The 10 Most Memorable Stories of 2011: Ed. Policy and Politics

One of the proposed changes that parents and educators may notice is a change in the terms applied to schools based on how they perform on the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System. Currently, schools are placed in categories such as "superior," "commendable" and "academic watch." The draft proposal would drop those names in favor of the U.S. Department of Education's seven suggested category names, which would include descriptors such as "reward schools," "recognition schools," "focus schools" and "priority (partnership zone) schools."  From the News Journal

You've got to be kidding me, right? Superior and Commendable were at least meaningful - you knew you were buying into a good school - at least until last year.  That's when DOE - without the community meetings - went ahead and recalculated the way schools were labeled based upon achievement data.  That resulted in schools that failed to meet the accepted definition of proficiency achieving a superior or commendable status based solely upon student growth - more students moving in the right direction but not reaching proficiency targets.  The end result was a ton of confusion with little clear explanation directed towards parents or the public. 

So, who wants their child to attend a school labeled "Reward School?"  No, really?  Does that title have any inherent meaning to you?  And just what is the reward the school is earning? I don't have the answers - DOE hasn't extended its informational reach to general school board members, yet.  Guess that means I'll be attending one of their forums.  But, with only one meeting in each county - that may be a hard one to achieve... When the Gov. finally decided that he needed to sell RTTT to the tax payers, he hit each of the counties several times.  I can only guess that redefining achievement is a bit less important...

When will DOE bring all the parties to the table and participate in shared decision making? If DOE was looking for true interactive feedback, these meetings would have been announced weeks ago, not during winter break when matters of education are in the far back of the parental mind.  When will constituents be treated as thought partners?  Inviting them to a dog and pony show is a far cry from being engaged in the development process. When will tax payers become more than human capital?  School districts signed MOUs that promised they would continue to fund the reform efforts begun under RTTT after the federal grant runs out.  Who will shoulder that burden?  Delaware's workforce?  They've been treated as a commodity thus far by an administration that talks jobs but fails to produce them.

Too little, too late. But, then, these are just the ramblings of a private cynic... citizen.

DRAFT PROPOSAL

To read the state's draft proposal, go to the Delaware Department of Education's website at www.doe.k12.de.us and click on "community meetings."

The meeting times and locations:
NEW CASTLE COUNTY: Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. in the James Gilliam Conference Center, 77 Reads Way, New Castle.
KENT COUNTY: Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Kent County Government Building, Room 220, Dover.
SUSSEX COUNTY: Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Sussex County Government Building, The Circle, Georgetown.

From: Markell Governor (Governor)

Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 1:09:28 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
To: State Employees; K12 Employees; DSHA
Subject: Thank you for a great 2011

Dear fellow state employee,

Thank you for all you do, and all you’ve done, to help keep our great state running and to build our state’s future.

While I’ve been lucky to be able to say thank you to many of you in person during visits to schools and state agencies, I did not want to let the holiday season pass without sharing my gratitude for your good work.

Each week, I deliver a weekly message to our state about some of the issues we face and some of the progress we are making. In this week’s message (video), I made sure to say to every Delawarean how “blessed I am to be able to work with so many wonderful public servants – the people who go to work to keep our state safe, who help keep things running, who teach our children and care for those most in need – who dedicate themselves to service.” It is a message I hope they take to heart.

You work hard. Your work matters, and we thank you.

Here’s to a happy and healthy new year,

Jack

*****

Happy Holidays video on State network: http://de.gov/holidays
Video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/nD7Vn2uJcFg
Audio on State network: http://de.gov/holidayaudio

Transcript of the Message:
Whether it’s Merry Christmas, Mazel Tov, Umoja or simply Happy Holidays at your home, there’s no doubt this is a special time of the year. A time to remember the friends and family we’re so lucky to have around us and a time to reflect with love on those who left our lives too soon. A time to take stock of what we’ve learned, what we’ve faced, what we’ve overcome and what remains to get done, together. But more than anything – this week is a time for goodwill and gratitude; to reflect on any blessings we’ve received and to know from where those blessings have come.
As grateful as I am to each of you for giving me the chance to get to work for you each day, I’m so blessed to be able to work with wonderful public servants – the people who go their jobs to keep our state safe, who help keep things running, who teach our children and care for those most in need – who dedicate themselves to service. To each of you – thank you.

This has not been an easy year – but it’s been inspiring to see how our state keeps pulling together – how many hard working Delawareans stay focused each day on creating more jobs, on building new opportunities to keep people working and on helping others get back to work. And while there have been more opportunities this year than last, we need to make sure next year is even better. Enough about work for now.
This week, whether you’ve lighting a menorah, kinara candles or putting lights on your tree; whether you’re reflecting on your own faith, or just reflecting on your family – I hope these holidays find you safe, happy, warm and resting up, and that you’re as excited as I am for the chance to keep Delaware, moving forward.

Venom and Malice when CSD attempts a course correction and DOE handholding when Brandywine fails to perform... The Race to the Trough is on - Delaware to be a winner of the Baby Race.  Do you really want Jack Markell parenting your children?  Lots of edu-scrapple in today's paper!

http://www.christina.k12.de.us/BOE/Meetings/2011/Posting-Agenda/1213.pdf

From the Official Christina SBOE Posting: 

ACTION ITEMS

• Student Expulsion Recommendation(s)
• Administrative Personnel Recommendations
• Updated Use Of Facilities Application Form And Rates
• Proposed Changes to 2011-2012 Christina School District School Calendar
• Consulting Services for Development of School District Management Analysis –
• Amendment #1 to District Race To The Top Plan – Includes Amendment #2 for Partnership Zone    Plans for Glasgow High and Stubbs Elementary
• Amendment #2 To District Race To The Top Plan
• Plan and Memorandum of Understanding Between the Christina School District and the Christina Education Association with Regards to the Partnership Zone Plan for Bancroft Elementary School

CONSENT AGENDA

• Personnel Recommendations
• Monthly Financial Reports – September 2011
• Choice Recommendation 2011-2012
• Choice Termination Recommendation 2011-2012
• Bid Awards:  Bid #2011-10 Bancroft Elementary School – Skylight Replacement
• Resolutions on Upcoming Meetings:  Executive Session Meeting, January 10, 2012, 6:00 PM, West Park Place Elementary School,   Regular Session Meeting, January 10, 2012, 7:30 PM, West Park Place Elementary School,  Special Session Meeting for BoardDocs Training, January 20, 2012, 6:00-7:00 PM, Location To Be Determined

Outrage poured across the /internet once reports of a 9-year-old receiving a two-day suspension for calling a teacher "cute" surfaced, but now it appears he's receiving some justice, WBTV reports.

"We will be sending an official letter of apology to the parents," Gaston County Schools Spokesperson Bonnie Reidy told the station. "Also the suspension will not count against the child and the child will receive additional instructional assistance to make up for the time out of the classroom."

Principal Jerry Bostic, who determined the boy's alleged comment was sexual harassment, has also resigned, according to the report.   -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/9-year-olds-suspension-fo_n_1135242.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk3%7C118730

http://youtu.be/AWqdScvrKCo

 
 

Remember the Jetsons?  Poor George, a computer engineer, was the foil of his stereotypical tough boss, the bombastic Mr. Spacely, owner of Spacely's Space Sprockets.  To be fair, Mr. Spacely, even with his Adolph Hitler mustache wasn't intentionally evil, just meddlesome.  He was a business owner trying to compete with his rival, Cogswell. Together Cogswell and Spacely got in a heap of trouble and George always took the heat.

So, it wouldn't surprise me that if Spacely received a delivery of bad parts, he'd send them back and insist on a credit to boot.  He knows he has to build a superior product - a Sprocket.

What if Spacely had been a Principal Spacely in a school when he got that same delivery of bad parts - children, who from the moment they were conceived were at-risk.  Principal Spacely still has to deliver a solid product - a high achieving school. But, he can't send these bad parts back, can he? 

And that's where the business model being inflicted upon the PreK-12 education system becomes a guaranteed failure. Yelling "Jetson" isn't going to fix it.  And yet - pro-business reformers, RTTT champions, continue to claim the failures of the education system sit squarely on the shoulders of bad teachers (they would have you believe all teachers are bad teachers) and unions are at fault.  It's divide and conquer. 

What we as citizens and tax payers need to remember is that public schools were not designed to be profitable, not as entities in and of themselves and not through the various routes that tax dollars drip into our classrooms. This doesn't mean there are not efficiencies that can and should and often times have been made. 

In the greater context, education spending pulls in a profit in the number of qualified and competent employees we put forth into society - either as career-ready grads or students who choose to matriculate into higher education.  There are millions of graduates of public education gainfully employed, far more than those who are not.  In fact, there is a shortage of livable wage-earning positions to accommodate our competent graduates.

No one can ignore those fields that seem to have a shortage of solid candidates, and that truly is a societal failure to acknowledge and deftly adapt education to the changing markets of the world.  But, just what kept education leaders from responding in a timely manner?  Clearly the prescriptions and manipulations of the funding formulas that control just how public education monies can be spent have historically damned the adoption of supporting technology and new career path development. 

Take Bayard Middle School in Wilmington for example.  Accidentally named a PZ school by the Department of Education in 2011, several weeks of planning by district personnel furthered to develop an already identified "bold exploration" (see the CSD Strategic Plan) - the develop of a 6-12 STEM academy in Wilmington.  The funding injected by the PZ designation would have jump started the conversion of this school.  However, the promise of those funds were withdrawn when DOE realized that they failed to calculate Bayard's historical achievement data correctly.  The DOE then skipped over two other failing schools serving urban students and sent the money downstate to Laurel, a district that many assert is on the verge of financial collapse due to successive cuts in state funding.  This move by DOE has been seen by critics as a conciliatory slide of hand to Laurel.

The Bayard debacle failed to incite the ire of Wilmington's elected paid politicians and quietly slipped away, leaving the school district holding the tab incurred while planning and seriously delayed the implementation of a "turn around" at a school that is destined to find a home on the DOE's under-achieving list. The interventions needed at Bayard will have to come from local funds - at a price tag that would devastate the district's ability to fairly, properly fund it's many other schools in accordance with the funding prescriptions that come from the state and feds. The future turnaround at this school will be slow and right now, is tentative at best. Yes, the PZ funding never belonged to Bayard, but it should have flowed to the next school on the list - and it didn't. I can't think of a finer example of manipulation of funding.

Putting the Pieces Together

What Race to the Top has taught us is that even the federal policymakers recognize that public education needs an infusion of funds, not the systematic reduction that state governments are inflicting.  The ARRA stimulus funds of 2009 required states to maintain their funding of public education at the previous year's level.  The writing is on the wall.  Public education will cost Americans more as we try to move forward into a technology-based market after the fall-out of the Great Recession. Public schools must turn out graduates who are prepared for today's current career opportunities while competing with millions of un-employed and under-employed yet experienced workers during an a job shortage crisis. 

We've learned that it doesn't matter how prepared our students are if the jobs are not there.  And while federal and state policymakers are focused on college and career ready grads, we need our leaders to ensure those jobs and careers will exist- something that has simply not happened in part due to the constant fighting between political parties. It's rather demoralizing for our rising seniors - the understanding that the pay-off for their commitment to education may not be there when they are ready for it.

The conversion to great schools is costly.  We've spent ten years under the confines of No Child Left Behind, a law that punished schools for failure rather than provide these schools with the funds to convert to pertinent and responsive centers of education. As the ESEA is again up for renewal and will be so perennially until our political parties can agree, we must urge them to not loose sight of the children in the classrooms.  RTTT funds data coaches.  My students need teachers, capable teachers, and more of them - trained in the new market that these students will eventually arrive to - much more than they could ever need a data coach. My students need fidelity to best practices to implement vetted research-affirmed, peer-reviewed programmatic and cultural changes that will support their needs while training them for the future needs of the economy.  They need extended learning time that begins at 300 hours a year - the minimum amount determined by research and practice to actually affect achievement.  My students need smaller class sizes, especially in their early years to help mitigate the effects of an achievement gap that exists for some children from the moment of conception. And today, we need to turn our attention to our middle and high schools, to cut with precision focus through the funding red tape to ensure that all students rising into this time of economic uncertainty will have the opportunities for career success.

Troubled school left unto themselves with no change in the way funds are delivered will be forever slow and timid in delivering a dynamic education.  And while we need to employ best practices in all of our schools, we need to do so in a way that preserves those schools that are already achieving success for their students - that means protecting the funding that already flows into those schools.  Because each neighborhood, each town, each city is different, each school is a reflection of a socio-economic class. We cannot divert funding from successful schools to pay for reform in under-achieving schools.  We have already stated that efficiencies need to be achieved and frequently have been - yet we need to acknowledge that decreasing the dedication of services in a successful school will negatively impact achievement.

We must begin to look at a public school system specifically as being non-profit-bearing, and for that matter as being a giant financial hole, a tax write-off, an entitlement program.  We must move away from the concept of educational institutions as a business.  Businesses by design break even or generate profit.  Schools do not, can not, will not if their only funding is federal, state, and local taxes.  Schools are not permitted to accumulate funding except for local taxes.  If you don't use your state and federal funding, it's taken back.  This puts districts in a tremendously difficult position of wanting to deploy targeted funds when it would be illegal to do so.  Current funding formulas have indeed tied our hands.

What I know for sure is this - Businessman do not belong in the classroom, which is squarely where they have inserted themselves.  When a Media Mogul creates an Enterprise to contract with state departments of education to supply the likes of data coaches, I am certain of two things - 1) some of those data coaches received a public education and 2) the media mogul has just received an influx of funds from education that the tax payers intended to send to the classroom. Business is diverting education funding.  The resulting failures are being places squarely on the institution providing the education and everything about this scenario is morally and ethically wrong. 

Business has a role to play in education - as employers of our qualified graduates.  And that is exactly where businessmen belong.  At the very end of the chain.  And if they so choose to invest philanthropically in our non-profit education centers - schools - great, but those funds should come with only relevant strings attached - in non-profits this is called "restricted giving."

Education is not a land grab and treating it as such is utter chaos.

Jane, Stop this Crazy Thing!

Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church in Bear is moving ahead with plans to acquire and institute “sweeping reforms” at the financially troubled Red Lion Christian Academy after church members overwhelmingly endorsed the plan today. ...


If the deal goes through, the private school will see significant changes in leadership, values and financial operations, Betters said in an interview. Christian education and academics will be top priority. Red Lion’s football program will not, Betters said. 

The school admitted to violations of state athletic rules last year that included too many football games, excessive practices and improperly managing financial aid.

Also controversial was Red Lion’s push to build a nationally recognized powerhouse team.

“We believe we can still have a powerful football program that reaches out and touches young men who wouldn’t otherwise make it. We believe that’s possible with some changes in priorities and shifting of values as we go forward,” Betters said. “I don’t envision us going all over the nation to play football.”

http://www.townsquaredelaware.com/our-collective-obligation-the-quest-for-better-schools/

Markell spokesman Brian Selander expressed dismay at the group’s decision to defy the state, for the second straight day, by choosing not to accept the Brandywine Park permit.


“The state made a very reasonable offer with the use of state managed properties at Brandywine and Fletcher Brown park,” Selander said. “It was an offer that respected constitutional rights to be heard and assemble. They've chosen a different path.”

And I pay for the upkeep of the STATE'S parks.  BTW - so do all the protesters. 

Thank goodness for the Occupy movement.  If these organizers hadn't come along, perhaps all of America would have forgotten how Civil Disobedience works and value of rallying behind a cause. 

Published Online: November 4, 2011


Academic Gains Vary Widely for Charter Networks
By Nirvi Shah
A new national study on the effectiveness of networks that operate charter schools finds overall that their middle school students’ test scores in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies aren’t significantly better than those of students in regular public schools.

From

Education and Community News from Home Town Delaware

Early 2013 budget numbers being shared with Educators.


Posted on October 27, 2011 by Wolfe Gary Thanks to Gary for his great post!

By January 2012, the 2013 budgets for Delaware’s schools will begin to take shape, and it has already been rumored that our Leadership in Dover is looking to make even deeper cuts to Education. Already we have one district, Laurel, that is floundering on the edge of not being able to meet its finances after April 2012. Many administrators, school boards, and teachers associations have sat down and looked at where we are today compared to where we were just a few years earlier. Since FY2008, State funding has been completely eliminated for the following programs:

* Reading Resource Teachers $9,431,500

* Math Specialists $3,071,700

* Limited English Proficiency Grant $1,625,000

* Technology Block Grant $1,354,000

* School-Based Discipline Program $8,213,900

* Tax Relief Allocation $17,549,500

* Academic Excellence Allotment $4,595,600

* Extra Time Programs $10,428,000

* Tuition Reimbursement $1,100,000

* Teacher Cadre & Mentoring $1,128,400

TOTAL STATE PROGRAM ELIMINATIONS: $58,497,600

In addition to these program eliminations, many districts have also experienced several reductions in base funding levels:

Division II AOC(funding for classroom, and other day to day supplies)Unit Value $3,274,020 (FY08 $3,279 to FY12 $2,955 at 10,105 Dlv II units)

Division II Energy Unit Value $2,455,515 (FY08 $2,678 to FY 12 $2,435 at 10,105 Div II units)

Professional Development Funding $1,300,000 (FY08 $2,866,500 to FY 12 $1,566,500)

Beyond these program eliminations and base funding reductions, increasing demands are being placed on

local funds (Shift of 10% Transportation Costs $7,133,800) at a time when local assessed values are essentially flat, and other local revenues such as interest, indirect cost and cost recovery collections are in decline. For those wondering what losses looked like around the state:

FY 2012 Loss Based On 2008 Amount Per Unit

Appoquinimink ($3,216,675)

Brandywine ($6,967,025)

Christina ($10,594,538)

Colonial ($4,208,339)

NCCVT ($3,839,781 )

Red Clay ($9,297,025)

Caesar Rodney ($2,374,300)

Capital ($3,244,120)

Lake Forest ($1,591,437)

Milford ($2,757,148)

Poly tech ($554,096)

Smyrna ($2,906,050)

Cape Henlopen ($2,506,117)

Delmar ($814,812)

Indian River ($2,334,774)

Laurel ($1,803,148)

Seaford ($1,787,634)

SVT ($862,796)

Woodbridge ($1,357,726)

Total all Districts: ($63,017,540)



So bottom line is that the cost of educating the next generation is going up in a time when every taxpayer is doing more with less, and raising local taxes is not an option for schools. So what can all those who have a stake in Education do to prevent our students from being cheated out of an education? Here are a few ideas we are discussing in Milford on November 8th with the community at a district wide meeting at the Milford High School Auditorium:



~ Begin lobbying efforts now, prior to the Governor’s Recommended Budget

~ Focus attention on the cumulative state funding reductions that have occurred since FY2008.

~ E.mphasize that federal stimulus funding (State Fiscal Stabilization Funds and EdJobs Funding) were intended to ‘stabilize’ state and local agencies that were experiencing revenue reductions. As revenues increase, these funds should therefore be utilized to restore previous funding reductions.

~ Target restoration funding as follows: 1) restoration of EdJobs funding; 2) restoration of State Fiscal Stabilization funding.

~ Recognize the need for efficiencies and budget reductions, but public education has been disproportionally impacted in recent years.

~ Restoring the public education budget back to its FY2010 percentage of the total budget (33.33%) would add $59,650,400 to the public education budget.

~ Collaborate with DSEA to lobby for funding restoration.

~ Establish consistent individual district meetings with local legislators.

~ Provide legislators with specific legislation to support.

~ Provide flexibility to districts in severe fiscal hardship by allowing districts to ‘cash in’ as many units as necessary to maintain solvency, and to not forfeit Division IIIunit funding for cashed in units.

~ Target the message that the “Foundation is Crumbling”. While we have the benefit of many short-term funding initiatives (i.e. Race to the Top) the core K-12 public education finance structure is not sufficient to maintain current service and performance levels.

From the News Journal:  HERE   Delaware's Charter Schools have a right to funding equity
By: Gregory Meece, director of the Newark Charter School and president of the Delaware Charter Schools Network, and a member of The News Journal's Community View Board.

In 1995, before the ink was dry on the governor's signature on the charter schools law, I signed on to help create Delaware's first charter school. At that time, we didn't expect charter schools to be "the answer" to all of our challenges in public education, but we did see the promise of charter schools as one of the best opportunities to make a dramatic improvement in Delaware's public education landscape.

The results of the charter school movement in Delaware are significant. Charters rank at the top academically at all grade levels. They have been the first to tackle new frontiers in curriculum, teacher incentive pay, site-based management, extended school years, facilities construction, financial autonomy, parent engagement, student uniforms and much more.

There are thousands of students on charter school waiting lists. Almost 80 percent of Delawareans favor charter schools (according to a University of Delaware poll) even though only 9 percent of the student population attends them. Yet progress hasn't been easy, due to an uneven playing field when it comes to the way public charter schools are funded.

The Delaware Charter School Network stands for excellence. But there are times when meeting the high standards we've set for ourselves can be difficult, due to the financial challenges that charters face compared to our district counterparts.

A recent News Journal article rightly highlighted the financial pressures constricting Delaware school districts in the wake of multimillion-dollar state cuts for education. Absent, however, was any mention of the even more acute financial woes of Delaware's 22 public charter schools. We support our public school districts and believe funding adequacy is an issue that must be addressed for all of our schools. But we are one system of public schools, not two. For charter schools, the issue of funding equity is just as important.

In the 2009 report, A New Model Law for Supporting the Growth of High-Quality Public Charter Schools, equitable operational funding and access to capital funding are cited as two "Essential Components of a Strong Public Charter School Law."

And according to Delaware Department of Education data, public charter schools receive nearly 23 percent less per student than traditional district schools, even after excluding the 10 district-operated schools throughout the state that primarily serve resource-intensive, high-needs students.

Several factors can explain this disparity, but the result of this gap is an unfair penalty on charter school students and educators. For example, while Stubbs Elementary, in the Christina School District, might receive $11,437 for Lisa, Prestige Academy -- a mere 10 blocks away -- receives $9,331 for her brother. That translates to less funding available for teacher salaries and much-needed instructional resources.

One of the main reasons for this gap is that charters have neither the ability to raise revenue through referendums nor state funding for major capital costs, such as building upgrades. Public charter schools are forced to pay from 7 to 20 percent of their operating budgets for facilities. Imagine the compounded impact recent state budget cuts have on schools with fewer available dollars to begin with.

Another concern is the formula that districts use to transfer local property tax revenue to charter schools. The guiding principle is "the money follows the child." But districts are permitted to exclude certain categories of local funds before the transfers are made. These deductions are not transparent and often fluctuate dramatically, thereby complicating charter schools budget planning. For example, my charter school budgeted an increase in local funds because our largest feeder district passed a multimillion-dollar operating referendum the previous year. We were shocked to learn that our share of that district's local funds actually decreased substantially.

Further complicating the matter is that the formula for transferring these funds is based not on actual revenues but on district expenditures from the previous year. There is no way for charter schools to "catch up."

Last spring, passage of House Bill 205 represented an important first step toward growing and sustaining high-quality charter schools in the state. We also have resources to draw from to make even more progress. For example, The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has a menu of best practices for supporting public charter schools' facility needs.

It is my hope that Delaware's General Assembly takes the next big steps in charter legislation: changing policy conditions to give all public school students an equal chance at success regardless of where they go to school. Such policies will encourage high-performing charters to expand, and they will encourage great charters to come into the state.

Sixteen years ago, policy decisions were made as safeguards in the event that charters didn't pan out. Well, we did pan out. Charter schools are here to stay.

Thank you for sharing:

Esther said...


My friends who work at Red Lion tell me that the reports of their financial problems are greatly exaggerated, and they do not anticipate having to close or to be sold.

October 23, 2011 9:35 PM

Will the state fund those students elsewhere?

Moyer-  If the state or K12 shutter the school this school year - After the critical Sept. 30 count - will the funding follow the students to their new school, assuming the families choose either charter or district options in lieu of private school?  Update:  DOE Representative says that there will be no funding this year for a private school student entering the public school system post Sept. 30.  That's not entirely surprising - Delaware lives and dies by the Sept. 30 count.  But, it does raise an ethics question - if a private school fails mid-year, is there an obligation to fund the public education of their students?  Most presume that if a private school fails, those parents have the personal resources to send their child to another private school.  However, private schools have many children on financial needs scholarships, full or partial.  So, if a private school fails, is there a moral obligation to fund the public education of those students who are needs-based scholarships?  And if the answer is "yes" then does that same obligation extend to all students? And that's our walk through morals and ethics of education funding for the evening...


Red Lion - If the private christian school with more than 700 students closes due to financial hardship, a closing that seems almost probably, and parents opt for public options - again either district or charter - will the state infuse receiving schools with funding?  This one's a bit trickier to predict as Red Lion students don't generate state funding b/c of their private school status. 

Breaking News:  The NJ toots their own horn!

Low enrollment, a new computer-based school model and low test scores are concerns for Wilmington City Councilman Mike Brown, who said Gov. Jack Markell's administration made a mistake when it picked K12 Inc., a Virginia-based for-profit education company, to run the school after the state Board of Education voted to revoke a local group's control.



"That's the one the governor swore to God he was going to change things around," Brown said. "That's the one where they rode in there on their white horse and said everything was going to be all right -- we got it under control, we got handpicked people, we got people who are HQT, highly qualified teachers. We got this, we got that, we got a whole lot. So, I'm still waiting on it."

That's City Councilman Mike Brown on K12's failure to attract enough students to meet the enrollment target at Moyer.  Gov. Markell and DOE brought in K12 to manage the school in 2010.  It was rated commendable at the time.  K12 has also failed to post the mandated financials on the school website despite two state laws that demand such transparency.

Delaware's on the on-ramp to providing a world class education, a state that's going to produce some of the best students in the world.

Unless, of course, you are on Route 7 approaching I-95 North.  That ramp's closed...

From today's News Journal, a story about the ACLU, free speech, internet usage, and school districts:

In a letter sent to the district last week, Delaware ACLU legal director Richard Morse said the district's (Capital) student social media policy, still in draft form, and a separate employee policy, adopted in August, are both clear violations of First Amendment rights...

The student policy, drafted in August and listed on the Capital board's agenda for Wednesday night, contains a "Prohibited Activities" list that bars students from posting negative comments about individuals or groups based on legally protected characteristics such as race or religion...

Capital's policy governing the online conduct of staff contains the same prohibitions as the student policy, and also bars employees from posting disparaging comments about co-workers, bosses or the public, even while off the clock...

I'm going to risk being the lone wolf... I was taught that the first amendment rights are guaranteed rights in so long as they are not used to compromise or infringe upon the rights of others.


Free speech or freedom of expression is the right to speak freely without censorship. However, in practice, this right is not absolute, it's commonly subject to limitations such as libel, slander, obscenity and incitement to commit a crime. 


In the context of our global community, there's another document that defines human rights - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The Universal Declarion is recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and as such the freedom of expression is recognized as Internation Law - one ratified by the United States. 


However, Article 19 of the ICCPR stipulates that the exercise of these rights carries "special duties and responsibilities" and may "therefore be subject to certain restrictions" when necessary "[f]or respect of the rights or reputation of others" or "[f]or the protection of national security or of public order (order public), or of public health or morals".[1][2] Various subsequent governing documents indicate that "limitations to freedom of speech may occur through legal sanction or social disapprobation, or both."


Which brings us back to the ACLU and the Capital School District's policies - It's one thing for a citizen to take to the internet to criticize a public figure - an elected official or a department of government.  Laws governing slander and libel protect the individual but do not shelter the public persona - the actions of a public person or agency.  But, that same right of criticism is NOT afforded to the PRIVATE individual - a student or co-worker - or the PRIVATE life of a public figure. 


Unless the NJ left out some brazen language in their story, Captial's policies do not seem to violate the right to freedom of expression in any form.  The policies themselves are social disapprobation - an expression of strong disapproval and a pronouncement of what is ethically culpable and that falls right in line with the international interpretation of this human right. 


Furthermore, Capital's policies are aligned to legally protected characteristics - race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, etc.  When a person, citing free speech, attacks these characteristics they are essential committing a hate crime.  And such behavior from a student would most certainly fall within the social definition of bullying, if not the legal definition.  And when these violations occur they erode the fundamental human right to safety.


The question posed to you today:  Should the freedom of expression be absolute? even if that means violating the rights of others to safety and/or protection?  Should the law protect the reputation of a private individual?  Does International law trump National law? And should we be permitted to say what we will even if that means hurting innocent children? Or is the ACLU over-reacting? 

Check out this Job Posted on TopSchoolJobs.org: Job currently posted on TopSchoolJobs.org

Deputy Director, Recruitment and Selection – The Broad Superintendents Academy

The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems
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I lost a student a couple years ago. The reality of it touched me more deeply than any other loss I've ever felt.  "Fireflies" was one of his favorite songs.  As death comes to us when least we expect it, as friends, acquaintances, and family have greeted death and left indelible touches upon our hearts , this is the song I remember, this is the song I think of in those time, for comfort. Thank you to my student for the impression he left upon my life. 

This week a long ago friend lost her husband. This song is for her now, too.

It's official according to Politics K-12 at Edweekcom: 


http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2011/10/yesterday_was_the_deadline_for.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1


Delaware has filed a Notice of Intent that signifies the state's desire to apply for the NCLB waiver.  Yesterday was the deadline for applicants to file a courtesy notification with US DOE.


Delaware joins 38 other applicants in providing notification.  Of note - our state indicates that it intends to file for the waiver in mid-February.  It should be noted that a state can change it's mind and decide not to apply for the waiver. It should also be noted that Delaware could have opted to apply for the Waiver this coming November, but for whatever reason, opted to wait until February 2012.


However, this is the burning question - If the time is now, if the time was yesterday, if we are Racing to the Top, and seeking Innovation that must be immediate - if our PZ schools have only TWO YEARS to turnaround their achievement and find proficiency - WHY IN A MILLION YEARS WOULD DEDOE APPLY FOR THIS WAIVER? 

Last night, late in the evening, at our regularly scheduled board meeting, the Christina Board of Education voted 7-0 to establish Delaware's FIRST Public-Montessori program!  Chrsitina now heads into a year of planning and preparation that culminate with Montessori classrooms in both the urban portion of our district and the suburban. 

The Montessori model comes with substantial historical data validating it's methodologies which include smaller class sizes.  For those in Christina who have lobbied for true education reform that directly affects the classroom, we will now embark on a three year pilot during which time we can collect and validate our own Christina-generated data! 

Our Montessori model will bring new choice options to Christina students while positioning the district to offer even greater diversification in learning environments.  This partnership is a win for Christina's children! I couldn't be prouder than I am today that our Board has taken the steps to invest in proven best-practices in a reknowned model. 



 Maria Montessori

(1870-1952), Italian educator and doctor, born in Chiaravalle, and educated at the University of Rome. She is best known for the Montessori method of teaching young children, introduced to Rome in 1907. Her method, which has since spread throughout the world, stresses the development of initiative and self-reliance by permitting children to do by themselves the things that interest them, but within strictly disciplined limits. A wide variety of special equipment of increasing complexity is used to help direct the interests of the child and hasten development.
 When a child is ready to learn new and more difficult tasks, the teacher guides the child's first endeavours in order to avoid wasted effort and the learning of wrong habits; otherwise the child learns alone. It has been reported that the Montessori method has enabled children to learn to read and write much more quickly and with greater facility than has otherwise been possible. Her writings include The Montessori Method (1912) and Advanced Montessori Method (1917).There is no better investment in education than investing in our classrooms and our students.  Warm Gratitidue is due to the Elementary Workshop in Wilmington for engaging Christina in several months of collaboration.  Today, it's Children First!

No bones about it - last spring when Mayor Baker called the CSD board a bunch of criminals (for doing due diligence nonetheless and ensuring process was followed with fidelity - it was later learned that process need only be followed with "substantial performance/compliance") for the Gov's misinformed decision to withdraw RTTT funding and PZ funding from the district, it upset me greatly.

So, Mayor Baker, today the Gov. pulled the PZ funding from Bayard Middle School, skipped over Warner and Brandywine - the next recipients on the list of under-performers and both of which serve the children of your constituents - and sent the funds to Laurel. 

When are you going to call the Gov. out for stealing from your students?  At what point does the Gov become the Criminal?  I'll be the first to tell you - you got it wrong on the first go round.  This is your one chance to correct your error.  Demand accountability NOW! Demand that DOE fund PZ for Warner or Brandywine!

Breaking News - Rick Jensen show on PZ bumble$uck!  http://www.wdel.com/

DOE pulls PZ funding from Bayard Middle School and sends it to Laurel.

Well, that's a fine howdoyado!

If you didn't read the Gov's byline in Sunday's News Journal, you may want to check it out ... maybe. Depends how much propaganda you can stomach. 

I know a couple other Delaware bloggers have already run with it - Kilroy, Transparent Christina.  Even with their great evaluations, I have one bone to pick about the piece. Here goes:

The Gov writes:

Together, we are raising expectations around what it means to be proficient in core subjects like reading and math; measuring students against their own progress instead of against a snapshot of the class that came before them; and helping lead the nation in the adoption of Common Core Standards so a Delaware diploma can be recognized in any state as a symbol of achievement.

If we inflict the truth on this statement, it would read like this:

Together, I, Gov. Markell, and the Delaware Department of ,who bow to my every whim and whimper, have decreased academic expectations.  With the new DCAS, individual students must perform better because the test is harder in order to achieve their same scores as under the old DSTP.   However, together, we duped my appointed State Board of Education in agreeing to allow the DOE to drop the proficiency rate - so culmulatively-speaking fewer actual students had score at the assigned profiency rate in order for a school to be ranked Superior or Commendable. With these changes, I have rendered the Delaware Diploma system useless. 
While the DOE embarks on the implementation of common core standards, which admittedly are an over-stretch of federal intrustion (and have been interpretted by many to be flat out illegal), it's important to note that potential employers of this generation will have wade through data, coached and manipulated, to find real value in the diploma itself.  If a school's reputation is known to be Superior and a student comes to an employer bearing a diploma from a reputable school, one might assume that the student actually mastered the common core standards and therefore would be a logical and attractive employee.  But, if that same school achieved the Superior or Commendable rating based squarely on "growth" that diploma may simply be useless as it is not a marker of profiency, but an indicator of growth. 

All the font in red - That's my critical evaluation of the Gov's latest kool-aide. 

This one goes out to Jack:

Thought Partner

The role of a Thought Partner is to think with the client in a way that makes the process of thinking explicit and allows the client to see the implications of the thinking process on his or her goals, actions and conditions for performance. It is not the role of the Thought Partner to be more informed, more correct, more logical or more incisive than the client. It is the role of the Thought Partner to attend to the conditions of the dialogue in a way that enables the client to think more clearly and effectively toward his or her goals.

The critical faculties for being a great Thought Partner are listening without criticism, reflecting a client's thinking back to him accurately and without judgment and sharing insights emerging from the dialogue with no emotional attachment to being viewed as right or brilliant or any other favorable or unfavorable assessment. The Thought Partner is more than a parrot, in that he or she must think the thoughts of the client and then reflect them back, not merely repeat the words. Neither is the Thought Partner merely a foil for the client's thinking.  http://www.thoughtpartner.net/index.php?/archives/3-What-is-a-Thought-Partner.html

For a much better Translation of "Thought Partner," go HERE.

substantial performance (compliance) legal definition

noun

A doctrine in equity that if a good faith attempt was made to perform the requirements of a contract, but failed to exactly meet the specifics, and if the essential aim of the contract has been met, the agreement will still be considered as having been completed. Minimal damages for the impreciseness may be permitted by the court. See also performance.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc. http://law.yourdictionary.com/substantial-performance-compliance

Middletown High locked down after girl found with three knives.

And to think, our Governor wanted to replace our SROs with rookie cops.  Thank goodness that never happened!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/398531/september-29-2011/colbert-super-pac---trevor-potter---stephen-s-shell-corporation?xrs=share_copy

Police Charge Teacher, Three Students

I get a myriad of email through my inbox.  To date, I have more than 1400.  Every once in a while, one sparks my interest.  This particular one may even spark the interest of Paul Herdman and Rodel's Vision Network.

This came through earlier this week:

A Delaware Charter School has raised an issue of Charter Law - specifically violations of Title 14, Chapter 5, 506 (c.3).  This clause states that families enrolling their student in a charter school for the first time must sign a one-time one year contract committing them to keep their child at said charter school for the full year.  The request to DOE was about enforcement capabilities as some parents and students signed the contract and then withdrew their students and enrolled them in the traditional public schools. The traditional public schools appear complacent to violate the law as they did not stop the enrollment from occurring.

While I have to admit that I don't quite get the law itself, I wasn't around when it was written.  My guess is that it was to stem students from committing to several schools and then waiting for the last minute to decide which school to go to - which makes it difficult for schools/districts to hire teaching staff and purchase materials within budget.

Here's the response to the query:

From: Cruce Daniel

To: XXXX
Cc: XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX,
Sent: Wed, Sep 28, 2011
Subject: RE: Charter student contracts

Thank you for raising your concerns regarding this issue After reviewing the issue with our internal team, it has been determined that students not in attendance at your school during the last 10 days of September do not qualify for inclusion in the September 30th unit count.

I would like to illuminate several points below germane to this issue:

The first year agreement letter, signed by parents per 14 Del.C. §506 (c) (3), is a written confirmation between the charter school and the parent. This written confirmation, or violation of this written confirmation, is exclusively between the charter school and the parent.
State funding is based on where a student is enrolled and attending during the last 10 days of school in September.

Students not in attendance during the last 10 days of school in September cannot be included in a district or charter school unit count as outlined in 14 DE Admin.Code 701 Unit Count 2.1.

DDOE addresses all regulations and requirements for the inclusion and exclusion of students in the September 30th unit count in our Unit Count training sessions.

o These training sessions require representation from all districts and charter schools.

The summary document and multiple other related resources are available in the Unit Count PLUS program under Help & Documentation.

We understand the concerns this issue raises at your school and appreciate the opportunity to reiterate the above clarifications. As stated previously, we want to ensure the success of all schools while also ensuring that unit count regulations are specifically followed. Inherent in this effort is the intent that parents have the information they need to make informed decisions about their child's education.
Respectfully-

Dan

------------------------------------

Here's my admittedly under-educated take:

1) Directing the conversation to the Sept. 30th unit count is a diversion tactic.  Deflect from the real issue.

2) The Real Issue:  DOE chooses which laws to enforce.  DOE via RTTT claims to be pro-charter.  However, DOE, and vicariously, the Governor are not willing to enforce Charter law and regulation.  What DOE says and what DOE does are two very different things.  And this is just another indication that DOE is NOT pro-charter, despite 'sclaims otherwise.  DOE is pro-business.  My predication is that the movement of charters in Delaware will go down like this : instead of home grown localized charters, outside Charter Management Organizations are poised to enter the Delaware market, either through take over as seen at Moyer or via Innovative Schools which seems to have a monopoly on the Charter School economy in Delaware. You name the service you need, Innovative has it.  One-stop-shopping.  Wonder how many sole-source contracts Innovative has gotten over the last two-three years?

Yeah, so I'm a conspiracy theorist.  At the end of the day, the law's the LAW.  DOE should enforce it and that enforcement capability occurs on the receiving end - those districts that take kids despite signed contracts when good cause does not exist.  Why should the Charter school be punished for plannnig according to committments via loss of funds on Sept. 30th and why should a district benefit from the violation of state law?   Maybe DOE needs to look at withholding funding for any student in violation of the 1 year contract provision.  Districts must adhere to the law.  Despite the lure of funding, they need to set the example for parents who are trying to game the system.  They need to work in partnership with Charters to ensure choice is not corrupted. 

If districts don't set a good example for students when parents are playing the system, who will?

Maybe Paul Herdmann and Vision will step up to the plate and actually advocate for the charters they claim to support.  DOE has no mind to listen to me.  But, they might be compelled to enforce the law if the power-brokers at Vision are up in arms.

"While today's proposal has a strong and proper focus on the lowest-achieving 5 percent of schools in a state, there is not sufficient attention on the schools that struggle to consistently meet the academic needs of students with disabilities and other at-risk students," said Laura Kaloi, of the NCLD. "Millions of students with disabilities in these schools also need the benefit of school-wide instructional reform..."  - National Center on Learning Disabilities

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2011/09/disability_groups_react_to_oba.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/colorado-high-school-fight-club-video_n_971978.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing9%7Cdl12%7Csec3_lnk2%7C97391

That's the first lesson I learned in 9th grade physical science.  It was the theory I applied (for extra credit) to the Magic Johnson HIV controversy.  My science teacher was a bit of a neanderthal man - short, curved, with a gruff body builder's physique and a die-hard sports enthusiast.  He had a small role in the movie My Blue Heaven.  He considered it his gateway Hollywood prominence.  He lasted only one year as a teacher and his 15 minutes of fame where just that - by 10th grade he was nobody.

This weekend Delaware lost one of their own - a tremendously wonderful police officer who died protecting Delawareans. 

For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. 

Tom Capano was found dead in his cell this afternoon. 

An angel has gone to heaven.  A murderer is on his way to hell.

I am not totally callous and cold-hearted.  My heart mourns for Tom Capano's children in the same way it mourned for Anne Marie Fahey's family. 

I was 17 when Anne Marie disappeared.  I know exactly where I was when I first heard about it. As a young journalist in college, I followed her story.  Because Delaware is so small, I had a distant connection to the man who bought Jerry's boat, sans anchor.  I knew why the police were searching Cherry Island - for Capano's couch believed to have been disposed of in a dumpster on a family construction site - even when law enforcement managed to keep the documents sealed from the press.  The NJ fought to get access to those warrants.

My new husband and I took turns reading the Ann Rule book "And Never Let Her Go" on our honeymoon to California in 1999. This past Friday, the same day that one of our finest had his life stolen, one of the Verizon channels in the 121-140 block aired its Anne Marie Fahey documentary again.

The NJ is reporting that Capano's death appears to have been of natural causes.  It's heart-wrenching that Ann Marie wasn't granted the same peace in passing.

See, I'm not all that bad.  I'm just willing to put in writing what many in Delaware are feeling.  Justice for Anne Marie. Finally.

Partnership Zone  Thoughts  -

If Focus Area 4 - Flexible Operating Conditions - is a stipulation of both Tranformation and Turnaround (two of the four models) could the CSD BOE install a new "body" to oversee the governance of its two newest PZ schools?  A REQUIREMENT of both of these PZ models is to "Adopt a new governance structure."  Should Christina use this oportunity to return control to the neighborhoods from which the students that attend these schools are drawn?  Could CSD develop a governing structure that places direct leadership into the hands of the City residents and thereby establishes a foundation that ensures these schools are truly "community" schools within their urban settings? 

Is PZ the pathway to establishing something akin to a city district -a concept that a strong cohort of urban elected officials and community organizers is already behind?  They've approached Gov. Markell and contacted the Northern New Castle County School Boards requesting their ideas receive fair review.  They've marched in Wilmington and been highlighted in stories in the News Journal. 

The real question - Is Delaware ready to think innovatively?  And is Christina ready to lead?  Nothing about Race to the Top is certain. There is no data to show the models work.  In fact, I believe RTTT is the greatest education fallacy of our time - but, if this is the mechanism that allows my constituents to take the reigns of at least some of their schools in a new, creative, innovative manner; perhaps it's the route for which we should all be advocating... Maybe it's time to install a governing body that falls within Christina's domain but allows for greater autonomy - in a manner similar to the way that Charter School Boards act with autonomy in leading their schools with respect to their authorizers, such as the case with many of the charters located in the Red Clay School District. In my proposed version, Christina would continue to provide the administrative guidance and back office support - but the unpaid governing body at these two PZ schools would establish the mission and policies that relect their values and make the operating decisions that ensure the success of their schools.

Of course, you might just say - Why don't you Charter those schools then?  Chartering may require (the jury's out) invoking those certain provisions of the law that are time and process consuming.  PZ regulations require that districts submit plans within 90 days for approval.  Considering that no Public School in Delaware has ever gone through the conversion process, a 90 day window will likely not suffice to complete the requirements of the conversion law.

Well, readers, what are your thoughts, and Kilroy, I expect to hear from you!

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/26180-philly-school-district-will-foot-entire-905000-bill-for-ackerman-buyout
Philly schools will foot entire $905,000 bill for Ackerman buyout
September 7, 2011
By Dave Davies

The School District of Philadelphia has paid former Superintendent Arlene Ackerman a $905,000 separation payment entirely with tax dollars.

The district late Wednesday also announced its decision not to pursue legal action against Ackerman for her public criticisms of a school district official.

Under the separation agreement negotiated with Ackerman, she was to refrain from any public comments that would injure the reputation of other schools officials. However, Ackerman sharply criticized district chief financial officer Michael Masch, and officials were considering a legal action to void or reduce her separation payment.

In a statement, the School Reform Commission, which governs the district, said while it disagrees with Ackerman's assertions, it believes its efforts are better spent on teaching kids than going to court. The statement also said most of the private donors who'd pledged $405,000 toward Ackerman's separation payment backed out after a public controversy over the use of anonymous donations. Instead, the entire $905,000 payment will come from the beleaguered school district.

http://www.wgmd.com/?p=34164&cpage=1#comment-70294

Outrage in Cape Henlopen over new bus routes caused by Jack's 10% transportation push off to the local districts.  And who was the board member who called the WGMD and asked them not to report on the issue? (listen to the end)

Thanks, Jack.  Your commitment to education leaves me speechless.

Supersized Buyouts for School Chiefs Scrutinized


Wow!  What a read! PA/Oregon/Texas.  with legislative attempts in Oregon to change Superintendent contracts.  And, you can't beat the special office for the non-renewed superintendent who wasn't terminiated.  Wow!

Charles Kimball Skinner

Charles Kimball Skinner, D.D.S., age 75, of Newark, DE, died on Sunday, September 4, 2011, at Christiana Hospital from respiratory failure.

Born in Wilmington, DE, on September 13, 1935, Charles was the son of the late Dr. Glenn Seymour Skinner and Dr. Pauline Kimball Skinner.

He graduated from Newark High School in 1953, where he was valedictorian of his class, and from the University of Delaware in 1957, with distinction and honors in chemistry.

A graduate of Temple University School of Dentistry, Class of 1961, Charles became a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honorary Dental Fraternity and John A. Kolmer Honorary Medical Society. After dental school, he served as a captain in the US Air Force until 1963, when he established his private practice in Newark, lasting for 43 years until his retirement. He was a member of the American Dental Association, Delaware State Dental Society, Academy of Operative Dentistry, Academy of Gold Foil Operators, Fellow of the Royal Society of Health, Sons of the American Revolution, and National Society Americans of Royal Descent.

Perhaps his greatest achievement and pride was editing the legislative bill to create Delaware's educational program for autistic children, one of the first and most comprehensive in the United States. Charles also spent many years advocating for equal living and employment opportunities for the disabled at the state and federal level. Some of his writings were even included in the Federal Register.

Charles is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Helen Cochran Skinner; children, Charles K. Skinner Jr. of New Castle, Daniel Skinner of Annapolis, MD, and Julie Skinner of Eagle River, AZ; brother, Dr. Glenn Skinner Jr. and wife, Barbara, of Sunnyside, WA; sister-in-law, Margaret Cochran of Newark, DE; grandchildren, Katherine Skinner and Genevieve Skinner; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister, Marcelle Baker, sister-in-law, Janet Lee, and brother-in-law, John Cochran.

Services will be held privately at London Grove Friends Burial Ground in Kennett Square, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Delaware Foundation for Autistic Citizens, Inc., 711 Nottingham Road, Newark, DE 19711.

SPICER-MULLIKIN FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORY
To sign guest book, visit
spicermullikin.com
302-328-2213

What it means to opt out of The Test!

Back to School Guide: Reclaiming Your Child’s Education (1/2)
By Kerri Provost, August 31, 2011 2:53 pm

In March of 2011, the mother of a straight-A Hartford student called up the principal to say that her daughter, Caridad¹, “will not be taking the test.”

The test, in this case, happened to be the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT), which is administered to all students in grades 3-8, every year. About one week is dedicated to the actual test (seven hours in all), though the level of preparation varies from school-to-school, with some assigning test prep homework all year round. Caridad, who was in the seventh grade when she opted out, attends one of the schools that puts less emphasis than others on the standardized state tests...

http://www.realhartford.org/2011/08/31/back-to-school-guide-reclaiming-your-childs-education-12/

Make's me wish I had learned an instrument as a child...

Dear Anonymous,


I am sorry if my writings sound mean. My comparison is not directed at schools, but at the department that changed the ratings system and essentially rendered it useless.

Children are my passion, providing access to clear, comprehendable data is part and parcel to that passion.

The new system invalidates the historical data. The untrained eye will look at school profiles and see a superior school and actually think that school is superior when in fact it may be one of the 40ish who fails to meet the federal minimums.

The designers of this altered system had one obvious motive in mind when they implemented it - Make DCAS and RTTT look like they are working to ensure voter buy-in. The public is being scammed and if they don't live and die education they won't realize it.

It's shameful.

As for my schools - I am proud of each and every one for their achievements. But, my desire for these schools and teachers is to internally celebrate this moment in time and then use that affirmation to propel them into a new school year and return to the mission at hand - teaching children, not the test, but to be life long achievers of all of their goals.

The benchmark will rise by about 1/3 next year. Approx. 1/3 more children must achieve profiency for our schools to maintain their ratings. While the natural reaction is that this a moment to savor, we cannot be satisfied, knowing that the bar was lowered by a department that is supposed to be dedicated to achievement.

Tell me this:

If the measure of a superior builder is that 1/2 of his buildings don't fall down, would you hire him to build your house? 

You're turn:  Send me your analogies of the 1/2 time show at DOE?

What would a nursing home look like if you applied the same standards to healthcare that the state has now applied to AYP?  Only 49-50 percent of the residents would be required to receive "proficient" care - no bed sores, working wheelchairs, functional respiratory devices, nutritious meals, baths, freedom from med errors.  God, you better hope to be in the 50 percent of haves.  Because life would be hell for the have-nots.  And yet, the home would still have a superior rating and a body count!  Coveted 5 stars, well if it was education it would be the coveted 3 stars. 

BTW - it is nearly impossible to receive the 5 star Medicaid rating.  Only 1-2 long-term care facilities in the state of Delaware have achieved that rating and maintained it since the system was implemented.  But, hey, we're celebrating huge AYP gains across the state b/c only half of our students were required to be proficient in order to achieve AYP.  Come on!  30+ schools failed to meet fed. minimums and yet they are rated Superior???

Yeah? and in the real world, if only half the residents in a nursing home received genuine, competent care, the facility wouldn't be rated Superior, THE PUBLIC, STATE, LEGISLATORS, and GOVERNOR WOULD DEMAND THAT THE FACILITY BE CLOSED and Dir. of Nursing and Medical Director WOULD BE JAILED! IMPRISONED! LOCK THE DOOR, THROW AWAY THE KEY! (seriously, not kidding.)

What hell is wrong with this picture?

A very wise man once told me that if your objective is for 49% of your students to be proficient in math and 50% to be proficient in reading, then you are truly not Racing to the Top.  You are racing to the middle.

AYPAYPAYPAYDAYPAYPAYPAYPAYPAYDAYAYPAYPAYPAYPAYPAYPA

AYP - Adequate Yearly Progress

The time honored tradition of No Child Left Behind. A rating system that allow researchers, policy-makers, and parents to gauge the success or failure of schools.  Except now, that system, as terrible or wonderful as it may have been, has been thoroughly corrupted creating a sea of meaningless scores and more haze and confusion than the smoggy movement of common core standards.

In today's News Journal, DE Sec. of Education Lillian Lowery is quoted as saying, "While I laud schools that made strong academic progress, I caution about trying to compare this year's ranking to last year's," Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery said in a statement. "Because of the changes to the ranking system ... it is not fair to try to equate them." 

That's because you can't.  Because DOE has essentially rendered the system useless.

And, Dr. Lowery, I, too, laud them because I know I have amazing people in my classrooms who are working every day to help kids achieve.

Here's how it went down:
1) Delaware adopted DCAS, a growth model test to replace the very flawed DSTP. 
2) With that adoption, the State Board of Education approved raising cut scores - that means that individual students had to get more answers right to attain the same achievement categories as they did under DSTP.  All in the name of rigor!
3) The State, with the approval of the feds,  also made a lesser known put equally important change to its very secretive AYP formula.  From NJ:  "the U.S. Department of Education agreed that Delaware should move its 2011 minimum test score targets in reading from 84 percent proficient to 50 percent and in math from 75 percent proficient to 49 percent." 

Translation - Even though individual students had to get more answers right to attain the same success as last year or to show progress, fewer students collectively actually had to show that achievement for schools to attain higher AYP ratings. 

So a school that was failing last year could be rated superior this year even if only 1/2 of the student population can read, write, or perform math proficiently.

4) DOE implemented DCAS in 2010-11 at all schools.
5) The result became public yesterday.

Of the schools rated this year, 137 earned a "superior" rating, 32 were "commendable" and 37 were on "academic watch." It is possible to fail to meet federal test score goals and still receive a "superior" rating: 42 schools failed to meet federal goals but still earned a state ranking as "superior."  - News Journal

AYP - The Incomparable Results

There are two things in education in Delaware that are indelible.  1) When the sec. of education says "human capital" she is utilizing business jargon to depersonalize what we all common know and revere as "teachers." 2) When she says something shouldn't be compared, you need to immediately compare it.  And a picture tells a thousand tales.

While the following graph is based on the information printed in today's version of the news journal's story on AYP, when I initially ran the data in the story, I noticed something was missing --  Approx. 50 schools.  I checked with the reporter and the NJ updated the story today with accurate data, so I've updated the graph.  What story do you hear when you read it?

Irene has come and gone.  And with her the $1k to $5k generators for sale on Craigslist.  Amazing thing happened this morning - huge price cut.  Still more than you'd spend retail.  But, hey, if you need one go here: http://delaware.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=portable+generator&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

Try these search terms on CL for the best variety - "generator," "generators," and "portable generators"

My fav at the height of the panic:  Aug 26 - 10,000 kw Baldor Generator - $4000 (Dover) tools

Have you picked up french toast makin's yet?  Milk, bread, eggs? After receiving the warning call from Delmarva, it's probably fairly safe to assume you'll be cooking by D batteries.  What? Can't find D batteries?  Is your store sold out?  Well, Walgreen's had some kind of sale on batteries this week and they are all stocked up.  Head there.

And now for an Ode to Irene:




This one is a bit better than the first.  It was written for the last storm named Irene in 1999.

From Transparentchristina.wordpress.com.
Go Here to see how your school ranks -  http://transparentchristina.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/state-releases-school-ratings-completes-the-texas-two-step-netde/

BUT DONT MISS THE IMPORTANT TEXT IN PR STATEMENT BELOW CONCERNING AMO RESET!

State Releases 2011 School Ratings
Release Date: Aug 26, 2011 7:29 AM ShareThis

Delaware’s Department of Education today released its first set of annual school ratings since the state raised requirements for student proficiency in core subjects and streamlined school rating categories.

While the changes in the ratings system, consolidation of categories and a reset of the state’s Annual Measureable Objectives (AMO) make a direct comparison to last year’s ratings more difficult, the new ratings provide a sustainable baseline to measure schools against the state’s higher expectations for student performance. The shift from seven to three rating categories, which separates school ratings and school improvement statuses, also brings more clarity around school performance.

In 2011, 137 Delaware schools earned “superior” ratings, 32 were rated “commendable” and 37 were rated as under “academic watch.” Last year, 66 schools were rated “superior,” 17 schools “commendable,” 46 schools “academic review,” 0 schools “academic progress,” 26 schools “academic progress – under improvement,” 0 schools “academic watch” and 37 schools “academic watch – under improvement.”

Under the new accountability system, schools are classified in one of three categories:

•Superior means that the school is “above” targets

•Commendable means the school “meets” targets

•Academic Watch means the school is “below” targets

While the ratings provide a view into a school’s overall performance, a school also can receive an additional status of “under improvement” if it failed to meet annual yearly progress performance targets for two or more consecutive years in a specific area or areas. Those areas can include: participation in reading or math; performance in reading or math; or issues around other academic indicators, such as graduation rate or attendance rate.

A total of 66 schools have been designated “under improvement” this year, 32 of which made adequate yearly progress but are frozen in that status until they do so for two consecutive years. The other 34 did not make AYP.

Federal law and Delaware regulations require that certain corrective actions be taken by schools designated as “under improvement.”

In addition to simplifying the school rating system, the Delaware Department of Education — with the support of the state’s districts and charter schools and at the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education — applied for a reset of its Annual Measurable Objective (AMO). “AMO” refers to the percentage of students within a school who must be proficient in reading and mathematics on state standardized tests each year as required under federal No Child Left Behind regulations. Under the 2001 law, all students must demonstrate proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2013-2014.

The “reset” changed the interim AMO “steps” or target percentages schools must meet but still adheres to the requirement that 100 percent of Delaware public school students in grades 3-8 and 10 demonstrate proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2013-14.

The change to the AMOs was the result of the introduction last school year of a new statewide assessment and higher proficiency standards, which raise the bar for what level of mastery is considered proficient. Other states also were granted similar resets due to changes in their state assessment or other policy changes.

The state followed a federal formula to determine the new interim steps, which moved schools’ reading target for 2011 from 84 percent to 50 percent of students being proficient and the math target from 75 percent to 49 percent.