Fast Report
02/08 -- Social, emotional learning tied to academics
• Students who participate in school-based programs focused on social and emotional learning (SEL), on average, have higher test scores and grades than students who don’t have access to such programs, a soon-to-be-published study concludes.
According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, students in SEL programs scored 11 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests. Students in SEL programs also have significantly better social and emotional skills, better classroom behavior, better attitudes toward school, and less stress and depression.
CASEL defines SEL as the process of acquiring the skills to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle interpersonal situations effectively.
Florida school boards challenge charter law
• The Florida School Boards Association and 20 districts plan to file a lawsuit in early 2008 charging that a state law creating a commission to authorize charter schools is unconstitutional.
The 2006 state law circumvents the authority of local schools boards, which are given exclusive authority under the Florida Constitution over the public schools within their jurisdictions, said FSBA Executive Director Wayne Blanton.
Some of the largest school districts in the state have joined the FSBA suit, including Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Broward counties. There are about 375 charter schools in Florida.
The new state commission has been given the authority to take control over existing charter schools already authorized by local school boards, as well as new charter schools.
The state law allows school boards to apply to the state for an exemption, which would let them continue to have the exclusive power to approve charters. In 2007, 38 school districts applied for an exemption, and the state commission denied 35 of those requests, including one from the Miami-Dade school board.
“It is the worst of all cases,” Miami-Dade board member Ana Rivas Logan told the Miami Herald. “Although we are not responsible, we are still liable. If a child is hurt in any of those schools, if the education is not appropriate, we are still liable.”
Growth model pilot expanded
• The U.S. Education Department has opened its growth model pilot under No Child Left Behind to all states. Growth models track individual student growth over time.
States must submit proposals for using a growth model by Feb. 1. They will face an initial review by the department, followed by a peer review process.
To be approved, state plans for using growth models must ensure that all students are proficient in reading and math by 2014 and set annual state goals to ensure the achievement gap is closing for all subgroups.
States also must set expectations for annual achievement based on meeting grade-level proficiency, not based on students’ backgrounds or characteristics.
Since the department established the growth model pilot more than two years ago, it has approved growth models for just nine states.
While there are many areas of disagreement surrounding the reauthorization of NCLB, growth models is one area with broad bipartisan support. Many of the reauthorization proposals -- including NSBA’s bill and the Bush Administration’s plan -- call for expanding the use of growth models.
| Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2008, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. |