MASB State of the State blog

I have posted individual threads on the top education subjects, but if you have general comments or questions on the rest of the State of the State, please feel free to post them here.

You could also post your general thoughts about blogging and how it could be used by MASB to better serve you.

Do you like the idea of a legislative blog?

The Governor mentioned the 21st Century Schools Fund to help schools create small high schools.  She didn't go into a lot of detail, but I can add a little bit more.

What would be set up is a fund for schools to tap into help set up small high school models within existing districts and likely within existing schools.  It would only go to districts where a specific high school hasn't made AYP for at least two years.  If your district qualifies under this, you would be eligilbe to recieve planning grants of up to $2 million to set up a small high school with 400-600 kids.  You could make it theme-oriented, college prep, middle college-oriented, subject-oriented, or create other options.  The building principal would be given great autonomy related to budget and staffing with the thought that a strong builiding leader makes for a stronger team in the building.  They would also have an opportunity with matching grants locally to apply for up to $8 million for facility/infrastructure needs at the building level.

I have been in both North Carolina and Chicago and have seen the small high school model and talked to the kids.  It's pretty amazing how engaged these kids are.  In the schools that I visited, the student population wasn't just the "best and the brightest", but a great cross section with most of the students coming from a population of kids that were at-risk of dropping out.  The relevance and relationships were very apparent in the schools, and most had a high level curriculum.

This is clearly not the final version and is subject to many changes, but what do you think?

More authority to the state superintendent to close chronically failing schools. 

What does that mean and will Superintendent Flanagan really use the additional power if the legislature gives it to him?

I am sure they are referring to school buildings as opposed to whole districts.

Does this take the heat off a local board that may be recalled if they tried it?

Clearly this building would then need to be replaced so would you open a number of smaller schools within the old building that was judged as failing?

In some other states, local neighborhood schools have been closed for under performance and they have been rejuvenated with a fresh start.  Of course they don't all become successes.

What are your thoughts?