In these days where privacy is at a premium, Jefferson County Schools in Louisville, Ky. is sharing student data. CNN.com reports that the school system has taken an unique approach to data-sharing that allows for students to get extra help at private afterschool programs not run by the school district.

According to the article, “The thinking goes like this: If schools and afterschools share a mission of helping students succeed, why not share school data about who these kids are and what they need?”

And so far, it seems to be working and may even turn into a national model for other districts and states. Parents control whether or not the information is shared, and overall the program has been successful. Although the evidence so far is anecdotal, the schools in the district have seen a rise in attendance among students participating in the program and the future looks promising.

In the Louisville partnership, technology has made sharing data much easlier. No longer do afterschool workers have to bug parents to drop off their kids’ report cards.

Now each child is tracked by KidTrax, an ID system developed by the nFocus software company. It connects to the school system though a separate software program.

When students show up at an afterschool facility, they swipe their bar-coded ID cards through a reader, much like a credit-card scanner. The ID cards look like a driver’s license, and they light up computer screens with data about the students.

Afterschools can find out whether their students’ families receive food stamps, or whether the student can swim, has applied for college scholarships or got into trouble for rowdiness.

According to an article in the Miami Herald, a 5-year old “girl” starting kindergarten this fall is actually a transgendered boy. The child’s parents along with school administrators have agreed that it’s best for the child to blend in as a female.

Mental health professionals have diagnosed Pat–not his real name–with gender dysphoria, a condition in which a person believes that he or she is the opposite gender. After two years of examination, they have determined that he is not simply effeminate or going through a phase.

While this tyke is likely the youngest transgendered child admitted to a South Florida school, he is not unique. Both the Broward and Miami-Dade County school systems have policies in place to smooth the way for such students and their families.

Equality Florida, which advocates for Florida’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, and PFLAG–Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays–say the two school districts have the most progressive policies in the state.

American School Board Journal covered the issue of protecting gay students in schools in 1999. NSBA also offers Sexual Orientation Issues for Schools 101 which contains sample policies, excerpts from publications, articles, and more from the Office of School Health. For legal information in dealing with sexual orientation, download a copy of Dealing with Legal Matters Surrounding Students’ Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Be sure to check out 2005 National School Climate Survey of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the only national survey to document the experiences of students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in America’s schools.

Ever feel like telling someone to put a sock in it? Check out these two local news items from The Columbus Dispatch and the Asbury Park Press that ran in NSBA’s Legal Clips yesterday:

After continued public criticism and complaints of district leaders and their decisions at the Groveport Madison, Ohio, school board meetings, the board has decided to end public comment at meetings for the next three months. To enforce this decision, two police officers attend the meetings. School boards traditionally reserve time during meetings for parents, students, and other community members to weigh in on the agenda or issues within the district. But when the discussion becomes unproductive, school boards can limit or eliminate public discussion, says Scott Ebright, spokesman for the Ohio School Boards Association.

School board member Teresa Burch said, “I’ve requested a little time to back off because it has gotten out of hand … . I don’t have the stamina of taking the shots.”

Board Vice President Naomi Sealey understands the concern but warns that the district can’t afford to alienate the public, especially with a potential $4.5 million shortfall if an emergency operating levy planned for the November ballot fails.

Other communities have also introduced measures to limit public comment. Those wanting to speak at a meeting in Twin Falls, Idaho, must be approved in advance. Some school boards simply limit the number of speakers permitted on a specific topic. After many disruptions, and a 119-day jail sentence for one disruptive man, Columbus decided to limit speakers to three minutes per topic and allow no more than four people to talk on any given subject at a single meeting.

Meanwhile, after the election of three new school board members to the Barnegat Township School District in New Jersey, the board has voted to repeal a sweeping confidentiality policy from its bylaws. The district’s administrators had sought to provide protection for employees above and beyond the state’s school board code of ethics. Among the controversial provisions in the policy was a prohibition on board members and candidates “publicly discuss(ing) or disseminat(ing) issues related to the board’s legal, moral and regulatory responsibility for education.” Another provision prohibits public discussion of any financial information. A provision that members who violate the rules can be removed from the board has provoked fears that board members would be unwilling to voice unpopular opinions.

School boards have the right to make rules governing confidentiality, but the Barnegat policy is uncommon, according to Michael Yaple, spokesman for New Jersey School Boards Association, who cites already existing state ethics guidelines for school board members. Local attorney Richard Gutman says the policy would not violate the Open Public Records Act, as long as the school district provides a way for people to get public records. If board members cannot agree on a new policy, the confidentiality rules will die.

Want more news and views on school law? Sign up for NSBA’s free Legal Clips service that delivers a weekly roundup of education law news to your inbox. Check out a sample issue, here.

In the odd holiday category, today is Celebrate Your Geekness Day. Not to be confused with nerds, geeks are those who technically oriented and super-smart. Gee, that sounds like BoardBuzz. Some famous geeks BoardBuzz acknowledges are Bill Gates, Lisa Simpson, George Lucas, and Einstein. Know a geek? Pat ‘em on the back.

Don’t worry, NSBA’s Annual Conference will be back in San Francisco, April 14-17, 2007, so you can pick up your heart and get the low down on what’s hot in education at the same time! We know what you’re thinking … it hasn’t been that long since NSBA’s last conference. But it’s never too soon to start planning for the premier professional development and leadership event for school board members.

Check the conference Web site regularly to see what new tidbits have been added. Sign up for the conference newsletter to get up-to-the-minute news on conference activities.

For example, do you have a fantastic student performing group in your district? It may not be American Idol, but the 2007 Annual Conference is a great way for students in your district to showcase their talents. NSBA is now accepting entries for student performance groups wishing to attend and perform at the conference. Click here to get more information about how your students can participate.

BoardBuzz promises that this will not be the last time we’ll butcher a Tony Bennett hit or give you more information about the 2007 NSBA Annual Conference. So stay tuned.

Elementary, my dear literacy! Not anymore. An article in today’s Washington Post emphasizes the need for increased literacy programs in secondary schools. The article reinforces the recommendations of NSBA’s new publication, The Next Chapter: A School Board Guide to Improving Adolescent Literacy.

The article notes that “The Alliance for Excellent Education … estimates that as many as 6 million middle and high school students can’t read at acceptable levels,” and that “only 51 percent were prepared for college-level reading.” NSBA’s guide encourages school boards to “understand the issues surrounding adolescent literacy,” and offers questions board members can ask themselves in order to help “board members explore the state of literacy in their own districts.”

In addition to the urging of NSBA and other education associations, such as the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of State Boards of Education, the Bush administration launched the Striving Readers program, a $24.8 million program targeting middle and high school students. Educators note that the program is “a drop in the bucket compared with the nearly $5 billion the federal government has spent to help younger kids read since 2002.”

The Post article notes that officials in Maryland districts Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties will increase programs for secondary students who have difficulty reading, while in Virginia, “state education officials have formed a task force that will examine, among other issues, why so many of its high school students are struggling to read.”

Here’s a free copy (pdf) of The Next Chapter: A School Board Guide to Improving Adolescent Literacy. For a hard copy, contact Elizabeth Partoyan.

In a move that would “leave no educator behind,” The College Board’s Center for Innovative Thought announced its proposal for a public-private “Teachers’ Trust” which, among other things, calls for the financing of immediate pay increases for teachers. In a report entitled Teachers and the Uncertain American Future, a six-part plan is outlined. In addition to the salary increases, the Center calls for “making teacing a preferred profession, creating multiple pathways into teaching, closing the teacher-diversity gap, addressing the math and science crisis, and creating the funds necessary to carry out these initiatives through the Teachers’ Trust.”

The report estimates that the annual costs of teacher turnover are at least 50 percent of leaving teachers’ salaries and notes

The state of American math and science teaching is at the “crisis” stage, says the panel, with almost 30 percent of middle school students taught by unqualified biology teachers, a figure that rises to 40 percent in the physical sciences (chemistry, geology, and physics). At the high school level, between 8 and 15 percent of all students are instructed by teachers who do not hold major or minor degrees, or certification, in teaching the subject. Meanwhile, less than half of high school graduates are ready for college-level math and science. “How does a nation that has bet its future on innovation and technology tolerate this state of affairs?” asks the report.

For more information, read the full report here and the press release here.

While recent studies indicate that teen drug use has declined slightly, some schools and school districts are taking matters into their own hands in order to combat drug abuse. The Supreme Court opened the door for drug testing when it ruled in 2002 that a school system’s duty to provide a safe, drug-free environment outweighs students’ expectations of privacy.

USA Today has two articles today about the growing trend of schools testing for drugs in students. The first states that “In the 2005-2006 school year, 373 public secondary schools got federal money for testing, up from 79 schools two years ago.” As BoardBuzz reported last month, New Jersey became the first state to introduce a statewide steroid-testing policy for high school athletes. But the USA Today articles indicate that testing goes beyond just athletes. The second article highlights several schools that have implemented the testing and assert that the testing deters drug use among teens. Hackettstown (NJ) High School principal Chris Steffner asserts, “It works in the workplace and it works in the military. Why wouldn’t it work in a school?”

Opponents of testing argue that it violates students’ right to privacy and question its efficacy. According to the article, “The ACLU argues that testing destroys trust between students and schools and discourages teens from joining after school activities. The group also questions testing’s effectiveness. Research is inconclusive.”

A study highlighted today in the Washington Post indicates that girls with ADHD “have been under-diagnosed and overlooked in large part because their behavior tends to be less disruptive — although their problems may be just as severe.”

The major, long-term study, which was funded by the University of California, Berkeley, followed more than 200 girls for five years, starting in 1997, when the girls were ages 6 to 12. Researchers examined a number of areas, including academic performance, prevalence of eating disorders, relationships with peers and teachers, and organizational skills. The findings indicated that

girls with ADHD were significantly more likely to have problems than those in a matched control group that did not have the disorder.

The gap in reading and math ability had widened in five years and new concerns had emerged: About 30 percent of the girls with ADHD were at least mildly depressed, compared with 10 percent of the control group. The same percentages were seen in substance abuse.

Additionally, the study found that while some of the girls with ADHD had received no help over the course of the five years, about 50 percent had taken medication and 80 percent were receiving special services, mostly in school. Read the news release here.

Arizona’s recent decision to sue the U.S. Department of Education (ED) over testing students with limited English proficiency (LEP) illustrates why ED’s “secret society” approach in granting states flexibility doesn’t work. The Associated Press reported that state schools chief Tom Horne was furious that ED reneged on an oral agreement 3 years ago that allowed Arizona to count toward AYP only those LEP students who have been in the country for at least 3 years.
Horne decided to sue after ED insisted that the 3-year allowance be changed to 1 year if Arizona wanted its growth model approved. Horne said “I wouldn’t let myself be blackmailed. They made an agreement and they should keep their agreements.”
An ED spokesman said he cannot comment on the said agreement.

ED has put itself in an awkward position by not fixing NCLB’s flaws, either through regulations or waivers. Instead, it cut deals with individual states to calm opposition to the law. Now under pressure from Congress and various reports, it attempts to take back the flexibility it had given to states, see this item on N-size. The best approach now is for ED to work with Congress to renew the law next year so NCLB’s flaws can be permanently fixed, see this bill and this bill.

BoardBuzz is taking this week off to celebrate Independence Day and a little time off. That’s right folks, you’ll have to read our archives for your daily dose this week while we indulge in a little firecracker fun.

BoardBuzz invites you to slather on some sunscreen and perhaps a spritz of insect repellent and enjoy some time away from the computer screen. We’ll be back on July 10 in full force with all the education news that’s fit to print.

Want to show your support for early learning skills and the importance of reading with children? Then join the fun on August 24 when adults and young children across the country will be reading The Little Engine That Could, as part of the Read for the Record campaign for literacy.

This effort has come about thanks to Jumpstart, a national non-profit organization that works to build literacy, language, and social skills among low-income preschoolers, and its sponsors, Pearson Education, NBC, Starbucks, Penguin, and American Eagle Outfitters. NSBA supports the effort, too.

You can participate by organizing a reading event in your community or reading with a child. The campaign organizers hope to set a world record with the number of readers, so visit their Web site and use the promotional code “NSBA Reads” when registering.

BoardBuzz tips its hat to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) who yesterday introduced the No Child Left Behind Improvements Act of 2006, H.R. 5709. The bill, consistent with NSBA’s recommendations (pdf) for improvements, includes more than 40 provisions in the areas of assessments, AYP, sanctions, state flexibility, and non-public schools.

In introducing the bill, Rep. Young, a former teacher, said, “I am committed to providing our nation’s children with the best possible education. I firmly believe in the original goals of NCLB but I understand that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to student achievement is not possible.” He went on to say, “Each state in this country has geographic, economic, or cultural barriers that impede its schools from reaching a level of success as mandated by NCLB. This bill will establish an improved framework for accountability that fairly and accurately assesses student, school, and school district performance.”

Norm Wooten, president-elect of NSBA, also from Alaska, said, “Rep. Don Young is to be commended for his outstanding leadership in introducing legislation that would amend NCLB. His bill addresses many of the major challenges facing students, schools, and local school districts in achieving the goals of this important federal law. In addition to improving the implementation of the law for schools in Alaska, the bill would make significant improvements in the implementation of the law for schools across the nation.”

Read Rep. Young’s press release here.