tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10004193.post3257297588702167014..comments2024-03-27T20:39:56.082-05:00Comments on Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texas: Historic Coalition Calls for Dropout and Public Education Accountability ReformAngela Valenzuelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16377527828841110131noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10004193.post-6051960546328566792009-08-01T11:39:31.360-05:002009-08-01T11:39:31.360-05:00Mike, I agree with you fully about the ultimate va...Mike, I agree with you fully about the ultimate value of character education. The School Archive Project reinforces and provides the "Why?" of character education. It is not strictly speaking character education. It certainly reinforces and moves students toward behavior of high character through the simple focus onto their own lives, their own story, and their future. It helps lead toward conversations in school that may include what students will be remembered for after their death. <br /><br />Nothing can more strongly reinforce character education than such discussion. Bolting a 550-pound vault to the lobby floor under spotlighs in our school to function as the time-capsule for our students letters helps the future become more real. A powerful symbol was created. Once alumni begin to return in November of 2014 to open their letter placed in our vault in May of 2005, we will begin to receive the priceless feedback every year. They will give their recommendations for success talk to our then current 8th grade classes. I look forward to that event and to the wisdom we will hear from our 23-24 year old returning alumni. <br /><br />The School Archive Project creates a focus on the future that also helps achieve character education more than anything else we could do for less than $2 per student. <br /><br />Thanks for the encouragement! It seems we are heading in the right direction. See http://www.studentmotivation.org for details.Bill Betzenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10004193.post-20155913960417625372009-08-01T00:30:08.742-05:002009-08-01T00:30:08.742-05:00Good article. Bill, Good thoughts as well. I think...Good article. Bill, Good thoughts as well. I think character education shows real promise in addressing the dropout problem. <br /><br />Mike<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.topekacityofcharacter.com" rel="nofollow">CHARACTER EDUCATION KANSAS</a>Mikethelawstudenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09635776361535851712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10004193.post-66779577557546801752009-07-31T15:51:07.084-05:002009-07-31T15:51:07.084-05:00This is a powerful and long overdue step forward f...This is a powerful and long overdue step forward for our students! <br /><br />The most direct way to develop a simplified and accurate calculation of the Texas public school dropout rate is to simply place the Texas school enrollment data by grade, already online at the TEA web site, in a format that calculates raw "uncorrected" dropout rates similar to those used in recent national dropout studies such a the ones from John Hopkins University. (It was "corrections" made in Houston and Dallas that allowed those districts to claim single digit dropout rates in recent years.)<br /><br />The TEA web site could easily produce multi-year spreadsheets going back over a decade for every public school and school district in Texas. The only investment needed is some programming to present data already available in a different format. Such a spreadsheet would show student enrollment patterns including the “9th grade bubble” that is common in Texas, and the dramatic loss from that 9th grade number. Texas looses an average of over 35% of 9th grade students before graduation. <br /><br />If you google “Dallas” and “dropout” the first hit is a web site, http://www.studentmotivation.org, that goes over this data and shows the statewide enrollment numbers as well as those numbers for Dallas. It also shows a $2 per student dropout program that appears to be helping lower the 9th to 10th grade dropout rate, where most Dallas students are lost, by over 25%! This student motivation program is a simple 10 year time-capsule and class reunion plan with a mentoring component planned at the reunion. Our students can solve this dropout crisis much faster than we can by simply focusing onto their own futures with this simple project. <br /><br />Counting the 9th grade cohort dropout percentages accurately will be painful. Numbers in Dallas indicate that we improved 2.5% in our graduation rate this year, up to a 43.5% graduation rate. We were glad to see the improvement, but have a very long way to go! It looks like the next two years Dallas ISD will see similar improvements.Bill Betzenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com