District Administration - March 2010 - (Page 14)

Br iefings NewsUpdate Get-Tough Policies Put Students on Path Toward Prison UNDUE pUNitivE poliCiES are driving students down a path toward prison, according to a study from the Advancement project, an organization founded by veteran civil rights lawyers dedicated to racial justice. “test, punish, and push out,” released January 20 as part of the group’s Ending the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse track project, details the impact that high-stakes testing and zerotolerance policies have on graduation rates and students that enter the criminal justice system. “High-stakes testing and the pressure placed by tests creates the incentives to push out low-performing students, and zero tolerance is the way to do that,” says Jim Freeman, staff attorney and director of Ending the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse track initiative with the Advancement project. “These policies have been widecators, students and parents.” The Advancement project advocates eradicating the policies that they feel treat students as if they’re disposable. “There is no research to prove they’re improving the classroom environment, but we know prevention and intervention programs work,” says Freeman. The study suggests the following: (1) replacing high-stakes testing—the “test and punish” approach—with qualitative assessments; (2) including classroom instructions beyond the tests and drills associated with standardized testing; (3) reevaluating zero-tolerance policies to determine what effect the criminalization of students has on the community; and (4) providing young people the opportunities to correct problematic behavior. For more about this study, visit www.advancementproject.org. spread, in particular since the passage of No Child left Behind in 2002.” According to the study, 250,000 more students received out-of-school suspensions in the 2006-2007 school year than four years earlier when NClB was signed into law. During that same time frame, expulsions rose by 15 percent. “Zero tolerance and high-stakes testing have changed the culture of many schools around the country and created an alienating environment,” says Freeman. “They drive a wedge between edu- Two RECENT REpoRTs DETAiliNg RATEs of TEENAgE pregnancy and sexual activity have renewed debate about sex education, particularly abstinence-based education. A January 26 report by the guttmacher institute, which produces sexual and reproductive health resources, found that the national rate of teen pregnancy is on the rise, with some experts claiming that the Bush-era emphasis on abstinence education is to blame. Days after its release, another study, released in the february 2010 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine concluded that abstinence-only education can be effective in curbing teenage sexual activity over the long term. The guttmacher report, “U.s. Teenage pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and state Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity,” concludes that teenage pregnancy is on the rise for the first time in over a decade, having increased in 2006 by 3 percent than in 2005, with 750,000 women under the age of 20 becoming pregnant. some hold abstinence-only sex education responsible. “This new study makes it crystal clear that abstinence-only sex education for New Studies Renew Sex Education Debate teenagers does not work,” read a statement from the planned parenthood federation of America. The second study is the result of an independent experiment, led by psychologist John Jemmott iii and funded by the National institute of Mental Health, to examine the long-term effectiveness of abstinence-only education. This experiment was unique in that it emphasized the drawbacks of sexual activity without the use of a moralistic tone or disparaging contraceptives. “This research is strong evidence that abstinence-only intervention can help teens delay sex,” says Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to prevent Teen and Unplanned pregnancy. for policymakers, Albert believes these studies do not provide concrete answers, but rather offer additional science for what changes teen behavior in terms of shaping K12 education. “No one is suggesting that abstinence-only education will work all the time for all people,” says Albert. “it’s important that we have a large portfolio of effective options.” 14 March 2010 District Administration http://www.advancementproject.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - March 2010

District Administration - March 2010
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Curriculum Update
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Toward a More Perfect Union
The Moxie of Kathy Cox
Logging On to Learn
Battling Sexual Abuse
Supervisor’s Opinion
Problem/Solution
Crisis Response
Product Focus
New Products
Tech Disruptions

District Administration - March 2010