Implementing
the US Education Bill
Two years
after Congress passed the education reform bill "No Child
Left Behind," states find themselves in varying stages
of grappling with the complexities of NCLB's performance requirements.
In brief,
the law requires testing of students in grades 3 through 8
(8 to 13 year olds); all students to be proficient in reading
and maths by 2014; schools to offer supplemental educational
services (eg tutoring) to students who fail to meet the standards;
a teacher highly-qualified in his/her subject in every classroom.
Schools which fail to meet the requirements face penalties,
ultimately having staff replaced or being closed down and
re-opened as a charter school.
There
is a complex data collection process for schools to show "adequate
yearly progress" (AYP) for students in all ethnic groups.
This has revealed, for many schools, the stark achievement
gap between white and minority students. It has placed a growing
number of "good" schools on the list of those "in
need of improvement".
The law,
which enjoyed broadly bi-partisan and parental support, is
being increasingly criticised as underfunded and unworkable
in many states. The law gives a record amount of federal funding
to states, although there is argument by some states that
it is still not enough to adhere to the law's requirements.
In response
to this criticism, Education Secretary Rodney Paige has announced
a number of measures aimed at relaxing the perceived rigidity
of the law while maintaining its accountability measures:
- relaxed
testing requirements for special education students and
students with limited English (immigrants in the country
for less than a year). This should assist schools with meeting
the annual targets set by the Education Department.
- relaxing
of the requirement that every classroom have a teacher highly-qualified
in the subject they teach. Rural districts in western states
were finding this requirement almost impossible to meet
as teacher shortages result in multi-subject teaching. Teachers
in rural districts will have longer to demonstrate competency;
science teachers in any state will have a broader definition
of their qualifications; states will be able to streamline
the law’s alternative method for current teachers
of multiple subjects to meet the "highly qualified"
mandate.
- the
law's mandated 95% participation rate on required standardised
tests to be lowered. Schools not making the rate were being
put on academic probation.
Press
Releases from the Education Department:
Secretary
Paige Announces New Policies to Help English Language Learners
Highly
Qualified Teacher Policy Announcement
Read Inspiring
Vision, Disappointing Results: Four Studies on Implementing
the No Child Left Behind Act, from The Civil Rights
Project at Harvard University; read the press
release for a summary of findings.
(Sources:
The Washington Post 19/2/04, 20/2/04; Education
Week: 18/2/04, 25/2/04, 14/3/04, 24/3/04)
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Middle
School Reform
A study
from the RAND Corp. examines the role of middle schools as
a model in US education. Middle school years are generally
grades 6 through 8 (11 – 13 year olds) and students
are taught in separate schools.
The report
focuses on
- a brief
history of middle schools
- whether
middle school concepts, such as team teaching, flexible
class schedules and advisory programmes, were put into effective
practice
- academic
achievement (studies show that US students start to lag
their international peers at this age)
- school
leadership in middle schools
- teacher
training (research shows that only a small percentage of
teachers have specialist training to teach this age group)
- parental
involvement
- whole-school
reform models
The report
questions the wisdom of transferring students in this age
group (early adolescence) to a new school. Surveys suggest
that students feel unsafe, socially isolated and academically
unchallenged during this period. The report looks at the traditional
model of K-8, followed by four years of high school (a model
that some big city school districts are returning to).
Download
and read Focus
on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle
School
More Information:
National
Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform
National Middle
School Association
(Source:
Education Week 17/3/04)
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KIPP
Expands into High Schools
The Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation has granted $7.9 million to enable
12 KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools to expand into
the high school grades.
KIPP schools
have attracted national attention for their success in preparing
mostly minority students in disadvantaged areas for college.
These public, open enrollment, schools have longer days, a
rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, intensive teacher/pupil
contact and parental involvement. There are currently 31 KIPP
schools serving pupils in grades 5 to 8 (11-14 years old).
Read the
press release from the Gates
Foundation and more about KIPP.
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University-Assisted
Schools: the Philadelphia Experiment
“University-assisted
schools” are partnerships between universities and local
schools in disadvantaged areas. The first example of such
a model was established when the Philadelphia school district
was privatised in 2002. The Philadelphia School Reform Commission
asked the ivy league University of Pennsylvania to be one
of seven “educational management organizations”
(EMOs) to oversee 45 of the city school district’s lowest
performing schools. The University of Pennsylvania embarked
on a three-year partnership with three elementary schools.
The partnership
focuses on five areas with the goal of achieving and sustaining
high academic standards: curriculum, professional development,
leadership, student assessment, and school climate.
In working
with the partnership, university staff asked “how does
a research university put its knowledge and experience to
the task of creating high functioning learning communities
that are characterized by shared accountability for student
learning and that result in strong student outcomes”?
In an article one year on from the beginning of the experiment,
they describe their framework and approaches for bringing
about the desired school improvements in the three partnership
schools, reflect on experiences in the first year of partnership,
and examine the perspective of “shared accountability.”
Read Do
Universities Have a Role in Managing Public Schools: Lessons
from the Penn Partnership Schools
A report from the Commercialism in Education Research Unit
says that the number of public schools managed by for-profit
companies continues to grow. Currently, 51 EMOs run 463 public
schools (affecting 200,400 students in 28 states and the District
of Columbia). The majority of schools managed by EMOs are
charter schools.
Read Profiles
of For-Profit Education Mangagement Firms
(Sources:
The Education Innovator 4/11/03; Education Week
25/2/04)
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Career
Academies: success story for young men
A report
suggests that youth, in particular young men, who participate
in career academies at school enjoy higher earnings over time
than their socio-economic peers who did not participate. The
report also suggests that attending a career academy does
not adversely affect potential enrollment in further or higher
education.
The career
academy model was established around 30 years ago with the
aim of keeping young people engaged in school and preparing
them for a successful transition to further education or employment.
It is a small learning community, usually a school within
a school, which teaches an academic and technical curriculum
around a career theme. There are work-based learning opportunities
with local employers. Approximately 2,500 career academies
exist nationwide.
MDRC,
formerly Manpower Demonstration Research Corp, a non-profit
organisation based in New York tracked approximately 1,500
career academy students (mostly minority) over a ten-year
period and compared them with a control group.
The summary
and full report, Career
Academies Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes and Educational
Attainment, is available from MDRC
More information:
National
Career Academies Coalition
(Source:
Education Week 17/03/04)
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Teaching
Entrepreneurship
Education
and business leaders from Charleston, South Carolina, are
planning a local "university" to train teachers
to teach entrepreneurship in their local schools. It is hoped
that the initiative will stem the high school drop-out rate
in South Carolina (currently 40%) while boosting the local
economy.
The initiative,
in partnership with the National
Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, aims to train
low-income youth in the fundamentals of starting up and running
a business of their own.
(Sources: Education Innovator 15/3/04;
Charleston Regional Business Journal 8/3/04)
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Denver
Teacher Compensation Plan Improves Student Achievement
The pilot
pay-for-performance teacher compensation plan in Denver, begun
in 1999, has had a positive effect on student achievement,
according to a report. Teachers set their own, principal approved,
goals for student achievement. They are then graded from least
to most difficult to attain and, if met, the teacher receives
a monetary bonus.
The report
shows that student achievement rose, especially where teachers
set a high standard. In addition, teachers said they benefited
from better student data and improved communication between
colleagues and district officials.
However,
the report outlined the high cost and commitment involved
in the compensation plan. A substantial amount of external
philanthropic funds were used and the cost to the district
is not yet final.
Teachers
recently voted to expand the plan to include all schools in
Denver.
Download
and read Catalyst
for Change: Pay for Performance in Denver, by the Community
Training and Assistance Center (lengthy report)
More
information:
The Joint
Task Force on Teacher Compensation, a collaboration of
Denver public schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association
posts information and resources on the performance-pay plan,
including frequently asked questions.
(Source:
Education Week 17/1/04)
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Brief
Glance at John Kerry’s Views on Education
Presidential candidate John Kerry’s views on education
are in step with those of the Democratic party at large. He
supports charter schools but opposes school vouchers. He advocates
plans to increase federal education aid, attract and retain
high quality teachers, and expand early childhood education.
Senator
Kerry voted for the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 but has
grown increasingly critical of its accountability measures.
He proposes increased funding for the law and greater flexibility
for states to adhere to its regulations.
Read more
at Senator
Kerry’s campaign issues page
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US
Department of Education News
Appointments
Two top posts at the Department of Education were confirmed
in February. Former Arkansas state schools chief Raymond
Simon was approved as the assistant secretary for
elementary and secondary education. Susan Sclafani,
formerly a top adviser to Secretary of Education Rod Paige,
is the new assistant secretary for vocational and adult education.
New
Character Education Website
To promote its character education programmes, the Education
Department has launched an online version of the its Character
Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center
which provides state officials, local educators, and community
members with information on character and civic education
programmes. The site includes a library of online publications
about character education, civic-engagement programmes, service
learning, a "news and events" section, an events
calendar, and legislative information.
(Source:
Education Week 25/2/04)
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