Being a member of the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools entitles you to receive this issue of the Electronic Report. The purpose of this Report is to provide brief synopses of developments with the Illinois Coalition of Non-Public Schools, legislative updates, and information of interest to our nonpublic school administrators. Additional information may be obtained by following the hyperlinks that are imbedded throughout the Report.
ICNS is the “voice of non-public education in Illinois.” In order to make our “voice” as loud as we can when addressing the needs of nonpublic schools, we need your help. As we end the 2009 calendar year, we are making one more call for renewed membership in ICNS. Again this year, the membership dues are just $50. If you have already renewed your membership, we thank you for your school’s support. If not, access the memberships form on the ICNS web site, and send it in today. Also, you can look for an envelope to arrive at your school after the holidays with information related to the work of ICNS and a membership form. With your membership in ICNS, our “voice” can be heard. You will also continue to receive your monthly issue of the Electronic Report as a way of keeping you informed about issues that impact you as an administrator of a nonpublic school.
As was shared with administrators in the November Electronic Report, ICNS initiated a search for a consultant to work on our behalf in Springfield for the upcoming session. A contract has been extended and we hope to have the individual in the position when the legislators return in January.
The December 2009 issue of CAPE Outlook, a monthly newsletter from the Council for American Private Education, is available for download as a free PDF document at http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook350.pdf
In Outlook this month:
· Mapping the Economic Cost of Dropouts
A new analysis by the Alliance for Excellent Education shows that the U.S. economy would grow significantly if the number of high school dropouts were cut in half. Nearly 600,000 students dropped out of the high school class of 2008 in the nation's 50 largest cities and surrounding areas. The Alliance's research shows that if just half of these students had graduated, earnings would have been more than $4.1 billion in additional income every year. Annual state and local tax revenues in affected areas would have jumped by nearly $536 million. The study also found that 65 percent of these additional high school graduates would have continued to college, many earning a PhD or other professional degree. Estimates were generated by an economic model based on graduation rates calculated by Editorial Projects in Education. Economic benefits were projected for U.S. Census-defined metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) consisting of a central urban area and its surrounding geographic area, provided the surrounds had strong social and economic ties to the city. The 4,900 high schools located within these MSAs currently have an average graduation rate of 69.8 percent. Over 900 of these high schools are so-called "dropout factories," where fewer than 60 percent of freshman progress to their senior year on time. Read more: http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/EconMSA
· Skill in math not necessarily skill in teaching it
A chief requirement of a successful math teacher is having majored in math in college, one might think, but research shows it has little advantage, according to Education Week. Counterintuitive? --perhaps, especially given widespread alarm among policymakers over STEM teacher credentials. A fundamental grasp of math is necessary, but what observers say is crucial is an instructional repertoire for teaching it. Math teachers need to "know the subject matter well and how to teach it," confirms Deborah Loewenberg Ball, a scholar who has studied math teaching extensively. "The problem is that the math major is not a good proxy for that." The National Council on Teacher Quality supports high school math teachers obtaining math majors, and middle school math educators getting a math major or minor, along with an additional minor that benefits their teaching. But having teachers with commitment and specialized skill in classrooms is of greatest benefit to students. The evidence of a connection between teaching success and other presumed measures of teacher knowledge and expertise, such as pre-service and professional development training or certification in math is also weak. Read more: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/11/25/13mathteach.h29.html?tkn=XYBFTClqmZ3YA3kLBRulyzS6QMiaqm6NCdh8
· Extended learning time, higher student performance?
As more and more schools experiment with an extended learning day, it's become important to build a base of knowledge about how schools are using extra time and what outcomes they're seeing. The National Center on Time & Learning has compiled a nationwide database of schools that have added learning time to their schedules, and its accompanying analysis suggests that extra time might play a role in boosting middle and high school achievement, reports Education Week. The center found a "moderate association" between increased time and how well students did on their states' standardized English and mathematics tests compared with their peers in nearby schools on regular schedules. Another analysis in the study found that schools that added the most time had better student performance in grades 7 and 10 than those that added less time. No similar pattern was found at other grade levels. The authors of the study emphasize that the data are not complete or representative enough to support a definite conclusion, but hope the results will prompt further research about practices and outcomes of extended-time schools. An-Me Chung of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which has supported and studied after-school programs and extended learning time in schools, welcomes the study but said the focus was too narrow. "What is it that is happening during that time that's different? I would like to have seen more about that," Ms. Chung said. "Learning needs to be the focus here, not just time."
Read more: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/12/09/14time.h29.html?tkn=QLXF8OnlYyhPWE7s20MjZSzxt%2B8LK3%2Fiwja8
See the report: http://www.timeandlearning.org/databasefullreport2009.html
See the database: http://www.timeandlearning.org/eltschools_db/search.html
http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook346.pdf The report, entitled "Career Satisfaction High Among Private School Teachers" concluded that private school teachers are more satisfied than their public school counterparts with careers, classroom conditions and school climate.
This is an important
requirement and will be checked by ISBE Nonpublic School Recognition site
visitors. Public Act 95-0439 amended the Missing Children Records Act (325 ILCS
50/5) to require educational programs and child care facilities to collect a
certified copy of a child’s birth certificate or other reliable proof of the
child’s identity and age, such as a passport, visa, or other governmental
documentation, when a child is enrolled for the first time.. A full copy of the
Missing Children Records Act is available at
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1469&ChapAct=325%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B50%2F&ChapterID=32&ChapterName=CHILDREN&ActName=Missing+Children+Records+Act%2E.”
The law reads it applies to any entity where a child would enroll for the first
time whether it be elementary, secondary, public, private preschool educational
program or public/private child care facility.
WHICH PROGRAMS PROVIDE SERVICES TO PRIVATE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS AND STUDENTS UNDER THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT (ESEA)?
Under ESEA, as amended by NCLB, there are 12 programs that require the equitable participation of private school students, teachers and, in some programs, parents. The programs are:
Title I - Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
. Improving Basic Programs Operated by LEAs [Part A]
. Reading First [Part B, Subpart 1]
. Even Start Family Literacy [Part B, Subpart 3]
. Migrant Education [Part C]
Title II - Preparing, Training and Recruiting High-quality Teachers and Principals
. Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund [Part A]
. Mathematics and Science Partnerships [Part B]
. Enhancing Education Through Technology [Part D]
Title III - Language Instruction for LEP and Immigrant Students
. English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, & Academic Achievement [Part A]
Title IV - 21st Century Schools
. Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities [Part A]
. 21st Century Community Learning Centers [Part B]
Title V - Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs
. Innovative Programs [Part A]
. Gifted and Talented Students [Part D, Subpart 6]
.
For more information about these programs and to review a related informational publication, The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Benefits to Private School Students and Teachers, visit: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/choice/schools/privbenefits/index.html.