Disqus - Latest Comments for kristenforbriger

Re: Op-Ed: Why We Need 300 Different Plans for Philly’s Schools

KristenForbriger — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 14:09:07 -0000

Thanks for this article, Susan... I totally agree with your recommendations. But I can't understand why you write that the "portfolio district model" is the wrong way to achieve this outcome. What you describe is, in essence, the definition of the portfolio approach -- here's a pretty good description from CRPE: "The portfolio strategy is a problem-solving framework through which
education and civic leaders develop a citywide system of high-quality,
diverse, autonomous public schools. It moves past the one-size-fits-all
approach to education. It puts educators directly in charge of their
schools, empowers parents to choose the right schools for their
children, and focuses school system leaders on overseeing school
success." http://www.crpe.org/researc...

Even if we give more responsibility to individual schools, governance matters. Actually, I would argue it matters more. For example, if we have 300 autonomous schools, whose responsibility is it to ensure that every child has a quality option that meets his/her needs? Must every school, with its unique plan to serve its unique community also be equipped and prepared to serve every child in Philadelphia? The role of the governing body in the portfolio model is to ensure equity; as more decision-making power is pushed to the schools and principals, the large urban district's role becomes more regulatory and less about directly runs schools. So the portfolio approach is about giving schools the freedom and resources
to create 300 different plans WHILE holding school leaders accountable.

Besides, I'm sure you agree that autonomy as you describe here doesn't work unless it's coupled with strong accountability. We need to look no further than Philadelphia's own charter sector to see that :)

Re: Insider: What Philly Mag’s Awful Cover Reveals About School “Choice”

KristenForbriger — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:40:42 -0000

I wasn't meaning to attack Masterman, but instead point out that we don't have equal access to quality schools, and that zip code (and therefore income) too often determine the level of access. I've spoken with many parents who wish their children could attend a school like Masterman and are frustrated by the lack of quality options, especially at the high school level. Why, as you say, is it "no surprise the best school in the city doesn't match the makeup of the district as a whole"?

Re: Insider: What Philly Mag’s Awful Cover Reveals About School “Choice”

KristenForbriger — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:33:45 -0000

hi and thanks for reading! I completely agree with your assessment of the cover. As I hope you can tell, my intention was to focus on the content of the article and the bigger issues with the school system (rather than the selection of the problematic cover photo) but you are absolutely right that race and class bias too often drive the definition of "quality school." And I absolutely agree with you about magnet schools -- if that was not evident here, then I'm only sorry I was not more clear! I also look forward to reading Helen's take.

Re: Insider: What Philly Mag’s Awful Cover Reveals About School “Choice”

KristenForbriger — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:45:42 -0000

Hi, thanks for reading and sorry if that wasn't clear! Of the students in the Greenfield catchment who attend ANY public school, 36% attend a school other than Greenfield (they attend another neighborhood school, a magnet, or a charter). I'm only able to access public school data, but I would take an educated guess that dozens of kids in that catchment attend a private school (The Philadelphia School, Friends Select, etc)

Re: Insider: How to Stop the Annual School District Vs. City Council Smackdowns

KristenForbriger — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 10:43:28 -0000

Ha, no.

A longtime education leader in Philly sent me some ideas for goals over the weekend -- thought these were worth sharing as examples:

1.
early literacy/numeracy: % of students entering kindergarten ready; %
of students at basic level on 3rd grade reading and math (note: I'm not
saying proficient or advanced, which we can debate)

2. Attendance: annual progress up to 95% Average Daily Attendance

3. Behavior: reductions in suspensions, expulsions and serious incidents per 100 students

4.
College readiness: % of students scoring close to, at or above the
national average on the SAT or ACT; % of students completing the FAFSA; %
of students completing applications to at least 2 colleges or
universities. % passing Keystones or alternative.

5. Career
readiness: % of students enrolled in CTE programs for which national
certification is offered who attain certification.

Re: Insider: How to Stop the Annual School District Vs. City Council Smackdowns

KristenForbriger — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 10:38:18 -0000

Thanks!

Re: Insider: The Hot New Schools Cure-All That Isn’t a Cure-All

KristenForbriger — Thu, 14 May 2015 16:57:14 -0000

Also relevant to point #2: http://wearepcaps.org/2015/...

Re: Inside Take: How (Relatively) Rich Philly Public Schools Benefit at the Expense of Poor Ones

KristenForbriger — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 14:53:24 -0000

Hi, lots to unpack here.

To your first point -- I'm not sure how you can support the claim that the current system "equitably distributes teachers." The problem is that some schools -- those with higher poverty -- are charged more for teachers than what they are actually paid. That's not fair.

I don't follow the second half of your comment. I'm not equating experience with quality -- the system, as it exists, places a value on experience (by paying experienced teachers more than inexperienced teachers). Can you clarify your "alternative scenario"? Why would class sizes increase?

Re: Inside Take: How (Relatively) Rich Philly Public Schools Benefit at the Expense of Poor Ones

KristenForbriger — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:37:14 -0000

Good point, Robin. Although disadvantaged schools get extra money through Title I, I don't think those funds are meant to solve for the types of inequities that I outlined here.

Re: Inside Take: How (Relatively) Rich Philly Public Schools Benefit at the Expense of Poor Ones

KristenForbriger — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:33:25 -0000

Hi Deo - I won't debate the funding issue because per pupil figures are much more complicated than just dividing total expenditures by number of pupils. But I will take issue with your claim that teachers don't care about children. I don't know any group of people who collectively care more about students than teachers. Thanks for reading.

Re: Inside Take: How (Relatively) Rich Philly Public Schools Benefit at the Expense of Poor Ones

KristenForbriger — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:25:33 -0000

Hi Ron, I believe experience matters, but I don't think it should be the primary factor in all decision-making (tenure, pay, placement etc). I'm also not citing the lack of experienced teachers as a problem here, although the correlation between average teacher experience and school poverty level is troubling. The specific problem outlined here is that schools are not able to budget for the amount that teachers are actually paid, which leaves some schools at a resource disadvantage.

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:56:54 -0000

I agree that any decision to open or expand schools requires another set of decisions about closing or combining schools. But that doesn't change the fact that we have to look at the quality of each individual school when making these decisions, right?

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 10:16:27 -0000

Hi, I will let Citified answer the question about the label "insider." I'm a close follower of local education policy, but I never claim to be an expert on what happens inside classrooms. Far from it. I talk with a lot of teachers and people who work in schools to learn from them and understand their perspectives. I also try to learn from students and families. All of these voices are frequently under-represented in the public dialogue.

I STRONGLY agree that we need more educators involved in media and policy discussions. I also understand that they have limited time and important jobs to do. I like to think that most public officials, reporters, etc. would like to hear more from educators, too.

I'd be happy to talk more with you about why I'm personally involved in this work, but don't feel the need to indulge in a public conversation about it. kforbriger(at)gmail.com

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 09:56:28 -0000

PSP spoke out on the closings of struggling schools of both types. Mark Gleason's testimonies were very similar at both hearings. Here's the testimony from the charter hearing: http://www.philaschoolpartn...

I believe there are several ways to manage the costs associated with charter expansion. Since we now know that the SRC approved about 2,600 seats, it looks like it will be close to cost-neutral for the district as they are closing roughly 3,000 charter seats. There are other ways to find cost savings and increases in revenue, starting with a funding formula and charter reimbursement.

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 14:02:53 -0000

KIPP is one that has those types of support. Actually, I heard that a KIPP parent of a child with significant disabilities is testifying tonight. Perhaps it would be worth listening in for that.

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:10:56 -0000

Hi Peter,

That's not my agenda.

We've never called for the closure or opening of a specific school -- those recommendations should be made by the charter authorizer (in the case of charters) and the school district (in the case of district schools) because they have a complete set of information about each school or applicant in question. We can look at the limited data and info that's publicly available, but I think it would be irresponsible to make specific recommendations without the full picture. What we have done is call on officials to make recommendations and decisions based on quality -- what will give more kids a better education? We have urged decision makers to look at the track record of operators, especially their record serving low-income and minority students.

Fair point although I don't know if it's one out of 3 or one out of 10. I'll just repeat a central point of this piece: Let’s stop faulting great schools for the wrongdoings of others.

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 09:25:59 -0000

Hi, no I don't believe that's true at all. There are many school transformation efforts underway in district schools -- two funded by significant grants from PSP -- which include many of the components you suggest (strong leadership being the key component). They are all promising.
Having said that, there's not a strong track record of success with in-district improvement efforts. I think we have to invest resources in what we know has worked, while continually exploring new ideas for school improvement (for example, the redesign initiative).

As for district schools getting worse since charters, evidence and data don't bear that out. Using language like "drain" when we talk about charters is unfair to the educators, students and families in those schools, who also deserve their fair share of public funding as public schools.

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 17:27:59 -0000

I agree with you in theory, but the opportunity has been presented to the SRC right now. I see no reason why we can't stagger openings and responsibly plan for expansion, while at the same time closing underperforming schools.

I'm definitely not advocating for 40 more charters!!

Re: A Plea to the SRC: Evaluate Each School on Its Individual Merits

KristenForbriger — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 17:24:29 -0000

A few thoughts on this:
- The SRC is already in motion on closing several schools, making about 2000 seats technically cost-neutral.

- I don't think anyone is proposing a model based on Friends Select. As I tried to argue here, all charters are different and the applicants vary just as widely (I haven't read all of the applications in detail, but I'm familiar with many of them)
- What's the source for that $25K per kid? Is that over several years? Fixed costs can and should be be reduced over time. Are we ok with a system that spends $7K to NOT educate a child? I'm not.

I believe that what you're arguing is that the funds that would be spent on charter expansion are better spent elsewhere in the District. I just disagree... based on the evidence I've seen in charter schools that work.

Re: INSIDE TAKE: Six Predictions for City Schools in 2015

KristenForbriger — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:48:13 -0000

I think it's a mistake to lump all schools together by type -- charter or district. There are great charters, there are low-performing charters. Same with District schools. I agree that poor performing charters should be closed or turned around, and I agree that our local authorizer has not -- until recently -- been active enough about holding operators accountable.

Re: INSIDE TAKE: Six Predictions for City Schools in 2015

KristenForbriger — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:20:47 -0000

Also, thanks for sharing the official date of the summit! It wasn't set when I filed this.

Re: INSIDE TAKE: Six Predictions for City Schools in 2015

KristenForbriger — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:20:08 -0000

Thanks Jeff. You're right -- people of all ages are involved in the efforts around neighborhood schools. This particular movement just seems to be dominated by parents of young children (who are typically a bit younger themselves) so I don't think it's misleading to say that it will give a voice to young(er) professionals.

While I understand the financial and governance arguments, I believe that asking families to continue to wait -- especially when great charter operators are standing by ready to serve more students -- is not fair to students who don't have currently good neighborhood option.

Re: INSIDE TAKE: Six Predictions for City Schools in 2015

KristenForbriger — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:03:20 -0000

Hi Jesse, thanks for sharing your thoughts and sorry if my point wasn't clear. I absolutely don't believe that charter = better. In fact, exactly the opposite -- I don't think school type (district, charter, etc) matters as far as quality goes.

As I mention in the same point, there are a lot of good things happening in the district that we should be excited about, too.... and hopefully a lot of kids will be in better schools next year if these efforts are successful.

My agenda here is to spark some conversation so thanks for helping with that!

Re: Venture Profile: Here's My Chance - 33needs

KristenForbriger — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:42:27 -0000

Good luck guys and keep up the great work! Excited to see where it goes and hope to help more in the future

Re: You know who you are

KristenForbriger — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:34:23 -0000

THANK YOU Julia!! We'll have to get in touch soon... and hopefully I'll be back HERE more often :)