In Case You Missed It – October 2, 2023

Here are links to last week's^† articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column of our blog page to be informed when our blog posts are published.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" -- Isaac Asimov, quoted by Sheila Kennedy in Just WOW...

A LITTLE CHEATING IMPROVES THE BOTTOM LINE

Gary Rubinstein: Will U.S. News Ban KIPP from Its Rankings Again, for Cheating?

The early rationale for the school privatization movement was that public schools were failing. They weren't. The problem with low achievement in America's public schools has always been poverty and race. As long as those issues aren't addressed no amount of tinkering will change the fact that poor kids have more academic difficulties than wealthy kids.

Charter school providers discovered this when they claimed they could "fix" education by "innovation." They couldn't. Children still score lower on test scores based on their family's income -- whether they go to a private school, a charter school, or a public school.

In this story, we see a national charter school provider, try to manipulate the system in order to fool their investors into thinking they are succeeding when they're not.

From Diane Ravitch

Gary Rubinstein writes here about KIPP’s clever tactics to win a listing as one of the “best” high schools in New York State. He caught them playing similar games several years ago, and U.S. News heard about it and removed KIPP from its rankings...

Gary figured out that KIPP gamed the system by placing its high-performing students in one middle school and its underperforming students in another middle school. But only one gets counted by U.S. News...

Please open the link to understand what a clever move this is. Why do they do it? Gary says it impresses their funders.

WHEN CHARTERS CLOSE

No silver lining to charter school closures

Publically run and funded schools provide the stability that private schools and charter schools can't. Support your local public schools.

From School Matters

Regardless of what you think about charter schools, it’s bad news when one closes unexpectedly. It’s bad for the staff. It’s bad for the people who were committed to the project. It’s especially bad for the students, who will have to find a new school, learn their way around and make new friends.

And it’s not a rare occurrence here in Indiana. A list provided by the Indiana Department of Education includes 50 charter schools that have closed or merged since Indiana began allowing charters in 2002...

What happens to students when their schools close unexpectedly? Research is mixed, but there’s strong evidence that switching schools has negative academic and behavioral impacts, especially on students of color and students from low-income families...

CHILDCARE COSTS SKYROCKET

Keep your nose on

What do working parents do when they can no longer afford child care? When will the US put its money where its mouth is when it comes to caring for its children?

From Live Long and Prosper

...As a nation, the US doesn't seem to have the inclination or the foresight to provide for its children...or to plan for the future.

A 2023 survey from Arreaza’s organization found that 59% of parents reported cutting back on hours or leaving a job because they couldn’t find reliable, affordable child care. After losing that source of income, families often cut back on other expenses. Forty-four percent of families said they reduced food costs and over half, 55%, said they couldn’t save while shouldering the cost of child care, which rivals the cost of full-time, in-state college tuition in Indiana and elsewhere.

FORT WAYNE LOCAL NEWS

East Allen County Schools superintendent named best in state

East Allen County Superintendent is named the Indiana Superintendent of the Year.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Allen County is again home to the Indiana Superintendent of the Year.

Marilyn Hissong of East Allen County Schools received the honor Monday during an annual conference for Indiana school board members, superintendents and administrators.

She has led the district for six years, making her the longest tenured superintendent currently in Allen County.

“As of July 1, 2023, I had the extreme privilege and honor of completing my 30th year in education, all which has been with East Allen County Schools,” Hissong said in a statement.

October is ADHD Awareness Month.
Click here for more information.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is essential; one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information, go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/ [NOTE: NEIFPE has no financial ties to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette]

^†Note: NEIFPE's In Case You Missed It is posted by the end of the day every Monday except after holiday weekends or as otherwise noted.

###