The Lopsided Impact of SDUSD Budget Cuts

One of the largest issues currently facing San Diego Unified School District is the looming budget deficit and the district's decision to implement sweeping cuts in employment and hiring. Much as been written on this budget issue--specifically as it relates to teacher layoffs. Recent Voice of San Diego articles highlight the disproportionate impact that these decision have on socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

The District Schools Facing the Most Layoffs Are Overwhelmingly Poor - Voice of San Diego

The 20 Schools in San Diego Unified Facing the Most Teacher Layoffs - Voice of San Diego

One item that particularly stands out from in the second article are the rates of socio-economic need at the most impacted schools.

Pink Slips vs. Poverty from Voice of San Diego

The fact that two of the schools--Whittier K-12 and Garfield--are listed is especially discouraging given that they represent two of San Diego Unified's Alternative Education sites. Whittier is a K-12 option for non-diploma bound students who require significant attention given the needs outlined in their IEPs. Additionally, Garfield is a continuation school for those students who are unsuccessful in the traditional school setting and at-risk of dropping out. While all the teacher layoffs are disheartening, the impact at these two schools in particular is sure to most severely felt.

To learn more about the schools within San Diego Unified, you can reference the SDUSD website. Additionally, demographic information (including percentages of Free/Reduced Lunch, EL populations, etc.) can be found by visiting Ed-Data.

San Diego on the 2016 Ballot

It goes without saying that this year's election is one of the most contentious, bitter, and inflammatory of any previous in modern history (however, let's not forget the Hamilton/Burr Deul leading up to the election of 1808 or the "Corrupt Bargain" of 1812).

While the divisive and sultry rhetoric of the presidential race may have many of us planning to stay home on November 8th, it is important to remember that there are important state and city initiatives up for vote on that. Here's a rundown of some of those important races:

Local San Diego Ballot

San Diego Unified Board Member Elections

Probably one of the most important issues on the ballot in San Diego is the election of new SDUSD board members. Here is an overview of the seats currently up for vote:

District A

Image: Ballotpedia

District D (Unopposed)

Image: Ballotpedia

District E

Image: Ballotpedia

For more information on this race, and the positions of each candidate, visit the election coverage at  Ballotpedia.

California Ballot Initiatives

There are two ballot initiatives that will make important statements on the California education system (note: click on each image for more information).

Proposition 51: Public School Facility Bonds

Proposition 58: Non-English Languages Allowed in Public Schools

Click here for Prop 227 Background

While these represent a microhrochosm of all the ballot measures and races this November (the Voter Election Guide was over 200 pages this year...), these are some of the key votes related to San Diego education.

For more information on these and all the California races, check out the great summaries and analysis at Ballotpedia:

California - Ballotpedia

Or, check out the KPBS Voters Guide

What's on the ballot in San Diego County | KPBS - Voter's Edge California

And remember to register to vote if you have not already (you have until October 24th)! 

Register to Vote

A Further Examination of Free and Reduced Poverty Levels

Earlier this month, the New York Times elaborated on a working report by researchers Katherine Michelmore and Susan Dynarski from the University of Michigan. The study focuses on the method used to track school-wide poverty levels and its connection to overall levels of socio-economic need within that school/district. The researchers suggest that looking solely at the Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) eligibility rates as the primary indicator of socio-economic need provides an inadequate representation of that school's overall level of disadvantagedness.

Why American Schools Are Even More Unequal Than We Thought

Instead, the researchers suggest that the rate of FRL eligibility should be further broken down to examine student persistence within that subgroup. For example, it is not enough to just say that 25% of students are eligible for FRL and thus considered socio-economically disadvantaged. Instead, the University of Michigan team suggests that schools and districts should indicate the overall length of time that students and families have remained eligible for the FRL program. In their research, Michelmore and Dynarski found a substantial negative linear correlation between years spent as FRL eligible and corresponding test-scores in 8th grade. While they do not state causation between FRL eligibility with reduced performance (given that the gaps between affluent peers remains unchanged from the early grades) they do suggest that this measure appropriately recognizes varying levels of poverty within their communities. Thus, while the old measures would label two schools with 25% FRl eligibility as equally disadvantaged, the methodology suggested by Michelmore and Dynarski would further break down that 25% into levels of persistent poverty--a factor that they believe that ultimately suggests higher need.

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Although the study examines Michigan public schools, the researcher's analysis of FRL measures is at the very least anecdotally applicable to San Diego--especially given the high levels of FRL eligibility that exist within San Diego Unified (SDUSD). According to the California Department of Education reporting, 63.3% of SDUSD students were FRL eligible during the 2014-2015 school year--a rate that grew from 62.5% in the previous year (specific statistics compiled by the Ed-Data demographic reporting service). While this statistic does not break this rate down based on grade levels, consistent FRL eligibility, etc., it is reasonable to assume that a large portion of that 62.5% carried over as FRL eligible in the following school year.

Regardless of how it is looked at, the high rates of FRL eligibility within San Diego speak volumes about the socio-economic need of our community.

New Report on National Trends in Student Absenteeism

Earlier this month, State Superintendent of Education Tom Torlakson announced that the state witnessed record high graduation rates for the 2014-2015 school year--a trend that is projected to continue for the class of 2016.

On the heels of that groundbreaking achievement, however, are new findings from the Federal Department of Education exposing the prevalence of a problematic barrier to student success: attendance. In a report released in May, the Department of Education found that over 6 million students (13.1%) were chronically absent for the 2013-2014 school year--meaning that they missed more than 15 days of school in that year. Moreover, the highest rate of these absences occur in high school and among students of minority background.

Breakdown of Student subgroups

Nationwide Findings

How do these findings mirror San Diego County? Although the last report by San Diego Unified on this subject was released in 2008, its findings mirrored current national trends. Released nearly a decade ago, it showed some parts of the county reached 25% and higher for chronic absenteeism in district high schools:

San Diego County Rates of Chronic Absenteeism, 2008.

While current figures for San Diego county are unavailable, the fact that these trends existed in 2008 is still striking. 

The full Federal Department of Education report can be viewed here:

Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation's Schools

Question(s) to Consider:

• What causes students in our San Diego communities to be chronically absent? What steps can we take to minimize this trend?

San Diego Unified Provides Updated Graduation Prediction

Last month, a study conducted by the University of California, San Diego predicted a significant drop in San Diego Unified's graduation rate for the 2015-2016 school year. As examined in this blog, these concerning figures stemmed from the district's recent policy of requiring all students to take and complete the rigorous A-G college preparatory curriculum.

During last night's board meeting, however, San Diego Unified released its own rebuttal to these reports--claiming instead that their internal data predicts a record high graduation rate of 92%. This rate reaches significantly higher than the predicted 72% from the UCSD study and slightly higher than the previous years rate of 89.7%. Why the drastic discrepancy in predictions? According to SDUSD officials cited in this morning's San Diego Union Tribune, the UCSD study was flawed in that it relied on data taken last year during the class of 2016's junior year and failed to account for the interventions administered this school year. District officials are confident that their figures are accurate and that the 

Below are the articles from KPBS and the San Diego UT highlighting today's reports.

San Diego Unified High School Graduation Rates Higher Than Expected

SD Unified predicts record graduation rate

With such polarized predictions, one thing remains certain: only time will tell the final graduation rate for the class of 2016.

Money, Race, Academic Achievement, and San Diego Unified School District

Earlier this week, the New York Times published an eye-opening article highlighting the correlation between socio-economic/racial background and academic achievement. While the article underscores a long realistic unacceptable trend in the American Education system (that minority and socio-economic status play a correlative factor in a students projected academic trajectories), it nonetheless provides important insight into trends within specific districts. According to research conducted by Stanford University, a positive correlation exists between socioeconomic status and academic achievement (meaning that as socioeconomic status rises, so does academic performance and vice versa). The research goes on to cite that more affluent school districts score, on average, 4+ grade levels higher in reading and math test scores than their peers in the poorest school districts. The research further looked at academic achievement across ethic lines and found similar trends--especially in those areas where large socio-economic gaps also existed. Take a look at the interactive maps in the article to see data from various districts (brownie-points if you can find San Diego Unified):

Money, Race and Success: How Your School District Compares 

For those that could not--or did not have the time to--find San Diego Unified School District on the two main graphs, take a look at the following screenshots:

First, the graph comparing San Diego Unified to other districts in terms of socio-economic status and achievement. Notice how SDUSD falls in the middle in middle in both of these variables.

Educational Attainment in Each School District in the United States.

The next graph shows how minority sub-groups in SDUSD compared to their peers in terms of both academic achievement and socio-economic status. Notice how Hispanic and Black students fall well below their white peers in both categories. 

Academic Achievement Among Minority SubGroups

While it is important to remember that this research only shows a correlation between these factors, it nonetheless underscores the realities that can exist for socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority students. This is especially concerning when you look at the demographic profile of San Diego Unified--again, the second largest school district in the state. According to San Diego Unified's own reporting, the district contains the following rates of ethnic diversity:

• 46.5% Hispanic/Latino
• 23.4% White
• 10.2% African American
• 19.9% Other

Furthermore, the EdData website--which tracks and records student demographic information from across the nation--reported that nearly 60.7% of students in SDUSD qualified for the National School Lunch Program--meaning that their family income level falls below, or significantly close to, the federal poverty standards. While it is albeit foolish to posit that the Stanford research is accurate for all the reported student subgroups in SDUSD, this research--combined with the demographic profile of San Diego--makes this information all the more relevant to teachers, administrators, students, and families within the district.