Leaving many children behind

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / August 22, 2002

Don't think for a minute that June's Supreme Court decision upholding Cleveland's school-voucher program has opened the floodgates of education choice for American families. Opponents succeeded earlier this month in persuading a Florida judge to nix that state's exit-voucher program, whereby youngsters stuck in public schools that repeatedly fail to meet Florida's academic standards may take their money to private schools or other public schools. (His analysis, contrary to that of Justices Rehnquist, O'Connor and Thomas, held that, because many of these children opt for parochial schools, the program violates a provision in the state constitution barring state aid to sectarian institutions.)

But what really has education watchers twittering is how little actual choice is resulting from a new Congressional mandate that youngsters enrolled in failing "Title I" schools may exit them for other public (and charter) schools.

When Congress overhauled the Title I program last year in the "No Child Left Behind" Act, it included a provision somewhat like Florida's: if a Title I school fails for two straight years to make adequate progress toward its state's academic standards, the local school system must provide its pupils with "public school choice" and may use some of their federal dollars to pay for the transportation.

In the original Bush formulation, a student's choices would also have included private schools and public schools in other districts. But Congress instantly balked at "vouchers" and the White House quickly yielded. Then the education establishment

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Leaving many children behind

Algebra for everyone?

August 22, 2002

Currently about 25 percent of 8th graders complete algebra or a higher-level math course, but students who don't complete first-year algebra by 8th grade are seldom able to take calculus in high school, which colleges like to see on transcripts. In a two-part series in The Washington Post this week, veteran reporter Jay Matthews describes the efforts of some states and school districts to get more of their students-maybe even all of them-to pass algebra by the end of eighth grade. This gives rise to its own problems, including the dumbing-down of some "algebra" classes.

Many believe that setting high standards for all students in middle school is a way to help them make the transition to the stiffer expectations of high schools, and there is some evidence that low-performing students raise their performance when placed in more challenging classes. But some educators complain that their 8th grade students are not ready to handle algebra.

One response has been to offer classes that bear the name algebra but little of its content. According to Tom Loveless of the Brookings Institution, many schools are giving up on kids who can't do basic arithmetic, putting them in faux algebra courses to cover up the problem. And sometimes the states are complicit in this practice. For example, Maryland officials acknowledge that their statewide algebra test contains very little actual algebra. They say Maryland's strategy is gradually to raise the bar and offer stronger algebra

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Public likes vouchers more and more, and tests too

August 22, 2002

The results of the 34th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the public's attitudes toward the public schools were released on Tuesday, and as in other years, early attention has focused on what those results show about public support for vouchers.

A few months back, Terry Moe of the Hoover Institution attacked last year's PDK/Gallup poll for "cooking the questions" on vouchers by posing two separate queries on the issue, phrased and framed in different ways, then highlighting in their press release the results that seemed to show less support for vouchers.

This year, the poll found that support for vouchers rose significantly no matter how the question was phrased. When asked whether they favored a policy permitting parents to choose private schools for their children to attend "at public expense" (which Moe notes invites a negative response because it presents vouchers as a special-interest program for an exclusive group), 46% said that they would favor it, up from 34% last year. When asked if they favor allowing parents to send their children to any school they choose, with the government paying all or part of the tuition-the same basic question, but using different language-52% said yes, up from 44% last year.

The press release issued by PDK/Gallup this year made no attempt to disguise the fact that support for vouchers rose, though it did emphasized that a majority (52%) still oppose the idea (using numbers from the question which is

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Public likes vouchers more and more, and tests too

California threatens home schoolers

August 22, 2002

A memo issued by the California Department of Education last month warned parents that they may not home-school their children unless they have professional teaching credentials, the Washington Times reports. If such a thing were ever enforced, California would become the only state in the union that would require home schooling parents to be certified teachers, according to Michael Smith of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Home schooling advocates said the memo was merely a ploy aimed at frightening parents into sending their children to public schools. For details see "California warns home schoolers," by Ellen Sorokin, The Washington Times, August 21, 2002.

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California threatens home schoolers

CliffsNotes for education statistics

August 22, 2002

The Heritage Foundation's Krista Kafer has compiled an education "CliffsNotes" of sorts, drawing from data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics and others. If you're looking for fast facts on achievement, expenditures, special education and the like, you'll find some of them at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/WM134.cfm.

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Florida school puts a positive spin on failure

August 22, 2002

Teachers and administrators at a Florida elementary school hope to convince students that the "F" their school received from the state's accountability system really means "fantastic" and "fun." Pep rallies and t-shirts declaiming "F = Fantastic" are just some of the strategies this failing school is using to boost everybody's sense of self-esteem and complacency. "School's Spin: F = Fantastic," by Lori Horvitz, Orlando Sentinel, August 13, 2002

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Florida school puts a positive spin on failure

Purging history and literature from the schools

August 22, 2002

In a long essay in the Summer 2002 issue of Daedalus, Diane Ravitch ponders whether the current round of standards-based reform can solve the endemic education problems that undermine effective teaching of history and literature. She describes the spread of the belief that our schools need not teach a common set of facts about history or a common set of literary texts, and she highlights the role that self-censorship by textbook publishers and testing companies have played in purging the curriculum of content. (Think of this essay as a preview of her forthcoming book on that topic.) She shows how bias and sensitivity guidelines developed by these publishers and testing firms have led to the exclusion from textbooks and tests of classic literature on grounds that it reinforces stereotypes; doesn't portray people who are sufficiently diverse; and may contain material that is controversial or could upset students. As a result, Ravitch writes, only the blandest, least controversial, and ultimately least interesting passages are deemed acceptable for tests and textbooks. State academic standards are similarly written to avoid giving offense to anyone; as a result, they eschew content and focus on skills. The resulting content-thin curriculum will make education not a great leveler, but a great divider, Ravitch writes, as only students at some elite private and public schools will be exposed to the great works of literature and the historical events that shaped our world. As our common culture becomes

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Schools, teachers slow to take advantage of Internet

August 22, 2002

School and classroom websites, once hailed as a way to let parents know what their kids are doing in school, often languish today, with students and parents likely to find only outdated information such as school menus or homework assignments from the previous year. Teacher training in the use of the Internet has been spotty, and many teachers have only limited access to the hardware and Internet connections they need, which makes it hard for them to create and operate the constantly updated websites that parents and students would find useful. A survey of teenagers released last week by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that students are frustrated that teachers are not making better use of the Internet. "Ghosts of Classrooms Past: A Web Teaching Tool Languishes," by Jeffrey Selingo, The New York Times, August 15, 2002; "Wanted: Web-Savvy Schooling," by Ellen McCarthy, The Washington Post, August 14, 2002

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Teachers exploit loophole in law to qualify for extra pension money

August 22, 2002

In many states, teachers (and other state or local government employees) are prohibited by federal law from collecting "spousal retirement benefits" from the Social Security system when they retire if they have state or local government pensions. But a loophole in the law allows them to receive such benefits if they spend a single day-their last working day-in a different job. A GAO report found that school districts not covered by the federal law are arranging for retiring teachers from other districts to work for a single day as a janitor, clerk, or food service employee so that they can retire with the full spousal benefit. The districts charge up to $500 to arrange the one-day job for teachers who want to take advantage of this loophole; sometimes they advertise this deal on their websites. Teachers who participate eventually receive on average $4,800 per year in spousal benefits from Social Security. "Pension loophole exploited," by Allen Pusey, The Dallas Morning News, August 16, 2002

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Teachers exploit loophole in law to qualify for extra pension money

Teachers reject NEA's September 11 curriculum

August 22, 2002

The American Federation of Teachers and some other educators are scrambling to distance themselves from the "blame America" lesson plans produced by the National Education Association for use on and around September 11, 2002. The NEA's lessons urge teachers to discuss instances of American intolerance but avoid suggesting that any group is responsible for last September's terrorist attacks.
NB: On September 3, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation will release (via our website) our own September 11 curricular recommendations, setting forth what a number of experts believe that children need to learn about American history and civics, about patriotism, heroism and terrorism. "NEA plan for 9/11 not backed by teachers," by Ellen Sorokin, The Washington Times, August 20, 2002

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The new and improved SAT

August 22, 2002

While many are suspicious of the changes that the College Board and ETS are planning for the SAT (changes made largely to placate the University of California, which had threatened to stop requiring the test), college admissions counselor John Harper argues in the cover story of this week's Weekly Standard that the new test is a big improvement. The old one purported to measure student aptitude or sheer intelligence rather than academic achievement, which is heavily influenced by the quality of the school that a student is lucky enough to attend. But Harper points out the reality that higher scores on the old SAT could be bought by those with the means to afford expensive test prep programs, which made a mockery of the idea that the test would equalize opportunities by identifying "diamonds in the rough" who had the misfortune to attend mediocre high schools. "The New, Improved SAT," by John Harper, The Weekly Standard, August 26, 2002

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The new and improved SAT

A Call to Heroism: Renewing America's Vision of Greatness

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / August 22, 2002

Peter Gibbon
July 2002

This terrific book by Peter Gibbon of the Harvard Graduate School of Education is a sort of curricular Mount Rushmore, combining profiles of dozens of heroes with a careful discussion of why educators should teach children about such people. It seems especially timely in the aftermath of September 11, which revealed its own heroes (and villains) and it's a wonderful antidote to two ugly trends in contemporary social studies (and in our culture): the debunking of great men and women so that children see their flaws ahead of their greatness (Churchill drank brandy and smoked cigars&); and the tendency to teach history from the perspective of serfs and shoemakers instead of the central national and international events that shaped their (and everybody else's) lives-events that were substantially influenced by leaders. Not all those leaders were heroes, to be sure. Many were rascals. Children should meet the bad guys, too. But heroism has its own special quality and can contribute immeasurably to children's moral and character education, and to that ancient yearning to live one's life as nobly and fruitfully as someone else did. At a time when rap singers, ball players and movie stars are apt to be the figures that children want to emulate, Gibbon has done a huge service by reminding us that celebrities and heroes are seldom the same-and giving us a generous supply of the latter to use with our students and ourselves. The

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A Call to Heroism: Renewing America's Vision of Greatness

Charter Schools and Accountability in Public Education

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / August 22, 2002

Paul Hill and Robin Lake with Mary Beth Celio
2002

The indefatigable and prodigious Paul Hill, here joined once again by Robin Lake and Mary Beth Celio, has produced this outstanding Brookings study of charter-school accountability, based on an examination of 150 schools and 60 authorizers in six states. Much is packed into these 120 pages that will interest followers of charter schools as well as students of education accountability. Given today's lively interest in charter-school accountability itself, the book couldn't be timelier. It's interesting, provocative, thoughtful and informative. It breaks new ground in its discussion of the (mostly lackluster) performance of charter authorizers. It explores such new concepts as "internal accountability." It accurately depicts the several directions in which charter schools are simultaneously accountable. And it elegantly describes the complex, fruitful interplay between charters and standards-based reform. A first-rate and welcome piece of work, the ISBN is 0815702671 and you can obtain further information from http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/schools_accountability.htm.

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Growth of the Teacher Advancement Program: Teaching as the Opportunity 2002

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / August 22, 2002

Lowell Milken, Milken Family Foundation
July 2002

Lowell Milken invented the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) three years ago and, in this new 50-page publication from the Milken Family Foundation, he explains what's happened to it so far. It's also a fine introduction to the (five) principles and practices of TAP, if you haven't previously made their acquaintance-and that's worthwhile because the privately-led TAP is one of the most creative and smartest approaches so far devised for restructuring the teaching profession and expanding the supply of good teachers. It can also be adapted to specific state and local (and even school-level) circumstances. Indeed, it's been adapted since its invention, due to the stickiness of the original proposal to rework teacher salaries completely. The modified version places heavier emphasis on "augmenting" salaries and giving performance awards. (These changes also boost the dollar cost of implementing TAP in a school or school system while mitigating the political cost and organizational angst.) Though TAP hasn't been going long enough to be fully evaluated, it's being picked up by a number of states and school systems and is well worth your attention. You can obtain this report by surfing to http://www.mff.org/publications/publications.taf?page=303.

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Growth of the Teacher Advancement Program: Teaching as the Opportunity 2002

Making Sense of Test-Based Accountability in Education

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / August 22, 2002

edited by Laura Hamilton, Brian Stecher and Stephen Klein, RAND
2002

Three RAND scholars (Laura Hamilton, Brian Stecher and Stephen Klein) edited this 170-page book, containing six papers, some written by the editors, some written or co-authored by Dan Koretz, Vi-Nhuan Le and Lorraine McDonnell. Funded by the National Science Foundation and based on a pair of RAND-organized conferences, the book is fairly dense for the "educators and policy makers" at whom it is directed and far more successful at raising issues, illustrating dilemmas and posing problems than at giving specific guidance to anybody. Its general advice, however, seems sound if mostly obvious. Its main conclusions: accountability is not a monolithic thing, and the specific details of an accountability regimen matter greatly. And (surprise) more research is needed. The ISBN is 0833031619. You can learn more at http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1554/.

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Moving Past the Politics: How Alternative Certification Can Promote Comprehensive Teacher Development Reforms

Kelly Scott / August 22, 2002

Virginia Roach and Benjamin A. Cohen, National Association of State Boards of Education
2002

This short paper by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) succinctly makes the case for alternative teacher certification programs as a way to broaden and improve the pool of teachers hoping to enter the nation's classrooms. It's refreshing to see that state policy makers, many of whom are struggling with shortages of highly-qualified teachers, are warming to the idea of pathways other than those that pass through colleges of education as sources of teachers. Authors Virginia Roach and Benjamin Cohen write that the arguments for alternative certification (the deregulatory "open-market" approach) and against it (the regulatory approach) create an unnecessary polarization that usually "confuse[s] the process of teacher preparation with the product of teacher preparation." Their report, however, is not entirely accurate in classifying the two main approaches to improving teacher quality. It states that market reformers would have alternative certification programs focus on the product of teacher preparation, while the regulators seek such process-oriented licensure reforms "as strengthening entrance requirements, fostering closer links between K-12 schools and teacher preparation curricula"-as if the deregulators weren't equally interested in higher standards and curricular alignment. That quibble aside, the report offers a useful overview of why alternative certification programs complement traditional certifications programs, what their key components are, and how state boards can design them effectively. The report-which includes state-by-state analysis and alternative certification program contact information-can

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Moving Past the Politics: How Alternative Certification Can Promote Comprehensive Teacher Development Reforms

State High School Exit Exams: A Baseline Report

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / August 22, 2002

Naomi Chudowsky, Nancy Kober, Keith S. Gayler, and Madlene Hamilton, Center on Education Policy
August 2002

Standards-based education reform can be chipped away from many directions. Perhaps most predictable was the claim that these high standards, tough tests and "high stakes" consequences would prove harmful to disadvantaged and minority youngsters who would get lower scores and suffer more adverse consequences, such as having their high school diplomas delayed or denied. That's part of what led to the easing of academic standards in the aftermath of the civil rights movement and the War on Poverty, an easing that did much to place us at risk as a nation and that, we now know, didn't do anything good for the poor and minority children on whose behalf it was done. And that is, in effect, the conclusion of this new report from the Center on Education Policy, headed by Jack Jennings, who for several decades shaped federal policy as top education staffer for the Democrats on the House education committee. The 145-page report (you can also get a glossy 12-page "action summary") covers a lot of ground associated with high school exit exams, but the press coverage, such as it is, has centered on one narrow finding: that black and Hispanic students are less apt to pass these state tests on the first try. The implication, of course, is that exit exams are already having an adverse impact on minority youngsters. Yet this "finding"

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State High School Exit Exams: A Baseline Report

The Class Size Debate

Terry Ryan / August 22, 2002

edited by Lawrence Mishel and Richard Rothstein, Economic Policy Institute
2002

In 1996, California launched an ambitious $8 billion initiative to reduce class size in that state's elementary schools. According to Education Week, "some 40 states have such initiatives, and federal money for class-size reduction is available as well." Is this a good use of resources? It is this essential question that the economists Eric Hanushek and Alan Krueger tangle over in "The Class Size Debate." Hanushek contends that investments in reducing class size are not an efficient use of public resources. He uses data from more than 50 studies to conclude that, "Despite the political popularity of overall class size reduction, the scientific support of such policies is weak to nonexistent. The existing evidence suggests that any effects of overall class size reduction policies will be small and very expensive." Krueger turns Hanushek's findings on their head arguing that, "when the various studies in Hanushek's sample are accorded equal weight, class size is systematically related to student performance (italics belong to Krueger), even using Hanushek's classification of the estimates-which in some cases appears to be problematic." In other words, applying different methodologies to the same data, Krueger comes up with opposite results. Much of the book is made up of statistical equations and tables showing why one side is right and the other is flawed. The reader is left to form his own conclusions. But who ever said that economics is

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The Class Size Debate