The Idaho Legislature’s website makes it inconvenient to locate and message individual members of the education committees by requiring you to navigate to each member’s bio for the address.
Fortunately for you, I have compiled the list for you to use during the session. You’re welcome!
The Association of Education for Young Children published a new poll last week that leaves no doubt as to where Idahoans stand, in principle, to providing Pre-K services for Idaho’s children.
A summary: eighty percent of parents who have children five and younger support state supported Pre-K, and sixty-six percent of all surveyed registered voters, regardless of having young children, also support the idea.
In other words, it would seem that even in the conservative Gem State that Pre-K is not a toxic cocktail to discuss at the statehouse. Continue reading
As a parting gift before the new year, the Idaho Board of Education released a painfully grim picture for teacher recruitment and retention in its ironically named “Teacher Pipeline Report.”
That report details a current a woefully inadequate current mechanism to attract and retain qualified teachers in the Gem State that is anything but a pipeline delivering the necessary flow of new talent.
A few takeaways: One third of newly certified teachers in Idaho leave to teach in greener pastures outside Idaho; one in ten current Idaho teachers will call this year their last–much higher than the national average; of teachers quitting, three out of four are doing so before retirement age. Continue reading
The use of technology in the classroom has both the capability of increasing efficiency and accelerating student learning and the potential to become a distraction. As such, technology in education is a pressing issue that teachers, parents, and students feel strongly about. Industry argues that knowledge of how to use technology is important for job-preparedness. Studies demonstrate that too much technology will stunt students’ emotional growth and prevent them from learning how to think. This dichotomy does not necessarily have to be at odds with each itself, but often is when it comes to discussions of funding and curriculum. Continue reading
Idaho’s State Board of Education finally guidlines-and-a-review-process for determining Jedi quality master teachers last week. The report concludes that only 374 teachers in Idaho will qualify for the Master Educator distinction out of an eligible pool of 18,710 educators in Idaho.
This outcome seems to be an outright contradiction to the original intention of establishing a master teacher program which was designed to push many veteran educators closer to the original top salary level proposed during the tiered licensure debate. In fact, the requirements to receive the Jedi distinction from padawan colleagues is so onerous that the truly excellent teachers will likely spend their already strapped time on their classroom instead of completing yet another pile of paperwork mandated by the state. Continue reading
My crystal ball was rather cloudy last year. I had predicted that the major focus of the 2016 legislature would focus on taxation, largely by decreasing the highest marginal tax rate for the wealthiest in the Gem State. I thought education would take a backseat.
And while there certainly was discussion of updating Idaho’s tax code, those conversations fizzled like Democrats in their elections this year.
The Editorial Board of the Idaho Press Tribune made an excellent decision a week ago in drawing attention to the chronic disparity regarding minority student enrollment in Idaho’s charter schools in comparison to their local school districts, and information regarding the Civil Rights Complaint issued by Idaho’s Centro de Communidad Y Justicia (Center for Community and Justice).
However, that particular editorial left the impression that the cause of the disparity was minority parents and students simply not being properly informed that charter schools, as public schools, are a choice for their families as well.
And while dissemination of information to these communities is certainly a required element in solving this problem, it is only one very small fraction of a comprehensive solution; this imbalance requires charters to actually be a “choice” for minority populations, and that requires charter schools to offer genuine minority services that would embrace true inclusion.
That means that charter schools have to offer bus transportation services to make charter schools a “choice” for families juggling multiple jobs that create barriers for them transporting their own children, particularly single parent families. When charter schools such as Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, the second largest brick and mortar charter in Idaho, fail to offer transportation services to their students, it inherently stops becoming a “choice” for those families.
It means that charter schools must provide free and reduced lunch services to their students, particularly for families relying on these meals for their child’s nutrition. When charter schools like the Academy Public Charter in Pocatello fail to offer free and reduced lunch services to their students, it inherently stops becoming a “choice” for those low-income families.
It requires that charter schools offer true research-based interventions and services for students with disabilities; a special education student has just as much right to a resource teacher, school psychologist, speech/language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and transition counselors in charter schools as in public schools; a disability, no matter the severity, should never turn a student away from attending a charter.
It demands that charter schools provide materials and services in languages reflective of their community; this means an effort should be made to locate large non-English speaking populations, and make sure that materials are equitably provided to those populations in those languages. While Spanish-speaking populations certainly constitute a sizable demographic, it is also important to remember that Idaho is also home to sizable refugee populations in Boise and Twin Falls that must also be provided an equitable “choice” in student enrollment.
It stipulates that the preference system utilized during “lottery” drawings for student applications be addressed. Between preferences allowed for founder’s children, employee’s children, siblings of children already enrolled, and this year’s new law that gives preference to any child enrolled in any charter in the state ahead of a student that was not enrolled in a charter, few true open “lottery” slots are open for new student enrollment.
If the existing charter is overwhelmingly white, affluent, and English speaking–and the data overwhelmingly indicates charters in Idaho are–then the preferences result in a demographic that simply replicates itself from year to year making it difficult for charters to become more reflective of their surrounding communities.
If we want charter schools to offer opportunity for our students to perform interactions with peers of different ethnicities, languages, incomes, and disabilities as the law mandates, it requires us to make some changes to the existing system. If we want our students to live in largely homogeneous mono-cultures of students exactly like themselves, then leave the system as it is.
It’s time for us to make a positive choice for Idaho’s students.
After 2 days of vigorous debate, jokes, and stories, the 123rd annual Idaho Education Association Delegate Assembly came to a close.
Teachers from the entire state descended on Boise for the weekend for the event in what is billed as the largest democratic electing body in Idaho aside from the general election in the state.
Penni Cyr addressed the assembly with a convocation that this is the year of “What teachers make.” A salary, it seems, is the last thing on a teachers mind when asked what an educator makes. Continue reading
Guest post submitted by Rachael Everly
In 2010 Idaho’s State Board of Education and business leaders set an objective of having at least 60% of Idahoans holding a postsecondary degree by 2020 while currently the percentage stands at 41%. This is definitely an ambitious goal, needing a lot of efforts and improvement to arrive at. With the recession just having affected the state, economists are trying to look for methods that would allow for sustained growth. One of the key elements that play a part in this is state funded education and loan accumulation. Many analysts have pointed at the need for having a sustainable rehabilitation from loans for students, citing it as one of the cripplers for the newer applicants in the job market. One such method is through improving education and worker skills as that would provide the state with labor who knows how to operate within the contemporary and highly technologically advanced economy. In fact the objective mentioned above was set after a 2010 study conducted by Georgetown University concluded that at least 60% of the jobs by 2020 will require the employees to be having post-secondary qualifications. Since such a competitive environment needs well-educated workforce, improving education is one way to fulfill that demand. The following table lists the percentage of jobs that are expected to be available in 2018 according to educational qualifications.
Idaho has recently received a budget increase for their public school funding and it is a perfect move in light of the set goals. A 7.4% increase in the public school funding was approved as part of the 2015-16’s state budget. This makes up $1.476 billion and 48% of the state’s general fund budget expenses. There had been a serious cut in the public school funding of Idaho – by almost quarter of a billion dollars – between 2009 and 2011. The recent rise in budget should provide slight relief to this cut. This budget increase approval did not need any discussion and was done with quickly because efforts are being made to support public schools for which collaboration is needed. The budget committee tried to save funds in other budgeted areas so that more could be spent on public education. In spite of this there were seven votes received against the budget and these voters did
Supt. Ybarra addresses pro-charter supporters at a Boise, Idaho rally.
Part 1 of a multi-part series. Part 2 will focus on Special Education students in Idaho’s charters. Stay tuned. Edit: Original post identified Taylor’s crossing as being in Idaho Falls District; it is in Bonneville District and post has been updated to reflect this.
Shortly after inauguration, one of Superintendent Ybarra’s first public events was to demonstrate her support for Idaho’s growing number of charter schools. Betsy Russell in the Spokesman Review reported Ybarra telling the crowd:
Instead of pitting charter schools and traditional schools against one another … we must instead build a bridge of communication to one another so that we can take the best from each educational option and create successful, effective options for all
That message is a great piece of wisdom that (hopefully) indicates a willingness by the current administration to address the current picture of charter schools in Idaho; that is because the most recent student enrollment data of Idaho’s charters indicates an enormous disparity of racial and special needs enrollment in Idaho’s charters in comparison to the surrounding public school district that desperately needs to be addressed.
All of Idaho's students deserve an excellent education.
Improving education for students, support staff, and teachers.
Corrupt Louisiana Politics
All of Idaho's students deserve an excellent education.
All of Idaho's students deserve an excellent education.
A blog focused on education and social justice research
All of Idaho's students deserve an excellent education.
Mostly Education; a Smattering of Politics & Pinch of Personal
All of Idaho's students deserve an excellent education.
All of Idaho's students deserve an excellent education.
The goal of NPE is to connect all those who are passionate about our schools – students, parents, teachers and citizens. We share information and research on vital issues that concern the future of public education at a time when it is under attack.
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