Posts Tagged: education
No Child Left Behind fails Hispanic students
Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), there has been almost no reading gain, the math gains are modest and like reading, have slowed down since it was implemented, especially for Hispanic students. These findings are reported in a Fair Test article published in National Journal Educaction
NCLF is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Other key points mentioned in the article:
Grade 4 reading gain from 2002 until 2009: 4 points – less than one-half of one point per year. From 2000 to 2002, the gain was 11 points.
Grade 8 reading gain from 2002 to 2009: 2 points -- less than one quarter of a point per year. The previous grade 8 reading test was 1998, and the gain from 1998 to 2002 was 4 points.
Grade 4 math gain from 2003 to 2009: 5 points. The gain from 2000 to 2003, however, was 14 points, with the pre-NCLB period covering most of the gains.
Grade 8 math gain from 2003 to 2009: 9 points. The gain from 2000 to 2003 was 6 points. Even in what amounts to the best case scenario, the rate of gain in the NCLB period has slowed down compared with the previous period.
The author says that since NCLB, the rate of gain in both subjects, both grades, for almost all categories of students, have slowed. And this is clearly true for Hispanics.
Source: National Journal Expert Education, “Why NCLB Fails Hispanic Students,” April 2011,
Just 27 percent of California children attend summer learning programs
When schools close for the summer, safe and enriching learning environments are out of reach and replaced by boredom, lost opportunities and risk for too many children. New analysis of data from the America After 3PM study measures the extent of this problem, concluding that just 27 percent of California’s schoolchildren (an estimated 1,844,377 kids) participate in summer learning programs – safe, structured programs that provide a variety of activities designed to encourage learning and development in the summer months.
Sixty-six percent of California kids (an estimated 3,278,892 children) not currently enrolled in a summer learning program would likely participate, based on parent interest. Five in six California parents (84 percent) support public funding for these programs.
The long summer break is a precarious time when many low-income children fall behind academically and lose the nutritious meals, supervision, and structure that school provides. This survey shows just how great the demand is for meaningful summer activities and that too many children are left wanting for quality programs – the very children who could benefit most if given the opportunity.
While ethnic minority and low-income children are more likely than others to be in summer learning programs, the unmet demand is great.
- Thirty-five percent of African-American, 29 percent of Hispanic and 27 percent of low income children attended summer learning programs in 2008, compared to the national average of 25 percent.
- Yet more than three in four African-American kids (77 percent) and at least two in three Hispanic (70 percent) and low-income (67 percent) kids would likely enroll in a summer learning program, based on parent interest.
Parents overwhelmingly support summer learning programs, and there is even greater support among parents of minority and low-income students.
- Eight in ten parents (83 percent) support public funding for summer learning programs.
- Fully 95 percent of African-American, 91 percent of Hispanic and 90 percent of low-income parents support public funding for summer learning programs.
Source: AfterSchool Alliance, “America After 3PM Special Report on Summer: Missed Opportunities, Unmet Demand,” May 2010.
California children - Status report 2011
The 2011 California Report Card breaks new ground by providing The Children’s Agenda, which details the top ten high-priority; high-impact actions California’s policymakers should take to reverse the declining status of children. Topics covered in The Children’s Agenda include a comprehensive K-to-12th-grade education reform and revenue package, coordinating and streamlining the delivery of children’s services, effectively implementing federal health care reform and reducing childhood obesity rates, among others.
Here are some details about Latinos in the Report Card and the disparity among ethnicities:
Education:
- California’s zero-to-five population is ethnically and racially diverse: 53 percent are Latino, 28 percent are white, 10 percent are Asian and 6 percent are African American.
- Latino children are the least likely among the racial/ethnic groups to attend preschool.
- In California, only 42 percent of Latino children attend preschool, compared to 60 percent of white, 56 percent of Asian and 53 percent of African American children.
- For the first time ever, the majority of California’s K-12 students are Latino (50 percent).
- Among California’s high school graduates, 23 percent of African Americans, 23 percent of Latinos, 40 percent of whites and 59 percent of Asians completed the coursework to qualify for the state’s post-secondary education system.
- Only 16 percent of Latino and African American students were enrolled in advanced placement science courses compared to 22 percent of white, 29 percent of Filipino and 35 percent of Asian students.
Oral and Medical Health:
- One in five (1.8 million) California children does not have dental coverage, a slight increase from 2003, when approximately 1.6 million children (18 percent) lacked coverage.
- Among racial/ethnic groups in California, Pacific Islander children are most likely to lack dental insurance (30 percent), followed by Latino children (22 percent), white children (20 percent), Asian children (18 percent), African American children (12 percent) and Native American children (10 percent).
- 24 percent of African American children have been diagnosed with asthma compared to 17 percent of white children and 14 percent of Asian and Latino children.
- Overweight and obesity increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. If obesity trends persist, one in three California children born in 2000 is expected to develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. The risk is highest among Latino and African American children: nearly half are expected to develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime.
Source: ChildrenNow.org, “2011 California Report Card,” December 20, 2010.
Californians & Education
Most Californians are very concerned that the state’s budget deficit will result in cuts to public schools, the area of the budget they most want to protect, according to a statewide survey by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), To maintain current funding for K–12 education, a strong majority favor raising income taxes for the wealthiest Californians, but most oppose raising the state sales tax or personal income taxes overall.
California has the largest K–12 public education system in the nation. It also has a highly diverse student population: more than half are economically disadvantaged, a quarter are English learners and 11 percent have developmental, physical, emotional, or learning disabilities. Latinos (50 percent) make up the largest racial/ethnic group of students, followed by whites (27 percent), Asians (12 percent), and blacks (7 blacks).
Asked about some of the challenges in the state’s K–12 education system, residents are most likely to view the high school dropout rate (74 percent) as a big problem, followed by student achievement (46 percent) and teacher quality (44 percent). The proportion of adults who view the dropout rate as a big problem is at a new high. Eighty-three percent of Latinos hold this view.
The share of Californians who say teacher quality is a big problem is also at a record high. Among racial and ethnic groups, Latinos (75 percent) are the most likely to say so.
Although most Californians say local public schools do not get enough funding, they have generally positive views of their own schools. There are differences across racial and ethnic groups: Latinos (59 percent) are more likely to give their local school an A or B.
QUALITY OF K–12 EDUCATION
Most Californians (85 percent) believe the quality of education in California’s K–12 public schools is at least somewhat of a problem, with over half calling it a big problem. Blacks are by far the most likely racial/ethnic group to say quality is a big problem, while Latinos are the least likely.
The perception that teacher quality is a big problem is highest in the Inland Empire (52 percent), followed by the San Francisco Bay Area, Orange/San Diego Counties, Los Angeles, and the Central Valley (39 percent). Asians, blacks, and whites are more likely than Latinos to hold this view.
Across racial/ethnic groups, blacks (70 percent) are much more likely than whites (57 percent), and are far more likely than Asians (48 percent) or Latinos (41 percent) to say that California’s public schools are doing a not so good or poor job in preparing students for college; a majority of Latinos (57 percent) give positive ratings.
Source: Public Policy Institute of California, “PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education - Worried About Budget’s Toll on Schools, Most Californians Favor Income Tax Hike—But Only for Wealthiest,” April 27, 2011.