Archives for the month of: April, 2017
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Is This the “Best” High School in Connecticut?

By dianeravitch
April 28, 2017 //
48

Here are the U.S. News rankings of the “best” high schools in America. Allegedly. Apparently no one bothered to look at attritionrates.

Amistad Academy is identified as the “best” high school in the state. No one noticed that 75% of its students disappeared between 6th and 12th grade. Hmmm.

After reading Gary Rubinstein’s post this morning about KIPP and the U.S. News’ rankings, a reader sent this data about Amistad Academy:

 

https://www.publicschoolreview.com/connecticut/amistad-academy/900024-school-district/high

Notice anything about their enrollment trends?

of Students in Pre-Kindergarten: – –

of Students in Kindergarten: 92 92

of Students in 1st Grade: 93 93

of Students in 2nd Grade: 90 90

of Students in 3rd Grade: 90 90

of Students in 4th Grade: 79 79

of Students in 5th Grade: 102 102

of Students in 6th Grade: 102 102

of Students in 7th Grade: 81 81

of Students in 8th Grade: 79 79

of Students in 9th Grade: 59 59

of Students in 10th Grade: 57 57

of Students in 11th Grade: 34 34

of Students in 12th Grade: 26 26

of Ungraded Students:

And here are their scores –

Click to access hss_ct_pub2015.pdf

Hey! Why did the 102 students in sixth grade dwindle to only 26 in senior year? Where did they go?

Obviously, the folks who do the rankings at U.S. News don’t screen for high attrition rates–like losing 75% of your students.

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Connecticut, Corporate Reformers, Hoax, Privatization, Testing

Indiana: Parent-Teacher Group Files Suit to Block Charter Authorized by Religious College

By dianeravitch
April 28, 2017 //
5

Just in from Indiana:

Indiana Coalition for Public Education–Monroe County
http://www.icpe-monroecounty.org
Contact: Alex Tanford
Phone: 812-332-4966
Email: tanfordlegal@gmail.com

LAWSUIT CHALLENGES CHARTER FOR SEVEN OAKS CLASSICAL SCHOOL, SAYS AUTHORIZATION BY A RELIGIOUS BODY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Bloomington, Indiana—The Indiana Coalition for Public Education–Monroe County, an association of parents, teachers, and other supporters of public schools, filed suit today in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the Indiana statute that permitted Grace College and Seminary to authorize a charter for Seven Oaks Classical School after the Indiana Charter School Board denied it. The lawsuit asks the court to void the charter and stop any further taxpayer money from going to either Seven Oaks or Grace College.

Named as defendants in the suit are Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction, who chairs the State Board of Education; the executive director of the Indiana Charter School Board; and Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana.

“Our chief concern is that Indiana law permits religious institutions like Grace College to decide whether to authorize charter schools,” said Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, chair of ICPE–Monroe County. “Charter schools are taxpayer-supported and take money away from our school corporations, so only state and local officials answerable to the public should be able to authorize them.”

On its web site, Grace College and Seminary describes itself as an evangelical Christian institution which applies biblical values to its educational mission, emphasizes a biblical worldview, and teaches students to recognize scripture as the inerrant and inspired Word of God.

The complaint asserts that permitting an evangelical institution to review Seven Oaks’ proposed curriculum and decide whether to authorize a charter violates the federal constitutional principle of separation of church and state. Indiana law does not provide criteria or standards for reviewing a charter application, evaluating the educational quality of the proposal, or ensuring that religious criteria are not used as the basis for approval. The decision to authorize a charter is not reviewable by state officials.

The complaint also challenges a provision in state law that gives up to 3% of a charter school’s public funds to the authorizer—in this case, Grace College and Seminary. “That would seem to violate the Indiana constitution, which says flatly that no money may be drawn from the treasury for the benefit of any religious institution,” said lead attorney Alex Tanford, professor emeritus at Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Seven Oaks Classical School’s application for a charter was vigorously contested in Monroe County, in part because of its affiliation with the Barney Charter School Initiative from Hillsdale College, a nonsectarian Christian institution in Michigan. Founding board members of Seven Oaks applied unsuccessfully for a charter two times to the Indiana Charter School Board, in the summer of 2014 and again in the spring of 2015. They then took the application to Grace College and Seminary, which approved their charter in January, 2016. Seven Oaks began operating as a school in September, 2016.

When students leave their public school districts for a charter school, the districts lose money. “School funding is based on a per-pupil formula, so if the number of students goes down, the schools receive less money,” said Fuentes-Rohwer. The problem is that expenses do not go down proportionately. “It’s not like all the students going to Seven Oaks came from the same school so we could save money by closing it,” she said. “When one or two students leave a classroom, we still need the same teacher and still use the same electricity. There is just less money to pay for it, and programs begin to suffer.”

“Our membership cares deeply about the future of public schools in Indiana,” said Fuentes-Rohwer. “By tradition, public schools are open to all, serve as community centers, are a key democratic institution answerable to the public, and provide an inclusive forum where kids of all abilities, ethnicities, religions, viewpoints and socioeconomic backgrounds get to know each other. Charter schools and vouchers undermine this critical role that public schools play in our society. They divide us and facilitate isolation from different views, and should not be taxpayer funded.”

In Indiana, various entities can authorize charters, including local school boards, the Indiana Charter School Board, the mayor of Indianapolis, and public and private colleges. There is no limit on the number of times that a school’s organizers can apply for a charter.

###

For further information about the lawsuit, please contact Alex Tanford at 812-332-4966 or tanfordlegal@gmail.com. To learn more about ICPE–Monroe County, go to http://www.icpe-monroecounty.org/ or contact the organization’s chair, Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, at 812-320-4400.

The complaint can be viewed online at http://www.icpe-monroecounty.org/complaint.html.

Categories Education Reform

Alexandra Miletta: My Student Passed the EdTPA, and She Hates It

By dianeravitch
April 28, 2017 //
21

Alexandra Miletta is a teacher educator at Mercy College in New York City. She sent me this essay written by one of her student teachers about her experiences with the Pearson-owned EdPTA.

For reasons unknown to most people, many states have adopted the Pearson EdTPA and made it a requirement for entry into the teaching profession. Some teacher educators like it, some hate it.

Those who hate it realize that Pearson has taken control of the decision about whether future teachers are truly prepared and has reduced teacher education to a Pearson-created rubric. In essence, teacher certification has been outsourced to Pearson. ETS wants in on the action, and it is now pilot-testing its competitor test called NOTE, with avatar students.

Miletta hopes that the essay by Melina Melanovic goes viral.

The point of the essay is that Pearson now owns the teacher education process, and its exam creates enormous anxiety.

The essay begins like this:

EDTPA! Where should I begin? How about the handbook? The handbook is a great place to begin because the handbook is where the anxiety starts. A teacher candidate might have heard about the edTPA in passing, I know I have. However, the reality of what is being asked of a teacher candidate only becomes real once the handbook is read, and though you feel like student teaching is the completion of this long journey, it is only the beginning. The first time I read the handbook I remember feeling overwhelmed. I thought how would I be able to complete this much work in a seven-week placement? Will my cooperating teachers understand? How will I get to know these kids in a short amount of time in order to plan, teach, and assess during this learning segment? To be honest, if you are dedicated enough it is possible. It is possible to finish the edTPA in about two months. I would say on average I spent three hours a day on edTPA for 60 days. That is only the amount of time I spent working on the edTPA, but not the amount of time I spent thinking about the edTPA. I even had people around me such as co-workers, and family members that are not teachers, being informed about edTPA because of my constant talking about it. They kept asking, “Why do you want to be a teacher again?” It is important to not let edTPA take that away from you, the reason why you are becoming a teacher! Always keep the end goal in mind.

Categories Pearson, Teacher Education

Gary Rubenstein: Did KIPP Game the U.S. News & World Report High School Rankings?

By dianeravitch
April 28, 2017 //
22

If you have ever wondered about the validity of the U.S. News & World Report rankings of high schools, you will enjoy reading Gary Rubinstein’s explanation of how the rankings are calculated. This year, 34 of the top 100 high schools, according to U.S. News, are charter schools. Readers of this blog know how assiduous many charter schools are in choosing their students and in getting rid of the low performers. Without information about attrition, it is hard to know what to make of these rankings.

Gary teaches at Stuyvesant High School, which is an extremely difficult school to gain admission to. Incoming students must pass a rigorous exam and must receive very high scores. Yet one of the New York City KIPP high schools was ranked higher than Stuyvesant.

This piqued Gary’s curiosity, and he looked closely at the KIPP data. What he discovered might surprise you. If nothing else, it will persuade you–as it did me–that the U.S. News rankings are baloney.

Categories Charter Schools, Hoax

Bill Quigley: Outraged Students and Parents in New Orleans Blast Charter School System

By dianeravitch
April 28, 2017 //
18

Bill Quigley, associate director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a law professor at Loyola University at New Orleans, reports on a hearing held by the NAACP where students and parents in the New Orleans charter school system expressed their anger at the segregated and unequal education provided to black students.

As he puts it, everything that is wrong with the New Orleans charter schools was on full display.

He writes:

“We really wanted to share what happens in our schools” writes 18 year old Big Sister Love Rush in an article on the challenges the students face. “How the few permanent teachers we have work so hard for us, how so many classes are ran by short term substitutes, how food runs out at meal times, and how we worry if our school’s reputation is good enough to support us in getting into the college or careers we want. We shared how we face two hour commutes to and from school, are forced to experiment with digital learning with systems like Odyssey, are punished for having the wrong color sweater, or how we worry about being able to attend a school that will give us the education we need.”

In summary, the NAACP heard that they charter system remains highly segregated by race and economic status. Students have significantly longer commutes to and from school. The percentage of African American teachers has declined dramatically leaving less experienced teachers who are less likely to be accredited and less likely to remain in the system. The costs of administration have gone up while resources for teaching have declined. Several special select schools have their own admission process which results in racially and economically different student bodies. The top administrator of one K-12 system of three schools is paid over a quarter of a million dollars. Students with disabilities have been ill served. Fraud and mismanagement, which certainly predated the conversion to charter schools, continue to occur. Thousands of students are in below average schools. Students and parents feel disempowered and ignored by the system.

The changeover from public schools to charter schools began with the mass firing of every teacher and the elimination of their union. The experienced teachers were replaced by Teach for America. The proportion of black teachers in the classroom fell from 3/4 to 1/2.

New Orleans now spends more on administration and less on teaching than they did before Katrina. One charter school executive, who oversees one K-12 school on three campuses, was paid $262,000 in 2014. At least 62 other charter execs made more than $100,000. This compares with the salary of $138,915 for the superintendent of all the public schools in Baton Rouge.

Admissions have been dramatically changed. In the new system, there is no longer any right to attend the neighborhood school. 86% no longer attend the school closest to their homes. Siblings do not automatically go to the same school, and no one is guaranteed a spot at their local school. Many families are frustrated by the admission process.

Seven select high performing schools do not use the system wide application process, called ONE APP. The “lotteries” run by these super select schools are not transparent but complex screening devices. The most selective, highest performing, and well-funded charter schools have many more white children attending them than the system as a whole as a result of special non-transparent admission processes. This is so well known that a local newspaper article headlined its article about some of the schools as “How 3 top New Orleans public schools keep students out.”

This special admission process has significant racial impact. Most white students in public schools attend selective public schools that administer special tests that students must pass to be enrolled. Tulane University reported the charter system in New Orleans remains highly segregated in much the same way as before Katrina. This seems to be reflective in schools across the country where the charter school movement has been charged with re-segregating public schools. One select New Orleans charter school, Lusher, reported its student body was 53% white, 21% economically disadvantaged and 4% special education in comparison to the overall system which is 7% white, 85% economically disadvantaged and 11% special education.

Another result of eliminating neighborhood schools is New Orleans students now have nearly double the commute and the system is paying $30 million to bus students compared to $18 million before Katrina. Dr. Raynard Sanders notes the elimination of neighborhood schools can be observed in the early morning hours. “We now have thousands of children beginning their school day travel at 6:15 and ending at 5:15 PM, with many students spending hours or more traveling to and from school. This insane strategy puts kids in harms way daily as students cross major thoroughfares in the early morning hours, which resulted in one five year old’s death to date. Despite numerous complaints from parents stating they want neighborhood schools state education officials have ignored their cries and continue this dangerous daily student migration.”

What was unusual about this hearing was that it featured the voices of students and parents, not experts and foundation executives.

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, New Orleans, Privatization, Segregation, Special Education, Teach for America

Alabama: Federal Judge Permits White City to Secede from School District, Despite Racial Motivation

By dianeravitch
April 28, 2017 //
17

The resegregation of American schools got a boost from a federal judge in Alabama, who ruled that a mostly white city was allowed to secede from a school district that was desegregated, even though she acknowledged that the motive was to restore racial segregation.

A federal judge’s ruling this week that allows a predominantly white Alabama city to separate from its more diverse school district is stoking new debate about the fate of desegregation initiatives after decades of efforts to promote racial balance in public education.

Judge Madeline Haikala of the U.S. District Court in Birmingham ruled that the city of Gardendale’s effort to break away was motivated by race and sent messages of racial inferiority and exclusion that “assail the dignity of black schoolchildren.”

She also found that Gardendale failed to meet its legal burden to prove that its separation would not hinder desegregation in Jefferson County, which has been struggling to integrate its schools since black parents first sued for an equal education for their children in the 1960s.

Still, Haikala ruled Monday that Gardendale may move forward with the secession, basing her decision in part on sympathy for some parents who want local control over schools and in part on concern for black students caught in the middle. The judge wrote that she feared they would bear the blame if she blocked the city’s bid.

U.W. Clemon, who represents black plaintiffs in the case, said the ruling undermines more than half a century of integration efforts. “If this decision stands, it will have a tremendous adverse impact,” Clemon said.

An Alabama town voted to get its own school district. This is why opponents call it segregation. Play Video1:26
Gardendale, a small suburb of Birmingham, Ala., has been on a crusade for several years to create an independent school system. This is why the city’s efforts have civil rights and local officials concerned about segregation. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)
Other majority-white communities in Jefferson County are already considering setting up their own school systems, said Clemon, who is a retired federal judge.

Haikala’s ruling says to them that “if Gardendale can do it, with its history of racism . . . then any other city would have the right to do what Gardendale has done,” Clemon said.

The Justice Department under Obama opposed Gardendale’s effort to secede from the district. The Trump Justice Department has thus far had no comment. Wonder what Attorney General Sessions will say. Wonder what the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will say.

Has the Great Retreat begun?

Categories Alabama, Race, Segregation

What DeVos Said About Evaluation of D.C. Voucher Program

By dianeravitch
April 27, 2017 //
33

A federal evaluation of the D.C. voucher program came up with negative results. Students in elementary schools who participated saw their scores drop, a finding similar to recent studies in Louisiana, Indiana, and Ohio.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/federal-study-of-dc-voucher-program-finds-negative-impact-on-student-achievement/2017/04/27/e545ef28-2536-11e7-bb9d-8cd6118e1409_story.html

What did Betsy DeVos say?

“DeVos defended the D.C. program, saying it is part of an expansive school-choice market in the nation’s capital that includes a robust public charter school sector.


“When school choice policies are fully implemented, there should not be differences in achievement among the various types of schools,” she said in a statement. She added that the study found that parents “overwhelmingly support” the voucher program “and that, at the same time, these schools need to improve upon how they serve some of D.C.’s most vulnerable students.”

So her assumption is that voucher programs are not likely to have better outcomes than public schools. Students who are performing poorly in public schools will perform poorly in voucher or charter schools. As long as parents are satisfied, that’s it. Reform.

That’s quite a theory of action. Or inaction.

Categories Accountability, Betsy DeVos, District of Columbia, Education Industry, Privatization, Vouchers

Calling Campbell Brown! Sexual Abuse at Elite Boarding Schools!

By dianeravitch
April 27, 2017 //
17

Campbell Brown first became an education “reformer” in 2012 when she discovered that there were teachers in the New York City public schools who had been accused of inappropriate sexual contact with students. They were in the so-called “rubber room,” awaiting a hearing, and she wanted to know why they had not been fired outright. She concluded that the union was protecting sexual predators. Since then, she has gone on to became one of the faces of “reform,” attacking tenure, unions, and public schools and promoting charters and vouchers. And of course, she pals around with Betsy DeVos, who has helped to fund Campbell Brown’s website; and Brown, in turn, was on the board of the American Federation for Children, DeVos’s organization that lobbies for charters and vouchers.

But, lo!

The New York Times revealed that there is a practice at elite boarding school of covering up instances of sexual misconduct by teachers. When they are asked to leave, they move on to another private school or even to a public school, with no one the wiser. This is known, says the article, as “passing the trash.”

Davis Guggenheim, in his mendacious film “Waiting for Superman,” said that ineffective teachers were shifted to other public schools, in what is known as “the dance of the lemons.” If he ever gets around to writing about elite boarding schools, he might take a look at “passing the trash.”

Since the elite private schools don’t have unions or tenure, whom shall we blame for this indifference to the well-being of students in their care?

Categories Accountability, Scandal, Students

“Smarter Balanced” Common Core Test Finds a New Home

By dianeravitch
April 27, 2017 //
10

If you recall, I posted a visit to the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium at UCLA and there was no one home, just empty offices and empty bookshelves.

But happily, SBAC has found a new home: the University of California at Santa Cruz. This is a strange marriage because I remember visiting Santa Cruz and discovering it to be the least likely place in the world to house an agency for standardized testing. It was the most non-standardized, singular, individualistic campus I have ever visited. It is the campus of the Free Spirit. At that time–maybe 15 years ago, there was a Department of the History of Consciousness. I think there still is. What an odd marriage this is. Maybe SBAC might make ties with that department and turn the testing into something new and enthralling.

According to Politico Pro:

UC Santa Cruz is taking over as the fiscal agent for the Smarter Balanced test consortium, the two announced today.

The university’s work with the consortium begins immediately and will be conducted by its UCSC Silicon Valley Extension. In its new role, the university will provide administrative support in human resources, financial resources, purchasing and other areas.

Smarter Balanced is a public agency that developed a Common Core-aligned test used in 15 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and by the Bureau of Indian Education.

It, along with PARCC, was one of two testing consortia started with the help of federal funds. Both have lost support from some states in recent years amid political discourse over the Common Core standards and standardized testing.

In October, UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies said it would not renew its contract to do the work with Smarter Balanced. And the three-year deal between Smarter Balanced and UCLA ends June 30.

“We are excited to partner with UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Extension,” said Tony Alpert, the director of Smarter Balanced. “UCSC Silicon Valley Extension is in the heart of one of our nation’s most innovative regions. We see this as a true partnership where we will both benefit from each other’s expertise.”

Lynda Rogers, dean of the extension, said its mission includes supporting K-12 education with high-quality curriculum and supports for educators.

“It was clear to us that the Smarter Balanced mission and the Division of Continuing Education are aligned,” Rogers said.

To view online:
https://www.politicopro.com/education/whiteboard/2017/04/uc-sant-cruz-to-partner-with-smarter-balanced-testing-consortium-086850

Categories Accountability, Common Core, Testing

DeVos’s American Federation for Children Runs TV Ads in Arizona, Thanking Governor for Voucher Expansion

By dianeravitch
April 27, 2017 //
20

When Betsy DeVos piously explains that she is wild for “great public schools,” please remember that she has spent most of her life advocating for alternatives to public schools. Can anyone recall her advocating for any public schools?

The group she founded and funded, American Federation for Children, just ran TV ads in Arizona thanking Governor Doug Ducey and his allies in the legislature for expanding the state’s voucher program, which will allow public funds to flow to religious and private schools.

AFC never loses an opportunity to support anything but public schools. It won’t be happy until every child in the nation attends a religious or private schools. It is never a friend of public education.

Categories Arizona, Betsy DeVos, Vouchers
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »