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Homeroom: December 2012 Archives

December 2012 Archives

After an extensive analysis of 33 high-needs schools in New York, the Campaign for Educational Equity, based at Teachers College, Columbia University, released two reports this month that reveal New York is failing to provide all students a constitutionally mandated adequate education. Executive Director of the Campaign, Michael Rebell, says that “on a pervasive, statewide basis, kids are not getting what the constitution says that they’re entitled to.” 

In 2003, Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) v. State of New York, New York’s highest court held that the state’s constitution requires it provide all students the opportunity for a “sound basic education” that would prepare them for civic participation and competitive employment. Despite the CFE ruling, schools have seen their budgets shrink as lawmakers respond to the current economic climate. 

The authors of the report conclude that:

"Since the 'state' is constitutionally responsible for this tragic situation, the governor, the legislature, and the Regents need to respond promptly and aggressively to meet the students’ critical educational needs…The state authorities have respected their constitutional obligation to balance the state budget, but, at the same time, they have grossly neglected their equally obligatory constitutional duty to ensure that all students are provided the opportunity for a sound basic education."

The report recommends specific actions that the Regents, the governor and the legislature need to take to come into constitutional compliance. The Campaign held two major conferences this month, one in Albany and one in Manhattan, during which participants discussed the findings as well as strategies for promoting constitutional compliance.

Clock Ticks Down on Billions in Tuition Tax Credits

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Among the many tax breaks waiting for Congress to rescue or let tumble off the fiscal cliff is more than $18 billion in savings for families who pay college and university tuition.

The American Opportunity Tax Credit expires on December 31st, and, with it, financial relief averaging $1,545 per recipient who pays for college.

Compounding the dilemma is the fact that an increasing portion of these tax breaks goes to families whose adjusted gross income is between $100,000 and $180,000, according to calculations by the College Board.

They get 23 percent of the savings, or $4.3 billion a year. In all, 39 percent of the tax break, which was meant to help low-income students, is being steered to families who make $75,000 or more per year.

The federal tax credit goes to about 4.5 million students and their families. They can deduct up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition, fees and course materials for the first four years of attending a postsecondary educational institution.

Read the full article here.
Reprinted with permission from The Hechinger Report.

Despite Gains, US Students Lag Behind Asian Peers

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East Asian countries continued their dominance in international test results released Tuesday. The United States scored better than the majority of countries in all subjects, but failed to crack the top 10 in most subjects. Singapore was at or near the top of the pack in all the tests, while Finland slipped slightly from its performance on a different group of assessments given in 2010.

Students in Singapore give out scrapbooks to teachers on their national Teachers’ Day. The country was one of the highest performing in every subject in international assessment results released Tuesday. 
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) were given to hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders to assess their math and science content knowledge and literacy skills. Fifty-two countries took part in at least one part of TIMSS, which is given every four years and 49 did so for PIRLS, which is given every five years.

The U.S ranked sixth in reading among fourth graders, a significant gain over 14th in 2006. Math scores were less impressive, with the U.S. only in the top 15 among fourth graders and among the top 24 in eighth grade. The U.S. made the top 10 in fourth-grade science, but was only among the top 23 in eighth grade.

Reprinted with permission from Hechinger Report.
In an effort to help reduce the shortage of highly qualified science and math teachers working in New York City secondary schools, The City College of New York School of Education has established the Robert Noyce Teacher Academy Scholars Program (CCNY Noyce TA Scholars Program). The program will prepare 42 undergraduate STEM majors (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for careers teaching grades 7 – 12 in urban schools.

The CCNY Noyce TA Scholars Program will award two-year scholarships and stipends to 42 students organized in cohorts of 14 per year. Scholars will follow a revamped course of study that combines theory and practice, and also participate in internships and an early-career support program during their first year of teaching.

The program is supported by a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the Noyce Foundation administered by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Despina Stylianou, professor of mathematics education, is principal investigator.

“President Obama has called for training more science and math teachers nationwide, and the need in New York City is without equal,” Stylianou said. “Ideally, we want to take students from urban schools, train them and return them as excellent teachers. Even a cohort of 14 highly qualified teachers can impact thousands of students over their careers.”

While there is a nationwide shortage of credentialed science and math teachers, the problem is particularly acute at secondary schools in low-income, urban communities. In low-income schools, more than 40 percent of students are taught math by out-of-field teachers, compared to 16 percent in wealthier districts, researcher Richard I. Ingersoll reported in 2008.

Not only is finding qualified teachers problematic, but so is retaining them. In New York, in particular, people with the aptitude to become good science and math teachers are often drawn to more lucrative professions such as finance and medicine, Stylianou said.

The CCNY Noyce TA Scholars Program will address these challenges not only by offering financial incentives but; by restructuring the academic program to put greater emphasis on pre-service classroom experience. Scholars will bridge the gap between theory and practice by apprenticing with top teachers at: City College Academy of the Arts, Thurgood Marshall Academy, A. Philip Randolph Campus High School, Mott Hall High School and Lower East Side Preparatory High School.

In addition, they will have summer internship opportunities working either with summer STEM programs held at City College or on research projects conducted by faculty at CCNY and other CUNY campuses. Further, during each semester they will be required to work in existing City College-run tutoring or mentoring programs, or participate in a service-learning project. They will also be required to attend workshops on urban education challenges led by veteran teachers and CCNY faculty.

In-service content workshops and e-mentoring comprise the early-career support that will be provided to graduates of the program working as teachers. The workshops will include summer institutes and support during the academic year in the form of classroom observations, co-teaching and modeling, followed up by teacher-researcher conferences and professional development sessions. Scholars will also participate in online learning communities with sessions at least twice a month.

The School of Education is currently recruiting the first cohort of Noyce TA Scholars, and has set December 15 as the deadline to apply. Enrollment is open to current CCNY students as well as students at CUNY community colleges who plan to transfer to City College. To be eligible, students must have a 3.0 or higher grade point average and they must submit an essay, three letters of recommendation and their transcript.

After graduation, Noyce Scholars will be required to teach in an urban school for two years for each year of financial support they received, for up to four years. The public service requirement must be completed within eight years of graduation.

In addition to Professor Stylianou, co-principal investigators on the grant are: Professors Richard Steinberg, Issa Salame and Yael Wyner, all of whom hold dual appointments in City College’s Division of Science as well as the School of Education. Dr. Bruce Billig, director of the School of Education’s Office of Field Experiences, will serve as project director.
New federally-compiled graduation rates for 47 states and the District of Columbia left many states reeling this week as more rigorous and uniform standards highlighted wide achievement gaps and lower numbers than previously reported.

While the U.S. Department of Education said the new rates can’t be compared to previous numbers, officials said the graduation rates provide an accurate ranking of states. Georgia, which has previously boasted graduation rates of about 80 percent, found itself near the bottom, with a graduation rate of 67 percent, even lower than neighboring states Alabama and Mississippi. “It’s disappointing,” Tim Callahan, spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We were using sort of a feel-good calculation.”

Read more on The Hechinger Report
Reprinted with permission.

Peter Yarrow Shares Vision With Operation Respect

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Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, shared his vision for safe school environments, as well as his songs, at an event hosted by the Women’s League of Sutton Place Synagogue. Dr. Charlotte K. Frank, who co-founded the organization Operation Respect with Yarrow, introduced him.

Operation Respect is a non-profit organization that aims to assure each child and youth a respectful, safe and compassionate climate of learning where their academic, social and emotional development can take place free of bullying, ridicule and violence. 

To that end, it provides educational resources on respect and conflict resolution through a free classroom-based program “Don’t Laugh at Me,” which has been used in over 20,000 schools worldwide.
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