ABQJOURNAL OPINION/GUEST_COLUMNS: In New Year, Renew Education Reform

Saturday, December 18, 2010

In New Year, Renew Education Reform

By Moises Venegas And The Rev. Charles Becknel
Quinto Sol; N.M. Chapter, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
          The Land of Enchantment has enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving and is now looking for posadas, luminarias and Feliz Navidad. What would citizens of New Mexico like for the new year, 2011? Jobs, less poverty and better student performance for our 89 school districts.
        Yes, there has been some improvement in graduation and in student proficiency rates in the last four or five years. But the state of New Mexico still ranks 46th or lower nationally.
        Within the state we still struggle to educate our minority/majority student population. This population of 211,250 students is approximately 65 percent of the total number of students in New Mexico.
        The challenge with the achievement gap continues. There should be no acceptance of the "why we can't" mentality: "They are so poor; so limited in English; and parents do not care."
        Accept the fact that an impoverished child may come to your classroom. In the classroom we have no control over poverty or parent's education, but we do have the power to educate.
        There must be high expectations for all students regardless of background.
        Proficiency rates in all content areas need much improvement. A basic number reflects that need: 47 percent of those who graduate from high school and plan to attend post-secondary education need remediation.
        In New Mexico we have provided student options such as home schools and charters.
        We support charter schools, but they must improve student performance compared to the public schools from which they came. New Mexico already has enough failing schools, and we certainly do not need to duplicate failure and add to the cost of education.
        Our hypothesis is that there has not been a significant improvement in student performance for any charter school compared to the performance of its students while they were attending regular public schools. We believe students at Nuestros Valores and Camino Real are performing as they were while at Harrison Middle School and Rio Grande High School; students at East Mountain Charter are performing as they did while attending Manzano, Sandia or Eldorado High School.
        The Public Education Department should analyze the data and make bold and critical decisions based on that data.
        What would we propose for the charter school environment for 2011?
        • Until the Public Education Department can provide an application and renewal system that strengthens accountability for schools and ensures only quality schools open, no new charters should be approved.
        • Provide strong oversight and monitoring especially in the finances of the schools.
        • Charter schools should not receive small school size adjustments; the Legislature should limit such adjustments to rural, isolated schools for which they were intended.
        • Charter authorizers should require specific student performance for new and reauthorized charters.
        In improving our schools, the most important factor is accountability.
        Who is legally accountable for student learning in our schools? Central administrators, principals, instructional staff and the students have that responsibility with the support of parents, businesses and the general community.
        Recommendations:
        • Teacher evaluation must include student performance based on acceptable standards-based assessment. Principals, peer teachers and parents should also be part of the evaluation.
        • Teachers assessed "in need of improvement" would be afforded a two-year period for improvement. Teachers not able to improve would be released from the classroom assignment.
        As per the inspection of public records, information must be provided to the public regarding teacher records compared to student performance. The information is available in New Mexico and the Albuquerque Public Schools.
        Who are the teachers that have proficient and above students? For those teachers who have low-performing students, how can we provide support? The growth model should be applied; if a student started at the 35 percent efficiency level, what was the growth?
        In New Mexico we must reduce poverty, increase business and jobs — and improve student achievement.
        We have no choice but to improve. Where is the will?
        Quinto Sol is a community development, education and research organization.

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