A Gift Horse Whose [Mouth] and Face(book) Deserve Scrutiny: Will Mark Zuckerberg's $100 Million Gift Improve Education

1. A Gift Horse Whose [Mouth] and Face(book) Deserve Scrutiny: Will Mark Zuckerberg's$100 Million Gift Improve Education in Newark?... Eugene Lang College Education Studies Lecture Series The New School February 10, 2011 Alan R. Sadovnik Rutgers University-Newark

2. Introduction Data on Achievement Gaps: Social Class, Race and Ethnicity Data on Newark and New Jersey Sociological Explanations for the Achievement Gap Reform Approaches School level Societal and Community level Neo-liberal reforms Governor Christie’s education reform agenda Types of Reforms and Effects Governance Reforms School Finance Teacher Quality School Choice Progressive v. Traditional Approaches Limits and Possibilities of Reform Conclusion Agenda

3. The Achievement Gap—Making Progress by Race 1996 NAEP 4th Grade Math 2007 NAEP 4th Grade Math NAEP Long-Term Trends, NCES (2004)

4. The Achievement Gap—Making Progress SES

5. African American, Latino & Native American high school graduates are less likely to have been enrolled in a full college prep track percent in college prep Full College Prep track is defined as at least: 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 2 years of natural science, 2 years of social science and 2 years of foreign language Source: Jay P. Greene, Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States, Manhattan Institute, September 2003. Table 8. 2001 high school graduates with college-prep curriculum.

6. African American and Latino 17 Year-Olds Do Math at Same Levels As White 13 Year-Olds Note: Long-Term Trends NAEP Source: National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP 2004 Trends in Academic Progress

7. African American and Latino 17 Year-Olds Read at Same Levels As White 13 Year-Olds Note: Long-Term Trends NAEP Source: National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP 2004 Trends in Academic Progress

8. Best available estimates of national four-year graduation rates Class of 2006 Source: Ed Trust analysis of enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data using the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) methodology. For more information on the AFGR methodology, see National Center for Education Statistics, Users Guide to Computing High School Graduation Rates, Volume 2, August 2006.

9. Differences in Graduation Rate by Race

10. Demographic Differences—Newark vs. NJ

11. Average Property Value Per Student by District Grouping 1998-2003

12. Comparing Demographics of Students in New Jersey

13. Child and Youth Well-Being Indicators: Newark and New Jersey, 1997-2002

14. Grade 11 (HSPA) Language Arts Literacy 2001-02 to 2002-03

15. Grade 11 (HSPA) Math 2001-02 to 2002-03

16. Graduation by Traditional Grade 11 Exam by District Grouping 1994-95 to 2002-03 Cumulative Promotion Index by District Grouping

17. Sociological Explanations for the Gap • Functionalism: Meritocracy and Reduction of Inequalities • Conflict Theory: Reproduction of Inequalities Within School Factors: Funding Curriculum and Pedagogy Teacher and Principal Quality Tracking Outside School Factors: Effects of Poverty (i.e. Health, Housing, Crime) Culture Family Peer Groups Neighborhood

18. School Based Reforms: Education Equality Project • Advocacy group focused on closing the achievement gap through grass-roots organizing efforts • Mission is to: • Ensure an effective teacher in every classroom • Empower parents • Create accountability • Make decisions around what is best for students • Encourage parents and students to demand more from schools, as well as from themselves • Advocate against those that have preserved inequity Joel Klein & Al Sharpton

19. Societal and Community Based Reforms Jean Anyon & Richard Rothstein Addressing the Effects of Poverty Geoffrey Canada Harlem Children’s Zone Pedro Noguera& Helen Ladd A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education 1) Continue to focus on school improvement efforts 2) Increase and improve quality of early childhood programs 3) Increase investment in health services 4) Understand how students spend their time outside of school From: http://www.boldapproach.org/statement.html

20. Governor Christie’s Educational Reform Agenda Mooney, J. (2011, Jan. 12). Gov. Christie’s state of the state puts education reform front and center. NJ Spotlight. • Vouchers: NJ Opportunity Scholarship NJOSA • Cutting school spending • Merit Pay • Eliminating seniority and tenure • Expanding charter schools • Mayor Booker supports the expansion of charter schools and reforms in teacher evaluation and seniority based layoffs. Prior to his first term he also supported vouchers. Since becoming mayor he has not publicly supported vouchers, but it is reported that he will testify in favor of NJOSA before the legislature

21. The Newark Context • State-operated district since 1995 • Governor Christie “delegates” local control to Mayor Booker (August 2010) • Governor Christie terminates Superintendent Janey’s contract (August 2010) • Search for new superintendent underway • Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, gives $100 million gift to improve public education in Newark (2010) • Mayor raising $100 million in matching funds (2010-11) • PENewark engages in community engagement project • Legislature considers “Opportunity Scholarship Program” with Governor’s support

22. Types of Reform and Effects • Governance Reform • School Finance • Teacher Quality • School Choice • Progressive vs. Traditional Approaches

23. Mayoral Control Districts in IELP Report (Year and Strength of Mayoral Control) • Baltimore (1997) Moderate • Boston (1992) Strong • Chicago (1995) Strong • Cleveland (1998) Moderate • Detroit (1999-2004) Moderate • Hartford (2005) Moderate • New York (2002) Strong • Philadelphia (2001) Weak • Washington D.C. (2001; 2007) Weak to Strong • See: http://ielp.rutgers.edu/docs/MC Final.pdf

24. Mayoral Control: What does the IELP Report say? Mayoral Control has resulted in: Increased public commitment to education Increased funding Increased stability Diminished role for parents & community No conclusive evidence that mayoral control results in increased achievement, independent of other factors

25. IELP Report: Quantitative Findings City NAEP Scores, 4th Grade Math City NAEP Scores minus National Average, (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) 4th Grade Math (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)

26. IELP Report: Quantitative Findings City NAEP Scores, 4th Grade Reading City NAEP Score minus National Average, 4th (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) Grade Reading (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)

27. IELP Report: Quantitative Findings City NAEP Scores, 8th Grade Math City NAEP Scores minus National Average, (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) 8th Grade Math (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)

28. IELP Report: Quantitative Findings City NAEP Scores, 8th Grade Reading City NAEP Scores minus National Average, (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)8th Grade Reading (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)

29. Mayoral Control: Lessons for NJ and Newark Education mayors put focus on educational improvement Effectiveness depends on the mayor and the quality of mayoral leadership Although school boards have on occasion been corrupt, so have mayors (i.e., mayors in three of the nine cities have been indicted and/or convicted of crimes) Potential for increased public and private funding Need to ensure community and parental involvement

30. Mayoral Control: Specific NJ Context QSAC: State governance standardsand the return to local control Local control of governance in Jersey City Local control of governance in Newark and Paterson Citywide election to choose governance structure (Type I-appointed or Type II-elected) Pre-election, limited board voting rights Mayoral Control: Legislative action required

31. State and Mayoral Control in Newark? Governor Christie delegating control to Mayor Booker: legal issues The selection of a new superintendent The $100 million dollar Facebook gift

32. Mayoral Control: IELP Conclusions However real the benefits may be from new governance models, it is important to remember what we know generally about school reform. We agree with the many voices that told us effective governance is necessary, but not sufficient, to move school reform ahead. Concurrent reforms at the building level, including strong leadership by the principal; the recruitment, retention and support of high quality teachers and administrators; as well as addressing the myriad problems outside of the schools related to poverty and its effects are also vital to urban school improvement. Given the decades of research on the need to tie school improvements to community and economic development, we recommend that such initiatives as the Harlem’s Children Zone in New York City and the fledgling Broader, Bolder Initiative in Newark be examined as models along with governance innovations.

33. IELP: Conclusions In sum, because of the benefits that we have observed in the nine cities that have implemented some experimental forms of governance, we recommend that New Jersey lawmakers consider making a broader array of governance models available to cities emerging from state control or intervention. While we were unable to link any specific form of governance to any specific advance in student achievement or school district management, the evidence still demonstrates that raising the profile of education through adopting new governance models has more positive than negative results. Keeping the spotlight on education reform, overall, has benefited public education in the nine cities we studied.

34. IELP: Conclusions This study supports Viteritti’s position that governance structure “is not a solution, it is an enabler…creat[ing] possibilities for the kind of bold leadership needed to turn around failing school districts.” Good governance is necessary but not sufficient for meaningful educational reform, and mayoral control is not the only form of good governance. Given the benefits we have seen in the nine cities, mayoral control should be one of a number of options available, as long as parental and community input and involvement are not stifled as they have been in some cities.

35. NEW JERSEY “Thorough and Efficient Education” Robinson v. Cahill (1970-1976) Abbott v. Burke (1979-2009) Bacon v. Davy (2003) Abbott v. Burke XX, (SFRA) (2009) Abbott v. Burke XXIII (2011) NEW YORK “Sound and Basic Education” Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. NY State (1993-2006) Types of Reform and Effects—School Finance

36. National Inequities in State and Local Revenue Per Student Education Trust analyses based on U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Census Bureau data for the 2005-06 school year.

38. Abbott and its Critics: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly • MacInnes, G. (2009). In Plain Sight: Simple, Difficult Lessons from New Jersey’s Expensive Effort to Close the Achievement Gap. New York: The Century Foundation. • Drummer, L. & Soifer, D. (2010). Reform with Results for New Jersey Schools. Lexington Institute. Retrieved December, 15, 2010 http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/library/resources/documents/Education/ ReformWithResultsForNJSchools.pdf. • Excellent Education for Everyone (2008). Money for Nothing: We Owe our Children Better. Newark, N.J.: Excellent Education for Everyone with support from School Watch. http://www.nje3.org/schoolwatch/moneyfornothing.pdf.

39. Abbott: What does the research say? • Education Law Center (2011, Jan. 11). New Jersey gets top marks on nation’s report card (press release). http://www.edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/elcnews_110111_NewJerseyGetsHighMarks.htm. Education Week, (2011). Quality Counts 2011. Washington, DC. http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2011/01/13/index.html. • Sadovnik, A.R. (2011). Review of “Reform with Results for New Jersey Schools.” Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center. http://NEPC.org/thinktank/review-reform-with-results. • Frede, E., Jung, K., Barnett, W. S.; Esposito Lamy, C., & Figueras, A. (2007). The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study. New Brunswick, N.J.: National Institute for Early Education Research. • Resch, A.M. (2008). Three Essays on Resources in Education. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61592/1/aresch_1.pdf.

40. Spending: What does the research say? • Bruce Baker, Money matters if spent effectively Stretching Truth, Not Dollars? http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/stretching-truth-not-dollars/ • Center for Teaching Quality http://teachingquality.typepad.com/building_the_profession/2011/01/as-we -stretch-the-school-dollar-lets-not-rip-out-the-seams.html Abbott and other state school finance decisions have resulted in more equitable funding and increases in student achievement. Argument that Abbott resulted in throwing money down the drain is not supported by the evidence. Baker, B.D., & Welner, K.G. (2011). School Finance and Courts: Does Reform Matter, and How Can We Tell? Teachers College Record, 113(11). Retrieved from http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=16106, on January 20, 2011. Resch, A.M. (2008). Three Essays on Resources in Education. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.

41. Neo-Liberal Teacher Quality Reforms • Value Added Models (VAM) for teacher evaluations, tenure and promotion, dismissal and merit pay • Alternative Teacher and Administrator Education Programs (i.e. Teach for America (TFA); New Teacher Project (NTP); New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS); Teacher University (Uncommon Schools and KIPP Networks); On the job training (New Jersey Alternate Route; NYC Teaching Fellows; Cathie Black)

42. TEACHER QUALITYStudents at High-Minority Schools More Likely to Be Taught by Novice Teachers Note: Novice teachers are those with three years or fewer experience. High-minority ≥ 75% students non-white. Low-minority ≤ 10% students non-white. Analysis of 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey data by Richard Ingersoll, University of Pennsylvania (2007).

43. Poor and Minority Students Get More Inexperienced* Teachers High poverty Low poverty High minority Low minority *Teachers with 3 or fewer years of experience. Note: High poverty refers to the top quartile of schools with students eligible for free/reduced price lunch. Low poverty-bottom quartile of schools with students eligible for free/reduced price lunch. High minority-top quartile; those schools with the highest concentrations of minority students. Low minority-bottom quartile of schools with the lowest concentrations of minority students Source: National Center for Education Statistics, “Monitoring Quality: An Indicators Report,” December 2000.

44. VAM: What does the research say? • The most rigorous study of performance-based teacher compensation ever conducted shows that a nationally watched bonus-pay system had no overall impact on student achievement . http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/x12476.xml • Problems with the Use of Student Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers http://epi.3cdn.net/724cd9a1eb91c40ff0_hwm6iij90.pdf • Neither Fair Nor Accurate: Wayne Au, Rethinking Schools http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/25_02/25_02_au.shtml Bruce Baker http://schoolfinance101.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/teacher-evaluation_general.pdf

45. Problems with VAM (Au, 2010) • Year-to-Year Test Score Instability • Day-to-Day Score Instability • Nonrandom Student Assignments • Imprecise Measurement • Out-of-School Factors • Politics, Not Reality And Classroom composition and peer effects not easily measured

46. Teacher experience: What does the research say? • Why teaching experience really matters • http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/why-teaching-experience-really.html • Bruce Baker, The circular logic of "quality based layoffs" • http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/the-circular-logic-of-quality-based-layoff-arguments/ • Test scores can't prove whether teacher experience matters • http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/test-scores-cant-prove-whether.html

47. Alternative Teacher and Principal EducationWhat does the research say? No conclusive evidence that alternative produces better student outcomes than traditional teacher education No other profession permits new practitioners to enter without training and licensure Although university based teacher education needs improvement, there is no evidence to suggest that Alternative programs provide better preparation. (See Darling-Hammond, Labaree)

48. Types of Reform and Effects -- School Choice Charter Schools: U.S. Number of Schools 4,638 % of Charter Schools to All Public Schools 4.8% Vouchers • Milwaukee voucher program: 1990s • Cleveland voucher program upheld by US Supreme Court in 2002 • Florida and Washington D.C. • New Jersey: NJOSA under consideration

49. Charter Schools: What does the research say? Positive effects: Hoxby, C.M. (2004). Achievement in charter schools and regular public schools in the United States: Understanding the differences. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research. Hoxby, C.M. (2009). The New York City Charter School Evaluation Project. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/~schools/charterschoolseval/ Kane, T.et al. (2009). Informing the Debate: Comparing Boston’s Charter. Pilot and Traditional Schools: A Report for the Boston Foundation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Graduate School of Education. From http://www.gse.harvard.edu/%7Epfpie/pdf/InformingTheDebate_Final.pdf.

50. Charter Schools: What does the research say? Negative, mixed or no effects: Barr, J.M., Sadovnik, A.R. & Visconti, L. (2006). Charter Schools and Urban Education Improvement: A Comparison of Newark’s District and Charter Schools. TheUrban Review, 36(4): 291-312.; Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO) (2009). National Charter School Study. Center for Research on Educational Outcomes Palo Alto: Stanford. http://credo.stanford.edu/; Miron, G., Evergreen, S., & Urschel, J. (2008). The impact of school choice reforms on student achievement. http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/CHOICE-10-Miron-FINAL-withapp22.pdf. Lubienski, S.T., & Lubienski, C. (2006). School Sector and Academic Achievement: A Multi-Level Analysis of NAEP Mathematics Data. American Educational Research Journal, 43 (4), 651-698