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December 2008
Education story of 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I think Clayton County losing its accreditation was the education story of the year.
In case anyone forgot, SACS stripped Clayton schools of its accreditation in August citing the school board as dysfunctional and hampering everything from teaching and learning to staffing to allocation of resources. Clayton was the first system in the county to lose its accreditation in nearly 40 years.
Of course this wasn’t the only story of the year.
There was the debacle over the CRCTs. The state threw out the sixth- and seventh-grade social studies scores. Parents, teachers and students demanded to know so many of the math scores were so low.
That leads us to another big story - the rollout of the new math curriculum. Some love it, but many of you have said you hate it.
We haven’t even touched on budget problems, school closings, charter school districts and Gwinnett’s plan to set its own rules.
What do you think were the big education stories of the year? What should we expect in 2009?
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Re-calculating college
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last month I wrote about students applying to college early action/early decision. UGA, Georgia Tech and other schools have reported an increase in the number of these applications.
Many students who applied early are now finding out if they got in. (Those who didn’t apply early will likely be working on their applications over winter break.)
As bad as the economy was a few months ago, it is worse now. More people are losing their jobs. Scholarships and financial aid will be tougher to get.
Are you having doubts over which colleges you can afford? What kind of discussions are you having with your kids about paying for college?
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Can universal standards improve learning?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Support seems to be building for national standards in reading and math.
The way it’s set up now each state sets its own expectations and it varies widely.
Some argue it’s time for all the benchmarks to be the same and high so the U.S. can compete and excel when compared to other countries. Others say it should be left to each state.
But it seems as though there should be another argument. If students are struggling with the goals we have now, what will happen when the standards become harder?
Some seem to think that just “raising the bar” automatically makes students smarter or at least test better. But so many more steps are needed - such as more remediation and tutoring for students and additional training for teachers.
What do you think of universal standards? Is this the way to improve schools?
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Schools on film
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the time when all the “best movies of the year” lists come out. I’ve read a few that give props to a film called The Class.
This French movie, based on a book written by a teacher, follows a middle school class for one year. The movie stars the teacher who wrote the book and some students. Several reviewers described it as one of the best classroom movies ever made.
Now there are a lot of classroom moves out there. Many feature the teacher as a savior who will rescue failing students and schools.
These movies pull the heart strings but they don’t really capture the challenges teachers and students face.
I find documentaries do a better job. These are my top three:
Spellbound - Kids competing to win the National Spelling Bee.
Paper Clips - Students learn about the Holocaust.
Hoop Dreams - Two high school basketball players dream of becoming superstars.
Are there any movies that you think capture what schools are really like? What are your favorites?
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Christmas wishes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope you and your families have a joyous holiday.
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What about the classics?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was in the bookstore the other day and saw a lot of people buying last minute gifts. A noticed two people were stacking up on hard cover copies of the classics - works by Dante, Kafka and others.
I started talking to both of them and they were each retired teachers. They decided to buy these books for their grandchildren because they worried that they weren’t taught in school anymore.
Part of the problem may be that some of these works aren’t relevant anymore. (Here’s a list of “Great Books.”) Think about it, how many high school students can you imagine reading Kierkegaard?
Should we be worried that when kids hear Homer they think of Simpson first? What classics do you think students must read?
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Make way for room dads
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I enjoyed this sweet story about the Dad’s Club at Russell Elementary in Smyrna. They are basically the male version of the traditional room moms, the women who help teachers, run events and organize class parties.
I’ve noticed more volunteer dads lately. It used to be that you saw them more at sporting events. Now I see them at PTA meetings, parent-teacher conferences and many school performances.
Still, these active dads are a rarity. Of the nearly 6 million people who belong to Parent Teachers Associations, only 500,000 are men, according to the national organization.
I’ve had some men tell me they’re met with resistance when they ask to help out. Teachers and principals ask if they’re serious when they offer to volunteer.
What benefit do kids and schools get from room dads? What can be done to get more of them?
UPDATE: I want to be sure that you saw that Gwinnett County school leaders posted more information about their plan to be exempt from state mandates.
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Math battles continue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A judge in California has blocked the state from testing all eighth-graders in algebra.
As in other states, California has had sharp debates over the need for students to perform better in math, while making sure they are ready for the advanced material.
The California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators sued over the algebra requirement over concerns that the state had the money, staff and training for all children to master algebra in eighth-grade.
We’ve heard similar arguments here in Georgia.
I spent some time last week in ninth-grade Math I classes. Some kids got the lessons with ease, others struggled with basics like adding fractions.
I read some blogs in California about the judge’s ruling and came across this comment from a math professor:
“Requiring all 8th-graders to take algebra is like requiring them all to take third-year Spanish. Yes, it would be great if they could all speak and read and write Spanish, but first they need to take first-year Spanish and master that, and then second-year Spanish and master that. Likewise, students cannot learn algebra if they haven’t mastered arithmetic, especially things like fractions.”
How can we expect students to succeed in math without the basics?
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Our new education secretary
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s been so much local news this week we haven’t had time to talk about Chicago schools leader Arne Duncan, President-elect Obama’s pick for U.S. secretary of education.
Duncan has a reputation for being a reformer and unconventional.
He has shut down low-performing schools in Chicago and expanded charter schools. He supports performance pay for teachers and single-sex education. He has backed the testing and accountability requirements of No Child Left Behind, but says more federal money must be spent on the mandates.
In September he started a program to pay students for good grades. The program at 20 schools lets students with straight As earn up to $4,000 a year - all paid with private donations.
Of course there have been some areas where Duncan has struggled - such as improving special education programs.
What do you expect from the new education secretary? What rules would you like to see eliminated and what programs should be created?
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Giving parents and teachers a say
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s official - Gwinnett County school leaders are asking the state to exempt them from many of the mandates other systems must follow. Gwinnett leaders say this freedom will let them improve student achievement.
We’ve blogged about Gwinnett’s plan before. The system is seeking flexibility in 12 areas, including class size, teacher pay and employees’ duties.
A crucial part of this plan is the need for community buy-in.
School leaders often develop plans for their districts in private. But Gwinnett’s plan raises questions over how soon must school leaders tell parents, teachers and others about these ideas.
Many Gwinnett parents and teachers say they were clueless over what the exact changes will be and how it will affect their kids and jobs.
They said the school system never asked for their ideas. They said the proposal was approved with little discussion from the public.
Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks said the district has been working on this for three years and the public will have a say during implementation.
Is that too late? When is the right time to involve the community in discussions about their schools?
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Off with their heads!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today’s topic is courtesy of V for Vendetta who suggested the idea on yesterday’s post. Here’s the suggestion:
“Can we have a blog dedicated to the overthrowing of our state and local leaders? I suggest one for each metro county. Promote it among friends and neighbors. Only with strength of numbers will we be able to crack the stranglehold the tyrants have on education in this state.”
I’m not encouraging anarchy by any means, but this is an interesting question.
This school year is about half over and already we’ve seen a lot of leaders promoting controversial programs — the new math curriculum; uniforms and single-gender classes in Clayton; budget cuts and possible layoffs in DeKalb and Decatur; and Gwinnett’s plan to be freed from some state mandates.
Who would you “overthrow”? Who or what kind of person would you put in their place?
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“Save Our Schools”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For more than five years, local superintendents and board members have been trying to draw attention to cuts in state education funding.
Decatur Public Schools will launch a “Save Our Public Schools” campaign to help people understand that the state is failing to follow its own mandate on how to support schools.
Decatur and others are attacking the tradition of austerity cuts. Gov. Sonny Perdue started the cuts in response to 2002’s budget shortfall. Revenue rebounded by early 2006, but the cuts remain.
Public school leaders point out that in recent years state lawmakers have found money to support different voucher programs.
Money problems will just get worse. Everyone is expecting more cuts because of the recession.
What do you think of Decatur’s campaign? How worried are you about more education cuts?
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Scores too good to be true?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few months ago there were lots of congratulations going around as students’ scores on CRCT retests showed huge gains. But this story questions how some schools were able to make drastic improvements.
At one school, Atherton Elementary in DeKalb, half of the fifth-graders failed the math CRCT in the spring. But when 32 kids retook the exam they all passed and 26 improved so much they scored at the highest level.
State education officials say they will investigate the gains at Atherton and four other schools.
Officials at many of the schools and districts questioned said targeted tutoring and other methods during summer school improved student learning.
These retest scores were important. Not only did it allow schools to improve their standing on the state’s CRCT, it allowed many to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Schools that fail to meet the federal law’s rules face increasingly severe sanctions.
What do you think of the some of the CRCT gains? At one point do increased scores become too good to be true?
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Waiving state mandates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett school leaders held a public hearing last night on its plan to be exempt from certain state mandates they view as limiting their ability to improve student learning.
If approved by the state, Gwinnett wouldn’t have to follow class size rules. They could develop their own salary schedule for teachers. And they could decide how to spend state money, instead of being forced to allocate to specific programs.
The school district still must follow federal testing rules and mandates, such as providing services for students with disabilities.
What happens in Gwinnett will have large consequences across the state. Gwinnett is the largest school district in Georgia and teaches about 10 percent of the state’s public school population.
More than that, if this plan works expect other districts to follow.
What do you think of Gwinnett’s plan? (Here’s a copy.) Which state mandates would you want lifted for your schools?
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More debate over block scheduling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The merits and pitfalls of block scheduling came up Wednesday as the State Board of Education reviewed annual requests of waivers from schools using the program.
The arguments were the same we’ve been hearing for years. But what is surprising is that the debate continues.
The traditional high school day contains about six class periods, each lasting about 55 minutes. Students typically take the same classes all year. Block scheduling divides the school day into larger blocks of time. Students take fewer classes each day, but sit in those classes longer.
About half of all Georgia high schools use block schedules.
Many people say the block design is flawed. Students spend about 30 fewer hours of classroom time on a subject under this plan. The classes usually meet only half a year, reducing the number of hours teachers spend on each subject.
Critics also complain that block can force students to wait too long before taking next-level classes in sequential courses. (A student may take Spanish I during the first semester of freshman year, but not take Spanish II until the second semester of sophomore year.)
But there are benefits. Students take eight courses a year instead of six, so they have more time for electives and fine arts. And a 90-minute class gives teachers more time for hands-on projects, such as science experiments or group activities.
During the late 80s and the 90s block scheduling was the hot fad. When it moved to Georgia, there was a ton of debate. What is about block scheduling that gets people all revved up?
ALSO: For those of you in Gwinnett, the school board will hold a public hearing tonight on its plan to opt out of some state mandates in an effort to improve student learning. The hearing begins at 6:30 at the school board offices, 437 Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee.
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Paying for private school
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the time of the year when private schools are at the height of enrollment campaigns for next school year.
Much of the economy’s downturn began after families already paid for this year’s tuition. The question asked by private school leaders in Georgia and across the country is whether families can still afford to send their kids to private school.
For those of you already enrolled in private school, are you planning to re-enroll your kids? Are there other expenses you’re giving up to afford a private education? Are you planning to ask for more financial aid?
What about those you who were thinking of trying a private school for the first time? Is this economy forcing you to reconsider it?
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Separating boys and girls
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clayton schools Superintendent John Thompson is considering offering more single-sex programs as a way to improve student learning.
The school district started its first single-sex program this school year with an all-male academy at North Clayton and enrolled a small group of sixth- and seventh-graders.
Separating boys and girls has long been used by private schools, but it has increased in popularity in public schools over the last few years.
Many superintendents and school boards see this as way to “reform” struggling schools. Some create single-gender classes, while others create single-sex schools.
Atlanta Public Schools broke its old Carson Middle — a historically low-performing school — into two different programs. Starting last school year boys attended the B.E.S.T. (Business, Education, Science and Technology) Academy, while girls attend the Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
Ivy Preparatory Academy, an all-girl charter school in Gwinnett County, opened this school year and is expected to grow quickly.
Just because separating the genders is popular doesn’t mean it will work. Is this a step in the right direction or a fad we will regret in a few years?
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Is there time for innovation?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A story ran over the weekend showing how two Dacula Middle School teachers use Star Trek as a backdrop to help students struggling with reading and math. Students’ scores on the CRCT have improved as teachers found a fun way to get kids interested in learning.
I know many teachers use innovative and new ways to teach students. But do teachers have the luxury to be as innovative now as they were a few years ago?
The Internet should foster more innovation as teachers can swap methods and lesson plans on message boards.
But I wonder if teachers have the time and flexibility to create these new methods, try them out and tweak them to get it right.
Is there any time left for innovation in school?
NOTE: If you’re a teacher using innovative methods we want to hear about it. Drop me a line at ldiamond@ajc.com.
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“Local” school board control
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As expected, most school board members oppose a proposal that would allow the state to take over troubled school districts and strip away other elements of local control.
These opinions are from a survey conducted the Georgia School Boards Association and will be discussed during the group’s winter conference today.
The survey was sent to board members from all 180 districts to get their thoughts on the proposal by the Commission for School Board Excellence, a panel of business, civic and education leaders asked to weigh in on what makes a good school board in the wake of the accreditation mess for Clayton County schools.
The comission suggested many changes, including no longer paying local board members, reducing large school boards to five or seven members, prohibiting educators from serving on school boards and allowing the state to take over poorly performing districts/remove board members.
None of these recommendations can be implemented without action by the Legislature.
The general consensus among local school boards is that many of the recommendations usurp local power. Many wondered whether similar rules would be recommended for city councils and county commissions.
What do you think of the commission’s recommendations and the school boards’ reactions? Is this an issue the state needs to deal with or was Clayton an isolated incident?
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Worries about paying for college
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new national report shows the rising cost of tuition is making it difficult for many students to afford a college education.
The report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007 while median family income rose 147 percent.
The report also found that paying for a four-year public college took up about one-quarter of the median family income. A private university ate up about three-quarters of the median family income.
Georgia’s university system approved Wednesday new fees students must pay ranging from $50 to $100, depending on the type of college students attend. The new fees will help offset state budget cuts.
A little over a month ago I wrote about students applying early action and early decision. Both UGA and Georgia Tech reported getting more applications than previous years. Admissions officials say more families are looking to save money by staying in state and attending public institutions.
I’ve heard of other families saying they’re depending more on HOPE this year. (Maureen Downey touched on this issue in her column.) Others have said they’re nervous about co-signing college loans for their children.
How concerned are you about paying for college? Are you encouraging your child to apply to cheaper schools to save money?
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Teachers as mentors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m spending the day at a training session for middle school teachers. Before it began, I talked with a sixth-grade teacher from Fulton County.
He’s been teaching for more than 15 years - a good portion of it in middle schools. For most of that time, he’s run an after-school mentoring program for boys.
They talk about issues going on in their lives. He helps them with their schoolwork. He gets them thinking about college.
“Most of these kids just want someone to listen to them,” he said. “If you listen to them, you’ll have them for life.”
I know other teachers reach out to their students. How much of a teacher’s job should be as an academic instructor and how much should be as a mentor?
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Should these colleges merge?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee suggested Monday that the state merge two historically black public colleges with white-majority campuses to save money.
The idea was to merge two Savannah schools: historically black Savannah State University and historically white-majority Armstrong Atlantic State University. And two in Albany: historically black college Albany State and white-majority two-year Darton College.
The recommended merger comes when the State University System, like other government agencies, is facing severe budget cuts and is looking for ways to slash expenses.
The proposal met with quick opposition from supporters of the historically black schools who said the campuses serve an important role. These campuses have provided education to students might not otherwise go or stay in college, supporters said.
Some might argue public school districts merge schools when enrollment dips too low. These closures are made to save money. But you typically see districts close elementary and middle schools - campuses that don’t have the same legacy as colleges.
What do you think of the recommended merger?
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Money lessons from private schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Look at the high-level administrative positions at many private schools and you’ll find someone with a title like “vice president for institutional advancement.”
This person’s main job is to raise money and support for the school. He or she leads teams behind $100 million fund-raising campaigns and building name dedication opportunities. This position is crucial to private schools because they operate without public tax money.
Maybe it’s time for public schools to create a similar position.
Yes, some public schools have their own foundations. And some districts — including Atlanta and Gwinnett — have started their own to raise money for students and teachers.
But these foundations are not run by the local district. Who on a district’s staff is responsible for finding extra money? Yes, there are grant writers, but there is more money to be found than that.
Districts are facing harsh times between state budget cuts, the weak economy and reduced property tax revenue. Things will only get worse next school year.
Is it time for school districts to have someone on staff dedicated to going after all the public and private money out there?
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