Carney's Commentary

Straight A’s (April 25, 2005, Vol.5, No.8)
According to a report, What Counts: Defining and Improving High School Graduation Rates (from the NASSP) has led to a request of an investment of $3.5 billion to address the academic needs of low-performing high school students. Further info is at http://www.all4ed.org/publications/StraightAs/Volume4No15.html

The USDE has announced a grant competition for a program to assist states in the design, development, and implementation of statewide longitudinal data systems (only state ed agencies may apply). More info at http://www.ed.gov/programs/slds/applicant.html

The “exit” exam question is addressed at www.schoolredesing.net/srn/mm/mm.php

From Better Schools (CCOSA, May 2005) reports that J.B. Flatt and Dr. Sandy Wisley are retiring. They both will be sorely missed. Also, it is reported that Pam Bradley, Elementary Principal at Tony Goetz E.S. in Muskogee has been selected as the 2005 Administrator of the Year by OAESP. The legal counsel column addresses temporary contracts and dress codes/uniforms (Ron Stakem, legal counsel for CCOSA).

Harvard Education Letter, May/June 2005 Vol. 21, No.3
“Value-added Assessment”…the “value” teachers add to student learning taking into account how far behind or how far ahead students are academically before they enter a classroom. Also, Teacher Quality and Student Learning tied into Value-added data.
“Relationships are the non-interchangeable part of teaching—a factor no study can control for.”

Phi Delta Kappan, May 2005, Vol.86, No.9.
p.643, The National Governors Association has essentially told fed officials to stay away from NCLB at the high school level. Parents have gone on record wanting the emphasis to be on making all neighborhood schools excellent, not on choice provisions. The Work program of the Southern Regional Ed Board states that where vocational and career ed had been cut to make room for more college-prep curricula has had increased dropout rates. Only one in five employers (in a survey) hired young people right out of high school (in large numbers). P.644, Gates spotlighted these schools: First Things First, Kansas City, 30% increase in grads; Met School, Providence, RI, 70% of color, 60% below poverty line, has lowest drop-out rate and highest college-placement in the state; University Prep Academy, Detroit, has lost only one student over the years of operation.