Afternoon Announcements: An Argument in Favor of Gap Years

Many countries have long touted the usefulness of a “gap” year spent living abroad between finishing high school and entering college, but the U.S. has never been one. That thinking may be changing as more students take a year off and extoll the virtues of learning more about themselves and their interests before entering college. USA Today

Lawmakers on the House education committee are trying to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act, which hasn’t been renewed for more than six years. The last renewal attempt was thwarted by partisan divisions, and the same may happen this time. Politics K-12

According to a survey from the Maryland State Education Association, teachers in the state feel unprepared to teach the Common Core Standards are asking for more time to meet the demands of the new evaluation system and higher standards. Washington Post

The broke Buena Vista School District in Michigan is closed for a few days this week because it can’t pay its teachers. The district has laid off staff. “I know everybody is hurt. We’re trying to get these answers. Our hands are pretty much tied. We’re trying to go after every option we have,” school board President Randy L. Jackson said. Education Week Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Financial aid on hold because of sequestration

New analysis of teachers’ performance reviews across New York City show that some principals haven’t demoted, fired, or ‘flunked’ a single teacher for at least eight years. The study looked at schools in all five boroughs. The math works out to 11% of schools giving satisfactory remarks to all of their teachers for the better part of the last decade. Wall Street Journal

Students planning to enter college this fall may still be waiting for financial aid letters, and they might be waiting for a while. Maryland colleges don’t have full details on how much federal funding they’ll receive for some assistance-based programs because of sequestration. Baltimore Sun

The professors who have taught MOOCs, or massive open only courses, seem to agree with all the hype. In the largest survey done of those who have taught the classes, 79% said believe they are “worth the hype.” The Chronicle of Higher Education

The percentage of teachers who group students by ability has risen from 28% in 1998 to 71% in 2009. One reason behind the drastic change could be No Child Left Behind’s emphasis on schools focusing on struggling students. USA Today Read Entire Post

Executing continuous improvement strategies with intentional purpose and urgency

The following blog post comes from Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of St. Mary's County Public Schools in Leonardtown, Maryland.

On July 1, 2005, I was appointed to the position of Superintendent of Schools for the St. Mary’s County Public School System. With a sense of driven purpose and urgency, I feverishly set out to implement my entry plan strategies. One of the myriad of tasks that I began was a complete review and continuous improvement audit of programs that were designed to aid and support at-risk students.

When I inherited the reigns of my current school system, I was also the benefactor of an alternative learning center that was intended to provide interventions for students who were at-risk for dropping out of school. Upon review of the longitudinal data of the program, the results were alarming. Over the previous five year period, the graduation data and achievement data from the program was abysmal. No more than five students graduated from high school and the perception of the program was of a “holding tank” for students who were not going to graduate. In other words, if students entered this program it was a sure bet that they would not graduate. 

In the fall of 2006, we set out with a fierce sense of urgency to change the program’s culture and delivery model. We began to implement a model that was built on a clear mission with the core value that all students could and would learn, and that each young person who entered the program would indeed graduate from high school. Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Maryland could lose $40 million in Race to Top grant funds

Maryland is struggling, like many states, to implement the specific teacher-evaluation systems outlined in the Race to the Top grant money it has received. The state could lose up to $40 million of its $250 million grant if it fails to meet the conditions outlined to it by the U.S. Department of Education. Politics K-12

In better news for Maryland, the state ranks number one in Education Week’s study examining state education policies and student achievement. This is Maryland’s fifth-year at the top of the rankings. Washington Post

The recession affected individuals without college degrees worse than it did those who completed college, a new Pew Charitable Trusts study finds. It shows that postsecondary education positively impacts labor market outcomes. New York Times

Education Week releases its 17th annual edition of Education Week’s Quality Counts, a study that tracks key education indicators and grades states “on their policy efforts and outcomes.” Education Week

Another break-down of what English classes will and should look like under the new Common Core State Standards. Washington Post Read Entire Post

Morning announcements: Maryland's new metric

High School Soup will be on holiday break until January 2^nd. We will still be posting intermittently on our twitter and facebook accounts with education-related news. Follow us there. Happy holidays!

Maryland’s new metric for measuring school progress, the School Progress Index, aims to increase the number of students with proficient scores on standards tests by 2017. It sets more realistic targets for student achievement. Baltimore Sun

What were the top education issues of 2012? Vote and see the results of this poll. Education Next

Unless we can increase parity between schools that serve low-income students and affluent students, we may never close the achievement gaps. Do you agree? This Week in Education

The 342 schools nationwide that follow the Primary Years Program of the Swiss-based International Baccalaureate program, may be ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing the Common Core State Standards. Education Week

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Afternoon announcements: Massachusetts eight-graders shine globally

Despite programs to help low-income students afford prestigious universities, few are applying. Why? Inside Higher Ed

In today’s biggest education news, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan picked 16 Race to the Top-District winners. The 16 winners include three charter school organizations and will share the $400 million prize. Politics K-12

Yesterday, we saw news that the US lags behind several East Asian and European countries in math and science test scores. New information today shows that Massachusetts 8^th-graders represented the US well in the scores – scoring among the smartest in the world. Education Week

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal scolded teacher unions that oppose vouchers for private schools, calling it “shameful.” Times-Picayune

Joshua Starr, Montgomery County Schools Superintendent, is pushing the envelope in Maryland by requesting a budget… increase. He plans to request more than the $10 million minimum spending requirement in the next fiscal year. Washington Post

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Afternoon announcements: November 7, 2012

Last night saw some major victories… and some major upsets. In education-related elections, one of these big upsets came in Indiana – where the electorate voted in Glenda Ritz to take the place of controversial state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett. Washington Post

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr – a popular leader, found himself staring at goat guts recently. The Maryland-based superintendent shadowed a student to his lab class for a true ‘hands on’ experience. Washington Post

President Obama has won re-election, and the majorities in house and senate have stayed the same. What does that mean for education? Will Congress stay divided and continue to gridlock on education issues? Politics K-12

For the first time, children brought to the states illegally will receive tuition breaks at Maryland’s public colleges and universities. These “Dreamers” celebrated last night. “This means so much to me, my parents and my family – who are the other dreams,” one student said. Baltimore Sun

Georgia voters said “yes” to approve Amendment One – which will amend the state constitution to allow the state to approve charter schools and establish a commission to consider applications for them. Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Afternoon announcements: November 1, 2012

The chilly weather and abundance of hot cider at every cafe and coffeeshop in town can only mean one thing - it's November! Hope you're staying warm and dry.

Many of us in the education sector advocate strongly for increased digital learning in the classroom. But recent surveys say that many teachers believe using digital technology in the classroom is a recipe for a shortened attention span and an excuse for distractions. The researchers emphasize that those are subjective opinions and not definitive evidence or proof. What we can know for sure is that technology is changing how students learn. New York Times

Romney is officially back on the campaign trail post-Sandy. He appeared in Tampa for the second time in five days earlier this week. Romney gave a shout-out to Gov. Jeb Bush, who joined him at the rally, saying Bush is the source of his education proposals. Tampa Bay Online

Mayland is seeing a rise in their high school graduation rates, according to information released by the State Department of Education on Wednesday. They found that 83 percent of students who began high school in 2007-2008 graduated in 2011, up from 82 percent in 2010. Baltimore Sun

Students in New York City will be out of school for the remainder of the week, due to the flooding and damage from superstorm Sandy. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press conference that he hopes schools will reopen by Monday. 1.1 million students are out of school Huffington Post

Obama has said in his campaign education platform that he wants to recruit 100,000 new science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers by 2022. Is that enough? An opinion writer breaks down the numbers and the nation’s need. Washington Post

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Dr. Michael J. Martirano: Doing whatever it takes for our students

The following blog post comes from Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of St. Mary's County Public Schools in Leonardtown, Maryland. 

As schools all across America open for business, plans are being implemented with focused intentionality and full fidelity to ensure that every child graduates from high school prepared for college and a career.

For many students, this is a reality because family structures and community supports assist in attaining this goal. For a large number of students, this is a great challenge due to increasing poverty levels and challenges within family units that dampen their dreams and aspirations. These societal challenges have impacted our young people in ways that have contributed to lower graduation rates.

Just because a young person lives in a zip code or family that does not support the notion of every child graduating from high school, does not mean that public educators and leaders should be less committed to them. Now, more than ever, we should be focused on and committed to the young people who have the greatest challenges. We must provide these young people with a quality educational experience that includes digital learning opportunities.

In fact, providing a quality educational experience for our less fortunate children is the greatest civil rights issue affecting America. Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: August 15, 2012

Whoa! Wednesday! I didn’t see you there! Don’t creep up on me like that. At least cough or jingle your keys or something so I know you’re right behind me. You almost have me too nervous to write about today’s Afternoon Announcements. Almost.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the University System of Georgia may be experiencing a “rare decrease” in the number of students it has. The article notes that “of the system's 35 colleges, 33 taught fewer students this summer.” This is bad news because tuition and fees from students covers approximately 50 percent of the cost of teaching them.

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