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Statistic of the Week

Charter Schools and Students with Disabilities

Source: Charter Schools: Additional Federal Attention Needed to Help Protect Access for Students with Disabilities, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C., June 2012.

Charter schools enrolled11 a lower percentage of students with disabilities than traditional public schools in both school years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. For example, in school year 2009-2010, there was about a 3 percentage point difference between the percentage of students with disabilities enrolled in traditional public schools and charter schools. The percentage of students with disabilities in charter schools increased slightly between the 2 school years examined, while the percentage of students with disabilities in traditional public schools stayed about the same. In most states, charter schools enrolled a lower percentage of students with disabilities when compared to traditional public schools.

Relative to traditional public schools, the proportion of charter schools that enrolled high percentages of students with disabilities was lower overall and generally tapered off the greater the enrollment of students with disabilities. Specifically, the enrollment of students with disabilities was 8 to 12 percent at 23 percent of charter schools and 34 percent of traditional public schools. Further, when the enrollment of students with disabilities reached 12 to16 percent, about 13 percent of charter schools compared to 25 percent of traditional public schools had these enrollment levels. However, when compared to traditional public schools, a higher percentage of charter schools enrolled more than 20 percent of students with disabilities.

DREAM Act stalled, Obama halts deportations for young illegal immigrants

The Christian Science Monitor

The Obama administration issued a politically charged policy directive Friday that will make about 800,000 young people who were brought to the United States illegally as children safe from deportation proceedings, and may make them eligible for work permits.

The administration has been under considerable pressure to take action on the behalf of young immigrants, as Congress has been sharply divided about the DREAM Act, proposed legislation that grants conditional residency to select young people brought to the US illegally.

The policy comes as a relief for thousands of young people who are caught in a difficult situation where they consider the United States home but don’t have legal residency. It also should help President Obama – locked in a difficult reelection battle – with Latino voters, who have criticized the administration’s deportation policies.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune

Missouri is one of six states selected to participate in a new national education initiative to better prepare students for today’s jobs.

Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro said Tuesday the state was chosen to become a part of the Pathways to Prosperity Project created by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Jobs for the Future.

The aim of the program is to link educators with employers to develop realistic training that creates graduates who meet qualifications for today’s jobs.

The five other states chosen to participate in the national initiative are Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Tennessee.

PreK-12

(LA) Louisiana officials are still working on how to assess private schools receiving vouchers

The Times-Picayune

Anyone hoping to learn this month how the state's top education official is planning to hold private schools accountable for their academic results with students in Louisiana's new voucher program will have to wait. Until when isn't clear. Debate over the new voucher program, one of the more controversial components of a sweeping education overhaul led this spring by Gov. Bobby Jindal, has centered on whether private schools will have to produce concrete academic results to keep accepting students on the public dime.

In the pilot, which includes about 1,800 students from Orleans Parish, private schools have to test their students with the same exams public schools use, and the state reports overall results. But private schools don't get the same letter grades that public schools receive, or face the possibility of losing public funding for subpar scores.

(US) Mayors Back Parent-Trigger Laws for “Drop-out Factories”

Stateline

The nation’s mayors have endorsed an approach that gives parents more say in how to run failing schools, an issue that has divided state legislatures.

Led by a posse of mostly Democrat mayors, including Los Angeles’ Antonio Villaraigosa, Sacramento’s Kevin Johnson and Newark’s Cory Booker, the city leaders on Saturday (June 16) threw their support behind “parent trigger” policy initiatives, which would allow parents to demand changes in chronically troubled schools that the politicians dubbed “drop-out factories.”

Meeting in Orlando, Florida for the United Mayors Conference, the mayors unanimously called for legislation that would allow “parents to choose from one of at least four intervention options to improve their child’s school: turnaround, restart, school closure, or transformation.”

Abstinence-only curriculum approved for 6th-graders

The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

The Natchez-Adams County School District Board of Trustees has voted to adopt an abstinence-only sex education curriculum for the school district's sixth-graders beginning in the fall.

Mississippi schools have until June 30 to decide how to incorporate sex education classes into the curriculum for the 2012-13 school year.

The state is requiring every district teach abstinence plus - which includes information about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases - or abstinence only.

(KY) Ky. panel to examine middle school sports

The Bowling Green Daily News

A state panel has been tasked with studying the lack of regulations on middle school sports and making recommendations before the next General Assembly.

The move comes after Kentucky High School Athletic Association director Julian Tackett suggested that not having "minimum requirements" for health and safety could put students at risk.

The KHSAA oversees high school athletics, but there's no panel that oversees safety, coach education and play regulations for middle school athletes.

(SC) S.C. lawmakers: public schools can charge tuition for 4-year-old preschool

The Columbia State

House lawmakers had included a provision in the state’s $6.7 billion general fund budget that would have banned public school districts from charging tuition for 4-year-old preschool programs. The Senate removed that provision, and Monday a committee of three House members and three Senators voted to eliminate the provision for good.

Four-year-old kindergarten is not mandated by the state, so school districts are offering it at their discretion. And parents are not required to send their children to those programs. Sen. John Land, D-Clarendon, said in some rural counties there is no private school alternative for 4-year-old preschool.

(LA) BESE OKs less restrictive state oversight of public schools

The Baton Rouge Advocate

Four troubled public schools in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system will operate under less restrictive state oversight under a plan approved Tuesday morning by Louisiana’s top school board.

The sites are Capitol Elementary School, Capitol Middle School, Park Elementary School and Winbourne Elementary School.

All four operate under legal agreements with the state called memorandums of understanding.

The agreements are one step short of a total state takeover of a public school, which means they enter the Recovery School District to try to improve student achievement.

(US) College Board launches education advocacy campaign with 857 desks on National Mall

The Washington Post

While schools across the country are letting out this week, class is in session on the National Mall. That is where the College Board set up 857 student desks in the blazing sun Tuesday.

The empty desks — one for each student who drops out each hour of every school day, according to the College Board — are part of its “Don’t Forget Ed!” campaign. For the launch Wednesday, College Board representatives including college-aged students will circle the seats on the Mall, asking passersby to sign petitions urging the presidential candidates to say more about education reform.

(TX) Elementary and middle school STAAR results seen as encouraging

The Dallas Morning News

State officials have released the first look at how elementary and middle school students did on new standardized tests, though the passing standards still have not been set.

Students in third through eighth grade took the newly implemented State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams, or STAAR tests.

On average, students answered about two-thirds of the questions correctly in reading. Elementary students answered more questions right in math than did middle schoolers. The highest percentage of correct answers on average was in seventh-grade science, a subject many schools traditionally struggled with in the former TAKS system.

(NC) State legislators give teachers raises but little else to public schools

The Raleigh News and Observer

Legislators are expected to vote Thursday on a $20.2 billion budget that gives state employees and teachers raises and shrinks the amount that school systems would have to cut from their budgets next year.

Legislative leaders praised their work, but school administrators, school board members and Gov. Bev Perdue reserved opinions until they could look at the numbers.

A possible veto by Perdue, a Democrat, looms over the discussions. The House schedule for finishing its work for the year takes into account a potential veto.

Higher Education

(FL) Most Florida universities ask for full 15 percent tuition increase

The Florida News-Press

All but two of 11 state universities will ask the Florida Board of Governors for a 15 percent tuition increase this year, bucking Gov. Rick Scott's push to hold down the cost of a college education.

In filings with the board, every institution except the University of Florida asked the governors for the maximum increase allowed under the state's "differential tuition" law. UF decided to ask for a 9 percent increase after President Bernie Machen and some of the school's trustees expressed unease with going to the full 15 percent.

The University of South Florida initially told the board it would seek a 15 percent increase, but later trustees decided it will instead ask for an 11 percent increase.

(GA) Technical college program sees effect of HOPE cuts

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When Georgia lawmakers overhauled the popular HOPE scholarship they knew smaller award amounts could create financial hardships for some college students.

It's done that and more, college officials say. Enrollment in commercial trucking programs has plummeted at a time when there is a driver shortage across the state and country.

Under the old HOPE, students in the Technical College System of Georgia's trucking program paid $408 to earn the certificate. When that rose to $1,150 this past fall -- under a revamp supporters say was necessary to prevent HOPE's financial collapse -- enrollment dropped by 39 percent to 411 students. Enrollment could plunge again, college leaders warn. HOPE award payouts could be cut as soon as mid-2013, meaning students will have an even larger out-of-pocket expense.

(TX) At Public Ed Hearing, "15 Percent Rule" Criticized

The Texas Tribune

Parents, superintendents and students confronted lawmakers Tuesday over issues in the rollout of the state’s new standardized testing regime at a hearing of the House Public Education Committee.

Discussion centered on a rule that calls for high school students’ end-of-course exams to count for 15 percent of their final grades, which will go into effect next year, with committee members largely agreeing with witnesses that the rule should be done away with.

The “15 percent rule” will probably be permanently reversed, said outgoing chairman Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, who lost his primary election in May.

(FL) Governor urges state universities to lead nation in affordability

The Gainesville Sun

In case state universities hadn’t gotten the message yet, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday hammered home his concern about rising tuition before the university system’s governing body considers another round of tuition increases.

Scott told the Florida Board of Governors that state universities have made an “unbelievable increase” in tuition in recent years. He noted that Florida ranked 45th in the United States this year in average tuition and fees but challenged officials to keep those costs among the lowest in the nation.

The board votes Thursday on university tuition increases. UF is seeking a 9 percent increase, while all but two other universities are pursuing the maximum 15 percent increase allowed under state law. The proposals come as the state has slashed university funding by $300 million in the coming fiscal year.

(KY) Trustees approve University of Kentucky budget that brings 'gut-wrenching' change

The Lexington Herald-Leader

A budget that brings "gut-wrenching" change to the University of Kentucky was approved Tuesday by a 17-2 vote of the UK Board of Trustees.

The $2.6 billion budget reflects drastic cuts in revenue, the likes of which are unprecedented, said Angie Martin, vice president of financial operations.

Tuition increases of 6 percent for 2012-13 and 3 percent for 2013-14, coupled with anticipated enrollment growth, are expected to take care of about half of the $43 million deficit, caused by a $20 million cut in state funding and $23 million in increased costs. Program and personnel cuts will cover the rest.

(US) Universities Feel the Heat Amid Cuts

The Wall Street Journal

A panel of business and academic leaders warned funding cuts to higher education are hurting the global competitiveness of U.S. research universities, the latest sign of financial strain that is intensifying battles over school leadership and has led to several high-profile departures of university presidents.

U.S. research universities "are in grave danger of not only losing their place of global leadership but of serious erosion in quality," the committee of 22 academic, business and nonprofit leaders warned in a 250-page report issued Thursday. The report, commissioned by Congress, called for a combined effort among the schools, governments and corporations to reverse the decline.

(US) Overkill on Remediation?

Inside Higher Education

Complete College America is on a crusade to improve remedial education, which it says is hopelessly broken and failing students. The group has had big successes in a campaign that is gathering steam, but some community college leaders say its rhetoric and proposed fixes go too far.

That dissent is usually voiced privately. The two-year-old Complete College America is a savvy political operator, having persuaded lawmakers in 30 states to sign on to its completion goals. And the group receives support, both fiscal and, sometimes, on policy, from both the Lumina and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations.

However, Hunter R. Boylan, director of the National Center for Developmental Education and another top expert on remediation have publicly challenged some aspects of Complete College America’s campaign, which pushes for students to be placed into credit-bearing courses with extra academic support, rather than in the typically noncredit remedial pathway. They argue that research remains somewhat flimsy on how to improve remediation, and said the group’s support for a proposal to completely eliminate remedial education in Connecticut was a mistake.

Federal Activities & Issues

Ed. Dept. Launches College-Savings Plan

Education Week

A new College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project was unveiled by the U.S. Department of Education last week that is designed to help disadvantaged students pay for higher education.

The $8.7 million needed for the initiative will come from federal funds in Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, a program that aims to improve college readiness among low-income middle school and high school students.

About 10,000 GEAR UP students will receive $200 in seed money to start accounts as freshmen in high school. Students then will have the opportunity to earn $10 a month, which would be matched by the government over the next four years, with the chance to save more than $1,000 by the end of high school. GEAR UP will follow the outcomes of students receiving savings accounts with a control group of peers who did not. Research suggests that savings accounts can be a factor in students enrolling in college.

Reports & Publications

Charter Schools Still Enroll Fewer Disabled Students

The New York Times

Charter schools in most states continue to enroll proportionately fewer students with disabilities than traditional public schools, a new government report shows.

Across the country, disabled students represented 8.2 percent of all students enrolled during the 2009-10 year in charter schools, compared with 11.2 percent of students attending traditional public schools, according to a Government Accountability Office analysis of Department of Education data.

In the previous year, 7.7 percent of students in charter schools had disabilities, compared with 11.3 percent in traditional public schools. Data covered students ages 6 to 21 in the 40 states that have charter schools.

NAEP Reveals Shallow Grasp of Science

Education Week

Elementary, middle, and high school students failed to demonstrate a deep understanding of science concepts when they performed activity-based science tasks and investigations, concludes a study released today from the first national assessment of both hands-on and interactive computer-based science activities.

The hands-on tasks, which required students to use materials and laboratory equipment to perform science experiments, and the new, interactive computer tasks, which simulated an environmental or laboratory setting and asked students to solve scientific problems, were administered as part of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress in science for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders. The report follows on the heels of the 2011 traditional pencil-and-paper science NAEP results released last month.

Outside the Region

(MA) Need Too Much

Inside Higher Education

Sometimes good intentions can blind one to the realities that something might not be sustainable.

In the face of financial pressures, Wesleyan University is moving away from its blanket need-blind admissions policy. Instead, the college is planning to peg increases in the size of its financial aid budget to the size of its overall budget. As long as that money meets need, it will consider students irrespective of their ability to pay. Once the aid runs out, however, the college will start factoring in family income and ability to pay. This effectively means that, unless the college can raise enough money, the last students admitted to the class each year (possibly 10 percent of the class) will not include those who need aid.

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PreK-12

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(US) Change.org Drops Michelle Rhee Group Under Pressure From Progressives

(SC) State workers’, teachers’ raises could be delayed

(LA) Gov. Jindal signs bill allowing school boards to transport students to community-technical campuses

(US) The Enlightened Classroom

(SC) Teacher furloughs divide House, Senate

(LA) Charter school teacher certification questioned

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