Return to Education Report Index | Return to VBE Index | Vermonters for Better Education Homepage
..
..
..
..
www.SchoolReport.com
Vermonters
for Better Education
Return
to Education Report Index | Return to VBE
Index | Vermonters for Better Education
Homepage
________________________________________ THE VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT
March 13, 2006 - Vol. 6, No. 11
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Covering education news in Vermont and beyond...
Informative, provocative, unique...
Published by Vermonters for Better Education
VBE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to enlist parents and the public at large in achieving quality educational opportunities for all the children of Vermont by monitoring the state of education in Vermont; promoting the value of educational freedoms for all parents; and giving parents the evaluative tools with which to identify excellence. Libby Sternberg, executive director: VTBetterEd@aol.com
NEWS & ANALYSIS...TOWNS SAY: STICK TO EDUCATION LAW'S "INTENT"
On Town Meeting Day last week, nearly 120 towns approved nonbinding resolutions that tell their elected representatives to "oppose any use of the state education fund for purposes that are outside the law's original intent."
The resolutions are believed to be prompted by proposals to divert some of the Education Fund's money to other purposes -- including a proposal from the governor to take $14.5 million of the Education Fund's automobile purchase and use tax revenue and put it back into transportation.
These nonbinding resolutions could also send a message about using the Education Fund for unfettered universal prek spending. The Education Fund law (Act 60 and then Act 68) does not specify funding formulas for early education. The law only talks about early education programs for at-risk children using a grant program, not continuous use of the ADM formula. The ADM formula use for universal preK only came about as the result of the un-elected State Board of Education promulgating rules for use of Education Funds in this way. It has generated controversy in recent years as the legislature has sought unsuccessfully to pass an early education law that would codify once and for all this drawdown of Education Funds for universal preschool.
SPEAKING OF TOWNS AND UNIVERSAL PREK
Like Woodstock, the town of Bridgewater passed a nonbinding resolution at their Town Meeting urging elected officials to stay away from funding universal preschool. The resolution read as follows: "To the interested parties in Montpelier, all funds spent on education should be limited to grades K through 12 and pre-K children at risk." It passed unanimously.
HOMESCHOOL BILL HEADS TO SENATE
H.862, a bill affecting homeschoolers, passed the House the week before Town Meeting and now heads over to the Senate. This bill will cut down on the amount of paperwork homeschoolers have to fill out and will ensure that homeschooled children are held to the same standards -- not higher ones -- as public school children. Homeschoolers have been working hard with the Vermont Department of Education on this initiative.
* * *
FROM ELSEWHERE...FROM....The Fordham Foundation
On the web at: http://www.edexcellence.netJUDICIAL SMACKDOWN
The tough-talking judge who decided a school funding case four years ago by ruling that North Carolina law requires high-quality public education, now says he's tired of waiting for consistently lagging high schools to improve.
Judge Howard Manning, Jr., sent a letter to state education officials warning that high schools with less than 55 percent of its students passing state tests for five years or more shouldn't (and won't) be permitted to re-open in fall 2006 "unless principals are replaced."
Manning wrote, "Superintendents and principals have run out of room, and run out of time.... The major problem with these schools lies within the category of school leadership, not money."
According to the Charlotte Observer, this is the first time a judge has demanded a change of leadership in schools and threatened dire consequences (school closings) if no progress is made. The judge's letter caused a predictable uproar among administrators and parents in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district, whose interim superintendent vowed, "We are not shutting down those schools." Say what you may about the perils of judicial activism, but at a time when most states dance around NCLB's requirements to "restructure" persistently failing schools, it's heartening to see a public official take bold action.
Secretary of Education Manning, anyone?
"CMS: Judge's threat goes too far," by Ann Doss Helms and Peter Smolowitz, Charlotte Observer, March 8, 2006 http://www.thestate.com/mld/charlotte/living/education/14044220.htm?source=rss&channel=charlotte_news
"Judge issues schools directive," by Todd Silberman, Raleigh News & Observer, March 4, 2006 http://www.newsobserver.com/146/v-print/story/414160.html
"Judge may close 12 high schools if test scores lag," by Ann Doss Helms and Peter Smolowitz, Charlotte Observer, March 4, 2006 http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/14015565.htm
* * *
MY MOMMA TOLD ME, YOU'D BETTER SHOP AROUND
Low-income African-American families are fleeing Minneapolis public schools en masse, reports Katherine Kersten on the Op-Ed page of the Wall Street Journal. They're following the advice of Louis King, a black leader and former Minneapolis school board member who tells parents frustrated by grossly underperforming schools, "The best way to get attention is not to protest, but to shop somewhere else." Many are "shopping" at charter schools, as evidenced by the more than 300 percent increase in Minneapolis's charter enrollment over the past five years. The Minneapolis school district is certainly feeling the effects. Just under half of the city's school-age children attend district public schools. "You'll have to make big changes to get us back," King tells the school board.
"Don't Protest, Just Shop Somewhere Else," Katherine Kersten, Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2006 (subscription required) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114125788411186941.html?mod=todays_us_opinion
* * *
FROM....The Alliance For School Choice
On the web at: http://www.allianceforschoolchoice.orgWISCONSIN GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL TO INCREASE SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM CAP
Thousands of Milwaukee children will be able to expand their educational opportunities as Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed legislation that will increase the cap on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. The bill also brings strong new accountability to it, and provides funding to help reduce class sizes in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin.
"This is a great day for Wisconsin schoolchildren and for the national school choice movement. This legislation increases substantially the number of children who will be able to realize their dreams even as it improves the program with responsible accountability measures," declared Clint Bolick, president and general counsel of the Phoenix-based Alliance for School Choice, a national nonpartisan policy organization that supports expanded educational options for disadvantaged schoolchildren.
The cap on the Milwaukee Parental School Choice Program will be increased by 7,500 - from 15,000 to 22,500 students.
The governor's office describes the other provisions in their release:
Strong Accountability: All schools participating in the choice program will be required to obtain independent accreditation by an outside group such as (but not limited to) the Wisconsin North Central Association, the Wisconsin Religious and Independent Schools Accreditation, the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University, or the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In addition, all choice schools will be required to administer the nationally normed standardized tests such as the Iowa Basics Test. The test scores will be reported to the Legislative Audit Bureau for analysis and also reported to researchers at Georgetown University for use in a longitudinal study of the effectiveness of the program.
Small Class Size Funding: Funding for the SAGE program, which funds smaller classes in public schools for grades K-3, will be increased from $2,000 to $2,250 per student effective in the Fiscal Year 2008 to Fiscal Year 2009 budget. This results in an increase of $25 million statewide, approximately $8 million of which will directly benefit Milwaukee Public Schools.
Eligibility Changes: The agreement eliminates the requirement that a student can participate in the choice program only if they have attended a Milwaukee Public School in the prior year. It also allows families currently in the program to remain eligible even if their income rises above the current limit. While the current limit of 175 percent of the federal poverty level will remain in place for newly enrolling families, children in the program and their siblings will be able to remain as long as their family income does not rise to exceed 220 percent of the federal poverty level.
FROM....The US Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement * * *
STREET SCHOOLS OFFER A PERSONALIZED EDUCATION FOR AT-RISK YOUTH
In the spring of 1985, Tom Tillapaugh, a young educator, opened a school for homeless and at-risk students in Denver, Colorado. The first three graduates, a former street person, a struggling Navy veteran, and a young woman recovering from drug dependency, all earned their high school diplomas in the dining room of a home rented for Mr. Tillapaugh by a caring community member.
The Denver Street School, as it became known, grew into larger facilities and inspired others to start similar schools, the first three of which opened in Fort Collins and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and in Tampa, Florida. By 1996, the four original schools formed the National Association of Street Schools (NASS) and, today, the association has 43 member schools in 27 cities across the country.
All schools within the National Association of Street Schools are built on a faith-based philosophy with instruction delivered in small, personal settings by effective teachers. NASS recommends that participating school campuses enroll no more than 50 to 60 students with class sizes of approximately ten students. The largest NASS member school serves 300 students.
NASS "Street Schools" are private and faith-based, with a philosophy of "access for all." Street Schools enroll students regardless of race, religion, sex, academic standing, or economic status. Students pay tuition to attend NASS member schools on a sliding scale, based on individual ability. Students ages 14 through 20, who struggled with, dropped out of, or were expelled from the public school system may enroll.
Street Schools focus on the holistic development of their students, providing services such as career counseling, self-sufficiency classes, daycare for teenage parents, and Student Outreach Services that help students overcome specific barriers to academic success. These services can include helping students solve transportation problems or access medical care and food and clothing banks. In addition, each student is assigned a "faculty advocate" who is a teacher or staff member who gets to know that student's educational background, family, and living situation. In addition to talking with the student each day during school hours, the advocate is required to contact each student every two weeks outside of school either at lunch, during the evening, or on the weekend. The advocate also updates faculty on his or her student's academic and social progress and helps facilitate college and career planning.
Typically, students who enroll in NASS member schools are significantly behind in their academic development. Once students enter a Street School, teachers administer a series of diagnostic tools, including an initial interview and academic assessments, to determine students' areas of strength and weakness. The results are then recorded in a student management software system, developed by NASS, called "SS Tracker." The advocate records this and other information as part of the ongoing monitoring of each student. At the same time, teachers, advocates, and students' families work to create individual Student Learning Plans. These plans are used to guide students in four instructional areas, which make up the NASS educational model: academic development, student support and social skill development, career pathway/economic literacy development, and spiritual development.
The first instructional area, academic development, is based on high expectations for student performance. Teachers expect that, although many students live in conditions that are not optimal for the completion of homework or studying, they will take personal responsibility for their education and turn in assignments that are complete and on time. Teachers engage students in hands-on projects led by active inquiry and tie lessons to state academic standards. As students master concepts in core subjects, their Student Learning Plans are modified and new learning goals are created.
The faculty advocate system shapes much of the second instructional area, student support and social skill development, in which advocates are responsible for helping students build a network of support for themselves by teaching them how to access community services. Students also take classes dedicated to improving their life/social skills.
In the third instructional area, career pathway/economic literacy development, students participate in "Workplace and Employability Skill Training" where they learn how to write résumés and conduct themselves during interviews, as well as other elements of professional etiquette. Teachers are trained in "A Framework for Understanding the Context of Poverty," and learn a sequential strategy for integrating economic concepts into students' core academic subjects. Teachers also utilize technology in their classrooms to help students familiarize themselves with computer programs so that they are better prepared for advanced learning and employment. Additionally, students complete inventories that assess their personalities, career interests, and abilities. These inventories are added to the Student Learning Plans and help teachers and counselors guide students in the creation of concrete "transition plans" for life after high school graduation.
Currently, NASS is adapting an economic literacy curriculum developed by the Powell Center for Economic Literacy in six Street Schools that serve urban, low-income students. Creators of the curriculum hope that it will provide concept-based strategies to teach economics to students who need a way to break the cycle of poverty in their lives. In addition to the curriculum, NASS also is part of the ele:Vate Initiative, an effort to guide schools in developing "mini-economies" and student-run school businesses.
In the final instructional area, spiritual development, students may engage in Bible classes, mission trips, and overnight and weekend retreats.
Each NASS member school is different based on the community and the population of students it serves. For example, at the Denver Street School (DSS), a comprehensive high school and the original street school, students enjoy an Information Technology program, a full-time guidance counselor on staff, and a Career Pathways program. The Pathways program enables business owners in the Denver Metro area to provide career-based learning opportunities to students. All students may engage in job shadowing, and eleventh and twelfth grade students participate in internships with local organizations and businesses. The school also offers its students athletics, special education, and challenging curricula in core subjects. DSS currently has two campuses and is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges & Schools. Over its 20-year history, DSS has graduated close to 200 students, 80 percent of whom are attending college or are serving in the workforce or military.
Craig Patterson, a DSS alumnus, college graduate, and current vice president in the mortgage industry, notes, "The Street School is like a second home to me. It not only gave me an education, but a moral code to live by. It taught me how to live my life."
NASS and its schools work to educate at-risk youth, but the overall organization also serves as a clearinghouse of information and support to educators who wish to start a Street School or need assistance with their existing private school. NASS schools follow a system of accreditation that promotes quality alternative schools for at-risk youth, continuous school improvement, and success for students who have not performed well in traditional school settings. In 2005, the Commission for International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA) recognized NASS as an official sponsor for CITA Accreditation. CITA brings the American educational accrediting agencies into one organization for groups like NASS that have schools in more than one accrediting region.
Recently, NASS established the S.O.S. (Schools of Shelter) Fund to admit students who have been displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In addition, S.O.S. is providing scholarships to evacuee students to attend NASS member schools and is hiring displaced teachers and other school personnel. The S.O.S. Fund was initiated through an investment of the First Data/Western Union Foundation, which provides disaster relief to communities and offers scholarships to nontraditional college students.
Since 2000, NASS member schools have maintained an 88 percent retention rate and serve on average over 2,500 at-risk students per year, more than 73 percent of whom are minorities and more than 65 percent of whom live at or below the poverty level. During the 2004-2005 academic year, NASS students raised their cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) by more than 1.1 points from the time that they first entered the Street Schools' network. NASS students also raised their reading levels on average 1.4 grade levels. In addition to in-school education, in 2004-2005, NASS member schools provided over 300,000 hours of after-school programming to students.
The work of the National Association of Street Schools and its members was recognized in October 2005 when NASS was invited to participate in First Lady Laura Bush's Helping America's Youth Conference. The organization also received a Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the CCF Targeted Capacity-Building program. The majority of funding for NASS is derived from private sources including individuals, corporations, and foundations. NASS is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Alternative High School Initiative, a network of ten youth development organizations creating educational options through a portfolio of small, alternative high schools.
The Office of Innovation and Improvement is the liaison between the U.S. Department of Education and private schools, such as the schools in the NASS network, through its Office of Non-Public Education.
* * *
WHO COVERS EDUCATION IN VERMONT?
We do! Consider a gift to Vermonters for Better Education, the publisher of the weekly Vermont Education Report, Vermont's ONLY continual source of education news. Send donations to: VBE, 170 Church Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701. VBE is a nonprofit organization and contributions are tax-deductible.
* * *
The VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT is published by Vermonters for Better Education 170 Church Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802.773.5240 Contact VTBetterEd@aol.com for more information.
SubscribeRemove
........