Obama unveils $900 million in turnaound grants for schools

[ProSense]

(Obama) unveils 'turnaround' grants for schools

Reporting from Washington - President Obama today announced a new intervention program for 5,000 of the nation's lowest-performing schools, available to districts where officials take actions as drastic as firing principals, clearing out staff and even shuttering some campuses.

In an address to a coalition of education advocates at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Obama unveiled his administration's "turnaround" grants, designed to improve student achievement and change the local culture in schools that are doing poorly.

"There's got to be a sense of accountability," Obama told the group. "Our kids get only one chance at an education. We need to get it right."

Under the plan, Education Secretary Arne Duncan will administer $900 million in grants next year to school districts that adopt one of four reform models. In some cases, a school can qualify for the grant money by taking steps to reform instructional strategies and improve teacher effectiveness, in part by extending planning time for educators.

<...>

[donco6]

1. And all you have to do to get one, is fire the principal and half the staff.

Presto! All better!

[impik]

5. No, let's just let teachers with 7% success rate to continue their great work

[donco6]

7. If it's like our test, here's how that works -

Kids arrive as freshmen FAAAAAR behind in math skills (state average on the HS math standards test here in CO is 30% proficient/advanced. Because of our mobility and poor English, high poverty, our kids score quite a bit lower than average. I'd bet this RI school is even worse off than we are).

School has about 7 months to get the kids caught up to Algebra I level, whereupon they are sent to be tested. Golly! They don't score fer shit! Who knew?

And you're really going to blame the HS teachers?

[phleshdef]

2. Wow, but I thought he was trying to destroy the public school system.

[rapturedbyrobots]

9. that's what this does

under-achievement is designed into the system. literally. there is no way for 100% of schools to be successful under the current paradigm...even if they all had sky high graduation rates and test scores. there HAVE to be failing schools by definition.

that then sets up the scene for a certain percentage of schools to be pushed into one of these 'reform' tracks in order to get federal grant money.

the reforms are thinly veiled to either bust teacher unions...either firing them off (like in rhode island) or turning the school over to the charter system...where the teachers unions are not welcome.

in fact, there is no real evidence that the charter system 'performs' any better than the public schools. arne duncan's chicago 'miracle' has been proven to be a complete myth. they lowered the passing requirements to make it look like the schools were performing better.

just fund public schools. and let the teachers teach (and yes...unions need to implement some quality control). i have a friend who taught art in a public school. their annual budget for the arts program was $250. wtf? i know...math and science were probably not that low...but should ANY curriculum be designed around a $250 budget?

this will NOT help. and will likely see a lot of good teachers thrown to the side in the name of charter school privatization and union busting. you know...those great democratic causes we're all rooting for.

[Autumn]

3. Very good.

:kick:

[NYC_SKP]

4. The four reform models:

From a December 2009 EdWeek article, I presume the four models are the same.

Final Rules Set for School Turnaround Grants

States, Districts Must Pick From Four Models for Grants to Fix Lowest-Performing Schools

December 4, 2009

-snip-

To get their money, states must target schools that rank in the bottom 5 percent in student achievement. In one change from the proposed regulations, the definition of lowest-achieving schools has been expanded to include high schools with graduation rates below 60 percent for a “number of years.”

The money will flow to states based on the Title I formula for aid to disadvantaged students, but states will award the money competitively to districts.

School districts must agree to one of four turnaround models: closing the school and sending students to higher-achieving ones; turning it around by replacing the principal and most of the staff; “restarting” the school by turning it over to a charter- or education-management organization; or implementing a mandatory basket of strategies labeled “transformation.”

During a 30-day public-review period for the proposed regulations, 180 comments were submitted, many of them critical of what was described as highly prescriptive reforms from the federal government. Critics said the models might not work in communities where teacher and principal shortages exist, where teachers’ union contracts pose barriers, or where closing an entire school isn’t feasible.

-snip-

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/12/04/14brief-b1.h29.html?tkn=QUVFjtaZOAG18XUc%2Fn90N6akQTBVdMIpNL9d&print=1

In preemptive defense of the plan lets keep in mind that schools don't HAVE to try to get these grants.
I think that the fourth option, "implementing a basket list of strategies", creates a lot of opportunities for schools that don't wish to apply the other three.

:patriot:

[ipaint]

6. So Obama will finish off what reagan started.

Coming off of decades of lies about public education, the underfunding of schools in poorer communities, NCLB which was underfunded and forced on those same communities, on top of increased poverty, homelessness and neglect added to severe cuts in welfare and food stamps over two decades, this president is going to blame teachers, bust unions and dismantle the only thing these poorer communities have- their neighborhood schools. All so that these same schools can access desperately needed funds.

This creates a Katrina type situation and will have the same result- the privatization of public schools beginning with those communities that are least able to defend themselves from the attack.

Arne Duncan loves plopping military junior high and high schools in poor and minority neighborhoods. Looks like he found some more easy pickings created from years of conservative neglect and lies.

Milton Friedman would be proud.

[donco6]

8. Yep. They'll all be charterized within about 10 years.

Lots of little "walk on the blue line" KIPP academies in the poor neighborhoods, while the wealthy get further ahead.