DeKalb & NCLB: An Educational Gulag that harms low-income, minority children the most

Something to think about! Are our schools purposely trying to dumb down Americans? Labeling schools as "failures" and dividing communities is a good way to begin a road to destruction. Click here to view the rest of the interview with Charlotte Iserbyt if you find it interesting. She's a bit radical in thought, but I find her long life interesting and her knowledge of the destruction of education to have a ring of truth.
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What is going on with our students criss-crossing the county to escape their "failing" home schools?

I'm not sure what happened between the Monday, August 1 board meeting, where Moseley reported that 689 students had requested AYP transfers...

NCLB - AYP Open Enrollment for Public School Choice concludes Thursday. 22 sending schools -- 10 receiving schools. Requests: 18 ES, 268 MS and 403 HS students.

...and Thursday of that week which ended the transfer requests, but today's AJC tells us that DeKalb leads the way by FAR in NCLB transfers -- 1,300 vs Bob Moseley's reported 689.

More than half the transferring students in metro Atlanta’s core counties are in DeKalb County, where about 1,300 have asked to change schools this year.

No Child Left Behind forces transfer decisions on school systems, parents

No Child Left Behind. "NCLB". It's a bill of goods.  I've heard it referred to as No Child Left Alone. President Obama has returned to referring to it by its proper name, "ESEA", the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. What does that mean? Could it be that the federal department of education is actually trying to create an "emergency" in order to take over our schools? Our children? Our minds? Our future?

Of all children harmed in this national brainwashing effort, the first to go down (the guinea pigs if you will) are the poor, the minorities, the Title 1 educated students whose parents believe the promise that the educrats in charge are doing all they can to bring them a chance at a quality education. But the opposite is happening.  The schools in these poor areas are losing their best students, losing enrollment, losing funding, losing access to quality instruction and losing ground.

What are they really getting?  Rote memorization for test results. Dumbing down of critical thinking abilities. Incomplete mathematical knowledge and decreased writing and comprehension abilities. Shallow learning via "word walls", "group projects" "games" and "benchmark testing".  They buy the promise that they have been "adequately" educated, and sent on their way only to find that they do not have the tools to rise out of the lower class. Eventually, many will find that they have only been programmed to serve as workers in a Gulag economy or flow through the pipeline to prison. Harsh? True? Do you want to take that chance?

No Child Left Behind is the biggest scam of the last century.  The federal government should not be meddling in the state's business of education. Our inner city schools are being decimated all over the country due to being labeled as "failing" by federal standards. How is this accomplished? By using small sub-groups to deem a school a "failure" and then offering a transfer (viewed as a golden ticket) to a "passing" school to anyone in the "failing" school.  Although it's a good idea to test and identify sub-groups who are not getting the education they deserve, the decision to offer school-wide transfers is far too punitive a response. Who takes the transfers? The bright students of course!  The others are left in an inferior educational environment which can attract fewer and fewer prepared teachers and involved parents–thereby enabling a vortex of destruction. And the students who transfer do not fare much better. In fact, 300 of our high school transfers to Druid Hills High School will never actually set foot in DHHS.  They will be housed at the recently closed Avondale High School and labeled the "annex" of DHHS. What kind of "solution" is that?!!

See this for what it is people.  Take back your home schools.  Insist on small classes and quality teaching. Insist on a deep traditional curriculum, AP and honors level courses and qualified instruction with a small teacher-student ratio (I'm thinking 1:12 or fewer) and the essential tools and materials necessary to do the work.  Who cares if your school "makes AYP" if you know in your heart that your child is learning to think critically in a traditional method led by a highly qualified teacher?

For more interesting videos on the subject, check out some of these dating back to 1992:
Public Education Dumbs Down Kids Part 1
Public Education Dumbs Down Kids Part 2
Public Education Dumbs Down Kids Part 3
Charlotte Iserbyt Speaking At The Zombie Country Conference
Download the free Ebook: The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America, by Charlotte Iserbyt
Raze Education Ghetto in South DeKalb
North vs Central vs South - what's the deal?

ESEA School Choice 2011-12

The letter about AYP transfers according to NCLB (now known as ESEA) has been posted. You can read it by clicking here. The window to apply for a transfer is July 22 - August 4. Another (often better) option is to request private tutoring for your child and stay at your home school. If you have any questions about the Supplemental Educational Services (free tutoring), contact Dr. Linda Crowley by telephone at 678.676.0309. The state publishes an extensive list of approved vendors for tutoring. Click here to review that list.

Below is the published list of receiving schools:

Elementary Schools ESEA Choice Options:
• Hambrick Elementary - K through 5th
• Kelley Lake Elementary - K through 5th
• Kingsley Elementary - K through 5th

Middle Schools ESEA Choice Options:
• Cedar Grove Middle - Grades 6th – 8th
• Stone Mountain Middle - Grades 6th – 8th
• Chamblee Middle -Grades 6th – 8th

High Schools ESEA Choice Options:
Traditional Schedule
• Arabia Mountain High - Grades 9th – 12th
• Chamblee High - Grades 11th and 12th
Block Schedule *90 minute class periods
• DeKalb Early College Academy (DECA) - 9th Grade Only (special rules apply)
• Druid Hills High Annex @ DeKalb School of the Arts* - Grades 9th – 12th
*NOTE: the program is not part of DSA whatsoever: The program will ACTUALLY be in the now CLOSED Avondale HS; students will be considered Druid Hills "annex" students, and staff will report to the Druid Hills principal. However, students will never attend school at the Druid Hills campus - instead will attend at the Avondale campus - reopened for AYP transfers only.

SPECIAL INFORMATION TO HELP MAKE YOUR CHOICE

DeKalb Early College Academy (DECA)

DeKalb Early College Academy is a program in partnership with Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) that is designed for high school students to complete their high school diploma while receiving up to 60 hours of college credits toward an Associate of Arts degree. The goal of DECA is to improve the high school graduation rates of DeKalb County high schools, and subsequently, the opportunity to complete college. Early colleges were created as a school reform initiative and a viable alternative to large, comprehensive high schools. DECA does not have an athletic or band program, but rather various other extracurricular activities/clubs.

Criteria for Student Enrollment at DECA
All students enrolled at DeKalb Early College Academy must maintain satisfactory academic grades, pass all sections of the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT), possess a satisfactory attendance and discipline record while enrolled in middle school. All students are required to wear school uniforms. Students are dismissed back to their community high school if program expectations are not met. Students who applied and were not admitted previously are not eligible to attend DECA through ESEA Public School Choice and should select another school choice.

Arabia Mountain High School
All students enrolled at Arabia Mountain High School must maintain a 2.0 grade point average each semester. A total of ten hours of parental involvement hours (volunteer hours) are required before May 1st annually. All students are required to participate in twenty hours of “Going Green” community service. School uniforms are required for each student.

Chamblee High School
Chamblee High School is about to begin a major construction project. The school is bringing in a "trailer village" of approximately 40 trailers to accommodate construction and transfers. The construction will take a couple of years but will end up with a very nice facility for the 2013 school year.

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In addition, below is the transportation information. It literally pays to choose the school furthest away from your home. You will be reimbursed for TWO round trips per day at $.51/mile. [Personally, I think free tutoring is more valuable and possibly more effective.]

Transportation Options for ESEA Public School Choice
The law states that, “The school district must provide transportation or provide FOR transportation for a student whose home school is a Title I Needs Improvement (NI) school.” For parents/guardians who are able to pay for or provide a means of transporting their child to their school of choice, the DeKalb County School System will reimburse the parents/guardians for transporting the student to the receiving school if the student is transferring from a Title I Needs Improvement (NI) school. The current federal per diem rate is .51 per mile and is subject to change. Reimbursement is calculated as round trip from the student’s home to the choice school and round trip from the student’s choice school to the student’s home. The round trip will be calculated based on the shortest distance between home and school.

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For more information, the application and to see the list of sending schools, visit this link at the school system's website.
Public School Choice Hotline (678) 676-0081
Online Registration at www.dekalb.k12.ga.us

ESEA Tutoring Options

We have discussed the little-used tutoring option for ESEA (aka: NCLB) students whose schools did not meet AYP.  I found information regarding this option and wanted to ensure parents had access to it.  I have found that many parents are not aware of all of the options for their children.

Below are the board meeting minutes from August, 2010 on the subject:

Payment to Various Vendors for Federally Mandated Supplemental Educational Services

Rationale
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates that students, from low-income families, who are attending Title I schools that are in the second year of school improvement (i.e., have not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for three or more years), in corrective action, or in restructuring status are eligible for free tutorial services. These services will be provided by vendors who have been approved by the Georgia State Board of Education.

Quick Summary / Abstract
Presented by: Dr. Audria Berry, Executive Director, Office of School Improvement

Summary
Supplemental Educational Services is a service that was introduced by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Supplemental Educational Services is designed to provide additional services to low income students who attend a Title I School on the needs improvement list.

Details
Supplemental educational services include academic assistance such as tutoring, remediation and other educational interventions designed to increase the academic achievement of students in low-performing schools. These services are provided outside of the regular school day.

Students from low-income families, who are attending Title I schools that are in the second year of school improvement (i.e., have not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for three or more years), in corrective action, or in restructuring status are eligible to receive these services.

School districts must allocate twenty percent of the Title I part A allocation to implement Public School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services. A school district must spend at least five percent of the twenty percent on Public School Choice and at least five percent on Supplemental Educational Services. The remaining ten percent may be spent on either Public School Choice or Supplemental Educational Services. Due to the demand of Public School Choice and the reimbursement of transportation, the DeKalb County School System will allocate five percent of the twenty percent on Supplemental Educational Services and will allocate fifteen percent on Public School Choice.

Every year, the State Board of Education approves a list of vendors to provide Supplemental Educational Services. There are 114 vendors for the DeKalb County School System for the 2010-2011 school year. The student’s per pupil allotment is based on the Title I allocation and census data. Parents have the opportunity to select a vendor of their choice and the school district will contract with the vendor to provide services. The effectiveness of the services is monitored at the state and local levels.

Financial Impact
Title I district level funds will be used for this expenditure. Local funds will not be used.

Goals
Goal #1-To narrow the achievement gap & improve the graduation rate
Goal #2-To increase rigor and academic achievement in Reading\Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies in PreK-12

Contacts
Dr. Audria Berry, Executive Director, Office of School Improvement, 678.676.0380

Requested Action
It is recommended that the Board of Education approve payments to the State Board of Education approved vendors to provide Supplemental Educational Services to low income students who attend Title I schools that qualify. The cost of these services will not exceed $2,162,241.00.

Below is the official list of schools that must offer individualized tutoring as an option to a transfer. Money was approved to pay for tutoring in the Title 1 schools on this list.

Elementary and Secondary Education Assistance ESEA
Schools that must offer Supplemental Educational Services
2010-2011

Avondale High
Avondale Middle
Bethune Middle
Cedar Grove High
Clarkston High
Columbia High
Cross Keys High
Dunwoody High (Non-Title I)
Eagle Woods Academy
Elizabeth Andrews High
Freedom Middle
Indian Creek Elementary
International Student Center
Lithonia High
Lithonia Middle
M.L. King, Jr. High
McNair Discovery Learning
McNair High
McNair Middle
Miller Grove Middle
Redan High
Shadow Rock Center
Shamrock Middle (Non-Title I)
Southwest DeKalb High (Non-Title I)
Stephenson High
Stone Mill Elementary
Stone Mountain High
Stone Mountain Middle
Toney Elementary
Towers High
Tucker High (Non-Title I)

Parents, if you would like to schedule tutoring for your child, talk with your principal or contact Audria Berry at the number above. For the list of approved vendors, click here.

(BTW - you are also entitled to a MARTA card if you choose to take a transfer. Click here for more info.)

Cross Keys HS Lands "A Big One" ...

Lately, I have refrained from using DCSW articles to "pump" my favorite high school. But today I cannot hold back - the students, families, faculty, Foundation tutors, and community at Cross Keys deserve to be called out today.

This school which is a composite of every "sub-group" that other school communities blame for their failures made AYP in the summer re-test. The Georgia Department of Education posted the results today on their site and I could not be more proud of our young people!

Amid all the noise of an election year, the swirl of the corruption at the Central Office, with the back drop of the RICO trial of our former superintendent and COO, and in spite of being isolated and shunned in many ways, these young people and their dedicated families, faculty and staff, all put left foot out, then right foot out and "made the grade."

This comes two days after the State Board of Regents caved into political pressure to ban some of these same children from our most competitive universities. Oddly, the Regents voted this way while at the same time saying there was no problem that required the policy (see CNN article).

Yesterday, I was at Woodward ES handing out accolades to the "Students of the Month." As I congratulated them I wondered if their older siblings' academic success inspired them. Then I wondered, "Will they stay motivated to learn when they see their older siblings further isolated by the new Regents' policy." It was bitter sweet to watch the pride of these little children juxtaposed against the obstacles to education some of them will face.

We all have learned that AYP is not necessarily "all that," but as the designated cheerleader for our Cross Keys area young people who have overcome so much I have to say loudly ..."BOOYAH!"

What about academics?

So - moving on from the topic of the Bishop (that is going to be an on-going sideshow for a while) --

We really need to focus on the utter failure of our school system to get our schools into AYP passing zone. We are continuing to slip in the standings and continue to produce three times as many high schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (much less - substantial progress) as do, and we continue to only offer transfers to the few "passing schools" still available as a response to these school failures. To date, DeKalb County School System still has not met AYP as a system.

Check out this chart for 2009 available at DCSS's website entitled, DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOLS ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS 2003 - 2009. There, we see that the only high schools that made AYP through 2008 were Chamblee, Clarkston, DECA, DeKalb HS of Technology North, DSA, Druid Hills, Lakeside and Miller Grove. Since this report, the system consolidated the Tech North HS into Cross Keys and we added Arabia, which made AYP and Dunwoody and Tucker have returned to "passing" status. But sadly, Clarkston, Druid Hills and Miller Grove dropped off the list and did not make AYP last year according to the 2010 AYP report available by clicking here.

We are in a mess. Our math program is questionable, many of our schools have not made AYP, we have an interim superintendent, an interim head of SPLOST construction and an interim head of "teaching and learning". The board members continue to "make news", issue apologies and get scolded publicly. Our board cannot agree on an ethics policy for themselves. The Lewis and Pope trials are now scheduled for January, which will certainly bring about much more salacious gossip. Our legal fees are equal to the entire budgets of most school systems. The distractions are numerous and on-going.

I know this seems obvious to all of you but - although we need to be aware of the "outside issues", we need to focus on educating children. Please pressure your board rep to pressure Ms. Tyson to do so, even though her area of expertise is technology. She needs to take the bull by the horns and visit schools, talk with teachers and principals and roll up her sleeves working to improve performance. She needs to take a look at the virtual "army" of instructional leaders who are not working directly with students and place them into classroom or direct student support settings. She needs to toss every available resource into the schoolhouses so that our children do not suffer another year of "Inadequate" progress. If she does not possess the moxie to do this, then we need to push the board to find another interim who will.

What about academics?

So - moving on from the topic of the Bishop (that is going to be an on-going sideshow for a while) --

We really need to focus on the utter failure of our school system to get our schools into AYP passing zone. We are continuing to slip in the standings and continue to produce three times as many high schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (much less - substantial progress) and we continue to only offer transfers to the few "passing schools still available. To date, DeKalb County School System still has not met AYP as a system.

Check out this chart for 2009 available at DCSS's website entitled, DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOLS ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS 2003 - 2009. There, we see that the only high schools that made AYP were Chamblee, Clarkston, DECA, DeKalb HS of Technology North, DSA, Druid Hills, Lakeside and Miller Grove. Since this report, the system consolidated the Tech North HS into Cross Keys and we added Arabia, which made AYP. But sadly, Clarkston and Miller Grove dropped off the list and did not make AYP last year according to the 2010 AYP report available by clicking here.

We are in a mess. Our math program is questionable, many of our schools have not made AYP, we have an interim superintendent, an interim head of SPLOST construction and an interim head of "teaching and learning". The board members continue to "make news", issue apologies and get scolded publicly. The Lewis and Pope trials are now scheduled for January, which will certainly bring about much more salacious gossip. Our legal fees are equal to the entire budgets of most school systems. Our board cannot agree on a  The distractions are numerous and on-going.

I know this seems obvious to all of you but - although we need to be aware of the "outside issues", we need to focus on educating children. Please pressure your board rep to pressure Ms. Tyson to do so, even though her area of expertise is technology. She needs to take the bull by the horns and visit schools, talk with teachers and principals and roll up her sleeves working to improve performance. She needs to take a look at the virtual "army" of instructional leaders who are not working directly with students and place them into classroom or direct student support settings. She needs to toss every available resource into the schoolhouses so that our children do not suffer another year of "Inadequate" progress. If she does not possess the moxie to do this, then we need to push the board to find another interim who will.

Georgia DOE Releases AYP Scores Today

According to the Georgia DOE: (From Maureen Downey's "Get Schooled" blog)

Just over 14% of schools are in Needs Improvement status this year, compared to 15.4% last year. Thirty-five schools across the state shook the Needs Improvement label by having made AYP for two consecutive years.

“The initial AYP results demonstrate that our schools are more focused than ever and that is translating into fewer schools in Needs Improvement status,” said State School Superintendent Brad Bryant. “However, the academic bar and the graduation rate requirement increased this year, leading to a smaller percentage of schools making AYP, which is something we will focus closely on over the next several months.”

More than 71% of Georgia’s public schools made AYP, a drop from 79% of schools that made AYP last year. This drop is due in large part to the increase in the academic bar in mathematics that students in elementary and middle school had to meet in order for a school to make AYP. The graduation rate that high schools must meet also increased this year to 80%.

The final AYP report will be released in the fall and will include summer retest scores, summer graduates and appeals.

Compared to initial AYP results last year, the 2010 report shows that:
- The percentage of schools in Needs Improvement status decreased from 15.4% to 14.1%.
- The number of schools in Needs Improvement status decreased from 334 to 305.
- The percentage of schools making AYP decreased eight points from 79.1% to 71.1%.

The percentage of high schools making AYP continues to lag behind. In 2010, just over 33% of the state’s high schools made AYP, a decrease of almost 14 percentage points from 2009’s initial results.

“We know there is a lot of hard work going on in our high schools, but we must provide more focused support for our students and teachers,” Superintendent Bryant said. “I am committed to focusing on the needs of our high schools to ensure they are preparing students for the 21st century.”

AYP is the formula used to determine if schools are meeting expectations under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It consists of three parts — test participation, academic achievement and another statistic, called a “second indicator.” The academic goals continue to rise every few years toward a goal of 100% proficiency for all students by 2014. This year, the academic goal for grades 3-8 increased in mathematics and the graduation rate bar went up.

All students at a school, as well as any qualifying subgroup of students, must meet goals in all three categories in order to make AYP. Schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject are placed in Needs Improvement status and face escalating consequences.

There are 305 schools in Needs Improvement status for the coming school year. These schools must offer parents options, such as public school choice or federally-funded tutoring. Depending on how long these schools have been in NI, some may have to make structural or organizational changes to improve student achievement.

In 2009, there were 334 NI schools after the initial results. That number dropped to 278 after retests, summer graduates and appeals were worked into the formula.

“As we normally do, I believe we will see the number of NI schools drop again when we do our final AYP determinations in the fall,” Bryant said.

The state’s initial 2010 graduation rate is 79.9%. That is up from the initial 2009 graduation rate of 77.8% and the final 2009 graduation rate of 78.9%, which included summer graduates.

“Improving the graduation rate is crucial to Georgia being competitive with other states in recruiting and retaining jobs,” Superintendent Bryant said. “The more students graduating from high school with a meaningful diploma, the more students we have ready to go to college or enter the workforce. There is still more work to be done, but this year’s graduation rate is an encouraging sign.”

Graduation rate must be used as a “second indicator” for all high schools and the bar was raised this year.

In order to make AYP, a high school had to have a graduation rate of 80% or higher, up from 75% last year. If a school did not make that goal, they could use a “second look” which means:

- Having a graduation rate that averaged 80% or higher over the past three years OR

- Having a graduation rate of at least 60% the previous year (2009) and showing a 10% improvement in the rate this year.

Today’s AYP release sheds more light on the need for Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – No Child Left Behind. Even though both the Spellings administration and the Duncan administration at the U.S. Department of Education have worked to grant administrative flexibility, it has been insufficient to overcome the original accountability benchmarks established by Congress in 2001.

“As a state, we have no problem moving toward a proficiency rate of 100% – to do anything else would underserve a portion of Georgia’s students,” said Superintendent Bryant. “We are frustrated over the fact that the original authorization of No Child Left Behind came with the promise that it would be reauthorized in five years with increased flexibility in return for increased accountability. Once again we call upon Congress to act in a manner which supports the hundreds of thousands of teachers and school leaders across the nation who are more focused on student learning than ever before.”

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Click here for the DOE AYP Reports

Click here for a handy form created at the AJC to check out your school's report

ESEA Public School Choice Meeting Recap

Provided to us by DunwoodyMom

I attended this evening's ESEA Public School Choice Meeting at Chamblee High School. Here are some highlights:

• The term "NCLB" is no longer being used - ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) is the preferred term.
• AYP reports were to be released by the GADOE this week, but the release has been delayed until early next week.
• Dr. Audria Berry reviewed the high-level requirements for Public School Choice as required by ESEA.
• The following are the "Receiving" Schools for the 2010-2011 school year:

And I agree with the folks from Chamblee HS. They are going to further overcrowd an already over-crowded facility, so why was an annex not provided for Chamblee? Someone brought up having a Chamblee Annex at Cross Keys. Robert Moseley squashed that idea pretty quickly, but I think it certainly is worth taking a look at. So, basically, a school is better off not making AYP?

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Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) formerly known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)
Public School Choice Enrollment

July 21 – August 3, 2010
9am – 4pm
Monday – Friday

William Bradley Bryant Center
2652 Lawrenceville Highway
Decatur, Georgia 30033

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Visit DunwoodyMom's blog by clicking here.

For a presentation on AYP and explanation of the school choice transfers, download this pdf at the DCSS website.

Save our schools from No Child Left Behind

Reprinted from the website, Control Congress.
Posted by John Konop on Monday, January 25th, 2010

Our high schools are facing skyrocketing drop out rates, declining test scores, and limited tax revenue (because of the recession). No Child Left Behind’s one-size-fits-all education model, with its unfunded mandates from the state and federal government, has been a massive failure by any measurement.

Georgia has unfortunately followed No Child Left Behind’s lead and established a one-track-fits-all philosophy, which forces all students into a college-bound curriculum. The result: students with an aptitude for vocational/tech curriculum are demoralized (and dropping out in greater numbers) and college-bound students are not challenged by an increasingly watered-down curriculum aimed at accommodating everyone (including students who would be better served by a vocational/tech curriculum).

A common sense approach

The solution to these problems requires only common sense and familiarity with an already proven approach. For example, Macon, GA, has developed a multi-track (college-bound and vocational/tech) system based on each student’s aptitudes. By putting vocational students and college bound students on different tracks, the school has realized amazing results.

From Macon.com: “…the immediate benefits from the career academy include lower dropout rates, higher graduation rates, and a more skilled labor pool in the county, [school administrator Carpenter] said. The Newnan school’s web site states the county’s dropout rate has fallen by half since it opened, and the graduation rate for students in dual enrollment programs is 98 percent.”

HB-215, the "Graduating Everyone Matters Act"

Georgia State Representative Steve Davis has proposed a bipartisan bill (HB-215) to promote this multi-track concept. The bill will provide separate tracks for high school students (a college-bound track and a vocational/tech track) using joint enrollment programs with local colleges and technical schools to support honors and vocational programs.

HB-215 would 1) increase graduation rates, 2) provide our local economy with work-ready students who will increase tax revenues, and 3) decrease the money governments spend on welfare and crime. It will also lower the overall cost of education by better utilizing college and technical school resources, many of which have surplus capacity.

Act now

Please contact the new Speaker of the House David Ralston, who promised to put Georgia’s kids before lobbyist interests. Hold him accountable by demanding that he bring HB-215 to a vote. And please forward this e-mail to your friends who care about the quality of Georgia schools.

E-MAIL AND OR CALL!

david.ralston@house.ga.gov
404.656.5020

Is NCLB About to Be Replaced?

As reported in the AJC education blog, "Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the No Child Left Behind Act failed to produce the radical changes necessary to improve the nation’s lowest-performing schools. He intends to change that with an aggressive $3.5 billion school improvement aid plan that demands striking changes."

Duncan said the federal government was determined to raise the “bottom on the bottom,” the 5,000 lowest performing schools in the nation, half of which were urban, 30 percent were rural and 20 percent were suburban.

“In those schools, tinkering around the edges is not sufficient,” Duncan said. “Those children are being poorly served in chronically underachieving schools and marginal incremental change is not the answer.”

The AJC posting continues, "Under his plan, systems must discard scalpels and take chainsaws to failing schools. Systems can close them, restaff them and reopen them under new leadership or as charters. They can shutter the schools and transfer students elsewhere. Or they can make deep, “transformative” changes, including replacing the leadership, adopting comprehensive reforms including performance pay for teachers and extending learning time."

Duncan says, “If we are to put an end to stubborn cycles of poverty and social failure, and put our country on track for long-term economic prosperity, we must address the needs of children who have long been ignored and marginalized in chronically low-achieving schools,” said Duncan, who made the announcement with U.S. Sen. Harry Reid at Harley Harmon Elementary School in Las Vegas. “States and school districts have an opportunity to put unprecedented resources toward reforms that would increase graduation rates, reduce dropout rates and improve teacher quality for all students, and particularly for children who most need good teaching in order to catch up.”

“The large investment in school improvement funds made possible by the Recovery Act presents a historic opportunity to attack education's most intractable challenge -- turning around or closing down chronically low-achieving schools,” Duncan said. “Our goal is to turn around the 5,000 lowest-performing schools over the next five years, as part of our overall strategy for dramatically reducing the drop-out rate, improving high school graduation rates and increasing the number of students who graduate prepared for success in college and the workplace.”

The secretary would require states to identify three tiers of schools:

Tier I - The lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring in a state, or the five lowest-performing Title I schools, whichever number is greater.

Tier II – Equally low-achieving secondary schools that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds. The secretary proposes targeting some of these extremely low-achieving high schools and their feeder middle schools. There are close to 2,000 high schools in this country in which graduation is at best a 50/50 proposition. U.S. Department of Education data indicates that fewer than half of these schools currently receive Title I Part A funds. If the provisions proposed become final, school districts would not be required to include Tier II schools in proposals. However, including Tier II schools would enhance a school district's likelihood for funding because states would be required to give priority to districts that commit to serve both Tier I and Tier II schools.

Tier III – The remaining Title I schools in improvement, corrective action or restructuring that are not Tier I schools in the state. "


To read about Duncan's entire plan, check it out at the US DOE website.

Can We Talk EDUCATION?

We are always so distracted by the drama that constantly swirls around our school system and the attention that should be placed on quality education initiatives continues to get usurped by the latest news of the weird. I'd like to refocus our discussion back to education, specifically, The No Child Left Behind Act (or as they refer to it in 'The Simpsons' - No Child Left Alone). Although I agree with some of its premises and intentions, such as disaggregated testing data and early reading initiatives and I agree that it introduces an element of accountability into public school education, I still think that overall, NCLB and the fear of its repercussions has caused much damage to the way we deliver education in our system. I for one, would like to see it - and its stringent requirements dismantled once and for all.

Please read this very important blog entry at Schools Matter and then post a comment regarding how NCLB and AYP have affected your schools ability to focus on educating our children. (Some of you may even have positive things to say?!)