Education Research Report This Week

Education Research Report:

Education Research Report This Week

Impacts of school choice on segregation

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 50min

Diversity in schools is important for students' experiences and outcomes in schools and beyond, reducing prejudices and ensuring the likelihood of living and working in integrated environments as adults. Penn State researchers are 

Characteristics and Experiences of Special Education Students in High School

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 16min

Secondary school youth who receive special education services feel positive about school, but are more likely than their peers to struggle academically, be suspended, and lag behind in taking key steps towards postsecondary education and jobs. Among youth with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), those with autism, deaf-blindness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, and orthoped

Report Promotes Reforms to Teacher Education Programs but Ignores Past Research and Present Context

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 48min

A recent Bellwether Education Partners’ report begins with the reasonable assumption that in order to improve teacher quality, the field must first improve teacher preparation program design. It then asserts that teacher-education programs are “blindly swinging from one popular reform to the next” and that decades of input- and outcome-based research has failed to improve teacher education. This

Success for All Shows Positive Effects in Alphabetics for Early Readers

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2h

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has reviewed the latest research on Success for All® (SFA®) and its effects on students in grades K-4. The results are summarized in an intervention report released by the Institute of Education Sciences today (March 28). SFA® is a whole-school reform model for students in grades pre-K–8 and includes a literacy program that emphasizes phonics for beginning reade

Extended School Days: More reading instruction, student success

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2h

Under state law, Florida’s 300 lowest performing elementary schools in reading are required to extend the school day by one hour. A new Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast study looks at the characteristics of the schools that implemented this law and how they used the required extra hour. Since the 2012-13 school year, Florida law has required the 100 lowest performing elementary schools i

U.S. Children's Nonparental Care Arrangements

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2h

About 60 percent of children, ages 0-5 and not yet in kindergarten, participate in nonparental care arrangements, according to a new report released today (March 28). The report also indicates that parents paid more for child care arrangements in 2012 than they did in 2001, even after adjusting for inflation. The National Center for Education Statistics released The Years Before School: Children'

YESTERDAY

Food insecurity in early childhood linked to young children's skills in kindergarten

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d

In the United States, estimates show that a substantial number of children under age 5 live in households that are food insecure. That means that they do not have food, or they lack sufficient quantity or quality of food to fuel a healthy and active lifestyle. A new study has found that children who experience food insecurity in early childhood are more likely to start kindergarten less ready to

MAR 23

Asian-American students have strong academic support -- but is it too much?

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Despite having the strongest academic support from parents, teachers, and friends, second-generation Asian American adolescents benefit much less from these supports than others, finds a study by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. The findings, published in the Asian American Journal of Psychology, suggest that support may be experienced as pressure and that ste

High schools lacking 'best practices' for athletic emergencies

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

A survey of Oregon high school athletic directors on their school's preparedness for a catastrophic injury or health event found that only 11 percent of those responding had implemented three primary "best-practice" recommendations for treating their student-athletes. Multiple national sports safety organizations have defined institutional best practices, including having a plan in place for when

Report Mistakenly Suggests Easy Path for Improving Teacher Quality Through Higher Admissions Standards

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

A recent report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) advocates for a higher bar for entry into teacher preparation programs. The NCTQ report suggests, based on a review of GPA and SAT/ACT requirements at 221 institutions in 25 states, that boosting entry requirements would significantly improve teacher quality in the U.S. It argues that this higher bar should be set by states, by t

MAR 22

The Certification and Experience of U.S. Public School Teachers

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 6d

At least 90 percent of the nation’s public school students were taught by state certified teachers in 2011-12 (school year), 2013, and 2015, according to a new report . It also reports, at least 75 percent of students had a teacher with more than five years of experience in 2011–12 and 2015. However, these percentages varied based on the characteristics of the school, such as its location, the de

Perceptions of District Efficiency May Vary Depending on Which Measures Are Used in Expenditure-to-Performance Ratios

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 6d

Districts across the county are seeking ways to increase efficiency by maintaining, if not improving, educational outcomes using fewer resources. This report from explores expenditure-to-performance ratios (for example, a ra

Education Research Report:

Malloy Budget Cuts undermine quality early child care programs in Connecticut - Wait What?

Malloy Budget Cuts undermine quality early child care programs in Connecticut - Wait What?:

Malloy Budget Cuts undermine quality early child care programs in Connecticut

Connecticut Voices for Children, a non-partisan research group, has produced a new report on the devastating impact that Governor Dannel Malloy’s budget is having on Connecticut’s Care 4 Kids program.

CT Voices reports;

The Care 4 Kids child care subsidy has played a key role in providing quality child care to low-income working families in Connecticut, enrolling an average of about 21,000 children per month in 2016.

 Last summer, however, increased program costs driven by federally mandated quality improvements resulted in a $33 million budget shortfall.

To address that budget gap, the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) closed enrollment for the program, leading to a current waitlist of about 3,000 families.  The waitlist is projected to increase to 5,000 families by July 2017.

[…]

We find that 30% of children age under five in the state live in low-income families that qualify for Care 4 Kids – but instead of receiving subsidies, these children and their families are placed on a waitlist with no definitive end date. Moreover, in 49% of Connecticut towns, Care 4 Kids is the only form of state support for child care. Under the Governor’s proposed budget, the subsidy program may not reopen until 2019, leaving thousands of parents with untenable choices. The legislature must adopt a budget that fully funds Care 4 Kids this year –our report presents policy solutions to make that happen.

The full policy report, which is entitled Care 4 Kids in Connecticut – The Impact of Program Closure on Children, Parents, explains the impact of Changes to Care 4 Kids Eligibility as follows;

Since the Closure of Care 4 Kids, enrollment has dropped significantly. The current waitlist contains about 3,000 families. The waitlist is projected to increase to about 5,000 families by July 2017.

Connecticut may see a decline in the number of child care centers and home day care providers. Loss of child care 

Malloy Budget Cuts undermine quality early child care programs in Connecticut - Wait What?:

Charter Schools: A Cancer Destroying Our Public School System By: Francisco Martinez - Perdaily.com

Charter Schools: A Cancer Destroying Our Public School System By: Francisco Martinez - Perdaily.com:

Charter Schools: A Cancer Destroying Our Public School System 
By: Francisco Martinez

When I first heard that Broad was planning to dismantle public education by taking 50% of students out of LAUSD and putting them in charters schools, I thought it was timefor me to get active. Originally, I was one of those people who thought that charters were an alternative to our struggling inner city schools that were infested with gangs, under performing, and multiple other problems. Soon, I began to comprehend that behind the appealing and usually misleading propaganda publicized by charter school operators, there is an undeniable truth purposely hidden by proponents of the charter school industry: Charter operators are in business to make money at the expense of our children's education.

Without any doubts, the charter school industry generates hundreds of millions of Dollars in revenues for the most part because they benefit from the year 2000 Community Renewal Tax Relief Act that provides "tax incentives for seven years to businesses that locate and hire residents in economically depressed urban and rural areas". This credit allows charter school investors to double their money in a period of seven years which is one reason why many of them are coming into the charter school business in unprecedented large numbers. It's evident that most of these investors take advantage of the quick guaranteed profits generated in large part due to the lack of government oversight of these money making institutions. As a matter of fact, The Miami Herald called south Florida charter schools a "$400-million-a-year powerhouse backed by real-estate developers and promoted by politicians, but with little oversight." According to information obtained from tax forms 990, major Charter Chain Executives total Compensation in 2012, was as follows: Celerity, Vielka McFarlane $438,730.00, Alliance, Judy Burton, $330,400.00, Aspire, James R. Willcox $293,687.00, Green Dot, Marco Petruzzi $279,478.00, Camino Nuevo, Ana Ponce $230,811.00. Today, they may be making even more as many of these charter schools have moved into many other school districts throughout the country.

While representatives of the lucrative charter school industry make millions of dollars in profits, they claim and promote the belief that they run public schools. Yet, legal entities Charter Schools: A Cancer Destroying Our Public School System By: Francisco Martinez - Perdaily.com:

OPINION: The case for a Bachelor of Arts — what Betsy DeVos doesn’t understand about this “Noble Pursuit” - The Hechinger Report

OPINION: The case for a Bachelor of Arts — what Betsy DeVos doesn’t understand about this “Noble Pursuit” - The Hechinger Report:

OPINION: The case for a Bachelor of Arts — what Betsy DeVos doesn’t understand about this “Noble Pursuit”
Debunking the common wisdom

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has praised vocational schools and/or community colleges as “noble pursuits” for low-income people who can’t afford a four-year bachelor’s program.

On its surface, that sounds like a generous, open-hearted argument. But for those about to embark on the critical years after high school, when life missions are formed, and crucial networks of support are established, this argument, and the underlying lack of support for funding of higher education it implies, is not only short sighted. It’s bitterly limiting — and threatening. Especially to students who dream of studying the arts.

As a professor in the Theatre and Dance program at the University of Texas — Austin, I’m used to hearing arguments against the validity of my own program. In 2016, the average student came out of college with an average of  $37, 172 in debt. For those who study the arts, popular opinion seems to dictate that their chosen field of study is leading them straight to a life of unhappiness and debt.

Related: Can testing save arts education?

The common wisdom, including in the business and arts fields, is that employers don’t value an arts degree. My colleagues and I would beg to differ.

Twenty-five years ago, I enrolled in the theatre and dance program where I now teach. I had produced my first play at age fourteen at a local community theatre, and felt an immediate calling. The program’s focus on regional theatre of the era – with its hierarchical breakdown of roles (producer-director-designers and actors – crew) — offered little preparation for my first out of college job as the managing director of an arts nonprofit in which I was also a company member.

Within a few years, I was touring as an independent, producing artist. Later, in the wake of those same culture wars, I got into policy OPINION: The case for a Bachelor of Arts — what Betsy DeVos doesn’t understand about this “Noble Pursuit” - The Hechinger Report:

NYC Public School Parents: What was the test like today? Please leave your comments below!

NYC Public School Parents: What was the test like today? Please leave your comments below!:

What was the test like today? Please leave your comments below!

Today is the first day of the NY State ELA exams for grades 3-8. 

As in previous years, we are asking teachers, parents and students to comment on how these exams went in their schools and if there were errors, ambiguous questions, product placements, or reading passages too difficult or inappropriate for the grade level of the students tested, as has occurred each year since the exams were redesigned to "align" with the Common Core. 

Remember, it was on this blog in 2012 that we first reported on the Pineapple question on the 8th grade exam, which quickly gained national renown and still lives on as a symbol of ridiculous, poorly written standardized exams and the lack of accountability of the testing companies.  Last year, the ELA exam was chock full of overly long, dense and grade-inappropriate reading passages with numerous typos, abstruse vocabulary and confusing questions.  Was the test better this year?  Please leave your comments @ NYC Public School Parents: What was the test like today? Please leave your comments below!:

Pushback may have killed Paul Vallas CSU appointment. His reputation as a fixer is odd since he has been fired from almost every job he has held. | Fred Klonsky

Pushback may have killed Paul Vallas CSU appointment. His reputation as a fixer is odd since he has been fired from almost every job he has held. | Fred Klonsky:

Pushback may have killed Paul Vallas CSU appointment. His reputation as a fixer is odd since he has been fired from almost every job he has held.

CSU board announcing yesterday it will not appoint Paul Vallas as school president, rejecting Governor Rauner’s pressure to do so.

I wrote yesterday about Paul Vallas and the move by Governor Rauner to appoint him as president of the financially challenged Chicago State University.

CSU  serves mostly African American and working class students.

Its financial challenges mainly come from the failure of the Governor to get a budget passed.

Some are now suggesting that we will never see a state budget passed while Rauner is Governor.

Now it seems that strong opposition to the Vallas appointment as delayed or killed it.

Chicago State University trustees on Monday put off a decision on whether to appoint ex-Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas to a 

Pushback may have killed Paul Vallas CSU appointment. His reputation as a fixer is odd since he has been fired from almost every job he has held. | Fred Klonsky:

This bill would stop charter school expansion in Illinois.

4by Fred Klonsky / 2h

State Representative Will Guzzardi has introduced legislation that would all but stop charter school expansion in Illinois. Guzzardi’s bill would block the opening of any new charter campuses in any school districts with the Illinois State Board 

Court Orders New York to Release School Improvement Funds to Schools Education Law Prof Blog

Education Law Prof Blog:

Court Orders New York to Release School Improvement Funds to Schools 

by Education Law Center

In a major victory for parents, a New York appeals court has ordered the State Division of Budget to immediately release over $37 million in improvement grants to 20 needy schools across the state. A year ago, the grants were frozen by Governor Andrew Cuomo's Budget Director, Robert Mujica, triggering a lawsuit by parents of students in three of the affected schools.

"I am most happy for the children who would benefit from these funds as it shows them that there are people other than their parents who care about their future," said Curtis Witters, a parent plaintiff in the lawsuit. "I hope the schools will utilize these funds to help our students be as successful and progressive as possible."

Education Law Center represents the parents of students in the three schools: Hackett Middle School in Albany, Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, and JHS 80 Moshulo Parkway Middle School in the Bronx.

In an order issued today, the appeals court "vacated," or lifted, a "stay" of a December 28, 2016, decision by Judge Kimberly O'Connor in Albany finding Mr. Mujica had acted illegally in withholding the grants. Judge O'Connor directed the Budget Director to immediately release the impounded grant funds.

An appeal of by the Cuomo Administration triggered an automatic stay of Judge O'Connor's ruling. The parents then asked the appeals court to lift the stay, citing the urgent need to release the funds so needed programs could be implemented in the upcoming (2017-18) school year. Today's order clears the way for the funds to be released so the schools can begin their planning process.

"We are pleased the Appellate Division ordered the immediate release of the grant funds," said Wendy Lecker, ELC Senior Attorney. "These grants were frozen illegally, forcing the schools to discontinue vital academic and support services in the current school year. These Education Law Prof Blog:

Dear People with Privilege: On Freeing the Pelican | radical eyes for equity

Dear People with Privilege: On Freeing the Pelican | radical eyes for equity:

Dear People with Privilege: On Freeing the Pelican

The first men to deny sexism are sexists themselves; the first white people to deny racism are racists themselves.

One of the profound tensions of the U.S. is that the country founded on the ideals of individual liberty—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—was in fact built by sexists and racists. This is no easy or comfortable contradiction.

We have settled into an ends justifying the means narcotic as a people to avoid that contradiction.

The great praise the U.S. does deserve (although not unique to the U.S.) is the concept of pursuit; a great many people have pursued and continue to pursue the elusive equity of our founding principles.

To identify, admit to, and then confront racism or sexism, we must reach to the people with the most power in the country—white men, who believe they have earned that power, their success.

Racism and sexism are not mere abstractions because some people must be complicit in the perpetuation of both.

Even among the victims of racism and sexism, we find people complicit, but the main people responsible for our failures in the pursuit of equity are the ones with the most power, power gained from privilege.

Most of us, then, when confronted with the ugliest truths of racism and Dear People with Privilege: On Freeing the Pelican | radical eyes for equity:

How the Nation’s Two Oldest School Voucher Programs Are Working: Part II—Ohio | janresseger

How the Nation’s Two Oldest School Voucher Programs Are Working: Part II—Ohio | janresseger:

How the Nation’s Two Oldest School Voucher Programs Are Working: Part II—Ohio

School voucher programs in Milwaukee and Cleveland are now over twenty-five years old.  Now Wisconsin and Ohio have expanded statewide what began as stand-alone, big-city programs, and last week, local newspapers in Milwaukee and Cleveland examined these programs.  Today’s post will look at Patrick O’Donnell’s recent Plain Dealer report on vouchers in Cleveland and Ohio. Yesterday’s post covered last week’s Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel‘s report on Wisconsin vouchers.

While Erin Richards’ piece on Wisconsin explores the fiscal problems for a state that has begun to divert state and local tax dollars to pay for the education of students at private schools, Patrick O’Donnell in Cleveland emphasizes the problem of figuring out whether students at religious schools accepting vouchers receive a superior—or even adequate—education: “The school voucher programs that some federal and state officials want to expand have had mixed test results in Ohio that make it unclear how much more students learn than if they had stayed in their local public schools. Ohio’s voucher programs, which give families grants to help pay tuition at private schools, have a low bar to clear to look successful. Neither the state’s main voucher program, EdChoice, nor a Cleveland-only program is competing with high-scoring suburban districts. Both were created to let families avoid schools the state considered to be failing, so they only have to best the lowest-rated schools. But the private schools receiving voucher dollars have had mixed results, even when compared to these ‘failing’ public schools.”

Here is a caution: As O’Donnell compares the schools, he is using Ohio’s school ratings, based primarily on standardized test scores.  Any comprehensive school rating system would consider myriad other factors.  And, of course, test scores, in the aggregate reflect the economic circumstances of families and neighborhoods. (See here and here.)

O’Donnell compares voucher students’ standardized test scores in third and eighth grade and reports that students who have carried vouchers to religious schools score higher in reading and lower in math, “scoring lower—sometimes by a hair, sometimes by a lot—on four of the six state math tests for the same grade. It’s a trend that has held for several years.”

O’Donnell also examines a technical academic paper by David Figlio of the Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research, a study in which Figlio controls for all sorts of factors that may affect scores apart from the quality of the education schools provide: “Figlio found How the Nation’s Two Oldest School Voucher Programs Are Working: Part II—Ohio | janresseger:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Guzzardi's bill would limit charter expansion. Sends INCS into panic mode.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Guzzardi's bill would limit charter expansion. Sends INCS into panic mode.:

Guzzardi's bill would limit charter expansion. Sends INCS into panic mode.

Rep. Will Guzzardi calling for limits on the expansion of privately-run charters in IL

The charter hustlers at INCS are in panic mode. Until recently, they've been riding a wave of rapid expansion of privately-run charter schools even as seats in many of their charters remain unfilled and while hundreds of neighborhood public schools are being closed or severely underfunded.

INCS sent out a mass mailing Friday, warning their base that...

On Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 2:00 pm, Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago), will debate HB3567, a bill that will place a 10-year or longer ban on charter public schools across the state. This bill will limit the educational options of Illinois' families, and disproportionately affect communities currently without high-quality open-enrollment public schools. Thousands of children and families across Illinois need your help to stop this harmful bill.

The INCS letter is misleading. HB3567 doesn't place a 10-year ban (or any ban) on charters. It doesn't call for the closing of a single charter school in the state. Nor does it "limit the education options" of a single student. Rather, the bill is aimed at restricting the unlimited expansion of privately-run charters in districts that can't afford to build or operate them. The bulk of Illinois’ 857 school districts would not be affected. In 2016, ISBE reported 32 school districts on the financial watch list — the state’s worst rating — and another 61 a step above on the financial early warning list.

Lauren FitzPatrick, writes in the Sun-Times:

The bill introduced Friday by state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, would block the Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Guzzardi's bill would limit charter expansion. Sends INCS into panic mode.:

CURMUDGUCATION: The Broken Promises of Tech

CURMUDGUCATION: The Broken Promises of Tech:

The Broken Promises of Tech

So, here's how I've been spending my evening.

I had a whole batch of photos that I wanted to upload, but after investing a chunk of time this morning and this evening, that whole project crashed into a bunch of disconnected bits floating off into the cyber-ether.

I took the somewhat passive-aggressive step of tweeting my displeasure with my provider (Verizon DSL-- don't tell me to switch to someone better because first, there's nobody all that better and second, even if there is, there is nobody better in my rather rural area). As usual (this is not my first disgruntled cyber-rodeo) that grumpy tweet flushed out a corporate bot who wrangled me up the line until I was chatting with what appeared to be a live human.

My problem, according to me-- speed tests on my end show upload speeds that graph like badly battered comb, and upload speeds are so low that the test just times out. Hence my inability to upload my pictures.

My problem, according to the tech-- I'm trying to use my wireless internet connection wirelessly. Other devices or objects or neighbors or bursts of cosmic rays could cause the wifi to weaken as it drags its way the ten feet across the room. Verizon can really only guarantee the wireless speeds CURMUDGUCATION: The Broken Promises of Tech:

Teachers For Social Justice: Action for Racial and Economic Justice

Teachers For Social Justice: Action for Racial and Economic Justice:

Action for Racial and Economic Justice

Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Anniversary of Dr. King's Assassination
National Mobilization for Justice

The Fight for $15 has partnered nationally with the Movement for Black Lives for a day of action on April 4th, the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Teachers for Social Justice is organizing for this event (in Chicago), which is in two parts: 

Part I: 3:30 PM-Federal Plaza, 219 S Dearborn: Rally for racial, economic, and gender justice! 

Part II: 5:30 PM-Chicago Teachers Union, 1901 West Carroll: Citywide Teach-In-Resist, Reimagine, Rebuild-linking Dr. King, economic & racial justice, and the need to build a united front with many movements.TSJ 

Members/supporters will meet at 3:15 at Federal Plaza. Look for the TSJ Banner and gather there. And we will sit together at the Teach-In at 5:30.

Come join with us for this historic occasion in commemorating Dr. King's vision, legacy, and spirit of struggle. Please register HERE.

Teachers For Social Justice: Action for Racial and Economic Justice:

We enter the darkest days of education. | Opine I will

We enter the darkest days of education. | Opine I will:

We enter the darkest days of education.

Tomorrow we enter into one of the darkest days in education. In New York State the abusive Common Core tests get underway.  Our students, some as young as 8 years old will begin the grueling process of reading passage after passage and answering an unforgiving array of multiple choice and essay questions. These children will sit for at least 9 hours to fulfill a political ideology that has nothing to do with educating the child.

With these ‘new” untimed tests, some children could potentially sit for 6 hours on each of the 6 testing dates. Their only break will be a sequestered supervised lunch break where they will be monitored to ensure they do not discuss the test with their fellow students.

Our children will struggle with questions that have more than 1 plausible answer. They will have to select the best plausible answer. Questions will ask them , for example, to analyze paragraphs 3, 14 , 24 & 26  and then choose the answer that best describes their relationship. They will be forbidden to give their opinion in an essay as they regurgitate details to fulfill the task at hand.

When we look at past tests, we can almost guarantee some passages will be We enter the darkest days of education. | Opine I will:

Should Trump change the National Anthem?

Should Trump change the National Anthem?