What We're Watching: November - December 2009

This month's Education topic blogger is Laurie Posner, MPA, Education Associate at the Intercultural Development Research Association. We asked for her take on major education-related developments to watch in the coming months.

**DRAFT - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION**

The Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) is a nonprofit organization, working across research, policy and practice to improve the quality of public education. Our mission is to create schools that work for all children. So we’re deeply concerned when trends suggest that the quality of education is stagnant or slow to improve. There’s also reason for hope, capitalizing on the commitment of educators, family, and community leaders across the country who are making a difference, drawing on a growing body of research and knowledge, and hearing from young people themselves about what their futures should be and how to help them prepare.

Here are several of the trends we’re tracking and working on:

Graduation gaps and school “holding power.” High dropout rates are a grave, persistent problem for the country. At a time when education matters more than ever, nearly one in three high school students does not graduate with a regular diploma. Graduation rates have improved for socome student groups, but serious disparities persist.

In October, IDRA released our 24^th annual Texas attrition study (http://www.idra.org/Research/Attrition/); the findings mirror trends across the nation. Looking longitudinally, we see all-too limited gains statewide and a disturbing upward trend in the graduation gap: Compared to 1985, the gap between African American and Hispanic students and their white peers has widened significantly. Like achievement gaps, “graduation gaps” demand our attention. Longitudinal data of this kind, captured through a consistent counting methodology, can help us track—and act on—trends.

We also need to look beyond diplomas to opening paths for all youth after secondary school. At IDRA, we focus on "school holding power" as a way to spotlight the actions that schools and communities can take to hold on to all students and prepare them for college or work.

Accessibility of data, knowledge for action. Education data is no panacea. It can miss key questions, focus attention on the wrong issues, or be misused. But having good information is also essential to making change and making sure we’re on the right track.

Historically, education data has been a tattered patchwork quilt. But, generally speaking, education data is more readily available today to a wider number of people who care about public education. In 2005, for example, all 50 states committed to setting a common formula for calculating high school graduation rates. The Graduation Counts Compact was a major step forward. It has the potential to create comparable counts and measurements but we need to see it through.

That said, online school rankings and ratings are superficial tools if our project is real school improvement. For that, we need to combine high quality online data with local, in-person strategy and action.

Commitment, energy to tap. Over the past few years, community organizing, research findings and local and state dropout summits have raised awareness about dropout rates. Now, we need to translate this energy and commitment into concrete action that is meaningful, avoids past mistakes, and leverages what’s been learned. One way to frame a comprehensive plan is to draw on IDRA’s Quality Schools Action Framework.

To learn more, visit School Change Strategies, a podcast conversation with IDRA president and CEO Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel on this action model.

Family and community partnerships. We need to make sure that quality data is available and useful not only to schools but also to families and communities. There are many great examples of how people are using "actionable knowledge" to spur change -- from the Parents for Public Schools (PPS) Schoolhouse to Statehouse initiative to the community organizing efforts recently profiled by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.

Note from SparkAction: Check out the podcast with Aurelio Montemayor, director of the Texas PIRC, about why family engagement matters and how to make it work.

Valuing youth, without exception. Valuing youth, in concrete terms, means making sure that youth of all backgrounds and in every zip code are engaged in learning that is relevant and challenging. But for many students, futures are narrowed from the start.
High quality instruction. Teaching quality was a centerpiece of No Child Left Behind, but we’re far from making sure that teachers, particularly in under-resourced schools, have the preparation and ongoing support they need to innovate and succeed. We need to apply what is already known and learn more about securing high quality teaching for all students and start early with what works in early childhood education to help prepare students for the future. Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond has pointed out in her work that schools are sometimes constructed as if teaching and relationships didn’t matter. As a result, some efforts to improve teaching lack a nuanced recognition of teaching and learning—and can actually undermine it. (For more on this discussion, visit: http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/today2.html) To learn more about a model for creating early childhood centers for excellence, see: idra.org/Quality_Early_Education/Initiatives/IDRA_Early_Childhood_Centers_of_Excellence_Model/)
Disciplinary “mission creep.” We need to secure school safety but guard against mission creep in disciplinary programs. Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) were set up in the 1990s (1995 in Texas) to address serious criminal offenses and threats to school safety. But studies of disciplinary programs and zero tolerance policies by IDRA, Texas Appleseed and other independent researchers are finding that only about one in four youth are referred to DAEPs for serious offenses. Students as young as six years old are referred out of kindergarten classes, and minority youth and youth with disabilities are far more likely to be referred. Once in alternative schools, students score lower in reading and mathematics and are five times more likely to drop out. To find out more, see Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in Texas – A 2009 Update (http://www.idra.org/images/stories/IDRA%20DAEP%20Policy%20Update%20March%202009.pdf) by Albert Cortez, Ph.D., and Josie Danini Cortez, M.A. For a story on Disciplinary Policy aired on NPR, highlighting findings from a study by Texas Appleseed, visit: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11363621
Changing perceptions, outcomes. IDRA has found that programs like the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, which engages students at risk of dropping out as tutors of younger students, can help turn deficit perceptions, and outcomes, around. IDRA is in its 25^th year of implementing the program in the U.S. and other countries and sees a 98 percent success rate of participating students staying in school. Tutors often tell us that being selected for the program was the first time they’d felt valued—ever—and they rise to the occasion. (To find out more, visit Continuities – Lessons for the Future of Education from the IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program). But even the most effective dropout prevention programs need to be linked to broader efforts to improve the quality of education, if we are going to make a dramatic difference.
Achieving educational quality, equity for English Language Learners. Over 5 million students in the country are English language learners. In 20 states, the population of English language learners (ELLs) has more than doubled in the past decade. We urgently need to ramp up our capacity to serve English learners, particularly in places that have little experience. As it stands, over 70 percent of 8th graders who are English language learners score below “basic” in mathematics and reading. But rather than raising the bar on education quality for English learners, many states are seeking to set up vocational tracks. For a set of state and national recommendations, see: Education of English Language Learners in U.S. and Texas Schools – Where We Are, What We Have Learned and Where We Need to Go from Here – A 2009 IDRA Update by Albert Cortez, Ph.D., and Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D. (http://www.idra.org/Education_Policy.htm/English_Language_Learner_Education/)
We all have a stake in making sure youth of all backgrounds get a world-class education, are valued and thrive. The good news is that together we have what it takes, if we have the will, to bring this about.

Laurie Posner, MPA, is the Education Associate at Intercultural Development Research Association. Read her bio here.

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