March 2007
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Education News

For back issues of this newsletter, as well as current and back issues of our other newsletters, U.S. Education News and Education Research Report, please to our newly-redesigned website: http://www.queuenews.com/

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Education Week’s “Quality Counts” report has ranked Texas high on 3 of 4 categories covered. Texas ranked 16th in the nation for Elementary and Secondary performance and 48th for Chance for Success.

The Elementary and Secondary Index is based equally on current performance and improvement, or changes over time, and uses 15 individual indicators relating to reading and math performance, graduation rates and the results of advanced placement exams. 

The “Chance-for Success” index, which is based on 13 indicators that highlight whether young children get a good start, succeed in elementary and secondary school, and hit key educational and income benchmarks as adults.

Texas’s other scores were lower:

Aligning Education from Cradle to Career
State rank: 11

Standards, Assessments, and Accountability
State rank: 9

To read the complete, highly detailed report on Texas, please go to: http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2007/17shr.tx.h26.pdf

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Texas Public Schools Advanced Placement

Student Participation

9.6% increase in the number of students participating between 2005 and 2006

In 2006: 114,780 Texas Public School Students took AP Exams
In 2005: 104,688 Texas Public School Students took AP Exams
In 2001: 62,884 Texas Public School Students took AP Exams
In 1996: 28,351 Texas Public School Students took AP Exams
• Since 2001, the number of Texas Public School students participating in AP increased by 51,896 or 82.5%.

Exams Taken

9.8% increase in the number of AP Exams taken between 2005 and 2006

In 2006: Texas Public School Students took 209,328 AP Exams
In 2005: Texas Public School Students took 190,672 AP Exams
In 2001: Texas Public School Students took 113,161 AP Exams
In 1996: Texas Public School Students took 46,237 AP Exams
• Since 2001, the number of AP Exams taken by Texas Public School students increased by 96,167 or 85.0%.

Exams Scored 3 or higher

9.6% increase in the number of AP Exams scored 3 or higher between 2005 and 2006

In 2006: Texas Public School Students scored 3 or higher on 98,424 AP Exams
In 2005: Texas Public School Students scored 3 or higher on 89,796 AP Exams
In 2001: Texas Public School Students scored 3 or higher on 55,389 AP Exams
In 1996: Texas Public School Students scored 3 or higher on 28,164 AP Exams
• Since 2001, the number of AP Exams scored 3 or higher taken by Texas Public School students increased by 43,035 or 77.7%.

To read the complete, highly detailed report on Texas, please go to:
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_
info/ap/2007/texas_ap-report_07.pdf

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U.S. Chamber Report Card on Education Says States Failing our Students, Risking our Future

Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness graded all 50 states and Washington, DC, on nine broad categories including academic achievement, return on investment, truth in advertising, rigor of standards, and data quality. 

Texas scored 2 A’s, 4 B’s, 2 C’s and 1 D.

A summary of Texas scores is available online: http://www.uschamber.com/icw/reportcard/default

To see the full report: http://www.uschamber.com/icw/reportcard/default

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Influential Texans Join in Education Advocacy

Former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff joined several high-profile Texas business leaders Tuesday to announce a new public education advocacy group that's opposed to private school vouchers and wants to replace the state's standardized tests.

Called "Raise Your Hand," the bipartisan group includes the chief executives of AT&T Inc., Continental Airlines Inc. and HEB. Its other priorities include all-day pre-kindergarten and kindergarten for every 4- and 5-year-old in the state, as well as and a lower student-to-teacher ratio.

The group plans to push for initiatives that typically have been at odds with the Republican leadership's priorities.

"It's good to have some influential allies," said Jeri Stone, executive director of the Texas Classroom Teacher Association.

Ratliff, widely known as the "father of Robin Hood" for his role in the creation of the state's school finance system in the 1990s, said the group will counter efforts to bring a state-funded private-school voucher program to Texas.

"We don't understand how it is that if you have a campus with 500 children and 100 somehow ... take advantage of the voucher and go somewhere else, how does that effect the other 400?" Ratliff asked. "If it's a bad school and we take a hundred of them out with vouchers, it's still a bad school. We believe a far better course ... is fix the school. Don't abandon 400 children for the sake of the hundred."

The group wants to replace the high-stakes exit-level TAKS test with end-of-course exams…

To read the complete article, please go to: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8N92MM82.html

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Texas’ 2007 Dropouts Will Cost Taxpayers $377 Million Every Year

The 2007 class of high school dropouts in Texas will cost state taxpayers $377 million this year and every year after, over the course of their lifetime, according to a new study released by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options and the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation. In addition, the study finds that a modest school choice program would reduce public school dropout rates and save taxpayers up to $53 million a year in costs associated with dropouts.

“This research brings into sharp focus the disastrous results of not embracing bold steps to reform our public education system,” said Dr. Rod Paige, former U.S. Secretary of Education. “No society can long prosper under the weight of so many children lost.”

Conducted by Friedman Foundation Senior Fellow Brian Gottlob, “The High Cost of Failing to Reform Public Education in Texas”finds that each of the state’s estimated 119,000 annual dropouts costs the state about $3,168 every year for the rest of their lives because of increased Medicaid costs, increased incarceration costs, and loss of tax revenue. The study concludes that the state spends about as much every year on dropouts after they leave school as it does in state aid to schools when they are in school. The study can be downloaded at http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/txfiscal.pdf.

“High school dropouts are not simply a short-term problem for the Texas education system,” said NCPA Distinguished Fellow Robert McTeer, former chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “Today’s dropouts often become an extremely costly long-term problem for all Texas taxpayers.”

The study finds that Texas school districts facing more private school competition have lower public school dropout rates. A modest school choice program, which would increase private school enrollment by just five percent, would reduce the public school dropout rate by 8,700 – 17,400 students per year. This would save between $27 and $53 million annually over the expected life of the students.

Rebeca Huffman, President and CEO, Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO) said that “in a school choice environment the drop out rate is cut in half, which means returning $365 billion to Texas public education and keeping 60,000 students in school each year.” She also stated that “when parents have a choice and use that choice to send their children to better schools, research shows those children succeed academically.  School choice empowers parents to break the cycle of educational underachievement in their families and steer their children toward success.”

Other key findings include:

• Over an expected lifetime of 50 years, one year’s class of dropouts will cost Texas taxpayers $19 billion.
• The costs of dropouts are concentrated in Texas’ large urban districts. Houston and Dallas dropouts cost $29 million and $26 million respectively.
• The unemployment rate for Texas high school dropouts is 7.4 percent compared to 5.5 percent for high school graduates.
• Texas dropouts earn $24 billion less per year than high school graduates.
• Lower earnings of dropouts cost the state $2 billion in lost tax revenue each year.
• Dropouts cost Texas taxpayers additional Medicaid costs of $321 million and additional incarceration costs of $12 million per year.
• A modest school choice program in Texas would reduce the public school dropout rate by 8,700 – 17,400 students per year. This would save between $27 and $53 million annually over the expected life of the students.

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Pollsters' Summary of Findings    

From: Ed Goeas, The Tarrance Group, Inc.; Paul Harstad, Harstad Strategic Research, Inc.
Date: February 6, 2007
Re: Voter Opinion On Education In The State Of Texas

Our most recent polling shows that public education remains the top priority for state government.  A majority of Texans do believe that public schools are improving and investment in state education funding should be increased.  While the state legislature made some progress in school funding last year, voters overwhelmingly believe that there is more work to be done to properly fund public schools.  Texans also perceive that there is too much emphasis on state testing, and they are open to improvements to the state testing system which enhance student learning and use the testing to help students.

KEY SURVEY FINDINGS

1. Texans continue to identify public education as the top priority out of six possible priorities for state government.  One in three voters choose public education as the most important issue for state government.  Voters choose public education by 10 plus points over health care (23%) and illegal immigration (22%), and are three times as likely to prioritize public education (33%) as they are to choose cutting property taxes (10%).
2. The vast majority of Texans express confidence that our public schools are improving.  More than three-fourths (76%) of Texas voters say our public schools are either starting to improve, have improved and need to continue to do so, or our schools are in pretty good shape, while only 20% say schools are in bad shape and not getting better.  This positive sentiment crosses partisan lines, shared by 78% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats and 76% of Independents.
   
3. It is no surprise then that voters would like to see more state money invested in public education.   Two-thirds of voters would like to see state funding for public education increased, while 24% would like to see funding kept the same, and only 5% want state education funding decreased.
   
4. Voters remain particularly positive about public school teachers and recognize that teachers are the most important part of a quality education.  Fully, 81% of voters and 87% of public school parents feel positively about public school teachers.  In addition, when asked to volunteer the most important factor in a good public school, half of voters mention teachers over other factors such as curriculum, discipline, materials, administration and testing.
   
5. Voters overwhelmingly believe that the school finance plan passed by the state legislature is only a first step and that there is more work to be done to fully fund public education.  When voters are asked about the school finance plan, by a 7-to-1 margin voters say “the state legislature has more work to do to properly fund public schools” (chosen by 81%) instead of “the state legislature has sufficiently addressed the issue of public school funding” (chosen by 12%).  In addition, when voters are given two statements about the school finance plan, a 71% majority prefer the idea that “the school finance plan was only a temporary band-aid because all of the new state tax dollars were dedicated to property tax relief...” over the idea that “the school finance plan passed in the special session accomplished its mission of fully funding public education, providing teachers with a pay raise, and cutting school property taxes...” (chosen by 21%).
   
6. Voters continue to voice their opposition to the emphasis given to state testing of students.  When asked about the amount of emphasis on state testing of students in their community, a 60% majority of voters say there is too much emphasis, compared to 26% who say the right amount of emphasis, and 10% who say not enough emphasis.  Fully, 65% of public school parents agree there is too much emphasis on state testing.
   
7. Texans do not want to eliminate the state testing program, however, they are open to improvements that increase the time spent on student learning and use the testing to help diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of students.  Voters were asked if they favor or oppose five different changes to the state testing system with the following results.
   • Scale back the importance of passing standardized tests — to allow factors like classroom performance and grades to carry more weight in determining advancement and graduation — and allow more school time to be devoted to learning instead of teaching to the test. (82% favor — 14% oppose)
   • Use the state test to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of each student — rather than triggering serious penalties for schools and students. (74% favor — 19% oppose)
   • Instead of requiring high school students to pass one standardized test in order to advance — require them to pass a state developed, standardized end-of-course final exam for every core subject. (65% favor — 28% oppose)
   • Reduce the reliance on student performance on standardized tests as the sole basis for issuing state penalties and sanctions against individual schools. (61% favor — 31% oppose)
   • Eliminate mandatory state standardized testing of students. (41% favor — 53% oppose)

This survey was commissioned by the Texas State Teachers Association and conducted jointly by The Tarrance Group, Inc., and Harstad Strategic Research, Inc.   It was conducted by telephone from January 22 to 25, 2007 among 802 active voters throughout Texas. The margin of error associated with a sample of this type is plus-or-minus 3.5% at the 95% confidence level.

Complete poll: http://www.tsta.org/includes/TSTA%202007%20FULL%203.pdf

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Texas Takes Major Steps to Eliminate Academically Unacceptable Schools; Texas Education Agency Awards $3 Million Grant to APQC for Leadership Program

Up to 300 principals from Texas schools will receive extensive professional development and mentoring. The pilot program is being launched with a primary goal to transform school leadership and, through this process, to improve student achievement, graduation rates and teacher retention in their schools.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has awarded APQC, a non-profit global resource for process and performance improvement, a grant for $3,314,501 to develop and implement a School Leadership Pilot Program (SLPP) for principals over the next 15 months. APQC will collaborate with the University of Houston-Victoria to deliver the program. The TEA grant requires the involvement of a business school at an institution of higher education to develop program course work that focuses on management and business training.

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Report Investigates the Impact of High School Exit Exams In Austin

Curriculum & Instruction Significantly Changed to Focus on Tested Subjects

A new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy (CEP) provides a unique look at the impact of high school exit exams in two urban districts, offering an on-the-ground perspective of the effect of the high-stakes tests on teaching and learning. The report is part of CEP’s multi-year effort to monitor the impact of exit exams which will soon determine the graduation status of millions of students in 25 states.

According to the study, “It’s Different Now”: How Exit Exams Are Affecting Teaching and Learning in Jackson and Austin, the assessments appear to have increased instructional time in tested subject areas in both districts, often at the expense of other high school learning experiences and electives.

And while curriculum and Instructional changes were seen district-wide in both the Jackson (Miss.) Public Schools and the Austin (Texas) Independent School District, the shift was even more pervasive at schools serving greater numbers of lower-income and minority students in Austin, according to the report. Teachers at such schools reported that the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) had influenced every aspect of the curriculum, while their peers at a school serving greater numbers of higher-income and white students reported that the TAKS was an inconvenience.

The report also suggests that the exams are virtually ignored by colleges and universities in making admissions and scholarship decisions. Instead, a variety of approaches have been used to encourage and expand college readiness and access, including Advanced Placement courses, dual-enrollment, and financial aid workshops.

“The experience of these districts provides important lessons for elected officials and educators in states and districts that now – or soon will – use exit exams,” said Jack Jennings, president and CEO of the Center on Education Policy. “Like the assessments required by No Child Left Behind, exit exams seem to be driving increased energy on mastering tested content, which may have both positive and negative effects.”

Many educators in both districts reported that the intense focus on tested subject matter has helped to increase consistency in instruction across schools in the district by ensuring that teachers are accountable and adhere to the prescribed curriculum. Further, the report notes that most of the changes in curriculum and instruction in each district are aimed at providing additional support to help students pass the tests, including:

• Interim assessments aligned with the state exit exams have been used to monitor students’ progress throughout the year;
• Double doses of the same subject have been offered to students that have been placed in remediation; and
• Frequent use of test-preparation strategies during class time.

“It’s Different Now”: How Exit Exams Are Affecting Teaching and Learning in Jackson and Austin is available online at http://www.cep-dc.org/highschoolexit/JacksonAustin/Jackson&Austin.pdf

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What Danger Lurks in the School Cafeteria? Texas Schools OK

Conditions in America’s school cafeterias could trigger potentially disastrous outbreaks of food poisoning at any time, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which ranks food service operations in a new report. Most of the 29 million meals served in the nation’s school cafeterias each day are nutritious and safe, but some school districts and governments aren’t inspecting school cafeterias frequently enough or are using out-of-date food safety standards, leaving students at risk of food poisoning. Younger children in particular face a higher risk of complications from infections caused by E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and other potentially deadly foodborne pathogens.

In “Making the Grade,” CSPI analyzed inspection reports from high school cafeterias in 20 jurisdictions across the country and then rated those jurisdictions on the rigor of food-safety inspections, frequency of inspections, and ease of access to the results of cafeteria inspections. Some inspection reports documented unacceptable conditions such as roaches, both dead and alive; rodent droppings; and improper food storage and handling techniques.

Fort Worth, Texas, had the best food safety score, with a score of 80 out of 100. It had one of the top scores overall. Houston was another top performer overall.

CSPI’s Outbreak Alert! database has documented more than 11,000 cases of foodborne illnesses associated with schools between 1990 and 2004. Just one outbreak can have devastating consequences on the health of students, productivity in the classroom, and even on school district’s finances. In 2003, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld a $4.6 million verdict against a school district after 11 children were sickened from E. coli linked to ground beef in tacos.

The most common pathogens responsible for school outbreaks include E. coli, Clostridium perfringens, Norovirus, and Salmonella, according to CSPI’s database. Infections from Norovirus and Hepatitis A are often linked to infected food handlers and other critical violations in school cafeterias. Salmonella, which is common on raw poultry, can spread to fresh produce if those foods are stored too closely together. If not cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, hamburgers and other foods containing ground beef can harbor E. coli.

To protect school children from food poisoning, CSPI recommends the following measures:

• State and local governments should adopt up-to-date safety standards and receive adequate funding to ensure compliance with federal inspection regulations outlined in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.
  
• Schools should request timely inspections, employ certified food handlers, and use the best food safety procedures.
  
• Parents should monitor conditions in their child’s cafeteria and advocate for optimal food safety policies.

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Texas' Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 12th Annual National Awards Program

Plano and Houston students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions and trip to nation’s capital
Honors also bestowed on other top youth volunteers in Texas

Kyle Freas, 18, of Plano and Anna DeSanctis, 13, of Houston have been named Texas' top two youth volunteers for 2007 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 12th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Kyle was nominated by Plano West Senior High School in Plano, and Anna was nominated by Holy Spirit Episcopal School in Houston. As State Honorees, each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees – one middle level and one high school youth – from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2007 at that time.

Kyle, a senior at Plano West Senior High School, founded a nonprofit organization called “Youth Together” that encourages students at elementary and middle schools to participate in a variety of projects to help homeless, abused and critically ill children. Since launching Youth Together six years ago, he has developed eight community service projects and offered students in more than 100 schools the opportunity to take part in them. In addition to teaching students about community service, Kyle’s program has provided backpacks and school supplies to abused children, movies and games for pediatric patients, and holiday costumes and gifts to homeless kids. He also has projects that support homeless and zoo animals. To accomplish all of this, Kyle has recruited hundreds of high school volunteers over the years, and raised more than $70,000 to support the projects. “There is no better feeling than sharing with others,” said Kyle. “We need to realize that we are helping ourselves and our communities when we help others.”

Anna, an eighth-grader at Holy Spirit Episcopal School, raised more than $22,000 to create libraries at four orphanages in the Chinese province where she was born. Anna called her effort the “Odyssey Project” because she saw it as a journey that connected her to her past. She was adopted as a baby, and later learned that most orphanages in China had no libraries for children. “I felt bad that the orphans in China didn’t have books to tell them about the world,” she said.

Anna set out to raise $2,000 for a library at one orphanage. First, she asked for cash donations instead of birthday presents from friends and family. She then hosted a school dance, asked her grandparents to encourage friends to make donations, and contributed her allowance for a year. In 18 months, Anna raised more than $22,000, which she sent to two Chinese social welfare organizations to build and stock libraries at four orphanages. There was even enough left over to construct water wells in two remote villages. Anna traveled to China last year to dedicate two of the new libraries. “I realized that if I was still in China, I might not have gone to school nor had a family,” she said. “People these days don’t realize how fortunate they are, but now I do.”
In addition, the program judges recognized 10 other Texas students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion:

Grant Allen, 18, of Grand Saline, a senior at Grand Saline High School, initiated a project to soundproof three band hall practice rooms at his school by applying acoustical foam to their walls. He collected monetary donations and supplies for the project, and recruited volunteers from his church, Boy Scout troop, band and community to complete the project over three weekends.

Emily Benigno, 17, of Kingwood, a senior at St. Agnes Academy in Houston, spearheaded a food drive at Kingwood Medical Center as president of its junior auxiliary. Emily’s drive produced more than 25 boxes of food to help restock a local food pantry that had been depleted due to Hurricane Katrina evacuees who had relocated to Houston.

Catherine Flores, 17, of San Antonio, a senior at Saint Mary’s Hall, created a dance program for young girls living at St. Peter-St. Joseph Children’s Home as wards of the state. Catherine teaches the class twice every month to give the girls the opportunity to find pride and confidence in themselves while also having fun.

Tania Foster, 18, of Sachse, a senior at Sachse High School, collected more than $10,000 to support U.S. troops stationed in South Korea through her nonprofit organization, “Dallas is Love.” Tania raised the money by soliciting individual and corporate donations, and then purchased Army and Air Force Exchange gift certificates, which the troops can use on any military base in the world.

Alexander Levy, 17, of Houston, a senior at Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, organized a book drive and created a book cart and library system for patients at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. Alexander recruited friends to support his project, and then collected and sorted more then 3,500 books and other reading materials for the hospital. He also raised nearly $600 to fund his project.

Deanna Mei, 17, of Plano, a senior at Plano Senior High School, provides care packages filled with games, toys and other items to distract young hospital patients from their pain. Since Deanna’s “LUV Notes” project began last summer, she has collected enough donations to put together 50 care packages for pediatric patients at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, each with a note of encouragement or a special poem.

Diana Pham, 18, of Arlington, a senior at Summit High School, co-founded a tutoring program called “Mentors Uniting Students for Enlightenment” in 2005 to provide free tutoring to children in the first through sixth grades. Currently, Diana has 20 mentors matched with 20 young students for weekly sessions focusing on math, reading and science.

Daniel Steck, 17, of San Antonio, a senior at Ronald Reagan High School, organized a fund-raising campaign that yielded $1,000 for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and then volunteered to work at a shelter for families displaced by the storm. A short while later, Daniel founded a Red Cross club at his school that has participated in numerous community service activities.

Stephanie Strauss, 17, of Midland, a senior at Robert E. Lee High School, is a nationally recognized storyteller and has used her experience to create “Living Memories,” a program to encourage children coping with the loss of a loved one to find comfort in telling their personal stories. Stephanie, who worked closely with Hospice Midland to create this program, conducted hour-long workshops over a six-week period for 40 participants.

Natasha Verma, 12, of Victoria, a seventh-grader at Nazareth Academy, conducts presentations on how children can prevent diabetes and obesity, and also writes an Internet blog called “Health is Wealth.” In addition, Natasha wrote and co-produced a DVD on diabetes that she sold nationally to raise more than $1,500 for the American Diabetes Association.

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Spotlight On School Health Heroes: T.J. Lee Elementary School

A Texas First: Elementary School Receives Silver School Certification.

A dedicated principal and food service director, who share a similar philosophy about helping students, have combined efforts to put T.J. Lee Elementary School in a class by itself.

This fall, the Irving Independent School District elementary school became the first school in Texas to be recognized with the prestigious HealthierUS Schools Challenge Silver certification, presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The school shares the award with the Irving ISD Food Service Department.

T.J. Lee Principal Maria Elena Coronado and Food Service Director Michael Rosenberger say their dedication comes from a belief that a healthy student is the most successful student.

"In our society today we have to really help students come to understand the importance of taking care of themselves," said Principal Coronado. "Many times it's not being taught at home."

Approximately 70 percent of the 765 students at T. J. Lee participate in the free and reduced price school meals program.

Rosenberger agrees that it's important to take a holistic approach to educating children and not just focus on the academics.

"The Irving school district is committed to the well-being of students from the superintendent on down," said Rosenberger. "We're always asking, what can we do to make things better?"

Under the USDA's HealthierUS School Challenge program, which encourages schools to take a leadership role in teaching students to make healthy lifestyle choices, schools have the opportunity to become certified as either a Silver or Gold School.

To qualify for the Silver School designation, Coronado and Rosenberger had to meet specific and stringent student health criteria, including a commitment to serve school lunches that meet enhanced nutrition standards. In addition, the school had to extensively document its dedication to student health and physical education. The entire application package for the Silver School award spans more than 50 pages of detailed information supporting the school's and district's commitment.

A noteworthy innovation created by Rosenberger is a program requiring cafeteria managers to make nutrition presentations to elementary students. The program not only benefits the students but increases the visibility and respect of the cafeteria managers, Rosenberger said.

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Texas Launches Education Program to Combat Steroid Use and Improve Sportsmanship

UIL Delivers Innovative Video Game to Athletes, Parents, Coaches

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) and the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) have announced a pilot program to provide students with the tools to make better decisions impacting their safety and sportsmanship. The program, STAR Sportsmanship™, capitalizes on student interest in video games and role-play simulations to practice better decision-making in steroid avoidance and good sportsmanship. Thirty-one Texas school districts represented on the UIL’s Legislative Council are participating in the pilot program. More than 6,000 students and 350 coaches have already accessed the program in Texas as of February 26.

District and campus administrators and athletic coaches from the pilot schools will participate in the first Sportsmanship and Steroid Education Summit, to be held in Austin on March 27. The program is sponsored by Learning Through Sports, Inc.® (www.learningthroughsports.com), creator of the STAR Sportsmanship program. Coach Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, will be the keynote speaker.

The UIL and TASA selected the award-winning STAR Sportsmanship program from Learning Through Sports as the instructional curriculum for this pilot as one component of the UIL’s ongoing comprehensive efforts to combat steroid use in Texas schools, in response to House Bill 3563 passed by the 79th Legislature.

“This is a long-term investment in our youth that will effect positive change in behaviors on the playing field and in the classroom,” said Dr. William Farney, executive director, UIL. “STAR teaches our children the decision-making skills they need to be better sports and avoid steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.”

STAR Sportsmanship maximizes the interactivity of digital game-based programs to not only teach students, coaches and parents about good sportsmanship but to change their behaviors and accepted norms when confronted with competitive situations. STAR is highly interactive and places students in real-life situations they face daily in sports. Through modeling and role-playing exercises they learn how their actions affect themselves and others. Texas students will have access to one of three versions, each with unique animations and activities suitable for that particular age group: high school, middle school and elementary school. Texas coaches will use STAR Coaching™, which emphasizes education on performance-enhancing drugs and their warning signs. The program also includes a parent module that can be used in pre-season orientation meetings to better educate parents as well.

“STAR Sportsmanship adds to the existing multifaceted approach the UIL has already implemented to combat the use of steroids,” said Charles Breithaupt, assistant director and athletic director, UIL. “This program gets to the root of the abuse by proactively addressing attitudes and behaviors through education, not just testing and punishment. The UIL emphasizes safety and sportsmanship, and that is what this program teaches our youth.”

Texas Commissioner of Education Shirley Neeley commended the UIL for its actions and said, “We are excited to have found a program like STAR Sportsmanship that not only meets the standards defined in our TEKS, but also fulfills the mandates for Character Education and House Bill 3563, which addresses steroid education.” The pilot program is funded by a $250,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency to the Texas Leadership Center.

“Taking on such a project to educate kids to avoid steroids, stop bullying and develop good sportsmanship is not easy, especially with the poor role models kids see on television,” said Brian Shulman, CEO and founder of Learning Through Sports.
“Texas superintendents realize that our students should have a well-rounded education. This sportsmanship education program will help build a stronger foundation for the future, and it is a worthy investment in educating the ‘whole student,’” said Johnny Veselka, executive director, TASA.

The state of Alabama recently credited a statewide sportsmanship initiative – featuring the STAR Sportsmanship program – with a 41-percent decrease in high school football game ejections in one year.

About the UIL

The University Interscholastic League was created by The University of Texas at Austin to provide leadership and guidance to public school debate and athletic teachers. Since 1909, the UIL has grown into the largest inter-school organization of its kind in the world. The UIL’s purpose is to organize and properly supervise contests that assist in preparing students for citizenship. It aims to provide healthy, character building, educational activities carried out under rules providing for good sportsmanship and fair play for all participants. Media Contact: Kim Rogers, Director of Public Information, University Interscholastic League, (512) 471-5883.

About TASA and the Texas Leadership Center

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Two Houston Schools Featured

      The future of education in America is small, personalized and engaging. Across the country educators, policy makers, parents and foundations are championing small school creation and conversion, as research has proven that size does matter. Now educators, students and parents can learn about the best small school practices that have transformed student achievement across the country. The Coalition of Essential Schools, the nation's oldest and most influential non-profit school reform organization, presents the award-winning DVD, Essential Visions: Student Achievement ($39.95, available at www.essentialschools.org).

       Winner of the Aegis Award for Best Educational DVD, Essential Visions takes viewers into the classrooms of many of today's most successful small schools and depicts powerful, replicable pedagogical practices that have dramatically improved outcomes for students across diverse regions and backgrounds. Longitudinal footage from four schools provides viewers not just a snapshot, but deeper insight into these innovative classroom practices.

       Essential Visions provides educators with concrete images, examples, and tools to move away from "teaching to the test" and toward an instructional approach that transforms schools for the 21st century.

• See how students engage in their learning and harness their passions.
  
• Learn how CES practices contribute to higher attendance rates, higher college entry, and higher college graduation rates than district averages.
  
• Witness the power of inter-disciplinary approaches and see how students build foundational skills for their dissertation-like end of year Exhibitions.
• Encounter education structures that help teachers hone their craft as educators
  
• Utilize the professional development toolkit including downloadable lesson plans and discussion guides.

       "This powerful documentary demonstrates how our schools can better support students and shape not only their academic success, but their success as critical thinkers with integrity, heart and community commitment," said Lewis Cohen, Executive Director, Coalition of Essential Schools.

       According to Catherine DeLaura, principal of School of the Future in New York City, "What makes this DVD unique is its concreteness. The classroom footage is downright inspiring, but the DVD doesn't stop there. It includes a variety of tools to help schools consider and implement these exciting ideas."

Featured Schools:

       The Boston Arts Academy, considered the "center for the arts" in the city's school system, is a beacon for artistic and academic innovation. The Academy prepares a diverse community of aspiring artist-scholars to be successful in their college or professional careers and to be engaged members of a democratic society.

       The Met - Peace Street is one of the four internship-based Met campuses located in Providence, Rhode Island. Each student works with the same advisor for four years to create and fulfill an individual learning plan. The Met emphasizes learning through "real work in the real world," and has a strong commitment to fostering support for each student from family members, fellow students, and the community.

       Quest High School is an established school in suburban Houston whose curriculum is rooted in service learning. Quest is committed to partnering with the community to create life-long learners and successful members of society. Quest serves as a mentor school for others interested in the small-school movement and service learning.

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School Districts Achieve Greater Productivity

Meru Networks’ Wireless LAN (WLAN) System has been successfully implemented and is currently providing advanced wireless connectivity in more than 50 K-12 school districts in North America. When fully deployed, this represents more than 1,000 schools.

Many factors are accelerating the adoption of the advanced WLAN in schools today. One key factor driving the growing reliance on mobile computing in the classroom is the need for interactive multi-media applications to support emerging learning techniques and environments. Meru’s WLAN System excels at meeting this need, while also solving the specific challenges schools face in deploying and managing such systems.

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Strong Academics Earn 129 Title I Campuses Distinguished Performance Honors

129 Texas campuses have been named Title I Distinguished Performance Schools for the 2006-07 school year. The 129 campuses are being recognized for consistently strong academic performance while educating large populations of impoverished students during the three previous school years.

Under criteria set by the agency’s No Child Left Behind division, a Title I campus qualified for the honor if the campus:

• met Adequate Yearly Progress standards under the federal accountability evaluation system both this year and in 2005;
• earned the state’s highest accountability rating of exemplary in 2006; and
• earned an exemplary or recognized rating, which is the second highest rating in the state accountability system, during the two previous school years. Each campus is serving a population that is 40 percent or more low income in the 2006-07 school year.

Title I, Part A is a federal program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It provides supplemental funding to school districts with high concentrations of students from low-income families. Funds support programs that enable all children to meet the state's student performance standards. These programs must use instructional methods and strategies that are grounded in scientifically based research.

In addition to the 129 campuses, the agency designated 13 campuses as Distinguished Progress Schools. Each showed outstanding progress over the last three years.

To be called a progress school, a Title I campus serving a population of 40 percent of more low income students in the 2006-07 school year had to meet AYP for both 2005 and 2006, earn an exemplary rating in 2006, be exemplary or recognized in 2005 and have a state accountability rating of either low performing or acceptable in 2004.

The performance standards increase each year in the state’s accountability system. Under the rating system in 2006, for example, schools that earned an Exemplary rating had passing rates of 90 percent or more on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for all students and each student group; a passing rate of 90 percent or more on the State-Developed Alternative Assessment II (SDAA II) for all students; a high school completion rate of 95.0 percent and an annual dropout rate for students in grades 7-8 of 0.2 percent or less for all students and each student group.

To earn a recognized rating, the campus must have at least 70 percent of students pass TAKS and SDAA II for all students and each student group; have a high school completion rate of 85.0 percent; and an annual dropout rate of 0.7 percent or less.

AYP evaluations are based on participation and performance on state reading/English language arts (ELA) and mathematics exams in grades 3-8 and 10; graduation rates and attendance rates.

The data are analyzed for all students and each of the following student groups that meet minimum size requirements: African American, Hispanic, white, economically disadvantaged, special education and limited English proficient.

For more details on the federal accountability system see http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ayp/2006/index.html

The honored schools are among 5,486 Title I schools that will receive $1.1 billion in federal funding through the Title I program in 2006-07.

Federal law requires each state to identify those Title I schools that are meeting or exceeding the state’s definition of adequate yearly progress. The campuses will be recognized later this spring by their respective Education Service Centers.

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89 Percent of Third-grade Students and 82 Percent of Fifth-grade Pupils Pass Reading TAKS in English

Eighty-nine percent of Texas’ third-grade students and 82 percent of fifth-grade students passed the high-stakes Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading test, an exam they must pass to be promoted to the next grade.

That represents a two-percent increase in passing rates at the fifth grade. Passing rates on the first administration of the third-grade test have been stable for the last three years.

258,368 of the 291,694 third-grade students who took the test in English passed it, and 103,796 or 36 percent of those tested reached the Commended Performance level. This high achievement level means the students correctly answered at least 34 of 36 test questions.

Among the student groups, 95 percent of both white and Asian-American students passed the test, as did 82 percent of African-American students and 85 percent of Hispanic students.

At fifth grade, 241,609 of the 294,216 students tested passed the reading test. Twenty-five percent of those tested, or 72,981 students, achieved Commended Performance.

Among the student groups, 91 percent of the white students and 93 percent of the Asian-American students passed the test, as did 75 percent of the African Americans and 76 percent of the Hispanics.

Among the students who took the reading test in Spanish, 81 percent of the 28,948 third-grade students passed the test, up from a 76 percent passing rate in 2006. Commended performance was achieved by 18 percent of students.

In fifth grade, 78 percent of the 7,805 students tested in Spanish passed, up from 65 percent in 2006. One-fourth of the tested students reached the Commended Performance level.

Students in these two grades must pass TAKS reading to be promoted. Fifth-grade students must also pass TAKS math, which will be given on April 3.

The improved passing rates on the Spanish exam can in part be attributed to a professional development training program called Leer M‡s (Read More), which was funded by the Limited English Proficiency Student Success Initiative project in conjunction with the federal Title III program. This program provided training to educators. The commissioner said, the program was designed to help improve reading instruction in Spanish and the transition to reading in English. Consequently, it improved the reading performance of students tested in Spanish.

The next administration of TAKS reading is April 18, and the third administration is June 27.

In 2006, 95 percent of the third-grade students tested in English and 91 percent of their classmates who took the Spanish TAKS ultimately passed the test by the third administration. At 5th grade in 2006, 91 percent of those tested in English and 86 percent of those tested in Spanish ultimately passed the test.

State law, enacted in 1999, requires students who do not pass the exam to be retained. Fifth-grade students must also pass the TAKS math to be promoted. If a student fails a test required for promotion, state law allows parents to appeal the retention to a Grade Placement Committee made up of the child’s parents, teacher, and principal. The committee can look at the student’s overall performance and determine if the child has a good chance of being successful if promoted. This student must receive additional instructional support the next year, even if promoted.

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Fifty-six Schools Receive T-STEM Network Grant Aimed at Improving Math and Science Education

Concerned that math and science performance is lagging behind performance in other key subjects, $2.3 million in T-STEM Network Acceleration grants is being awarded to 56 Texas high schools to help them improve instruction in these critical areas.

The purpose of the Texas – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (T-STEM) Network Acceleration grant program is to provide high schools that have passing rates of less than 50 percent on the ninth-grade math or 10th -grade science sections of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) with the resources to analyze student test data and implement highly effective teaching strategies in these two subject areas.

Teaching techniques or programs that prove to be successful at these 56 schools will be shared with other Texas schools through the T-STEM Network as part of the state effort to improve science and math education.

On the 2006 exit-level TAKS, given to high school juniors last spring, the passing rates were 94 percent on the social studies exam and 88 percent on the English language arts test. In contrast, only 77 percent of the students passed the mathematics test and 75 percent passed the science test.

Poor math and science performance were two of the most common reasons a school was rated Academically Unacceptable in 2006 in the state accountability system.

The T-STEM initiative calls for establishing 35 T-STEM academies to prepare students to succeed in STEM postsecondary study and careers, establishing six to nine T-STEM Centers to provide professional development to teachers and establishing a statewide best practices network to promote broad dissemination of promising practices from the initiative. 

The acceleration grants are funded with state funds only and represent the first grant in the creation of the T-STEM best practices network.

Through this grant, educators will use data to diagnose students’ strengths and weaknesses in the areas of math and science and prescribe an accelerated education plan to bolster their skills. Grantees will also identify math and science strategies that prove successful and that could be successfully replicated on other campuses.
Educators and administrators in schools across Texas will have access to best practices via a new web portal to be launched this year. In addition, the portal will provide users with relevant content, expert and peer advice, and information on professional development opportunities in these subject areas.

Schools were eligible to apply for the acceleration grant if less than 50 percent of their ninth-grade students passed the TAKS math test in the spring of 2006 or less than 50 percent of their 10th-grade students passed the TAKS science exam. Statewide, 56 percent of the ninth-grade students passed the state math exam, while 60 percent of the sophomores passed the science test.

The maximum grant available to a campus is $50,000 or $125 per student, whichever is less. The contract period for the grant is May 1, 2007 to Feb. 28, 2009.
Following is a list of grant recipients:

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National Transcript Center Wins Statewide Contract in Texas

The National Transcript Center (NTC)  was awarded a three-year contract from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the development and deployment of the Texas Records Exchange System (TREx). Edvance Research, Inc. (ERI), a leading research firm to educational agencies was subcontracted to direct statewide training and customer support.

NTC is a division of ESP Solutions Group, the leading designer and developer of large-scale data systems for PK-20 education. TEA is the second largest state education agency in the country with approximately 4.5 million public school students and 8,000 campuses. The union of industry giants such as NTC/ESP and TEA makes the TREx program a ground-breaking venture.

TREx will improve the efficiency, cost, and security of student record exchange in Texas. It will allow every Texas public school district to transfer student records in an electronic format to other schools in Texas. In addition, districts can send high school transcripts to every public college and university in the state of Texas electronically through the SPEEDE Server at The University of Texas at Austin, at no cost to the district. Private schools and colleges will be able to join TREx for a fee.

Texas school districts will also have the ability to send Individual Education Programs and Personal Graduation Plans at no cost to the district. These documents will be sent as attachments to the student record when appropriate.

In addition, TREx participants have the option to send records and transcripts electronically to out-of-state colleges and universities and school districts via the NTC National Server. Through a connection to the NTC National Server, Texas school districts will also have the option to send Certified PDFs to employers, scholarship providers, certifying bodies, and other non-academic recipients. NTC’s strategic partnership with Avow Systems, Inc., enables the electronic student records and transcripts provider to deliver Avowed™ certified PDF documents containing the highest level of security and authentication available – Adobe® blue ribbon certification. School districts will be charged a fee for using these optional services.

"The TREx system is scheduled for statewide roll-out starting in Fall 2007," said Mark Johnson, president of the National Transcript Center. Johnson adds, "TEA has always been a visionary leader with student data systems, so it is no surprise that they are out in front of electronic student record and transcript exchange."

“Registrars and counselors will welcome the arrival of an electronic student records transfer system,” stated Dr. Barbara Clements, chief standards officer of NTC. “Instead of spending hours at the copier and looking up addresses, the TREx system will reduce the time to send a transcript from weeks to seconds. More importantly, it brings unparalleled improvements in security and confidentiality.”

Dr. Glynn Ligon, chief executive officer of ESP Solutions Group commented, “NTC is the leading electronic student record and transcript solution available to State Education Agencies.” He added, “NTC addresses both K-12 student mobility needs as well as college transcripts for higher education institutions. Together, TREx and NTC will establish a cutting-edge program for the exchange of student records, a program that will in turn be a model for other states.”

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B.F. Terry High School is the First Houston-Area School to Use Bilingual Notification Service

B.F. Terry High School, part of the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) in Rosenberg, Texas, has selected Honeywell Instant Alert® for Schools to help improve parent communication and emergency responsiveness.

The Web-based notification service replaces the school's phone trees, giving administrators a way to send clear, consistent messages -- in English or Spanish -- to thousands of families within minutes via phone, cell phone, pager, e-mail and PDA.

"With Instant Alert, we're better prepared to respond in an emergency, but we're also equipped to communicate more proactively with parents in everyday situations," said Vera Wehring, principal at B. F. Terry High School, an Instant Alert pilot site for Lamar CISD. "We expect the service to enhance the learning environment and increase academic achievement, because informed parents mean informed students."

The school will use the service to update parents on everything from emergencies and weather-related issues to bus delays and event cancellations. B. F. Terry, which has more than 1,700 9-12 students, is the first school in the Houston area to adopt Instant Alert. It joins more than 1,100 schools nationwide using the service, including 20 other Texas schools.

To use Instant Alert, a designated representative for the school initiates a message through a secure Web site or by phone. The message is instantly relayed to all contact points provided by parents or guardians. Parents can update their contact information online, select a language preference and specify how they want to be reached -- e-mail for a routine message, and e-mail and cell phone for emergency communications, for example.

"In today's environment, it's important to get accurate information to parents as quickly as possible," said Dr. Thomas Randle, superintendent of Lamar CISD, which serves more than 20,600 K-12 students. "Instant Alert gives us a reliable and efficient way to reach parents with the information they need about their children."

Christy Willman, executive director of community relations for Lamar CISD, cites an example. "When the high winds damaged Meyer Elementary School last April, we used a phone tree and our media relations to reach parents about the resulting delay," Willman said. "It was a complex and lengthy operation that could have been very simple if we had Instant Alert."

In addition to broadcasting news to all parents, Instant Alert allows schools to develop an unlimited number of subgroups -- including sports teams, clubs, parent organizations and grade levels -- and send customized messages to these groups. To help combat truancy, teachers and administrators also can send alerts to individual parents.

As an added safety feature, Instant Alert uses the same Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption protocol that protects financial and banking Web sites. And because it is Web-based, the district does not have to install any hardware, software or additional phone lines, keeping costs low.

"Knowing where and how to reach parents quickly is a challenge for educators, especially in today's mobile society," said Mike Taylor, vice president of Americas marketing for Honeywell Building Solutions. "Instant Alert gives schools the ability to rapidly and accurately communicate with parents -- whether they're at home, at work or on the road."

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Texas Students Post Excellent TAKS Gains After Using Fast ForWord® Products

Amarillo Ninth-Graders Outperform Expected Reading Scores by 19 Points

After using Scientific Learning Corporation’s (NASDAQ:SCIL) Fast ForWord® neuroscience-based reading products, ninth-grade students at Palo Duro High School in the Amarillo (Texas) Independent School District made significant gains in their scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test – besting their projected scores by an average of 19 points.

In a recent study, students who used the Fast ForWord products during the 2005-2006 school year achieved an average Texas Growth Index (TGI) 73% higher than the 2005 school-wide average. In addition, the number of students meeting the state reading standard increased substantially, from 74% to 84%.

“We believe the Fast ForWord products made a difference in our ninth-grade state reading scores, which leads us to the conclusion that the Fast ForWord intervention helped to strengthen reading comprehension,” said Palo Duro High School Principal Kevin Phillips.

Students participating in the single-school case study used one or more Fast ForWord products in the winter and spring of 2006. Their reading skills were evaluated at the end of their eighth- and ninth-grade years using the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and/or the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests.

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Northside ISD, Texas

Fitch has assigned a 'AAA' to Northside Independent School District (ISD), TX's  bonds.

The rating reflects the district's strong financial management and performance within a rapid enrollment growth environment, steady taxable assessed valuation (TAV) growth, and the service area's large and diverse employment base. Offsetting risks include slow principal amortization and a rising debt burden due to very large and ongoing capital needs, although voters have consistently supported the district's bond programs. Serving the rapidly growing northwest portion of Bexar County and surrounding areas, the district continues to record sizeable gains in TAV, growing by a compound average annual rate of almost 10% since fiscal 2001. To accommodate its accelerating enrollment base growth, voters will face the largest bond election in district history for $693 million in May 2007. Although projected debt burden levels will be above average but manageable, Fitch will monitor the election's voter support and near term tax base growth to gauge the impact to the district's debt profile.

Annual enrollment growth has averaged almost 5% over the last five years, including a record increase of 5.5% or 4,000 students in fiscal year 2006. The district's fiscal 2007 enrollment is projected to grow by over 3,700 for a total enrollment base of almost 82,000 students, making it the state's fifth largest district. The high-growth mode of the district has led voters to approve $1.1 billion in bond authorizations since 1998. Most recently, voters approved $439 million in general obligation bonds in Feb. 2004 for growth-related needs that include the construction of eleven new schools and the renovation and improvement of existing schools.

The current offering is comprised of $169 million from the 2004 authorization and $62 million in refunding bonds for interest cost savings. Variable rate debt comprises about 22% of total debt. Conservative tax base growth projections have led to an anticipated maximum debt service tax rate of $0.275 per $100 TAV for the entire 2004 authorization, down from the $0.374 promised to voters.

The district's current direct debt burden has risen substantially from past levels and now totals over $1,900 per capita and 3.6% of TAV after accounting for state support for about one-third of outstanding debt. Overall debt ratios are also above average at over $2,600 per capita and almost 5% of TAV. The district's overall principal amortization rate is slow at 29% in ten years which is not unusual for rapidly growing districts. The proposed May 2007 bond authorization will finance the construction of nine elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school plus classroom additions, campus renovations, science labs, and technology and transportation needs. If approved by voters, the authorization will be issued over a four year period and increase the district's debt service tax rate by $0.12 per $100 TAV, however, the total tax rate will still decline due to additional operations and maintenance (O&M) tax rate compression in fiscal 2008, as required by last year's public school finance legislation.

Despite pressures associated with consistent enrollment growth, financial performance has been good as evidenced by undesignated fund balances of 10% or better of expenditures since fiscal 1995, which exceed management's goal of one month of expenditures. For fiscal 2006, the district posted a large $38 million general fund operating surplus due to actual enrollment exceeding budgeted projections by 1,000 students, improved tax collections, and some carry forward appropriations from fiscal 2005. The district's growing financial cushion is impressive, comprised of a $51 million undesignated fund balance and $47 million in additional reserves, totaling $97 million or 21% of spending in fiscal 2006. Notably, the district has set aside additional reserves of $41 million for the opening of new schools, furniture, equipment, and pre-design costs which it will draw down over the next three years.

With four new schools opening this current period, the amended fiscal 2007 budget includes $25 million in new growth funding to accommodate a projected enrollment increase of over 3,700 students and 5% teacher pay raises above the state-funded pay hikes. Aided by year-end budget sweeps and the use of new school designations, the district projects it will maintain strong year end reserves of almost 18%-25% through fiscal 2011. Notably, its five-year financial forecast does not include adoption of the optional 4 cents O&M tax levy, equivalent to $20 million in combined state and local revenue, preserving an important financial contingency.

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