http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/ News that impacts the K-12 education scene. en Copyright 2008 Tue, 13 May 2008 08:49:17 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss From Guilford County Schools: "In recognition and affirmation of efforts to improve energy efficiency in school facilities, Guilford County Schools (GCS) will participate in a meeting with North Carolina's Governor Mike Easley. "The meeting takes place today at 1 p.m. and will be held at the Governor's Office in the Governor's conference room. During the meeting, individuals will discuss increasing energy efficiency in public schools. Representatives from the State Energy Office, the North Carolina, Department of Public Instruction, local universities and other school districts will join GCS staff for the meeting.... "GCS is the first school district in the state to develop its own set of detailed green design specifications, known as the G3-Guilford Green Guide. Northern Middle, which opened in January of 2007, features comprehensive and well-integrated green design, including a daylighting system, an underfloor air distribution system and solar heating. Additionally, a holistic water cycle approach catches rainwater for toilet flushing and takes it to a living machine, through underground irrigation and to an aquifer." http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/gov_easley_to_t.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/gov_easley_to_t.shtml state Tue, 13 May 2008 08:49:17 -0500 numbers. Many voters go on name recognition, regardless of the candidates stance on the issues. Some of the people I talked to said they could not even remember what at-large candidate they selected. And this was five minutes walking out the door. One gentleman I interviewed said he picked Sandra Alexander because a campaign volunteer handed him a card with her name on it on his way into Eastern Middle School. Another woman said she voted for David Crawford because her husband told her to (she couldn't remember why her husband was a supporter). I talked to Michael McKinney last night and he said a woman voted for him because his name sounded right. Huh? Clearly, there is no direct correlation between number of votes and support of the candidates' positions on educational issues. There may, however, be a more direct correlation when it comes to funds spent. Both Sandra Alexander and McKinney spent more than $2,000 on their campaigns, according to the Guilford County Board of Elections. Alan Hawkes spent $456. No reports were filed by David Crawford and Erik Huey. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/scratching_my_h.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/scratching_my_h.shtml 2008 Election Fri, 09 May 2008 14:23:06 -0500 I am reporting on the school board's 2008-09 budget line item review, which has been going on since 7:30 a.m. The board is on page 12 of 31 so this could be going on for a while longer. A couple notable points that I am following up on today: * Wanda Frazier, the district's risk manager, is reviewing two bids for new property insurance coverage. The financial services department has increased its budget for 2008-09 by 30 percent to about $798,000, and has increased the values of its facilities by 37 percent. The department took a deeper look at its property insurance coverage after Eastern Guilford High was destroyed by fire in November 2006. Frazier hopes to have a recommendation to the board within two weeks. * The board is considering the budget impact of adopting a "living wage" of $12.40 an hour for its classified employees (estimated to cost about $5 million). The salary increases would benefit employees such as bus drivers, teaching assistants and cafeteria workers, some who are making about $10 an hour. The board will discuss the budget more at its regular meeting on Thursday. Stay tuned for details from today's review. http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/notables_in_tod.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/notables_in_tod.shtml 2008-09 budget Wed, 07 May 2008 10:17:20 -0500 vocalizing his support for the $457 million school bond package last week or a Monday press conference where black school board members essentially told Guilford County Schools show us the results before we show you the money. Deena Hayes, Amos Quick and Walter Childs, as well as concerned citizens, are frustrated at the ongoing achievement gaps between black and white students as well as the low percentage of black contractor participation in school construction (however, Quick has said previously he was more concerned about the costs of the bond and the lack of work being proposed in urban areas). Find details of the rationale listed here. None of this is news as you can hear the board members complain about this frequently at board meetings. As a matter of fact, the board is expecting a report soon from Gongshu Zhang, chief accountability officer, on the performance of minority students. To the district's credit, it has tried to address the concerns stated above. Find here a presentation of what Guilford County Schools is doing to work with the minority contractors community. If you run a query at the Department of Public Instruction's Web site, you can see that the performance of black students on state exams has gone up some, but there is still clearly an achievement gap. Kris Cooke, a school board member who supports the bonds, had a lot to say about the issue. "I think they know that we're trying to address (the concerns)," Cooke said. "The minority contractors for sure aren't going to have any business if we don't have any construction going on." Cooke said that frustrated board members and citizens should target the inadequate county, state and federal funds the district receives, not construction dollars, which don't cover curriculum and instruction. "The gap was made over a long period of time and it's going to take time to close it," Cooke said. What do you think? Are the aforementioned concerns reason enough to oppose the bonds? ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/black_board_mem.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/05/black_board_mem.shtml Mon, 05 May 2008 15:32:28 -0500 Bonds for Schools Committee that former Gov. Jim Hunt will try to rally support for both school bonds at on Wednesday at Allen Middle School. Government officials and the media have been invited. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/former_gov_hunt.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/former_gov_hunt.shtml 2008 Bond Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:21:30 -0500 today's story explain the reasons voters have for supporting or opposing the $457 million school bond package. But I was sick this week and had to quickly prioritize story details. What I couldn't fit in the story: Answers to various questions from Joe Hill, facilities consultant; estimates of operating costs for the bond projects (not including personnel); and answers to busing questions from transportation Director Jeff Harris. Thanks to Jeff Mills and Jennifer Fernandez for graciously filling in on those board meetings. Wish I could say I missed covering them. ;-) ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/457_million_in.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/457_million_in.shtml 2008 Bond Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:45:16 -0500 article in the current The School Administrator caught my eye. The article, "It's the system (not the staff) that needs a tuneup" by Lee Jenkins, states the case that school systems must deal with the underlying systematic flaws that hold back student progress, rather than loading up on program after program. Current system flaws, according to Jenkins, include: * Teachers spend more time than they should reviewing material from the previous academic year; * Schools hold students accountable for their short-term memory, but schools are held accountable for students' long-term memory; * Schools use ranking, the bell curve and other statistical tools suitable for competive sports, but unacceptable for nonathletic endeavors; * Schools rarely collect baseline data prior to a change, so opinions abound but facts are minimal. Reading this article got me thinking about Guilford County Schools and the complaints I often get from teachers and students that the district tries program after program to improve student achievement and behavior and other areas. Without systems thinking, administrators (whether they be inside a school system or other government entity) work in silos and make changes without realizing their impacts on other seemingly non-related areas. In what areas do you think GCS is doing well when it comes to thinking systematically and in what areas does the district need transformation? ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/does_gcs_engage.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/does_gcs_engage.shtml Central office Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:42:07 -0500 survey. A couple incentives: All schools with 100 percent participation are eligible for a weekly drawing of a $1,000 grant to improve teaching conditions. Educators also are eligible for a weekly cash prize of $1,000 and a $2,500 plasma television grand prize from AT&T. Survey results will be released on June 1. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/working_conditi.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/working_conditi.shtml Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:48:13 -0500 Alliance for Excellent Education this week with the headline "Nation's dropout rate decreases tax revenue," which somewhat states the obvious. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/counting_the_co.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/counting_the_co.shtml reports Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:59:42 -0500 summary and full report of the brief below: GREENSBORO --- An analysis released Friday by the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNCG found that Guilford County Schools had a local economic impact of $1.32 billion and supported 15,777 jobs during the 2006-07 school year. That impact is close to the economic and jobs impacts of Moses Cone Health System, the High Point Furniture Market and UNCG, according to the center's Director Andrew Brod, who did the study at the request of the district. The analysis includes the total impact of the district's operations, and indirect savings stemming from a lowered drop-out rate, increased scholarships and Advanced Placement collge credit. "This gives you a feel for what kind of footprint Guilford County Schools has in our local economy," Brod told elected officials gathered at a breakfast in Greensboro on Friday. The study also included a separate total of the amount of direct and spillover dollars spent in Guilford County as a result of the 2000 and 2003 school bonds. Brod calculated that the previous $500 million worth of bonds contributed $787.1 million to the local economy. He estimated the 2008 school bonds, totaling $457.3 million, would contribute $656.8 million. Brod will present the report again to the public at 4:30 p.m. on Monday at Andrews High School and at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Smith High School.]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/gcs_provides_ec.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/gcs_provides_ec.shtml reports Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:46:24 -0500 spreadsheet of the cost estimates. In yellow are the propals discussed last night. Some proposals do not yet have figures attached. I am getting ready to leave for an interview, so I will have to provide details about last night's meeting at a later time. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/adding_up_the_n.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/adding_up_the_n.shtml school climate Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:18:20 -0500 beating doing this about a week ahead of a candidate forum that will take place at Northern High next Tuesday. Huey says the Webchat will be an opportunity for citizens to ask questions and dialogue with the candidate in real-time about the issues in his campaign. The discussion will take place from 7-9 p.m. and can be accessed here or here. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/huey_to_hold_vi.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/huey_to_hold_vi.shtml 2008 Election Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:57:45 -0500 list of desired superintendent traits. I took a look at the more than 200 comments submitted since Feb. 21 and the suggestions ranged from leader who would pursue more release time for religious activities to a someone who would staff schools with teachers and administrators from a wide variety of ethnic groups. Some even mentioned names of desired candidates, such as former Page High Principal Terry Worrell and Superintendent Sharon Patterson of Bibb County, Ga. (she was a runner up in 2006 for the national superintendent of schools award). There were a few general themes. Many commenters said they wanted: 1. A superintendent who would improve discipline in the schools, particularly by kicking out disruptive students or at least placing them in an alternative learning environment. One comment: "We should have zero tolerance in our schools for poor behavior and foul language. As adults we owe it to all kids to set a better example by enforcing consequences." 2. A superintendent who was not obsessed with numbers are career-building. One comment: "Our leader needs to be concerned about learning and not numbers. A 2.9% drop-out rate does not indicate highly motivated students. It merely indicates that students over 16 are opting to stay in school where they are free to loiter, attend class at will, create constant disruption, and conduct their social and other business; and ultimately deny other students their right to an education." 3. A superintendent who better supports the arts. One comment: "It is imperative that we continue to educate our children in differing art disciplines and thought processes; we must help children tap into their creativity so that our nation can survive in the global market." 4. A superintendent who will be more supportive of teachers, particularly by increasing the number of teaching assistants in elementary schools. One comment: "I understand the decision to scale back or eliminate teaching assistants and try to limit class size based on findings that test scores rise with lower class sizes. While I think the goals is a worthwhile one, its implementation is flawed because it fails to consider the psychological effect on a teachernot to have another adult in the room for instructional differentiation, as well as temporary relief for a teacher or student who is losing it."]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/what_do_people.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/what_do_people.shtml Central office Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:51:59 -0500 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress, whose results were released Thursday. Students' writing scores decreased when compared with results from 2002, the last time the national test was given. However, 87 percent of students scored at the basic level or above on the writing test. About 4,000 students at 150 N.C. schools participated. You can find the full state press release here. NAEP is often referred to as "The Nation's Report Card" because it is the only common assessment used by all states. Average writing scores increased from 2002 to 2007 for 19 of the 39 states and jurisdictions that participated in the writing assessment in both years. North Carolina eighth-graders averaged a scale score of 153 in 2007, compared to a national average of 154. North Carolina's average scale score was 150 in 1998; in 2002, the score was 157, one of the highest in the nation at the time. In general, North Carolina students performing at the 50th percentile or below maintained their performance level from 2002 to 2007, while students at the 75th or 90th percentile lost ground. Students at the 50th percentile decreased four points during this period, but this change was not statistically significant, according to the NAEP report. State Superintendent June Atkinson expressed concern about the slip among top-performing students in a brief press conference today. "This points out how we have to pay more attention to how we are serving our students who are high achievers," she said. Atkinson said the state board is requesting more state funding for gifted students. Halifax, Bertie, Hertford and Richmond counties are also getting addtional help. Atkinson added that literary coaches are working with 200 schools in the state and DPI is working with the university system to make sure they graduate teachers who can adequately teach writing processes. Classroom writing assignmens also need to be creative and interesting, Atkinson said. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/2007_naep_writi.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/04/2007_naep_writi.shtml testing Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:17:55 -0500 School Nutrition Association in its Well Done! publication for efforts to improve student health & nutrition through its local wellness policy. Well Done! provides examples of how local wellness policies can have dramatic, positive effects on the entire school system, according to the association. The federal government required all school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program approve wellness policies by July 2006. Policy goals had to include nutrition guidelines for all foods available at schools as well as consistent messaging about nutrition and health. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/03/districts_schoo.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/staff/chalkboard/archives/2008/03/districts_schoo.shtml school nutrition Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:19:56 -0500