Entries for November 2008

If you're a student who is struggling in algebra class, it's possible that your teacher might be what's holding you back. A new study reveals that far too many math teachers don't know their subject, and, in some instances, might be only a chapter ahead of their students. The study by the Education Trust, a children's advocacy group in Washington, finds that 22 percent of all math classes in secondary schools are taught by teachers who lack adequate credentials, meaning they don't have a degree in math or a math teaching certificate. The problem is worse at middle schools and high schools that serve mostly low-income and minority children. Those students are about twice as likely to have math teachers who don't thoroughly know their subject, according to Richard Ingersoll, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who conducted the study.

Having a well-prepared math teacher, especially in high school, is a strong predictor of student success. Studies show that students who do well in Algebra II, for example, are five times more likely to earn a bachelor's degree. Ingersoll's study doesn't consider student achievement in states or school districts that have greater numbers of unqualified math teachers. But it suggests those students are at risk. After comparing data reported by state officials against data from a federal teacher survey, he found that 4 in 10 math classes in high-poverty schools have teachers without math credentials. He found similar results in schools with many black and Latino students. Three in 10 math classes in those schools have math teachers who hold no particular qualifications in the subject.

The announcement that President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, are sending their daughters to Sidwell Friends School, an expensive and academically demanding private school, has ended a speculation game that consumed many in Washington since the election. Would the Obamas send their daughters to public school? Or would they pick a top private school and, if so, which one? In the end, the Obamas' decision didn't take many by surprise. A spokeswoman for Michelle Obama said the family considered "a number of great schools"—apparently, public schools were never an option—but that, in the end, Sidwell was "the best fit for what their daughters need right now."

Naturally, the Obamas' choice has raised curiosity about the school and the type of education that Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, are likely to receive there. Sidwell, which was founded in 1883 by Quakers, has educated many generations of the city's elite. The children of at least three former presidents are graduates of the school; the most recent is Chelsea Clinton. Vice President-elect Joe Biden's grandchildren attend Sidwell and are said to be good friends with the Obama girls. In many ways, Sidwell is similar to the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools that the Obama girls currently attend. According to its website, Sidwell doesn't teach a set of religious beliefs. Instead, it seeks to cultivate in students "high personal expectations and integrity, respect for consensus, and an understanding of how diversity enriches us, why stewardship of the natural world matters, and why service to others enhances life." The school enrolls nearly 1,100 students in kindergarten through 12th grade; 39 percent of them are students of color. Annual tuition can run as high as $30,000.

Reacting to the announcement, the Wall Street Journal editorial page raised the hotly debated issue of school choice. Writing that "the Obamas are fortunate to have the means to send their daughters to private school, and no one begrudges them that choice given that Washington's public schools are among the worst in America," the Journal notes that "most D.C. parents would also love to be able to choose a better school for their child, but they lack the financial means to do so." D.C. participates in a federally subsidized voucher program that allows a limited number of low-income families to send their kids to private schools, including Sidwell's middle and upper schools. Congress, however, has threatened to end the program. If that happened, it would put Obama in a difficult position. For now, though, the speculation moves to another major decision concerning the Obama girls' move to the White House: Have they finally settled on a pooch?

For the past six years, the federal government has made a $6 billion investment to boost the reading skills of the nation's low-income children. But a new, federally mandated study reveals that students attending elementary schools that receive the funding have not made significant gains. The three-year study monitored the achievement of tens of thousands of students in nearly 250 elementary schools using the reading curriculum Reading First. The curriculum is a major component of the No Child Left Behind law. According to researchers, students in schools that use Reading First performed no better on comprehension tests than students in schools that don't participate in the program. One of the benefits of the program, however, was that it helped improve first graders' decoding skills, or their ability to recognize letters and words, which leads to reading.

Enrollment in the Baltimore City Public Schools system has increased for the first time in nearly 40 years at a point when many urban school districts are struggling to compete with the allure of private and suburban schools.

Andres Alonso, the school system's chief executive officer, says Baltimore City has about 82,000 students enrolled this year, 750 students more than last year. Though Alonso will not know the exact number until his estimates are certified by the state a few weeks from now, he says he is certain of an increase, however big or small. He attributes reversing the regular, steady enrollment declines of 2,500 to 3,000 students a year to the growing variety of school choice options available to parents.

No one yet knows who President-elect Barack Obama will appoint as U.S. secretary of education. But what's clear is that his choice will have an array of challenges to confront. Besides improving access to early-childhood education programs and making college more affordable, two of Obama's campaign promises, the next education secretary must fix the unpopular No Child Left Behind Act, which Congress has not reauthorized. The United States also faces growing competition from countries that are churning out more students who can compete globally. If Obama is serious about improving education, his choice for education secretary must be someone who can tackle all these challenges at once. That may mean breaking with tradition and appointing someone who not only has a background in elementary and secondary schools but brings something new and different to the table.

So far, Obama has not offered any names. But education policy experts have named several possible contenders. Tell us who would be a strong pick and who we may have missed.

Where will the Obama girls go to school? Will Michelle and Barack Obama choose private or public? What statement will their choice make? These are some of the questions on the minds of many Washington observers after the news that Michelle Obama visited a private school in D.C this week.

In town with her husband, President-elect Barack Obama, for a White House meeting with President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, Michelle Obama took the opportunity to visit Georgetown Day School. The Washington Post, quoting anonymous sources, says the Obamas are considering several other private schools as well, including Sidwell Friends, the Quaker school that Chelsea Clinton attended when Bill Clinton was in the White House. The Post's education columnist, Jay Mathews, is betting on Georgetown Day School as the Obamas' likely choice. Mathews says this is fitting on two fronts: Georgetown Day School was the first racially integrated school in D.C., and it is similar to the academically rigorous University of Chicago Laboratory Schools that Malia, a fifth grader, and Sasha, a second grader, currently attend. Several key Obama advisers send their children there.

The New York City Department of Education must be doing some introspection after a recent analysis by the New York Times highlighted the racial imbalance that persists at the city's elite public high schools. According to the newspaper, black and Hispanic students remain underrepresented at the city's best high schools, including Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science, two schools that U.S. News recognized as gold medal schools last year. (U.S. News will publish new high school rankings in December.)

The lack of racial diversity continues to be a problem for these schools, despite their efforts in recent years to increase the enrollment of underrepresented minority students. New York City public schools serve 1.1 million students; about 40 percent are Hispanic, 32 percent are black, 14 percent are Asian, and 14 percent are white. Yet, the Times reports, Asian students make up more than two thirds of Stuyvesant High School's 3,247 student body, up from 48 percent in 1999. At the Bronx High School of Science, there are 2,809 students, but only 4 percent or 114 are black.

It is not clear what more education officials plan to do to address the enrollment disparities. In recent years, they have tried to do more outreach and expanded a program that helps students prepare for the test that determines admission to the top high schools. While students who attend the test-prep program are more likely to pass the test, the participation and performance of black and Hispanic students remain low.

"I'm not ever happy when I see a low percentage of those students participating in schools that are high rigor," the city's deputy mayor told the Times. "It's important for the halls of Stuyvesant, the halls of the Bronx High School of Science, to be reflective of the city itself."

California schools are ground zero for a debate over a controversial ballot initiative that would amend the state's constitution to ban same-sex marriage. In recent weeks, conservative and religious groups have blanketed the state with television ads urging families to vote in favor of the initiative, warning that if the measure is defeated, children would be taught about gay marriage in schools. Opponents of the measure have called the group's ad campaign misleading.

One of the most-discussed ads features a girl coming home from school and showing her mother a picture book about a prince who married another prince and the girl declaring that she wants to marry a princess. And earlier this month, when a group of San Francisco first graders made a trip to City Hall to witness a lesbian couple's wedding ceremony (with permission from their parents), the measure's supporters seized on the story.