Florida
Education News
February
2009
Copyright © 2009 Queue, Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
Trends in Technology Planning and Funding in
Florida K-12 Public Schools
New Report Finds That State Squander
Opportunities With New Teachers
Florida Ranked Top Ten in the Nation in Education
Top Reading School Districts in the State
African Centered Charter School Overcomes
Adversity to Celebrate 10 Year Anniversary
Second XRKade Research Site to Open at Florida Elementary
School
Marion County Public Schools Works to Optimize
State Funding
Florida Education Report Back
Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/FLnews.html)
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This
empirical research investigates trends in technology planning and funding in
FloridaÕs KÐ12 public schools between the 2003Ð04 and 2005Ð06 academic years.
Survey items that focused on funding and planning issues on FloridaÕs statewide
school technology integration survey were analyzed using logistic models.
Results
indicate a significant increase in the number of schools revising their
technology plans on a regular basis; a significant increase in the frequency
with which FloridaÕs KÐ12 public schools are seeking funding for
technology-related initiatives; a significant increase in parent,
administrator, teacher, and student involvement in the technology planning
process; and a significant decline in adequate funding for software and
hardware needs. In addition, schools with low proportions of economically
disadvantaged students sought and were awarded significantly more funds from donations
and federal and state grants.
Implications
for educational leadership and policy are provided.
Complete
study:
http://journals.sfu.ca/ijepl/index.php/ijepl/article/view/146/57
A
new report released by the not-for-profit, non-partisan National Council on
Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds that the laws and regulations of a majority of
states discourage promising new teachers from sticking with the profession,
while doing little to identify and move out ineffective teachers.
The
report finds that states: 1) do not require sufficient support and evaluation
of new teachers, a problem since most districts rarely opt to exceed state
requirements; 2) do not require or even allow a teacherÕs effectiveness to be
considered when granting tenure, although states control how and when tenure is
awarded; 3) cling to anachronistic compensation schemes rather than advancing
differentiated pay systems; 4) are lagging in the development of the systems
necessary for identifying effective teachers; 5) place a disproportionate
emphasis on providing pension benefits to retiring teachers at the expense of
providing benefits that would appeal to younger teachers; and 6) allow far too
many ineffective teachers to remain in the classroom and gain tenure, including
teachers who repeatedly fail to meet the stateÕs own licensing standards.
NCTQ
President Kate Walsh said, ÒThe third through fifth years of teaching represent
an opportunity lost for teacher quality. ThatÕs certainly when teachers begin
to add real value, and itÕs also when they tend to make decisions about staying
or leaving. States can help districts do much more to ensure that the right
teachers stay and the right teachers leave."
The
2008 State Teacher Policy Yearbook finds that state regulations are in need of
significant reforms in order to improve teacher quality and offers states
specific guidelines for rectifying substandard policies. Each stateÕs Yearbook,
as well as a national summary, is immediately available for free download at www.nctq.org/stpy.
Florida Report:
http://www.nctq.org/stpy08/reports/stpy_florida.pdf
FloridaÕs
education ranking jumped from 14th to 10th in the nation, and its overall grade
improved from a C-plus to a B-minus, according to the 2009 Quality Counts:
Portrait of a Population report released today. The report, issued annually by Education
Week,
tracks state policies and performance across key areas of education and assigns
each state with an overall letter grade to signify their education standing in
the nation. This improvement builds on last yearÕs drastic improvement that
took Florida from 31st in 2006 to 14th in 2007.
This
yearÕs edition of the report grades states based on their performance and
policies in six distinct education areas: Chance for Success; Transitions and
Alignment; School Finance; K-12 Achievement; Standards, Assessments, and
Accountability; and the Teaching Profession. Beginning this year, the report
updates data in three of those areas (Chance for Success, Transitions and
Alignment, and School Finance) and combines it with the previous reportÕs
grades for the remaining categories. The overall grade assigned to each state
is the average score for all six categories.
Florida's
grade in the Transitions and Alignment category was a C-plus, which was above
the national average of a C. This section indicates if states have performed
actions such as adopting a definition of school readiness, requiring high
school students to complete a college-preparatory curriculum to earn a diploma,
and adopting definitions of college and workforce readiness.
The
Chance for Success category looks at a stateÕs educational framework that spans
a studentÕs life, from prekindergarten to the workforce. Florida tied the
national average in this category with a C-plus and ranked ninth and 11th in
Preschool and Kindergarten enrollment, respectively. The state also ranked high
in the Steady Employment indicator with a ranking of 12th place.
Florida
also received high marks for the equity of its education spending, exceeding
the national average in three of the four indicators for this subsection. The
stateÕs overall grade in this section was a C-minus, which was below the
national average of a C-plus.
For
the three previous-year categories that were factored into this yearÕs score,
Florida was ranked fourth in the nation for the Teaching Profession; seventh in
the nation for K-12 Achievement; and 12th in the nation for Standards,
Assessment and Accountability.
In
addition to the six categories, the report includes an in-depth examination of
the condition of English-language learners (ELL) in schools across the nation.
While this section did not receive a grade, it did single out states in its
analysis. Florida was highlighted for leading the nation in the number of
certified teachers in Federal Title III language instruction programs, and is
one of only three states that requires all prospective teachers to show they are
competent to teach ELL students.
State
Report Cards:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2009/17src.h28.html
13
school districts produced exceptional reading results in 2008, increasing the
percentage of students reading at or above grade level and successfully
reducing the percentage of students with serious reading difficulties. The 13
school districts are Bradford, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Dixie, Escambia,
Holmes, Lee, Marion, Okeechobee, Orange, Palm Beach and Taylor.
Florida
Reading First
serves 570 schools within 45 districts. Reading First schools are given a
variety of resources and training through the federal Reading First program to
help them achieve two goals: 1) increase the percentage of students reading at
or above grade level; and 2) reduce the percentage of students with serious
reading difficulties. Reading First grants assists Florida school districts
implement proven methods of reading instruction to prevent reading difficulties
in grades K-3.
The
recognition event occurred during the DepartmentÕs WhatÕs Working in Reading
workshop. The WhatÕs Working series is an innovative program that provides a
forum for education policy makers (such as district school superintendents;
community college, state college, and state university system presidents;
legislators and legislative staff; business stakeholders; State Board of
Education members; and Department staff), to discuss current education trends
and new methods for achieving greater academic success in FloridaÕs teaching
institutions.
For
more information about FloridaÕs top Reading First Districts, visit http://www.fldoe.org/news/pdf/Data_Sheet_Reading_First_2009.pdf. For more information
about the WhatÕs Working series, visit www.fldoe.org/whatworks.
Holding classes on school buses, in public libraries, parks, and make-shift trailers are distant memories for the staff and supporters of the Joseph Littles-NGUZO SABA Charter School, but their struggle for continuing success isn't over. After seeing their children labeled learning disabled, these parents from the poorest community in Palm Beach County finally found someone who believed in their children, and they were not about to let go. They viewed learning by school bus, and moving from place to place a mere inconvenience. The curriculum includes year-long studies that include Black history, not just the profiles that appear during Black History Month.
The
Joseph Littles-Nguzo Saba Charter School, in West Palm Beach Florida, is
helping children in grades K through 8 reach new heights from the bottom rung
of the educational ladder. The children that populate this school are those
whom the Public Schools System has labeled as unable to learn, and allegedly
didn't want to teach. Negative labeling and low expectations led to frustrated
parents. They have turned to the Joseph Littles-Nguzo Saba Charter School to
provide a better future for their children.
This
school is the outgrowth of the vision of Amefika Geuka, its founder, first Head
Master, and currently, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Grounded in African
Centered Education based on the Nguzo Saba Principles, strong community values,
and an unwavering belief in the potential of the children and families served,
this school has survived against tremendous odds to be poised to celebrate
their 10th Anniversary on January 20, 2009, the date on which this country will
inaugurate its first President of African ancestry!
Geuka
observes, "Any time a Black person gains an achievement as significant as
election to President of the U.S., this cannot help but improve the
self-perception of Black children, and especially those whom we serve."
"The
most African Centered thing that we can do is to be excellent every day,"
says Dr. P. Kamara Collins, Ph.D., former Assistant Headmaster and now a
resident of Atlanta, Georgia.
The
school is making progress with technology and other learning activities, but
there is a shortage of funds to provide for extracurricular activities, such as
sports and cultural arts,
that currently prevents the children from
achieving a holistic educational experience. The educators are striving for an
"A" rating for the school. "I would like to see beyond this
"Nguzo Saba School," and see this concept become the model. I hope to
see Nguzo Sabas all over the country," says Jenice Reddick, former Social
Studies Teacher at JL-NSCS who now resides in Philadelphia.
The
school is launching a nationwide fundraising effort to support their goal of
becoming a role model of African Centered Education, and the success of charter
schools to meet the needs of the most needy students and families that have
been failed by the Public School System
School Setting Tests
Active GamingÕs Benefits in KidsÕ Real World
Fifth
graders at Belle Witter Elementary School in Tampa will get a fitness boost:
physical education classes in a brand-new, state-of-the art XRKade Òactive
gamingÓ room, with video-enabled bikes, XRBoards, Dance Dance Revolution and
other games that combine technology with fitness and fun.
Using
a grant from the Centers for Disease Control, the University of South Florida
provided the XRKade and gaming systems for the school located at 10801 N. 22nd
St., Tampa, as a research and outreach program of its XRKade Research Lab at
the USF College of Education.
ÒThe
Belle Witter kids will play on some of our coolest XRKade equipment,Ó said Mike
Hansen, CEO of iTech Fitness of Aurora, Colo., developer of the XRKade active
gaming concept. ÒThrough our partnership with USF, weÕre learning how combining
exercise with video games motivates kids to get moving.Ó
The
original XRKade Research Lab opened in January 2007 at USF. Hosting XRKade
equipment at a nearby school will enable USF students and faculty to take a
case study research approach, observing kids in their everyday environment.
Fifth graders at Belle Witter will enroll in an eight-week qualitative study to
capture studentsÕ initial experiences with the XRKade equipment and how they
change over time.
ÒWe
chose fifth graders because research from the Centers for Disease Control shows
that the biggest decline in physical activity occurs in 9- and 10-year-olds,Ó
said USF Ph.D. student Lisa Hansen, who co-directs the research program. ÒThey
think that games are fun, but exercise is work. When kids use active gaming
equipment, we can get them to think, ÔThis canÕt be exercise. ItÕs too much
fun.ÕÓ
Marion
County Public Schools (MCPS) has chosen CerticaÕs K-12 data certification
software to help secure necessary education funding by improving the accuracy,
completeness and timeliness of district data reported to the Florida Department
of Education.
CerticaÕs
software, called Certifyª, provides daily, personalized, web-based
data certification reports to school personnel such as principals, registrars
and information processing clerks, so they can easily review, research and
correct data errors. Providing this web-based data certification capability has
enabled MCPS and other Florida districts to significantly shorten the time it
takes to identify and resolve data problems that may cause state funding to be
delayed or withheld.
MCPS,
a district of 42,000 students and more than fifty schools in North Central
Florida, wanted the ability to frequently test its data for accuracy before
periodically submitting it to the Florida Department of Education. With
Certify, the district automatically validates and monitors its data on a
nightly basis, ensuring that it meets highly-detailed and complex state
reporting requirements.
Prior
to implementing Certify software, MCPS personnel often worked evening shifts
during the data submission period to resolve school and district data issues
that had resulted from data entry errors, changes in state requirements, and
challenges presented to school districts implementing web based student
information systems. Now, with Certify, those evening shifts have been
eliminated and the district is able to definitively measure the data
improvement in each school.