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September 2007
Creating Safer Campuses: How Much Vigilance Is Enough?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s colleges and universities are beefing up their security forces and crime notification systems in response to the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech this past spring.
According to higher education reporter Andrea Jones’ article, Georgia Tech now sends regular e-mails to parents to keep them informed of serious crimes, including a recent rash of on-campus holdups.
Yesterday, University of Georgia President Michael F. Adams announced his plans for creating a safer campus — including replacing exterior door handles so they can’t be chained shut, as they were at Virginia Tech.
Even with increased communication and enhanced security systems, I have to wonder: Will campus crime ever be eliminated?
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Get Suspended, Get A Raise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How would you like to be suspended from work, still get all of your paychecks and be given a raise?
That’s the deal two central office employees have gotten from Atlanta Public Schools, according to today’s story by my colleague Paul Donsky.
The situation has cost taxpayers $195,000 so far.
Now, it’s not clear why Cynthia Lewis-Lunn, who worked in the school system’s finance department, or Toney Ward, who was a technology department manager, were placed on leave last June. All APS officials would say was that there was an ongoing investigation.
Ward retired two weeks ago, the same day, according to Paul, that Ward was set to face charges that he violated system policies — including falsifying documents.
Ward’s attorney told Paul that APS didn’t provide him with any details about the allegations.
Interestingly, Atlanta’s own policies say employees can’t be suspended with pay for longer than 60 days. I assume that’s to protect both the employee and the school system. Yet, these suspensions lasted for more than a year.
The school system’s attorney said suspensions can be extended during an investigation. But that still leaves one nagging little question:
How do Atlanta Board of Education members bestow raises on employees who are not only on suspension but also under investigation? I mean, was it intentional or was it an oversight?
UPDATE: Paul is now reporting that Arthur Scott, the former APS technology director, and his wife, will serve three years and two years, respectively, in federal prison for their roles in fleecing E-rate, the multimillion-dollar grant program meant to put computers into classrooms. You may recall that Scott and his partner-in-crime, Evelyn Myers Scott, pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and fraud in May.
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Teaching: Why Don’t Men Do It?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just got back from my annual check-up with the ophthalmologist. My eyes are still trying to adjust to the light, so please forgive any typos.
Before the eye drops kicked in at the doctor’s office, I was browsing last week’s copy of Newsweek, which happened to have an interesting article about the decline of male teachers.
Honestly, at first, I thought: Why is this news? Everyone knows K-12 teaching ranks are dominated by women. Then I reached this sentence:
“According to the National Education Association, the number of male schoolteachers is hovering at a 40-year low.”
So, I was curious what the situation was in Georgia.
Turns out that, although the number of male teachers has been growing for several years (by 31 percent since 2000-01), the proportion of males-to-females basically remains the same.
Moreover, when looking only at newly minted teachers that were hired this year, the percentage of men shrank somewhat: from close to 23 percent of new teachers last year to nearly 21 percent this year.
Currently, women comprise about 81 percent of the state’s public classroom teachers and men account for 19 percent. That’s not appreciably different from the beginning of the decade, when 82 percent of the state’s teachers were women and 18 percent were men.
Interestingly, student enrollment in Georgia is slightly more male than female: 51 percent are boys and 49 percent are girls.
So, please tell me, because I really want to know: Why don’t more men consider teaching as a career?
UPDATE: Speaking of male teachers, they might soon get the right in Cobb County to wear earrings to school. Who knew this was an issue?
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Improving Schools: Is Georgia Leading Or Following?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Since State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox took over the State Department of Education, her goal (some might call it a mantra) has been to: “Lead the nation in improving student achievement.”
Today, the latest Nation’s Report Card in math and reading provides new evidence for Cox and others to decide exactly how much academic progress is being made.
The press release from Cox’s office boasts “historic” improvement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is considered the best measure of what American students know and should be able to do.
Here’s what the release doesn’t tell you:
The only area in which Georgia’s public school students improved from the last exams, given in 2005, was fourth-grade reading. In every other category — fourth-grade math, eight-grade reading and eighth-grade math — there was virtually no improvement.
None of the average scale scores posted in those three categories were statistically different from the previous scores; neither were the percentages of students scoring at the various achievement levels.
In other words, what little gains there were, don’t mean much.
Even in the one area where Georgians did improve significantly — again, in fourth-grade reading — more than a third (34 percent) of the kids who took the test posted scores below the “Basic” level. What’s more, with an average scale score of 219 (out of a possible 500), Georgia students were bested by 28 other states.
So you tell me: Is Georgia leading the nation in improving student achievement or not?
UPDATE: For more on the NAEP scores, check out education reporter Laura Diamond’s article, which was recently posted on our Metro page.
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The Case Of The Missing Discipline Reports
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For a couple months now, every so often, I’ve been checking the state Department of Education Web site for the release of the latest discipline reports, which, for reasons unbeknownst to me, are extremely late this year.
Typically, school crime statistics are published in July — always, quietly, mind you. There’s never any press release to announce that the data’s out there.
I’ve repeatedly asked Dana Tofig, the DOE’s spokesman, about the reports, which provide information on serious discipline and criminal behavior for each school system in the state. I’m still waiting for an answer about when they’ll be released to the public. (Hint, hint.)
In the meantime, Dana’s colleague, Matt Cardoza, said he’s sending me numbers on all discipline incidents that occurred during the 2006-07 school year — not just the most serious, which state officials use to evaluate campus safety.
I’ll post the information here as soon as I get it.
UPDATE: Matt tells me that the discipline reports should be posted on the department’s Web site by tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s some statistics to ponder.
Last school year in Georgia’s public schools, there were: 72 robberies; 20 rifles, 119 handguns and 2,640 knives confiscated (in addition to 2,163 “other” weapons); 3,967 batteries; 4,980 cases of vandalism; 65,934 fights; 129,976 instances of disorderly conduct; 94 sexual batteries; 5,589 “other” sexual offenses, including sexual harassment; and 197 cases of serious bodily injury. Ouch!
If my calculations are correct, all told, Georgia’s public school students committed 1,078,038 disciplinary offenses last school year. Question: Is anyone surprised by these numbers?
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NCLB: Pros And Cons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Earlier this week, Maureen Downey, a writer for the AJC’s Opinion section, came out with an editorial backing the reauthorization of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.
“No Child Left Behind remains the best hope for at-risk students to wrest a good education out of a system that has historically been indifferent to their needs,” she wrote.
I think it goes without saying that critics of the law would disagree with that assessment.
So, because it’s Friday, let’s have a little fun: Help me count the ways that NCLB has either helped or harmed students since its implementation five years ago.
At the end of the day, we’ll see whether the “pros” outweigh the “cons.”
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Turning Around Troubled Youth: Whose Responsibility Is It?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My colleague Bill Sanders has written a series of articles lately about troubled teens and some of the unusual programs being used to help them.
Today’s front-page story about a family that turned their struggles with an unruly child into a ministry was perhaps the most extreme example of the lengths some parents go to in their search for a solution.
Partly because of Bill’s articles — including one earlier this week about a Fulton County public school using dirt bikes as an incentive to get kids with discipline problems on the right track — I’ve been thinking a lot about programs targeting so called at-risk youth.
Last week, I listened to a presentation before the Atlanta Board of Education about how the flexible scheduling program at Crim Open Campus High School is working. At Crim, struggling students — many of whom are teenage parents or former dropouts — work at their own pace to earn credits they need for a diploma.
When the program started two years ago, officials expected about 300 students. They got 546. This year, more than 800 teens and young adults have enrolled.
So tell me: With that kind of demand, should public schools be doing more to address the needs of kids who have gotten into drugs, crime and teenage pregnancy, or are they doing too much already?
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Let’s Sleep On It
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Do you think it would be safe to say that I’m the first Internet blogger who’s ever live-blogged during jury duty? I’m sitting in the juror holding room at the Fulton County courthouse right now looking at row upon row of my fellow citizens — almost all of whom have bored, frustrated, unhappy or tired faces.
Perhaps not surprisingly, some prospective jurors are sleeping, or at least trying to by contorting their bodies to fit the government-issued armchairs.
This scene actually made me think of a subject I’ve long wanted to write about: Sleeping in class.
I’ve had two distinct experiences in recent years that prompted me to wonder whether there was an increase in the number of students who — intentionally or not — drift off mid-lesson.
First, I visited an SAT prep class at Fulton’s North Springs High School where not one, but several students put their heads down on their desks and closed their eyes during the test review. The teacher never attempted to wake or scold the students, who clearly were not involved in their class work.
The second time was during a regional seminar I was giving for high school journalists, which took place in Fayette County. My presentation was the first session of the day and a couple students — despite my enthusiastic lecture — simply weren’t awake. One boy seated in a back corner was so drowsy he could barely keep his eyes open.
I wondered if he had the flu.
So relieve my civic duty-induced boredom today and please tell me: Is there an epidemic of sleeping students these days or what?
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Gone Fishin’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey, folks. I’m taking a couple days off to visit the Rocky Mountains. Feel free to return to some old posts while I’m gone.
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Textbooks: Who Needs ‘Em?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clayton County is short thousands of student textbooks this year, and, according to the article by my colleague Eric Stirgus, administrators don’t seem to have a handle on exactly what caused teachers to resort to making photocopies for pupils.
Some administrators said there were simply more students than they had expected, as well as a backlog on some new books they had ordered. But interim Superintendent Gloria Duncan also said the books weren’t ordered on time.
“We have a big mess,” she told county Board of Education members earlier this week, “and I am trying to unravel it.”
The story reminded me of a comment that a teacher once made to me about how outdated textbooks aren’t really a concern because a lot of other supplemental materials — including information downloaded from the Internet — are used in classrooms.
So I wonder: As sad as it sounds that some Clayton students haven’t gotten their textbooks, how necessary are they anyway?
New Teachers: Who Wouldn’t Give For A Clean Slate?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I got the chance to interview Atlanta teacher Monica Groves last week, the subject of the new Sundance Channel documentary about the trials and tribulations of a first-year teacher, which is airing again tonight.
Can you imagine TV cameras following you around on your very first job, capturing every mistake for all the world to see?
Ms. Groves, 25, seems to have taken it all in stride.
After talking with her, I started thinking about something she said — about how, with every new school year, teachers have the opportunity to re-invent themselves. They can learn from past mistakes, change their strategies and commit to trying their best all over again.
After two years at Atlanta’s Young Middle School, Ms. Groves left to pursue her master’s degree in education. Now she’s back at the campus teaching some of the same students she had before.
She told me she’d actually been nervous about returning to a class of students whom she had taught in sixth grade. She worried whether she’d be able to start over with them now that they were eighth-graders.
“Especially as a new teacher, those first years you’re learning a lot, so your approach may change,” she explained.
I wonder: How many other new teachers wouldn’t give for a clean slate after their first years in the classroom?
College Prep Vs. Vo Tech: Is One Better Than The Other?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Should all public school students be required to meet the same standards for a high school diploma or should they be allowed to choose between college-prep and vo-tech plans?
That’s the heart of the debate over the proposal now before the State Board of Education, which is holding its first and only public hearing on revising Georgia’s high school graduation rule at 1 o’clock today.
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox and other State Department of Education administrators think students should be required to meet the same credit requirements, regardless of whether a kid wants to go to technical school, college or start a career after graduation.
Now just because all students will need at least 23 credits — including four years of English, math and science and three years of social studies — doesn’t mean they’ll all be taking the same classes.
Still, some parents and teachers think the plan is foolhardy. Many worry that the proposed requirements, which more closely resemble current college-prep standards, will exacerbate Georgia’s dropout problem.
“College graduates are not the only segment of the population who keep the world turning,” one Loganville mother wrote in an e-mail to state officials. “Expecting every child to attend college is the same as saying everyone is expected to become a doctor or lawyer.”
I’ve been thinking about this issue of college prep vs. vo tech for a few days now, and I can’t help but wonder: Is one really better than the other?
Superintendent Pay: Is It Acceptable?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did you know that one of Georgia’s public school superintendents made more than $347,000 last year?
Think it was J. Alvin Wilbanks, superintendent of the state’s largest school system? Or, maybe you’d guess it was State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox.
Think again.
The title of the highest-paid superintendent in Georgia goes to Atlanta’s own Beverly L. Hall. Last year, she earned exactly $347,228.95, according to this nifty database from the State Department of Audits and Accounts.
In the metro area, the next highest-paid superintendent was Gwinnett County’s Wilbanks ($276,063.98), followed by Crawford Lewis in DeKalb County ($233,655.10) and James Wilson in Fulton ($187,721.88).
This year, Hall will make at least $260,000 in salary — plus a hefty $66,000 performance bonus, which the Atlanta Board of Education approved last night.
Hall’s been receiving sizeable annual bonuses since 2000. So far, she’s pocketed close to $329,000 in monetary rewards.
The pay-for-performance system was part of Hall’s contract when she was hired in 1999; and, it’s sure to continue with her new contract, which the board is working on now.
In the past, board members have said they think Hall should be treated just like a CEO of a major corporation where performance bonuses are common. Some have commended her for agreeing to tie some of her pay to tangible results, such as increases in student test scores.
But let’s not forget that Hall and other schools chiefs are public servants — appointed by publicly elected boards, which pay their salaries with public tax dollars.
So tell me: Is your superintendent’s salary acceptable?
Grad Rule: Still Complaining About The Arts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spent part of Friday afternoon reading through some of the public comments submitted to the Georgia Department of Education about the proposed high school graduation rule. I’m back here this morning trying to finish up before the State Board of Education’s hearing on the issue Wednesday.
There are literally hundreds of e-mails and letters — most from educators, but also some from parents and grandparents. So far, most of the complaints surround the issue of fine arts.
You may recall that there was an uproar earlier this year, when the first draft of the new rule was released, because there was no mention that students could choose fine arts classes to meet elective requirements. Of course, the current rule doesn’t require students to take fine arts, either, but it at least mentions those courses as an option.
To quell the outcry, state officials put the fine arts wording back into the rule. But the message hasn’t seemed to have gotten through. Or, maybe some feel it’s still not reasonable to allow students a choice of whether to take fine arts.
“We are moving more and more toward a skills-focused curriculum, one that responds well to skills being tested and displayed on the EOCTs and other such instruments,” one Henry County high school English teacher wrote. “…Having the skills and knowledge to get through and succeed in life is one thing; enjoying the artistic expression of human spirit, however, makes the journey worthwhile.”
I got a chuckle out of one comment, which said that the rule was more clear and understandable when it was first released. I’m beginning to think that state officials just can’t win on this one.
UPDATE: Well, I finally finished going through all of the public comments on the proposed graduation rule. It seems that fine arts and the lack of a specific requirement for foreign language (state universities require at least two years) are the biggest complaints.
I also discovered another aspect that hasn’t been discussed much: The cost. A couple superintendents in metro Atlanta wrote the State Department of Education to say they worried about the burden on their budgets. With tougher standards, they said, more students would need more tutoring, remedial classes and other catch-up programs, which, of course, would cost more money.
Special-Ed Vouchers: Who Are They Helping?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been working on a story this week about the implementation of the state’s new Special Needs Scholarship, the voucher program that allows parents to transfer disabled children from public schools to private programs.
Turns out, many of the families expecting to benefit from the scholarship (the grants haven’t been issued just yet) had enrolled their children in private schools before the program was even finalized.
So they weren’t banking on the scholarship; it was a bonus they received after the fact.
Of course, when private school tuition runs as high as $20,000 and up, most families need help footing the bill. But if scholarship recipients had already resolved to pay on their own, are the taxpayer-funded vouchers going to those who truly need them?
UPDATE: State Department of Education officials have extended the deadline for eligible families to enroll in a participating school this year. Parents now have until Sept. 21 to transfer their children into a private campus in order to use the scholarship.
Exit Exams: What’s The Point?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Center on Education Policy has just released its latest report on high school graduation exams, which the group has been tracking since 2002. Twenty-two states, including Georgia, now require public school students to pass a standardized test to receive a diploma.
CEP’s 176-page report points out one fact that I’ve long found, well, confounding. That is, that some states — including Georgia — which use the exams to judge a school’s performance under No Child Left Behind, allow different passing standards for schools and students.
In other words, the cut scores needed for a student to pass the exam and those needed for a school to meet Adequate Yearly Progress are not the same. In fact, students in Georgia can fail the test for AYP purposes, yet still pass the exam and graduate.
Got that?
I’ll state it another way: A junior must earn a score of 500 (on a scale of 400 to 600) to pass any of the subject tests, according to the latest cut scores from the state Department of Education. But in order to have their score count as “proficient” for AYP purposes, students must earn a score of 511 on the English portion and 516 on math. So all those kids who earned their diploma with a 500, don’t count.
Now exactly what kind of message is this sending about our graduates?
School Overcrowding: When Will It End?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cherokee County may take some drastic measures — including implementing year-round schedules and busing students miles from their homes — to relieve school overcrowding.
According to today’s story by education reporter Diane Stepp, nine of Cherokee’s 38 public schools are considered “critically overcrowded,” meaning they operate at 140 percent or more of their intended capacity.
At Woodstock High School, enrollment now exceeds classroom space by nearly 1,200 students. About 40 portable classrooms have been brought in to help with the overflow.
School overcrowding is a never-ending issue in metro Atlanta. Last week, Gwinnett County education writer Laura Diamond reported that Mill Creek High School, which opened just three years ago with about 2,400 students, now has an eye-popping 4,000.
Cherokee Superintendent Frank Petruzielo is placing some of the blame for his system’s situation on developers who’ve refused to donate land for new schools. But, even if they did, the system would still have to come up with the funds to build the new campuses.
So here’s my question: When are school systems, developers and city and county governments going to start working together to control the out-of-control growth in some public schools — and when are citizens going to make them?
Ron Clark’s School Of Fun
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just got back from a whirlwind morning at the new Ron Clark Academy, where 60 lucky fifth- and sixth-graders are starting their first day of classes.
To say Clark’s school, which includes a secret passageway straight out of “Scooby-Doo,” and today’s opening ceremonies — punctuated by a 100-piece high school band — are over the top would be an understatement.
But that’s the whole point.
Anyone who’s seen Clark on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” caught “The Ron Clark Story” on TNT or read his book, “The Essential 55,” knows — for all his wackiness — he’s very serious about teaching.
Clark told me he’s long dreamed about opening a school where enthusiasm, creativity, respect and discipline were the marks of every classroom. When families in metro Atlanta learned that he would be building his private $14,000-a-year school here, 360 applied.
I was skeptical of the stories I was hearing about the school. It all sounded too great to be true. But, so far, Clark’s delivered. I mean, has anyone ever heard of having a two-story, covered slide inside a school?
The campus is not only a child’s, but an educator’s dream. Every classroom is outfitted with the latest technology. Promethean boards abound. In fact, he’s set up his own classroom so that other teachers (from anywhere in the world) can come observe the method in his madness.
Of course, now that students are actually attending, the true test is just beginning. So I wonder: Will Clark be able to repeat his past successes?
UPDATE: AJC columnist Rick Badie’s son was one of the select few who got into the school. If you’re interested, check out what Badie had to say about the campus in his column last month.
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