National education issues
If you’ve been waiting to see “Bully,” the documentary opens 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, at the Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay St. in Bellingham.
Filmed during the 2009-2010 school year, “Bully” focuses on the painful lives of bullied children, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders, according to the filmmaker.
The film is directed by Lee Hirsch, a Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker.
Don’t wait too long to see the 98-minute documentary. For now, it looks like it’s running just through Thursday, May 24, at the Pickford.
Hopefully, “Bully” will attract a wider audience — specifically kids — since its initial R rating has been dropped to PG-13.
Click here and here to read the news release and a story on the controversy that surrounded the R rating, and the battle to change it to PG-13.
The trailer is below.
Paul Farhi writes in American Journalism Review that most mainstream reporters are failing when it comes to coverage of the U.S. education system.
Despite media reports about “failing” schools and the need for “reform,” Farhi argues that educational attainment in the U.S. “has never been higher.”
Click here to read “Flunking the Test” by Farhi, who is senior contributing writer for the review and a reporter for the Washington Post.
As expected, Washington state is asking the federal government to be freed from No Child Left Behind.
State Superintendent Randy Dorn announced Wednesday, Feb. 15, that he will apply for a waiver.
“My office also looked at hundreds of comments from the general public,” Dorn said in a news release. “I talked to many people in districts and schools and worked closely with the State Board of Education on the application. Schools need to be relieved from the burden of No Child Left Behind and focus their time and energy on helping our students succeed.”
Ten states already have received a waiver. They are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
The federal law requires states to test students in reading and math in grades 3–8 and once in high school.
All students must meet or exceed state standards in reading and math by 2014, but many school districts across the country said the goals were unrealistic.
The news release is below.
OLYMPIA — February 15, 2012 — State Superintendent Randy Dorn announced today that he would apply for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind sanctions.
“My office also looked at hundreds of comments from the general public,” Dorn said. “I talked to many people in districts and schools and worked closely with the State Board of Education on the application. Schools need to be relieved from the burden of No Child Left Behind and focus their time and energy on helping our students succeed.”
If approved, Washington state would be relieved of Adequate Yearly Progress rules. Current AYP rules include increasing consequences for Title I schools and districts that do not meet certain percentage levels of students passing state tests each year. In 2011, roughly two out of every three schools in Washington did not meet AYP.
Schools that do not meet AYP two or more years in a row are considered in a “step” of improvement. Those schools must set aside 20 percent of their Title I money for supplemental educational services and for students who might request school choice. A waiver would eliminate the set-aside requirement.
As an alternative to current AYP rules, Washington would set annual measurable objectives that focus on the proficiency gaps between different groups of students. By 2017, the gaps would be half of what they were in 2011.
“By looking at the achievement gap, our plan focuses on the students most in need,” Dorn said. “Our intent is for the 20 percent of set-aside money to get those students individualized help.”
States requesting a waiver must establish and meet four principles:
- College and career-ready expectations for all students;
- State-developed differentiated recognition, accountability and support;
- Support for effective instruction and leadership; and
- Reducing duplication and unnecessary burden.
Washington has met all four principles. In 2011, the state adopted the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math, and it is a lead state in the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium. The state is adopting a new accountability system. It also in 2010 passed historical legislation that will change the way teachers and principals are evaluated. Finally, reducing duplication is an ongoing task in all states.
No Child Left Behind refers to the 2002 iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), first passed by the U.S. Congress in the mid-1960s. NCLB was scheduled to be reauthorized in 2007, but Congress could not agree on a reauthorization package, which meant the existing law stayed in effect.
“Congress really needs to do its job and rewrite No Child Left Behind,” Dorn said. “The law raised a lot of awareness that all students need to be proficient in math and reading. Unfortunately, it also punished schools and districts unfairly, and it set unrealistic goals that no school or district can meet.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education announced that 10 of the 11 states that initially applied for waivers were approved, and the department is working with the 11th state.
A copy of the draft of Washington’s waiver application can be found athttp://www.k12.wa.us/ESEA/Pubdocs/DraftFlexibilityRequest.pdf. The final application is due Feb. 28.
Community colleges have been in the spotlight this week, from President Obama calling on Congress to create an $8 billion fund to train community college students for high-growth industries, to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s speech on Wednesday, Feb. 15, before the American Association of Community Colleges — Congressional Forum.
The Washington state Democrat gave the speech to community college trustees, presidents and other advocates.
Here’s the text of her speech. Continue reading
The Mt. Baker FFA Forestry team recently won 4th place at the National FFA Forestry Career Development Event in Indiana.
Team members included: senior Jameson Strachila, recent graduate Gavin McGovern, Bryce Postleawit, Carsen Monaghan and Gabe Jacoby. Strachila also placed 14th as an individual, and McGovern placed 18th.
In all, 37 teams competed in events including: tree identification, identifying a block of wood, and an interview about the Endangered Species Act and the importance of protecting those species.
According to Todd Rightmire, FFA advisor, this is the highest a Washington State team has placed in the national event.
This is the fifth time the Mt. Baker FFA has advanced to the national competition, after winning state titles each year since 2007.
The U.S. Department of Education has announced a new competition for environmentally-friendly schools.
The new program, called Green Ribbon Schools, will honor schools that promote environmental literacy, reduce environmental impacts and reduce operating expenses through green initiatives.
It will be up to state and federal-level education officials to nominate schools. From my understanding, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction could nominate up to 4 Washington schools.
Schools will be judged based on their commitments to three “Green Ribbon Schools Pillars and Elements.”
- environmental impact and energy efficiency
- healthy school environments
- environmental and sustainability education
In Whatcom County, many schools already have green initiatives. Examples include food-to-flowers composting in cafeterias, paper and plastic recycling programs, environmentally-focused service-learning, school gardens and more. Plus a few districts are taking part in energy-efficiency programs, with electricity usage specifically dropping over the past few years.
Nominations are due to the U.S. Department of Education in March. National winners will be announced in May. Details have not been released about how schools can seek nomination by state officials.
For more information, visit the program website.
The press release about the program is below the jump.
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