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| NEWS Research Finds Vouchers Boost High School Graduation Rates - Fayetteville, AR: Students in Washington, D.C., who used a federally funded voucher to attend a private school were more likely to graduate from high school than students in a control group that did not take part in the voucher program, according to the latest evaluation of the program by an Arkansas-led team. This is the first study in the United States to use rigorous experimental methods to determine the effect of school vouchers on graduation rates. University of Arkansas researcher Patrick Wolf led a team of evaluators who found that the offer to participate in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program raised a student’s probability of completing high school by 12 percentage points, from 70 percent to 82 percent, based on parent reports. Some students declined to use their scholarships. Adjusting the data to account for scholarship decliners reveals that actually using a scholarship to attend a private school increased graduation rates by 21 percentage points. Students from a subgroup of public schools "in need of improvement," a special service priority for the program, graduated at rates 13 percentage points higher if offered a scholarship and 20 percentage points higher if they used it. Two other subgroups of students had statistically higher graduation rates as a result of the program: females and those students who entered the program with relatively higher levels of academic performance. More info from U. A.June 22, 2010 D.C. District’s new contract should improve schools - Last week, in what D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee calls a "resounding endorsement," 80 percent of the District's teachers voted to ratify a new and controversial union contract. In an op-ed in The New York Daily News, Rhee says that despite provisions that observers thought would undermine teacher support, the vote for the "groundbreaking" contract indicates that teachers are ready for change and "willing to be held accountable as long as they are treated like professionals." Accordingly, Rhee suggests the contract serve as a "roadmap" for many other districts, including "the largest and most important public school district in the country" -- New York -- where teachers have been without a contract since last October, and whose existing contract is "much more focused on arcane rules, seniority, and job protections than about how to promote better learning outcomes for kids." Based on D.C.'s experience, Rhee has a several recommendations New York City: Get rid of the Absent Teacher Reserve Pool; base layoffs on performance; use American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten; compensate teachers according to performance; and remove teachers deemed ineffective. "The precedent has been set for the city and the UFT to make a breakthrough," writes Rhee. "Let's see them do it." Read more: PEN Weekly NewsBlast for June 18, 2010 June 18, 2010 Important Special Education Law Change - Effective April 15, 2010, and relative to special education, the Tennessee State Legislature secured the signature of the governor to delete subdivision (C) under Section 49-10-1304 (b)(3) and substituting the following wording: (C) A school resource officer (SRO), as defined by 49-6-4202(6), may, upon witnessing an offense, take the student into custody.
May 10, 2010
Schools Across the State Consider Outsourcing Jobs
School districts around Middle Tennessee,are looking at outsourcing some of the lowest-paying positions like janitors, school bus drivers and cafeteria workers to save money. Middle Tennessee schools have a mixed track record with job outsourcing. Some districts have been using contractors for years with few problems, but little savings. Others have tried it but returned the jobs to district control. Read entire article April 12, 2010
Fewer Students, More Teachers, - It has never been unusual to read news stories about hiring, retention and enrollment in the public school system. But it is rare to find accounts that question the relationship among the three. "When hires are determined by the money available instead of the staff needed, school districts be come bloated in the good times. Yet when tax revenue falls in a recession, union pressure makes it next to impossible to cut teacher rolls. States raise taxes instead of re-examining enrollment and student needs, which creates a hiring ratchet that leaves states with an ever higher number of teachers, regardless of enrollment." How is this possible? more information Education Intelligence Agency April 12, 2010
Statewide Library Initiative to Strengthen Rural Communities, Help Unemployed Thanks to a joint effort between the Office of the Secretary of State, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, computer technology resources and training will soon be coming to as many as 76 libraries in 61 rural Tennessee counties. The initiative is the culmination of more than a year's effort by ECD and the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) division of the Office of the Secretary of State. ECD and TSLA recently attracted the attention and support of USDA Rural Development, resulting in the formation of a critical state-federal initiative that will have a significant impact on citizens in rural Tennessee. more information April 8, 2010
March 29, 2010 NEWS on Race To The Top - According to a report released at 9:30 this morning by FOX News anchor Nick Paranjape : "A source says the U.S. Department of Education has picked Delaware and Tennessee for the first round of its "Race to the Top" competition. The states will receive part of a $4.35 billion pot meant to encourage the use of innovative programs to improve student performance and transform struggling schools." PET will post more information as soon as possible. March 29, 2010 Tennessee implements new vaccination requirements - Students entering childcare facilities, pre-k, kindergarten, or seventh grade this fall will have a new set of immunization requirements. According to the State Department of Health, this is the first update to immunization requirements in ten years. Most of the new rules take affect on July 1. New childcare, pre-k, and kindergarten children will be required to show proof of vaccination for Haemophilus Influenzae type B (HBV), Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B. Previously, these shots were recommended but not required. Meanwhile, students entering seventh grade will be required to have a tetanus booster shot and show proof of immunity against chicken pox. This can be demonstrated by having a prior chicken pox diagnosis or by taking two doses of the vaccine. The state is providing new official immunization certificates to doctors. After completion of the required vaccinations, a doctor will complete a certificate which will be given by the parents to the school as evidence of required vaccinations. more information March18, 2010 National Standards - State boards of education are moving rapidly to adopt the common-standards proposal made by state governors and schools chiefs this week, with many in the South eager to act within the next few months, The Washington Post reports. "I think you'll get half of the states by the end of the year, based on what they've said to us," said Brenda Welburn, executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education. According to Welburn, some Western states appeared more cautious. The blueprint aims to replace a hodgepodge of state benchmarks with common standards. President Obama has aggressively encouraged state action as a key to improving troubled schools and keeping the nation competitive. New academic standards would affect textbooks, curricula, teacher training, and student learning from coast to coast. The new proposal is considered a breakthrough after years of stalemate over the federal role in setting education standards. Both the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations tried and failed in the 1990s to establish voluntary national standards, leaving expectations for students up to states. see standards
Washington Post March 11, 2010 Federal Department of Education to intensify its civil rights enforcement - In remarks in Selma, Ala., Secretary of Education Arne Duncan indicated the department's Office of Civil Rights intends to undertake broader, more complicated reviews that will look not just at whether procedures are in place, but at their impact on students of one race or another, and if student needs are being met. U. S. News & World Report March 8, 2010 Changes coming for the bottom 5% of schools - Secretary of Education Arn Duncan is requiring states to identify their lowest-performing five percent of schools and fix them using one of four methods: school closure; takeover by a charter or school-management organization; transformation, which requires a longer school day, among other changes; or "turnaround," which requires the entire teaching staff be fired and no more than 50 percent rehired in the fall. Story of a system which fired all staff at one school in Rhode Island February 24, 2010 Changes expected in No Child Left Behind - The Obama administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of No Child Left Behind and will call for broad changes in how schools are judged to be succeeding or failing, as well as for the elimination of the law’s 2014 deadline for bringing every American child to academic proficiency. Proposals for changes in the main law governing the federal role in public schools would eliminate or rework many of the provisions that teachers’ groups, associations of principals, and school boards have found most objectionable. Yet the administration is not planning to abandon the law’s commitments to closing the achievement gap between minority and white students and encouraging teacher quality. Significantly the White House wants to change federal financing formulas so that a portion of the money is awarded based on academic progress, rather than by formulas that apportion money to districts according to their numbers of students, especially poor students. The formulas for distributing tens of billions of dollars in federal aid have, for decades, been a mainstay of the annual budgeting process in the nation’s 14,000 school districts. The New York Times January 31,2010 The Tennessee House passed the "Complete College Act of 2010" - the plan will increase the number of college graduates, offer easily transferrable credits, and make the community colleges, four-year institutions, and technology centers work as a tightly knit network. In addition, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); a move that lawmakers believe will make the state’s flagship university a premier research institution. more information January 21, 2010 President Obama to Nationalize Student Lending with Pending Budget Bill - A bill currently before the Senate would empower the Obama administration to nationalize the student lending industry, eliminating the federally subsidized private loans millions of university students rely on to finance their educations. more information from CNSNews.com January 20, 2010
Race to the Top - Passed by Tennessee legislature and signed by Governor Click here for bill summary.Race to top Summary.pdf January 16, 2010 May 12, 2009 Other News Sources Achives from 2009 | |
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