FOCUS DC News Wire 10/16/13

 

 

The District’s charter schools expelled far fewer students in the 2012-13 school year than the school year before, but individual charters’ expulsion rates continued to vary widely, according to D.C. Public Charter School Board data released Tuesday.

 

Charters’ overall expulsion rate fell 27 percent as the number of students removed for disciplinary reasons dropped from 227 in 2011-12 to 186 in the past school year. By comparison, D.C. Public Schools expelled three students in 2011-12; there was one expulsion in 2012-13.

 

The decrease in charter expulsions comes amid increased public scrutiny of the schools’ discipline policies. D.C. charters expelled students at a rate more than three times the national average in 2011-12 — the rate was 72 times higher than in the city’s traditional school system — according to a Washington Post analysis earlier this year.

 

“I think that the charter schools are revisiting their policies to provide safe environments for all students while trying not to exclude students — or when you exclude them, for as short a time as possible,” said Naomi DeVeaux, deputy director of the D.C. Charter Board.

 

Critics have said that charters, which have the freedom to design their own discipline policies, expel students excessively and with too little oversight. Many charter leaders say that they remove students only when necessary to ensure that their classrooms are safe and conducive to learning.

 

“Nobody wants to see high expulsion rates, but no one wants to see schools that aren’t safe,” said Susan Schaeffler, chief executive officer of the KIPP DC charter network. “It’s a very difficult balance between the two.”

 

KIPP DC College Preparatory, a high school, expelled 17 students in 2011-12 — or 5 percent of its enrollment. In 2012-13, the rate plummeted by 85 percent: Three students were removed for disciplinary reasons.

 

Schaeffler said the decrease stems partly from policy changes meant to prevent discipline problems, including shorter passing periods between classes and a revised demerit system that emphasizes rewards over punishment.

 

But in future years, expulsion rates could be higher, she said, adding that discipline data normally fluctuate because of student behavior, which varies from year to year for many reasons. One violent incident involving many students can boost expulsion rates quickly, she said, and although KIPP DC watches its discipline data closely, officials will continue to expel students if necessary to maintain safety.

 

More than half of the city’s 102 charter campuses recorded zero expulsions in the past school year. But not every school saw a decrease. Parkside Middle, a campus of the Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy, expelled 12 students in 2012-13, four times as many as the year before.

 

YouthBuild, an alternative high school that caters to students who have dropped out or are older than 16, previously had the highest expulsion rate in the city. It expelled 30 students, or nearly one-third of its population, in 2011-12. That rate dropped 85 percent the next school year, when five students were expelled.

 

There was also a significant drop at Friendship Collegiate Academy, where 18 students were expelled in 2012-13 — far fewer than the 56 students expelled the year before.

 

Officials at YouthBuild and Friendship Collegiate did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

 

There was also an increase at Integrated Design Electronics Academy, or IDEA, where last year 13 students, or 4.4 percent of the school, were expelled. It had the second-highest expulsion rate in the city. Students were expelled for infractions including physical assault, marijuana possession, and stealing and using a staff member’s credit card.

 

“It goes without saying that such conduct is anathema to a learning environment conducive to high quality instruction and student learning,” Justin Rydstrom, principal of IDEA, wrote in an e-mail.

 

The expulsions came as the school, which was nearly closed because of poor academic performance in 2012, made a concerted effort to turn itself around, restructuring its leadership, bringing in new faculty members, and making double-digit gains on math and reading tests.

 

IDEA has not expelled any students this fall, Rydstrom said.

 

The D.C. Public Charter School Board began publishing suspension and expulsion data about two years ago in order to inspire change without additional regulations. The board is to discuss 2012-13 data at its monthly meeting Wednesday.

 

Expulsions offer only a partial picture of mid-year student mobility. In 2011-12, nearly 2,000 students withdrew from charters mid-year, and 561 of them then enrolled in the traditional school system.

 

Some students move out of the city or decide on their own to switch schools. But others, according to parents and activists, withdraw after a disciplinary violation in order to avoid being expelled.

 

Principals in the District’s traditional public school system — who are obligated by law to enroll neighborhood children — say they see a mid-year influx of students who were previously enrolled in charter schools but left because of behavior problems.

 

DeVeaux, the charter-board official, said the board and the school system are planning to jointly release new “equity reports” in mid-November. For the first time, the reports will publicize mid-year withdrawal rates at each school.

 

 

 

The Washington Post's Emma Brown has written her third article of the year on student expulsion rates at D.C. charter schools. For the first time, she has found that the number of students removed from charters for disciplinary actions has dropped. But be careful not to come to any quick conclusions regarding the data:

 

"[Susan] Schaeffler [CEO of KIPP DC] said the decrease stems partly from policy changes meant to prevent discipline problems, including shorter passing periods between classes and a revised demerit system that emphasizes rewards over punishment.

 

But in future years, expulsion rates could be higher, she said, adding that discipline data normally fluctuate because of student behavior, which varies from year to year for many reasons. One violent incident involving many students can boost expulsion rates quickly, she said, and although KIPP DC watches its discipline data closely, officials will continue to expel students if necessary to maintain safety."

 

Charter schools students score higher on the DC CAS than do traditional public school students and have a much higher high school graduation rate especially among those who qualify for free or reduced lunch. My story on the most recent standardized test score results included this tidbit:

 

"In addition, an analysis by Steve Taylor for FOCUS shows that charter students significantly outperform their DCPS peers in Wards 7 and 8, which contain the most disadvantaged students. In Ward 7, charter students score higher than their DCPS counterparts by 19 points in math and by 17 points in reading. In Ward 8 charters score 31% greater in math and 21% higher in reading."

 

A component of improving student academic achievement in charter schools is to make sure that children are not harmed while they are in class. The Public Charter School Board has encouraged schools to find alternative ways of handling disruptive students other than expulsion. In addition, there is an experienced operator application before the PCSB to open a charter serving kids who have been expelled from other schools for behavioral issues.

 

Ms. Brown indicates that the charter school expulsion rate went down 27% for the last school term compared to 2011, equating to 186 students removed from their schools compared to 227 the previous year. This is just one more positive indicator for the system that is poised to teach half of all public school students in the nation's capital.

 

 

Today Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) introduced the “D.C. Promise Establishment Act of 2013," which would provide financial assistance to low-income D.C. students who want to continue their education beyond high school.

 

"The D.C. Promise is intended to encourage District students to pursue their educational goals by providing additional assistance for tuition and fees after other sources of financial aid have been exhausted," a message on a website about the bill says. Grants would only be available to students who attended D.C. public or charter schools between at least 9th and 12th grades. The money could be used "at a variety of post-secondary institutions nationwide, including four year colleges, two year colleges, and accredited certificate programs."

 

The size of the grant would be determined by household income and how long the student has been enrolled in a D.C. school, with the maximum award being $100,000. The legislation requires students to apply for federal financial aid, if they're eligible. According to Fox5's Matt Ackland, the plan would cost between $50 and $75 million a year.

 

"A fiscal analysis will be performed prior to any Council vote," Catania's chief of staff Ben Young said in an email. "It is an ambitious proposal that will require a significant commitment of resources. CM Catania believes that we should reinvest the dividends of our current fiscal prosperity into the education of our students and future taxpayers."

 

The bill was co-introduced by Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Councilmembers Mary Cheh (Ward 3), Marion Barry (Ward 8), David Grosso (I-At Large), Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Anita Bonds (D-At Large).

 

Unlike a D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant, which is available to all students, D.C. Promise would only be available to low-income kids from the public school system.

 

 

One morning early this fall, 1st graders in Nydia Mendez's class at Public School 24 in Brooklyn were working on identifying feelings.

 

"It's your birthday. Make a face and show me how you feel," Ms. Mendez said to students, who instantly became all smiles and flapping arms. "You lost your favorite pencil." Their puppy-dog eyes hit the ground. "Your body's showing me that you're disappointed," she said to one boy.

 

A few halls away, Maria Diaz's 5th graders were revisiting a lesson in social-emotional learning they'd done recently in which they drew pictures of themselves and then listened to a story. Each time students heard a "put-down," or a hurtful statement about someone in the story, Ms. Diaz had them tear off a piece of their self-portraits in a show of empathy.

 

Both Ms. Mendez and Ms. Diaz were teaching components of a social-emotional-learning curriculum called the 4R's (Reading, Writing, Respect, and Resolution) that is used schoolwide by PS 24, and at other schools in the New York City district and beyond. By building students' self-awareness and emotional vocabulary, the teachers say, they are working to help students resolve conflicts and monitor their own actions.

 

"I don't want to be the police person in the classroom," said Ms. Mendez. "I really want them to solve their own problems and become independent with that."

 

A Focus on Causes

Ms. Mendez and Ms. Diaz are working under the same premise as the many schools now prioritizing social-emotional learning, or SEL: Teachers should manage student behavior with more than just immediate compliance in mind. They should work to shape more responsible and empathetic people.

 

It's a lofty goal, but one that is gaining plenty of traction. Schools around the country are using programs like Responsive Classroom, Second Step, and the 4R's to teach young students to recognize and regulate their emotions, understand others' perspectives, resolve conflicts, and build relationships.

 

There's evidence that such programs have benefits. In a meta-analysis of 213 research-based social-emotional-learning programs, the Chicago-based Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning found that such programs boost student achievement, as measured by standardized tests and school grades, by an average of 11 percentile points. The study said SEL programs also reduced problems with student conduct and emotional distress, and improved their attitudes "about themselves, others, and school."

 

Traditional behavior-management systems tend to focus on compliance, or getting students to abide by rules and consequences. Systems based on social-emotional learning are more concerned with the emotional causes and ramifications of student behavior.

 

"The most critical thing to think about in classroom management is, 'What is the ultimate aim?'" said George Bear, an education professor at the University of Delaware and a former school psychologist. "The short-term aim might be compliance—and I have no problem with that—but is that the only thing you want to develop in a kid?"

 

More than just meeting behavioral expectations, he said, children need to learn "empathy, perspective-taking, social problem-solving skills, anger control, self-regulation, and, to be honest, shame and guilt."

 

Having the basic tools in place for compliance "is important," said Mr. Bear. "But then you build upon that and don't stop there. ... I get frustrated when teachers have an orderly class and that's their only goal."

 

'A Messy Process'

Certain elements are common to many SEL programs: Students learn vocabulary words related to feelings and practice identifying their emotions. Classroom rules, or community standards, are created with student input. Students convene for class meetings, during which they express their feelings and solve problems.

 

Rebecca Schmidt, who teaches 4th and 5th grade at the Inspired Teaching School, a charter school in the District of Columbia, uses a variety of social-emotional-focused methods to manage her students. "It's tough, and a messy process, and takes a lot longer than a typical external-incentive/rewards classroom management [approach]," she wrote in an email.

 

SEL programs also tend to focus on having students repair the damage when they misbehave, rather than simply receive a punishment. For instance, said Ms. Schmidt, if one child in her classroom does not let another play at recess, instead of just having to sit out, the offender will have to find a way to "fix" the problem.

 

"He could make a card or write a note to the kid," she explained. "Often this 'apology of action' or 'fixing' is a lot harder than just losing recess."

 

Tom Roderick, the executive director of the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, based here in New York, and the creator of the 4R's SEL program, said "the misbehavior then becomes an opportunity for learning."

 

Teaching social-emotional lessons also comes with risks. For instance, the "put-downs" activity in Maria Diaz's 5th grade class, in which students tore up their self-portraits, brought much of the class to tears.

 

At times, classroom meetings and other discussions can churn up feelings students are having about serious problems at home, which can be difficult for a teacher to navigate.

 

Not a Therapy Session

Ms. Diaz said she has conversations with the class about not repeating what they hear from members of their "class family." In addition, she explains that as a mandated reporter of child abuse and neglect, she must pass on certain information to counselors and administrators.

 

Also, Ms. Diaz said, she warns parents at the start of the year that their children may open up to her about what's going on at home. This kind of emotionally fraught work "does take a toll on me," Ms. Diaz admitted. "I become so engulfed in [the students'] lives that I sometimes forget to take care of me. It is a balancing act that I have not mastered."

 

SEL-based classrooms also do not work for every child. Students with behavioral issues may require an extrinsic-rewards system or a more structured approach.

 

Mr. Roderick said teachers must understand "this is not about therapy. It's about teaching kids skills and giving opportunities to practice and apply them to real-life situations. ... It's problem-solving."

 

For Ms. Diaz, despite the exhaustion and other difficulties, implementing SEL has been worth the effort. In addition to seeing academic benefits, she said, "knowing that my children are OK and that they've acquired the necessary skills to live in a peaceful environment is what matters most. The challenges become secondhand."

 

 

After mapping converted churches last week, it seemed only fair to give the District's converted schoolhouses their due. After all, there are more of them and many of those buildings have been around just as long. From the wealth of brick buildings in and around Capitol Hill, to a planned redevelopment by the Waterfront, here are ten converted schools. As usual, if we've left anything off, shoot a message to the tipline.

 

 

 

The 7-year-olds in Natalie May’s class have to stretch their fingers across the keyboards to reach “ASDF” and “JKL;” as they listen to the animated characters on their computer screens talk about “home keys.”

 

“After 15 minutes, some of them will say their fingers are hurting, so we take a break,” said May, a Phoenix educator who began teaching typing to second-graders this school year.

 

Of the major shifts taking place in American classrooms as a result of the new national Common Core academic standards, one ­little-noticed but sweeping change is the fact that children as early as kindergarten are learning to use a keyboard.

 

A skill that has been taught for generations in middle or high school — first on manual typewriters, then electric word processors and finally on computer keyboards — is now becoming a staple of elementary schools. Educators around the country are rushing to teach typing to children who have barely mastered printing by hand.

 

The Common Core standards make frequent references to technology skills, stating that students in every grade should be able to use the Internet for research and use digital tools in their schoolwork to incorporate video, sound and images with writing.

 

But the standardized tests linked to the Common Core make those expectations crystal clear because the exams — which will be given in 2014-2015 — require students to be able to manipulate a mouse; click, drag and type answers on a keyboard; and, starting in third grade, write online. Fourteen states have agreed to field-test the exams in the spring to help those creating the tests iron out the wrinkles and make improvements.

 

Third-graders will be asked to write three short pieces, according to Laura Slover, who heads one of two consortia that are designing the tests. They will read a nonfiction selection and a literary passage and write about each, and they will be asked to write a story based on a real or imaginary experience, Slover said.

 

“Writing is a critical skill, and young students should have the opportunity to write frequently about meaningful topics,” Slover said. And when the writing tests are administered online, that means the students will be using a keyboard.

 

Those requirements are sending tremors through the nation’s elementary schools.

 

“All these elementary teachers are dying, worrying how they’re going to get their kids to meet these new requirements,” said Jaqui Murray, a California teacher who writes the popular Ask A Tech Teacher blog. “It’s a huge deal. You can’t have kids go into these tests and not do well because they can’t keyboard.”

 

Most elementary-age children are digital natives, comfortable with smartphones and tablets. But they often operate those hand-held devices with a swipe of a finger. They have a much more difficult time trying to compose text on a keyboard, according to their teachers.

 

Children must learn touch typing — the ability to compose text without looking at keys — so they can focus on their writing, said Kathleen Regan, the director of curriculum and instruction at New Jersey’s Glen Rock Public Schools. She calls it a “fluency skill” akin to memorizing the multiplication tables in order to more quickly perform complex mathematics.

 

Until now, typing was only taught in middle school, Regan said. But next month, Glen Rock Public Schools will roll out keyboarding in its four elementary schools.

 

“On the Common Core assessments, some of these writings are going to be document-based questions or sorting through different types of text,” Regan said. “The last thing you want is for the kids to be struggling with the mechanical skills. ”

 

The Common Core standards, written by governors and state education officials in both parties, were designed to create consistent math and reading standards from kindergarten through 12th grade. Academic standards vary widely among states, and that patchwork nature has been partly blamed for mediocre rankings of U.S. students in international comparisons.

 

The standards do not dictate curriculum. Rather, states decide what to teach and how to prepare children for standardized tests based on Common Core. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia adopted the Common Core standards in both math and English and agreed to test students beginning in the 2014-15 school year. Minnesota adopted the Common Core for English only. Alaska, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia have not adopted the standards.

 

At an August planning meeting at Horseshoe Trails Elementary School in Phoenix, it dawned on May and the other teachers that they needed to start keyboard instruction sooner than third grade to prepare for the new tests.

 

“We were discussing how the new (Common Core) exam required a large part done on the computer,” May said. “It just occurred to us that maybe we ought to introduce this earlier.”

 

There is plenty of debate about the appropriate age to teach touch typing and whether the youngest learners are ready to sit with two feet on the floor, elbows bent, hands hovering over keys and eyes on the screen. May said educators don’t know how young such instruction should start.

 

“We thought we’d try it with second [grade] and see how it goes,” May said. “But we just don’t know whether developmentally, if it’s appropriate for kids who are not even comfortable with letter sounds and basic phonemic connection to the alphabet.”

 

Virginia Berninger, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, said the Common Core’s expectation that a 9-year-old will be able to write a page of text as part of the standardized test is off base.

 

“By third grade, if you have one well-formed paragraph, you’re lucky,” Berninger said. “Kids don’t write that extended text. Paragraph formation comes at about sixth grade, maybe fifth grade. The current Common Core is not developmentally appropriate.”

 

It’s still early in the school year, but May’s second-graders seem to enjoy their weekly 35-minute sessions on the computers, she said.

 

“For the most part, they’re actually really into it, and they like the fact that it’s differentiated. They set their own goals and get excited when they reach them,” said May, 30, who learned to type in seventh grade.

 

In Glen Rock, elementary students will spend about 40 minutes a week on keyboarding. Students in kindergarten through second grade will work with a Web-based software program called Typing Pal, while the third- through fifth-graders will use Typing Agent. Typing software for children has plenty of colorful games, sound effects and cartoon characters, a far cry from “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

 

While schools may be teaching touch typing because of the Common Core tests, the ability to use a keyboard is an important life skill, said Cathy Turner, a technology teacher at an elementary school in Greenville, S.C., who runs the computer lab used by 600 students every week at Welcome Elementary School.

 

“A lot of jobs out there require keyboarding,” said Turner, mentioning that many service-

industry positions require computer use. “They need it for real life. We are becoming such a computerized world, and technology is changing constantly. For us to keep up with other countries, we have to get a move on it.”

 

Students in some states may get a little more time to polish their keyboarding skills. Two groups of states are developing tests for the Common Core, and one group said it will make pencil-and-paper versions available for at least the first year for states needing more time to acquire enough computers and broadband Internet access to be able to test everyone online. The second group says paper versions will be available for as long as three years after the initial digital rollout.

 

In recent months, some states have decided to craft their own tests aligned with the Common Core standards, and it is unclear whether those tests will be administered on paper or by computer.

 

Murray, the technology teacher and blogger, wonders how long it will take for new technology, such as voice recognition, to make typing obsolete. She mentioned Siri, the voice recognition software on Apple’s mobile products, as an example.

 

“I use Siri on the phone and iPad, but it’s not good enough yet,” Murray said. “When that starts getting better, look out. That’s really going to change things. Again.”