Local School Topics

Desegregation may have occurred decades ago, but some areas of the country are still dealing with segregation to this day. In Texas, thousands of schools are nearly as segregated in 2013 as they were at the time of Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954. With a rising percentage of minority students in the state, segregation could have serious implications on the future education of Texas students, as well as the readiness of those students to graduate and enter the state’s workforce.

The Rise of Minorities in Texas

The Dallas Morning News reports that segregation issues, coupled with disparities in education affecting schools made up of mostly minority students, could have serious long-term effects on education and economic conditions in the state. The problems are particularly pronounced in the Dallas Independent School District, where just 5 percent of the entire student population is white. Compare that number to the one in 1970, when the district was cited for failing to desegregate schools effectively. White students comprised around 60 percent of the entire student population at that time.

The school board president for Dallas, Lew Blackburn, told the Dallas Morning Star he is concerned about the fact that students are not getting exposed to the racial diversity in their schools that they see in their communities. Blackburn also believes that while he doesn’t know precise reasons for the dwindling number of white students in Dallas schools, he suspects it might be linked to an

A recent Opens Doors Day by Detroit Public Schools gave parents and students the chance to catch a glimpse of the wide range of schools available in one of the largest school districts in the country. Among other possibilities, this tour featured a unique school in Michigan and one of the only schools of its kind in the U.S. Who would have suspected that a district-wide open house could cumulate into a tour of the city by air – in a private plane used at a high school that prepares students for a career in the aerospace industry?

Future Students in Flight

According to a report at mLive, students who recently visited Davis Aerospace Technical High School as part of their tour of Detroit Public Schools got a welcome surprise. One of the instructors at the school, who also happens to be a pilot, took students and their parents on free airplane rides using one of the small private planes kept at the school for training purposes. The four-seat aircraft was the smallest many of the guests had ever flown in, and the tour of Downtown Detroit from miles above the ground could only be described as “breathtaking.”

Flights took off from a small runway adjacent to the Davis Aerospace Technical High School campus. The pilot of the flights, Captain Miller, is an instructor at Davis, and a veteran of the U.S. Air Forces with more than 35 years of flying experience. Captain Miller

A recent study revealed some startling statistics about teacher retention in Duval County Public Schools. The Jacksonville Public Education Fund study found that this large U.S. county loses more than half of its public school teachers within five years of their careers. This high turnover rate may be costing the school district a significant amount of money and impacting the quality of education provided to public school students. As the statistics come to light, theories begin to circulate on how to promote public school teaching as a long-term career choice in Duval County.

The Human Capital Issue

WTEV was one of the first to broadcast the results of the study by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. The news station reported that researchers in the study surveyed 600 Duval County public school teachers to explore the possible reasons for the high turnover rate. The teachers interviewed told the station that salary and benefits are both factors that could either keep teachers in the profession – or drive them away.

Teachers were also asked what would make them stay in the profession rather than search for greener pastures after just a few short years. Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, said that most teachers told them compensation and benefits, increased autonomy, and a louder voice in policy decisions could be the driving force behind the long-term employment of public teachers in the county. Calling the findings a “human capital” issue, Csar also told

It may be assumed that segregation is no longer a significant problem for public schools throughout the United States. However, a recent study found that segregation is still very much alive and well in Maryland public schools. Despite efforts at the end of the last century to desegregate schools in the state, recent data suggests the efforts have come up short in ensuring an equal education quality for all Maryland students.

Educational Disparity in Maryland

The new research, which was compiled by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, found that black students in Maryland attend public schools that are nearly as segregated today as they were during the desegregation efforts of the 1980s. Afro reports that during the 2010-2011 school year, more than half of all the African-American students attended schools with a strong majority of minority students. In addition, those schools had a much higher percentage of low-income students than schools that white students in the state primarily attended.

This video describes how over 5,000 teachers and educators signed up to march along with students and community leaders to push for more school funding in Annapolis, Maryland.

This discrepancy can lead to a serious disparity in educational quality. Schools with a high percentage of low-income and minority students tend to receive fewer resources and less experienced teachers than other schools in the area. At the same

New York City Schools: High Opt-Outs For Standardized Tests

Standardized testing has become commonplace in schools nationwide, but not everyone believes in using testing to evaluate school and student performance. This year, several schools nationwide are seeing a higher-than-usual number of students opting out of the test protocol. One area that has been hit hard with opt-outs in recent weeks is New York City Public Schools. How will the higher number of opt-outs impact students choosing not to test and the schools where they are enrolled?

Some Students Say No to Tests

The Village Voice reports that test weeks this year are seeing fewer student participants in New York City. The publication cites reports of opt-outs at 22 schools throughout the boroughs, although the precise number of students opting out at each school is still unknown. It does appear that 33 students at the city’s Earth School have submitted their intentions to opt out of testing, which would comprise a significant percentage of the student body at that small school.

Parents and students are complaining of excessive stress caused by the standardized tests. They also question using valuable classroom time and resources to prepare for tests rather than quality instruction. Teachers are also protesting, stating that using standardized tests to evaluate teachers and schools is inappropriate and inaccurate.

The opt-outs in New York follow a decision by teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington, not to administer the tests