It is happening across America and people are not saying a
word. Kids are being taken to public buildings and locked in rooms. Kids are
taken from neighborhoods and shipped to public buildings at various locations
within towns. Once there they are forced to follow rules that include
separating them by their ages and marching them into rooms. In many cases the
kids are forced to sit for upward of an hour with no access to electronics, food,
or their parents.
The rooms where the kids are kept are often locked to
prevent others from getting access to the kids. In addition to the locked
rooms, the buildings are also often secured to the level that nobody without
security clearance is allowed to get into the building and see the kids.
While kids are allowed a meal in the middle of each day,
they are forced to follow rules while eating. This includes only having a
limited time to get and eat their food before being forced back to the locked rooms.
The US Government is funding is funding this.
Do you believe kids should be locked up like this?
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Perspective is a wonderful thing; however, it is easy to twist….
It’s always interesting to stumble upon new data related to our local schools. I was shown data on “school environments.” More specifically, I reviewed data summarizing disciplinary actions with schools and school districts. This data is available on the Indiana Department of Education (DOE) web site. On this site, you can find information on Indiana school districts and achievements, as well as on the data I mention here regarding school environments.
You can visit the site for the details. What drove me to this site was the promise of data on discipline. My understanding is that this is based on data reported to the state by the school districts. What also lead me to this site was a discussion on the disparity of discipline within schools in Indiana.
Of course, the starting point to look into this is knowing the diversity of HSE Schools. The DOE site presents the following data:
Clearly, HSE Schools are predominately White (72.6%) with most people being economically “stable” (84.3%).
Where then do disciplinary problems occur?
The following chart from the DOE site shows that there were 1,384 safety and disciplinary issues reported in 2017-18 for the HSE School district. This is the most recent data in the DOE system. This is broken out between suspensions and expulsions:
Not surprising, all of the HSE district numbers are lower than the state averages. The biggest area for HSE is for In School Suspensions. If you dig into the In School Suspensions data, you’ll quickly see that while Whites are in the majority of the student body, they are not the majority in the In School Suspensions. Rather, Black/African-American and Multiracial both have more disciplinary issues:
If you look at the Out of School Disciplinary numbers, then not only is it Black/African-American and Multiracial groups that have more disciplinary actions than Whites, but Hispanics also have more cases:
The specific details of these disciplinary actions are not a part of the data I found. While no conclusions can be drawn from this data along, it is easy to infer from the data that a substantially higher percentage of non-White students are likely to face disciplinary action than White students within the district.
The Out of School suspensions within IPS showed the ration of Black/African-American to White as 3 to 1, which is similar to HSE Schools. While this might seem to indicate a consistency, the ration of Black/African-Americans to Whites at IPS is 2 to 1 versus HSE’s 1 to 10. That disparity makes this a topic that should be looked into deeper.
A final note on numbers…
As mentioned, HSE had 1,384 issues reported. While this might seem like a lot, if you look at the entire state of Indiana, the number of issues reported was 223,611. Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) had nearly 13,000 reported issues (12,891). During the same period, Carmel Clay Schools had only 624 disciplinary incidents, which is less than half of HSE’s number. Having said that, Carmel also had 24 school-related arrests and 6 referrals to law enforcement, whereas HSE had none. It is interesting to note that IPS also had no arrests or referrals to law enforcement during the reporting period.
For those that don’t know, within the Hamilton Southeastern
Schools (HSE), the superintendent is Dr. Bourff. On a regular basis, Dr. Bourff
meets with a group of people from across the district. This group is primarily
composed of leaders from each of the school PTOs as well as a handful of
additional parents provided by school board members.
Today, Dr. Bourff met with this group and provided some discussion
on a number of things happening in the district. This posting is a summation of
my notes from this meeting.
New Administrator
Dr. Bourff introduced Kim Lippe as the Executive Director of
Student and Staff Services. Kim’s role replaces the position that was vacated
by Mike Beresford and was being temporarily filled by Dr. Carnes. Per the HSE
web site, she will be responsible for a variety of things:
Oversees Human Resource and Student Services
Departments
Primary Director Overseeing Certified Staff
District Liaison to the Teacher’s Association
Regarding Contract and other Personnel Issues.
Coordinates Hiring of Administrative and
Certified Instructional Staff
District Supervisor of Matters Involving Student
Behavior, Attendance, Discipline, and Due Process
District Supervisor of School Safety
Homeless Liaison for the District
District Supervisor of School Counseling Program
District Supervisor of Student Services
Corporation Liaison to School Attorney and other
Legal Services
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
If you are not familiar with the acronym SEL and the term Social Emotional
Learning, you might want to research it a little bit if you have a student
within HSE. This acronym is being used more and more.
The district has set up a web page on the district site at https://www.hseschools.org/counseling/social-emotional.
This page has information on SEL including an embedded whitepaper with tons of
information including an overview, stats, HSE milestones, and much more. I
won’t rehash the material here, as you can find it all at the link included.
One of the ways SEL is happening within the district is
through the #WeGotThis program. A video had been sent to all parents
earlier this year promoting the We Got This concept. I’ve included that video here:
What was shared in Dr. Bourff’s committee meeting were a few
points related to SEL. First, meta studies have shown that there is a 11%
increase in academic success in schools that have SEL programs. He also
clarified that the mental health initiative within the district is different
from SEL. Whereas mental health is considered a health-based concept, SEL is
considered to a set of skills. Many of these skills are aimed at understanding
and managing emotions, stress, and more.
It was shared that most employers consider SEL skills to be
the hardest to find, ye the most importance for success. As such, the more the
district can do to teach SEL skills, the better candidates our kids will be for
future jobs.
The district plans to continue working to identify stressors
in our schools and other elements that can be addressed to improve SEL. In
addition to the #WeGotThis video that was distributed and the second video on
the HSE site, there are currently plans to produce roughly seven more videos.
The district is open to ideas for topics for these videos. An example of one topic
that has come up is vaping.
In addition to the videos, the administration has been
sending monthly tips to the staff and are looking to possibly do more around
parent-teacher nights and other events.
iLearn
ilearn, like iStep, is almost considered a dirty word, but
the more I hear about it, the less I feel that way. Dr. Combs present results
from the iLearn tests at this meeting. They also presented the same information
to the board earlier in the morning. Having attended both presentations, the
information was the same; however, the advisory meeting in the afternoon
produced many more questions.
One of the key things mentioned was about how iLearn is
different from iStep. This is an important distinction. In short, the iLearn
has been created to be much more application focused. Rather than being pure
regurgitation of facts and figures, it tests in a more authentic learning
style. Simply put, it tests to see if a student can apply what they learned
versus simply testing to see what they learned.
In an application-based learning style you are asked to
solve what are more real-life scenario questions. For example, a math question
might ask, what is the distance between Bridgetown and Albany based on the
following sign:
This test is a simple subtraction problem. This would be a math
problem where the student would need to take the 359 and subtract the 84 miles
from Bridgetown. On the iStep test, this would have been a question asking the
student what 359 – 84 is. While these both are asking the same question, the
app-based requires the student to be able to not only know the answer to a math
problem, but to be able to apply it in a more authentic manner of learning. In
short, the iLearn doesn’t just test that the student memorized something, but
rather tests to see if they can apply what they learned.
In addition to talking about the testing approach, data was
shown for the results. This included showing many charts and graphs as to how
the students faired.
With a new test, the expectation is that scores will go
down. Dr. Combs stated that scores go down every time there is a new test, but then
slowly pick up. Dr. Combs also commented on the number of kids that failed. HSE
Schools performed above the state average in both the math and languages areas
of the tests. Even so, there was a dip in the number of kids that passed. The
standardize tests are create with an expectation that a certain number of kids
will fail. There is an expected “cut rate”
One of the other changes with the iLearn is that the test is
more adaptive or responsive. As a child takes the test, if they get an answer
correct, then they will be given a harder question. If they get an answer
wrong, the next question given should be easier. In addition to this responsive
nature, the testis was also changed to remove the time element. Kids are given
the they need to complete the test.
It was also noted that the tenth-grade class did not switch
to iLearn this past year, but still used iStep. Their scores were also
presented. This year the tenth-grade testing is expected to be skipped, but the
current class will take the test in their Junior year. This will be a “yet to
be named” test, but could be a version of the S.A.T. or another test.
Other Testing
Dr. Bourff mentioned that the state is looking into other
measurements beyond just the iLearn test that can be used to assess kid. This
includes looking into different measurements from traditional test scores. This
is one of the reasons the district used Panorama.
The Panorama testing has been discussed at school board meeting in association to administrative goals. I wrote an article recently on ‘Striving for average’ that is related to this testing. You can find the results of the Panorama survey on the HSE site on the analytics page at https://www.hseschools.org/about/analytics. There are both the Family-School Relationships Survey results and the Panorama Student Survey Report.
Flipped Schedules
Flipped schedules and the potential of HSE Schools flipping
the start time has been a topic at school board meetings and on social media
for a while now. Dr. Bourff mentioned that the administration is research this
and is planning to have a recommendation for the HSE School Board by the end of
the calendar year. If the recommendation requires action, then it is hoped the
board will make a decision in January of 2020 for action possibly next fall for
the 2020-21 school year.
Dr. Bourff mentioned that there is a lot of reasons for
flipping as well as counter arguments. One of the big reasons for flipping
would be the mental well-being of kids. Specifically, younger kids learn better
earlier in the day and tend to be finished (wiped) by 2:00 or 2:30. Our younger
kids currently go well past this time. It is thought that older kids do better
later in the day than the younger kids.
It was note that Noblesville has flipped their start times
as have other schools. Dr. Bourff is talking with the other districts. He has
also talked with students at the high schools and plans to have additional
discussions with not only kids, but also other groups.
The discussions regarding flipping include looking at a few
other things as well. HSE has some of the longest school days with our older
kids going roughly 50 minutes more than the required daily minimum. It was
stated that because HSE has high performing schools, there is an expectation of
longer class days. The elementary kids go roughly 75 minutes more than the
required daily minimum. Some changes at the state level have opened a window to
where these times could possibly be reduced a little bit. In the past, I’ve
heard mention of possibly cutting 20 minutes from the elementary schools;
however, that is not yet determined. Dr. Bourff was asked about the 20 minutes
in the meeting.
In addition to possible time adjustments, there is also
consideration of changing the transportation model. It was noted that there are
not enough busses or drivers to do all the schools at the same time, so there
will still need to be staggered start times in the district.
One question raised asked about the impact of start times on
testing results. Dr. Bourff commented that history has shown that the change in
start times has very little impact on testing results. The change in start
times, therefore, focus more at improving the kids’ mental well-being.
In the advisory meeting, feedback was given that echoes what
has been seen online and in other locations regarding flipping start times.
This includes the issues of childcare and the impact on sports. A key point of
feedback point given to Dr. Bourff was in regard to his gathering to feedback
from a variety of sources on this topic. If the administration is going to push
for a decision based on data that says flipping is best for the well-being of
the kids, then he might want to forego getting feedback. The reasoning being,
if all the feedback says, “don’t do it,” then it will look really bad to do the
switch anyway. Dr. Bourff indicated that
he wants to collect the feedback, and that the decision will not be solely
based on the data but will consider those all of those that are impacted as
well.
In Conclusion
This is a summary, (my summary and a long one), of the core topics covered. Last year I was president of the Riverside Junior High PTO and shared this at the PTO meetings. Being that PTO leaders are a part of this meeting, you should ask them to share their perspective on the Superintendent Advisory Council meetings at your upcoming PTO meetings. These happen quarterly, so they won’t have an update every time!
While I have your attention, check out my latest book, which is available on Amazon.com. It’s a fun, “find the difference in the pictures” book where you also learn a tidbit about the public parks in Fishers:
The other day I listened to a school safety webinar. A lot of familiar information was covered, but one tidbit of information stood out, which I’m sharing here.
If you don’t follow my blog or School/Kids focused Facebook page, then let me state that SRO stands for School Resource Officers (SROs). While the webinar was ultimately trying to sell software to help with school safety, my takeaway was further confirmation that the use of SROs within schools is important. While there are many reasons for this (look at some of my old articles), the webinar pointed out one big reason which is summarized in the following picture:
If there is an incident at a school, such as a school shooting, then how fast can a police officer get to the school? When you weigh this against the data point that with a standard weapon, one shot can be fired every 4 to 15 seconds, you quickly realize that minutes matter – a single minute matters.
It was stated that it can take 4 to 9 minutes to make a call for help. In that time, you could have over 15 casualties. If an officer can respond in 3 minutes, then that could be an additional 12 casualties. If the officer that shows up is a marathon runner, then they might be able to get from their car and into the building in a single minute. That minute could be another 4. That puts the total at over 30 with the assumption of a shot every 15 seconds rather than 4 seconds.
In the webinar, it was indicated that the response time of police to aggravated assault ranges are generally five minutes or more. Only 21 percent of responses by police happen within 5 minutes. 33 percent are within 6 to 10 minutes and 36 percent are from 11 to 60 minutes. Roughly 10 percent are of an unknown length of time. At a five minute response time, that’s between 20 and 75 shots with standard weapons.
Having SROs in place would eliminate the response time from the equation as well as the need to do an initial all, which are the longest delays in the equation. That means lives potentially saved. That seems like one big reason to have them.
Of course, this value is only seen when there is security breach at a school. The impact on SROs goes way beyond just being available for emergencies, but that’s a different article!
Larry Lannon reported on the nice crowd that attended the safety day at Fishers yesterday that occurred on the Eastern side of town. For anyone on the West side of Fishers on September 7th between 6:00 and 11:00pm, you have to wonder if safety had been considered.
With 11,000+ people merging into a two lane road with near non-existent traffic control, safety seemed to be lost. Fortunately, it didn’t seem that anything went wrong.
But what if something had happened?
Cars within the last couple of miles were reporting speeds of roughly an hour per mile to get into Conner Prairie. With cars being bumper-to-bumper, blocking intersections, and turning right from the left lanes it is easy to say that traffic was likely the worst Fishers has ever seen. Having gotten caught in the traffic, plus having lived across from Conner Prairie for over two decades, I can say it was the worst traffic I had ever seen for them.
What if a firetruck or rescue truck had needed to get to one of the houses across from Conner Prairie in several of the divisions whose only access is from Allisonville Road? What if a firetruck had needed to get to Conner Prairie. Could it have?
Last night’s event at Conner Prairie should be an eye opener for Fishers police, fire, and political parties as far as insuring the safety of Fishers residents and guests that come to our town. There are no plans in the Fishers 2040 plan to change the road in front of Conner Prairie from two lanes to four. There are no other major access roads other than going through an older neighborhood that is always blocked with parked cars to where a single car can barely get through, let along traffic going two directions or a fire engine.
While the neighborhoods around Conner Prairie deserve an apology, I believe the more important thing is that the city needs to make sure that if future crowds are going to converge on Conner Prairie – or any other location in Fishers – that it is done in a manner that allows for the safety of the residents to be kept at top priority. This includes making sure emergency vehicles have a way to get to any of the locations in or around the park.
On a related note…..
On a related note, there has been a trend for Fishers Police to shut down North bound Allisonville Road at 131st Street when they are letting out the traffic at Conner Prairie. For those people living off of Allisonville Road and south of 141st Street, this means you are redirected away from your home. This isn’t for an accident, but rather to make it easier to let the people at Conner Prairie leave at the expense of making it harder for residents of Fishers to get home.
Why?
Why is Conner Prairie get favoritism over tax paying residents of the city?
The irony of course, is that this traffic control happens after a concert; it doesn’t happen before when it is really needed more.
