Education News: March 5, 2009

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending March 5, 2009.

For Some, Private School Not Worth Cost in Down Economy
(New York Times, February 27, 2009)  With median tuitions of $8,200 for nonsectarian schools and $3,000 for catholic schools, parents must determine whether the benefits of sending their children to private schools are worth the cost in today’s economy.  While some see private school as a luxury, many parents feel it is the backbone of their children’s education and that they are failing their kids if they do not continue to send them.  For many, where a child goes to school isn’t only about secular education, but about religious education as well.  In past recessions, private school enrollment remained fairly stable, but schools have already begun to feel effects of the down economy.  Smart Tuition, a New York-based firm that handles payments for some 2,000 private schools across the country, has said that by mid school year, 7 percent of families had already dropped out, which is  twice as much as last year.

Fairfax County Debates School Schedule’s Effects on Students’ Sleep
(Washington Post, March 2, 2009)  Fairfax County schools have set a five-year goal to push back the beginning of the high school start time by one hour.  The effort is being made in response to many students chronically being tired due to packed schedules that include extracurricular activities, homework, and a little much-needed personal time.  While the bus company has stated that the change could be made at no cost, opponents to the change site problems regarding scheduling sports activities, day-care plans, work schedules and traffic.  Proponents, however, claim that the health benefits and increased learning greatly outweigh the difficulties.  “Under the proposal, the first bell for most high schools would move to 8:30 from 7:20 a.m. Elementary schools would start between 7:50 and 9:25, instead of between 8 and 9:15, and most middle schools would start at 9:40, rather than between 7:20 and 8:05.” 

Jury Still Out on Whether Rewards for Students’ Success is Beneficial or Harmful
(New York Times, March 2, 2009)  For a long time, psychologists have warned against rewarding students for doing well in school because it can be detrimental to a student’s interest in learning for the sake of learning and can even lead to cheating.  Many economists and business people, however, claim it is an extremely effective method and there is consistent debate between the two sides.  Lately, rewards programs have increased dramatically in number, especially in high-poverty areas.  The programs generally reward students for various sorts of achievements such as taking an AP exam and performing well, with rewards ranging from money to points which can be redeemed for prizes.  Initial results from a study in New York City show that more students took the tests, but scores remained flat.  Even if the results had shown a difference, many fear that the long-term effects would be far worse than the short-term gains.  For example, one study suggests that once a reward program is taken away, students fare worse than if there had never been a reward program.  Another fear is how rewards systems make students with learning disabilities feel when comparing their rewards to those of their classmates.

American Students No Longer Lead World in College Pursuit of Bachelors Degree
(San Francisco Chronicle, March 2, 2009)  According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Americans no longer lead the world in college participation leading to a bachelor's degree.  Twenty years ago, America ranked first in this statistic, while now it isn’t even in the top ten.  If America’s level of education is not keeping pace with the levels of other nations, this could help explain our current economic situation.  The news lead President Barack Obama urging the country to return to the top of the list by year 2020. 

Rhee Claims Report Proves her Plan for Increased Teacher Pay is Sustainable
(Washington Post, March 3, 2009)  Washington D.C.’s School Chancellor Michelle Rhee says that a financial consultant’s report proves that her plan to increase teachers’ annual pay, including salaries and bonuses, up to $135,000 is sustainable after a promised $100 million from private foundations is spent.  This assuages one of the Washington Teachers’ Union’s main concerns over Rhee’s proposal, which is that that the plan relies so heavily on private funding a down economy.  After being vetted by an unidentified consultant, Rhee claims the proposal will be able to rely solely on city dollars after only five years.  The donors have not yet been identified.

Census Predicts Minorities Will Become Majority in Schools by 2023
(USA Today, March 4, 2009)  A recent census estimates that nearly one quarter of the nation’s kindergarteners are Hispanic, evidence of an accelerating trend that will see the minority become the majority by 2023.  The census also estimates that one fifth of all k-12 students are Hispanic.  The data will greatly affect many areas of political debate ranging from immigration to No Child Left Behind.  In 2007, more than 40% of all students in K-12 were Hispanics, blacks, Asian-Americans and others, which is double the percentage of three decades ago.  The accelerated timetable is due to immigration among Hispanics and Asians, and declining birth rates among non-Hispanic whites.

Are 21st Century Skills More Important than Core Knowledge?
(USA Today, March 4, 2009)   Massachusetts has recently joined a group of at least ten states who have agreed to work with the Arizona-based Partnership for 21st Century Skills, or P21, in helping students learn how to think critically and creatively, be technologically savvy and work well with others.  A small group of education scholars, however, are against the new material, as they claim that is takes away from precious class time previously devoted to “deep, essential content.”  For the first time in P21’s seven year history, a debate was held between its co-founder Ken Kay and Common Core, a nonprofit who promotes a full core curriculum.  Similarly to Common Core, the Core Knowledge Foundation believes a "core of common learning" is necessary for a good education.”  As an example, when a fifth grader learns about Galileo’s role in astronomy, he should also study Italian history and geography.  Kay calls the objection a sideshow to the real issue, which is that America’s students need content as well as skills.