A list we don’t want to be on
Surprisingly, at least to me, no Oklahoma school districts were included in The Rural School and Community Trust’s “Rural 400″ poorest districts list as detailed in the Virginia-based organization’s June “Rural Policy Matters” newsletter.
Texas has the most districts on the list, with seven; Arizona has 38; Kentucky has 20; New Mexico has 19; Mississippi has 26; California has 40; Louisiana has seven; Alabama has nine and West Virginia has seven.
In other words, 80 percent of “Rural 400″ students are in the above nine states.
The organization identified the 7,604 districts nationwide with at least 50 percent of students attending schools in rural communities. The group then identified the 400 districts with the highest Title I eligibility rate.
The poorest 400 rural districts are spread among 29 states and educate about 478,000 children a year, the organization reported.
The 400 districts constitute about 5 percent of all rural districts but educate about 13 percent of all rural Title I students. The districts range from two to 16,958 students.
Also interesting: The organization reported that enrollment in public schools in rural communities with fewer than 2,500 people from 2002-05 increased by 15 percent nationwide.
Any thoughts on this?
AFT calls for longer school year
The president of the American Federation of Teachers on Thursday called for extending the school year.
Edward J. McElroy proposed pushing the year into the summer to provide intensive instruction and enriching out-of-classroom activities for at-risk kindergartners through third-graders. McElroy was speaking before more than 2,000 educators and paraprofessionals at the AFT’s national professional issues conference, according to a union press release.
“We are simply losing too many children during the long summer months, when they forget much of what they learned during the school year. Struggling students need additional instruction, enrichment and more time,” McElroy said, according to the release.
The proposal is designed to keep students from losing what they’ve learned while off for the summer. McElroy proposed that the summer extension last a minimum of 20 days.
“The summer extension would offer struggling students instructional methods proven to be effective, as well as enriching experiences such as museum visits, educational field trips and other summer activities,” according to the release.
State Superintendent Sandy Garrett on Tuesday called for increasing the school day by one hour and increasing the school year by five days, saying the changes would help make Oklahoma students competitive with their regional and international peers.
The Power of Potter
The New York Times has an interesting story today about the long-term impact of the Harry Potter series on school age reading habits.
It turns out that this mega-bestselling series hasn’t created permanent and widespread changes in behavior among young readers. Many kids would still rather play online games or watch television than tackle a 700-page novel.
Maybe that’s the problem — the Potter books are so lengthy that it’s hard for most of us — adults included — to stay focused.
My 9-year-old stepdaughter is a fan of the Junie B. Jones series of chapter books, which run less than 100 pages. They are fun to read, relate to her own life experiences and relatively inexpensive. Will she read the new Harry Potter? Maybe, though she’s more likely to ask someone to read it TO her — it is heavy after all.
I think you have to help each child develop their own, individual love of reading. Whether it’s the latest Bible-sized Harry Potter or a Batman comic book, reading is reading is reading. And if your kids see YOU reading a book, a magazine, a newspaper — then they are more likely to follow suit.
So turn off the television and take up a tome tonight! Unless the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is playing on cable. I never got past page 400, so I need to see the ending.
Susan Simpson
Illegal immigration/HB 1804
I attended a session this afternoon at Sandy Garrett’s leadership conference, an annual gathering of educators, that dealt with how the anti-illegal immigration law that passed this session will affect schools.
To educators’ relief, the answer appears to be: not much. So says Teresa Rose, an attorney with the Center for Education Law in Oklahoma City.
Rose said it was her understanding that legislators mitigated the bill’s effects on schools. It does apply to school districts as it does to other employers by requiring them to verify the immigration status of employees; that shouldn’t be a surprise.
Regarding students, however, things are different. Schools can’t ask about immigration status and must offer education regardless. This has been around for some time and stems from court decisions.
Rose said schools that issued ID cards or other documents could continue to do so, and didn’t have to verify immigration status, but had to ensure language was clearly printed on the front of cards that specified they were to be used only for that campus, district, building, etc., and not as a legal form of ID.
A section of the law that deals with bus and other forms of transportation is contravened because schools can’t check immigration status. If a school can’t check status, there’s no way it can know whether an illegal immigrant is riding the bus, the reasoning goes.
“The way (the law) impacts you as school districts is pretty limited,” Rose said.
Working Class
Working Poor — It’s not an oxymoron.
Many Oklahomans fall into this category — they work many hours but don’t earn enough to make ends meet. Add college courses into the mix and it becomes a real catch 22.
A national report released today says nearly half of working poor adults are enrolled in higher education half-time or less. They are trying to better their lives by gaining a credential, but because they must also work, they can’t take a full load of classes every year.
Going part-time — along with a lack of adequate financial aid — greatly hinders their ability to finish their degree.
Of course, many Oklahomans do make it to the end — taking the longer, harder road to graduation.
We want to hear from Oklahomans who are working, supporting themselves or families, while going to college.
Email me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Tulsa schools help flood victims
People have responded to Tulsa Public Schools is asking for donations to help flood-stricken residents.
Today, volunteers with Mary Martha Outreach of Bartlesville will load a truck at the TPS Education Service Center and will deliver the cargo to Washington County. The outreach will continue through Friday at noon. Afterward, TPS will deliver a load of supplies to Miami.
TPS is still collecting donations. If you’re interested in giving something, call the service center at (918) 746-6800.
Jeff Raymond
John Marshall meeting
New Oklahoma City Superintendent John Q. Porter will participate in Thursday’s John Marshall: Steps for Success committee meeting.
The meeting will be at 5 p.m. at the new JMHS.
Porter will discuss his plans for the new JMHS
He and the school’s new principal predict a turnaround after a difficult first year.
Jeff Raymond
Help for Stuttering
I got a press release today about the Stuttering Foundation’s Web site www.stutteringhelp.org
The release says it’s the leading online site for those seeking help with stuttering, a complex speech disorder.
Here are some misunderstood aspects of stuttering:
Myth: People who stutter are not smart.
Reality: There is no link whatsoever between stuttering and intelligence.
Myth: Nervousness causes stuttering.
Reality: Nervousness does not cause stuttering. Nor should we assume that people who stutter are prone to be nervous, fearful, anxious or shy. They have the same full range of personality traits as those who do not stutter.
Myth: Stuttering can be “caught” through imitation or by hearing another person stutter.
Reality: You can’t “catch” stuttering. Recent research indicates that family history (genetics), neurological development, the child’s environment and family dynamics all play a role in the onset of stuttering.
Myth: It helps to tell a person to “take a deep breath,” or “think about what you want to say.”
Reality: This advice only makes a person more self-conscious, making the stuttering worse. More helpful responses include listening patiently and using slower and clearer speech yourself.
Myth: Stress causes stuttering.
Reality: As mentioned above, many complex factors are involved in the onset of stuttering. Stress is not the cause, but it can aggravate stuttering.
Check out the site and tell me if it’s helpful.
Susan Simpson
Vance in advance
I ran across this story in The Enid News & Eagle earlier this month.
Because of street closings and rearrangements, etc., Eisenhower Elementary School will be within Vance Air Force Base’s boundaries.
The effect of this likely will be minimal, as 70 percent of the school’s students have parents who work on the base and thus have access. The remaining 30 percent, however, must obtain a pass to drop off and pick up their children, the newspaper reported.
“They will have to gain access through the main gate, just like everybody else,” a Vance official told the newspaper. “They will be passed through the gate, allowed to proceed directly to the school to pick up or drop off children. They will be issued a base pass to facilitate that.”
Those seeking passes will be briefed on rules of driving on Vance, which differ from civilian traffic laws. For example, driving while talking on a cell phone is prohibited, the newspaper reported.
And NO FIREARMS, even during deer season.
School employees also must obtain passes.
There are benefits to having children on base, Vance officials told the newspaper. Increased security is a huge one.
In the event of a base exercise that limits base access, Vance is working out details.
Does this mean extra days off school? Just asking.
Gap or Go?
Here’s a parental conundrum:
Your academically-gifted child is a shoe-in to be accepted into many fine universities. But instead of sending out applications, your child says he wants to take a year off after high school: a time of self-discovery, travel or good-deedery.
In Britain, such gap years are popular among youth. But here, it can seem pretty scary to families that don’t want their child to fall off the get-a-college-degree-or-else wagon.
I took two gap years. I had no money to travel and volunteerism was not on my radar. I just wasn’t ready to commit to the rigors of college work, socially or academically.
Instead I took a series of minimum wage jobs that eventually made me realize I wanted more out of life. I enrolled in college more focused and mature.
Obviously not every student is the same. Some will travel Europe, get inspired by the old structures and decide to become an architect. Others might simply laze around their parents house, and use their gap year as a nap year.
What do you think? Have you or your child taken a year off before college? Was it rewarding?
Susan Simpson
Education Writer
