AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2007 > February
February 2007
Doing Your Child’s Homework: Is It Ever Acceptable?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My colleague Aileen Dodd had an interesting article this past weekend about how some schools deal with parents who give children too much help with their homework.
It seems some teachers now require major class projects to be done mostly at school where teachers can guide the students, instead of at home where meddlesome parents can take over the work. Others deduct points when it’s evident that another adult completed the assignment.
I was floored by a story in Aileen’s article about a Gwinnett County fifth-grader who turned in a report about World War II, which, it turned out, had actually been written by his grandfather. This would be comical if it weren’t so common.
Now I can attest that my mother never once completed a homework assignment for me. She may have checked that I had done my work, but that’s about as far as she would go.
But these are different times. Times in which kids with stellar grades, activities galore and above-average SAT scores are a dime a dozen. So I wonder: Is academic competition driving parents to cheat for their kids or do well-meaning moms and dads sometimes just go overboard?
Power To The Parents?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bill that recently passed the House Education Committee would ensure that parents — not educators — constitute a majority on school councils, the groups tasked with overseeing individual campuses.
State Rep. Jan Jones (R-Alpharetta), who sponsored the bill, apparently wants moms and dads to have more control over the way public schools are run. Of course, the councils are only advisory in nature. But, if this bill becomes law, parents would not only have to make up a majority of the council, but also serve as leaders for the groups.
Several years ago, Georgia lawmakers passed a law establishing school councils as a way to get more parents involved in education and improve the communication between home and school. But is legislation really the best way to get parents involved?
Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The keys to ‘Get Schooled’ have been passed along again. I am honored to be the new holder.
A little about me: I grew up in New York, a fact that becomes apparent if you hear me say certain words. I graduated from Indiana University in 1995 (Go Hoosiers!) and immediately started working as a newspaper reporter. My first assignment was education and I’ve never left the beat. Over the years I’ve covered education issues in Indiana, Illinois and Florida. I came to the AJC four years ago and I’ve written about education in Fayette, Coweta and Gwinnett.
Every school year I learn more. At the same time, every school year I realize there is so much more for me to learn. Here’s hoping we can learn from one another.
If you have an idea for a blog topic, please send it my way: ldiamond@ajc.com.
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Who Says Education’s Political?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lately, there’s been some discussion about whether states should be required to follow a national curriculum.
Supporters think having consistent, rigorous academic standards across states would improve public education. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the process of creating such standards would be fraught with politics, with different groups (liberal, conservative, name your favorite activists here) trying to influence what’s taught to impressionable school children.
The story of Cindy Cupp, a small-time Georgia publisher and former state Department of Education administrator, who helped uncover widespread abuses in the $6 billion federal Reading First program, may be the perfect example of the perils of mixing education and politics.
But will public education ever not be political?
Oops! We’ve Done It Again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show the South once again at the bottom when compared with other regions around the country.
In 12th grade reading, the latest Nation’s Report Card, released yesterday, shows Southern states — defined as a wide swath reaching from Maryland to Texas — have the lowest percentages of students able to perform at acceptable levels. The Midwest led the country in performance on the standardized exam, which is used as a barometer of K-12 education.
Unfortunately, a similar analysis was not available for 12th grade math scores. But a comparison of student responses on two math questions found the South also lagging the rest of the country.
When it comes to education, will Southern states ever break out of last place?
What’s So Great About Charter Schools?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charter schools sure are getting a lot of attention these days. Not existing charter schools, mind you, but rather the possibility of creating more independent, tuition-free campuses.
First, the new lieutenant governor offered a plan to sink millions into developing five career-focused, charter academies for high school students, and to help entire school systems convert to charter status, which would free them of much — but not all — of the traditional public school bureaucracy.
Then, another lawmaker suggested letting city councils, county commissions and universities develop their own charter campuses — some of which the sponsor, state Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), envisions being built by developers as part of new housing developments.
Now, according to a story from education reporter Diane Stepp, a metro Atlanta aviation museum is getting in on the action with a proposal to build an $8 million charter middle school near Dobbins Air Reserve Base that would focus on teaching kids technology and engineering skills.
Georgia has fewer than 60 charter schools statewide. If all these new proposals go through, that number could grow exponentially. But I’m starting to wonder if all this attention on charters is misplaced. I mean, how do you want your tax dollars spent: on creating an entirely new system of public schools or on fixing the one the majority of children will attend?
AJC’s Education Team: Who Does What?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just wanted to update y’all on our current staff as we’ve had some changes in the past year. If you don’t see anyone covering your school system, feel free to e-mail me with any news tips.
Keith Graham, education editor, 404-526-5872, kgraham@ajc.com NOTE: Keith is currently on loan to another team. Please contact Assistant Editor Fran Jeffries until further notice.
Fran Jeffries, assistant education editor, 404-526-5384, fjeffries@ajc.com
Laura Diamond, Gwinnett County schools reporter, 770-263-3892, ldiamond@ajc.com
Bridget Gutierrez, K-12 issues and trends reporter, 404-526-7257, bgutierrez@ajc.com
Andrea Jones, higher education reporter, 404-526-7217, ajones@ajc.com
Chris Reinolds, Cherokee County schools reporter, 770-326-8958, creinolds@ajc.com
Donna Soper, Fayette County schools reporter, 770-716-8509, dsoper@ajc.com
Diane Stepp, Cobb County and Marietta city schools reporter, 770-509-4091, dstepp@ajc.com
Kristina Torres, DeKalb County and Decatur city schools reporter, 404-526-7734, ktorres@ajc.com
Heather Vogell, Clayton and Henry counties schools reporter, 770-282-8304, hvogell@ajc.com NOTE: Heather is currently on assignment with another team. Please send information to Assistant Editor Fran Jeffries.
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Vouchers: At What Cost?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Georgia House of Representatives subcommittee will continue to hear testimony this afternoon on two bills that would give state-funded scholarships (or vouchers) to students with disabilities who want to leave their current public schools.
According to my colleague, Kevin Duffy, who has been covering the hearings, critics cut down the proposals in the first House meeting on the legislation.
Of course, the merits of the plan have been debated in the pages of the AJC and on this blog before. But some interesting arguments surfaced in the subcommittee, including concern that students who no longer need special services — say, a first-grader who overcomes a stuttering problem — could remain in the program until they graduate from high school.
Supporters have argued that special-needs kids are getting short-changed educationally and they need the opportunity to attend campuses — public or private — better designed to address their specific learning needs. But, currently, there’s no provision in either bill (a Senate version and a House version) to require annual checks to see whether they still need those special services.
Anyone out there consider this a potentially costly loophole, or is this an acceptable side effect of giving more parents the option of sending their children to private schools?
Ditching Diversity
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some magnet programs in DeKalb County, including the Kittredge Magnet School for High Achievers, may become segregated racially under a plan to move campuses to better utilize the system’s facilities. But officials tell AJC education reporter Kristina Torres their focus is on academics, not diversity.
“We’re just trying to develop a quality educational experience,” said Robert Moseley, DeKalb’s associate superintendent.
Although some DeKalb parents, who are more concerned about convenience and quality, aren’t worried about maintaining a mix of black and white pupils, some teachers are, according to Kristina’s story.
“I’m concerned … moving Kittredge north will hurt diversity,” said Ann Pruitt, a social studies teacher.
Others have argued that race-conscious admissions or attendance re-zonings cause hardships for parents and students, particularly those moved out of their neighborhood schools or denied acceptance to preferred programs. But what, if anything, is lost when diversity is no longer a concern for schools, and is that worth fighting for or not?
Turn 5, Head To School
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bill in the state Legislature would lower the mandatory schooling age to 5 and require parents to send their kiddies to kindergarten for a full school year. According to an AJC news brief from late last week, the legislation by state Rep. Alisha Morgan (D-Austell) has failed previously because of concerns about the added cost.
Kindergarten is offered in public school systems throughout metro Atlanta and pre-kindergarten is free for 4-year-olds through the state Department of Early Care and Learning. But many families still wait to start their children’s formal education until first grade. (Roughly a third of children age 3 to 5 do not attend nursery school, preschool or kindergarten.)
I suspect lawmakers may not just be concerned about the additional cost of mandatory kindergarten. They’re probably also worried about hearing from angry parents who don’t want to be told when to send their babies to school. Of course, those parents still must abide by current law, which requires that children be in school — private, public or home school — by age 6.
Certainly, some boys and girls have a difficult time adjusting to the classroom. But in the 21st century is 6 too late to be starting a student’s studies?
Black History Month: Relevant Or Nonsense?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve always shied away from covering classroom events that seem to be just for show. So every year I struggle with whether to write about Black History Month. To me, many of the lessons that pop up this time of year simply don’t have much substance.
A few years ago, I wrote about a group of fifth-graders at Peachtree Elementary School in Gwinnett County who created a detailed black history exhibit for the school. It was an awesome display of hard work and contemplation. That was the last time I wrote about Black History Month.
Of course, the perennial question is: Why do we need a month devoted to black history?
Yesterday, my colleague, Andrea Jones, had a great story about a group of University of Georgia students lobbying to get a posthumous degree for Samuel F. Harris, who may have been the institution’s first black student, although he was never formally admitted.
Try answering that question about the necessity of Black History Month after you’ve read Andrea’s story.
Evolution’s Devolution?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An interesting story today by AJC reporter Jeremy Redmon shows the evolution-intelligent design debate in Georgia still is going strong years after Cobb County officials placed evolution disclaimers in biology textbooks.
According to the article, state Rep. Ben Bridges (R-Cleveland), a former barber and state trooper, is considering legislation that would ban the teaching of evolution in all public schools. Although Bridges has yet to file said bill and a previous attempt on his part to pass a similar law failed, he apparently has support from at least two constituents — one of whom is a former high school teacher who now works to expose the “myth” of evolution.
Now here’s the kicker and some food for thought: Bridges told Redmon he didn’t buy into the Big Bang Theory or Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. “Rather than risk teaching a lie,” he mused, “why teach anything?”
AP: More Questions Than Answers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few years ago, I wrote a story about an Emory University graduate who had received one of the institution’s most prestigious awards. To say Meg Rithmire was a go-getter would be an understatement.
She had taken and passed so many Advanced Placement courses and tests when she attended Brookwood High School in Gwinnett County that she entered college as a sophomore. Then, she was tapped to enter a selective program that enabled her to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees within four years.
According to a recent report from the College Board, which created the AP program and also owns the SAT, more of Georgia’s high school students are taking the classes and subsequent exams than ever before. Because the courses — taught on high school campuses as part of the regular day by certified high school teachers — present college-level material, students who pass the standardized final exams can receive both high school and college credit.
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox seems downright overjoyed with the jump in the number of Georgians entering and passing AP, and Gov. Sonny Perdue has added $2.2 million to the budget to help students pay for more of the exit exams next school year.
Here’s what state officials don’t tell you: AP still is only reaching a fraction of students statewide — fewer than 10 percent of all high school students last year — and nearly 47 percent of the tests taken by those students received failing grades.
Delaying Class Size Reductions, Again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I figured there was going to be some lobbying from school systems this year on the impending class size reductions in high schools, which are set to take place next school year. But I never imagined the chairman of the House Education Committee would offer his own plan to delay the new standards.
Last week, state Rep. Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth), a former Gwinnett County administrator, filed a bill to postpone the smaller class sizes for two more school years. That is, until 2009-2010.
Although Coleman had pushed for Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Truth in Class Size Act last year — which required lower, more strict size limits in elementary and middle schools — he apparently decided the cost would be too great at the high school level (where school systems are still allowed to use averages to meet the size targets, rather than adhering to the maximums in each and every class).
I’m sure school superintendents will be thrilled with the news, especially after years of dealing with cuts to the education funding formula. But I wonder: Will teachers and parents be so grateful?
‘Beyond’ NCLB: A Call To Action
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This just in for all you No Child Left Behind junkies: An independent commission, which has been studying NCLB in advance of its reauthorization, has released recommendations for improving President Bush’s oft-touted and oft-maligned education reform law.
The Commission on No Child Left Behind, which was funded by various philanthropic foundations and whose co-chairman was former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, has dozens of suggestions for improving and building upon the central tenets of NCLB — namely, closing the achievement gaps among student groups and improving teaching in public schools.
UPDATE: Shortly after the commission released its report, my e-mail Inbox started filling up with press releases from organizations unhappy with the recommendations. One of the best quotes came from Monty Neill of the anti-NCLB group FairTest who said the commission’s suggestions would amount to “NCLB on steroids.” Interestingly, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings also put out a statement on the report. Hers was less colorful than Neill’s.
Education + Donation = Tax Credit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rumors had been swirling at the Statehouse for weeks that some lawmakers wanted to follow the lead of other states and seek legislation to offer tax credits for businesses and others who give charitable donations for education.
Now we have a bill from state Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) creating two new education organizations that would receive and dole out the donations — as much as $50 million a year — for private school scholarships for low-income and special-needs pupils, as well as grants to public schools for underfunded programs, such as foreign language studies in elementary school.
State senators already passed a bill, now being considered in the House, that would allow students with disabilities a scholarship (a.k.a. a voucher) to attend another public or private school of their choice. Ehrhart told AJC reporter Kevin Duffy that his plan would provide an additional scholarship to cover any remaining tuition for those kids.
One of the main arguments against taxpayer-funded, private school tuition vouchers is that they drain needed funding from public schools. Ehrhart’s plan seems to address that by creating a new pot of money. So would more people support tax credits than a voucher plan or — to mangle Shakespeare — do vouchers by any name still not smell so sweet?
And For Today’s Test…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I first moved to Georgia to cover Gwinnett County Public Schools, I was surprised to learn the system had its own series of standardized exams — created just so administrators could measure student progress against the county’s own standards.
I couldn’t believe a school system would take on such a costly enterprise, which officials say now runs about $750,000 a year. But apparently the state Department of Education’s mandatory tests, which have not always been held in esteem, weren’t good enough for Georgia’s largest school system.
Now, according to a story by my colleague Laura Diamond, Gwinnett officials are dropping portions of their signature Gateway exams, which they began using in 1999. Seems that after all these years the state tests finally have caught up to the county’s standards — at least in part.
Gwinnett’s high school students still will have to pass the Gateway and the Georgia High School Graduation Tests — not to mention taking any state End-of-Course Tests, which count for 15 percent of some final course grades — before they graduate. That’s in addition to passing their classes, of course.
Testing is always a hot topic. But what I really want to know is: Has the Gateway been just a colossal waste of time and money or has it actually benefited teachers and students?
UPDATE: In a follow-up article that Laura wrote, Gwinnett County Board of Education Chairwoman Louise Radloff defended the test. “Gateway was probably the idea that brought Gwinnett schools to where it is today,” she said. “This shows we do not accept mediocrity. This shows we hold all our students to high standards. What we did, we did in the best interest of the students. We knew we had to do this if we were to be a successful district.”
A PTA Lament
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been the president of my child’s school PTA for almost two years, and I can’t say it’s been a pleasurable experience. Planning events, holding meetings, raising money, calling businesses in the community — only to get the phone slammed on you — isn’t easy.
In my experience, the PTA at my school has been treated with a fair amount of disdain and hostility — from the teachers feeling they shouldn’t have to deal with it to the parents feeling they don’t have the time.
On a daily basis I see the teachers at the school. While they don’t hesitate to ask the PTA to pay for certain things (awards, gift certificates, gifts for custodians, spelling bee prizes, etc.), many of them balk at having to stay after school for any activity involving the PTA.
I spent many of my own vacation days volunteering at the school. I sacrificed them and worked over the Christmas holidays. Meanwhile, teachers complain to the administration that they’re being “hassled” by the PTA.
The principal “strongly suggested” at the beginning of the school year that they all become members, and it wasn’t without controversy. Many of them claimed they couldn’t afford it or pointed out that their children didn’t even attend the school so they were forced to pay dues at two campuses.
During August, I was told more than once that the county “doesn’t pay me to join PTA.” In October, while planning to host a fashion show fund-raiser for the Spring Carnival, one parent showed up … and no teachers. Doesn’t anyone care about the PTA anymore?
Today’s guest blogger, a DeKalb County mother, has been involved with the PTA for about three years. A longtime reader of Get Schooled, she’s nearing the end of her first stint as PTA president. If you’d like to be a guest blogger here, send an entry on any education topic to bgutierrez@ajc.com.
Just Say ‘No, No, No’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fayette County administrators are considering randomly testing high school students involved in extra-curricular activities for drugs — a program that would target roughly two-thirds of all ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th graders.
If the board of education goes forward with the plan, according to my colleague Donna Soper’s story, Fayette would be only the third school system in Georgia to test out drug tests.
The U.S. Supreme Court has backed random checks of student athletes and those who compete in other extra-curricular activities — such as choir, academic team and FFA — as a way to discourage illegal drug use.
Last school year, there were 60 drug-related discipline cases in Fayette schools, up from eight the year before. Some officials hope a random drug test will cut down on those numbers by giving students another excuse for just saying no.
Sure, some kids might think twice about taking a puff of that marijuana cigarette if they’re afraid their names will pop up on the drug test list. But will serious drug abusers really quit partying or will they just quit participating at school?
Advanced Kids: What To Do?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My oldest sister, Gina, was always a smarty-pants — a bookworm’s bookworm, if there ever was one. She was such a solid reader when she was young that the kindergarten teacher sent her to first grade after only two weeks. Thanks to starting grade school early and having a mid-September birthday, she reached college by the time she was 16.
My colleague Kristina Torres had an interesting story the other day about DeKalb County considering a formal policy on how and when to move students ahead. If my sister — now a mom of three little smarties — could take it all back, she said she would have stayed with her peers.
For Gina, being the youngest and shiest in class made grade school an unhappy experience. But, she admits, she probably would have been bored to tears with all those kids still learning how to read.
So what do you do with a child whose skills are above grade level: Keep them with their peers and give them all the advanced work they can handle or just move them ahead and hope they’ll adjust?
Privacy Vs. Safety: A University Question
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, here’s a new one on me: I just learned from reading Andrea Jones’ story that state universities don’t routinely conduct background checks on the employees — including professors — that they hire.
Now the new chancellor of the University System of Georgia wants all campuses to begin checking into the personal histories, including criminal records and academic credentials, of full-time hires.
But there’s already been some push back by professors about the requested policy change. Seems some view this as an invasion of privacy and a policy that might be easily abused.
“Under the new policy, a professor of 16th-century literature would be treated the same as someone in financial operations,” Hugh Hudson, a Georgia State University history professor and head of the state chapter of the American Association of University Professors told Andrea. “How many professors of poetry would you be worried about running a background check on?”
Anyone care to answer Hudson’s question?
Pre-K: If You Build It, They Will Come
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I attended a Pre-K lottery once where parents watched anxiously as names were pulled from a box until all the classroom rosters were filled. The school had eight pre-kindergarten classes — that’s right, eight — and families still were turned away.
So I was surprised at the recent news out of Cobb County that the school system was going to shut down its participation in Georgia’s Pre-K program, which provides free pre-kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds. I mean, the demand is obviously there.
But the reasons Cobb officials gave for pulling out — lack of funding and classroom space — were not surprising. In fact, as my colleague Diane Stepp pointed out in one of her articles about the decision, the state’s largest school system, Gwinnett County, doesn’t offer Pre-K for similar reasons.
About half of all eligible children are enrolled in the state’s voluntary classes, which are held at both public and private campuses. Gov. Sonny Perdue wants to add as many as 3,000 new enrollment slots next year. But where will all those extra classrooms come from?
The Calendar Wars
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first day of seventh grade. I donned my plaid uniform skirt, white Oxford shirt, and then, the piece de resistance: a brand-new cable-knit cardigan sweater, which my mom, bless her heart, had bought, even though it broke the back-to-school budget.
I had waited all summer to wear that sweater and I sweated the whole walk to campus. I remember being perfectly surprised at how hot I was: Didn’t the first day of school signal the start of fall?
Nowadays, fall falls halfway through the fall semester. Administrators have named a whole host of reasons for moving the start of school to early August and even July, but a new bill may change their minds about how they approach the school year.
The legislation would allow school systems to create academic calendars that are 10 days shorter. Trim a few days off each semester and students could end up going back to school in late August.
Lawmakers, trying to accommodate tourism interests and parent frustrations, have tried unsuccessfully to force systems to move their start dates back. This new approach would let superintendents decide if they can fit the curriculum into a shorter time frame.
I have a feeling, though, that the old arguments will resurface. Educators, burdened with testing demands, will say they’re already cramming too much into 180 days. Parents, who remember returning to school after Labor Day, will say they want their summer vacations back. Honestly, people, will the calendar wars ever end?
A Cost-Cutting Craze?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just weeks after Emory University officials said they would cut college costs for middle and low-income families, comes word from Georgia Tech that they’ll implement a similar program there.
The “Tech Promise” will ensure that needy families — those making $30,000 a year or less — won’t be saddled with decades of debt for a college degree. Tech officials told my co-worker, Andrea Jones, that about 400 students could benefit initially from the program, which will be privately funded.
Andrea points out that Tech is the first public institution of higher learning in the state to tackle the problem of college affordability, which, experts say, hurts economically disadvantaged students the most. Considering that it costs almost $15,000 a year to attend Tech, including books and housing fees, it’s easy to see how daunting the prospect of attending college can be these days.
So, the question now is: Will the University of Georgia, the state’s largest campus, and others follow suit? It’ll be interesting to see.
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