Never a Center Without a Spread

By Skip Kifer

When I ask my classes “who runs faster boys or girls,” someone would, after having decided it is not a trick question, say “boys.” If one is talking about averages or centers of distributions that is the correct answer. If one is talking about how fast people can run, it misses the mark substantially. How many men in the world can run faster than Marion Jones?

Education talk is filled with centers when it should be filled with spreads and, on the best of days, centers, shapes and spreads. Let me give you a couple of examples:

Which of the following two pictures, based on the same data, describe an achievement gap?



An answer is, of course, they both do. But what do they portray and which is the better description? And, are there better descriptions?

The recent entries concerning equity in educational funding in the Commonwealth portray kinds of centers. Here is another picture that contains the data and spreads as well.

I do not see the equity in funding. In fact, spreads, a measure of inequity, may have increased.

Anytime I see reported only averages or only percentages I am immediately suspicious. There are simply better ways to portray data and to make it possible for persons to understand better what the data may be saying.


(Editor's Note: Correction made in text April 21.)

Facebook effort tries to oust Notre Dame leader

This from MSNBC:

Abortion opponents riled by invitation

for Obama to give speech

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A group has launched an online social networking effort seeking to oust the University of Notre Dame's president over the school's decision to invite President Barack Obama to give its commencement speech next month.

A posting on the Web site http://www.replacejenkins.com/ says the Obama invitation and other decisions by the Rev. John Jenkins call his judgment into question. The Web site launched Thursday asks Notre Dame alumni and financial supporters to join a Facebook group and sign a petition...

Other Facebook Groups

Group: We Will Be Honored to Have President Obama at Notre Dame
Size: 7,530 members
Type:Common Interest - Current Events
New: 85 More Members, 1 Board Topic, 11 Wall Posts

Group: Tell Notre Dame to Un-Invite President Obama
Size:1,904 members
Type: Organizations - Advocacy Organizations
New: 76 More Members, 1 Board Topic, 9 Wall Posts

Twice blessed

This from The Economist:

Bilingual babies are precocious decision-makers

WHETHER to teach young children a second language is disputed among teachers, researchers and pushy parents. On the one hand, acquiring a new tongue is said to be far easier when young. On the other, teachers complain that children whose parents speak a language at home that is different from the one used in the classroom sometimes struggle in their lessons and are slower to reach linguistic milestones. Would 15-month-old Tarquin, they wonder, not be better off going to music classes?

A study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences may help resolve this question by getting to the nub of what is going on in a bilingual child’s brain, how a second language affects the way he thinks, and thus in what circumstances being bilingual may be helpful. Agnes Kovacs and Jacques Mehler at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste say that some aspects of the cognitive development of infants raised in a bilingual household must be undergoing acceleration in order to manage which of the two languages they are dealing with...

Former Florida substitute teacher pleads guilty in sex case

This from TampaBay.com:

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Lisa Marinelli, a former Pasco County substitute teacher accused last year of having a sexual relationship with a student, pleaded guilty in court this morning.

She faced up to 15 years in prison but avoided any time behind bars. Instead, prosecutors and her defense attorney agreed to a stringent probationary sentence that includes a year of house arrest and no contact with children under 18 without supervision.

The married mother of two will have to register as a sex offender,
undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases and complete sex offender treatment.

Marinelli, now 41, fell under suspicion in February 2008 when the victim's father reported to the Sheriff's Office that he saw his son get out of Marinelli's car pulling his pants up. They were in the back seat...

Governor Beshear Announces Federal Stimulus Funding for Clean School Bus Emissions

ARRA Dollars to help lower diesel emissions

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Steve Beshear and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division for Air Quality (DAQ) announced that DAQ will be administering at least $1.73 million in funding for Clean School Bus programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.


“This is an example of how President Obama’s three pillars of education, economy and environment can come together in one initiative,” Gov. Beshear said. “The Clean School Bus programs will create more than 30 jobs, benefit air quality, and reduce student absenteeism due to allergies and asthma. I encourage all of our school districts to apply for this funding.”


While school buses are the safest way to get students to and from school, the DAQ is working to ensure that school buses are also the cleanest way to transport students. In Kentucky, 9,883 school buses carry 447,000 students to and from school each day, driving 102 million miles and burning 13 million gallons of diesel fuel. The Clean School Bus program, when implemented by each district, will reduce school bus pollution through a combination of idle reduction policies and bus retrofits.


Ultimately, student absenteeism rates are reduced due to the reduction of asthma and allergy triggers produced by diesel fumes.


Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Len Peters said the funding will play an integral part in helping school districts protect children’s health and the environment. “The links to diesel fumes and children’s health can no longer be ignored. Diesel fumes are linked to increased rates of asthma and allergies, especially in children. I encourage all school districts to take an active role in improving children’s health across the commonwealth.”


Interested school districts can view the grant application online at http://www.air.ky.gov/ beginning April 21. The deadline for applying for the funding is May 29, 2009.



SOURCE: The Gov

Blue-White

Former Principal Goes to the Derby

Owner-trainer Thomas McCarthy is a retired Louisville school teacher and high school principal, a prostate cancer survivor, and a fifty-year veteran of Thoroughbred racing.

General Quarters is the only horse McCarthy owns and trains, and the pair are headed to the Kentucky Derby as McCarthy's first ever entry in America's favorite race.

This from Indian Charlie:

This from C-J:

Smaller stables rooting for him big time in Derby

General Quarters' upset victory in Saturday's Blue Grass Stakes -- the performance that launched retired Louisville principal Tom McCarthy and his one-horse stable into the national limelight -- might have surprised a lot of people...

Playboy Names Top 10 Party Schools

This from MSNBC:

Playboy magazine on Friday named the University of Miami as the top party school in the United States based on five criteria that included a nod to brainpower.

The adult magazine, which has only occasionally published the party college list in the past but will now turn it into an annual feature, ranked the schools on campus life, sports, sex and academics, or "brains," as Playboy put it.

As a last criterion, Playboy included "bikini," which combined weather, guy-to-girl ratio and cheerleaders.

The top 10 party schools are below in order of rank:
1) University of Miami
2) University of Texas (Austin)
3) San Diego State University
4) University of Florida
5) University of Arizona
6) University of Wisconsin (Madison)
7) University of Georgia
8) Louisiana State University
9) University of Iowa
10) West Virginia University

The full list is in the magazine's May issue and here.

Snapshots of Fiscal Equity

KERA has led to a significant decline in differences in educational spending across the Commonwealth.

According to a recent UK study the gap in current expenditures per student between metropolitan and non-metropolitan districts fell from $600 in 1987 to $10 in 2006. Equitable funding is KERA's clearest success. Adequacy remains.

But what does equity look like in a funding system that mixes state and local resources? For that we turn to the Prichard blog where Susan Weston has posted some figures.

...the twelve districts with the most taxable property per student put in more local money and receive less state money than state average, yet all have total base funding within $400 of the average.

...the twelve districts with the least taxable property put in less local money and receive more state funds, yet all end up with base resources within $615 of the average.

Washington set to take on more of cost of education

This from the Seattle Times:

The state Senate voted Thursday to expand the state's responsibility to its 1 million schoolchildren, adding to the list of programs it must pay for under the state constitution.

The state Senate voted Thursday to expand the state's responsibility to its 1 million schoolchildren, adding to the list of programs it must pay for under the state constitution.

Supporters consider the bill a historic piece of legislation, one that updates a 30-year-old definition of basic education they've long considered inadequate.

To be phased in as money becomes available over the next nine years, the bill also would simplify education-funding formulas, and usher in a number of other changes.
"It is not all right to be 47th in the nation in class size. It's not all right to have
a dropout rate between 20 and 30 percent. And it's not all right to pay our teachers 21st in the nation," ... said state Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, who chairs the Senate's early-learning and K-12 education committee....

Use of Seclusion, Restraints on Students at Issue

This from Ed Week:

Watchdog agency preparing report on practices

In 2006, a 7-year-old Wisconsin girl with attention deficit disorder and an emotional disturbance died after being pinned to the ground face down at a state-licensed day treatment facility.

In 2004, a 13-year-old Georgia boy diagnosed with depression and ADHD hanged himself in a seclusion room at his school for children with emotional disorders.

Those children’s cases, and stories about other children who died or were injured after being restrained or secluded in school, often prompt a burst of local attention. But no federal agency requires that records be kept on seclusion and restraints, and state laws vary widely in how such techniques can be used...

Governor Behear on Early Childhood Education

As Savings Head South, More America Students Head North

This from NBC Nightly News:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

More Indiana schools fail to meet federal standards

"No Child Left Behind is exactly the right thing to do,

and it's done exactly the wrong way,"

--- Superintendent Jim Mervilde

This from the Indianapolis Star:

As standards get tougher, many fail to meet goals

Parents and educators across Central Indiana faced conflicting emotions Wednesday as new ratings showed more and more schools failed to meet federal education standards.Every traditional public high school in Marion County and several prominent suburban schools failed to make adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind results released this week.

That raises questions of whether otherwise good schools are held to unreasonable standards or whether those standards will push schools to achieve more than they thought they could.

Under the federal law, schools will have to meet an increasingly higher target of students passing state standardized tests until 2014, when schools will be listed as failing unless 100 percent of students pass the tests....

Quick Hits

Oregon dropout rates improve with efforts to aid at-risk teens: Just 3.7% of Oregon high-school students dropped out during the 2007-08 school year, the lowest rate in at least 20 years, state officials say. Schools have been aggressive in their efforts to persuade dropouts to return to alternative schools while also working to personalize high school for all students, educators say. (The Oregonian)

Individualized plans aim to personalize education for all: A New Jersey pilot program will allow some sixth- and ninth-graders to develop individualized education plans even though they are not enrolled in special education. The plan is part of the state's efforts to revise its middle and high schools and eventually may spread to all the state's districts. (The Gloucester County Times)

$600 million deficit could result in more than 5,000 layoffs in L.A.: More than 5,000 Los Angeles educators and other school staff may be laid off to balance a $596 million budget deficit for the 2009-10 school year, the district's school board decided on a 4-3 vote Tuesday. "Anger is appropriate and outrage is appropriate," said board President Monica Garcia, who voted for the layoffs. "Nobody wants to do these layoffs." (Los Angeles Times)

Tally of pink slips at Ariz. school districts passes 4,000: The number of Arizona teachers and other school personnel being told they may not have a job next school year because of the state’s budget crisis now exceeds 4,000, according to a preliminary tally of districts’ notifications to workers. (Arizona Daily Star)

Alaska legislators dismiss Palin's plan for education stimulus funds: Educators and prominent Alaskan legislators oppose Gov. Sarah Palin's plan to use $93 million in economic-stimulus funds, instead of state funds, for education. "Supplanting is not a good idea," said state Senate President Gary Stevens. "We have an opportunity to really do some good things for our districts. I think we should take advantage of it." (KTUU-TV Anchorage)

Study says hazing isn't going away at high-school level: Nearly half of college students say they were hazed while in high school, according to a study that also says such hazing may be getting more severe. "We're still having hazing incidents in this country in high schools. They're getting more brutal. They're getting more sexual. And they're being pushed down into middle schools," said education expert Elliot Hopkins. (MSNBC)

Hard Times Prompts Superintendent to Hang it Up

This from the Advocate Messenger:

Garrard schools losing Woolsey

LANCASTER - Garrard County school Superintendent Ray Woolsey will retire at the end of the school year.

Woolsey, who announced his retirement last year before reconsidering, said he is sure about the decision this time.

"It's just time," he said. "I have had 40 years in education, and I
feel like I have accomplished what I can here."

Woolsey also cited the strain from mounting financial concerns.

"I'm tired of having to tell people they don't have a job. It has been a very tough year."

Summer Camps for Future Kentucky Teachers

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Kentucky high school students interested in teaching as a career choice may participate in regional Future Educators Association (FEA) Summer Camps in June and July.

These week-long residential camps held at universities are free to students in attendance. Capacity is limited, and each camp will take the first 30 applications on a first-come, first-served basis.

Application information is available from the contacts listed below:

• June 7-12 -- Murray State University; Sue Ellen Morris, Sueellen.Morris@coe.murraystate.edu
• June 14-19 -- Eastern Kentucky University; Felisa Wilson, felisa.wilson@eku.edu
• June 14-21 -- Morehead State University; Joan Callaham, j.callaham@morehead-st.edu
• June 14-19 -- University of Louisville & Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS); Lohelen Hambrick, Lohelen.hambrick@louisville.edu; or Carl Williams, Carl.Williams@jefferson.kyschools.us
• June 14-20 -- University of Kentucky; Dr. Rose Boulay, Rose.Boulay@uky.edu
• June 15-19 -- Western Kentucky University; Michelle Kahler, Michelle.Kahler@wku.edu
• June 21-26 -- Campbellsville University; Dr. Donna Irwin, drirwin@campbellsville.edu
• July 12-17 -- Kentucky State University; Dr. Pat Higgins; patricia.higgins@kysu.edu
• July 20-24 -- Northern Kentucky University; Dr. Sara Runge-Pulte, rungesa@nku.edu

The Future Educators Association® assists middle and high school students in exploring careers in education. The association is unique in its ability to offer students unparalleled, age-appropriate professional development opportunities, including an annual conference and access to a state-of-the-art FEA social networking Web site. Through hands-on career exploration opportunities, FEA allows members to assume leadership roles and develop professional skill sets that will serve them throughout their careers. The association also connects students with chances to earn scholarship grants through its sponsoring organization, PDK International.

In 2002, the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution 188, which requested that the Kentucky Department of Education set aside teacher recruitment funds to assist school districts in organizing FEA Clubs.

Kentucky now holds the distinction of having the most chartered FEA chapters in the nation, with nearly 200 chapters statewide.

SOURCE: KDE press release

Bluegrass Institute Shifting from Tea Parties to School Choice?

Having gathered a few central Kentucly crowds at recent "Tea Parties," it was surprising to learn today that David Adams of the Bluegrass Institute wants to change the Tea Party name (due to the press' use of an objectional homoerotic slang term involving tea bags) and shift to a new issue.

So Soon?

I've been watching the Tea Parties with a bemused mixture of interest and skepticism:

• Bemused - because of the strange juxtaposition of establishment types, more than a few of whom would have favored police clearing the streets of all protesters in bygone days, now carrying placards;
• Interest - because it is prudent for all Americans to worry about deficits now approaching 70% of GDP; and
• Skepticism - because if Tea Parties were a principled effort they should have started during the Bush administration rather than waiting for Obama.

As it is, Tea Parties smack of partisan free-marketers looking for a new angle that might validate - after the fact - an approach toward unregulated free enterprise that nearly crippled us - and clearly has cost America many years of full productivity.

Curiously, Adams suggests a new strategy and a new issue as early as May.

One wonders if Tea Party organizers sense that the sustainability of such protests is just not there and organizers don't want them to be remembered as an idea that simply fizzled. Otherwise, if it is indeed a strong growing movement - why deflate it now?

Most folks don't know what to believe about toxic assets, credit default swaps and other arcane financial instruments that should have been illegal, but weren't. But Americans did see both Presidents Bush and Obama stand up and tell us that the problem was so bad, that if we didn't stimulate the economy, the whole system could collapse.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I saw America flinch.

BIPPS selection of school choice as the new focus for grassroots activism is interesting. I wonder if BIPPS will be able to generate the same amount of passion for school choice from the smaller segment of the population directly impacted by K-12 education. On the other hand, the Obama administration has certainly given them a platform, and perhaps a level, to go after charter schools in Kentucky - and as far as I can tell nobody in the education establishment wants to talk about it.

Finally, Adams recently complained that the Courier-Journal should not stoop to homoerotic slang in describing the Tea Party protests. He's right.

Perhaps, if the Bluegrass Institute did less name-calling and had a better track record of correcting it's own errors it would stand on higher moral ground when expressing its outrage toward others.

SEEK Base Basics

Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) is Kentucky's school funding program. It reduces financial gaps between districts with the most and least property per pupil and defines the amount of money Kentucky public school districts receive. At the Prichard Blog Susan Weston provides an overview of how the SEEK formula will provide basic funding in 2009-10, using state forecast numbers.

Principal Charged With Assault Due In Court

This from WKYT:

A principal accused of assaulting a student is due back in court Wednesday.

Nicholas County High School Principal Joe Orazen is accused of throwing a student to the ground, after an argument over a cell phone.

The altercation with 15-year old Dusty Green was caught on school surveillance cameras.

Orazen has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is on paid suspension from the school system.