Local School Topics

Recent standardized test scores released by the Nebraska Department of Education show some serious performance discrepancies between minority students throughout the state and their white counterparts. According to the scores, disparities reign in core subjects like reading and math, and the dismal figures are consistent throughout much of the state. However, despite the discouraging data collected from the most recent bout of statewide testing, there are also a few bright spots among the education clouds as well.

About the Tests

According to Omaha.com, the most recent test results come from a compilation of individual test scores and demographic data from all 249 of the state’s public school districts. Math scores came from a new state test, which that is part of a series of assessments being introduced in Nebraska. These assessments, unlike previous statewide testing, will be more in line with the federal standards in the No Child Left Behind Act. The test was taken for the first time last year, and school officials anticipated some lower scores across the board, as both students and teachers acclimated to the new method of testing.

A new reading test was developed as well, also to conform to the No Child Left Behind standards. According to the Beatrice Daily Sun, the new tests were developed by the state legislature, after the Nebraska Department of Education failed to prove that current assessments were accurate measures of student achievement under federal standards. While some drop in scores was expected, the surprise

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Public School board have been getting plenty of flack in recent weeks on their decision to lengthen the school day across the city. To ensure the additional hours students spend in the classroom pay off, the mayor has also recently unveiled his new model of a high school hybrid that allows participating students to earn their high school diploma and a college degree simultaneously. This new model will initially be placed at five high schools around the city, but if it is successful, it could be used as an example for other schools around the country.

High School Ready and College Bound

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the new school will offer students the opportunity to complete high school and move to a community college degree, all in a single location. The schools will allow students to work at their own pace, but the expectation is that most students will take a full six years to complete the program. Areas of study will primarily focus on those pertinent to current industries, such as math, science, and engineering. However, English literacy and comprehension will also be stressed within the program.

This video highlights changes in the Chicago Public Schools.

An article in the Imperfect Parent explains how this program will be a boon not only to students who want

High school athletics are an important part of many students’ lives, teaching them important life lessons such as hard work, perseverance and time management. In Hawaii, sports are an integral part of the high school culture, with a district that boasts more than 40 sanctioned sports and a number of championship seasons under their belts. Now the state will have one more sport to add to their repertoire – the state recently announced plans to make surfing a sanctioned sport in high schools across the islands.

According to a report at ESPN, the governor of the state, Neil Abercrombie, made the announcement in Waikiki, in the company of Lt. Governor Brian Shatz, Department of Education superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, and Board of Education member Keith Amemiya. Women’s world surf champion Carissa Moore was also in attendance at the announcement.

Origins of Surfing

Hawaii has traditionally been considered the birthplace of surfing since the royalty of the islands used to surf across the waves as an expression of courage and competition. Today, the sport has become big across the globe, and competition has brought surfing to a new level of performance and acceptance. People come from around the world to test out Hawaii’s surfing opportunities for themselves, whether for recreational or competitive purposes.

“Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing,” Governor Abercrombie told the crowd on Waikiki, and ABC News when the announcement was made. “From Duke Kahanamoku to the thousands of residents and visitors who surf both

School districts nationwide have been dealing with smaller budgets and fewer resources since the economy came to a grinding halt just a few short years ago. In most cases, this meant less to go around for teachers and administrators. In Tacoma, Washington, teachers have determined that the proposed cuts by the school district simply didn’t “cut it” as far as they were concerned. To make their disapproval of the pending changes plainly known, the Tacoma teachers union called a strike, which is now in its second week of the brand new school year.

The Strike Unfolds

As the district grappled with various issues before the start of this school year, some of the decisions that were made did not go over well with the teachers who work in Tacoma. There are three basic issues on the table: teacher pay cuts, increases in class sizes, and the way the district wants to handle teacher transfers. All of these issues are still in discussion, and no agreement has been reached on any of them.

According to the News Tribune, teachers who request transfers have their requests processed based solely on teacher seniority. The district has proposed that future decisions entail seniority, teacher evaluations, and assessments. Adding the additional criteria ensures that the most effective teachers in the district will get the first pick of teaching assignments. The union has argued that this process would be subjective and unfair to teachers who have worked in the district for many years

Chicago Public Schools are well known for having the shortest school days in the country. New Mayor Rahm Emanuel has plans to change that fact – sooner rather than later. Emanuel has announced plans to extend the Chicago school day by as much as 90 minutes, bringing the district up to par with the rest of the public schools nationwide. However, a decision to add a significant amount of time to a school and work day isn’t boding well with everyone who will be impacted by the decision.

Looking at CPS Track Record

The call for more time in school stems from the current problems the school district faces. According to a recent report at the Southwest News-Herald, academic growth among Chicago public school students has been stagnant at best. More than 150,000 students are currently attending underachieving schools in the city, while a little more than half of all high school students are making it all the way to graduation.

CPS also released numbers that show less than one-third of all eighth-graders hit benchmarks for college readiness in reading and only 20 percent made or exceeded the benchmarks in math. By the same token, just under eight percent of high school juniors in the Chicago school system achieved college readiness benchmarks in all four areas on the state’s most recent PSAE tests. Chicago schools also stated that the city falls well below the state in hitting benchmarks; Chicago currently holds at 19