Hispanic Dropout Rate Drops

The high school dropout rate among Hispanic students has dropped sharply in the past decade, reaching an all-time low of 10 percent, according to a new Pew Research Center study.

Hispanic students are enrolling in college at higher rates, too. In 2016, 47 percent of Hispanic students in the 18-to-24 age group were enrolled in college, compared to 35 percent a decade earlier, according to the Pew study.

Studying Grade Inflation

USA Today reports that a study done by Michael Hurwitz, an employee of College Board — the company that gives the SAT — and Jason Lee, shared some suspicious findings recently. The study found that while the number of A’s that high school students are receiving is increasing, the average score on the SAT is going down, leaving the question: What does an A really mean?

The research also incorporated another study that found A’s in college are now three times more prevalent than they were in 1960.

Ed. Secretary Jeered

Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos, in written responses to questions from senators, appears to have used several sentences and phrases from other sources without attribution — including from a top Obama Administration civil rights official.

DeVos, a wealthy Republican donor and proponent of "school choice," regularly faces protests across the country. She was recently blocked from entering a school in Washington, D.C.

Detroit Principals Busted

Thirteen former and current principals within the Detroit Public School (DPS) district have been charged by federal officials with engaging in a long-running kickback and bribery scheme. Beginning in 2002 and continuing until January 2015, the scheme involved business with DPS worth about $2.7 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Ronald Alexander

The principals, all of whom were charged separately, are alleged to have submitted fraudulent school supply invoices to the district in return for payments.

Among the defendants is Spain Elementary-Middle School principal, Ronald Alexander. His school was showcased on The Ellen Show last month when Ellen surprised him with a $500,000 donation.

The bribery and tax evasion charges come amidst word that Detroit’s schools are drowning under $3.5 billion of debt.

"The actions of these individuals are reprehensible and represent a breach of the public trust," said Steven Rhodes, a judge recently appointed to run Detroit Public Schools.

Grading Parents

A bill is now being pushed through the Mississippi legislature that proposes teachers grade parents. The Parent Involvement and Accountability Act would require teachers to grade parents’ involvement with their children’s education. Parents would be graded on three metrics: parental response to requests for conferences or communication; the student’s completion of homework and preparation for tests; the frequency of the student’s absence and tardiness.

Parents Confront Admin Over 'Diversity Day'

Some parents of Pittsburgh's Gateway High School students were troubled after hearing how the school conducted its "Diversity Day" event.

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Those who attended the emergency meeting demanded to know who composed and sent out emails and a Facebook post this week after an out-of-school fight broke out Tuesday at a local park. The post, which has since been deleted, called for a "Diversity Day." Students were told to wear Gateway High shirts and "Black Lives Matter" shirts for the pre-planned event. Parents said Friday that the post on an official district account added racial tension to what was originally a nonpolitical, juvenile dispute.

Time Tested

The Department of Education announced that it was taking steps to decrease the amount of time public school students spend preparing for and taking standardized tests -- and called for Congress to follow its lead as it rewrites the nation’s federal education laws.

The DEA laid out new guidelines for standardized tests, eased federal rules on testing, and promised new commitments to states and local governments to help them reevaluate their testing programs. The new recommendation to school districts is that testing should take up no more than 2% of classroom time.

Chicago Schools Chief Indicted

 

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, former Chicago Public Schools CEO and superintendent, was indicted on federal fraud charges that accuse her of taking bribes and kickbacks for steering more than $23 million in no-bid contracts to a former employer.

Byrd-Bennett resigned in June amid a federal probe charging her with 15 counts of mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud. She was cooperating with prosecutors and has agreed to plead guilty, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon said during a press briefing.

Fardon said Byrd-Bennett abused her position "to line her own pockets and those of her co-defendants." The 43-page indictment alleges Byrd-Bennet her co-defendants -- Gary Solomon and Tom Vranas -- began scheming almost immediately after she was hired for Chicago's top schools spot in 2012. 

If convicted, Byrd-Bennett faces up to 20 years in prison, mandatory restitution, and a maximum fine of $250,000 for each count of mail and wire fraud.

Duncan Bows Out, King Steps In

Education Secretary Arne Duncan will step down by the end of the year. Deputy, John King, will replace him as acting secretary until the close of President Obama’s term. Many of his policies mirror Duncan’s.

John King, 40, a Brooklyn native, was New York’s education commission from May 2011 through December 2014. He was appointed by the state Board of Regents as the first African American official to serve as the state’s education chief. King battled the New York’s teachers’ union, which called for his removal in April 2014.

King will likely focus on implementation of the administration's NCLB rewrite which has yet to make it through Congress

Students Bombed the SAT This Year

According to several news reports, students in the high school class of 2015 turned in the lowest critical reading score on the SAT college entrance exam in more than 40 years, with all three sections declining from the previous year.

 

The mean score on the math portion of the SAT, 511, is the lowest since 1999. The highest possible score on each section is 800. The reading score of 495 is the worst since 1972, according to data provided by the College Board. The test administrator reported the lowest score for the SAT's writing section since it began in 2005.  

Student Lectures Teacher

Jeff Bliss lectures at teacher at Duncanville High

Atlanta Cheating Ring

Eight Atlanta educators have been sentenced to between one and seven years in prison for participating in a massive cheating ring, Reuters is reporting.

The former principals, teachers and administrators were accused of trying to boost their bonuses by conspiring to cheat and falsely raise student test scores. Initially, dozens of educators were charged and many have since pleaded guilty in exchange for their cooperation in exposing the scandal which first came to light in 2008.

"There were thousands of children that were harmed in this thing. This was not a victimless crime that occurred." Judge Jerry Baxter said during sentencing. "It's the sickest thing that's ever happened to this town."

UNC Athletics Scam

 

From the Daily Caller.com:

At the University of North Carolina, the extent of a shocking con — which involved dozens of athletes who for years were deliberately enrolled in fake classes and awarded passing grades to keep them eligible for sports — has now been fully publicized thanks to the confessions of two whistle-blowers.

Generation Next

The website for Generation Next says the group is "a broad partnership of organizations and leaders from across the Twin Cities" representing schools, government, businesses and community organizations, "all dedicated to educational excellence and narrowing the achievement gap."

The  Generation Next mission statement: "To dramatically accelerate educational achievement of all children from early childhood through early career through an aligned partnership of community stakeholders."

Generation Next

Strive Together

Growth and Justice

Center for School Change

MN Minority Education Leadership
African American Leadership Forum

Minneapolis Achievement Gap

Some 87 percent of the Minneapolis School District's teachers are White, while 70 percent of students are minorities, according to Bill English, co-chair of Black/African American Leadership Summit.

A Message from the Superintendent . . .

A Philadelphia Inquirer article entitled, Coatesville Parents Demand Firings details a series of extremely vulgar, racist and sexist text messages exchanged between a PA school superintendent and his high school athletic director.

Redneck Day?

The U.S. Department of Ed. has said it will open an investigation after a student in Arizona wore a Confederate flag to a school-sponsored "Redneck Day."

Civil rights leaders contacted department officials after a photo emerged of a student wearing a large Confederate Army battle flag as a cape during May school spirit week at Queen Creek High School. "I found it to be offensive," Civil Rights Activist Rev. Jarrett Maupin told KTVK-TV. "I think many in the community did and the department responded."

No Hall Pass

Dozens of former educators from Atlanta public schools -- including the ex-superintendent -- have finally been indicted in one of the nation's largest test cheating scandals.

Former Superintendent Beverly Hall faces charges including racketeering, false statements and theft because prosecutors say some of the bonuses she received were tied to falsified scores. Hall retired just days before a state probe was released in 2011.

Despite mountains of evidence showing wide-spread corruption, Hall has long denied knowing anything about the cheating. If found guilty, she could serve up to 45 years in prison.

E Pluribus . . . Separation

The Civil Rights Project at UCLA has released a report based on data from the U.S. Department of Education. The analysis finds that an overwhelming majority of Latino and black students study in racially isolated classrooms. It details that 80 percent of Latino students and 74 percent of African American students are in schools where the majority of students are not White. More specifically, 43 percent of Latinos and 38 percent of African American learners attend "intensely segregated schools" where White students comprise 10 percent or less of the student body. The report notes that White students tend to go to schools where about 75 percent of their peers are White.


View the UCLA report: E PLURIBUS… SEPARATION

Bargain Rate Schools

This Rocketship School Model video segment could be a featured PBS parody on FunnyOrDie.com -- but they would not be able to use the disclaimer that 'no actual children were harmed in the making of the video.'

PBS' report begins by detailing the singing and dancing of Rocketship's daily "Launch." But mid-way through take-off, the narrator nonchalantly mentions that "75% of the instructors come from Teach for America. About half have less than two years of classroom experience."

One bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Rocketshipper offers that she's confused as to what on earth she would need a union for . . .

Quick-cut to Rocketship's budget shrinking, computer Learning Lab with its staff of "Individualized Learning Specialists" -- hourly wage workers who lack even Teach for America level credentials. Not only are these teachers non-unionized, they're non-licensed! What a bargain.

Rocketshippers also boast of big budget gains by completely eliminating art and music -- which is odd, since that's why they claimed their daily "Launch" was such a valuable part of the mission.

So the school system has saved money by ditching teachers, then doing away with classes. Of course, the final solution from this -- and every charter school -- is to start getting rid of certain students.

Not mentioned in PBS' video valentine . . .

Mr. Danner's amazing test score results are PR and spin. First of all, the chain operates ONLY elementary schools. Secondly, of Rocketship's seven schools -- two have not reported state test results. Standardized test scores for its oldest schools dipped last year. (What a shocking surprise!)

Despite most experienced educator's deep concerns about an over-reliance on standardized testing, Danner has doubled-down on it. Danner's chain focuses exclusively on reading and math tests. His little Rocketeers take eight prep tests during the nine months. Every month or so, his schools close for a day while staff "analyze" test results.

Danner's charter chain enrolls fewer children with learning disabilities than public schools do -- roughly 6 percent of Rocketship students are classified as having learning disabilities, which is about half the rate found in the surrounding traditional schools. Danner was the founding director of (you guessed it) KIPP Academy Nashville. Interestingly, his old TFA pals at KIPP do not endorse the idea of replacing two hours of instruction with two hours of "computer lab."

Rocketship requires parents to pledge to read to their child every night, check homework daily, attend monthly meetings, and volunteer 30 hours each year. Families who do not comply are kicked out. (Try replicating that!) Rocketship parents are then fed into a political action committee. The PAC, nobly called Parents for Great Schools, acts as the "grass roots" that Rocketship's management uses to get their favorite politicians elected.

*

From a March 18, 2012 DailyKOS article:

As for Teach for America, GiveWell.org does not give them their highest rating as a charity, noting among other things that for the corps members who started teaching in 2009 TFA spent $38,046 for each one (perhaps an inflation, dividing total expenditures by entering corps members).  GiveWell says of TFA "we do not have a concrete sense of how it would use additional donations." Various financial filings to the IRS and to New York State show an operating budget in excess of $170 million a year for a teacher corps of around 10,000. Recent filings have shown financial assets of over $300 million.