COMING SOON: ** THE CHOICE: SCHOOL ZONING, BIG SCHOOLS - SMALL SCHOOLS (WHICH EDUCATES THE POOR BEST?)

The Choice: Big Schools v. Small Neighborhood Schools (Which Educates Children Best?)

Mims Hits the Road: Hard Sell for School Closings (- State Expects To Close 20 Schools - Devastating Neighborhoods - Massive Unemployment for Staff

IS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL SLATED FOR CLOSING?  HOW WILL PROPERTY VALUES BE AFFTECTED?

Stanley Mims is not answering citizen’s questions (He's New York slick) about the Volkert-Wasmund (now the Alabama State Department of Education) school closing plans, but he's on the road trying to sell something. It's not even sure Mim's knows what he is trying to sell the public on. Citizens for Better Schools will monitor, track, and review his school closing meetings and plans - Continue log back on our web site www.cfbsedu.org for updates and current action plans.

Saving Birmingham’s Neighborhood Schools -Citizens for Better Schools

Developing School District Demographic Estimates and Projections - In two weeks Atlanta, Georgia consultants, hand-picked by the Alabama State Department of Education,  will present the Birmingham Board of Education their "projections" of enrollment and school attendance zone recommendations.

Citizens for Better Schools believe accurate projections of school district demographics are essential for many reasons. They form the basis for planning the infrastructure to meet the needs of educational programs for our students. The Board's Atlanta consultants need to be able to answer questions like: 
  • How will the school district community change in the years ahead?
  • How will the size and pattern of total students change in terms of
      total, enrolled, enrolled public, enrolled private and not enrolled?
  • What is/will be/ the size and impact of relevant children not enrolled in your community?
  • How many students will we have?
  • How will students be geographically distributed? Ø  What grade configuration assumptions are used to distribute students?Ø  What impact does grade configuration have on receipt of state funding for City schools?Ø  What class-size ratios are used to justify (1) grade configuration and (2) student assignments?Ø  What methodology is used to distribute special needs students? Ø How much school busing is needed to transport students to the schools created in each school zone (What costs are associated with each school zone for school bus transportation?)Ø What impact does zoning have on school resegregation/desegregation?Ø What staffing levels (teachers, administrators, auxiliary, and support services) are required to optimally support proposed school zones? Ø What effects are associated with increasing school, and class, size? ØHow will our educational program differ?Ø How will teachers be distributed? Ø How large will class sizes be? By knowing "where we are" and "where we will be" in several years help us determine budget, staffing, classroom space and other needs. Almost all school districts develop some type of annually updated demographic estimates and projections. Projections are developed with wide ranging methods and result in wide ranging quality.

The School District Demographic Estimates and Projections (SDDEP) methodology uses an integrated software and database application designed to produce annual demographic estimates and projections for the period 2000 through 2017. This is a 10 year projection with the starting projection year being 2008. The process makes use of a simultaneous equation modeling structure. A 10 year projection is technically too far out due to the range of factors that can affect changed. However, this time frame is particularly important in the population ages 5-17 due to the changes that we expect to start to appear in 2012 and thereafter. Using updated baseline data, a district would develop updated projections (revised 2007 through 2017 and new 2018 data) a year from now (the annual baseline data would normally update in October of each year) and so on.

The geographic infrastructure is nominally counties and school districts (the same approach can be applied to cities or special districts). A set of equations develops control population projections at the county level and makes use of official county estimates. A related set of equations develops the same scope of projections for school districts by county part. The school district parts, where applicable are then brought together with summarizing equations. School district county parts are determined by associating census blocks with the school district parts by county. The SDDEP structure/model is designed for single-to-many school districts in one county or multi-county regions with districts overlapping county boundaries and other districts in more complex situations.

The projection methodology makes use of a mixed modified age cohort projection methodology and simultaneous equation modeling. The underlying data used in the model estimation include Census 2000 single year of age data (to the block level), annual post- census estimates, annual school district enrollment data, and other data.

The "standard SDDEP" subject matter projected at the county and school district levels are:

total population
  ages: 0-4, 5-17, 5 year age groups 0-4 through 80-84 and 85 and over

  total [grade] relevant children
  (age groups 0-4 and 5-17 for each relevant children component)
    enrolled
      private
      public
    not enrolled

total housing units
  occupied units (households)
  vacant units

SDDEP is a Win32 application that runs on your computer. SDDEP enables the user to specify migration and certain other assumptions. The user can re-run the model to produce an alternative set of estimates/projections. The output is generated in spreadsheet and dbase structure enabling use of the resulting data by other programs.

Separate race/ethnicity and gender breakout specifications (in the models) can be added.

 

Education Is In the News

Money Man: Arthur WattsDeputy Superintendent for Business and Finance:  "We want to see funds going directly to the classrooms,”July 31, 2007 Budget Hearings - WHAT HAPPENED?What is the key to closing income gaps - Education! (Washington, Associated Press, February 7, 2007)Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said recently that bolstering education and training "would help narrow the gap between low and high-income workers." In his most extensive remarks to date on economic equality, the new Federal Reserve Chairman said "Policies that boost our . . . investment in education and training can help reduce inequality while expanding economic opportunity."Does the Birmingham City of Birmingham get the message as it faces school closings in our city?BIRMINGHAM'S ANNUAL "EDUCATION LOTTERY" STARTS NEXT WEEKIn public addresses and policy maker presentations, Citizens for Better Schools executive director Ronald E. Jackson is often quoted saying "Education is the fuel that drives economies, and serves as a distributive economic system."  In Birmingham, the "distributive economic system is savagely measured out through its "Magnet" and "Alternative" school systems.Begun in the late 80s, Magnet and Alternative "themed" schools were begun to plug the flood of "white flight" from city schools.  The philosophy of the magnet and alternative school program was three prong, (1)maintain "racial balance" in schools, (2) offer rigorous high quality education programs around 'themes,"  math, science, music and arts; and (3) “export” this model to out “other schools.”   A hand full of Magnet and Alternative schools were established 19 years ago.  Since then, controversy has developed over the fairness and equality of the system.  Critics cite the "brain drain" from neighborhood schools the lottery type system uses to fill limited enrollment slots for the quasi "private schools within a public school system," together with the resulting loss of enrollment in neighborhood schools, as magnet and alternative school students are pulled out of their natural school zones.  Students as early as kindergarten must "test into” magnet schools, much as college applicants are selected for enrollment.   A local newspaper has reported "socially and politically connected have culled magnet schools out as a social" privilege. An ugly ritual has developed as parents seek the best educational opportunity Birmingham has to offer in its few magnet schools, parents standing in long lines, camping out to get a chance at a slot in one of these schools.  Parents with a child currently enrolled in one of these prestigious schools get a leg up.  Siblings of enrolled students get priority over applicants without children currently enrolled in one of the magnet or alternative schools.The application process starts this Monday for Princeton and Epic schools.  For more information call 231-4600.  Better yet, demand all City schools offer magnet and alternative school curricula.  “What the best wisest parents desire for their children, that must we demand for all children.   Any other ideal is unlovely; if acted upon, it will destroy democracy.” (John Dewy)