Education News: June 19, 2009

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending June 19, 2009.

Washington D.C. Schools Chancellor Has Had a Very Educational First Two Years
(Washington Post, June 14, 2009)  As D.C. School’s Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s second year comes to a close, she has learned many lessons that help tell the story of tenure thus far.  Some lessons she has learned are that money isn’t everything, even the most well-intentioned reforms can have unexpected consequences and that being in the national spotlight can lead to trouble.  Over the past two years, she has gained a national following as the icon for tough-minded urban school reformers who aim to narrow the achievement gap.  The past seven D.C. Schools Chancellors stints have averaged three years and three months.  Already, Rhee has seen improvements.  For example, last year's DC-CAS standardized tests showed increases in reading and math proficiency rates of 8%-11% since 2007.  Additionally, spending is up 400% for professional development.  Even Rhee, however, acknowledges that any headway pales in comparison to the work that still needs to be done, as 90 of the 123 schools are under some form of federal notice under No Child Left Behind.  Over the next couple of years, Rhee hopes to remove at least a dozen principals and fire or buyout a significant share of the educators.  Some parents, though, worry about leaving their children in the schools during the overhaul.  What most do agree on is that Rhee has changed the conversation about the possibilities for the District’s public schools.

NYC Mayor Retains Control of Schools
(New York Times, June 17, 2009)  On Wednesday, the New York State Assembly voted to have Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg continue to control New York City’s public schools.  The bill passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 121-18.  The bill would maintain the mayor’s power to appoint a majority of an education oversight panel, while limiting his ability to close schools and approve contracts.  If the bill is approved by the Senate, it would then require the signature of Governor David Patterson, who supports mayoral control.  The new Senate Democratic leader John L. Sampson, however, has already shared his intent to impose more checks on the mayor in his chamber.  He plans to push for removal of the mayor’s power to appoint a majority of the panel, even if it involves allowing the 2002 law authorizing mayoral control to expire on June 30.  Bloomberg and NYC School Chancellor Joel I. Klein claim that this would cause disorder in the schools.  The bill is expected to have the full backing of Senate Republicans, who will need to find only a small number of Senate Democrats in order to pass the bill.  Still, there is fear that some Senate Democrats will vehemently oppose the bill, looking for more parental power and fixed terms for members of the oversight board.  News of the bill’s passage came as it was leaked that United Federation of Teachers President, Randi Weingarten, will announce her resignation next week, in order to focus on her responsibilities as President of the AFT.

Study Finds Smaller Schools Have Negative Impact on NYC’s Large Schools
(New York Times, June 16, 2009)  A report released on Wednesday suggests that replacing large, poor-performing high schools with smaller schools has led to lower attendance and graduation rates at other large high schools in NYC.  Based on interviews with principals, teachers and parents, the report concluded that the reason for the decreases was an influx of high-needs students.  These students, who do not enroll in the smaller, more selective schools, tend to have histories of poor attendance, behavior problems and low academic achievement.  As part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s education reform efforts, the city has closed more than two dozen large comprehensive high schools over the past seven years.  In their place are smaller schools that aim to foster intimate relationships and higher student achievement.  While the study does not dispute the smaller schools’ success, it advocates more support for the larger, comprehensive schools.  Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein defended his small-schools strategy, saying that this outcome is better than what would have happened if the high-needs students were sent to the failing schools that they originally attended.  The report was conducted by researchers at the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs.

Educators Seek Ways to Reduce “Summer Brain Drain”
(Washington Post, June 15, 2009)  Recent research says that the loss of knowledge that often happens to students over the summer, known as “summer brain drain,” can affect some groups more than others. Experts from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Virginia and elsewhere say that all students lose about two months of math computational skills.  When it comes to reading skills, however, students from low-income homes lose two to three months while middle-class students make slight gains.  This is intuitive, as most students don’t use their math skills over the summer, but students from wealthier families, who tend to have more books at home, will hone their reading skills.  Some experts add that reading comprehension can also be dependant on life experiences, which more affluent students are more likely to obtain.  One major implication that the research suggests is that much, possibly two thirds, of the achievement gap occurs over the summers, not during the school year.

Governor of California Promises to Veto Any Threat to Exit Exam Requirement
(San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 2009)  On Tuesday, state legislators surprised education officials by voting to eliminate the high school exit exam graduation requirement.  By a vote of 6-4, a key budget committee passed the measure which was included in a package which aims to trim the K-12 budget by $10 million this year and next.  Eliminating the requirement would save the state about $8 million.  The committee’s recommendations typically have great influence over budget negotiations.  Since 2006, students have been required to pass the math and English exam in order to graduate.  To date, there has been no evidence to show that the exam or graduation requirement has lead to improvement in student achievement.  The committee voted to get rid of the requirement, not the exam itself.  Those who were for eliminating the requirement claimed that they did not think it was fair to expect the same results from students if budget cuts lead to a shorter school year, fewer teachers or larger class sizes.  No one in the education community had any warning about the pending vote, and many oppose the idea of lowering standards for any reason.  Supporters of the exam requirement do not know whether eliminating the exam is an actual goal or merely one of the first plays in the expected upcoming legislative budget battle over a wide range of issues.  On Wednesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to kill any proposal that would threaten the exam.  A vote on the committee’s plan could take place as early as Monday. 

Denver Educators File Discrimination Complaint
(Denver Post, June 17, 2009)  A group of twelve African-American educators in Denver decided on Tuesday to file a "systemic discrimination" complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor.  According to Larry Borom, chairman of the Black Education Advisory Council, discrimination has caused the number of African-American teachers in Denver to drop from 324 in 2000 to 200 in 2008.  Though no one disputes a decline, the Colorado Department of Education claims the number has only dropped to 265 and the Denver Public Schools (DPS) counts 256 black teachers.  The decline could have a negative impact on students, who will have few African-American role models.  The twelve educators’ hope is that the Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs will investigate and instruct DPS on the proper course of action.  The school system already plans to hire a diversity coordinator and to increase recruiting towards teachers of color.  While these are steps in the right direction, Borom still worries the district’s ability to retain black teachers once they have been recruited, as many African-American educators have had bad experiences in Denver.

Cell Phones Often Used by Teens to Cheat in Class
(USA Today, June 17, 2009)  Despite widespread bans on cell phones in schools, a recent survey indicates that one quarter of teens’ cell phone text messages are sent while attending class.  The survey of 1,013 teens, 84% of whom had cell phones, also showed that many of the teens had either stored information for a test on their phone or texted a friend for answers.  What worries educators most is that only about half of the teens viewed either of these practices a “serious offense.” This suggests that students have developed a new moral code regarding cell phones.  The online poll was held in May and July for Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based education company.
Another article on the survey from the San Francisco Chronicle