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March 2009
Get Schooled is on the move
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Obama wants to overhaul schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
President Obama talked about merit pay for teachers, expanding charter schools and decreasing the drop out rate during a speech this morning. It was his first major address on education since taking office.
“It is time to give all Americans a complete and competitive education from the cradle up through a career,” Obama said. “… What’s required is not simply new investments, but new reforms. It is time to expect more from our students.”
There were few specifics in the speech. But he did promote merit pay for teachers. He challenged states to improve lessons in reading and math. He also mentioned lengthening the school day and year.
More details will come during a speech to Congress in the next several weeks. Until then, what do you think of these plans?
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Removing bullies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re nearing crossover day with the Georgia Legislature but legislators are still filing bills dealing with education issues.
HB 668 would give superintendents, school boards, hearing officers and members of tribunal panels the power to reassign a bully to another school at any time to separate the student from the victim. The accused bully could be sent to another campus or the system’s alternative school.
As it stands now, students must be moved to an alternative school after the third reported case of bullying.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Donna Sheldon (R-Dacula), also calls for the police to be notified when a physical assault or battery has allegedly occurred at school.
Would this bill address the bullying problems schools face? Or is just placing more rules on school districts?
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Where to build schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DeKalb County school leaders are rethinking construction plans in the southern part of the district because students have transferred to other campuses and home foreclosures have sent families elsewhere.
Kristina Torres wrote that the discussion could set off the long-time struggle between the north and south parts of the district over resources.
You can hear similar debates in Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Parents who live in the older, more diverse sections of the district complain that new schools are built in the wealthier communities that often don’t have as many minority students.
School officials have said construction decisions are based on enrollment projections. They say plans are developed after considering the overall needs of the district — not the wants of a particular area.
Districts have been building schools at an alarming rate as student enrollment skyrocketed across the Atlanta area. That growth is slowing down.
What do you think, is there a better way to decide where to build schools? How open are school leaders in explaining the process they use?
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Lockdown at Cherokee schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two teenagers were arrested and three Cherokee County schools were on lockdown Thursday following a series of events that started with a tip from parents.
Police ultimately found a revolver in a ceiling tile in a restroom at Woodstock High and other weapons at a student’s home. Police are still figuring out what the teenagers planned to do with the guns.
As the story was updated on ajc.com readers’ comments focused on a few areas. Some took issue with how easy it was for the boys to get the guns. Others wondered where the parents were.
But many questioned how school officials could have allowed this happen. They assumed that the boys were bullied or had disciplinary problems. Others blamed the incident on the school —- with about 2,300 students — being too big.
Parents and others often raise these issues when something goes wrong on high school campuses. Are these the right complaints?
In these situations, can you really blame the school?
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Teacher bonuses stay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This will please many teachers out there: the House Education Committee approved a bill to keep the bonuses paid to teachers with national board certification.
As you may remember, Gov. Perdue wanted to eliminate the 10 percent salary increases that about 2,500 Georgia teachers receive. He said cutting the supplements would save the state about $12 million.
The education committee also passed HB 547, which would make the state pay for each student to take either the PSAT or ACT PLAN.
And the committee passed HB 555 that would require school boards to let local charter schools use empty school buildings at no cost. Some school districts charge charter schools to use these buildings or refuse to rent to them.
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Guaranteed admission to Georgia’s colleges
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bill filed in the Senate would guarantee admission to a Georgia public college to any student who graduated in the top 10 percent from a public or private high school.
SB 221, called Georgia’s Promise, is similar to programs in Florida and Texas.
A key question is how to determine who is in the top 10 percent. The bill would require the Board of Regents and Georgia Student Finance Commission to develop a universal formula to calculate a student’s grade point average and determine how much weight should be given to advanced courses, like AP and IB.
I was covering schools in Florida when the state adopted the Talented 20, which guarantees admission to the top 20 percent of a graduation high school class. That program has not been nearly as controversial as the program in Texas, which focuses on the top 10 percent.
Both states adopted these programs in the 1990s to replace affirmative action as an admissions factor. Some say colleges have been less diverse, while others say the opposite.
Critics say these programs take admissions decisions away from state universities and hurt promising students who aren’t in the top of their graduating classes.
About 80 percent of the students offered admission to University of Texas for this year’s fall freshman class got in because they graduated in the 10 percent. A bill filed in the Texas legislature aims to weaken the decade-old law.
What do you think of Georiga’s bill?
UPDATE: Last week we blogged about HB 281 which would allow students who take at least three online courses from a virtual school to participate in a public school’s extra-curricular activities. (Originally the bill said students needed to take just one online course.) People clearly saw the bill as a way for homeschoolers to join a school’s clubs and sports teams.
Rep. Len Walker withdrew the bill Wednesday after a House education subcommittee added an amendment that required the students attend a virtual charter school approved by the state. That change would have made homeschoolers ineligible under the bill.
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Bonuses for math, science teachers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s math and science teachers will get some extra money in their paychecks.
The House passed HB 280, which was one of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s legislative priorities. The bonuses, which would start with the 2010-11 school year, are designed to recruit teachers.
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Powerful PTAs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the past few weeks I’ve seen PTAs setting up donation booths near Publix, Blockbuster and other high traffic areas.
They post signs pleading people to give money to help schools cope with state and local budget cuts because of the recession. When I visited my family on Long Island this past weekend I saw similar booths.
These fundraising efforts are admirable, but are they fair?
Some school PTAs raise money to purchase computer and science labs; hire extra teachers or nurses; and buy smart boards, library books and other items. Should there be limits on how schools use money raised by PTAs and other groups?
There are plenty of schools without PTAs or foundations. Who helps students at those schools?
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Showing some love for ACT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With all the hoopla Georgia places on the SAT, it’s easy to forget there’s another college admissions test out there.
The ACT is a curriculum-based test measuring a student’s mastery of English, reading, math and science. The exam would get a boost under HB 547, which would require the state to pay for students to take ACT PLAN, a practice test.
Georgia already pays for sophomores to take the PSAT. The bill would let students choose which test to take.
When I was in high school it was easy to figure out which one to take. Kids in the Midwest typically took the ACT. Students who lived on either coast or planned to apply to a highly competitive college typically took the SAT.
Not any more. More students are taking both to see which will give them the highest score. Colleges say they don’t prefer one over the other.
About 40 percent of Georgia students take the ACT. The state’s average score rose to 20.6 in 2008, up from 20.3 in 2007. A perfect score is 36.
SAT scores dipped in 2008 to 1466 from 1472. A perfect score is 2400. It’s hard to compare both tests because fewer kids take the ACT and those who do tend to be high-achieving.
SAT or ACT, what’s your preference?
