Articles in the NSBA Opinions and Analysis category

The Lion of Public Education

BoardBuzz was saddened to hear about the passing of Gerry Bracey yesterday.  The often gruff Bracey was, “one of the field’s best known and most vocal authors, advocates, and researchers,” according to Education Week’s Debbie Viadero.  NSBA’s Executive Director Anne Bryant said, of Bracey,

“This is indeed sad news.  Gerry was a brilliant curmudgeon . . . and a Lion for Public Education. He bothered some, goaded others, but always, always stuck up for the best in public education.  He will be missed.”

Christina Gordon|October 22nd, 2009|Categories: Governance, NSBA Opinions and Analysis|

NSBA Webinar features legislative updates

Want to know what Congress is doing with the education spending bill? When your school will get money for technology? How your state can compete for stimulus funds? You can find the answers to these questions at a Webinar hosted by NSBA‘s advocacy team next Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 11 am to 12 pm EDT.

With the health care debate driving most of Congress’ schedules, other critical actions  in education could be affected. It’s a good time to take a look at what will be ahead in Congress’ and the Administration’s agendas.

You can register for the Webinar here. Meanwhile, visit NSBA‘s advocacy Website for background information on different issues and legislation update.

Katherine Shek|October 22nd, 2009|Categories: Educational Legislation, NSBA Opinions and Analysis|

National Day on Writing

Whether it’s tweets, texts, BoardBuzz or pick-up-a-pen writing, it has never been more important to our communication and culture.  October 20th was the first annual National Day on Writing, proclaimed by Congress and celebrated nationwide by the National Council of Teachers of English and other partners.  

A National Gallery of Writing continues the celebration of writing and is open for your posts: essays, email, letters, poetry, word art, videos, etc. There also are many State and Local Galleries started by schools, libraries and others.  Browse and contribute to these galleries – or start your own!  

From the first time a prehistoric woman or man used written symbols to convey meaning, writing had the potential to keep us connected.  We still ponder Mayan relics, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Nordic Runes to help us understand our human history and experience.  Technology now allows us to reach more people, more often, than ever before – by writing.

So celebrate writing and keep sharing your thoughts with BoardBuzz.  It’s the “write” thing to do.

Lucy Gettman|October 21st, 2009|Categories: Announcements, Curriculum, Educational Technology, Governance, NSBA Opinions and Analysis|

Tuition tax credits cost $21 million loss in state budget

There is the argument that private school tuition tax credits save the state money; then there are the numbers to show otherwise.  A recent analysis by the Arizona Republic showed that Arizona‘s tuition tax credit program, depsite what propononts have claimed, has resulted in a net loss of $21 million in state budget, see the article here.

The analysis concluded the failture of the program to save state money indicated that a large amount of scholarships funded by the tax credits went to students who would’ve attended private school regardless of the program.  What’s more, the state’s tuition tax credit program is under scrutiny by lawmakers who are considering changes to beef up oversight, see here.

The study is an example that private tuition tax credits programs do not do what proponents claim they do – saving the state money and offering options to students attending public schools.

NSBA continues to oppose private school tuition tax credits and vouchers which take public funds away from public school to benefit a few in private school. For more information against vouchers, visit NSBA‘s Voucher Strategy Center.

Katherine Shek|October 20th, 2009|Categories: Educational Legislation, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Privatization|

What teachers think about their profession – and what we can do about it.

BoardBuzz read this excellent article in Education Week  on a nationwide study of teachers and their perspectives on the profession.  The “Teaching for a Living“ study by Public Agenda and Learning Point identified three categories of teachers – “Contented,” “Disheartened,” and “Idealists” – and describes the differences between them. 

But when BoardBuzz looked at the questions and results here, what stood out is a key similarity between Disheartened and Idealist teachers. Both Disheartened and Idealists were motivated to go into teaching by the idea of putting underprivileged kids on the path to success – 73 percent of Disheartened teachers said it was either the most important or a major factor in their decision and 78 percent of Idealists responded similarly.  Only 56 percent of Contented teachers responded this way, by contrast.   

BoardBuzz wonders…if Idealists and Disheartened teachers are similarly motivated to begin with, what happens afterward to put them in such different places?  We noticed that 77 percent of  Idealists have been in the profession for 10 years or less, compared with only 21 percent of Disheartened teachers.  Do Idealists become Disheartened over time?  If so, what do respondents think will keep teachers motivated, effective and feeling valued? The respondents give us some clues:

- Career paths: Most respondents see teaching as a lifelong choice, but Idealists are more likely than others to see it as part of a career path in education. 

- Classroom supervision by experienced teachers is viewed by all groups as an effective strategy for improving teacher effectiveness.

- Ensuring technology is available in each classroom to aid instruction is highly valued by all groups, but most highly by the Idealists (97%). 

- Increasing teacher salaries to levels of other professional jobs such as lawyers or doctors – need we say more?

There is lots of other interesting information in the study – and more still to come. At least ten questions in the study are being held for later release, and BoardBuzz will let you know as soon as we do.

Do you see evidence of the three categories of teachers in your school district (Contented, Disheartened, and Idealist)?  What are some strategies to assure that all children have access to effective teaching?

Lucy Gettman|October 19th, 2009|Categories: Educational Research, Educational Technology, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Teachers|

Is New Haven a national model?

When you think of urban districts that are setting trends and getting the attention of other districts around the nation, you probably think of Chicago, Washington, D.C., and recent award winning districts like Atlanta and Aldine, Texas.  Over the weekend the Wall Street Journal ran an article that discusses a groundbreaking change in New Haven (a CUBE district, by the way).  What they did was change the way teachers can be evaluated, and loosened the protections for bad teachers, two things that teachers unions are often criticized over.  The change from the teachers unions is big news for many urban districts, and two quotes in particular caught BoardBuzz’s attention.

“I rarely say that something is a model or a template for something else, but this is both,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who helped broker the New Haven deal.

“This shows a willingness to go into areas that used to be seen as untouchable,” [Arne] Duncan said.

So if New Haven, with an enrollment of 20,000 students, and more than 80 percent minority student population, can make a drastic change to the structure of the teacher contract, can other unionized school systems do the same?  It’s one of those questions that time will have to answer.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks to the union leaders often, and at the NEA convention this summer he was booed when he mentioned merit pay for teachers saying, “you can boo, just don’t throw shoes.”  (He made a similar joke at NSBA’s Annual Conference in the spring when discussing mayoral control in school districts (time for a new speech writer?)).

So perhaps news from New Haven is good for the students there who may be taught by “bad” teachers, and now administrators have more options to move them out of the classroom.  If the outcome is as good as the expectations, it will be worth repeating in other urban districts.

Kevin Scott|October 19th, 2009|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Teachers|

A celebration worth noting

National School Lunch Week was celebrated last week and, according to the School Nutrition Association (SNA), the event was a success!  This year’s theme, “All-Star School Lunch,” encouraged students to learn about the importance of healthy school meals and physical activity.  School districts around the country celebrated the week with special NBA-inspired menus and invited parents, local celebrities, and area sports heroes to enjoy balanced and nutritious school lunches with students. 

BoardBuzz was happy to hear that U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and his wife visited a D.C. Prep Edgewood Elementary and Middle School Campuses in northeast Washington, D.C., to commemorate the Week.  The Secretary and his wife toured the school, participated in a soccer clinic, conducted lunchtime readings and led discussions with students.  According to a U.S. Department of Education blog, the school offers students healthy meals and focuses on wellness through activities such as physical education, recess, and field trips to local grocery stores.  They also have some of the highest academic achievement in the city! 

BoardBuzz was also excited to know that the U.S. Department of Education is currently leading a “Fueled and Fit: Ready to Learn” campaign to highlight the research-based connection between proper physical fitness/nutrition and student achievement.  In the next six weeks, Department officials will be visiting schools to highlight the importance of wellness and fitness.

Fortunately, there has been a lot of progress in the school nutrition front, but BoardBuzz knows a lot more needs to be done, as shown in two new reports that discuss the current nutrition landscape within schools and around the country.  The School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) “School Nutrition 2009 Survey” indicates that school nutrition programs have increased the prevalence of healthy options with peak gains seen in vegetarian offerings and low fat prepared/packaged foods.  However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) first “State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009″ reveals that, currently, no U.S. state is meeting national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables.   

Hopefully, schools will continue to step up to the challenge of increasing healthy food options – a challenge that research has shown to render many positive results, including enhanced academic achievement!  What is your school district doing to improve students’ nutrition?  Leave us a comment.

Daniela Espinosa|October 19th, 2009|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Wellness|

A look at your life

Have you ever stopped to assess what you’ve accomplished in your life?  As we chronicle our lives via Facebook, blogs (ahem), Twitter, and other social media outlets, are we really doing anything, or are we just passing time?  Sometimes it takes a special person who has accomplished a lot in life to recognize the impact one person can have in a community.  John Harding Lucas, Sr., is one of those people.

At the Council of Urban Boards of Education(CUBE) Annual Conference last weekend, the Benjamin Elijah Mays Award was given to Dr. Lucas for his commitment to school children in Durham, North Carolina.  A former school board member, teacher, guidance counselor, coach, principal, and university president, Dr. Lucas was also on the Board of Directors of the National Education Association.  He has also been recognized by the North Carolina School Boards Association as a champion of excellence, equity, and access.  The award is named after Dr. Mays, a former school board member in Atlanta, Georgia, who was a civil rights activist, teacher, minister, and author.

In his speech, Dr. Lucas celebrated his award with his family, and the pride he had in his family was evident to all in attendance.  He captivated the audience as he spoke and it was easy to see how he was an effective teacher or coach, even though he was so much more than that.  For more about Dr. Lucas, see NSBA’s press release.  So Tweet away, but the next time you update that status, think about what you are really accomplishing.

Kevin Scott|October 16th, 2009|Categories: Announcements, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Boards|

School Board News Today headlines

The unraveling saga of the Colorado boy who – thankfully — wasn’t in the helium balloon floating high in the skies yesterday captivated TV and web viewers for hours. That certainly wasn’t the only wild and wacky story this week. On Monday, another 6-year-old, Zachary Christie, made national news when he was suspended from his Delaware school for bringing a camping tool with a small knife to use to eat his lunch, inadvertently violating the district’s zero-tolerance weapons rule. His punishment–a 45-day stint in a school for juvenile delinquents — set off a national campaign to “Free Zachary “ and forced the school board to rethink its rules for younger children. Then, there were the protesters who showed up at a New Jersey elementary school where students had written a song in honor of President Obama — in February.

In other news, as part of its investigation into for-profit colleges, the General Accounting Office has uncovered evidence of companies selling high school diplomas or selling answers to questions on college-prep exams, so that their students can get access to federal financial aid.

USA Today reports on students and parents who file “compensatory education” complaints against school districts when they haven’t been able to learn to read.

And the Cincinnati school board race is turning into a fierce battle between experienced educators and those who think an outsider’s perspective is needed to see the big picture.

Read these stories and more in School Board News Today, and its weekly wrap-up.

Joetta Sack-Min|October 16th, 2009|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, NSBA Publications|

Time to worry? Maybe or maybe not

In you haven’t heard, the latest NAEP math scores were released yesterday. Overall, results were not all that positive. Our nation’s eighth graders improved their performance from 2007 to 2009 but scores were flat for fourth graders. Most disappointing was the fact that achievement gaps between minority students and their white peers haven’t narrowing either. 

Some chicken littles have jumped on the fact that  fourth grade scores remained flat since NAEP was last given, and are using it to argue for dramatic reforms. BoardBuzz isn’t happy with flat results but disagrees with the contention that the sky is falling. It’s important to take a step back and look at the longer timeline of fourth grade math achievement. There we see that scores have been on a dramatic rise since 1990—the first year of NAEP—and this year is the first year ever scores failed to increase. BoardBuzz isn’t a mathematician but is pretty sure one score doesn’t make a trend. What is a trend is the consistent improvement in scores from 1990 to 2007. A trend so consistent that fourth graders today have nearly an additional three years worth of math learning than fourth graders in 1990. A point that is often overlooked.

BoardBuzz isn’t suggesting these scores should be ignored but let’s take a step back to determine first if this was a one time anomaly or a start of a new trend of flat scores. If it is just anomaly and the policies and practices that have been put in place over the past 20 years are still working, then they shouldn’t be thrown out over one test score. But if these policies and practices have run their course and need updating to get scores back on the right track that is what should be done.

However, NAEP scores alone can’t provide the answer. Each state, district, and school should take a close look at their elementary math curriculum and determine whether it is effectively providing their students the math skills they need to be successful in later grades and beyond. It is only then we can know for sure if our elementary math curriculum needs to be reformed, not based on one score from one national test.

Jim Hull|October 15th, 2009|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Student Achievement|
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