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Obama to unveil $4 billion school improvement plan
(REUTERS/Jason Reed)
Charter schools receive public funding but generally are exempt from some state or local rules and regulations. They are operated as an alternative to traditional public schools. "What we're saying here is, if you can't decide to change these practices, we're not going to use precious dollars that we want to see creating better results; we're not going to send those dollars there," Obama told the Post in an interview. "And we're counting on the fact that, ultimately, this is an incentive, this is a challenge for people who do want to change," Obama said. Obama is scheduled to speak at the Department of Education on Friday. The Post reported that the $4 billion education grant program was created under the $787 billion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress and signed into law by Obama in February. The United States has one of the worst high school dropout rates in the industrialized world, and its students often rank below those in other Western nations in reading and math.
Administration Takes Aim at State Laws on Teachers
By SAM DILLON
The federal Department of Education proposed rules to prevent states with such laws from getting money from a $4.3 billion-educational innovation fund. Money from the Race to the Top Fund is to be distributed in two stages, late this year and in 2010, by Education Secretary Arne Duncan to a handful of states with positive records of what the department considers school reform as well as plans for additional improvement. Legislatures in New York, California and some other states have enacted laws that limit, to one degree or another, use of student achievement data in teacher performance evaluations. Both national teachers’ unions oppose the use of student testing data to evaluate individual teachers, arguing in part that students are often taught by several teachers and that teacher evaluations should be based on several measures of performance, not just test scores. “This is poking teachers’ unions straight in the eye,” Mike Petrilli, a vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a research group that studies education policy, said of the proposed fund eligibility requirement dealing with student data. The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, said in an interview that she thought New York’s law would not render the state ineligible for financing and that her union would “take advantage very aggressively of the 60-day comment period” on the proposed rules. Miguel Gonzalez, a spokesman for the largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association, would not comment on the proposed rules. “You must be willing to change,” Mr. Duncan told teachers at a meeting of the N.E.A. this month in San Diego. Relations between the administration and the two unions, both of which worked for President Obama’s election, remain cordial. Hundreds of thousands of teachers have benefited from $100 billion in stimulus money designated for spending on public schools in 2009 and 2010. But Mr. Obama and Mr. Duncan have repeatedly urged changes in the way public schools work, including how teachers are trained, hired and evaluated. “This administration is challenging unions on some issues that are at the core of the union agenda,” said Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, a nonprofit group that studies teachers’ union contracts. Proposed rules for the $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition say that states must show they are carrying out education innovation and reform, improving student achievement, adopting higher standards, recruiting effective teachers and principals, building educational data systems, and turning around low-performing schools. To be eligible to apply for money, a “state must not have any legal, statutory or regulatory barriers to linking data on student achievement or student growth to teachers and principals for the purpose of teacher and principal evaluation,” according to a summary of the proposed rules. New York’s Legislature last year prohibited the use of student test scores in teacher tenure decisions. In a speech last month to Department of Education researchers, Mr. Duncan singled out data laws in some states for ridicule. “Believe it or not,” Mr. Duncan said, “several states, including New York, Wisconsin and California, have laws that create a firewall between students and teacher data. I think that’s simply ridiculous. We need to know what is and is not working and why.” In interviews on Thursday, Mr. Duncan and other Department of Education officials would not predict any state’s chances for receiving an award. The chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, Merryl Tisch, said she thought that since New York’s law bars the use of student data only in teacher tenure decisions, the proposed rules would not render the state ineligible for money.
Administration Takes Aim at State Laws on Teachers
BY KENNETH LOVETT ALBANY - Mayor Bloomberg and Senate Democrats have reached a tentative deal to renew the lapsed law giving the mayor control over the school system. Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Queens) said the deal was struck in the past two days. Senate Dems from the city are to meet Friday to discuss the package. Huntley, one of the key holdouts over the past several weeks, said she endorses the deal. Under the tentative agreement, the Senate Dems will get pretty much every change they had been seeking, with one exception. The deal calls for the creation of a council on school arts programs, a committee to look into school safety issues and giving district superintendents more control over principals and educational issues. But instead of being located at New York University's Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, as the Democrats wanted, training will be done through the City University of New York, with one in each borough, Huntley said. Huntley warned that "all the members are not aware of what's in the package. Until they approve it and say it's good, there's no final deal." If the Dems sign off, the Senate expects to return early next month to pass the Assembly bill extending mayoral control another six years with the four new amendments. The deal was a bit of a surprise given the recent acrimony between Bloomberg and the Senate Dems. Bloomberg likened the Democrats to Nazis in their desire to have the city acquiesce to their demands like Britain's Neville Chamberlain did during World War II. For their part, the Democrats blasted the mayor for acting like a dictator and refusing to negotiate in good faith. The heated rhetoric cooled down this week as talks heated up. "You can't call names and still make deals," Huntley said. "Both sides decided to just slow it down." The 2002 mayoral control law expired at the end of last month when the Senate was still in a stalemate following a June 8 GOP-led coup. That forced the city to go back to a seven-member Board of Education. The new board, packed with Bloomberg loyalists, met once and gave all control to Bloomberg's hand-picked chancellor, Joel Klein. An Assembly spokesman had no immediate comment on the tentative deal.
Senators get up close to blast Bloomy
BY MEREDITH KOLODNER Democratic state senators brought the battle over school control to Mayor Bloomberg's doorstep on Thursday, denouncing him on the steps of City Hall for refusing to compromise. The lawmakers, who have been embroiled in a nasty public feud with Bloomberg over the lapsed law, refused to rule out starting the school year without a new bill. "There is no end to this debate," said Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. "It will be ongoing." Borough Presidents Scott Stringer (Manhattan) and Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn) are taking them seriously, calling for an August meeting of the resurrected Board of Education. The board, headed by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, is slated to meet Sept. 10, after the start of the school year. The beeps said the city needed to reconstitute the 32 community school boards before the spring elections that are dictated by law. "You have to stay a step ahead of the state Senate," said Stringer, who helped broker the deal that restored the education board. "You can't let their dysfunction seep into our classrooms." In a letter to Walcott, they asserted that unless the board meets to approve contracts of more than $1 million, the city will end up in a legal nightmare. A City Hall spokeswoman said the mayor didn't believe a backup plan was necessary. "We expect the governance debate in Albany to be resolved before the board would need to meet," said Dawn Walker. Meanwhile, City Controller Bill Thompson challenged Bloomberg to an education debate, hammering him for the third day on one of the mayor's signature campaign issues.
Bloomberg Faces Check of His Power Over Schools
By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ With the leadership of New York City’s school system in limbo, three borough presidents on Thursday said that the power of the Board of Education should be expanded by giving it oversight over contracts, and that a system of neighborhood school boards should be temporarily resurrected. Power was technically restored to the Board of Education, which came back into existence on July 1. The mayor appointed two of the seven members, and each borough president named one, but four of the five borough leaders — all but Rubén Díaz Jr. of the Bronx — had supported maintaining the mayor’s nearly unilateral grip on the school system. The new board, at a brief meeting July 1, made no changes to the way schools are run. But now the borough presidents of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx say the group should serve as more of a check to Mr. Bloomberg’s authority until the confusion over who governs city schools is resolved, which could take until September or later. A political stalemate in Albany has precluded attempts to renew mayoral control of the schools, creating legal confusion as the city tries to maintain the status quo. In June, the Assembly passed a bill largely preserving the mayor’s power, but negotiations have stalled in the Senate, and legislators have adjourned for the summer. In a letter to Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott, the board’s president, the three borough leaders said the group should meet in August and reclaim the power to approve contracts exceeding $1 million. “Circumstances now require that we do more,” wrote Scott M. Stringer, borough president of Manhattan, and Marty Markowitz, borough president of Brooklyn. “We must prepare for the possibility that the stalemate will continue.” Mr. Díaz did not sign the letter but released a statement expressing support. The proposals may face difficulty gaining traction. The three borough leaders would need to recruit at least one more. The Queens borough president, Helen M. Marshall, did not respond to a request for comment. The Staten Island borough president, James P. Molinaro, a staunch ally of Mr. Bloomberg’s, also did not comment. The three borough leaders also suggested temporarily reappointing the 32 local school boards that were a linchpin of the education system before the mayor seized control of schools in 2002. Since the law granting mayoral control expired, state law mandates that those boards oversee the operation of elementary and middle schools in their neighborhoods and hire superintendents. Throughout their existence, critics said the boards too often became dens of corruption and back-room deals, and when the mayor took control, they were replaced by parent councils that were virtually powerless. Those councils no longer technically exist but they have continued to meet at the urging of the city. The proposal by the borough presidents would maintain those parent councils, but temporarily turn them into advisory groups to the reconstituted local boards. The local boards would be staffed by two city appointees and each neighborhood’s parent council president, and their first act would be to rehire superintendents. In their letter, the borough presidents also suggested scheduling regular public meetings and passing a permanent resolution prohibiting Board of Education members from receiving stipends and other perks. The Board of Education is scheduled to meet Sept. 10.
Patrick plays to a friendly crowd
By Gillian Swart Newburyport - So before the first hands went up, he told the audience how his grandmother always used to say, “Never say you’re poor; always say you’re broke, because broke is temporary.” Patrick also said that same grandmother also used to tell him, “always to look up and forward” - advice as simple as it was sound. And by the time he had finished that brief introduction, a we’re-in-this-together mood seemed to take over the room. Those who came with doubts about the state’s ability to rebound seemed ready to insist, “Yes, we can.” Not that there was ever any real danger of the governor facing any tough questions or critical comments. When U.S. Rep. John Tierney visited in the spring, City Hall auditorium was packed. And outside, conservatives from all over Merrimack Valley were staging a Tea Party to protest President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party’s economic policies. This week, there were seats for the taking, and most of the questions were from friendly supporters. Before he started answering questions, and after he made sure his Labrador retriever puppy was in good hands, Patrick gave a brief talk that more or less diffused any questions about sales tax hikes and cuts in funding, saying the state faced a $9 million budget gap in fiscal year 2009. “We could lay off every state employee and still have a problem,” he said. “We could shut down all human services and still be short – what? - $700,000.” But after those comments, it was all give-and-take with the audience. Patrick said he was looking for conversation, and conversation is what got in Newburyport. Money talk “I’m open to the idea of rolling it back - of course I am,” the governor replied to a question from West Newbury inventor and Republican candidate for Tierney’s Sixth District seat, Bill Hudak. The closest the night came to anything resembling controversy was when one member of the audience suggested that casinos in Massachusetts would be a mistake. Patrick took a quick poll of the audience and suggested the crowd was divided almost equally among those who favor bringing casino gambling to the commonwealth, those who oppose it and those who aren’t sure. He suggested that casinos would be an economic shot in the arm for the state, but acknowledged there is a human cost with gambling. Michael Dissette, chairman of Newburyport’s Community Preservation Committee, asked the governor to support a bill that would stabilize Community Preservation Act funding at a 70 percent state match of local funding. The bill, SB40, would also allow communities to combine a traditional 1 percent CPA property tax surcharge with up to 2 percent of other municipal revenue. The bill adds an optional commercial exemption for the first $100,000 of property value for commercial and industrial properties – a feature supporters say is especially beneficial to small businesses. There was also talk about making early education available for all kids, not just those from low-income or special needs backgrounds. And Patrick took the opportunity to point out that some $40-$60 million in federal funds was “left on the table,” because people aren’t using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. That is the form used by the U.S. Department of Education to determine the expected family contribution by conducting a “need analysis” based on financial information, such as income, assets and other household information, provided by the applicant. The form is submitted to, and processed by, a federal processor contracted by the U.S. Department of Education, and the results are electronically transmitted to the financial aid offices of the schools that are listed on the application. The application is used by nearly all colleges and universities to determine eligibility for federal, state and college-sponsored financial aid, including grants, educational loans and work-study programs. Because Horace Mann charter schools were mentioned, the governor had an opening to talk about charter schools, one of his pet issues. Earlier this month, Patrick announced a proposal to nearly double charter school seats in under-performing school districts. “Education is transformative at its best,” he said. “We have to look at the funding formula for charter schools.” Currently charter schools receive a portion of the Chapter 70 funding allocated to the public school district, since each charter school student’s home district has to pay a per-student fee.
SCHOTT IN THE NEWS FAMU program aims to inspire, encourage
BY ANGELINE J. TAYLOR • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER • JULY 18, 2009 The high-school boys stayed on FAMU's campus for six weeks as part of a program to bolster their understanding of academics and life. For Tolliver, the goodbyes marked the annual end of a program that works to curb startling Florida statistics. About 38 percent of black males graduate from high school in Florida, according to the Schott Foundation for Public Education. FAMU's program, called the young Black Male College Explorers, works to improve that statistic. Eighty-five percent of the program's participants have graduated from high school, said Tolliver, who serves as program director. "We can't call ourselves the great state of Florida until we graduate more than 50 percent of all of our citizenry," Tolliver said. Tolliver and his colleague Rufus Ellis Jr., FAMU's associate professor of education, said the BMCE program should be duplicated in universities across the country. Students come to the program aware that the next six weeks will duplicate school complete with extra-curricular activities and Sunday church services. Students work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on math, English, reading, science, business technology, "anything they would see back home in school, Ellis said. It's a "full-academic program first," he added. Tolliver said, "You have to tell them straight up, 'Look here son, you're going to learn whether you want to or not!' " It's a system that works, said student Abelard Cesar, 17. The Port St. Lucie teen was voted this summer as the program's president. When he first came to the program, he said he was "extremely nervous." Ellis said most of the students who participate for the first time don't want to come. They don't like the idea of going to school during the summer months. Some of them have never been taken out of their own hometowns, similar to Cesar. But by the end of the summer, Ellis said the boys say, "I don't want to go home." Tolliver said the job requires program administrators to "strip away a lot of layers," from the boys. Staffers and faculty learn that the students in the program feel responsible for taking care of their mothers or siblings. Students have told them, "I have sisters and other brothers that I'm cooking for," Tolliver said. The BMCE program is not only offered at FAMU. Edward Waters College's program in Jacksonville enjoys about a 90 percent graduation rate, Tolliver said. Bethune Cookman University's program holds steady at about a 79 percent graduation rate. Miami's Florida Memorial College graduates about 100 percent of its students who have been in the program in the last three years, Tolliver said. Families of the students pay about $300 for the summer. FAMU organizers receive about $1,700 in scholarships for each student. But in the last year, about $235,000 was taken out of the program's budget, Tolliver said. Some 40 students couldn't participate this year because of that budget cut, Tolliver said. Neither Tolliver nor Ellis could deny the joy they get when a student becomes more invested in their educational future. "If I can show positive change that somebody back home recognizes, than we have been successful," Tolliver said.
Facing failing schools By Romina Ruiz-Goiriena When it comes to talking about education, Dr. Pedro Noguera is no rookie. Noguera has been working passionately since the early 1980s to improve equal access to quality public education. He is known for being a dynamic speaker who translates social theory into concise, hip language with emotional impact and intellectual rigor. When asked point blank, “What is the problem with education?” Noguera explains that while many simply cite the dropout rate from the long laundry list of issues, it is, he says, “only a symptom of a larger problem.” Currently, Noguera serves as professor at the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University and as Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education. He continues to teach part-time in New York City high schools while keeping a blog on The Huffington Post about education and politics. He has authored several books and more than 150 research articles on urban school reform, conditions that promote student achievement, youth violence, and race and ethnic relations in America—including bestseller the Trouble With Black Boys: Reflections on Race, Equity and the Future of Public Education. Most recently, Noguera was chosen as one of 14 of the country’s top leaders to announce recommendations for the Obama administration on how to fix education. What would he like to recommend? Noguera has been one of the voices warning that the government should be careful not to squander the opportunity the president’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offers to finally properly address education. Although the plan would send billions to the nation’s schools, Noguera is a believer that throwing money at a problem isn’t the only answer: “The administration must realize that America’s schools need more than just money to address the many problems they face and to promote the kind of education that will be needed to support our economy and democracy in the 21st century,” he wrote recently on an opinion piece for CNN.com. “Unfortunately,” he tells PODER, “right now I haven’t seen much difference between Bush and Obama on this specific issue... But I’m waiting to see what else the administration is going to do about this.” When zeroing in on the complex relationship between immigration and unequal public education, Noguera is the first to point out that “dropout rates are not only highest among Latinos, but many [Hispanics] are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to education, leaving them in many cases illiterate both in English and Spanish.” According to the Migration Policy Institute, 95 percent of all children of immigrants and 91 percent of students who are limited-English proficient attend urban schools. Noguera explains that xenophobia and the strong belief that assimilation requires some sort of cultural amnesia with which students completely reject their own heritage is the sole reason behind some of the strongest English-only legislation across the country. But in fact, “It’s been proven that using a student’s culture can be a powerful resource in education,” Noguera says. So what is the answer to the growing disparity in public education amidst increasingly diverse populations? Noguera’s answer: “The nation needs a coordinated strategy to improve education.” The $15 billion given to Education Secretary Arne Duncan “should be used to encourage school districts to employ research-based strategies for intervening early with slow learners, raising academic standards and, most important, improving learning conditions in underperforming schools,” he says. Some of Noguera’s recommendations include raising standards, extending school days and calendar years, having students do homework supervised while in school, encouraging students to take elective courses in order to enrich their learning, and providing healthcare in order to ensure students’ wellbeing and readiness to learn. In the end Noguera is an advocate of “accountability for all— unions, educators, parents, and the government.” Noguera hopes the attitudes that have shackled public education for so long will begin to change. After all, “If we want our children to compete in first-world marketplace, equal access to a diverse and comprehensive education is the only answer,” he says. A lack of it helps explain why, as he stated on CNN: “Seven years after No Child Left Behind, we’re still leaving kids behind.”
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The Snap Schott is distributed by the Schott Foundation for Public Education. For more information, please visit www.schottfoundation.org. |
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