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The crisis in NYC class sizes & threat to student privacy Presentation to Community Education Council District 3 Spring, 2013 Leonie Haimson , Class Size Matters. Why is class size important?. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The crisis in NYC class sizes & threat to student privacy
Presentation to Community Education Council District 3
Spring, 2013
Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters
Why is class size important?• Class size reduction one of 4 reforms proven to work through
rigorous evidence, acc. to Inst. Education Sciences, research arm of US Ed Dept. *
• Benefits esp large for disadvantaged & minority students, very effective at narrowing the achievement gap.
• NYC schools have largest class sizes in state;
• 2003, NY’s highest court said students denied constitutional right to adequate education in part due to excessive class sizes (Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision).
• 86% of NYC principals say cannot provide a quality education because of excessive class sizes.
• Smaller classes top priority of parents on DOE learning environment surveys every year.
• *Other three K-12 evidence-based reforms, are one-on-one tutoring by qualified tutors for at-risk readers in grades 1-3, Life-Skills training for junior high students, and instruction for early readers in phonemic awareness and phonics.
Stagnant achievement in NYC schools under Bloomberg
• NYC students have fallen further behind their peers in other large cities, according to national assessments (NAEPs), coming in 2nd to last in progress since 2003;
• NYC also only large district where non-poor students have lower NAEP average scores than in 2003.
• Only 21% of NYC HS grads are considered “college ready”; 13 – 15% of Black and Hispanic students;
• Students needing triple remediation* at CUNY have doubled in last 5 years.
* Triple remediation means make-up classes in reading, writing & math.
Contracts for Excellence
• In April 2007, NY State settled the Campaign for Fiscal decision by passing the Contracts for Excellence (C4E) law.
• State agreed to send billions in additional aid to NYC & other high needs school districts; to spend in six approved areas, including class size reduction.*
• In addition, NYC had to submit a plan to reduce class size in all grades.
• In 2007, the state approved DOE’s plan to reduce class sizes on average to 20 students per class in K-3; 23 in grades 4-8 and 25 in core HS classes.
• In return, NYC has received more than $2.5 billion in cumulative state C4E funds since 2007.
*other allowed programs include Time on Task; Teacher & Principal Quality; Middle & HS Restructuring; Full-Day Pre-K; & Model Programs for English Language Learners
City’s class sizes have risen sharply in all grades since 2007…esp. in K-3; now largest in 14 yrs!
This year’s class size data is available at http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/data/classsize/classsize.htm *All class size figures calculated averaging Gen.Ed, CTT and G&T November reporting.
Baseli
ne
2007
-8
2008
-9
2009
-10
2010
-201
1
2011
-201
2
2012
-13
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
21
20.720.5
20.320.1
19.9 19.9
21 20.9
21.4
22.1
22.9
23.9
24.5
21.5 21.1 21.4 21.3
22.222.4
23.1796875
D3 K-3 class sizes increased far above C4E goals
C4E goals
Citywide actual
D3
Also in grades 4-8, class sizes have increased
Baseli
ne
2007
-8
2008
-9
2009
-10
2010
-201
1
2011
-201
2
2012
-13
22
22.5
23
23.5
24
24.5
25
25.5
26
26.5
27
25.6
24.824.6
23.8
23.3
22.9 22.9
25.6
25.1
25.3
25.8
26.3
26.6
26.7
26.4
25.6
24.4
25.3
25.6
25.960317460317525.9314516129032
D3 4th-8th class sizes also above C4E goals
C4E target
Citywide actual
D3
Axis Title
Also in HS: citywide average class sizes have risen
2007
-08
2008
-09
2009
-10
2010
-11
2011
-12
2012
-13
24.0
24.5
25.0
25.5
26.0
26.5
27.0
27.5
26.1
26.6
26.8 26.927.0 27.0
2625.7
25.2
24.8
24.5 24.5
26.126.2
26.626.5
26.426.2822235421827
High School Class Sizes vs CFE Goals (DOE High School data inconsistent and unreliable)
Nov. Class Sizes*
C4E goals
Feb. Class Sizes
*There is no November reporting for the 2007-08 year, data used is from Feb. report
Ways that DOE has worked AGAINST reducing class size
• Since 2007, DOE has cut school budgets 14%– contradicting C4E prohibition against supplanting.
• In 2010, DOE eliminated Early grade class size funding– despite promise in C4E plan to keep it.
• In 2011, DOE decided no longer to cap class sizes in 1st-3rd grades at 28, leading to tripling of class sizes 30 or more in these grades.
• In 2012, DOE instructed principals to accommodate special needs students up to contractual class size maximum.
• DOE has never aligned either “Blue Book” formula or capital plan to goals in class size plan, as required by state law.
CFE funding also flat-lined; but even when increased; city’s class sizes grew!
2006
-07
2007
-08
2008
-09
2009
-10
2010
-11
2011
-12
2012
-13
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
$0
$258
$645 $645
$531 $531
21 20.9
21.4
22.1
22.9
23.9
24.5
21
20.720.5
20.320.1
19.9 19.9
C4E spend-ing (in mil-lions)
K-3 av-erage class sizes
C4E class size goals
do
llars
(in
mill
ion
s)
Cla
ss
Siz
e A
vg
s.
Loss of teachers while DOE had other priorities
• Number of pedagogues (mostly teachers) has been cut by more than 5,000 since 2007, despite rising enrollment. *
• Smallest # pedagogues in 2011 employed by DOE since 2003.
• Largest # non-pedagogues in 2011 employed since at least 1980.
• Highest % of non-pedagogues to pedagogues since 1993.
• Spending on testing, contracts, consultants, and more bureaucrats have all risen sharply.
(*Data source: Office of Management Budget headcounts, through IBO)
But can we afford to reduce class size?
• In 2009, DOE estimated that it would cost $358 million per year to achieve average C4E class size goals across the city;
• DOE estimated it would cost $448 million per year in staffing to achieve class size goals in ALL schools; plus more in capital costs for school construction.
• This year, NYC received more than $530 million in C4E funds.
Other questions re city’s C4E plan
• Why did the DOE not centrally devote ANY C4E funds to class size reduction, given its legal obligation to lower class size?
• DOE finally posted C4E plan for this year only in Feb., and holding hearings now, though funds mostly spent, making mockery of public feedback and process required in law.
• Is DOE’s C4E plan for last year (2011-12) yet approved by the state ? If so, where is it posted?
NYS & NYC also violating student privacy and parental rights
• 9 states/districts including NYS sharing confidential student and teacher data with inBloom Inc., private corporation funded by Gates Foundation.
• Data includes student names, grades, test scores, disciplinary & attendance records, race /ethnicity, economic status, disability and health issues.
• Data will be stored in a massive electronic data bank, built by Wireless Generation, run by Joel Klein & owned by Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation.
• NewsCorp found to illegally spy and/or violate privacy in UK and US.
Then what?
• inBloom, Inc. plans to put this sensitive data on a cloud run by Amazon.com and transmit it to for-profit companies to help them develop and market their “learning products.”
• In recent survey, 86% of IT experts say they do not trust clouds to hold their organization’s sensitive data.
• In its security policy, inBloom Inc. states they “cannot guarantee the security of the information stored in inBloom or that the information will not be intercepted when it is being transmitted.’
• All this is happening without parental notification or consent.
Sample data to be shared with inBloom, Inc.
What can CEC’s do?• Pass resolutions on class size and privacy; we have samples for your
consideration.
• Write a letter to Commissioner King, to protest the botched C4E process & DOE’s failure to reduce class size at [email protected]
• Send comments to [email protected]; deadline March 18.
• Collect information about class sizes in your district’s schools, including violations of union contract & building code.
• Parents should send opt out letter to King, demanding your child’s info NOT be shared; see our fact sheet for a sample letter.
• Questions or to join newsletter list, email us at [email protected]