Texas discretionary expulsion rates

The School-to-Prison Pipeline report was released by Texas Appleseed, a nonprofit research and advocacy group focusing on social and economic justice.

“The ‘pipeline’ refers to a disturbing pattern of school disciplinary problems escalating from suspension to removal from school, juvenile justice system involvement, and school dropout,” the report asserts. “Numerous studies by national experts … have established a link between school discipline, school dropout rates and incarceration. … More than 80 percent of Texas adult prison inmates are school dropouts."

The report found "the more subjective the discipline criteria, the more African Americans get expelled." These are discretionary expulsions and subjective decisions.

*********************************************************************

Highest Texas

District	Discretionary	Enrollment	Per 1,000
RIO HONDO	38	2553	14.8844
WHARTON	30	2400	12.5000
WACO	196	16626	11.7888
KARNES CITY	9	1018	8.8409
ALDINE	530	67468	7.8556
HITCHCOCK	11	1407	7.8181
MIDLAND	157	23039	6.8145
EAST BERNARD	6	982	6.1100
HAWKINS	5	831	6.0168
WEST ORANGE-COVE	18	3011	5.9781

_{Source: Texas Education Agency}

_{**********************************************************************************}

Texas Appleseed tracks much of the current system back to a wholesale rewriting of Texas education law in 1995, which included several “zero tolerance” policies.
Report: Texas School Districts Quick to Expel - April 14, 2010 - Texas Tribune 
Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline - Dropout to Incarceration - The Impact of School Discipline and Zero Tolerance
Dallas ISD Student Code of Conduct

Fighting The Dropout Crisis

"President Obama declared that “dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country—and this country needs and values the talents of every American.” 
***
Special Report: The Dropout Crisis
Graduation Nation Guidebook
Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University

Charter cash cow

"Wealthy investors and major banks have been making windfall profits by using a little-known federal tax break to finance new charter-school construction."

"The program, the New Markets Tax Credit, is so lucrative that a lender who uses it can almost double his money in seven years.

"In Albany, which boasts the state's highest percentage of charter school enrollments, a nonprofit called the Brighter Choice Foundation has employed the New Markets Tax Credit to arrange private financing for five of the city's nine charter schools.

"Under the New Markets program, a bank or private equity firm that lends money to a nonprofit to build a charter school can receive a 39% federal tax credit over seven years.

"The credit can even be piggybacked on other tax breaks for historic preservation or job creation.

"By combining the various credits with the interest from the loan itself, a lender can almost double his investment over the seven-year period.

"No wonder JPMorgan Chase announced this week it was creating a new $325 million pool to invest in charter schools and take advantage of the New Markets Tax Credit.

"But many of those same schools are now straining to pay escalating rents, which are going toward the debt service that Brighter Choice incurred during construction."

Albany charter cash cow: Big banks making a bundle on new construction as schools bear the cost

Demand for new markets tax credits remains strong

Bill Gates at 2010 American Federation of Teachers national convention

Seattle, Washington - Saturday, July 10, 2010



Bill Gates tries the Dad approach with angry teachers union members
Gates Foundation playing a pivotal role in changes for education system
Bill Gates wins teachers' applause
By the numbers: Education Grants
Full Text of Speech

Once children learn how to learn

"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." -- Marva Collins

"The great end of education is to discipline rather than to furnish the mind; to train it to the use of its own powers rather than to fill it with the accumulation of others." -- Tyron Edwards

"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation." -- John F. Kennedy

"Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." -- George Bernard Shaw

"Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants." -- John Gardner

"The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind." -- Kahlil Gibran

"The greatest sign of a success for a teacher...is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." -- Maria Montessori

"No one but us ourselves-no one can and no one way. We ourselves must walk the path, teachers merely show the way." -- Nancy Wilson Ross

"Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it." -- William Haley

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." -- Albert Einstein

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -- Benjamin Franklin

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." -- Forest Witchcraft

Teach For America review raises questions

A new analysis reported in the Washington Post education section - The Answer Sheet - concludes that students of Teach for America teachers score lower on reading and math tests than students of beginning traditional public school teachers with full credentials.

The report states:

"... Even in the limited cases when Teach for America has a positive impact, it is consistently small;  other reforms may have more promise such as universal pre-schooling, mentoring programs that pair novice and expert teachers, eliminating tracking, and reducing class size in the early grades."

The report also recommends that policymakers and school districts "invest strategically in evidence-based educational reform options that build long-term capacity in schools."

The Teach For America program analysis was done by Assistant Professor Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas at Austin and Assistant Professor Su Jin Jez of California State University at Sacramento.

Teach For America: A Review of Evidence - June 2010
Edumication News - Unfair Park - TFA discussion
A Chosen Few are Teaching for America

Diane Ravitch at 2010 NEA national convention

Stand Up For Public Education
New Orleans
“I promised to speak out against No Child Left Behind. It's a disaster. It has turned our schools into testing factories. Its requirement that 100 percent of students will be proficient by the year 2014 is totally unrealistic. Any teacher could have told them that.  Thousands and thousands of schools have been stigmatized as failing schools because they could not reach a goal that no state, no nation, and no district has ever reached.  By setting an impossible gol, No Child left behind has delegitimized public education and created a rhetoric of failure and paved the way for privatization.

“Public education is the backbone of this democracy, and we cannot turn it over to privateers....The current so-called reform movement is pushing bad ideas. No high-performing nation in the world is privatizing its schools, closing its schools, and inflicting high-stakes testing on every subject on its children. The current reform movement wants to end tenure and seniority, to weaken the teaching profession, to silence teachers’ unions, to privatize large sectors of public education. Don’t let it happen!

"In speaking out, I have consistently warned about the riskiness of school choice. Its benefits are vastly overrated. It undercuts public education by enabling charter schools to skim the best students in poor communities. As our society pursues these policies, we will develop a bifurcated system, one for the haves, another for the have-nots, and politicians have the nerve to boost bout such an outcome.

"...Why expand the number of charters when research shows that on average they don't get better results than regular public schools? Last year, a major evaluation showed that one out of every six charters will get better results, five out of six charters will get no different results or worse results than the regular public schools. A report released just a couple of weeks ago by Mathematica Policy Research once again shows charter middle schools do not get better results than regular public middle schools.

"The National Assessment of Educational Progress, on whose board I served for seven years, has tested charter schools since 2003. In 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009, charter schools were compared to regular public schools and have never shown an advantage over regular public schools. Chater schools, contrary to Bill Gates, are not more innovative than regular public schools. The business model and methods of charter schools is this -- longer school days, longer hours, longer weeks and about 95 percent of charter schools are non-union.

"Teachers are hired and fired at will. Teachers work 50, 60, 70 hours a week. They are expected to burn out after two or three years when they can be replaced. No pension worries, no high salaries. This is not a template for American education.

"....Stand up to the attacks on public education ... Stand up for teachers. Stand up for public education."

National Council of Churches public education vision

An Alternative Vision for Public Education
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is a community of 36 Christian communions with a combined membership of 45 million persons in more than 100,000 congregations across this country. Our member churches – from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches – do not agree on all things!  We stand united, however, in our conviction that the church is called to speak for justice in public education. We affirm that each life is infinitely precious,  created in the image of God, and therefore, that every child should be given opportunity for fullness of life, including a quality and affordable education. 

We further affirm that our society’s provision of public education—publicly funded, universally available, and accountable to the public—while imperfect, is essential for ensuring that all children are served.  As a people called to love our neighbors as ourselves, wwe look for the optimal way to balance the needs of each particular child and family with the need to create a system that secures the rights and addresses the needs of all children. We know that such a system will never be perfect, and we pledge as faithful citizens to continue to improve the schools in our communities and to make our system of schools more responsive. 

We value democratic governance of public schools.
We support democratic governance of public schools.  Because public schools are responsible to the public, it is possible through elected school boards, open meetings, ransparent record keeping and redress through the courts to ensure that traditional public schools provide access for all children. We believe that democratic operation of public schools is our best hope for ensuring that families can secure the services to which their children have a right. On balance, we believe that if government invests public funds in charter schools that report to private boards, government, not the vicissitudes of the marketplace, should be expected to provide oversight to protect the common good. 

We reject the language of business for discussing public education. 
Not only has the language of the marketplace entered discussions of school governance and management, but we also notice that the language of business accountability is used to talk about education, a human endeavor of caring.  The primary mechanism of the No Child Left Behind Act has been annual standardized tests of reading and math for all children in grades 3-8, followed by punishments for the schools that cannot rapidly reach ever increasing test score production targets. We worry that our society has come to view what is good as what can be measured and compared.  The relentless focus on testing basic skills has diminished our attention to the humanities, the social studies, the arts, and child and adolescent development.  As people of faith we do not view our children as products to be tested and managed but instead as unique human beings, created in the image of God, to be nurtured and educated.

We value public school educators.
Our biblical heritage and our theology teach us that we live in community, not solely in the marketplace.  As we strive to move our imperfect world closer to the realm of God, we recognize that we are all responsible for making sure that public schools, as primary civic institutions, embody our love for one another.  We are called to create institutions that serve families and children with hospitality.  We are called to work as citizens for the resources that will support a climate of trust and community within each public school. We are also called to value those whose vocation is teaching. Lately we have been dismayed by federal policy that encourages states to change laws to eliminate due process, to devalue the credentials of excellent teachers, and to fire teachers and  principals as though that were a tested recipe for school reform, when we know that no research supports the President’s proposed “turnaround” model that purports to improve a school by firing the principal and at least  half the staff.  We look for a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that honors the professionalism of teachers and treats these individuals with respect. Wholesale scapegoating of public school teachers is an ugly and unfortunate development in federal policy.

NCC delegation meets with U.S. Secretary of Education on the need to provide equal education to all children

Texas Commissioner of Education October 16, 2009 minimum grading letter

"Our interpretation is that our policies do not need to be changed." Some Texas Districts yet to change grading policies - DMN - August 18, 2009

The letter below was sent to Texas school districts by Robert Scott, Texas Commissioner of Education, on October 16, 2009. 

It provides guidance on the proper interpretation of the 2009 state law - Senate Bill 2033 - now Texas Education Code Sec. 28.0216.
The law was signed by the Governor on June 19, 2009 and became effective immediately.

The Commissioner's letter makes it clear that the state legislature intended to stop all minimum grade requirements in Texas schools.

This means that Dallas ISD has now operated with a minimum grading system that has violated the 2009 state law for all of the last school year and the same policy will continue in 2010-2011 - unless the Board of Trustees acts at the August Board meeting to remove all minimum 50 grade requirements from Board Policy EIA (Local).  

Sec. 28.0216 of the Texas Education Code requires this to be corrected before the beginning of the new school year.                                                                                                                                                                                  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

October 16, 2009

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

Subject:  Senate Bill (SB) 2033 School District Grading Policy


SB 2033, passed by the 81st Texas Legislature, requires each school district to adopt a grading policy, including provisions for the assignment of grades on class assignments and examinations, before each school year. A district grading policy:


(1)     must require a classroom teacher to assign a grade that reflects the student’s relative mastery of an assignment;


(2)     may not require a classroom teacher to assign a minimum grade for an assignment without regard to the student’s quality of work; and

(3)     may allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade.

TEA understands this legislation to also require honest grades for each grading period including six weeks, nine weeks, or semester grades for two reasons. First, if actual grades on assignments are not used in determining a six weeks grade, the purpose of the legislation has been defeated. Second, since 1995, Texas Education Code, §28.021, has required decisions on promotion or course credit to be based on “academic achievement or demonstrated proficiency.” If the six weeks grades do not reflect the actual assignment grades, they would not reflect academic achievement or demonstrated proficiency.

This legislation permits a district, through local policy, to allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade. By allowing students to make up work, a district would ensure six weeks grades reflect relative mastery of assignments, even if making up a prior deficit, rather than awarding an automatic grade to a student who has received a failing grade.

If you have questions regarding SB 2033, please contact Monica Martinez, Policy Director in the Curriculum Division, at (512) 463-9581 or via e-mail at monica.martinez@tea.state.tx.us.

Sincerely,

Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education

RS/mgm

TEA Letter
Senate Bill 2033 - Grading Policies
How a bill became a Law ... and was ignored
TCTA Letter to the Commissioner


Texas Education Code 

Sec. 28.0216.  DISTRICT GRADING POLICY.  A school district shall adopt a grading policy, including provisions for the assignment of grades on class assignments and examinations, before each school year.  A district grading policy:

(1)  must require a classroom teacher to assign a grade that reflects the student's relative mastery of an assignment;
(2)  may not require a classroom teacher to assign a minimum grade for an assignment without regard to the student's quality of work; and
(3)  may allow a student a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade.
Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1236, Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009.

Dallas ISD minimum grading policy violates 2009 state law

The new 2009 state law ending school district minimum grades was recently upheld by a Texas court.

A number of Texas school Districts had filed a lawsuit seeking to continue policies requiring minimum grades.

In Dallas ISD the minimum grade is currently set at 50.  Board policy EIA (Local) states:

"For purposes of averaging across six-week periods or semester, a numerical grade of 50 is the lowest grade that will be recorded and used as a six-week grade."

The Dallas policy appears to be in clear violation of the state law passed in 2009 by unanimous votes of the Texas House and the Texas Senate.  The Texas state legislature clearly intended to end the practice of requiring minimum grades in Texas school districts.

Texas Judge Upholds State Law Ending Minimum Grade Requirements
Minimum grade ban applies to report cards
Edumication News - Unfair Park
Texas court rejects suit by coalition of school districts
Teachers believe students must earn their grades
School districts wrong to fight truth-in-grading law


I did not support the minimum 50 grade policy when it was passed by the Dallas ISD board because it appeared to undermine the ability of teachers to honestly assess student performance.

Board Policy EIA (Local) first added the minimum 50 grade requirement on Thursday, January 31, 2008.  I made a motion to return the new grade requirement to the policy committee for further review, study and revision.  The motion died for lack of a second.

The final vote to adopt the minimum 50 grade policy was 8 Yes -1 No.  My vote was No.

It is time for our policy to follow the state law and remove all minimum grade requirements.

Talented Dallas ISD students outstanding in Michael the Musical

This past week-end, fans around the world remembered the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson.  Three of the most moving and magical tributes were presented  Friday evening and Saturday afternoon at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) when nearly six hundred Dallas ISD students performed in Michael the Musical.

Created, produced and directed by Curtis King, this production marked the end of the 2010 Summer Youth Arts Institute Cultural Enrichment Program.  For the past three weeks, an artistic staff, along with a group of dedicated volunteers nurtured and taught hundreds of students, ages 10-18.  The Youth Institute has thrived for twenty-six years and is implemented by TBAAL in partnership with Dallas ISD.

Every year students come with all levels of talents, skills and abilities.  TBAAL founder/director King and staff obviously see potential in each student, and along with them quickly determine the appropriate niche in which students will thrive.  From technical to creative development,  students are guided with professionalism and patience.  In addition, this experienced staff provides plenty of the key ingredients that make this summer program successful  -- patience, care and love.

Michael the Musial was "an exciting, moving, educational and inspiring musical revue."   The audience took a fast-paced voyage in music, song and dance of  Michael Jackson hits, culminating with "We Are the World." and "Gone Too Soon."

Polished, professional and confident, students showed skills they developed to help them perform on stage and behind the scenes, including listening, discipline, collaboration and teamwork.

Thanks to dozens of  parents and community volunteers who helped during the Youth Institute and with the production.

Much appreciation to Curtis King for giving your genius in support of students and education and to the TBAAL artistic staff for your excellent work with our students.

Congratulations to all 2010 Summer Youth Arts Institute participants!

Michael the Musical was a Thriller!

Congratulations, 2010 Kimball High School Graduates

On Saturday, one of the largest classes in recent years was graduated from Justin F. Kimball High School.  Laughter and hugs among the 247 seniors spoke loudly about how glad they were to be in that number.

Throughout the year they worked long, giving extra effort to ensure a place for themselves in the commencement processional. The early morning fanfare at Ellis Davis Field House made it official -- Senior Kimball Knights, you made it!

As expected, parents, families and guests were spontaneous with their cheers and joyful tears.  This was a Super Saturday-- an indescribable time when their eighteen year hopes and dreams for these seniors actually came true. Hurray for Kimball High School parents, families and friends.  Your support then and now makes a big difference for the seniors and all Kimball Knights.  You are appreciated.

Valedictorian Taylor McKinney and Salutatorian Armando Estrada enjoyed addressing classmates, who proudly applauded their academic leadership and rallied behind Taylor's reminder, "We are the seniors others want to be."

The ceremony delighted the audience with music and a selection by the Kimball Concert Band, directed by Abe Williams and the Kimball Choir, directed by Bruce Limuel.

Senior class vice president Brenda Crespo introduced me to present the Charge to the Class.

Much gratitude to the dedicated Kimball teachers and staff for all the ways this year you helped students to (as stated in lyrics of the school song) "...stand the test..." and "...seek the Best."

Thanks to former Principal Danny Stigers for his service and contribution to Kimball High School.

Our appreciation to Principal Earl Jones for your leadership and a successful year.

Congratulations, Kimball High School Class of 2010.   "Keep on Pushing. You Can't Stop Now."

Dallas South News

Congratulations, Carter High School Class of 2010

"Hail Carter High, cheer for the red and blue" was exactly what hundreds of families and friends did last night in the Ellis Davis Field House.  Spirits were high as we witnessed the forty-third annual commencement exercises for 215 David W. Carter High School graduates.  Yes, they did it!

Senior class members enjoyed the "pomp and circumstance" of the evening while their decorum and manner showed respect and pride.  These Carter Cowboy seniors are impressive.

In their addresses, Valedictorian Lorena Watson and Salutatorian Dora Gbenjen revealed the close bonds and friendships that exist among Carter seniors.  Throughout the year they have been united in their efforts to show how proud they are of Carter High School and how much they appreciate the teachers and staff who care so much about them.  

Music and vocals from the Carter Band, directed by Christopher Young and Carter Choir, directed by Demetrius Ethley both calmed and moved the audience.

Thanks to senior class president (also Miss Senior) LaShaneika Ephraim, vice president Alexandria Morris and all class officers for your leadership throughout the year.

Speaking with our graduates and sharing their graduation ceremony with parents is one of my favorite parts of being a Dallas ISD trustee.  There was much to smile and cheer at this commencement program.

The Carter Motto is --  'Honor We Uphold; Success Is Our Goal.'

It is with great pleasure that I join parents and community in thanking the teachers, staff and administration, led by principal Gail David Dupree for reaching your goal in helping to produce an outstanding senior class and another successful year for all Carter students.

Congratulations Carter High School Seniors!  Remember, You've got to "Keep on Pushing."

40 Years of Academic Excellence at Erasmo Seguin

What a celebration - the 40th Anniversary Celebration of  Erasmo Seguin Community Learning Center.

It was a time to congratulate students, former students, parents, grandparents, teachers, staff and friends 

who came to the 40th Anniversary event to enjoy remembering and participating in some Seguin family fun.

Erasmo Seguin has developed four decades of young learners.

The anniversary program included outstanding student performances that inspired us.  They were the: Seguin Choir, Handbell Chorus, Guitar Club, Seguin Dancers and student presenters.

The first principal, Priscilla McGaughey who opened Erasmo Seguin in 1970 and immediate past Principal Marsha Burkley (Kleberg Elementary) also returned to reminisce and tell a few Seguin stories.

Special recognitions, songs and honors went to longest serving teachers Ladora Blaylock (retiring), Clara Hill,  Kay Hocker (retired), Virginia Lyons (retiring) and Helen Scott Mann.  Student reflections also praised these endearing teachers and "Moms."

Erasmo Seguin Community Learning Center can truly boast about its 40 years of instilling academic standards, while building meaningful school and community relations.  It was obvious that-- for present and past students, faculty, staff, principals and parents -- Seguin is a school and a family.

Much appreciation to Chairpersons Chara Pace and Candace Wicks ( 2008-09 Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year) and the Celebration Steering Committee.

Thanks to Alyce Barnes, Patricia Field, Charles Malone, Patrick Williams and the Site-Based Decision Making Committee for 40th Anniversary support.

Congratulations and thanks to Principal Yolanda Thompson, faculty, staff and students.

Celebrate!   Erasmo Seguin Community Learning Center...  You are 40!

You are Exemplary!

Education Secretary Arnie Duncan

A Washington Post education blog made this observation:

'Education Secretary Arne Duncan said something in an interview with the New York Times that was so scary wrong that it leaves me hoping he was kidding. The alternative--that he really means it-- is even scarier." 

From The Answer Sheet - Valerie Strauss
- Say what, Secretary Duncan?

Superintendent Hinojosa must follow Board policy

DISD E-News - April 23, 2010

District to Partner With Uplift Education (a Charter School Operator) and Teaching Trust (a newly created nonprofit organization) to Apply for Federal Innovation Grant

Dallas ISD Board policy CB (Local) (State and Federal Revenue Sources) clearly states:

"The District is committed to seeking outside funds from federal, state and private sources ...

The decision regarding whether to seek specific outside funds shall be made by the Board in consideration of the administration's recommendation, which is developed utilizing input from teachers, principals, students, community groups, agencies and parents."

Last Thursday we had a Called Board meeting.  No action was taken, but comments suggested that it was okay for the Superintendent to apply for grant funds without Board approval.

The superintendent simply has no authority to do what has been done.  That is clearly stated in the District policy on applying for State and Federal Revenue Sources.

Under the Superintendent's contract with the district, he is obligated to uphold and follow all district policies.

Board policy BBF (Local) - Board Members Ethics - Integrity of Character states:

"I will consistently uphold all applicable laws, rules, policies, and governance procedures."

How do you uphold policies and governance procedures when the Superintendent does not follow them?

The $5 million grant application was not authorized by the Board of Trustees.  The Letter of Intent was also not authorized by the Board.

Board policy clearly indicates only "the Board" has authority to make the decision "whether to seek outside funds"  - not the Superintendent. (CB-Local)

Why Charter Schools Fail the Test

Op-Ed Contributor - Why Charter Schools Fail the Test - NYTimes.com
Charles Murray - American Enterprise Institute


"THE latest evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the oldest and most extensive system of vouchers and charter schools in America, came out last month, and most advocates of school choice were disheartened by the results.

"The evaluation by the School Choice Demonstration Project, a national research group that matched more than 3,000 students from the choice program and from regular public schools, found that pupils in the choice program generally had “achievement growth rates that are comparable”  to similar Milwaukee public-school students. This is just one of several evaluations of school choice programs that have failed to show major improvements in test scores, but the size and age of the Milwaukee program, combined with the rigor of the study, make these results hard to explain away.

"So let’s not try to explain them away. Why not instead finally acknowledge that standardized test scores are a terrible way to decide whether one school is better than another? This is true whether the reform in question is vouchers, charter schools, increased school accountability, smaller class sizes, better pay for all teachers, bonuses for good teachers, firing of bad teachers — measured by changes in test scores, each has failed to live up to its hype."

http://www.uark.edu/ua/der/SCDP/Milwaukee_Eval/Report_14.pdf

National Teacher Appreciation Week

Perhaps we can smile about the following 1872 Rules for Teachers, found in the

Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, St. Augustine, Florida:

• Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.
• Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.
• Make your pens carefully.  You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.
• Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
• After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good   books.
• Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
• Every teacher should lay aside from each day pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
• Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
• The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves. 

These rules remind us that teachers have always been required to give more and do more for less.  Yet with purpose, joy and love, dedicated teachers greet each school day as one more opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students.

This is National Teacher Appreciation Week.

I am convinced that Dallas ISD teachers are appreciated every day that a student learns something new, gets a smile, hears an encouraging word, experiences a boost in confidence, feels comfortable and safe, has a tear wiped or enjoys a big laugh.

We're glad you are here teaching now, rather than in 1872 -- the chimneys are way out of reach. 

Thank you, Teachers, for teaching and doing the important job you do for our nation.

Thank you for making Dallas ISD, your school and your students better today.

Thank you for touching the future. 

You are appreciated!

Education reforms get a failing grade

A recent Dallas Morning News OpEd describing Chicago Tribune reporter Steve Chapman's article "Education Reformers Get Schooled" emphasized again that there are no quick fix educational solutions.   The record is that there are no top down one size for all miracles.

Education reforms get a failing grade - chicagotribune.com

The challenges of education will never be solved by undemocratic dictator models of governance, mayor take-overs and privatization schemes.  Public education is more than all of this put together.

The overwhelming majority of school children will always remain left behind in traditional public schools.   Diverting time and resources to false fixes will continue to weaken public education.

Public education needs to be renewed and strengthened from the bottom up starting with putting teachers fully in charge of teaching and learning and providing the freedom, flexibility and professional development they need.

It seems everyone wants to be an instant expert on education - anyone but the front-line teachers in the classroom who must meet the daily challenges of actually teaching students from all backgrounds, races, income levels, abilities and home circumstances - the good, the bad and the ugly.

An outstanding Florida teacher recently described it this way:  "I Am a Teacher in Florida."  Click Here!

"They come in hungry—I feed them. They come in angry—I counsel them. They come in defeated—I encourage them. And this is all before the bell rings."

"I am a teacher in Florida, not for the pay or the hardships, the disregard or the disrespect; I am a teacher in Florida because I am given the chance to change lives for the good, to educate and elevate the minds and hearts of my students, and to show them that success comes in all shapes and sizes, both in the classroom and in the community."

Florida Governor Splits With G.O.P. on Teacher Pay!

A Salute to Scholarship at 2010 Superintendent's Scholarship Reception

Kimball and Carter High School Scholarship Winners

Though it had similar qualities, the evening wasn't a graduation.  It was, however, an excellent dress rehearsal for the sixty-two students who walked across the stage at Emmett J. Conrad High School this evening.

Parents, family and friends envisioned upcoming commencement exercises as they celebrated student achievements at the 2010 Superintendent's Scholarship Reception.

Students were greeted by Dallas ISD Board of Trustees President Adam Medrano and Dr. Liliana Valadez, Executive Director of College and Career Readiness.

Jesika R. Jones, a 2009 Superintendent's Scholarship Recipient, returned from her freshman year at Texas A & M University to deliver an encouraging Salute to Scholarship.  I'm sure honorees will remember her #1 Tip for success at college: " Get up thirty minutes early for your 8:00 a.m. class."

In addition to remarks by Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, members from the family of the late Dallas ISD Trustee Joe May and the family of Rev. Amado S. Hinojosa presented scholarships named in their honor.

Regina O. Jones, executive director of the East Secondary Learning Community was M.C. for the evening.

Thanks to the sponsors of this recognition program and the scholarship selection committee.

Congratulations to the two scholars from each of  thirty-one Dallas ISD high schools.  It was a special delight to greet Curtizia Alexander and Tracie Green--seniors at Carter High School and Araceli Calletano and Ashlyn Rolfe--seniors at Kimball HIgh School. .

Students were awarded $2,000 scholarships.

We salute all of the  honorees!

Diane Ravitch speaks on what makes a good education

In 1981 at Booker T.Washington High School,  the Dallas Institute of  humanities and culture sponsored its first education forum to facilitate a conversation about the "crisis" in public schools.  This evening, twenty-nine years later, in the same and newly renovated venue, the Dallas Institute forum posed the question, "What makes a good education?"

Everyone who cares about keeping the public in public education would have benefited from hearing the response of guest lecturer Dr. Diane Ravitch, historian educator and former Assistant Secretary of Education.  She emphasized that today, in 2010, we still face a serious crisis in public education - including the threat that the "public" will be taken out of public education.    This is a threat to the very existence of public education.

Among her many points were the following:

• Teachers cannot do their best when they are afraid.
• Merit pay diminishes collaboration and team work.
• Closing schools rips away social capital and community anchors.
• There is no proven model currently in existence for turning schools around.
• Education is more than testing.
• Accountability now blames only teachers for problems far broader than a classroom.
• Poverty does matter and harms educational outcomes, but nobody wants to talk about poverty.
• Charter schools occupy a very small  part of the educational system and will not solve the huge challenges.

I had previously attended her session on "Strengthening Public Education" at the National School Boards Association annual meeting in Chicago earlier this month.
  
After being a supporter of many so-called "reforms", Diane Ravitch now believes that many of the currently popular public education "reforms" will harm, not help public education.

Much of this is outlined in her current, best-seller book "The Death and Life of the Great American School System."

Zero Tolerance in Texas public schools

A symposium on Zero Tolerance, the first of two proposed information sessions, was convened this past Saturday, April 24 at the African American Museum in South Dallas.

Participants included representatives from the following groups:  ISD administrators, judges, state and local elected offices, law enforcement, civil rights, court systems, children and youth organizations, as well as state and local school board trustees.

This educational event is a product of one of the challenges given during a 2009 lecture by Dr. Juanita Simmons, former Lincoln High School educator/now university professor, who cited some harmful effects of zero tolerance.

A presentation on "Positive Pro-Active Discipline" by Leslie Smith, Student Advocate from Austin, TX, defined the topic and scope of this half-day community discussion.

Bob Ray Sanders, Ft. Worth Star Telegram vice president and columnist, moderated a panel and posed questions to several  responders who addressed the topic from their respective positions of authority and experience with zero tolerance and student discipline.

To learn more about zero tolerance, go to:   http://www.texaszerotolerance.com

Thanks to the symposium planning committee, chaired by community advocate Earnest McMillan, for this thought-provoking event.  Audience was informed that Symposium II on Zero Tolerance will follow.

Appreciation to Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr., President/CEO of the African American Museum, for hosting the event and to Dr. Roscoe G. Smith, symposium planning committee member, for presiding.

All were enlightened by what they heard and highly anticipate Symposium II.

The best is yet to come at Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy

Family, neighbors, long-time PTA members, elected officials, community organizers and retired educators were among those at  Nolan Estes Plaza for the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy Groundbreaking ceremony  on Friday, April 23.

It was a groundbreaking as well as a celebration of the longest serving Dallas ISD trustee in recent history - 23 years. 

Students set the tone for this spirited occasion, presenting music and choreography of  their version of "The Best Is Yet to Come."

Principal Gail Ferguson-Smith introduced Kathlyn Joy Gilliam and spoke of the meaningful relationship she is developing with the students.

We thank Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, Dr. Wright Lassiter - Chancellor, Dallas County Community College District,  Dr. Jennifer Wimbush - President of Cedar Valley College,  Arnold Viramontes - Chief of Staff, Alma Garcia - Early College School Initiative Program Officer, and all other participants who made the activity a very special occasion.

A highlight of the morning was hearing Mrs. Kathlyn Joy Gilliam speak with wit, wisdom and humor.

The new Collegiate Academy is scheduled to open in August 2011.

Thanks to central office, teachers,staff and students, Principal Gail Ferguson-Smith and everyone who contributed to the success of the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy Groundbreaking ceremony.

It brought us Joy.

Superintendent Hinojosa exceeds his authority

Superintendent Hinojosa has no authority to commit Dallas ISD to any initiative - public or private - without specific prior Board approval.  

We have seen this before.

On last night we discussed a contract that had been signed and commitments made without Board approval.

We saw this earlier with an item being slipped onto the agenda without knowledge or approval of the Board or the President.

There is a clear pattern ignoring and disregarding the proper oversight authority of the Board.

Only the Dallas ISD Board has the authority to determine appropriate policy changes or initiatives of the District.  The Superintendent's duty is to follow and uphold Board approved decisions.

The Superintendent does not decide when or if charter school partnerships will be expanded in Dallas ISD.  Only the Board can make that decision.

The Board has not approved any such initiative to partner with West Dallas charter schools as apparently announced by the Superintendent on Thursday morning.  Without such official Board approval of such partnerships the Superintendent is again violating the established policies and procedures of the district.

The Superintendent is to recommend - only the Board approves.

What will the Board do about this?

We need a special meeting of the Board to discuss this latest inappropriate action by the Superintendent and determine what action - if any - needs to be taken.

The Superintendent has again exceeded his authority.

Secretary Duncan - No Child Left Behind "far too punitive"

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan feels that the old standard, No Child Left Behind "was, frankly, broken." He explains, "it was far too punitive -- everybody was going to be labeled a failure, eventually."

"Growth and gain" is the standard by which schools will be measured going forward. For example, Duncan elaborates, "under No Child Left Behind, if you are a sixth grade teacher and I came to you three grade levels behind, if I left you a year behind, you'd be labeled a failure, and your school would be labeled a failure."

"That's not fair, says Duncan, because the teacher has actually made tremendous gains with the student. "Not only are you a good teacher, you're an amazing teacher... We need to be learning from that teacher... That teacher's an absolute hero." Duncan hopes the focus on the growth and gain achieved by schools, not absolute test scores, will level the playing field."

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