CA schools need real innovation and leadership and control wrested away from bureaucracy and placed into the hands of the local districts...and it will never happen as long as there is a D as governor in sacremento
educationweak.blogspot.com
Would Arnold Support School Choice?
Last week Schwarzenegger told NBC’s Matt Lauer, “I think children should have the first call on the budget.” It turns out in California they do—with the 2003-2004 California budget including $45.7 billion for K-14 education spending alone—representing a $1.7 billion or 4 percent increase from 2002-2003. However, as both parents and government officials know, children can often break the bank, and money can’t necessarily buy love or student achievement.
In fact, on the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading exam, just 21 percent of California fourth-graders scored at or above the "proficient" level. The national rate was 30 percent. More specifically, in Los Angeles, 67 percent of students scored below basic turning in the second worst performance in the nation behind Washington D.C. at 69 percent. The release of California’s 2003 test scores found 925 California schools not meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP). California AYP only requires that 13.6 percent of elementary children and 11.2 percent of high school students be proficient in reading and math. Thousands of children are now eligible for the public-school choice provision under the No Child Left Behind Act. Yet, California has a shortage of better public schools for these kids to transfer into. In the public school sector, these children have nowhere to go.
With vast amounts of taxpayer spending equaling poor performance for California’s children, the crucial question for Arnold becomes: What will he do with the children stuck in record numbers of low-performing schools despite high levels of taxpayer investment in education? Will he spend more or let them out?
We can extrapolate some of Schwarzenegger’s potential education policy from the company he keeps. Pete Wilson opposed proposition 174, the first statewide California school voucher initiative, but later proposed a more moderate voucher plan similar to Governor Jeb Bush’s Florida Opportunity Scholarship Plan, that allows students in failing schools to use vouchers to attend the private or public school of their choice. Similarly, Mayor Riordan opposed Tim Draper’s proposition 38, California’s second failing statewide voucher initiative, but supported private school vouchers for low-income children through the Los Angeles Children’s Scholarship Fund. Arnold has Internet photos with Tim Draper at various children’s charitable functions and recently co-hosted an Education Summit with Education Secretary Rod Paige, who just last week came out in favor of vouchers in the Wall Street Journal. And of course Schwarzenegger has been a prominent supporter of President Bush, who at least pays lip service to the benefits of school choice.
These associations, however, are no guarantee of Arnold becoming a school choice advocate. Yet, it is likely that Arnold would support more school competition and parental choice than the current administration. And with more Democrats like Dianne Feinstein, Joe Lieberman, and DC Mayor Anthony Williams breaking ranks with the union and coming out in favor of vouchers in D.C. and other low-performing urban cities, it makes a Schwarzenegger pro-choice position seem almost moderate.
So while Schwarzenegger will not likely support a full-scale voucher or tax credit scheme to privatize education there are several moderate proposals he could imitate:
· He could drastically increase the number of charter schools in California by letting local government, Universities, and nonprofits authorize and monitor the schools.
· He could let organizations bid to run failing schools similar to the Philadelphia approach, that has universities, nonprofits, and for-profit companies managing the city’s worst-performing schools.
· He could initiate a state-wide voucher program a la’ Colorado Governor Bill Owens and Florida Governor Jeb Bush that allows students in failing schools to use vouchers in private or public schools.
· He could institute a tax credit program like Arizona, Florida, or Pennsylvania that allows individuals and corporations to take a tax-credit for donations to charitable organizations that provide private scholarships to low-income and minority students.
· He could take advantage of President Bush’s proposed $75 million school choice pilot project by offering up a city such as Compton, Oakland, or even Los Angeles as a test city for federally funded school vouchers.
The bottom line is that Arnold will likely follow the George W. school-choice model. The President has been the supporter of more choices in education, including the Washington D.C voucher plan, public school choice, and the private tutoring vouchers for children in failing schools, while simultaneously pumping billions more federal dollars into public education. We know from experience with Proposition 49 that when it comes to children Arnold is not averse to spending taxpayer dollars. Arnold will likely continue record levels of education spending while opening up moderate choice options for children in failing public schools. Hence, one key question for Arnold will be how he intends to utilize choice and competition to stretch the public dollar while increasing accountability and performance. I will be listening very closely for that answer.
posted by Lisa Snell | 11:39 AM
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Monday, August 11, 2003
California Failing School Theme Continues. . .
Lance Izumi is first out of the gate with Pacific Research Institute's "California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Indicators."
The Orange County Register summarizes some of the report's findings:
• On the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading exam, just 21 percent of California fourth-graders scored at or above the "proficient" level. The national rate was 30 percent.
• The 2000 math part of the NAEP for fourth-graders saw improvement by all racial groups, "including African-American and Hispanic students ... compared to scores on the 1996 exam." However, both Hispanic and African-American Californians had scores "considerably lower than the scores of Texas African-Americans and Hispanics." This is an important comparison because Texas also is a large, diverse state with many immigrant students.
• Scores of English learners on the California English Language Development Test almost tripled in 2002, to 32 percent considered "proficient," from just 11 percent in 2001. The 1998 English for the Children initiative, which essentially eliminated bilingual education in favor of English immersion, is working.
• In the 2001-02 school year, 30 percent of students "in the ninth-grade class four years earlier either dropped out or for other reasons did not graduate from high school."
• In 2002, 59 percent of incoming Cal State students took remedial English or math courses. It's appalling that even college students, despite 13 years in K-12 public schools, still can't read and do math.
• From 1995-96 to 2000-01, crimes against persons - assault with a deadly weapon, battery, homicide, robbery/extortion and sex offenses - increased 33 percent in schools. "The rate of sex offenses during this period increased 94 percent." Commenting on this section of the report, Mr. Izumi said, "Interviews of principals showed that, as achievement goes up, safety and discipline problems go down."
Stay tuned for a note on how California's urban centers performed compared to other cities on the NAEP and for the release of California's test scores later this week. My bet is that California will have thousands more children eligible for public school choice with nowhere to go.
posted by Lisa Snell | 10:36 AM
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Tuesday, August 05, 2003
NEA Charter School Initiative Fails In California
The Education Intelligence Agency tells the little-known story of one of California's failed charter schools:
Kwachiiyoa was one of a projected six charter schools that were to be part of the NEA Charter School Initiative, launched in 1996 and funded with $1.5 million. Only four charter schools ever opened. Then-President Bob Chase told a Congressional subcommittee that NEA’s main goal was “to learn from this project and share its findings with traditional public schools.” He added that when “charter schools are created along the lines that our members have chosen – professional educators applying best practices and teaming with parents and community members – they do indeed offer hope for positive changes within our public system as a whole.”
The Charter School Initiative was part of the new NEA image. It was promoted in NEA publications, and cited as an example of new unionism at work. “What better way to lead in one of the hottest areas of school reform?” read one article in NEA Today.
By the time Kwachiiyoa’s initial charter expired on January 14, 2003, enrollment was at half-capacity, three classroom teachers were jointly running the school without benefit of an administrator, and the school was the lowest-performing of the 121 schools in the San Diego Unified School District. It ranked lowest even when compared to other California schools with similar student socioeconomic backgrounds. For the 2002-2003 school year, Kwachiiyoa was forced into a state intervention program for underperforming schools. Similar poor academic results were reported in 2000 and 2001.
What is most ironic about this story is the union’s blatant opposition to other potential charter school authorizers like Mayor Jerry Brown or various public and private California universities who want to invest in charter schools and monitor their accountability. The unions have come full circle in California--from opposing charter schools, trying to co-opt the reform and failing, and back again to militant opposition.
posted by Lisa Snell | 10:38 AM
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