Why Sharks Matter
Join the Sierra Club tonight as David Shiffman, master of science in marine biology candidate, talks about the ecological and economic importance of sharks, threats they face, and how you can help. The event begins at 7:00 in MUSC’s Baruch auditorium on Calhoun Street.
Also, be sure to follow David as he continues his study of shark biology, ecology, and conservation. He actively writes for Southern Fried Science; his most recent article is on a loggerhead sea turtle necropsy. You can also follow him on Twitter.
Temporary Lot at Football Field to Close Sept. 6
Effective Monday, Sept. 6, student parking will no longer be allowed at the city-owned football field area.
The area will be roped off, and enforcement will be handled by the Barnesville Police Department.
“This parking option was meant to be a temporary fix for the first few weeks of school. Things have settled and we have been doing actual parking space counts at different times of the day on the campus lots,” said Gordon Police Chief Jeff Mason. “We have determined that there are plenty of parking spaces for students on campus.”
Parents’ timing tardy in getting kids to Memphis City Schools
While most Memphis City Schools students reported for classes on the first day, Aug. 9, as many as 12 percent of the district’s pupils took their own sweet time showing up.
MCS reports that on Aug. 13, there were 92,378 students registered in K-12. By Aug. 31 that number had grown to 104,810.
It wasn’t a fluke. Numbers from 2009 show that by the fifth day of school 95,220 students were enrolled, a number that swelled to 105,685 on the 17th day.
Students will continue to “trickle in” after Labor Day, said Bill White, director of school choice and student accounting.
“It’s important to realize that the vast majority of our kids start on the first day,” White said. “But it is concerning that we have at least a few thousand apparently who take their time to some degree.”
Supt. Kriner Cash mentioned late starters at a recent school board meeting. He reported that parents who saw him out in public asked him when school was starting.
“It already had,” White said.
Some students hadn’t been counted on time because of slow data entries by MCS, White said, but the majority just didn’t register.
“I really don’t understand it,” he said. “I think it speaks in some situations to the lack of seriousness and commitment to education.”
School really does start on the first day, White said.
“We really do hit the ground running the first day,” he said. “So the students who do stay out until Labor Day, they’ve missed approximately 20 days of instruction.”
Those who dribble in also cause problems for students enrolled on time.
When classrooms are at legal capacity, the late arrivals can make it necessary to create new classes, requiring the on-time students to switch classes and teachers.
There has been speculation that some parents keep kids out of school because they don’t have uniforms.
“We have plenty of resources to help those parents with that situation,” White said. “So I would hope parents would not feel like they can’t get their children enrolled because of that.”
Late enrollment isn’t a problem with Shelby County Schools, where 99 percent of the expected students enrolled on the first day, said spokesman Mike Tebbe.
Save Tennessee Summers, part of a national movement called the Coalition for a Traditional School Year, supports a later start to the school year. But the grassroots organization wants it clear that it doesn’t support parents who keep their children out of school.
“You may disagree with something, but as parents we have to teach our children the right way in making change,” said national spokeswoman Tina Bruno. “And keeping your child out of the classroom is not one of them.”
MCS classes used to start later in August. But now that all the schools are air-conditioned, the need to finish the first semester in time for winter break and build adequate time in the school calendar for mandatory testing has led to an earlier school start, said spokeswoman Staci Franklin.
Bruno’s group believes none of those are valid reasons to send children to school in early August, when it’s expensive to cool the buildings.
The coalition says independent research shows that children in states with later start dates have higher mandatory test scores.
“The academic benefits that I can see is that the first couple of weeks they’re not focusing because it’s too hot,” said Deanna Walls, a local supporter of Save Tennessee Summers. The heat kept her two children, in kindergarten and first grade, inside all day at school without recess, she said.
“But I would never, ever think about holding them out of school because I didn’t like the start date. It is kind of crazy,” Walls said.
Students who don’t begin school on time can be considered truant and their parents could be sent to Juvenile Court, White said.
Frayser mom Tina Wells says the parents of late starters are negligent and should face charges.
“Our responsibility is to enroll our kids and send them to school,” said Wells, who has a 16-year-old in high school. “Our kids’ part is to go to school and learn to try to be better citizens in the world.”
When parents drop the ball?
“The ball should be dropped on the parents,” she said.
Can Citizens Tell a Good School When They See One?
The first paragraph of Education Next’s Grading Schools: Can Citizens Tell a Good School When They See One? discusses the widespread availability of school standardized test score data. Reading that, I thought I knew what the article would be about. Citizens judging schools based on test scores alone, rather than more meaningful measures. It resonated with me, because the same day I read the article, I had fallen prey to that trap. I was talking about a really great school…and talking only about its test scores. Someone called me on it. I could have mentioned the amazing parent engagement at the school. Or discussed how students at this school–over 90% of whom receive free or reduced price lunch–collected money to send to relief efforts in Haiti. In imparting such citizenship to its students, this school must be doing something right. I know all this, about this school and many others. But I still talk mainly about test scores. We do need to look beyond test scores in determining a school’s quality, but do most citizens actually do so?
Of course, by the end of the second paragraph I knew that was not what this article was about. Instead, it described a study that looked at whether citizens judge school quality based on performance data, or whether indicators such as the racial or class makeup of the school sway their perspective. An entirely different question, but also very interesting.
So I read the article. And while I am not sure I entirely trust their methodology, I am somewhat heartened to learn that citizens do judge the quality of their schools based on student proficiency rates in core academic subjects, not racial demographics. They do take into consideration the percentage of a student body that is poor, but those considerations do not overpower judgments based on information about academic performance. For parents of school-age children the relationship between proficiency rates and school ratings was more than twice as strong as it was for other respondents, though they were also more responsive to poverty rates than others. Importantly, trends held among demographic groups–in other words, disadvantaged populations were just as aware of school quality as other citizens.
The researchers also found that while citizens were responsive to student achievement levels, they were not as responsive to achievement growth as a measure of school quality. Nor were they responsive to school performance on national standardized tests, only the state tests for which results are readily available to them.
The researchers describe two policy implications of this study: that growth measures should feature more prominently in school accountability systems, so that citizens pay more attention to them as a measure of school quality; and that realigning state standards or moving towards common standards would help citizens more accurately understand the performance of their schools in a national context.
While I may not have been thrilled with the methodology used here, I am really displeased with these implications. My interpretation of their findings is that citizens pay attention to the public data on their schools. So why simply call for more prominently featuring growth measures? Why not branch out from an accountability system based almost entirely on standardized test scores to one that includes multiple measures of school performance? Since the public is responsive to what we say about school quality, let’s let them know about what we actually believe are the most important aspects of a school, not just basic reading and math scores.
But a larger concern I have with this study goes back to my initial question: Are citizens judging schools based on more than test scores? What would have happened if those who conducted this study had asked not, “Is this a good school?,” but “Would you send your child to this school?”
A white upper-middle-class parent living near a KIPP* school might be able to say, “That school is good.” He sees in the paper that the school is good. The school celebrates its achievement by putting flyers in mailboxes and banners on the building. But would that parent send his child to that school? If not, how “good” does he truly believe that the school is? Until we start getting at this issue, are we really learning what our citizens think about our schools? Or have we assigned a definition to school quality that they don’t respect?
Image by Andeggs
*Not to pick on KIPP schools, but many are considered “good” schools while serving a mainly disadvantaged population rather than a racially or economically heterogeneous one.
Immaculate Conception School
Located in Astoria in Queens, NY, the Immaculate Conception School believes in educating students many ways, including academically, spiritually, and emotionally. The school’s mission statement clearly states that it’s the school’s goal “To provide every child with a safe and nurturing environment that facilitates a love of learning as well as a love for God, others, and self.” The school feels strongly about educating students academically, spiritually, and emotionally. The school’s instruction in the Catholic faith allows students to gain knowledge, values and skills that are needed to mature into responsible adults. Each student is recognized for his/her unique abilities as well as cultural diversity.
- We empower our students to choose wisely and acknowledge the significance of their choices.
- It is our belief that our family-like relationship serves as a model to the students we teach.
- We believe in the importance of parental support to facilitate each child’s growth in body, mind, and spirit.
- We believe in our commitment to grow as educators through professional development, self-evaluation and renewal.
- We recognize the necessity to adapt to the changing needs within our school and community.
School Facts:
The school’s staff is highly qualified and teachers are expected to continue their professional development through participation in educational workshops and/or college courses. Teachers are well qualified and require average teaching years of 17.75, and average years teaching at Immaculate Conception must be 13.40. Nursery through Grade 8 classes are available. There are Departmental programs for grades 5 through 8. Standards are based on New York State curriculum and participation in all New York State testing programs. Reasonable tuition rates are available to everyone.
Writing Lesson From REI
REI is running its Labor Day sale, and the flyer I received from them contains gems of persuasive writing. In a two-page spread of tents and sleeping bags, notice how REI sells in just a few words:
- For a tent: “Meet your family’s second home. Taut and weather-worthy, the 4-person dome pitches easily so the kids can help and then be off exploring in no time.”
- For another tent: “Lighten your backpack (not your wallet) with this award-winning 2-person, 2-door tent.”
- For a sleeping bag: “Warm night? Place the side with less insulation on top. Cooler night? Flip it. You’ll love the roomy fit and zip-open quilt option, not to mention the low price.”
- For another sleeping bag: “If cold-weather camping’s your bag, or if cool nights feel cold to you, nab this temp- and budget-booster.”
- For a screen house: “Bye bye, bugs. Sets up over your picnic table or lounge area for shade and no-see-um mesh protection.”
- For an insulated pad: “Set your alarm, because you’ll sleep like a log on this thick, insulated pad.”
Here’s what the copywriters at REI do well:
- Focus on just one or two key benefits that will grab their readers.
- Use you and action verbs (lighten, place, set, flip) to put their readers in the outdoors using the REI equipment.
- Use short, crisp sentences.
- Use simple, specific language that paints a picture.
REI is one of my customers for business writing classes. They know the value of good writing, and they invest in business writing skills. Although I can’t take credit for their copywriting department, I can certainly admire their work. Don’t you?
If you are in the U.S., I wish you a happy, long Labor Day weekend. If you are elsewhere in the world, enjoy the beginning of September.