In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) … Your mini news clippings
The Elections and New Orleans Education Reform
John Bel Edwards and David Vitter are “night and day” on major education issues. These differences are very apparent in how they answered the questionnaire from the Louisiana School Board Association about charter schools and the RSD.
A recent Advocate editorial said Edwards may be more informed than Vitter about the failure of charters in East Baton Rouge, but Vitter’s position on charter schools is the right one – students in New Orleans are much better off today than they were pre-Katrina, and charters are a critical component of that success.
While both the Tea Party and teacher union activists oppose Common Core (as do Edwards and Vitter), the “manufactured controversy” didn’t resonate with most statewide voters in the recent BESE elections.
More on High School Performance Scores
High schools across the state are showing significant improvement, but Louisiana standards are not in line with national standards for college readiness – at least not yet. Currently, Louisiana considers an A-graded high school to be one where: 75 percent of students graduate on time; the average ACT score is at least 18; and the average EOC score is Good or above. Beginning in 2016-17, the state will start to raise the bar on every performance measure so that in 10 years, the majority of students in A-rated schools will be college and career ready.
The Times-Picayune has published a list of High School Performance Scores for area parishes.
National Stories
Results from the 2015 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), better known as the Nation’s Report Card, were not good. The nation’s 4th and 8th graders declined in math for the first time in 25 years, and 8th graders also declined in reading. Louisiana fared better, improving in 4th grade reading and math. A recent study from the Urban Institute shows once you control for demographics, nearly every state performs about the same on NAEP.
Oxytocin (the so-called “love hormone”) may help improve social skills in autistic children, according to a new Australian study.
The video of a South Carolina police officer dragging a student across her classroom has New Orleans teachers talking, not only about police brutality but about how schools should handle children who don’t follow the rules.
Louisiana Headlines
State Superintendent John White says he will be working with local districts to identify ways to reduce and streamline Louisiana’s standardized tests.
Local News
A Tulane University psychology professor received a $2.6 million grant from the National Institute of Justice to study students who have been exposed to trauma and how best to address their social, emotional and behavioral needs.
When Educate Now! released its analysis of the 2014-15 PARC results, we did not have results for Type 2 charters. Lycee Francais has advised us 56% of their students scored Mastery or above in English and math, placing them in the top four schools in the city for PARCC performance.
Announcements
The Silverback Society is looking to recruit men as mentors for eighth grade boys to help lead them “toward proud, productive, and responsible manhood.” For more information, visit their website www.silverbacksociety.com.