Young Turks: Rewriting the textbooks

Behind the numbers

Don Wheeler

As I pored over the 2008-2009 Annual School Performance Report recently published by the South Bend Tribune I found a lot to think about.  We recently learned that the South Bend Community School Corporation realized a ten percent improvement in High School graduation in one year, which is great cause for celebration.  That sort of thing can’t happen solely because of what happens in the High Schools – it must start earlier.  The achievement would seem to indicate the whole SBCSC has made strides that really matter.

But when one throws in the No Child Left Behind program and the test scores which have been elevated to an almost dictatorial status, suddenly the waters muddy.  Suddenly it looks as though we’re actually doing worse.

I’m going to use examples of two particular schools – not because I think they are necessarily the best; rather, just that I know a bit more about them. 

Warren Primary Center on the west side and Hay Primary Center to the south are clearly two of the top non-magnet programs in the SBCSC.  Their test scores have historically topped state averages – but not in the most recent report.  Suddenly by this measure they have become inferior to mediocrity.

I know less about Warren than Hay, but here’s what I do know.   Someone I work with voiced great frustration last year because his son who attended Wilson Primary Center seemed to be doing fine but was told just ahead of summer break that he must attend summer school – or be held back.   Since Wilson is on probation, I suggested he look into other options for his son.  His son now attends Warren and by his father’s reports is doing fabulously well.  Other Warren parents seem happy too and last year’s Indiana Teacher Of  The Year, Tania Harman just happens to work there.

Our daughter is a First Grader at Hay.  My wife is Co-President of the PTO there.  We chose this school over all the magnet  programs and we’ve not been disappointed.  Principal Craig Haenes is not just an inspired administrator and team leader – he is the reason the Wilson LiPS reading program exists in the SBCSC.  Sarah’s teachers Debbie Fraser (this year) and Dixie Eichorst (last year) are dedicated, caring professionals.  The school flat feels good when you walk in the door.

But the test scores are down in both these schools – fairly dramatically over the prior year.  By this measure they would seem to be in crisis.  I don’t think they are.

I think that these schools are victims of their success – by test score standards.  Warren and Hay were designed to educate neighborhood kids and have done so with aplomb.  As nearby schools were designated as being in probationary status, both became destinations for students whose parents were looking for a better option.  Some of these students naturally had some learning deficits, so their test results would drag down the average numbers.

I sense this turn of events is a bit discouraging for educators at Warren and Hay.  But I hope they can hang with this and ride out an ill-conceived program to its death.   Getting kids a better opportunity for success at the cost of a lowered institutional test average seems like a fabulous trade-off to me.  Just as long as these folks doing what we absolutely need them to do aren’t penalized.

NIEER Feb. Hot Topics

Teach the Scientific Method in Pre-K? Here's How …
Two Rutgers University professors affiliated with NIEER have co-authored Preschool Pathways to Science, a new book that serves as a guide for implementing science in preschool classrooms. In addition to writing the book, Rochel Gelman, a NIEER scientific advisory board member known for her research on children's causal and quantitative reasoning, and Kim Brenneman, NIEER assistant research professor and lead author of the policy brief Math and Science in Preschool: Policies and Practice, are content advisers to the popular PBS show Sid the Science Kid. They explain in the video in this week's post on Preschool Matters … Today!

Mothers Influence How Children Develop Executive Functioning
A new longitudinal study finds that the way mothers act when they are playing and solving puzzles with their babies can explain some of the differences in how their children develop executive functions such as controlling impulses and showing mental flexibility. Children of moms who answered their children's requests for help quickly and accurately and talked to the kids about their thoughts and memories during play performed better on tasks requiring executive function.

Pew Center Report: How the Recession Might Change States
The states are running out of short-term fixes for the deficits plaguing most of them, forcing them to consider downsizing government and re-examining delivery of services and outdated tax policies, says the State of the States 2010 report just out from The Pew Center on the States. It takes a clear-eyed look at the economic drama unfolding in many states and predicts it will take years for states to return to normal in part because the recession reduced the base for future revenue for many states.

Art Rolnick to Retire from Minneapolis Fed This Summer
The Star Tribune reports that Art Rolnick, senior VP and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, is retiring from the bank in July after 40 years of service. Rolnick, who has focused attention on cost-benefit analysis of early childhood education, will become co-director of the Human Capital Resource Collaborative at the Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota. He said he hopes to raise funds and develop pilot early education programs in Minneapolis, his home town of Detroit, and perhaps other cities.

Online Early Ed Degrees Seventh Most Sought After
The distance education web portal eLearners.com says that online degree programs for early childhood education rank seventh on its list of top 10 online degree searches. The company says it has seen an increase in searches for the "helping professions" since the downturn in the economy began.

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New on nieer.org

State Pre-K: Will Tight Budgets Threaten Progress?
In the latest issue of Preschool Matters, NIEER looks at state budgets and preschool education, one of many areas where the funding progress seen in recent years has taken a considerable blow. Other articles in the new issue include:
• Yet More Evidence: Time to Beef Up Math and Science in Pre-K
• Long-Term Studies Show Lasting Gains from Pre-K
• The Benefits of Investments in Early Development Around the Globe
• Preschool's Role in Fighting Childhood Obesity

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