California's Children

58% of 3-5s now attend full-day early ed programs; dropout rates fall

May 25, 2012: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released its annual statistical snapshot of education, The Condition of Education 2012. The data shows an enrollment increase in college-prep science, math and technology courses, and a drop in high-school employment rates, reports Sarah Sparks for Edweek. 

The NCES, led by Commissioner Jack Buckley, at left, is mandated by Congress to produce the annual report, so that policymakers and the public can monitor the progress of education. This year’s report presents "49 indicators of important developments and trends in U.S. education."

From Edweek:

The NCES statistics show that 49.5 million students attend public P-12 schools; NCES analysts project enrollment will rise by 7% to 53.1 million, by the 2021-22 school year.

The percentage of 3- to 5-year-olds enrolled in full-day preprimary programs increased from 32% in 1980 to 58% in 2010.

In 2010, 14.9 million students were enrolled in grades 9-12...and high school enrollment is expected is to increase 4% in the next decade. 

NCES statistics show a generation [of high school students] more committed to academics:

Fewer high school seniors in 2009 than in 1992 reported missing 3 or more days of school in the past month, and the percentage of 12th graders reporting perfect attendance in the month rose from 35% in 1992 to 38% in 2009.

During the same time period, however, high school students have become half as likely to work while in school. From 1990 to 2010, the percentage of students ages 16 and older who were employed while enrolled in school dropped from 32% to 16%.

The NCES found that from 1990 to 2010, the percentage of students considered dropouts declined from 12% to 7%. 

More high school graduates in 2009 had completed rigorous high school classes...all the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and math—listed saw a significant increase in students from 1990 to 2009, including 24% more students completing geometry and at least 20% more completing Algebra 2, precalculus, biology, and chemistry.

Distance-learning enrollment has skyrocketed, from 222,000 students in 2002-03 to more than 1.3 million in 2009-10.

The NCES, a branch of the US Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, is responsible for collecting and analyzing national education data. 

Written for California's Children by Elizabeth J Carlyle.

CA School Bds Ass'n endorse *both* tax initiatives for school $$

UPDATE, May, 2012: In an "unprecedented move," the California School Boards Association (CSBA) has voted to endorse both tax initiatives that would raise revenue for K-12 schools on the November ballot, reports Kevin Yamamura for the Sacramento Bee.

The two initiatives on the ballot are Governor Brown's compromise tax proposal with the California Federation of Teachers that temporarily raises sales tax and income tax on the wealthiest earners, and Molly Munger's  "Our Children, Our Future, 2012," an across-the-board tax hike sponsored by the state PTA. Read below for previously reported details.

188 CA school districts (2.6M students) are broke

UPDATE, May 23, 2012: The list of school districts unable to meet its financial obligations has grown to 188, up from 127 since February, breaking the records for the number of children -- 2.6 million (41% of CA students) --  attending schools with insecure financial futures. These districts include the state's two largest:  Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified.

"This is the kind of record no one wants to set. Across California, parents, teachers, and administrators are increasingly wondering how to keep their schools' lights on, their bills paid, and their doors open," [CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom] Torlakson said. 

The California Department of Education released the numbers Monday in its Second Interim Status Report: 12 school districts were assigned a "negative certification," meaning they are unable to meet financial obligations for this school year; 176 school districts were given " qualified certification," indicating there are serious concerns about this year and the following two fiscal years ('12-'13 and '13-'14).

Districts with negative certifications:

1	Los Angeles	Inglewood Unified	124.9
2	Monterey	South Monterey County Joint Union High	18.8
3	Nevada	Nevada City Elementary	8.2
4	San Luis Obispo	Paso Robles Joint Unified	56.2
5	San Mateo	Portola Valley Elementary	11.4
6	Shasta	Cottonwood Union Elementary	7.7
7	Shasta	Pacheco Union Elementary	4.7
8	Solano	Travis Unified	41.4
9	Solano	Vallejo City Unified	139.6
10	Sonoma	Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified	46.4
11	Stanislaus	La Grange Elementary	0.3
12	Tulare	Hot Springs Elementary	0.5

 The record-setting trend may continue, writes Kathryn Baron for Thoughts on Public Education (TOPed): 

The list of districts on the negative and qualified lists may continue to set somber new records depending on what happens in November.  "Second interim certifications are assuming a better budget environment than realistically may be there after November,” Joel Montero, CEO of the state’s fiscal crisis management and assistance team (FCMAT), at left, told TOPed.  ”Without that assumption, it is likely the numbers of qualified and negative districts would have been higher.”

Montero told a state Assembly committee two weeks ago that small and rural districts face the largest impact from another round of midyear cuts. “Small and tiny rural districts don’t really have an economy of scale,” said Montero. They don’t have enough money or students to absorb any additional losses, particularly when those losses come in the form of deferrals, the $9 billion-plus that the state owes to school districts.

...Two of the districts, Vallejo City Unified and South Monterey Joint Union High School, have already been bailed out by the state and are under a state-appointed administrator. 

 The district is seeking to lower the interest rate on its state loan from 5.44% to 1% through legislation, but so far Senate bill 1240 and Assembly bill 1858 are on the suspense files in the appropriations committees of their respective houses.

Previously reported on the First Interim Status Report:

New Race/Top $ for 40% low-$ enrollments: Duncan

May 23, 2012: School districts with over 40% of their [at least 2,500] students classified as low-income are now eligible for another round of competitive Race to the Top federal grants, according to an announcement made yesterday by US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, at left.

 The proposal, the RTTT-D program, was covered by Richard Perez-Pena in the New York Times. ( RTTT-D is accepting comments until June 8, 2012; the DOE hopes to "waive the rulemaking" and publish the final rules in July. Applications will accepted in October and grants awarded by December 31, 2012.)  

From the DOE: Awards will range from $15 million to $25 million (totalling $400 million), depending on the population of students served through the plan.

Districts must effectively engage and collaborate with teachers, parents and outside organizations to create their plan and provide assistance to ensure a successful transition to proposed reforms.  Teachers will track and receive real-time data and information that helps them adapt their lessons and individualize instruction to accommodate the differences among their students.

As explained by the NY Times: 

Like the department’s state-level competition for federal grants that preceded it, the program will require systems for measuring student progress and assessing teachers and administrators. A spokesman for the department said it would look for programs that provide ways to tailor instruction to individual students. The rules require districts to show how they will focus resources on “students facing significant challenges, such as students with disabilities, English learners and students affected by impacts of poverty or family instability.”

School districts can apply on their own or in a consortium with neighboring districts and propose programs that encompass all students or just a subset, making it easier to achieve the low-income population target. A district can specify schools, grade levels and even academic subjects in its application.

Written for California's Children by Elizabeth J Carlyle.

Chronic absenteeism: 7M+ poor school kids don't show up

May 23, 2012:  As many as 15% of K-12 students are chronically absent each year, estimate researchers at John Hopkins University (JHU) for a study commissioned by the Get Schooled Foundation, a non-profit that promotes initiatives to get youth more involved in their education.  

Chronic absenteeism is missing 10% or one month of the school year. (Standard is up to 5 absences.) Authors of the study, Robert Balfanz, at left, research scientist, and Vaughan Byrnes, from JHU's Center for Organization of Schools, put forth the argument that because data collection on chronic absentism is mandated by only a few states, the problem is not addressed -- an omission that undermines any reform efforts in public education. 

Richard Perez-Pena, reporting for the New York Times:

“There are so many efforts at school reform, but what people overlook is that none of them work if the kids don’t show up,” said Marie Groark, executive director of Get Schooled. Balfanz and Byrnes found that only six states — Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon and Rhode Island — measure chronic absenteeism, as do some local systems, including New York City and Oakland, Calif. Based on data from those states, they estimated that in a given school year, nationwide, more than 10% percent and possibly as many as 15% of students miss at least one day in 10.

From the study [emphases ours]:

 If we apply these metrics to the roughly 50 million of enrolled grade school students, we estimate that 5-7.5 million students are not attending school on a regular basis. Half of these students are chronically absent in multiple years. The available evidence also tells that 25% of chronically absent students are severely chronically absent, which means missing more than 2 months of school each year.

Chronic absenteeism is most prevalent in low-income students. The youngest and oldest tend to have the highest rates...with students attending most regularly 3rd through 5th grade... it begins to rise in middle school and continues climbing through 12th grade, with seniors often having the highest rates of all. The data also suggests that it is concentrated in relatively few schools... with 15% of schools in Florida, for example, accounting for at least half of all chronically absent students. 

Written for California's Children by Elizabeth J Carlyle.