Shanker Blog: Interpreting School Finance Measures | National Education Policy Center

Shanker Blog: Interpreting School Finance Measures | National Education Policy Center

Shanker Blog: Interpreting School Finance Measures

Last week we released the second edition of our annual report, "The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems," which presents key findings from the School Finance Indicators Database (SFID). The SFID, released by the Shanker Institute and Rutgers Graduate School of Education (with my colleagues and co-authors Bruce Baker and Mark Weber), is a free collection of sophisticated finance measures that are designed to be accessible to the public. At the SFID website, you can read the summary of our findings, download the full report and datasets, or use our online data visualization tools.

The long and short of the report is that states vary pretty extensively, but most fund their schools either non-progressively (rich and poor districts receive roughly the same amount of revenue) or regressively (rich districts actually receive more revenue), and that, in the vast majority of states, funding levels are inadequate in all but the most affluent districts (in many cases due to a lack of effort).

One of the difficulties in producing this annual report is that the our "core" measures upon which we focus (effort, adequacy, and progressivity) are state-level, and it's not easy to get attention for your research report when you basically have 51 different sets of results. One option is assigning states grades, like a school report card. Often, this is perfectly defensible and useful. We decided against it, not only because assigning grades would entail many arbitrary decisions (e.g., where to set the thresholds), but also because assigning grades or ratings would risk obscuring some of the most useful conclusions from our data. Let's take a quick look at an example of how this works.

The scatterplot below is taken directly from our report. Each red dot represents a state. The measure on the vertical axis is the adequacy of states' spending on K-12 education in its highest poverty districts. More specifically, it represents actual spending divided by the spending level that would be required for the highest poverty districts (i.e., the 20 percent highest poverty districts) in that state to achieve CONTINUE READING: Shanker Blog: Interpreting School Finance Measures | National Education Policy Center

If Schools Close Because of the Coronavirus, Prepare to Help the Neediest Kids and Families | Diane Ravitch's blog

If Schools Close Because of the Coronavirus, Prepare to Help the Neediest Kids and Families | Diane Ravitch's blog

If Schools Close Because of the Coronavirus, Prepare to Help the Neediest Kids and Families

At a time when schools are closing to reduce exposure to the coronavirus, school and community leaders must consider the consequences for students who live in low-income families.

For many, the school is the only place these children are certain to get a meal. Plan to distribute meals to homes in need.

A more pressing problem is the impact on low-wage workers who must stay home to take care of their children and will have no income.

How will they pay their rent if they do not get paid leave?

How will they pay for basic necessities?

Communities should insist that employers offer paid leave to parents who are required to stay home to take care of their children who are not in school.

These plans are essential in large cities and especially difficult because of the numbers of students involved.

But as a society, we cannot allow families and children to suffer because of school closures intended to protect their health.

We must make sure that we protect their well-being while they are home-bound.

If Schools Close Because of the Coronavirus, Prepare to Help the Neediest Kids and Families | Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

2020 Medley #7 | Live Long and Prosper

2020 Medley #7 | Live Long and Prosper

IT’S STILL POVERTY

We have a learning crisis but it’s not about the kids

We know that student achievement is based largely on out of school factors yet we continue to try to “fix” the schools. Changing curriculum, blaming schools or teachers, privatizing, or overtesting won’t solve the problem of low student achievement. The main link to low school achievement is poverty.

About a fifth of American students live in poverty (the same as child poverty in Indiana) and millions of those children live in food-insecure households.

As long as we, as a nation, refuse to address the growing inequality among our students, we’ll continue to have high child poverty levels. Since high poverty correlates with low school achievement, we’ll continue to have a large number of our students who fail to achieve.

World-class education nations don’t do what seems to be our main strategy: Insist schools compete against one another, use toxic accountability measures to control and measure what schools do, and hold teachers as scapegoats for plunged education rankings…

Half a century of systematic research has shown that teachers account for about 10 to 15 per cent of the variability in students’ test scores. A similar amount of variability is associated with other school factors, such as curriculum, resources and leadership. This means that most of the influence on students’ educational achievement lies outside school — in homes, communities, peer groups and students’ individual characteristics.

Make no mistake, teachers are the most influential part of school. We should CONTINUE READING: 2020 Medley #7 | Live Long and Prosper

NYC Educator: We Need Online Instruction in the Worst Way, and That's Exactly How We're Getting It

NYC Educator: We Need Online Instruction in the Worst Way, and That's Exactly How We're Getting It

We Need Online Instruction in the Worst Way, and That's Exactly How We're Getting It

How can the mayor and chancellor continue to show their indifference to the health of UFT families? There's always a new way, and the chancellor's email this morning didn't disappoint.

I'd argue they've outdone themselves once again. It appears we will be asked to come into school buildings and use the filthy, never cleaned keyboards in our offices and libraries. I've carried my own laptop for over ten years now, precisely so I wouldn't have to do that.

The mayor and chancellor's indifference to our health is mind-boggling, and continues unabated. The moment I heard Broadway was closed, I knew the schools needed to close too. The mayor of New York City decided that Broadway theatergoers needed to be protected but 1.1 million students and their families, not to mention staff and their families, somehow merited virtually no consideration whatsoever.

Now the mayor who threw us all to the dogs is in charge of online learning. What does the chancellor know? He's the guy who wanted to hear from 108,000 epidemiologists before closing the schools. Has he consulted 108,000 online learning experts? Probably not. I'd wager he knows nothing.

He's not alone in that. I don't know anything about it either. I'm a language teacher and my classes revolve around student interaction. Without that, I have no idea what to do. I suppose I could model after the many terrible teachers I had in high school. Sit and do this. Sit and read that. I'll sit on my ass and wait for it to be over. As for me, I could lecture. Except I don't.

In Ohio, they're moving toward online learning, just as we are here. There are widespread cyber charters, and you'd think that might be a model to be replicated. You'd be wrong, because cyber charters are so abysmal that no one wants to use them as a role model. Of course, cyber charters are driven by a combination of blind reforminess and greed, so CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: We Need Online Instruction in the Worst Way, and That's Exactly How We're Getting It

UPDATE: What to Think About When Your School is Closing Due to Coronavirus + Resources for Online Learning During School Closures

What to Think About When Your School is Closing Due to Coronavirus

What to Think About When Your School is Closing Due to Coronavirus

COVID-19 has left many educators and administrators nationwide operating under a rapid response system to make sure learning continuity plans are in place for students. As of March 15, Education Week reports that “at least 64,000 schools are closed, are scheduled to close, or were closed and later reopened, affecting at least 32.5 million students.”  

While the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization offer advice and strategies on how to stay healthy and avoid community spread, below is a list of items for educators to think about in the case of a school closure: 

Check out How K-12 Schools Should Prepare for Coronavirus from the Center for American Progress. It offers detailed information on issues centered on equity, technology, and services for students with disabilities and English Language Learners, and more. 

Avoid new assignments. Instead, structure assignments based on previously learned concepts. This will give students an opportunity to reinforce what has already been taught and discussed. 

While you may have been reading Shakespeare in class, send home material that will engage students. Suggest, for example, some Young Adult literature. Visit NEA’s Read Across America summer reading list to help but good books into your students’ hands.

Routines give kids a sense of security, so keep your students on a schedule, where they will follow the subjects that they would be doing at school.

Factor into the schedule brain breaks and physical activity. Students can follow an exercise program on YouTube, for example. 

Help break up the day with activities that spark creativity, such as fun crafts, painting, or journaling—anything to keep kids away from watching TV/online shows. 

Resources for Online Learning During School Closures

Technology teacher and author Jacqui Murray shares her list of the most useful articles, links, resources, and webinars to help educators (and parents) through this challenging time.

Consider using COVID-19 as a learning approach. According to Education Week’s Sarah Schwartz, a middle school math teacher had her students compare the coronavirus to other viruses that have caused past epidemics and connected it to exponential growth. Students of an Illinois high school math and science teacher asked questions about the virus and evaluated sources of scientific information, activities that fall under NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. There was also a discussion on the racism and xenophobia that’s been directed toward people of Asian descent since the beginning of the outbreak.  And a library media specialist and math teacher presented a lesson on statistics are portrayed in the news, a blend of media literacy and data analysis.  

Or, you might suggest to students to reach out to extended family in other parts of the country/world to see what’s happening in their cities. What did they do that was different from their own families (compare and contrast)? Have them answer, “now that we’ve been through a pandemic, what can we do different in the future?” You’ll have plenty to discuss when everyone returns to the classroom.   

What to Think About When Your School is Closing Due to Coronavirus

Resources for Online Learning During School Closures http://neatoday.org/2020/03/16/resources-for-online-learning-during-school-closures/#.Xm--vcdjEiE.twitter

Senate Joins House: Rejects Betsy DeVos’ Rule to Protect For-Profit Colleges and Forgive Borrowers | janresseger

Senate Joins House: Rejects Betsy DeVos’ Rule to Protect For-Profit Colleges and Forgive Borrowers | janresseger

Senate Joins House: Rejects Betsy DeVos’ Rule to Protect For-Profit Colleges and Forgive Borrowers

In the summer of 2018, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos proposed a revision in an Obama-era rule designed to protect student borrowers when their for-profit colleges shut down or when they believed they had been defrauded by a college’s predatory false advertising.  DeVos’s proposed changes in the rule, called “borrowers defense to repayment,” would, she said, save the federal government $700 million annually.  DeVos’s new rule had been scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2020.

Last Wednesday, however, the U.S. Senate voted to reverse DeVos’s proposed revisions to the rule. The House had approved the measure to overturn DeVos’s rule in mid-January. Politico‘s Michael Stratford reports that if President Trump signs the bill which has now passed both Congressional chambers, “the DeVos rule would be nullified, leaving in place the Obama-era standards. The Education Department would be prohibited from writing any new rule that is ‘substantially the same’ unless Congress acts.”  In both the House and Senate, Republicans joined Democrats in voting to overturn Secretary DeVos’s new rule.

Stratford explains the implications of recent Congressional action to reverse DeVos’s rule: “The Senate on Wednesday issued a strong bipartisan rebuff to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, passing legislation to block her policy that makes it tougher for defrauded student loan borrowers to have their debts forgiven. Ten Republican senators broke with the Trump administration and joined with Democrats on a 53-42 vote to overturn DeVos’s rewrite of the Obama-era “borrower defense” rule, which governs debt relief for students whose colleges engaged in misconduct. The measure, which cleared the House last month, now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk. The White House has threatened a veto of the legislation which did not garner a veto-proof majority in either chamber. But Trump told Republican senators during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that he was ‘neutral’ on the resolution…  CONTINUE READING: Senate Joins House: Rejects Betsy DeVos’ Rule to Protect For-Profit Colleges and Forgive Borrowers | janresseger

Architecture 101 for Kids and Teens Online – Seattle Education

Architecture 101 for Kids and Teens Online – Seattle Education

Architecture 101 for Kids and Teens Online

Hello to all,

With COVID-19 creating havoc in many ways on our lives, I may be of value to some parents who, while their students are out of school, may want additional academic support.

I have been teaching Architecture 101 classes for almost 20 years and began offering online courses several years ago.

Now that I live in Portugal, my geographic range of students not only includes the US but also Canada, the EU, the UK and South Africa.

I teach one-on-one with students in real time, as I would if teaching in my studio, and can also offer classes for two or more students via a conference line.

One of the benefits of the classes is that the subject draws on math, history and social studies, reinforcing what the student is learning in school.

For more on me and the classes I offer, please see Architecture 101 for Kids and Teens.

If you have any questions, please send an email to dora.taylor@icloud.com. We can also talk via WhatsApp, Messenger or any other app you prefer.

My best to everyone as we go through these trying times.

Dora

Architecture 101 for Kids and Teens Online – Seattle Education

La. Teacher of the Year: An Open Letter to High School Seniors During Coronavirus Crisis | deutsch29

La. Teacher of the Year: An Open Letter to High School Seniors During Coronavirus Crisis | deutsch29

La. Teacher of the Year: An Open Letter to High School Seniors During Coronavirus Crisis

I have known Chris for most of his life. I remember celebrating his third birthday with his family (and have the Barney pics to prove it).

Chris knows what it is like to have his senior year of high school wrecked by a major crisis– Hurricane Katrina.

As a result of the social distancing required for America to combat the impact of the coronavirus, governors and other officials are canceling school, and the Class of 2020 across the nation is grieving the profound loss of their senior year.

I know your grief is real, and I am so sorry for your loss.

I want to comfort and encourage you, and for that reason, I asked Chris if he would write an open letter to America’s high school seniors. He enthusiastically and graciously accepted.

Below is his response, for you, Class of 2020.

Dear High School Senior,

On Friday afternoon a few seniors came into my classroom after the last bell rang. They were concerned about prom and their senior trip. It broke my teacher heart to listen. As you’re reading this, you most likely have similar concerns.

This is supposed to be your year. The year for your senior prom, sporting events, cheer competitions, senior trips, clubs, and the rest of what senior year has to offer. You were supposed to be the captain of that team, the officer of that club, or that student who wanted to be with their friends one last year before venturing into the unknown. This was THE year that your entire schooling was building up to. But it was robbed from you because of this global pandemic.

Let’s be abundantly clear – you were robbed, and it’s unfair. If you’re upset, then you should embrace those feelings. Commiserate with one CONTINUE READING: La. Teacher of the Year: An Open Letter to High School Seniors During Coronavirus Crisis | deutsch29

Important update on just-announced NYC school closings and other important developments | Class Size Matters

Important update on just-announced NYC school closings and other important developments | Class Size Matters 

Important update on just-announced NYC school closings and other important developments

After several weeks of resistance, Mayor de Blasio just announced that starting tomorrow, Monday March 16, NYC public schools will be closed, and will remain closed until at least April 20, to stem the rapid spread of coronavirus.  For the next week, schools will be open only as a place for parents to pick up food if they need it for their families, and teachers will be trained in online learning starting Tuesday.

The following week, starting March 23, students will begin to engage in “remote learning”, and “Regional Enrichment centers” will be opened throughout the city to provide child care for first responders, health care and transit workers, and “our most vulnerable populations.”

Chancellor Carranza said that online devices will also be provided to the approximately 300,000 kids who don’t have them. A schedule of events is available on the DOE website here. The Chancellor strongly urged all parents to sign up for School Accounts to stay in the loop, if you haven’t already; instructions here.

• The Mayor delayed this necessary decision for weeks, even after most public health experts, parents, teachers, union officials, and other elected leaders had begged him to close the schools, as nearly every other large district and more than 15 states have already done. More on about this in a blog post I wrote on Thursday. With more than half a million kids in overcrowded schools, and more than 325,000 in classes of 30 or more, it would be simply impossible to prevent the rapid spread of the virus among our children, teachers and other staff, which currently is our best chance to prevent our health care system from becoming quickly overwhelmed.

• Yet I am also very skeptical as to the value of online learning even under the best of conditions; and there is growing consensus among independent researchers that it doesn’t work well, especially for kids who need help the most.  I and others also have many privacy concerns, some of which are outlined on our Parent Coalition for Student Privacy blog, where I also offer some alternative suggestions as to what might be better ways to keep your kids engaged, both physically and intellectually, during the weeks ahead.

When online instruction begins in NYC, I will be eager to hear from all of you, including parents, CONTINUE READING: Important update on just-announced NYC school closings and other important developments | Class Size Matters