Comments for onpubliceducation

Comment on Nashville’s conversation on ACT scores is misleading by Dave Shearon

Dave Shearon — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:27:47 +0000

As a former school board member, I get that (a) academic performance is important and (b) that standardized tests are a rough measure of academic performance. That said, however…

Who does better in life: the group of seniors graduating with a 26 ACT score but without optimism, hope, a growth mindset, knowledge of his or her strengths, and strong relationship skills, or the group of seniors graduating with a 13 on the ACT, but with those key skills? Answer: the group with the 13 and the positive resilience skills – to the tune of an average income over $13,000 per year higher as they get into mid-life. Judge, T. And Hurst, C. (2007) Capitalizing on one’s advantages: Role of Core Self-Evaluations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(5), 1212-1227.

So, yes, let’s pay a reasonable amount of attention to test scores. AND, let’s begin to think about how to help students (and teachers, parents, coaches, leadership) develop the skills that make academic achievement pay off. (Full disclosure: I spend my time these days teaching these skills!)

Comment on Nashville’s conversation on ACT scores is misleading by Marie Roberts

Marie Roberts — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:14:23 +0000

I could not agree with this statement more. I have witnessed much growth in my own child in her first two years of high school. She has taken the ACT every year since the 8th grade, and I she has had growth in her score every year. What more could a parent ask for from a school disctrict? As an involved parent I have done research on this subject. a few important facts:
1) Only 7 states require ACT by all students, TN is one of the 7.
2) Of the 7 states that require ACT, only 3 states have a matriculation program for students who are multi-lingual. TN is not one of these states. The three states that DO HAVE a program for students who have emigrated and need a matriculation program – have significantly higher scores and place in the top 3rd in the US
3) Of the 4 states that require the ACT, do not have a matriculation program, all four in the bottom 3rd of the states.
4) Relevance is extremely important to improving ACT scores. I cite today’s front page article in the Tennessean (2/25/13) rising costs of university tuition. Many students know that college is not an obtainable option, not because of intellect or academics but plainly because of costs. Students are defeated by the cost of college and many struggle with taking a high stakes test seriously, like the ACT, when the cost of college is growing out of control.
Certainly these are not excuses – but the media should tell the whole story. I agree, it is not all doom and gloom. Data that breaks down the district in a more precise way is needed. What is the average ACT score of a student taking an AP course? What is the average ACT score of students in specific academies? in honors classes? by grade level?

Comment on Metro Schools shifts authority, resources to schools to accelerate improvement by Patel

Patel — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:01:05 +0000

For whatever it’s worth (this won’t affect me as I am graduating this year) I do think these changes will be beneficial to the overall state of the schooling system here in Nashville,

Comment on Metro Schools shifts authority, resources to schools to accelerate improvement by OnPublicEducation

OnPublicEducation — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:39:52 +0000

That’s an excellent point, Kim. Under the new leadership structure, Jay Steele will be directly responsible for middle and high schools, meaning decisions made in middle school instruction will lead directly into high school and be based on keeping kids in school and getting them to graduation.

As for Lead Principals, we plan to put them at every level – elementary, middle and high – as we further implementation.

Comment on Metro Schools shifts authority, resources to schools to accelerate improvement by Kim Kmiec

Kim Kmiec — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:28:08 +0000

I see several high school and elementary school leaders listed, but no one with a middle school background and no instructional leadership for middle school. Middle school is a crucial time in the lives of adolescents and can be where we “lose” many of our students.

Comment on Building the future of magnet schools in Nashville by Marie Morris

Marie Morris — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:39:11 +0000

I would love to see a magnet in south Nashville, we only have one. I would also love to see more academic magnet schools like Meigs and MLK. These schools score high nationally every year and hundreds of MNPS students qualify and apply,but only a small percentage can go.

Comment on Letter to the State Board of Education: Uphold our Great Hearts denial by Frogge camp feeling confident | LebanonRoad.com

Frogge camp feeling confident | LebanonRoad.com — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 09:06:16 +0000

[...] Â I am a mother of two girls, 9 and 7, both of whom attend our neighborhood Metro elementary school.Â Both girls are a part of Metroâ€™s Exceptional Education program.Â My oldest is on the Autism Spectrum and also has diagnoses of Apraxia of Speech and Intellectual Disability.Â My youngest is in the ENCORE program for the intellectually gifted.Â Thanks to Metroâ€™s move to make education as inclusive as possible by placing children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment that works for them my 9 year old has been in a typical classroom since she started Kindergarten.Â As a concerned parent of public school kids I have kept a close eye on recent issues that will have an enormous impact on our school system.Â My first concern was the application by Great Hearts Academy to open 5 charter schools in Nashville, the first one being placed just around the corner from us.Â Our neighborhood and the adjacent more affluent neighborhoods were among the handful that Great Hearts courted prior to their hearing at the Metro school board.Â If you live in Nashville you probably know the reasons that were cited by the Metro board for the denial of their application.Â There were 3 main issues.Â Diversity and transportation were of the most concern from the board and from much of the community.Â Then there was the issue of TN state law requiring certified teachers which is in direct conflict with Great Hearts model.Â Our superintendent Dr. Jessie Register laid it all out in his letter to the State Board of Education. http://onpubliceducation.com/2012/07/27/letter-to-the-state-board-of-education-affirm-our-great-hear… [...]

Comment on Litton Middle School’s new renovations and new attitude serve its East Nashville neighborhood by Marie

Marie — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:30:20 +0000

My daughter went to Litton last year as a fifth grader. She loved it, and will be returning for her sixth grade year. The staff are great. Litton and Dan Mills are two of my favorite schools. And my kids have been to a host of different schools, my daughter actually started at Liberty Charter school for her fifth grade year. But the staff was not very friendly and my daughter was coming home with about four hours of homework a night. There was not time for family time. We are looking forward to seeing the new building.

Comment on Litton Middle School’s new renovations and new attitude serve its East Nashville neighborhood by jasmine b.

jasmine b. — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 00:59:28 +0000

i will visit everyday!!!!

Comment on Wear blue for Metro Schools! by Amma Brown

Amma Brown — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:09:20 +0000

I believe in Metro Schools.