Report Round-Up: November 19, 2010

The 2010 Campus Computing Survey from the Campus Computing Project. This survey suggests budget woes and internal politics are more likely to impede the growth of online programs at colleges than skepticism and regulation.

Formative Assessment and Next-Generation Assessment Systems: Are We Losing an Opportunity? from the Council of Chief State School Officers. This report argues that we are at risk of losing the promise that formative assessment holds for teaching and learning.

Not prepared for class: High Poverty Schools Continue to Have Fewer In-Field Teachers from Education Trust. According to this report nearly a decade after federal law was enacted to ensure that low-income students and students of color had a fair shot at being assigned to strong teachers, students in high-poverty schools are still disproportionately taught by out-of-field and rookie teachers.

Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning by Evergreen Education Group. This report finds that online instruction continues to grow quickly overall but the shape and pace of this growth remains uneven throughout the U.S., and two states—Delaware and New York—still don’t offer any opportunities for K-12 students to take classes online.

Do High School Seniors Have the Reading and Math Skills to Succeed in College?

Not enough of them do according to test results released yesterday from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Only 38 percent of the nation’s twelfth graders read at a proficient level while 26 percent read below the most basic level, according to the 2009 results. In math, only 26 percent of twelfth-graders performed at proficient level; 36 percent performed below the most basic level.

Overall, the performance of twelfth graders nationwide in reading and math has improved since 2005. However, the average reading score was lower in 2009 compared to 1992. Additionally, significant achievement gaps persist among major racial/ethnic groups.

Appearing on World News with Diane Sawyer, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance and former governor of West Virginia, said “This is an education electrocardiogram, and what it says is we're not making progress fast enough, and
this patient needs to be shocked into life.”

Stats That Stick: November 17, 2010

To graduate one million more students by 2020 without increasing costs, degree productivity needs to improve by 23 percent.
-McKinsey & Company

Approximately 5.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online college course in fall 2009, the most recent term for which figures are available.
-The Sloan Consortium

260,327 students studied abroad for credit during the academic year 2008/09, compared to 262,416 the previous year, a modest decline of 0.8%.
-Institute of International Education

And several great stats from a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics:

Morning Announcements: November 17, 2010

Groups such as the American Association of School Administrators and the National School Boards Association are eyeing regulatory relief under No Child Left Behind, Education Week reports.

The Grand Rapids editorial Board calls for teacher unions to work with the Michigan Legislature to reform teacher tenure laws.

The Detroit News editorial board argues that Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb’s plan have the state make $400 million in tobacco settlement payments available to Detroit and the other troubled school districts is not the answer.

In New Hampshire, a special legislative committee voted on Monday to divide between schools and the state $41 million in emergency federal funding intended to protect teachers' jobs, according to the Associated Press.

Straight A's Examines Election's Impact on Education Reform, Focuses on New Reports on International Math Comparisons and the Performance of Black Males

Here's a quick summary of the articles in the Nov. 15 issue of Straight A's, the Alliance's biweekly newsletter.

Click on a title below to access the complete article or download a printer-friendly version of the entire newsletter at http://www.all4ed.org/files/Volume10No21.pdf.

DIVIDED WE STALL?: Prospects for Education Reform Unclear After Republicans Take Control in the House of Representatives, Gain Ground in Senate

As the smoke clears from an election day battle that left Democrats bruised and beaten, it is evident that Republicans will pick up at least sixty seats-and possibly as many as sixty-five-to claim control of the U.S. House of Representatives. In the U.S. Senate, Republicans gained six seats, but fell short of capturing the majority. What remains unclear is whether a divided Congress-a Republican-controlled House and a Democrat-controlled Senate-can work with President Obama to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind.

Morning Announcements: November 16, 2010

The Washington Post reports on a panel of top educators that is recommending major revisions of teacher training programs. Maryland, California, Colorado, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee have pledged to implement the recommendations. To read more about individual states’ commitments: Check out stories in the Oregonian and the Denver Post.

The Washington Examiner, New York Times, and USA Today all report on a recently released study, from the Council of Great City Schools, finding that the nation’s young black males are in a state of crises. Is the newsletter going to be posted soon? If so I can link to the article in Straight A’s.

Post-Election Principles for a New Federal Role in Education

The 2010 midterm elections have left commentators scrambling to figure out what will happen in federal policy over the next two years. Obviously, a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a reduced Democratic majority in the Senate will alter priorities and change the agenda. The budget deficit will limit the appetite for new initiatives. And on many issues, gridlock will rule the day.

Education, though, might be one area on which the two parties come to common ground. Although a few candidates in this year’s election called for drastic reductions in the federal role in education, including eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, those voices were in the minority, and many of the candidates with the most extreme positions lost on November 2. The federal role remains secure, but it will change.

Morning Announcements: November 15, 2010

Caroline Novak, president of A+ Education Partnership, calls for Alabama to adopt the common core state standards in an op-ed in the Montgomery Advertiser.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains why grading teachers is no easy assignment.

The Hattiesburg American reports on six Mississippi districts that will participate in a pilot program designed to give students options other than the traditional four-year track to a diploma.

An article in The Southern (Illinois) recommends older Americans volunteering in our nation’s schools in order to encourage interaction between generations.

Report Round-Up: November 12, 2010

Service Members in School: Military Veterans' Experiences Using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Pursuing Higher Education from the American Council on Education. This report provides what may be the most comprehensive independent assessment to date of the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s effectiveness. Drawn from surveys and focus groups, the report gives a portrait of the complex journey of soldiers transitioning from the military into the classroom.

Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action from the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This study outlines tips to bring digital and media literacy education into formal and informal settings, through local efforts that dovetail with state and federal initiatives.

Degrees of Separation: Education, Employment, and the Great Recession in Metropolitan America from the Brookings Institute. According to this report, metro areas with highly educated populations experienced more modest declines in employment during the recession than other metro areas.

Morning Announcements: November 12, 2010

The Washington Post editorial board discusses the lack of diversity at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia. Meanwhile, CBS News focuses on how young black males face difficulties in obtaining an adequate education. The story highlights a group of black males at the California Academy of Mathematics and Science in South Los Angeles that call themselves the "Nerd Herd" and are determined to earn a college degree. Check out the video below: