A Tale of Two Schools

New Jersey had long been considered the state with one of the top 5 public school systems  in the United States. In the over 600 independent school districts, the successes of schools like those in Princeton or Rumson-Fairhaven, tend to overshadow the urban districts like Trenton or Camden.

Recently, David Kirp, a professor of public policy at University of California at Berkeley published a book, Improbable Scholars, that focuses on one of New Jersey’s school districts- Union City. Kirp compares the successes in Union City with the progress made in the Newark Public school system, which has been the beneficiary of a $100 million gift from Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook.

Professor Kirp goes on to point out that the high school graduation rate in Union City was 81% in 2014 compared to 69% in Newark. What accounts for the difference?

Faced with a possible state takeover due to poor performance, district administrators teamed up with teachers, and yes, parents to develop a program that has led to success. They tried to focus on how their students learned the best, on what the most effective teaching methods were, but more importantly, how to get the parents engaged. They accomplished this by gradually easing the students into English by teaching them initially in Spanish. The district went on to hire more ESL teachers. Parent meetings were also held in Spanish initially to help make the parents feel welcome in the school rather than intimidated. Knowing the importance of an early start to education, the school took advantage of state grants and initiated a pre-school program for all 3 and 4 year olds. Stable leadership at the helm of the district also helped to maintain stability whereas in other districts, most administrators stayed for about three years.

The takeaway from this comparison is that throwing huge sums of money at urban education’s problems does not always solve them. Money going directly to benefit students rather than to consultants or charter school fees are more wisely spent.

Educators throughout the country need to take a long look as to what can be done to save traditional public schools. The time for that is now.

c.2016 J. Margolis

Remembering Space Shuttle Challenger

On January 28,1986 the unthinkable happened. The Space Shuttle Challenger with America’s first Teacher in Space aboard exploded 73 seconds after takeoff.  Millions  of school children across the country were watching the event on TV in their classrooms when the tragedy occurred. Teachers and administrators were speechless and an entire nation horrified. How do you explain that space explorers are pioneers and subject to this high risks of space exploration? How do you  encourage would-be future astronauts to not give up their dream?

Now, thirty years later, the US space program is practically non-existent but we should not hesitate to use this teachable moment to talk about the importance of space travel, the dangers of being a pioneer and the adventurous spirit that has made America into a great nation.

For those of you in the Central Florida area, I highly encourage you and your students to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Cocoa Beach. This museum boasts fabulous hands on programs for school students, unbelievable I-Max and three-D films and sometimes the opportunity to have lunch with an astronaut. This interactive museum traces the history of America’s space program and pays fitting tribute to the victims of the Challenger disaster. Be sure to also visit the Astronaut Hall of Fame while you are there. (https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com)

c.2016  J. Margolis

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