When Dummy Variables aren’t Smart Enough: More Comments on the NJ CREDO Study « School Finance 101

When Dummy Variables aren’t Smart Enough: More Comments on the NJ CREDO Study « School Finance 101:

When Dummy Variables aren’t Smart Enough: More Comments on the NJ CREDO Study

by schoolfinance101

This is  a brief follow up on the NJ CREDO study, which I wrote about last week when it was released. The major issues with that study were addressed in my previous post, but here, I raise an additional non-trivial issue that plagues much of our education policy research. The problems I raise today not only plague the CREDO study (largely through no real fault of their own…but they need to recognize the problem), but also plague many/most state and/or city level models of teacher and school effectiveness.
We’re all likely guilty at some point in time or another – guilty of using dummy variables that just aren’t precise enough to capture what is that we are really trying to measure. We use these variables because, well, they are available, and often, greater precision is not. But the stakes can be high if using these variables leads to misclassification/misidentification of schools for closure, teachers to be dismissed, or misidentification of supposed policy solutions deserving greater investment/expansion.
So… what is a dummy variable? Well, a dummy variable is when we classify students as Poor or Non-poor by using a simple, single income cut-off and assigning, for example, the non-poor a value 0f “0″ and poor a value of 

UPDATE: More on Commissioner Pryor’s new communications person…only making $82k - Wait, What?

More on Commissioner Pryor’s new communications person…only making $82k - Wait, What?:

More on Commissioner Pryor’s new communications person…only making $82k

by jonpelto

Last Wednesday, a Wait, What? blog post began with the reminder that, “Today’s double barreled lesson; (1) There is always room for one more Director of Communications on the ship of state, even in the face of a billion dollar deficit, and (2) there are simply no qualified PR people in Connecticut.”

The piece reported that Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, was bringing in yet another out-of-state person to help him run Connecticut’s Department of Education.

This time it was a new public relations person, the third he has had since becoming Commissioner about a year ago.

On Friday night, the CT Mirror got word that Donnelly’s salary will be a paltry $82,000, not 

Three more MUST read commentary pieces on Connecticut’s “Education Reformers”

by jonpelto

As Governor Malloy’s PR operation continues pumping out the education reform rhetoric, we can be confident that should he see re-election, he’ll be running on the most anti-public education record of any governor in living memory.  His “Education Reform” package was certainly the most anti-teacher, anti-union bill introduced by any Democratic governor in the nation.

Earlier this year we heard Malloy claim, “I don’t mind teaching to the test as long as test scores go up,” while proudly uttering the falsehood that teachers need only show up for four years to get tenure.

Since then he has pushed an agenda that makes greater use of inappropriate standardized testing and has continued to champion a teacher evaluation system that relies on the outcome of those tests, despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence 

Common Core Could Improve Quality of High School Assessments - High School Notes (usnews.com)

Common Core Could Improve Quality of High School Assessments - High School Notes (usnews.com):

Common Core Could Improve Quality of High School Assessments

By KELSEY SHEEHY

December 3, 2012 RSS Feed Print

Short multiple choice exams are ineffective and won’t work for the new Common Core standards, experts say.

The phrase "Common Core" is on the minds ofhigh school teachers across the country as schools in 45 states and the District of Columbiabegin implementing the new education standards.

Designed to set a consistent benchmark for achievement in math and English, the Common Core State Standards aim to prepare students for college and the workplace by using in-depth lessons to build critical thinking and analytical skills.

[See why high school students need to think, not memorize.]

New standards also mean new standardized assessments to measure student progress. The first of these exams will be 

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-3-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Rick Hess: Why Does Tom Friedman Have a Crush on Arne Duncan?

by dianerav

In another smart column, Rick Hess dissects Thomas Friedman’s fawning praise for Arne Duncan.
What puzzles me is why so many knowledgeable commentators continue to speak of Duncan’s great success in Chicago. I get confused about whether it was Paul Vallas or Arne who “saved” Chicago. Despite a string of saviors, Chicago remains un-saved.
In this column, Hess has it both ways, simultaneously praising Arne’s run in Chicago and pulling it apart.
Whatever: he remains the reigning iconoclast of the right.

Will the Common Core Standards Reduce Time for Literature?

by dianerav

According to a story by Lyndsey Layton in the Washington Post, English teachers across the nation are cutting back on fiction, because they have been told that the Common Core standards say they must.
The standards say that reading must be 50% fiction/50% nonfiction, and increase in high school to 70% nonfiction. Teachers are dropping novels and poetry and short stories to comply.
But David Coleman says that people are misinformed.
He points to a footnote on page 5 of the 66-page document. He says that English teachers can keep teaching

Competition Requires Competitors

by dianerav

As this story in the Wall Street Journal shows, over 1,000 public schools closed last year, involving some 280,000 students.
This is supposedly the result of competition. But it seems clear that in some districts, like DC, Chicago, and NYC, the leaders of the public schools are supporting the other team. How can you have competition when the home team has leaders cheering for and helping the other side?
Why doesn’t KIPP accept the KIPP Challenge and take over all of DC?
SCHOOLS RING CLOSING BELL
By STEPHANIE BANCHERO
WASHINGTON—At Davis Elementary in this city’s mostly poor southeast section, 178 students are spread out

Beware the Boston Consulting Group

by dianerav

Wherever the Boston Consulting Group goes, certain outcomes are predictable:
1. It will recommend closing public schools.
2. It will recommend opening privately managed charter schools.
3. Most of the schools closed will be

Pedro Noguera Explains the Demise of Newark’s Global Village

by dianerav

Pedro Noguera, an urban sociologist at New York University, took the lead in crafting a comprehensive plan for education reform in a group of public schools in Newark’s central ward. Modeled on the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Global Village Zone was heralded as thoughtful and bold when it was introduced in 2010. But things went wrong, and Global Village did not survive.
I invited Pedro Noguera to describe what happened. He generously responded.
The End of the Global Village
In the fall of 2009, I was invited by an organization called America’s Promise Alliance, associated with General 

“A Systematic Assault on Public Education in Michigan”

by dianerav

Below is a message that Sen. Rebekah Warren (MI-18) asked us to pass along in response to the petition “Stop the Takeover of Public Education in Michigan” (http://signon.org/sign/stop-the-takeover-of-1).
——————————————–
Dear Friend,
Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to legislation that would transfer control from some of our public school districts to the newly created Education Achievement Authority (EAA).
House Bill 6004, along with House Bill 5923 and Senate Bill 1358, seeks to expand the scope of the EAA and allow unregulated school choice in Michigan. As you may know, the EAA was recently established to assume control of underperforming schools in the city of Detroit. This new package of bills broaden that power to allow 

Contact the White House

by dianerav

Please read this Facebook post and act now to stop the Race to the Test.

Teacher Sabrina Crashes ALEC Meeting

by dianerav

Sabrina Stevens somehow got herself into a closed-door meeting of the ALEC education task force, and she told the task force how disturbed she was by what she saw. They told her that she does not “understand the process,” and it is clear in the video that there were shocked to find a live teacher and advocate for public education In their midst.
I can’t wait to get a full account from Sabrina. Meanwhile, bravo, to our fearless champion!

Teacher of the Year Rated Unsatisfactory

by dianerav

A tweet from Arthur Goldstein, NYC teacher:
Meet Ms. Cook, 2012 teacher of the year, rated unsatisfactory due to VAM scores.
Tweet by Arthur Goldstein @TeacherArthurG
http://on.fb.me/Uk2xkc

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-2-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Crybaby in Indiana by dianerav At Jeb Bush’s bipartisan conference on the privatization movement, outgoing Indiana Governor Mitch Danielscomplained that teachers used illegal tactics to defeat State Superintendent Tony Bennett. He claimed, with no evidence, that teachers campaigned for Glenda Ritz using school emails and facilities. Bennett, of course, was the hero of the privatization movement. Jeb Bush made him the chairman of his “Chiefs for Change,” a group of state superintendents devoted to high-stak... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – State considers charging universities for teacher prep accreditation

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

State considers charging universities for teacher prep accreditation 
By Tom Chorneau
Monday, December 03, 2012

Under pressure to streamline operations and recover service costs, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is expected this week to consider a proposal for charging universities and other institutions to perform accreditation review of preparation programs.

The agency, which serves as the state’s standards board for educator training and professional conduct, has an extensive program for evaluation of the state’s 260 teacher training programs – a system that incorporates site visits, course review and analysis of student performance data, all of which is financially supported by other commission activities.

A staff report offers the board two avenues for recapturing some of those expenses – one by imposing fees for the review of newly-established credential programs and the other by charging for extra accreditation efforts required when institutions fail to meet one or more standards.

Anne Padilla, who helps oversee government relations at the CTC, said the commission does not have authority to 

Youth employment, middle school math – both highlight need to stay on track
By Tom Chorneau
Monday, December 03, 2012

Two reports out today highlight – from very different perspectives – the lasting impacts missteps in education can have on the lives of young students as well as on society as a whole.

The first study, released by the Anne E. Casey Foundation and Kids Count, points out that youth employment is at its lowest level since World War II – with about 6.5 million Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 both out of school and out of work.

“There are fewer jobs today and employers are demanding higher skills in a labor market transformed by globalization and technology,” the Casey study reports. “Also, fewer than half of our high school students graduate on time and are ready for college. Young people with limited education and job-readiness skills find fewer employment opportunities.”

These current conditions predict dire consequences: High school dropouts have estimated lifetime earnings of 

Turkish Delight? | EduShyster

Turkish Delight? | EduShyster:

Turkish Delight?

by edushyster2012

Two Massachusetts charter schools import virtually all of their their teachers from Turkey using H1-B visas. Should this matter?

Did you know that the Turkish language has no word for “tenure”? Actually I have absolutely no idea whether that’s the case, but what is true is that so called “Turkish” schools, math and science charters dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and innovation, are sprouting faster than cells in a petri dish. Massachusetts is already home to two such charters: the Hampden Charter School of Science in Chicopee and the Pioneer Charter School of Science in Everett. Now the Massachusetts Board of Education is poised to give the thumbs up to two more Pioneer schools.

The Massachusetts schools are part of a vast national network of Turkish-run charters inspired by powerful Turkish Imam and US resident Fethullah Gülen.  The Gülen charters were the subject of an extensive 60 Minutes investigation last summer; the FBI and the Departments of Labor and Education are also investigating whether teachers brought over from Turkey to work at the charter schools are forced to kick back part of their salary to aid Gülen and his movement.

Which brings us back to Massachusetts. The principal of the Pioneer Charter School of Science, Barish Icin,

About Gulen charter schools

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

SIDEBAR: Accrediting agency can impose a range of sanctions | EdSource Today

SIDEBAR: Accrediting agency can impose a range of sanctions | EdSource Today:

Accrediting agency under federal pressure to be tougher on community colleges - by Louis Freedberg

by Louis Freedberg

The commission that accredits California’s community colleges, and has ordered City College of San Francisco to prepare for possible closure, has come under pressure from the federal government to make sure that the colleges under its jurisdiction comply in a timely way with the deficiencies it identifies. If it does not, the commission risks losing its federal “recognition” as a legitimate...

SIDEBAR: Accrediting agency can impose a range of sanctions

December 2nd, 2012 | Add a Comment | 
By Louis Freedberg

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges has been the target of vigorous criticism over the past decade for being too tough on California’s community colleges – or too lax.

The ACCJC is the accrediting agency for public and private colleges offering two-year associate degrees in California, Hawaii, and also in Pacific territories such as Guam.

For main story on the ACCJC, go here. 

Tensions between the community colleges and the commission have increased in recent years in tandem with the larger number of sanctions imposed on colleges seeking renewal of their accreditation.

In 2005, for example, the California Federation of Teachers passed a resolution saying the commission was “a private organization that is accountable to no one it serves.” In 2006, the head of the Peralta Federation of Teachers, the union representing faculty and other staff at four East Bay community colleges, accused the commission of being “out of control.” In 2010, the Academic Senate representing faculty at all 112 colleges considered introducing a motion of no confidence in the commission, but withdrew it after circulating it widely. Earlier this year, the Academic Senate 

NYC Public School Parents: DeWitt Clinton HS: another victim of the Bloomberg preference to close schools rather than allow them to improve

NYC Public School Parents: DeWitt Clinton HS: another victim of the Bloomberg preference to close schools rather than allow them to improve:

DeWitt Clinton HS: another victim of the Bloomberg preference to close schools rather than allow them to improve

by Leonie Haimson

DeWitt Clinton High School

The Bloomberg administration has been defined by its determination to close as many schools as possible, and has shut more than a hundred so far, rather than make attempts to improve them. It is now threatening to close down DeWitt Clinton High School, one of the last remaining large schools in the Bronx, with arenowned history. Over its 115 years, its alumni have included32 Oscar, Emmy and/or Tony Award winners, 11 Pulitzer Prize winners, 5 Olympic medalists, and 54 current or former members of the NY State Supreme Court. 

Just 13 years ago, Clinton was ranked among the top 100 high schools in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.  But then came the Gates-funded small schools initiative, as implemented by Bloomberg/Klein, which undermined all the large comprehensive high schools in the Bronx through 

Spelling and student writing: Does it matter much? Should it matter more? | Get Schooled

Spelling and student writing: Does it matter much? Should it matter more? | Get Schooled:

Spelling and student writing: Does it matter much? Should it matter more?

by Maureen Downey

With the exception of top brass, very few reporters and editors in newsrooms have offices. Our desks are so close that if I stretch too far, I could knock my colleague Kyle Wingfield in the head. (Not that he couldn’t use a friendly thump to the head now and then.)
So both praise and proscription are often overheard by all in newsrooms. I find it more painful to be a bystander to a pillorying than to be a victim.
One of the worst lashings I ever overheard was directed at a reporter who confused “it’s” and “its” in the lead of an important story, a mistake that also slipped by the copy desk.  The editor lamented that the piece could have been a contest entry but for that mistake.
His critique must have stayed with me because I can’t get past the misuse of the words to this day.
And that includes a presentation of new standards in my own school system a while back.  The audience was handed examples of excellent student work. And the writing and reasoning were impressive. …

School Tech Connect: I'm Sold

School Tech Connect: I'm Sold:

I'm Sold

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

This is a monster research project that CTU just released.. I'm going to be going through it for weeks and weeks. I don't want to minimize any one part of it in favor of another, but this chart on page 25 is an eye opener.

It may come as a surprise to some of my readers, but I've decided to start a charter school. It's the civil rights issue of our time, and I intend to cash in on it.

Note: I realize I just announced my new school like four seconds ago, but already there's a waiting list of thousands. Apply today. We'll work something out.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Rahm responds to another weekend of gun violence by offering $1 milllion in funding for youth programs. The money comes from private funds raised for the NATO summit that were never spent.

Rahm Emanuel

"This [left over NATO money] is what it takes to make sure a community is safe and secure for our children and our families." -- Chicago Tribune

Indiana's Tea Party Gov. Mitch Daniels

“Despite all of the progress that has been in states like ours, the forces of [resistance] never quit.”-- Washington Times

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. 

"Tea party two is going to dwarf tea party one if

Florida DOE Spikes the Football on Grad Rates While College Remediation Rates Soar | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida DOE Spikes the Football on Grad Rates While College Remediation Rates Soar | Scathing Purple Musings:

Florida DOE Spikes the Football on Grad Rates While College Remediation Rates Soar

by Bob Sikes

The Florida Department of Education patted itself on the back late last week on improving graduation rates all the while hoping nobody calls them on the number of those graduates need remediation when they get to college. But StateImpact reporters McNelly Torres and Lynn Waddel have a timely piece which does just that.

Florida’s K-12 public education system has graduated hundreds of thousands of students in the past decade who couldn’t read, write or solve math problems well enough to take some college-level courses.
 More than half of high school graduates who took the college placement test in the 2010-2011 school year found out they had to take at least one remedial course in college to boost basic skill. These students couldn’t pass at least one subject on the placement exam used to assess the 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Resist Invasion of Privacy at Schools. Hillary Clinton Will be Proud.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Resist Invasion of Privacy at Schools. Hillary Clinton Will be Proud.:

Resist Invasion of Privacy at Schools. Hillary Clinton Will be Proud.

by stlgretchen

Scientific experiment = Creative Dissent.  Become a STEM ready student and constitutional scholar.

Ed Morrissey at HotAir writes about the "Nanny of the Month" and the winner is Northside School District’s requirement for students to wear RFID tags to attend class.  Morrissey links Reason's TV information on the tracking chip program which is not designed so much for educational and alleged safety purposes as it is for government funding:

This month’s lineup of of busybodies includes the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where administrators may ban booze in dorms–even for students of legal drinking age (guess those college kids would just stay dry!). Then there’s Chi-Town, where officials are using GPS devices to track food trucks to make sure they don’t wander within 200 feet of any fixed 

Tom Friedman's Embarrassing Man-Crush on Sec. Duncan :: Frederick M. Hess

Tom Friedman's Embarrassing Man-Crush on Sec. Duncan :: Frederick M. Hess:

Tom Friedman's Embarrassing Man-Crush on Sec. Duncan

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Dec 3, 2012 at 7:04 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

Secretary Of Education Forced To Take Up Stripping To Put Nation Through School | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Many people say nice things about our earnest Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. It's easy to see why, even if one thinks the Obama administration has made its share of mistakes on education. He's a pleasant, even-tempered guy; has comported himself in Chicago and D.C. with class; and has gotten some significant stuff right, like giving his terrific "New Normal" speech and broadening out the reform agenda in helpful ways. But none of that explains the bizarre, mouth-breathing man-crush that New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has on him.

In a NYT column last week that I found fairly disturbing (Arne, please call the stalker hotline before you turn in tonight), Friedman instructs President Obama that his next Secretary of State should be Duncan. Friedman's got a number of reasons for this. My favorite is: "As our foreign budget shrinks, more and more of it will have to be converted from traditional grants to 'Races to the Top,' which Duncan's Education Department pioneered in U.S. school reform. We will have to tell needy countries that whoever comes up with the best ideas for 

The Educated Reporter: Word on the Beat No. 2: DACA

The Educated Reporter: Word on the Beat No. 2: DACA:

Word on the Beat No. 2: DACA

by Emily Richmond

Each week, The Educated Reporter will feature a buzzword or phrase that You Need To Know (yes, this designation is highly subjective but we're giving it a shot). Send your Word on the Beat suggestions to erichmond@ewa.org.

Word on the Beat No. 2: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

What it means: DACA represents the Obama administration’s aggressive attempt to overhaul the nation’s policies toward undocumented immigrants. For an estimated 1.7 million teens and young adults under age 31, DACA offers a potential means of staying legally in the United States to work or attend school, for up to two years. In order to qualify, the individual must either be in school or have graduated high school, and have no record of serious criminal behavior.

Why it matters: This year’s presidential election results showed Latino voter turnout reached record levels. As a result, immigration issues will almost certainly be at the forefront of the national policy debate in coming months. Interestingly, a number of Republicans – including some high-profile pundits – have reversed their long-held