Over at the Edifier the Center for Public Education discloses the presence of a silent achievement gap. What is the silent achievement gap you’re probably asking? Well, it is the gap between the number of minority and white students earning the credentials (grades, courses, and college entrance exam scores) they need to get into a good college.

While one’s initial thoughts upon hearing the words ‘achievement gap’ instantly shift to gaps in test scores, the Center’s new report Chasing the college acceptance letter found another gap in achievement  between white and minority students but not based on test scores. The report found that white students are more than three times more likely than their minority peers to earn the credentials they need in high school to have a decent chance of getting into a good college. A similar gap exists between low- and high-income students as well.

The Edifier reminds school board members that the goal is not simply to graduate all students but to prepare them for life after college as well. This includes providing all students with the rigorous courses, effective teachers, and other resources they need to so if they plan on going onto college they have the best chance possible of finding one of those fat acceptance letters from a good college.

For more information on K-12’s role in getting students into college check out Chasing the college acceptance letter. BoardBuzz also suggests you check out the Center’s Defining to 21^st century education on why all students benefit from a college prep curriculum, even if they don’t plan on going onto college. Check out page 31 of the full report and see for yourself what kind of math skills students need to get a good job after high school.

We’ve heard time after time the impact of high school dropouts and the cost it has on American society as a whole.  In fact, most studies and organizations prefer to focus on graduation rates instead of the percentage of students who drop out of high school (talk about a PR move).  A new study by the Alliance for Excellent Educationsays that almost 600,000 students dropped out of high school in America’s 50 largest cities in 2008 alone.  According to the study, if those students actually graduated, they could’ve earned $4.1 billion in additional wages and increased the tax revenue coming in to local and state taxes.

This isn’t really news.  BoardBuzz and the Center for Public Education have reported on this before.  But this is the first time that there are some hard data and dollar amounts to go with the numbers.  Large districts and CUBE (Council of Urban Boards of Education) districts have faced this issue for years, and have been working to try and slow the trend of lower graduation rates by getting more parental involvement, using local business leaders, and philanthropy to help locally, all in an effort to demonstrate that the higher the graduation rate, the better situation for the entire city.  This seems like common sense, but it’s often overlooked.

So now that we have some numbers to back up the case, perhaps America needs to hear the reality and face the fact that high school graduation rates impact everyone.  While we debate war, health, and more, let’s not forget the opportunity we have to help America’s students — and economy.

BoardBuzz told you last week about the latest edition of American School Board Journal  that touches on bullying prevention.  Eliza Byard, executive director of Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), told ASBJ in its September issue that teachers often don’t respond when they hear slurs about sexual orientation because it makes them uncomfortable.

That’s bad enough, but what about when the teachers are actually doing the taunting?  BoardBuzz came across this sad story of a Minnesota high school boy that made the national news last week.  It seems the Anoka-Hennepin School District paid 18-year-old Alex Merritt a $25,000 settlement after he was bullied — by his teachers. In 2007-08, Merritt said two teachers repeatedly harassed him during class about being gay. Merritt, who is straight, transferred to another high school under the strain.

“I’m not the first kid this has happened to. I feel bad for the kid who was homosexual in that class, seeing that I was belittled. … If kids feel like this is what they’re going through, at work, at school, at the house, you’ve got to tell somebody,” Merritt told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Incidents like these – and they are not isolated, unfortunately – proves GLSEN’s point that diversity training for teacher and administrators helps all students, not just those who identify as gay or lesbian. A recent study by the organization said teachers are present 80 percent of the time when anti-gay remarks are made, yet they do not intervene.

GLSEN has curriculum and training materials on its website for districts who want to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening. Byard will be a panelist at a Sept. 10 webinar on bullying prevention. The webinar is sponsored by ASBJ and the American School Counselor Association.

To register, go to www.nsba.org/na and click on National Affiliate Webinars.

The BoardBuzz crew often wonders what it is about lists that gets our attention so often.  Whether it’s the “best places to retire,” or “top songs of 2009,” we find ourselves pausing and perusing the list for a moment.  Much to many a parent’s chagrin, the top college ‘party’ school always gets a lot of media attention (we’ll make you click the link in case you haven’t heard), and this year is no exception.  But what’s more interesting is some of the other categories that made the Princeton Review listing this year. 

Because we cater to K-12 public education, one category that is important to us is affordability of college, or “best value colleges,” especially in the current situation we’re facing as a nation.  The top public school was the University of Virginia, while the top private school is Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.   Another category that caught our eye in light of the recent events in Cambridge, Massachusetts last week is “race/class relations friendliest,” which went to the University of Miami (Florida). 

So, if you’re in the market for colleges, or just want to peruse the results of the college students of America, it may be worth a look.

And if you want to learn more about college readiness and bone up on a little research, check out the Center for Public Education.

According to one principal, students at his urban secondary school have no choice but to succeed; he simply demands excellence.  At Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, Principal Steve Perry keeps kids motivated with tough love and high expectations, CNN.com reports.

The school of only three hundred students sends every member of its graduating class to a four-year college.  Perry attributes this trend to the fact that  he sets the bar high for each and every student.  He says, “In our school, it’s college prep for everybody; it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white.  They can see that it’s OK for them to be smart and black.”

For students overlooked in schools dominated by white students, Perry’s attitude can be transformational.   Breonna Arum, a seventeen-year-old senior at Capital Prep says that the high expectations set by the school community keep her motivated.  “It makes a difference because everyone has the same goals as you,” she says. “So it’s not like anyone is there to pull you back.  Everyone is going forward.”

BoardBuzz is excited to hear about this example of how educators’ hard work and dedication can really pay off.  Great students need great role models, and we’re so glad that the Capital Prep students are getting just that!

As the month of June flies by, BoardBuzz is taking time out to recognize the exciting achievements of the class of 2009. Graduating seniors everywhere have been offering reflections on their past thirteen years of schooling before they prepare for their next big journeys.  And as one who always loves a happy ending, we just had to share!

A student in Canton, Massachusetts found inspiration for her humorous graduation speech in the school cafeteria. Senior Class President Lauren Cortizo fondly recalled her last days at Canton High School, when she ordered a serving of buffalo chicken wraps, The Canton Journal reports. “I inhaled both chicken wraps, and exhaled glory,” she said. “I learned that day that anything is possible.”

Another graduate from Granite Bay High School in Rosewood, California, credits “the best four years of her life” to her compassionate classmates and her therapy dog, Wella, she writes in a special article to The Press Tribune. Kiersten Schmidt, who suffers from autism, says that the Labrador retriever provided her with the companionship and confidence to break the ice with her new classmates. Sophomore year, Schmidt joined the student government and became close with the members and faculty advisors. They are “definitely some of the kindest, most compassionate people I have ever known,” Schmidt says.

Derrick Johnson from Piscataway High School in New Jersey says that the fact that he has made it to graduation is somewhat of a miracle, the Star-Ledger reports. The 19-year old was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at age 7 and fought an uphill battle against the disease for much of his school career. Johnson has found courage and inspiration in this journey. “I can conquer and do whatever I put my mind to,” he said. “I conquered everything else. What else can I do?”

BoardBuzz is proud of the accomplishments and enthusiasm of each of these graduates, as well as countless others across the country, and wishes them well as they make their way into the world.  We often hear from school board members that graduation is one of the most inspiring and exciting duties they get to perform — and we agree!

What words of wisdom have graduates from your district shared with you? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

High schools across the country are well into prom and graduation season and many seniors have already begun to celebrate their final days with their classmates. Unfortunately, this thrilling time in students’ lives is all too often marred by heartbreak as students’ celebrations, sometimes fueled by drugs and alcohol, quickly spiral out of hand. In light of the recent tragedy in Massachusetts, where an allegedly drunk teen struck and killed a pedestrian after a post-prom party, BoardBuzz wants to spotlight one program that successfully keeps Maryland prom-goers safe and sober.

Since 1992, schools and parent volunteers in Montgomery County, Maryland have teamed up to host drug- and alcohol-free celebrations immediately following their schools’ proms, The Gazette reports. More than 600 Winston-Churchill High School students attended a post-prom party at the school hosted by Montgomery County Project Prom/Graduation. The group meets several times a year to plan events for the party, select prospective post-prom entertainers, and discuss activities that have succeeded in previous years, says the group’s treasurer and founder Meg Baker. Initially founded by a small group of parents, Project Prom/Graduation has been incorporated into thirty schools throughout the county.

Churchill High School Class President Max Heller says that he and his classmates recognize the value of providing students with a sober alternative. After “seeing how much trouble kids get into on prom night,” he realized that an after-prom party serves an necessary purpose. “It’s giving students a safe option,” Heller said.  And that’s something BoardBuzz really likes to see.

Many schools use police-trained German shepherds to keep drugs and weapons out of schools, but the Lafayette School Board in Indiana hopes to introduce a canine companion with a friendlier face.  BoardBuzz was pleased to read in Layfayette-West Lafayette Journal & Courier that a session at NSBA’s 2009 Annual Conference inspired these school officials in Indiana to consider a more amiable alternative to traditional police K9s. 

During a session entitled “Use Your Four-Legged Friends to Help Your Kids- You Will Be Glad You Did,” officials from DeKalb High School spoke about a unique program in their school that uses Labrador retrievers specifically trained to detect drugs and weapons but not attack.  These gentle dogs have become a part of the DeKalb community and mingle with the students while off-duty.  They even visit with elementary students during the school day.  When it’s time to get down to business, the nonviolent dogs simply sit down in front of the locker or parking lot in which they detect a banned item.  An aggressive response is just not a part of their training.

Lafayette Board member Kay Walton told the Journal & Courier that she was impressed with how quickly the dogs reduced the number of drugs and weapons in the DeKalb school.  In the course of just one year, the dogs dropped from detecting dozens of hits first semester to finding only one during the second semester. 

The Lafayette board hopes to also add a Labrador retriever to its roster and will likely share the cost of the dog with neighboring high schools.  Other school officials who hope to purchase a furry friend should note that the initial training and purchase of a non-aggressive drug-sniffing dog totals only about $2,800- less than the cost of a traditional police dog.

To learn more about the DeKalb program, check out NSBA’s website for the April 2009 Annual Conference.  Please click on “Available Handout Material” and scroll to find “Use Your Four-Legged Friends to Help Your Kids- They Will Be Glad You Did.” 

And for additional learning opportunities, consider attending NSBA’s Annual Conference in Chicago next April.  Like the Lafayette Board, you can take tools back to your district that really work!

Earlier this week Jim Hull, policy analyst for our very own Center for Public Education, briefed a group of congressional staffers on “Improving Accountability Measures for Local Schools and School Districts.”  Hull focused the briefing on two areas :

1. What growth models are and how they should be used; and
2. Whether schools should be given credit for students that take longer than four years to graduate high school.

Staffers were provided insights into what different types of growth models there are, how they should be used, what states or districts would need to have in place to develop a growth model. BoardBuzz was particularly interested to learn that the terms “growth models” and “value-added” were not synonymous, even though many people use them interchangeably. As Hull explained, 

Value-added models are a type of growth model but not all growth models are value-added models. Just as a square is a type of rectangle, but not all rectangles are squares.

As for whether schools should be given credit for those students who take longer than four years to graduate high school (late graduates) BoardBuzz and the staffers found out the answer is a resounding yes!   Hull provided a wealth of interesting data which showed that late graduates were more successful after high school than their classmates who went on to earn a GED or dropped out all together. Late graduates were also as well off in some aspects of life after high school as their classmates from similar backgrounds who graduated on-time, though not in others. So indeed, students are better off graduating late than never and schools should be given credit for these students.

For those who would like to learn more, BoardBuzz strongly recommends checking out Jim Hull’s presentation here. And we’re happy to report that you won’t get lost if you’re not a statistical or research expert –BoardBuzz certainly isn’t – Hull provides the information in non-technical terms that school board members, policymakers, and the general public can easily understand so they can be more informed participants in the accountability debate.

For more information on Growth Models and Late Graduates check out the Center’s Guide to measuring student growth and Better late than never reports.

In case you missed it America’s Promise Alliance-Colin Powell’s organization-recently released a report on the graduation rates of our nation’s largest cities. Although challenges remain for school districts serving these cities, progress is being made. Over the past decade graduation rates in the majority of these cities have increased. BoardBuzzwould like to give a special shout out to NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) members in Philadelphia, Tucson, and Kansas City, MO which made the largest gains-over 20 percentage points- in graduation rates during this period. Keep up the good work!!

Of course even with these increases the report points out that our nation’s cities still have a ways to go to close the graduation rate gap with their suburban neighbors. While about three quarters (77 percent) of suburban students graduate high school on-time,  just over half (59 percent) of urban students do so. The report points out that narrowing this gap would not only increase future income for the individual graduate but would have a significant positive impact on the cities’ economies as a whole.

For more information on this report check out the Center for Public Education for a quick summary.