Vol. 11, No. 7
POLITICS
JOBS vs EDUCATION. The economic stimulus has sparked serious discussion in newsrooms and at policy think tanks everywhere about whether the new federal spending bill is likely to have any impact on making schools work. Nicholas Kristof's weekend New York Times article praises the spending, but reminds us that "The implication is that throwing money at a broken system won't fix it, but that resources are necessary as part of a package that involves scrapping certification, measuring better through testing which teachers are effective, and then paying them significantly more - with special bonuses to those who teach in 'bad' schools."
Others remind us of the bureaucratic paths that all money takes before actually (ever?) having an impact. Checker Finn and Mike Petrilli call attention to this, saying "Especially challenging will be your innovation fund. Details are sketchy.... Doing this quickly - and without the appearance of cronyism - will be a whopping challenge. The rest of the education stimulus package will be tricky, too. If the short-run economic goal is to save 600,000 teacher jobs, as you have stated, then districts need to be able to use this flood of federal funds to 'supplant' state and local dollars that are otherwise on the chopping block. At minimum, that's going to take much written guidance to the field, for it overturns decades of ESEA practice. It might take new regulations, too. And how can you make sure that, in the rush to get money to communities to save jobs, some of that money doesn't get skimmed off or used inappropriately? (Someone will inevitably try to use the funds to buy football uniforms; what are you going to do about it? If you don't do anything, what will the GAO and Inspector General say later?)"
But what is the point unless the money stimulates reform at the same time it stimulates jobs? After all, even Arne Duncan admits that bad schools make him sick:
"Without getting into too many details, I am extraordinarily concerned about the poor quality of education, quite frankly, the children of Detroit are receiving. I lose sleep over that one. And I think the dropout rate there is devastating."
ARTIFICIAL DISTINCTIONS. Though private school students will continue to be eligible for non-secular, publicly supported programs for disadvantaged students, they lose out on any school facilities funds. Likewise, charter schools - though much anticipating precious "innovation" funds from the new Secretary's new $5 billion play fund - do not quality for any construction funds. If jobs and education are the point of the stimulus, why distinguish by school type? If the federal government can make an unprecedented expansion in federal support for schools, where is the rationale behind limiting it to just traditional district-based education?
ANSWERS. The answers to how best to spend funds are apparent. Award-winning veteran journalist Jay Mathews offers 7 cheap-as-free suggestions on how best to improve the nation's schools. Number 2? Unleash charter schools. Jay argues that "...they often attract creative principals and teachers who do more with less. School finance experts don't all agree, but I am convinced that charters are a bargain. So let's have more." Great minds think alike. Check out Mandate for Change for more along these lines.
TEACHING
BIG STUFF. Mathews is also the author of Work Hard, Be Nice, a book that explores the rise of KIPP, from the early TFA days of founders Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin to its breakthrough methodology of reaching and educating children in some of the most difficult environments around the country.
SMALL STUFF. Another book that should be must-reading is Sweating the Small Stuff: Inner-City Schools and the New Paternalism by David Whitman, a former writer at U.S. News & World Report, who tells us that paternalistic schools "...teach teens how to act according to traditional, middle-class values, set and enforce exacting academic standards, and closely supervise student behavior. But unlike paternalistic institutions of the past, these schools are warm, caring places, where teachers and principals form paternal-like bonds with students. Though little explored to date, the new paternalistic schools are the most promising means yet for closing the nation's costly and shameful achievement gap." U.S. News columnist Mike Barone says "David's meticulous reporting and absorbing narratives tell us what can work."
(A few spots remain at an intimate book signing for David Whitman this Thursday evening, hosted by CER president Jeanne Allen. To inquire, call (301) 986-8088.)
FROM THE STATES...
OHIO. Charters are on the chopping block - again - in the Governor's budget, despite protestations earlier this year that he really does support them. Strickland has proposed to fund charters almost $120 million less next year than this year, and more than $80 million less in 2010. This decrease would occur over the same period of time that the general education budget would increase by $925 million. Charters already operate with 30 percent less taxpayer money and this new proposal will widen that funding gap even further.
INDIANA. A pattern is emerging in the Midwest. Legislators in The Hoosier State are proposing a two-year moratorium on charter schools, as well as capping funding for charters even as their enrollment grows. Increasingly, status quo legislators ("lap dogs of the teachers union") continue to ignore the success of charters in their own backyard. Maybe Secretary Duncan can use some of his innovation funds to pay for a visit to tell these and other state lawmakers to lay off if they want to benefit from any stimulus funds. Well, we can dream, can't we?
NEW YORK. KIPP let the deadline for responding to the union takeover of a Brooklyn school, KIPP AMP, pass without a word, meaning they are headed for arbitration. Co-founder David Levin said in an interview, "For the past 15 years, it has been the ability of everyone to work together, and to do that with flexibility has been the key to our success. We were created as an alternative to the public schools, and we need to be committed to and maintain our work and focus on results." The UFT has filed a complaint against KIPP, claiming they have attempted to intimidate teachers against forming a union in the school. Meanwhile these and the other 100 plus charters in the state remain beacons of hope for children - who would otherwise be ill-served in conventional schools - because they lack burdensome contracts getting in the way of learning.
IDAHO. Charters steal from public schools, according to a less-than enlightened legislator, Sen. Dick Sagness, who has proposed a three-year moratorium on charters. Sagness (a non-elected fill-in this session) says that charters pull funding away from other schools as they attract students, saying "That's a chunk of change. My contention is that the traditional districts need that money at this time." State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, a staunch charter school supporter, has spoken out against the proposed legislation "because it would narrow choices for parents who want an alternative to the traditional public school system."
