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March 21, 2008
UPDATE: Pilot program not substitute for NCLB renewalMany public school advocates consider Education Secretary Margaret Spellings' annoucement to allow up to 10 states to use a "differentiated accountability" pilot program under NCLB a step in the right direction. In NSBA's statement, Executive Director Anne Bryant emphasizes that the small scale pilot program is "not a substitute for the immediate need for reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act."
By limiting the number of states that can use the new system -- which would allow schools and school districts to target limited resources and interventions for students who are most in need -- Spellings is placing "additional arbitrary barriers in place to the changes that are badly needed now." With these criteria in place, it is uncertain how many states will be eligible for the pilot program.
Posted at 5:52 PM | No Child Left Behind | Link to this story | Comments (0)
Schooling on preschoolBoardBuzz came across an interesting report via the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) evaluating states on their pre-school programs. The report called The State of Preschool 2007 for the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) compared states on the access and quality of preschool programs they provide to their 3 and 4 year-olds.
The report found that the majority of 4 year-olds across the country still do not have access to state-funded pre-school programs. The good news is, however, that the percentage has almost doubled from just 12 percent in 2002, the first year of the NIEER survey, to 22 percent in 2007. Oklahoma led the way by enrolling 68 percent of their 4 year-olds (not including head start) followed by Florida, Georgia, and West Virginia. Although Tennessee was not a top state in providing state-funded preschool, they did increase their enrollment by 50 percent from 2006 to 2007. A huge step in the right direction.
However, BoardBuzz knows its one thing to provide access to preschool programs and yet another to provide quality preschool programs. The NIEER report compared states on quality as well and found that Alabama and North Carolina had the highest rated quality preschool programs in the country based on NIEER's 10 standards for preschool quality. (Click here for more information on how states were compared)
BoardBuzz is well aware that starting and expanding state preschool programs are not easy and the educators, school board members, other policymakers and the taxpayers should be commended for their desire to ensure all students start school ready to learn.
Fortunately, our friends at the Center for Public Education and the state school boards associations in Kansas, Ohio, and Texas are busily at work finding ways to bring high-quality pre-k programs to more children in their states. CPE continues to report on these activities along with research, data, and resources to help get communities behind this important effort.
As SREB Vice President of Education Policies Joan Lord stated, "Children who are not prepared for school are the ones most likely to drop out, to find only low-paying jobs, to become unemployed and to face a lifetime of problems." By helping every child become school-ready, pre-kindergarten is more than a good educational program, it’s a good investment for the community.
Find more information on pre-kindergarten at the Center for Public Education. While there, sign up for CPE’s monthly e-newsletter, Pre-K Primer, which features news and practical information, strategies, and policies for expanding pre-k at the state and local levels. You'll also find the Center's Round-up of National Report Cards that simply explains how states are ranked in this and 11 other National "Report Cards" on education quality.
Posted at 4:49 PM | Early Childhood Education | Link to this story | Comments (0)
Sad but trueBoardBuzz was pointed in the direction of this website from our friends at the Public Education Network (PEN)'s weekly Newsblast (which if you don't get, you should definitely sign up for).
It seems that Tom Chapin, the product of public schools, is disappointed (as is BoardBuzz) in the cuts that are taking place to art, music, and other stuff that's "Not on the Test." And in this digital age, Tom has put his thoughts to music, made a video and posted it to the internet. He laments,
Your School Board is faced with no child left behind
With rules but no funding, they’re caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school ‘cause they’re not on the test.
Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You’ll learn there’s a lot that is not on the test.
Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you’re in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and spewing are blessed
'Cause rational discourse was not on the test.
And while the lyrics do elicit a chuckle, it actually makes BoardBuzz feel like crying. Chapin is right, school boards' hands are often tied when dealing with the requirements of NCLB. The good news is that some school districts are doing whatever they can to incorporate the things that aren't on the test. We loved this story from the Washington Post about one school in Maryland that threw testing to the wind in favor of a day of arts instruction.
For more information on No Child Left Behind, NSBA's recommendations for changes to the law, and the law's reauthorization, click here.
What's your school district doing to ensure that students receive a well-rounded education, incorporating subjects beyond what's required on the test? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
Posted at 10:29 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)
March 20, 2008
Google tools for non-profitsGoogle recently launched Google For Non-Profits, "a one-stop shop for tools to help advance your organization's mission in a smart, cost-efficient way." BoardBuzz thinks some associations might find this newest Google offering interesting. Highlights include:
- When you're writing a grant application, don't get stuck emailing drafts back and forth. Try Google Docs to collaborate on documents with your colleagues.
- Cut costs and save time with Google-hosted email at your own domain. Access your e-mail from any computer with an Internet connection.
- Accept online donations without hassle and with no transaction fees until 2009 with Google Checkout.
- Apply for free online advertising through our Google Grants program to raise awareness and drive traffic to your website.
- Start a blog to keep your supporters informed and engaged.
Excellent tools for associations large and small!
Posted at 3:44 PM | Education Technology | Link to this story | Comments (0)
NSBA Conference offers two online discussion topicsNSBA will host two lively online discussions during the Annual Conference in Orlando.
The Tipping Point on School Vouchers: Has Time Run Out for the Privatization Movement? Although well funded and with a vocal, albeit small network of supporters, the school voucher movement has run into troubles of late. From another crushing defeat of vouchers by voters in Utah, to a slew of recent research debunking private schools’ purported superiority in raising student achievement, to cautionary words from longtime voucher advocates downplaying vouchers’ alleged competitive benefits for public education, it has been a rough stretch for proponents of spending taxpayer dollars on private school tuition. While voucher proposals remain on the table in some states and in Congress, have the best opportunities for enacting new programs passed?Join NSBA Director of Federal Affairs Marcus Egan for an online discussion Sunday, March 30 at 1 p.m. ET to get the latest information on research, legislation and the political landscape impacting vouchers. You can submit a question in advance or log in to the discussion as it happens.
Straight Talk on Tobacco Most people assume that all schools are completely tobacco free – it just seems to make too much sense not to be true! Unfortunately, the truth is more complicated than that, and according to the latest available (school health data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 58 percent of states, 55.4 percent of districts, and 63.6 percent of schools prohibit all tobacco use in all locations at all times. So, there is plenty of room for improvement in making all schools tobacco-free!Join NSBA school health experts, Karen Lewis and Brenda Greene for an online discussion Monday, March 31, at 12:45 ET, to get the full scoop on tobacco free schools and to learn more about what school districts can do to make campuses tobacco free.You can submit a question in advance or log in and watch as the discussion unfolds.
Be sure to check it out! And be sure to visit the Annual Conference blog, which will detail all the events of the conference as they happen.
Posted at 3:12 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)
March 19, 2008
Florida, here we come!BoardBuzz is getting ready to head off to Orlando for NSBA's Annual Conference. It promises to be chock full of all kinds of great programming and activities.
For all the scoop on the conference, be sure to check out the Annual Conference Blog, which will be updated daily next week and through the end of the conference with all the latest on the happenings at the conference. Not to mention, our list of guest bloggers is growing and their experiences will be chronicled on the blog too. It's definitely worth a read! Check it out!
Posted at 5:33 PM | Conferences | Link to this story | Comments (0)
March 18, 2008
Good for the goose, but not the gander?Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced today that she will allow as many as 10 states to use a "differentiated accountability" system to target interventions/sanctions for chronically low-performing schools rather than to treat all schools that didn't make AYP under NCLB the same way, see this.
That's good news, on the surface. But BoardBuzz has to wonder, why only 10 states? If a differentiated accountability system is good for the goose, why not for the gander? If it's a fairer and more accurate measurement and helps target limited resources to schools and students most in need, why isn't that good for all states? We are talking about accountability that can have serious consequences for schools, so why should one state be allowed to have a fair system, while another would continue to be subject to the current one-size-fits-all accountability framework? Good questions, all.
Spellings wants to give this flexibility in the form of a "pilot program," limiting the number of states that can implement the new framework. Sen. Edward Kennedy hit the nail on the head in responding to the annoucement:
But schools need more than new pilot programs to respond to No Child Left Behind’s challenges. I commend Secretary Spellings for giving schools greater flexibility, but experience shows it won’t get us very far as long as the Bush Administration continues to shortchange its budget for school reform.
Posted at 4:23 PM | No Child Left Behind | Link to this story | Comments (0)
March 17, 2008
Listen to Anne-a-GramsNSBA's Executive Director, Anne Bryant, has launched her own podcast series, Anne-a-Grams. Take a listen and tune in monthly for the latest from Anne!
Mouseover the icon to listen to this Anne-a-gram
Attending NSBA’s Annual Conference is one of the most worthwhile things a school board member or administrator can do. The conference is one of the best opportunities for professional development that I can think of. Not only do we offer world famous speakers and presenters, but we also put real practical knowledge in your hands. Our exhibit hall has resources that make sense for all school districts from the smallest to the largest, and the money you can save your district by visiting the hall is, alone, worth the price of admission. The conference offers you the opportunity to build your boardsmanship skills and network with school board members from all over the country—an opportunity that doesn’t happen often – and one that should be treasured.
Posted at 12:49 PM | Anne-a-Grams | Link to this story | Comments (0)
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