- Examiner Local Editorial: Charter Schools Are Ending the Minority Achievement Gap [Friendship PCS is mentioned]
- Brown Introduces D.C. Teacher Incentive Bill
- Brown Introduces Bill to Move Top Teachers into High-Need Schools
- Brown Proposes Getting Top Teachers to Bottom Schools
- Brown: D.C. Must Continue School Reform
- Improved D.C. Public Schools May Breed Racial Conflict
- Donate to FOCUS
Examiner Local Editorial: Charter Schools Are Ending the Minority Achievement Gap [Friendship PCS is mentioned]
The Washington Examiner
By Examiner Editorial
November 3, 2011
A poll commissioned earlier this year by Friends of Choice in Urban Schools found that District families who stand to benefit the most from public charter schools know the least about them. Many erroneously believe charter schools are privately funded, charge tuition and require admissions tests. So last month, FOCUS began a yearlong advertising campaign on Metro to educate parents in Wards 7 and 8 about the remarkable success of school choice in the District since 1996, when the city passed one of the strongest charter school laws in the nation.
In a telling reversal of their student share, charter schools in the District educate 40 percent of the city's public school children, but account for 60 percent of all the high-performing, open-enrollment schools. Freed from the D.C. Public Schools bureaucratic straitjacket, charters tailor their budgets, personnel and curriculum around the needs of their students (95 percent black and Hispanic) instead of the other way around.
Although the Public School Charter Board has had to close down a few charters because of mismanagement, there is no doubt that school choice has made an enormous difference in the lives of thousands of disadvantaged District youngsters. Donald Hense's Friendship College Academy in Northeast boasts a 96 percent graduation rate -- with 100 percent of its graduates accepted into college. This would be a notable achievement in any school district. In inner-city Washington, it is nothing short of remarkable.
Charter schools are eliminating the minority achievement gap in other urban areas as well. New Orleans now has the largest percentage of charter schools of any other major American city. Disadvantaged minority students attending its Science and Math Academy recently tested in the 80th and 90th percentiles in both English and math.
So did students attending Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts in downtown Richmond, Virginia's first elementary charter school. All of the school's fourth-graders, who mirror the city's demographics, aced their reading and math Standards of Learning tests last year and the school as a whole outscored the surrounding Richmond public school district, PHSSA Vice President Kristen Larson told The Washington Examiner. They did it while attending classes in a church basement and spending 25 percent less per student. In other words, here in D.C. and nationwide, it's public charter schools, not the traditional teachers-union-dominated public schools, that are breaking the failure mold, eliminating the minority achievement gap, and refusing to leave any more disadvantaged children behind.
Brown Introduces D.C. Teacher Incentive Bill
The Washington Post
By Bill Turque
November 3, 2011
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown has formally introduced legislation for a pilot program of bonuses, income tax credits and other incentives to lure good teachers to low-performing schools.
“The Highly Effective Teacher Incentive Act of 2011,” filed Thursday, is a modestly-scaled three-year experiment that would involve four high-needs schools and a maximum of 20 teachers. DCPS educators eligible to apply must be rated “highly effective” under IMPACT teacher evaluations, while public charter school teachers will have to meet an equivalent standard established by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and the charter community.
The schools selected must have D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) proficiency rates of under 40 percent in reading and math, and a population where 75 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Two of the schools would be middle schools.
Like many urban school systems, the District has its top teaching talent in its lowest-needs schools. Of the 663 teachers deemed “highly effective”on the most recent round of IMPACT evaluations, just 71 work in the 41 schools in Wards 7 and 8, while 135 teach in the 10 schools in Ward 3.
“Teachers often hesitate to teach in low-performing schools,” Brown said in a statement, “because they worry about teaching students whose skills are significantly below grade-level and about challenges with classroom discipline. But this is exactly why we need experienced, effective teachers in those classrooms – teachers who already have a track record of success.”
The proposed incentives are:
— A $10,000 annual bonus (over and above any IMPACT bonuses) for every year the teacher stays in a high-needs school.
— Homebuyer and housing assistance, including access to subsidized rental housing units; forgivable loans for a downpayment of up to 10 percent of the median home price in the District, and access to low-interest mortgage loans.
— Tuition assistance, including reimbursement for specific courses that lead to certification in high-demand subjects such as math and science.
— Loan repayment assistance for existing education loans.
— Income tax credits.
There are several reasons that teachers avoid more challenging schools. Some say IMPACT is a major disincentive because an “ineffective” rating can lead to dismissal. Brown had initially floated the idea of waiving annual evaluations for highly effective teachers willing to make the jump. The legislation instead directs Mayor Vincent C. Gray--and presumably Chancellor Kaya Henderson-- to analyze the waiver of IMPACT requirements for those in the pilot. Teachers would still be subject to evaluation, but would not risk losing their “highly effective” status.
“Let me be clear,” said Brown, “I support IMPACT as an evaluation system, and I believe that any teachers participating in this program should still be subject to evaluation. I also believe that we should strongly consider the strategy of allowing teachers to keep their ‘highly effective’ status as an incentive for teaching in a high-need school.”
Brown Introduces Bill to Move Top Teachers into High-Need Schools
The Washington Examiner
By Lisa Gartner
November 3, 2011
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown officially introduced legislation Thursday to draw top teachers into high-need schools with$10,000 annual bonuses and other monetary incentives.
In his announcement, Brown also urged Mayor Vincent Gray to conduct an analysis of waiving Impact evaluations for highly effective teachers who participate in a pilot program, as The Washington Examiner first reported.
"The Highly Effective Teacher Incentive Act of 2011" directs Mayor Vincent Gray to establish a pilot program in four public schools with proficiency rates below 40 percent in both math and reading, and poverty rates of 75 percent or higher (as determined by number of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch).
"Teachers often hesitate to teach in low-performing schools, because they worry about teaching students whose skills are significantly below grade-level and about challenges with classroom discipline," said Brown, who has been leading council hearings on the city's troubled middle schools "But this is exactly why we need experienced, effective teachers in those classrooms — teachers who already have a track record of success."
To apply for the pilot, DCPS educators must receive "highly effective" ratings on their Impact evaluations. Public charter school teachers also will be eligible under similar standards to be created by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and charter school board.
Currently, Impact's top teachers are heavily clustered in the city's more affluent areas like Ward 3, D.C. Public Schools officials have said. Although teachers in schools with higher poverty rates are eligible for larger bonuses, many critics have contended that it's too risky for a teacher in Ward 3 to transfer into a more challenging classroom.
At least two of the four schools are required to be middle schools, and teachers selected for the pilot would have to commit for at least three years, lest they sacrifice their incentives.
Those include a bonus of $10,000 — above any Impact bonuses — for each year the teacher remains in the high-need school; homebuyer and other housing assistance; tuition assistance; and income tax credits.
Washington Teachers' Union President Nathan Saunders met with Brown's team on Thursday to discuss the legislation. In an interview Thursday, Saunders said these incentives need to be available for highly effective teachers already working in these challenging schools.
"There's no way in the world that I'm going to stand by and let high-performing teaching already in these communities receive less than they should receive, and I reiterated that issue to Chairman Brown," Saunders said.
Based on his conversation with Brown, Saunders said he believes the chairman shares that belief. "The people who are there doing a good job should share in the goodies," Saunders said.
Brown Proposes Getting Top Teachers to Bottom Schools
The Washington Times
By Tom Howell Jr.
November 3, 2011
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown has proposed legislation that offers a $10,000 bonus and other incentives to top-rated city teachers who agree to work in public schools that need their expertise.
Mr. Brown says the three-year pilot program for as many as 20 teachers would give four “high-need” schools - two of which must be middle schools - a needed boost. It also would reassure instructors who worry that teaching in schools with lower test scores will impact their evaluations, his office said.
Mr. Brown, a Democrat, said his goal is to help students in underachieving schools, not force teachers to leave their current schools.
“For too long in this city, we haven’t addressed this issue,” he said.
Teachers who commit to the program would still be subject to evaluation under IMPACT - a controversial program that scores teachers based on classroom observations and student achievement. However, the teachers would not risk losing their “highly effective” status during the three-year period.
“The intent is, you’re not going to get fired in the first year after you go to one of the most-troubled schools,” Mr. Brown said in an interview.
The chairman said he supports the IMPACT system, which public schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson has continued to use after it was instituted by her predecessor and former boss, Michelle Rhee.
Critics of the program say lower student achievement in needier areas of the city skew the results.
Public school officials could not be reached for comment, but Mr. Brown said he has spoken to Ms. Henderson about the proposal.
Mr. Brown’s legislation defines “high-need schools” as those with a proficiency rate in reading and math below 40 percent and with 75 percent or more of its student body eligible for free and reduced-price lunch.
Nathan Saunders, president of the Washington Teachers Union, said the legislation recognizes a disparity in the school system and is part of reform that “gets away from penalizing teachers.”
“In that context, it’s to be commended,” he said.
Mr. Saunders also said the program likely would benefit most the students and parents of Wards 5, 7 and 8, but associating the bill with one part of the city would be a “misnomer.”
He said highly effective teachers are already in those eastern wards and he looks forward to a “healthy debate” on making sure those teachers also are rewarded.
In addition to needing to be rated highly effective at a D.C. public school or charter school, teachers risk losing their incentives if they break their three-year commitment under the program.
Teachers are eligible for homebuyer and other housing assistance, tuition assistance and income tax credits in addition to the $10,000 bonus.
Mayor Vincent C. Gray and the Office of the State Superintendent for Education would select the schools for the project, which could expand to more schools if it is successful, according to Mr. Brown’s office.
Three to five teachers would be selected for each school, the bill states.
Mr. Brown’s office provided a list of legislation from 16 states that offer similar incentives to teachers who take jobs in underserved areas. Included is a Louisiana bill that provides income tax credits to those who take jobs in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Mr. Brown said he recognizes that not everyone will be fully on board when debate starts on the D.C. bill, but “to create real change, not everyone’s going to be happy.”
Brown: D.C. Must Continue School Reform
The Northwest Current
By Staff
November 2, 2011
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown told the D.C. Rotary Club last week that one of the school system’s biggest problems is that teachers working at high-performing schools who have been deemed highly successful fear being shifted to low-performing schools. While working at a low-performing school offers an opportunity for a bigger bonus, some teachers worry that such a move would make it harder for them to teach successfully and could therefore put their jobs at risk, Brown said. Brown told the Rotarians he is working on legislation that would give teachers rated highly in highperforming schools a “pass” if they do not do well in a low-performing school.
Brown said he is also working on a parent accountability bill, as too many low-income parents do not meet with teachers or participate in their children’s school activities. Though noting that D.C. has “the nation’s hottest school reform” effort and has successfully modernized many school buildings, Brown said the city is lagging in its effort to offer “wraparound services” to children. Despite big gains, the District is still “nowhere near where we need to be,” he added. The city’s middle schools, he said, remain a huge challenge.
The result is that parents often move to Virginia or Maryland when their children reach sixth grade. “The worst experience of my life,” he said, was deciding where to send his daughter to middle school. “Middle school is clearly where we’re failing.” Adult education and job training are also key, Brown noted. The city has added programs for adults on the welfare rolls, who under new rules must participate in job training, he said. On the financial front, Brown noted that the city is looking at a nearly $100 million surplus in the just-completed 2011 fiscal year, while Maryland appears to have a $1 billion deficit.
And he echoed statements by Mayor Vincent Gray and other civic leaders that D.C. has “the hottest real estate market in the country — unquestionably.”
But in answer to a question, he said he fears “the 2013 budget will be worse than any budget we’ve ever seen.” With federal aid for cities being cut, he explained, the District will definitely suffer.
Brown also expressed a fear that the recently adopted top income tax rate might spur some wealthy residents to leave and potential wealthy newcomers to choose the suburbs over the city, thereby depriving the District of their taxes. But Brown does not oppose all revenue-enhancing measures. Whenasked if the District should follow the lead of Singapore and London and charge a fee for cars driving downtown, Brown said the city is studying a high-occupancy toll lane for 14th or 16th streets.
“I haven’t seen all the details, but it’s something we’re looking at now,” he said. New development will also bring jobs and tax revenue to the city: Brown cited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security facility in Ward 8, Shaw’s O Street Market, the soon-to-be-built Howard Town Center at the foot of Georgia Avenue, and the planned Walter Reed development. Brown predicted that in the nottoo- distant future, Anacostia would be the city’s next H Street as a hot place for development.
Improved D.C. public schools may breed racial conflict
The Washington Examiner
By Staff
November 3, 2011
Public schools in the District's Upper Northwest are thriving, thanks to the building modernization programs and education reforms begun under the Fenty Administration.
This is swell for the residents of Upper Caucasia, where the white folks reside. But as schools west of Rock Creek thrive, families in the rest of the city, in primarily black neighborhoods, are asking: Why not us?
In a recent column I prognosticated that D.C.'s wedge issues were more about economics and class than race. I am about to eat those words. In investigating seismic changes affecting our public schools, I see the chance for a nasty era of conflict over race and class in the public schools.
Let's begin with Janney Elementary School in Tenleytown, which opened its renovated building this school season. It's already at capacity and about to burst its seams.
Janney's graduating class will have the option of crossing Wisconsin Avenue and attending Alice Deal Middle School, also the beneficiary of a recent renovation. In decades past, the white and mostly middle-class families who make up Janney might have sent their offspring to a private middle school or moved to Maryland, where the public schools offered a better education. Now they are shipping their kids to Alice Deal en masse.
Deal, which has for years accepted students from across the city, is jammed. When my daughter attended it five years ago, half of her classmates were black. Now Deal is turning vanilla.
Woodrow Wilson Senior High, a few hundred yards west, is the city's largest public high school. It opened its doors on a fabulous renovation in August. Built for 1,500, it is already overenrolled by more than 150 students. For decades it has taken students from Northwest to Southwest, across town by the Anacostia River.
Meanwhile, many public schools in the city's eastern wards are half empty -- and not renovated. Not one of the open-enrollment high schools is even close to full. Many black parents want to send their kids across the park to Deal and Wilson, and in years past, they could.
Those days are o-v-e-r, because white families have returned to the neighborhood schools.
"I have a sense we're not confronting this," says Mary Cheh, who represents Ward 3 where the schools are jammed. "We have to start now; it's going to take time."
It's going to take political fortitude and cause severe pain. More schools in black neighborhoods must be closed. "No question about it," agrees Council Chair Kwame Brown. But will the school system and Brown's colleagues face the wrath of residents opposed to the closings? Brown wants to build new schools in eastern wards that have "parity" with the Northwest schools, where he is able to send his children.
Cheh presented public school Chancellor Kaya Henderson with a boundary map that showed kids from Southwest traveling eight miles to Wilson. Why not move boundaries and send them to the renovated Eastern High, two miles away?
Easy to ask; difficult to achieve.
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