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Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Can Science Instruction Be Saved?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Cobb County school board will appeal a federal judge’s decision that textbook stickers informing students that evolution is “a theory, not a fact” must be removed. Meanwhile, Georgia Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox told the Legislature science instruction across the state is in disrepair. Too many students - especially minorities - are flunking the science portion of the graduation test on the first try. Last year, 60 percent of African Americans and 64 percent of Latino students, failed the first time around.
What’s going on? Cox says her curriculum overhaul will help by spelling out to teachers exactly what they should be teaching. But the new curriculum won’t fully kick in until 2008. Meanwhile, she’s giving students practice questions to help prep for the test.
Teachers, scientists: What can be done to improve science instruction in Georgia? Post your comment!
Answers to Your Questions:
Meagan wanted to know about charter schools. What is the current climate like surrounding school funding in Georgia? Are changes to the system anticipated? Is equity and adequacy perceived to be a problem statewide?
Phil Andrews, head of the Georgia Charter School Association, responds:
“Public school funding in Georgia is so complicated that very few people fully understand how it works. This issue is further muddied by the fact that public schools, including charter schools, receive public funding from three sources, federal funds, state funds, and local funds.
In theory, charter schools receive state and federal funding that is equal to traditional public schools. the systems for determining eligibility are not necessarily designed to deal with the program flexibility afforded to charter schools. Thus, some charter schools are not yet receiving full funding from state and federal sources despite the best efforts of the Georgia Department of Education.
The larger problem comes with local funding. While the Georgia Charter School Act provides a formula for determining the minimum amount of funding that must be provided to charter schools from local revenue, applying that formula is difficult. The funding formula does not provide clear guidance.
Finally, most charter schools receive no public facilities funding. Thus, they are forced to exist in older buildings in need of repair, and to either use some of their operational funding to pay for their facility or else raise private funds for their facility.
The bottom line is that the average start up charter school is receiving no facilities funding and roughly 20 - 25% less operating funding than similar traditional public schools.
The long term solution to the operational funding issues can be best achieved if the Governor’s Task Force on Education Funding is successful in creating a simpler, more transparent system for funding public education in Georgia.
Georgia Charter School Association will be promoting legislation to address these issues during the 2005 session of the Georgia General Assembly.
And Anita asks What has become of the E-rate “scandal” with the Atlanta Public School system?
Reporter Paul Donsky responds: Atlanta Public Schools has hired new leadership for its technology department, brought in auditors to look into its past E-rate spending, and hired consultants to help with this year’s E-rate application, due next month.
The school system hopes to restore the flow of federal E-rate funds -cut off since 2001 - to help pay to maintain the computer network and also to install a high-tech Internet phone system.
But many questions remain. We reported last month that about $5 million in E-rate grants were diverted between 2000 and 2002 to pay for ineligible projects, including plasma TV monitors, cell phone bills and air-conditioning units.
Atlanta school officials say their audit should determine if any money was spent inappropriately.
