Dear Colleague,
Cato Institute’s Andrew Coulson has done a telling analysis
of education spending in California and its relationship to SAT scores.
Using a time-series
regression approach described in a separate publication, this paper adjusts
state SAT score averages for factors such as participation rate and student demographics,
which are known to affect outcomes, then validates the results against recent
state-level National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores.
This produces continuous, state-representative estimated SAT score trends
reaching back to 1972. The present paper charts these trends against both
inflation-adjusted per pupil spending and the raw, unadjusted SAT results,
providing an unprecedented perspective on American education inputs and
outcomes over the past 40 years.
As you can see from the chart (http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/state-education-trends#/CA),
so far, more money spent does not
translate to better results. So the question becomes, do we need to spend even
more money on education, or do we need to spend more wisely?
If you teach in a
wired classroom or are planning to delve more into digital learning, the
Association of American Educators has posted an important read in its March
newsletter. “For Teachers, Wired Classrooms Pose New Management Concerns” digs
into issues that teachers must deal with when their classroom is wired.
How do you ensure the devices are safe
and well-maintained? And how do you compete with your most tech-savvy students?
“I think this is the new frontier frankly with classroom management. We’ve
never confronted this,” said Kyle Redford, a fifth-grade teacher at
Marin Country Day School in Corte
Madera, California.
Redford’s school introduced iPads in
the middle grades three years ago. “I think we were a little wide-eyed and
naïve initially. We were letting students guide the exploration into
technology,” she said.
While district firewalls and pre-loaded
applications are certainly helpful in keeping kids on task, they are far from
foolproof. Educators generally need to take additional measures to prevent
students from straying.
Perhaps the most stringent guidance
Redford’s school has come up with, for example, is that when students are on
digital devices, teachers must walk around the classroom. “The siren call of
technology and its bells and whistles is just too powerful for kids,” said
Redford. “If they know we’re moving around the room they’re much less likely to
wander down the path of distraction. We are literally doing laps around the
room.”
The piece continues
with other teachers discussing problems and how they deal with them. To learn
more, go to https://www.aaeteachers.org/images/em/2014marnews.pdf
Harris v. Quinn is a case that the
Supreme Court will hear in the near future. The suit revolves around
… a states' authority
to require that home-based workers submit to an exclusive representative for
collective bargaining—i.e., a labor union. Organizing home-based workers has
been among the labor movement's greatest prospects for adding to its
diminishing ranks, and over the past decade, national unions have convinced
more than a dozen states to recognize home-care and day-care workers receiving
state subsidies as state employees. Consequently, these employees may be
unionized and made to pay dues.
Its relevance to teachers? It is possible that SCOTUS could
deliver a ruling beyond this case and make all union dues optional. For more,
go to http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/01/harris-v-quinn-an-end-to-the-forced-unionization-of-home-care-workers
In an age where just about every student has a cell phone
with a camera, teachers are fair game for becoming YouTube stars. Such was the
case in a recent incident at Santa Monica High School when a video depicted a
teacher wrestling with a student. The teacher was immediately suspended, but
there was an outpouring of support from both students and parents for the popular
science teacher and wrestling coach. At this time the facts are still
incomplete, but it is a story that bears watching. More here - http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-santa-monica-teacher-fight-20140405,0,5147513.story#axzz2yPU6GQW1
AB 215 would seem to
be a done deal. This legislation would make dismissing teachers charged
with severe misconduct quicker, easier and cheaper. Whereas prior legislation
along these lines – SB1530 and AB 375 – could not bring the reform and union
factions to agreement, this bill amazingly seems to have the support of both
sides. To learn more about AB 215, go to http://edsource.org/2014/deal-announced-on-teacher-dismissal-bill-that-governor-would-support/60576#.U0bGzHeBpL5
In 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union filed Reed vs. California, a class-action
lawsuit alleging that the state’s seniority policy violated poor students’
right to a quality education, and Judge
William Highberger ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. But in 2012, after a
United Teachers of Los Angeles appeal, the decision was reversed and “remanded
to the superior court for a trial on the merits of UTLA’s claims.” Just last
week, a tentative settlement, pending approval by the LA school board and the
state Superior Court, was announced.
Under the terms of the
new agreement, the result of a long negotiation between LAUSD, the Los Angeles
Teachers Union (UTLA), the Administrators Association and a group of LAUSD
schools that operate through the non-profit, Partnership for Los Angeles
Schools, a host of new resources will be allocated to 37 affected schools,
though the underlying practice of seniority is not challenged.
Each school will
receive new mentor teachers, another administrator, additional counselors or
social workers, additional assistant principals, support positions for special
education students, support for special training at each of the schools,
incentives for leadership stability, and more planning time for new teachers.
While this settlement doesn’t address the issues brought up
in the original lawsuit, do you think the new agreement will be helpful? To
read more about the original suit, go to http://www.city-journal.org/2011/eon0322ls.html To learn more about the latest turn of
events, go here - http://laschoolreport.com/new-settlement-reached-on-lawsuit-challenging-teacher-layoffs/
For a good
“one-stop-shop” on the benefits of school choice, Heritage Foundation’s Lindsey
Burke does a good job of reporting on the latest research. She sums up her
paper (http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/03/the-value-of-parental-choice-in-education-a-look-at-the-research) by
writing that,
A growing body of
empirical evidence demonstrates the many positive benefits of providing choice
in education. Instead of policies to increase spending on the public education system, states and local school
districts would better serve students by empowering parents with control over their share of education
funding.
And on the subject of choice, a recent study in New York (http://educationblog.ncpa.org/school-choice-benefits-income-and-property-values/)
showed that choice even benefits property values.
A recent study, “The Economic
Benefits of New York City’s Public School Reforms, 2002-2013,”
found that student achievement gains in New York City schools was enhanced by
the addition of 200 charter schools. The increased student performance and
graduation rates led to increases in net income and the demand for housing.
- Graduation rates increased 11.3 percent from 2006 to 2012 followed by an increase in housing values by as much as $37.1 billion.
- The expansion of charter schools added as much as $22.45 billion to property values in New York City.
- Each additional new charter school is associated with a 3.7 percent increase in home values in that ZIP code the following year.
- The additional income that high school graduates should earn over their lifetimes is $8.9 billion.
- The additional income that college attendees should earn over their lifetimes is $6.4 billion.
At long last, the
CTEN website (www.ctenhome.org) has
been fully updated now. Please take a look and let us know what you think.
If you are
interested in giving CTEN brochures to colleagues, you can print them right
from the home page - http://www.ctenhome.org/index.htm
Or, if you prefer, we will be happy to send you as many preprinted ones
as you need. Also, anyone wishing to donate to CTEN can do so very simply
through PayPal - http://www.ctenhome.org/donate.htm
As a non-profit, we exist only through the generosity of others.
As always, thanks for your continued interest and support
of CTEN.
Larry Sand
CTEN President
