Students at California Schools Need to Have a Well-Rounded Education

When students attending the California schools take a course in drama, they are not just learning about acting. They are also learning how to think creatively and work well with others. They are making connections between their own lives and the experiences of other people. Many students who pursue these types of classes also experience an increase in their self-confidence. All of these factors mean that these students tend to receive better test scores, whether they are attending California schools or not.

Having a broad base of knowledge will only benefit students as they go on to higher education or to work after they have finished their education. Unfortunately, too many California schools have focused their attention (and available funds) on math and reading, since these skills are being measured in standardized tests.

Benefits to Art Education at California Schools Shouldn’t Be Ignored

With this type of tunnel vision about the standardized tests and having students score well on them, it’s easy to see why anything not covered on the test could be discounted at California schools. The fact is that school should be about more than the students’ performance on Test Day. Simply because a student’s performance in art cannot be marked in the same way as a math exam, doesn’t make it any less important to students attending California schools.

Since including the Arts in the curriculum does lead to better test scores, then those young people going to the California schools should definitely be exposed to them. If the goal is to increase student performance on the standardized tests, then let’s encourage the administrators at California schools to use all the resources at their disposal to help the students to perform well. It’s a well recognized fact that multiple learning styles exist, and students who are visual learners thrive and make important synapse connections through creating.

Students who perform well on the standardized tests are more likely to stay in school, and we should be doing everything we can to help them do well. When young people attending California schools get off track and discouraged, they are at risk for dropping out of school. It is in all of our interests to encourage them to stay in school. Kids that drop out have fewer options than those who complete their education.

If the price we have to pay to keep kids in California schools until graduation is to invest in an art or music program, then I would consider that money well spent.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit California School Districts

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The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has been mired in controversy ever since it was introduced by president Bush five years ago. Its proponents insist the bill is the only solution to improve the education system in the country. Opponents argue that it’s a one size fits all option that attempts to micromanage schools with out taking into consideration other factors that are a measure of a school’s success.

California school districts have been vociferous in their opposition to NCLB, and now teachers in the state’s schools are demanding that the state’s politicians do their bit to help block NCLB. Authorities in California schools have appealed to Congress to block the reauthorization plans for NCLB that have been brought forward by two of the state’s most prominent politicians -Democratic senator George Miller of Solano, Chairman of the House Labor Relations and Education Committee, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from San Francisco. California schools say Miller and Pelosi’s proposed reauthorization continues to focus on school scores on standardized tests as a measure of the school’s ranking and does not take into consideration other factors like attendance rates in California schools and the difficulty of the curriculum. They also propose that NCLB should take into consideration the numbers of students graduating from California schools, and the numbers of students taking part in honors or advanced placement courses in deciding school rankings.

How NCLB Negatively Impacts California Schools

This year NCLB labeled one in every four California schools as “failing.” Among the California schools labeled with this dreaded tag was a distinguished school that had managed to successfully clear 45 out of the 46 components in NCLB. The reason it was labeled “failing”? Ten students did not score high enough on one English language test. It is situations like these that are getting people in the California schools up in arms about a law they feel punishes low performing schools and teachers to the extent that they fall further down the rankings. It also pulls down high performing schools because of low test scores in one isolated subject.

Experts at California schools insist the NCLB has a blinkered approach, and their fears have been compounded by the Miller Pelosi reauthorization proposal which they say will continue to punish teachers in California schools. The state estimates that it will need at least 100,000 teachers in the next 10 years and fears the continuation of NCLB will discourage new recruits. The Miller-Pelosi proposal erodes local control while giving Washington the power to micromanage its schools. California schools are equipped to handle their own affairs and decide what works best for their students, and should be allowed to do so.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit California School Districts

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California School Districts have a racially and ethnically diverse population; more so than in any other state and the numbers of immigrants keeps growing. This diversity is reflected in California schools. Many of the California schools have large student populations that originate from linguistic minorities, or from families that are still in the process of learning English. This fact has led to California schools being high on the national list of schools with limited fluency in the English language. Add cultural and social differences to the linguistic problem, and it isn’t surprising to find that California schools are beginning to slide down the scale.

School Rankings and California Schools

The entire premise of the No Child Left Behind program aims to allow each child the chance at a high quality education. This is admirable, but it doesn’t take into account the fact that not all the children in the country are the same. This is especially true in California schools with their huge ethnic and linguistic minority students. Expecting children of varied cultures, and across all linguistic divides, to perform equally well on a standardized test can be a futile exercise. A standardized test doesn’t take into account the vast differences in cultures, family backgrounds, abilities and experiences of children in the California Schools. That’s why it’s doomed to fail as a measure of a student’s or child’s standing in the educational system.

Promoting California Schools: Walk the Walk

When it comes to the state of California schools, politicians are more than eager to mouth platitudes that sound great on paper but fizzle when it comes to putting them to action. One particular requirement of No Child Left Behind is mandatory testing of at least 95 per cent of students in a school. This requirement means little in California schools, where parents have the right to refuse to allow their children to be tested. What this trickles down to, in effect, is that even good quality schools might not find the required number of students to test, which means a black mark and a possible slide down the public school rankings for a perfectly good institution. Another provision of the program allows students to leave schools that fail any one the program’s requirements. This sounds great in theory until you realize that it is the California school district that has to foot the bill to transfer these students to other schools, adding to the congestion problem in already overcrowded schools. When it comes to implementing the No Child Left Behind program, California schools are finding more stumbling blocks than in other states.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit California School Districts

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Currently, there are numerous jobs in the healthcare industry for applicants with college and only high school degrees. The healthcare industry is in desperate need of well-educated people to fill an increasing number of positions projected for the future. This need gives today’s California schools students opportunities for future careers that will provide them a comfortable lifestyle.

These healthcare jobs are demanding; however, and require rich and rigorous core curriculums for students from kindergarten through high school. The grants will help prepare California schools students for such careers, as well as meet the demand for well-educated workers in the healthcare industry — a win-win situation for everyone.

The funds ultimately are designed to help California schools students consider such careers. The eligible districts within the California schools already have Health Science Pathways in place. They are quality programs that help prepare students for healthcare careers. Districts that participate are eligible for up to $15,000 in grant money, distributed in two payments. The first payment of 75 percent is received before students attend the Institute. The remaining 25 percent is received upon completion of Institute attendance and application requirements.

The fulfillment of each district grant requires:

• Development teams that consist of teachers, administrators, counselors, postsecondary partners, and healthcare industry partners;

• District teams must attend the annual California Health Science Educators Institute, held in Los Angeles every June;

• Teams develop and submit a health science pathway strategic plan, as directed by the Institute;

• A team approach is used in all facets of the California schools program;

• Districts and their teams also must submit to the California schools letters of commitment to the California Health Science Education Institute program; and

• California schools students must attend the California Health Science Education Institute.

The funds for the new California schools program were made available through a partnership between the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency and the California schools. The new programs goes a long way to support enrichment and improvement of the Health Science Pathway program in the California schools, as well as satisfying a community need and offering more opportunities for students in the future.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on California schools visit California Schools

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The California Schools in question shared one common characteristic – a relatively high level of student poverty. Many but not all of them have high percentages of students who were English learners and/or Hispanic, a statistic that has been correlated with student poverty. Most have very small populations of white students.

These troubled California Schools tended to be larger than average and were much more likely to be on a multitrack, year-round calendar. This type of school calendar allows the school in question to serve a greater number of students by being open all 12 months of the year; with some California Schools teachers and classes sharing rooms with those who are off on a break.

In terms of staffing, these California Schools had a much higher proportion of teachers not fully credentialed and were also more likely to have a high percentage of first- and second-year teachers.

Principals of the California Schools in question were surveyed to determine the differences in the challenges faced by their particular schools. School district officials were also able to provide more information.

California has operated its school accountability system for nine years now and the average API (Academic Performance Index) scores for all schools have risen. Elementary schools have shown the most progress. However, as a whole, elementary level California Schools have faced greater challenges than their middle- and high-school counterparts. On average, they had either similar or more challenging proportions of English learners and students living in poverty. School sizes are modestly large and the proportion of fully credentialed teachers is somewhat lower than middle- and high-school teachers working in California Schools.

Conversely, California Schools in the middle and high school levels have consistently shown less improvement than elementary schools. From a statistical perspective, secondary California Schools often face different challenges than elementary schools do in attempting to meet their API growth targets.

Middle Schools have not had the full benefit of the state’s investment in K–12 education since the mid-to-late 1990s, however. From an instructional perspective, the state has put more focus on improving achievement in the earliest grades, most likely with the belief that if a student’s academic success can be improved upon at an early age, they will continue to be successful throughout their school careers.

While there many changes that need to be made to improve the quality of California Schools, it is indeed heartening to see that the state’s board of education is up to the challenge of helping schools make the improvements needed to produce successful and vital members of tomorrow’s society.

California Public Schools Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit California Public Schools

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To be considered for the award, California schools must meet a variety of eligibility requirements. These include designated federal and state accountability measures that are based upon the No Child Left Behind, Adequate Yearly Progress, and Academic Performance Index measurement programs. Approximately, five percent of California schools are selected each year for the award, with no fewer than 40 counties typically being represented.

The program alternates awards yearly between the elementary and secondary California schools. Year 2006 honors elementary schools.

California schools that meet the requirements complete an application and submit it to a team of local educators from across the state, which evaluate and score the merits of each school application. Schools with the highest scoring applications are selected as statewide nominees for the award. Nominated California schools then receive an onsite visit by a team of county school superintendents and members of the California Department of Education, who validate the accuracy of the application data.

Those California schools selected for the Distinguished School Award are honored at a statewide ceremony, where the state school superintendent awards a plaque and flag to each school. The program and annual ceremonies are funded through the generosity of prominent California corporations and statewide education organizations that believe educational excellence should be rewarded and encouraged publicly.

In 2006, a record 377 public elementary schools were honored with the California Distinguished School Award, surpassing the 302 elementary schools honored in 2004 — the last elementary school award cycle. They represent the largest number of elementary school awardees in the 21-year history of the program.

The 2006 California schools awardees were chosen from 190 school districts in 40 counties. They were selected from the largest number of eligible elementary schools to date, setting another record for the program. Of the more than 5,000 elementary schools in California, 2,043 were eligible to apply for the 2006 award. California schools are proving that student scholastic excellence can be nurtured and consistently improved.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12 , providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on California schools visit California Schools

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