2009 June | League of Education Voters

TV Babysitters? The New Bright Idea from the House Republican Conference

Posted on 30. Jun, 2009 by Andrew.

The House Republican Conference response to the Early Support for Families Act isn’t what you might expect. The bill, which is meant to help prevent child abuse and create early learning opportunities in at-risk communities, was countered by the House Rs who proposed free DVDs. The DVDs they mentioned is Baby Einstein; a program that recent research warns against using because it harms child brain development (see Time article below). The way in which some members of the House Rs want to cut spending is by turning babies into couch potatoes instead of encouraging the physical interaction they need most.

Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) proposed legislation earlier this month to make home visitation available to high-needs communities. Drawing bipartisan support, H.R. 2667 (Early Support for Families Act) would help states finance Nurse-Family Partnerships programs (or NFP). These programs bring nurses to at-risk mothers before they give birth and regularly visit until the child becomes two. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association supports home visitation as a means to cut abuse and neglect by 50%. Similarly, children whose mothers received NPF coaching were 60% less likely to be arrested by age 15.

The proposed $2 billion over the next 5 years would also include funds for Title I Early Childhood Grants, Early Learning Challenge Fund, and Promise Neighborhoods, all of which help support children in poverty-stricken areas. While Title I Grants and Early Learning Funds are intended to raise the quality of early learning programs, Promise Neighborhoods are community organizations that develop and implement youth programs for children from birth through college. Congressman Platts (R-PA), a co-sponsor of H.R. 2667 commented on the bill, stating that home visitation coupled with early learning programs , commented on the bill, stating that home visitation and early learning help break the cycle of poverty and abuse.

For those readers who might be concerned with this price tag, studies have found that these types of programs actually end up saving taxpayer money. For instance, Steve Aos of the Washington State Institute for Public Policy found that similar programs ended up saving the community $3 for every $1 spent on NPF funding. Yet, the House Republican Conference has called the bill federal funding for babysitters. These members, instead, point to some cost-cutting methods that could also have a positive effect on America’s children. One measure, in particular, would substitute home visitation nurses with Baby Einsteins multi-pack DVD sets. Although this program would on paper save the government a billion dollars, these parents would not receive the training they need to properly care for their children, therefore doing nothing for neglect and abuse rates, as well as doing nothing to promote family values. There’s another BIG problem with this cheap fix. While scientists now know physical interactions between parents and nurses positively affect a child’s outcome, Baby Einsteins videos have a strong detrimental affect on brain development, particularly language acquisition.

All in all, members from a broad spectrum of the community agree that the provisions under the Early Support for Families Act will benefit children and parents in high-risk communities while actually easing the burden on the national deficit. Those that claim this legislation will lead the country on a path to becoming a “Nanny State” fail to see the benefits that will come to some of the poorest families. Congressman Davis (D-IL), another co-sponsor of the Early Support for Families Act, commented on the legislation, stating that promoting healthy families is a goal we can all embrace. I, too, think that this is a widely shared goal… as long as Mike Pence, Chairman of the RHC is the one who ends up watching Baby Einsteins. If their claims of the show’s benefits are true, one can only imagine the brilliant ideas from the House Republican Conference in the future.

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All – Time Magazine

Trillions in Spending, Billions for Babysitters- House Republican Conference

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Education News for June 30, 2009

Posted on 30. Jun, 2009 by Lindsey.

Third time is not a charm: High court won’t hear Kent schools Bible-club case

Public meetings need to remain open: Law should ensure openness

New leadership in North Thurston: First day of school– New job: Former Seattle superintendent takes over leadership of North Thurston

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School District Spotlight: Tahoma School District

Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by Molly Sumpter.

It seems that all too often we get bogged down in cynicism and disheartening news. It is very important to remember the things districts are doing to succeed and improve our schools. Although it is nice to read national rankings from Newsweek or other sources, sometimes these prove to be a bit skewed. Where it comes down to graduation rates, Advanced Placement (AP) classes offered, etc, there are definitely other factors that make a school district great. I will be highlighting these schools each week and talking about what truly defines them as a great district.

2007	WA	Tahoma
Reading	80.8%	90.7%
Math	50.4%	62.9%
Writing	83.9%	91.7%
Science	36.4%	55.5%

This week I will be looking at….Tahoma School District! Tahoma is home to 7,200 students in Maple Valley.. The high school was ranked among the top 5 percent of the nation’s public high schools this year in Newsweek Magazine. Newsweek compiles this list by taking the number of AP students divided by graduating seniors. Like I said before, yes, this gives a ranking of those schools that are highly successful with AP courses. Tahoma also consistently outperforms the rest of Washington in the 10^th grade WASL.So overall, it definitely looks like Tahoma is doing what they need to do to make Newsweek.

Even with these successes, Tahoma High School is one of 75 high schools in the nation participating in a five-year study aimed at identifying and testing more effective ways to provide education to students. The school district has been working on a program called Classroom 10, which prepares students with the necessary skills to enter the 21^st century through a much more innovative yet focused curriculum. Classroom 10 allows students to use a different approach to come to conclusions by thinking flexibly, striving for accuracy, applying past knowledge to new situations and taking responsible risks. This is something that cannot be ranked using an equation, but it is definitely something to be praised.

Keep up the good work, Tahoma!

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Education News for June 29

Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by Lindsey.

Kids struggle with more than just school: 1,670 local students in county are without homes

What stimulus money means for education: Does Stimulus Offer Local Schools a Boost, or Just a Band-Aid?

Innovative programs helps students graduate: First Graduates of Youth Academy Getting a Second Chance at Life

Remaining neutral: Kelso School Board struggles with vacancy decision

Programs shows time helps students stay on track: Program helping keep students on track

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News Tribune Op-Ed in Response to Dropout Rate

Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by Maggie.

Here’s a great op-ed piece from The News Tribune in response to high school dropout rates. Investing in early learning programs can ensure that our kids are ready for school and ready for success—throughout their lives!

http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/letters/story/792478.html

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Workshops for school board candidates

Posted on 26. Jun, 2009 by Mike.

For local school districts, 2009 is a big election year for school board races.

At least 200 people in many of Washington’s 295 school districts, have filed to run for the position of school director.

School directors are elected members from the community who work with school administrators to set the vision and direction for the school district. They help decide matters involving the school budget, levy and bond measures, and curriculum. They are also the “eyes and ears” of the community–listening to feedback they get from the public at school board meetings.

The Washington State School Directors’ Association, comprised of all 1,477 school board members from Washington state’s 295 public school districts., is holding a series of workshops for 2009 candidates for local school boards.

Below is the full schedule of workshops. All sessions take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tuesday, July 7 • Renton
Puget Sound Educational Service District - Nisqually Room
800 Oaksdale Avenue SW
Renton, WA 98057

Wednesday, July 8 • Vancouver
Clark College - Gaiser Building, Room 213
1933 Fort Vancouver Way
Vancouver, WA 98663

Thursday, July 9 • Olympia
John A. Cherberg Building - Hearing Room 3
304 Sid Snyder Ave SW
Olympia, WA 98501

Tuesday, July 21 • Wenatchee
North Central Educational Service District
430 Olds Station Road
Wenatchee, WA 98801

Wednesday, July 22 • Sunnyside
Sunnyside School District - Board Room
1110 South 6th
Sunnyside, WA 98944

Thursday, July 23 • Spokane
Spokane Public Schools - Board Room 101B
200 North Bernard
Spokane, WA 99201

Tuesday, July 28 • Mount Vernon
Skagit Valley College - Nelson Hall 123
2405 East College Way
Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Wednesday, July 29 • Port Angeles
North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center - Room 208
905 West 9th Street
Port Angeles, WA 98363

For more information, visit WSSDA’s website.

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Where are all the education advocates?

Posted on 26. Jun, 2009 by Kelly.

I’ve been concerned about education in my community and state for over 10 years. As a volunteer I’ve been recruiting people for years to speak up. And now at the League of Education Voters I spend most of my time recruiting people to speak up for education.

It is a long, slow process. I find a person here or there, a couple in this community or that. But I find people in ones or twos, not hundreds or thousands. This used to amaze me, now I’m resigned to the fact that fundamentally, we are happy with education. I’m not saying that education is great in Washington State; I’m saying that we, as a general public are happy with it. There are lots and lots of reasons for this.

Just to list a few reasons for our complacency:
Every school district in this state tells its community that it’s doing fine, that they have a great community that their kids are improving. School districts rely on levies for their basic expenses now. Typically about 20% of a school districts operating budget comes from a levy. The school district needs to tell the community that everything is ok, that they should invest in their “good” schools. Who wants to invest in lousy schools? Who wants to pay for schools that have problems? So, districts communicate only positive, “good feeling” messages, regardless of whether it’s true or not.

Parents grew up as a generation of Americans who were educated in one of the top educational systems in the world. As parents, we look at our schools and we see our children receiving basically the same education that we received, and our education was one of the best provided in the world. And, our children’s education is slightly better then what we received, so we fundamentally believe things are ok. What we don’t realize is that other nations looked at us, wanted to have the same opportunities as us and those countries invested in their education systems. We have not moved down the ranks in international test scores, we have stayed the same, it’s just that 20 plus other nations have moved up, surpassing us.

Washington State is very equitable in school funding, but very low in per pupil funding. As a state, we are very proud of how equitable our education funding is. There are pockets of inequity of course, but for the most part, the money is evenly distributed across the state. The trouble is the money is equally low across the state. We don’t know what things we “could” have because no district has them. Just one example, many states have a 7th period day in middle and high school. Our state typically has only a 6th period day. This means that our children in Washington State who are competing for seats in colleges are at a distinct disadvantage. If two students have the same GPA and the same SAT scores, but one had more Advanced Placement offerings because of the 7th period, the student with the most classes will get into the college. Since we don’t even know that it’s possible to have a 7th period, we aren’t unhappy about it.

We haven’t figured out what the new global economy means to us. India and China have billions of people, and even if they only truly educate the top 10% of their population, they are giving an outstanding education to a lot of people, enough people to overwhelm our country. And those billions are now competing with us for jobs. Microsoft says it hires less than 1% of its people from the State of Washington. They are hiring globally. All things being equal, there should be more Washingtonians, but there aren’t, because we don’t have the education to keep up. We are not producing the engineers and scientists that they need.

There are many other reasons why we have grown so complacent. But we need to stop. We are falling behind, test scores are important, and we are falling behind internationally, but what really matters is jobs. And we are importing people for our very best jobs. We need this to stop. The children of Washington deserve better.

Please contact me if you’d like to help speak up for education in the state of Washington Kelly@educationvoters.org