Delaware Education News
March 2009
Copyright © 2009 Queue, Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
Delaware Rises Above the Nationwide Dropout
Crisis
The Leader in Serving 3-Year-Olds in State Pre-K is Illinois
Delaware Education Report Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/DEnews.html)
Education Research Report Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/EduResearchRpt.html)
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A
dozen states significantly improved their high school graduation rates between
2002 and 2006, while the rest of the nation lagged behind, according to a
report by researchers at the new Everyone Graduates Center at the Johns Hopkins
University.
Tennessee led the way with an 11 percentage point increase in its graduation rate, according to the report, "Progress Toward Increasing National and State Graduation Rates." The other 11 states and their percentage point increases are:
- Delaware, 6.8 percentage points
- Kentucky, 6.8
- S. Dakota, 5.3
- Arkansas, 5.2
- Alabama, 4.1
- N. Carolina, 3.6
- New York, 3.5
- Hawaii, 3.4
- Missouri, 3.4
- Nebraska, 3.1
- New Hampshire, 3.0
This
progress report comes on the heels of a major education address by President
Obama in which he cited the work of Johns Hopkins education researchers in
identifying the 2,000 high schools that produce half of the nation's dropouts,
and issued a challenge to all Americans to turn around these low-performing
schools.
The
report draws on several methods of measuring graduation rates to make its
assessments. The rate increases represent thousands of high school graduates
who might not have earned diplomas a few years ago.
The
full report is available at http://www.every1graduates.org/PDFs/StateProgressReport.pdf
Last
month, Congress made an unprecedented commitment to AmericaÕs public schools,
passing the single biggest increase in federal education funding in our
nationÕs history. As the U.S. Department of Education begins to distribute the one-time
funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the
onus is on states to live up to that challenge and ensure that this investment
boosts overall achievement and closes gaps.
To
measure how effectively states are using the infusion of federal support, the
public will need accurate, reliable data. The Education TrustÕs Education
Watch series assembles some of the most critical indicators of
student achievement, attainment, and opportunity, providing a state-by-state
snapshot of public education in America.
The
data in these reports and the accompanying Òquick lookÓ chart
mark the starting line in AmericaÕs ÒRace to the TopÓ Ð the federal effort to
provoke bold, enduring progress in education. Education Watch reveals which states are
farthest along the course, which are gaining on those leaders, and which are
barely out of the starting blocks. Throughout the duration of ARRA spending,
The Education Trust will provide updates on state progress as new data become
available.
These
reports reflect the most up-to-date information available across states. While some states
may have more recent data on their own schools and reform efforts, Education
Watch
uses only data that are consistent across states. This allows for accurate
comparisons and the ability to identify and learn from the leaders on each
indicator. While no state is yet where it needs to be, especially in terms of
educating lower income students and students of color, some are doing a much
better job than others.
For
example, on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):
á
In
eighth-grade math, Massachusetts leads the nation in gains overall since 2000, and
was among the top gainers for Latinos and lower income students. However, state
improvement among African-American students (6 points) lagged significantly
behind the national average (16 points), resulting in a widening of the performance
gap between African-American and white students. Massachusetts was one of just
two states in which an achievement gap between student subgroups grew larger.
Though
each state is different, common patterns emerge from these NAEP data,
indicating just how far we have to go to ensure that all young Americans have
equal access to a high-quality education Ð especially lower income students and
students of color, who now comprise almost half of all students in our
nationÕs public schools. Student performance is too low overall, varying
dramatically between student groups, and the pace of improvement is far too
slow.
ÒThese
reports provide a sobering look at the challenging work that lies ahead,Ó said
Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust. ÒOne thing is clear: To secure
our economic future, we must confront educational inequities head-on and ensure
that every school in America is ready to help every student advance farther,
faster. The federal dollars are not a license to do business as usual; they
come with a demand for change. We will never have this opportunity again, so
the pressure is on for states to invest big in what works for kids and stop
supporting the policies and programs that simply arenÕt getting the job done.Ó
When
evaluating student achievement data, many people are quick to attribute
performance to the home lives of students. But the variation of results among
states for the same groups of students proves that what happens in school matters immensely.
ThatÕs
why the Education Watch data on opportunity in education offer a valuable way to
compare student achievement, taking into account the level of resources
available to each student group. A look at these data show that lower income
students and students of color Ð the ones who most often come to school with
less Ð are consistently and systematically provided with less of everything
that research and experience tell us matters most in school: less access to
well-prepared, effective teachers; less access to challenging curriculum; and
less funding.
For
example:
Delaware
report;
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/summaries2009/Delaware.pdf
State
reports:
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/summaries2009/states.html
The
annual survey of state-funded preschool programs shows impressive expansion in
enrollment and spending. However, the recession may reverse the trend,
curtailing early education opportunities for children in lower and middle-income
families.
The
National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released The State of
Preschool 2008 at a news conference here today. Key findings included:
¥
Enrollment increased by more than 108,000 children. More than 1.1 million
children attended state-funded preschool education, 973,178 at age 4 alone.
¥
Thirty-three of the 38 states with state-funded programs increased enrollment.
¥
Based on NIEER's Quality Standards Checklist, 11 states improved the quality of
their preschool programs. Only one fell back.
¥
State funding for pre-K rose to almost $4.6 billion. Funding for state pre-K
from all reported sources exceeded $5.2 billion, an increase of nearly $1
billion (23 percent) over the previous year.
On
a less positive note, whether or not a child receives high-quality preschool
education depends on where his or her family lives. Twelve states provided no
state-funded preschool in 2008.
Due
to the economy and declining state revenues, the immediate future of
state-funded preschool is uncertain. In most states, expenditures on pre-K are
entirely discretionary and therefore easier to cut than expenditures for K-12
education and other programs.
Of
the 38 states with state-funded preschool, cuts are likely in at least nine
including some of the biggest states Ð California, Florida, New York, and North
Carolina.
Whatever
state and federal governments may do to cope with the current economic crisis,
Barnett said, "a federal initiative is needed to support early learning
and development.
"We
propose that the federal government commit to doubling the rate of growth in
state pre-K while raising state quality standards so that by the year 2020 all
4-year-olds in America will have access to a good education. To do this, the
federal government should match state spending with up to $2,500 for every
additional child enrolled in state pre-K programs meeting basic quality
standards. In addition, the federal government should facilitate increased
integration of child care, Head Start, and state pre-K.
"If
the federal government adopts such a course, all of our children will have a
brighter future. If it does not, disparities in early education and school
readiness will continue to increase, and another generation will pass without
the benefits of quality pre-K for all."
Currently,
Oklahoma remains the only state where virtually every child can start school at
age 4. In at least eight other states, more than half of 4-year-olds attend a
public preschool program of some kind.
At
the other end of the spectrum, are the 12 states that have no regular state
preschool education program: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi,
Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. In eight states, less than 20 percent of children are enrolled in a
public preschool program at age 4 even taking into account preschool special
education and Head Start.
Most
states meet a majority of the NIEER's 10 benchmarks for program quality
standards, but five states meet fewer than half. These states include three of
the four states with the largest populations and numbers of children in pre-K--
California, Texas and Florida.
Texas
is the only state that fails to limit both maximum class size and staff-child
ratio. California and Maine have limits on staff-child ratio but no class size
limit. Most other states limit classes to 20 or fewer children with a teacher
and an assistant.
In
2008, enrollment of 3-year-olds continued to rise, though less rapidly than at
age 4. The leader in serving 3-year-olds in state pre-K is Illinois, which is
the only state committed to serving all 3-year-olds, but it is closely followed
by Arkansas. Four states, Illinois, Arkansas, Vermont and New Jersey serve at
least 20 percent of children at age 3 in general and special education
programs.
Research
shows that high-quality pre-K can help improve the educational success of all
children and by doing so, decrease school failure and dropout rates, and crime
and delinquency. In addition, high-quality preschool education has been found
to improve economic productivity and health.
Complete
report:
http://nieer.org/yearbook/pdf/yearbook.pdf