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Original URL: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0126EducationReview.html
Fleeing struggling schools not a popular choice, study
finds
Associated Press
Jan. 26, 2004 08:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Few students eligible to flee their underperforming schools for
better ones have taken up the offer, a research group supporting public
education said after surveying school districts.
The finding reflects a range of factors, from parents' uneasiness about moving
their kids to widespread problems schools have in offering transfers as promised
under federal law, according to a report released Monday by the Center on
Education Policy.
Only 2 percent of students eligible to transfer did so this school year, the
center found in surveying 402 school districts and getting answers from about
two-thirds of them. The center's research also included state surveys and case
studies of districts nationwide.
"To have such a small percentage of kids transfer shows that most parents are
not really interested in having their kids move," said Jack Jennings, the
center's director. But the research also underscores that many districts are
struggling to make choice available, as only half the schools that were supposed
to offer transfers met that mark in 2003, he said.
Schools that receive federal low-income aid must offer transfers if they fail to
make adequate yearly progress for two straight years. Making yearly progress
means schools must show sufficient gains among all groups of students, including
the poor or disabled.
The schools that fall short get extra help, but they also must let any student
transfer, under a law passed by Congress in 2001 with strong bipartisan support.
School systems say they've run into many hang-ups, including schools lacking
room to accept transfers or no schools close enough to make a transfer feasible.
Officials in Alaska and Hawaii, for example, said that making such an option
work would require a plane ride for students.
But Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, which advocates
school choice, said the real problem is "deliberate foot-dragging and overly
complicated communication with parents" by districts.
"It's beginning to change, in part because this data is getting publicized,"
Allen said. "First, parents have to become aware of what's available, and they,
in turn, will pressure districts to be responsive."
More parents have embraced the offer of tutoring for their children, said the
report by the Center on Education Policy. That provision kicks in when schools
receiving poverty aid fail to make enough progress for three straight years,
although some have offered it earlier.
Overall, the center found that many state officials are confident that the law's
accountability push will help student achievement increase over time. But school
officials also expressed concern about the financial impact of the law and the
testing requirements on children with disabilities and those who speak limited
English.
In practical terms, the current school year is the first one in which the No
Child Left Behind law is in place, and demand for school choice and tutoring
will only grow, said Ron Tomalis, counselor to Education Secretary Rod Paige.
The Education Department is stepping up monitoring of all aspects of the law.
"We would like to see districts become much more upfront with their parents
about the options available to students," Tomalis said.
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