2008 October 02 Archive at The Core Knowledge Blog

Archive for October 2nd, 2008

Disadvantaged DC Kids Gaining Under NCLB

Published by Robert Pondiscio on October 2, 2008 in Assessment and Testing and Educational Policy. 0 Comments

Students from poor families in the Washington, DC area have made major gains on reading and math tests and are starting to catch up with those from middle-class and affluent backgrounds, a Washington Post analysis shows.

In Montgomery County, for instance, students in poverty have earned better scores on Maryland’s reading test in each of the past five years, slicing in half the 28 percentage-point gulf that separated their pass rate from the county average. They also have made a major dent in the math gap. In Fairfax County, another suburban academic powerhouse, such students have slashed the achievement gaps on Virginia tests.

In the DC proper, reading and math scores have risen since 2006, but fewer that half passed last Spring’s tests. “The results show substantial progress in the Washington area toward the law’s core goal: raising performance of disadvantaged children,” the paper reports. “Although concerns persist about the law’s emphasis on standardized tests, many educators say it has forced schools to concentrate more systematically on each struggling student.”

Bloomberg Era Mayor May Not Be Over

Published by Robert Pondiscio on October 2, 2008 in Education Leadership and Education News. 0 Comments

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to seek a third term. One small problem, however, is that he’s term-limited to two terms. But he’s proposing an extension of those limits by a City Council vote. The impact for school reform is significant, since keeping the City’s sprawling school system under mayoral control is one of Bloomberg’s major issues. A third term for Bloomberg would also presumably extend the record-setting run of Joel Klein, who has enjoyed the longest run of any NYC schools chancellor. Klein has previously said he’s open to staying on as chancellor under Bloomberg’s successor.

Florida Mandates Online Education

Published by Robert Pondiscio on October 2, 2008 in Education Practice and Educational Policy. 1 Comment

Starting in the Fall of 2009, children in Florida will be able to complete their entire K-12 public school education without ever setting foot inside a classroom. Indeed, under the terms of a new state law, they must be able to. Districts are now required to create their own full-time virtual schools, collaborate with other districts or contract with providers approved by the state, the Palm Beach Post reports.

The law is believed to be the most wide-ranging virtual mandate in the nation. “The rest of the country will be watching to see how it goes,” said Julie Young, president and chief executive officer of Florida Virtual School and a board member of the North American Council for Online Learning. By August, school superintendents must settle everything from how to provide the needed technology to how to engage squirmy kindergartners who lack the attention span to sit at a computer for hours.

The state already funds two online schools catering to students in kindergarten through eighth grade as well as the Florida Virtual School, which offers middle and high school courses, notes the Post.