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Written by Grace Chen

 A recent Opens Doors Day by Detroit Public Schools gave parents and students the chance to catch a glimpse of the wide range of schools available in one of the largest school districts in the country. Among other possibilities, this tour featured a unique school to Michigan and one of the only schools of its kind in the U.S. Who would have suspected that a district-wide open house could cumulate into a tour of the city by air – in a private plane used at a high school that prepares students for a career in the aerospace industry?

 

According to a report at mLive, students who recently visited Davis Aerospace Technical High School as part of their tour of Detroit Public Schools got a welcome surprise. One of the instructors at the school, who also happens to be a pilot, took students and their parents on free airplane rides using one of the small private planes kept at the school for training purposes. The four-seat aircraft was the smallest many of the guests had ever flown in, and the tour of Downtown Detroit from miles above the ground could only be described as “breathtaking.”

 

Flights took off from a small runway adjacent to the Davis Aerospace Technical High School campus. The pilot of the flights, Captain Miller, is an instructor at Davis, and a veteran of the U.S. Air Forces with more than 35 years of flying experience. Captain Miller is a high school teacher...

Written by Grace Chen

A recent study revealed some startling statistics about teacher retention in Duval County Public Schools. The study from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund found that this large U.S. county loses more than half of its public school teachers within just five years of their careers. This high turnover rate may be costing the school district a significant amount of money, as well as impacting the quality of education provided to public school students. As the statistics come to light, theories begin to circulate on how to promote public school teaching as a long-term career choice in Duval County.

 

WTEV was one of the first to broadcast the results of the study by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. The news station reported that researchers involved in the study surveyed 600 Duval County public school teachers to explore the possible reasons for the exceptionally high turnover rate. The teachers interviewed told the station that salary and benefits are both factors that could either keep teachers in the profession – or drive them away.

 

Teachers were also asked what would make them stay in the profession, rather than search for greener pastures after just a few short years. Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund said that the majority of teachers told them compensation and benefits, increased autonomy and a louder voice in policy decision could be the driving force behind long-term employment of public teachers in the county. Calling the findings a “human capital”...

Written by Grace Chen

It may be assumed that segregation is no longer a significant problem for public schools throughout the United States. However, a recent study found that segregation is still very much alive and well in Maryland public schools. Despite efforts at the end of the last century to desegregate schools in the state, recent data suggests the efforts have come up short in ensuring an equal education quality for all Maryland students.

 

The new research, which was compiled by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, found that black students in Maryland attend public schools that are nearly as segregated today as they were during the desegregation efforts of the 1980s. Afro reports that during the 2010-2011 school year, more than half of all the African-American students attended schools with a strong majority of minority students. In addition, those schools had a much higher percentage of low-income students than schools that were primarily attended by white students in the state.

 

This discrepancy can lead to a serious disparity in educational quality. School with a high percentage of low-income and minority students tend to receive fewer resources and less experienced teachers than other schools in the area. At the same time, the resources the schools do receive must be used to fulfill basic functions, such as free lunches to qualifying students, rather than for improved learning opportunities. High turnover rate for school staff and higher student-teacher ratios also tend to plague these schools.

 

“To the extent...

Written by Grace Chen

Standardized testing has become commonplace in schools across the country, but not everyone is a believer in the use of testing to evaluate school and student performance. This year, a number of schools across the country are seeing a higher-than-usual number of students opting out of the test protocol. One area that has been hit hard with opt-outs in recent weeks is New York City Public Schools. How will the higher number of opt-outs impact students who are choosing not to test and the schools where they are enrolled?

 

The Village Voice reports that test weeks this year are seeing fewer student participants in New York City. The publication cites reports of opt-outs at 22 schools throughout the boroughs, although the precise number of students opting out at each of the schools is still unknown. It does appear that 33 students at the city’s Earth School have submitted their intentions to opt out of testing, which would comprise a significant percentage of the student body at that small school.

 

Parents and students are complaining of excessive stress caused by the standardized tests. They are also questioning the use of valuable classroom time and resources to prepare for tests, rather than in quality instruction. Teachers are also joining the protest, stating use of standardized tests to evaluate teachers and schools is inappropriate and inaccurate.

 

The opt-outs in New York follow a decision by teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington, not...

Written by Grace Chen

Bullying is, sadly, not an uncommon occurrence in middle schools across the country. However, the decision by a judge in Florida, in response to an extreme incident of bullying, is anything but ordinary. While some are applauding the judge’s decision to take tough action against a bullying student, others are wondering whether the judge went too far in his ruling. Was the judge fair in this case?

 

The incident in question took place in Duval County, one of the largest school districts in Florida and in the U.S. A student at Oceanway Middle School, Aria Jewett, was lured away from school grounds by a group of classmates. One of the students, Paris Cannon, allegedly dragged Jewett by the hair and slammed her head into a stone wall. She also slapped and kicked Jewett while Jewett was curled up on the ground in a fetal position.

 

According to First Coast News, Jewett was taken to the hospital by ambulance after the attack, where she was treated for life-threatening injuries, including a skull fracture and a severe concussion. Jewett also suffered contusions and abrasions to the scalp from the attack. She spent the night in the hospital, before she was released to go home and recover.

 

Friends of Cannon were with the girls at the time of the attack, and one actually filmed the incident. The video showed the beating by Cannon, as well as two other girls in the background, laughing and cheering Cannon on as...

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