Kindling Flames

Now what, Mr. Secretary???

2009-04-14T15:28:00.008-05:00

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 gives approximately $100 billion to education over the next two years. And President Obama has tied this funding to high expectations to schools, with the money expected to provide new opportunities for the education system to innovate—the vast majority of these funds are to supplement, not supplant, state and local education dollars. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has promised that "Where we see a state or district operating in bad faith or doing something counter to the president's intent, we're going to come down like a ton of bricks."

Well, Mr. Secretary…

In Loudoun County, Virginia:
“After hearing that an initial batch of $11.8 million in federal funds would soon arrive in Loudoun County, supervisors slashed $7.3 million from the schools budget. They also made clear that if more federal recovery money flows to schools, schools might be asked to give back an equal amount of county dollars.”
--The Washington Post, April 13, 2009

In Rhode Island:
“The second usage of the stimulus funds involves Individual Disability Education and Title I funds." These funds have a great deal of restrictions on how they can be spent," Lukon said. "The governor plans to reduce state aid by the amount of money we will be receiving in IDEA and Title I funds," she said. Essentially, this will create a situation wherein, although it appears to be an even trade, it is not, Lukon said.

Dr. Robert Fricklas concurred with Lukon, "These funds need to be directly tied into what IDEA is all about. There is little discretion in how these funds can be used," Fricklas said.

Lukon summed up the situation by explaining that the substitution of IDEA and Title I funds for general funds essentially leaves a hole in the operating budget of approximately $106,000.”
--The Jamestown Press, April 2, 2009

In Hawaii:
“Governor Lingle plans to cut the schools' budgets, replenish them with stimulus money and use the savings to fill the state's budget gap.”
--The Associated Press, April 13, 2009

Your move, Mr. Secretary...

Thoughts on the Stimulus Money...

2009-04-09T20:33:00.005-05:00

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, approximately $100 billion has been made available for education in the next two years. Given my rudimentary understanding, it appears there are two main streams of this money: the State Stabilization Fund (which totals approximately $48.3 billion and which is meant to fill holes in state budgets that popped up due to the economic crisis) and increased funding to existing federal programs designed to promote educational equity (an additional $10 billion for Title 1 and an additional $11.3 billion for IDEA, with another billion going to the preschool and infants programs). There is an additional $5 billion to be spent at the Secretary's discretion on innovative programs—his “Race to the Top” funds. The rest of the funding is divided among other programs, some very controversial. If you are interested in a brief summary of the available funding, Jack Jennings at the Center on Education Policy has written an excellent one.

This money represents unprecedented federal spending in education, and the Obama administration is really pushing states, districts, and schools to use the money smartly, to reform education and improve achievement. See this Education Week article (published on-line April 7, 2009) as an example.

But a couple of things from the Ed Week article strike me as a little odd. First, one of the U.S. Department of Education suggestions for spending the IDEA funding is to “hire transition coaches to help graduating high school seniors find employment or get postsecondary training.” One of their suggestions for spending Title 1 money is to “create summer programs for algebra.” Both are fabulous ideas that could have an enormous impact on achievement. BUT…this funding is only guaranteed for TWO YEARS. Those are both long-term ways to raise achievement. What happens to these coaches and these summer programs in two years when the money is gone? Would they lay off the coaches and close down the programs? What does the DOE suggest…or are they even thinking about that issue?

In addition, the DOE suggests the following uses for the stabilization funds:
• Create new, fair, reliable teacher-evaluation systems based on objective measures of student progress and multiple classroom observations.
• Train educators to use data to improve instruction.
• Purchase instructional software, digital whiteboards, and other interactive technologies and train teachers in how to use them.

BUT near as I can tell, those funds are meant to prevent layoffs and to bring state spending up to previous levels (any leftover money (not guaranteed) flows to districts through Title 1 formulas). Unless such priorities were already included in state budgets, how is the state stabilization fund to cover that? Should states layoff teachers for the sake of new technology?

Another concern I had with the Ed Week article was Secretary Duncan’s quote, referring to the application for the competitive Race to the Top grants: “The first question, … I promise you, will be what did you do with the stabilization money to drive reform and improve achievement. It there isn’t a good answer to that, they might as well just tear up the form.”

A noble sentiment, to be sure. BUT, again…the stabilization money is meant to fill holes and prevent lay-offs. It isn’t necessarily new money. How innovative can states be if they are using the money as intended to prevent layoffs and class size increases, and repair buildings with asbestos falling from ceilings? (Note: I recognize that some states with less severe budget constraints may have additional money remaining once they have met their shortfall—those states may be able to use stabilization money more towards reform rather than simply stabilization…but those might also be the same ones that need the innovation funds the least).

This money is a great thing for education. I am just a little concern that expectations are a little too high for what states can do with this money in this time frame.

New Reports on Charter School Impacts

2009-03-27T17:31:00.006-05:00

Brookings just released The Impact of Milwaukee Charter Schools on Student Achievement. Among its findings: charter school attendance is associated with higher scores on mathematics exams than attendance at traditional public schools, but there is no statistically significant relationship between charter school attendance and performance on reading exams. These positive results are due to student performance in the initial years of the program—the performance of charter schools and traditional public schools is statistically indistinguishable for the most recent years of the study.

Interesting…especially because in the first year of the study (school year 2000), which showed the largest advantage for charter schools, the sample included only 4 charter schools. The most recent year (school year 2006—in which the authors actually found a statistically significant advantage for reading scores in traditional schools), they included 35. In the report, they give great weight to the fact that first year charters tend to have a negative impact on test scores, which could account for the decline in overall performance. However, in school year 2005, the study included 38 schools…which suggests that few if any new schools were included the 2006 data [because otherwise they would have had to eliminate several previously included schools, which doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense]. Might another idea be that charters performend better in the early years because the early charters were given only to the very best of the applicants, whereas a current push to increase the number of charter schools has led to less impressive applicants being granted charters? This notion has implications for Obama’s push to lift caps on charter schools…

Another interesting finding from this report: student mobility has a negative effect on performance and is a more robust predictor of student performance than the organizational factors the authors considered (which seems to me, as a teacher who dealt with student mobility, be a “duh” statement). Also, the positive impact of charters relative to traditional public schools declines as the number of years a student has attended a charter school increases (this could be really interesting to delve into…).

If you are interested in learning more about the impact of charter schools, check out this new RAND publication, How Charter Schools Affect Student Outcomes. It presents a much more complete picture [and actually incorporates the Milwaukee data used in the Brookings report]. The most promising results for charter supporters: The long-term outcomes of high-school graduation and college entry—in the two locations with available data on these attainment outcomes (Chicago and Florida), charter high schools appear to have substantial positive impacts, increasing the probability of graduating by 7 to 15 percentage points and increasing the probability of enrolling in college by 8 to 10 percentage points.

Turning ex-traders into new teachers

2009-03-17T11:57:00.001-05:00

This article from the New Jersey Star-Ledger discusses a new pilot program just approved by the New Jersey state legislature to fast-track teacher certification in science and math. A likely recruitment target: recently unemployed Wall Street workers, who have a significant math background. Kudos to New Jersey for a policy that is intended to both put the unemployed to work and to provide qualified math and science teachers for urban districts struggling to fill those slots. As with any policy, though, we will have to wait and see whether it accomplishes either goal.

Of course, within the education community there is a great debate over the effectiveness of teachers who undergo alternative certification programs in general. People interested in the topic might be interested in this Mathematica evaluation on the efficacy of different teacher preparation methods in contributing to students’ academic achievement. It concluded that there was no difference, on average, to student achievement resulting from placing an alternatively versus traditionally certified teacher in the classroom.

Another study of interest might be this 2008 Urban Institute publication on the effectiveness of Teach For America teachers (who were specifically excluded from the Mathematica study) in secondary schools in North Carolina. While, like all studies, there are methodological limitations, the authors found that TFA teachers are more effective, as measured by student exam performance, than teachers certified traditionally working in the schools in which they are placed. They also suggest that TFA teachers are more effective than experienced secondary school teachers in those schools. Results are particularly strong in math and science. [Note: I do have slight bias in posting this study, as I taught high school math and science as a TFA corps member]

In-State Tuition for Illegal Residents???

2009-03-09T12:08:00.005-05:00

This article from Sunday’s New York Times jumps into the debate on in-state tuition for long-term undocumented immigrants. The article definitely calls attention to some of the arguments for giving such students the benefits of that tuition, including but not limited to the fact that current legislation (in the 40 states that do not currently offer that tuition rate) can be considered denying access to higher education to these students, many of whom have been in the United States nearly their entire lives. However, the article also includes the counterpoint that some stakeholders believe taxpayers should not subsidize the college education of illegal immigrants.

The article does not point out what this article from the February 27th Arizona Republic does--that undocumented students who graduate from college in the US are not eligible to work here and therefore 1) must either return to home countries they barely know to get meaningful work or toil underground in the same labor and service-sector jobs as their illegal immigrant parents; and 2) the state is unable to recoup the investment it makes in these students.

Aside from opinions about whether the policy of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants is right or wrong (or just sound or unsound), I think its interesting that the NYT article makes such a major omission. Its a major point that would likely influence the thinking of many individuals. The omission seems to speak either to the perils of basing policy opinions on mass media, or to the fact that policies can be designed to exist in a bubble outside of reality…

FY 2010 Budget, Department of Education

2009-02-27T15:31:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Stacey for alerting us to the release of the White House's FY 2010 Budget blueprints! Check out the Department of Education document here (note: links directly to PDF) (click here to visit the White House budget page and check out impacts on other departments).

The budget would include funds for a variety of educational projects ranging from expanding access to high-quality early childhood education to preparing and rewarding effective teachers and principals. As Stacey points out, it also would also make some pretty major changes to financial aid for higher education. It would expand the Pell Grant program, put the program on sure footing (in other words, they wouldn't be subject to the Appropriations process anymore!), and tie the maximum grant award to inflation.

In addition, the budget would eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan Program (a US DOE program that provides for private organizations to market, originate, and service federally guaranteed student loans, such as Stafford and PLUS loans) by 2010. All new loans would originate from the Federal Direct Loan Program (in which the government acts as a direct lender). Not all stakeholders will be pleased with this development, though, as evidenced in this New York Times article published February 25...

Update: Here is a newer (February 26) NYT article on the changes to the student loan system.

Governor Asks Teachers to Work For Free

2009-02-20T17:44:00.004-05:00

The economic crunch is hitting education hard. It's hitting everything hard. And states and districts are dealing with it in different ways, considering alternatives ranging from 4-day school weeks to eliminating sports programs.

But the governor of Oregon has presented what I think is one of the most extreme options: He has asked teachers to work for free some days this spring.

According to the article, Oregon legislative budget leaders have proposed cuts that would force many districts to close early by an average of about five days. The governor (who would lead by example and work four days for free over the next four months) has said that teachers should work without pay to prevent that scenario. While some Democratic legislators applaud the approach, citing "shared sacrifice" as a model to help the state survive the economic crisis. Republicans, though, would prefer that the state's reserve accounts be tapped. The state has an estimated $800 million in two savings accounts, one specifically for schools.

Probably because I am a former teacher, and I have certain sensitivities about the way teachers are treated in society, this proposal makes me so mad. Let me put aside the fact that I think that teachers are already underpaid. While I recognize the value of shared sacrifice, I can't help but notice that while other employees are being put on unpaid furloughs, they don't actually WORK during that time. If the governor is suggesting this, he should suggest unpaid WORK furloughs for other state employees--make them come in to work on days they don't get paid. To me, the fact that teachers are singled out screams disrespect.

Expanded Learning Time...

2009-02-14T14:43:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Rebekah for compiling some resources on expanded learning time! (For those who don't know, expanded learning time is a school reform strategy that lengthens the traditional school day or year to increase learning time)

In January 2009 The Collaboratve for Building After-School Systems released Enhancing School Reform Through Expanded Learning, a report that aims to further the conversation of how school reform and improvement strategies can take full advantage of expanded learning opportunities to promote student learning, development, and engagement. It seeks to make an evidence-based case for the ideas that:
-->Expanded learning time can be an effective strategy to promote student performance.
-->The more effective school improvement strategies will be those that incorporate the key elements of expanded learning time.
-->Resources exist to enable districts and schools to build in expanded learning time activities as core components of their reform plans.

In July 2008 they released the policy brief More Time for Learning: ELT Initiatives & Enrichment Opportunities, which describes the momentum of various ELT initiatives around the country, identifies differences between ELT and traditional after-school programs, and calls for policymakers to explore how ELT might serve as an opportunity to strengthen connections between school and after-school systems.

The Harvard Family Research Project is also taking an interest in this concept, recently (January 2009) releasing the policy brief Supporting Student Outcomes Through Expanded Learning Opportunities (take note--this links directly to the pdf). This brief shines a spotlight on the role of afterschool and summer learning programs in supporting student success and to help bridge the divide between afterschool and summer programs and schools by offering some research-derived principles for effective expanded learning partnership efforts.

Of course, given the current economic situation and the fact that state education budgets are getting cut (though some help is theoretically on its way thanks to the recovery act), some states and districts aren't really looking at expanding learning time. They are looking more to cut it--or at least "reallocate it more effectively"--through 4-day school weeks. 16 states have already experimented with the idea, and proposals have been made in Washington, Utah, Maine, and California, among others. Principals' Partnership has a (nonrigorous) research brief (take note--it links directly to the pdf) out on the topic.

KIPP/Union Update

2009-02-09T10:31:00.009-05:00

The New York Times reported Friday that the environment at a KIPP school whose teachers recently voted to unionize has gotten tense, with administrators "making veiled threats" and meeting with students alone--a meeting at which the students "had been encouraged to talk about 'negative feelings and interactions' with [teachers]." This coming after the school's founding principal told those organizing teachers that he was "disappointed" and "not pleased."

Read the article here.

Personal opinion? While I unabashedly support teachers unions, I could put aside those thoughts and just reflect... Perhaps, instead of introducing further tension into the school, the administrators at this school could think about the environment at their school and why these teachers felt it was necessary to organize. If these administrators are so opposed to running a unionized school, how could they let their school culture get to a point where the teachers feel that organizing is their best bet to improve their working environment and their students education? What mistakes did they (the administrators) make?

In none of the press that I have seen on this issue have I seen the administrators publicly taking responsibility for this creating environment. Yet the whole notion of charter schools means that they had that responsibility. This situation is being monitored by many in the educational world and is an important precursor in education reform, in terms of union/charter partnerships or creating sustainable climates in charters (or in a number of other reforms). Yet what observers are seeing is administrators (like executives in other sectors of the American economy) blaming others for their problems. This from an organization that encourages personal responsibility.

KIPP Teachers Organize

2009-01-15T09:33:00.009-05:00

"Teachers at 2 Charter Schools Plan to Join Union, Despite Notion of Incompatibility"

The New York Times reported earlier this week that teachers at a KIPP school in Brooklyn have joined the UFT (the United Federation of Teachers, New York City's teacher union). Read the article here.

It seems that teachers at this school feel that their working conditions (which at KIPP schools in general are typically recognized as strenuous, to put it mildly) make teaching there unsustainable, leading to high teacher turnover and ultimately negatively impacting students' education. In addition, teachers want to make sure they can express their views on educational matters without fear of losing their jobs (see Leo Casey's post on Edwize for that one).

KIPP is a darling of a certain faction of the education reform community, so this displeases many...Some believe that "A union contract is actually at odds with a charter school” (Jeanne Allen, executive director of the Center for Education Reform, a Washington group that supports charter schools). For the record, AFT (the American Federation of Teachers, UFT's parent organization) and its affiliates do not, and have organized teachers at charter schools in other regions of the country, as well as opening and running charter schools of their own
(check out this AFT press release or this EdWeek Teacher Beat post for just a bit more information).

Regardless of whether one believes that charter schools and teachers unions are incompatible, my favorite response to the development is Alexander Russo's: "I guess this is what happens when your teachers get past the starry-eyed hero worship stage, or when your network of schools gets beyond a certain size."

So some feel this is inevitable...I wonder about the collective impact of this type of individual charter school teacher organization on the future of the charter school movement, and on the future of education reform in general.

1.22.09 Update: I also enjoyed Ezra Klein's posting

A Couple Interesting New Reports...

2009-01-09T15:53:00.007-05:00

New reports are out on both early childhood education and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Given that both are on the chopping blocks in many districts thank to budget cuts, this research could be particularly timely…

Check out the National Early Literacy Panel’s new report "Developing Early Literacy" (click here to open the executive summary, and here to open the full report, both as PDFs).

Or read through a College Board report on the college outcomes AP coursework (click here to open the report as a PDF).

And note that the economy is impacting education not only through government budgets…even in spite of the recent report on the positive impact of AP courses, the College Board is cutting several AP exams, most notably Italian (see this New York Times article for more information).

Incentives for Hard-to-Staff Positions

2008-11-24T11:29:00.009-05:00

On November 20, the Center for American Progress released "Financial Incentives for Hard-to-Staff Positions: Cross-Sector Lessons for Public Education." This report examines research from other sectors, such as the military, and suggests a variety of options to help education leaders overcome the problem of recruiting and retaining qualified teachers in hard-to-staff areas. Check out the executive summary (links to a pdf of the entire document). You can also check out Public School Insights thoughts on this piece.

I also personally enjoyed Ariel Sacks reaction to this report. Ariel is a teacher who presented at the CAP’s release, and she has some very interesting words about how she feels after being at a meeting of the policy community. My favorite quote? “I actually had the heated thought, "Well if this is what our profession is being turned into, maybe I will leave after all. Most of these people obviously wouldn’t care.”

I think her piece is a great reminder that in the policy community’s haste to develop what we consider innovative solutions to challenging circumstances, we have a tendency to ignore the reality of those actually in the classroom…which may not be the best way to create lasting change.

Major Policy Speech

2008-11-18T23:28:00.003-05:00

In her first major policy speech since her election as AFT president, Randi Weingarten spoke at the National Press Club yesterday, outlining both provocative and proven approaches to improve public education. She also expressed her desire to seek common ground on various contentious issues often thought to be off-limits for teachers unions.

Check out a summary of what she said (it links to a pdf of the speech itself).

Selected Events: Week of Nov. 17, 2008

2008-11-17T09:39:00.005-05:00

Around the Washington, DC, area? Consider going to one of the following events…

Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 8:30am-1:30pm: Education Policy in Transition: A Report of the National Academy of Education White Papers Project
Join leading education researchers and policy leaders, including education advisers to President-elect Barack Obama, Congressional staffers for education, and other policymakers in a discussion of the findings and recommendations from the white papers, including topics on teacher quality; standards, assessments and accountability; science and mathematics education; and equity and excellence in American education. Learn more and register here.

Wednesday, November 19, 4-5:30 pm: The Future of Education Research: An Address by Anthony S. Bryk
Anthony S. Bryk, one of the nation’s preeminent education researchers, became president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching this fall. In his first major policy address since taking the helm of the prestigious institution, Bryk will discuss his revolutionary new vision for research and development in American schooling, the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for his organization, and the lessons they hold for the future of school reform. Learn more and register here.

Friday, November 21, 2008, 8:30am-2:30pm: 2nd Annual Calder Research Conference: The Ins and Outs of Value-Added Measures in Education: What the Research Says
Join distinguished panelists to discuss value-added measures and credentials; how these measures apply across time, tests and contexts; and whether disadvantaged schools lose the best teachers. Learn more and register here.

If you have an event you would like to promote on this blog, e-mail epsa@gwu.edu.

New Brief on KIPP

2008-11-16T18:51:00.006-05:00

Columbia University’s Jeffrey Henig recently released a brief reviewing seven studies on the effectiveness of KIPP charter schools. Some of his conclusions? Students who enroll and stay in KIPP schools tend to perform better on standardized assessments than similar students in more traditional schools. However, Henig adds caveats to this finding, discussing unobservable biases in student motivation and support, as well as high (and seemingly selective) student attrition. He also points out that few studies actually examine the KIPP “process,” which includes high teacher turnover, and the implications of that process on the expansion and sustainability of the KIPP model. Ultimately, Henig provide recommendations to policymakers on how to best utilize the existing evidence on KIPP in informing education policy and reform strategies.

Learn more by checking out the executive summary or the full policy brief (both accessed from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice). You can also read the Washington Post’s Jay Mathews’ response to Henig's analysis.

If you are interested in more data on KIPP schools, check out SRI International’s three-year study of Bay Area KIPP schools, which found some promising short-term academic results but could not draw any long-term conclusions given the high and seemingly selective student attrition at these schools.

State of NCLB

2007-01-24T08:12:00.000-05:00

In last night's State of the Union, NCLB was near the top of the speech, but President Bush didn't say much that is new. There was a brief nod to choice--though he didn't specifically mention vouchers as they did in the press release--and a repetition of the whole "The gap is closing" mantra. Then he specifically called for reauthorization this session, which some people think is still not sealed up.

The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children, and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law.

(APPLAUSE)

It seemed to me, though, that the transcriber was slacking on his or her duties... as they panned the Congress, it looked like only about half of the members were clapping. Perhaps it should have said "Tepid Applause"?

AND on NBC, at least, the camera misidentified Secretary Spellings. While I understand it's easy to confuse a lavender suit with a powder pink one, don't they have a seating chart to help with these kinds of things?

NYC Public School's New Years Resolution

2006-12-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

Joel Klein recently appointed Chris Cerf, former president of Edison Schools, will become deputy chancellor for operational strategy, human capital and external affairs. This is a crucial move by the chancellor to create infrastructure for private partnerships and influence in our public education system. Keep watch on this one....

Deal or No Deal?

2006-12-26T10:44:00.001-05:00

DCPS has a possible partnership with a non-profit education agency, EdBuild in order to improve achievement at some poor performing schools in the district. While EdBuild is said to have "little-experience," the organization does include some experienced staffers including a TFA alum and the former deputy mayor. If EdBuild is granted the deal, it will be interesting to see if other education non-profits take note and apply for contracts as well.

Tough Choices? You Bet!

2006-12-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

With the national standards and accountability movement in goosestep by the end of the 90’s, a major education reform like NCLB was bound to happen. Unfortunately, the result didn’t quite capture the creativity and innovation the new Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce outlined in their new report Tough Choices OR Tough Times. NCLB just created more frustrating problems across the nation within the same old system offering no real changes to the problems facing our public school system. However, this new report offers a delightful and refreshing glimpse of a democratic education system built as a catchall; almost ensuring no child left behind. Most importantly, the recommendations support the projections of what America’s job market is slowly turning into. The last time I checked the local job listings, I didn’t see a post for someone who can cunningly take a standardized test or recite a complex mathematical equation without any contextual knowledge. Instead, I see jobs demanding proficiency in writing, multi-tasking, creativity, and special attention paid to those of who can speak something more than English.

So let’s say our education system stays relatively the same…and when I am an old man and Ivory soap is still 99.9% pure, Margaret Spellings is still saying, after many extensions of course, that we will get every child proficient in math and reading in just 8 more years. Either America would have to revert to an agriculture nation or careers in reading will skyrocket. The reality is that our public schools are not really preparing students for the workforce. NCLB goals are ambitious and admirable, but the old adage “what is taught is what is tested” is verified by NCLB. This means the arts, foreign language, social studies, PE and other subjects that foster innovative, creative, smart, and well-rounded student are in the periphery of a Federal government hell-bent on making every child proficient in math and reading (maybe science?) by 2013-14. The subjects lost are those that help create a competitive workforce able to effectively communicate and interact with other nations in the global economy.

America’s public schools need a complete overhaul…it goes beyond offering more classes. It is about reorganizing our resources to better suite those in need. It is about recruiting teachers and making them feel like valued players within the school. These recommendations and many more, outlined in Choices, are not piecemeal fixes but big and ambitious changes that are long overdue. Of course there are many “controversial” recommendations like private management of schools and increased testing, but these likely concerns are needed to foster dialogue and debate among education leaders who must find the middle ground in pursing a system overhaul.

It is hard not to dream of a better education system and a educated populous when you read Tough Choices OR Tough Times…but the more you read, the more frustrating and depressing it is to hear out nation’s education leaders come up with such a needed plan that will be probably never be implemented.

Brown v. Board for the 21st Century...

2006-12-06T07:44:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this week about the issue of voluntary integration plans for the school districts of Louisville, Kentucky, and Seattle, Washington.

Advocates, including civil rights groups, argue that racial integration fosters tolerance and better relations across all racial lines, and segregation "reduces academic achievement". Opponents, including the current administration, argue that integration policies violate the equal protection laws of the Constitution and thereby children should not be labeled by race.

In previous Kindling Flames posts, Nicole and I (on this blog and offline) have discussed color-blind policies in higher education and whether racial preferences actually benefit poor minority students (which if you read the posts, do not necessarily). This court case, while different than a higher education discussion, touches on the same issue of equity in education, and what it means to have diversity in our schools. Which begs the question, does voluntary racial integration policies provide equal opportunities in education, especially for those children (from low ses) who need it the most? Or do we need to take a different approach to ensure that all children receive quality education?

The Century Foundation issued a brief arguing that based on socioeconomic status would help close the achievement gap as well as foster diversity in schools. Basically, it will have the same intended results as the voluntary racial integration policies but under a more solid constitutional grounding.

I wanted to hear people's thoughts on this case and the issue of integration. Anyone game?

The New Prez

2006-12-06T07:15:00.000-05:00

GW just found their replacement for outgoing University President Stephen J. Trachtenberg. Steven Knapp, former Provost at Johns Hopkins University will take office at the end of the summer. This choice highlights GW's attempt to focus on research and diversity in faculty and students as a priority for the University in the upcoming years.

Catch Margaret Spellings on Jeopardy!

2006-11-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Jeopardy is having their celeb Jeopardy tournament, and rumor has it that Spellings will be on tonight! :-)

An Bachelor's Degree In Service

2006-10-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

When Thomas Jefferson read a draft of our U.S Constitution, he wrote to the rest of the Founding Fathers: "This constitution of yours worries me because it asks so little of its citizens." Jefferson was alarmed because he believed that a democracy required active citizen participation in order to survive.

Currently, national service programs like Americorps and the Peace Corps have been seen as the "Jeffersonian Patch" to helping foster civic engagement and democratic principles. And even though these programs provide an invaluable educational experience (I myself am an Americorps alum), there is a missing link between one's year in service and one's experience in higher education. The majority of colleges and universities do not have a mainstream curriculum built around teaching the concepts of citizenship and public serivce.

Until now....

Recently, Senator Hillary Clinton (NY) with her co-sponsors Sen. Arlen Specter (PA), Sen. Mukulski (MD), and Sen. Kennedy (MA) introduced the "Public Service Academy Act of 2006", which will create an undergraduate institution that will "promote public service and citizenship". The four year undergraduate institution will also require summer internships in various service industries so that college students will graduate with a well rounded "service" education.

Check out the U.S Public Service Academy website for info and how to help support this initiative

The Politics of Education

2006-10-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

In this week’s Class Struggle, Jay Matthew’s tells the story of a KIPP school run by Principle McDaniel in Oklahoma, who was blocked from expansion and almost forced to shut down because of political conflicts between KIPP and the school district. Matthew’s exasperation is evident as he unfolds the series of events where politics is at the helm of the move to strike down this high achieving school. Mathew’s writes, “The political problems McDaniel had to deal with irritate me and seem irrelevant to how children learn, my first interest.”

Most people probably agree with Matthews. I have heard many educators, parents, and even politicians complain that our education system would run more smoothly if politics were left out of it. Sure, I am not a fan of politics playing such a large role in the lives of our students, but, this is where Matthews and I disagree.

Politics is not irrelevant to how children are educated, because education, by its very nature, is political.

Mark Hanson, a professor who has researched education systems worldwide, talks about how education creates political conflict because it is the “principle instrument” in how we allocate social roles and status to the next generation. Schools are the vehicle through which societies transmit their values and norms. And a shift in the education status quo especially creates conflict because it symbolizes a societal shift as well. According to Hanson, education and politics will always be interconnected, whether we like it or not.

Therefore, instead of trying to separate politics from our education system, we should be figuring out what actions will push politics towards improving education.

Many innovative education reformers are already doing just that. Examples of actions that have "pushed" the politics of education can be found in L.A, where Steve Barr and others mobilized parents from across the city and demanded mayor control over the school district. It can also be found in charter schools that are opening in increasing number nationwide because of actions taken by a mobilized community. And even in the case of the KIPP school, it was the actions of key stakeholders that prevented the school from closing its doors for good.

Like most of us, Matthews might not like the politics of education, but we have to be able to understand it in order to take action to change the status quo of education on a local and national level.

A Nation at Risk...of being Monolingual

2006-10-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

I am not a regular Anderson Cooper blog reader, but randomly fell upon it today and found this post, about the best way to instruct non-native English speaking students. A CNN correspondent wrote about his visit to a school in Texas where children were learning in both Spanish and English. He posed this question:

Is there an issue with American taxpayers footing the bill for public school education taught primarily in Spanish?

While some respondents disputed the issue, the majority consensus was that "This is America and we should all speak English."

As we now become a nation that has hit the 300 million population mark with a rapidly increasing diverse population, ethnically and linguistically, it amazes me the amount of concern to make sure all our children learn English. In an age of globalization and transatlantic communication, shouldn't we really be posing this question:

Isn't there an issue with the fact that we are the only country who does not value bilingualism?

In the next decade or so, over 25% of our school age population will be speaking other languages than English. While I support the learning and acquistion of the English language, it will be a huge missed opportunity for the nation if we don't look at ways to systematically and structurally capitalize on the diversity of our childrens' languages. If we don't start to become a country that values other languages besides English, we will really be a nation at risk....of ceasing to compete in a global market.

It's Not Really about the "H" in the "H"-Debate

2006-10-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

Since everyone who is anyone in the edupolicy blogosphere has been writing about this, I thought it's about time we jump in. The brief back story is that the Edpresso blog brought up the question of whether public officials, involved in some way with public education, are being "hypocrites" by sending their children to private schools. This has hit a edublog nerve and has led to a back and forth debate about the issue.

I agree with Joe William's point-that no parent, public leader or not, should be forced to send their child to a poor performing school. But they also shouldn't block other parents from making the same choice, rich or poor.

I however, think that this debate is about something deeper. It's not really about whether "John, the public official" puts his kid in private school or public school, but rather, about whether our country's political and education leadership are representing themselves in ways that are congruent with what they stand for, politically and socially.

Hubie Jones , legendary Boston change agent, used to lecture my young people about leadership. He would repeatedly tell them, "your private life and public life have to be the same!" Hubie would look them in the eye and say, "you can't fight for diversity and equity during the day and then go home at night and only hang out with people who are just like you." This concept of being congruent strikes a cord with many of us. It's why Mahatma Gandhi is so famous for saying that we have to; "be the change you seek in this world." He believed that in order to be an effective leader, you have to be truthful with yourself and with your community and only act how you want the world to be.

This is why I think NYC Educator and Edpresso are calling public officials hypocrits. I think they are tired of all the education rhetoric. They are tired of the "incongruent" public officials preaching one thing and practicing another. And to that, I totally feel you guys...I do.

Maybe if more of our public officials were "conguent" and became the "change that they seek" in our communities, we wouldn't care where they send their kids. I know I don't care where Hubie or Gandhi sent theirs.

It's a Different World...Community Forums part 2

2006-09-22T14:43:00.000-05:00

So I went to my second forum last night on DCPS school reconstruction (for backstory, see here). Talk about a different world. The stark constrast between the two meetings represent the economic and racial segregation of this city (monday night's meeting in SE was 100% African American and mostly middle to low SES and last night's meeting in NW was 99.9% White and mostly middle to high SES). And while similar concerns were raised about the reconstruction, the reasons behind the concerns were very different:

*Why certain schools were first on the list: Parents and community members were concerned about how schools were prioritized. They had issues with DCPS using the educational adequacy score (how well the building meets the standards of the Master Education Plan) and test scores to make their list of the order in which schools were to receive construction. In other words, if a school has middle to low educational adequacy scores but higher test scores, they could be moved down on the list of priorities than other schools who had similar educational adequacy scores but low test scores. Parents were upset about this because they felt that their schools were being "punished for doing things right". In other words, if they are following NCLB and their children are successful, that shouldn't hinder the timeframe for reconstruction. On DCPS's side, they were saying, well, if your school is doing academically well, then obviously the building isn't explicitly causing an immediate problem, so it can maybe wait a couple of years.

*Demographics: this was an interesting issue because apparently, NW is considered a "stable" neighborhood according to the demographers because there is no new construction, housing, etc in the works. The parents however, had an issue with that because while the neighborhood is "stable" (no new construction going on), the neighborhoods are turning from old retired couples to young families, which is creating a population swell in these schools.

*Swing schools were also brought up in this meeting, but only as a logistical issue for parents. No mention of youth violence, gangs, or mixing rival neighborhoods.

*Interim facilities support: same concerns were raised. Parents were mostly concerned about air conditioning and plumming in schools.

**What was interesting in this meeting was the difference in empowerment, trust, and emotion of the participants. On Monday, emotions ran high. There was a lot frustration from parents for a system that keeps failing their kids; anger because they keep hearing the same things over and over and don't see any change in the status quo; and a sense of helplessness for being a change agent in this process.

Last night's meeting was much more calm. While some parents were tenacious in bringing up their points and concerns, there wasn't the level of anger or sense of powerlessness. While the lack of trust was still there, people were much more optimistic and hopeful that change will come.

The differences between these community forums demonstrate the institutionalized system of privileges and societal structures that have created this economic and racial segregation in our country. This was just another example of why we need to make sure, above everything, that poor children are in good schools. Or else,we are never going to get out of this state of inequity and disempowerment.

....stay tuned for next week b/c there are a few more forums!

Come See the Edu-Action...DC style

2006-09-19T09:16:00.000-05:00

Forget scheduling happy hours with your fellow edupeeps for the next two weeks and instead, attend the DCPS community forums on school reconstruction....because it's edu-action drama...and it's awesome!

Backstory: The forums are for community members to provide feedback to the draft master facilities plan for reconstructing DC schools. Since DC City Council allocated approx $3 billion for reconstruction, DCPS will be able to begin reconstruction shortly. In a nutshell, the plan will modernize buildings that do not need to be completely reconstructed and also create several organizational school models including; a Hilltop Campus (combining Phelps and Springarn, Young and Browne), Comprehensive Theme High Schools (specializing in law and public safety, business admin, engineering, and arts & media), and creating several prek-8 demonstration schools.

The Meeting: The kick-off meeting occurred last night at Kramer MS. Members from DCPS and the architecture firm who designed the plan were present to answer questions. You could definitely say that there were a lot of tension in the room. Some of the main issues addressed:

*Why certain schools were first on the list as opposed to other schools. Anacostia High School was a big contention point. Apparently, construction for Anacostia was put on hold about a year or two ago due to funding issues and now it is back, but not slated as one of the first schools to be reconstructed. There was actually two seniors from Anacostia High School there who argued that since Superintedent Janey has high school's as a priority, Anacostia should be one of the first to be reconstructed...not middle or elementary schools.

*"Swing Schools" (schools that will house kids while their original school will be under construction). In addition to logistical questions about this process, there was a lot of concern about safety. Parents and community youth workers brought up that combining two groups of kids from rival neighborhoods together in one school, or bringing kids to a school near a rival housing project, could lead to an increase in youth violence.

*Interim facilities support for schools. Principals were concerned that there are currently items that need to be fixed now and can't wait for their scheduled slot. To the credit of the DCPS, the deputy director of facilities was there and personally gave his email and phone number out to people so that they can contact him if work is not getting done.

*Lack of trust from community for the DCPS staff. This was the most interesting part of the meeting to me. It was fascinating hearing the dialogue between the DCPS and community members because of the history of DCPS. You are talking about a school system who has had 5 superintendents in 10 years. That's a lot of turnover. So when community members vent their frustrations about things that have happened, the response from DCPS is, "I wasn't here a year ago, I just got here." Which then spurred the reply, "We hear this from everyone...the 'I just got here yesterday' excuse. How long are you going to be here? Everyone for the past 20 years has said that they just got here. "

Superintendent Janey and his crew have to fight an uphill battle in order to regain back the trust and support of a majority of the District. And even though the issues run deep...at least the dialogue is beginning. But seriously, it's edupolicy in action, and I highly recommend your attendence.
full disc: I am a volunteer recorder for a couple of the forums

Here's this week's schedule:
Tuesday: Savoy ES
Thursday: W. Wilson HS
Friday: Clark ES
meetings run from 6pm-8pm

***Just as an afterthought, I realized that I didn't see or hear about anyone from the charter community. Since DCPS is discussing consolidating schools, there will be space available for charters....so it would maybe be a good idea for them to be in on this, no?

A Shift in Accountability

2006-09-15T13:45:00.000-05:00

Really good NY Times article came out today about the ridiculously low college graduation rates of 2 and 4-year public universities (i.e. under 20% of students graduate in 6 years). One question asked was, "If you're accepting a child into your institution, don't you have the responsibility to make sure they graduate?"

Interesting question... Traditionally, college students have been taught that they are "on their own" and have to take responsibility for their actions, i.e going to class, passing, and even graduating. While colleges provide advising and freshman orientation, they certainly treat persistence as something that is up to the individual. In addition, the fiscal responsibilites of higher education make discussing rates of persistence complex and murky.

What I find most interesting about this article, is how it sounds eerily familiar. This same conversation about "shifting" responsibility from the student to the institution is what drove the accountability movement and ultimately, No Child Left Behind in the K-12 arena. Before NCLB, the responsibilty for success was up to the student, not the school. Now, it is the institutions job to make sure all their children all successful, regardless of the socio-economic and external conditions of the student.

Could this be a sign of NCLB accountability shifting the status quo in higher ed?

Quote of the Day

2006-09-01T09:40:00.001-05:00

"I talk about No Child Left Behind like Ivory soap: It's 99.9 percent pure or something. There's not much needed in the way of change."

-Secretary Spellings, commenting on upcoming NCLB updates

**this should make for an interesting reauthorization process....

Off Topic: CMail work-around

2006-08-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

Everyone I know complains about GW's student email, CMail. The web interface is clunky. The quota is much too small. And on.

I thought I'd share what I did to get around this problem. I forward my mail to a gmail account, and it's been a lifesaver. CMail doesn't save a copy, so my quota is never used up, and you can set up gmail to allow you to send mail as if it were coming from your colonial mail. You can also set it up to automatically filter your GW messages into a separate folder, skipping your inbox, so that you can read them only when you want. Plus emails are stored in threaded conversations, rather than in the order they arrive, so it's easy to follow all the back and forth. Can't recommend it highly enough!

If you don't yet have a gmail account and want to be "invited," let me know.

The downside: If there's stuff in your CMail that you want to have access to through gmail, you'll have to forward it. But it's a small price to pay for never having to open the cmail web interface!

It's Ok to Fail

2006-08-30T07:33:00.001-05:00

Arizona is blaming the U.S Department of Education for increasing the number of failing schools, by making educators count ELLs only after two years of learning a language. Sure, language acquisition is complex and can take students several years depending on various factors, but to blame ELLs and to request longer terms of exemption is not the solution. Superintendent Tom Horne states:

No person with common sense can believe a person can come here from Mexico and pass the AIMS test in three years," Horne said. "They're saying that if you have a significant number of ELL students, we condemn you to failure, no matter how good you are.

But really Tom, how good are you if your ELLs aren't prepared with skills (including language proficiency) for life after high school?

Back to Square One

2006-08-28T08:52:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has been following the telenovela that is "Arizona v. its ELLs," should not be surprised at the lastest drama (for backstory see here). Last week, federal court of appeals recanted the most recent court decision demanding an increase in ELL funding for education, and kicked the case back to its original starting point, the district court. Also in this ruling, the court exempted ELLs from the state exit exams as a graduation requirement.

What makes this angering, is that many of Arizona's legislators and educators are blocking a quality education to a group of children who need it the most (I have to wonder that if Arizona didn't have such an anti-bilingual, anti-immigration culture, this would even be an issue up for the courts to decide).

In addition is the issue of exit exams. To prohibit ELLs from taking an exit exam is in my opinion, a terrible decision. While I don't always advocate for exit exams, Arizona's exclusion of ELLs from taking this exam is a vehicle for schools to not really spend the time preparing them for post-education opportunities.

Every child needs to be prepared to graduate from high school. Being a non-native English speaker provides unique challenges which Arizona needs to step up and take on, not brush under the rug.

A Shout-Out to Principal Russo

2006-08-10T14:15:00.000-05:00

Today's editorial in the L.A. Times highlights the Murphy School in Dorchester, MA as a model for how a previously failing school is now a success story. Although I am not convinced that this is due to mayorial takeover, as the editorial claims, but rather to the extraordinary efforts of the school's principal, Mary Russo.

Mary Russo is the kind of principal who, when you are around her, makes you want to be a better educator, a better professional, and in general a better human being. Her committment to the children and community of Dorchester is one of the reasons why I have hope in the future of education. I am glad she is receiving a much deserved shout out for her efforts....

Ed Policy Update- August 7, 2006

2006-08-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.”

-- Aristotle

August is the time for Congress to recess, lazy Sunday afternoons, summer vacations to the beach, and……for gearing up for another year of (graduate) school! While school is still technically a few weeks away, I thought it would be good to start getting back into the flow of ed policy…or at least have an excuse to go to happy hour:)

IN THIS ISSUE

Hot Topics
Blog Update
In the News
Announcements

HOT TOPICS

Is this the beginning of a beautiful relationship?
The Department of Education recently announced a new partnership to provide more support to states for the English Language Learning population (they actually use Limited English Proficient (LEP) as the official term, but I personally don’t agree that children are “limited” anything just because they haven’t learned a language yet….we don’t say that kids in Spanish class are Limited Spanish Speakers (LSS)). The partnership kicks off with a conference in two weeks convening the 23 “in need of support” states. It will be interesting to see how this will actually help ELLs…keep watch on this one. Not everyone is optimistic…
Be Careful Who You Ban…
The Massachusetts Department of Ed was successfully sued by the ACLU for banning Alfie Kohn from speaking at their conference because he’s anti-high stakes testing. Apparently, it was a violation of civil rights and free speech. We, as educators, should be able to all be in a room together and share ideas, and agree to disagree. Once we begin banning each other because we don’t see eye to eye is when progress will end…no?
Private=Public?
New report has everyone up in arms debating whether public schools are just as good as private ones. Instead, maybe we should be focusing on what’s working...not who’s better.
The Year of the Grad Rate
This past year, the nation has debated graduation rate issues ranging from errors in calculating rates to blaming particular forces, to a myriad of solutions… As we are maybe getting closer to having a common way to calculate grad rates, we have a long way to go.

BLOG UPDATE

Thanks to all who have contributed to our blog with comments! (I know I keep nagging, but I really believe that having a dialogue on ed policy issue via a blog can be very educational for all of us and it is an important skill set to be able to articulate your thoughts and be persuasive in a short amount of space... so please, take the time to read, comment, and post. If you want help or have questions, feel free to email me.)

IN THE NEWS

Public Schools on Par With, Outperform Private Schools in Some Areas, Federal Study Says (EdWeek)
President of the Education Commission of the States Plans to Step Down (EdWeek)
'Best Practices' Distilled From Studies of More Than 250 Schools (EdWeek)
Math, Science Take Center Stage at SREB Conference on High Schools (EdWeek)
Choice Advocates Seek Vouchers as Remedy for N.J. Students in Low-Performing Schools (EdWeek)
College Board Calls for ‘Drastic Improvements‘ In Teacher Salaries and Working Conditions (EdWeek)
Commentary: The Cracks in Our Education Pipeline (EdWeek)
Schools go on health kick as federal law takes hold (CNN)
Backstory: 'Ringing' in the school year. New York City fights over whether to allow cellphones in schools, echoing a debate nationwide. (CSM)
School security remains questionable (Washington Times)
Public vs. Private School Report Spurs Controversy (NPR)
Ravitch Opinion: Bill Gates, the Nation's Superintendent of Schools (LA Times)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Look for an email for a happy hour for next week. Please email me what days work best for you!
**Comments and questions can be emailed to emilyc@gwu.edu

Steamy Young Kozol!

2006-08-07T15:59:00.000-05:00

Before he was the education muckraker we all know and love (or, in some cases, love to shake our heads at), Jonathan Kozol was a 22-year old whippersnapper who wrote.... romance novels?!

After reading about The Fume of Poppies in an Atlantic Monthly Fiction Issue article about novels set on college campuses, my curiosity got the best of me. I paid $1.25 for a used copy of Young Kozol's lone (and long out-of-print) foray into fiction writing.

It came today, and I have to say it looks pretty juicy! From the back cover:

In that year at Cambridge I began to realize what it means to make love. When you make love you are molding it by what you are doing, forming it in your fingers and pressing it between your limbs. There love is born at least--and only there. That is why I do not understand when I hear people talk of love that knows no flesh. I do not think that there is any such thing as that.

We all know that Kozol is an evocative writer in books about children, such as Savage Inequalities. Who knew that he had cut his writing teeth on something a little more... adult?!

Striking a Balance

2006-08-07T14:23:00.000-05:00

Interesting article this past weekend about New York's new policy to give English exams to English Language Learners (ELLs) who have been here for one-year (a change from the previous three-year exemption policy). Critics are advocating for the state to oppose the federal mandates or develop an entirely new test designed specifically to test ELLs English proficiency.

The issue of testing ELLs is a delicate one because it's really a balancing act between accountability and language learning. On one hand, this sub-group must be tested because educators and policymakers need to know if we are failing these kids (and exempting ELLs would really piss off these guys ). However, one year is often an inadequate time frame to acquire English language proficiency and it really depends on other factors such as the amount of prior schooling, what age the student arrived to the U.S., etc. You also run the risk that this population will continue to become the "whipping boy" for why schools are not making AYP.

To make the balancing act even more challenging, accommodations have been seen as the "great compromise" to testing this group. However, accommodations may hurt a student more than help him. Research has found accommodations such as giving extra time and providing a glossary of terms helps both ELLs and English-proficient students, thereby reducing the validity and purpose of these accommodations. So while test scores may improve for these students, it will not truly show an improvement in language acquisition.

Policymakers and interest groups have to walk a fine line between holding schools accountable for educating ELLs and providing assistance so that English language learning truly happens. It would be a missed opportunity if New York only focused on one or the other.

Grad Edujob

2006-07-31T10:54:00.000-05:00

Great part-time job for graduate students in education (via Albert)

The Center for Social Justice at Georgetown University is looking for a half-time coordinator for its DC Reads program, an early literacy program that recruits and trains Georgetown students to serve as tutors for local schools. We are looking to fill this position by late August. See here for description and how to apply.

**apologies for the light posting. We have been on vacation, studying for comps, or playing my favorite DC summer sport; think-tank softball!

We promise that posting will resume shortly.

ELL Edujob

2006-07-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

If anyone is interested or knows anyone who is interested, the National Clearinghouse of English Language Acquisition is looking for a Senior Research Associate/Information Analyst. Great benefits including tuition and cool staff:)

For job description and info see here

Cool Site

2006-06-15T12:10:00.000-05:00

I just heard about Donors Choose, a website that allows classroom teachers to make project proposals and raise money through donations... pretty cool. As a blogger, you can set up a "challenge" and try to get your readers to donate to specific projects... I think that perhaps our hordes of readers could come through for something like this!

Immigration and School Finance...Lessons from the Hill

2006-06-12T08:29:00.000-05:00

On Friday morning I attended a breakfast briefing on the Hill about immigrants access to quality education in this country. David Shreve, from the National Conference of State Legislatures did a great job explaining the issues from a school finance perspective. (In my personal opinion, anyone who can take a complicated process of school finance and break it down in a way that is easy to understand is an incredibly smart person...and if you want the powerpoint, just email me).

A couple of points Shreve talked about that I found interesting:
* Our education system in incredibly disporportionate (not like that's a big shock or anything, but the stats are ridiculous): The largest 1.6% school districts serve 22% of the student population while the smallest 22% serve 1% of the student population.
*While our school financing is moving from an equity model (where everyone gets the same funding regardless) to an adequacy one (where funding depends on the different needs of districts and their student populations), states are still struggling to figure out what students (ELL and others) need in regards to funding and how much is truly "adequate" to ensure student achievement. And since research has been mixed on how money truly affects student achievement, it's hard to advise legislators on what to do (which can lead to poor policy funding decisions....like class size reduction as an example).
*A big problem in the near future is the baby boomer population taking priority over our children b/c medicaid costs are slowly starting to demand larger chunks of money in states. In fact, over at NCSL, they call Medicaid the "Pac-man of state budgets'." For some reason, I feel like this is a real potential disaster waiting to happen in the next decade or so.
*Advice for education policy makers and advocates: In general Shreve talked about how state legislators, when making these funding decisions are trying to find the "soft spot" between a rock and a hard place. So, of course, I couldn't resist asking him what he thought the "soft spot" was for state legislators when making these decisions. He replied that the "soft spot" for legislators was the economic arguments for education and that those arguments were the most effective in convincing them to vote and pass legislation for more school funding and programming. While I am sure there are other factors that influence state legislators decisions, I thought it was good insight to the state level decision making process.

Ooh, spiffy new features!

2006-05-25T17:20:00.000-05:00

We'll be slowly working to add the Ed Policy Weekly Updates to the blog. Notice the links to them in the sidebar! Now you'll be able to access them here or by email. Are we tech savvy, or what?!

I knew that Intro to Computer Science would come in handy someday!

Also, let us know what you think about KF's new look. Comments/suggestions? Leave 'em below.

How Do We Educate Everyone?

2006-05-24T08:45:00.000-05:00

High school teacher Elias Vlanton writes a poignant editorial with some great points about the immigration issue, from an education perspective. In the article, Elias advocates for a bill that would require that all immigrants 25 or younger, before qualifying for permanent resident status, graduate from high school or earn a GED. Elias is really asking the question many of us ask which is: How do we as a society make sure that everyone has a basic education?

This is a tough question.

I am no way an expert on immigration issues. However, as a waitress, I have become close with and know many immigrants with work visas who work in the kitchen of my restaurant. These men and women work two restaurant jobs a day, everyday. They work from 9am to 4:30pm, then leave to go to their other restaurant job where they finish between 10:30pm-2am, depending on the place. They have no health insurance or benefits, and are just happy to get paid hourly. The money that does not pay for rent and living wages, is either saved up or sent to their families so that they can eat. They work like this for years and years with no vacations or breaks. And they are the lucky ones. I won't even go into migrant workers quality of life.

The people I work with do believe in education and want to learn English. They understand for the most part that it will provide a better life. However, they cannot afford to take the time off to go to school or ESL classes (which btw inspired me to start an ESL program at the restaurant...we are in week 4 and I have never worshipped anyone like I am worshipping ESL teachers right now...grad school is cake compared to teaching English as a second language).

I think that we absolutely need to get behind educating everyone in this country, especially in the case of immigrants, so that access to opportunities is available to all of us. What Elias discusses is a good start, but we have to be careful and deliberate about setting up a system that will not fail our new arrivals who are on the path to become citizens. In the case of immigrants, if we make education a requirement, it would have to be offered in flexible ways so that it is an attainable goal, rather than a screening process to weed out or deny immigrants a chance at citizenship. Maybe, instead of making it a requirement, we should offer incentives to the businessmen and employers of immigrants to bring the education to the workplace. Hiring tutors or holding class for two hours before or after a shift everyday can make a big difference, rather than having them going once a week on a day or night off to class. And for every employee that gains a high school diploma, the employers could get a business tax break or some type of extra bonus.

Anyone else have any other ideas?

Jenny D and NOST: Vouchers and Social Justice

2006-05-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

Some interesting discussions going on in the edusphere this past week:

Over at Jenny D's blog, there is an interesting conversation going on about vouchers. Jenny D poses the question: Suppose the federal government ordered that every child in the nation receive a school voucher equal to the average per pupil spending in the state. Suppose the order was for complete school choice to begin in September. The taxpayers would give you money to send your kid to any school. You have to decide where you want to go and apply by July 1. Now...if a private school decides to accept vouchers, should it be allowed to admit students based on test scores or interviews or some other subjective criteria? Should admittance to a school be based on a lottery? Should the school be allowed charge more money, above and beyond the voucher amount, or else a student couldn't attend? Should it be mandated to accept special ed students?

Another interesting dialogue is at Newoldschoolteacher (NOST) about her social justice assignment in graduate school and what social justice actually means in education. NOST argues a big part of social justice is, in essence, having a choice, regardless of income, race, or creed, to be able to receive a quality education.

Check them both out and please comment either on their blogs, or on ours...because the more we can all contribute to the diaglogue about how to fix education, the closer we become to solving the problem together.

Education Policy Update-May 22

2006-05-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

Upon the education of the people of this country, the fate of this country depends.

-Benjamin Disraeli

Congrats to all the graduates! For those that were completely unaware, graduation was this past weekend. Keep in touch this summer and for those who are not quite finished….summer school starts this week! Enjoy!

IN THIS ISSUE
Save the Date
Hot Topics
In the News
Announcements

SAVE THE DATE:

Stay tuned for a happy hour….if anyone has suggestions about times and places, please email me! Thanks!

HOT TOPICS:

Teachers aren’t teaching kids how to read? Bigger schools=Better?....Uh Oh, What’s Next….no Santa Claus?
Some new studies came out this week spotlighting on the topics of reading, teacher prep, and the small schools movement. This study released yesterday by Kate Walsh et al, found that teacher prep schools are not teaching teachers how to teach reading effectively. Some interesting comments about the study here and here. Another new study came out today at the Brookings conference on small schools about how small schools have shown no significant impact in achievement.

Matthews Explores Conflict over Dropout Rates
This week, Matthews has been reporting on Political Scientist Jay Greene, and Economist Larry Mishel’s work on dropout data and assessing its accuracy. Interesting reads

IN THE NEWS:

Schools Bank On Teaching Kids How to Save: Students Are Learning Habits Their Parents May Not Have Mastered Washington Post
Heavy Turnover in New York's Principal Ranks New York Times
Teachers Union Defers Endorsement in Governor's Race Washington Post
Patriotism and Education Phi Delta Kappan
What We Owe Immigrant Children Education Week
Some Schools Cancel Fridays Due To Fuel Costs CNN.com
Candy Math For Fat Kids LA Times
Calories In, Calories out: Food & Exercise In Public Elementary Schools Dept. of Ed
Band-Aids Or Bulldozers: What's next for NCLB?Rethinking Schools Online
Special Needs Students: A Tale Of Betrayal & Hypocracy Batory.net
School Recess Common But No Longer a Given CNN.com
Alternative Certification Exams Produce Better Teachers American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence
Teacher Retires After 69 Years of Classroom Teaching Miami Herald
No More Silently Praying the Teacher Won't Call Your Name University of Florida
Superintendent Perks Hard to Spot Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How States Inflate Their Progress Under NCLB Education Sector
Soaring Health Care, Pension Costs Threaten District Finances American School Board Journal
Getting Students Involved in the Fight for Quality Education Our Education
States Struggle to Computerize School Records New York Times
Most Blacks in Low-Rung School Jobs Washington Post
How Does Your School Website Measure Up? eSchool News
Do Exit Exams Make Diplomas More Meaningful? NPR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

**Comments and questions can be emailed to emilyc@gwu.edu

The Truth in Class Size

2006-05-19T07:57:00.000-05:00

The class size debate is heating up, especially in NYC, (see here and here). While I find the back and forth accusations of alterior political motives interesting and slightly amusing, I was more struck by Arthur Levine's comments about "few educators would argue the benefits of reduced class size,"...

hmmm, maybe, but many education researchers would argue that there's been a lack of evidence demonstrating the impact of class size reduction related to student achievement and outcomes. While research has found some benefits of class size, they are specific aspects of class size reduction such as; targeting low income and high poverty areas, reducing only in younger grades, and reducing numbers below 20 students for any of it to even work (without using pupil teacher ratios). And like any production function education relationship, even with these findings, it all depends on other factors such as teacher quality. For example, a lack of qualified teachers can completely negate the effects of smaller classes, as was found in the case of California.

I wish Arthur Levine, as an education researcher, would rely on what he knows- research. His editorial would have been much more powerful using the research to argue his case against class size, instead of taking political shots at the unions. It would also be beneficial, because class size reduction research is challenging to understand and someone needs to disseminate the issues and what has been learned, to the public, so that education groups, teachers, parents, and unions alike, can make the best decisions for our kids. While class size reduction supporters have the best intentions, according to research, these policies may end up causing more harm than good.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?

2006-05-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

Disc: Totally not education policy related, (except for the poetry lesson)

I could not stop wondering today if Sen. Sessions (R-AL) has actually read Robert Frost's The Mending Wall. Sessions quotes the passage, "good fences make good neighbors" when advocating for closing the border between us and Mexico. Now, I am no expert, but I personally had always thought that in the poem, Frost was being ironic. He was really writing about how we build barriers between us to distance ourselves from each other, which in the end does not really doesn't make us "good neighbors."

***It will be an interesting couple of weeks as the immigration bill goes through both houses. (For background on this issue see here, here, and here).
p.s. speaking of borders...why are Mexico and Central America getting all the attention? I mean, don't you think we should also be concerned about all those crazy Candians coming in as well...eh?

**And keep an eye out for the legislation about making English the official language that is being voted on in the Senate today.

Update: If Frost only knew his poem was becoming the anti-immigration battle cry

The End of an Era

2006-05-10T08:29:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, Dr. Jackson, professor and advisor in the education policy and leadership department at GSEHD, is retiring this year.

Dr. Jackson originally came to DC for a three month summer job and ended up staying for over 35 years. Lucky for us, because if you ask most of his students, we would all agree that he pushed us to think and analyze on a higher level in the education policy field. He consistently held us all to high expectations while simulataneously taking time out of his busy schedule to advise his students and provide in depth explanations for those of use who needed a little extra help. For many of us, Dr. Jackson was the reason why we came to GW.

It has been said that a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. This has never been more true when talking about the impact of Dr. Jackson on his students.

*So, tonight, in honor of Dr. Jackson's retirement (in case you haven't been checking your email) the education policy students are hosting a party in his honor beginning at 5:30pm at this restaurant. All of his students, current and former, are welcome to attend.

p.s. if you come tonight, he will maybe tell the story about his all-out academic battle with the famous James Coleman (and just for the record, Dr. Jackson won:)

Sounds a Little Edufishy to Me

2006-04-18T17:17:00.000-05:00

According to this article I read today, the newly minted Think Tank Review Panel sounds a little shady. I find it slightly suspect that they chose Cato, Hoover, and Manhatten Institute as their first picks to review. Even more shady was that they found all of the articles reviewed to have "weakness in the analysis" and "omit key information that would allow well-known threats to validity to be addressed in a straightforward way."

(Hmmm...interesting that the three conservative think tanks get a thumbs down....I wonder if certain other think tanks would get the same type of reviews....)

Education has had to defend its street cred compared with the other social sciences when it comes to research and evaluation. (Even the main research association gets slammed from time to time). Education is an incredibly hard subject to research because of all its complexities and unknowns. The last thing this field needs is biased reviews of education policies and research that will confuse our public even more about how to best educate our kids.

From Strip Club to School Board

2006-04-11T08:23:00.000-05:00

Not sure what the line of thinking was for electing this guy to the Mehlville School Board in Missouri.

Apparently, former male dancer and current strip club owner, Micheal Ocello, will become the newest member of the school board. Maybe it was his"Buns for Guns" platform that got him elected. For other campaign highlights, see here.

*Let's just hope he's not in charge of aligning high school standards to "skills" needed in the workforce.

(via EIA intercepts)

Too Esoteric for Words?

2006-04-10T15:22:00.000-05:00

Apparently not. Per Eduwonk, interesting commentary piece on some of the scholarship on display at AERA this week:

Given the challenges facing our schools, and the fact that most of these researchers are supported and employed by public institutions, it might make sense for educational researchers to devote attention to analyzing public policy, improving teaching and learning, and addressing the practical concerns of parents and teachers.

A valid point. It's quite the paradox-- I'm sure most of the researchers Hess and LoGerfo cite would claim that their studies "work towards a praxis or social change purpose." Personally, I'd rather focus my attention on creating a system where all kids learn to read and write--talk about a social change!

Where the Girls Aren't

2006-04-06T08:25:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago, there was a lot of talk, including several posts and discussions about how boys are falling behind girls in school.

Interesting report by the "Girls Coalition of Greater Boston," highlights challenges in girls programming and lack of access to funding. Report also cautions policymakers not succumb to current political thinking of, "girls problem solved, what about the boys?" Here's why:

Female delinquency has doubled over the last decade
Overall arrests rates for girls have tripled since 1991
There are 12 times as many cases of prostitution in 2005 compared to 2003
Girls are increasingly violent with each other in and out of school
There have been a decreasing amount of out-of-school time programs serving the needs of girls

While we absolutely need to make sure we address the issues surrounding boys, this report reminds us to not forget about our girls.

The Teacher/Policymaker Divide

2006-03-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

Classroomperspective's comments at the end of the previous post, I think, deserve a thread of their own. As eloquently pointed out in the Edweek commentary piece, we all know that the divide between teachers and education policymakers is huge.

To me, one of the main strengths of an interdisciplinary program like ours is that in any given classroom, I am sitting next to a Hill staffer, an education advocate, someone who works for ED, policy researchers, and current and former classroom teachers. How often in the wider system of education policy does this happen?

There are strengths and weaknesses in each of our backgrounds in education policy. I'm curious about how people think we can better learn from one another, maximizing our collective strengths as we move forward in our careers. To the extent that we find better ways to bridge the gap between classroom experience and policymaking, education in this country will be better for it.

Testing and NCLB

2006-03-16T01:49:00.000-05:00

As a former ed. policy student and a frequent reader of Kindling Flames, I realize I am going against the grain by not citing articles or recently published research. I do believe, however, that it is critical to not only understand NCLB stipulations and research, but also the day to day ramifications of the policy on individual urban schools and school districts.

After two weeks of helping proctor students taking their first round of state assessments, the issues and pressures brought about by NCLB and the state's interpretation of it have never been more clear. Schools were urged by the district to give assessments on the computer so that results could be more readily attained. Many of the computers did not have the necessary capabilities to handle the testing software and the district had to supply new computer labs in several schools. In the first week of testing, the server was not able to handle the influx and crashed at least once daily kicking all students off mid-test.

Students with IEPs who require assessment modifications have to suffer the embarrassment of testing seperately from their peers because the state has not yet finished writing the modified exams. ELL students, unless they have an IEP, do not receive any type of accommodation (having the test read to them, etc.) if they have been in this country for more than a year.

When it is all said and done, students will have spent approximately 10 hours taking math and reading tests. All the while, the state has yet to determine the minimum number of students required to make a sub-group. Even more disappointing is the fact that schools will not be informed of the cut scores necessary to make AYP until January of next school year (yes, 2007). This means that teachers have spent this year encouraging students to attain an unknown goal, and schools that did not make AYP will retain that label for next school year, regardless of how students performed. Parents who opt to transfer their child to a school that made AYP will have to wait until mid-school year. Leaders of schools making AYP question the benefits as they deal with growing enrollments and staffing shortages while additional resources are being filtered into schools that failed to make AYP.

As I watch students grow more apathetic with each testing day and hear the growing frustrations from teachers regarding what the system is doing to "their kids", I can't help but question whether policymakers truly grasp the implementation realities of NCLB at a classroom and school level.

Marx's Efforts at Amherst

2006-03-15T10:04:00.000-05:00

Keeping with the higher ed admissions track, Business Week wrote an extensive article several weeks ago about Amherst President Tony Marx's efforts to bring more economically disadvantaged students to his campus. The article does a good job of outlining the challenges Marx faces in his quest. To reduce resistance from wealthy applicants/alumni who object that prioritizing economic diversity with deny the "most qualified" students Amherst admissions (over 6000 applied for slightly over 400 spots last year), Marx plans on increasing the overall enrollment by 25% and earmarking those slots for economic diversity. The plan will require a capital fundraising campaign of hundreds of millions of dollars for new dorms, classrooms and professorships, but rich kids won't have to suffer reduced chance at admission. In the meantime,

[Marx is] hoping that by the fall, faculty and trustees will approve a formal plan to give more of Amherst's coveted slots, perhaps as many as 25%, to students poor enough to qualify for a Pell Grant (usually meaning a family income of less than $40,000 a year). Doing so would vault Amherst far ahead of other elite privates such as Harvard University, where 10% of undergrads are low-income. "If we are sufficiently aggressive, we will force the rest of elite higher education to be much more serious about this," says Marx.

One can only hope.

I may be a little biased on this one. I was one of the very few first-generation college students (of any racial background) at my own undergraduate institution (they don't publish the numbers, but I was told that in the Class of 2003, it was about 6%). I went to a small-town public high school where most students don't immediately go on to higher education. We had one AP course, and most of the class didn't sit for the exam. I imagine that the admissions office considered these facts to my advantage when comparing me to the richly talented and academically/culturally nurtured students I competed with for a spot in my class. In the end, I was able to attend only because of a need-blind admissions policy and the incredibly generous financial aid package I was offered.

Did I experience culture shock when I arrived on campus (and through the whole 4 years)? You bet. But was I underprepared to succeed in a rigorous intellectual environment? In hindsight, I'd say that my fear that was the case was more of a hurdle in my first year than my educational background itself. I don't think I'm unique in that, either. If elite colleges seek students with demonstrated passion for learning and perseverance, regardless of their childhood cultural grooming, the incredible resources available at such places can bear some amazing results.

The "Right" Take on Higher Ed

2006-03-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, National Review Online launched a blog to discuss issues in higher ed, Phi Beta Cons. While I can imagine that I won't agree with their conclusions all that often, hopefully they'll have thought-provoking things to say.

To piggyback off the post below, and the issue of economic barriers to higher ed, NRO starts right off by arguing that racial preferences in admissions don't benefit poor minority students. If you've got a subscription to the Chronicle of Higher Ed, the article NRO references is definitely worth a read.* If you don't subscribe, go take a look at the powerpoint presentation for the Kahlenberg study.

This issue's an interesting one that concerns people across the political spectrum. Besides Kahlenberg's work, Lani Guinier has brought attention to the high percentages of Black Harvard undergrads who are not poor US-born students (the generally assumed beneficiaries of affirmative action programs) but middle and upper-middle class immigrants and children of immigrants.

In contrast to NRO's proposed abandonment of race for SES as a preferencing criterion in admissions, Guinier's conclusion is that selective universities should revisit their admissions systems:

"For me, the key point is not whether you should be admitting immigrants or native-born people of color," Guinier said. "The key point is the schools should be reconsidering their reliance on a set of predictors that don't measure the potential outcome of the students."

It's always interesting when a general agreement on what the problem is (in this case, the exclusion of academically-qualified low income students from higher ed) leads to two totally different policy solutions.

*The Chronicle's Kahlenberg Op-Ed was actually presented as a debate. Interestingly enough, NRO used Kahlenberg's research as evidence, instead of Greg Forster's typically conservative argument that poor kids aren't in college at higher rates because they're just not adequately prepared.

Color-blind=Inequity

2006-03-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

Since Kindling Flames has been on a higher ed kick this week, I thought i'd continue the trend with this article about how hundreds of thousands of scholarship and fellowship money originally designated for minority students, are being opened up to students who are white.

In 2000, only 11% of Hispanics and 17% of African Americans over the age of 25 had received a college education. For many minority students, financial aid is the key to attending a college or university. As need-based financial aid continues to decline, minority students need the money designated to them by specific grants and scholarships.

**Pretending that all things are equal and that race doesn't matter is a dangerous state of mind which will increase the under-representation of students of color at our country's colleges and universities. Color-blind ideologies and policies do not strike down inequity...but rather perpetuate it.

GW to Ill Student: Withdraw or Face Consequences

2006-03-13T12:49:00.000-05:00

I can't stop thinking about this Post article from last Friday. Essentially, a GW undergrad voluntarily checked himself into the hospital because he was having suicidal thoughts. The college's response: sanction the student for a violation of the University's Code of Conduct, essentially forcing him to choose between withdrawing from the University or facing a permanent disciplinary mark on his records.

While I understand the fear of liability, this seems like a totally bizarre response on the part of the University. Does the code of conduct really prohibit seeking treatment for mental illness? I wanted to see for myself: Article 11 outlines prohibited behavior under the Code. While leaving class without permission and falsely pulling fire alarms are potential causes for disciplinary action, suicidal thoughts aren't listed anywhere among the various violations of the Code.

As a part time, commuting graduate student, I know very little about the undergraduate experience at our University. But I worry that, in its fear of liability, GW could be creating an environment hostile to the treatment of mental health issues. Mental illness is often stigmatized as it is; should our University's policies make seeking help cause for disciplinary action?

The Post article did say that the University is in the process of revisiting the ways that it handles the treatment of suicidal students. I hope that, in this process, they find a way to encourage students to seek treatment without submitting them to disciplinary sanctions or forcing them to withdraw from the school.

Update: GW Hatchet reporting on the situation here and here.

Cheap Shot

2006-03-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

After a long night of celebrating the GW Colonials victory over Charlotte, (oh wait, that was me as a cool undergrad...as a nerdy grad student I really spent the night doing homework), I awoke Sunday morning to this article in WaPo discussing the miseducation of Omar Williams, key starter for the team.

In a nutshell, the article discusses the issue of college players attending prep schools where they basically don't teach anything and just grant a diploma. Apparently there are around 5,000 prep schools that are not regulated because they fall outside the ed state dep guidelines (while some are among the elite in academic institutions, obviously others are not). Here's my question(s)

How is it possible that we have created an education system where KIPP schools, which are proven to be successful, are not allowed to expand...but these prep schools are allowed to pop up whenever and wherever? I mean, really...are we serious?

Oh...and did I mention that no one is being held responsible? The NCAA, claims that its the principals who provide them with the information, and that they have to trust them (So, it's the principals fault for lying and not the NCAA for failing to check the validity of the information?) The universities say that they receive the okay from the NCAA, so they don't question the schools (so...now it's the NCAA's fault, and not the universities for turning a blind eye?). Wouldn't it be refreshing for once if someone, anyone, turned around and said, "Yes, we made a mistake and now we're going to work together to fix this."

Because in the end, at the heart of this story, we as a community have failed this kid. And on the day after his big game win, he got to read a story about how he shouldn't have been there. We not only failed to provide a quality education and let him slip through the cracks, we also taught him that lying, cheating, and turning a blind eye are okay. As a future player in ed policy, that is not the message I want to be sending to kids. How about you?

A different type of "portfolio assessment"

2006-02-22T07:54:00.000-05:00

One of Dr. R's edu-buddies, Paul Hill out of the University of Washington, published this piece at the beginning of the month. It calls for a sea change in the roles that school boards play in school governance; specifically, it wants school boards to act as "brokers" who manage the "portfolio" of education options available to students. Schools would be judged, then, on their usefulness in the range of educational opportunities that a district provides. Charter schools would be more accountable than they've been. Public schools would be less constrained from trying new things. It all sounds pretty rosy...

... except for the fact that it's not that easy.

Do we trust that school boards know how to act as brokers?

What would this look like in large districts under mayoral control? Aren't people like Arne Duncan doing something like Hill's proposal anyhow? And are their systems any better for it?

We're expected to measure teacher quality based on student test scores, but we're measuring school quality based on portfolios? Am I reading while standing on my head?

UPDATE: See this article for proof about Arne Duncan being an exemplar of Paul Hill's plan. Quote: "There are a range of educational options... we need to play matchmaker." Also note the call from the Alderman asking the district honchos for proof that the plan works before shutting down any more schools.

For His Belief in Young People

2006-02-21T12:54:00.000-05:00

While not totally education policy related, I wanted to acknowledge that Eli Segal, key founder of Americorps, passed away yesterday. Since so many of us served or will serve with Americorps, I thought it was appropriate to take a moment to remember the man who believed in the power and potential of all young people to change the world for the better.

Americorps has enabled more than 400,000 Americans to put their idealism to work in service to our country. True to Eli's vision, leadership and example, Americorps has demonstrated America at its best. Eli brought his singular humanity, leadership, grace, and humility to every single person he came into contact with. He inspired all of us to be the best that we can be and to keep reaching to realize the potential of the national service movement in America and around the world.
-Alan Khazei, CEO of City Year

The "Unlawful" NCLB Law

2006-02-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

The Harvard Civil Rights Project's new study critiques the Dep of Ed's recent "flexibility" changes to NCLB (LEP/SWD exemptions, extra time to meet highly qualified teacher requirements, growth model pilot, and grade span methods of calculating accountability) stating that it is "unlawful" and "unravels" NCLB by eradicating a common theme of accountability by giving individual states different rules within the law.

A couple of thoughts:
1) In regards to granting flexibility and waivers, this report demonstrates the importance of striking the correct balance between widespread, consistent enforcement of the law and working with states to address their specific needs-which according to this report, the Dep of Ed has not been so successful at doing. (It's almost like the Dep of Ed is acting like one of those parents who threatens their kid with rules such as "if you come home past curfew you're grounded for a week." Then the kid comes home past curfew and the parents don't ground him, but maybe make some other lesser sanction, like mandatory taking out the trash for a week- which in the end the parents lose credibility with their kid). Following this example, the Dep of Ed is in a dangerous position of losing their credibility with the states in enforcing NCLB.

2)While the study makes excellent points and provides a great timeline of policy implementation, I am concerned with one of their concluding suggestions for the federal government: to reexamine the idea that external accountability and the imposition of sanctions will force schools to improve and motivate teachers to change their instructional practices. Now, while I agree that sanctions are not perfect, at least there are sanctions. It's not like schools dealing with poor and minority children were incredibly successful and along came NCLB with its external sanctions to mess it all up. At least external sanctions provide some sense of accountability, especially schools serving the kids who need education the most to make sure they are not slipping through the cracks like before. I would rather instead of suggesting eradicating sanctions, that there was more focus on what the federal government can do to ensure fair and consistent accountability and support while simulataneously upholding NCLB legislation.

3) As reauthorization draws near (which explains this reports timely release), it will be interesting to see what other suggestions are offered to reform NCLB and who will be the most effective at lobbying for their reform ideas (I have a hunch it won't be these guys)

Final thought: The report poses an interesting question in regards to the effectiveness of NCLB; Is it feasible for a federal agency based in Washington, DC to regulate "core education processes"? This question goes back to the debate under this administration about the role of the Dep of Ed, which basically asked...is it necessary?

Thoughts?

Actions Speak Louder Than Cartoons

2006-02-08T17:46:00.000-05:00

This morning, I watched the AFT's newly released cartoon musical pointing out the problems with NCLB (it even includes a sing along bouncing apple...no really, i'm serious) as an attempt to create changes to the federal law.

When thinking about what it takes to truly create large scale policy reform, you have to wonder if the AFT has the right formula. I mean, do you really picture Dr. King, Malcolm X, or Gandhi in the throes of the civil rights movement saying to their peers; "Don't you think a cartoon musical with singing animals would inspire a change in the hearts and minds of a country and get Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964?"

I don't think so.

Educating our children is serious business (which of all people, I know teachers know the most about). I agree with the AFT and their recommendations that No Child Left Behind needs work. We have a long way to go in figuring out quality assessments, closing the achievement gap, and making sure that all children are proficient in basic skills by 2014. These serious times call for serious actions, and we need a constant stream of advocacy, research, and debates that do not stop until we figure this whole thing out. The AFT's agenda, which has some good suggestions, gets lost in its ridiculous musical. And in my humble opinion, actions always speak louder than cartoons.

Arizona's a "Hot Mess"

2006-01-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

Here's the 411:
The 1992 court case, Flores v. Arizona, found the state's education funding was not good enough to "ensure that students overcame language barriers," and gave the state a mandate to fix the problem.

This December, a Judge ordered fines of $500,000 a day if lawmakers failed to uphold the Flores case and enact a law by January 25th that would help support English language learners(ELLs).

So, Jan 25th arrived and the Governor vetoed the proposed plan, twice. (In all fairness, Gov. Napolitano vetoed it because she didn't think it was enough money towards ELLs and it was a tax credit plan)

If it's not bad enough that our public officials cannot come up with an adequate funding plan for ELLs, there was also contention about what to do with the fines that have accumulated since the official deadline.
On Thursday, the judge ruled the money will be deposited and be used specifically for ELLs (the one piece of good news in all of this). However, the fines will continue to accrue due to a lack of signed legislation.

Here's where it gets worse: GOP leaders are hiring legal counsel to "defend them in the Flores case." Now, they are blaming the Governor for missing the deadline and want to sue.

And really, here's the worst part: The fact that Arizona's English language learner children, who are standing by waiting for the much needed help they deserve, have to wait awhile longer because their leaders are arguing over how much they're worth.

The Reverse Gender Gap, Con't

2006-01-22T12:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Emily’s sleuthing, I was able to find the testing data used in Whitmire's article:

My initial hunch was that the “plunge in relative performance” might be due to boys doing as well as ever, and girls improving a little or a little more quickly, since NAEP reading scores have been relatively flat over time. While also not ideal, this kind of gap widening would be less troublesome.

So let’s examine Whitmire’s assertion that:

What's most worrisome are not long-standing gender differences but recent plunges in boys' relative performance. Between 1992 and 2002, the gap by which high school girls outperformed boys on tests in both reading and writing--especially writing--widened significantly.

On page 28 of the report, we find the data charts. In 12th grade reading, both genders’ scale scores went *down* between '92 and '02, but boys dropped more. The gap grew from 10 to 16, due to a 8 point drop in boys’ performance and a 2 point drop in that of girls.

In 12th grade Writing, though, the gap did actually change due to opposite movement of the genders (increasing from 19 points in '98 to 24 points in '02): a 4 point scale score drop for boys and a one point increase for girls.

So, turns out that Whitmire used the HS data pretty well. But the ED report also reveals something else: the measurable worsening of the gender gap over time isn’t evident at the 4th and 8th grade levels. In reading, the gap actually *closed* slightly in 4th and 8th grade reading between '92 and ‘03 (Fourth: from 8 to 7 points. Eighth: from 13 to 11 points; in each grade, both groups’ scale scores increased a few points). In elementary writing, the gaps increased by just one point between '98 and '02. (from 16 to 17 points in 4th, from 20 to 21 in 8th). Again, both genders’ scores went up in writing, girls just increased one point more. But the story here is that the gap in early grades is pretty much the same it's always been.

In the context of the article, Whitmire’s use of NAEP would make the point that there’s not just a difference in boys’ and girls’ grades, but also in their actual knowledge. This is a meaningful distinction, since as he points out, grades are pretty tied to things like behavior (“A for Effort”), which (in our society, with our gender norms) will generally penalize boys. But I’m still struggling with how to make substantive sense of NAEP scores. In the above charts, I added shading to represent the range for a “Basic” level of performance (sadly, none of the national averages are above Basic. Links to descriptions of the achievement levels in reading and writing). So, while there *are* decent scale score gaps in HS, everyone’s still in “basic” territory, for what that’s worth. I’m sure that a 20 point gap between the genders marks some kind of qualitative difference in knowledge, but it seems pretty hard to tell how bad the difference really is.

What do y'all think?

I'll admit, I'm surprised

2006-01-19T17:09:00.000-05:00

At first, I kind of groaned when Eduwonk mentioned yesterday’s TNR article about the lagging achievement of boys. While I'm certainly aware of the seriousness of the issue, I’ve heard the “War Against Boys” arguments before. Indeed, the article started out w/ a snippy comment about people being upset by Larry Summers. But then, further down, this:

Combine Hilton's local research with national neuroscience research, and you arrive at this: The brains of men and women are very different. Last spring, Scientific American summed up the best gender and brain research, including a study demonstrating that women have greater neuron density in the temporal lobe cortex, the region of the brain associated with verbal skills. Now we've reached the heart of the mystery. Girls have genetic advantages that make them better readers, especially early in life. And, now, society is favoring verbal skills. Even in math, the emphasis has shifted away from guy-friendly problems involving quick calculations to word and logic problems.

[…]The teachers are only doing their jobs, preparing their students for a work world that has moved rapidly away from manufacturing and agriculture and into information-based work. It's not that schools have changed their ways to favor girls; it's that they haven't changed their ways to help boys adjust to this new world. (emphasis mine).

It's the first time I’ve heard this argument: that the skills our society requires are changing--and in a way that, to a degree, naturally favors girls' aptitudes. If this is true, at least part of the reason we're seeing the decline in boys’ achievement isn’t because we’ve encouraged girls at the expense of boys, but rather that we haven't thought about how to modify the way we teach to adapt an increased need for literacy skills to boys’ learning styles.

I find this stuff fascinating, but I'm also cautious. In the past, "scientific" notions of gender difference (now proven to be ridiculous) have repeatedly been used to oppress women and justify their absence in the highest echelons of power... hence the outrage at Summer’s comments that framed the TNR article. Teasing out the influence of nature and nurture in terms of gender tendencies is sticky territory—which I suspect is reflected in the absence of its inclusion in teacher prep programs. But, if the science that's emerging now is good, we'd be silly to completely ignore it in favor of a "we're all the same" mythology. The trick is to find the balance: what scientists acknowledge as tendencies to be dealt with could easily get codified into immutable truths or worse yet, excuses for persistent poor performance. Interesting work lies ahead for us on this one, I think.

ps. Whitmire complains that the ED report was only mentioned by name in 5 articles… then why doesn’t he mention it by name in his? I did a search of EdPubs, and couldn’t find anything from “about a year ago” that looked like what he was talking about. I’m curious: where does the data that says boys are performing worse relative to girls over time come from?

Building the Beloved Community

2006-01-11T17:06:00.000-05:00

This Monday marks the 20th anniversary of celebrating MLK day. Among his many convictions, Dr. Martin Luther King believed that the end of nonviolence and hate began with the creation of the "beloved community". As MLK Day quickly approaches, we seek to honor one of our greatest civil rights leaders, who had a dream, that inspired a nation to judge one another not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.

Please join me on Monday, January 16th, in celebrating Dr. King's legacy in a day of community service in Southeast, DC...where at the end of the day, we will be one step closer in building our beloved community.

(if you would like to come, just email me at emilyc@gwu.edu by Saturday!)

The Vocational Education Enigma

2006-01-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

I found Jay Mathews’ Class Struggle this week particularly interesting. Vocational Education is a topic that I don’t hear discussed meaningfully nearly often enough. Probably because it involves facing realities that make those who believe in equal opportunity through education (myself included) pretty uncomfortable.

The e-mail exchange between Mathews and California HS Teacher Chris Peters covers both sides of this debate well. Most resonant to me on the Voc Ed side was the ‘elitism’ argument advanced by Peters. We all know that a four-year education culminating with a White Collar job is better-regarded than a HS degree and a Blue Collar one. Considering that most educators see themselves in the “equal opportunity” business, why would they ‘doom’ a kid (or allow a kid to consign himself) to a life of less prestige? Instead, let's just train every student to go to a 4-year college!

BUT. In the end, if a student has barely scraped by in a college prep track and cannot (because of financial barriers) or will not (because of personal preference) pursue higher education, is this a situation where our mighty ideals are actually preventing us from providing solid opportunities for kids that desperately need them? I’m convinced that the marginalization (and overall poor quality) of Voc Ed today is largely a function of our ambivalence toward the jobs at the other end of the vocational track.

Despite the practical possibilities of vocational education, I’m torn. I know how such programs have traditionally served as educational ghettos within schools, where kids learn neither the academic nor vocational skills they’ll need to hold a good job. And if part of the reason that these programs have been terrible is that we don't value the work for which they train students, is this likely to change?

The solution, I think, is two pronged. First, develop vocational programs that deserve respect. Second, respect them as a legitimate choice. The reality is that skilled labor jobs require literacy and math skills, and kids won’t be successful in turning HS vocational training into a stable job if they can’t read, problem solve, and compute. Solid training in a vocation shouldn't preclude a student’s further formal education, but establishing good vocational courses would require us to admit that 4-year college at age 18 isn't the right path for every student. That would be quite a shift for some of us!

Florida's decision has ripple effect

2006-01-09T11:35:00.000-05:00

Update: Florida's already impacting other states decisions about vouchers. This article discusses how Utah's voucher proposal was looking good "until [the] ground shifted Thursday when Florida struck down their voucher law"
-Sponsors of Utah's bill are in the process of modifying proposal to make sure it passes "constitutional muster"

**our resident Florida voucher expert, Rachel, has promised to post once she regains computer access, which hopefully will be later today

Right Plan, Wrong Reason

2006-01-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, President Bush announced a plan to expand the learning of foreign languages in this country through a National Security Language Initiative which will create incentives to teach foreign language and increase number of foreign language teachers and resources for them.

*my two favorite quotes from his speech:
1)"When Americans...learn to speak Arabic, those in the Arabic region will say, gosh, America is interested in us. They care enough to learn how we speak." (I asked my Egyptian co-worker how to say "gosh" in Arabic. Surprisingly, there is no translation)
2) "We're going to teach our kids how to speak important languages" (whew, what a relief, I was scared we were going to shell out a bunch of money to teach our kids the "unimportant languages")

While I applaud any program trying to increase the number of students learning a foreign language, I am slightly uncomfortable with the rationale of learning another language to 'protect America and kill terrorists'.
Becoming bilingual increases one's tolerance and ability to communicate with people. Children who are in bilingual programs tend to score higher on proficiency tests than those who are monolingual. We are a country that is becoming increasingly multilingual, where around 5 million children speak a native language other than English.

We should be learning languages because we want to be part of a global community where we treat other cultures and countries equally, not because we want to train the next generation of "young soldiers on the front lines to find...killers."

update: Edwahoo just posted about this also...although he sees it in a more positive light

Supreme Court Takes Away Choice

2006-01-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

Florida's Supreme Court ruled its voucher program unconstitutional. Read articles by edweek and the post for coverage. Also, eduwonk comments on what's next...

Personally, I am on the fence about vouchers, but here's what I found interesting:
1) Chief Justice Barbara Periente wrote that vouchers violate state's goal of providing a "uniform" system of public schooling for Florida's students (right, because all schools are the same in the state of Florida. If all schools were really "uniform" then parents wouldn't be lining up to get their kids out of really bad schools and into better ones)
2) While interest groups on both sides are either celebrating or mourning, I would hope that they remember why vouchers existed in the first place; because many public schools are failing our kids and parents wanted a better option. So whether you won or lost the battle yesterday, let's remember what it's really about; quality education for all our kids...and we need to keep working on solutions to ensure "uniform schooling" for every child.
3) Future debates and court decisions will be interesting to watch to see how Florida will influence others. See here and here for voucher debates occurring in Milwaukee and Kansas, respectively.

p.s. would love to hear comments, especially from a certain grad student, not to mention any names (Rachel Bird), who wrote a large research paper analyzing the Florida voucher system.

Employing the Next Generation of Ed Policy Wonks

2006-01-05T15:26:00.000-05:00

It's the time of year when college seniors are hitting their career centers, and I have started getting calls and e-mail from people interested in education policy or research jobs next year. I know of lots of places doing this work, but the kicker is whether they'll hire fresh Bachelors' grads... it usually requires "insider" information to figure that out. If you know of places that hire the young and enthusiastic, post them here?

Here's some I'm sure about:
The Urban Institute
American Institutes for Research
American Enterprise Institute
Center for American Progress
Various Hill positions w/ members of the House and Senate Committees

I know y'all know of more...

Opting out of NCLB & Equity implications

2006-01-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

Ed. Week had an interesting article about a school district that has decided to tax itself to opt out of NCLB requirements (Colo. Town Raises Taxes to Finance NCLB Withdrawal, 1/4/2004). Surprisingly, this district is not failing AYP but has decided that requirements such as highly qualified teachers are too burdensome for the pittance of a federal contribution it receives to finance this small school system. While I empathize with this district's concerns and have plenty of other problems with NCLB, the ability of this district to opt out of the requirements has important equity implications. What about the schools in the poor urban areas that rely more heavily on federal funding and can't afford to opt out? Are they better off under NCLB's carrot and stick policies? Allowing more politically and economically empowered districts and states to opt of the law instead of fixing (or completely overhauling) NCLB undermines the spirit of meeting the needs of every child. For all the talk about "evidence-based education" and "scientifically-based research", no one seems to be addressing the need for scientifically-based federal policies. You can't have a public education system that promises equal educational opportunities if only those who can't afford any other alternatives are the only ones required to comply.

"The Bell Curve" Rises Again

2006-01-03T14:09:00.000-05:00

Just when you think society has taken some forward steps in the fight for racial equity and education; this article surfaces. The author Dan Seligman's basic premise is that;

It is not possible to close the achievement gap. ...[It] is a summons to a fool's errand. The reason that the gap will never be eliminated is that intelligence rises with socioeconomic status.

(I felt like I was re-reading The Bell Curve)

also read Eduwonk and Edwahoo for their excellent reponses to the article

Would love to hear anyone's comments on this one

***apologies for the lack of posting, but in addition to all of us being on break...I was out of town for two weeks without access to the internet (which was an interesting experience to say the least) Happy New Year!

Study on Charters, The Real Thanksgiving, and a little bit of Communism...

2005-11-23T03:35:00.000-05:00

Here's an eclectic selection of readings over the long weekend in case any of you become bored with football, eating, writing term papers, etc...

New study released by the Center on Reiventing Education is a comprehensive look at the charter school movement. The study found that "it is nearly impossible to generalize about charter schools as a national phenomenon." Definitely worth reading, especially due to contributing authors Paul Hill, Robin Lake, and eduwonk
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As Thanksgiving comes upon us, we as educators should always question and search for real meanings. James Loewen's book; Lies My Teacher Told Me, attempts to search for such truth:

The Thanksgiving legend makes Americans ethnocentric. After all, if our culture has God on its side, why should we consider other cultures seriously?

The true history of Thanksgiving reveals embarrassing facts. The Pilgrims did not introduce the traditions; Eastern Indians had observed autumnal harvest celebrations for centuries... Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday...the Pilgrims had nothing to do with it...Thus our popular history of the Pilgrims has not been a process of gaining perspective but of deliberate forgetting.

Correctly taught, the issues of the era of the first Thanksgiving could help Americans grow more thoughtful and more tolerant, rather than more ethnocentric...

Just some food for thought (in addition to your turkeys)!
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Check out this post on EIA discussing an interesting tidbit of info:

Local communist meetings aren't found only in dark bars, living rooms, and coffee shops. Every month the comrades get a hot lunch, too -- at the National Education Association cafeteria on 16th Street NW

FYI: the NEA did nothing wrong (the cafeteria is a public space) but I found the articles entertaining nonetheless

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Happy Thanksgiving!

The Million Dollar Question

2005-11-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

So my favorite blogger edwahoo has just asked the question: "What is the single most major reform needed in American education today?"

He is proposing an edublog debate of sorts and has asked bloggers to post their answers on their own blogs and then send him the link. Here's his brainstorm idea:

"Schools have to be reformed in their pedagogical structures (and everything that flows from them, possibly including but not limited to classroom design and assessments) so that they have the singular goal of critical thinking."

I thought it would be cool if we join in so here's my brainstorm idea:

I am a proponent of Richard Rothstein's notion that environmental factors can account for up to 80% of a child's success rate in education and therefore schools cannot put up blinders to socioeconomic status. I believe there are two main approaches to fixing education: one is we first have to fix the societal problems that exist; health care, nutrition, early child care, employment, affordable housing etc which will ultimately equalize education. The second option is to create schools designed to address the societal issues listed above (like what Harlem Children's Zone does). Thus, schools would become community centers of sorts where children could receive healthcare, nutrition, etc, and parents would receive housing, employment, training, and educational help.

Any other ideas?

Who Needs Science Anyway?

2005-10-28T09:34:00.000-05:00

According to this new standoff between the Kansas school board and the Nat'l Academy of Sciences and Nat'l Science Teachers Association, students in Kansas may be sitting in science class without any science materials.

NAEP 4th Grade Data Trends, by Race

2005-10-19T21:03:00.000-05:00

(NB: the Y-axis scale is different on each of these graphs, in order to maximize their readability)

So... looking at the NAEP score trends by race, the statement that achievement gaps are closing "particularly in the 4th grade" doesn't seem true.

The only gap change that might be statistically significant from 1990-2005 is the White/Black Math gap, at 6 points down. In Reading, the gaps are down 2 to 3 points from the first NAEP, after an INCREASE in the gap in the mid-90s. My guess is that 2 or 3 points isn't statistically different. And even if it were statistically, it's not substantively.

Also, there's a lot of footnoting in the NAEP data about how testing accomodations weren't allowed in the early test administrations. I take this to mean that there were some non-English speakers and students with disabilities tested without regard to their limitations in NAEP's early years, which should have lead to actual achievement being underreported. Knowing what we do about Special Ed and LEP populations, this should have disproportionally dragged down Black student scores on the SpEd end and Hispanic student scores in terms of LEP. We can't know how much, but it does make me question whether the "improvements" you see in the scores over time are due to an incresease in their collective knowledge or a change in the rules of the game.

My theory that the people writing the sound bites were looking at overall trends doesn't pan out--I wonder where those statements come from?

Spinning again, Spinning...

2005-10-19T15:41:00.000-05:00

Over on EdWahoo, a look at Bush Administration sound bites RE: today's new NAEP scores.

I agree that the Bush and Spellings quotes indicate a significant 2003-05 change where there isn't one, but really, the statements (as presented there-- I don't know what the greater context is) are ones of intentional vagueness not complete untruth. As EdWahoo points out, the 03-05 changes aren't significant, but if you take a longer view, 4th grade math scores have been trending up since NAEP started--they're up 25 points from 1990 to 2005. In the snazzy published tables, I couldn't find a trend line by race, so there's no quick way to look at what's happening to the Black/White achievement gap across more than 2 time points. In the next couple of days, I'll play around with the data cutting tool and see if I can't pull something together.

EdWahoo also says the following:

One wouldn't think you could find a way to declare victory when fourth-grade reading scores have improved by one point since the implementation of a landmark education law, but I continue to be amazed.

But, in addition to the non-significant "change" in the past 2 years, there's another substantive problem at work here: you really shouldn't attribute 2005 NAEP scores to NCLB in the first place.

From an evaluation standpoint, you can't expect to see marked test score changes immediately after an intervention. Especially since the last two years haven't exactly represented a smooth or complete implementation of the law. It would be unfair and unrealistic to expect NCLB to produce increases outpacing the general NAEP trends in such a short time, just as it would be misguided to attribute improvements (if there were any) to the law. If correlation doesn't equal causation, coincidence certainly doesn't.

It amuses me that we're trying to attribute non-changes to a law that hasn't had time to work. Thanks for the clarity, guys.

Deep Thoughts About School Choice-An International Perspective

2005-10-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

An Education Next article dispels some school choice myths about private education and finds lessons learned applicable to U.S. education policy by an assessment of schools in poor communities in India,Ghana, China, and Kenya. The study concludes:

Evidence from developing countries might challenge the claim, made by school choice opponenets, that the poor in America cannot make sensible and informed choices if school choice is offered to them. It may also stimulate the debate about whether public intervention crowds out private initiative...

it's worth reading...

More Value-Added Assessment

2005-10-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

Eduwonk points to fellow Education Sector-ite Thomas Toch's article on value-added assessment in this issue of Washington Monthly.

Again, it's a newish approach that does have its detractors (though little is mentioned of them in this article). Yet, value-added assessment is an interesting concept that I'm sure won't be going away any time soon.

TFA Goes Supersize

2005-10-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

Teach for America just landed $30 million for capacity building

Wendy Kopp, founder of TFA, explains her vision:

We aim to increase our impact exponentially in the next five years. Meeting our goals will mean that by 2010, we will reach 700,000 students, advancing their academic achievement on average one and a half years ina single year's time. At that point, we will be the top employer of top recent graduates, thus building an unprecendeted pipeline for education leadership...

regardless of your opinion of TFA, you have to admit, that's pretty damn impressive

A Study to Watch...

2005-10-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

Stanford's Educational Leadership Institute is performing a three year study, which began in Fall 2004, to analyze principal preparation programs and then to "create scalable models" to introduce more effective school leaders into the education environment.

See here for study overview and review of current research in this topic...

Finding Inspiration from James Loewen (and a little love from RFK)

2005-10-15T02:02:00.000-05:00

Today I attended a lecture given by sociologist James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, about his new book, Sundown Towns. ("Sundown towns" were towns where white people banned African-Americans from taking residence, thereby creating "whites only" communities, resulting in extreme racial exclusion throughout the country.)

What I found the most interesting was his take on why certain towns DID NOT become "sundown towns". He said that all it took was for one person to stand up and oppose the banning of blacks to live in their community, for the ordinance or motion to be eradicated.

His point immediately reminded me of my old job where RFK's "ripple" quote was used regularly:

Each time a man stands up for an ideal,...or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

Loewen and RFK's ideas are relevant to policy work in education. Even though working in policy can be daunting, frustrating, and slowmoving to the point where you feel like nothing will ever change, these two men reminded me of what is important...

Change really does just take one person; to stand up against injustice, to refuse to accept the status quo, and to send out a "ripple of hope". And if we daily strive to be that 'one person', in the end, change in education will be inevitable.

Thanks James Loewen

Michigan's new testing policy

2005-10-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

Did you all see the news out of Michigan? The governor declared this week that high schools in that state will now use the ACT as a high school exit exam.

This article talks about it, as does Education Week.

Of course, this issue begs the question about the intended differences between a college entrance exam and a high school exit exam. What about the Michigan high schoolers who aren't college bound? What will the passing ACT score be - and how will they decide what's reasonable? Is the ACT linked to Michigan state standards?

I'm just beginning to look into this topic; maybe some of you know more than I. Your thoughts?

LKK

In the Minority

2005-10-09T17:34:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, at one of my tables, (besides being a grad student and occasional blogger, I am also a waitress), I had a family of four, where the father asked me if I actually believed in evolution.

I replied, “Of course I do”. He looked at me in disbelief and said,

“Well Emily, if you believe in so-called "evolution", then how can you explain who put intelligence in us?”

While I walked away thinking that evolution had forgotten to “put intelligence” in him, I was struck by his complete conviction (even after telling him my 10th grade biology class explanation on Darwin) that a supreme being was behind the creation of humans.

Weeks later, still thinking about it, I decided to read up on the evolution debate…
and apparently, I may be the crazy one…
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These days, around 40 states are taking steps to teaching alternatives to evolution. Intelligent design is in the running for the alternative theory du jour (for background on the debate see here.) According to CNN, 65% of the public favor teaching creationism, 37% want creationism taught instead of evolution, and 55% believe God created humans in their present form (see here)

A Gallup poll found that only 48% believe that humans evolved over time, but 18% of them believe that it was guided by some supreme being for the purpose of creating life as we know it today. While college grads are more in line with accepting evolution (66%), 14% of students with a high school degree or less, just don’t know what to think.
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After finding the above stats, and doing some more research, there are three issues I have with this debate:

1) The Teachings: I find it odd that since most of us learned Darwin's evolution theory in school that a majority of the public is not in agreement about it. This begs the questions; how are we teaching evolution to our students and how are we, as a community, creating space for diaglogues about religion and how it can coexist with evolution.

2) Education Policy Groups: some of these groups are giving Intelligent Design (ID) clout and allowing it to be on equal playing field with the theory of evolution. AEI is putting on a conference discussing whether ID should be taught in schools. Meanwhile, ID has not even come close to a scientific theory, let alone should be debated about actually being taught. Even the leaders of the ID movement are stating that it is not ready for teaching. Giving ID theory space and time to discuss its role in public education seems ahead of the game and confusing to the public who are not informed enough to make a educated decision.

3) The Press: media is treating this coverage similar to a debate on abortion or gay rights. This is incorrect to think they are alike. Abortion and gay rights, are based on values and societal contexts. The ID vs. evolution debate is not similar. Evolution is a scientifically founded theory where intelligent design is not. It shouldn’t even be a question. Therefore, the media shouldn’t be “kindling the flames” of the public by writing articles which give a lot of space to explaining Intelligent Design and not explaining scientific facts when defending evolution.
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Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, the courts will quelch this fire by declaring these cases in violation between separation of church and state, and therefore ending this debate for the time being...
Until then, this waitress will continue to engage in the evolution debate at her tables in Georgetown.

merit pay for teachers

2005-10-04T18:43:00.000-05:00

I simply cannot see an equitable way to pay some teachers more for good performance.

Apparently, Mitt Romney disagrees with me.

Your thoughts?

LKK

Proud of Their F

2005-09-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

This article in the NYT today pointed out, at least to me, why disaggregation of test scores is such an important part of NCLB. While many of the wealthy white kids graduating from Princeton, NJ's, school system go on to top-tier universitites, there's a racial achievement gap that minority parents have been upset about for years. One can see why it's been a persistent problem, if sentiment like this is around:

In any case, there can be a tone of defensiveness, even smugness, among certain school leaders in Princeton. "We're proud of our F," said Lewis Goldstein, the assistant superintendent, referring to the contradiction between the district's overall success and its standing under No Child Left Behind. "It's as if you handed in your homework and the teacher handed it back and you got a 98 on it and an F. That's the situation we're in."

If Mr. Goldstein's child were Black or Brown, I wonder whether he'd be quite so proud of the F.

College 2005 at The Atlantic Monthly

2005-09-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year... The Atlantic Monthly's college issue. I haven't had a chance to sit down and read everything yet, but the stuff I have is thought provoking.

The one problem with The Atlantic is that you have to be a subscriber to read their online stuff. But here's a preview of what's there... may be worth tracking down a paper copy.

COLLEGE 2005 Does Meritocracy Work?
Not if society and colleges keep failing to distinguish between wealth and merit
by Ross Douthat

COLLEGE 2005 The Best Class Money Can Buy
The rise of the "enrollment manager" and the cutthroat quest for competitive advantage. The secret weapon: financial-aid leveraging
by Matthew Quirk

COLLEGE 2005 Is There Life After Rankings?
A report card from one college president, whose school now shuns the U.S. News ranking system—and has not only survived but thrived
by Colin Diver

COLLEGE 2005 What Does College Teach?
It's time to put an end to "faith-based" acceptance of higher education's quality
by Richard H. Hersh

COLLEGE 2005 You Are Not Alone
College newspapers discover the sex column
by Sheelah Kolhatkar

teacher contracts???

2005-09-27T16:55:00.000-05:00

Im wondering why the teachers in New Orleans are not still getting paid? Just because there is a disaster you cant stop paying them. There needs to be a way to make sure these teachers stay in the teaching field, and this is certainly not a way to see that happens.

Policy implementation gone awry

2005-09-26T11:31:00.000-05:00

What do you do when a fiscal crisis, one that caused drastic policy changes to be set in place, goes away? Well, Tucson education officials apparently say "too late now!" and continue to implement the policy anyway.

Where's the "abort" button on these radical education missions? At what point do you recognize that the policy no longer fits the situation, and rethink things?

Does this strike anyone else as ridiculous as it does me?

LKK

p.s. Thanks to my dad for forwarding the article.

Katrina=Vouchers?

2005-09-25T23:50:00.000-05:00

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on Bush's voucher plan?
For background see here (basically Bush is asking for one-year vouchers for hurricane victims to go to private or parochial schools)

Here's what i think...It's a brilliant move by Bush and the Republicans to get their voucher policies passed. The Democrats are going to have a hard time figuring out how to oppose it. (How do you say no to children who are victims of a natural disaster without looking evil). Proponents of the vouchers say it's only a one year thing. I, however, think that they are laying a foundation which can then be a spring board for a widespread voucher policy, thus ingraining the choice movement in federal legislation.

Regardless of your opinon on vouchers, does anyone else think this is totally shady? or not?

And, if you have a good strategy for the Democrats, eduwonk is looking for one where you can email your response to eduwonk@educationsector.org

Battle Metaphor Revisited

2005-09-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

Eduwonk's post about things education reformers could learn from counter-insurgency experts made me think, as it did Emily. To take the battle metaphor (scroll to the bottom of that link for the original post) further: a true "win the hearts and minds" strategy for education reform would realize that overarching federal goals need support on the ground in order to take hold.

I agree with Leigh that federal efforts at reform have often been "lost in the translation"--but I don't think we should use that historical fact to conclude that local reforms are the only or even the best way to produce lasting changes to the education system. In my mind, the general absence of national-level vision and leadership in the field of education largely contributes to the chaotic and wheel-spinning nature of ed reform in this country.

If our ultimate goal is to create a new education system--one that does a better job of producing equitable outcomes--I think we need two things. First, a strategic operation plan on the federal level (NCLB is a start), with someone practical and responsive in charge of marshalling the overall implementation effort (Spellings seems to be doing a better job than her predecessor in this regard). Second, and equally important, we must cultivate buy-in from the local foot soldiers of reform--the teachers and communities that ultimately enact the vision. As Eduwonk argues, the "oil-spot" strategy of developing strongholds of success could help break down pockets of resistance elsewhere: once we have some proof that a new system works better than the old, people may start to come around.

Eduwonk suggests reformers send in "troops" from TFA, New Leaders for New Schools, and Broad to help establish these successful strongholds. But if the analogy holds, the US Department of Ed is the military occupation of Iraq, reform saboteurs are the insurgency, and these organizations are the education policy equivalent of NGOs (particularly interesting, read the bit about the evolutionary stages of development NGOs. Looks a lot like how these ed organizations are developing!).

I've yet to decide what I think, but my question is this: if we're talking about creating larger systemic change, what are the implications of non-governmental actors taking a lead in the battle for the hearts and minds of the people on the ground?

A further point to consider: many of the reform hold-outs we're trying to win over also happen to be opposed to these organizations. Even if it was proven that alternative certification programs can consistently produce real, positive outcomes, would that be enough to win the approval of those bent on resisting substantial change?

The School Year Must Go On

2005-09-01T08:31:00.000-05:00

I don't know if everyone is as riveted by the news following Hurricane Katrina as am I, but I can't seem to stop compulsively reading the paper. My heart goes out to anyone who has family members or friends directly affected.

With current estimates ranging anywhere from one month to 16 weeks until the water will be cleared out of New Orleans, nearly 20% of Louisiana's public school children will miss a significant chunk of their school year. The New York Times reports on Texas' generosity in opening its schools to storm refugees. Some colleges and universities are apparently reaching out to the hundred thousand college students who will most likely be displaced for the fall semester.

What Does Average Joe Know?

2005-08-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

Focusing on education policy both in my job and as a student, I think that I understand the party lines of the punditry and interest groups better than the opinions of the general public. It's (sadly) so much simpler to follow news articles and blogged arguments than talk to the man on the street about the latest goings on at the Department of Ed.

That's why I found the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of The Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools so fascinating. The majority (59%) of survey respondents say they know "Very Little" or "Nothing At All" about NCLB. Interestingly, this statistic drops only slightly among public school parents (54%. NB: According to the methodology, this doesn't appear to be statistically significant). Finally, while the percent of respondents who report they "Don't know enough to say" how they feel about the law has fallen considerably over the past 2 years (from 69% in 2003 to 45% today), I think we can safely surmise that a large portion of "typical Americans" still are relatively uninformed about the policy that drives so much change in our schools.

Since education is generally considered a high-priority domestic policy concern, I wonder what this says about the public's policy knowledge in general? And by these numbers, a not-insignificant portion of people say they know "very little or nothing" about the law but still manage to have an opinion about it. Interesting stuff.

PS. For those in need of a pundit fix: brief commentaries on the data from Rick Hess, Richard Riley, and others.

To Reform or Not to Reform...Is that really the question?

2005-08-29T10:59:00.000-05:00

No Child Left Behind has inspired reactions ranging from outright opposition and legal action (see here and here) to states passively aggressively refusing to comply. The latter approach, (see here) is being practiced in Seattle (and I have a sneaking suspicion that Seattle is not the only city reacting this way).

Mike Antonucci, education researcher and blogger, comments on the article's bigger meaning; "I believe this is the default position of any bureaucracy as large as America's public school system. The people who want reform institute it without federal insistence. The people who don't want reform won't institute it no matter who insists. If forced to reform, they will undermine it."

So then, are all attemps at federal reform pointless?

Maybe we just need a different approach...

Eduwonk's Andrew Rotherham might have the answer...

Background: An article about an alternative way to winning the war inIraq, author Andrew Krepinevich advocates for protecting civilians and setting up "safe havens" instead of attempting to kill the guerillas or "insurgents". Basically Krepinevich's point is by securing safe havens, true "buy-in" is created in the cities and neighborhoods, which in turn acts as a catalyst to empower the residents, which then simulataneously de-empowers the guerillas. An end result, is a changed community, without the hostility and resistant that would have occurred from just killing isolated "insurgents".

Rotherham equates this approach to education. He states;

Isn't this basically the same strategy that education reformers should pursue in the cities? Instead of just supporting often isolated politicians who are constantly under attack or fighting hopeless guerilla warfare inside bureaucracies, establishing some [safe havens] in big cities, winning victories, and establishing some proof points (and in the process expanding opportunities for disadvantaged kids) seems like a more promising strategy. Opening new schools would certainly be part of such an effort but also leveraging successful initiatives like Teach For America, The New Teacher Project, New Leaders for New Schools, the Broad Residents, etc...to drive broader change and win hearts and minds.

Just some food for thought as classes begin...

Focus on HBCUs

2005-08-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

Earlier in the month, the New York Times’ Freedman wrote about startlingly low graduation rates at some Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Reprinted here, the article reports that HBCUs have 6-year graduation rate of 38%, which lags slightly behind the 40% 6-year graduation rate of Black students at all other institutions. Freedman argues that the low graduation rate in HBCUs amounts to “a little noticed crisis” in institutions that educate a disproportionate number of the nation’s Black college students (1 in 10 Black college students attends an HBCU).

Two thoughts come to mind. First is that, despite Freedman’s designation of “crisis,” the difference between overall graduation rates of 38 and 40 percent is not huge. What is significant and deserves attention is the national gap in 6-year graduation rates by race (Asian, 63%, White 57%, Hispanic 45%, Black 38%, Native American, 37% in 2002). Second, HBCUs have been historically marginalized and lag behind other institutions in terms of resources, so the fact that their outcomes are nearly on par with other institutions could be seen to mean that they’re actually doing more with less.

The Washington Monthly made a point along these lines earlier this week, as an aside to their newly devised college rankings. HBCUs actually graduate higher percentages of students than you'd expect, given the mostly socio-economically disadvantaged students they serve. Predicted rate is calculated using multiple regression on national data, and it’s an interesting concept. Full blog entry here.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the first Presidential executive order on HBCUs, and from September 11-14, the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs will be hosting a conference here in DC. Since HBCUs serve a considerable proportion of Black college students, they are a prime target for efforts towards higher ed equity. Will the proceedings get media attention, or is this interest in HBCUs just a blip on the higher ed screen?

More on the history of HBCUs at the United Negro College Fund website.

Just starting out...

2005-08-22T12:59:00.000-05:00

We are a group of education policy students at The George Washington University who are attempting to create dialogue, policy ideas, and build community amongst us. We come from diverse education experiences. We are teachers, policymakers, parents, activists, and researchers. While we may all come from different backgrounds, we are united under a common belief in the importance of education in our society and in our world.

Socrates wrote, "Education is the kindling of a flame; not the filling of a vessel". We intend this edublog to be a place where we can come together to fuel our curiosity, to learn a little more about the topics that interest us, and to engage in meaningful conversation together about education policy. It is not our intent for this site to be the end of our search for knowledge, but rather the beginning. A kindled flame.

A Revolution Brewing?

2005-08-21T23:53:00.000-05:00

The number of states in outright rebellion against NCLB is growing from 3 to 8….and dissatisfaction with the law is widespread….see here

Agree to Disagree?…Apparently Not

2005-08-21T23:51:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post article explores a scientist’s decision to publish an article supporting intelligent design. What was interesting was how the science community reacted and behaved.