The Education Gadfly Weekly

Tom Loveless, Brown Center on Education Policy, Brookings Institution
October 22, 2003

This publication rolls three important studies into one report. Part I analyzes how well American students are learning, with a special focus on rural schools. Part II is the already widely cited Brookings' study on whether American students have an unbearable homework load. [They do not. See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=117#1475 for more information.] Part III - perhaps the most interesting section - is Brookings's second appraisal of achievement and accountability in charter schools, comparing average achievement in charter schools to average achievement in traditional public schools. Researchers were able not only to compare average achievement, but also to compare test score changes, or gain scores, from 2000 to 2002 for charters and traditional public schools. Further, they could distinguish among charter schools, comparing achievement and gain scores between conversion charters and schools run by education management organizations (EMOs). This year as last, researchers found that average "test scores in charter schools lag behind the scores of regular public schools." But, they also found that "charter schools in this year's study . . . registered significant gains in test scores from 2000 to 2002." Much of the evidence suggests that those gains are larger in charters than in conventional public schools. Among charters, conversion schools (that converted from traditional public to charter status) fared better than charters run by for-profit EMOs. "Compared to regular public schools and to other charters serving students with similar socioeconomic characteristics, EMO-operated charters have much lower test scores." Yet once again, their "gains made from 2000 to 2002 have been significantly larger than those of both non-EMO charters and regular public schools." And, while most charters scored lower than traditional public schools, "conversions produced average test scores despite a demographic profile that is usually correlated with low scores." There is a wealth of interesting information in this report, and you can see it for yourself at http://brookings.edu/gs/brown/bc_report/2003/2003report.pdf.

Bart Peterson
September 2003

Among the most interesting charter sites in America is Indianapolis, where (Democratic) Mayor Bart Peterson is making expert use of his office's opportunity to sponsor such schools. The first three Peterson-authorized charters completed their first year of operation in spring 2003 (two more opened this autumn, two more are in the works) and he has now issued a first-rate report on them that should serve as a model for charter sponsors throughout the land. In 24 pages, it tells the reader just about everything that's important to know about these schools, organized under four big (and profound) questions: Is the academic program a success? Is the organization viable? Is the school meeting its operations and access obligations? Is the school providing the appropriate conditions for success? The accountability framework then spells out 24 key sub-questions, some of which cannot yet be answered. It's rapidly apparent that one of the three schools had a rockier start than the other two - and also clear what areas it needs to address. The significant point from our perspective, however, isn't how the Mayor's schools are doing so much as that he and his expert helpers have developed a superb accountability model for charter schools at a time when that issue is on everybody's mind. You can find it at http://www.indygov.org/mayor/charter/accountability_report/index.htm.

Jay P. Greene, Greg Forster, Marcus A. Winters, The Manhattan Institute
October 9, 2003

This report, commissioned by Hispanic CREO (Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options) revisits the achievement gap by focusing on the gap that exists between Hispanic and white students. The findings echo familiar evidence that minority children in public schools lag behind white students. There is obviously a problem in need of fixing, and the authors of this article feel that "the inability of so many Hispanics to choose their schools, and the system's resulting callousness to their needs, contributes to the large gaps between Hispanic students and their white peers." If these failing students continue to have limited educational options, the authors feel that the public schools will continue to stagnate, taking for granted that the students have no recourse. The report also reminds the reader through charts and statistics that failures in our public schools affect society as a whole. To view it, visit http://www.hcreo.org/study/Manhattan%20Institute%20Educational%20Choice%20Study.pdf.

Illinois Department of Education
October 2003

When the Fordham Institute graded and ranked state standards for U.S. history, Illinois was at the bottom of the barrel, scoring only 4 out of a possible 30 and ranking a low 41 out of 49 states.  [See Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card]. We're pleased to report, however, that this week the Land of Lincoln released new and much improved Illinois Assessment Frameworks in reading, math, science, writing, and social science. These standards are clear (as opposed to many that are disorganized and scattered, making it hard to focus on essential skills), the writing is concise, and the coverage of core content is praiseworthy. We especially like the writing standards, which cover grammar in detail and include excellent examples to clue in teachers who may not have studied participles or passive voice in a long time. (For example, standard 3.6.18 reads, "Use commas to set off non-essential appositives [e.g., 'Many of us, the people who pay taxes, oppose this idea.'"]) The math standards are properly hierarchical, building skill upon skill in a grade-appropriate sequence that is all-too-lacking in many state standards. And the social science standards are full of serious content in economics and civics, with a rich historical background. Indeed, they may be a little too ambitious, but what a nice problem to have. We also wish that the reading standards included a recommended book list, but that's a minor quibble. Overall, Illinois can take pride in this serious, thoughtful, high-quality job. To see for yourself, go to http://www.isbe.state.il.us/assessment/IAFIndex.htm.

Learning First Alliance
2003

The Learning First Alliance, a collection of education organizations that represent about 10 million individuals, produced this guide to NCLB, intended to be used by local education leaders. It encourages them to discuss the law with the public and enlist their support in meeting its goals. Guidance offered include strategies school leaders can use when talking to parents, students, and citizens; explanation of key NCLB provisions and the timeline for meeting the law's requirements; and talking points for school district leaders to use with the media. The guide also provides general items for educators and parent advocate groups, including a two-pager entitled "35 Things you Can Do to Help Your Children Succeed in School." There are also links to other organizations with useful information on NCLB and ways to support it. This is a handy tool for school leaders who want to better understand and garner support for NCLB, though it's not likely to calm the critics. To check it out for yourself surf to: http://www.learningfirst.org/publications/nclbguide/.

Just as TIME reported that the College Board plans to drop the analogies section from the SAT, education blogger Joanne Jacobs recounts a story about a Kennewick, Washington high school teacher who, after a lesson on the Salem Witch Trials, asked his students to write a "Mass Hysteria Essay" in which they "expose injustices caused by mass hysteria" and "compare the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials, the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, the McCarthy Hearings and the anti-terrorist fear since 9/11 which resulted in the establishment of Homeland security and the Patriot Act." Through this assignment, the teacher claimed, students would "see that mass hysteria is still very much alive more than 300 years after the Salem Witch Trials." Jacobs quips, "I can think of one difference between Salem and Homeland Security: There are no witches. There are terrorists."

"Hysterical," by Joanne Jacobs, October 20, 2003, www.joannejacobs.com (scroll to October 20 entry)

Eighteen long years ago, Denis Doyle and I wrote this in the New York Times:

Local control of public education is on the way out, as the states take charge of school standards-setting, prescribe curriculum content and teacher qualifications, impose elaborate mechanisms of pupil testing and school accountability, equalize resources and offerings throughout their borders, and furnish the major portions of the school dollar. Until now most states delegated control to local school boards, retaining only loose control in the state capital. That arrangement suited a stable agrarian society with a tolerance for local eccentricities, uneven outcomes, and school resources that varied with village property values and tax rights. Now governors and legislatures are vigorously asserting themselves. One consequence is that local school boards and superintendents are becoming obsolete: the 'organizational dinosaurs of American education in the late 80s,' a friendly observer calls them. 

I submit that everything we wrote in 1985 is truer today, thanks to six notable developments in American education.

First, it's not just states that are asserting control of K-12 education's big decisions. Now it's also Uncle Sam, as in the thousand-page rulebook called No Child Left Behind.

Second, charter schools, vouchers, outsourcing, virtual education, and a hundred forms of school choice that scarcely existed in '85 have begun to show what it means to devolve authority from a bureaucratic system to schools and families. Power is no long just flowing upward from the local school system to the state and Uncle Sam. It's also flowing down to the building, the principal, the teaching team, the charter board, and parents themselves. What important power, if any, remains to be exercised by the school board and superintendent? And is it necessary power or more akin to what big corporations called "middle management" before realizing that they didn't need nearly as much of it as they had long supposed?

Third, almost nobody now believes that public education should be a monopoly in the hands of a single provider. Sure, it still works that way in lots of places, but nearly everyone who has reflected on how it ought to operate tomorrow knows that yesterday's geographically based, bureaucratically delivered, one-best-system is completely out of whack with how we organize and deliver everything else that we value. Imagine having only K-Mart as a source of your family's clothes, only Safeway as a source of food, only the city clinic as a source of health care, only the Unitarian church as a source of religion, only Hyundai as a source of transportation, only TIME magazine as a source of news, and only Nine Inch Nails as a source of music. Ugh.

Fourth, there may still be some tranquil towns and leafy suburbs where the platonic ideal of the elected local school board flourishes: with the community's foremost citizens running in nonpartisan elections, then selflessly devoting themselves to the best interests of all the community's children. But in the parts of U.S. education that cause the greatest concern, namely cities large and small, today's typical elected local school board resembles a dysfunctional family, comprised of three unlovable sorts: aspiring politicians for whom this is stepping stone to higher office, former school-system employees with a score to settle, and single-minded advocates of diverse dubious causes who yearn to use the public schools to impose their particular hang-ups on all the kids in town. No wonder reform-minded cities are trying every alternative they can think of: mayoral control, state takeovers, appointed boards, etc. The inventors of school boards thought their reform would keep education out of politics. In fact, it's immersed public schools in politics.

Fifth, we've also learned painful lessons about school board elections, namely that they're easily rigged. They're held at eccentric times, when few vote save for those with a special reason to do so, and most people with such reasons turn out to be employees of the system. Yes, the teacher unions now dominate school board elections whenever they choose. So long as the board doesn't DO anything, the union lies low. But let the board undertake reforms that the union doesn't like and it mobilizes to take (or retrieve) control of that board. Observe cycles of this in Milwaukee. Observe the latest election in Los Angeles. Observe what nearly happened last year in San Diego.

What sort of democracy is that? Should a hospital's nurses elect its trustees? Should the UAW pick the board of GM? Should the executive branch of the federal government choose the Congress?

Sixth and finally, local school boards don't just resist change in their own communities. They also band together to fight it statewide. Second only to the unions, a state's school board association is usually the strongest protector of the education status quo.

This is also true at the national level. Whatever one's view of No Child Left Behind, it's a valiant effort to bring needed change to American education. Where is the National School Boards Association on this? Singing the establishment anthem, which piously declares its support for NCLB's intentions and then proceeds to pick apart almost every significant aspect of the law as unworkable. What message does that send to America's 15,000 local school boards? It's akin to Dad saying, "Your mother told you to eat your spinach but you really don't have to unless it's sprinkled with sugar and eaten in front of TV. With ice cream to follow."

None of the civic reformers who dreamed up public education's governance system in the late 19th century pictured such a creature. What we have today in the local school board, especially the elected kind, is an anachronism and an outrage. A dinosaur indeed. We can no longer pretend it's working well or hide behind the mantra of "local control of education." We need to steel ourselves to put this dysfunctional arrangement out of its misery and move on to something that will work for children.

"School boards: Democratic ideal or a troubled anachronism?" by Teresa M??ndez, Christian Science Monitor, October 21, 2003

With application deadlines looming, popular magazines have recently devoted much space to college admissions. TIME's cover story this week highlights changes the College Board has made to the new SAT, noting that it is "an exhaustive revision largely intended to mold the U.S. secondary-school system to its liking." Among the changes to this widely used and heavily scrutinized test: a new essay section, advanced algebra, a section on grammar, and an end to the long-lamented analogies section. Over at The Atlantic, the November issue devotes an entire section to America's increasingly hysterical and chaotic system of college admissions. Worthy of note is Nicholas Confessore's evisceration of the popular U.S. News & World Report college rankings, "What Makes a College Good?" (James Fallows, a correspondent for the Atlantic who edited this special section, is a former editor of U.S. News.) To Confessore, these rankings started as an admirable attempt to put information in the hands of students and parents - put them in the driver's seat, if you will - but have themselves become the driver of much that goes on in higher ed today. Middle-tier schools, looking to boost their rankings, have started to focus on "input" measurements prized by U.S. News - big endowments, per-student spending, new buildings - with the result that less attention is paid to what's happening in the classroom, much less to what students are learning in college.

"Inside the new SAT," by John Cloud, TIME, October 18, 2003

"Our first annual college-admissions survey," Atlantic Monthly, November 2003

No Child Left Behind requires that, by 2005-6, all classes must be taught by "highly qualified" teachers. That means a teacher must have a college degree, state certification, and demonstrated mastery of the subject s/he teaches. But as with many NCLB provisions, it's up to the states to set their own benchmarks for certification and subject-area mastery. Statistics released this week by the Associated Press cast doubt on whether they're setting those bars high enough to meet the spirit of the "highly qualified" provision. According to AP, of the 39 states that have reported teacher quality data, 30 said that more than half of the classes in the state are now taught by "highly qualified" teachers. And 11 states - Wisconsin, Idaho, Arkansas, Connecticut, Minnesota, Indiana, Massachusetts, Utah, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming - reported that there is a highly qualified teacher in at least 95 percent of their classrooms. These results come as a surprise to experts who have long noted the high rate of out-of-field teaching that exists in U.S. schools, particularly high-poverty schools. According to Ross Weiner of the Education Trust, such numbers "should be viewed with a skeptical eye. . . . If there are real problems to address, states have done a real disservice by suggesting that there are no teacher-quality issues...."

"States report range of teacher quality," by Ben Feller, Associated Press, October 21, 2003

"Teacher standards are too broad, experts say," by Fredreka Schouten, Detroit News, October 22, 2003

We recently reported on a group of resourceful students and parents in Marysville, Washington who lobbied the governor, held a press conference, and went to court to try to get their teachers to end the longest teachers strike in state history. [See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=118#1484.] Their hard work finally paid off when, after 49 days, the teachers voted to go back to work. Of course, they did so only after a county judge ruled the strike illegal and ordered them back to work or else face fines and other criminal sanctions. Sadly, though, the union has not softened its rhetoric, pledging to elect new school board members and fire the superintendent to get a new contract (despite pay scales that are the second most generous in the state). Amazingly, close to one-third of members voted to continue the strike, regardless of potential fines, not to mention the damage to kids who've lost seven weeks of school. To quote the judge, it's high time "that all of the adults grow up and look at their obligations to the children."

"Marysville teachers vote to end long strike," by J.J. Jensen and Jennifer Sullivan, Seattle Times, October 21, 2003

"Judge orders teachers back to work," Associated Press, October 20, 2003

To help states comply with the highly-qualified teacher and school-choice provisions of NCLB, the Department of Education recently awarded more than $13 million in grants to several organizations to help attract able professionals into teaching, to inform families of their educational options under NCLB, and to expand and study charter school achievement. The New Teacher Project and the National Center for Education Information received a total of $5 million to help attract a greater number of alternative candidates into teaching. Roughly half was given to the New Teacher Project to enhance the Department's efforts to "open classroom doors to talented individuals who have the knowledge and skills to be excellent teachers," while the remainder was given to the National Center for Education Information to create a comprehensive clearinghouse of information on alternative teacher certification programs. The Department has also given over one million dollars in grants to three organizations - the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO), the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), and the Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation (GEO) - that work to educate poor parents about their education options. Finally, the Department gave $4.7 million in grants to expand and improve the quality of charter schools and $3.7 million to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. to conduct a rigorous study on charters' impact on student achievement.

"More than $1 million in grants is awarded to empower families with information about their rights under No Child Left Behind," press release, Department of Education, October 9, 2003

"$5 million in grants awarded to help states, school districts get more highly qualified teachers into classrooms," press release, Department of Education, October 9, 2003

"More Than $8 Million in Grants Awarded to Expand Charter Schools, Study Charter School Achievement," press release, Department of Education, October 9, 2003

Bart Peterson
September 2003

Among the most interesting charter sites in America is Indianapolis, where (Democratic) Mayor Bart Peterson is making expert use of his office's opportunity to sponsor such schools. The first three Peterson-authorized charters completed their first year of operation in spring 2003 (two more opened this autumn, two more are in the works) and he has now issued a first-rate report on them that should serve as a model for charter sponsors throughout the land. In 24 pages, it tells the reader just about everything that's important to know about these schools, organized under four big (and profound) questions: Is the academic program a success? Is the organization viable? Is the school meeting its operations and access obligations? Is the school providing the appropriate conditions for success? The accountability framework then spells out 24 key sub-questions, some of which cannot yet be answered. It's rapidly apparent that one of the three schools had a rockier start than the other two - and also clear what areas it needs to address. The significant point from our perspective, however, isn't how the Mayor's schools are doing so much as that he and his expert helpers have developed a superb accountability model for charter schools at a time when that issue is on everybody's mind. You can find it at http://www.indygov.org/mayor/charter/accountability_report/index.htm.

Illinois Department of Education
October 2003

When the Fordham Institute graded and ranked state standards for U.S. history, Illinois was at the bottom of the barrel, scoring only 4 out of a possible 30 and ranking a low 41 out of 49 states.  [See Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card]. We're pleased to report, however, that this week the Land of Lincoln released new and much improved Illinois Assessment Frameworks in reading, math, science, writing, and social science. These standards are clear (as opposed to many that are disorganized and scattered, making it hard to focus on essential skills), the writing is concise, and the coverage of core content is praiseworthy. We especially like the writing standards, which cover grammar in detail and include excellent examples to clue in teachers who may not have studied participles or passive voice in a long time. (For example, standard 3.6.18 reads, "Use commas to set off non-essential appositives [e.g., 'Many of us, the people who pay taxes, oppose this idea.'"]) The math standards are properly hierarchical, building skill upon skill in a grade-appropriate sequence that is all-too-lacking in many state standards. And the social science standards are full of serious content in economics and civics, with a rich historical background. Indeed, they may be a little too ambitious, but what a nice problem to have. We also wish that the reading standards included a recommended book list, but that's a minor quibble. Overall, Illinois can take pride in this serious, thoughtful, high-quality job. To see for yourself, go to http://www.isbe.state.il.us/assessment/IAFIndex.htm.

Jay P. Greene, Greg Forster, Marcus A. Winters, The Manhattan Institute
October 9, 2003

This report, commissioned by Hispanic CREO (Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options) revisits the achievement gap by focusing on the gap that exists between Hispanic and white students. The findings echo familiar evidence that minority children in public schools lag behind white students. There is obviously a problem in need of fixing, and the authors of this article feel that "the inability of so many Hispanics to choose their schools, and the system's resulting callousness to their needs, contributes to the large gaps between Hispanic students and their white peers." If these failing students continue to have limited educational options, the authors feel that the public schools will continue to stagnate, taking for granted that the students have no recourse. The report also reminds the reader through charts and statistics that failures in our public schools affect society as a whole. To view it, visit http://www.hcreo.org/study/Manhattan%20Institute%20Educational%20Choice%20Study.pdf.

Learning First Alliance
2003

The Learning First Alliance, a collection of education organizations that represent about 10 million individuals, produced this guide to NCLB, intended to be used by local education leaders. It encourages them to discuss the law with the public and enlist their support in meeting its goals. Guidance offered include strategies school leaders can use when talking to parents, students, and citizens; explanation of key NCLB provisions and the timeline for meeting the law's requirements; and talking points for school district leaders to use with the media. The guide also provides general items for educators and parent advocate groups, including a two-pager entitled "35 Things you Can Do to Help Your Children Succeed in School." There are also links to other organizations with useful information on NCLB and ways to support it. This is a handy tool for school leaders who want to better understand and garner support for NCLB, though it's not likely to calm the critics. To check it out for yourself surf to: http://www.learningfirst.org/publications/nclbguide/.

Tom Loveless, Brown Center on Education Policy, Brookings Institution
October 22, 2003

This publication rolls three important studies into one report. Part I analyzes how well American students are learning, with a special focus on rural schools. Part II is the already widely cited Brookings' study on whether American students have an unbearable homework load. [They do not. See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=117#1475 for more information.] Part III - perhaps the most interesting section - is Brookings's second appraisal of achievement and accountability in charter schools, comparing average achievement in charter schools to average achievement in traditional public schools. Researchers were able not only to compare average achievement, but also to compare test score changes, or gain scores, from 2000 to 2002 for charters and traditional public schools. Further, they could distinguish among charter schools, comparing achievement and gain scores between conversion charters and schools run by education management organizations (EMOs). This year as last, researchers found that average "test scores in charter schools lag behind the scores of regular public schools." But, they also found that "charter schools in this year's study . . . registered significant gains in test scores from 2000 to 2002." Much of the evidence suggests that those gains are larger in charters than in conventional public schools. Among charters, conversion schools (that converted from traditional public to charter status) fared better than charters run by for-profit EMOs. "Compared to regular public schools and to other charters serving students with similar socioeconomic characteristics, EMO-operated charters have much lower test scores." Yet once again, their "gains made from 2000 to 2002 have been significantly larger than those of both non-EMO charters and regular public schools." And, while most charters scored lower than traditional public schools, "conversions produced average test scores despite a demographic profile that is usually correlated with low scores." There is a wealth of interesting information in this report, and you can see it for yourself at http://brookings.edu/gs/brown/bc_report/2003/2003report.pdf.