Phoenix Schools Tackle Dropout Rate

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Phoenix Schools Tackle Dropout Rate

The schools in the United States are considered to be n crisis due to the soaring student dropout rate. In his first State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush stated that the national dropout rate was 25 percent.

A recent study conducted by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University puts the current national dropout rate at 25 to 30 percent. Additionally, it indicated that males have the highest dropout rate of 20 to 30 percent and are most likely t risk of not graduating from high school with a diploma.

It is said that when a student drops out of school, he/she drops into the criminal justice system. In 2002, the U.S. incarcerated its two millionth person. Of those in prison at the time, 82 percent were high school dropouts.

Dropouts cost our economy billions of dollars each year, and not just from the cost of incarceration. They are an undereducated work force that retards our economic and social development. Businesses cannot depend upon a large portion of graduating students to fill much-needed jobs, which translates to lost government tax revenues. State governments lose money through welfare payments, unemployment and crime prevention programs. Governments, from the president to the local level, have discovered that if they do not pay for programs to decrease the dropout rate now, they will pay much more in the future.

According to the study, the dropout rates vary dramatically by location and racial/ethnic background. The state of Arizona was cited in the study as one of the five states with the lowest graduation rate for 18 year olds. Thus, Phoenix Schools, along with the Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne, have made dropout prevention a top priority.

There are three types of dropouts:

Dropouts students who stop coming to school,
Drop-In Dropouts students who come to school but do nothing while they are there, and
Forced-Out Dropouts students who were ounseled out by school counselors and administrators.

Phoenix Schools are addressing all three types of dropouts. Their initiatives are focused on engaging the students, rather than excluding them. They know that programs alone will not change the dropout rate. Only people and relationships can make a difference.

Phoenix schools work with businesses, community organizations and others to identify and develop effective strategies for keeping students in school. They are working to improve student academic success, believing that the high school renewal initiatives are directly linked to a decreased dropout rate. Phoenix schools are focusing on fixing the system, not the student.

Every student in the state of Arizona must now pass three tests in order to graduate high school. The tests measure the students knowledge against required state standards. Phoenix schools are focusing on the students who do not meet the state required standards. They are tackling their needs by:

Addressing the students skill gaps through a state-funded tutoring program,
Providing the students with their own tutorial guides, customized to their individual needs, and
Using state-funded tutors, who are qualified to help the students learn the required skills in order to achieve a passing score on the standardized tests.

Phoenix schools are committed to reducing the dropout rate in their schools. Though it is a lengthy and ever changing process, they know the importance of their task. Phoenix schools know they have an obligation to the students and their parents, as well as the businesses and community to improve their dropout rates. More skilled and diploma-graduated students mean better-prepared adults and a better Phoenix.

New York City Schools And Teachers Union Join Forces To Attr

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New York City Schools And Teachers Union Join Forces To Attr

Like many other school districts in large, metropolitan cities, New York City Schools currently have a shortage of qualified teachers, especially in the most challenging schools. Though state law requires teachers in the targeted critical subject areas of mathematics, science and special education to be certified, there are 600 positions now held by teachers without the proper credentials. This shortage, which covers all grades in the middle and high schools, demanded an innovative solution to the problem.

New York City schools and the United Federation of Teachers developed a creative method to fill the need for experienced, certified teachers a new housing support program. It is considered one of the most concerted and generous programs aimed at recruiting teachers in subject areas with the worse shortages. The joint effort is a rare example of cooperation between the two parties.

The housing support program gives incentives worth up to $15,000 to certified teachers in the shortage areas. The initial payment incentive is up to $5,000 for housing-related expenses. These expenses include relocation costs, down payment on a mortgage, and rental fees and deposits. This initial payment is followed by a monthly housing stipend of $400 for a two-year period.

Additionally, the New York City schools and teachers union have partnered with the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development to provide home ownership assistance to these teachers. This will include home ownership counseling and access to down payment assistance for eligible teachers and their families.

To qualify for the housing support program, teachers must have at least two years teaching experience, be able to pass a rigorous selection process, and be willing to commit to teach in New York City schools for at least three years. Former New York City schools teachers with two years teaching experience, certified and have been out of the New York City schools system for at least two years also are eligible for the program. Teachers already living in the New York City schools area and wish to switch to the city schools could use the money for existing rent and mortgage payments.

The innovative program creates an opportunity for all members of the teachers union to avail themselves of these housing subsidies and defray the higher cost of housing in the New York City schools area. It is one of the most aggressive housing incentive programs in the United States. In comparison, Chicago schools offer a $7,500 subsidy, while California offers up to $20,000 but all of it must be repaid.

The New York City schools are strategically recruiting with trips to the state of California, which has comparable housing costs, as well as other states in the northwestern and southeastern areas of the United States. Additionally, an advertising campaign will promote the New York City schools program in the local and national newspapers, as well as other print and electronic media. The New York City schools are hoping to hire an extra 100 teachers for the 2006-07 school year. Teachers hired will begin work in a high-need middle or high school, where these teachers are most in demand.

The new housing support program will make a real difference to underserved students and gives a competitive advantage to the New York City schools.

New Monitoring And Appraisal Systems For Higher Scholastic A

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New Monitoring And Appraisal Systems For Higher Scholastic A

Two new achievement systems have been developed and implemented for the Houston Schools a school board monitoring system and a new appraisal system for the superintendent. The district is committed to improving student achievement, as well as earning the confidence and support of the community. The two systems set new standards for the administrative structure and systematic improvement process for higher scholastic achievement in the Houston schools.

In 2001, Houston schools instituted a Declaration of Beliefs and Visions, which defined for school employees and the community what the district stands for and where it is going. The five goals put forth in the declaration are to:

Increase student achievement,
Increase management efficiency,
Bring all school facilities up to standard,
Improve public support and confidence in the Houston schools, and
Create a positive district culture.

The declaration determined to accomplish these goals through:

An educational structure built upon the relationship between teacher and student,
Decentralization and shared decision making,
A common core of academic subjects for all students, and
Focus upon performance, not compliance.

The two new systems for the Houston schools provide a roadmap to achieve and measure the progress of these goals. Both are detailed and objective, providing a systematic means for meaningful and quantifiable organizational improvement.

Board Monitoring System

The monitoring system is comprehensive and demanding with data-driven accountability. It requires the superintendent to submit regular reports to the trustees on key education issues. These issues are student academic progress and readiness for college, quality of teachers, and how effectively funds are used in support of student instruction.

The reports must be in a specific, standardized format for future comparison. This includes what exactly is to be reported, how it is to be reported (using easy-to-understand data and bar charts), and how often the reports are to be submitted. The board wants nothing to be left to interpretation or guesswork, believing this too often is the cause of misperceptions formed of large, urban school districts. The information is to be used by the board for monitoring purposes, as well as provided to students, parents, teachers, the community, and the news media.

Superintendent Performance Appraisal System

The complement to the Board Monitoring System is the new performance appraisal system for the superintendent, which is expected to drive the focus for the Houston schools from the superintendent down to the classroom teacher. The system is objective and quantifiable, allowing the board to focus their attention on the performance levels the Houston schools need to reach. It requires more in-depth reporting and analysis of educational issues than the state of Texas currently requires. Specific goals of the appraisal system are to improve academic performance, management efficiency, and public and employee confidence and satisfaction.

The specific Houston schools educational issues that directly impact students and addressed by both new systems are:

Dropout and graduation rates the aim is an 85 percent graduation rate by the 2006-07 school year;
Achievement gaps by student groups, broken down by ethnicity, economic status, and gender;
Number and percentage of students:

Who are promoted to the next grade, as well as those held back,
Served by special education programs, as well as those who have moved out and no longer need these programs,
Receiving the highest scores on the state-mandated achievement test, and
Who take exams for advanced placement courses and those who pass these courses; and

Student college readiness, including:

The college-ready scores from the state-mandated achievement test,
Number and percentage of students taking dual-credit courses, earning college credit while in high school,
Number and percentage of students who graduate under the state Recommended High School Program, and
Number and percentage of students who score above the national average on the S.A.T.

Other issues addressed that indirectly affect student achievement are:

Teachers attendance rates;
Number of teachers teaching outside of their areas of certification;
The effectiveness of tax dollars spent on teaching and the learning process;
he effectiveness of educational programs costing $1 million or more, and whether they should be modified or discontinued;
School employee attitudes toward the Houston schools board and their work environment;
Progress in bringing Houston schools facilities up to standard;
Public perceptions about the Houston schools board and its direction; and
Progress in achieving a ecognized status as an accountable school district.

Both systems outline expectations, set clear direction for action and improvement of quality education, facilitate regular and ongoing discussion for program effectiveness, use straightforward data, and hold the entire organization of the Houston schools accountable. Both systems were developed to evolve and change in response to the Houston schools board and community demand for better education for the students and ever-increasing accountability.