jackiedoherty.org

It’s no secret that over the years I have clashed with The Sun (and them with me) on various issues. In fact, here is a perma-link to a piece I wrote in October 2003—long before I ever imagined running for school committee. Since I’ve been on the school board, of course, our disagreements have continued in frequency and intensity—at times bordering on obsessive (on their part, not mine). Either they were unhappy regarding a particular vote I took and slammed me about it repeatedly, or I was chastising them for some issue regarding their coverage of Lowell schools. One thing, however, has remained constant: No matter how harsh my words, The Sun editors have always given me space and published my criticisms in a timely manner. As I link to my op-ed in today’s Sun, I want to formally acknowledge and thank them for that. It has not been my experience with other print media, such as the Worcester Telegram and the Boston Globe, who also have prompted me to write at times, but who have not been as generous with space. Honestly, thanks for giving me ink to share my views with your readers.

If interested, this page contains a collection of published op-eds and speeches. Of course, since starting a blog, most of my views have been expressed electronically here.

What does it mean when more than half the schools in Massachusetts fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) as the Globe reported yesterday? How about when schools in Acton, Billerica, Dracut and Wilmington join the list, as noted in The Sun? Perhaps it means all the schools are terrible and should be punished, as some would have us think; or maybe it means the standards are unrealistic—that most schools will fall short inevitably given our current system of measurement. The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires all students achieve proficiency by 2014. For example, if a school is at 85 percent proficiency today, each year three percent more students must achieve proficiency to reach 100 percent in five years. If the three percent isn’t reached for two consecutive years, the school has not made AYP. Subgroups (race, English learners, special education) must also make required progress, depending on their starting points, to get to 100 percent proficiency by 2014. Not only is this goal a difficult, moving target, each year different kids are tested and compared, and individual student progress is not tracked.

Consider these results in light of Governor Patrick’s recent education proposals, one of which is to lift the cap on charter schools. Aside from the fact that his plan does nothing to remedy charter-school funding inequities, more than half the state’s charter schools also have not made AYP for two consecutive years even though they have the advantages of “choosiness” regarding students and union-free staffing. In his plan to increase their number, the governor claims: “Only charter school operators with successful track records will be allowed to open or expand…and they must make meaningful efforts to attract, enroll, and retain low-income students, students scoring sub-proficient on the MCAS, English Language Learners, special-education students…” etc (my bold). As a school board member in an urban district where everyone is welcome, not due to “meaningful efforts” but because it’s the law, the language requiring charter schools make an effort to accept the same challenge is just too namby-pamby for me.

More on Patrick’s other plan, Readiness Schools, and Lowell student improvement in later posts.