AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2005 > September
September 2005
Island of Ignorance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cobb County’s evolution scandal left a national impression. See this story. At least the board chairwoman has a sense of humor…
If you need a recap, Kristina Torres reports: “Stickers calling evolution ‘a theory, not a fact’ approved by the school board in 2002 to appease local creationists. A federal judge in January found the stickers to be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion, but the board has appealed the decision. Arguments are set for Dec. 15 in federal appeals court.”
Did the evolution controversy really hurt Cobb County’s reputation as a good school district? Or is the district still a magnet for its high scoring schools like Walton?(Home prices suggest many Cobb schools are still highly regarded.)
The Income Tipping Effect
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At least 10 blog-readers sent me a link to another newspaper’s story on Raleigh’s controversial busing program. You can find a link here.
The gist is that Raleigh uses a complex assignment process to make sure no school has more than 40 percent of its students coming from poor families. (Parents and teachers often lament that once a school has a majority of its kids qualifying for free lunch, test scores plummett) The result, according to a school official quoted in the story, is the vast majority of elementary and middle school kids are on grade level.
I would like to know more about the Raleigh plan, even though it’s not something I could see ever flying here. For education research purposes, it’s a goldmine. If middle school kids from poor families are overwhelmingly doing well in school…well, I’d say that lends credibility to what I’ve often heard, that exposure to students for whom college is a given benefits those who do not come from homes where Mom and Dad are college graduates.
Still, I’m skeptical. I want to see some nationally normed test data on middle school kids, and I haven’t had time to look that up. When I do, I’ll report back.
Meanwhile, what about balancing out school enrollments so the poor kids are not all clumped together?
The 180-Day Myth
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For all these years, I’ve been under the impression that Georgia schoolchildren had to go to school for 180 days a year. I thought it was an ironclad policy, not up for debate. There are seven days in a week, and Georgia school kids are in class 180 days a year.
Well, a Fayette County history teacher points out in his op-ed piece today, that’s not the case.
Georgia code allows local boards to cancel up to four make-up days if the schoolyear ends on a Friday. Fayette County has never made up a show day, the teacher says.
Sheesh, I never knew. What’s next? Finding out that bananas aren’t really a good source of potassium?
The author of the op-ed piece laments that two days of teaching were stolen from him this week. Are two days of instruction significant? Should the school districts have to make up the days so the kids are in school 180 days?
Black History …And Not Just In February
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A metro Atlanta mother who once convinced the Fayette County school district to stop using a social studies book that said slaves were “brought” to Georgia to “help” pick cotton lost her bid urging the state school board to do a better job with African-America history in the curriculum. Here’s the story
Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said the current curriculum adequately addresses African-American history.
There is no defense for teaching historical facts that are just plain wrong. But teaching children any kind of history is dicey. Ask any social studies teacher worth his or her salt. It isn’t as cut-and-dried as, say, geometry. There’s no way to teach it all, so you pick and choose. But what to pick? What to leave out? And how to frame lessons to reflect different points of view and recollections of those who remember the past differently?
Should Georgia require students to take African-American history, as some states do?
UPDATE: The comments got a little too heated, so I closed them. Thanks to those who posted thoughtful responses to the topic.
On another note: So nobody else needs to send me the link about the Raleigh school district’s controversial busing system. I got it (-; And I hear you loud and clear that you want to talk about it. We will. Just give me some time to do some research, specifically on middle school test scores and high school graduation rates.
And a final note: An organization called the Online News Association likes Get Schooled. Click here.
Okay, Okay, Let’s Talk About Vouchers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I swore I wouldn’t post about the partisan issue of public vouchers for private schools unless a policy were headed for Georgia. Now U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has drawn fire for her pledge to offer vouchers worth up to $7,500 for displaced Katrina kids to attend private schools.
Said Spellings in this recent speech, “This was a hurricane that affected every family, including those in private school. And the president believes, as do I, that we should not penalize those families because they chose to select private schools.”
So let’s go ahead and talk about vouchers:
Is this a benevolent gesture or a test case for a federal voucher program? And in the case of a more widespread future voucher policy, would competition from vouchers push public schools to improve? Or would such a policy flood private schools with applications for students unqualified for admission? Would a network of “voucher schools” spring up in the marketplace to accommodate the flood of kids? Would vouchers give parents an escape from failing public schools? Or would vouchers further doom public schools by leaving only the kids who do not have parents advocating on their behalf?
Update: Blog poster Ernest suggests I post a link to NEA President Reg Weaver’s response to the Katrina/voucher policy. Here it is.
Cross Blogination Alert: Go here for a blog discussion on schools being closed today.
Schools Closed Monday and Tuesday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
YOWZA, people! School systems are closing Monday and Tuesday at the request of Gov. Perdue. The measure is to conserve fuel. I have confirmed DeKalb, and Gwinnett is also on board, which leads me to believe other districts will also participate. In DeKalb all employees and students will get a 4-day weekend.
Update: The state says all but four districts will close Monday and Tuesday. Those that remain open are Floyd County, City of Rome, Haralson County and City of Thomasville.
Cross-Blogination Alert: Our sister blog, Talk of the Town, is discussing this issue, and comments are still open as of 7 p.m. Friday.
What do you think?
Football and Firearms
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This story says Clayton schools have beefed up security following shootings at some football games. Cheerleaders and band members will have to leave the game before it’s over. DeKalb, too, is adding more police officers.
For anyone who goes to high school football games, are rivalries out of control? Is this still a recreation event families can safely enjoy?
Story update: The Clayton County school system sent out a press release emphasizing that band members will participate in football games as usual. It seems some band parents have misinterpreted the above story and fear their kids will not be allowed to perform. They will.
On another note: Did anybody see “Everybody Hates Chris,” Chris Rock’s new sitcom about growing up in New York and attending a white school? The show makes some good points about parenting and the downside of busing.(Though the humor is not for the easily offended. It’s a comedy, not a documentary.) Catch it on UPN if you’re interested.
Have a safe weekend, everybody. And thanks for all the well wishes! I’m well and back at work now.
Kids Without Textbooks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve heard several complaints from parents that their kids don’t have textbooks. The complaints have come from a variety of geographic areas. If your child has experienced this, please let me know the school and the type of book.
There are some legitimate reasons for a textbook shortage, such as more kids enrolled than expected. But in most cases, the projected enrollments are accurate, and it seems those books should be there when the kids are.
Talk to me, please!
(Either post here via a comment or shoot me an e-mail at pghezzi@ajc.com.)
Gotta Have a Plan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve talked before about my friend who teaches middle school social studies in South Carolina. He has admirable classroom management skills - discipline isn’t a problem for him. But teaching kids what they need to know to pass the test and be educated … he struggles against the usual forces: student apathy, parent apathy, kids who lack basic reading skills.
This year, he has been directed to develop a 4-page “student success plan” for each student. He has more than 100 of them. I’ve seen this before as a way of keeping students on the very low and the very high end from getting lost. But it’s an awful lot of paperwork.
Teachers, have you worked in a school that required these types of reports? Is this necessary to make sure every child gets taught?
(FYI: I’m still at home sick, so I won’t be able to respond to e-mails until next week…)
Shame of the Nation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did you get a chance to read Sunday’s Q & A with Jonathan Kozol, passionate advocate for integrated schools and author of the new book, “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America”?
I adore Jonathan Kozol, but this book has been a challenge for me. While he makes some excellent points, his central theme that schools with 100 percent minority students fail because no one cares about them, funds them or believes in them … well, it just doesn’t match my observations over eight years of education reporting in Georgia and metro Atlanta.
He rips on schools that use boring, scripted, “teacher-proof” curriculums, especially reading programs. He says students in the inner city are subjected to such programs that would never be tolerated in the suburbs. Well, I’ve seen those programs in the suburbs, and they’re no fun for those kids either.
He visits high schools in urban areas where minority kids are taught sewing, and even those who want to take AP courses are brushed aside. Again, this does not match what I have seen. I see kids put in AP classes in urban schools even if they don’t have the background to do well in them. I see teachers afraid to mention auto mechanics or other “trade” courses to their students, for fear it will appear that they have low expectations for the kid.
Finally, Kozol believes so passionately that integrated schools succeed where segregated schools fail. I see his point. Really, I do. But integrated schools - and, yes, we have some in metro Atlanta - have their downfalls. They can ride on the success of their motivated (and often non-minority) kids. They too lose too many kids between ninth and twelfth grade. They fail to reach the kids who need the most help and then get praised for their high SAT average. Involved parents at such schools lobby successfully for their own kids, but that doesn’t necessarily improve the prospects for the underserved.
I wish more schools were integrated, especially those in Atlanta’s urban core. I know the benefits of programs like M-to-M, because I’ve interviewed many, many kids and adults who are a product of them. But I don’t think this is the central issue in American public education today. I think it’s way more complicated. That said, Jonathan Kozol is still a hero to me for his unwavering passion and dedication to his cause. And even though his latest book wasn’t my favorite of his, I’m glad I read it.
I’m hanging onto my tattered review copy, but I also have a nice hardcover if anyone would like it. Just shoot me an e-mail to pghezzi@ajc.com. First come, first served. (Though I’m home sick today so I won’t be able to respond to you until later.)
Booting a Private School to Make Way for a Public School
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UPDATE: The Fulton school board has backed down, according to this story. Board Chairwoman Gail Dean said she didn’t know the Weber School was not a willing seller.
I come back from vacation and — Yowza! — the Fulton school system may take the Weber School’s site in Sandy Springs by eminent domain. Here’s the storyThe Weber School is a private Jewish high school, formerly known affectionately as New Jew. Parents have been raising money for years for a permanent building. Students are currently in a bunch of trailers in Dunwoody.
Fulton school officials say they need the property for a new elementary school. But parents at the private school don’t want to sell. Weber is set to start building on the site in a couple of weeks.
Should the Fulton school system take the property its leaders say the district dearly needs? Elementary schools in Sandy Springs are bursting with kids. Should it matter that the land the district would take belongs to another school?
Cross Blogination Alert: This issue is also up for discussion at one of our two (!) Sandy Springs blogs.
Taking Notes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last night I was talking to my sister Julie, who has two kids in New Jersey public schools. I’ll call her daughter, who is in fifth grade, Kim and her son, who is in seventh grade, Andrew. Julie always has a few bones to pick with her kids’ teachers. I have to get all know-it-all on her seeing as I think I know all when it comes to education. Usually I tell her she’s too picky, that she should cut her kids’ teachers a break and be thankful her problems are so minor. (For example, Andrew, king of horseplay, once got in trouble for putting a used tissue on a classmate’s head…Julie found it absurd that the assistant principal called her about it.)
Last night’s complaint, however, struck me as legit.
Kim’s teacher told parents on Back-To-School night that she hands out copies of all her notes to her students. That way they don’t have to take notes themselves. She said many students have such poor handwriting that they can’t read their own notes when it comes time to study. Julie found this troubling. “What’s wrong with having kids copy off the board? Isn’t that how they learn?”
Well, Get Schooled readers, what do you think? Should fifth graders be responsible for taking their own notes? Is the teacher responding to a legitimate problem - kids not being able to write legibly? Is this a do or a don’t?
Decatur Cracks Down on Cheaters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parents of 35 kids living outside Decatur city limits got busted, according to this story. They were given the option of withdrawing or paying $550 a month in tuition.
Two kids who are now listed as tuition students are football players, and parents of other players are pitching in to cover the payments. The athletes would not have been eligible to play if they had returned to their home schools, the story said.
We’ve talked about this before. Should parents face penalties for lying about their address? Or is it enough to order them to pay up or withdraw their child ASAP? (Note: Only a few metro systems allow students to pay tuition. Most large metro districts are too crowded to make such an offer.)
Public Colleges and Illegal Immigrants
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bill expected to get a lot of ink this session would cut of state services to illegal immigrants. Here’s the story.
Reporter Jim Galloway says: “The measure’s largest impact could be on the state university system. Illegal immigrants would be barred from enrolling in the state’s 34 public universities and colleges.
Currently, those institutions ask potential students whether they are Georgia residents � but only for the purpose of assigning in-state or out-of-state tuition fees. State officials do not keep track of how many undocumented students are in the university system. Undocumented students are not entitled to the lottery-funded HOPE college scholarships.
Nine states have authorized their university systems to offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.”
Should illegal immigrants be barred from enrolling in the state’s public colleges and universities?
Hands Off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In yesterday’s post about sleepers, Robert wrote: “As a teacher, I am not allowed to touch the students. So I cannot even tap them on their shoulder to wake them.”
I’ve heard teachers lament about this before. Some say they cannot hug a child, even a first- or second-grader. It’s against policy. Others say they don’t dare place a hand on a student because of fear of being accused of inappropriate conduct.
At a workshop for new teachers I attended recently, the leader advised teachers to ask a child if it’s okay to pat him on the back. Some children would be intimidated, she said.
Teachers are expected to give kids what they need so they can do well in school. Is it possible to accomplish that if teachers can’t even tap the child on the shoulder?
Sleepers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A recent photo of kids sleeping in class prompted some complaints here at the paper. Readers wondered why we had to show that, and it’s true the photo did not match the story. But the issue of sleeping in class is a legitimate one. I sometimes see kids sleeping in class when I visit schools, especially if I’m there for first period. Often it’s near the end of the class, and the student is resting before the bell rings. Other times, the student sleeps through the entire class. This trend is most common in high schools, but occasionally I see kids sleeping in elementary and middle schools.
Often it seems the kids are bored and unmotivated. But sometimes, especially with younger kids, it’s clear they did not get sleep the night before. These kids are not just dozing, they are unable to stay awake.
What’s a teacher to do? (Besides be mortified that a reporter is witnessing the scene) Try to wake the child up? Or let the child get some needed sleep? With older kids, should sleepers be punished?
Grading Georgia Schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said in her recent “state of education” address that the state’s school report cards will include “ratings of schools on a Performance Index.”
That doesn’t sound like Georgia will hand out letter grades like Florida does, but it may make it easier for parents to compare schools. Let’s face it, fair or not, many parents want to know which schools have the highest test scores.
The state will begin phasing in the 2004-2005 Report Card in September, with all components online by December, Cox said.
Should schools get a letter grade? Critics say schools can’t be boiled down to a single letter grade, and a grade of D or F can profoundly hurt a school that’s trying to improve. Proponents say parents don’t have time to sort through the ocean of data that’s out there. If not letter grades, what type of “index” would be fair?
Saturdays with AP
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Would you or your kid like to take an AP course that meets on Saturdays? The Philadelphia school district is planning to offer some, reports Education Week, a publication I and other edugeeks read.
It’s interesting because Saturday school programs are usually for remedial kids. It seems this would be a way to give kids with crammed schedules or other barriers during the week a chance to take more AP courses. The district is trying to more than triple the number of kids in AP and honors courses by 2008. CEO Paul Vallas says he wants Philly’s enrichment programs to match those in the suburbs.
Do you like this idea?
That Wayward Middle Child
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay guys, I’m trying something new - pre-arranging for posts to appear each day this week at 8 a.m. By the time you read this, I should be on my way to Ft. Lauderdale to visit middle schools using the College Board’s SpringBoard program, which DeKalb schools are trying this year.
So what about middle schools? I have my theories as to why they struggle so much. Elementary schools can usually do okay, even with the most challenging of populations. Kids of that age generally enjoy coming to school and want to please their teachers. And by the time high school rolls around, many unmotivated students are poised to drop out if they haven’t already.
That leaves middle schools to educate all kids, including those who no longer have any desire to participate in education. A parent at Tucker Middle School lamented at a recent meeting: “I had to practically sit on my middle-schooler to get him to do his homework.”
Alas, many parents are unwilling to sit on their children. So what’s the answer for middle schools? Are they doomed to languish as they have for years? What can teachers do when the home support is not there and the child has mentally checked out?
Who Wants to be a Supe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not surprisingly, qualified candidates don’t exactly line up to apply for superintendent jobs these days. Here’s a story.
In Georgia, the district superintendent (State Supe Kathy Cox is elected) seems set up to fail, seeing as he or she must bow down before the school board, especially the board chair, and be subject to board whims. At the time, boards are looking for “results,” i.e. test scores, which better be headed north. God forbid, the demographics are changing like they are in Clayton County. Superintendents aren’t allowed to make excuses, even if they’re legit.
Would you want to be a superintendent (Hey, the job could pay as much as a quarter million a year in a large system…)? Is superintendent turnover a problem? Or is it better to go ahead and start divorce proceedings when board and supe relationships go sour?
One State, One Diploma
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said Thursday she plans to merge the college prep diploma and the career technical (formerly known as vo tech) diploma in to one.
No details were announced, but here’s the story. Her philosophy is that all kids should aspire to the same diploma, regardless of whether they are going to college.
Thoughts?
The Science of Class Size
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are so many issues in education, I have a hard time keeping up with all of them. Luckily, my colleagues catch the ones I miss, like this one about science class size.
A state AG ruling will give districts flexibiity to increase size to 30 as long as the average is still 28. A respected national organization recommends 24 kids to a class.
We know Georgia is hurting in science. Many kids can’t pass the science graduation test, and some are ultimately denied diplomas because of it.
Teachers, what is a reasonable class size for a lab science class? Parents, how are your kids doing in science?
Other topics: Blog reader Becky recalls schools shutting down for two weeks in the 1970s because of gas shortages. Does anybody else have such memories? What did you do during that time when you were not in school? Should parents stock school supplies along with provisions like water in case of such an emergency?
Blog reader Lynn is curious how many New Orleans children are coming into metro schools, and how those kids are managing. At Tucker Middle School last night, the principal said he got one. Anyone have stories to tell?
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