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--- Friday --- September 5, 1997 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 44 ---
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THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
__________ __________
NATURE-NURTURE DEBATE | SPOTLIGHT |
A new chapter is added to the | |
great book on nature versus | TIME BOMB |
nurture. As reported in the 31 | |
July 1997 journal "Nature," | Social promotion is a |
genes account for 48% of the | time bomb that already has |
factors that determine IQ. | exploded in the Chicago |
Bernie Devlin, one of the | public school system, |
study's authors, commented that | accordoing to Chicago |
the figure is less than what is | school CEO Paul Vallas. |
assumed by most psychologists | And his solution, to hold |
and "far enough below the | back more than 10,000 |
figure cited by the | students, is creating its |
controversial 1994 book "The | own firepower. (#1) |
Bell Curve" to undercut its | |
authors' main conclusions," | Critics of Vallas' hold- |
writes the Philadelphia | back policy cite a body of |
INQUIRER (AP, Crenson, 7/31). | research that suggests |
Devlin, a professor of | flunking students leads to |
psychiatry at the U of | lower self-esteem and puts |
Pittsburgh School of Medicine, | students at a higher risk |
and his co-authors Michael | of dropping out of school. |
Daniels and Kathryn Roeder of | |
Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon U, | Vallas returns fire with |
also found that prenatal | a new study conducted by |
conditions play a significant | professor Karl Alexander at |
role in determining a person's | the Johns Hopkins U. |
intelligence, which "may | According to Alexander, |
explain why poorer people | retaining students stops |
generally score lower on IQ | the "free fall" of |
tests," writes the paper. | declining test scores. |
| Vallas: "... social |
T.V. TIME | promotion was a time bomb |
Don't forget. Tonight PBS | that exploded in our face." |
airs the Merrow Report. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"It is not a class action as of this point but it may turn out to
be eventually."
Michael McLaughlin, on his second lawsuit filed against
Boston Latin. (#3)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 20010; 202/724-0124 |
| EPN, Inc. hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
FLUNKING STUDENTS: The great debate alive in Chicago. (#1)
CHARTING A NEW COURSE
CHARTER SCHOOL UPDATE: The business of education and more.(#2)
FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE
THE CLIENT: McLaughlin challenges Latin again. (#3)
SUING FOR RETENTION: Maryland dad wants son to flunk. (#4)
CHOOSING SCHOOLS
SCHOOL CHOICE: Could it have prevented exodus? (#5)
ADVERTISING SPACE AVAILABLE IN DAILY REPORT CARD
The DAILY REPORT CARD is now accepting "advertorials" and
advertising for its Friday document. An "advertorial" can be a
page reporting the news or views from your organization
concerning efforts to improve education. Or, the space can be
used to promote your education products, services or
publications.
Please call Barbara Pape at the DAILY REPORT CARD (202/724-
0124) for "advertorial" rates. This is a great opportunity to
get your news and views out to education decisionmakers,
policymakers and the media engaged in the great debates of
education.
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 FLUNKING STUDENTS: THE GREAT DEBATE ALIVE IN CHICAGO
Chicago school officials are overseeing one of their
toughest school-improvement policies: mass retention of students
(Rossi, Chicago SUN-TIMES, 8/25). More than 10,000 Chicago
public school students will be repeating a grade this fall.
From the paper: "Chicago schools are wining national
attention as the biggest system in the country to wage an all-out
war against 'social promotion.'"
Schools CEO Paul Vallas has come under much criticism, with
retention skeptics citing research that suggests holding students
back leads to high drop-out rates. But Vallas counters that new
research indicates holding students back ends the "free fall" of
declining test scores.
Past research has found that students view flunking a grade
as less stressful only than going blind or losing a parent,
reports the paper. One body of research suggests that being held
back denigrates a child's self-esteem, which eventually,
typically in high school, leads the student to leave school.
However, the SUN TIMES notes that none of the studies were
of children who got extra help before they were retained -- a key
component of the Chicago policy. In Chicago, school personnel
are expected to "identify low achievers early in the school year,
write a remediation plan and show it to the parents," writes the
paper. Students who fail to achieve a certain level on the April
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are required to "face a second safety
net: summer school," according to the paper.
The school system also offers after-school homework centers,
longer school days, in-school tutoring as well as summer school
to help children stay with their classmates. New systemwide
summer school lesson plans were used this summer to help students
meet academic goals, writes the paper.
Vallas is standing by his plan, citing new research from the
Johns Hopkins U. Sociology Professor Karl Alexander released a
new study that found holding students back "stopped the free
fall" of declining test scores. However, the paper notes that
Alexander's study has not yet followed students through to high
school where "the most disturbing research lies." From the
paper: "One widely quoted 1971 study found that repeating one
grade increased the risk of dropping out by 40% to 50%, and being
two grades behind increased the risk by 90%"
Despite these findings, Vallas backs his plan. "The time
bomb has already dropped," he said. "Last time I looked, there
was a 45% dropout rate. We have some schools with a 60, 70
percent dropout rate. The problem is social promotion was a time
bomb that exploded in our face."
===== CHARTING A NEW COURSE =====
*2 CHARTER SCHOOL UPDATE: THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION AND MORE
SCRAMBLING FOR BUSINESS: Private firms currently operate
about 10% of the nation's approximately 750 charter schools,
reports the W.S. JOURNAL (Stecklow, 8/21). "It's not strictly on
an altruistic basis," explains J.C. Huizenga, who launched
Education Development Corporation, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based
education firm. "It's done with the expectation of significant
returns."
After watching Education Alternatives Inc., fail in its
attempts to manage public school districts in Miami, Baltimore
and Hartford, EAI and other education firms are dashing to "what
they view as a more hospitable and entrepreneurial education
market:" charter schools, notes the paper. The firms are
contracting with charter-school founders to manage the new
charters for a fee. Some states allow private firms to seek
charter status themselves, reports the paper.
The paper sums up three advantages charter schools have over
traditional public schools for the business community: the firms
do not have to engage a teachers' union since charters free the
schools from collective bargaining rules; most charter founders
lack managerial skills and may eagerly pay for the assistance;
and corporate investment is helpful in "overcoming the biggest
obstacle to creating a charter school: buying or leasing the
school building," writes the paper.
Several education companies with contracts to manage charter
schools are mentioned in the paper: EAI, 12 charters in Ariz.;
Edison Project, 12 in Calif., Colo., Mass., Mich., and Minn.;
Education Development Corp., 9 in Mich.; Sabis Educational
Systems Inc., 7 in Ariz., Del., Ill., Mass.; Advantage Schools
Inc., 3 in Ariz., N.J., N.C.; and Alternative Public Schools LLC,
2 in Mass., N.C.
Chester Finn, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute,
observes that charter schools are more underfunded than
traditional public schools, but adds "that's why the jury remains
out on the profitability of many of them."
TEXAS: The Texas Education Agency has been flooded with
nearly 500 requests for charter school applications (Stutz,
DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/5). "We are a little overwhelmed by the
numbers, but we are talking about a state that has 3.8 million
students," said Brooks Flemister, senior director for charter
schools at the TEA. "There is a lot of interest out there in
these schools."
The applicants are vying for 100 charter school slots.
Texas currently boasts 20 charter schools, "the initial number
approved by state lawmakers in 1995," writes the paper.
According to the NEWS, the TEA plans to host the state's
first conference on charter schools in December. "It will be the
first major charter school conference in Texas," said Flemister.
The recently formed Charter School Resource Center, a nonprofit
based in San Antonio, is gearing up to help charter schools get
off the ground. Center staff also will help the TEA host the
conference and develop a "three-volume document to help charter
schools in getting started and designing their learning
programs," reports the paper.
MORE ON TEXAS: Three Texas charter schools are opening
their doors this fall (Schultz, Fort Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/21).
North Hills, located in Irving, has enrolled more than 200
students in grades five through eight, "many of whom are
academically advanced," writes the paper. Students from any
school district are welcome to apply.
The school, which offers an international studies
curriculum, requires students to take a foreign language every
year. School officials plan to add a higher grade each year and
to earn accreditation from the International Baccalaureate
Program, notes the paper.
The other schools are: Pegasus, formerly a magnet school in
Dallas, and Cyprus Lodge Charter School in East Texas.
PHILADELPHIA: The first charter schools for Philadelphia
are expected to open their doors this fall. In a unanimous vote
the school board granted charters to four schools: two science
and technology programs and two designed to serve high-school
dropouts and other at-risk students (Jones, Philadelphia
INQUIRER, 8/22).
A fifth charter was denied to the Philadelphia Academy of
Culinary Arts, due to its start-up date of February, which board
members said would be disruptive to students. Academy officials
said they will reapply for next year, notes the paper.
School district officials expect to loose about $4.4M this
school year and about $7.4M during the next because of
expenditures made to the new charter schools, writes the paper.
The officials claim that the state, while allocating vast sums to
the charter schools, does not cover all expenses. "All this
being equal, it may not be in our best financial interest to
approve charter schools," said Clarence Armbrister, the
district's managing director. "But it is the district's intent
to provide a world-class education ... that overrides any
financial considerations.
The four charters are: Harambee Institute of Science and
Technology Charter School, grades K-8, low-income and minority
youth, sponsored by the Harambee Institute Inc. (215/471-1318);
World Communications Charter School, grades 6-12, focussing on
economic theory, technology and entrepreneurial learning,
sponsored by the Delaware Valley Alliance of Black School
Educators (215/473-1925); YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School,
high school drop-outs, sponsored by Philadelphia Youth for
Change, Inc. (215/627-8671), and Philadelphia Community Academy,
middle and high school, college prep for at-risk youth, sponsored
by the Community High School (215/425-1213).
CHARTER SCHOOL APPRAISAL: The Hudson Institute this summer
released a detailed report on charter schools nationwide. The
project, called "Charter Schools in Action," includes six policy
papers: "Charter Schools As Seen by Those Who Know Them Best:
Students, Teachers and Parents," "The Birth-Pains and Life-Cycles
of Charter Schools," "The Policy Perils of Charter Schools,"
"Charter School Accountability: Problems and Prospects," "How
Charter Schools Are Different: Lessons and Implications," and
"The Educational Impact of Charter Schools."
Highlights from the report: "Charter schools are havens for
children who had bad educational experiences elsewhere," "Charter
schools are very popular with their primary constituents: their
students, parents and teachers," "Satisfaction levels are highest
for all three groups when it comes to education matters," and
"The teachers feel empowered."
For more information contact the Hudson Institute; 1015 18th
Street NW; Suite 300; Washington, D.C. 20036; 202/223-5450;
www.edexcellence.net.
===== FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE =====
*3 THE CLIENT: McLAUGHLIN CHALLENGES LATIN AGAIN
The father of Julia McLaughlin, who through a lawsuit filed
by her father gained admission to the prestigious Boston Latin
School, is taking on another client: Sarah Wessmann, a fried of
Julia (Sullivan, BOSTON HERALD, 8/23).
Like Julia, Wessmann was one of 47 white students who three
years ago scored higher than some minorities who were admitted to
the school. "We're challenging the system because it
discriminates because of race," said Michael McLaughlin. "It is
not a class action as of this point but it may turn out to be
eventually."
Prior to McLaughlin's suit on behalf of his daughter, Boston
Latin, an exam school, observed a quota system for admissions in
which 35% of the exam schools' seats were reserved for
minorities. A new admission policy was developed after Judge
Arthur Garrity said the city would likely lose the lawsuit unless
it came up with a new policy. The new policy, unveiled in
December, admits 50% of the incoming students based on academic
merit, with the remaining weighted by race. From the paper:
"... under the new system, incoming minorities were cut in half,
with just 18% of Latin's freshman class made up of blacks and
Hispancis. Nearly 80% of the city's student population are
minority students."
School Superintendent Thomas Payzant vowed to fight
McLaughlin's second lawsuit. "There are issues that come along
where you have to take a stand and I believe that this is one,"
he said. "This is a major issue of principle."
Payzant has the support of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who
said, "The issue is about an opportunity to use race to limit the
impact of past discrimination."
*4 SUING FOR RETENTION: MARYLAND DAD WANTS SON TO FLUNK
A Howard County, Md., father has filed a lawsuit against the
school board, claiming that his son is not performing at grade
level and demanding that his son repeat the eight-grade (Francke,
Baltimore SUN, 8/28). Robert Merriman said his son Robert "has
gone through two sessions of 'he'll get better next year.' I
don't think it's going to happen. I'd rather he back up to where
his abilities are."
Young Robert agrees: "I want to get good grades." He added
that it will not bother him to stay in the same grade because "I
have friends who are in other grades, so I'm cool with it."
Merriman's suit alleges that school officials initially
agreed to hold back Robert, who has learning disabilities.
Hammond Middle School principal David Oaks concurred with
Merriman's assessment of his son and sent his records to the
area's new middle school earlier this summer. However, late last
month, Merriman was told that the school board had overruled the
decision and his son would be promoted to ninth grade, reports
the paper.
Merriman refused to send Robert to school and, for now, is
home-schooling the boy. "Retaining a student is something they
want to avoid at all cost," said Merriman, a language specialist
with the federal government. The schools "are ignoring the kids'
needs in favor of their statistics."
The SUN points to a recent American Federation of Teachers'
membership survey that found one-third of teachers polled two
years ago said that at lest 20% of their students should not have
advanced to their classrooms. A local teachers union membership
survey found that 42% of the teachers felt pressured to give
higher grades "than were warranted," writes the paper. Karen
Dunlop president of the Howard County Education Association:
"The issue of grade inflation is something that is fairly well
known."
School policy on promotion and retention appears to support
Meriman's position, notes the paper. Policy states: "The Board
of Education recognizes the right of the parent(s) to make the
final decision concerning the retention or non-retention of a
student."
==== CHOOSING SCHOOLS ====
*5 SCHOOL CHOICE: COULD IT HAVE PREVENTED EXODUS?
If they had the ability to choose their child's school, a
slight majority of Baltimore working- and middle-class families
may not have moved out of the city in 1996, according to a recent
poll (MONTGOMERY JOURNAL, 8/29). "Twenty-six percent [of
respondents] said they would have given very serious thought to
staying, with another 25 percent saying 'maybe,'" said Douglas
Munro, executive director of the Calvert Institute on Public
Policy, a Baltimore think tank. "That is 51 percent, a majority
that might have stayed had vouchers been available."
The paper, which covers news in Montgomery County, Md.,
notes that the survey was conducted for Calvert by the Mason-
Dixon Political/Media Research Inc., located in Columbia, Md.
According to the paper, "extensive" interviews were conducted
with 309 working- and middle-class families who moved out of
Baltimore to one of the six surrounding counties.
Other findings: 11% of white families said they would have
left the city with or without vouchers, while 49% of black
families surveyed said they would definitely have considered
staying if they had vouchers, with another 20% saying they might
have stayed; 92% of black respondents said they favor school
vouchers.
Baltimore's population has dwindled throughout the years,
with nearly 1 million residents in 1950, 800,000 in 1980 and only
691,000 in 1996. As a result, the city's tax revenues have
declined, with less money available for public schools, writes
the paper.
The paper also describes the "sad state" of Baltimore public
schools. Mayor Kurt Schmoke (D) recently agreed to relinquish
control of the school district in return for a $254M "bailout by
the state in a deal brokered by Gov. Parris Glendening (D)." The
Baltimore school-bailout legislation squeaked through the
Maryland General Assembly.
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