February 2006
IN THIS
ISSUE:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The following letters were sent in
response to the January 2006 newsletter articles. Back issues of this
e-newsletter can be found here.
On Jan 27, 2006, at 8:06 AM, Anne Prichard wrote:
I am sending suggestions to you regarding the proposed
environmental science course for high schools.
As I'm sure you know, Georgia 4-H has an extensive
environmental ed program initiated by Dianne Davies in the 1980s (for which she
received a Kellogg Foundation Fellowship). The premise of inquiry-based
learning, involving live plants and animals, and site-based learning would be an
excellent starting point for developing Georgia's school curriculum. I would also like to see the state
begin to recruit the 4-H staff as teachers, many of whom leave the state after
a year or two in the 4-H program.
A second resource would be the Naturalist Center of the
National Museum of Natural History. The director, Richard Efthim, understands
inquiry learning more deeply than the NSTA. He has trained a cadre of teachers
in the Loudon County, VA school system and has also visited our school to
introduce the concepts to our faculty. Because of his guidance and interest, we
have established a Naturalist Center as a subsidiary of our Media Center. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Anne C. Prichard, Media Specialist
Sandersville Elementary School
Sandersville, Georgia 31082
On Jan 30, 2006, at 11:14 AM, Sherry Harper wrote:
In response to a minimum wage of $40,000 for teachers—hear! hear! No one is
more stressed, over-worked, or underappreciated as is the
new teacher.
Teachers at all levels of primary and secondary education
have to take computer training and have meetings during
their "planning
period.
" They
have to call parents when a child is repeatedly absent,
repeatedly late, not cooperating in class or homework, or
simply not
comprehending at a necessary level.
All of this must be done during
their "planning period."
In conjunction with the aforementioned duties, primary and middle
school teachers have to escort their children to and from
the lunchroom
and/or restroom.
High school teachers have hall duty at the beginning
of their planning period, and have one other duty on
their roster.
Teachers with planning other than the lunch period have
bus ramp duty or
entrance/exit duty, and of course lunch planners have
lunch duty.
God
forbid that you are particularly good at lunch duty.
Schools have been
known to change their procedure and any teacher that is
good at lunch
duty has that duty for the entire year—without a day
off!
I am currently in my sixth year of teaching, so this very nearly
doesn't affect me, but I cannot forget how hard the first
few years
were.
Fortunately, my significant other made a good income and this
didn't have an adverse affect on me.
But what about new teachers that
live alone?
They just finished college, it's likely they barely have a
running vehicle, they have a new house or apartment, and
they have the
frustration of just trying to learn the ropes.
(College doesn't prepare
you for real-time student behavior.)
I feel that those teachers need every bit of
encouragement we can give them.
Knowing that our political leaders
understand what they are going through might help Georgia
keep more
teachers on board.
Every year so far, I noticed what I feel is an
extravagant number of teachers who can't wait to get out
of teaching. Therefore, hear! hear! and keep encouraging them!
Sherry Harper
Westside High School
Macon, Georgia
Bibb County
On Feb 3, 2006, at 12:12 PM, Melanie McDowell wrote:
Re: Anna Quindlen and her comments: Georgia Education
Newsletter
How can we say,
Thank YOU!! to Anna for her
remarks about the wages of teaching?
And let's not forget the pitiful wages paid to our SuperWoman and
SuperMan Paraprofessionals!
Melanie J. McDowell
Special Education Teacher
Henry County Schools
Georgia
To submit letters to the editor for this e-newsletter, please reply to jdk@queueinc.com.
Please indicate whether or not we have permission to publish your
comments in future newsletters. The editor reserves the right to
trim content for length purposes when necessary, but will not edit the
tone of the letters.
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GEORGIA'S ADVANCED PLACEMENT SCORES ON THE RISE
Results show more students taking AP classes, more to
receive college credit.
Feb. 7, 2006—Results of the 2005 Advanced Placement
(AP) tests show that Georgia's students are taking more AP courses and more AP
exams.
Additionally, more students
are scoring 3, 4, or 5 on exams, allowing them to receive college credit.
The results are released just a week after President Bush
put out his plan to increase math and science achievement in our schools.
One of his goals is to increase the
number of students taking AP classes.
Georgia is already well on its way to achieving this goal.
The percentage of overall Georgia students taking AP
tests increased 18.8%, and the percentage of Georgia public school students
taking AP tests increased 21.3%.
The percentage of overall Georgia students receiving a 3–5 on AP tests
increased 15.7%, while the percentage of public school students receiving a 3–5
on AP tests increased 18.7%.
In response to the AP scores, Superintendent Kathy Cox
said, "These results show that we have more kids who are challenging
themselves with rigorous classes and more kids who are succeeding. This
improvement in student achievement is seen in every subgroup of students, which
is evidence that we are slowly but surely closing the achievement gap in
Georgia."
Once again, Southwest DeKalb High School in DeKalb County
was recognized as a leader nationally and in Georgia for outstanding AP
scores.
This year they had the
highest number of African-American students scoring a 3 or better on the AP
U.S. History exam.
Last year, southwest DeKalb was recognized as having more African Americans succeeding in
AP U.S. History than any other school in the country.
About Advanced Placement Courses and Tests: AP offers
college-level courses that allow students the opportunity to earn credit or
advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities.
AP offers 35 courses and exams across
20 subject areas.
In order for
students to receive college credit for AP courses, they must score 3, 4, or 5
on each exam.
To view a PowerPoint presentation on the AP results, click
here.
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GADOE'S "ENEWSLETTER" DEBUTS
January 25, 2006—The Georgia Department of Education unveiled its new
monthly "eNewsletter" today.
The
monthly newsletter will keep teachers, administrators, parents and others
informed about what is going on in education around the state. It will also
link to other newsletters put out by GaDOE departments and partners.
"It has long been a goal of mine to communicate more directly with
the public about what is going on in Georgia's public schools," State
Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said. "In this newsletter, we'll
highlight programs, policies and people that are making an impact on students
all over the state."
To
view this month's newsletter, please click
here.
SUBSCRIBE: To have the eNewsletter delivered to your inbox, please click
here.
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GEORGIA'S SYSTEM OF DETERMINING HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS DEEMED "PARTICULARLY SOUND"
Education Department officials singled out Georgia,
Colorado, Kentucky, and Ohio for praise, according to an EdWeek report. The same
report indicated that 97% of Georgia's teachers were rated highly qualified,
and that 82% of Georgia Schools had made adequate yearly progress in 2005, up
2% from 2004.
To see this data and a report on percentage of students
who scored at or above proficient on state tests in 2005 in 4th- and 8th-grade
math and reading
, see
"Room to Maneuver," the
December 14, 2005
Education Week special report on the progress of the No
Child Left Behind Act:
http://www.coloradoea.org/media/nclb_1214.pdf
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DEBBIE LAMB, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER, MORGAN COUNTY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Emily Miller doesn't always need words to communicate
happiness. The doe-eyed eight-year-old is prone to grinning, and her teeth
often make an appearance when someone's behavior is deemed worthy of a smile.
But Miller also has her hands.
Miller has apraxia, a motor disorder that impairs her
ability to make speech sounds, and she largely uses sign language to
communicate with others, including teacher Debbie Lamb.
Lamb, a special education teacher at Morgan County
Primary School, said she began learning sign language when Miller became one of
her students. Lamb, who was named Teacher of the Year for MCPS, is one of the
teachers who instruct over 400 students with disabilities in the Morgan County
School System.
To see the entire article, click
here.
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GEORGIA RENAISSANCE FAIRE OFFERS SCHOOL DAYS
Renaissance Faires are a great way to introduce students
to Renaissance history and literature.
Georgia Renaissance Faire
offers School Days especially for students:
April 27 and May 4, 2006
.
Created especially for students of all ages, Student Days
at the Georgia Renaissance Festival demonstrate the intellectual, cultural, and
splendor of the Renaissance.
Students
will have an opportunity to interview King Henry VIII, his royal court
and
dozens of historical figures; encounter firsthand what life was like in
16th-century England; watch armored jousting; explore the history of
knighthood and civalry; watch falconry exhibitions; learn the customs,
costumes and mnnerisms of the period; witness artisan demonstrations;
hear music performed
on medieval instruments; interact with peasants and nobles; and
experience
classic Shakespearean Theatre.
There is a
Curriculum
Enhancement Manual on CD for teachers. For more information, please go to:
www.garenfest.com/student.htm
Are you interested in Renaissance faires and Renaissance
history? To receive
Renaissance Magazine News, a free e-newsletter, click
here.
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EDWEEK REPORTS GEORGIA RANKS EIGHTH IN THE COUNTRY IN BEGINNING TEACHER SALARY, 49TH IN GRADUATION RATE
Quality Counts 2006 ranked states in a number of
categories. Here are a few:
|
Georgia |
National Average |
Rank |
| Education spending per student adjusted for regional cost differences (2002) |
$7,923 |
$7,734 |
21 |
| Average class size for self-contained classes in elementary schools (2000) |
19.7 |
21.2 |
16 |
| Average Beginning Teacher Salary (2002-03) |
$33,919 |
$29,564 |
8 |
| Average Teacher Salary (2002-03) |
$45,414 |
$45,771 |
16 |
| Graduation rates (2002) State overall
|
56 % |
71 % |
49 |
| Black
|
48 % |
56 % |
|
| Hispanic
|
-- % |
52 % |
|
| White
|
63 % |
78 % |
|
For more information, click
here.
The NEA reports that the average teacher salary in Georgia fell
from 16th to 18th in the nation last year. Student-teacher ratio fell from 30th
to 29th (lower is bad), but expenditures per student rose a strong 4.2%, allowing
Georgia to move up one notch to 24th in the nation.
To see complete data, click
here.
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PRESIDENT
WANTS TO DECREASE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BY $3.1 BILLION
The President's FY 2007
budget requests $54.4 billion in
discretionary appropriations for the Department of Education, a
decrease of
$3.1 billion, or 5.5 percent, from the 2006 level. The White House says
that
the education budget demonstrates an effort to eliminate
underperforming
programs, while increasing resources that promote the competitiveness
of the nation's
students and the nation itself.
Funding for most of the major education programs was held
level. A number of programs were zeroed out in the FY 2007 budget,
including
Even Start, Comprehensive School Reform, Gifted and Talented, STAR
Schools,
Ready to Teach and Arts in Education, along with a number of smaller
programs.
The president, as he did last year, zeroed out the Enhancing Education
Through Technology
(EETT) program. Congress restored some of that funding for
FY 2006, so the final outcome remains to be seen. This is just the
opening
salvo in a long process that needs to be carefully monitored.
Budget information can be found
here.
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DO
TALL MEN GET BETTER EDUCATION?
A study of 950,000
Swedish men has shown that taller men
get a better education, a researcher said.
The
study,
to be published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, could
suggest
short people are discriminated against as they are expected to be low
achievers, said researcher Finn Rasmussen at Sweden's Karolinska
Institute.
"The
probability of achieving higher education in later life increases
linearly with
height," said the study.
It
looked at
male conscripts into the Swedish army born between 1950 and 1975 and
their
education for up to 27 years after their height was measured at the age
of 18.
"Men
taller than 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) were two to three times more likely to
obtain a
higher education when compared with men shorter than 165 cm," it added.
Feeding
variables into the study such as social background or intelligence, as
measured
by IQ, altered the outcome slightly, but a clear link between height
and
educational attainment remained, the research said.
The
scientists did not draw conclusions, but Rasmussen said it could be
something
to do with social attitudes.
"We do not know if people have negative attitudes
to[wards] short people.
It is possible that there could something in society about the
expectations of
people or attitudes to what people can perform."
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FEDERALLY FUNDED EDUCATION
PROGRAMS 2006
With the approval of the
2006 Federal Education Budget,
public education will see the first reduction in funding in ten years.
An
across-the-board cut of 1% was applied to federal discretionary
programs to
help fund the new Hurricane Education Recovery Act.
MDR has provided a very informative guide to the impact
on federally funded education programs. You can access it by
clicking
here.
TECH-SAVVY
STUDENTS STUCK IN
TEXT-DOMINATED SCHOOLS
Education/Evolving's
report "Real Impact: Student Opinions for a Change" is divided into
two major sets of findings. The first set describes our nation's
increasingly
tech-savvy students and the various ways in which they use computers
and the
Internet. The second outlines students' frustrations with our nation's
still
text-dominated schools, as well as students' ideas for how adult
education
policy and school designers could better meet their needs.
To see
full report, click here.
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THE
65 PERCENT SOLUTION
First Class Education
(
www.firstclasseducation.org)
wants all fifty states
and the District of Columbia to reallocate school spending so that at
least 65
cents oF every dollar goes directly into the classroom—on
books and teacher
pay—by the end of 2008.
The concept is taking hold; the "65 percent
solution" has already swept through state capitol domes in Texas,
Kansas,
and Louisiana. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (R) introduced
legislation, joining seventeen other states that have proposed bills to
meet that 65-percent threshold. Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty, and Florida's
Jeb Bush are also
throwing their weight behind the plan. Currently, the national average
classroom spending is about 61.5 cents on the dollar, according to the
National
Center for Educational Statistics.
To see complete article, click
here.
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STUDY SHOWS EDUCATIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT GENDER GAP GROWING—BOYS FALLING BEHIND
The large academic achievement gap between males and
females is growing significantly decreased, according to a new study
by the U.S. Department of Education.
In elementary school, female fourth-graders outperformed
their male peers in reading (2003) and writing (2002) assessments.
Gender
differences in mathematics achievement have been small and fluctuated
slightly
between 1990 and 2003. At the secondary school level, the gap in the
National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading achievement grew from
ten
points in 1992 to 16 points in 2002, with males performing lower than
females.
Females entering college baccalaureate programs were more likely than
their
male counterparts to graduate within six years. In 2001, the overall
participation rate of females in adult education was higher than that
of their
male peers (53 percent vs. 46 percent).
Other findings are that:
- Females
are less likely to repeat a grade or to drop out of high school.
- Differences
based on gender in math and science course-taking appear to be
shrinking.
- Female
high school seniors tend to have higher educational aspirations than
their male
peers.
- Females
have made substantial progress at the graduate level overall, but they
still
earn fewer than half of the degrees in many fields.
"It is clear that girls are taking education very
seriously and that they have made tremendous strides," said U.S.
Secretary
of Education Rod Paige. "The issue now is that boys seem to be falling
behind. We need to spend some time researching the problem so that we
can give
boys the support to succeed academically."
To download or view the report, please click
here.
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FREE
STUDENT WORKBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR PREVIEW (Advertisement)
Queue, Inc. offers previews of its Georgia test
preparation workbooks to public schools.
Queue publishes test prep books in English/Language Arts,
Mathematics,
Reading Comprehension, and Composition for Grades 3-high school, as
well as
Practice Tests in Math and English/Language Arts.
Queue also offers Math and Reading workbooks for grades 1 and 2, and
publishes a wide variety of other workbooks in
Literature, Science, History, Government, Health, and ESL.
Samples of student
workbooks are available for preview.
For further
information
and to order free previews, click here to visit our
Georgia
Workbooks webpage.
or call:
800-232-2224
or fax: 800-775-2729
or e-mail:
jdk@queueinc.com
or write: Queue, Inc., 1 Controls Dr., Shelton, CT 06484
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