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Articles of Interest
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State & Local Policy
VCU School of Education receives more than $3 million in Department of Education grants
VCU Across the Spectrum
May 26, 2015
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded grants to Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education professors totaling $3,089,017.
The Institute of Education Sciences awarded Kevin Sutherland, Ph.D., $1.49 million over three years, and Lisa Abrams, Ph.D., and Therese A. Dozier, Ed.D., $399,017 over two years. Additionally, the Office of Special Education Programs awarded Colleen Thoma, Ph.D., $1.2 million over five years.
State task force releases recommendations to combat campus sexual assault
Richmond Times-Dispatch
May 28, 2015
After a tumultuous eight months that put Virginia under a spotlight over the handling of sexual assaults on college campuses, a state task force released a list of 21 recommendations Thursday designed to boost prevention efforts, make victims feel safer coming forward, increase coordination with law enforcement, and put the commonwealth at the forefront of a national push for reform.
The 30-member task force, convened last year by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and chaired by Attorney General Mark R. Herring, unanimously approved a set of policy proposals that include the development of comprehensive prevention plans and response teams at each college and university; the creation of a program that would provide $1,000 to $10,000 grants for research related to sexual- and gender-based violence; and the adoption of a “Start by Believing” public awareness campaign to encourage reporting by victims.
Governor McAuliffe, Board of Education announce 2015 Virginia Index of Performance Awards
Augusta Free Press
May 27, 2015
Governor Terry McAuliffe and the state Board of Education announced last week that 252 schools and four school divisions earned 2015 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) awards for advanced learning and achievement. The VIP incentive program recognizes schools and divisions that exceed state and federal accountability standards and achieve excellence goals established by the governor and the board.
“These schools and divisions are laboratories for innovation that are preparing young Virginians to compete and succeed in a new Virginia economy,” Governor McAuliffe said. “I congratulate the students, teachers, principals, and communities whose efforts have turned their schools into leaders in training the workforce of the future.”
Virginia district unveils free pre-K digital literacy tool
Education Dive
June 1, 2015
Virginia's Manassas City Public Schools (MCPS) is partnering with Footsteps2Brilliance to launch a free, digital literacy tool for the district's 4-year-olds. According to eSchools News "every $1 dollar spent on quality early education produces a $14 to $17 return." If correct, this factoid says a lot about the value of programs like this. A free pre-K tool can be used by anyone, anywhere.
That said, districts looking to replicate this model shouldn't completely brush aside the importance of a traditional pre-K model, or rely too heavily on apps. Last April NPR worked with Georgetown University professor and developmental psychologist, Deborah Phillips to break down what makes a "high-quality" pre-K program. According to Phillips, one of the ultimate benefits of a stellar pre-K program is that it mimics many of the relationship needs a child desires from its family. By giving emotional and social support, children feel "safe, protected, loved, valued," according to Phillips — all necessities to make students love school and want to succeed. Can apps deliver these emotions?
Federal Policy
Officials: Chicago schools chief resigns amid federal probe
AP
June 1, 2015
Chicago Public School's CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has resigned amid a federal probe of a $20 million no-bid contract between the district and a training academy where she once worked as a consultant, officials said.
In a short letter released by the school district, Byrd-Bennett notified David Vitale, the president of the board of education, that she was submitting her resignation, effective Monday.
"I remain forever thankful for the opportunity to serve the children of Chicago and the District," she wrote.
Neither that letter nor subsequent statements released by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Vitale discussed the investigation that prompted Byrd-Bennett to take a paid leave of absence from her position with the nation's third-largest school district.
Deadline for Teacher-Distribution Plans Looms
Education Week
June 1, 2015
Attention state agency officials: Monday is the final deadline to submit plans to the U.S. Department of Education that address the equitable distribution of teachers. Of course, most states are already part-way there—31 states voluntarily submitted drafts of their plans for feedback.
Refresher: What exactly are these plans? After much back-and-forth, the Education Department decided to cook-up a "50-state" strategy, requiring states to show how they plan to ensure that the most-qualified teachers are serving in both high- and low-poverty schools.
On Common Core, Jeb Bush is a party of one
Politico
May 28, 2015
On Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie officially pulled the plug on any support he had left for the Common Core.
He joins the ranks of other GOP presidential candidates who supported, then ditched, the controversial education standards after a sustained conservative backlash. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, once a Common Core supporter, is now suing the federal government over the academic standards in math and English.
The Changing Landscape of High School Equivalency in the U.S.: Options, Issues, and Improvement Strategies
Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success
May 2015
In 2014, the content and process for obtaining an HSE credential in the U.S. changed significantly. There are new state-endorsed equivalency options for individuals, and these changes, coupled with changes to the GED®, have profound implications for persons seeking a high school equivalency credential as well as for postsecondary institutions and employers.
Since a majority of out-of-school youth and adults who do not have a high school diploma are economically disadvantaged, it is critical that they earn a high school equivalency to secure employment or further education and training is critical.
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What makes School Boards and their members effective?
If the quote attributed to the satirist and novelist Mark Twain is any indication, school boards have a lengthy history of being disparaged.
As researcher Deborah Land noted in a 2002 report on the role and effectiveness of schools boards, modern school boards face both the traditional challenges of securing and allocating adequate finances as well as getting and keeping talented staff. But they also deal with a newer mixture of state and federal level mandates, a lack of public engagement and at the same time a lack of public confidence, and the challenge of responding to broad array of pervasive social issues ranging from poverty to free speech. At the same time school boards are seen as a paragon of representative governance in the U.S. tradition of democracy.
Land notes that while many characteristics of effective school boards have been proposed by myriad experts (see for example this listing of eight best practices from the Center for Public Education), very little quantitative evaluation has actually been done. From reviewing the literature, Land highlights:
- appropriate overarching foci, namely students’ academic achievement and policy, not administration;
- good relations with the superintendent, other agencies, local and state governments, and the public, as well as among board members;
- effective performance in the areas of policymaking, leadership, and budgeting;
- adequate evaluation and preparation, entailing engagement in self-evaluation;
- evaluation of student, school, and district outcomes;
- training/development.
Last year, The Atlantic ran an article summarizing findings from a joint study by the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the liberal Center for American Progress. The report found that board members, overall, had accurate information about the schools in their districts and that those districts that were "beating the odds" of their demographic and financial profile usually had boards that exhibited a focus on improvement of academics specifically, rather than a broader approach that the report characterized as developing the "whole child."
The report also had several surprising findings:
- political moderates tended to be more accurately informed than more liberal or conservative counterparts;
- members who had never been educators themselves were better informed than counterparts who were educators;
- board members selected at-large and during on-cycle elections (ones that correspond to other major elections with higher turnout) were likely to both be more moderate and to serve in districts that "beat the odds".
Here in Virginia, its worth noting that the vast majority of elected school boards have members elected from geographic districts rather than at-large. (Some counties have one or two at large seats in addition to several geographic district seats.) To get a sense of the breakdown, a listing of school board seats up for election in 2015 and 2017 is availble from the State Board of Elections.) Likewise, while school board elections happen on the same date as other elections (in other words being "on-cycle"), they also take place in odd numbered years, which also historically have much lower turnout than even numbered years when Congressional and Presidential elections take place. Though we're not aware of anyone proposing a shift, if the Fordham Institute/Center for American Progress findings are accurate, a move toward more at-large seats or even year election of school board members might be a structural change likely to increase board effectiveness.
In our weekly Poll Snapshot, we continue this focus on school board effectiveness by reviewing the findings of our 2006 poll where we asked respondents whether they thought school board actions over the last five years in their school district had:
- increased efficiency of school operations;
- improved student achievement;
- made schools safer;
- enhanced the recruitment of highly-qualified school leaders.
Also this week, we feature an excerpt from a 2009 Education Law newsletter where Dr. Vacca reviewed the basis for, and limits to, local school board control over curriculum.
Finally, if you thought the best thing about this Compass Point was the Mark Twain quote, here's a link to Goodreads.com's compilation of 1691 other quotes by Twain. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
CEPI
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Poll Snapshot - Perceptions of School Board effectiveness.
In 2006 we asked respondents whether they thought school board actions over the last five years in their school district had:
- increased efficiency of school operations;
- improved student achievement;
- enhanced the recruitment of highly-qualified school leaders.
The results are summarized below and show that only with regards to schools safety did a majority of respondents feel that school board actions had been effective.
There are two interesting elements to note. First, the only issue where board action was felt to have been effective (school safety) is the only outcome where the percent saying they "don't know" was below 20%. Second, at least on the outcome of efficiency in operations, those with a child in public schools were much more likely to see school boards as taking effective action while those without children in the public schools were much more likely to say they didn't know enough to have an opinion on the topic. This indicates that a large segment of the public may be relatively uninformed about school board actions and that those who become more informed may see school board actions in a more positive light. School boards may want to think about getting information out to the public beyond just parents.
To read the full poll, visit our website.
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School board curricular decision-making
From Dr. Vacca's November 2009 Education Law Newsletter:
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The Curriculum. As my colleague Professor Bosher and I point out early in our text, “[t]he silence of the Federal Constitution, coupled with the language of the tenth amendment… bestowed upon state government the legal responsibility for the establishment of public school systems.” Vacca and Bosher (2008) However, we also make it clear that the state’s legal authority for supervising and controlling individual local public school systems within the state ultimately passes down to and vests in local board’s of education. This authority includes the enactment and implementation of all policies and procedures governing the overall maintenance and operation of the local school system. Vacca and Bosher (2008)
Because children come to school to learn, the curriculum represents the sine qua non (indispensable facet) of local school system operation. As a general rule, while state law requires that specific subjects be studied by all students in each grade, local public officials are granted the discretionary authority to offer other subjects as a part of the school system’s curriculum. Russo (2004) To put it another way, local school officials are (within the bounds of state law) granted the discretion to determine the curriculum most suitable for students and the teaching methods to be employed. As Alexander and Alexander remind us, “[a]s a general rule school officials have the authority to prescribe the method of teaching, decide on what curriculum shall be offered, and what books shall be used.” Alexander and Alexander (1995) And, as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has opined, “those responsible for directing a school’s educational program must be allowed to decide how its limited resources can be best used to achieve the goals of educating and socializing its students.” Seyfried v. Walton (3rd Cir. 1981)
Much to the surprise of many students of education law, the authority of local school boards over the curriculum has been challenged in only a small percentage of the hundreds of court cases involving public education. And, where such cases have come into a federal court they involve allegations of First Amendment violations committed by school officials and/or teachers. Textbook selection, assigned readings and research projects, required daily exercises (e.g., the Pledge of Allegiance, moment of silence), plays and musical productions in the auditorium, and others all have had their day in court. It must be kept in mind, however, that school officials not judges make curricular decisions. Epperson v. Arkansas (1968)
. . . .
Policy Implications
The current financial situation in our nation has and will continue to cause local public school systems to make many cost cutting, budget-trimming decisions—including a reduction in the number of classroom teachers and support personnel employed, the cancellation of field trips, cutting back on interscholastic athletic activities and schedules, as well as the elimination of course and program options available to students. Future legal and policy issues and the implications of such drastic acts made by local school boards in the name of establishing fiscal efficiency and accountability are likely to emerge.
Recognizing that one court decision does not answer all questions and settle all disputes, the federal district court’s rationale in the Esquivel case is nonetheless instructive—especially when existing case law on point is thin. Some suggestions for policy can be gleaned from the court’s rationale and might prove helpful to local public school officials as they consider implementing cost-cutting measures that involve the school’s curriculum.
Local school board (the Board) policy must make it clear that:
- The Board is vested with legal authority to make all final decisions regarding the school’s curriculum.
- The school system’s budget and the school’s curriculum are inextricably linked.
- The school board shall decide how limited resources can be best used to achieve its goal of educating all students in the school system.
- All final decisions regarding the school’s curriculum shall be made based on pedagogical concerns.
- All courses and program offerings (curricular, extra-curricular, co-curricular), shall be regularly reviewed as to their educational and fiscal viability and their compatibility with school system policy.
- Where course and/or program offerings are eliminated from the curriculum the Board shall seek to establish suitable alternatives and to make these alternatives available to all students—especially students directly effected by course and/or program elimination."
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