Education Secretary Duncan Takes Teacher Appreciation Tour to Virginia

[Catshrink]

Education Secretary Duncan Takes Teacher Appreciation Tour to Virginia

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan continued his teacher appreciation tour this week with a Thursday visit to George Mason High School, a small, high-performing school in Falls Church, VA.

Duncan is visiting several schools during National Teacher Appreciation Week to thank and honor the nation’s 5 million teachers. The National Education Association had recommended Duncan visit George Mason High School, which provides a strong example of the types of achievement possible when classes are small, students receive individualized attention, and high goals are set.

With a student body of about 820 students in grades 8-12, George Mason is one of the smallest public high schools in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. The school is consistently rated as one of the top-performing high schools in American by Newsweek magazine, and has been recognized for Excellence in Education by the U.S. Department of Education.

More than 90 percent of George Mason graduates attend either four-year or two-year colleges, and the school was the first in Virginia to use the International Baccalaureate program in its advanced placement classes.

http://neatoday.org/2010/05/06/education-secretary-duncan-takes-teacher-appreciation-tour-to-virginia/

Of course, what Arne doesn't acknowledge -- and the article doesn't mention -- is that Falls Church City Public Schools are

Ethnicity/school/state
White 72% 57%
Asian 12% 5%
Hispanic 8% 9%
Black 4% 26%
Unspecified 3% 2%
American Indian <1% <1%

Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program School: 6% State: 15%

Students per FTE teacher is 10:1.

http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/va/district-profile/69

The median income for a household in the city was $74,924, and the median income for a family was $97,225. Males had a median income of $65,227 versus $46,014 for females. The per capita income for the city was $41,051. About 2.8% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over. Falls Church City was the nation's most affluent municipality in 2002.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Church,_Virginia

Let's contrast this with the Central Falls HS in RI where Arne praised the wholesale firing of the teachers:

Ethnicity/school/state

Hispanic 69% 18%
Black, not Hispanic 15% 9%
White, not Hispanic 15% 69%
Asian/Pacific Islander <1% 3%
American Indian/Alaskan Native <1% <1%

Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program School: 63% State: 38%

Students per FTE teacher is 13:1

http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/ri/other/29#students

The median income for a household in the city was $22,628, and the median income for a family was $26,844. Males had a median income of $23,854 versus $18,544 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,825. About 25.9% of families and 29.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 29.3% of those age 65 or over.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Falls,_Rhode_Island

Gee, Arne, do you think these statistics might have something to do with the almighty test scores? Or is this kind of critical thinking too hard for you?

[Angry Dragon]

1. Another person Obama should get rid of

Obama is looking like a republican more everyday day

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Well judging from those stats, Arne won't be coming to my school

Which is a good thing for him.

Great research catshrink!

[Reader Rabbit]

3. "Students per FTE teacher is 10:1. "

Holy crap!

:wow:


Ten students per teacher is like the Holy Grail of education! What I couldn't do if I only had to work with 10 kids at a time!

[Catshrink]

4. We're at 20 certified teachers per student

it doesn't say FTE's so I'm not sure we're comparing the same thing. Doesn't FTE include school counselors, social workers, etc.? I'm drawing a blank.

[LWolf]

9. That probably includes

PE, music, and other teachers outside the classroom. Still, even if that bumped class size up to a research-supported 15, imagine a class that small with that much support staff...what we COULD do would be wonderful.

[YvonneCa]

5. This just completely emphasizes the divide...

...between the three types of schools Duncan has delineated...

1. High-performing schools that need barriers (like NCLB) removed to they can 'fly'...like this one.

2. Schools that are on the verge of and will be excellent with support.

3. Failing schools/low performing schools....like where I taught...that face sanctions, firings, and closure.

Arne spent over a year on his 'Bash the Teachers' Tour. It's great that he now seeks to applaud teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week...but what about the hard-working, dedicated teachers in those category 3 schools? I want him to start to recognized THOSE teachers. Maybe then I can rest...and enjoy being retired. :)

[Catshrink]

6. I don't think he understands the challenges of teaching

especially to the category 3 schools. It's so much easier to blame someone than the listen and try to understand.

[tonysam]

7. Oh, I think he does; he just doesn't care

He and Obama are taking their marching orders from "Democrats for Education Reform" and the World Bank.

[YvonneCa]

8. He definitely doesn't know about...

...teaching. I applaud the teachers at all three types of public schools...but the job is not the same.