District Administration - August 2006 - (Page 18)

Update Housing Subsidy Helps Teachers Teachers of math, science and special education in New York City are being lured to work RUDY'S DUE in challenging schools with an offer of housing subsidies up to $14,600. 80% Teachers must have at least two years' experiences. Officials hope to hire an addi- tional 100 teachers for September. of Miami-Dade Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration plans to pay upfront up to $5,000 to the Superintendent recruits for housing expenses including the cost of moving to the area, a down payment Rudy Crew's goals were on buying a home, or broker fees and security deposits for renters, according to The New accomplished last year, York Times. meaning he likely gets another $45,000 added to his $305,000 base salary. No Diploma? an independently administered, focusing on, he says. federally approved test to show that Given that data show many high No Problem they can benefit from college-level school graduates aren't ready for n an era of strengthened K-12 I work referred to as an ability-to- college-level work, what makes us academic standards and gradua- benefit test. think that students who don't get a t ion requirements, some education St ates have split on the question diploma or a GED are ready to do officials are concerned that some of whether such students should college-level work? he asks. students are enrolling in public receive state fi nancial aid. Some, Joh n Marinovich, assistant super- and private colleges without a high such as New York, provide state i ntendent of secondary education at school diploma or equivalent degree, tuition grants to students, while oth- the Fresno Unified School District such as a GED. ers, like California, do not. in California, says he's not worried About 2 percent of college stu- Allowing the admission of such about community colleges' accepting such students, but is troubled that four-year colleges and universities What makes us think that students who don't would admit them. It smacks to get a diploma or a GED are ready to do college- me of lowering their standards on accepting students to a college or level work? university, he says. Like many other California dis- Dane Linn, director, education division, t r ic t s, Fresno has been advising high National Governors Association Center for Best Practices school seniors who have not passed the high school exit exam of their options, including attending com- students sends the wrong message dent s nationwide were enrolled mu n it y college without a diploma or in light of states' heavy focus on in colleges without possessing a GED, he says. But, he notes, we go accountability standards and assess- diploma or equivalent degree in back to discuss with each individual ments, says Dane Linn, director of 2003-04, according to a survey by student the importance of goal num- the education division of the National the U.S. Department of Education. ber one earning a diploma. Governors Association Center for That's up from 1.4 percent four Never t heless, community college Best Practices. Allowing students years earlier. remains a viable option for some, who haven't demonstrated that they About 1 percent of students at Marinovich says. I don't believe that hold the requisite skills to be suc- four-year colleges, 3 percent at com- we ever want to say to a student, cessful in college is not only unfair mu n it y colleges and 4 percent at whether they are 18 years old or to those who do stick it out and work private, for-profit colleges fell into older, that now is a dead end, that their way through high school, but it's that category. you shouldn't further your educa- somewhat contradictory to the policy Before receiving federal fi nancial t ion, he says. Kevin Butler objectives we see a number of states aid, such students must fi rst pass 18 August 2006 District Administration DA_806_Update.w.indd 18 7/17/06 10:28:42 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - August 2006

Contents
Progress with Purpose
Future Vision
Integrity, Accountability, Continuity
A New Kind of Testing
Update
Inside The Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
The Online Edge Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out Gary Stager
Principal Opinion Eamonn O'Donovan
Editor's Letter
Snapshots
Problem/Solution
Research Corner
New Products
By the Numbers
The Grass is Greener On This Side

District Administration - August 2006