Anglin Falls is a spectacular afternoon hike that often goes unnoticed due to its "hidden" location. For anyone deciding whether or not to take the hike, here is some advice: Take it. Not only is the short mile walk pristine, but the area is relatively unpopulated, making for a very relaxing hike.
John B. Stephenson Memorial Forest State Nature Preserve in Rockcastle County protects a 123-acre wooded gorge with a rich spring floral display. The preserve honors John B. Stephenson, the former president of Berea College who enjoyed the area's beauty and solitude and worked hard to preserve the forest surrounding Anglin Falls.
"A key assumption of using test scores to judge teachers
is that students are randomly assigned,
first, to schools, and, second, to classes.
Neither is true."
Recently, there has been increased talk of holding teacher preparation institutions accountable for the performance of Kentucky teachers - in effect holding colleges accountable for student achievement in the state's public schools.
It's a good motivation, but in practice, there's a lot wrong with the idea.
It simply takes all of the problems associated with teacher-accountability-by-standardized-test-score, a central tenant of the Obama Administration, and multiplies that unfairness many times over. While it may feel good to teachers to know that they are not the only ones tied to an unfair system, it does not fix what's broken.
But it may become a better idea, if those who are enthusiastic for change slow down long enough to create a system that addresses fairness by trying to address the many technical problems, and that might actually work to an acceptable degree. That means building Kentucky's new accountability system from the bottom up:
Curriculum standards, first
Assessments built on those standards
Lessons taught on those standards (in that order)
Assessment results fed into a value-added accountability system that is sensitive to the great variability in children and one that establishes an individual baseline for each child and controls (to the degree possible) for that demographic variability.
At this point the public should consider a cost benefit ratio: the investment, in relation to the reliability and validity of the system.
Professionals should gauge the practical limitations of social science research, both quantitative and qualitative. Unlike the natural sciences, our variables refuse to hold still; which bears heavily on the precision of the system.
Individual student progress is measured from each individual student's established baseline
Individual student achievement data is collected over the student's entire academic career
The teacher accountability system should be quantitative and qualitative.
The principal accountability system should be quantitative and qualitative
There should be a planned review of the accountability system after collecting about three years of data (barring some unforeseen data catastrophe), with any significant adjustments to the accountability formula made at that time.
Then, and only then, a teacher preparation institute accountability system should be ready to track the performance of teachers who graduated from each institute, based on that value-added system; and that system should be quantitative and qualitative
Tying teacher accountability to test scores is going to happen. Fairly or unfairly, states are now scrambling to meet the strictures of RTTT grant funding. But desire for much needed funding doesn't make the myriad technical problems go away.
The Century Foundation recently outlined their Eight Reasons Not to Tie Teacher Pay to Standardized Test Results. In a nutshell,
Reason #1: Tying test scores to teacher compensation suggests that teachers are holding back on using their experience, expertise, and time because they are not being paid for the extra effort.
Reason # 2: The standardized tests in most states are lousy and so are the standards they are designed to measure.
Reason #3: The idea of compensating teachers individually in order to differentiate their performance from their school colleagues defeats a principal tenet of good instruction—that teachers need to learn from one another to solve difficult pedagogical challenges.
Reason #4: Most teachers do not teach a grade or subject that is subject to standardized testing.
Reason # 5: Even reliable standardized tests are valid only when they are used for their intended purposes.
Reason #6: A key assumption of using test scores to judge teachers is that students are randomly assigned, first, to schools, and, second, to classes. Neither is true.
Reason #7: State data systems are in their infancy. It turns out that it is harder, is more expensive, and takes longer for states to produce reliable, accurate, and secure longitudinal data on students and teachers than widely assumed.
Reason #8: The rationale for tying tests to compensation is not clear.
The non-profit, non-partisan Century Foundation argues that No Child Left Behind has narrowed instruction too much already, that one does not need a standardized test to identify the worst and best teachers, and no system could be constructed with sufficient precision to withstand the inevitable court challenges.
At the heart of the argument in favor of tying pay to test scores is the idea that it will improve practice. But that can only work if the economy provides the anticipated financial incentives. In this recession,
"if teacher compensation does not keep up with inflation because of poor student performance, then teachers will . . . what? Work harder? Dig deeper? Stay longer? There is no evidence that such measures improve instructional practices or student outcomes."
Secretary Duncan is correct when he catalogues the weaknesses in the present system of preparing, recruiting, mentoring, retaining, inspiring, retraining, promoting, and dismissing teachers. but this is an idea that is way ahead of just about everything it would need to have even a chance of working fairly and reliably, if at all.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday was supposed to be on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 the other night.
Then, he wasn't.
Here's the way his non-appearance rolled out, according to Holliday.
This from Commissioner Holliday's Fast Five for Friday email:
Anderson Cooper 360-
The appearance that did not happen.
Tuesday, we received a call from CNN that the producers wanted the commissioner to appear on the AC360 show to talk about national standards.
Wednesday, I got a call from staff of the show, wanting to talk about details of the program.
It became apparent that they did not really want to discuss national standards, but a recent report that compared state test scores to NAEP scores. The show was basically trying to allege that states had actually lowered standards so more schools would meet adequate yearly progress (AYP).
While I was not in Kentucky in 2007 when the Kentucky Core Content Tests were changed, I do know how the standards-setting and test development procedures are handled. I also knew that while the NAEP comparison cut score on our 4th-grade mathematics had actually dropped one point, I also knew that our NAEP proficiency levels had increased, and Kentucky was one of only a handful of states whose levels actually had increased.
Apparently, they did not know that last part.
I also told them that national standards and national assessments would resolve this issue and that I supported the efforts of CCSSO and NGA.
Apparently, that was not the type of show they wanted ... so, they called back in 15 minutes and canceled the appearance.
Never mind - I got to see the final game of the World Series!!!!
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday is still on the road; meeting, greeting, getting to know more and more Kentuckians.
Say what you will, but I think most Kentucky political observers will tell you that this is a necessary component of effective advocacy in the commonwealth. So much depends on personal relationships in this state.
Another necessary component is effective communication and I can't remember a commissioner who has communicated more.
Holliday tweets his day-to-day meet and greets. Facebook is use as a tool for personal accountablilty. His weekly blog and other communications to the state board, superintendents and other key stakeholders are regular, informative and visionary; in the sense that they outline where the department of education is heading. When conditions change, he updates.
For example, key state leaders receive an email blast called, "Fast Five on Friday."
Meeting with Co-op Directors - Kentucky is very lucky to have excellent regional education cooperative agencies. I met with the leaders of the co-ops this week to discuss how KDE could partner with them to roll out Senate Bill 1 and Race to the Top initiatives. See this week's blog for additional information: http://kyedcommissioner.blogspot.com/
Superintendent Advisory Committee - Over 30 superintendents joined us this week to discuss key issues surrounding the upcoming legislative session, December Kentucky Board of Education agenda, federal Race to the Top efforts and Senate Bill 1 deployment. The group also discussed how we could create a partnership between superintendents, KDE, the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents and co-ops to provide more support and stronger voice for superintendents. We have a great group of superintendents in Kentucky, and I have been very impressed with how well they work together to support student learning for ALL children.
Visits - I visited this week with the Prichard Committee, the Kentucky School Board Association’s Bill Scott, the SACS/CASI conference in Paducah and McCracken County schools.
Anderson Cooper 360- The appearance that did not happen....
State Superintendents receive Monday emails to update state leaders on activities and opportunities, like this:
MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 11/2/09
As part of our effort to streamline communications and cut down on the number of e-mails you receive, here is a Monday E-Mail that combines several items into one communication.
If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.
Items from KDE
Enhancing Education Through Technology –ARRA—Request for Applications (RFA) The Kentucky Department of Education has recently posted an Enhancing Education Through Technology -- ARRA -- Request for Applications (RFA) on the KDE website. Eligibility is limited to specific districts based on poverty factors using the 2007 Census Data. District eligibility is based on percent and numbers of children ages 5-17 in poverty and a substantial need for assistance for acquiring and using technology.
Please see Appendix A included in the RFA for eligible districts. This is a competitive grant section as defined in NCLB legislation passed in 2002 and the ARRA Act of 2009. Please note the deadline to submit Intent to Apply is Friday, November 6. The RFA can be accessed at the link below:
Competitive Grants from KDE Please note the following important dates and deadlines: Deadline to Submit Intent To Apply November 6, 2009 – 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Technical Assistance Web Cast (TBD) – Details will be posted on the KDE website when available.
Deadline to Submit Questions November 30, 2009 – 12:00 Noon (EST)
Deadline to Submit Application December 14, 2009 – 4:00 p.m. (EST) -- Applications received after this date and time will be deemed non-responsive and will not move forward in the evaluation process.
If you have any questions, please feel free to submit those questions to the KDE RFP Inbox at KDERFP@education.ky.gov
Should you have any questions, please contact Leah Settle at (502) 564-2351 or via e-mail at Leah.Settle@education.ky.gov
Items from Outside Agencies...
Plus - word is - most folks in the department are accepting of Holliday's direction and appreciative of his experience in the field.
Holliday's ability to effectively move the program is severely hampered by the current recession -- and it looks like it is about to get worse. There is no sign that the legislature will conjure up the necessary courage to reform the state's tax code in 2010 and that will cause legislators to resort to the more typical patchwork approach of special interests, structural imbalances and attacks on essential governmental services.
But for Holliday - all things considered - so far, so good.
Back in May, Page One Kentucky was raising questions about the amount (and nature) of travel Jefferson County Superintendent Shelly Berman was engaed in - what with all the failing schools and other pressing business in Louisville and all.
At Page One, Jake Payne counted "a total of 18 missed work days for non-JCPS-related meetings... throughout the school year."
But Berman told KSN&C, that over a two-year period (Dec 2007-Jan 2009), at most it should have "calculated to about 9 days out of the district rather than 18."
I asked for comment from a few Jefferson County Board of Education members and no one wanted to comment. But finding no tangible evidence of concern, I blew it all off saying, "Perhaps more information will come to light that will cause me to change my assessment, but at this point it sure doesn't look like it."
This week, in the wake of revelations at the Bluegrass Airport, The Kentucky League of Cities and the Kentucky Association of Counties, Adam Walser at WHAS TV thought it might be a good idea to check up on Louisville school district executives. Are they living high-on-the-hog off tax dollars as well? Surely not.
raising funds, and prominence or are they excessive?
Using an Open Records request, WHAS11 discovered that Dr. Sheldon Berman took 40 days of professional leave during a 13 month period.
Berman says he’s raising JCPS’s stature, but local education leaders say they want him home more often.
During a time of tight budgets and layoffs, most school districts are cutting down on travel. In Jefferson County Public Schools, teachers and administrators are limited to one district-funded trip per year for professional development.
But we’ve learned that Superintendent Dr. Sheldon Berman is on the road a lot more than that.
WHAS11 filed open records requests to see how many days Sheldon Berman has taken Professional Leave and to find out where he’s going.
We determined that between June 30th, 2008 and July 31th of this year, Berman spent 40 work days, or two full months, on the road.
While Berman says much of that time was spent seeking new sources of funding and raising the district’s profile, some local education leaders believe he’s spending too much time away from the office.
The destinations reach across thousands of miles to Austin, Boston, Orlando, Washington, California, Canada, and even Cape Town, South Africa.
These are not the travels of a pilot or a movie star, but of Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sheldon Berman. He sits on several organizations’ boards and often attends national and international educator meetings.
“The vast majority of any travel I’ve had has been paid for by other organizations or grants,” said Berman. “We’ve had some outstanding grants.”
Berman says part of his job as Superintendent of the nearly 100,000 student Jefferson County Public Schools district is to meet with foundations, businesses and government leaders.
“If the travel is related to a grant that brings a great deal of money into the district and benefits the district and the students, then that travel’s probably worthwhile,” said Brent McKim, President of the Jefferson County Teachers Association.
But McKim says all trips are not worth Berman’s $1,000 a day salary.
“Certainly at that salary the superintendent makes, it’s appropriate for him to look at that. It’s appropriate for the school board to look at that,” McKim said.
Some school board members are taking a closer look than ever. “If I’m on the fence on go here or not go there, I’d like the superintendent to be here in Louisville, Kentucky,” said School Board Member Stephen Imhoff. Imhoff says Berman’s main job is overseeing children’s education.
This year, only 33 of the system’s 133 schools met “No Child Left Behind” goals, representing a 13% drop from last year. In August, Berman received a “C” from the majority of respondents to a teacher’s survey. Teacher’s used the words “hypocrite”, “arrogant”, and “self serving” to describe him.
Former JCTA Executive Director Steve Neal, who sat on the selection committee that brought Berman from a small district in Massachusetts in 2007, is now critical of Berman. “Dr. Berman is way out of the norm in the amount of travel,” said Neal. “He’s hired at almost 300-thousand dollars a year to run a billion dollar business and he has no place being gone so much.”
Neal says some of Berman’s trips were not necessary, including a visit to Manitoba, Canada to see polar bears with the director of the Louisville Zoo last October. Neal says at that time, he was trying to address important school-related issues with Berman. “I think it was a poor judgment of timing to go look at polar bears,” said Neal.
Berman says the trip was important. “I think it drew attention to one, the endangered species and two, the work that the Louisville Zoo is doing,” Berman said. Berman was appointed to the Zoo Board after the trip, but that isn’t why he said he took it. “I did a broadcast back to four schools here while I was on that trip,” he said.
School board member Imhoff questions its impact. “I even looked up the North Pole on the Internet, so that was a little bit of a benefit to me,” Imhoff said.
In late May, Berman left the United States again, attending the World Congress on Civic Education Conference, in Cape Town, South Africa, where he was a presenter.
Since wind and ice storms pushed back the end of school, the trip ended up corresponding with the last week of classes.
“We did hear from a number of our teacher members who were concerned about the superintendent being away during the last week of school,” said Brent McKim. “And they point out that they’re not allowed to take personal days or take off during the last week of school, even though they have a daughter or a son getting married.” “They only work a 187 day year and I work a 260 day year. That’s a much different context,” said Berman.
Berman missed every single graduation.
“Not attending graduations is symbolic in a negative way,” said Steve Neal. “It sends a wrong signal to the staff, the teachers, the parents and the students.”
“I Think the only thing I really missed was the graduations. I really didn’t miss the end of school. In fact, I was in touch with the district all the way through that by both cell phone and e-mail,” Berman said.
That’s not acceptable to school board member Imhoff. “We would not like for that to happen again,” Imhoff said. “The last few weeks of school are very important.”
Berman says there was another reason he didn’t alter his plans.
“At the end of that, which was after school ended here, I planned a vacation attached to that,” Berman said. “So that was one period of time when I actually was gonna take a little bit of a break.”
Despite criticism of his travels, Berman says it’s vital to bringing JCPS more national prominence. “There’s a fine balance between restricting funding and preserving resources and saying we have to be out there and hustle for more resources. And at a time like this, we need to pursue as many competitive grants as we possibly can.
Most of the costs of Dr. Berman’s trips were paid by outside sources. In most cases, the money didn’t come directly from the school district’s budget.
So, Page One counted 18 days.
Based directly on information from Berman, KSN&C counted 5 days from Dec 2007 to June 2008 and another 4 by January 2009 - for a total of 9 days.
WHAS's open records request showed that between June 30th, 2008 and July 31th of this year, Berman spent 40 work days on the road.
If Berman refuted WHAS's claim it didn't get into the story; but that seems unlikely for a professional journalist.
So unless Berman traveled 35 days between Jan 22 and July 31st of 2009, it sure looks like I got myself ...snookered. I have written to Berman for clarification.
When WHAS11 asked for Dr. Sheldon Berman’s credit card statements, we discovered expensive meals at some of Louisville’s finest establishments. Some education leaders believe now’s not the time for those types of expenses.
Jefferson County Public Schools has nearly 100,000 students and 16,000 employees, so what’s a few hundred dollars here and there?
It’s a lot, when you’re laying off dozens of janitors and cafeteria workers and cutting back on district programs, according to some local education leaders.
In this time of budget cutbacks, we thought it was only fair to take a look at Dr. Sheldon Berman’s credit card bills.
The expense reports look like those you might expect from the Chief Executive Officer of any large corporation here in Louisville. After all, JCPS Superintendent Sheldon Berman’s budget is bigger than most at almost $1 billion.
But the difference is that these bills aren’t being paid by shareholder, they’re being picked up by you, the taxpayer.
We found bills for meals at some of Louisville’s most exclusive restaurants, including Lilly’s, Napa River Grill, Seviche and Le Relais.
Dr. Berman says the $200 or $300 dinners are few and far between.
“You would find very few of those on my credit card bill,” said Berman. “If you found more than 4 or 5, I’d be surprised.”
But we found twice that many bills from three or four star restaurants at a cost to the district of more than $1,400.
The delicacies Dr. Berman’s guests enjoyed included crusted sea bass, snapper and trout. Berman says the expensive meals were mainly to reward outside review committees and to impress applicants for some of the school district’s top jobs.
“When you’re trying to bring somebody from a major district and you’re trying to show them that Louisville’s a great place to be, you want to share with them not the most expensive restaurants because these are not the most expensive in Louisville, but a nice place that would interest them and make them feel more at home,” he said.
School board member Stephen Imhoff says he was not aware of all the meals. “You just mentioned this to me. Sometimes, school board members are the last people to know things,” Imhoff said. “Because of the economic situation, we need to save as much money as we can,” said Imhoff. “A hundred dollars here and a hundred dollars there is significant.”
“It sends a horrible signal to people that are working hard everyday to make a living and paying taxes to see somebody do so much spending,” said former Jefferson County Teachers Association Executive Director Steve Neal. “So much money that could be better directed toward the education of children.”
We also discovered a bill the district paid for a $300 a night hotel room.
Not [the way] teachers would like to see money spent, especially at a time with declining student test scores, [Neal says.] “They see textbooks. They see reading materials. They see extended school services, even if it’s only for a few kids,” said Neal. “If we’re in a hard budget time, I share in that pain of that time as well,” said Berman.
Berman says he’s declined his allotted raise in recognition of the economic downturn, which was much more than all of the expenses at fancy restaurants on his credit card.
And your superintendent says cutting back on costs like travel and fine dining could damage JCPS’s image nationally.
“You want to be very careful to not lose the prominence that Jefferson County has achieved in the national arena,” said Berman. Prominence Berman says helps bring in millions of dollars in grant money…for what he considers a very small investment from local taxpayers.
Berman told us that he travels and spends far less now than he did as superintendent of the Hudson Public Schools system in Massachusetts, which is much smaller.
Jefferson County Public Schools superintendent Sheldon Berman loves to spend your tax dollars (and grant money) on fancy travel around the world. Places like Austin, Boston, Orlando, Washington, California, Canada, South Africa...
Does sorting students by ability exacerbate achievement gaps?: Educators in a New Jersey district are questioning whether grouping students by ability -- called leveling or tracking -- may be perpetuating racial achievement gaps, but teachers and parents are divided on whether embracing mixed-ability classes will solve the problem. Raising expectations in lower-level classes is a goal, says school Superintendent Brian Osborne, but the question remains whether sorting systems undermine students' confidence and send the wrong message. (National Public Radio)
Texas may link teacher-training programs to student achievement: A proposed rating system in Texas is aimed at holding teacher-training programs accountable for their graduates' success in the classroom. Given preliminary approval by the State Board for Educator Certification, the rules would use student achievement to help determine which programs are producing the most -- and least -- effective teachers. Final approval could occur in February.(Houston Chronicle)
Group wants authors of common standards to disclose potential conflicts: The authors of new common national academic standards are being asked by a literacy-research group to make clear any ties to commercial entities that could constitute a potential conflict of interest as the standards are being written. The Literacy Research Association wants the disclosures because of concerns about relationships between the authors and companies that stand to profit financially from the sale of curriculum-related materials and assessments. (Education Week)
N.J. university creates urban-residency program for teachers: New Jersey's Rowan University will prepare five graduate students for teaching careers by immersing them in one year of supervised teaching at a local urban school -- creating a master's program that will be comparable to a medical residency. The program will accept candidates studying math, science or Spanish -- disciplines that traditionally graduate fewer teachers -- and will pay them a living wage of $30,000 through a federal grant for new professional-development programs. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Private-school data is public domain on education Web site: An unheralded database on the Department of Education Web site is proving to be a comprehensive resource for families interested in private schools. Although not mandated, some 91% of private schools respond to survey questions about demographics, length of the school year and college-enrollment rates, among other things. Survey results are posted to the site in a searchable format that provides information that may not be otherwise available to the public. (The Washington Post)
Election could change busing policy for schools in N.C. district: A school board election today in North Carolina's Wake County has become a referendum on school busing and integration, with the expected results set to create a majority in favor of returning the county to a system of neighborhood schools for the first time since the 1970s. According to this newspaper analysis, neighborhoods in the county have become racially diverse but are still divided by income, leaving some opponents of the possible policy change worried about the potential negative effects on schools in poorer neighborhoods. (The News & Observer)
Former Apple executive is named educational technology head: Karen Cator, a former educator and Apple executive, has been appointed to lead educational-technology initiatives for the Department of Education. Cator said her immediate goals include updating the National Education Technology Plan and capitalizing on federal funding available for technology initiatives. She will also oversee the Enhancing Education through Technology grant program, which promotes digital learning and best practices in educational technology. (Education Week)
Low-income and black students raise scores in N.C. district: In a significant turnaround from a 2004 assessment, low-income and black high-school students in North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district performed better than peers in the Raleigh area and better than the statewide average on state tests. But with a significant achievement gap remaining and just more than half of low-income and black students earning high-school diplomas in four years, district officials said, there is still much work to be done. (The Charlotte Observer)
Teacher-quality report receives criticism from union leaders: A report by a national education task force that called for a sweeping policy overhaul to improve teacher quality received sharp criticism from the American Federation of Teachers. Union representatives felt that the panel ignored much of the teacher input when developing the final report, which one union leader said did not address the "professionalization of teaching at all." The panel called for raising entrance requirements for teacher-education programs and the inclusion of residency-type internships for teacher candidates. (Education Week)
Former Dunbar coach pleads guilty: Former Paul Laurence Dunbar High School baseball coach Mickey Marshall pleaded guilty Friday to two misdemeanor charges of theft "by failure to make a required disposition" involving money from the baseball booster club. Marshall, who led the Lexington school to two state championships and was named 2007 Coach of the Year by the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 11 in Fayette Circuit Court. He also faces a restitution hearing Nov. 13. (H-L)
Lawmakerswill face a$1.19 billion question: When lawmakers return to Frankfort in January, one number will loom large: $1.19 billion. According to preliminary estimates, that's how much money lawmakers must find in the couch cushions of state government to continue spending at current levels through June 2012. (H-L)
Superintendents oppose using contingencies to bail out state: House Speaker Greg Stumbo has proposed tapping school districts' contingency funds to help balance the state's 2010-2012 budget, a move that has local officials scratching their heads. "I think most educators right now are a little bewildered with the proposal," said Campbellsville Independent Superintendent Mike Deaton. Taylor County Superintendent Roger Cook had the same reaction. (Central Kentucky News Journal)
Stop stalling on tax overhaul - It's essential for state's prosperity: Gov. Steve Beshear should apply the same logic to tax reform as he's applying to education. Even though this recession has the state struggling just to maintain what we have, Beshear has commissioned an education task force to put together a coordinated plan for the next stage of reform. That way, Beshear says, when the economy turns around and there's money to improve education, Kentucky won't waste time figuring out the smartest ways to do it. Makes sense. Likewise, it seems to us, with tax reform. If lawmakers created a more sustainable tax base now, by raising some taxes and lowering others, when the economy turns around Kentucky would receive maximum benefit from the upturn. (H-L)
“Hands off!” educators tell legislators: The Franklin County Board of Education has told state officials to keep their hands off the school system’s rainy day fund. Superintendent Harrie Buecker, five school board members and two student representatives publicly signed a resolution Monday expressing their “strong opposition” to a possible legislative grab of school districts’ budget contingencies to reduce the state deficit. (State Journal by way of KSBA)
Budgets tight, but Maysville alive and well: Area officials warned of a continued tightening of the budget for the next few years during a "state of the community" program at the Maysville-Mason County Area Chamber of Commerce's November membership meeting Thursday.Rep. Mike Denham warned of cuts on the state level, with the state facing a $160 to $500 million deficit for the upcoming year. While the upcoming fiscal year may prove a challenge, it is the following two years that Denham said may be the most difficult years he has faced in the legislature. Anticipated shortfall is $1.6 billion."That means we are going to have to start cutting essential services," he said. "We are one step away from turning prisoners out on the streets." (Maysville Ledger Independent)
Percentage of minority officials up: The number of minority public officials in Kentucky increased slightly from 2008 to 2009, but non-white elected officials still make up only 2.8 percent of those surveyed, according to a report released Friday. (H-L)
Race to the Top funds might force change to Charters: Kentucky might have to find new ways of turning around badly failing schools — including the option of converting them into charter-like schools — to get all the federal money it hopes to receive under the $4.35 billion "Race To The Top" program, a state education official said Monday. David Cook, the state department of education's advisor and project manager for the federally funded program, said that the guidelines might require states to at least have the ability to create charter-like schools in situations where traditional schools are badly failing their students. (H-L)
Recharging state's education reform: The intense competition among states for $4 billion in federal education grants is forcing Kentucky to think seriously about a couple of missing links in education reform: how to improve teaching and how to turn around chronically failing schools. That last challenge has people you'd never expect uttering thec-word: charters...It's been 20 years since the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that the children can't be deprived of an education because of where they live. Even without the incentive of the federal money, Kentucky should be looking for ways to aggressively remake chronically failing schools — and worry later about what to call it. The quality of teaching in Kentucky should also get a needed boost from the competition for federal dollars. Among the requirements are two political hot potatoes that can no longer be avoided: tying teacher evaluations to student performance and using teacher evaluations to judge teacher-training programs. (H-L)
Universities to request 'modest' funding increases: Leaders of Kentucky's public universities will plead for slight increases in state funding over the next two years but, at the very least, want to avoid deep cuts when federal stimulus money goes away starting in July 2011... According to a draft recommendation, they will propose a total increase of 4.6 percent for next year and 2.7 percent increase in fiscal 2012, with much of the money for maintenance and operations of new buildings. (H-L)
Students have returned to the plaza today to confront the preacher who caused a stir over the past two days by barking condemnations at all who would listen. Yesterday, students chose to return the favor.
But according to the PinPoint Evangelism calendar, the preacher is not scheduled to return today. Monday, he moves on the the University of Sinsinnati for more of the same.
Wanna Catch the Show? UC: Nov 9 & 10 Morehead: Nov 18 Western: January 2 Middle Tenn: Jan 4 Murray: Mar 2 &3 Spring Break in Daytona Beach Mar 7 - 13 Austin Peay: Apr 4 UofL: Mar 23 UK: Mar 25 Campbellsville: Mar 30 Tenn Tech: Apr 1 Indiana SE: Apr 13 Morehead: Apr 15 UT: Apr 20 & 21
A return trip to EKU is planned but not yet confirmed for Apr 6 & 7.
This from Traviss Witt & Meg Wilson at the Eastern Progress, Photo by Wilson:
Three traveling evangelists from southern Kentucky attracted attention from Eastern students in Powell Plaza on Tuesday. The group preached for several hours, telling them they would be spending eternity in Hell.
"Brother Tracy" began shouting his arguments as students raised questions and expressed disagreement with his beliefs. The evangels' main targets were those practicing other faiths, those having pre-marital sex and the LGBT community.
Several students brought posters and megaphones as a counter-protest, which read "If I'm going to Hell, I will see you there," and "Separation of church and hate."
The situation grew more tense when Lateisha Ousley, a broadcast news major from Lexington, grabbed a Bible and began loudly refuting what the preachers were saying. One of the evangels stuck out his hand, motioning her to stop, saying, "you are a woman, you can't teach a man."
Most students at the gathering said they were confused or offended by the Pinpoint Evangelism team. "He's saying only God can judge, but he's judging everyone," sophomore William Leslie said.
Others said they thought the situation could be a good discussion starter for others wishing to talk about their religions."It isn't that what they're doing is a bad thing," junior Eric Philbeck said. "It isn't that they're doing a bad thing. Anytime you can get people to discuss religion it's a good thing. The way they're going about doing it is the bad part."
When the recent flap over free speech on campus errupted and EKU's "Free Speech Zone" was misinterpreted by campus police as precluding students from protesting outside of certain designated areas, President Whitlock clarified that the restriction only applies to folks who were not a part of the university.
One of the examples given in justification of a free speech zone was a certain minister who accosted students on campus to tell them they were all sinners and were going to hell.
Perhaps, this is the guy.
Some students will tell you that he is part of a university hoax, purpetrated by the psychology department; or the sociology department; designed to gauge the reactions of students.
Whatever this effort is - they were asked to move away from the Powell Building by universtiy staff to a very particular spot on the nearby plaza.
Here' the gist:
"You're not a Christian. You don't love Jesus."
You have a filthy heart, Sir.
" You're doing a terrible job of living."
I'm here to stop your sinning."
"If you are living the wicked lifestyle of homosexuality,
then you are the reason God is angry today."
"If you love Jesus Christ, you will stop your sinning."
Curiosity is natural to the soul of man and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections. Let these influencing powers actuate, by the permission or disposal of Providence, from selfish or social views, yet in time the mysterious will of Heaven is unfolded, and we behold our conduct , from whatever motives excited, operating to answer the important designs of heaven.
Thus we behold Kentucky, lately an howling wilderness, the habitation of savages and wild beasts, become a fruitful field; this region, so favourably distinguished by nature, now become the habitation of civilization, at a period unparalleled in history, in the midst of a raging war, and under all the disadvantages of emigration to a country so remote from the inhabited parts of the continent.
Here, where the hand of violence shed the blood of the innocent; where the horrid yells of savages, and the groans of the destressed, sounded in our ears, we now hear the praises and adorations of our Creator; where wretched wigwams stood, the miserable abode of savages, we behold the foundations of cities laid, that, in all probability, will equal the glory of the greatest upon earth. And we view Kentucky situated on the fertile banks of the great Ohio, rising from obscurity to shine with splendor, equal to any other of the states of the American hemisphere.
The settling of this region well deserves a place in history. Most of the memorable events I have myself been exercised in; and, for the satisfaction of the public, will briefly relate the circumstances of my adventures, and scenes of life, from my first movement to this country until this day.
It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable habitation on the Yadkin River, in North Carolina, to wander through the wilderness of America, in quest of the country of Kentucky, in company with John Finley, John Stewart, Joseph Holden, James Monay, and William Cool...
Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, recently called for sweeping changes to the way we select and train teachers. He’s right. If we really want good schools, we need to create a critical mass of great teachers. And if we want smart, passionate people to become these great educators, we have to attract them with excellent programs and train them properly in the substance and practice of teaching.
Our best universities have, paradoxically, typically looked down their noses at education, as if it were intellectually inferior. The result is that the strongest students are often in colleges that have no interest in education, while the most inspiring professors aren’t working with students who want to teach. This means that comparatively weaker students in less intellectually rigorous programs are the ones preparing to become teachers.
So the first step is to get the best colleges to throw themselves into the fray. If education was a good enough topic for Plato, John Dewey and William James, it should be good enough for 21st-century college professors.
These new teacher programs should be selective, requiring a 3.5 undergraduate grade point average and an intensive application process. But they should also be free of charge, and admission should include a stipend for the first three years of teaching in a public school...
To fix our schools, we need teaching programs that are as rich in resources, interesting, high-reaching and thoughtful as the young people we want to attract to the profession. Show me a school where teachers are smart, well-educated, skilled and happy to be there, and I’ll show you a group of children who are getting a good education.
A trial date has been set for former University of Louisville education dean Robert Felner, who was indicted last year on 10 counts of mail fraud, money-laundering conspiracy and income tax evasion.
The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 1, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Calhoun said it will take about three weeks.
Felner's colleague, Thomas Schroeder of Port Byron, Ill., who is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, mail fraud and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, will be tried at the same time.
The trial date was set [recently] during a status conference before Judge Charles R. Simpson III. The judge told Calhoun and lawyers for Felner and Schroeder that the case has “been pending a long time. You've had plenty of time to get ready.” ...
Over at Prichard, Susan Weston has been looking into the lowering of academic standards in Kentucky circa 2007.
You will recall, that is the time Kentucky was switching from the old CATS to the new (and not improved) CATS - thanks largely to NCLB's strictures screwing up a fairly good (yet, far from perfect) accountability system.
A retrospective report from the National Center for Education Statistics allows us to more clearly see the degree of lowering that actually went on. Turns out, Kentucky's reading and mathematics Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) standards were indeed lowered, but Kentucky still had higher proficiency standards than many other states.
The NCES report allows each state to compare its criteria for proficiency with that of other states and determine whether the rigor of its proficiency standards as represented by NAEP scale equivalents changed from 2005 to 2007. The analysis allows NAEP to corroborate state-reported changes in student achievement and provide states with an indicator of the construct validity and generalizability of their test results.
206 as the NAEP score identified as equivalent to our "old CATS" proficiency standard.
205 as the NAEP score equivalent to our "new CATS proficiency standard.
In eight grade mathematics, the study shows:
285 as the NAEP score equivalent to "old CATS" proficiency.
279 as the NAEP score equivalent to "new CATS" proficiency.
In effect, the report gives us a formal demonstration that we lowered the proficiency bar in 2007. The reading change was quite small, but the math change more substantial.
The report also shows Kentucky's 2005 standards to have been quite high in national perspective, with only 21 percent of the included states having higher standards in either subject.
New allegations arise about Male High principal's past
WHAS11 has learned that Jefferson County Public Schools reprimanded David Wilson more than three years before recent serious incidents led to his early retirement.
We got a tip from a Male High School employee that Wilson had been repeatedly investigated for inappropriate conduct while serving as principal.
So we asked for records involving prior disciplinary action and we discovered a long account of an incident more than 3 years ago in which administrators say Wilson’s actions put students’ lives and the school district’s security at risk.
The faded pictures from a disposable camera show evidence of what looks like a school prank. Books are scattered and furniture is stacked into a pyramid but the prank that took place at Male High School in May 2006 was different.
According to the investigation report, Principal David Wilson was one of its masterminds.
“We’d never had a principal that had helped assist in a senior prank that could have potentially turned out to be so dangerous,” said JCPS Spokesperson Lauren Roberts.
According to investigators, Wilson met with students and encouraged them to break into the building.
He even promised that if they were caught by police, he would get them out of trouble and handle the situation.
Wilson also advised students to prank the band tower, told them how to climb onto the roof and to encouraged them to target the library.
“Mr. Wilson had informed the students how they could get into the school after hours as well as how to compromise the security system,” said Roberts.
On the night of the prank, students broke in through a window left unlocked and pulled hundreds of books off the library shelves as well as risked life and limb vandalizing other parts of campus.
According to one student, Mr. Wilson later congratulated her, saying “I have one word for you, “bravo.””
But Mr. Wilson didn’t have much at all to say to us.
Wilson announced his sudden retirement a month ago after allegedly showing teachers security footage of students having sex in the cafeteria and after complaints were lodged against him accusing him drinking on the job, making vulgar comments and violating other board policies.
“We tried for a period of time to continue to work with Mr. Wilson on these issues,” said Roberts. “I guess if it had worked, we would not be at the point where we are now.”
Wilson has served the Jefferson County Public School District since 1978 and was named principal of Male High School in 2000.
Federal data shows a third of states lowered achievement standards: Many states lowered their standards on state math or reading tests from 2005 to 2007, according to data compiled by the Department of Education. While a number of states adopted stricter standards during the same time period, "overall, standards were more likely to be lower than higher," a department official said. No Child Left Behind requires states to show by 2014 that 100% of their students are proficient on state math and reading tests or face sanctions. "Clearly what a lot of states are doing is changing the bar so that a lot more students will become proficient," a researcher said. (The New York Times), (Education Week)
Research: Many top-tier students opt out of STEM studies: The number of students studying science, technology, engineering and math remains strong among all groups except for a growing percentage of top performers, according to a new study financed by a philanthropy. The study results call into question the belief that students are not choosing STEM careers because they are underprepared or short on talent. Researchers theorized that top-tier students might be lured away from STEM careers by other higher-paying jobs or by jobs in fields such as information technology that require STEM skills but are not classified as STEM fields. (Education Week)
Co-founder of Google advocates for technology in schools: Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who dropped out of high school before helping form the successful company, says today's schools should be equipped with the most modern digital technology and that high-school curricula should better reflect real-world issues. At a conference on learning and technology, Brin also advocated for a switch to digital textbooks and for students to serve as teachers of technology -- to younger students and in the community -- to better help them learn. (Los Angeles Times/Technology blog)
Hundreds of schools close nationwide over H1N1 virus: About 600 schools nationwide have closed at some point this year -- more than 350 across 19 states last week alone -- because of the H1N1 flu virus. While the federal government has urged school closings to be a last resort, many school officials have expressed concerns over the tendency of the virus to spread so quickly in the school setting. They have said shutting the schools during outbreaks prevents further illness from students coming to school when they are sick. (Google)
More schools are looking at departmentalizing at elementary level: The pressure for schools to post higher scores on standardized subject tests is resulting in a growing push to departmentalize -- or platoon -- instruction for students as young as 6 years old. While the practice of having students change classes to receive instruction from subject specialists is typical in middle school and high school, students in elementary school are typically taught by generalists under the assumption that they benefit more from the stability of staying in one classroom. (Harvard Education Letter)
Denver schools are under fire over turnaround strategies: As it considers adopting strict turnaround strategies recommended under federal reform guidelines, the Denver school district is increasingly under fire from parents, board members and the community. Although it has not presented its final recommendations, district officials have said they are looking at the possibility of removing staff and principals at three schools, scrutinizing three low-performing charter schools as well as closing some programs, including a popular middle-school International Baccalaureate program. (The Denver Post)
Religious signs at football games are subject of debate in Ga. town: At high-school football games in one Georgia town, members of the community are testing the district's boundaries when it comes to the separation between church and state. The local school district recently banned cheerleaders on the field from displaying signs containing religious phrases at football games. Townspeople who disagree with the decision have turned out in full force with religious signs of their own. (The New York Times)
Grant provides boost to art, music efforts in Boston schools: District officials in Boston say they are closer to having weekly arts and music instruction in all elementary and middle schools by 2012, thanks in part to a $750,000 grant from the Wallace Foundation, which supports expanding art and music programs in schools nationwide. The district launched a major fundraising effort this year after reports that budget cuts had led to many schools not meeting standards for music and art instruction. (The Boston Globe)
Des Moines schools may offer alternative diploma to lower dropout rate: District officials in Des Moines, Iowa, are considering a proposal to offer an alternative high-school diploma that requires fewer credits earned for students to graduate -- part of an effort to reduce the district's rising dropout rates. Many school districts nationwide have raised the number of credits needed for graduation and have also adopted similar strategies to help stem dropout rates, including modifying graduation requirements, offering alternative diplomas and providing online courses and extra support for students who fall behind in credits. (The Des Moines Register)
...Data available from a handful of states suggest that only about half of beginning principals remain in the same job five years later, and that many leave the principalship altogether when they go.
“I talk to a lot of principals, and it’s becoming more and more rare that you’ll have a principal stay at a school for 15 or 20 years,” Ms. Gillespie said. “Now, you stay three to five years, and you either move to another school or go to the central office. I think it is a problem.”
Whether this apparent churn in the principal’s office signals a problem, progress, or business as usual seems to be a matter for debate, though.
Among tthose who see the turnover as worrisome is University of Texas researcher Ed J. Fuller, who with his colleague Michelle D. Young published new data this month on the retention rates of newly hired principals in Texas.
“We think the job has outgrown the ability of one person to handle it,” said Mr. Fuller, who is a special research associate for the University Council for Educational Administration, an international consortium of research institutions at the university’s main campus in Austin. “Nobody is staying long enough to make connections or shepherd a reform through,” he added.
But another researcher who has studied principals’ career patterns, Susan M. Gates, a senior economist for the Santa Monica, Calif.-based RAND Corp., is less bothered by the turnover she sees. If more principals are leaving schools now, she said, it could be because the nationwide movement to hold educators responsible for their students’ scores on tests is prompting districts and school boards to oust school leaders who are not producing results.
“If you put someone in the principalship and it just doesn’t work out, do you want to keep them there just because it’s good to have low turnover,” she said, “or do you want to get somebody in there who’s good at the job?” ...
...but no mention of what Kentucky really needs to help avoid this annual drama. Barring a political miracle - legislative leaders who actually want to solve long-standing revenue problems - Kentucky will still not have what it needs; a new tax code.
As Gov. Steve Beshear and the General Assembly prepare for the upcoming legislative session, it is becoming increasingly clear that the state's two-year budget will be the most challenging Kentucky has faced since the Great Depression.
Federal stimulus dollars have helped significantly, but unless Congress provides additional funds, the stimulus dollars will run out by the budget's second year. Barring an economic miracle, there will be considerable budget gaps and no painless way to fill them. We must also consider skyrocketing health insurance and retirement costs, increases in a Medicaid program that already covers a fifth of our population and the growing needs of our schools and universities. Each of these areas must be adequately funded if we hope to move forward as a state.
It was with this in mind that I discussed the possibility of using a portion of the surplus funds that are kept by our elementary and secondary schools for unplanned expenses and “rainy days.”
I want to make it clear that I do not believe these funds can be used for any programs or expenses outside of the school's district. In fact, as attorney general, I filed litigation to protect education dollars.
The surplus funds are a mixture of local and state dollars prudently set aside by the school districts for future needs and expenses. It would be patently unfair to “rob Peter to pay Paul,” but it may be time for Peter and Paul to help themselves more during these rainiest of days.
I believe all options need to be considered as we begin writing the state's budget in the next several months. If this is an unprecedented suggestion, it is because we are in unprecedented times.
In our current budget, kindergarten through high school accounts for more than 40 percent of our state tax dollars; when you add postsecondary schools, the figure for education jumps to 58 percent. Critical health and family services and the judicial and justice systems push the total over 90 percent.
Because so much of the state's budget goes to these areas, they are the ones most affected by cuts that have topped more than $1.5billion during the last two years. Additional cuts are expected to exceed a billion dollars in the upcoming two-year budget. Federal stimulus dollars have helped us balance our current budget, but these are one-time funds and not a permanent revenue source.
I have no doubt that we will find a way to live within our means, but it will not be easy. My goal is to continue protecting, if not increasing, school funding. Reducing money for education would have negative effects lasting for generations. School surplus funds may or may not be part of that equation, but if they can be a bridge to better days, it is an idea that at least deserves to be discussed.
Mountjoy resigns education secretary post: Helen MountjoyKentucky Education Secretary Helen Mountjoy has resigned her position effective Nov. 30, citing a long commute from her home in Owensboro and a desire to spend more time with her family, Gov. Steve Beshear’s office announced Wednesday. Mountjoy will continue to serve as Beshear’s point person on the recently appointed Transforming Education in Kentucky (TEK) task force. (Bluegrass Politics)
Bill would protect funding for schools hit hard by flu: A proposal backed by Senate President David Williams that would keep flu outbreaks from affecting school district funding could be fast-tracked in the opening days of the legislative session that begins Jan. 5. Although some school superintendents had not yet seen the bill, which Williams pre-filed on Friday, many said any move to keep the cash-strapped districts from losing money would be welcomed. (Bluegrass Politics)
Ex-teacher withdraws guilty plea - Former teacher withdraws guilty plea in Lynne Maner case: Former teacher Roberta Blackwell Walter on Friday withdrew her guilty plea stemming from an allegation that she raped and molested a 15-year-old Fayette County high school student more than 30 years ago. What followed was a fireworks show of how American jurisprudence works.Walter had reconsidered her guilty plea after Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael Jr. insisted on jail time despite a prosecutor's recommendation of probation. (Herald-Leader)
‘Celebration of a legacy’ - Jessamine Board honors Royse, dedicates East Middle: Herbert H. “Pete” Royse Jr. started helping build schools in Jessamine County in the 1960s when, as an assistant superintendent, he convinced the superintendent of the school board to buy more than 80 acres of land off Wilmore Road. Jessamine Junior High opened on the property in 1971 and later became East Jessamine Middle School — the first school Pete Royse built. Sunday afternoon, Jessamine County Schools honored Royse at the dedication of the new East Jessamine Middle School — the last school Pete Royse built. Royse died in May. (Jessamine Journal)
Electronic Lunch - New BGHS cell phone policy decreassing office referrals: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Check. Apple. Check. Chocolate milk. Check.iPhone. Check. There’s a new food group added to the lunch of Bowling Green High School that has drastically chewed into the number of office referrals caused by cell phones.The school has taken an unprecedented step in allowing students to brown bag their cell phones and MP3 players and use them during their 30-minute lunch period to offset the “need” to use them during class. (Bowling Green Daily News)
Stumbo’s budget suggestion doesn’t fly with Superintendent: At Thursday night’s meeting of the Trigg County Board of Education, Trigg County School Superintendent Tim McGinnis expressed his anger about comments that were recently made by Kentucky Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo. McGinnis told board members that Stumbo had stated that legislators might need to take money from the contingency funds of local school boards in order to balance the state’s budget. “I think it’s ridiculous, I think it’s absurd … it’s hard for me to comprehend [how anyone would] entertain that possibility,” McGinnis said. (Cadiz Record)
Parents voice viewing concerns: Some Scott County High School parents are trying to find out if showing R-rated movies in classrooms is breaking the law by contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The heated debate took place Thursday night in the school’s library regarding controversial movies between the Site Based Decision Making Council, parents and teachers. A concerned mother of five, Karen Roark, said she does not agree with the movies shown in class and received information from an e-mail stating that showing the R-rated movies to students under 17 may be against the law...However, some teachers asserted the movies they show, regardless of their rating, are for educational use only. “The Holocaust was not G-rated,” English teacher Lynn Fiechter said. (News Graphic by way of KSBA)
We got 99% highly qualified teachers in Kentucky. But why is it we've still got high schools that have a 50% graduation rate? --Terry Holliday
EKU student Jason Williams asks a question of Commissioner Terry Holliday. In background left is Holliday's wife Denise chatting with former Fayette County principal Judy Boggs, now working with Ky Center on Instructional Discipline.
Wednesday, Terry Holliday was our guest speaker in EDF 203: Schooling and Society, which I team teach with June Hyndman. Watch the Commissioner's chat on streaming video at EKU (57:00).
Here are some snippets from the Commissioner:
On Technology in the Classroom
Every one of you, I bet, have a cell phone...Think about all the ability you have to retrieve information, share it with each other, edit information, and do the work in the classroom with your cell phones or a laptop. But what we do with students when they come in the door, is we tell them to slow down...We're still teaching 18th century style in a 21st century classroom. So I encourage you as professors, and I encourage you as teachers to figure out what makes a good teacher for 21st century learning.
On Highly Effective Teachers
Here's what's going to happen. You're going to go out and get that job teaching. And we're going to track you back to your university preparation program. We're going to provide the professors ...with data that tells them how effective you are as a teacher.
On Evaluating Highly Effective Teachers
Now, here's the thing that we cannot let happen: We cannot let it happen that the only measure we look at is performance on standardized tests.
On NCLB
No Child Left Behind, if it's done one thing, it's let us know which children aren't getting it. But what it's done probably more than anything - and many professors and many researchers will tell you this - there is a concern that maybe No Child Left Behind actually dumbed down America.
On Testing and Program Reviews
I am extremely concerned that we cannot test your creative ability with a standardized test....Everybody wants to take the easy way out. Everybody wants to say, well, let's just measure effectiveness with standardized tests....
How many of you want to teach [something in the arts]? Ah. Sorry. We can't measure your effectiveness. We don't have a standardized test for you. We got a thing called program review. And we're not real sure what we're going to put in that yet, but we'll figure it out by the time you guys get to teaching. So those of you guys who are teaching reading, math science or social studies, it's simple. We're going to hire and fire you based on how well you do off those standardized tests. All you other people, you might slide a little bit because, you know, it's going to be a little bit more subjective.
We can't let that happen. You're coming into teaching in the near future and will be impacted by this, so I need your help today with the types of questions you might ask...What would teacher effectiveness look like?
On Teachers
Don't tell me teachers don't make a difference. Teachers are the only thing that make the most difference. I can tell you that we shouldn't be spending our time repainting the Cadillac. We ought to be spending our time focusing on helping you guys be great instruction people. And principals need to be great instruction leaders. Just reshaping and making magnet schools and schools of choice and this, that, and the other - none of that's going to work unless you change what happens in the classroom.
On Assessing Creativity and Problem Solving
[Holliday once asked the head of the Research Triangle Park, NC] How do you assess creativity, problem solving and critical thinking [in your employees]? He said, 'We do it with...game-based simulations.' ...Why can't we develop game-based instruction and game-based assessment rather than always relying on paper and pencil tests?
On Photography
Here's the Commish's snapshot of the class for his Facebook page. 'Nuf said. : )
A special thanks to Terry and Denise Holliday for stopping by and spending the day with us at EKU; to Dorie Combs for her continuing support and for shepherding our guests around campus; Janna Vice for her help in planning the day's activities; Bill Phillips for organizing meetings, events and topics for the day; June Hyndman and Rebecca Sears for their help in ramping up EDF 203 this year; and our colleagues Kim Naugle, Billy Thames, James Dantic, and Rande Jones for their assistance. And special thanks to President Doug Whitlock for his very supportive comments to our students:
Now, I want to say some nice things about the students in this room. I was very proud of the quality and depth of the questions that our students asked in here today because I think it is both reflective of how serious you are about this preparation to become teachers, but it's also a great testimony to the job our faculty is doing here exposing you to what some of the real issues in education today. That was a feel good moment for me, so thanks.
I am asking staff to look closely at revising our mission statement and to review the work they are doing to ensure we are aligning the work and the budget to the key strategic goals of high student performance, high-quality teachers and administrators, supportive environments, and high-performing schools and districts.
KDE will be abandoning some things they have done in the past but will retain those highest priority activities based on input from stakeholders.
Holliday credits CPE head Robert King with opening up higher education to greater level of cooperation than has historically been the case.
Well boys and girls, it's been a very busy week - and that has made it hard to blog.
One of the gifts one receives when achieving a tenure-track position is a bunch of advisees. Whatever time scholarship fails to consume gets sucked up very effectively by the advising process.
But it's been a good week nonetheless.
First there was the Dean's Night of Excellence, pulled together by my teammate June Hyndman. She ran a hundred or so students through mock interviews and sessions on various topics.
I did a session on "Teachers Behaving Badly: What not to do." We looked at the Nicole Howell case as a cautionary tale, highlighting selected aspects of the teacher's contract, ethics, and how some teachers run afoul of the law. The workshop provided tips for avoiding trouble - mostly, living a balanced life and being in control of oneself.
Other topics:
Roger Cleveland on cultural discontinuity -"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" Samuel Hinton on Perceptions of the new China Ginni Fair on life in the middle schools - "Meet Me in the Middle" Sherwood Thompson on education in India - "Two Democracies, Two World Views" Peggy Petrilli on what principals are looking for - "One Principal's Perspective" Diana Porter on the secrets of honor students - "Don't Survive, Thrive" Kristina Krampe on the Student Council for Exceptional Children - "What SCEC can do for You"
On Wednesday, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday was our guest here at EKU. We had a great day full of tours, meetings, a luncheon, and the commish spoke to my EDF 203 students. State BOE member, and our department chair, Dorie Combs, played hostess throughout the day navigating Holliday to confabs with President Doug Whitlock, Interim Provost, and former state BOE member, Janna Vice, Ed Dean Bill Phillips. Did I forget to mention Rep Harry Moberly?
Special thanks to my 203 students for their excellent questions of the Commissioner. The students got the attention of President Whitlock, Drs Combs and Phillips, and even drew a congratulatory tweet from Commissioner Holliday:
"Great visit today with staff at EKU. Very impressed with students in Richard Day's class and questions they asked in session on tchr effctns"
I believe that education is the civil rights issue of our generation. And if you care about promoting opportunity and reducing inequality, about promoting civic knowledge and participation, the classroom is the place to start. -- Arne Duncan
Secretary's Talk About Teachers Colleges Isn't All Negative
It's been a rough month for the nation's teacher colleges.
Two weeks ago, in a speech at the University of Virginia, Secretary of Education Arne uncan called teachers colleges the "neglected stepchild" of higher education. On Thursday, he was back at it, accusing "many, if not most" of the country's 1,450 schools, colleges, and departments of education of doing a "mediocre" job of preparing potential teachers for the rigors of the modern classroom.
Yet the secretary's remarks, delivered on Thursday in a speech at Columbia University, weren't nearly as negative as the early excerpts of his speech suggested, and some educators who attended the speech left it feeling more inspired than maligned. Although the secretary offered plenty of criticism of teacher-training colleges, he also cited several "shining examples" of colleges and states that have upgraded their programs, including Louisiana, and said he was optimistic that "the seeds of real change have been planted."
He also blamed universities and states for many of the problems confronting teachers colleges, saying it would be "far too simple" to fault colleges of education for the slow pace of reform. He accused universities of using teachers colleges as "cash cows" and "profit centers" to finance "prestigious but underenrolled graduate departments," and he criticized states for approving weak teacher-education programs and licensing exams, and for neglecting teacher outcomes.
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) President Sharon P. Robinson urged the US Department of Education and Congress "to not only continue, but to expand an essential tool in this endeavor – the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program." Robinson said, "It is the major source of federal support for developing critical relationships between K‐12 schools and colleges of education and is indispensable in preparing high performing teachers and increasing student achievement."
Robinson had previously fired a volley across Duncan's bow in reaction to his speech at UVA.
"I read with disappointment Secretary Duncan's speech at the University of Virginia on October 9. While I applaud the Administration's recognition of teaching as an honorable profession, I am sorry the focus of the speech was, once again, on shopworn criticisms of educator preparation programs. I look to Secretary Duncan to lead us into the future by informing and encouraging a vision of how it should be," Robinson wrote.
President Barack Obama is correct to be concerned about raising the number of well-educated citizens. High quality colleges of education are necessary if the president's college attainment goals are going to have a chance. And those colleges must rethink what it means to go to college - while expanding online course offerings.
Duncan said the nation cannot rely alone on schools of education to produce the next generation of teachers. He called for expanding alternatives such as Teach for America, which recruits recent college graduates to teach in schools in poor communities for at least two years.
Somebody will have to explain to me how a 5-week training program with (is it?) zero hours of field work is enough at Teach for America yet Duncan is worried that the hundreds of hours of field work required of today's preservice teachers may be insufficient.
But let's be real clear about Teach for America: It's not their training program that produces results. The whole premise seems to be, 'if one is smart enough, one doesn't need training.'
Programs criticized as cash cows that fall short in preparing for classroom
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is calling for an overhaul of college programs that prepare teachers, saying they are cash cows that do a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the classroom.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan called for "revolutionary change" in these programs, which prepare at least 80 percent of the nation's teachers.
In a speech prepared for delivery Thursday, Duncan said he has talked to hundreds of great young teachers while serving as Chicago schools chief and later as President Barack Obama's schools chief. The teachers have two complaints about education schools, he said.
"First, most of them say they did not get the hands-on teacher training about managing the classroom that they needed, especially for high-needs students," he said in the speech to Columbia University's Teachers College.
"And second, they say there were not taught how to use data to improve instruction and boost student learning," Duncan said.
A 2006 report found that three of five education school alumni said their training failed to prepare them to teach, he noted. The report was by Arthur Levine, a former Teachers College president.
Their large enrollment and low overhead makes education schools cash cows for their universities, Duncan said. But their profits have been diverted to smaller, more prestigious graduate departments such as physics and have not been spent on research and training for would-be teachers, he said...
Wisconsin teachers find success with responsive classrooms: Some Wisconsin elementary-school teachers are learning that how they teach is just as important as what they teach through a new curriculum that emphasizes social, emotional and academic growth in teaching core classes. Teachers are being trained in responsive classrooms, where lessons will include a focus on student cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy and self-control. Such classrooms give students more autonomy over their learning -- focusing on 10 key practices, including rule creation, positive teacher language and academic choice. (New Richmond News)
Opinion - Time is now to make teacher quality a top priority:Adopting policies and practices to identify, develop and retain the best teachers is the biggest challenge in effecting local and national education reform, writes Daniel Weisberg, a vice president of the New Teacher Project. Weisberg argues in this column that the time is now for states and districts to embrace the challenge and make radical, transformative changes -- however uncomfortable -- "to ensure that a great teacher stands at the front of every classroom." (The Cincinnati Enquirer)
Enrollment in online school exceeds expectations in Florida district:Enrollment in online classes in one Florida school district has surpassed expectations, said the program's administrator, resulting in the hiring of nine teachers in addition to the 28 that came on at the program's inception in August. More than 100 students are enrolled in full-time programs across all grade levels, and nearly 1,000 students are taking advantage of individual course offerings, said district officials. (The Tampa Tribune)
Nashville officials look at linking teacher pay to student achievement: Officials in Nashville, Tenn., are examining the possibility of tying teacher compensation and job security to student achievement as a way to improve education in the state. While a recent report by Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education says making the connection is an important step toward strengthening the state's teachers, members of the state teachers union say they would support using student test scores to evaluate teachers only if other criteria are considered as well. (The Tennessean (Nashville)
What should state tests look like under common standards?:The Department of Education will seek input from testing experts and members of the public as it decides what state testing will look like under common standards and how tests might best include English-language learners and students in special education. Officials will travel to Boston, Atlanta and Denver to gather advice as they design guidelines for the Obama administration's next competition for education stimulus funds, which will help pay for developing the tests. (Education Week)
NCLB allows neglect of gifted students:Gifted students lack protection under No Child Left Behind, which forces teachers to spend a majority of their time helping struggling students while gifted students remain unchallenged, writes Stephen J. Schroeder-Davis, a curriculum specialist for a Minnesota school district. Schroeder-Davis argues that "the chasm between what gifted students could learn and what they are actually learning" is creating an achievement gap separate from those of race and economics. (Star Tribune)
School leaders should not be handcuffed by the status quo: School leaders should break through what are often perceived obstacles to school reform by trying new things and seeing opportunities for change even within existing rules and statutes, writes education expert Frederick M. Hess. He offers five strategies for administrators hoping to move beyond the status quo: look beyond the usual boundaries of what is allowed; promote transparency; make laws a tool of reform; encourage nontraditional leadership; and honor change while accepting that some ideas could fail. (Educational Leadership)
Research shows trial and error helps students learn: Students learn more effectively through trial and error in answering questions about challenging material, according to researchers who found that getting answers wrong actually helps learning. Their research revealed that students perform better if they try to answer questions about a textbook passage before reading it. For example, students should try to answer questions before reading a textbook chapter, then read the chapter and answer them again during and after reading. (ScientificAmerican.com)
Proposal would create charter high school for prospective teachers:The executive director of the Clark County teachers' union in Nevada is proposing the creation of a charter school designed for students who want to become teachers. John Jasonek says the school would provide students with scholarships to local colleges in exchange for a promise to teach in local schools for four years after graduation. If approved by the state board of education, the school could open in August. (Las Vegas Sun)
Research - Oral-language practice helps English-language learners:Researchers and educators who specialize in teaching English-language learners say that spending more classroom time practicing oral-language skills will help these students find their "voice" in their new language. Researchers suggest that English-language learners and other at-risk students benefit from working in small groups or pairs, building an academic vocabulary and improving "deep reading" skills through structured academic conversations and teacher-guided debate. (Education Week)
White House: Stimulus preserved 250,000 jobs in education:About 250,000 education jobs have been created or spared through federal economic stimulus money -- but it remains unclear how many jobs have been lost or are in jeopardy as the country recovers from an economic recession, according to a report released by the Obama administration. Officials across the country said many states and districts are still facing bleak budgets and predictions of cuts. (The Washington Post)
New mathematics guidelines focus on critical thinking and reasoning:The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is urging high-school teachers to focus on "reasoning" and "sense-making" in classroom lessons and engage students in open-ended conversations about math whenever possible. The council released new teaching guidelines this month and says it hopes that reintroducing critical thinking -- which has become a victim of standardized testing -- will lead more students to careers in math-related fields. (The Washington Post)
Educators are held to "higher standard" on social-networking sites:Administrators in Florida's Brevard County are advising teachers to be cautious when using online social-networking. "When you take this job, whether you agree with it or not, teachers are held to a higher standard," said a principal. An associate education professor at the University of Central Florida, who incorporates guidelines for social networking into teacher-training classes, says educators should be wary when posting personal information but should use technology in a positive way, such as using Twitter as a way for students to follow current events. (Florida Today)
"Value-added" evaluation system gains support despite concerns: Educators nationwide are talking about "value-added" teacher-evaluation systems that measure individual student progress on standardized tests from year to year instead of comparing raw test results to other students and schools. The system -- praised by the Obama administration -- also has been used as a gauge of effective teaching. However, teachers unions have resisted "value-added" evaluation systems, saying that student progress and teacher effectiveness cannot be measured by standardized tests. (Los Angeles Timesand Again)
An English teacher at Henry Clay High School was arrested Friday morning by Lexington police on drug and alcohol charges, and she was later charged with child endangerment after she told jail officials that she had left her toddler home alone.
According to Fayette District Court documents, Erica Shannon Cooper, 38, was arrested shortly after 4 a.m. Friday near a "known crack house" on North Upper Street. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication...
In a citation filed with the court, officers described Cooper as "manifestly under the influence," with slurred speech, a strong smell of alcohol and acting "very belligerent and combative." ...
While being booked into the Fayette County jail, Cooper told jail officials she had left her 2-year-old daughter home alone, according to police reports.
Officers went to Cooper's apartment on North Limestone, where they found the child. While they were inside the home, the officers noticed "in plain sight a can containing marijuana and a marijuana pipe laying on the kitchen counter," according to the court filing.
Lawmakers - New schools a local responsibility: Some lawmakers say they want Kentucky school districts to invest more in their oldest and most dilapidated schools rather than wait for additional state money. (H-L)
Farris - Some children being left behind: After seeing the latest No Child Left Behind scores for Clark County Public Schools, Superintendent Elaine Farris declared publicly that things would have to change. (Winchester Sun)
Grand jury says parents caused kid's fight on school bus: The Letcher County Grand Jury has named nine people in 11 indictments, including a Hallie couple charged with inciting their child and another child to attack the children of potential witnesses against the husband in a court case. (Mountain Eagle by way of KSBA)
Coyotes make River Ridge cautious: Coyotes have been spotted on the grounds of River Ridge Elementary School. Students at the school, located on Amsterdam Road, had recess indoors Wednesday after the coyotes were seen that morning on the playground. “We did spot two of them,” said Principal Shawna Harney. “Some of our staff members saw them.” No children were on the playground at the time. (NKy.com)
Kentucky Teachers of the Year: The announcement was made today at a ceremony at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet auditorium in Frankfort by Ashland Inc. and the Kentucky Department of Education... Jan Vaughn Horn, a fifth-grade language arts teacher at Shearer Elementary School in Clark County, was named 2010 Elementary School Teacher of the Year, and Melissa Evans, a seventh-grade science teacher at Corbin Middle School in the Corbin Independent school district, was named 2010 Middle School Teacher of the Year. (Enquirer)
Funding needed for lengthening school years: What do Murray Independent and Calloway County school district officials think of President Barack Obama's suggestion that youngsters spend more days in school; possibly shortening summer vacations?The move may or may not help, but if implemented, officials at both school districts hope any future mandates will come with funding to pay for them. (Murray Ledger & Times)
Bills seek to bring charter schools to Kentucky: The idea of charter schools has long failed to gain traction in Kentucky — but that could be changing. Two bills to authorize charter schools have been filed for the coming General Assembly, and the Kentucky Department of Education is currently studying the pros and cons. Supporters say momentum is building because without such legislation, Kentucky could lose out on up to $200 million in federal stimulus money aimed at education reform and innovation. (C-J)
Judge orders jail time instead of probation in sex abuse case: In a surprise move, a Fayette County judge decided Friday against a prosecutor's recommendation of probation and said jail time would be more appropriate for a teacher who admitted to raping and molesting a 15-year-old student more than 30 years ago. Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael Jr.'s decision during Roberta Blackwell Walter's sentencing prompted her attorney to request more time for his client to reconsider the guilty plea that she made earlier Friday as part of an agreement with the case's prosecutor. (H-L)
House Speaker Greg Stumbo’s plan for state lawmakers to consider reaching into local school system’s contingency funds has met a bump in the road from Jessamine legislators and the local school board.
According to an article in The Louisville Courier-Journal, Stumbo has discussed his plan with Gov. Steve Beshear, who has not weighed in on with his thoughts.
State Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, and state Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, both agree the plan doesn’t stand much of a chance come January when the General Assembly begins its 2010 session.
“I think Greg may have been misquoted,” Damron said. “I don’t think that there’s any way that the legislature can do that.”
Damron said that each school system has reserve money set aside for different reasons.
“It’s imperative that districts keep an adequate fund balance for the issuance of bonds to provide support for the bond rating,” he said. “Other districts have money set aside for future building needs, like Jessamine County. Jessamine County has set aside some money in their surplus in order to start up a new school.”
Damron also said the legality of the state taking from the school districts would not be favorable...
You are proposing -- or at the very least raising the possibility -- that the State of Kentucky confiscate the "Rainy Day" contingency funds of school districts throughout the Commonwealth in order to balance the state budget in 2010.
Is that right?
Taxpayer money that has been set aside for the education of our kids in school districts that have carefully managed their finances will be robbed to balance a state budget that is out of control.
Am I missing something?
You are suggesting that lawmakers in Frankfort, instead of making the tough decisions and living within the means provided to them by the working people of this state, simply declare that emergency funds set aside in school districts be seized and thrown into the bottomless pit you call state expenditures?
Come again?
I ask because a news story earlier this week quoted you as saying:"We do have a bunch of money that the schools have saved in their budgets, their 'Rainy Day' funds...and there's a pretty good sum of money there which will help us get through."The story went on to say that state officials are predicting a $161 million shortfall in the current fiscal year which ends on June 30, 2010. Officials said the outlook is even worse in the next two fiscal years.
From your standpoint, I assume that is the bad news. But there is good news as well. The story went on to say:"Tom Shelton, superintendent of the Daviess County school system, has studied the issue and estimated that the contingency funds of all districts total $300 million to $400 million."School districts are required to keep at least 2 percent of their annual expense budgets in a contingency fund and districts are actually encouraged to set aside more. Those districts who have followed the state mandate and have carefully controlled their expenses have the most to lose.
Mr. Speaker, these are very difficult economic times. Businesses small and large across this state and across this nation have been forced to make tough decisions. Good employees have been terminated, plants have been consolidated or closed.
Management and workers have taken salary reductions and seen benefits reduced.
We expect -- in fact we demand -- that state government face reality and reduce its size and its presence. Get a realistic projection of the funding you expect to have and then create from scratch a budget that will match that number.
It will not be easy. There will be pain both in Frankfort and in every community that has a state government office. Fewer state employees will be asked to do more work. Benefits -- including 30-year-and-out retirements, double dipping and generous medical benefits will need to be reduced.This is what you have been hired to do, so do it.
Rob the rainy day funds of local school districts so you are not forced to make these tough decisions and put off the Reckoning Day for another year?
Superintendents oppose using contingencies for state
HARDIN COUNTY — Local superintendents have expressed concern over a state budget fix that was suggested this past week, and local legislators have mixed feelings about the idea.
Nannette Johnston, superintendent of Hardin County Schools, and Gary French, interim superintendent of Elizabethtown Independent Schools, both opposed the idea of taking money from school district contingency funds that House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, publicly proposed last weekend.
Stumbo said legislators might consider using some of the money set aside in district contingency funds, which is money all districts are required to set aside in case of emergencies and for use on special projects, as a way to help balance the upcoming biennium budget.
Districts are required to have at least 2 percent of their total budget in the contingency fund.
French said EIS has been very conservative with spending to build a solid contingency fund, which he said the district has for large, expensive purchases it must make.
“I would hate to see those sacrifices we’ve made” not serve the district, he said.
EIS’ contingency fund contains about $2.7 million...
Former teacher Nicole Howell was found not guilty last week of having had a sexual relationship with a student, but that did not stop the rumor from destroying her career, getting her arrested and ruining her life, she said today.
Nicole Howell talks about the allegations that ruined her career.
"My life is ruined. Completely," Howell told "Good Morning America" in an exclusive interview. "My name has been dragged through the mud. I won't be able to teach again. Not because I did anything -- I did not -- but because of the situation."
Howell, 26, of Florence, denied that the encounters ever happened and argued that the only evidence against her were the ramblings of a high school kid who, at first, claimed the two had been involved in a threesome with another male student.
Investigators arrested Howell the next month on felony sex abuse charges.
"I think, honestly, it started because people overreacted," Howell said today. "They took something that they thought looked like what they wanted it to look like -- like a stereotype, 'a teacher is accused by a student,' and automatically, it happened. ... That's why I went to trial." ...
With no physical evidence presented at trial, it took jurors only 70 minutes to find Dayton High School teacher Nicole Howell not guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old student who played football.
The majority of the case hinged on whether jurors believed what the student claimed (he also contended the sex was consensual), or Howell, who took the stand in her own defense....
Howell's case was one of the first to be prosecuted under a more-stringent state law that makes it a felony for a person in authority to have even consensual sexual relations with someone under 18. In all other instances in Kentucky, the age of consent is considered to be 16....
You can't tell a Stumbo from a Williams without a Scorecard!
Continuing the too-oft dubious tradition of the Kentucky legislature this week, House Speaker Greg Stumbo, (D) Prestonsburg, sounded more like another infamous legislator we know - (R) Burkesville.
Stumbo proposed the idea of recapturing school contingency funds to balance the state budget. This glaring disincentive to efficiency and frugality stands in history along side:
the Seminaries of Learning Act (1798) where the legislature created a fund for schools only to divert the fund for non-school purposes;
or the time in the 1830's when they received $1,433,754 as a gift from the national government to build schools but raided the fund and passed a law requiring the governor to burn the bonds on the capitol steps;
or later when the Constitution of 1850 finally required the establishment of a school fund and declared it inviolable - and the legislature refused to put any money in it.
Stumbo's stinko idea can stand equally with these examples of bad governance. All to avoid the tough decision - a reformed tax code.
Kentucky lawmakers may consider dipping into local school districts' contingency funds to help balance the 2010-12 state budget, according to House Speaker Greg Stumbo.
Stumbo, a Prestonsburg Democrat, told The Courier-Journal in an interview this week that he has discussed the issue with Gov. Steve Beshear, who did not indicate his position.
"We do have a bunch of money that the schools have saved in their budgets, their 'Rainy Day' funds," Stumbo said. "And there's a pretty good sum of money there which will help us get through."
Various estimates say the funds contain hundreds of millions of dollars.
School officials say they are strongly opposed to the idea because they need those funds to balance their own budgets during tight economic times.
A preliminary state revenue forecast this week predicted a $161 million shortfall for the current fiscal year, which ends next June 30. The outlook looks worse for 2010-12.
Brad Hughes, spokesman for the Kentucky School Boards Association, said any effort to tap the contingency funds would be unfair to districts that have prudently saved more. He said such a move could be illegal because contingency funds include money raised with local taxes.
"But the most obvious concern of school districts is what happens if they get hit in the middle of the year with something like a major heating and cooling problem or something like that that could cost $50,000 to $100,000," Hughes said....
A recession worse than anything this nation has experienced in 70-plus years is a dominant factor in state government's dismal budget outlook. But Kentucky's fiscal fortunes were gloomy well before the big crash of late 2008.
State lawmakers started robbing Peter to pay Paul years ago, irresponsibly passing budgets "balanced" by vacuuming up every dime from a variety of funds state agencies and even universities generate through their own activity.
Our representatives and senators turned to a "smoke and mirrors" approach to budgeting because they simply lacked the backbone to do the right thing: Pass the kind of real tax reform that could provide state government with a stable, sustainable revenue base.
So, here we are again, preparing for another two-year budget cycle with dreary revenue prospects and the federal stimulus dollars that helped fill a $1 billion hole in the current year's spending plan set to expire. And what's the first plan that comes to legislative leaders' minds?
Why, robbing Peter to pay Paul again. Only this time, Peter is a schoolchild.
In an interview with The Courier-Journal last week, House Speaker Greg Stumbo proposed the atrocious idea of raiding local school districts' contingency funds to help lawmakers avoid their responsibility again. ...
Every dollar taken away from educating the youth of this state is a dollar deducted from this state's ability to compete in the modern high-tech, information-based economy.
Both Stumbo and Gov. Steve Beshear argue that taxes shouldn't be increased during this recession. But there is no better time than a recession to pass real tax reform that moves the state away from a tax structure that relies on retail sales and toward a tax structure that captures the growing service sector of the economy.
Reform of that nature may be revenue neutral on Day One but will soon pay dividends for the state — and help balance budgets without robbing Kentucky's schoolchildren.
Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo’s proposal to tap local school district surplus funds to balance the education budget is drawing strong opposition from local school superintendents and generating questions for Gov. Steve Beshear.
Each school district is required to maintain a cash surplus equal to at least 2 percent of its budget. The surplus is set aside to cover emergencies and unexpected increases in costs.
Most school districts maintain contingency funds equal to about 5 percent of their budgets. But some carry more than 20 percent.
McCracken Superintendent Tim Heller said it would be irresponsible of the legislature to take that money away.
“We have been frugal to cut expenses and build a contingency fund, and for the legislature to threaten to take it away is pretty ridiculous,” Heller said, whose district’s surplus sits at about 6 percent of its budget or $3 million.
“If that happens, I’d have no respect for the legislature.” Heller asked Beshear about Stumbo’s idea on Monday when the governor visited Paducah to announce the appointment of a task force to take a new look at education reform that started in 1990.
The governor said he’s talked with Stumbo but hasn’t made any commitments. He said he doesn’t know what he’ll recommend to balance the budget until he begins formulating the 2010-12 plan that he’ll present in January to lawmakers...
2009 NAEP scores released today show Kentucky fourth graders performing at the national average in mathematics. Given our history of being behind in math, it is a sweet, sweet thing to see. Two snapshots of the data are below... We've got a long road to travel, my friends, but this result is a milestone worth some mighty celebration.
Kentucky is one of eight states that had a statistically significant increase in 4th-grade mathematics scores from 2007 to 2009. Mathematics scores for Kentucky 8th graders were not significantly different from the national average. Scale scores for Kentucky 4th and 8th graders in 2009 are at or near the national average. The NAEP grading scale ranges from 0 to 500.
Charter school advocates in Arizona and North Carolina filed lawsuits last month alleging that their respective states have provided inadequate and inequitable funding for charters. The cases are the most recent examples of an emerging trend of charter school groups initiating education finance litigations.
The plaintiffs in Foley v. Horne—seven families of charter school students—claim that Arizona’s separate financing system for non-traditional schools contravenes the state constitution’s equal protection and uniform public education guarantees...
In North Carolina, seven charter schools and 16 families have filed a suit with claims similar to Foley. Their complaint alleges that regulations prohibiting counties and local school districts from providing funds for facilities needs to charters violate the “general and uniform system of free public schools” clause in the state’s constitution.
In North Carolina, only traditional public schools have access to the capital outlay fund, which provides monies for real property and capital construction. The plaintiffs allege that the expenditure discrepancies are discriminatory, and that they inhibit charter students’ access to “equal opportunity for a sound basic education.” ...
These cases follow a number of victories for charter schools in North Carolina and other states in recent years. In Sugar Creek Charter School, Inc. v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, several charter schools based in Charlotte, N. Carolina—including plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed last month—argued that districts’ refusal to provide them categorical funding for specialized programs contravened the state law. The court ruled in their favor in 2008.
In City Neighbors Charter School v. Baltimore City Board of Commissioners, a Maryland Appeals court decided that the city board of education—which provided charter schools 25% less in average per pupil funding than traditional schools—failed to satisfy a Maryland statute requiring districts to award funds “commensurate with the amount disbursed to other public schools in the local jurisdiction.”
Some commentators, however, question the merits of charter advocates’ claims...According to Arizona law, for instance, charter schools must meet the same academic requirements as traditional schools, but are subject to fewer administrative regulations and less oversight, including budgeting and collective bargaining. These circumstances presumably promote greater efficiency and lower costs.
In a number of states, local school boards and/or local schools have sued to block funding of charter schools in their area. For example, in Georgia, a number of district schools recently sued the state over charter funding. In Gwinnett County School District v. Cox, the plaintiffs challenge the constitutionality of the state’s reallocation of funds from district schools to their charter counterparts....
In Arizona, Hobday v. Horne, by public school parents takes the more traditional tack of focusing on inequities of public schools in property-poor districts...
Interestingly this case was also funded by the Arizona Charter Schools Association. Presumably their interest is that raising per capita funding for public school students in the property poor districts would also have the effect of raising the base per capita allocations for the charter school students.
to recommit ourselves to assuring the future of our children."
--Governor Steve Beshear
TEK task force will be catalyst to
reinvigorate public support for K-12 education
I took a little trip down memory lane this morning as Governor Steve Beshear, kicked off his tour in support of transforming education reform from one of my old schools - Meadowthorpe Elementary in Lexington. There was very nice turnout of... (I didn't really count...but) maybe 70 people to learn about the governor's plans.Joining Beshear were First Lady Jane Beshear, Education Cabinet Secretary Helen Mountjoy and Commissioner Terry Holliday. It was nice to finally meet Terry Holliday, who will be a guest in my little lecture hall next week, and it was great to see Jane Beshear again...so many years after our Kentucky Literacy Commission days. And despite our paths crossing over the years, this was the first time I actually met Helen, unless addressing her across a board room table counts.
Among other things, the Governor wants to expand preschool opportunities; fully fund all-day kindergarten; improve teacher pay and training; give every student the opportunity to take AP courses; and to provide better textbooks.
"But for now, my biggest financial priority is simply to maintain our current investments in education during this worse recession since the Great Depression," Beshear said.
Beshear advocated taking this time to aggressively look at our education system from top to bottom; to build partnerships with the business community; and to rally around our students and our teachers, reasoning that - if we do this - when the recession ends, we will know how to best invest those dollars.
This from the Gov:
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 19, 2009) – In a move to re-energize the support of public schools that nearly 20 years ago sparked Kentucky to implement the nation’s most comprehensive school reform, Gov. Steve Beshear today launched his new education initiative, Transforming Education in Kentucky (TEK). The goal is to create a unified vision of what schools in the Commonwealth need to offer in order to better serve students today and tomorrow.
“Our world has changed dramatically since the reforms of 1990,” said Gov. Beshear. “We must now turn our focus to the future and again to our schools to ensure that our strategies and programs are designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
To that end, Gov. Beshear appointed the TEK Task Force to help develop new strategies while reinvigorating public and business support for K-12 education in the Commonwealth.
The members of the task force include education advocates, teachers, superintendents, legislators, business leaders and others who have been handpicked for their commitment to education and to Kentucky. The group will examine efforts currently underway in the state, such as the Common Core Standards Initiative, Graduate Kentucky, the Gates Foundation/SREB college and career readiness initiative, the Race to the Top competition and the Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Development and Education. Against this backdrop of renewed energy and activity, the panel will recommend ways to channel all of these efforts into an integrated and comprehensive system of education in Kentucky.
In addition, the task force will explore career and technical education, expanded use of technology for learning, increased opportunities for students to earn college credit in high school and other issues that affect student success.
The goal is to formulate recommendations by the end of 2010, for consideration during the 2011 legislative session.
In an effort to build awareness of the initiative and to receive input from citizens statewide, Gov. Beshear is visiting 10 cities across the state for a series of press conferences and town hall forums. The Governor and the TEK Task Force will use this input as guidance for the work of Transforming Education in Kentucky. “This effort seeks to build off the progress of the last 20 years in order to lay the foundation for the 20 years ahead,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today, I’m calling on our state and our people to recommit ourselves to ensuring the future of our children.”
Gov. Beshear and Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner Terry Holliday will serve as co-chairs of the task force.
Other members of the task force include:
Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, D-19th District Rep. Leslie Combs, D-94th District; Rep. Jeffrey Hoover, R-83rd District; Rep. Carl Rollins, D-56th District; Helen Mountjoy, secretary, Education and Workforce Development Cabinet David Adkisson, president, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Sheldon Berman, superintendent, Jefferson County; Mary Ann Blankenship, executive director, Kentucky Education Association; Karen Cash, classroom teacher, Louisville; Margaret Cleveland, school board member, Woodford County; Sam Corbett, chair, Prichard Committee; Ben Cundiff, Cundiff Farms, Cadiz; Sharon Darling, president, National Center for Family Literacy; Betty Griffin, The Griffin Group, Frankfort; Tim Hanner, superintendent, Kenton County; Trichel House, classroom teacher, Russell; Nanette Johnson, superintendent, Hardin County; Eleanor Jordan, executive director, Kentucky Commission on Women; Robert King, president, Council on Postsecondary Education; Nana Lampton, American Life & Accident Insurance Company of Kentucky, Louisville; William Lovell, school board member, McLean County; Brent McKim, president, Jefferson County Teachers’ Association; Bob Porter, mayor, City of Paintsville; Johnna Reeder, Duke Energy, Covington; Stu Silberman, superintendent, Fayette County; Stephen Trimble, superintendent, Johnson County; and Diane Whalen, mayor, City of Florence.
*Gov. Beshear has asked Senate President David Williams to recommend two additional members from the State Senate and they will be added to the task force once they have been named.
Others in the crowd: Mike Stacy, Meadowthorpe principal; FCPS honchos Mary Browining, Mike McKenzie, Jack Hayes, Melissa Bacon; Cindy Heine from the Prichard Committee; Rep Charlie Hoffman; KBE member Rev C B Akins; Meadowthorpe School Council member Tracy Letcher; P G Peeples of the Urban League; H-L's Jim Warren and lurking in the rear of the room Larry Dale Keeling; Alva Clark of Petrilli v Silberman fame.
Gov. Steve Beshear announced in Lexington on Monday morning that he is naming a task force to develop plans for future educational development in the state, to build on the success begun with the Kentucky Education Reform Act almost 20 years ago. Beshear made the announcement at Lexington's Meadowthorpe Elementary School on the first stop of a three-day tour of the state that will include press conferences and town-hall meetings to talk up the importance of education...
..."This effort seeks to build off the progress of the last 20 years in order to lay the foundation for the 20 years ahead," Beshear said. "Today, I'm calling for our state and our people to recommit ourselves to ensuring the future of our children."
Beshear said that although KERA, which was enacted in the early 1990s, dramatically improved Kentucky education, more work is needed to improve the state's education system and prepare its children for the future.
"Slow, steady, incremental improvement is no longer enough," he said, calling for "an all out sprint" to boost student achievement.
A high school teacher ... has been charged with assaulting his student during school, according to law enforcement. Jack Spiers, who teaches Spanish at Thomas Walker High School in Ewing, Va. was charged with assault and battery ... after a warrant was obtained from the county magistrate by the parents of the student who made the claim...
[The] student claimed the incident occurred, ...[and] school administration, looked into the matter and didn’t feel the charge was warranted.
"It is my understanding that the student alleged that the teacher touched him on the arm,” trying to direct the student during class, said [Sheriff Gary] Parsons.
Gov. Steve Beshear’s office has released his schedule for next week’s fly-around tour of the state, where he will talk up education reform at 10 different locations. The three-day tour will include multiple press conferences and “town hall” sessions in two locations, Pikeville and Owensboro. Education Secretary Helen Mountjoy has said Beshear will talk about education reform and wants to hear the public’s concerns about education. Education Commissioner Terry Holliday is expected to join the governor.
Here is the schedule:
Transforming Education in Kentucky
Monday, October 19, 2009
Press Conference: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Eastern timeLocation: Meadowthorpe Elementary, 1710 North Forbes Road, Lexington
Press Conference: 12:30 PM-1:30 PM Eastern timeLocation Louisville Male High School, 4409 Preston Highway, Louisville
Press Conference: 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Central timeLocation: Paducah Tilghman High School, 2400 Washington Street, Paducah
Press Conference: 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Central timeLocation: East Heights Elementary School, 1776 Adams Lane, Henderson
Town Hall: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM Central timeLocation: Apollo High School, 2280 Tamarack Road, Owensboro
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Press Conference: 11:30 AM -12:30 PM Central timeLocation: Drakes Creek Middle School, 704 Cypress Wood Way, Bowling Green
Press Conference: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Eastern timeLocation: Perry County Central High School, 305 Park Avenue, Hazard
Town Hall: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Eastern timeLocation: Pike Central High School, 100 Winners Circle Drive, Pikeville
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Press Conference: 10:30 AM – 11:20 AM Eastern timeLocation: Hager Elementary School, 1600 Blackburn Avenue, Ashland
Press Conference: 2:00 PM – 2:55 PM Eastern timeLocation: Randall K. Cooper High School, Auditorium 2855 Longbranch Road, Union
OK. So, here's a snippet from yesterday's press release from Karen McCuiston at Murray State University which was distributed by KDE:
Governor Signs Kentucky
Safe Schools Week Proclamation
Frankfort, Ky...Today at 1:30 p.m.,Governor Steve Beshear signed the Kentucky Safe Schools Proclamation and officially proclaimed October 18-24, 2009, Kentucky Safe Schools Week...
The theme for Kentucky Safe Schools Week ... will be “Follow the Golden Rule, Be Safe Online and at School”, coinciding with last year’s passing of House Bill 91 or “The Golden Rule Act”, a prohibition against bullying, harassment and other forms of intimidation--including cyber bullying via the Internet.
A week to highlight an important aspect of school safety is certainly welcome and I hope it serves to promote social justice in our schools.
But the persistent tendency to promote a discarded aspect of House Bill 91, the [anti] Bullying Bill, continues to amuse and baffle me. What discarded aspect? Why, the Golden Rule itself.
Mike Cherry's original version of House Bill 91 contained this language:
"...amend KRS 158.148 to require school districts to formulate a code of acceptable behavior and discipline that embraces the Golden Rule as the model for improving attitude and the rule for conduct for students..."
Cherry's excellent bill was truly intended to be The Golden Rule Act and specified that title. It passed the House 96-0 and was sent to the Senate.
But amid the all-too-typical-dysfunctional-schennagans one can find in the legislative process Senate President David Williams removed that language and replaced it with a poison pill that had to be worked out in a free conference committee. Williams wanted "to require school personnel to report incidents of student offenses under KRS Chapter 508, criminal harassment, or harassing communications to law enforcement, with a requirement that the incident be investigated," which was a roundly objected to for the likelihood that it would ridiculously cripple local law enforcement.
The Golden Rule was nowhere to be found in the final bill.
It is surely some measure of public sentiment that the bill continues to be called by the (now inaccurate) title that most folks seem to wish were true.
"I'm confused as to why you took language out of the HB 91 that would have required schools to use the central teaching of Jesus in disciplining Kentucky students. Can you help me understand that? Do you have a better foundation for public school discipline in mind?" I asked.
I'm still waiting for a reply; very patiently.
Cherry's bill called for KRS 158.440 "to identify the Golden Rule as the model for improving attitude and the rule for conduct for all public school students." But, thanks to Williams, it doesn't.
Cherry wanted "KRS 158.148 to require school districts to formulate a code of acceptable behavior and discipline that embraces the Golden Rule as the model..." But, thanks to Williams, it doesn't.
Neither do sections 150, or 444 as Cherry's bill intended.
If conservatives want to find out who is "taking God out of the schools" they need to look no further than Senate President David Williams.
But for some reason, the folks in charge of don't seem to get it. Oh well.
Here's the complete announcement:
Governor Signs Kentucky
Safe Schools Week Proclamation
Frankfort, Ky...Today at 1:30 p.m.,Governor Steve Beshear signed the Kentucky Safe Schools Proclamation and officially proclaimed October 18-24, 2009, Kentucky Safe Schools Week. Witnesses to this auspicious event were students from Woodford County Schools representing over 670,000 students from across the Commonwealth. Jon Akers, Executive Director of the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS) said, “Kentucky teachers and administrators make every effort to create caring environments for their students throughout the Commonwealth, but there is much that can still be done.”
The theme for Kentucky Safe Schools Week (October 18-24) will be “Follow the Golden Rule, Be Safe Online and at School”, coinciding with last year’s passing of House Bill 91 or “The Golden Rule Act”, a prohibition against bullying, harassment and other forms of intimidation--including cyber bullying via the Internet. The use of the current legislation and data derived from our web analysis tools, Kentucky Safe Schools Week 2009-2010 will focus on Strategies to Combat Bullying with an emphasis on Cyber Bullying.
This week long observance will be used, in part, to bring together all Kentuckians in a concerted effort to improve school climate and thus the educational process. “The KCSS offers our support as a collaborative partner to the schools and citizens of the Commonwealth,” said Akers, “to come together to create community-wide events that focus on bullying and cyberbullying awareness and prevention during Kentucky Safe Schools Week.”
Involving youth in prevention efforts is vital to changing culture and managing bullying and cyberbullying in our schools and communities. The KCSS continues to provide an interactive “Online Pledge Against Bullying” and this year will introduce our new “Online Pledge Against Cyberbullying”. An array of resources focused on school safety, with lesson plans and activities for students, parents, educators and the whole community are available on line at http://www.kysafeschools.org/.
This state observance complements the national campaign. The Kentucky “Follow the Golden Rule, Be Safe Online and at School!” campaign is sponsored by the KCSS. America’s Safe Schools Week is sponsored by the National School Safety Center.
“People realize now is the time to join together to insure the safety and well-being of our children, and to provide quality education for the future leaders of our country,” said Akers.
The case against Nicole Howell came to an abrupt end yesterday after a Kenton County jury quickly chose to acquit the former teacher accused of inappropriate relations with a student.
So be it.
It would have been a more cleansing victory for Howell had it not been for the strong sense - from both the judge and the defense attorney - that the case was mishandled by the prosecution from the start.
Salvation also came by way of providence, when the phone company chose to delete a ton of text messages exchanged between Howell and her accuser.
That left the prosecution with a bunch of smoke but no physical evidence.
Howell needed a clean victory. What she got was an acquittal that was more about procedures and poor case preparation than it was about exoneration.
It took jurors only 70 minutes to find fired Dayton High School teacher Nicole Howell not guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old student who played football. “The fact this jury of 12 Kenton County citizens deliberated just over an hour to come to this decision is very gratifying,” Howell’s attorney, Eric Deters, said while fighting back tears just seconds after the verdict was read. Sheriff’s deputies told Howell’s family to restrain themselves after an explosion of cheers, fist-pumping and cries filled Kenton Circuit Judge Gregory Bartlett’s courtroom.
“I just cannot believe it is all over,” Howell said. “I don’t think I even realize how much it is all over. I don’t have to worry about it any more.” ...
Howell said after the verdict that she didn’t hold a grudge against the student, but that she felt “sad” for him.
Deters said the not guilty verdict was, in part, a statement about the sloppiness of the investigation and prosecution of Howell.
The trial was almost derailed on the second day because the dates prosecutors alleged the crime occurred were different on the indictment than what was claimed at trial. The discrepancy even drew the ire of Bartlett, who called it “sloppy.”
Then, on the jury instructions, the date was again wrong. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Stefanie Kastner told jurors it was her fault that the instructions said the crime took place in 2009. It should have read 2008.Howell said the allegations have nearly destroyed her life.“Professionally and personally, I will never be able to get my reputation back,” she said. “Obviously, my main concern was to pursue the fact that I was innocent from the beginning. I did that. I’ve been vindicated.“From here on out, I’m just going to go home and enjoy my life.” ..
Deters admitted Howell’s version of events had some inconsistencies, but said she wasn’t the one who had to prove anything.“Remember, we do not have the burden of proof,” Deters said. “They have the entire burden of proof to prove my client guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Achievement gaps continue to impair Kentucky’s overall education progress
only gifted students have reached proficiency at all three level - go figure
On the 0-140 scale used in the analysis, gaps of 15 points or more separate African-American students and students with limited English proficiency from their classmates at every level.
She takes a specific peek at Jefferson County, where Superintendent Sheldon Berman cautions patience while keeping long time poor performers in his administration. But Prichard is not listening so much as they are looking at the data - as is appropriate.
The high school results are relatively strong. Before high school, though, the elementary and middle school results ought to startle any community.
Jefferson County's high school results for low-income students are in the bottom half of the state in every subject except writing, and Jefferson County's elementary and middle results are in the bottom one-fifth of the state in every subject except fifth-grade writing.
Susan ponders a couple of questions from Kentucky Board of Education Chair, Joe Brothers: ""What you just said to me is no different than what I heard in 1987. So why should I be hopeful? ... What are we going to do to change the culture to educate our kids?"
Principals must observe and evaluate teachers based on instructional quality.
Professional development must become a steady cycle of finding and studying fresh evidence of student learning and collaborating to push that learning higher.
Superintendents must evaluate principals based on the quality of staff evaluations, steps to ensure effective professional development, and overall leadership to improve instruction.
School boards must understand whether local student performance is improving at an acceptable place. When they understand that, they will support the superintendents who are doing the job and get those who are not doing it to change or retire.
Much of this view is echoed by Dick Innes at the Bluegrass Institute here and here. This kind of thing only occurs when education groups offer a critical assessment, but agreement is agreement.
BIPPS is, first and foremost, a political group that likes a crafted message, so one frequently has to cut through the fog to find unadulterated fact. Even when they're wrong - they redefine the question until they're right.
But give the devil his due - Innes shows up, does his homework, and highlights good questions from time to time. This from the most recent state board of education meeting:
The board pressed [Jefferson County] personnel on the inexperienced teacher[s for disadvantaged kids] issue. Finally upset at not getting straight answers, board chair Joe Brothers finally demanded, “Quit talking around the problem.”
In reply, Ms. Graham admitted, “It’s a contractual issue.”
In other words, union rules are standing in the way of the kids in this school getting the quality of teachers they need.
More fuel was added to the fire when Dr. Terry Holliday, Kentucky Commissioner of Education, asked Dr. Shelly Berman, the Jefferson County superintendent, if the teachers’ union contract prevented the use of test scores to evaluate teachers. When Berman replied that the contract did include that restriction, Dr. Holliday pointed out that if Kentucky gets any of the second tier stimulus money from the US Department of Education, that contractual restriction means none of the money can go to Jefferson County.
Left unmentioned was the fact that the US Department of Education has very firmly stated that states which prohibit using test scores to evaluate teachers will automatically be disqualified from getting any stimulus funds. Since Kentucky’s largest school district has such a restriction, it could put the entire state’s attempt to get stimulus money at risk.
This last bit is a typical leap to a conclusion Innes may wish to be true - but that doesn't mean it should be taken for granted. I hope KDE staff are checking it out.
So far as we know, we only get one lifetime. So, when I "retired" in 2004, after 31-years in public education, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to teach, write and become a student again.
I have listened to so many commentaries over the years about what should be done to improve Kentucky's schools - written largely by folks who have never tried to manage a classroom, run a school, or close an achievement gap. I came to believe that I might have something to offer.
I moved, in 1985, from suburban northern Kentucky to what was then the state’s flagship district - Fayette County. I have had a unique set of experiences to accompany my journey through KERA’s implementation. I have seen children grow to graduate and lead successful lives. I have seen them go to jail and I have seen them die. I have been amazed by brilliant teachers, dismayed by impassive bureaucrats, disappointed by politicians and uplifted by some of Kentucky’s finest school children. When I am not complaining about it, I will attest that public school administration is critically important work.
Democracy is run by those who show up. In our system of government every citizen has a voice, but only if they choose to use it.
This blog is totally independent; not supported or sponsored by any institution or political organization. I will make every effort to fully cite (or link to) my sources. Please address any concerns to the author.
This from the Eastern Progress:
This from Gary Garvel:
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