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April 2007
School-Related Elections: High Cost, Low Concern
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just learned from reading D.L. Bennett’s article this morning, “‘Off-cycle’ elections cost a pretty penny,” that the multi-system SPLOST referendum last month cost nearly $1 million to administer — in Fulton County alone.
In Fulton and four other metro Atlanta school systems, fewer than 30,000 voters — a paltry 3 percent of those registered — approved the 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for school construction.
According to today’s story, some Fulton poll workers saw nary a voter in the 12 hours precincts were open on March 20.
Of course, low turnout for school board elections or education SPLOSTs is common — not just in Georgia, but elsewhere. As long as I’ve been covering education-related elections, I don’t recall ever seeing the percentage of voter turnout reach double digits.
One Fulton taxpayer in the article seemed angry that he wasn’t aware of the election, and he seemed to lay blame on officials for not promoting the referendum better. But consider how much publicity last fall’s gubernatorial election received. Even with that high profile, fewer than half of the state’s registered voters saw fit to cast ballots.
So when there’s low turnout in a school-related election, is it really the administrators’ fault for not doing more to publicize the issue or is it voters’ fault for not caring enough to make sure they’re informed?
UPDATE: In a new editorial, Mike King of the AJC says school systems’ practice of holding off-cycle elections — what he refers to as “stealth referendums” — should be banned.
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Go To Jail, Get Your Degree
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Earlier this week, my colleague Bill Montgomery wrote a story about a teenager who received her high school diploma while doing time for murder — part of his popular “What ever happened to…” series.
What caught my eye was that the article was one of the most-read stories on our Web site that day. I wondered what the draw was. After all, GED programs for prisoners are nothing new.
But maybe people have a visceral reaction to seeing a cold-blooded killer — in this case, a girl who viscously stabbed an elderly couple to death — doing anything that closely resembles life on the outside.
Earlier this month, “60 Minutes” Correspondent Bob Simon reported that prisoners with violent criminal histories are earning degrees from an elite private college in New York. Some are even hoping to receive a Ph.D.
Of course, people will argue that convicts shouldn’t be allowed an education while they’re in the pen. But for those who will be paroled is there a better way to prepare them for release?
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To Eat Or Not To Eat, That Is The Question
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I always like eating in school cafeterias. Sure, the food’s only so-so, but what fascinates me is seeing what kids are eating these days.
If you haven’t visited a high school in a while, you might be surprised to find that nowadays students buy Chick-fil-A sandwiches direct from the cafeteria lady. Sometimes there are salad bars, too. But, from what I’ve seen, the teens lining up there are just getting ranch dressing to slather on their pizza.
Of course, schools try to provide nutritious lunches, and those meals that are paid for with federal funds must meet specific dietary standards. But principals allow other foods to be sold, too — usually at the snack bar or a la carte line. That’s where students get their daily Chick-fil-A or pizza fix and French fries.
It’s also the place that always has the longest line.
Now, another national organization trying to expand the choices for nutritional breakfasts and lunches in schools, is taking aim at those so-called competitive foods — saying administrators should cut them out altogether or make sure that the offerings only consist of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and nonfat or low-fat dairy products.
But this ignores one very practical issue that well-meaning cafeteria managers tell me they bump up against every day. That is, if kids don’t like their choices, they simply won’t eat.
So what’s more important to the parent and teacher: A child with a belly full of food or a cafeteria full of uneaten carrots?
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Vouchers: The Next Frontier
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia lawmakers waited until literally the last minute to pass some of this legislative session’s major education bills. Undeniably, the biggest: The creation of a voucher program so that special education students currently enrolled in K-12 public schools may attend other public or private campuses.
The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act, which was hotly debated throughout the session, barely passed on the final day. But that was cold comfort for those who think private school tuition shouldn’t be paid for with public tax dollars.
Unless the governor vetoes the bill, the State Board of Education will be scrambling in coming weeks to create rules for the program, which will go into effect next school year.
The question now: What kind of requirements will the board place on private schools that accept the scholarship — say, mandating state tests for voucher students — and will private campuses find those rules too onerous to participate?
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Mentally Ill Students: What To Do?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Colleges and universities are taking a harder look at their policies when it comes to identifying mentally troubled students, an examination prompted by an unstable student’s violent shooting rampage at Virginia Tech last week.
Navigating the land mines of federal privacy laws can put school officials in an awkward position when deciding what they can and cannot do for students who could be at risk. As I reported this past weekend, unless students are in immediate danger of harming themselves or others, there’s not a lot, legally, that schools can do. (Consider what Emory, UGA and Georgia Tech had to say on the issue.)
Mental health professionals say they have to walk a fine line. If privacy laws were not as stringent, fewer students might seek help — fearing what they say could be used against them.
But when should it be OK for mom or dad to be let in on the process?
If your child was seriously troubled or depressed while he or she was away at college, would you want a phone call from school officials? When would you expect one? What, if anything, should colleges do to make sure more students get help?
Andrea Jones is the AJC’s higher education reporter.
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Lifting And Dashing HOPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State officials are projecting that about a third fewer graduating seniors will earn a HOPE scholarship this year — a situation that’s worrying and angering some parents who had banked on Georgia’s popular grant program to help pay for their children’s college education.
Tougher grading standards are responsible for the decline. Previously, when calculating eligibility, officials only considered the highest grades students received in so-called core academic classes. So, if a hapless young scholar had failed Algebra II the first time he took the class, it wouldn’t count against him if he later was able to pass.
Now, all grades in math, English, science, foreign language and social studies — including failing grades — will be counted. As a result of this and other tweaks, thousands of Georgia grads may not receive a HOPE scholarship this year.
According to preliminary figures reported by my colleague, Kevin Duffy, this past weekend, the number of eligible students at Lilburn’s Berkmar High School alone could be cut in half.
State officials have defended the changes, saying they will pare the number of college students who eventually lose the scholarship because of poor grades. But will the changes actually spur more high school students to work harder or will they simply lead more teachers to inflate grades?
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Book Finally Closed On School Laptop Debacle
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A special grand jury looking into Cobb County School District’s failed contract with Apple Computer to supply some 63,000 take-home laptops to students and teachers has concluded that, despite allegations of corruption, there was no criminal wrongdoing.
The 162-page report, released this morning after 17 months of study, found that neither former Superintendent Joe Redden nor his staff improperly favored Apple in their quest to implement the $100 million “Power To Learn” initiative.
But the 25 members of the jury didn’t let Georgia’s second-largest school system off the hook entirely. In fact, they gave a pretty scathing review of Cobb’s procurement process and told officials they should consider a serious review of their policies.
“Failures to follow CCSD procedures, insufficient checks and balances, ambiguous rules, shortcuts, time pressures and hasty or poor thinking all converged in a perfect storm to create an end result that raised questions and controversy,” the report states in part. “As a result, careers and reputations (including CCSD’s) … were damaged….”
The laptop case was a bizarre one, to be sure. Cobb wound up in court over other legal issues surrounding the plan and Redden ultimately resigned. But did it really damage the system’s reputation?
I mean, Cobb still is home to some of the state’s highest achieving campuses, isn’t it?
Fighting Campus Violence
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Years ago, I visited a San Antonio high school to observe a one-day training session to teach teenagers to respect and appreciate one another’s differences. The purpose was to break down stereotypes and class cliques through team-building exercises and, ultimately, create a closer community on a sprawling campus of more than 4,000 students.
I’ll never forget how brave some of the kids were by the end of the day when they took turns standing in front of the room to voice their darkest pains. One girl, with her shoulders slumped and tears streaming down her cheeks, admitted she had been considering suicide.
I thought about this after working on a story yesterday about some of the questions being raised about campus safety in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. From the latest news stories, it seems that many, including classmates and professors, had noticed the bizarre behavior of the student now considered the shooter.
Call me naive, but I can’t help but wonder: Is it possible that the best defense against such tragedies simply doing more to create a true school community where people reach out to each other and express concerns before it’s too late?
Speechless About Campus Shootings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Teenagers jumping out of class windows. Teachers shot in mid-lecture. Frightened students hiding behind overturned desks. Sadly, the details of the senseless violence at Virginia Tech sound too familiar.
In a twisted coincidence, Columbine, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, happened eight years ago this week.
Random violence can strike at a nightclub, in a park, on the highway. But, to me, there’s something extra-sinister about killing kids in a classroom, a place where they’ve gone to learn and better themselves.
Perhaps President Bush summed up what I’m trying to say best: “Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom….”
Race And Discipline: What Gives?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett County officials are considering changing their discipline policies because too many minority students are getting suspended or expelled.
According to last week’s story by AJC education reporter Laura Diamond, although black and Hispanic students made up about 44 percent of the school system’s enrollment last year, they represented 68 percent of the kids who appeared before disciplinary panels.
Disproportionately disciplining minorities has been an issue for schools for a long time. But this is the first time I’ve seen educators openly discussing it, or willing to do something to change the pattern.
Obviously, a lot of kids deserve to be disciplined for offenses they’ve committed. But I’ve often wondered whether minority students really are treated differently. Consider: The majority (51 percent) of Georgia’s K-12 public school students are minorities, while the majority of its teachers (nearly 78 percent) are white.
So is there or is there not a racial divide that makes teachers less willing to cut minority students some slack?
Campus Protests: A Nuisance Or Life Lesson?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A couple years ago, a group of college students came to talk informally with AJC reporters and editors about campus life. One of my colleagues asked how popular political organizations were and how many of the students had ever participated in an organized protest.
If memory serves, not a single student had ever participated in a campus protest, let alone marched on Washington. And, apparently, faith-based student unions are a lot more popular these days than groups for aspiring politicos.
Given that, I’m often amazed when I hear about high school students who have the gumption to protest something they find unjust. Remember the Lakeside High students who walked out last year after the principal’s removal or the Tri-Cities High kids who staged a walkout the previous year after a popular teacher was dismissed?
Well, the Lakeside students may be at it again today after the firing of the school’s longtime secretary.
I know there are principals and teachers out there who think the kids are just looking for a way to ditch class. But shouldn’t students also learn that sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in?
UPDATE: In case you hadn’t seen Kristina Torres’ latest story, the Lakeside students were true to their word. About 60 of them walked out of classes this afternoon. Now they’re circulating a petition to try to get the secretary reinstated.
A Defense of Gifted Education
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox gave a spirited defense of gifted education yesterday.
It was near the end of a long day of meetings and public hearings at the State Board of Education, and officials were talking about the implementation of the new Georgia Performance Standards, the revamped curriculum being rolled out in public schools.
Peggy Nielson, a board member known for frequently speaking her mind, said she believed the standards were more rigorous, but that gifted kids might not be getting the “differentiated” instruction they needed.
This has been a hot topic in education circles, particularly with regard to the state’s new math curriculum, which some parents think will keep their gifted kids from advancing as far as they could.
“I get emotional about this,” Nielson said as her voice broke. “We are leaving behind bright and highly motivated students…”
“I get emotional about this, too!” Cox fired back.”As a parent of a gifted child, who is in the middle of all this curriculum change, I can say my gifted child is being challenged and my gifted child is getting better standards and a better set of expectations. … Quite frankly, it’s not true [that] raising the bar … somehow means lowering the bar for others. … All of our courses are more rigorous than they were a few years ago — period, point blank.”
“I don’t think people are looking at what is being expected today in a gifted course,” Cox added.
Then, having really worked herself up, the superintendent exclaimed: “This notion that somehow our gifted kids are getting left out is not true!
“I just have to say it that emotionally.”
A Debate On Class Schedules
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Educators at Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County recently decided to do away with their longtime use of block schedules, a way to structure classes that more closely resembles college.
With block schedules, students’ classes last longer, but don’t meet every day — unlike a traditional schedule where pupils take the same classes all week for shorter periods.
According to AJC reporter Laura Diamond’s story, about half of Georgia’s high schools use block schedules.
A committee at Shiloh decided to move back to a traditional schedule in 2008 because the members decided that students weren’t getting enough face time with teachers. But other Gwinnett campuses are sticking with the blocks, which can allow students to fit more classes into their school year.
I’m unsure on this one. So you tell me what’s better: a traditional schedule or a block schedule?
Grading HOPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In case you missed it, there’s been some interesting commentary in the pages of the AJC recently about proposed changes in the state’s popular HOPE Scholarship program.
The debate centers on whether high school students who take honors courses should receive extra credit for those tougher classes when grade point averages are calculated. Essentially, that would mean a ‘B’ in an honors course would hold more weight than a ‘B’ in a regular academic class.
Because students must have a ‘B’ average in order to earn HOPE, those who take a tougher schedule and perform well could have a leg up in earning the scholarship. But some say honors courses — not Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, but higher-level classes a school system develops — are unequal from campus to campus.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because the Legislature considered this issue three years ago when lawmakers decided to do away with the extra credit for honors courses, a change that’s supposed to take effect this school year.
Back in 2004, some legislators were worried about the program’s financial viability and were looking for ways to cut costs. Now that HOPE is flush with cash, some legislators want to go back to the old system.
Maureen Downey of the AJC’s editorial board says that would be a mistake: “Until the state establishes minimum standards for honors, the classes should not be rewarded with extra credit to win HOPE eligibility.” Harry C. Payne, president of the private Woodward Academy, says that students who take on tougher class schedules should be rewarded: “What is clearly inconsistent is to give the same credit to a standard course as to an honors course.”
But I honestly don’t understand what all the fuss is about. After all, there’s no limit on the number of HOPE scholarships awarded. If a kid graduates from a Georgia high school with a ‘B’ average, he or she can get HOPE — regardless of the quality of a class schedule.
I think the real question is: Is it time to make HOPE a competitive program, rather than an entitlement?
The Other Kind Of School Safety
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been following the story about a recent outbreak of skin rashes at a Clayton County middle school with interest.
After dozens of students suffered as-yet-unexplained itchy skin during two school days late last month, officials were forced to shut down Forest Park Middle School and hold classes in nearby churches.
This week, during Spring Break, workers have been scrubbing down desks, floors and other surfaces in hopes of opening the school back up on Monday. But, according to the latest story, officials still don’t know what caused the students’ health problems.
All of this got me thinking about how safe school buildings are, environmentally speaking. I mean, who knows what dangers, if any, lie behind ceiling tiles, within air ducts and beneath water fountains at school?
UPDATE: The saga at Forest Park continues. After the kids returned to school from break, a handful were bitten by ants in one of the classrooms that was previously cleansed. Read the most recent story from the AJC.
Georgia’s Special Education System Is Broken
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Despite an individualized education plan and supposed accountability, public schools in Georgia did not, could not and would not teach my daughter to read. Only when I put her in private programs did she begin reading.
I have worked for 12 years to hold the public schools accountable to help all children learn, but the system is broken.
In a recent case I’ve been working on, a Fulton County public school praised the progress of a 10-year-old with high normal intelligence who could only read 100 words in isolation. Yet, this 10-year-old passed the state-mandated tests last year because teachers read the questions to him. The sad truth is this child could be taught to read.
I have helped parents in so many counties, and I see similar situations every day. I’ve worked with parents who moved to Georgia and were appalled at the ineffectiveness of special education here. Our state is known as a hub of high school dropouts because the schools do not adequately educate children and continue to give worthless special education diplomas to students with normal IQs.
Georgia is disabling these children. How can we continue allowing it?
Today’s guest blogger is a Dunwoody special education advocate who supports giving students with disabilities taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers to attend private schools. If you’re interested in being a guest blogger here, submit an entry on any education topic to bgutierrez@ajc.com.
A Question With Multiples
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Apparently, the issue of how educators place twins, triplets and other so-called multiples in classrooms has gotten so contentious lawmakers now are stepping in to give parents more say.
State Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) is pushing a bill that would ensure that such siblings not be separated by class assignment, unless that’s what parents want. According to today’s story by my co-worker, Kevin Duffy, school administrators currently decide whether to separate multiples or keep them together — sometimes despite parents’ desires.
Of course, just because a child is born with his or her sibling doesn’t mean the children have the same educational needs. So, in an extreme hypothetical example, how would principals deal with a set of twins, one classified as gifted and the other as special education, when the parent wants the children to be together?
As with many educational bills, this legislation raises all sorts of questions — not just with regard to carrying out the policy, but also philosophically. After all, where should the power for making specific educational decisions about a child attending a public school ultimately lie: with parents or educators?
Prom: Has It Gotten Out Of Hand?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I honestly cannot remember exactly how I was asked to prom when I was in high school. I attended the big dance all four years, but can’t for the life of me recall how any one of my fine escorts asked me to be his date.
After reading about how some local teens are trying to outdo each other for the most outlandish and memorable date requests, I have a feeling these girls won’t soon forget their prom proposals.
The story got me thinking about how elaborate proms have gotten these days: the stretch limos, the pricey restaurants for pre-prom dinners, the gowns modeled after Hollywood’s latest red-carpet styles — not to mention the fancy digs, including the ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium, which was a popular spot for area proms last year.
So tell me: Has the annual spring ritual of a formal school dance gotten out of hand?
The Difference A Principal Makes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I must have been in sixth grade when Sister Madonna replaced the beloved nun who had been the only principal I had ever known at Sacred Heart. I remember because when she took over she immediately instituted stricter rules, including that girls couldn’t wear makeup.
Needless to say, Sister Madonna was universally despised among my friends, who were just starting to experiment with eye shadow and mascara.
I started thinking about this after reading that DeKalb County Superintendent Crawford Lewis is replacing eight of his principals next school year — including Wayne Chelf at Lakeside High School, one of the county’s top-performing campuses.
Last year, Lewis abruptly removed Chelf from his post amid concerns of racial tension on campus. Students walked out of classes in protest, and, two weeks later, Lewis reinstated him. According to the latest story, Lewis changed his mind again and is reassigning Chelf at the end of the school year. Another student protest may be brewing.
“Students are getting more and more agitated about it,” Lakeside junior Laura Foster told my colleague, Kristina Torres. “It’s really frustrating. I’ve never heard any negative complaints at all about Mr. Chelf.”
I wonder: Will students really notice Chelf’s absence when they return to classes next year or will Lakeside function the way it long has, pumping out high test scores and college-bound grads? In other words: How much difference does one principal make?
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