwards have also met once in person since Edwards became governor-elect. The meeting has been described as friendly by both sides. The two men had a previous relationship. They would get together once or twice per year for lunch when Edwards was a state representative and sat on the Louisiana House Education Committee.

Still, Edwards and White don't see eye-to-eye on major education issues and were often on the opposite sides of debates over policy when Edwards was in the John Bel Edwards has said he wants to replace schools chief John White, but it's not clear he can | NOLA.com:

For Immediate Release: DPS Teachers Fight Back Rally, Monday, January 11, 2016, 12 p.m.

For Immediate Release: DPS Teachers Fight Back Rally, Monday, January 11, 2016, 12 p.m.:

DPS TEACHERS FIGHT BACK!

"A Union Within a Union"

"Teachers from more than 40 DPS schools are demanding safe conditions, adequate learning environments, and a level playing field for DPS Students."

Detroit- DPS Teachers Fight Back (A union Within a Union), is a group of teachers mobilizing to unite, shed light on unsafe and subpar learning conditions, and demand resolution. Just as doctors take theHippocratic Oath to uphold ethical standards, teachers also take a Loyalty Oath to serve, protect and allow no harm. Unfortunately, we have been unable to live up to that with the constant change of leadership, state control and 4 consecutive Emergency Managers.

On Monday, January 11, 2016, 12 p.m., DPS Teachers will join in solidarity during a rally organized by teachers from Paul Robeson at Malcolm X Academy at the Fisher Building, 3011 W Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48202. Despite the increased cost of medical care, and lost wages, teachers are choosing to go without pay or to take a personal day stand in unity.

We are not affiliated with BAMN, its' leadership, or any former DFT leadership. We are teachers united as it is time that we stand up and defend our students, our profession, and our rights! Our cornerstone issues are Academics, Fairness & Equity. Our goal is to ensure that Detroit students are no longer pay for the deficit created by state control, and to protect their civil rights and ability to receive an exemplary education.

In an Open Letter to DPS Parents, DPS Teacher Sarah Jardine shared the following:

"Dear Parent, I write this to you on this night because you're on my mind. You live in Detroit and you send your child to Detroit Public Schools. You trust me everyday with your children. I feel that I owe you an apology. I apologize because I should have stood up. I kept quiet as they dismantled our schools. I was silent when they took your schools from you. I didn't protest in the streets when they put our schools in State control. I said nothing when they took your democracy. I should be ashamed of myself. I, the teacher you trusted, had power to start a revolution, and fight for you, and I didn't fight back. Tonight, I am going to make you a promise that I won't sit quiet any longer." (Read Here)

Public education is the cornerstone to democracy, and Detroit teachers deserve to be treated the same way teachers are treated in Livonia, Novi, West Bloomfield, Grosse Pointe, Troy, and all other districts throughout the state of Michigan.

In an Open Letter to Darnell Earley, 4th Grade DPS Teacher, Pam Namyslowski said:

"Mr. Earley, I have been a teacher in Detroit Public Schools for 24 years. I feel the need to respond to some of the comments you made during your press conference this week. You described the actions of protesting teachers as "unethical". I'm curious, then, how you would characterize the learning conditions of the children of Detroit Public Schools that have existed for years. These deplorable learning conditions happen to also be the teachers' working conditions." (Read here)

The DPS Teachers Fight Back Rally will include remarks from Dr. James Perkins, Greater Christ Baptist Church, DPS Parents, and DPS Teacher organizers, during which a list of concerns and demands will be shared including: Safe learning conditions for all students,Increasing student academic achievement, and the removal of Emergency Manager Darnell Earley, who was an integral part of the Flint Water Crisis. We hereby stand united to protect the 47 thousand students remaining within Detroit Public Schools and demand immediate corrective action!

###

click here for DPS Fight Back Press Release PDF

WDIV School Closing List

Tentative agenda for the 2016 California Title I Conference. - Improving Academic Achievement (CA Dept of Education)

Tentative Agenda - Improving Academic Achievement (CA Dept of Education):

Tentative agenda for the 2016 California Title I Conference.

Early Check-in – Monday, February 29, 2016

3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Conference Check-In

Day One – Tuesday, March 1, 2016

7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Conference Check-In

7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast Buffet

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. General Session:

Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Shawnterra Moore, Superintendent, South San Francisco Unified School District
- Cultivating A High-Quality School Climate and Culture That Promotes Equity for All

9:15 a.m. – 9:35 a.m. Break

9:35 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. Concurrent Workshops: Session 1

10:35 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. Break

10:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. Concurrent Workshops: Session 2

11:55 a.m. – 1:35 p.m. Lunch and General Session:

Stacey Bess, Educator, Author, and Speaker
- Overcoming the Odds: Lessons from the School with No Name

1:35 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Break

2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Extended Concurrent Workshops: Session 3

2:15 p.m. – 5:35 p.m. Extended Concurrent Workshops: Session 4 (includes 20-minute break)

3:45 p.m. – 4:05 p.m. Break

4:05 p.m. – 5:35 p.m. Extended Concurrent Workshops: Session 5

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Invitation to County Office of Education Administrators: Regional Family Engagement Network: “How to” Meeting

Day Two – Wednesday, March 2, 2016

7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast Buffet

7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Conference Check-In

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. General Session:

Kevin Honeycutt, Technology Integration Specialist, ESSDACK, Educator, and Nationally Known Speaker
- Navigating Challenges and Maximizing Opportunities: A Vision for Education

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Break

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Concurrent Workshops: Session 6

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Concurrent Workshops: Session 7

12:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Lunch and General Session:

Christopher Emdin, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University; Director of Science Education at the Center for Health Equity and Urban Science Education; and Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education
- When the Heart Leads the Head to Embed #HipHopEd

1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Break

2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Extended Concurrent Workshops: Session 8

3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Break

4:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Extended Concurrent Workshops: Session 9

Day Three – Thursday, March 3, 2016

6:45 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. Coffee and Light Snack

7:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. General Session:

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Educator, Author, and Speaker Family Leadership Institute
- Diversity, Values, and Leadership

8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Break

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Concurrent Workshops: Session 10

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Brunch and General Session:

Brustein and Manasevit, PLLC, Attorneys at Law Washington, D.C.
- Legislative Update

Questions: California Title I Conference | titleiconference@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0917

Last Reviewed: Monday, January 11, 2016

Tentative Agenda - Improving Academic Achievement (CA Dept of Education):

Parents Be on the Lookout: Districts Are Sending Opt Out Info Thanks to HB 2655! Oregon Save Our Schools

Oregon Save Our Schools: Parents Be on the Lookout: Districts Are Sending Opt Out Info Thanks to HB 2655!:

Parents Be on the Lookout: Districts Are Sending Opt Out Info Thanks to HB 2655!

Thanks to the efforts of all who helped to pass HB 2655 in this past legislative session, districts now have to inform parents of their right to opt out of state summative testing (currently SBAC) for any reason. Parents have always had that right, but HB 2655 forces districts to inform parents of this right rather than go through "testing as usual"--where parents really had no idea they could opt out, and districts and the state hoped parents didn't ask--and if they did, the process wasn't always easy or straightforward.

Districts are now at their first requirement of having to hand out opt out information to parents prior to testing. As these letters to parents come home, parents are being made aware of the opt out process and the availability of the (terribly) and newly created state opt out forms they can use. They are also being told that the tests are important and that opting out can hurt school resources--not exactly objective information from the Oregon Department of Education (but when your state website about "communication resources" on testing puts information by Stand for Children as part of their information to parents, one can only wonder whose interests ODE is serving--a "non-profit" bent on pushing their corporate reform agenda-- or parents whose only agenda is to have happy, healthy, and successful children)?

Hopefully parents will question and understand that SBAC tests aren't that informative (teachers know best, not a computerized Oregon Save Our Schools: Parents Be on the Lookout: Districts Are Sending Opt Out Info Thanks to HB 2655!:

A “Zombie” Reform: Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Medical Education and K-12 Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

A “Zombie” Reform: Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Medical Education and K-12 Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

A “Zombie” Reform: Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Medical Education and K-12 Schools

Outcome Based Education (OBE) rolled through U.S. public schools in the 1980s and 1990s. Yes, OBE (a.k.a “mastery learning,” “competency-based education”) is still around (see here). But the drum-beating policy talk and promises of turning around “failing” U.S. schools, well, those claims have evaporated for K-12 schools. Except for university medical education. Thus, a “zombie” reform returns.

On the 100th anniversary of the Flexner Report (1910) which did, indeed, alter medical education a century ago, another gaggle of reforms aimed at transforming current medical education has swept across U.S. medical schools in the past decade. I say “another” because like K-12 U.S. schools, university medical education has had cycles of reform aimed at the original Flexnerian model of medical education–two years of basic sciences (e.g., anatomy, biochemistry, genetics) and two years of clinical practice in hospitals and clerkships in various specialties (e.g., surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics). OBE–sometimes called “Competency-Based Education” (CBE)–has become the “reform du jour” in this cycle of change in medical education. Yet its shortcomings and missing elements applied to medical education have already been documented fully (see 2013_OBE).

OBE in either K-12 or medical schools is all about educators identifying concepts, knowledge, and skills that students must have in the “real world,” teaching both, and then measuring performance to see whether students have acquired the A “Zombie” Reform: Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Medical Education and K-12 Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

L.A. schools insider and an outsider emerge as favorites to lead the district - LA Times

L.A. schools insider and an outsider emerge as favorites to lead the district - LA Times:

L.A. schools insider and an outsider emerge as favorites to lead the district

At the Los Angeles Board of Education closes in on choosing a new leader, attention appears to be focused on two candidates: Deputy Supt. Michelle King, an L.A. Unified School District insider, and Kelvin Adams, a superintendent from St. Louis.

School board President Steve Zimmer said he expects a decision before the end of the month on a replacement for Ramon C. Cortines, whose retirement took effect Jan. 2. But many observers say action could come as soon as the board's Monday afternoon meeting.

The next superintendent will have to manage a political struggle over the future course of the nation's second-largest school system, along with ongoing budget pressures and declining enrollment. There's the added challenge of an outside plan to greatly expand the number of independently operated charter schools, whose growth, according to a recent analysis by an expert panel, could make it difficult for the district to sustain academic programs and services.

"It's a complex system," said Pedro Noguera, director of the Center for the Study of School Transformation at UCLA. "And a big part of the job of superintendent is political. Knowing how to navigate those waters is important."

King, 54, has been the L.A. school district's No. 2 administrator under the last two superintendents. She's also served as acting superintendent since Cortines retired from day-to-day management of L.A. Unified in mid-December. Throughout her career, King has been regarded as loyal, capable and low key, avoiding debates over policy and able to steer clear of political divisions inside and outside the school system.

Her history of staying in the background, however, has left her views and leadership skills something of a mystery even within the district, although she is respected and well liked.

In St. Louis, Adams, 59, took over a school system that had lost state accreditation. Through his efforts over seven years, it is on the verge of winning back Missouri's seal of approval. During his tenure, he's also had to deal with a high-poverty student population and declining enrollment, which has shown signs of a small reversal. Adams' contract is set to expire in June, along with the authority of the state-appointed governing body that hired him.

Although St. Louis is one of Missouri's largest school systems, its total kindergarten through high school enrollment is 24,000 students — less than 5% of L.A. Unified's 543,000. The L.A. district also oversees an additional 101,000 students in charter schools.

If chosen, King would be Los Angeles' first female superintendent since the 1920s and the first black woman to hold the job. Adams also is African American. Black students are a key constituency in Los Angeles because they are among those with the highest dropout rates and faring the worst in academics. But nearly 3 in 4 L.A. students are Latino, and some officials have leaned toward hiring a Latino. A top Latino contender, San Francisco Supt. Richard Carranza, withdrew from consideration last week.

Besides King and Adams, a third person, whose name has not emerged publicly, also is under consideration, according to sources close to the process who were not authorized to speak. King and Adams are considered favorites, but the third candidate could prevail as a compromise choice, especially if that pick would enable the board to make a unanimous selection.

L.A. Unified has conducted a confidential search, although the names of most under serious consideration have emerged over time.

Follow the Times' education initiative to inform parents, educators and students across California >>

Observers have disagreed over whether an inside or outside candidate would be more effective in pushing the district forward.

Some have argued for an insider who is familiar with L.A.'s geography and people, especially if such a person could bring stability to a district that has had eight superintendents over the last 20 years.

Others favor an outsider to begin repairing frayed relationships among warring interest groups. These factions include employee unions on one side and, on the other, a group of philanthropists and civic leaders who have funded the growth of mostly nonunion charter schools.L.A. schools insider and an outsider emerge as favorites to lead the district - LA Times:

Two NJ Cities Test Today’s School Reform: Disruption and Privatization Fail | janresseger

Two NJ Cities Test Today’s School Reform: Disruption and Privatization Fail | janresseger:

Two NJ Cities Test Today’s School Reform: Disruption and Privatization Fail

I hope you read David Kirp’s fine commentary on school reform in yesterday’s NY Times. As the author of one of two excellent recent books on school policy in New Jersey—the 2013,Improbable Scholars—Kirp, a Berkeley professor of public policy, is particularly well suited to evaluate school reform in New Jersey. In yesterday’s commentary he compares the botched school reform effort in Newark, the subject of Dale Russakoff’s 2015, The Prize, with what has been accomplished in nearby Union City, the subject of his own book. Kirp believes the strategies employed in these two school districts have national implications, and he explains:How to Fix the Country’s Failing Schools. And How Not To.

Both Newark and Union City serve students living in concentrated poverty. In 2009 in Newark, Mayor Cory Booker and Governor Chris Christie hatched a plan to expand charter schools, weaken the teachers union, and, in Booker’s words, “flip a whole city and create a national model.” They convinced Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to underwrite the project with a grant of $100 million.

Kirp contrasts the hubris of Newark’s project to what happened in Union City: “No one expected a national model out of Union City. Without the resources given to Newark, the school district there, led by a middle-level bureaucrat named Fred Carrigg, was confronted with two huge challenges: How could English learners, three-quarters of the students, become fluent in English? And how could youngsters, many of whom came from homes where books were rarities, be turned into adept readers?”

What happened? “In 2014, Union City’s graduation rate was 81 percent, exceeding the Two NJ Cities Test Today’s School Reform: Disruption and Privatization Fail | janresseger:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

The mayor of San Francisco is sworn in — to boos and arrests

Valerie Jarrett on #RahmResign

“So I really shouldn’t comment on Chicago in particular because it’s under that investigation of [Loretta Lynch] hers.” In the interview with BuzzFeed at the White House Friday, Jarrett praised the protests, giving them credit for the current focus on the Chicago police.

“We’ve seen so many peaceful demonstrations. I don’t think we get sufficient credit to the demonstrators who are out there in the cold in Chicago — all over — demonstrating, trying to say we want change." -- BuzzFeed

Community activist Jared Steverson

"As you can see, [Mayor Emanuel] is going to black colleges. He's going to places where black people and Latino people are because he wants to get us back before election time comes in the next three Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

Jersey Jazzman: The Friedrichs Freeloaders Go To Court

Jersey Jazzman: The Friedrichs Freeloaders Go To Court:
The Friedrichs Freeloaders Go To Court

Rebecca Friedrichs and her fellow plaintiffs going before the Supreme Court today are those kind of teachers.

Those of you who've been working in schools for a while know what I mean. The kind of teacher who keeps pouring themselves coffee from the pot in the faculty lounge, but never thinks to put some money in the jar to buy grounds and filters. The kind of teacher who eats their fill at the holiday party, but never seems to have their share of the catering bill "on them at the moment."

The kind of teacher who never seems to have the time to show up at a work action, but will be the first to complain that the negotiations team didn't fight hard enough for a pay increase. The kind of teacher who complains about local union leadership, but never steps up and runs for office herself.

The only difference is that Friedrichs and friends aren't guilt of these relatively trivial transgressions: instead of mooching free coffee, they want to mooch free negotiations.

As I wrote earlier this year, some of The Friedrichs Freeloaders, like Harlan Erlich, seem confused about what their case actually is all about. Erlich didn't like that his union supported marriage equity, but the law is actually quite clear: he doesn't have to support the union's political activities. A couple of quick checks on a form and Harlan can rest assured that his dues won't go to helping make sure two people in love can have legal rights. Because this is America, and you have the right to live in the Dark Ages and be a bigot if that's what you want.

No, what's at stake here is something else: The Friedrichs Freeloaders think they should be - See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-friedrichs-freeloaders-go-to-court.html#sthash.FRwk9QYY.dpuf

The Future of Big Data and Analytics in K-12 Education - Education Week

Schools Push Personalized Learning to New Heights - Education Week:

SCHOOLS PUSH PERSONALIZED LEARNING TO NEW HEIGHTS

For most schools, reaching the next level of digitally driven, personalized learning is far from reality. Still, some schools are extending their digital reach in significant and sometimes groundbreaking ways, as the stories in this special report illustrate. They are making moves to integrate a variety of technologies to track how students learn and to use the resulting data to expand the use of hands-on, project-based learning. The goal is to build never-ending feedback loops that ultimately inform the development of curriculum and assessment. Plus, big data and analytics are gradually making their marks in K-12 education.

This special report outlines the progress schools are making to use digital tools to personalize learning, but also raises the question: Are they reaching far enough?

The Future of Big Data and Analytics in K-12 Education

Tech startup AltSchool wants to push the boundaries of classroom data collection and personalized learning. But are schools ready for the big data revolution?