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Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion: What's the Best Way to Measure a School's Quality? 5 Factors to Consider
What's the best way to measure a school's quality? It depends on whom you ask. Parents, educators, employers and policymakers hold many different opinions about the goals of education and, therefore, about how to judge school performance. Yet virtually every educational aim rests on the same foundation: giving students a strong academic grounding and developing the knowledge and habits of mind that allow them to think critically, communicate effectively and acquire knowledge and skills over time. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter At this challenging moment in American education, with student achievement in decline, FutureEd and the Keystone Policy Center decided to approach the question of how best to measure schools from scratch. We combed the research about the features of schools that make the greatest contribution to academic achievement and identified five research-based characteristics that together provide a more complete and precise picture of school quality than is typically available. All the measures can support school improvement and provide parents and the public with a fuller understanding of school performance. But not all are suitable for high-stakes accountability decisions. Some metrics lack the reliability, validity and comparability necessary for ranking schools, replacing their staff or closing them. For decades, accountability systems judged schools based primarily on state test scores. But these correlate strongly with demographics and family income, making it difficult to gauge the real contributions of schools to improved student outcomes. A fairer, and increasingly popular, way to judge schools also considers how much they contribute to growth in students' test scores over the year. To achieve at high levels, students need access to challenging coursework. Policymakers can address this in accountability systems by measuring whether schools offer access to a broad range of course offerings, including the arts, sciences and technology, so schools don't narrow their focus to just reading and math. To help teachers deliver strong instruction, research increasingly points to the importance of using high-quality, standards-aligned instructional materials, which many states and districts are starting to emphasize. Research also has found that completion of one or more advanced math and science classes in high school predicts both college readiness and later health, job satisfaction and well-being. This can be measured by the availability of and enrollment in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual-enrollment programs, for example, but only if they are made accessible to students who may have been shut out in the past. Related Student surveys also provide insight into whether schools provide a learning environment that promotes high achievement. But any use of surveys should include safeguards against adults influencing responses, and states must ensure they are valid and reliable. That's why many states and districts use surveys for school improvement rather than accountability. Accountability systems also could include reviews of student work, with a focus on instructional rigor, though doing so requires systematically collecting and evaluating work samples across schools. Research consistently shows that teacher and principal quality contribute more to student achievement than any other school-based factors. Traditionally, teacher quality has been measured by years of experience and subject-specific expertise, such as degrees earned or passing of teacher-licensure exams. But these measures often don't correlate with student achievement. A sounder strategy would be to identify the percentages of effective or highly effective teachers in a school through teacher evaluation systems that use multiple measures of quality and classroom observation, though few states have such systems at scale. States and districts can measure a principal's impact on student success using multiple measures and several years' worth of achievement data. Educator surveys of principal-teacher and teacher-to-teacher trust; principals' instructional leadership; and teachers' commitment to their school also provide an important window into a school's overall professional capacity. To prevent pressure from influencing survey results, states and districts should limit such measures to school improvement. Many states include chronic student absenteeism in their accountability systems as a proxy for student engagement and whether a school's climate is safe and conducive to learning. It is a reasonable strategy. But well-designed and well-implemented student, teacher and educator surveys — again, with sufficient validity and reliability safeguards — can provide more direct measures of school culture. Such surveys also can provide key insights into where improvement is needed. Related Test scores are proxies for long-term measures that parents value. But metrics such as whether students attend and graduate from college or career-training programs, enroll in the military, find gainful employment, and lead healthy and fulfilling lives are better gauges of readiness for adulthood. Though few states measure outcomes such as college enrollment when evaluating schools, better connecting pre-K-12 data systems to postsecondary and labor market data could help monitor a range of important post-high-school outcomes. Many high-performing countries use inspection systems that combine test scores and other quantitative measures with classroom observations and interviews conducted by teams of trained experts who visit schools to gather information on important features of success. These reviews typically include a school self-assessment followed by team site visits. They result in a comprehensive report describing a school's strengths and weaknesses and recommended steps for improvement. While such inspection systems have spread rapidly around the world, the cost and logistics of conducting valid and reliable school site reviews at scale has slowed their adoption in the U.S., particularly for high-stakes accountability decisions. Test scores matter. But by themselves, they provide an incomplete measure of school success. They also offer little guidance or support on how schools can improve. A more comprehensive set of research-based metrics would provide parents, educators and policymakers with a richer understanding of what makes schools successful and a clearer sense of how to strengthen them. Measurement systems that combine standardized test scores, access to rigorous and advanced coursework, prevalence of effective teachers and school leaders, evaluations of respectful and supportive school cultures and data on student success after high school are most likely to promote higher student achievement. Responsibility for weighting each strand and the specific metrics within them should rest with state and local education officials. But each component should play a role in evaluating school success.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Q&A: Los Angeles High School Counselor On What Students Want After Graduation
Once upon a time, college was the dream destination and a guiding goal for high school seniors in Los Angeles and beyond. But nowadays things are more complicated, said Christina Sanchez, a school and college counselor at Triumph Charter High School in the San Fernando Valley. Sanchez, who has worked as a counselor for more than two decades, has put in the time in schools to know what students think and feel about their possible future career paths. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter She said career and technical education is rising in popularity amongst today's high school seniors, and, as far as she can tell, even some universities are feeling the shift. But from her perch at Triumph Charter High, a high-performing, Title I school, Sanchez also said students should be mindful of the path they choose, whether it be college or the workforce. 'If they are going to college just because somebody told them it's best, that usually doesn't work out,' she said. 'But I also think they should consider the benefits of a college education.' Read on as Sanchez weighs in on why the CTE is ascendent, what colleges are doing to adjust, and whether this shift is good for students. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. University enrollment has declined over the past decade, and vocational programs are rising in that same timeframe. Have you noticed this trend and what do you attribute this to? We still have students going to college, but yes it is definitely a declining number. I would say there's more interest in a quick payout. They see that more in trades. So, students are gravitating toward trade school where they can focus on a career and get out sooner. They feel they can make money quicker, and just as much, if not more, as with a college education. They're equating education with money more, especially since the pandemic. Yes, there are obvious connections between those. But, it's not the only factor, and it really depends what field you go into. What are universities doing to avoid a decline in enrollment? There are still schools like UCLA and UC Berkeley who are very selective. UCLA is not begging anybody to apply. I've definitely seen private colleges sending marketing emails more to get students to apply, and even waiving application fees. Sometimes they say 'you don't even need to do the extra work, just send us a transcript.' Public universities are extending deadlines often as well. Community colleges are also increasing and promoting their trade programs more than ever. That's becoming a focus for them because they're trying to compete. Are there more downsides to a college degree now than in years past, and are students more pessimistic about going to college? There's definitely a resistance to taking out student loans. It doesn't help that parents will often highlight cautionary tales, like a niece or nephew who went to college and is now working retail. I haven't noticed any increases in unemployment rates or underemployment rates. Those are specific instances, not really a trend. When we do hear back from our alumni who went to college, they are almost always working on something related to their degree. I rarely have a student come back and say they haven't been able to get a job. Why are trade careers becoming more interesting to students? There are always trending careers, but they ebb and flow. Today, social media has more of an impact on what careers students see. Sometimes I talk to students and ask, 'How did you even know about that?' and they say they saw it on social media. People highlight their career paths, and students see the best of it. They see what the person chooses to show. Just like it is with people's private lives, you may not see the bad days or the bad sides of it. They're not highlighting the negatives. I definitely see that influencing students when it comes to career paths, especially in the last five years. What advice would you give to a student choosing between a trade school and a university in this current job climate? I think everybody should do what's right for them. If they are going to college just because somebody told them it's best, that usually doesn't work out. But I also think they should consider the benefits of a college education, other than what type of job you can get. I do find that there are benefits beyond that. Some are not seeing that job opportunities are wider with a college degree. If you are trained in one industry and you don't enjoy it, you don't have as much flexibility as someone with a college degree. You're 17 years old, how do you know you want to be an electrician? When they make the decision, they need to be open to everything so that they know for sure it is the right one for them and not just one they made because they didn't work to explore their options. I think what needs to be done more in schools is career exposure. Students are mostly making decisions based on what they see on the internet, what they read, and random examples. They're not really experiencing the world of work because we have such an academic focus in our schools. Many schools promote college prep, and it almost seems like career things are considered 'anti-college.' That might be doing students a disservice to students who don't get to see all these careers and what they look like. So I do think schools should do more with career guidance. I'm in support of career education, apprenticeships, and dual enrollment, but it should be done for careers you get with a college degree, not just trade school careers. It does seem like when schools do have career programs, they tend to be in the trades. It should be both. This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion: Corporal Punishment Is Losing Ground — But Some Still Favor It for Certain Kids
Every day, approximately 600 students across the U.S. are physically punished at school — hit with wooden paddles or struck by objects by adults charged with their education and care. While corporal punishment may seem like a relic of the past, it remains legal in 17 states, including Mississippi, where it remains especially common. While the practice itself is troubling, new research I conducted reveals something even more troubling: Corporal punishment isn't just disproportionately used on Black and gender-expansive students — those whose gender identity falls outside traditional norms — it's also disproportionately condoned by the public when it's used on these children. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter I surveyed more than 600 Mississippi residents to understand their attitudes about school discipline. Most disapproved of corporal punishment in general, but that feeling weakened when the child being punished was Black or gender-nonconforming. In short: Who a child is imagined to be affects whether that child is believed to deserve protection — or punishment. This finding echoes years of research and advocacy warning that corporal punishment is more than just an outdated disciplinary practice. It reveals deep-rooted inequities in America's schools. Research shows that physical punishment contributes to worse academic outcomes, higher dropout rates,and even increased involvement with the criminal justice system. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has linked it to long-term mental health impacts such as anxiety, depression and PTSD. In Mississippi, Black students are far more likely to be physically punished than their white peers. A key reason is a well-documented bias called adultification — the perception that Black children are older, less innocent and more culpable than white youngsters. This leads educators and even the public to support harsher punishments for similar behavior. Research from Georgetown Law's Center on Poverty and Inequality has shown how adultification affects Black youth, especially girls. My study confirms that the problem doesn't stop at how discipline is applied — it extends to how it's justified. Even though 61% of respondents in my study agreed that corporal punishment should be banned, support for the practice increased or decreased depending on the perceived identity of the child. For example, on a six-point scale where higher scores indicated stronger support for corporal punishment, participants rated it significantly more appropriate ('fitting the crime') for a hypothetical Black gender-expansive student (2.73 on the scale) than for a white gender-expansive student (2.32) or a Black cisgender female student (2.26). That's not just unfair — it's dangerous. The good news is that public opinion may be shifting. A 2023 national survey revealed that 65% of U.S. adults agreed with a federal ban on physical punishment in schools, while only 18% were opposed. This growing consensus is reflected in recent legislative actions: Colorado and Idaho banned physical punishment in public schools in 2023, while Oklahoma and Tennessee introduced legislation in 2024 to limit the practice. My findings also show that a majority of Mississippians oppose corporal punishment in school. Yet state and federal laws still permit it, revealing a stark disconnect between policy and public will. That gap must be closed. Here's how: First, Mississippi lawmakers — and those in the 21 other states where corporal punishment is still allowed — should immediately ban the practice in all schools. No child should fear physical harm at the hands of a teacher or principal. Nationwide advocacy efforts by organizations like the National Coalition to Abolish Corporal Punishment in Schools emphasize the critical need for legislative reform. Second, schools should adopt restorative justice practices, which focus on accountability, dialogue and healing. These methods reduce conflict and improve school climate without resorting to violence. Resources from the International Institute for Restorative Practices offer practical guidelines to help educators to implement these approaches. Finally, transparency is essential. School districts should be required to report disciplinary data by race and gender identity so communities can see what's happening and push for changes when needed. Right now, the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection offers a national framework for doing just that — including statistics on the demographic breakdown of students exposed to corporal punishment. However, with the ongoing uncertainty around federal policy, there's a risk that this resource could be cut, which would make it harder to track how corporal punishment is being used in schools nationwide. We need to speak up to make sure this data collection continues and even gets stronger. Ending corporal punishment in schools takes a multi-pronged approach. It means changing laws, updating policies and working with communities to push for positive discipline methods that help children thrive without fear of physical punishment. It's time to end this antiquated practice. Not just for some students, but for all of them.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion: After a Stray Bullet Kills a NYC Teen, Chancellor Calls for Community Support
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but in our increasingly online post-pandemic world, our families are forced to navigate resources alone. In many communities, including my own, the responsibility to care for, monitor and protect our children falls solely to families and schools. Imagine how much stronger our cities would be if we were to embrace an ecosystem of care, with faith institutions, businesses, and local organizations working alongside families and schools. Across the country, there is a deep youth mental health crisis that is fueling a trend of violence among our babies. In Denver, Colorado, an average of 700 young people under 25 are affected by gun violence each year. In Alameda County, California, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 17. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter According to Everytown statistics, 60 children and teens are impacted by firearms every day in the United States. As parents and guardians, we pour our whole selves into our children. No one should ever have to endure the agony of losing a child, especially to something as preventable as gun violence. Earlier this month, in my community, Evette Jeffrey, a 16-year-old girl in the Bronx was killed by a stray bullet fired by another teenager. As a mother, an educator, and a lifelong Bronxite, this tragedy was personal for me, and I saw firsthand the impact of this devastation across the borough. The following week, another two babies were victims of gun violence in Brooklyn. It is unacceptable that over 30 children under the age of 18 have been killed or injured in New York City this year alone. The pandemic lockdowns left our young people feeling isolated and emotionally adrift. The CDC reports the number of children experiencing persistent sadness or hopelessness remains 10% higher than in 2013. For two years, we told our children that their entire lives are online, from their instruction to enrichment, and beyond. Now, we're seeing the repercussions: Our kids don't know who to talk to or where to go when they are in crisis. Related Teens are increasingly tethered to their phones — half of those aged 12 to 17 reported four or more hours of daily screen time between July 2021 and December 2023. Throughout the pandemic, our children were forced to live their lives through social media and virtual schooling. Now, as we bring them back to in person socialization, it's no wonder that they're ill equipped. As the leader of the nation's largest school district, it is my responsibility to lead New York City Public Schools' response to this mental health epidemic at its root. If we are to do right by our kids, we cannot just address the symptoms of this crisis. The solution lies in community interdependence. We've seen glimpses of this kind of symbiosis at work in places like California, which like New York City, is offering free online mental health counseling, or Chicago, where local nonprofits are supporting afterschool programs and other services at high-poverty campuses. We must continue to scale this work. In our schools, we must teach our kids how to use technology responsibly and appropriately. Devices can be used to enrich and support classroom instruction, offering real-time support in math class or opportunities to explore the world without leaving the neighborhood. We must also learn to take care of ourselves so that we can be better and stronger for our kids. We are role models, leaders, and safe, trusted grown-ups. Our students must be able to turn to us without judgement in times of need. But this goes beyond us. For this to work, I call upon our business owners to be more than just bystanders. When you welcome our kids by name when they enter your store, it shows that there are adults who care and who they can turn to when they need to feel seen, heard, and protected. Related I call upon our faith leaders to be active partners with the schools in their communities. If they see a child who is struggling, reach out so we can get them help before it's too late. Robust in-school mental health supports are essential, but they can't stand alone. We need community mental health partners to amplify their impact. Local universities, we need you to bolster the mental health worker pipeline and place young professionals-in-training in schools to build out capacity. We're asking our community-based organizations and leaders with social capital in our neighborhoods to keep their ears to the ground — aware of brewing tensions, conflicts, and signs of distress — so we can act before violence erupts. The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments noted that 'developing and sustaining comprehensive mental health systems should be a shared endeavor between schools and community partners.' We all bear a collective responsibility in ensuring that every child gets the bright and bold future they deserve, and it is up to us to work together to identify at-risk youth and intervene early. As New York City mourns the loss of one of our own, I remain committed to honoring that life by protecting others. Our young people are crying out for help, and we must answer. It will take all of us. Let's get to work. All of us — community members, business leaders, faith leaders, and families — need to rally together to make sure our students have a safe adult in their lives they can turn to in times of crisis. Let's get to work.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia High School Admissions Policy Target of Trump Civil Rights Probe
This article was originally published in Chalkbeat. The federal departments of Education and Justice are investigating whether changes to the admissions policy at a prestigious Virginia high school violated the civil rights of Asian American students, even though the U.S. Supreme Court already let the updated admissions policy stand. The investigation comes after the Virginia Attorney General's Office said its own investigation found 'reasonable cause' to believe bias against Asian American students motivated the changes at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, and referred the case to federal authorities. Under President Donald Trump, the Education Department has warned school districts that even race-neutral policies that aim to diversify magnet schools and honors programs could amount to illegal discrimination, despite court rulings that have repeatedly upheld such policies. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Many school systems with selective high schools are in the midst of ongoing debate about how students should qualify for those schools. This is the first civil rights investigation during the second Trump administration to look specifically at high school admissions. Other cases have targeted mentorship programs for students of color and antiracist teacher training that federal officials say invoked racial stereotypes as the Trump administration tries to root out common practices associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion. Fairfax County Public Schools changed the admissions criteria for the school, commonly known as TJ, in 2020 with the goal of creating a more diverse student body. The 1,800-student school draws from five area school districts and often sends students on to elite colleges and successful careers. In the years before the change, the student body typically was more than two-thirds Asian American. Most students came from just a few middle schools. Very few Black and Latino students attended the school. The district dropped the use of standardized test scores, incorporated 'experience factors' into the admissions process, and reserved seats for students from each middle school in the area. Parents, many of whom were Asian American, organized as the Coalition for TJ and sued the district over the changes, but the Supreme Court declined to take the case in early 2024. That seemed to be the end of the matter. But this week Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, said a two-year investigation had found evidence that anti-Asian American bias had motivated the policy change. Miyares said school board members in private communications described the policies as having 'an anti asian feel' and that the changes would 'kick out Asians.' After the policy change, Asian American students went from 73% of admitted students to 54%, the attorney general's office said. The share of white, Black, and Latino students all increased. The study body is currently about 60% Asian American, 20% white, 7% Latino, and 5.5% Black. The attorney general's office did not release a full report that would provide more context for board member comments and told Chalkbeat to obtain it from the school district. The school district said it would consider the request but did not immediately share the report. Coalition for TJ also alleged in its lawsuit that the school district was biased against Asian American students, but the court did not find that the policy change violated equal protection requirements. Miyares referred the case to the federal Justice and Education departments, which announced they would open Title VI investigations into the district. Title VI protects students from discrimination on the basis of race or shared ancestry. 'Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County has long had a reputation for producing some of our nation's brightest minds, due in no small part to its rigorous admissions process,' Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement announcing the investigation. 'The Fairfax County School Board's alleged decision to weigh race in TJ's admissions decisions appears to be both contrary to the law and to the fundamental principle that students should be evaluated on their merit, not the color of their skin.' A spokesperson for Fairfax County Public Schools said the district was reviewing documents related to the investigation and would have a more detailed response in a few days. 'This matter has already been fully litigated,' the district said. 'A federal appellate court determined there was no merit to arguments that the admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology discriminates against any group of students.' Yuyan Chou, a member of Coalition for TJ, told local TV station WUSA9 that the federal investigation gives parents new hope. 'The Supreme Court decided basically not to hear our case and at that point, I thought the American dream died,' she said. 'There's no path forward, there's nothing going to happen again until today. I believe there is a chance we can revive that dream.' Chris Kieser, a senior attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented Coalition for TJ and regularly brings lawsuits opposing affirmative action, said he was pleased to see the federal government take another look at the case. 'We certainly think there are grounds to investigate,' he said. Just because the Supreme Court didn't take up the case 'doesn't mean there were no issues.' Kieser said the Pacific Legal Foundation continues to hope that the Supreme Court will take up a high school admissions case. Policies that aim to diversify selective high schools often end up discriminating against Asian American students, Kieser said, and the fact that those student continue to gain admittance at high rates under revised policies doesn't mean they don't discriminate against individual students. Derek Black, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, said civil rights investigations can apply a different standard in seeking to protect students than the Supreme Court did in declining to hear the case. But the Education Department's interpretation of the law appears to be in direct violation of court rulings. 'They have no legal authority to enforce Title VI in a way that is inconsistent with the law,' he said. 'If TJ is willing to stand up for itself, it will have to challenge the administration in court. And this is what has been going on all over the country.' Civil rights investigations often result in negotiated settlements in which school districts agree to make certain changes. The federal government also has the power to withhold federal funds to penalize school districts. Historically that hasn't happened. But under Trump, the federal government has used its civil rights enforcement powers more aggressively in an effort to get states and school districts to comply with its interpretations of the law. Black said the department appears to be applying disparate impact theory — a type of legal analysis that looks at whether certain policies affect certain groups in disproportionate ways — to a high school admissions policy just weeks after Trump signed an executive order barring the use of disparate impact theory. The administration would need a 'smoking gun' that showed bias against Asian American students to conclude that the district violated those students' civil rights, Black said. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at
