North
Carolina Education News
January
2008
Copyright © 2008 Queue, Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
School Crime and Violence Report
North Carolina Continues National Board
Certification Momentum
North
Carolina Scores Low in School Food Policies
The rate of acts of crime and violence reported per
1,000 students in North Carolina public schools decreased by 0.13 in 2006-07.
The total number of acts of crime and violence increased by 0.5 percent, or 54
acts, from 2005-06, according to the Annual Report on School Crime and
Violence.
During last school year, North Carolina schools reported 11,013 acts of crime and violence among the system's 1.4 million students. This total correlates to 7.77 acts per 1,000 students, a decrease from 2005-06 when that number was 7.90 acts per 1,000 students. Forty percent, or 1,004 schools, of all schools reported no acts of crime or violence and 72 percent, or 1,812 schools, of all schools reported five or fewer acts last year.
As has been consistently reported in previous years, the
large majority of incidents reported were in categories considered non-violent:
possession of a controlled substance in violation of law, possession of a
weapon excluding firearms and powerful explosives, possession of an alcoholic
beverage, and assault on school personnel not resulting in serious injury.
The North Carolina Positive Behavior Support Initiative
is being used in 81 school systems as a way to address the learning environment
to support high student performance and reduce behavioral problems and
"Media Ready," a new media literacy substance abuse prevention
program supported by First Lady Mary Easley. A total of 200 middle school
literacy coaches and safe and drug free school coordinators representing all
115 school districts are receiving training in January to implement the
"Media Ready" program with students in the 2008-09 school year.
As in past reports, three categories of incidents are
responsible for more than 80 percent (84.8 percent) of all reported offenses:
possession of controlled substance in violation of law, possession of a weapon
excluding firearms and powerful explosives, and possession of an alcoholic
beverage. Five incident types decreased: possession of controlled substance in
violation of law, bomb threat, assault resulting in serious injury, assault
involving use of a weapon, and taking indecent liberties with a minor.
Offenses considered violent represent 4 percent of the
total acts reported. Schools that report five or more of these acts per
thousand students in two consecutive years and where "conditions that
contributed to the commission of those offenses are likely to continue into
another school year" are deemed Persistently Dangerous Schools. In
2006-07, no public schools were identified as Persistently Dangerous Schools.
The total number of occurrences for each reportable act
is listed below. Categories marked with an asterisk experienced an increase in
2006-07.
|
Possession of a controlled substance in violation of
law |
4,339 |
|
Possession of a weapon excluding firearms and powerful
explosives |
3,925* |
|
Possession of alcoholic beverage |
1,081* |
|
Assault on school personnel not resulting in serious
injury |
889* |
|
Bomb threat |
175 |
|
Possession of a firearm or powerful explosives |
139* |
|
Assault resulting in serious injury |
122 |
|
Sexual assault not involving rape or sexual offense |
97* |
|
Assault involving use of a weapon |
94 |
|
Sexual offense |
78* |
|
Robbery without a dangerous weapon |
44* |
|
Burning of school building |
20 |
|
Robbery with a dangerous weapon |
5* |
|
Kidnapping |
3* |
|
Rape |
2* |
|
Death by other than natural causes |
0 |
|
Taking indecent liberties with a minor |
0 |
As in previous years, the number and frequency of acts
is the lowest in elementary schools (grades pre-K-5) and highest at the high
school level. Possession of a weapon excluding firearms and powerful explosives
is the most reported act at the elementary and middle grade levels while
possession of a controlled substance in violation of law is the most reported
act at the high school level.
As with many types of crime reporting, it is difficult
to gauge causes for annual increases or decreases. Changes in overall numbers
and rates per 1,000 students can be the result of more thorough reporting and
better enforcement of laws in addition to actual increases in the number of
offenses committed on school grounds.
Today's report is based on information provided by all 115
local school districts and 93 charter schools. Under North Carolina law,
schools are required to report 17 specific acts of crime and violence to law
enforcement. In addition, the law requires that the State Board of Education
monitor and report annually on incidents of crime and violence in public
schools. This reporting requirement began in 1997-98 with 14 reportable acts, a
list that was expanded in 2001-02 to its current 17 reportable acts.
á Table
6A. Total Number of Acts for Each LEA and Charter Schools 2006-07 (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/newsroom/news/2007-08/20071205-01/2006-07table6a.pdf)
á Table
6B. Total Number of Acts for Individual Schools in each LEA 2006-07 (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/newsroom/news/2007-08/20071205-01/2006-07table6b.pdf)
á
2006-2007 Annual Report on School Crime and Violence (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/schoolimprovement/alternative/reports/schoolviolence/2006-07schoolviolence.pdf)
Another 1,442 North Carolina public school teachers are
celebrating achieving their highest professional credential – National
Board Certification. This newest batch of credentialed teachers brings the
state's total number of National Board Certified teachers to 12,770. The
National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) released its 2007
certification results this morning on "National Board Certification
Day."
became National Board Certified, bringing the national
total to nearly 64,000. North Carolina accounts for one-fifth of the nation's
nationally certified teachers. Florida is the next closest state with 10,875
National Board Certified teachers followed by South Carolina (5,729),
California (3,878), and Ohio (2,757).
In addition, four North Carolina public school districts
placed in the Top 20 districts nationally for the total number of national
board certified teachers: Wake County Public Schools is second with 1,259,
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is fourth with 1,049, Guilford County Schools is
11th with 465, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is 18th with 332.
National Board Certification was first offered in 1994, when
eight North Carolina teachers achieved this professional credential. Since
then, the number of North Carolina teachers receiving the certification
continues to grow.
North Carolina supports teachers in their efforts to
achieve National Board Certification by:
á paying
up-front the $2,500 assessment fee (As a condition, the teacher is obligated to
teach in the state during the following year whether they achieve National
Board Certification or not.)
á providing
three paid release days from normal teacher responsibilities to help teachers
develop their portfolios
á providing
a 12 percent salary supplement to the teachers' regular salary upon receipt of
National Board Certification (good for the 10-year life of the certification)
á awarding
15 continuing education units (CEUs) to the individual completing the National
Board Certification process.
Also, the State Board of Education awards a North
Carolina teaching license to out-of-state teachers who are employed in North
Carolina and who possess National Board Certification.
National Board Certification is the highest credential
in the teaching profession, and participation is voluntary. Teachers achieve
certification through a rigorous performance-based assessment that typically
takes one to three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers
and counselors should know and be able to do. As a part of the process,
teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments,
videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching. Certification
is currently available to educators in 27 fields.
Additional information
on National Board Certification is available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/recruitment/nationalboardcertification/
Kentucky
and Oregon top the nation in healthy school foods policies, but two-thirds of
states have no or weak nutrition standards to limit junk-food and soda sales
out of vending machines, school stores, and other venues outside of school
meals, according to a school foods
report card from the Center for Science in the Public Interest
(CSPI).
ÒOver
the last ten years, states have been strengthening their school nutrition
policies,Ó said Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy at CSPI. ÒBut
overall, the changes, while positive, are fragmented, incremental, and not
happening quickly enough to reach all children in a timely way.Ó
No
states received an A grade, though two states (Kentucky and Oregon) received an
A-; six states received a B+ (Nevada, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Washington
and New Mexico); nine states earned a B or B-, including Texas and Arizona; six
states and the District of Columbia received Cs; seven states got Ds; including NC (D+) VA (D)and Georgia
(D-) and 20 states got Fs, including Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan,
Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Most
improved honors go to Oregon, which upgraded from an F in last yearÕs report
card to an A-, and Washington state, which moved from an F to a B+. Since CSPIÕs last report card in 2006,
Oregon passed a comprehensive school snack and beverage policy which limits
calories, saturated and trans fat, and sugars in snacks in K-12 schools and
limits the sale of most sugary beverages in schools. Both states previously had
no guidelines beyond USDAÕs bare-bones
CSPI
found that only 11 states have comprehensive food and beverage standards that
apply to the whole campus, the whole school day, for all grade levels. Thirteen
states limit portion sizes for snacks, and only 11 states limit portion sizes
for beverages. Fifteen states limit the saturated-fat content of school snacks,
and only ten address trans fat. Just five states set limits on sodium in school
foods.
ÒThe
majority of states still rely on the U.S. Department of AgricultureÕs outdated
school nutrition standards,Ó said Wootan. ÒThose national standards limit only
the sale of jelly beans, lollipops, and other so-called Ôfoods of minimal
nutritional value.Õ Those standards donÕt address calories, saturated and trans
fat, sodium, or other key nutrition concerns for children today.Ó
CSPI
based its grades on five key considerations:
¥
Beverage nutrition standards
¥
Food nutrition standards
¥
Grade levels to which policies apply
¥
Time during the school day to which policies apply
¥
Locations on campus to which policies apply
Over
the last 20 years, obesity rates have tripled in children and adolescents, and
only 2 percent of children eat a healthy diet, according to key nutrition
recommendations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Despite that, about a
third of elementary schools, 71 percent of middle schools, and 89 percent of
high schools sell items such as sugary drinks, snack cakes, candy, and chips
out of vending machines, school stores, or a la carte lines in the cafeteria,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionÕs 2006 School
Health Policies and Programs Study:
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/shpps/2006/factsheets/pdf/FS_FoodandBeverages_SHPPS2006.pdf
Full
Report Card:
http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/2007schoolreport.pdf