Stats That Stick--November 30, 2011

Here are this week's "Stats that Stick," courtesy of Alliance Policy Intern Bill DeBaun:

Number of states that have made midyear cuts to K-12 education: 18. State budgets are improving, but not quickly enough to avoid cuts to education, says Education Week. In the 2010-11 school years, 39 states made overall reductions and 35 made midyear budget cuts. The article reports that "the total size of state general fund budgets in fiscal 2012, $666.6 billion, is still 3 percent below prerecession levels."

Number of counties in the United States that saw significant increases in child poverty since 2007: 653. A recent US Census Bureau report reveals that child poverty is much more prevalent now than pre-recession year 2007, according to the Christian Science Monitor. The 653 counties represent just under 21% of all of the counties in the United States. Across the country, only 8 counties saw a decrease in child poverty between 2007 and the present.

Stats That Stick: June 22, 2011

Home-schooling has grown to reach about 2 million children—or 3 percent of the school-age population, up from 850,000 in 1999.–New York Times 

1 in 15 elementary students throughout New York were absent on any given day this year, compared to 1 in 13 four years ago and 1 in 9 in 1995.–New York Times

So far in 2011, eighteen states have seen new schools chiefs come into office, and six other states are currently conducting searches for new leaders, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers.–Education Week

Large proportions of minority men aged 15 to 24 with high school diplomas were unemployed—34% of black men, 47% of Latinos, 39% of Native Americans and 30% of Asian Americans.–College Board

What’s On the Books

Parental Notifications 

• On Monday, the Connecticut House passed legislation requiring school principals to give parents and guardians a heads-up if their student is in danger of flunking a course. Under the bill, which passed 95-49, principals would notify parents of students in grades six through 12, in writing or electronically, of a possible failing grade at the middle of the marking period or at least six weeks before the grade is final. –The Connecticut Post
• The Oregon Senate gave final approval today to House Bill 3197, which requires school districts notify parents before the end of the school day when a child is absent.
  

Stats That Stick: April 27, 2011

Hispanics students are by far the largest minority in U.S. public schools — comprising more than 1 in 5 in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Hispanics are also projected to account for the majority of the nation’s population growth between 2005 and 2050. –Miami Herald on the White House’s “Winning the future: Improving education for the Latino community” report

One in four children in the United States is being raised by a single parent. –Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

From 2000 to 2010, the percentage of people over the age of 25 with at least a bachelor's degree rose from 26 percent to 30 percent. Women in that age group were slightly more likely than men to have a degree—86.7 percent compared with 86.6 percent. –U.S. Census Bureau

Funding for early-childhood education declined between 2009 and 2010 and only 26 percent of 4-year-olds were enrolled in pre-K last year. -National Institute for Early Education Research, based at Rutgers University Graduate School of Education

More than 80,000 students in Maryland are missing 20 or more days of school each year; some of the highest numbers are in Baltimore City and Prince George's County. –Baltimore Sun

What’s on the books?

“What’s on the books” is an occasional look at state laws and legislation that pertain to high schools and high school students.

• Graduation Requirements: The Oregon House recently passed a bill that would add one more graduation requirement — proof that students are thinking seriously about the future and job opportunities. Under H.B. 2732, students would have to do one of three things: apply to a higher education institution, submit an application to enlist in the military, or attend an orientation session for an apprenticeship or training program. -The Oregonian
• Absenteeism Policies: Under Maryland law, any person who has legal custody or care and control of a child five years old and under 16 who fails to see that the child attends school or receives instruction is guilty of a misdemeanor and a first conviction is subject to a fine not to exceed $50.00 per day of unlawful absence or imprisonment or both; a second or subsequent conviction is subject to a fine not to exceed $100 per day of unlawful absence or imprisonment or both. -Read more from the Baltimore Sun
  

Morning Announcement: April 25, 2011

The New York Times reports on New York City schools that are experimenting with implementing the common standards in the classroom. The article provides several examples of what teachers are doing differently writing, “A math teacher, José Rios, used to take a day or two on probabilities, drawing bell-shaped curves on the blackboard to illustrate the pattern known as normal distribution. This year, he stretched the lesson by a day and had students work in groups to try to draw the same type of graphic using the heights of the 15 boys in the class.”

Duncan Issues Far More NCLB Waivers Than Predecessors, Education Week reports.

The Charleston Gazette writes about high school dropout prevention legislation that was passed last year in West Virginia. The GED’s Options Pathway offers students an alternative to regular school . They take technical classes such as welding or train to become an Emergency Medical Technician and spend half the day in the classroom.

Morning Announcements: January 31, 2011

The Indianapolis Star recognizes community members, business leaders, and volunteers for supporting children in need and education reform.

The drive for education reform has teacher unions on the defensive, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

The Los Angles Times reports on the progress that Bruce Randolph School in Denver, CO has made in raising student achievement, writing, “It has vastly increased the percentage of its students who can perform at grade level. But still only 19% of middle school students there do math at grade level, and only 26% read at grade level. The numbers are higher for high school students, but still far from perfect, said Cedillo, who is now the principal.” President Obama mentioned Bruce Randolph School in his State of the Union address.

Morning Announcements: October 18, 2010

Last Thursday, Baltimore teachers rejected a contract that would have provided six-figure salaries for an elite corps but would have tied the pay of all educators to how they perform in the classroom. Of the rejected proposal, the Washington Post editorial board writes, “it's farfetched to hold the proposal out as a groundbreaking model for the nation… The real model for national reform is the Washington, D.C., teachers contract negotiated by Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. It took her three years and scads of money, but she got union leaders to agree to rules that prevent the last hired from being the first fired, empower principals and reward teachers most capable of lifting student achievement.”

Middle and high school classes will get tougher as part of an effort Houston ISD officials announced Friday to help persuade thousands of families to keep their children in the state's largest district, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

Morning Announcements: October 13, 2010

The big news today in Washington: DC School Chancellor Michelle Rhee is resigning at the end of this month. The Washington Post covered this story extensively with a cover story on her resignation, another story on Rhee’s unfinished business, a column by Robert McCartney on presumptive mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray’s next moves in education, and a live chat on the issue moderated by education reporter Bill Turque.

In the Letters to the Editor section, a number of Washington Post readers also responded to the manifesto by Rhee, Klein and other education leaders published on Sunday.

The future of charter schools in Georgia rests in the hands of the state Supreme Court as it considers a case that could affect choice for parents and unravel a network of schools, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

In Kansas, reading and math scores have improved drastically in the past decade. According to test results released yesterday in Topeka, overall reading scores have gone from 59.2 percent proficient or better in 2000 to 86.3 percent this year.

According to the Providence Journal, about 15 percent of the teachers at Central Falls High School have been absent in recent weeks, a negative trend that threatens the ambitious transformation plan of the struggling school.