Year: 2010

Around the Edu-Horn, July 6, 2010

Eduflack Edu-horn

In Detroit, miss parent/teacher conference, go to jail! http://tinyurl.com/265e2wv

Is VA an ed improvement laggard? http://tinyurl.com/38vr5f3

Turning around one of DC’s low-performing middle schools — http://tinyurl.com/22s82zw

Obama admin “most anti-educator, anti-union, anti-student environment” ever? Really?? http://tinyurl.com/2eyupe6

RT @TeacherBeat NEA’s Delegates Vote ‘No Confidence’ in Race to the Top: http://bit.ly/d33DzA

A Texas-Sized Workaround?

Eduflack accountability, RTT, stimulus, teachers

How do you solve a problem like Rick Perry?

As we all know, last year Congress made $787 billion available to the states, in the name of economic stimulus, to help unstick many of the funding streams that states were stuck on.  Chief among these streams is K-12 education, as states were handed buckets of cash to jumpstart education spending, fill funding gaps, and ensure that school budgets did not face measureable cuts in the name of the economic downturn.

Most states put the money to use as intended (though Eduflack still offers that the original intent of ARRA was NOT to spend stimulus dollars on one or two years’ of teachers’ salaries, but I’ve clearly lost that argument).  But a few, including Texas, didn’t quite do as they were told.  Just as Texas refused to apply for a Race to the Top grant citing its independence and general superiority to every other state in the union, the state’s governor, Rick Perry, chose to violate the strings attached to those original stimulus checks.

When dollars were electronically transferred to the states in 2009, each state had to pledge that, when it came to K-12 education, the money was to boost education funding.  States were not to take the federal handout and then cut the state’s own contribution to education, essentially playing a short-term funding shell game. The worry, of course, is if the states cut their share this year, and there is no federal support in the following year, that cut will never be regained. 

Of course, Texas got $3 billion last year under the stimulus specifically designated for education.  And Perry critics have been quick to note that the Republic of Texas cut the state’s share of education funding, using those federal dollars to make up the difference.  So instead of the intended increased investment in public education, Texas held flat, with a real risk that future budgets will decrease, following the state contribution trend.

As expected, Congress is hot under the collar about Texas not following the rules (including the never shy Texas Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett).  So the U.S. House of Representatives figured out a workaround for their Perry problem.  In the supplemental appropriations bill passed by the House last week (the one including new funding for edujobs), Democratic congressmen decided to bypass Governor Perry and offer education dollars directly to Texas school districts (including Doggett’s home city of Austin).  

The plan is simple.  Texas school districts are eligible to receive more than $800 million to help pay for teachers’ salaries.  But there is one catch.  Those Independent School Districts seeking such federal assistance need to have the Good Governor certify that the state won’t cut education funding (or at least won’t cut it more than anything else in the upcoming Texas budget).  Get the assurance, get the money.  Fail to get it, and you can blame your governor for potential teacher layoffs.  The full story can be found here in the Houston Chronicle’s Texas on the Potomac blog.

Congress definitely deserves points for creativity.  But isn’t such an action just a little bit punitive?  Are we slapping Perry’s hand because he didn’t want to play ball on RttT or because he doesn’t want to ride the wave that is common core standards?  Are we angered that Texas continues to maintain its K-12 superiority?  Are we troubled that the usually effective federal funding carrot wouldn’t work with this Texas mustang?

If the name of the game is indeed student achievement and boosting student academic performance, we can’t lose sight of that.  If Congress is going to make edujobs money a federal requirement, like Title I and IDEA, then they just need to do that.  But playing games like this (with a Governor who seems to enjoy a good game of chicken) is just bad politics.  Lasting school improvement comes when the feds are supporting state and local efforts.  It doesn’t come when the feds look to drive a wedge between the LEA and the SEA, making the school district choose between the governor and Congress like a bad TV divorce.

We should be looking for ways to bring Texas into the national ed reform fold, not offering reasons for the Lone Star State to snub DC and hurt its school districts in the process.  Threats and ultimatums aren’t quite the way to get Texas to go along.  Thousands of good teachers are likely to pay the price, by not getting that federal edujobs money, but tens of thousands of Texas students will truly pay as state- and district-led improvement efforts are slowed or diverted to make up for the lack of federal cash.  

This quick little workaround in a quick little supplemental spending bill could have lasting impact.
 

We’re Not Watching Our Schoolhouse Rock

Eduflack civics, polls

As it is the Independence Day weekend, there are two bits of information dear ol’ Eduflack simply can’t pass up.  The first comes to us from the Associated Press, where Lauren Sausser reported on a recent analysis of the original Declaration of Independence conducted by scientists at the Library of Congress.  Using the latest technologies, they can see that Thomas Jefferson accidentally used the word “subjects” instead of “citizens” when first declaring our independence, undoubtedly a force of habit after a lifetime under the rule of the monarch.  Like most good writers, he simply “erased” the error, replaced it with citizen, and the rest is history.  Guess that means there is still hope for us educators who can’t help but let works like phonics, scientifically based, AYP, and NCLB to slip through out lips.

While the University of Virginia graduate and all-around Jeffersonian in me was quite taken by the AP story (and talked about it most of yesterday), I was even a little more taken by the Marist University poll Eduflack read last evening.  Chalk it up to being the son of a political scientist or a whole host of reasons, but seeing polls on what Americans know about history and civics can be like watching a car wreck for me.
As this is Independence Day weekend, Marist decided to ask a very simple question.  In honor of this national holiday, the researchers asked, “On July 4th we celebrate Independence Day.  From which country did the United States win its independence?”
A whopping 74 percent of Americans were able to answer the question correctly (and please don’t make Eduflack give the correct answer).  Those from the Northeast knew far better than those from the South.  Those with higher household incomes were more knowledgeable than those with incomes below $50K.  America’s youth (those under 29) seem ignorant of such things.  And men know their early American history far better than women seem to.  
Of the 26 percent who do not know who the 13 colonies fought to win their independence, most simply declared themselves as “unsure,” or unwilling to hazard a guess.  But of those incorrect answers, the most prominent ones were France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.
Fighting China or Japan or Mexico for our freedom definitely puts a different spin on Schoolhouse Rock’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” that’s for sure.  Maybe a quick look at that video can remind that 26 percent who fought who.
Regardless, hopefully these numbers remind us why we need to continue to fund the K-12 civics programs long advocated by U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN)  the recently departed U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (WV).
Happy Independence Day!

Around the Edu-Horn, July 2, 2010

Eduflack Edu-horn

RT @dorieturner Thomas Jefferson made slip in Declaration http://tinyurl.com/24hw6sj — Say it ain’t so, Tom!

Are boys in an academic crisis? http://sbne.ws/r/53XD (from ASCD)

PA signs onto Common Core — http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10183/1069766-454.stm

The horror! GWU drops maid service for students — http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/02/maids

$13B in apps for $650M in available i3 money — http://tinyurl.com/39a7syz

Around the Edu-Horn, July 1, 2010

Eduflack Edu-horn

Playing games with for-profit education stocks? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39186.html

Can Michelle Rhee and ed reform tilt the DC mayor’s election? http://tinyurl.com/27qm649

RT @TeacherBeat Weingarten Accuses ED of Protecting “Pet Programs”: http://bit.ly/bhUoUr

Four new appointments to National Board of Education Sciences — http://tinyurl.com/2avm9q8

RT @ED_Outreach – no reason why we can’t continue to encourage ed reform and also prevent mindless ed cutbacks http://bit.ly/90cBiR

Woo hoo! @Eduflack elected vice chair of Falls Church City School Board — http://tinyurl.com/28s9vbj

Around the Edu-Horn, June 30, 2010

Eduflack Edu-horn

Teachers report students are learning more with technologyhttp://sbne.ws/r/52I5 (from ASCD)


Comprehensive teacher induction boosts student test scores — http://tinyurl.com/2bu8erg

Coaching Hispanic students for higher school achievement –http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-06-30-betteradvising30_CV_N.htm

Marketing school improvement in Memphis —http://tinyurl.com/26grtl7

Are Cali schools going insolvent? http://tinyurl.com/29ly2nz


Gutting School Improvement to Keep the Lights On

Eduflack accountability, Arne Duncan, charter schools, RTT, stimulus, teachers

Short-term pain relief or long-term improvement?  That seems to be the choice that is currently facing Congress, as the House debates how to fund “edujobs,” the federal relief necessary to supposedly save hundreds of thousands of teachers’ jobs in this difficult economy.

Earlier this month, Eduflack wrote on the edu-jobs issue and how Congress could get creative in finding the $23 billion needed to protect classroom jobs.  Since then, the edu-jobs issue has gone nowhere.  The U.S. Senate, in particular, seems to lack the fortitude to vote for additional spending, even it was to save the jobs of K-12 teachers.  So edujobs has just been left hanging, with no resolution in sight.
Until this week.  In the U.S. House of Representatives, Appropriations Chairman David Obey has offered plans to move $10 billion in edujobs dollars.  The full text of Congress’ spending plans can be found here, on the House Rules Committee website.  But since the release of the report language, it begged the question — where is Congress finding the money to offset the dollars being spent on edujobs?
It is a question that Alyson Klein over at EdWeek and its Politics K-12 blog has refused to let go of.  Now, Klein has the answers for us.  It seems that, to ease the short-term pain of school districts struggling to meet payroll, that Congress is ready to sacrifice some of its commitment to wholesale school improvement efforts.
According to Klein, much of the money needed to offset the spending for edujobs comes from cuts to existing school improvement efforts.  Chairman Obey and company are planning on pulling $500 million from Race to the Top, $200 million from the Teacher Incentive Fund, and another $100 million from innovation and improvement (which she reads as charter school moneys) to help fund the $800 million in budget offsets Democrats have promised.  
In response, Rep. John Kline (MN), the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee referred to the move as exploitation, and said Dems were taking the first chance to “discard education reform.”    
So it begs an important question — is the short-term gain worth the long-term pain?  Is one year of supporting teachers’ salaries worth slashing one-eighth of the RttT pool?  Is it worth eliminating the $200 million increase that the stimulus bill originally gave to TIF?  And is it worth slashing charter dollars after we demanded that states change their charter laws and promote the establishment of more charter schools?
RttT, TIF, and innovation dollars are all long-term investments.  Cutting $500 million from Race, for instance, likely means at least three or four states that won’t be able to participate in the Phase Two program.  Those mid-sized states that could have taken a Race and done some real good with it over the next few years will now lose out.  All to cover salaries for the coming school year (and one coming year only).
What makes such a move dangerous is that this is stopgap; it isn’t a solution.  What happens next year when we need another $10 or $15 billion to help with teachers’ salaries?  And more importantly, what happens with plans to add new phases to RttT or i3?  Once these cuts to education reform efforts are made, it becomes near impossible to restore them.  Supporting teacher pay becomes a long-term obligation, with little opportunity in the near term to add new programs or expand competitive grant programs. 
Without question, it is important that our school districts figure out ways to pay their workforces, both this year and the years to come.  But should that maintenance mean sacrificing real efforts to improve our schools and their outcomes?  Do we really want to get into a position where we are choosing between paying teachers and improving student test scores?  And do we really want the federal government to become more and more responsible for paying salaries in our localities?
 

Around the Edu-Horn, June 29, 2010

Eduflack Edu-horn

EdTrust: unequal access to good schools in Cali — http://tinyurl.com/32gsjy7

RT @Education_AIR RT @educationweek Blog: American Institutes for Research Focuses on ELLs http://bit.ly/8YpKa9 #ELLs

Boston charters are seeking major expansion http://sbne.ws/r/525Z (from ASCD)

Spellings to teach at Harvard this fall – http://bit.ly/d0S7uD

Grading Houston ISD’s Grier — http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7083522.html

Remembering THE Senior Senator

Eduflack Uncategorized

Sadly, Eduflack awoke this morning to learn that U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia had passed away, at the age of 92.  Senator Byrd was a true institution, a policymaker, a statesman, a voice for the voiceless, and a true senator in the classical definition of the word.

Nearly 20 years ago, the senior senator from the Mountain State took a chance on dear ol’ Eduflack.  While still in college, I joined his press office.  I learned how to write press releases and floor statements.  I would field calls from reporters across West Virginia and around the globe (learning that those reporters from the weekly newspapers in the hills of West Virginia were far more important).  And before many of those West Virginia newspapers had computers or fax machines, I would read them press releases over the phone, as you could hear the clickety-clack of the typewriter as they took down every word.
Then, a little over 15 years ago, he asked me to serve as his press secretary, and it was a true honor.  Having just graduated from college, at the age of 22, I was a public representative for the senior senator from West Virginia and the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.  One of my first assignments — write a draft of an hour-long floor statement he could deliver on the historical meaning of Independence Day (going all the way back to Aristotle).  I learned more in my time as Byrd’s press secretary than I have in any job since.
In my professional life, Senator Byrd was one of my great teachers.  He taught me history.  He taught me about American government.  He taught me about the Constitution.  He taught me about legislative processes and about the federal appropriations system.  He taught me the differences between a politician and a public servant.  And he taught me the true value, and potential dangers, of a representative democracy.  I treasure the autographed copies of his books that I proudly display in my home office, and I still take great pride in the fact that I was a Robert C. Byrd Scholar in high school (a West Virginia high school to boot!).
While most primarily talk about his work as the leader of Senate Appropriations for nearly two decades, Senator Byrd also did tremendous things for education.  He was a strong advocate for rural education, a champion for community colleges, and a firm believer in the value of a college education.  The Robert C. Byrd Scholars program has made a difference in the lives of thousands of young people (and needs to be saved from its proposed elimination in this year’s presidential budget).  And along with Senator Lamar Alexander (TN), Byrd has long been an advocate for increased instruction in civics and the U.S. Constitution in our K-12 classrooms.  
He was also a pioneer in online learning and teaching, bringing telemedicine to West Virginia long before most saw the value of sharing information and engaging via satellite or computer. 
I recognize that some like to dwell on the missteps and mistakes of Byrd’s past, but I also hope we can recognize that, unlike many who serve in public office, he regularly reflected on his past and learned from it.  When I had the privilege of working for Senator Byrd, he would often say his greatest regret was voting against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  While he was mindful that his past would always be part of the “official bio,” as we see in obits today, he did not let it distract him from doing what was right in the now.  And he did do what was right, for both the people of West Virginia and for the nation he loved so much.
The Washington Post has its story here.  The Charleston Gazette has its story here.  And my friend Marty Kady at Politico has his here. 
As WaPo reminds us, after the 2000 elections, Senator Byrd said, “West Virginia has always had four friends.  God Almighty, Sears Roebuck, Carter’s Liver Pills, and Robert C. Byrd.”  Nothing could be more true.
I am incredibly fortunate that I had RCB as a boss, mentor, teacher, and friend.  The Great State of West Virginia and the United States of America are better places because of Senator Byrd’s service to our great nation.  There is no replacing Robert C. Byrd.  One can only pick up where he has left off, building on the legacy he has left us all.