Obvious Move to Take Over Our Public Schools

Independent research in recent months has documented that the nation's wealthiest philanthropic foundations are steering funding away from public school systems, attended by 90 percent of American students, and toward "challengers" to public education, especially charter schools. 

By 2010, $540 million -- fully 64 percent of major foundation giving -- was directed to these private groups, including KIPP, Teach for America, the NewSchools Venture Fund, the Charter School Growth Fund, and the D.C. Public Education Fund. 

The extent to which these groups will go to supplant the public school system is deeply disturbing.

Despite the growing number of studies showing that charter schools are generally no better -- and are often worse -- than their public school counterparts, "the state and local agencies and organizations that grant the charters," The New York Times reports, "have been increasingly hesitant to shut down schools, even those that continue to perform abysmally for years on end."

This disconnect between the claims of "reformers" bent on privatization and demonstrable outcomes in student performance has been enabled, in large part, by the nation's mainstream media, which has been sold a bill of goods about so-called "school reform." As a result, the agenda of the nation's public school system is at risk of being bought out by a relatively small number of corporate billionaires and their tax-sheltered foundations whose privatization models do more to raise profits than student performance.

I encourage you to read the full article: Diann Woodard: The Corporate Takeover of Public Education

America’s Education Spring: A Growing Revolt Against ‘Reform’ Mandates - NEPC

America’s Education Spring: A Growing Revolt Against ‘Reform’ Mandates | National Education Policy Center

Kirp declared that mounting evidence from school reform efforts in major U.S. metropolitan areas reveals “it’s a terrible time for advocates of market-driven reform in public education. For more than a decade, their strategy – which makes teachers’ careers turn on student gains in reading and math tests, and promotes competition through charter schools and vouchers – has been the dominant policy mantra. But now the cracks are showing.”

In ever-greater numbers, however, students are also leading the resistance. A recent article in The Nation reported on the growing student resistance movement driven by grievances over austerity budgets and systemic racism.

 From all corners of the country – North Carolina to Philadelphia to Louisiana to Chicago – students as young as eight years old are organizing and taking part in a variety of actions including zombie protests, school walkouts and sit-ins, and acts of defiance like the recent rant by a high school student in Texas that went viral over the Internet when he castigated a seemingly indifferent teacher for dispensing education in “packets” rather than engaging the class in meaningful, relevant learning.

In many places, teachers and parents are supporting rebellious students and even joining in the protests. Grassroots parent groups, in fact, have been the driving force behind efforts to beat back school voucher proposals in Tennessee and parent trigger legislation in Florida.

How to Make School Funding Fair

"Larger questions surround what states should do to address funding inequities between school districts. Most states have adopted funding formulas aimed at ameliorating differences in the ability of districts to raise funding from local property taxes. Property-wealthy towns are able to raise more dollars at lower tax rates than property-poor districts, leading to inequities in per-pupil funding. Yet, as the commission report points out, prior attempts to address these inequities, such as through state funding formulas, merely patch a broken system and fail to redress inequities or to produce the kind of academic achievement our children need and deserve.

"The time has come to strongly consider the need for larger systematic reform of funding systems. In a chapter in the recently released book Education Governance for the Twenty-First Century: Overcoming the Structural Barriers to School Reform, I propose a "new" approach to school funding: States should adopt a state-based system of school financing—one in which states provide all nonfederal resources for education, and districts no longer have the power to raise funds from local property taxes.

"Under such a system, all districts would receive the resources they need to educate all of their children. Funding levels would be based on the specific needs of the students and of the districts, not just the resources districts are fiscally able to raise based on local property values. Local schools and districts would be able to provide additional funding of up to 10 percent of their state allocation for local priorities and programs."

Read the rest of this article at Education Week: How to Make School Funding Fair

Photo taken from How are We Funding Educational Inequality?

Michigan Legalizes Discrimination in School Aid Act

Michigan's House and Senate passed the 2013-14 school aid budget containing new language that is not only discriminatory but could force school districts to take on the role of the INS in weeding out students who are not legally residents of the United States.

The act includes a new Section 41 which provides a modest carrot for schools ($1.2 million) to provide literacy instruction to students with evaluated as having limited English proficiency. But the stick mandates that these funds NOT be used for any students, regardless of age or circumstances that brought them here, that are not living legally in this country.

Here's the actual language soon to be signed with the rest of the bill by Governor Rick Snyder, who likes to posture himself as someone interested in reforming schools for higher academic achievement --- that is unless you are as young as a 5 year old who doesn't even know you aren't living here legally.

SEC. 41. (1) FROM THE APPROPRIATION IN SECTION 11, THERE IS
ALLOCATED AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,200,000.00 FOR 2013-2014 TO
APPLICANT DISTRICTS AND INTERMEDIATE DISTRICTS OFFERING PROGRAMS OF  INSTRUCTION FOR PUPILS OF LIMITED ENGLISH-SPEAKING ABILITY UNDER SECTION 1153 OF THE REVISED SCHOOL CODE, MCL 380.1153. SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (2), REIMBURSEMENT SHALL BE ON A PER-PUPIL BASIS AND SHALL BE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PUPILS OF LIMITED ENGLISH-SPEAKING ABILITY IN MEMBERSHIP ON THE PUPIL MEMBERSHIP COUNT DAY. FUNDS ALLOCATED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE USED SOLELY FOR INSTRUCTION IN SPEAKING, READING, WRITING, OR COMPREHENSION OF ENGLISH. A PUPIL SHALL NOT BE COUNTED UNDER THIS SECTION OR INSTRUCTED IN A PROGRAM UNDER THIS SECTION FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS. 

(2) A DISTRICT OR INTERMEDIATE DISTRICT SHALL NOT RECEIVE FUNDS UNDER THIS SECTION IF IT ALLOWS PUPILS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION WHO ARE NOT RESIDING IN THE UNITED STATES LEGALLY. (emphasis added)

Besides it's discriminatory foundation, this is language no doubt perpetrated by the Tea Party members of the House, many of whom have no interest in helping poor urban schools (where most of the LEP students attend) but see this as just another opportunity to further their personal agendas.

Besides an embarrassment to the entire State of Michigan (is this Pure Michigan?), the provision could force schools to have to single out students whom up to this point have remained "off the radar" as far as K-12 education goes. Once the schools have this type of knowledge, to avoid being penalized and required to pay back funds used in error, it's only a matter of time before the feds come knocking at our door to track them down.

Fortunately, it's highly unlikely this restriction will pass court muster.

Thirty-one years ago the Supreme Court ruled that state and local education agencies are required to provide all children equal access to public education at the elementary and secondary levels. In recognition of this important ruling known as Plyler vs. Doe, the Region IX Equity Assistance Center at WestEd is continuing its efforts to raise awareness and encourage all parents to enroll their children in school.

The education of undocumented students is guaranteed by the Plyler vs. Doe decision and certain procedures must be followed when registering immigrant children in school to avoid violation of their civil rights. 

From All Students Who Live in the United States Have a Right to Public Education

Condition of Education 2013

The U.S. Department of Education has published a rather lengthy tome full of interesting facts and figures about academics, school finance, and demographic data effecting elementary, secondary and post-high school education.

The Condition of Education 2013 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 42 indicators on the status and condition of education, in addition to Spotlights that look more closely at 4 issues of current interest. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available.

To save time, I've culled some of the most interesting facts and trends below regarding K-12 education. Most are direct quotes lifted from the document but a few have been edited for space or to provide additional information needed to make sense of the data. I leave the drawing of conclusions to the reader:

Across OECD countries, the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds who had earned a college degree was higher in 2010 (22 percent) than in 2001 (15 percent). The percentage of the U.S. adult population with a bachelor's or higher degree was 32 percent in 2010, compared with 28 percent in 2001.  (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development is an organization of 34 countries whose purpose is to promote trade and economic growth.)

In 2011, young adults with a bachelor's degree earned almost twice as much as those without a high school diploma or its equivalent (97 percent more), 50 percent more than young adult high school completers, and 21 percent more than young adults with an associate's degree.

Between 1990 and 2012, the educational attainment rate of 25- to 29-year-olds who received at least a high school diploma or its equivalent increased for Whites (from 90 to 95 percent), Blacks (from 82 to 89 percent), Hispanics (from 58 to 75 percent), and Asians/Pacific Islanders (from 92 to 96 percent).

In 2012, the unemployment rate for those with at least a bachelor's degree was lower than the rates for those with lower levels of educational attainment. During the most recent economic recession (December 2007 through June 2009), the unemployment rate increased less for those who had at least a bachelor's degree than for those who had less than a bachelor's degree.

In 2011, approximately 21 percent (1-in-5) of school-age children in the United States were in families living in poverty. For Black children the rate was 39 percent (1-in-2.5); for Hispanic children the rate was 34 percent (1-in-3).

In the fall of 2010, reading scores were higher, on average, for delayed-entry kindergartners (36 points) and repeating kindergartners (37 points) than for on-time kindergartners (35 points). In the spring of 2011, however, reading scores were higher for delayed-entry kindergartners and on-time kindergartners (51 and 50 points, respectively) than for repeating kindergartners (48 points).

From 1980 to 2011, the percentage of 3- to 5-year-olds enrolled in preprimary programs increased from 53 percent to 64 percent. The percentage of these children who attended full-day programs increased from 32 percent to 59 percent during this time period.

From school years 2010–11 through 2021–22, public elementary and secondary school enrollment is projected to increase by 7 percent from 49.5 to 53.1 million students, but decrease in Michigan by as high as 5 percent.

The percentage of public school students in the United States who were English language learners (ELL) was higher in 2010–11 (10 percent) than in 2002–03 (9 percent). In 2011, the achievement gaps between ELL and non-ELL students in the NAEP reading assessment were 36 points at the 4th-grade level and 44 points at the 8th-grade level.

From school years 1980–81 through 2004–05, the number of children and youth ages 3–21 who received special education services increased to 14 percent of student population, as did their percentage of total public school students. The number and percentage of children and youth served under IDEA have declined each year from 2005–06 through 2010–11 to 13 percent of student population.

In school year 2010–11, some 20 percent of public school students attended a high-poverty school, compared with 12 percent in 1999–2000. In 2010–11, some 24 percent of public school students attended a low-poverty school, compared with 45 percent in 1999–2000.

From 1992 to 2011, the rate of nonfatal crime against students declined from 181 to 49 crimes per 1,000 students at school, or from nearly 1 in 5 students in 1992 to about 1 in 20 students in 2011; away from school, the rate of nonfatal crime against students also declined from 173 to 38 crimes per 1,000 students.

From 1955 to 1985, public school pupil/teacher ratios fell from 26.9 to 17.9. Over the next 23 years, the public school pupil/teacher ratio declined by two additional students per teacher to 15.3 in 2008. There were slight increases in 2009 (15.4) and in 2010 (16.0). Private school pupil/teacher ratios decreased more steeply over this period, from 31.7 in 1955 to 12.2 in 2010. As a result, pupil/teacher ratios have been lower in private schools than in public schools since 1972.

From school years 2000–01 through 2009–10, total elementary and secondary public school revenues increased from $522 billion to $627 billion (in constant 2011–12 dollars), a 20 percent increase, adjusting for inflation. From school years 2008–09 through 2009–10, total revenues for public elementary and secondary schools decreased by about $1 billion, or less than 1 percent.

From 1999–2000 through 2009–10, current expenditures per student enrolled in the fall in public elementary and secondary schools increased by 20 percent, after adjusting for inflation. The relative increase in expenditures per student for instruction (19 percent) was greater than that for administration (15 percent) but smaller than that for student services (35 percent).

When adjusting for inflation, combined salaries and benefits have remained at 81 percent of expenditures since 1999. In 1999-2000, 65 percent of expenditures were for salaries and 16 percent for benefits. In 2009-10, 60 percent of expenditures were for salaries and 21 percent for benefits. The portions of expenditures for purchased services (9-10 percent) and supplies (8 percent) have remained steady.

In comparing international expenditures for education in 2009, countries with greater Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (in U.S. dollars) spend more money on K-12 education. There is a strict correlation to this relationship. In other words, a country's wealth (defined as GDP per capita) is positively associated with expenditures per full-time-equivalent student on education at the elementary and secondary level.

Despite significantly changing demographics (race, ethnicity, economics, and special needs) and higher academic requirements, in 2011, the average reading score for 4th-grade students measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) (221) was not measurably different from the 2009 score (221), but it was higher than the scores on assessments between 1992 (217) and 2005 (219). For 8th-grade students, the average reading score in 2011 (265) was 1 point higher than in 2009 (264) and 5 points higher than in 1992 (260), but was not always measurably different from scores on assessments given in other years. In 2009, the average reading score for 12th-grade students (288) was 2 points higher than in 2005 (286) but 4 points lower than in 1992 (292).

Again, despite significantly changing demographics (race, ethnicity, economics, and special needs) and higher academic requirements, for grades 4 and 8, the average mathematics scores in 2011 on the NAEP were higher than the average scores for those grades in all previous assessment years dating back to 1990.  Twelfth-graders were most recently assessed in 2009; in that year, the average 12th-grade mathematics score was 3 points higher than in 2005, the first year that the revised assessment was administered.

In summary, the average reading and mathematics scores on the long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were higher in 2008 than in the early 1970s for 9- and 13-year-olds; however, scores for 17-year-olds were not measurably different from the early 1970s.

The percentages of high school graduates who had taken mathematics courses in algebra I, geometry, algebra II/trigonometry, analysis/precalculus, statistics/ probability, and calculus increased from 1990 to 2009. The percentages of high school graduates who had taken science courses in chemistry and physics also increased between 1990 and 2009. This trend held for all racial/ethnic groups.

The gap in the status dropout rate between high-income and low-income families narrowed between 1970 and 2011, particularly during the past two decades, when the gap narrowed from 21 percentage points in 1990 to 11 percentage points in 2011.

Between 1975 and 2011, the immediate college enrollment rate increased from 51 percent to 68 percent. In 2011, the immediate enrollment rate for high school completers from low-income families (52 percent) was 30 percentage points lower than the rate for completers from high-income families (82 percent, based on a 3-year moving average).

Source citation:

Aud, S., Wilkinson-Flicker, S., Kristapovich, P., Rathbun, A., Wang, X., and Zhang, J. (2013). The Condition of Education 2013 (NCES 2013-037). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC. Retrieved 5/28/13 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.