LWVeducation
The blog is one month old. We can celebrate a little. Thus far we have had 4500 hits on our site, and our subscriber list is growing. Let people know.
It is also a good time to take a minute and think. Are we contributing useful information on school reform issues? What is helpful? What is missing? Reflect on the following list and make suggestions. I will summarize your suggestions and respond.Continue reading
We have posted a summary of the new Alachua County, Florida’s Superintendent of Schools 100 Day Report on the FEATURE OF THE WEEK banner of the blog.
Dr. Owen Roberts was appointed to the superintendent position 3 months ago and has spent the time in an intensive review of the district. How his vision for the county will be implemented is likely to be another one of those fascinating stories.
He addresses testing, funding, school equity, curriculum, early education, brain development, as well as parent and community involvement. Click on the banner at the top of the Home Page of our blog to track this very bold initiative. It has those pieces of colored chalk. We will update the post as new information becomes available. Who says public schools cannot be innovative?
FEA Cites Violations of Class Size Amendment in this short video. There are several ‘work arounds’ to avoid the restrictions imposed by a Florida constitutional amendment in 2002. PreK through grade 3 is limited to 18 students. The limit for grades 4-8 is 22 and for grades 9-12 it is 25 in core subjects like reading, math and science. The temptation to manipulate the limits is great in order to reduce cost. Clearly, there is more to this story. Continue reading
In June, 2014 the U.S.DOE increased reporting requirements for students with disabilities programs. Both program procedures such as meeting evaluation timelines and student outcome data are now required for federal funding. The U.S.DOE estimates that only 18 states and territories will meet the new standards; 41 states and territories met previous standards. California, Texas and Delaware are in the lowest compliance level.
A change in assessment policy can have a big impact. Title I Part A regulations have been amended. Alternative ESEA standards and assessments that are based on disabilities with be phased out. Data such as graduation and suspension rates as well as state assessment scores will be used for Individuals with Disability Act (IDEA) grants.
The acting Assistant Secretary of Special Education stated that less than 10% of 8th graders with IEPs were proficient in reading. In his announcement of the new requirements, Secretary Arne Duncan said “We must be honest about student performance, so that we can give all students the support and services they need to succeed”. Federal programs provide $11.5 billion in grants to states that in 2010 served 6,614,000 children.
Charters and traditional public schools are claiming that their funding allocations are inadequate and unfair.
Given the massive cuts in education funding, their claims are not trivial. Their arguments, however, are different. Judges are ruling differently as well. Based on information reported by Education Justice, a program of the New Jersey based Education Law Center, and Access, a research institute at Columbia University, charters want facilities and traditional public schools seek fairness.Continue reading
by Lucia Baez
The Miami-Dade League of Women Voters charter school study provides an in-depth examination of the population of students in below median income neighborhoods.
Are charters representing their own communities?
Do charters show significant academic improvement?
Are charters equitably admitting their students and increasing participation of needy students?
THE ANSWER TO EACH OF THESE QUESTIONS IS: NO!
In June, 2014 the U.S.DOE increased reporting requirements for students with disabilities programs. Both program procedures, such as meeting evaluation timelines as well as student outcome data are now required for federal funding. The U.S.DOE estimates that only 18 states and territories will meet the new standards; 41 states and territories met previous standards. California, Texas and Delaware are in the lowest compliance level.
There is more to this to this story. Read on.
Some charters do fill an unmet need in this Tampa Bay Times article, but privatizing can also lead to profiteering. The League’s concerns about Charter Schools USA are highlighted in this front page story. The rents charged at some schools exceed $1 million dollars a year. Charter boards are not independent. Many charters offer nothing different, but diverting money from regular public schools creates problems from facility maintenance to busing and instructional support.
These FSBA legislative priorities for 2015 reflect many of the League’s positions to support public schools. They address accountability and testing, facilities, funding, school choice options, and local control. An overview of the positions includes:Continue reading
by Sue Legg
One of the most intriguing articles that I have read lately is Iris Rotberg’s article on The Endless Search for Silver Bullets. Dr. Rotberg, a Research Professor of Education Policy at George Washington University reported the results of the 2012 New York state assessments and the 2013 New York version of the Common Core test. The results were no doubt disappointing to charter school advocates. Charter schools in New York City, the hallmark of high achieving charter schools, continued to outperform comparable traditional public schools. Charters, however, had higher drops in levels of proficiency. Continue reading