California's High School Dropout Rate: 24%

Back from break...

Did anyone see the article in today's Chronicle reporting on California's staggering high school dropout rate?

Here are some highlights:

"Nearly 1 in 4 California students will drop out during high school, state educators said Wednesday, basing their prediction on what they said is the most accurate information about student attendance they've ever collected."

The new dropout rate is far higher than the 13 percent educators had earlier estimated using less-sophisticated counting methods they had relied on for years.

"Bay Area dropout rates vary widely by school district, but three have rates far higher than the 24 percent state average: Oakland Unified (37 percent), West Contra Costa Unified (40 percent), and Vallejo City Unified (42 percent)."

"In San Francisco, 1,052 high school students quit last year. Based on that, researchers believe that 21 percent of entering freshmen will quit before earning a diploma."

"California's dropouts cost the state $50 billion per year, said incoming state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat who quoted studies showing that over their lifetimes those who quit are more likely to be unemployed, turn to crime, need state-funded medical care, get welfare and pay no taxes."

Be sure to check out the article, which reports on the dropout rate for specific SF high schools: Leadership High is 46 percent, Abraham Lincoln High is 15 percent, School of the Arts is 11 percent, and Lowell is 1 percent.

What do you think?

Open forum

I'm out of town through mid-July. Feel free to use this post as an open forum area. I hope everyone is enjoying summer--and taking a break from the school frenzy. Best, Kate

Kindergarten prep: Are your kids emotionally prepared?

Several SF K Files visitors have suggested that we start a topic on kindergarten prep. There are several components to this topic and so I plan to write a series of posts over the next few weeks. I've decided to start with the emotional aspect of kindergarten prep--specifically for the child. (We can touch touch on emotional preparation for parents in a later post.)

Here's an excerpt from one of the emails I received:

"A topic perhaps of interest to others is how our soon-to-be kindergartners are reacting to the upcoming changes in their lives. My son's preschool, where he has been going for two and a half years ends tomorrow. He knows he's starting a new school in the fall and he has visited it. To add to the changes, we're moving this summer. My son has always been extremely adaptable so I thought he would be fine with it all. And he did appear to be until . . . I finally put two and two together and realized all of the upcoming change is probably the reason why he started frequently wetting (even occasionally pooping) his pants about a month ago. I have read many times that perfectly potty-trained kids can regress when they face changes or stress in their lives, and I felt so horrible when I FINALLY realized a full month into it that this is probably what's happening. Since then I have taken time to talk with him more about the changes and how it feels and to assure him that it is all good. No pee incidents today!"

Are your kids emotionally prepared for kindergarten? How are you preparing your child? What sorts of things are you saying to your child? What are parents saying to children who still don't have a kindergarten? What are preschools doing to prepare kids emotionally?

SFGate forums

I promised myself that I wouldn't use The SF K Files to promote the work I'm doing for SFGate, but I can't resist this time. Currently, there are two forum topics on SFGate that are too perfect for K Files readers. I'd especially love for people to comment in the second forum. We have definitely addressed this topic many times in The K Files but SFGate gets thousands more readers and this is an opportunity to let a larger audience know about the school opportunities in SF.

1) Ideas for pain-free fund-raising Anyone got ideas for fun and easy ways to raise money for an elementary school?

2) Should we stay or should we go? A San Francisco family is torn between navigating the city's complicated school system or moving to the burbs for greener public school pastures.

Out of the wait pool

I just removed our name from the wait pool. We decided to stick with Jose Ortega. The counselor at the EPC said there are now 6 people in the wait pool for Mandarin immersion at Jose Ortega.

Why did you decide to switch?

A few people have emailed to suggest that I start a post where people can comment on why they left a private school or the public school system--after attending the school for one or more years. I would especially love to hear from the parent who is pulling her child out of immersion this year; she commented in the post on gifted children.

New poll: Do you know where you're sending your child to kindergarten in the fall?

I thought it would be interesting to see how many people at this point know where they'll be sending their child to kindergarten next fall. Please answer yes only if you're entirely certain. The poll is to the right.

Starr King in the news

A story in today's San Francisco Chronicle says the students at Starr King are "jaw-droppingly proficient in Mandarin." Read the full story: "Chinese language program a stunning bilingual success."

K Files Council: Gifted children

Topic suggested by reader:
Advice for parents of gifted children considering the public system

"I am afraid there is no way to come off not sounding elitist, and possibly classist or racist, with this question, but I do think it bears asking. My daughter will be one of those entering K reading, counting to 50 (or maybe 100), and having great insight and curiousity into how things work in the world around her. She will be fully prepared for K. One of the things that is attractive about many private schools is that they (purport to) cater to children's individual learning. One great fear about SFUSD and the whole climate of NCLB is that the system is expending many resources (money, time, focus) on those who are lagging. As a member of this community and world, I want every child to have an equal chance to excel. As the parent of my daughter, I want her to be challenged and not be penalized because she is 'ahead' of where others in her class are."

Connect with other families...

A visitor suggested that I start a post where families can connect with other families attending their children's schools. This particular parent is sending her son to Marshall next year and she'd love to start networking with other Marshall families.

Yeah! Prop A wins!

Get the whole story at SFGate.com: "S.F. voters OK $198 parcel tax for schools."

Alice's first-day-of-kindergarten dress

Jose Ortega is a uniform school. Kids are required to wear navy and white--simple and classy.

Today, Alice and I dropped by Chloe's Closet, a children's consignment shop on Cortland in Bernal Heights--and I found this fabulous dress. Retails for $76 and it was only $8.50! I'm quite excited by my find and I think it will be Alice's dress for the first day of school. I feel silly sharing this bit of info but right now I need to enjoy the simple pleasures of sending my daughter to kindergarten. It has been a long road.

Kate makes up her mind

After torturing ourselves for weeks with indecision, my husband and I finally made up our minds. We're sending our daughter to the Mandarin immersion program at Jose Ortega. (Note: We are in a wait pool for another immersion school that's closer to our home.)


This school search has been incredibly difficult and emotional for me--and I'm sure many of you can relate. I hope to eventually share the process that we went through to make our decision, but for now I just need to relax and enjoy the fact that I don't need to stress about where I'm going to send my daughter to school this fall.

Message from PPS: Prop A phone bank

The Prop A campaign is TIGHT. The difference between winning and losing could be as small as a few hundred votes.

Parents for Public Schools is sponsoring another phone bank night on THURSDAY MAY 29 at the UESF offices. Come be with friends from PPS and help get out the vote in the last weekend!!! RSVP to Ken Tray at 956-8373 or ktray@uesf.org.

Also, blast your email address book: sample emails are available on the PPS Web site.

Another round

Has anyone received Wait Pool assignment letters today? SFUSD mailed letters on Friday.

California API scores are in!

The 2007-2008 California Academic Performance Index results are in. You can check schools' API scores at http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/2007api/.

I always find it interesting to check the results, but can you judge a school by its test scores?

Frequent K Files contributor launches her own blog

Caroline Grannan, who frequently comments on The SF K Files, is now writing about San Francisco education topics for the Examiner.com on her new blog S.F. Education Examiner.

Grannan was an editor at the San Jose Mercury News for 12 years. Currently she contributes to a number of Internet sites dealing with education and schools. She is a San Francisco public school parent, advocate, and volunteer and has followed education politics locally and nationwide.

Buy your uniforms now

At the park the other day, I listened to some moms talk about buying uniforms for their kids starting kindergarten in the fall. One of the moms said, "You need to shop now because they run out of the stuff." Here's a list of places where you can buy uniforms.

Land's End
French Toast
Walmart
Target

Feel free to add to the list in the comments section.

This Saturday: Public School Events

No plans for Saturday? Bring the kids to one of these public school events.

Jose Ortega Elementary School
Walk-a-thon
Saturday May 17th, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Jose Ortega Elementary School Playground
at 400 Sargent
htt://joseortegaschool.org/

Alvarado Elementary School
Annual Carnival / Kermes
Saturday, May 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
625 Douglass Street (between 22nd & 23rd), Noe Valley
Cakewalk, face-painting, bouncy house, food, science games, water games, art projects, music, art exhibit, raffle, and more!
Free admission.

Sherman Elementary School
Under the Sea Carnival and Garden Party
Saturday May 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Union St., between Franklin and Gough
www.shermanschool.org

Miraloma Spring Festival
Saturday May 17, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Performance by Playdate and the Jakes, raffle, kids' games, arts and crafts, silent auction, BBQ lunch.
Free admission
www.miralomasf.com

Grattan Fun Fest
Saturday, May 17, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
165 Grattan St.
Kids carnival, music, and silent auction
Free admission
For more info: (415) 759-2815

George Peabody School Carnival
Saturday, May 17, 1 p.m.
Tim Cain performs songs for kids of all ages
For more info: nettieatkisson@gmail.com

New kindergarten classes at McCoppin and Jose Ortega

Here's a message from an SF K Files visitor:

"I just went down to the EPC today and they told me that two new kindergarten classes were opened, at McCoppin and Jose Ortega. In fact, it's posted on the EPC/SFUSD Web site, but not being widely advertised for some reason (this was the first I'd heard of it!). They are giving people until the 16th to apply for them (put them down as their waitpool choice). I assume that if there's space left, they will open up in open enrollment as well."

I'm unfamiliar with McCoppin so please share details if you have them. I have talked to many parents and the principal at Jose Ortega and I know it is a strong, up-and-coming school. The school's ranking on GreatSchools.net was a 5 out of 10 but recently rose to a 6. There are a group of parents dedicated to raising more money for the PTA. And the principal, JoLynn Washington, is fabulous.

This weekend the school holds its annual Walkathon from 10 a.m. to noon. It's a great opportunity to meet the parent community and the principal.

Gun discovered at SF public school

About a week ago my husband came home with a Squeeze Rocket Launcher. My 3-year-old son pulled the new toy out of the box, aimed it at me, and said, "Mom, I've got a gun. I'm going to shoot you." I completely freaked out and you can read my story about the incident, "Should I let toy guns in the house?" on SFGate.com.

I have been quite troubled by the toy gun issue, so I sent an email to one of my favorite experts on parenting, Michael Thompson, Ph. D. He's the coauthor of The New York Times bestseller Raising Cane: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, and the more recent It's a Boy: Understanding Your Son's Development from Birth to Age 18. He sent me a thoughtful response about boys and guns and basically told me that it's natural for boys to play with them. You can read his complete response in my post titled, "Coming to Terms with Toy Guns."

Anyway, guns have been on my mind this past week, so I was taken back when I read the story on SFGate.com today, "First-grader caught with gun at S.F. school." Apparently, "Staffers at Cleveland Elementary School found the gun in the boy's backpack after overhearing children talking about a gun on campus."

How is everyone feeling about this?

Support SF public schools on Saturday

There are two fund-raisers at SF public schools this weekend. You're welcome to attend even if you don't send your kids to the school. It's a great way to support the community.

Here's the lowdown:

Claire Lilienthal Mayfair
Saturday, May 10, 10am–4pm
3630 Divisadero St.
Scott Campus in the Marina
Carnival games, raffles, prizes, and crafts!
www.clairelilienthal.org

Argonne Mayfair
Saturday May 10, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
17th Ave. at Cabrillo
Carnival games, jumping house, climbing wall, raffle, silent auction, food, and prizes!
For info: email rpnorton@hotmail.com

Language immersion alternatives

Didn't get into an immersion program? Opted for a private that only offers language an hour a day? What do you do?

Here are a few ideas for ways to immerse your kids in a language even if they didn't get into Flynn Spanish immersion or Alice Fong Yu or the French American School. If anyone has additional suggestions, please offer them up.

Chinese American International School
Summer program
www.cais.org/

French American International School
Summer program
www.frenchamericansf.org


Espanol for Kids
Spanish summer camp held at the Little Bear School
www.espanolforkids.com

Mandarin Play and Learn
Saturday classes
http://ca.local.yahoo.biz/mandarinplayandlearn

Ace Mandarin Immersion Summer Camp
www.acesf.org

Have any additional suggestions?

Let's take a break for some fun

A friend offered up a nice idea:

"I think you should do a post one day on suggestions of fun silly things we do with our kids. Reminders that in the end it is these moments shared that we often remember.I think we get so caught up in getting from point a to point that we sometimes forget to stop and have a tickle fest or dance around the house in silly hats, paint with shaving cream on the deck doors, whatever . . . Might be fun to learn what other people do."

Guest blogger: Vicki Symonds of Parents for Public Schools

This post is an update to our recent post on FAQs regarding Round II to update information regarding the submittal date to change your waitpool school. We have just heard from the EPC that the information that they had formally given us is inaccurate. The accurate key dates are as follows.

Key Dates
• Friday May 9th: Deadline to Register at your assigned school.
• Friday May 9th. Deadline to change your designated waitpool school.
• Friday May 16th. According to the Director of the EPC, applications will be accepted until this date as a “grace period.”
• Friday May 23rd. Waitpool assignment letters will be mailed home.
• Tuesday May 27th. Open Enrollment Begins.

I apologize for the confusion and misinformation. We went to great lengths to confirm all of our posts and reconfirm the deadlines. If you are considering changing your waitpool school I would advise doing so by May 9th.

Waitpools

1. Is there a deadline to change your waitpool school before the next waitpools are run?

Yes, deadline to change your waitpool school for the next waitpool run is Friday May 9th, however, according the EPC director applications will be accepted till May 16th as a "grace period.” If you are considering changing your waitpool school I would advise doing so by May 9th. Waitpools will be run the week of May 19th and letters will be sent on May 23rd.

2. Will there be a second wave of letters sent after the May 23rd waitpool run before Open Enrollment?

Yes. The Educational Placement Center will be sending letters again on May 23 as a result of the latest waitpool run which will be done during the week of May 19th. Letters will continue to be mailed throughout the summer offering assignments to people on the waitpool when openings are made available. Once school starts, the Educational Placement Center will call individual households to offer assignments.

3. If you are granted an appeal status can you change your waitpool school and still retain your appeal status or is this designation tied to the original waitpool choice?

Yes, you can change your waitpool school without loosing your appeal status. If you are granted appeal status, your cohort changes to a higher priority, but you can still change schools. For example there are 70 people in the waitpool at Alice Fong Yu, and 7 of them have medical/hardship status – that’s still hard odds to beat – some of them may eventually want to consider changing their wait pool choice.

4. If you get your waitpool choice can you then waitpool at another school that you might prefer more than your original choice?

No, once you get your waitpool school you are considered done. You cannot participate in the waitpool process again.

Amended List

5. I put down schools on my amended list that did not have any waitpools. Why wasn’t I given one of these schools? (ie New Traditions, Sunnyside, Lafayette).

In many cases the assignment system over enrolled schools assuming that some people will release their spots. These schools are considered full but do not have waitpools and will not have openings until spots are released.

6. Can a child who had lower priority than my child get assigned a school off of their waitpool list ahead of me?

No, you will be assigned before a person in a lower cohort. The only exception to this is in the case of two-way immersion schools. In the case of two-way immersion programs, language status is a consideration. For example, if the school needs to fill slots for non-Spanish speakers it may place a non-spanish speaker from a lower priority cohort rather than a Spanish speaker in a higher priority cohort.


Open Enrollment.

7. Will there be openings during Open Enrollment?

Yes, there will be openings at schools during Open Enrollment. Parents can request a placement at a school that has an opening and no waitpool.

Over Enrolled Schools

8. How can we know how much a school is overenrolled?

You can ask the EPC. This is one good reason to establish a relationship with the EPC so that you can be kept well informed of the over enrollment status of certain schools.

9. How can you tell right now if there are openings at a school rather than over enrolled?

You can’t without talking with the EPC.

Transfers and Children New to the System

10. If a child is enrolled and attending a San Francisco Public School will this child have a lower priority than a child who is new to San Francisco Public Schools in the assignment system?

No, children new to San Francisco Public Schools do not have a priority over children already enrolled and attending a Public School in San Francisco.

11. After the 10 day count and the assignment system officially closes (sometime at the end of September – early October) and you hear of an opening in a school you prefer can you be assigned to this school?

No, SFUSD discourages inter-school transfers unless you move or you can show extreme cause. However, they will assign children who are new to SFUSD.

K Files Council: What would you have done differently?

Today, I received emails from three parents who will go through the school process next year. They all suggested that we start a thread focused on giving future kindergarten parents advice.

Here are some questions to get us started:

What would you recommend for people applying to private and public schools?

What advice would you give to a parent going only through the public school process?

What would you have done differently?

What did you wish you'd known beforehand?

Guest blogger: Parents for Public Schools Executive Director Ellie Rossiter

I spoke with the Director of the EPC today and here’s what he told me. Due to the increased number of Round I kindergarten applicants (300 more than last year), nearly all schools filled up in Round I, and most applicants registered for their spots. Therefore, there wasn’t a lot of movement or new assignments in Round II.

If you know you are not going to attend a public school, please release your spot as soon as possible. Send a letter to the EPC and the school site requesting to withdraw your child.

Here is some additional information about the letters and next steps:

• There were several Round II assignment letters, depending on your situation in Round I and Round II:
o Letter 1: you got your wait pool school. Register by May 9.
o Letter 2: you accepted your Round I assignment, but you didn’t get any of your waitpool or amended choices in Round II. Your child is still enrolled at the school you registered in, and you remain in the wait pool you requested.
o Letter 3: you did not register at your Round I assigned school, and you didn’t get your wait pool school or any of your amended choices in Round II. Your child is unassigned, and you remain in the wait pool you requested.
o Letter 4: you received one of your Round II amended choices, but did not receive your wait pool choice. Register by May 9. You remain in the wait pool you requested.

• Regardless of your letter the process is the same:
o If you were assigned a school (Amended or Wait Pool) you should register at that school by Friday, May 9, or you will lose your spot.
o If you did not receive your wait pool school, your name remains in the wait pool you requested, and it will not be removed unless you inform the EPC.
o You can change your wait pool choice at any time.
o Your Round I priority cohort remains the same throughout all runs regardless if you received a new assignment (e.g. amended choice) or not.
o Your amended school choices will not be run again.

• New wait pool data reflecting the number of applicants in the wait pools after this current assignment round is available. Go to www.ppssf.org or www.sfusd.edu.

• The next wait pool run is on May 23. Submit any wait pool changes before then. Additional wait pool runs occur regularly through September.

• Open Enrollment begins on May 27 – any school that has an opening (and no wait pool) at that time is up for grabs (first come; first serve).

• Hardship and Medical appeals have been considered and are only considered once. If your appeal was denied, there is no further appeal process.

• The EPC is very busy. They receive over 500 phone calls per day; however, we recommend that you find a time to create a relationship with a counselor there to check in on occasion and get up-to-date information so you can make up-to-date decisions about wait pools.

Thanks!

Best,
Ellie Rossiter

Guest blogger: Karen Capraro

So, my husband and I were sitting around the other night talking about what we should spend our tax rebate on: Big-screen TV? New clothes? A trip to Mexico to drink pina coladas?

Then we started thinking about what we would have preferred our government to have spent that money on. Quite frankly, we feel like we don't really "need" it. And we don't really buy into the 'it'll stimulate the economy' concept. But that's another story.

So we decided to set up:
stimulateminds.org

The Web site encourages people to donate some, or all, of their tax rebate to public schools. The money can be used to stimulate the minds of the future.

We find it sad that our public schools are so stretched financially. California cut $4.5 billion dollars from schools this year, and in April laid off more than 10,000 teachers. You only have to look to what teachers are requesting donations for, to get an idea of how difficult these cuts have made it for schools. They're things we took for granted having at school, anything from crayons to computers, chairs for the library, new dictionaries, projectors, a rug for kids to sit on...the list goes on and on. You'll also see requests for creative, yet simple projects that seem crucial if teachers are really to engage students: like weaving Native American baskets, or field trips to nearby farms. These all seem more like basic needs to us, something that teachers shouldn't have to be scrambling around for, even often buying supplies with their own money.

And all of this public school need in a wealthy progressive city like San Francisco.....well, It's kind of embarrassing. Luckily, San Francisco also is a caring community that is ready to help when asked. So please, check out our Web site, send it to your friends, and donate, even a tiny amount, of your rebate. Because investing in the minds of tomorrow will pay off. Thanks! stimulateminds.org

Guest blogger Karen Capraro is a parent of one preschool child, soon to delve into the public school world.

SFUSD wait pool list

SFUSD just released its wait pool list. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/6rbww4.

Private school wait lists

An SF K Files visitor requested that we start a thread on private school wait lists. Great idea.

Here are some questions to get things started:

Has there been any movement on private school wait lists following Round II? Has anyone gotten a call about a spot recently?

Guest blogger: Rachel Norton

When I was in high school, one of the teachers I most adored was Ms. Pensky (pictured), my 10th grade biology teacher. She was only a few years into her career, and she had a genuine passion for her subject. She took 20 of us on a weeklong field trip to the Mojave Desert, and taught us how to find the incredible natural beauty and biological diversity in that seemingly barren place. It was such an amazing experience that I went on the trip a second year, when I wasn't even in her class!

My experience is not unique. Studies show that a skilled teacher is the single biggest influencer of student engagement and achievement, and yet in San Francisco we have a real problem recruiting and retaining quality teachers. Consider these facts:

--San Francisco has the 2nd highest cost of living of all U.S. cities, and yet 13 other school districts in California alone pay teachers more than we do;

--One in five of our teachers leaves San Francisco in the first three years of teaching. There are two basic reasons for this ñ newer teachers need the most support and are often assigned to the most challenging schools, a combination which leads to early burnout; and teachers can earn more money and pay less to live in other areas.

On June 3, San Franciscans have an opportunity to address this problem and take a very concrete step towards improving our schools: Voting YES on Proposition A, the Quality Teacher and Education Act.

Proposition A institutes a $198 per parcel tax on property owners (business and residential alike). Many districts are resorting to parcel taxes because of chronically inadequate funding from the state of California. Such taxes give cities more control over their annual school budgets and open up an additional source of revenue. No one likes taxes, but Proposition A's $198 per year comes out to about $16 a month, and is quite modest compared to parcel taxes passed recently in nearby districts:

--Albany, 2005: $225 per parcel

--Lafayette, 2007: $313 per parcel

--Kentfield, 2008: $774 per parcel.

What do we get for the money?

--Competitive salary packages to recruit and retain the best teachers;

--Teachers in 25 schools designated "hard to staff" will receive extra stipends for extra work beyond their school day, in order to induce teachers to transfer to and stay at those more challenging schools;

--Teachers in high-need areas--math, science, special education--will receive stipends;

--Newer teachers and those who need to work on their skills will receive mentoring from experienced teachers;

--Computers and other technology will be updated or replaced.

No one likes additional taxes, but virtually every elected official and community leader in San Francisco agrees that Proposition A is essential. Vote YES on Proposition A June 3! Every Yes vote is essential because this measure requires a two-thirds vote to pass.

For more information, go to: www.voteyesonpropa.com. To learn how you can help pass Prop. A, go to the PPS-SF web site.

Guest blogger Rachel Norton is a parent of two children attending SFUSD schools and is a candidate for school board in November 2008.

Round II

So we actually did receive a letter yesterday. I was confused by the mail because when I checked it in the afternoon there were several fliers in the mailbox and I thought that was our mail. It turns out the papers were election fliers and the real mail arrived later in the afternoon. Last night my husband noticed that there was stuff in our mailbox--and pulled out the SFUSD letter. We did get a school assignment. I wish that I could share the information but this has become a delicate issue and I have to think about our situation off-line. I will report back soon. This Web site is great in so many ways but in the past few months it has made it difficult for me to share my complete story. Please hold tight and hold off on your comments speculating our situation. I promise to get back soon. I'm not going to drag this out or hold onto a spot that I don't intend to take as I know that there are a lot of you out there who need a school. I'm so sorry for those who didn't get an assignment in Round II. Hang in there. Something will work out in the end; it's just so unfortunate that you have to go through all this stress and uneasiness to get to that end point. It really isn't fair.

Alice, what do you think kindergarten will be like?

So I thought I would lighten things up a bit.

Last night I asked Alice, "What do you think kindergarten will be like?"

"I won't have to take naps," Alice said. "I'll get to do more art projects. The teachers will probably read more books to us. And I really hope that I learn how to properly take care of a goldfish."

Not another private vs. public school debate!

The last thing I want to do is start yet another private versus public school debate but this evening I stumbled across an interesting article from 2007, "Study Examines Public, Private Schools," by an AP education writer. Nancy Zuckerbrod reports on a study that examines students who go to private and public schools.

In the study conducted by the nonpartisan Center on Education Policy researchers found the following:

"--In reading, family income, parental discussion, parental expectations, parental involvement and eighth-grade scores all positively affected 12th-grade reading scores. Scores weren't affected by the type of school a student attended unless it was a Catholic order school.

--In math, parental discussions and involvement had no effect on achievement scores. Parental expectations and family income did have an impact. Prior eighth-grade test scores were heavily correlated to achievement on the 12th-grade test. Again, attending a Catholic religious order school had a positive effect on the math scores.

--In science, income affected test scores but the other family characteristics did not. Prior test scores had the strongest impact. None of the school types had an edge over public high schools in boosting scores.

--In history, parental expectations and parental discussion had an impact on scores, as did achievement on eighth-grade tests. The only kind of school that had a positive impact on scores was a Catholic religious order school.

The students in the study were all poor and fit the demographics of those who would be eligible for the kind of private-school voucher programs or other school-choice initiatives generally favored by conservatives.

However, what the study shows is that family involvement matters more than whether a student goes to public or private school, said Jack Jennings, the president of the center."


The story does go on to quote someone who disputes the study:

"Andrew Coulson, an education expert at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, said this one study shouldn't sway public policy.

'The overwhelming body of research favors private schooling over public schooling,' he said.

Coulson said he hadn't read the study but said one concern is that it looks at 12th-grade students. He said kids who enter 12th grade in many urban public schools are a higher achieving subgroup than a school's larger student body, because of high drop-out rates in many inner-city schools.

The new study did find that students at independent private schools, not the religiously affiliated schools, got higher SAT scores than public-school students."

Anyway...it's all very interesting.

SFGate reports on bullying incident in Oakland

An upsetting story, "When school bullies get out of hand," ran as the featured item on SFGate.com this morning. Chronicle staff reporter Nanette Asimov tells the story of a 7-year-old boy who is severely bullied at an Oakland public school.

Asimov writes:

"Anthony Cataldo of Oakland first raised concerns about aggressive bullying at his son's elementary school last year after Zachary lost four teeth on the playground - but he said he received only a verbal assurance that things would change.

Cataldo said he complained again when some boys at school kicked 7-year-old Zachary in the stomach three months ago but got no response.

Now - two days after an older student slammed Zachary against a tree, fracturing his skull and sending the first-grader to intensive care - Cataldo is hiring a lawyer, and school officials are paying attention."

What are the schools like outside the city?

Tonight, I met a friend for a glass of wine. She's the mother of one of Alice's dearest friends. I was sad to hear that she is monitoring neighborhoods outside the city. "Not seriously," she assured me. "I've only been looking at homes online."

Our conversation was familiar because just this morning I was talking to some neighbor friends who were on their way to Berkeley for an open house. They have a young child who will be going to kindergarten in a few years, so they're thinking ahead.

Our city is deprived of children and I hate for it to lose a single family but the reality is that some people will leave. So maybe it's time to talk about school districts outside the city. How does Mill Valley compare to Lafayette? And what's the difference between Lafayette and Orinda? And what about Albany--is it the hidden gem? Are there any affordable Bay Area towns with excellent schools? And please feel free to make a sales pitch to those who are thinking about leaving. (I need your help convincing my friends to stay.)

K Files Council: what makes a PTA on fire?

Here's my question:

During the school search, I felt like I was choosing a school as well as choosing a PTA. I fell in love with Flynn since the PTA was on fire. The parents were enthusiastic, had similar priorities as I do, and were getting things done.

Unfortunately, Flynn was one of the few schools where I managed to get a grasp of the school AND the parents.

What makes a PTA on fire? Paul revere, like Flynn, has had an immersion program in place for the same number of years. Things are happening at PR, but it wasn't as hot as Flynn. Starr King as well—two years of new parents on board, but not the same fire.

Many of us may be facing a school with low scores, a new or no PTA and fear being one of those 3-4 parents taking on all the load. What makes a playground go up in a day? Planter boxes get built and filled? PE teachers get hired? And what stands in the way? the principal? Rifts in the new vs old (immersion vs GE?) parents? What can we, as incoming parents in schools that we want to improve, be planning for, looking for, or seeing as challenges?

I want to be enthusiastic about more schools than Flynn. I went 0/7, have twins, want immersion, and am feeling nervous about the prospect of trying to overhaul a struggling school. Any thoughts?

K Files Council: Donating money to public schools

I'd like some advice:

My son will be starting kindergarten at a public school in San Francisco this fall. I would like to give my son's teacher $100 a month to use for supplies, class trips or whatever. Any suggestions on how to do this? Should I just offer it to the teacher? Should I approach the principal? Do people think its more constructive to just donate to the school PTA? (I would also donate money to the PTA during the year.) I'm leaning to just offering it to the teacher as I would like my son to benefit from better supplies in his class, etc., and I keep hearing how teachers pay for supplies out of their own pockets. But, I also want to make sure I will not be violating any school policies. And, since taxes are due next week, anyone know if this would be tax deductible?


Thanks!

Applying to kindergarten for 2009-2010? Here's your chance to get started.

Kindergarten Information Night at the JCC for NEXT year 2009-2010

Please join the Claude & Louise Rosenberg Early Childhood Education Program for this annual event, provided free as a community service to the public. This is a great opportunity for parents with children ages three and older to gather information from over 60 representatives of Bay Area public and independent schools about their kindergarten programs. This event is for adults only. No registration necessary.

Wednesday, May 7
6 p.m.-8 p.m.

For more info: http://www.jccsf.org/content_main.aspx?progid=2222&catid=104
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Hot topic: bullying

The recent comments on this site about bullying led Ryan and me to discuss this topic after the kids went to bed tonight. It turns out my husband has a horrific story about some mean kids throwing him into a garbage can when he was in junior high. I can remember being teased in elementary school. I was a quiet, bookish child with only one friend. We walked around the schoolyard hand-in-hand, and we always wore matching outfits. The cooler kids definitely had some things to say about us.

I specifically remember an incident in about second or third grade when I was sitting on a bench with my legs crossed. An older girl dug into me for this and said something like, "Don't you think you're cool with your legs crossed!" A group of kids were standing around and I was humiliated. Even though her mean-spirited comment was quite benign, I still sometimes think of it when I'm wearing a skirt and crossing my legs.

I can't imagine how upset I would be if I found out some kids were bullying Alice or her younger brother, Sam. I would only hope that all schools are clued into these issues and would be proactive in stopping any bullying that goes on. I'd love to hear from parents with kids who are already in school. How do your schools deal with bullying? Any advice for parents headed for kindergarten?