Best School Districts??? (Lee's Summit: living, store, rated)

[Lsautism]

By David Hunn

Missouri has demanded too little of its schools and reprimanded their
shortcomings too slowly, according to a new federal report.

A team from the U.S. Department of Education has found dozens of problems with
the state's supervision of its schools, from simple differences in terminology
to major violations of the federal law known as No Child Left Behind.

The U.S. government is now asking Missouri's education department to review the
status of every school and every district in the state that has failed to meet
scoring targets on standardized tests for more than two years in a row — about
200 schools and 167 districts.

"Missouri has a challenge," said Zollie Stevenson, chief of federal Student
Achievement and School Accountability Programs, and leader of the team that
reviewed Missouri. "The state needs to be more proactive — actually going out
and monitoring."

Some think the federal teams are coming down harder on states than they have in
the past. The Missouri report is one of several recent instances where states
have been cited for letting districts slide.

Now Missouri districts face sanctions this school year that they didn't expect.

Some, such as Parkway, Ritenour and Fort Zumwalt, have relatively minor
penalties — creating school improvement plans or offering some students
transfers to higher-performing schools within their districts.

But the schools that fell short most often may be forced to fire teachers and
principals, reopen as charter schools, or even close altogether.

State administrators do not know exactly how many will be affected. They say as
few as 20 could see unexpected penalties, but they're not yet sure which ones.

No Child Left Behind started a clock ticking in 2002, with the alarm set to go
off in 2014 when all schoolchildren are supposed to be proficient in reading
and math. Along the way are annual benchmarks for schools to meet and sanctions
when they don't.

"It appears Missouri reinterpreted the statute to provide for more time for
those decisions to be made," Stevenson said.

The federal team was so concerned that it even reserved the right to fine the
state — as much as $500,000 this year.

State leaders — like many educators across the country — say No Child Left
Behind has been confusing and the guidelines murky.

But they say they've already begun fixing these problems.

WORST-CASE STATE

Every three years, the U.S. Department of Education checks to make sure each
state is monitoring its schools correctly. Not only does this keep schools on
track with the law, but it also allows the government to keep tabs on the $14
billion it gives schools to help low-income students.

Since the law took effect in 2002, U.S. teams have reprimanded nearly every
state, according to past federal reports. In 2005, Illinois was cited for
verifying test results too slowly, and not identifying failing schools until
the middle of the school year — too late for parents to take advantage of
remedies offered under the law. In 2006, Wyoming didn't ensure all failing
schools developed improvement plans; South Carolina incorrectly calculated
district test scores. In 2007, Rhode Island was reprimanded for having
inconsistent standards for children learning to speak English.

But the errors caught in Missouri were more serious, experts say.

"This is really a worst-case state," said Phyllis McClure, a consultant in
Washington who has helped monitor states on points of education law since the
late 1960s.

She was stunned Missouri hadn't been monitoring district progress more closely.
The state had not asked to see district letters that should have been sent to
parents, explaining that their children could be eligible for tutoring or
transfers from failing schools, the report said. Nor had Missouri required
evidence that districts were giving the right amount of federal money to each
school. And while Missouri had monitored schools for test-score progress, it
hadn't held districts accountable for low scores.

And when schools failed tests, Missouri hadn't forced them down the federal
improvement path that begins with tutoring and transfers and leads to
"restructuring," where schools must shut down and start over with new leaders
and staff.

"The whole point of this requirement, these stages of corrective action, was
not to let these schools slide for so long before they got help," McClure said.

"Why have they been letting that go on for five years?" she asked.

A CONFUSING LAW

Becky Kemna, Missouri's new coordinator of school improvement, said No Child
Left Behind greatly increased requirements for schools.

Not only must their entire student bodies now meet yearly testing goals, but
each group of students — black, white, Asian, low-income, special-education and
those learning English as a second language — are held to the same standards.
And those standards increase each year.

It has been difficult, Kemna said, for state employees to interpret all of the
new rules. Federal guidelines initially encouraged interpretation. Now this
report, she said, has shown her the federal government doesn't tolerate as much
flexibility as first thought.

Kemna said the state must send its responses to the U.S. Department of
Education by the middle of this month. State officials fixed many of the
problems cited before the federal team even left, she said, but others will
take more effort.

The state will now ask to see letters before districts send them to parents. It
will compile yearly lists of districts that missed state testing goals and must
be penalized.

School administrators grumble that No Child Left Behind demands the impossible.

A 2007 survey shows state employees across the country say they simply don't
have enough people to monitor every school district.

Schools, however, have no choice but to work toward the goals they're given.

At the Patrick Henry Downtown Academy in St. Louis, a new principal pores over
test results, seeing which individual questions tripped up students in key
subject areas. Just 4 percent of Henry students passed the English test; only 1
percent passed math. The principal hopes to find out why.

In Webster Groves, the school district sent parents a letter last month saying
the district had barely missed the state's annual progress goals, and would
have to develop a plan for improvement. Administrators there have already
broadened expensive, one-on-one math and reading lessons for students who need
to boost test scores.

The Normandy School District had four schools cited this year for low test
scores, adding to two it already had on the list. "I think the state was
catching up," said Sheila Williams, the district's executive director of school
programs.

"All these designations, I don't want to say they don't mean anything to us,
but we're striving to get all these kids proficient, regardless," she said.
— David Hunn
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2007-09-04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/D0A9BA288DDC5FDA8625734C00084D57?OpenDocument (broken link)

[kcmo]

Enough already, we get it, the MO schools districts suck, especially Lee's Summit.

Move to one of the Kansas side districts, that should really help fix the problem.

(my kids attend MO schools and I'm very happy with them)

[ErinRac]

Another vote for the Park Hill District. I went there from k-12 and the teachers have been nothing but the best! And my younger siblings still attend there. I too still go back and visit mine when I can (I live in FL now). Your second best bet would be Liberty.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

Personally, I think all of the concern over finding the "best" schools is a bit overblown.

Unless you have a special needs child, or are looking for a specific field or type of education, you can get a good education at any district in the region (yes, even the dreaded KCMO schools!).

It largely comes down to parenting. If you do your job, your kids will be fine. If you need the schools to be responsible for your kids, then you may want to find the "best" schools.

Personally, I went to private schools that are widely considered to be in the top of the metro. Yes, I got a good education - but I was isolated in a homogenous land of stuck up rich kids. My senior year, I was fortunate enough to make some friends who attended KCMO schools. Many of the people have now become very successful in life - architects, biochemists, graphic designers, and world-class musicians. Some of my private school classmates have also achieved great things, and others are still living off of their parent's dime.

Yes, these KCMO students may have been more of an exception, rather than the rule - they were some of the top students at their school (which definitely helps in class rank when it comes to college admissions and scholarships). But my point remains - you can get a good education in any district, and I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor on where I live. The "best" schools may provide a solid education, but can turn out students who are narrow-minded, isolated, elitist, and naive.

[Lsautism]

]Audit boosts school safety
by St. Joseph News-Press
]Monday, August 25, 2008


The last thing Missourians need is defensiveness at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

It should be a job requirement that anyone in a leadership position at DESE comes with thick enough skin to take sharp criticism — and the ability to listen with an open mind and perhaps learn from those same critics.

State Auditor Susan Montee, of St. Joseph, recently issued a report in which she faulted DESE and a host of unnamed school districts for, among other things, “significant weaknesses” in policies, procedures and programs relating to school safety.

Ms. Montee found that many school districts are not providing parents with complete disciplinary policies that spell out specific punishments. She also said many districts need to do a better job educating students about Internet dangers, monitoring the state’s sex offender registry, and improving violence prevention programs, anti-bullying policies and emergency plans and drills.

Moreover, Ms. Montee said DESE itself needs to do more to monitor school districts’ attention to safety, require more complete and accurate incident reports, better publicize the state violence hotline and document persistently dangerous schools.

All of which led Deputy Commissioner Bert Schulte to respond that DESE has a limited number of staff to oversee Safe Schools Act requirements. And he then adds: “The flavor of the audit is that there needs to be more state oversight and policing of school districts, but I’m less convinced that would result in safer schools. I think safe schools are a priority of every local school district, and I’m unsure that more bureaucracy at the state level would necessarily help.”

For the record, we agree that the solutions to almost all of our problems start here, not in Jefferson City. But Ms. Montee has uncovered specific and repeated instances when DESE failed to provide the oversight and guidance necessary for such things as ensuring that all districts report disciplinary incidents. Overall, too many districts are lacking in too many areas related to school safety.

School patrons do not want a bureaucratic response, or a defensive one. They want our state-level education agency to provide guidance and oversight on safe schools practices, so that parents everywhere will have assurance that all reasonable precautions and state safety mandates are followed.

[Lsautism]

Government Fail: No Child Left Behind

[Some school officials have begun reporting false information about drop-out rates to improve their statistics.

The Washington Post later found another high school that reported an unbelievably low 0.3 percent dropout rate when in fact up to half its students failed to graduate. The CBS program "60 Minutes II" reported that Houston's entire school system reported a city-wide dropout rate of 1.5 percent when the true dropout rate was somewhere between 25 and 50 percent, according to educators and experts checked by CBS News.

To get around the stringency of NCLB MISSOURI lowered its standards after the federal law went into effect. Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, explains that some states set low standards because, "They're trying to make sense out of this. They're trying to survive." Each state is capable of creating its own standardized tests,and several have elected to make these tests easier in an attempt to improve scores. Not exactly what Bush had in mind.

[melissajo]

I went to elementary school in the NKC district. I didn't graduate from there (my family relocated to SW MO prior to my starting highschool). However, I look back on my elementary school years and compare with my friends...we had way more opportunity in that district than anyone else I know. I met famous authors, went to different fine arts events (KC Symphony, ballets, plays, jazz performances,etc), etc. Many of my friends have never had those opportunities, even as adults. I took computer classes starting in Kindergarten (1988!) and started playing instruments in 4th grade. The education I was offered was much more cultured than what many of my friends received in other areas around the state.

Oh, did I mention, I am now an elementary teacher Still in SW MO (Joplin) but hoping to make it back to KC very soon. Don't get me wrong, Joplin has great schools, I just LOVE KC. Good luck with your move. I am sure any of the districts you are reviewing will be able to assist your children with their needs.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Lsautism

Government Fail: No Child Left Behind

[Some school officials have begun reporting false information about drop-out rates to improve their statistics.

The Washington Post later found another high school that reported an unbelievably low 0.3 percent dropout rate when in fact up to half its students failed to graduate. The CBS program "60 Minutes II" reported that Houston's entire school system reported a city-wide dropout rate of 1.5 percent when the true dropout rate was somewhere between 25 and 50 percent, according to educators and experts checked by CBS News.

To get around the stringency of NCLB MISSOURI lowered its standards after the federal law went into effect. Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, explains that some states set low standards because, "They're trying to make sense out of this. They're trying to survive." Each state is capable of creating its own standardized tests,and several have elected to make these tests easier in an attempt to improve scores. Not exactly what Bush had in mind.

Don't you think no child left behind is a total joke? All it has done is bring down all the students to the level of the weakest link. It needs to be redone. It's a great idea, but it's is not working in its current form.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by WiseOwlSaysHoot

Personally, I think all of the concern over finding the "best" schools is a bit overblown.

Unless you have a special needs child, or are looking for a specific field or type of education, you can get a good education at any district in the region (yes, even the dreaded KCMO schools!).

It largely comes down to parenting. If you do your job, your kids will be fine. If you need the schools to be responsible for your kids, then you may want to find the "best" schools.

Personally, I went to private schools that are widely considered to be in the top of the metro. Yes, I got a good education - but I was isolated in a homogenous land of stuck up rich kids. My senior year, I was fortunate enough to make some friends who attended KCMO schools. Many of the people have now become very successful in life - architects, biochemists, graphic designers, and world-class musicians. Some of my private school classmates have also achieved great things, and others are still living off of their parent's dime.

Yes, these KCMO students may have been more of an exception, rather than the rule - they were some of the top students at their school (which definitely helps in class rank when it comes to college admissions and scholarships). But my point remains - you can get a good education in any district, and I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor on where I live. The "best" schools may provide a solid education, but can turn out students who are narrow-minded, isolated, elitist, and naive.

Great post. I could not agree more.

[Lsautism]

NCLB is not the best, but it is all that we have. Without it, Missouri would be doing nothing to hold their districts accountable. It is easy to blame parents for being lazy and not parenting, but I have spent the good part of the last three years fighting for the education of children with special needs. It is a sad that Missouri ranks 48th and their only response is to lower standards.

While many school districts are churning out children with excellent ACT scores, excellent athletes, and state of the art buildings, our children are being left behind.

My child will never win a state contest. He will never score a perfect score on his ACT. He will never reach proficient on the MAPS test. But, he is a human being and he deserves as much respect and education as the students that will.

When my son was diagnosed with autism there were a million things going through my head. One of the most prevalent was the thought that he would never be a normal boy and that all of my dreams had been wiped clean. I felt as though my little boy would never lead a "normal" life and that nothing good could ever come of this "autism".

That was 11 years ago. In those eleven years I have learned many valuable lessons from my son. I would like to share some of them with you.

My son has taught me compassion. I have eaten so many words that I should be full forever. I will never again look at a child having a meltdown in the store and think that he needs a good spanking or that his mother is not a very good mother. I will look into her weary eyes and try to convey my understanding. My son has taught me that.

My son has taught me honesty. He never sees a good reason to lie. He is probably right. He will never break anyone's heart, steal from another the things that they have worked so hard for, or get something that he doesn't deserve. He won't lie to protect himself from punishment or to get out of something. He will take the consequences of his actions because he simply doesn't see that there is any other way to live. Truthful is the only way to be and my son has taught me that.

My son has taught me tenacity. So many days I would like to just go back to the way that my life used to be. To not have to research, advocate, call, write, get to know my legislators, get to know my administrators, or fight one more battle. But, if I don't, who will? Who will be the person that makes sure that he lives up to his fullest potential, if I don't? My son has taught me to never quit.

My son has taught me to be supportive. Before he was born I was happy keeping my house spotless, my garden weedless, and my life simple. Because of him I have learned the value of support. Giving and receiving. I have met wonderful people and I thank God every day that He brought us together. I constantly hear that God doesn't give us more than we can bear. I believe that He does. I believe that He also gave us each other knowing that we would support each other and help each other get through this. He also was so wise as to give a scientist the idea that we would be needing Lexapro and that it needed to be developed.

My son has taught be to be assertive. I had always believed that the experts knew everything and that we should blindly place our faith in them. I now know that is simply not true and that without questions there can never be any real answers. I have learned that we will never be given anything without making it available and that requires a lot of diligence and hard work. I have learned that we can put a man on the moon, but we can't teach the engineer, that made the shuttle, social skills.

My son has taught me charity. He is willing to give anything that he has to someone that has less. He would give his most prized possession to another child. He would move a homeless person into our home. He would give his food to a hungry person. My son has shown me how selfish I can be and what the true meaning of a giving heart is.

My son has taught me love. He loves with no conditions. In his eyes, I am the most beautiful woman in the world. In his eyes I am the most intelligent person on the planet. In his heart, I am the best Mommy that God ever created. Our lives are not what we had expected. He will never be the president of the United States. He will never be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He will never be a lawyer or a doctor. In reality, I have no idea what his future holds. But, at night when I lay down beside him and look into that angelic face, I can't imagine him any other way.