Santa Fe/ Santa Fe Community College: Green Construction Training to At-Risk High School Students

 

The Associated Press

Alamogordo Daily News

October 18, 2012

 

Santa Fe Community College says it's using a federal grant to start an alternative education program to teach green construction skills to disadvantaged young people at risk of not completing high school.

 

The college received a nearly $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Labor Department for the program that will provide training for about 60 students over three years.

 

Participants will work toward a high school equivalence diploma and learn green building construction skills by renovating and building homes in Santa Fe County.

 

The first group of students is to start in January.

 

The college said young people interested in the program should contact project director Jeremy Mier at 505-428-1144.

 

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Clovis/ "Top Growth" School: Sandia Elementary Awarded $25,747 PED Grant

 

Sandia Elementary School was awarded $25,747 Tuesday for being a "Top Growth" school," according to a Clovis Municipal Schools news release.

 

The Public Education Department recently awarded funds to schools that received an "A" under the new statewide accountability system and those recognized as a "Top Growth" school.

 

Awarded funds must be used to purchase books and instructional materials.

 

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Deming/ Agriscience Teacher Susan Swope Sends FFA Students to Nationals for 4th Year

 

By Terry Meyers

Deming Headlight

October 17, 2012

 

Red Mountain Middle School Agriscience teacher Susan Swope has led the FFA (Future Farmers of America) students to national competition for a fourth straight year. The National FFA Agriscience Fair competition is slated for Oct. 23-26, in Indianapolis.

 

The students qualified for nationals by placing at the state level competition held at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

• The qualifying process changed for this years competition.
• Students had to finish first in their respective division and
• also submit a complete a written research report which was scored.

Students Tee Pickett and Shelbie Peterson qualified for the Junior High Environment Service and Natural Resources category. Both students are now freshman at Deming High School.

 

Pickett and Peterson studied the efficiently of water turbines verses wind turbines. They found wind turbines to be more efficient.

Stephanie Swope and Taylor Scepka qualified for the High School Food Products and Processing Systems category.

 

Swope and Scepka studied 10 white mice after being given a half a millimeter, or less, of an energy drink for three days. The conclusion was that energy drinks do stimulate the body, resulting in an increase of activity. The students also found the mice crashed quickly resulting in low activity.

 

"I am excited for these students," Swope said. "The quality of their projects has improved. They have a good chance to win this year (at nationals)."

 

The FFA Agriscience fair is a competition for FFA members who are interested in technology and the science of agriculture. Students must be in grades seven through 12.

 

Each year, nearly 55,000 FFA members gather at the nationals to learn about future careers in the industry of agriculture. The FFA envisions a future where all agricultural education students can plan their life interests through their passion in careers in the field of agricultural.

 

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Miami FL/ Florida Officials Defend Racial and Ethnic Learning Goals

 

By Lizette Alvarez

New York Times

October 17, 2012

 

When the Florida Board of Education voted this month to set different goals for student achievement in reading and math by race and ethnicity, among other guidelines, the move was widely criticized as discriminatory and harmful to blacks and Hispanics.

 

But the state, which has been required to categorize achievement by racial, ethnic and other groups to the federal government for more than 10 years, intends to stand by its new strategic plan.

 

Education officials say the targets, set for 2018, have been largely misunderstood.

 

The end goal, they say, is that all students will be reading and doing math at grade level by 2023; the six-year goal is an interim step.

• The goals are calculated as part of a waiver granted by the federal government under its No Child Left Behind law.
• Florida is one of several states required to cut its achievement gap in half for all students by 2018, including those who are black, Hispanic, white, Asian, low-income, disabled or speak English as a second language.

The number of ill-prepared students in Florida remains troubling, as do the differences by race and ethnicity:

• 38 percent of black students currently read at grade level.
• That compares with 53 percent of Hispanics, 69 percent of whites and 76 percent of Asians.

In Florida, halving the achievement gap means that by 2018,

• 72 percent of low-income children,
• 74 percent of black students, 81 percent of Hispanics,
• 88 percent of white students and
• 90 percent of Asians should be reading at grade level.

The projected gains would be larger for those on the lower end of the scale.

 

"This is a snapshot of roughly halfway through that 10-year mark," said the Florida education commissioner, Pam Stewart. "The 100 percent is the ultimate goal, and that is stated within the strategic plan."

 

But parent advocacy groups, and some school board presidents and superintendents, said establishing lower goals for black and Hispanic students sends a disturbing message that those students are not as capable as others.

• "Setting goals on skin color implies it somehow affects what is being measured," said Melissa J. Erickson, president of Fund Education Now, a parent-driven advocacy organization in a letter sent Wednesday to the federal Department of Education. "I believe our nation long ago abandoned this type of view."
• Superintendents also say there is an element of uncertainty in the targets because the state will introduce a new national assessment in two years.

"We have no idea how students will perform or how individual subgroups will differ in their performance," said the Miami-Dade County schools superintendent, Alberto M. Carvalho, calling it "unthinkable" that the state would set these goals at this time.

 

But Florida is not alone in setting interim goals by race and other categories. An analysis this week by Education Week found that of the 34 states with new accountability plans, only 8 set the same targets for all students.

 

Many students in Florida and elsewhere lag far behind the goals first stated by No Child Left Behind, the 2001 federal law that requires schools to measure student achievement, make improvements or be held accountable. Under the law, all students were expected to become fully proficient in reading and math by 2014.

 

But most states, including Florida, need more time to hit that mark, which is why they have requested waivers. The waivers allow for more realistic goals and delay the target date, in Florida's case until 2023.

 

"If you look historically at the achievement gap, we have not moved that gap much," Ms. Stewart said. "I believe it is a bold target that we are looking to reach. I think one of the first things we can do is actually look at the gap. I can't change something if I don't look it."

 

In a recent speech, Arne Duncan, the federal secretary of education, said he was less concerned about how targets are set and more focused on the end result. "The result that matters most is whether kids are learning and gaps are narrowing," he said.

 

Amy Wilkins, the vice president for government affairs and communications for the Education Trust, a Washington-based group that advocates for low-income students, said taking a hard look at the data by race, ethnicity and other high-risk categories is crucial to helping students succeed.

 

"Because these are hard conversations to have, it doesn't mean we can avoid them," she said. "Unless we look at the fact that blacks and Latino kids are doing dreadfully and demand progress and demand that schools do better by them, we won't solve the problem."

 

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Vancouver BC/ Open Education Resources Encourage Teachers to Tinker

 

By Katie Ash

Education Week [Edweek.org]

October 17, 2012

 

Educators often argue that they need more control over the development of the curriculum they are teaching. Open education resources may be the answer, said several educators during presentations at the Open Education Conference here in Vancouver on Tuesday.

• "The nature of using [open educational resources] allows teachers to do what they do best-to tinker, to teach, to change, to evolve-all in response to students," said Sarah Weston, the technology and curriculum director at the Open High School of Utah.

Teachers at the Open High School create their own courses and curricula entirely from free and open resources.

• While it can be challenging to pull together so many disparate resources to form a comprehensive course, it also has its benefits, said Weston. "It encourages constant revision," she said.
• "Our teachers are always wanting to go in and change things," especially since new resources are frequently being developed, she said.
• And another big advantage is that all of the resources that the teacher creates and finds do not leave the school or district when he or she decides to move on. Instead, they are available for other teachers to use, so that the same materials do not have to be created over and over again.

To determine how well the curriculum is working, teachers base their decisions about curricula on student feedback as well as data, said Weston.

• Data such as how long students use certain parts of the curriculum, as well as achievement data help to inform teachers about what aspects of the curriculum should be changed or revised.
• In the end, it is open education resources, data, and good teaching that work together to form the vision for Open High School, she said.

In a different session on Tuesday, Alana Harrington, the project director of Saylor.org, talked about different partnerships that the foundation, which provides online, open, self-paced courses for higher education students, is working on developing with colleges and universities to ensure that students can receive college credit for the work they do on Saylor.org.

 

So far, the organization has partnered with CLEP (the College Level Examination Program) as well as the National College Credit Recommendation Service, or NCCRS, to align certain Saylor.org courses to those examinations that students can take in order to receive credit for those courses.

 

The organization has not done much work in the K-12 sector, focusing on higher education instead, which also seems to be a theme here at the Open Education Conference. While there are some K-12 education members represented here, they are vastly outnumbered by their peers in higher education, reflecting the broader atmosphere of the open education movement, which has gained a stronger foothold in higher education than K-12.

 

Cynthia Jimes, the director of research at the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, or ISKME, which operates the OER Commons, spoke at that session about the institute's work mapping out the different types of recognition that students are receiving for open courses. 3 types of recognition have emerged, she said, ranging from digital badges to certificates of completion to formal degrees and course credit.

 

How closely the organization providing the open courses is associated with a formal school system (be it K-12 or higher ed.) typically determines which type of recognition the student receives, with the closest associated partnerships receiving degrees and course credit and the organizations most distanced from formal institutions of learning awarding badges or certificates of completion.

 

Jimes also emphasized that providers of open courses should not miss an opportunity to develop deep and meaningful partnerships with institutes of learning as well as the workforce to more closely tie content in open courses to usable skills needed in the job market.

 

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Boston MA/ Dual Enrollment Linked with Significant College Advantage

 

By Caralee Adams

Education Week [Edweek.org]

October 17, 2012

 

New research shows students who get a taste of college while still in high school are much more likely to continue their education and complete a degree.

 

Jobs for the Future, the education research nonprofit based in Boston, conducted an extensive study following 32,908 Texas high school students who graduated in 2004 for six years.

• Half participated in dual enrollment programs and half did not.
• The two groups had similar academic and social backgrounds.

The results are striking endorsement of the model.

 

JFF found dual enrollment students were:

• 2.2 times more likely to enroll in a Texas two- or four-year college;
• 2.0 times more likely to return for a second year of college; and
• 1.7 times more likely to complete a college degree.

These findings held for all racial groups, as well as for students from low-income backgrounds.

• While 54 percent of dual enrollment high school graduates earned a college degree,
• just 37 percent of those in the control group did the same.
• Looking at bachelor's degrees, 47 percent of those in dual enrollment completed at a four-year college compared to
• 30 percent of non-dual enrollment graduates.

"The theory behind dual enrollment is that enabling high school students to experience real college coursework is one of the best ways to prepare them for college success," according to the JFF report.

 

The organization recommends policymakers expand dual enrollment as a way to enhance college readiness and state policy should ensure low-income and underrepresented students can take advantage of the courses by providing more preparation and support for these populations.

 

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Denver CO/ Cash Incentives for Colorado Students a Study in Progress

 

By Kevin Simpson

The Denver Post

October 18, 2012

 

There's a reward waiting for Moises Banuelos if he passes the standardized tests in three Advanced Placement classes he's taking this semester at Denver's Abraham Lincoln High School : $100 for each qualifying score.

 

"It shows that hard work pays off," said Banuelos, 16, who hopes to receive the money from a program channeled through the Colorado Legacy Foundation. "If you really study your butt off and get a good turn out, it should be recognized with an incentive."

 

As educators continue to debate the effectiveness - or even the propriety - of using financial rewards to boost academic achievement, Colorado has moved forward, and the National Math and Science Initiative-backed program soon will operate in 30 schools.

• It aims to increase participation among students who traditionally don't enroll in AP classes.
• Already, it has posted big gains in some schools that regard it as a cost-effective way to advance achievement.

"What we found was that the small cash incentive of $100 for each qualifying score will get your attention," said Heather Fox, spokeswoman for the Colorado Legacy Foundation. "But you have to want to do the work. It's a huge commitment on the part of the students."

 

But the basic question, says Tony Lewis of the reform-minded Donnell-Kay Foundation, is what constitutes the primary motivator in education.

 

"When students are provided rigorous, relevant, exciting curricula, that's the motivator, not money," Lewis said. "To think that we could turn it on its head through economics, I don't think is right - or fundamentally works."

 

More than money

NMSI has pumped nearly $80 million into the program in 462 schools in nine states, but the group's senior vice president, Gregg Fleisher, says incentives alone don't make it work.

• A mix of teacher training and student support, including weekend study sessions, constitute the majority of the investment.
• Students generally have the $89 per test cost covered, as well.
• But incentives do drive students to make "appropriate choices" and ultimately help change the academic culture within a school, he said.

"We don't want to give the message that you get paid for doing what you're supposed to be doing - but for achieving something difficult," Fleisher said. "They have to work hundreds of hours to get $100 in August."

 

Incentive for achievement is "consistent in the academic landscape," he said. "We can do it the old-fashioned way, with trying to recruit students, encouraging them, having campaigns to get them to take this. But the incentives help us accelerate change in the culture in those schools.

 

"Once they're in those classes, it's all about the attainment. Nobody ever mentions the incentives."

 

Michaela Taylor, 17, and a senior at Widefield High School near Colorado Springs, jumped into the school's AP program - before she knew about the cash incentives - because she felt it gave her an edge in the college admissions process.

 

She recently received a check for $200. Although she plans to put it toward college books, she has seen classmates use the cash for everything from savings to a down payment on a car.

 

And this year, she's taking five AP classes.

 

Without the incentive, she said, "I feel there would not be as many kids taking, let alone passing, AP classes. I don't look at it as bribery."

 

As an economist who has turned her attention to education, Kristin Klopfenstein has no philosophical objection to incentives for students - as long as the incentives work.

• But the problem with the cash payments in the AP program, which she has studied virtually from its inception in Texas in the late 1990s, is that the data don't show those incentives necessarily lead to better results.
• Klopfenstein, now the executive director of the Education Innovation Institute at the University of Northern Colorado, examined the program in Texas expecting to publish a paper confirming the conventional wisdom that the incentives worked.
• "But once I controlled for other courses that were taken, the resources of the school, other characteristics, it was quite easy to make the AP effect go away," she said.

The problem with research supporting the AP program, she added, is that most studies haven't controlled for other variables, so there's no way to know whether the incentives are responsible for the bump. Plus, the schools chosen for the AP program aren't randomly selected.

 

One study, by Harvard economist Roland Fryer, remains what she considers the "gold standard" of a randomized control trial.

• That study handed out $6.3 million to about 20,000 students at 261 urban schools to gauge the effect of incentives on achievement.
• It found that achievement didn't improve as a result of direct payments, but students responded more favorably to "input" incentives.
•  In other words, incentives that encouraged students to do the kinds of things that lead to better results - such as reading books - are more effective than incentives for an end result like test scores.

Although Klopfenstein says proponents of the AP program are "fighting the good fight," she remains unconvinced that the incentives work, or even that the professional development provided to teachers in the program is adequate.

 

"At heart, I'm an empiricist. Show me the data," she said. "And the data I've seen has yet to convince me that it's anything other than these are the kids who would have done well anyway, or they're in a setting where there were other reforms happening."

 

Teacher incentives

In the NMSI program, teachers also earn $100 per passing score. At Widefield, the average reward has been about $2,000, assistant principal for curriculum and instruction Megan Houtchins said.

 

But she adds that she considers the money a nice recognition for the extra hours they put in - not a game-changer.

 

Maureen Blunt, who has taught AP classes at Widefield for 12 years, sees the cash as an expression of commitment from the sponsoring organizations.

 

"But I can say for myself and those I know well," Blunt said, "the same work would be put in without the incentive."

 

In her AP literature and composition classes, Blunt sees a group of students already highly motivated. She figures that it isn't the cash that's driving the program.

 

"You don't win the tournament to get the trophy," she said. "That $100 is not going to be make-or-break for these kids, but it's a little trophy with their name on it."