At a February news conference, CTA released the results of a new study that starkly demonstrates the differences between the state's top-performing schools and those in the bottom decile of the state Academic Performance Index (API).
At the same time, CTA announced that it is calling on the Legislature to give students and teachers in schools that have fallen behind the resources they need to succeed. CTA is placing its top priority for the legislative session on winning help for low-performing schools in this year's state budget.
"Teachers work hard every day to help all children succeed, yet those in some schools continue to fall further behind. It's time for the state to focus resources on students and teachers in those schools and to end the downward slide," says CTA President Wayne Johnson.
CTA president Wayne Johnson fields reporters' questions at the press conference.
In a new CTA radio spot that began airing in February, Johnson urges the Legislature to take appropriate steps to reduce class size, to improve teacher training, and to provide the students in low-performing schools with the supplies and technology they need. The spot is part of CTA's statewide advertising campaign, which continues to focus on building public awareness of the problems low-performing schools face.
CTA's analysis of the API scores found stark contrasts between the schools performing in the state's top 10 percent and those performing in the bottom 10 percent:
- While approximately 90 percent of the students in the lowest performing schools were socioeconomically disadvantaged, only 7 percent of the students in the top schools were identified as poor.
- While 30 percent of the teachers in the lowest performing schools were teaching on emergency permits, only 4 percent of teachers in the top schools were not fully credentialed.
- While 62 percent of the students in the lowest-performing elementary schools were English-language learners, only 4 percent of the students in the top schools were students with limited English skills.
- While 96 percent of the students in the lowest-performing schools were ethnic minority students, 70 percent of the students in the top-performing schools were Caucasian. Latino students make up 78 percent of the population in lower-performing schools.
- While 58 percent of elementary schools, 33 percent of middle schools and 34 percent of high schools in the bottom decile were on a year-round calendar, year-round schedules were necessary in only 14 percent of the elementary schools in the top 10 percent and almost none of the top middle and high schools.
In summary, the study found schools with students in the lowest 10 percent have fewer fully credentialed teachers, have more students who are poor or speak limited English, and are more likely to require a year-round schedule to alleviate overcrowding.
"Clearly these are schools with special problems and issues that are not going to be solved by testing kids more or telling teachers who are already working as hard as they can to work harder," says Johnson. "We need to go to the Legislature and come up with programs and incentives that will truly address the problems these schools face."
CTA is trying to convince the Legislature and the governor to increase discretionary funding for low-performing schools in a way that allows local districts to develop programs that best fit a particular school's needs. Other budget priorities include making the teaching profession attractive by increasing beginning teacher salaries to at least $40,000 a year; enhancing discretionary funding for all education programs; providing additional instructional materials and teacher training to support student learning; and shielding schools from rapidly increasing energy costs.
