Another Voice

Top Teachers Want Pay Scale Revamped

 

According to a Washington Post article, a report, sponsored by the Hillsborough, N.C.-based Center for Teaching Quality, said teachers should be able to advance through three pay tiers -- novice, professional and expert -- and schools should stop paying teachers more just because they have more years on the job.

"If you don't have a career ladder that encourages teachers to advance in their profession -- and be paid accordingly as they advance -- tinkering around the edges by providing $2,000 bonuses for a handful of teachers will not secure the stable, high-quality professional workforce we need," the teachers said.

In particular, the group said, pay plans should "reward leadership, not seniority." It said that "qualified teachers who take on additional responsibilities -- mentoring novices and peers and preparing new teachers, creating family- and community-outreach programs, serving on advisory councils and the like -- should be paid for their time outside the classroom." And the jobs should go not to the oldest teachers but to the ones with the best classroom results, the group said.

Taking North Carolina as an example, the group suggested an annual pay scale that started at $30,000 for a novice and climbed to $70,000 for an expert. But an expert with extra school improvement responsibilities could make as much as $130,000.

The article further stated that the report endorsed the views of many expert panels that teachers should be paid more if they have better results in their classroom, but it pointed out flaws in efforts to do that. The team was critical of a Florida program that limited performance incentives to one out of every four teachers. They also said rewarding only those who teach state-tested subjects, such as reading and math, was a bad idea.

They recommended more money for teachers whose students improved significantly, as long as the results were based on more than just one variety of test. They said systems should be free to target specialties they need. "It makes no sense for an individual community to pay more for a math teacher if it actually needs more art or history teachers," the report said.

The pay scales for teachers definitely should be revamped.  A teacher should not be paid more simply because he/she has more experience in the classroom.  The pay should be based upon successful experience in the classroom.  Certain questions should be asked and answered affirmatively.  Are the students making progress in the class?  Are the students meeting  bench marks set by the school system?  Is the teacher going that extra mile to make sure that the students are performing to  their maximum potential, or is the teacher just there to collect a pay check?

At the same time, if a school system believes that they are going to get the best and brightest by offering beginning teachers a $30,000.00 salary, they are living in a fantasy world.  If our top teachers are suggesting that this be a starting salary for teachers in North Carolina, that explains why they rank 21st in the estimated teachers' salary in the United States.

New teachers earn less than their peers in other professions requiring comparable education and responsibilities. Wages start low, and the gap keeps widening, causing many good teachers to leave the profession for greener financial pastures.  So in conjunction with the revamping of salaries for teachers that are on board, as suggested by Hillsborough, N.C.-based Center for Teaching Quality, we clearly need to step up the salary for entry level teachers. 

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, education, teachers, salaries, North Carolina, professionals, classrooms

Illegal Immigrants Urge Maryland Senate To Offer In State Tuition

The Washington Post reports that about 50 students rallied outside the Maryland State House this morning, urging the Senate to pass a bill that offers in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

The legislation, which has the support of Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), was approved by the House of Delegates last month, after an emotional debate on the floor.

Opponents argued that the bill sanctions illegal immigration while proponents said it was discriminatory not to offer the same tuition rates to all high school students.

To qualify for the in-state tuition students must attend high school in Maryland for at least two years, provide proof to the school that they or their parents paid state income tax for a year before the teenager's graduation, and submit an affidavit that they will apply for permanent residency within 30 days of becoming eligible. The rate would only be available to students within three years after graduating.

"Their parents pay taxes, it's only fair that they pay in-state tuition," said Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince George's), the bill sponsor.

Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) vetoed a similar bill in 2003, arguing that the legislation would reward illegal behavior and allow illegal immigrants to take spots away from legal Maryland residents.

According to the article, the students were joined today by several top elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) and Comptroller Peter Franchot (D).

It appears that politicians, particularly Democrats, are ignoring the term, ILLEGAL.  Why should there even be a discussion as to whether or not ILLEGAL immigrants should receive in state tuition? If they are illegal, these individuals should not even be in this country.  And they have the gall to demand in state tuition?  Only in America!  Democrats are on a collision course with American citizens, the majority of which want enforcement of laws pertaining to ILLEGAL immigrants.  Enforcement certainly does not include giving in state tuition, or anything else for that matter, to people who are in this country illegally.

We realize that ILLEGAL immigrants may have dreams too.  However, ne of the great things about the United States is that if you are persistent and work hard enough  dreams can become a realities.  So my message to ILLEGAL immigrants is pretty clear. Put in the hard work....become a legal U.S. citizen, and then make your demands. 

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, illegal immigrants, Democrats, Rupublicans, State Senate, college, in state tuition, Maryland

No Child Left Behind Law To Be Revamped

One of George Bush's proudest achievements as President is the No Child Left Behind Law.  This law, which had bipartisan backing, has had mixed reviews by proponents and opponents.

And now, according to the Washington Post, more than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate -- including the House's second-ranking Republican -- will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates.

Among the co-sponsors of the legislation are House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a key supporter of the measure in 2001, and John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Bush's most reliable defender in the Senate. Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), the House GOP's chief deputy whip and a supporter in 2001, has also signed on.

The article goes on to report that some Republicans said yesterday that a backlash against the law was inevitable. Many voters in affluent suburban and exurban districts -- GOP strongholds -- think their schools have been adversely affected by the law. Once-innovative public schools have increasingly become captive to federal testing mandates, jettisoning education programs not covered by those tests, siphoning funds from programs for the talented and gifted, and discouraging creativity, critics say.

Additionally, in extreme cases to protect test scores, some schools have even resorted to cleansing their student population of students who may bring the test scores down.  Such is the case for  Jasmine Boulware, a Myers Park High School student in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

 A Times Magazine article reported that because the student had some disciplinarian problems, and was not performing well in school she was told that she had to withdraw, and would not be allowed to return. When  Jasmine's mother went directly to the Charlotte Mecklenburg district office she learned the school had no legal basis to exclude Jasmine. Suspecting a pattern of forcing out minority students, Kennedy told school district officials that she intended to refer the matter to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Congressional Black Caucus. Jasmine was back in school within the week.

Jasmine is not the only struggling student who claims to have been pushed out or encouraged to leave Myers Park High. Another Myers Park mother, Susan Arnette, claims when she and her daughter Brianna Govan were living in a homeless shelter, Brianna was frequently late or absent. Anderson forced her to leave school, saying she was "not Myers Park material." Documents obtained by TIME and interviews with former students, parents and school employees strongly suggest that Myers Park has had an unofficial policy of ridding itself of underperforming students during Principal Anderson's tenure from 2002 to 2005 and perhaps beyond, by using tactics including listing dropouts as out-of-state transfers.

According to the Times article, like many other high-flying schools with a substantial minority and low-income population, Myers Park has been under increasing pressure to close the achievement gap between students that are white and black, rich and poor. In 2006, only 51% of its black students performed at levels III/IV — proficient and above — on state exams, compared with 90% of white. Under the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, schools that fail to close such a gap are declared "failing schools" — no matter how well the majority are doing — and can face a loss of federal Title 1 funding for low-income students.

District Associate Superintendant Lloyd Wimberley sees a sad irony in the way current national pressures to close achievement gaps can actually work against the neediest students. "No Child Left Behind has resulted in increased resentment toward at-risk and exceptional-needs kids," he says. "It's sad that legislation intended to improve the outcome for these kids is backfiring."

As Congress considers reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, the GOP rebellion could grow, conceded Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (Calif.), the ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee and a key ally of the president on the issue. "It was a struggle getting it passed last time. It'll be even more of a struggle this time," he said.

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, No Child Left Behind Law, Congress, George Bush, Roy Blunt, Charlotte, NC., Myers Park, House Education and Labor Committee, testing, Title 1

Brown University To Raise 10 Million Dollars For Local Public Schools

In a response to a report commissioned in 2003, that found that slave labor played a role in the University's beginning,  Brown University has promised to raise 10 million dollars for the local public schools and give free tuition to graduate students who pledge to work there. 

According to the Associated Press, the University will also explore creating an academic center on slavery and justice, strengthen its Africana Studies Department, begin planning for a slavery memorial and revise its official history to provide a more accurate account of the school's early years.

The article quotes Ruth J. Simmons, Brown's President, as saying "One of the clearest messages in the Slavery and Justice Report is that institutions of higher education must take a greater interest in the health of their local communities, especially kindergarten through 12th-grade education.

Additionally, the report identified about 30 former members of the college's governing corporation who at one time owned or captained slave ships. It also found that slave labor was used in the construction of Brown's oldest building, and money used to create the university and ensure its early growth was derived directly or indirectly from slave trade.

I am sure that if we were to examine more closely, we would find other Universities that were also built with the assistance of slave labor.

Brown University's response is very commendable, especially when you look at the economic conditions in their community. Of the population of Providence, Rhode Island, 29.1 percent of the population, and 23.9 percent of families are below the poverty level. 

Studies show that poverty contributes to many of the ills of our society, such as poor school performance, prison population, teen pregnancy, to name a few. A focus on the public education of children from kindergarten-twelth grades shows a true commitment by the University to attempt to break the chain of poverty by investing in the future of their most precious resources, as well as the economic prosperity of their city.

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, Brown University, Ruth J. Simmons, Slavery and Justice Report, poverty, Africana Studies, Providence, Rhode Island

Length of School Day Under Review

Many schools are looking at ways to boost students' academic progress, and test scores.  An important impetus for the debate around extending school hours is the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The five-year-old law requires annual testing in reading and math for grades three through eight, and again in high school. All students are expected to be working on grade level by 2014.

Schools that fail to meet annual benchmarks are labeled as needing improvement and have to take steps to address the problem.

A CNN news article reports that Robin Harris, school principal at Fletcher-Maynard Academy, a combined public elementary and middle school in Cambridge, Mass., is experimenting with an extended, eight-hour school day.

The school, which serves mostly poor, minority students, is one of 10 in the state experimenting with a longer day as part of a $6.5 million program.

While Massachusetts is leading in putting in place the longer-day model, lawmakers in Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Washington, D.C., also have debated whether to lengthen the school day or year.

In addition, individual districts such as Miami-Dade in Florida are experimenting with added hours in some schools.

The article further points out that on average, U.S. students go to school 6.5 hours a day, 180 days a year, fewer than in many other industrialized countries, according to a report by the Education Sector, a Washington-based think tank.

One model that traditional public schools are looking to is the Knowledge is Power Program, which oversees public charter schools nationwide.

Those schools typically serve low-income middle-school students, and their test scores show success. Students generally go from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week and for a few hours every other Saturday. They also go to school for several weeks in the summer.

That amounts to at least 50 percent more instructional time for students in such programs than in traditional public schools, according to the report.

Up against such a tough requirement, extending the day makes sense, Harris said. "If you want kids to read, and you want to teach them how to read, they have to have time reading," she said

U.S. Sen. Democrat Edward Kennedy, chairman of the Senate committee overseeing education, is considering allowing schools that fail to meet annual progress goals to extend their day as a possible solution.

The idea of extending the school day appears to be catching on.  Lawmakers in Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Washington, D.C., also have debated whether to lengthen the school day or year.

In addition, individual districts such as Miami-Dade in Florida are experimenting with added hours in some schools.

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, Education, Senator Edward Kennedy, Knowledge is Power Program, test scores, No Child Left Behind Law, Fletcher-Maynard Academy, Massachussets

Black Parents Help Sons To Keep Eyes On The Prize

There is a huge achievement gap between black students and white students across the United States.  Black students consistently lag behind their white classmates on standardized tests.

According to a Washington Post article,Black Parents Seek to Raise Ambition, in affluent Loudoun County, known for its strong schools, black students consistently lag behind their white classmates on standardized tests. Last year, 63 percent of black eighth-graders in the county passed the state math test; 62 percent passed in English. White students' pass rate for both subjects was 89 percent. At Eagle Ridge Middle School, where 8 percent of students are black, the gaps were similar.

About Black 15 familes, including the parents of nearly every 6th grade black male of Eagle Ridge Middle School in Loudon county have taken their sons' academic futures into their own hands by forming a club.  The mission of the club is to push their sons to graduate from high school on time without lowering their expectations or test scores along the way. They call it Club 2012.

The group holds monthly house meetings, twice-weekly homework sessions, "rap sessions" between fathers and sons, and social or community service activities. The parents speak often with teachers and administrators, many of whom come to parent-organized events.

Many parents in the group have college degrees and can afford such activities as summer camp and tutoring, two indicators that researchers have linked to higher achievement. But even with their advantages, these parents say they worry about the images of African American men that their sons absorb from popular media.

"Middle-class African Americans are still very influenced by the stereotypes that black kids are not academically oriented," said Pedro A. Noguera, a professor of sociology at New York University who studies achievement gaps.

"You have to defy the stereotypes associated with race or gender. So you need something else working in a very powerful way to show that being black and being academically oriented [are] not at odds. . . . This is where a parent's role is very important."

In the Washington area, many African American parents are finding new avenues to engage in their children's education.

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, Eagle Ridge Middle School, Loudon County, test scores, academic gaps, African American, race, gender, middle class, New York University, Pedro A. Noguera

D.C. Schools...From The Mouths of Babes!

To fix D.C. public schools -- better yet, to make the school system a model for the nation -- look no further than what the students say they need. Donell Kie, a sophomore at Ballou Senior High School, and fellow student leaders came up with a pretty good list that was shared Saturday at a D.C. Council hearing on school reform.

Courtland Milloy, from the Washington Post, reports that  among the things that they wanted to see in every public school: "books when school starts," "heat in winter," "air conditioning in summer," "healthy meals," "water fountains that work," "music and art classes," "counselors who are able to help us" and "teachers who care about their students and can teach."

Milloy becomes incredulous that these basic elements are out of reach of the D. C. students. 

At the hearing, after listening to several students talk about attending toxic schools that make them sick, council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) asked: "Did you know that the council allocated $200 million for school repair that is just sitting in some bank, that none of it was spent last year?"

Rachel May, a senior at the crumbling School Without Walls, let out a sigh of disgust. "That's just ridiculous," she said. "I don't understand it."

"Me either," Graham said.

But what's not to understand? Boilers are breaking, roofs are leaking, ceilings are falling down -- and somebody's butt is blocking $200 million of taxpayer money earmarked for school repair. Kick the butt, get the money and fix the schools. It's not rocket science; it's plumbing, wiring and roofing.

Milloy further states that as for not providing students with healthy meals and having water fountains that don't work, that's child abuse. And the people who know about it and do nothing to fix it ought to be charged as part of an ongoing criminal conspiracy. A federal pen ought to be their next stop.

He closes the article by saying "Make no mistake: D.C. public schools have some fantastic teachers. But they cannot be expected to teach in a freezing classroom any more than students can be expected to learn while exhaling frosty breath. Fix the schools. Raise the expectations for teachers and students alike. It can be done.

The time for dithering and churning out studies that end up on warehouse shelves is over. Every parent, politician and school official needs to put up or shut up. And if, as many of the students who testified suspect, nothing will change, then at least do this: Give the kids their money back -- nearly $25,000 per student that the D.C. government claims it spends to educate them each year. They'd do better hiring a private tutor or enrolling in some boarding school far from here.

I agree. 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, D.C.Schools, Ballou Senior High School, D.C. Council hearing, Jim Graham, child abuse

First the Snickers Bar Commercial,and Now This!

   Things are going too far now.  It wasn't bad enough that we had to witness the humorless Snickers Bar commercial during Super Bowl showing two men's lips meeting in a kiss while eating a candy bar.  There are people actually teaching about homosexuality in the elementary schools.

According to a CNN article, officials from a suburban Massachusetts school district asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two couples who claim their parental rights were violated when homosexuality was discussed in their children's classrooms. 

Parents, Tonia and David Parker sued after their 5-year-old son brought home a book from kindergarten that depicted a gay family. David Parker was later arrested for refusing to leave his son's school after officials would not agree to notify him when homosexuality was discussed in his son's class.  Another Lexington couple, Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, joined the Parkers in the suit after a second-grade teacher read "King and King" to her class. The fairy tale tells the story of two princes falling in love.

John Davis, an attorney for Lexington school officials, argued in court Wednesday that teaching diversity is a "legitimate state interest." He said that it would be "an administrative nightmare" for schools in Massachusetts to try to predict when the topic of gay marriage will come up and to inform parents ahead of time.

Robert Sinsheimer, an attorney for the parents who filed the lawsuit, called the homosexual discussions and materials "a form of propaganda" that goes against the parents' religious beliefs. He said the parents do not want to dictate curriculum, but do want to be able to remove their young children from classrooms when homosexuality or gay marriage is being discussed.

I'm all for teaching diversity, but since when did teaching diversity include teaching  homosexuality?  And, even more importantly, since when are parents not allowed to opt their children out of a part of a curriculum that is controversial, not proper, or against their religious beliefs?  

Many people have strong beliefs regarding homosexuality.  Shouldn't we as parents be able to decide whether or not we want our children exposed to it, particularly in elementary school??? 

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, homosexuality, Massachussets, Snickers, CNN, school officials, Elementary schools, parental rights, curriculum

Longer School Days Could Mean Higher Achievement

Many school systems and educators believe that longer school days, and a longer academic school year is the way to improve public education in this country.  As a matter of fact, there are many cities that have been experimenting with extending students' school days, and and as a result appear to be making great strides.

According to a Washington Post article,D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), hoping to take control of the city's schools, has been looking at different ways to improve the D.C. schools.  The article focuses on a school where Middle School students put in almost 12 hours a day, Washington Jesuit Academy.  The students go in at 7:30 a.m., and finish a required study hall at 7:15.

The article points out that few students in the country come close to putting in the 12-hour days of as the students at Washington Jesuit. But the school's students, mostly low-income African Americans, have shown such improvement on test scores with the expanded schedule that D.C. officials are looking to add similar programs to the city's public schools.

Fewer than half of Washington Jesuit students were reading at grade level when they entered the school in sixth grade, said the school's headmaster, John Hoffman. But by eighth grade, 90 percent of the students had reached that level.

The article also states that D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), hoping to take control of the city's schools, has been admiring the District's Knowledge Is Power Program charter schools, with their nine-hour school days, Saturday classes and mandatory three-week summer school, said Mafara Hobson, a spokeswoman for his office.

"Not only are the school days lengthened," she said, "but schools like KIPP also constantly examine and work to improve how time is used within the day to ensure that students are exposed to the maximum amount of effective learning time possible."

Some parents and students alike may balk at the proposal of longer school days, but if longer days combined with effective teaching, increases the level of competence among our students, it just may be worth a shot.

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, Public Schools, Private Schools, Washington Jesuit Academy, middle school, African American, Washington D.C., Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Democrat, Mafara Hobson, lengthened days, longer academic school year, John Hoffman

Pay Now or Pay Later

  Poverty is not talked about much in this country, except, that is, around election time.  However, the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, has families that can't afford the basic things such as food, affordable housing, health and dental care, or childcare.  According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, we have 37 million Americans living below the poverty level, and twelve million are children who live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level—which is about $16,000 for a family of three and $19,000 for a family of four. Perhaps more shocking is that 5 million children live in families with incomes of less than half the poverty level—and the numbers are rising.

Childhood poverty has severe ramifications. It can impede children’s cognitive development and their ability to learn. It can contribute to behavioral, social, and emotional problems, poor performance in school, high drop out rates, teen pregnancy, and large prison populations.

A CNN news article reports that American children living in poverty or in single-parent homes have less interaction with their parents and are more likely to have trouble at school than youths in wealthier, two-parent homes, according to a recent report.  The report further states that American children generally are doing well in school, have positive interactions with their parents and are engaged in activities outside school. But it also discovered some signs of trouble.

"Children living in families below the poverty level, children whose parents have lower levels of educational attainment and children in families with single parents tend to have less daily interaction with their parents, such as talking, being read to or sharing daily meals," the authors said.

Additionally, 69% of children living in poverty were academically on track, and only 14 percent were in classes for gifted chilren.  They were also twice as likely to have been suspended from school compared to children living in higher- income families. 

The study looked at several indicators of parental involvement with children, which research has shown leads to fewer behavioral problems.

Most children ate regularly with at least one parent, nearly all received daily praise from a parent and 72 percent talked or played with a parent for fun three or more times a day. Older children tended to eat with parents less frequently and receive praise less often.

Children between 1 and 5 years old were read to about seven times a week, findings that "present a fairly consistent portrait of children whose parents read to them on a regular basis," the report said.

Among children living below the poverty level, however, about 40 percent were read to seven or more times a week, compared with about 46 percent of those living in households with income 200 percent or more above the poverty level.

The study also found:

Among youngsters age 3 to 17, 58 percent lived with rules limiting their television viewing.

A quarter of children under age 3 had spent time in child care arrangements not involving a family member.

Nearly half of children age 3 to 5 had spent time in child care, most likely because many begin preschool at that age.

Almost 7 percent of children had not been read to in the previous week.

More than 36 percent of children age 6 to 11 were involved in extracurricular sports, 33 percent were in clubs and 32 percent took lessons

Poverty has a far reaching affect upon our children. We can no longer afford to ignore child poverty in the United States.  In a nation that has so much money, it is a shame to have children not having adequate food or shelter, or any of the basic necessities.  We have to do something.    We can either pay now by investing in our children so that they have a chance to be productive citizens realizing the great American Dream, or we can wait and pay later for more prisons, increase our welfare rolls, and perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

Hopefully, the Democratic congress will get around to addressing this important issue.

 

Technorati tags: Loretta Perkins, poverty, Democratic congress, school performance, National Center for Children in Poverty, teen pregnancy, emotional problems, CNN, American Dream, child poverty