U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is a big cheerleader for school choice. And way before she came into office, states around the country were adopting tax-credit scholarships, education savings accounts, and more.
So has all that translated into a big bonanza for school choice in states’ Every Student Succeeds Act plans? Not really.
To be sure, ESSA isn’t a school choice law. School choice fans in Congress weren’t able to persuade their colleagues to include Title I portability in the law, which would have allowed federal funding to follow students to the public school of their choice.
However, the law does has some limited avenues for states to champion various types of school choice options. But only a handful of states are taking advantage of those opportunities, according to reviews of the plans by Education Week and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
School Improvement: At least 12 states say they want schools that are perennially low-performing to consider reopening as charter schools to boost student achievement. Those states are Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
Read the full article here: May require an Education Week subscription.
Public school systems throughout the nation will now be required to be a lot more transparent when it comes to school funding.
According to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2015, all public schools nationwide, will be required to give fully-detailed reports on how and where they spend institutional funding.
The ESSA reporting requirement for school funding begins in December 2019, and supporters of the rule, including the NAACP, believe it will help to encourage greater educational equity, particularly among schools serving large numbers of Black and Hispanic students in low-income neighborhoods.
“We need more equitable and adequate funding for all schools serving students of color,” said Victor Goode, the education director for the NAACP. “Why? Because education funding has been inadequate and unequal for students of color for hundreds of years. Second, privatization forces are working to eliminate our public schools and, with it, transparency, public accountability and access to all.”
Goode said that ESSA requires a breakdown of how student need is met with a focus on equity over equal distribution for funding.
Goode continued: “That explains the reason behind the school-by-school, per pupil spending report. This kind of public transparency is a good thing and can help provide more meaningful parental and community engagement, which is also essential to accountability and achieving educational equity.”
According to the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization, based in Washington, D.C., that conducts research on solving societal problems locally, nationwide and globally, to date minority students are still far more less likely than White students to have adequate school resources.
In addition, the Brookings Institution reported that schools with predominantly Black and Hispanic children, on average, are nearly twice as large as White schools—reaching an estimated 3,000 students or more in most cities, with lower-quality curriculum offerings and less qualified teachers (in terms of levels of education, certification, and training in the fields they teach), all of which George H. Lambert, Jr., president and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League, believes can be rectified through adequate funding.
“Through the availability of [ESSA] data, Black and [Hispanic] educators can begin to prove that Black and [Hispanic] students suffer from funding disparities and the lack of teachers in the classroom who look like them or represent their perspective,” Lambert said. “We need better, more transparent data on school funding. The availability of such data and our ability to access it forces greater urgency on what is, arguably the most important issue of our time.”
Lambert said that any discussion on educational equity should acknowledge the enormous achievement gaps that still plague Black and Hispanic students.
“If these gaps aren’t closed, our community doesn’t have much of a future,” Lambert said.” Even though high school graduation rates are better now than 30 years ago, we still face a situation where more than a quarter of Black students, for example, are dropping out. Most Black students in the largest U.S. cities are attending schools with high concentrations of poverty. Over half of our young, Black men are either dropping out or finishing K-12 late, hence 1 in 3 end up trapped in some fashion in the criminal justice system.”
Despite high approval from many civil rights organizations, school district administrators, like Robert Lowry, the deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents still believe that the new law might shine light on imbalanced revenue and create the perception that some students are being shortchanged, even when this may not be the case.
“We question whether the state officials would even have the expertise and the capacity to evaluate spending levels between schools,” Lowry told Education Week.
Though Lowry’s concerns may be valid, Lambert believes that full transparency is a plus.
“This is a good way to learn about flaws in the system and how those flaws are aggravated by a lack of Black and [Hispanic] expertise and perspective in the curriculum, the classroom and the leadership office,” Lambert said. “We can also find out if school districts with a larger number of Black and [Hispanic] educators are experiencing high levels of funding disparities and uneven attention from policymakers.”
For the first time ever, more than half of Louisiana’s high school graduates in 2017 were eligible for TOPS scholarships to attend college, according to the state’s Department of Education.
About 52 percent of 2017’s graduates statewide qualified for TOPS, according to a news release from the department. The increase in eligible students marks a gain of 18 percent since 2012, when 16,289 of graduates, or 45 percent, qualified for the scholarship program.
Eligibility is up in each of the four TOPS award categories, both compared with last year and with 2012, the department said.
In a released statement, Louisiana Superintendent John White called rising TOPS eligibility among graduates “another testament to the great work happening in K-12 classrooms across the state to prepare our students for success after high school.”
Number of students eligible for TOPS awards from 2012-2017
When Hurricane Harvey rolled through Houston causing massive destruction, the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity stepped up to the plate to help the community rebuild.
“We’re unique men who feel the need to help others. Our constant goal is to make sure mankind is doing better,” said Jeffery Williams, who serves as the Life Membership Board Regional Director for the Ninth District (Omega chapters in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas).
Williams also leads the Houston coalition of area Omegas, which is hosting their regional convention in Houston on March 21-25. (More than 3,000 members are expected to attend the conference). The Coalition began as a way to work together on programs and activities mandated by the fraternity and consists of seven graduate chapters (Nu Phi-Houston, Theta Chi-Prairie View, Rho Beta Beta-Houston, and Rho Xi-Freeport, Rho Nu – Galveston, Alpha Mu Mu – College Station, and Mu Mu Nu – Conroe, TX) and five undergraduate chapters: Tau Epsilon (Texas Southern University), Omega Theta (University of Houston), Rho Theta (Prairie View A&M University), Eta Mu (Sam Houston State University) and Nu Delta Delta (Texas A&M University). Rho Nu (Galveston) joined the coalition to comprise 10 chapters.
While many people know the “Ques” as they’re called for their ability to throw off-the-chain parties and step, Williams said service is really at the core of everything they do.
“There is a lot more to it than that,” Williams said. “It’s about service. It’s all about helping men become better men.”
“Yes, we have a good time, but what we do goes so much more deeper than that,” added Marvin Alexander Jr., Southwest Texas State Representative. “We have a Thanksgiving Meal on Wheels, Achievement Week, where we work with high school students, the Charles R. Drew Blood Drive, Real Men Read, where we partner with local schools to read to students, and that’s just a few of the things we do.”
For Antonio Brown, a 15-year member of the fraternity and basileus (president) of the Rho Beta Beta Chapter, joining Omega simply meant that he could continue the foundation his parents had laid.
“The principles we stand for are right in line with everything I believe in,” Brown said. “The good things we do for our community is right in line with how I was raised. Our organization promotes ‘manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift.’ That’s what we’re all about.”
Brown said the organization is committed to future generations and a leaving legacy that uplifts the Black community.
“This is important. We understand the village mentality,” Brown said. “If we know that we’re responsible for each person next to us, we tend to do better. We tend to make sure we’re doing the right thing in that person’s presence. And not just when we’re there but even when they’re not.”
Omega Signature Events
Go Western Scholarship Dance
The dance, established in 1961, was generally held on the third Saturday of February. This Go-Western gala hosted by Nu Phi has been considered the oldest, longest-standing, Black Go-Western in the Greater Houston area. The proceeds generated from this affair are used to provide scholarships and to support the numerous community programs that the Chapter conducts and sponsors.
Annual Boat Ride
Boat Rides have been a part of Omega’s history for a long time. The first Houston-area Omega Boat Ride took place in 1987, “Moonlight Cruise with the Ques.” Nu Phi and Theta Chi jointly sponsor a Memorial Day cruise, which leaves from Galveston, where patrons loaded up at the San Jacinto Battleground to enjoy a five hour cruise and dinner. Rho Beta Beta sponsors a Labor Day event.
Achievement Week
Achievement Week is observed each November and is designed to recognize those individuals at the local and international levels who have contributed to community uplift. A High School Essay Contest is held in conjunction with Achievement Week.
*Not a comprehensive list
Fraternity history
Omega Psi Phi was organized Friday on Nov. 17, 1911 in the office of Ernest Everett Just, a professor of biology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organizers were three juniors in the College of Liberal Arts: Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper, and Frank Coleman. They envisioned a creative idealistic national organization that would unite thousands or young men in aim, thought and loyalty.
They selected the name of the organization, Omega Psi Phi, represented by three Greek letters which mean, “Friendship is Essential to the Soul.” The meaning of the letters was adopted as the fraternity ‘s motto. “Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance and Uplift” were adopted as the fraternity’s cardinal principles
Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. made his only trip to New Orleans this season on Friday (March 9), and he wanted to ensure it was a memorable one. After helping the Wizards walk away with a 116-97 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, Oubre presented 10 Cohen College Prep high school with $1,000 scholarships, he told The Washington Post.
Oubre, who spent his early years in New Orleans and moved away at age 9 after Hurricane Katrina, awarded the grants to 10 seniors from his father’s alma mater as a way to give back to his hometown. He also made sure to show off his New Orleans roots by wearing the jersey of New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara to the game.
President Donald Trump is seeking a roughly 5 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Education’s budget for fiscal 2019 in a proposal that also mirrors his spending plan from last year by seeking to eliminate a major teacher-focused grant and to expand school choice.
In order to achieve those proposed spending cuts, the president copied two major education cuts he proposed last year: the elimination of Title II teacher grants and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Those two cuts combined would come to about $3.1 billion from current levels. Overall, 39 discretionary programs would be cut, eliminated, or “streamlined.”
“Decades of investments and billions of dollars in spending have shown that an increase in funding does not guarantee high-quality education,” the Office of Management and Budget states in the budget document. “While the budget reduces the overall federal role in education, the budget makes strategic investments to support and empower families and improve access to postsecondary education, ensuring a future of prosperity for all Americans.”
On the other side of the ledger, Trump is seeking $1 billion for new private and public school choice programs called Opportunity Grants. This new funding could also help schools that go for the weighted-funding pilot. He also wants $500 million in federal charter school funding, an increase of roughly 50 percent from current spending levels, which is also the same as his first budget blueprint.
Read the full article here: May require an Education Week subscription.
The Rex organization, which is best known for tossing beads, go-cups and doubloons as it parades on Mardi Gras, gave out much more valuable prizes on Saturday (Jan. 13) — grants totaling $1 million to 63 local education-related organizations.
The awards, which ranged from $1,500 to $60,000, came from the Pro Bono Publico Foundation, which the Rex organization formed after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild the education system in the New Orleans area. The name comes from the krewe’s motto, which, in English, means “For the Public Good.” The money comes from Rex members as well as nonmembers, said Dr. Stephen Hales, a founding member of the foundation’s board.
“I’m proud to be a recipient,” said Julia Walker, chairwoman of the development committee of New Orleans College Prep, a charter-school operator that was given $30,000 for three schools.
“I don’t think there’s another organization in town that does so much for the charter schools,” Walker said.
By Charlene Crowell, (Communications Deputy Director, Center for Responsible Lending)
AMSTERDAM NEWS — Mounting student debt is a nagging problem for most families these days. As the cost of higher education rises, borrowing to cover those costs often becomes a family concern across multiple generations including the student, parents, and even grandparents or other relatives.
Today’s 21st Century jobs usually demand higher education and specialized skills to earn one’s way into the middle class. In households where educational loans are inevitable, it becomes an important family decision to determine which institutions are actually worth the debt incurred. Equally important is the institution’s likelihood of its students graduating.
Higher education institutions that do not provide its students and graduates with requisite skills and knowledge become money pits that lead to deeper debt and likely loan defaults.
New research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) analyzed student debt on a state-by-state basis. An interactive map of CRL’s findings reveal on a state basis each of the 50 states’ total undergraduate population, for-profit enrollment, and the top for-profit schools by enrollment for both four-year and two-year institutions.
Entitled “The State of For-Profit Colleges,” the report concludes that investing in a for-profit education is almost always a risky proposition. Undergraduate borrowing by state showed that the percentage of students that borrow from the federal government generally ranged between 40 to 60 percent for public colleges, compared to 50 to 80 percent at for-profit institutions.
Additionally, both public and private, not-for-profit institutions, on average, lead to better results at a lower cost of debt, better earnings following graduation, and the fewest loan defaults.
“In many cases, for-profit students are nontraditional students, making sacrifices and struggling to manage family and work obligations to make better lives for their families,” noted Robin Howarth, a CRL senior researcher. “For-profit colleges target them with aggressive marketing, persuading them to invest heavily in futures that will never come to pass.”
CRL also found that women and Blacks suffer disparate impacts, particularly at for-profit institutions, where they are disproportionately enrolled in most states.
For example, enrollment at Mississippi’s for-profit colleges was 78 percent female and nearly 66 percent Black. Other states with high Black enrollment at for-profits included Georgia (57 percent), Louisiana (55 percent), Maryland (58 percent) and North Carolina (54 percent).
Focus group interviews further substantiated these figures, and recounted poignant, real life experiences.
Brianna, a 31-year-old Black female completed a Medical Assistant (MA) certificate at the now-defunct Everest University. Once she completed her MA certificate and passed the certification test, she found she could only find a job in her field of study that paid $12 per hour, much less than the $35,000-$45,000 salary that Everest told her would be her starting salary as a medical assistant.
She was also left with $21,000 in student debt. As a result, she has struggled since matriculation with low credit scores and cramped housing conditions for herself and three children. For her, public schools, according to Brianna, are “better in the long run” due to their lower cost despite having more requirements for attendance.
CHICAGO CRUSADER — The students of TM Landry College Prep schoolin Breaux Bridge, Louisiana have been spreading joy across the Internet with their celebratory college acceptance reaction videos. Each must-see video clip captures the moment one of students learns that they’ve been accepted to the college of their choice, as their friends, family members and teachers gather around to cheer in excitement along with them.
As we bring 2017 to a close, here’s a round up of their most lit reaction videos, which we absolutely can’t stop watching. Congratulations to all of these phenomenal students and to the school staff for continuing to encourage such a positive tradition!
BOWDOIN COLLEGE—RANKED #3 in the US in Liberal Arts—SAYS YES TO SENIOR, TROY GREENE. Here’s his acceptance video!
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY—RANKED #5 in the US—SAYS YES TO GRADUATING JUNIOR, KAYLA AMOS. Here’s her acceptance video! (TM LANDRY 4 for 4 on the IVY LEAGUE colleges for the day)!THREE-PEAT-three years in a row TM Landry has gotten students into Columbia University!
BROWN UNIVERSITY—RANKED #14 IN THE US— SAYS YES TO TM LANDRY GRADUATING JUNIOR, ALIKO LEBLANC! Here’s her acceptance video! (TM LANDRY IS 3 for 3 on the IVY LEAGUE colleges for the day)!
YALE RANKED #3 in the US— SAYS YES TO James Dennis TM LANDRY’s 16 y/o graduating junior!—(TM LANDRY 2 for 2 on the IVY LEAGUE colleges for the day)! Here’s his acceptance video!
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE ranked #11 in the US SAYS YES TO TM Landry College Senior, KAMAN LEDAY!!! TM LANDRY 1 for 1 on Ivy Leagues for the day, out of a possible 4.
Black students in Louisiana are more than twice as likely as white students to be suspended, according to a study from Tulane University’s Education Research Alliance for New Orleans. The new study from the organization also concluded that for fights involving one white student and one black student, black students receive slightly longer suspensions than white ones.
Drawing attention to how students of color and low-income students experience higher rates of suspensions and expulsions than their peers nationwide, the organization released a report Monday (Nov. 20) analyzing Louisiana Education Department data on discipline among K-12 students in the state’s public schools from 2001 through 2014.
Although researchers say the data provides “new insights” into the origins of disparities, the study acknowledges it offers “an incomplete look” because researchers cannot observe whether behaviors that were tolerated for some groups of students were coded as infractions for other groups of students. Researchers usually cannot observe students’ true behaviors and can only analyze the records created by schools writing up students.
The study reviewed discipline infractions and corresponding punishments by race and free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, which was deemed a common measure of family income. Researchers also reviewed the punishments issued after interracial fights for “a credible check for the existence of direct discrimination in cases where students behave similarly.”
“It’s extremely difficult to assess whether discriminatory school practices contribute to disparities in suspension rates,” co-author Jon Valant of the Brookings Institution stated…
“By looking at interracial fights and controlling for students’ other background characteristics, we tried to isolate cases in which it would be hard to attribute gaps to explanations other than discriminatory practices. We see small but statistically significant gaps in how black and white students are punished,” he added…
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is a big cheerleader for school choice. And way before she came into office, states around the country were adopting tax-credit scholarships, education savings accounts, and more.
By Lauren Poteat
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