EDITOR’S NOTE: The EOC held a full meeting June 8, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. Results from the Clemson public engagement project were presented at that meeting. A full copy of the Clemson report, as well as a “Summary of Key Findings” can be found online at www.eoc.sc.gov.
Columbia – The June 8 meeting of the SC Education Oversight Committee (EOC), focused on the release of a public engagement project conducted by Clemson University for the EOC. The statewide effort, which began in Fall 2008, yielded over 6,500 quantitative responses from phone and web surveys. A companion business survey and eleven focus groups were also included in the project.
Results of the project show that South Carolinians are concerned about their schools, the future of public school students, and hold high expectations for both. Four key findings emerged from the project:
· All stakeholder groups (parents, business, educators, and taxpayers) share high expectations for schools and students.
· Stakeholders differ in views about achieving those expectations.
· Many South Carolinians are not familiar with educational trends regionally or nationally.
· South Carolinians expressed a large degree of surprise or no knowledge concerning achievement gaps among student groups.
High expectations for schools and students
Results from the Clemson report showed that over 60 percent of respondents believe at least 90 percent of children in a school rated Excellent should be performing at grade level and improving from year to the next. Additionally, respondents showed agreement on the fundamental skills that students should possess upon graduation. Reading, math, and writing rank high in importance, along with a strong desire for young people to exit public schools ready to be productive citizens.
Dr. Jane Clark Lindle, Eugene T. Moore Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at Clemson University and one of the project leads of the Clemson project, noted that focus group confirmed the importance of traditional notions of schooling associated with the 3Rs. Business leaders, however, had concerns about whether specific work skills were receiving necessary attention in schools.
“Each stakeholder group had a different set of priorities for schools and students, and the emphasis given to certain areas generated discussion.” stated Lindle. “However, participants agreed that high expectations were necessary for students to be successful and exit public schools ready to be productive citizens."
When asked to rank measures of successful schools, 98 percent of respondents considered high school graduation to either “Critically Important”, “Very Important”, or Important”. Other measures of importance, according to respondents, were control of student behavior, college admission tests, and schools offering advanced coursework to students, like Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate.
Differences of Viewpoints among Stakeholders
The project exposed a variety of differences of viewpoints held among stakeholders. Major points from the survey include:
· Only four percent of educators consider it reasonable for all students to be performing at grade level in a school rated Excellent. By comparison, 18 percent of parents and 11 percent of taxpayers feel 100 percent is a reasonable expectation.
· Over 56 percent of educators believe that schools provide key knowledge to students to succeed, but parents are split on the view. The majority of taxpayers and business leaders do not believe that schools provide key knowledge.
· Over 50 percent of educators either strongly agree or agree that parents and families do not provide support at home for academic achievement. Forty-seven percent of taxpayers and 34 percent of parents feel that support is not provided at home.
“The majority of educator respondents felt that parents and families do not provide support at home for academic achievement, while a much smaller percentage of parents felt similarly,” stated Lindle. “These results suggest a communication gap between educators and the closest network for student support: families.”
Lack of Awareness of National Trends in Education
Survey data regarding the fairness of the requirement for continuous improvement in schools to achieve higher ratings as well as questions asking respondents to grade schools locally, regionally, and nationally reveal a lack of awareness of national trends in education.
As with many polls asking the public to grade schools, the grades dropped as the distance between the participant and the schools in questions increased. Community schools earned a “B” from the majority of respondents. But in general, more than 20 percent of survey participants rated schools in the nation higher than they rated those in South Carolina.
Feedback on the fairness of requirement for continuous improvement in schools to achieve higher ratings, often referred to as “increasing rigor,” generated conflicting views from respondents. Fifty-seven percent of parents and 47 percent of taxpayers responded that the system of increased rigor is fair. In contrast, 28 percent of educators think that it is fair that schools improve their performance in order to achieve higher ratings.
“Generally, South Carolinians view increasing rigor as an acceptable feature of accountability,” stated Lindle. “Comments from educators, however, expressed strong opinions otherwise.”
Lack of Awareness of Achievement Gaps
Overall, awareness of achievement gaps among various groups was low in the project, particularly for parents. Most of the survey comments revealed the greatest concern about achievement gaps due to poverty and social conditions. Key findings included:
· Thirty-four percent of parent respondents stated they either “Don’t know” or believe there is “No difference” in the gap in achievement between white and African American students. In contrast, seven percent of educators responded that the gap either didn’t exist or they didn’t know.
· All stakeholders reported the same level of high awareness of the achievement gaps between students from advantaged backgrounds from students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
· Respondents acknowledged the achievement gap between students with disabilities and those without, but many believe that this gap is inevitable and unchangeable.
Lindle noted her concern about the lack of awareness of achievement gaps. “Closing achievement gaps requires both acknowledgement and knowledge about the variety of educational approaches suited to each grouping of students,” Lindle stated.
Results of the Clemson project will be among the information used to set new statewide goals, student performance levels, and school ratings. The EOC, as a result of changes to the Education Accountability Act, is charged with working with determining the criteria for the academic ratings schools and school districts will receive and the criteria for the student performance levels on the new state accountability test.
The SC Education Oversight Committee is an independent, non-partisan group made up of 18 educators, business persons, and elected leaders. Created in 1998, the committee is dedicated to reporting facts, measuring change, and promoting progress within South Carolina’s education system.
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