What Educators Want for Christmas (In no particular order)

1)   More contact time with students (less administrivia).

2)   Fewer intrusions form the federal and state governments.

3)   Adequate books and supplies for ALL students.

4)   More respect from parents and the community.

5)   Adequate building security and safety.

6)   A professional ‘s salary.

7)   Opportunities for field experiences for students

8)   Optimal class size (in some states it's negotiable- in others it is dictated by state constitution.)

9)   A realistic school district budget

10)  A truly “education US President” in 2016

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

C.2015 J. Margolis

Are Charter Schools Worth the Cost?

 A recent analysis completed in the state of Florida indicated that charter schools in the state had received over $760 million in the last 15 years. These funds came from the taxpayers. The report went to review the number of charter schools that had closed during that time period and the limited results  the state had in trying to retrieve any of the funds from defunct schools. These are funds that had been diverted from the regular public schools in the state to help prop up schools founded by parent groups that were hoping to establish schools that were a better fit for their children than traditional public schools.

In Florida there is a state- established formula to determine how much a charter charter school received in funding. This money can be used for capital purchases like portable classrooms and computer equipment. The litmus test, of course, is how do these students perform in state mandated assessments and how prepared they are for careers/ higher education programs.

Cities like Philadelphia and New York had magnet schools decades ago. These were public schools open to any student who applied and met the admissions criteria. There is no doubting that Bronx High School of Science and Philadelphia’s Central High School and Philadelphia High School for Girls were successful in their goals and achievements. It might be time to revisit this model as a viable alternative to charter schools.

C.2015 J. Margolis

Here Comes “ Every Student Suceeds!"

We have been through “ No Child Left Behind, “ and “ Race to the Top.” Now it is time for something new?- Every Student Succeeds. If enacted by Congress and signed by President Obama, the new legislation would enable local school districts to have more control over the use of standardized testing to monitor students’ performance. Nationwide, students would s till be tested in grades three through eight and one additional time in high school. The new law would enable the individual states to craft policies on how to hold school districts accountable for low-performing schools. States would able be given the opportunity to unlink teacher evaluations to test performances of their students.

This is both good and bad news. The good news is the states will have more flexibility and decision making authority. The bad news is that the federal government is still involved in public education- something that it was not granted the right to do under the US Constitution. Even though “ Every Student Succeeds” is a bipartisan effort, there still is no clear path to advance progress in American Public education.

C.2015 J. Margolis