Education

McCrory’s call to alter higher education gets angry response

(Raleigh News Observer) Gov. Pat McCrory said Tuesday he wants to change the way higher education is funded in North Carolina, focusing more on careers for graduates and away from academic pursuits “that have no chance of getting people jobs.”

The remarks came in a national radio interview with conservative talk show host Bill Bennett, former President Reagan’s education secretary. The breezy, 10-minute interview, in which the Republican governor touched on hot-button issues, elicited a swift, angry response Tuesday from faculty and others.

McCrory declined to be interviewed about the detaill. By day’s end, his staffers were trying to temper his remarks.

“This was not meant to be a personal attack on UNC,” said spokeswoman Crystal Feldman. “Gov. McCrory did not mean to tarnish UNC’s reputation.”

On the show, McCrory said “educational elite” had taken over, offering courses that have no path to jobs. He said he instructed his staff Monday to draft legislation that could alter the state money that universities and community colleges receive “not based on how many butts in seats but how many of those butts can get jobs.” (Listen to the audio here.)

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NC students score big win on international math, science tests

(Raleigh News Observer) A new report puts North Carolina students in the top ranks in math performance on tests that measure U.S. students and international competitors.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study is an international comparative study of student achievement. The 2011 results, released Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, had North Carolina educators crowing.

The findings

• North Carolina was the only participating U.S. state and one of only eight education systems worldwide in which fourth-grade math students outscored the test average and the U.S. national average. The other systems were Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Northern Ireland, and Flemish Belgium.

• At the eighth-grade level, North Carolina was among only 11 states and countries to score higher than both the test average and the national average. Indiana, Massachusetts and Minnesota were the other states to reach that success.

• The science results were not quite as glowing. The North Carolina scores among fourth- and eighth-grade students exceeded the test average but not the U.S. national average. Other states that posted similar science results were Florida in fourth grade and eighth grade, and Indiana and Connecticut in eighth grade. States in which eighth-graders scored better than the U.S. average in science were Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota.

What they’re saying

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Please Pay Off Lunch Account Balances

(Buncombe County Schools) YOU SHOULD KNOW: Beginning February 4, 2013, Buncombe County students who buy school lunches will no longer be able to purchase a full meal on credit if they have charges of $10 or more in their child nutrition account. Students whose accounts are over $10, and who do not have lunch money with them, will be offered a cheese sandwich and milk, with a $1 dollar charge applied to their account.

A recent USA Today article acknowledged the new reality of national numbers showing that “more children are getting into school lunch lines without being able to pay, creating a financial burden for school districts.” Judging from the mounting charges in lunch accounts of Buncombe County students, that is equally true here.

At the end of the 2011-12 school year, a “bad debt” of $30,000 had to be written off at the taxpayer’s expense, because parents did not pay off student meal accounts. After a fresh start in the 2012-13 school year, as of December 1 student meal accounts are already in arrears by over $18,000, despite the fact that 55% of BCS students receive lunch for free or at a cost of only $.40 for a reduced-price meal. This is all the more surprising given that this year ALL students attending Buncombe County Schools have the opportunity to enjoy a free breakfast every day.

So what is a school system to do? Children need to eat lunch–that’s a given. Parents who need financial assistance are strongly encouraged to apply for the federal free and reduced price meal program. The application is available at each school, or on line at www.buncombe.k12.nc.us . Parents with outstanding accounts are contacted by phone each week with their student’s individual balance (though sometimes phone numbers are not correct in the system). Parents are urged to not only bring their accounts up to date, but also to consider depositing money in a student’s account ahead of time—each pay day for the upcoming weeks until the next payday, perhaps. This can be done in two ways:

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Buncombe school board reviews religion policy

(Asheville Citizen Times) After months of board discussion and heated community debate, the Buncombe County Board of Education finally reviewed a new regulation Monday night that will allow the distribution of religious materials on school grounds, after hours.

The new regulation, pursuant to existing policies 653 and 530, require that each high school facilitate events that, “make available written materials” from religious and nonreligious community organizations.

“For one day each school year, each high school shall facilitate a community information event and allow community organizations, including religious organizations, to participate in the event,” the regulation says.

“The intent of the event is to allow organizations that offer services to children and their families an opportunity to make available written materials or literature about the organization and its services. This event shall occur after normal school hours.”

The board heard more than hour of public comments at its regular monthly meeting Monday, the majority of which opposed the distribution of religious materials in schools.

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Fayetteville State To Teach Teachers of Entrepreneurs

(Carolina Journal) Entrepreneurs make things happen by filling a niche in the marketplace. Edward Stringham wants to fill a niche by creating more entrepreneurs.

Stringham, a professor at Fayetteville State University, noticed an absence of professors trained in the principles of entrepreneurship. There appears to be just one other program in the University of North Carolina system with a terminal degree in entrepreneurship, and it is a narrow one. UNC-Chapel Hill offers a Ph.D. in business administration with a concentration in strategy and entrepreneurship. It seems to emphasize management strategy courses rather than provide a broad consideration of the environment that spawns entrepreneurs.

While college entrepreneurship programs are proliferating rapidly, there isn’t a big pipeline of professors to teach them. To train Ph.D. students to teach such courses, Stringham is proposing a doctoral program at Fayetteville State. Stringham is a professor in the university’s business school, which would house the program.

To get the ball rolling, Stringham held a two-day seminar this month at Fayetteville State on how to create an “ideal” Ph.D. program in entrepreneurship. Seventeen people from around the country, many with long careers in academia and business, attended. Among the participants were Dwight Lee, economist at Southern Methodist University known for his essays defending markets; Theodore Malloch of Yale University, co-author of Renewing American Culture: The Pursuit of Happiness (the basis of a PBS documentary); and Arthur Langer, academic director of an executive master’s program at Columbia University; to mention a few.

They grappled with such questions as whether the entrepreneurial mindset can be taught at all (or is it something you are born with?) and the extent a Ph.D. program in entrepreneurship should include discussion of larger issues, such as the morality of capitalism and the kind of environment that fosters entrepreneurship.

Read the rest HERE!

New high school tests may not count

(News-Record.com) High school students might not have to worry this year about new state exams sinking their final grade.

Next week, the State Board of Education will consider allowing North Carolina teachers to exclude end-of-course test scores from their students’ final grades in 2012-13.

Officials with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction will request the waiver for school systems after listening to concerns from teachers and administrators, said Rebecca Garland, the department’s chief academic officer. Students in third through 12th grades will take new tests this year as part of the switch to more rigorous curriculum standards.

“The timing is making some of (the teachers) nervous because this is the first time we’ve done this,” Garland said. “While we have a process we think will work in a timely manner, you never know.”

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Reason for Rise in Hispanic Graduation Rates Eludes Officials

(Carolina Journal) raduation rates among North Carolina’s growing number of Hispanic students rose nearly 21 percent in six years, but there is disagreement in identifying the reason for the trend.

According to data from the state Department of Public Instruction, graduation rates for Hispanics climbed from 52.3 percent in 2006 to 72.8 percent in 2012.

June Atkinson, state superintendent of public instruction, said state and state-influenced programs and initiatives have helped boost those numbers. But strong growth was seen in other subgroups as well, she said — 22.6 points among American Indian students; 14 points among African-American students; and 12 points among Asian students.

“I think it’s a combination of local schools’ initiatives as well as leadership from the Department of Public Instruction,” Atkinson said.

“We have provided professional development workshops across North Carolina about how to improve student achievement,” Atkinson said. The state led the way to implement transition programs featuring small-group assistance for ninth-grade students, and developed “graduation resiliency software” that allows school officials to track absenteeism and construct intervention measures tailored to individual situations.

“We consider ourselves a clearinghouse of great ideas,” Atkinson said.

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Gov. Bev Perdue is using money intended to help foster families and people with HIV to expand the state’s pre-kindergarten program.

(Raleigh News Observer) Gov. Bev Perdue is using money intended to help foster families and people with HIV to expand the state’s pre-kindergarten program.

The decision is drawing criticism from child and health advocates who said they worry that other children and adults who depend on health services may go without them.

Perdue announced last week that she would transfer $20 million from other state Department of Health and Human Services programs to expand N.C. Pre-K by as many as 6,300 4-year-olds. Her office did not say then where she was getting the money, but state officials said it would come from accounts where it would otherwise go unspent.

DHHS will continue to review expenses, said Chrissy Pearson, senior adviser to department Acting Secretary Al Delia. There could be future adjustments based on actual spending, she said.

Advocates of early childhood programs applauded Perdue when she announced the Pre-K expansion, but one withdrew his support when he found out where the money is coming from.

Read the rest HERE!

Loudon school boards warned about prayer

(Tennessean) A secular group has sent letters to the city and county school boards in Loudon County, demanding an end to invocations offered at board meetings.

American United, a Washington organization whose website says it is dedicated to separation of church and state, contends the Loudon County and Lenoir City school boards are violating the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause by allowing prayer.

“These communities are reluctant to follow our advice, so our lawyers are applying a little more pressure,” Rob Boston, senior policy analyst at Americans United, told The Knoxville News Sentinel.

Lenoir City school board Chairwoman Rosemary Quillen said her members are doing nothing wrong.

“None of the school board members are praying,” Quillen said.

In its letter to the board, the separation group said letting others pray sidesteps the issue.

Read the rest HERE!

TN attorney general questions foreign charter school staff limits

(The Tennessean) Attorney General Bob Cooper says he has constitutional concerns over a Tennessee law limiting the percentage of foreign workers at charter schools.

The legal opinion released Friday was requested by Gov. Bill Haslam, who allowed the measure to become law without his signature in May.

Under the law, a chartering authority can reject or revoke a school’s application if more than 3.5 percent of the teachers and staff are foreigners in the H1B or J-1 visa programs.

Read the rest HERE!

Texas School District Reportedly Threatening Students Who Refuse Tracking ID, Can’t Vote For Homecoming

(Huffington Post) Weeks after Northside Independent School District in San Antonio rolled out its new “smart” IDs that tracks students’ geographic locations, the community is still at odds with the program.

The “Student Locator Project,” which is slated to eventually reach 112 Texas schools and close to 100,000 students, is in trial stages in two Northside district schools. In an effort to reduce truancy, the district has issued new student IDs with an embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip that tracks the location of a student at all times.

The program officially launched October 1 at John Jay High School and Anson Jones Middle School. Without the badges — required to be worn around the neck — students cannot access common areas like the cafeteria or library, and cannot purchase tickets to extracurricular activities. WND reports that the district has threatened to suspend, fine or involuntarily transfer students who fail to comply and officials have noted that “there will be consequences for refusal to wear an ID card as we begin to move forward with full implementation.”

Parents and students from the schools spoke out against the project last month. But now, WND is reporting that schools are taking the restrictions one step further.

Read the rest HERE!

Palm Scanners To Pay For School Lunch At Moss Bluff Elementary Has Parents Up In Arms, Call It ‘Mark Of The Beast’

(Huffington Post) KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Moss Bluff Elementary School in Louisiana is looking to streamline lunch payments by implementing a palm vein scanner program, but some parents aren’t pleased.

A letter to parents this week informed them of the new scanner that will allow the school’s nearly 1,000 students to move through the lunch line faster and with fewer payment mistakes — an issue that had arisen in the past, KPLC-TV reports.

While the letter notes that parents can opt their children out of the program, parent Mamie Sonnier told KPLC-TV that she was angry and disappointed by the program, as the scanner violates her beliefs. She contends that if the scanners actually make it to the school cafeteria, she’ll be transferring her kids to another school.

“As a Christian, I’ve read the Bible, you know go to church and stuff,” Sonnier said. “I know where it’s going to end up coming to, the mark of the beast. I’m not going to let my kids have that.”

Read the rest HERE!

Asheville school board seeks help

(Asheville Citizen Times) City schools need help from society as a whole — and city government in particular — to better address the achievement gap between white and African American students.

That’s the message school board members gave City Council at a joint meeting of the two bodies Tuesday at Hall Fletcher Elementary School in West Asheville.

Shifts in the economy, concentrations of poverty, a shortage of good role models and a shortage of job prospects are among the factors that make it more difficult for schools to improve student performance, board members said.

“I think we’re doing all we can possibly do, but the outside factors are giving us a fit,” said board Vice Chairman Al Whitesides.

Read the rest HERE!

Teacher evaluation system now includes common exams

(Star News Online) Students across North Carolina will take more than two dozen new tests this year – but they’ll have more of an effect on the teachers administering them.

Called common exams, the tests will be given in any subject where there isn’t already a state-mandated exam, and they’ll be the newest part of a statewide teacher evaluation system. The common exams are courtesy of N.C.’s Race to the Top plan, and local districts will use funding from Race to the Top to pay for printing and scoring the tests.

The common exams are a new addition to the state’s teacher evaluation system, said Jenn Preston, who coordinates teacher effectiveness for N.C.’s Race to the Top plan. Before, teachers were evaluated on a five-step process that involved observations from principals and other teachers and self-evaluations. The new sixth step will measure “teachers’ individual impact on his or her students,” Preston said. It’ll mostly look at how each teacher’s students scored on common exams and state assessments and will also take schoolwide growth into account.

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Teachers supplement payments to remain unchanged

(The McDowell News) After an outcry from local educators, school officials will postpone splitting supplement payments for teachers and principals until the 2013 to 2014 school year.

Last Monday, a roomful of teachers asked Superintendent Gerri Martin and the Board of Education to delay a decision to pay the annual supplement – between $825 and $1025 depending on the job – in two parts, one in the fall and one in the spring.

Traditionally, teachers had received the lump sum in October. They said many were counting on this year’s payment and were surprised by the change.

On Friday, Superintendent Gerri Martin posted on the McDowell County Public School’s website a letter detailing why she chose to push back her decision to split payments.

“After consultation with the Administrative Team and your school board, the 2012-2013 supplement for 10 months will be paid this year as it has been done in past years, on October 31, 2012 for this school year only,” wrote Martin in her letter. “Some decisions, by necessity, must be made that are final and non-negotiable. However after reading your emails and considering the economic realities we all face currently, we decided to change the supplement payment for this school year.”

In her letter, she also stated that those leaving the system early would have parts of their supplement deducted from their final paychecks.

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