They say given the number of school closures, including 11 schools opened under his watch, the mayor has failed the citys school kids, especially blacks and Latinos.

The group dubbed him Mayor 13 Percent because they say thats the percentage of black and Latino students that are college-ready.

Instead of really dealing with the issues, the obstacles to education, the mayor decides to hide behind this whole principle of accountability where instead of actually being in the business of educating, were in the business of shuffling around children, said parent Fred Baptiste.

Thirteen what? 13 percent. Not acceptable in anyones standard, said City Councilman Robert Jackson.

The Department of Education disputes the report, saying, in part, “As a major study this week showed, black and Hispanic students since 2002 have seen historic increases in graduation, college-readiness, and college enrollment rates, precisely because the city replaced large, failing high schools with new small schools.

]]> http://www.dosfreemoney.org/index.php/2012/02/05/protesters-slam-bloombergs-education-policies/feed/ 0 http://www.dosfreemoney.org/index.php/2012/02/03/house-democrats-press-parnell-on-education-fixes/ http://www.dosfreemoney.org/index.php/2012/02/03/house-democrats-press-parnell-on-education-fixes/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:49:34 +0000 admin http://www.dosfreemoney.org/index.php/2012/02/03/house-democrats-press-parnell-on-education-fixes/ JUNEAU — Four House Democrats convened to highlight education bills and criticize Gov. Sean Parnells priorities while the Senate Education Committee met Friday to discuss a bill that would increase funding for school districts.

House Democratic Leader Beth Kerttula said education is too low on Parnells list of priorities. Parnell has dismissed that criticism as pure politics.

The debate at the forefront is whether to increase the Base Student Allocation, which gives school districts a set amount of money for each student enrolled, and by how much.

The Education Committee was considering SB 171, which would increase the amount each year from the current $5,680 to $6,070 starting July 1, 2014. It is sponsored by co-chairs Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage, and Joe Thomas, D-Fairbanks.

The idea is to provide budgets of more than a year and to keep funding increases on pace with inflation. Parnell has said hes open to discussing ways to help school districts meet costs but has problems with increases in formula programs.

Meanwhile, Rep. Pete Petersen outlined HB 143, which would automatically adjust state funding based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, a federal measure of changes in the cost of goods and services.

Petersen cited the states budget surplus and the merit-based scholarship program Parnell signed into law last year, which rewards students for completing a tougher curriculum.

How are the school districts going to offer that curriculum if they dont have the funding and the resources to do it? he said.

Rep. Les Gara touted a bill Friday that would reduce interest rates by 3 percent on student loans if graduates of college and vocational programs remain in or return to Alaska. Money is too often a barrier to college and success in Alaska and HB 272 would halt the brain drain of college graduates from the state, Gara said.

If you want to bring your jobs skills back, which we need for our economy, we will help you and we will reduce your (Alaska student) loan rate, he said.

Another bill discussed was Rep. Chris Tucks Parents as Teachers legislation, HB 49, which would provide training to parents modeled after a service provided on military bases in Alaska.

Parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children, Tuck said. Unfortunately, right now our children are entering into kindergarten two years behind in literacy and reading.

He said the plan was voluntary but would help bridge that gap and set Alaska children on a track for success.

Other proposals under consideration would provide state funding for children from low-income and lower-middle-class backgrounds to attend preschool. A hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee highlighted a range of correlations between preschool attendance and crime rates, future income and teenage pregnancy.

This is a fight worth having, she said Jan. 19. Let me be very direct with you. I will never back down from anything that has to do with our children.

But now shes citing that same passion as a reason for not seeking re-election, saying the fight may be too political with her Republican opponents.

The decision has local advocates paying attention

Our belief is regardless of who the governor is, that they must make education a top priority, Bill Anderson said.

Anderson is the executive director at Meck-Ed, a non-partisan education group in Charlotte.

He said it is in everyones best interest for students to succeed.

State graduation rates since Perdue took office in 2008 show a steady increase from 71.8 percent in the first year to 77.7 percent last year.

But Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools get more than half of their money from the state. Since 2009, the districts budget has been reduced by nearly $200 million, costing CMS more than 2,000 jobs.

The economy took its toll, but Perdue blamed some cuts on Republicans, as did Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

Its hard to make progress when youre faced in the wrong direction, he said

Dalton has already announced his plans to run for governor now that Perdue is leaving the post.

Anderson said his group and parents will be watching the race closely.

We cant worry about whats happened in the past, Anderson said. We have to worry about today, and tomorrow and the election thats upcoming.

Now, the semester’s over. The exams have been taken, the homework’s been turned in, computers logged off and pencils set down. How’d it all turn out? Thrun spoke recently at the Digital Life Design conference about he and Norvig’s experience. As you’ll see, his students weren’t the only ones with much to learn.

Online, the course went viral. Over 100,000 people enrolled in the initial weeks. By the time the lessons began Thrun and Norvig were instructors for a class size of 160,000. With students all over the world, they enlisted the help of some 2,000 volunteer translators to translate the classes into 44 different languages. Discussion groups were set up on social networks like Facebook so students could help each other, forming what Thrun called an “entire counterculture.”

Thrun also proudly pointed out that he was teaching more students than all the students of Stanford.

The lessons themselves were very simple – at least in method if not in content. Material was explained by Thrun and Norvig as they drew on sheets of paper. Kind of like the overhead projector lessons before the days of Powerpoint, except the online students could interact with the drawings. Rather than simply lecturing to the student and asking them to regurgitate the information on exams, the online format allowed for constant quizzing. Students would be asked a question then answer it by clicking or entering values right on the drawings. They wanted the student to actively think, be constantly challenged and given constant feedback.

The flexibility that this format offers is immediately clear. If the student misses a point or doesn’t quite understand, he or she can rewind, watch it again. Get the quiz wrong, just take it again…and again if you have to.

Until you get it right.

He works 12-hour days at a farm outside the city while his wife, Claudia, cares for their four children. When seasonal work is done here, hes on the move, looking for another job.

Its a lifestyle thats taken the family around Mexico, California and now, Idaho. And it has taken its toll on the children.

Patti ODell, associate superintendent for the Twin Falls School District, says students of migrant workers are among Idahos most at-risk student populations since their education is frequently interrupted.

Sometimes we lose kids along the way, she said.

Although following the work has been a struggle for the Gutierrez family, theyve been able to receive services through the school districts migrant education program. Migrant liaisons helped the family get a computer its two school-aged children use for their school work. The children also receive extra academic help and tutoring.

While families who qualify for migrant services are connected with community resources ranging from food and medical assistance to translation services, meeting strict federal mandates isnt easy.

And despite Twin Falls growing population of migrant students, ODell says many people remain unaware of their presence in the community.

About 261 migrant students enrolled at Twin Falls public schools during the 2010-11 school year. That ranked the district third in the state, behind only Vallivue (in Caldwell) and Cassia County districts.

There arent quite as many students enrolled now in Twin Falls — about 144 — since its not the peak agricultural season.

The largest population of Twin Falls migrant students, 63, attends Oregon Trail Elementary School. Thats mainly because two migrant housing complexes — El Milagro and Colonia de Colores — are in the southern Twin Falls schools attendance area.

The school is also the home base from which Abby Montano, district migrant liaison coordinator, travels to work with students and their families at different elementary schools.

For decades, TFSD had only one liaison. This year, though, that changed. The district added middle school liaison Vicky Fajardo and high school liaison Lucinda Padilla. ODell says their addition has allowed services to be more focused toward each school level.

Its making a difference already, she said.

Funding for the new positions came from federal migrant education money. This year, the district is receiving $187,106.

The Gutierrez family lives in a small brick apartment in the Colonia de Colores migrant housing project, only minutes from Oregon Trail Elementary.

On a recent morning while both parents were home, Claudia bounced 11-month-old Agustine on her lap while 4-year-old Eduardo played a game. The two older children — Jose Jesus, 15, and Melissa, 13 — were at school.

Claudia and Jose Juan Gutierrez, who speak Spanish as their primary language, shared their thoughts on the migrant student program through Padillas interpretation.

Claudia says shes grateful for the program and its helped the family while they were struggling. Although moving for work is hard on her children, theyre strong enough to adapt and find friends. Its a little harder for them to keep their grades up, though, she said.

The older children like to play sports, but cant join any teams since their father is the only one who has access to a car. Plus, its hard to find enough money to pay for activity fees.

Padilla knows firsthand about the challenges migrant families face. As a child, her family traveled from their hometown in Texas for seasonal work. They moved to different states, including Idaho for the potato harvest.

In Murtaugh, migrant students make up about 20 percent of students enrolled in the 250-student school district.

Superintendent Michele Capps said the number of students receiving services, though, has started to drop.

Our percentage used to actually be a lot higher, she said.

Now, a lot of families dont qualify for services since theyre choosing to settle in one location.

Migrant funds are really restrictive, ODell said. Liaisons talk to families to determine whether their children qualify for migrant status.

The Idaho State Department of Education defines a migrant student as a child who is, or whose parent, spouse or guardian is, a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher who, in the preceding 36 months, in order to accompany or join such parent, spouse, or guardian who is a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher has moved from one school district or another.

In Jerome, the pre-recession number of migrant students was on the decline, as steady work was more readily available. But that trend started to change in 2007.

We saw some increased mobility due to the economy, said Clark Muscat, federal programs director for the Jerome School District.

The district currently has about 90 enrolled migrant students and only one migrant liaison. But the state funds one regional liaison, based in Jerome, who works with nine area school districts.

In order to help manage the caseload, Jerome School District has a designated manager for migrant students at each of its schools.

Part of their responsibility is to be aware of the migrant students in their building and to manage those extra points of support they may need, Muscat said.

The goal of migrant student programs is to make sure students needs are met, whether academic or otherwise.

We want migrant students to have every opportunity that a regular student has, ODell said.

Christine Brown, federal programs director for the Cassia County School District, said the first step is to make sure students basic needs are taken care of, such as having warm clothing and school supplies.

The next step is to work with students to meet their educational needs. The school district, like many others, offers preschool, summer school and after-school programs.

Recently, we started purchasing bilingual preschool materials to help them be a little more prepared for when they start school, Brown said.

As migrant students progress through the grades, services are tailored accordingly.

In the Twin Falls School District, for instance, federal migrant money has been used to fund high school students college visits.

A lot of students didnt know they could continue their education, Padilla said. Now, theyre getting more excited.

One challenge, ODell says, is that parents of migrants students often dont speak English fluently, and thus struggle to help their children with homework or college applications.

Its a familiar situation for the Guzman family, which includes four children enrolled in Twin Falls schools. Both parents are agricultural workers.

Lizabeth, 16 and Jose, 15, go to Canyon Ridge High School. Miguel, who turns 13 this month, attends Robert Stuart Middle School and Chelsea, 8, goes to Oregon Trail Elementary.

Their mother, Bertha Guzman, has worked for Seneca Food Corp. in Buhl for 15 years. She said the migrant program has been a great help for her family. Liaisons make sure her children arent falling behind in school.

Her youngest daughter, Chelsea, is reading now. At her home near Oregon Trail Elementary, Guzman pulled out a folder with her daughters work, including handwritten vocabulary words.

Padilla is helping Guzmans older children think about future opportunities such as college.

Its an opportunity Guzman didnt have. In addition to working for Seneca, she also worked in bean fields for 14 years, but didnt get called back this year. Now, shes unemployed, but recently applied for a job at the Chobani Greek yogurt production plant coming to Twin Falls.

Guzman says strong family ties keep her going. Her oldest daughter, Lizabeth, has helped with tasks such as laundry since she was a child. Her son Miguel loves cooking dinner for the family — especially enchiladas.

And Guzman is committed to helping her children get a good education __ the primary goal of the migrant education program.

The only way to break the cycle of poverty in America is education, ODell said.

___

Information from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com

The announcement was trumpeted as a Liberal Democrat victory over the Tory obsession with market mechanisms. This weekend, that reassurance looks a little hollow.

Last week the education secretary, Michael Gove, gave the green light to Breckland Middle School in Suffolk to be renamed IES Breckland and run under a £21m, 10-year contract by Swedish for-profit firm Internationella Engelska Skolan (IES). The introduction of a profit-seeking company into the management of the school is allowed because of a technicality: the founder of the school is a charitable trust that has decided to outsource the entirety of the management to a fee-charging company – whose global business has a turnover of £60m a year, earning profits of £5m, according to analysis by the Adam Smith Institute.

The development is set to open the floodgates. Today the Observer can reveal that for-profit firms, encouraged by what is happening at Breckland, now plan to run more schools in what promises to be a watershed in British education. The Observer has learned that:

? Two Swedish companies, IES and Kunskapsskolan – a similarly sized Swedish firm that already runs three academies on a not-for-profit basis – now aspire to manage chains of between five and 10 free schools on a fee-earning basis to create economies of scale.

? Wey Education, one of the unsuccessful bidders for the Breckland contract, told the stock exchange in December that a market opportunity brought about by the deconstruction of the education function within local authorities offers a clear potential to make a substantial return to investors and improve education in the UK.

? The same firm, run by Zenna Atkins, the former chair of Ofsted, hopes to make an impact in a positive way on the lives of 250,000 children over the next five years, while Weys broker forecasts a turnover of £17.5m by 2014 and a £9.9m bottom line, through providing services in the UK and abroad.

? A shares prospectus for that firm spells out that current teaching methods, allocation of resources, wastage and inefficiencies create [an] opportunity to deliver education at a lower cost and provide a financial return.

A senior Lib Dem source has admitted to the Observer: We didnt foresee this. But while it is clear that profit-making companies are now set to play a key role in the UKs education system – via the back door, critics claim – the question is whether that is a bad thing.

It is undoubtedly true that the private sector has long been a part of the fabric of the state school system. Under Labour, the rationale – largely borrowed from America and its philanthropic culture – was that private money could revitalise a cash-starved system. The private sector invested in schools, took over the provision of local authority services and built and managed buildings through the controversial private finance initiative. The charitable sector was even allowed to manage state-funded academy schools, a limited programme at that stage designed to help failing schools or those in underprivileged areas to raise theirstandards.

In a handful of cases – for example, Turin Grove school in Edmonton, north London, and the Priory school in Taunton, Somerset, a school for pupils with special educational needs – profit-making companies Edison Learning and Lilac Sky Schools were given short-term £1m contracts and permission to take a profit if they managed to lift the failing institutions. The results were impressive and the schools improved.

However, this time there is a difference in scale thanks to the extent of Goves reforms: 45% of all state maintained secondary schools are now academies or about to convert, and there are now 1,529 academies in England, compared with 200 when the coalition came to power. In these changed circumstances, the involvement of the for-profit sector – taking advantage of the breaking down of local authority control, supervision and services – is set to explode.

And despite Cleggs rhetoric, there is ample evidence that Gove is supporting such a revolution, not least by establishing a new government framework of companies pre-authorised to offer project management and educational services for a fee.

James Grew from Policy Exchange, the thinktank at which Gove was formerly chairman, says he will publish research next month that challenges the opposition to profit-making in the schools sector, citing efficiencies and results enjoyed abroad.

Those involved certainly insist they have philanthropic aims and that the money they may make is an irrelevance when measured against the benefits they hope to bring.

Atkins, who earns £100,000 a year in her role at Wey Education, says she is working with seven potential founders of free schools and hopes to help them to manage their establishments once they are set up – at least in part because of the daunting nature of the task. Parents and governors, she says, having created an academy, may realise they dont have the capacity and they dont have the risk appetite, because you have to have a big one to take everything on their shoulders and they want to contract that out – thats my business.

She is aware of the resentment in some quarters against the for-profit sectors involvement in schools, but believes that the issue of money-making is a red herring because any profit is only taken when efficiencies are made. The only judgment, she insists, should be whether the model works.

Profit becomes a real issue if you control price, she said. If you dont control price, as you dont in this instance, profit is irrelevant because the price is fixed.

The only thing that is relevant is quality. You need to judge schools on how they operate, not on whether the operator is making 5% profit, because you dont care.

If that 5% profit is making a far better school than one that is not making a profit or is making a bloody loss, you are interested in quality.

She added: There are real risks with the private sector getting involved in state school education and there are real opportunities. And I think the trick is backing the right private sector organisation.

Steve Bolingbroke, managing director of Kunskapsskolan, added: I have a problem with the phrase for-profit thatis used. I dont think we or anyone else in the market is interested in slicing 10% of the cost of a school. That is just a cost cut. We are interested in investing in schools and if we get good results and get lots of people to come to them then we might leverage a return on our investment.

And the way to make that return is to make sure the schools are full, popular and run a number of them to ensure you make efficiencies across the schools.

Jodie King, the UK manager at IES, says her company will be scrupulously fair in assessing the fees it will charge for Breckland, and that IES is in talks with a further two free school groups over running their institutions for fees – but the firm has greater ambitions.

It would be nice to go to one trust who, if they had 10 schools across the UK, we could go through procurement to have those 10 schools, she said. It is what we are exploring.

But, while being insistent that her company is in the sector for the right reasons, she hints at the dangers of the new model, which sets up autonomous schools run by for-profit companies competing for pupils through results.

It is awful, but we kind of have to accept failure more than we do at the moment. So if a school does fail because of its results, then that is right that it should fail – it should not be kept going at all costs. Yes, it is awful at that time for that year group, but surely the next year will be better for them rather than saying we are going to forsake the next five years of that childs education. So if there is an awful company out there, then they should be allowed to fail and then someone else can take over.

It is the consequences of failure on a childs education that concern critics of the for-profit sector. Christine Keates from the teachers union NASUWT says she is so suspicious of the governments agenda that she believes detailed figures released last week on the revenues of state schools in England were merely designed to tempt private companies looking for investments.

She said: They are publishing financial information about schools which is supposed to give parents choice, but actually all of this is about getting the public sector, and education in particular, in a position where it is an attractive option to private companies in terms of taking over and running schools, or in terms of providing services.

Our concern is that a lot of the private companies coming in, particularly now the secretary of state has said they can be profit-making, are completely changing the ethos of why people get involved in education. If you are in the private sector, you are looking for a contract that is going to maximise your profits. When it is no longer financially lucrative, who picks up the fallout from that?

The Department for Education disputes Keatess claims over the statistics. Of Breckland School, a spokesman said that the free schools charitable trust has decided that it wants to draw on the expertise of an established education company, with a proven track record of running good schools. This is not the same as the free-school proposers making a profit themselves.

He added: The charitable trust will manage the contract and hold the contractor to account, and will be fully responsible and in control over what happens in the school.

Its a topic – buoyed by declining school test scores – that has initiated comprehensive structural changes in several states, with many more eyeing the developments.

Speaking at the Louisiana Press Association luncheon in West Monroe Thursday, Jindal, recently sworn in for his second term, said childrens future and the economic prosperity of the state are at stake.

The way forward is for more choices. Our children grow up only once, Jindal said.

A contingent of representatives from Bastrop attended the luncheon, including Morehouse Police Jury President Terry Matthews, Bastrop-Morehouse Chamber of Commerce Director Dorothy Ford and its board of directors president, the Rev. Chad Ballard.

They, along with about 500 guests, heard Jindal speak on three basic educational areas his administration is focusing on revamping, including:

* Fostering equal educational opportunities for families.

* Re-assessing teacher effectiveness and salaries.

* Enabling school-system administrators to spend tax dollars in innovative, effective ways on the local level.

Jindal cited previous speeches by members of Congress and President Obama that emphasize that its the right of all children to receive a quality education – and not one predicated on race, background or zip code.

Many families move to locations where the schools are good, others send their children to private schools. Good for them, he said. But the reality is that too many families dont have those choices because they cant afford to relocate. Parents should not be trapped in a (poor performing) school district.

In response, the governor wants the legislature to give families more access to school vouchers, the formation of more charter schools, more business, online and university-led courses, and a loosening of restrictions that inhibit families ability to transfer to other districts.

He spoke at length about studies that have revealed how much the impact of a teacher can make or break a students future and aggregate income level.

According to studies, an effective fourth-grade teacher can affect whether a student goes on to college and decrease the chances of teenage pregnancies, he said.

He said more efforts are needed to eliminate the gratuitous bureaucratic paperwork that teachers tackle every school year.

Making structural changes that could replace less effective teachers with proven quality teachers is likely to draw criticism from teachers unions due to the current tenure policy, Jindal acknowledged.

Some will argue for the status quo, but now is the time to realize the need for change, he said.

With regards to localizing decision-making, Jindal said that while there are school districts facing problems, the ones that are working well in both flourishing areas and in impoverished areas all have one common denominator. They are innovative.

We must do what we can so schools can do more independently, including giving them flexibility, Jindal said.