The Wake County school board's economically disadvantaged student performance task force will hold its first meeting this evening.
John Tedesco, the chairman of the task force, said the goal of the group is to see what the school system and community can do to help disadvantaged students. He said they need to build up "community will" to accomplish this task.
Tedesco said the school system can do some things like look at whether zero tolerance discipline policies need to be changed and if teachers need more cultural training.
But Tedesco said they'll also need to see what things the community can do to help such as promoting family involvement in education.
Tedesco said the task force hadn't met before because the board was busy with issues such as the budget and changes to the student assignment plan for this fall. He also said it took some time lining up the community and staff members of the task force.
The slow start for the task force had caused critics of the new board majority to question their commitment to helping low-income students.
Tonight's meeting will run from 6 to 8 p.m. The location hadn't been determined before I went on vacation.
Tedesco said the task force will likely meet during the last week of the month in the evenings.
Comments
I think our expectation of
Thu, 06/03/2010 - 12:48 — user12345I think our expectation of data quality differ ... what I work with is so much more fluid ... so having anything listed seems amazing ... personally, I just go to a govt site and use the same data ... it may be wrong or old but it is that way for everyone you are comparing to ... so, I prefer comparisions vs. absolutes for that reason ... anyway, I still learn a lot from the debates with you and dan, etc. ... ditto on the tax rate discussion ... it is never simple and straightforward...
Unfortunately, I'm a
Thu, 06/03/2010 - 13:00 — shearertwUnfortunately, I'm a scientist......
I like data to be accurate and assume there is a right answer somewhere. That often gets me in trouble....
In this case, suffice it to say that FnR and all included, Wayne and WCPSS spend about the same so going to their model really doesn't cost more.
If you want the big picture, that's the bottom line.
My life would be even more boring without you and dan to scream at from time to time.
See bottom...
Thu, 06/03/2010 - 13:39 — danofncfor response.
see bottom for my response
Thu, 06/03/2010 - 14:30 — shearertwsee bottom for my response to your response....
Oh my. Facts are very
Wed, 06/02/2010 - 18:29 — zandeOh my. Facts are very stubborn things! lol.
Hey Zande. How about
Thu, 06/03/2010 - 15:54 — shearertwHey Zande.
How about before you jump in and say something stupid like this, you try and found out what the FACTS really ARE?
See post above (or below) showing how WCPSS DOES IN FACT SPEND MORE/STUDENT than Wayne Co.
There's nothing more annoying than a lazy person with a mouth.
Who are you and what in the
Mon, 06/07/2010 - 07:13 — zandeWho are you and what in the world are you talking about??
Research ?
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 08:33 — HENRYJOSPlease provide references to the research you mention.
Let's start by saying that
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 15:54 — shearertwLet's start by saying that there is NOT decades of research showing that when the percentage of ED students exceeds 50% that ED student performance declines. Overall school scores may decline but overall school scores do not often correlate with the performance of ED students at that particular school vs their ED peers at other schools. This is a discussion about ED student performance, not school performance.
Add to that the FACT, that what little specific ED student performance research does exist is very difficult to relate to the WCPSS situation as has been discussed here numerous times. Some of this "research" is also subject to bias and has been conducted by clearly agenda driven, politically motivated researchers. Sad but true.
By doing away with this FALSE premise regarding ED student performance, we can now focus on REAL solutions towards addressing ED student performance without hiding them in the closets of low ED% schools. Your comment regarding decades of research in this area is a prime example of how many people have been fooled and distracted by the diversity crowd.
Not going to happen ... we
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 16:44 — user12345Not going to happen ... we did not have the resources before to address this problem when they were in your school and now that you purged them to be warehoused in a poverty zone there won't be any resources ... what are you smoking?
Why do you liberals always
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 17:47 — shearertwWhy do you liberals always assume something HAS to cost more money?
Sometime you can do a lot of good just by stopping what is NOT working and transfer saved resources over to something that does work.
Oh... And how many time do I have to tell you that the demographics at my kids schools will not be effected by the change in the diversity policy. I live in a very diverse area.
So your kids go to schools
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 20:07 — danofncSo your kids go to schools that don't have any spot nodes included (or excluded) in their assignment areas? If they don't, then your demographics could be affected.
What is NOT working is large class sizes, fewer TA's, and shrinking budgets. Tell me how they can have smaller classes and more TA's without increasing the budget.
What is NOT working is keeping kids in regular classes who should be in a school/class equipped to handle their special needs (even if their only real special need is a foot in the rear). How do we staff that school without any cost?
A lot of what is NOT working is simply programs where resources are sliced to thinly to be very effective. ESL and LEP performance would probably improve if every school had specialists to handle those students instead of having them rotate through 2 or 3 schools. Guess what? That costs money too!
LEPs should receive
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 01:37 — red_balloonLEPs should receive intensive coaching the first year or two to get rid off the language barrier and give them a better shot at gaining from an English medium instruction. I think such coaching needs to extend beyond the regular school hours.
What is a LEP?
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 08:40 — HENRYJOSWhy can't the LEPs learn English like all the other immigrants, except the Hispanics, have learned English.
The Poles, Germans, etc all learned English without being given special classes. But the LEP's and Hispanics need special classes?
Please explain. I would think that all the special classes cost extra money.
answer to what is a LEP?
Wed, 06/02/2010 - 18:29 — kbrooks500Students are classsified as LEP if they have a non-English speaker in their home. It does not refer to solely Spanish speakers or Hispanics. Once these students are identified they are given a test which determines their English language proficiency. Students are assessed on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Students who score levels I-III receive ESL services, levels IV and V do not need ESL services. Once identified as LEP, a student is always LEP, but they can and do test out of ESL services. Keep in mind this refers to children who come from homes with any foreigh language-Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc. If you look at Wake county school data you will notice that the percentage of LEP students is hirer for each school than its percentage of ESL, because students receiveing ESL services are a portion of the students classified as LEP.
Thank you so much for the
Wed, 06/02/2010 - 18:52 — jenmanThank you so much for the clarification. I've never understood the difference. So just having a non-English speaker in your home classifies you as LEP. Wow, guess my grandpa was LEP. Who knew? :-D
Are you for real? ... or
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 18:51 — user12345Are you for real? ... My grandparents came here and spoke very little English most of their lives... this is not new ... when my parents went to schools with those Pole and Germans they did not speak English any better than the Hispanics of today ... but those kids completed their schooling by 6th / 8th grade and went into the mines ... the question is can we do want to do better than that and get the kids to graduate... so get past the nostalgia
There were also those who
Sun, 05/30/2010 - 21:55 — HJ2ss2There were also those who learned english, completed college then went on to earn advanced degrees ( JD, MD) despite being made fun of as they assimilated into american culture.
are you for real?
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 22:13 — HENRYJOSYes I am real. We should not be talking about sending children to the mines after the sixth grade. Those dreadful years have passed. We are talking about preparing children to compete in the US against the world.
The language of Technological and Business Progress is English unless you want to have your own separate Hispanic state or enclave. Do you want to teach engineering and chemistry and medicine and law in Spanish?
The objective is more than HS graduation. Why even graduate it you are not going to help the US be competitive on the global scale? There are plenty of lawn, construction, and retail jobs that do not require graduation based skills and one can continue to speak Spanish.
I agree with you.... I
Sat, 05/29/2010 - 11:40 — user12345I agree with you.... I just wish more people were bilingual and we did not have a phobia about Spanish ... Spanish won't make a real difference to our plans of global domination ... it is our indifference to languages I worry about ... notice how they come and go in our school .... Funded some years / showing up in ES / MS / HS sporadically ... we need to do better....
So...
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 10:34 — Bob_SconceI agee that ESL classes aren't technically necessary -- drop a kid into a group where everybody else speaks English, and that kid will eventually learn English. But, is that the best method? It seems to me that this child misses a lot in the classroom until he/she learns the language.
So...
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 22:02 — HENRYJOSYes the Latino child has to struggle but many a child from every other country except the Latino children has made it through.
We have to ask ourselves why are they different? Do they find it impossible to succeed without extra classes?
So...
Sat, 05/29/2010 - 10:48 — Bob_SconceTechnically, a person can succeed without any formal education. Does that mean we shouldn't bother with schools?
ESL classes are there to get non-English speaking students assimilated into the classroom faster. It's conceivable that the extra benefit isn't worth the cost, but you haven't made that case yet.
So...
Sun, 05/30/2010 - 09:10 — HENRYJOSFirst, I will not be able to make the case nor will you. We are all full of visions and generosity (usually that is what we think will work better) and anecdotal propositions.
I was not trying to use cost benefit analysis. I was saying how do we know that the Hispanic child needs more help than all the other immigrant children in the US, today and in the past? How do we know that the help that we give the Hispanic child is helpfull or are we ensuring learning delay and social displacement in the future?
Anecdotal propositions coming. Most Chinese that come to this country have children here. There is minimal bilingual education for these children. I am not talking about adult Ph. D candidates. I am talking about restaurant workers, laundry and cleaning business starters, turkey pluckers. Their children without bilingual education are noted for their performance in public schools. These children have no choice but to "man/woman" up; they cannot turn to their parents for help. The Chinese/Asian children are noted for their scholarly performance. Is it because we are not allowing/requiring the Hispanic children to man up, that the very assistance that we are offering only them, is disabling.
When we discuss cost benefit how far into the environment and into the future are we to look. Many of our products have foreign Spanish language instructions. Who pays for that? Laws and regulations are now being written primarily in only English and Spanish are we two nations?
I might assert that the reason folks want to keep the Hispanic children Hispanic is to maintain a voting block not to have them become progress minded contributors to America going forward.
Your first problem is that
Sun, 05/30/2010 - 09:51 — danofncYour first problem is that you don't know what ESL is, apparently.
If English is your Second Language, you can get ESL help. Your first language is not required to be Spanish.
That Chinese restaurant worker's daughter? If English is her Second Language, she's ESL.
Exactly, Bob. Also, I
Sat, 05/29/2010 - 11:02 — danofncExactly, Bob.
Also, I think it's worth noting that kids learn a lot more things a lot earlier than they used to, so an ESL child would be farther behind faster than in the past.
My son will be starting K in a couple of months, and he can already read a few beginner books. If he starts school with an ESL or LEP kid, it is unlikely that they would ever catch up without special attention so I would hope that they receive that attention.
I understand that we were fortunate to have the opportunity to put him through 2 years at a very good preschool. That doesn't make me believe that the school system should ignore other kids who have different circumstances.
Kind of late to dam this
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 09:00 — red_balloonKind of late to dam this issue. Now it is considered sacrilege to not have a Spanish version of everything.
When I am in Amsterdam, the
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 18:55 — user12345When I am inAmsterdam , the people flip effortlessly between English, Dutch, German and French and here in the US
"Continuer"
Sat, 05/29/2010 - 08:22 — petehsIs that French?
Only liberals think things
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 20:36 — zandeOnly liberals think things cost money eh? I guess conservatives get
things for free..... Is that what they used to call "voodoo economics?"
This new plan by the newbies is going to cost a lot of time and treasure from WCPSS funds. Doing this on the cheap will place our most vulnerable children at serious risk.
Also, since when is it only liberals that oppose the radical new board. I know lots of conservatives who think they are too impulsive.
location and new time
Thu, 05/27/2010 - 09:24 — stepbystepAccording to the wcpss website, the location is Barwell Rd. Elementary at 3925 Barwell Rd, and the time is listed as 4-6pm. Is there a list of the non-BOE members of the task force available?
When will the next meeting take place?
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 08:43 — HENRYJOSWhen and where will the next meeting take place?
Meeting times
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 15:28 — FrabjousMeeting times and places can usually be found on the school board calendar: www.wcpss.net/perl/publish/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal2
The where
Fri, 05/28/2010 - 09:29 — Dove314The when is, as mentioned above, on the 4th Thursday of each month from 4-6 pm. The where is going to rotate, being held at places thought to be relevant to the ED / race / ethnicity aspects of the Achievement Gap. The first meeting was at Barwell Elementary, probably related to the high % ED for this ES.