Education Summit to Focus on School Discipline and the Pipeline to College Readiness

Concerned Black Parents and the Zion Youth Advisory Council are hosting the fourth and final Education Summit: The Village Takes Responsibility Part IV Explore the Impact of School Discipline on Academic Achievement and Success--What YOU should know & think about on Saturday, May 8, 2010. Feature presentations begin at 10:00 am with Umar Abdallah-Johnson, school psychologist; Sonja Kerr, civil rights attorney with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia; Dr Wagner Marseille and Doug Arnold, vice principals at Lower Merion High School; Giovanni Campbell, defense attorney; and Detective Henry of the Lower Merion Police Department. The summit opens at 9:15 with a lite breakfast and is open and free to all who venture out to 92 Greenfield Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003.

A trip to the office for disciplinary purposes is a step out of the classroom and away from direct instruction, the impact of in- and out-of-school suspensions on academic achievement is great. With that said, imagine the impact on a student who is completely removed from his/her home school and remanded to an alternative school? Worse yet, what does academic achievement look like for a child whose school discipline involves the police and the juvenile justice system?

In an effort to ensure that more African American students are college and career ready rather than tracked off into the pipeline to prison, Concerned Black Parents and the Zion Youth Advisory Council would be remiss to end the 2009-10 school year without tackling this subject as a final summit matter. In fact, even in the wealthy Philadelphia suburban Lower Merion School District at the center of this discussion has a disproportionate number of black and Latino students receiving more stringent discipline than their non-minority peers.

Developing a community "village" centered approach to school disciplinary action and outcomes, supporting youth and schools, and eliminating the tolls of black students thrust into the "juvie" system from school are a few of the areas to be discussed at the summit. The primary focus is on disciplinary action prevention, intervention, and keeping students on a track to academic success and achievement.

Everyone is welcome!

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Proposes Increase in Title I Funding for Family Engagement

On May 5, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the Education Department's proposal to increase Title I funding targeted toward enhancing family engagement in public schools. Schools receiving Title I federal funds are required to designate 1 percent of that amount toward parents and family communication, collaboration, relations, and engagement. That 1 percent funding level would increase to 2 percent: that is, 270 million nationally available to school districts across the nation to draw families into their child's' learning experiences and school. Another 145 million would be made available on a competitive basis for states to identify the best practices for family engagement.

2010 Conference on the State of Education in Pennsylvania

Register now to attend the 2010 Conference on the State of Education in Pennsylvania on Saturday, May 1, 2010. The conference features several outstanding experts speaking to topics ranging from the high stakes tests to the Education Empowerment Act to National Core Standards and the Keystone Exams. The Youth Strand presentations will empower youth to move forward with a purpose and plan and to better understand wealth and financial development. The event takes place at Cheney University from 8:30am--3:00pm. Register online and get more details at www.naacpmediabranch.org.

Federal Government to Invest in Students, Ousts Banks as Middle Man

The federal government has guaranteed payment of student loans to banks for many years, but that has changed with the stroke of the presidential pen. With this change to the loan system, the federal government will no longer subsidize banks. Rather students will now go directly to the federal government to obtain loans to attend college. President Barack Obama eliminated banks as the middleman, in part, because of the $68 billion savings to American taxpayers. That money will be invested in higher education. However banks are not eliminated completely from the student loan process, they will have an opportunity to grow as a business by servicing the loans.

Obama to Overhaul Education Law & Shake Up No Child Left Behind

In his March 13th weekly address, President Barack Obama announced his plan to overhaul the nation's education law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that's well recognized as the No Child Left Behind law of 2002. The shift is away from student profiency by 2014 to holding teachers, principals, schools and states accountable to prepare students to be college and career ready and prepared to fulfill their dreams by 2020. The federal government plans to make an unprecedented investment of billions of dollars toward the success of this education blueprint to make sure students have access to a well rounded education.

USA to Become First in World in College Completion by 2020

Building Blocks to 2020 is one of President Obama's many initiatives to reform public education in the United States. The goal is to make the USA first in the world in college completion. No more college dropouts. Well, sounds a bit ambitious. What will it take to transform a child in 2010 into a college graduate and working adult by 2020? At least, independent colleges are willing to work with the Obama administration to make this initiative a reality and success. Does this translate into increased supports for students, particularly those at risk of dropping out of college due to academic failure, financial need, or lack of support.

Another education challenge facing the Obama administration is the K-12 academic success movement; No Child Left Behind is still leaving millions of students behind. Let's see if the re-authorization of this law becomes a slam"Duncan" success.

Good news is way over due!

House to Start Hearings on Reauthorization of NCLB

On Thursday, February 18, 2010 in Washington, D.C., Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Education and Labor Committee announced plans for "a bipartisan, open and transparent effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind" federal education law, the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

The House wants to hear your thoughts and recommendations. They will start holding hearings on Wednesday, February 24 at 10am. The first hearing subject is Charter Schools. Can't make the hearing, email comments to eseacomments@mail.house.gov. The House members desire to build a world-class education system in America. The deadline for comments is March 26, 2010.

High School Competency Graduation Exit Exams Become PA State Law

As of the January 9, 2010 issue of The Pennsylvania Bulletin, the Keystone Exams are officially and finally approved as high school competency graduation exit exams. Pennsylvania's public school students and school staff will join those from 28 states who are required or are in the process of implementing state-prescribed high school comprehensive exams as high school graduation requirements. Unlike some all-or-none tests, the Keystone Exams will be administered as end-of-course tests as student complete courses, and they may count for one-third of the course grade. Publication of the Keystone Exams as a new rule and regulation in the The Pennsylvania Bulletin was the final "legal" step in making these exams state law.

Exams will be phased in over time, beginning in the 2010-2011 school year. The class of 2014-2015 must demonstrate proficiency in English Composition, Literature, Algebra I and Biology. Beginning with the class of 2016-2017 students must demonstrate proficiency in English composition and literature, two of the following; Algebra I, Algebra II or Geometry; Biology or Chemistry, and one of the following: American History, World History, or Civics and Government. If there is a delay in implementing these exams, a "grandfather" clause has been written into the new law to avoid penalizing students unable to follow the regulations as currently provisioned.

You can read The Pennsylvania Bulletin online at www.pabulletin.com.

CBP & Zion Baptist Youth Council to Host Education Summit: The Village Takes Responsibility Part II

Plan to attend and share the word...

The Lower Merion School District administrators will be featured presenters at the Education Summit--The Village Takes Responsibility Part II on Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 9:15am-3pm at 92 Greenfield Avenue in Ardmore, PA 19010. Concerned Black Parents and the Zion Baptist Youth Advisory Council are co-hosting the summit on behalf of all concerned residents. The event is free and open to all, a continental breakfast and lunch will be available. Details follow.

The Morning Session starts at 10:00 am with presentations as follows:

Academic Achievement & the Keystone Exams
Dr. Christopher McGinley, Superintendent
Mr. Steve Barbato, Director of Curriculum

Special Education
Dr. Bobbi Shapiro, Director of Students Services

Cultural Proficiency
Dr. Barbara Moore-Williams, School District Consultant on Cultural Proficiency

After a brief lunch, the Afternoon Session at 12:45pm will hold Community Discussions on…

• What’s our community to do to raise achievement for African Americans from the outside in and inside schools out?
• How do we give more kids an identity as “intellectual” achievers?
• Who’s willing to do what?
  

We look forward to seeing you there! Contact us for more details, concernedblackparents@gmail.com

As Predicted--PA Regulators Approve High School Graduation Competency "Keystone" Exams

In 2005, Governor Rendell established the Commission on College and Career Success (CCCS report) and gave them the responsibility to study and produce recommendations to increase the numbers of Pennsylvanians who earn a diploma indicative of a world-class student ready to graduate from high school and enter the new global economy or prepared to succeed in college. Their primary recommendation was to initiate graduation competency exams throughout the state. In the face of tremendous state-wide opposition, the State Board of Education and Governor's office steadily ran with the idea until it became a sealed deal.

Long story short, when nearly $176 million dollars was contracted to Data Recognition Corporation (not a PA corporation) during a moratorium on the high school exit exams push, it was evident that all votes en route to creating a new state law requiring students to pass graduation competency tests was a done deal long before the state "Independent" Regulatory Review Commission voted 4-1 on October 22, 2009 to approve the Keystone Exams proposal that the State Board of Education has pushed over the past four years. The final leg of this new law includes a review by the attorney general before being published in the Pennslvania Bulletin. Voila. The class of 2015 will be the first to endure the consequences of graduate competency exams.

The CCCS report states that students must move beyond the Information Age and into the Conceptual Age. After all, the The State Department of Education and Governor Rendell, at least via the CCCS's report, do know that Pennsylvania still faces a gaping achievement gap that is no where near being eradicated by 2014, which is the intention of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002.

The CCCS reports that "persistent (achievement) gaps are ensured by inequity of funding and resources which results in less credentialed teachers in front of our poorest children, larger class sizes and less college counseling for our children of color and less access to higher education for our rural students." What's the plan to eradicate these foundational problems, if, indeed, these are the root causes of the achievement gap? By other indicators, the CCCS's report is rather simplistic in determining the root causes of the achievement gap. For argument sake, take a look at the high achieving, very wealthy Lower Merion School District; its achievement gap is deep and wide even while it doesn't suffer from any of the symptoms CCCS indicates are at the root of the problem.

Perhaps the achievement gap experienced in one of Pennsylvania's highest academic achieving school districts, the Lower Merion School District (LMSD), points to the shallow analysis of the CCCS report when it explains cause of the gap. Nearly 100 percent of Lower Merion's teachers are credentialed, there's a moderate to low student to teacher ratio, it does not subscribe to the Project 720, and the district is one of the wealthiest in the state (2010 budget of nearly $200 million for 6,800 students).

The LMSD achievement gap between PSSA Black and White 11th grade peer test takers during the spring of 2009 is as follows: 54 points in math, 32 points in reading, 56 points in science and 16 points in writing; that number is greater when the comparison is between Black students and 100% proficiency. Money isn't an issue, qualified teachers and class size aren't the problem--WHAT POINT IS THE STATE MISSING! If you're thinking the students are the problem, think again. Schools across the nation are not just closing the gap, they're eliminating them all together.

Bottom line...Priorities are out of order when fixing the roof is more important than solidifying the crumbling foundation upon which it sits.

Keystone Exams---will be written about for years to come because you cannot ensure by them that high school students are prepared to be citizens and workers that the Pennsylvania, national and international economy demands without greater regard and analysis of the varied levels of education (top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top) needed to prepare students to succeed.