More on Redistricting

See today’s articles in the High Point Enterprise for more coverage (main article here and sidebar here).

An excerpt:

Southwest Guilford High currently does not offer a specialty program, but the themes work in the same way magnet programs func­tion at the middle and elementary level – to attract students.
“There’s nothing at Southwest that would attract students, and quite frank­ly there is no space,” Superintendent Terry Grier said during Thursday’s dis­cussion on choice options for students. Members of the Guilford County Board of Education forged through a lengthy agenda on Thursday, not reach­ing discussion until after 11:30 p.m. on a proposal to create attendance optional zones in High Point. Board member Wal­ter Childs made the motion to table dis­cussion until more board members were present.

Sounds like another installment of Grierisms! What a boneheaded remark.

E.C. 🙂

SMOD Coming to Central?

A supporter wrote in to say they hear that HP Central may be heading towards uniforms next year:

I understand that Revonda Johnson, principal of Central, is advising students and parents that Central is going to SMOD next year. Do you have any information on this? I remember that last year she mistakenly said that Central was going to a traditional schedule. Has she jumped the gun again?

If any of my Central spotters have any info to share, please pass it on.

E.C. 🙂

Many teachers see failure in students’ future: USA Today

This is a damning article from the USA Today this week: nearly one in four teachers say children will not be successful in college. According to a poll released by the National School Boards Association, even more say students today are “unmotivated to learn.”

Skip the article and go straight to the survey and report here.

An excerpt from the USA Today article:

The results were surprising even to the study’s author, Brian Perkins, a professor of education law and policy at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Conn.

“I anticipated that there would be some teachers who feel that way,” he says. “What I did not anticipate was the number who responded that they didn’t think students would be successful.”

White teachers seem to have the bleakest view: 24.5% predict failure in college, higher than among black (22.1%) or Hispanic (17.6%) teachers.

Administrators paint a rosier picture: Only 7% predict the same for their students. But 15.6% say their students “are not motivated to learn.”

E.C. 🙂

Other Briefs From Last Night’s Meeting

See again complete coverage in today’s HP Enterprise and N&R.

Debate on Middle School Scheduling, here’s an excerpt from the Enterprise:

School officials are propos­ing scheduling changes for the district’s 20 middle schools, hoping to lengthen class time in core subjects such as math and English and limiting time in elective courses such as art and music.
School officials think the changes could boost academic performance among middle school students.

The Board is preparing to ask the County Board for a Certificate of Participation to help rebuild EGHS, see excerpt:

The Board of Education voted Thursday to authorize Chief Finance Officer Sharon Ozment to seek $53 million in financing through a certificate of participation for the construction during the commissioner’s meeting April 19.A certificate of participation, a type of loan that carries more expensive interest rates than a bond, does not require public approval.

The district would use $8 million in insurance funds fronted by the state Department of Public Instruction until the two agencies reach a final settlement on the high school.

“If this was any other kind of project … I would have voted no,” board member Anita Sharpe said after the vote. “I believe $53 million is too high.”

E.C. 🙂

Full Redistricting Coverage

First off, some mail from a High Point supporter:

 Mr. Huey,

I always look forward to hearing the speeches you make at the School Board meetings.  Thank you for your persistence in advocating for all children in this county.

Tonight I gave you a standing ovation from my living room in front of the TV.

Thank you for speaking on behalf of the families of High Point.  You spoke eloquently and from the heart and you captured the essence of what many of us have tried to say over the years.

I found it interesting that both Joe Alston and Bernita Sims spoke proudly of Andrews and yet want to deny other children the opportunity to attend school there.  It seems hypocritical to me, but of course I don’t pretend to understand the politics surrounding that view.

Thank you again and God Bless you and your family

Thank you for the kind words.

First, my remarks from last night, you can find them here.

Complete news coverage yesterday (N&R article, N&R Editorial, HP Enterprise)

Complete coverage today (N&R article, HP Enterprise)

As written, I support this proposal. It’s not full reversal of redistricting but it’s a start.

This leads up to 100% pure choice for almost every student in this county and it puts power in the hands of the parents, who know what’s best for their children. And in the long run, that’s the way it should be. This is NOT a repeat of the GCS High Point Lottery Scheme, in which GCS SOLICITED your choice of High Point school and then MADE your choice. And let me say this, this has nothing to do with race, as some are making it out to be. This was pure politics from the start, mainly to cover up GCS’ lack of leadership to plan for growth in High Point by failing to build adequate middle and high schools.

The NAACP’s Joe Alston and High Point city councilman Bernita Sims spoke after me, both of whom denounce the proposal and urged its rejection. I respect their opinions, but I respectfully disagree. They seem to think this is a gang-up on Andrews. Nothing is farther from the truth. It is, again, the lack of leadership and proper oversight from downtown, that has allowed Andrews to fail. I’ll say it again…GCS and Central Office allowed Andrews to fail. This has nothing to do with race or money; this is politics at its worse.

One more thing on Alston…I taught English to Alston’s son while I was at Andrews. He is a good student, I enjoyed having him in class. And I feel if Andrews was given the necessary supplies it needs to operate like a school, honor roll students like Alston can succeed even more.

Next point, Dot Kearns and Walter Childs publicly denounced the proposal yesterday. Childs called Andrews a “model school.” Doctor C., I’m taking up a collection to buy the teachers at Andrews printer cartridges so they can print their progress reports because they can’t seem to get supplies down there. Again, it is the constant state of politics and poor oversight that has allowed Andrews  to operate in the state it is in now. There are excellent teachers and staff and student at Andrews, and if given the TLC that it needs from downtown, things can grow and blossom there.

Let me remind you that Kearns has not announced if she will run again next year. Neither has Childs, whose term also expires next year.

Hooray for Garth for introducing this. Darlene Garrett supports this. Amos Quick seems as though he’s interested in studying the issue. This is definately worth watching in the weeks to come.

E.C. 🙂

Hold Your Comments on Redistricting

I have received several e-mails this morning regarding my thoughts on tonight’s GCS Board meeting in which the subject of redistricting will be introduced. To be fair and respectful, I’m asking you to hold your e-mails and comments until after the meeting, as I’m going to do the same. This is to give respect to those who will be addressing the issue tonight. But after the meeting and tomorrow, I will make my thoughts known.

Comments are Closed on this post.

E.C. 🙂

2150…954…And Counting

2150. That’s how many visitors have come to the main Website, www.hueyforguilfordschoolboard.org since Dec. 1, 2006.

954. That’s how many of you have visited this Web site blog since I moved this over to its separate server last month.

Many of you are just simply curious onlookers, wondering exactly what I will say next or think of next.

Thank you.

Because it is you that continue to make this effort a true grass-roots effort. Because of you, we’re hearing that traffic and participation over at the News & Record’s Chalkboard Blog is waning a bit. I could be wrong and we don’t want to contribute to that, for they have been doing this a lot longer than I have and have been successful. So Morgan and Jennifer, please continue the blog efforts there at the N&R.

But as you know by now, I seem to take more controversial stances on issues involving our children and our schools…simply because it is our schools and our children we are talking about. And I make no excuses. Many of you are hungry to hear my opinions and my stances on policies and issues involving our children. I appreciate that. And we now have a wider audience as well because of the local and statewide feeds; remember that we have visitors from the Triangle to Charlotte, from the West to Down East and places in between reading this blog and commenting in real time.

That speaks to the technology of 2007.

I’m a person that puts it in perspective. We always seem to take two essential groups for granted in life. Our children and our most seasoned citizens. That has to stop. And with the children of Guilford County, the buck stops here with me.

I’m always giving words of thanks and expressions of gratitude because this is not a one man show; it will take the efforts of all of you to make the election next year a success. I simply want to be a public advocate for our children’s behalf. And when it is successful (notice I didn’t say ‘if’ but ‘when’), the efforts will not stop there. As I said before, I will pledge to fulfill my duty to make the best and the right decisions involving the children of this county. I will be humbly responsible to all of you, for it is you I’m asking for support.

So thank you again. And I’ll keep saying thank you. Keep reading. Keep commenting. Keep participating. And above all else, keep supporting what is right and what is needed in our schools. For it is our children who are our future.

E.C. 🙂

Block Scheduling Helps to Improve Test Scores: Detroit News

Many low-performing Michigan schools have instituted radical changes to improve student test scores, and it seems to be working, according a report released today by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy, according to an article in today’s Detroit News. Click here for the article.

An excerpt:

Gladys Stoner, principal of Cerveny Middle School in Detroit, said she used multiple strategies to transform her school. She replaced 60 percent of her staff this year and implemented block scheduling and a new “house” system in the school, where students and teachers are grouped by grade.

Replacing and interviewing staff was a lot of work, but Stoner said it was worth it.

“They are here because they want to be here,” she said. “They know the direction we’re moving in, and we’re all on the same page working together.”

Preliminary data show that Cerveny met Adequate Yearly Progress goals this year, she said. In seventh grade English Language Arts, scores jumped from 29 percent to 55 percent passing.

Megan Myers, a new Cerveny English teacher, said students were apprehensive about the changes at the beginning of the year and didn’t want to do homework.

Now, several students daily ask her to stay after school to do class projects, Myers said.

“We changed not only the test scores but the way they look at education and the value they get from it,” she said.

I have to add some commentary here…in my opinion, block scheduling does more harm than good. Maybe it is working well in Michigan, but in North Carolina, I don’t feel it is working. Traditional scheduling provides more educational value than blocks. It is very hard on students to sit for 90 minutes and it provides a challenge for teachers to plan for an extended period. But it seems to be working in Michigan.

What do you think?

E.C. 🙂

N.C. “Lootery” Missing Jackpot: CLT Observer

Today’s Charlotte Observer talks about the Lootery, specifically that many NC Senate Democrats will not support the Governor’s proposal to make more money available for prizes.

Thank you Dems. It’s the first thing they’ve done right in a while.

I still feel duped though.

I, like others in the state, were promised Lootery Revenues were going to be directed toward education. It’s not happening, the state grossly underestimated projected revenues, and now the Gov. is left to clean up the mess. Many school systems, GCS included, are still planning construction bonds for this fall’s ballots across the state. Many will pass, some will fail. And now we’re back to square one.

An excerpt:

Supporters have called the lottery’s initial projections unrealistic. Skeptics say they’re not surprised by its less-than-stellar performance.

“What we’re seeing from the lottery is what those people who opposed (it) said all along — that the amount raised would not meet the rosy projections,” said Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. “It’s an unreliable source of revenue.”

Easley and others believe the lottery could raise more money by giving more away.

Now, 35 percent of lottery proceeds has to go to education, including school construction and scholarships. Another 52 percent goes to prizes.

In comparison, South Carolina devotes 60 percent to prizes.

Easley would raise prize outlays here to 59 percent, keeping 29 percent for education.

“The state needs more money for education and this is the best way to get it,” said Easley spokesman Seth Effron. “The governor knows the General Assembly supports education as well.”

Bill Holmes, a spokesman for House Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange, said there’s no consensus on Easley’s proposals in the House.

E.C. 🙂

The Half-Billion Dollar GCS “Wish-List”

Today’s News & Record gives the complete roll-up of what Guilford County Schools would like to be included as part of the proposed 2007 bond referendum. A half-a-billion dollars.

Of course, this is on the basis of the bond passing in November. Wishful thinking.

In my opinion, the Board had better start making plans now to begin asking the County Commissioners about plan B because I honestly think this bond will have a tough time at the polls in November. I’m not anti-growth, I’m not anti-education (or I wouldn’t be running for school board next year)…we need new and upgraded facilities…badly! But we also need to be fiscally prudent about it. There’s entirely too much waste going on downtown and nothing is being done about it and I can’t stand it. And this November, I have a funny feeling the taxpayers of this county are going to put their foot down and say no.

 E.C. 🙂

Thomasville program helps kids in struggling economy: HP Enterprise

Today’s High Point Enterprise continues its Communities in Schools series referencing how the organization is helpful in some of our most highly-impacted schools.

An excerpt from today’s story:

CIS of Thom­asville Director Judy Younts said the work of the organization’s staff, site coordinators and volunteers is aimed at making students “taxpayers, not tax takers.”

“We need to give our students the best tools to become produc­tive citizens and to assist them in meeting the demands of the classroom when outside forces get in the way,” said Younts, a former teacher who has led the organization since 1994.

With a bleak industrial situa­tion in the city, community lead­ers say CIS has been able to help provide relief to families suffer­ing from economic burdens.

“The community is really hurting with the industrial situation, with plants closing and reduction in (work force),” said Daniel Cockman, super­intendent of Thomasville City Schools.

E.C. 🙂

Detroit mayor pursues more charter, private schools: Detroit Free Press

Check out this article from today’s Detroit Free Press.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said yesterday he wants to establish more charter and private schools across the Motor City, this despite the pending opposition of the school board and the local teacher’s union.

An excerpt:

“I tried to take over the schools, and there was a vote, and they voted no. … It’s the craziest thing,” Kilpatrick said. “So I can’t make decisions about what happens to schools. I didn’t make decisions on what schools to close. They didn’t even tell me about it.

“It’s a really bad situation. We have a new housing community going right up next to a school that was being closed. I had to … run over to the school system and say, ‘Please leave this school open because we have 1,500 houses going up around it.’ So we have a really deformed process in the city of Detroit right now.”

The district’s board voted Friday against closing any schools, despite the district running a deficit and losing a tenth of its student body last year. The mayor said he’s looking at what works in all schools — public, private and parochial.

Comments?

E.C. 🙂

CIS Series Continues: HP Enterprise

My friend and former colleague Katisha Hayes continues her High Point Enterprise series on Communities in Schools. Click here for today’s main article and click here for the sidebar.

An excerpt:

Site coordi­nators are as­signed full time to 13 schools in the High Point area, working in conjunction with school so­cial workers and counselors to bring enrichment programs and other activities into the school setting.
Dwight Hash, assistant prin­cipal at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, said the site co­ordinators are largely respon­sible for the success of CIS.
“They play a major role and have the most impact on the program,” he said.
Coordinators help assign tutors for struggling students under the Jump Start reading program. And they find the perfect meal buddy to give spe­cial attention to youngsters during breakfast and lunch. They also partner high school students with career mentors who help keep them on track until graduation.

E.C. 🙂

Schools’ Parent-Teacher Groups Go High-Tech: Reuters

In this Reuters wire story from earlier in the month, parent-teacher groups and their members are turning increasingly to cyberspace to get the word out from bake sales to fundraising to yes…complaining about schools.

Take a look:

“Parents are absolutely more tech-savvy in everything, from making announcements to online fund-raising to connecting more with communities, school administrations, managing calendars and scheduling all kinds of events online,” said Jenni Gaster Sopko, a spokeswoman for the National PTA, which counts 26,000 chartered PTAs around the country among its members.

With PTAs and similar parent-teacher organizations (PTOs) finding more professionals and gadget-friendly parents among their ranks, they have evolved into lean, mean business machines. Their accomplishments include raising tens of thousands of dollars annually, lobbying Congress, championing changes like playground upgrades and new after-school programs, and even taking on some budget-squeezed schools’ administrative functions.

And as this transformation has occurred, various Web-oriented companies have stepped up to meet PTAs’ and other parent groups’ technological and organizational needs.

I especially like this last part of the article:

Another concern is the growing tendency among parents to air complaints and concerns involving their schools and children electronically rather than in person.

“E-mails are not a substitute for face-to-face meetings that ought to take place from time to time. Some things are lost in electronic communications, especially when it comes to matters of children, which can be complicated,” said Vincent Ferrandino, executive director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Sound familiar?

E.C. 🙂

State education board needs true diversity: John Locke Foundation

JLF report says unanimous votes mask need for reform

Contact: Terry Stoops
919-828-3876
tstoops@johnlocke.org

February 27, 2007

RALEIGH – The State Board of Education needs more diverse viewpoints, if North Carolina expects public schools to improve. That’s the assessment offered in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report.

Click here to view and here to listen to Terry Stoops discussing this Spotlight report.

Gov. Mike Easley should seek candidates with different ideas about education issues when he fills two seats this year on the 13-member board, said Terry Stoops, JLF Education Policy Analyst.

“With high dropout rates, low graduation rates, and sagging student performance, you would expect vigorous debate about school reform among state board members,” Stoops said. “Instead, the board has retreated into ‘groupthink,’ discouraging the kind of creativity and innovation required to improve public education across the state.”

Stoops analyzed the board’s votes from 2003 to 2006. Excluding housekeeping and ceremonial votes, board members reached unanimous agreement 94 percent of the time. “Regardless of ideological similarities among members, it is unlikely that their ideas and beliefs converge perfectly on nearly every issue,” he said. “This board’s voting history makes you wonder why a board of education is necessary at all.”

The unanimous votes suggest board members have nearly identical views about public education, or they feel uncomfortable airing dissent, Stoops said. New board members could question the status quo. “As North Carolina’s public school students fall behind, you can place the blame on a State Board of Education that’s unwilling to ask tough questions.”

Two board members’ terms expire March 31. Easley will make appointments for new eight-year terms. Those appointments are subject to confirmation votes in the General Assembly. No more appointments are scheduled until 2009. “The state’s public education goals are not attainable under the current board regime,” Stoops said. “Our public schools cannot be competitive and innovative until the State Board of Education demonstrates those same qualities.”

Easley should look beyond the pool of candidates with ties to the education establishment, Stoops said. “A philosophically diverse State Board of Education – including school choice advocates and charter school representatives – would ensure that the majority view no longer suppresses ideas that deviate from the group.”

Parents across the state should pay attention to the appointment process, Stoops said. “This group’s decisions ultimately affect every one of North Carolina’s 1.4 million public school students and 180,000 full-time public school employees across the state,” he said. “Every appointment and reappointment to this board has an immeasurable impact on the state’s national and global competitiveness.”

Easley has the power to change the current system, Stoops said. “All that is required is a governor with courage to admit that the State Board of Education needs affirmative action in its truest form, that is, a diversity of views.”

Terry Stoops’ Spotlight report, “State Board of Repetition: State Board of Repetition,” is available at the JLF web site. For more information, please contact Stoops at (919) 828-3876 or tstoops@johnlocke.org.

 I think the release speaks for itself, for if we continue the status quo in this state with respect to public education, we are doomed to failure. We have to want better in our schools. We have to want better for our children. We have to want better for our children. It is past time that we start putting our children first, put politics aside and start rolling up our sleeves and do what needs to be done to save our schools. This is one of those steps.

As a closure for this post, I was asked over the weekend who I would support for Governor in next year’s election. So far. I like former Justice Bob Orr. I also want to keep an eye out on Bill Graham. But you can bet this much…I will only support candidates who feel strongly about cleaning up the mess and reforming DPI (the state’s Department of Public Instruction).

E.C. 🙂

Volunteers Needed to Fill Crucial Roles: HP Enterprise

In today’s High Point Enterprise, my friend and former colleague Katisha Hayes continues her series on Communities in Schools and the benefits this organization brings into our highly-impacted schools. See companion blog entry here from yesterday.

Hayes writes:

CIS leaders are making a com­munitywide ap­peal for more funding support, but there’s also an overshadow­ing need for vol­unteers who are willing to roll up their sleeves and help students overcome some of the education challenges in the city. “I’d like to see more people turn complaints (about our schools) into advocacy efforts, and I think that CIS does so as an organization,” says vol­unteer Edith Brady, curator of the High Point Museum.

I made mention here before that GCS needs to create a volunteer corps, so that those who want to go into our schools and make a difference can do so with relative ease. See previous blog entry here on the need to create such a corps.

E.C. 🙂

GCS Board Meeting Agenda for the 3/29/07 Meeting

Click here to see the complete agenda. I will begin posting the links to these since this blog is gaining in popularity.

E.C.  🙂

Is It Too Late To Save America’s High Schools?–Book Review

A book review posted on ednews.org says the following:

Consider these sobering national statistics about today’s high school students:

• 7 out of 10 don’t complete courses needed to succeed in college.
• Nearly 50% of African American population, 40% of Latino population and 11% of white population attend schools in which graduation is NOT the norm.
• 1 in 20 students do not finish high school.
• 40% of those entering college need remediation
• 26% of high school graduates who enter four-year schools and 45% who enter two-year schools do not return to school after their first year.
• Nearly 80% of the nation’s high schools identified by a recent Johns Hopkins study as having ‘weak promoting power’ are found in just 15 states
• Five southern states (FL, GA, NC, SC, and TX) lead the nation in total number of schools that serve as the nation’s ‘drop out factories.’

According to author and veteran school reformer Grace Sammon, the American high school is the toughest institution to change.”Reform has become a big buzz word,” says Sammon.”It’s been the focus of many foundations, the federal government and the National Governor’s Association, yet with years of focus, dedication and hard work we simply aren’t seeing the gains we anticipated on a grand scale.So if we’re not properly educating our kids—should high schools exist as they are now?”

Today’s public school teachers and administrators face unprecedented challenges from students and parents as well as from local, state and federal mandates.Sammon outlines the cycle of frustration many educators feel in her new book, “Battling the Hamster Wheel ^TM:Strategies for Making High School Reform Work.”

By aptly comparing the education system’s cycle of reforms to a hamster wheel, she depicts the relentless grind that educators face; always running, running, running but not making the gains they anticipate for their students and schools.

Comments?

E.C. 🙂

Education Assistance Could Help States Better Measure Progress of Students with Limited English Proficiency: GAO

The U.S. General Accounting Office released a report last week focusing on the academic achievement of students with limited English proficiency as it relates to NCLB-LMCB. Click here for the report.

An excerpt from the report’s abstract:

In nearly two-thirds of 48 states for which we obtained data, students with limited English proficiency did not meet state proficiency goals for language arts or mathematics in school year 2003-2004. Further, in most states, these students generally did not perform as well as other student groups on state mathematics tests for elementary students. Officials in our five study states reported taking steps to follow generally accepted test development procedures to ensure the validity and reliability of academic tests for these students. However, our group of experts expressed concerns about whether all states are assessing these students in a valid manner, noting that some states lack technical expertise. Further, Education’s completed peer reviews of assessments in 38 states found that 25 states did not provide adequate evidence of their validity or reliability. To improve the validity of these test results, most states offer accommodations, such as a bilingual dictionary. However, our experts reported that research is lacking on what accommodations are effective in mitigating language barriers.

E.C. 🙂

CIS in Focus: HP Enterprise

My friend and former colleague Katisha Hayes over at the High Point Enterprise did a series today on the success factor of Communities in Schools (CIS). See the article here and two sidebars here and here.

An excerpt:

Test scores show that students in someof thecity’s most impoverished schools are struggling; clustering them at the bottom of academic indica­tors in math and reading.
But coordinators of a pro­gram aimed at keeping kids in school refuse to believe that these students – typically non­white, disadvantaged and lim­ited- English speaking – can’t do the academic work. For them, a little encouragement goes a long way, volunteers, staff and supporters of Communities In Schools of High Point believe.

I have a link to CIS on the links section on the right-hand side of the page. I encourage you to dial them up and see what they’re about, as they’re among the many that are about the business of trying to do some good in our schools.

E.C. 🙂

GCS Friday Spin for this Week

Click here for this week’s Friday Spin (March 23, 2007) from GCS.

E.C. 🙂

Support Repeal of NCLB…Support HR 1539

Time to get on the horn and call your congressman and tell him/her to support HR-1539, the new Academic Partnerships Leads Us to Success Act of 2007, which essentially repeals No Child Left Behind-Leaves Many Children Behind. NC Reps. Virginia Foxx (from the Triad) and Patrick McHenry are co-sponsors of this bill. See this commentary from edNews.org for more background.

An excerpt:

 Chief author Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan told CNS News, “With No Child Left Behind we shifted down the road toward federal government education. We are now on the road to a national curriculum, national accountability, national testing…and then we will also have a process of federally mandated corrections standards for those who don’t meet the standards.” Hoekstra added, “Every school in the country will begin to look exactly the same. Say goodbye to local control, and say hello to federal government schools.”

Neal McCluskey, a political analyst with the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute, said, “Federal education programs live or die by whether or not they work politically, not academically.” Dr. Karen Effrem of EdWatch said it is for that reason that, “every member of Congress should be on this list of bill sponsors. NCLB was never a good plan for academics,” Effrem stated. “It was always about politics, which is exactly why education should be out of the hands of Washington, DC bureaucrats. Take our schools out of the hands of politicians and put them back in the hands of the local communities.”        

“We expect an outpouring of public support for this bill,” said Effrem, “and it will take that kind of effort. Congress doesn’t willingly release its hold on anything. It’s time for people to speak up clearly, with a united voice.”

E.C. 🙂

Fed. Reading Program Improperly Managed: AP

This is why the U.S. Dept. of Education needs to just go away quietly.

See this AP report on a federal General Accounting Office report that says “officials and their contractors appear to have improperly backed certain types of instruction in administering a $1 billion-a-year reading program, congressional investigators found.”

An excerpt:

The Government Accountability Office report supports assertions by the inspector general of the Education Department, who has released several reports in recent months into the Reading First program.

The program is a key part of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law. It offers intensive reading help for low-income and struggling schools.

The GAO, Congress’ investigative and auditing arm, surveyed states to get their views on the program.

In a report due out Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, the GAO states that some states said they received suggestions from federal officials or contractors to adopt or eliminate certain programs or tests.

As soon as the report hits the GAO website, I’ll provide the link.

UPDATE MARCH 25, 2007, 10:36PM: here’s the link.

E.C. 🙂

Opt-out Schools Raise Busing Concerns: HPE

In today’s High Point Enterprise, my friend and former colleague Katisha Hayes reports that GCS may change its policy on how students will be handled if they transfer out of magnet schools. See sidebar companion article here.

An excerpt:

 School officials say only a small number of kids opt out from magnet programs each year, but Superintendent Terry Grier said such small numbers “play havoc” with transporta­tion. Board member Jeff Belton said he believes there would be cost savings for the district if parents were required to pro­vide their own transportation after deciding to transfer their child from a magnet school.

E.C. 🙂

Term Limits for GCS Board Members

Part of my Guilford County School Board campaign platform and pledge is to commit to the discussion of term limits. See this past blog entry for more.

By example, I would support the discussion of having limited terms (such as a maximum of three 4-year terms or a maximum of four 2-year terms). In my opinion, spending 20 years on a school board is ludicrous. If I’m elected, I would commit to serving no more than three terms and I would encourage the discussion of this matter to take place during my first term in office. It is clear that we have some power-hungry board members and this is dangerous to the health and welfare of our schools and community. It is time for this board to practice responsible governing.

Greensboro city councilman Tom Phillips could teach a few things or two to some of our GCS Board members. During last night’s council meeting, Phillips said that “leaving the council will allow others the chance to serve…you need to have some turnover for some fresh ideas.”

Case in point, many of our board members haven’t been in the classroom in a while and have no idea of what’s going on inside our schools. Having term limits will allow the opportunity to have a fresh new perspective on ideas.

What do you think?

E.C. 🙂

NCLB-LMCB Losing Steam: Christian Science Monitor

No Child Left Behind-Leaves Many Children Behind is losing steam fast, according to an article published in today’s Christian Science Monitor.

An excerpt:

The reform passed Congress with big bipartisan majorities in 2001. But problems in implementing NCLB have spawned criticism from principals, teachers, parents, education groups, and across the political spectrum.

Doubts loom especially large for GOP conservatives, who swept into power in the House in 1995 on a promise to reduce the size of the federal government and abolish the US Department of Education.

E.C. 🙂

NCLB-LMCB Stats Aren’t Encouraging: Cal Thomas

In a syndicated article by conservative commentator Cal Thomas, he makes the point that No Child Left Behind (leaves many children behind–or LMCB) is wishful thinking. He says after five years, there has been an increase in children who read below the basic level and cannot perform math at a basic proficiency level.

An excerpt from Cal’s column:

 I asked U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings about this. She told me half of the states waited until the 2005-’06 school year to do an annual assessment, but that 70 percent of the nation’s 90,000 public schools “are meeting the requirements of NCLB. But for 1,800, which are chronically year after year failing our kids, something more dramatic has to happen.”
    That “something more” has included local government takeover of some school systems. In New York and Chicago, as well as in the state of Florida, which Mrs. Spellings describes as a “leader” in education improvement, interesting things” are being done. Washington, D.C., is also debating whether government should take over its poorly performing schools. Mrs. Spellings said “the state of affairs” in Washington schools is “not encouraging.”

No matter what your political ideology is, you still have to agree that NCLB is LMCB. It does not take rocket science to figure that out.

E.C. 🙂

Another Example of NCLB-LMCB (leaves many children behind)

Illinois State Achievement Tests are being given this week in the Prairie State and state education officials are conceding that there are mistakes in the exams…oh geez, here we go again. See today’s Chicago Sun-Times for more.

This blog writes itself, my friends.

An excerpt from the article:

This year’s mistakes follow a host of problems to last year’s elementary tests, including test booklets that arrived late, with missing or misprinted pages.

This year’s tests contained 13 errors — nine in tests of third-grade reading and math; fourth-grade math; fifth-grade math; sixth-grade reading and math; seventh-grade reading; and eighth-grade math, said State Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover.

Four other errors occurred in the instruction manual, a sample question and a Braille test, Vanover said.

In seventh-grade reading, booklets mistakenly directed students to answer one question on the wrong page. In sixth-grade math, a pilot question was listed in centimeters, but all the answers were in inches.

Two questions will be tossed, five items will be “fixed in scoring,” and two pilot items will be disregarded, Vanover said.

But more important is this last paragraph:

Illinois’ repeated snafus are “further proof that the testing industry is overextended and cannot be trusted,” said Bob Schaefer of the testing watchdog FairTest.

Wow…

E.C. 🙂

GCS Friday Spin for March 16

Click here for last week’s Friday Spin from GCS. I’ll begin posting these links on a regular basis.

E.C. 🙂

NCLB Sustains a Permanent Underclass: edNews.org

In a white paper published today by edNews.org, columnist Daniel Pryzbyla describes the current No Child Left Behind-leaves many children behind Act as creating a permanent underclass, especially when it comes to Title I schools. And he has an interesting take on this.

An excerpt:

Nowhere in the Title I document does it mention “high-stakes testing” to be the sole “accountability” factor in determining “adequate yearly progress.” Leaving out the details in the 12 items in “Statement of Purpose” proved necessary for President Bush’s new pro-privatization education department, now under the tutelage of pro-religious schools Margaret Spellings. Its final item Number 12 proved a godsend for its wordsmith. On its content meaning, who would even raise an eyebrow? “(12) affording parents substantial and meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.” This is pro-privatization code meaning, “We will have numbers of charter, private charter, private and religious schools and their representatives available to help you get out of the ‘failing’ Title I public school by any means necessary.”

The article continues:

Missing from NCLB or any accompanying law for “disadvantaged” students is “Improving Economic Security for Disadvantaged Families.” Ignoring family socioeconomic and racial factors in NCLB deliberations was tantamount to heresy. Parent(s) and guardian(s) involvement in a student’s academic and non-academic life has been seen as the pillar for potential successful child development. This is evident in non-Title I schools where economics and family involvement play significant roles in a child’s social and education development. Since a vast majority of “disadvantaged” students were also in custody of “financially disadvantaged” single mothers, NCLB was a socioeconomic sledgehammer aimed specifically at Title I public schools. These impoverished single mothers are left to the mercy of the low-wage job market, having to work night shifts while trying to juggle “family obligations” too. Was it surprising to hear of young siblings taking care of younger siblings when their mother was working 2nd or 3rd shifts? No, not at all. Was it surprising to have low attendance when school/community meetings or report card conferences were held after school? No, not at all. Did this mean all single “economically disadvantaged” mothers didn’t care how their child or children were doing in school(s)? No, not at all.

With everyone getting on the bandwagon to either reform or drop NCLB-LMCB altogether, will it actually happen? We can only hope and speculate, because it is doing nothing but destroying our schools.

E.C. 🙂