Do your homework on school choices
Earlier this week, a co-worker asked for help finding a list ranking metro area public schools.
It’s a question I’ve heard from parents before: How do I find out what school is best for my child?
Here are some resources you might find helpful if you’re wondering the same thing.
1) www.schoolreportcard.org/reports.htm#dist – These are report cards compiled by an oversight board. They contain a substantial amount of district- and school-level data. The 2007 reports just came out.
2) www.greatschools.net – This allows for comparison of individual schools and includes parent comments. I’d say you have to take those comments with a grain of salt – a school might not be bad just because one parent has a bad experience – but nevertheless it may also be useful.
3) http://sde.state.ok.us/NCLB/pdf/api2007.pdf – This contains a straight comparison of district and school state test scores.
4) Visit school Web sites and call the schools you are considering, especially for children with special needs, gifted status or particular interests, to see what school is best for each child.
If there other ways you gauge school choices, share them here on the Education Station.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Do you know an outstanding young educator?
Student contest information often comes my way. But this week, I came across an advertisement in Education Week that gives teachers and administrators a chance to shine.
A middle school social studies teacher in New Jersey was named as the 2008 Outstanding Young Educator. Now, the organization that bestows the title – the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development – is taking nominations for 2009.
The organization will, for the first time, honor not only one teacher but also one administrator. Nominations are due Aug. 1; the nominees must be age 40 or younger.
To nominate someone you know, visit www.ascd.org/oyea. And if you’d like, share your stories here about a great educator — young or young at heart – that has crossed your path.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Sleepy Drivers
Yawn …. I’m having trouble staying awake long enough to write this post.
Not really, I’m just trying to set a tone here.
A new study by the Associated Professional Sleep Societies says that too many college students are driving sleepy. Some admitted to falling asleep at the wheel or causing an accident.
Drowsy driving can be just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. So here are some tips to avoid it:
* Get enough sleep. This seems obvious but when you are pulling an all-night cram session or out late with your friends, you might not consider the risks.
* Take breaks while driving.
* Consume caffeine.
* Do not drink alcohol.
I’ll admit to DWS (driving while sleepy) when I was in college, and even sometimes now. Luckily, I usually have noisy kids in the car to keep me alert, or I blast some rocking 80s music. But luckily, my nights of cramming for tests and all-hours partying are over.
Thank goodness.
Susan Simpson
More on schools’ ‘bad apples’
A little more than a week ago, The Oklahoman ran several stories and graphics about the difficult process involved in terminating underperforming public school teachers.
One part mentioned the Toledo Plan, a unique method of teacher evaluation spearheaded by the Toledo, Ohio, school district.
NPR recently put together an interesting segment about the plan, including conversations with and about teachers who came under the scrutiny in the peer review system.
You can tune in to the “All Things Considered” recording by clicking here and selecting “Listen Now,” and share any comments you have on this blog.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Extra chocolate sauce, hold the whipped cream
Creativity is an essential part of life, producer David Kennard told me in a video interview Monday for a story about his documentary work in Oklahoma.
I particularly liked his analogy about creativity to ice cream, because who doesn’t like anything involving ice cream?
Here’s what Kennard had to say (or, listen to Kennard’s quote here):
“Sometimes people think about creativity, it’s like dessert after the meal — you know, we do all the serious stuff and everything else and then if you’ve got still room for a little ice cream with a little chocolate sauce on top, that’s creativity. …
“No. Wrong. It is fundamental to our survival as an individual, as a family, as a community, as a city, … as a state, … as a nation, as a species, as a planet.”
I consider myself a creative person, but I’ll admit I can be hesitant to step outside of the proverbial box.
Then there are people like my brother, who, I believe, isn’t aware there’s a box in the first place. I guess that puts him on the higher end of the creativity spectrum.
Still, creativity is a great thing, especially if it comes with a little chocolate sauce on top.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Back to school so soon?
I wrote a story for Sunday’s Oklahoman about schools on “year-round” schedules, in which the school year is spread across a longer stretch of the calendar year by taking more frequent breaks.
Here’s a little more of the story – a breakdown of the scores of the traditional public schools on the year-round calendar and the years they started, plus a list of exactly which other places in the state follow the model.
SCHOOL 2007 API SCORE INITIAL YEAR
Oklahoma City Public Schools 1062 (average)
Horace Mann Elementary 1394 2002-03
Sequoyah Elementary 1430 2001-02
Westwood Elementary * 2002-03
Tulsa Public Schools 1065 (average)
Chouteau Elementary 1396 2000-01
Eugene Field Elementary 869 2004-05
Kendall-Whittier Elementary 1304 1998-99
Mark Twain Elementary 1375 2000-01
Marshall Elementary 1195 2000-01
Office of Juvenile Affairs centers
Juvenile Center, Tecumseh
Education Unit-Manitou, Tipton
L.E. Rader Center, Sand Springs
Other state-accredited schools
Lakeside School, Granite
Tulsa Job Corp Center, Tulsa
*NOTES: Westwood did not meet the minimum number of test scores required for reporting. However, in 2006, the school’s API score was 1232, higher than the Oklahoma City average that year of 1006. Scores reported for 2007 were taken in the 2006-07 school year. The reporting samples were too small for juvenile affairs centers, and the final two are not required to report test scores to the state. (Sources: State Department of Education, Oklahoman research)
What do you think of this “continuous learning” model of school scheduling? Share your thoughts here on NewsOK’s Education Station.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Summer science
Ten students recently started an intense, eight-week program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
The nine Fleming Scholars and one Presidential Scholar are getting hands-on experience with scientific research, conducting experiments and learning from those whose shoes they one day hope to fill.
2008 OMRF FLEMING & PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
Seated, left to right: Sishir Mannava of Edmond; Meaghan Wierzbic of Harrah; Anne Alger of Shawnee; Stephanie Wilburn of Fitzhugh; Sara Moore of Norman; and Leah Henry of Oklahoma City. Standing, left to right: Johnnie West of Lawton; Jack Laurent of Oklahoma City; James Harding of Lancaster, Texas (Presidential Scholar and Langston University student); and Alia Ramirez of Oklahoma City.
Have you participated in the OMRF program or something similar? What was your experience like?
Share your thoughts here on NewsOK’s Education Station.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Good enough to put on the fridge?
Report cards are out for schools and school districts across the state.
The Education Oversight Board in the state’s accountability office recently released data for the 2006-07 school year.
The report cards include statistics like regular and special education enrollment, average teacher salary, census data and of course test scores.
They are accessible online for free at www.SchoolReportCard.org/reports.htm.
Example of school-level report card
Example of district-level report card
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Message to superintendents: Shape up or ship out
Mississippi legislators want to bring greater accountability to their superintendents, telling those in underperforming districts to bring them up to par or leave the course altogether.
The legislation — which must first garner federal approval because election rules are affected — would terminate superintendents whose districts fail to meet academic standards for two consecutive years.
The governor would removed elected superintendents and bar them from running for re-election, while appointed superintendents would be automatically fired.
The proposal has stirred up controversy in Mississippi. I’d like to know what you think.
Should students test scores be used to hold superintendents accountable? Is two years enough time to bring meaningful change? Is it right for a law to require a superintendent’s departure?
Share your thoughts here on NewsOK’s Education Station.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Because money doesn’t grow on trees
I wrote a story for today’s Oklahoman about a newly approved increase in school lunch prices in the Oklahoma City School District.
Steve Gallagher, director of child nutrition services, said at Monday night’s board meeting that the increase is needed to keep up with general rising food costs. He gave some reasons for the price jumps:
- Shifting corn and cropland to bioenergy uses.
- Using healthier but costlier foods like whole grains.
- Unusually severe weather patterns.
- Mandatory increases in minimum wage.
- Exporting food overseas to stronger markets.
“I wish that I could say that prices will go down and maybe we’ve maxed out, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Gallagher said Monday.
“It’s having a major impact on the entire food industry, as I’m sure Ms. Vines can attest to,” said Gallagher, referring to school board member Gail Vines, who co-owns Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria, a restaurant in the city.
Gallagher said another reason for the price hikes is the rising cost of fuel, which also was cited in a report Monday night about the transportation department.
The district started the year paying $2.70 per gallon for unleaded and $2.35 per gallon for diesel, transportation director Stephen Foster Jr. said.
The district is now paying $3.35 and $4.04, respectively.
Some NewsOK.com readers already have shared their feedback about the increasing costs. Add your thoughts to the mix on this online forum.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
