NEWS
- Wait list numbers are up for D.C. schools [Two Rivers PCS and LAMB PCS mentioned]
- Charter school student wait list points to need for replication [LAMB PCS, E.W. Stokes PCS, E.L. Haynes PCS, Mundo Verde PCS, Washington Latin PCS, Washington Yu Ying PCS, and Two Rivers PCS mentioned]
- Take a look inside the 600-page rewrite of No Child Left Behind
- Senate’s effort to rewrite NCLB sparks cautious optimism
Wait list numbers are up for D.C. schools [Two Rivers PCS and LAMB PCS mentioned]
The Washington Post
By Michael Alison Chandler
April 8, 2015
More than 8,500 students in the District are on wait lists for one or more charter schools this year, and nearly 7,000 are on wait lists for at least one traditional school, according to data released Tuesday by District school officials.
That’s an 18 percent increase from last year in the number of students on charter wait lists and a 25 percent increase in the number waiting for a spot at a traditional school.
School-by-school wait lists now available on-line here for charter schools and here for D.C. Public Schools underscore the demand citywide for high-performing schools in a city where interest in public schools is growing but quality remains very uneven. Results were released late on March 26th.
Wait lists show that demand is particularly high for specialty programs, including foreign language and Montessori programs, and at the pre-school level as more young families are staying the city.
Families in the District can apply for up to 12 traditional and charter schools through a common lottery. The lottery is run by My School DC, which is operated by the Deputy Mayor for Education’s office. School wait lists were reported by the D.C. Public Charter School Board and D.C. Public Schools.
The District offers full-day preschool to children starting at age 3, but they are not guaranteed a spot and must apply through the lottery. Starting at kindergarten, families do not have to use the lottery if they want to enroll in their neighborhood school.
There were 4,925 applications for Pre-K 3 this year, up from 4,250 last year. The charter board reported more than 9,000 names on wait lists for pre-school through kindergarten, including names appearing on multiple lists.
Two Rivers Public Charter School, an “Expeditionary Learning” school, had the longest wait list of any charter school, with 1,381 children waiting for a spot at one campus in Northeast serving preschool through eighth grade. Latin American Montessori Bilingual public charter school in Northwest had the longest list for Pre-K 3, with 536 names.
LAMB is one of 16 charter schools out of 112 that did not participate in the common enrollment lottery but offered its own online application instead. Most non-participating schools offer programs for adults or alternative education.
Among traditional schools, Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan had the longest wait list for PreK-3 with 367 families, followed by Ross Elementary School in Ward 2 with 348.
D.C. Public Schools released more detailed information about each school’s wait list that gives parents a better sense of where they sit in comparison to other families, and how quickly or slowly the wait list could move.
Christopher Rinkus, deputy chief of enrollment and school funding at D.C. Public Schools, said when evaluating wait lists, the types of preferences people have on the wait list can be telling.
If there are many families with a clear connection to the school, including an in-boundary preference or another sibling enrolled, they are more likely to accept a seat if its offered, he said.
This is the first year that wait lists will be managed centrally through My School DC. Families can log into a personal account on the web site to see their results and how the numbers change over time. In past years, parents had to call each school if they wanted to know how they were faring.
The deadline for families who got matched with a school through Round 1 to enroll is on May 1, so most of the movement will likely happen after that, but some schools may offer seats before then, said Catherine Peretti, executive director at My School DC.
Families that did not get into any school during Round 1 are eligible to apply for a second round by May 8. The published school-by-school wait lists can help parents find schools that still have available seats.
Charter school student wait list points to need for replication [LAMB PCS, E.W. Stokes PCS, E.L. Haynes PCS, Mundo Verde PCS, Washington Latin PCS, Washington Yu Ying PCS, and Two Rivers PCS mentioned]
The Examiner
By Mark Lerner
April 9, 2015
The student wait list to get into some of the city's highest performing charter schools points to the strong need for these schools to replicate. Unfortunately, for students and families who desperately require a quality seat, many of these schools have no plans to replicate.
Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS (LAMB) has 804 students wanting to get in. Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS could take in an additional 761 children. E.L. Haynes PCS, with three campuses, has 1,082 kids it cannot teach next term. At Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS that number is 1,202. Washington Latin PCS, between its middle and high schools, has 766 kids seeking admission. Washington Yu Ying PCS has a wait list of 969.
Two Rivers PCS, with the greatest backlog of students at 1,381, is currently building another campus.
The names on these lists do contain duplicates so it is not possible to know the true backlog numbers. Still, it is a sad day to see so many residents in the nation's capital not able to gain admission to the school of their choice in the town with one of the nation's leading school choice environments.
These statistics are also terribly disappointing in light of the recent editorial by the DC Public Charter School Board's executive director Scott Pearson and past PCSB chairman John "Skip" McKoy stating that the current balance between charters and traditional schools "is about right." Please try telling that to the parents of those trying to get into the charters listed above and the rest of the families on these rolls. Perhaps the leadership of our local movement needs to go in a different direction.
Take a look inside the 600-page rewrite of No Child Left Behind
The Washington Post
By Lyndsey Layton
April 8, 2015
The bipartisan bill to replace No Child Left Behind that was crafted after months of negotiations between Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would end federal high-stakes testing and grant more power to states to decide what to do about struggling schools and how or whether to evaluate teachers.
The Senate education panel is slated to mark up the bill starting Tuesday. Alexander, a former U.S. education secretary and the committee chair, hopes to bring the bill before the full Senate later in the spring.
The 600-page proposal would make plenty of other changes to the way the country’s 100,000 public schools operate. You can find the bill here and a summary by the Senate committee is here.
Among the provisions:
Testing
States would still have to administer reading and math tests to students in grades three through eight and once in high school, and science tests once in elementary, middle and high school. But states could choose one end-of-year test or a series of smaller tests that would combine to create an overall measurement of student achievement. And states could also experiment with more innovative assessments such as student portfolios or student performances, similar to a pilot project underway in four districts in New Hampshire.
Accountability
States would design their own systems to hold schools accountable for educating kids. It must include graduation rates, English proficiency rates for English learners and some measure of college or career readiness. But it could include other measures, including not just students’ test scores but how much they grow academically over the course of a school year or the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement or honors classes.
Teachers
It would be up to states to decide whether to evaluate teachers, and, if so, how to do it. That’s a big departure from current conditions, where nearly every state created a teacher evaluation system tied in part to student test scores — in order to meet conditions set by the Obama administration to get a waiver from No Child Left Behind. In some number of states, especially where teacher unions are strong, look for evaluation systems to be significantly reconfigured.
The bill deletes the requirement in No Child Left Behind that teachers of core subjects in high-poverty schools be “highly qualified.” Although the law defined “highly qualified” as a teacher with a bachelor’s degree, who is state certified and knows the subject he or she is teaching, the phrase lost meaning as it was interpreted differently in different states. In 2010, Congress passed legislation to allow “highly qualified” to include student teachers and others with little training and amended it further in 2013 to include Teach for America, which gives college graduates five weeks of training before placing them in some of the neediest classrooms in the country.
The bill would create a competitive grant program to help school districts develop, expand or improve merit pay programs for teachers, principals and school leaders.
American history
The bill would create a competitive grant program to help states and districts teach “traditional American history” as a subject separate from social studies in elementary and secondary schools. To win a grant, schools would have to partner with a local museum, a college or university or a history or humanities nonprofit organization. The bill also creates a competitive grant program to train educators in how to teach American history and civics.
Literacy
The bill would provide grants to states to develop or improve comprehensive literacy programs to teach writing and reading to disadvantaged children from early childhood through grade 12, as well as grants to organizations that teach pre-literacy skills to children from birth until kindergarten.
English language learners
The bill would give grants to states to help schools and organizations that teach English language learners, including infants, families and school-age children.
Standards
The bill says states have to assure the federal government they have “challenging” standards but that’s about it. What’s more, the federal government isn’t allowed to mandate or encourage states to adopt any standards, including as a condition of competitive grants, the way the Obama administration used Race to the Top to nudge 43 states and the District to embrace the Common Core.
Senate’s effort to rewrite NCLB sparks cautious optimism
The Washington Post
By Emma Brown
April 8, 2015
Just about everyone with a stake in public education is weighing in on the Senate’s bipartisan effort to rewrite the nation’s main education law. And while there’s no consensus, a wide range of groups and people are exhibiting cautious optimism that the draft bill released Tuesday could be the first step toward reaching a bipartisan deal in an otherwise gridlocked Congress.
“We’re seeing a glimmer of hope in this reauthorized bill,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Chris Minnich of the Council of Chief State School Officers called it “an excellent bipartisan bill that gives the Senate a strong starting point.” The Third Way think tank called it a “huge step forward,” and Nancy Zirkin of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights said it is “an encouraging step.”
Education Secretary Arne Duncan called the draft “an important step” toward a deal. But in his lengthy statement he withheld further praise, instead focusing on elements he says must be in the final bill in order to ensure that the nation’s disadvantaged students don’t fall through the cracks.
Diane Ravitch, who has been fiercely and prolifically critical of No Child Left Behind and the Obama administration’s Race to the Top, was effusive: “One may quibble with details, but the bottom line is that this bill defangs the U.S. Department of Education; it no longer will exert control over every school with mandates. . . . This is a far better bill than I had hoped or feared.”
Others — on both sides of the political spectrum — were less sanguine, a sign of how difficult it will be for both houses of a deeply divided Congress to reach agreement.
Lindsey Burke of the conservative Heritage Foundation called the bill a “missed opportunity” to restore state and local control over education policy, while the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools criticized the bill for failing to provide a moratorium on new charter schools, among other things. Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association, was also skeptical. “In the end, when all is said and done, the fundamental question that lawmakers have to grapple with is, what will this bill do differently for students in classrooms and schools across America if it’s signed into law?” she said in a statement.
The law in question has been known since 2002 as No Child Left Behind, but widespread frustration with NCLB — which penalized schools for failing to ensure that all children were proficient in math and reading by 2014 — has left that brand damaged beyond repair.
The draft revision, hammered out over the last two months by Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), now has a new name: the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015.
The draft bill embraces a couple of key Obama administration priorities, including maintaining annual standardized tests and excluding a provision to change Title I funding that Obama said would devastate the poorest schools.
But it also significantly reduces the federal role in education, giving the Education Department little say in how states should deal with schools where children — especially poor and minority children — persistently fail to show that they are learning what they need to know in order to succeed after high school.
Here are reactions from around the education world:
White House press secretary Josh Earnest:
“Today’s announcement from Senator Alexander and Senator Murray is an important step in their bipartisan effort to replace the No Child Left Behind Act. As Congress continues its work, President Obama will continue to insist on providing our schools with greater flexibility to invest in what works, making sure that teachers aren’t confined to teaching to the test, putting resources behind innovation in our education system, and expanding opportunities for America’s children to attend high-quality preschool. We believe that any bill should ensure that teachers and parents know how their schools are doing every year, reject harmful proposals that would let states take away funding from schools that need it most, and make sure we remain committed to closing troubling achievement and opportunity gaps in America’s schools and driving progress in those that are the lowest-performing.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan:
“Today’s announcement is an important step toward what I hope will be a bipartisan solution — in the Senate and the House — to fixing the No Child Left Behind Act, and I greatly appreciate Sen. Alexander’s and Sen. Murray’s leadership in that effort. No law matters more in ensuring excellence for every student and ensuring civil rights for the most vulnerable. A good bill must prevent harmful funding cuts, ensure families and teachers know how students are doing each year, and ensure commitment to closing gaps of achievement and opportunity. The bill must provide more flexibility for state and local innovation, ensure that parents, teachers, and communities know how their children’s schools are doing each year, provide support for educators and not further exacerbate resource inequities for our neediest students and schools. We must do more to expand opportunity for the most vulnerable children, including low-income students, racial and ethnic subgroups, students with disabilities, and English-language learners. At a time of vital progress for vulnerable students, we must work to continue that progress. That means in schools where groups of students are not getting the education they deserve, there must be meaningful action to improve student learning; and we must provide more resources and ask for bold action in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools. I also believe any bill must support innovative and evidence-based efforts to address educational challenges and improve access to high-quality preschool. I look forward to working with Congress to ensure that all students in America will be prepared to succeed in college and careers.”
Nancy Zirkin of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights issued the following statement after Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray proposed a bipartisan Senate reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):
“We applaud the bipartisan effort that went into crafting this legislation and we’re pleased that it seems to take into account many of our concerns. However, we know that accountability is weak for vulnerable students and that there are still many questions left to be answered on preserving the federal role, equitable distribution of resources, and data collection and reporting for vulnerable students. The devil is in the details and there is still a lot of review left to be done. But this is an encouraging step and we will continue to work to make this bill better for our communities in the mark-up and on the Senate floor.”
Diane Ravitch, education historian:
“What do I think? I would have been thrilled to see annual testing banished, but President Obama made clear he would veto any bill that did not include annual testing. The cascading sanctions of NCLB and Race to the Top are gone. There is no mention of portability of funds to nonpublic schools.
“One may quibble with details, but the bottom line is that this bill defangs the U.S. Department of Education; it no longer will exert control over every school with mandates. This bill strips the status quo of federal power to ruin schools and the lives of children and educators.
“Now the battle shifts to state legislatures, where parents can make their voices heard. This is a far better bill than I had hoped or feared.”
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten:
“At the beginning of this reauthorization process, we called on policymakers to reclaim the original purpose of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act — to help children, particularly those at risk — and to end the testing fixation. Today, in a bipartisan manner, Sens. Alexander and Murray took an important first step by showing that, even in this current climate, one can find common ground by listening to teachers, parents and other important voices in education. Their framework restores ESEA’s original intent of mitigating poverty and addressing education equity. It moves away from the increasingly counterproductive focus on sanctions, high-stakes tests, federalized teacher evaluations and school closings. And it will help return the joy of teaching and learning that’s been missing as a result of testing and test-prep fixation in too many classrooms.
“This is just the beginning of a process; the road is long, and many issues still need to be addressed. But this bipartisan Senate framework is significant. We’re seeing a glimmer of hope in this reauthorized bill, one that’s in the tradition of providing resources for those with the most needs and enabling all of us to do what’s right for our kids.”
Takirra Winfield, Teach For America:
“We were glad to see a bi-partisan ESEA reauthorization bill released today that recognizes the urgency in updating and strengthening our education laws, from early learning through high school graduation. As you know, we believe all students deserve the opportunity to succeed and all teachers deserve the resources and professional development to help them succeed as well. We believe any bill should continue to include statewide annual assessments and the disaggregation and reporting of data by subgroup, since this will help ensure transparency for all of our all students’ achievement growth and provide critical information for educators, parents, and teacher preparation programs; enable closing of achievement gaps for all students; allow federal funds to support local innovation; and continue to support all teachers, regardless of their pathway to the classroom. We also know that assessments aren’t the silver bullet to get us where we need to be — we need to help our teachers develop meaningful and holistic visions of student success and the skills they need to get there, too.”
Chris Minnich, Council of Chief State School Officers:
“Chairman Alexander and Senator Murray have created an excellent bipartisan bill that gives the Senate a strong starting point for the long overdue reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 is aligned with the key priorities that State Chiefs outlined in January, and will provide our states with the long-term stable federal policy they need to continue making progress for all students.”
National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García:
“The Senate releasing an ESEA draft is movement but we will review the bill with a fine tooth comb looking for language that ushers in a new vision for our nation’s students and public schools; a vision that promotes equity and excellence for all students regardless of the zip code in which they live.
“We are also looking for concrete steps that remedy opportunity gaps for students and fix the broken test, label, and punish regime ushered in under No Child Left Behind. We want to see a bill that goes a long way to empower educators — as trusted professionals — to make classroom and school decisions, instead of politicians, to ensure student success.
“In the end, when all is said and done, the fundamental question that lawmakers have to grapple with is, what will this bill do differently for students in classrooms and schools across America if it’s signed into law? Did Congress get ESEA right for students? These are the questions to which we are searching responses as we review the bipartisan draft bill of ESEA.”
House Education and the Workforce Committee ranking member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.):
“I commend Senators Alexander and Murray for their efforts to bring forward a bipartisan Elementary and Secondary Education reauthorization bill in the Senate. While we recognize this as an important step in the process, there is still work to do to ensure that the needs of our most vulnerable students are met. Students, teachers, parents, and communities deserve a bill that fulfills ESEA’s original civil rights promise — ensuring that all students, regardless of where they live — have access to high quality public education that prepares them for college and the workplace. I hope we can restart the stalled process in the House to produce a bill for a bicameral bipartisan conference that protects the core principles of ESEA: ensuring meaningful accountability for all students, targeting federal resources to where they are most needed, and providing effective solutions to the real challenges our students and teachers face.
Lanae Erickson Hatalsky of Third Way:
“This thoughtful compromise represents a huge step forward in achieving meaningful reform of the parts of NCLB that weren’t working, while preserving those parts that were spurring growth in student achievement. It provides a path for fewer and smarter tests while maintaining accountability, allows states the flexibility to set their own goals but makes clear what those goals need to entail, and focuses resources on students with the highest needs.
“If every Member of Congress approaches this upcoming debate with the same spirit that has generated this compromise, there’s no doubt we will see a new law passed this year — one that will continue to build on the progress we’ve made since No Child Left Behind and set our students up for success in an increasingly competitive global economy.”
Nina Rees of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools:
“We are pleased that Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) have achieved a bipartisan agreement to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. We strongly support the bill’s requirement that states continue to administer annual statewide assessments for grades 3-8 in reading and math and once in high school. We also support provisions in the bill that require the transparent reporting of disaggregated data, and achievement goals designed to ensure that all groups of students graduate from high school prepared for postsecondary education or the workforce. The bill also modernizes the Charter Schools Program (Title V), ensuring the opening of new charter schools, the replication and expansion of the most successful of charter school models, and support for facility financing and authorizer quality. We applaud the committee for strengthening this program that has been critical to the growth of charter schools nationwide.
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