A Better Deal for Delaware

The News Journal has reported some bond and finance issues with the Delaware Military Academy which of course will have implications for all charter schools. The nuts and bolts of the issue boil down to the amount and type of support the state of Delaware will give to Charter Schools. As a parent there are two things you should give a child:an education and values. The state of Delaware should support parental choices in education at every level.

The Delaware Military Academy is a first class charter school, I visited this school in the first year of enrollment and left the school amazed at the enthusiasm of the students. It was the last day of school and students did not want to leave the school for the summer. When I was a student there was little of that sentiment for me. Commandant Baldwin at the DMA has done a superb job.

The answer I believe is simple; Charter Schools should get public money for capital expenses. If and when the need for a charter school arises and the charter school offers something different than what the local public school can offer the state should support the Charter School to the fullest extent.

One of the biggest challenges in Delaware’s education system is giving low income students a chance to get ahead and thrive rather than simply survive. It is an old adage that if a student starts behind they likely will never catch up.

We all know the problems which come with broken homes but what do we do about it? Well, today our youngest son Kevin who is a senior at Archmere Academy was assigned a “buddy”. His buddy is a freshman who shadows him around school to learn the ways of the school and hopefully get off to a good start.

His buddy is African American from a low income home which frankly is uncommon for most private schools in Delaware. However, his buddy is a student at Archmere because he comes from one of the more innovative ideas in Delaware-Nativity Prep. This school is a “home without a bed” where structure is given to a student and hope and opportunity instead of frustration and despair.

Delaware laws inhibit the formation and success of these schools to the detriment of students from challenging backgrounds.

We should remove any barriers to providing assistance and choice to low income students and also the building of charter schools for low income students. A first proposal is a simple one-Opportunity Scholarships, which would be a $5-10,000 offer of assistance for low income students who attend a school which is not passing the DSTP with a 70% pass rate.

What A Great Idea!

Planned school targets low-income girls
Ursuline Academy group hopes to match success of model schools in Del., nationwide
from News Journal

But we can do Better in Delaware

The key to educational excellence is a well trained teacher, a supportive parent and a motivated student in any setting possible. How about picking up where the great idea above starts.

Opportunity Scholarships:If any low income student attends a school where student scores are not above 70% for the appropriate grade level he/she should have the Opportunity to use public education money to attend a private, parochial or home school scenario. The amount would be between $5,000-$10,000 per year. The student wins because there is choice and so does the school district because the student leaves the school district and gets an education that costs less than the amount the public school would spend. In other words more money per student.

Knowledge Is Power

KIPP Schools share a core set of operating principles known as the Five Pillars:

1. High Expectations. KIPP Schools have clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and conduct that make no excuses based on the students’ backgrounds. Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support through a range of formal and informal rewards and consequences for academic performance and behavior.

2. Choice & Commitment. Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP School choose to participate in the program. No one is assigned or forced to attend these schools. Everyone must make and uphold a commitment to the school and to each other to put in the time and effort required to achieve success.

3. More Time. KIPP Schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.

4. Power to Lead. The principals of KIPP Schools are effective academic and organizational leaders who understand that great schools require great School Leaders. They have control over their school budget and personnel. They are free to swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum effectiveness in helping students learn.

5. Focus on Results. KIPP Schools relentlessly focus on high student performance on standardized tests and other objective measures. Just as there are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to achieve a level of academic performance that will enable them to succeed at the nation’s best high schools and colleges.

The News Journal had a great Community Voice column from a teacher who laid out some compelling thoughts on school reform.

One very interesting fact was the 50% attrition rate for teachers in the first five years. Imagine going through college and within five years you dump your chosen profession not because you don’t like it but because the folks in charge of your enterprise don’t seem to care about you.

A few recommendations:

1) 40% of teachers say classroom discipline is their #1 issue yet we still do not have alternative schools to quell the all to routine disturbances.

2) Teachers know the DSTP and NCLB is a bureaucratic solution which is compliance driven not goal driven yet we refuse to seek a better way to track accountability.

3) Most importantly the author of the article points out the disarray of the everyday school scenario and how difficult it is to hold teachers accountable for results when they can’t control what walks in the door.

The recent Delaware State Testing Program (DSTP) results answer few questions, but do create some new opportunities for true change in our shools.

It appears many of the schools with growth achieved this growth by applying local solutions to local challenges. I applaud their ingenuity and results. Why not embrace some of the changes in Vision 2015 to make school principals the true leaders of their schools and not servants of the Department of Education?

Also for the test itself. Are we to believe that some schools can post double digit gains one year with no reason? Barry Bonds has tried that argument for a few years. Testing must be consistent with student curriculum and teacher training and be measurable over a school year.

The University of Delaware is indeed a public institution because it draws taxpayer money every year. Yes, the original charter and laws point to some “cloudiness” on the open status issue.

However, there can be little doubt that the taxpayers of Delaware fund this institution and should have access to all meetings and records as long as the University desires taxpayer money.

Public Agenda Alert — June 7, 2007
http://www.publicagenda.org
==============================================
* Test Scores, Standards and No Child Left Behind

Test scores have increased and the achievement gap
has narrowed since the introduction of the No Child
Left Behind law, according to a study released by the
Center on Education Policy. But the center cautioned
that they could not conclusively say the law was
responsible for the improved scores. Another study
released this week by the “Nation’s Report Card”
found that proficiency standards vary widely from
state to state. The differences can be the equivalent
of 60 to 80 points on the National Assessment of Educational
Progress.

All of this new data adds to the continuing debate on
No Child Left Behind, which is up for reauthorization
this year. Standards are a key element of the law, but
in Public Agenda’s research we’ve found the public
now sees standards as “necessary but not sufficient”
to improve education.

For example, in our Reality Check series of surveys
the percentage of parents who say lack of
emphasis on basics is a very serious problem at their
child’s school has dropped from 28 percent in 1994 to
20 percent last year. The percentage of parents who
say low academic standards is a very serious problem
in their child’s school dropped from 26 percent in
1994 to 15 percent.

And when asked to choose among four candidates in a
hypothetical school board election (one advocating standards
and testing, a second backing vouchers, a third endorsing
charter schools and a fourth calling for more money and
smaller classes), only one-quarter of parents chose the
standards candidate.

Educators have been more skeptical of No Child
Left Behind, with 70 percent of teachers saying the law is
causing problems in their district. By contrast, very few
principals and superintendents name No Child Left Behind
as the most pressing issue facing them. But fewer than half
of administrators think the law will actually raise student
achievement.
Find out more in Reality Check: Is Support for Standards
and Testing Fading?:
http://www.publicagenda.org/research/research_reports_details.cfm?list=100

Read more about the Center on Education Policy study:
http://www.cep-dc.org/

Read more about the NAEP study:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2007482.asp

There has been a lot of turmoil lately in Delaware schools but mostly that has been focused on money and referendum. We seem to have forgotten the students in all of the headlines.

Amid much fanfare and many headlines Delaware entered into the world of accountability about 10 years ago. According to recent statistics, it has failed.

The recent US Chamber of Commerce report gave Delaware marginal grades in their efforts and now the numbers that matter the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) the so called gold standard has revealed that Delaware students are not nearly as proficient as the Delaware State Testing Program (DSTP) says it is.

In fact at news.usatoday.com you will see Delaware 39/50 in difference between NAEP and DSTP. The raw score of 34% for NAEP versus 85% for DSTP is simply unexplainable. Yes, there are differences in the test. NAEP is a sampling and not every student takes the entire test but a 51% difference???

Our 50 Ideas for Delaware has solutions for these challenges. How much longer must we wait??