ABCFT - YOUnionews - February 28, 2020
PRIMARY ELECTION 2020
California has changed its’ primary election to March 3, also known as SUPER TUESDAY. For the first time, California voters will be joining fifteen states and territories holding a primary election on March 3rd. Also new to California is the new voting options for the 2020 primary election. You can now cast your vote at Vote Centers or use ballot drop boxes between February 22 to March 3. Yes, you read correctly, we now have eleven days to cast our vote! Of course, you can still vote at home by using your vote-by-mail ballot which you can return using the new ballot drop boxes, voting centers, or USPS.
We encourage all of our members to actively participate in the democratic process by casting your vote. To find a Vote Center, dropbox location, or other primary election information click on these links for
ABCFT HEALTH BULLETIN - CORONAVIRUS UPDATE #2
It has been a month since our first ABCFT Health Bulletin on the Novel Coronavirus and we hope that the first ABCFT was useful in providing you with the resources you needed to get informed about this unique situation. ABCFT has been fielding a few phone calls and emails concerning specifics so we would like to encourage members to follow the resources provided to stay both informed and current about the Novel Coronavirus.
ABCFT sat down with Superintendent Dr. Mary Sieu to hear her thoughts about how the district is addressing this situation (audio link for the interview here). In our interview with Dr. Sieu, she expressed a sincere desire to keep her employees and community abreast of the current situation and how the District office would handle the situation if there are changes in the status of the virus in Los Angeles County. We have also transcribed this interview for those who would like to read along as she speaks. As she states in her interview answers, the District has pledged to keep both the employees and the community about any changes that may happen as the situation develops.
Help your students understand infectious diseases and find tools to protect yourself and your community on AFT’s Share My Lesson online collection of lesson plans and resources. You’ll find everything from news program videos to research projects and analyses of past epidemics.
We encourage you to be smart and practical as you prepare your families for any possible changes in the future. We encourage all of our members to stay informed about the evolving situation and to maintain a sense of calm at all times. As professionals and leaders in our classrooms, our community and students will be looking to educators as a guiding calm voice for the community. Your instruction to ABC students on hygiene best practices is the most powerful tool you can provide to ensure you and your students health during any flu season. Now is the time for calm.
At the time of this newsletter ABCFT and ABCUSD are in a state of preparation for any status changes if they were to occur. As Dr. Sieu stated in our interview, the District will work with employees directly if there are any changes or discussions about changes in status. The health and welfare of our members is an upmost priority for the leadership of the ABC Federation of Teachers. If there are any changes in the situation our members will be notified ASAP.
Personal Learning Opportunity - The Write Stuff Encore
ABCFT was awarded a $2000 grant from the ABC Education Foundation to continue the work of The Write Stuff curriculum offered by ABCFT Teacher Leaders and creators of The Write Stuff curriculum, Connie Nam and Ka Yang. Due to the popularity of the workshop and funds from the grant this workshop is being offered as an encore presentation of a previous one held Nov. 2019.
In this interactive and engaging workshop, participants will learn about practices that will help your students to write effectively.
Have you ever wondered what your students' writing could look like if they had more clarity, better focus, and a sense of purpose, all while having success in their understanding of language function? Are you at your wit's end, frustrated, stressed, exhausted, and desperate as you attempt to teach the challenges of writing? The common core standards for writing are difficult and obtuse for students to fully understand. All people need better writing skills, from 2nd graders to adults! Let’s have some fun and learn how to motivate your students to write with a fully interactive and complete writing program.
The Write Stuff Encore
Personal Learning Opportunity
Thursday, March 19th from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
at Carver Academy Room 7 - 19200 Ely Ave. Cerritos
Seats are limited! Click the link to register for
The Write Stuff Encore
Light refreshments will be provided.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
On Tuesday, ABCFT Teacher Leaders and union leadership attended CFT’s annual Lobby Day in Sacramento. Participants had an opportunity to speak to legislators and staff about education related bills that are being fine tuned over the next few months. Sharing our stories with our elected officials is an important part of the democratic process and your fellow ABCFT members represented us well.
We will have an in-depth article where you will hear directly from the Teacher Leaders and their experiences in the capitol in next week’s YOUnionews.
ABCFT PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer
Each week I work with unit members in representations, contract resolutions, email/text/phone call questions, site concerns, site visits, presentations, state/national representations and mediations. Here are some of the highlights of interest. Throughout the year I find articles that are interesting and food for thought;
This week, membership coordinator Tanya Golden and I visited with the teachers at Hawiian Elementary and last Friday we both visited with the teachers of Carmenita Middle School. Thanks to those staffs for our fruitful visits. I also met with all of the band directors from around the school district to discuss how three years of LCAP monies have helped to improve their band programs and the musical instrument experience for their students. Did you know that a set of drums can cost a program $24 thousand dollars for one high school program. I’ve been hearing from a lot of teachers lately that they are tired of fundraising for classroom materials and band teachers are no exception. Thanks as always for the time we get to talk with all teachers, nurses, and SLPs throughout the district.
My big takeaway for the week is “understanding.” Have you ever lost your mind, wrote a pointed email, then felt like a jerk three hours later? I have. I wish I was perfect but I’m not but when I make a mistake I know when to fall on my sword, apologize and move forward. I don’t hold grudges against people and thankfully the people around me don’t either. In fact, over the course of the relationships with my co-workers we’ve all had our ups and downs but our “understanding” helps us to move past our short term differences. Everyday, teachers model the skills of connecting, compassion and forgiveness with their students. The ability of teachers to guide students through their day with a steady demanor regardless of the mistakes a student makes is probably one of the most important skills that you pass on to your students daily. You might be one of the only people in those student’s life that treats them with dignity and understanding.
This Thursday, I had the pleasure of doing a read aloud in Mrs. Bronner’s third grade class at Palms Elementary. I’ve never participated in a read aloud before for various reasons but today it was time to face the music. Before I got to the school I was nervous and my head swirled with doubts. Would I be good enough and how does a third grade teacher act(I taught high school freshman)? Would I forget how to read and what would Mrs. Bronner think of how I read to her class? Sitting in the library awaiting for ASB guide to take me to the class was terrifying. I looked down at the book I was going to read to the class and saw that it was a book about dinosaurs. I knew I was in trouble. How would I pronounce those long names correctly? Where was the exit?
My ASB guide kindly showed me the classroom door and I sat down to read to a full class of dinosaur curious third graders. I had read many times to ninth graders but reading to third graders was amazing. Mrs. Bronner’s third grade class were the kindest students I could ever have. When I fumbled a name they chipped in and repeated it for me. When they raised their hands they treated each other with respect so I could hear who was talking. But most of all we had fun learning together because they were understanding and compassionate hosts. That’s the impact a teacher can have on their students and as a stranger to your classrooms it is truly amazing to experience the results of your efforts.
A large part of my working day is often centered around relationships with adults and as a union leader I have to be thoughtful about what I say. I now realize that in many cases I do my best to model the behavior of those awesome third graders I met this week. As educators and as a YOUnion we model the best of human behaviors for our students and you know what…….your students know it. I saw it in their eyes today.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
P.S. Special Thanks to David Franklin for sharing his family history with me. This one is for you David!
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
The latest CFT articles and news stories can be found here on the PreK12 news feed on the CFT.org website.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
AFT backs Sanders, Warren and Biden
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is encouraging its local and state affiliates to back or endorse the presidential bids of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, omitting the prospects of former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who is a strong supporter of charter schools. “The resolution signals to members and leaders that support for any of those three candidates is welcome at this stage of the process before the union makes a national endorsement,” a spokesperson the powerful 1.7m member union said. Sanders has already scored the endorsement of the United Teachers Los Angeles, an affiliate of NEA and AFT, which representing about 35,000 educators. A second teachers union, the larger National Education Association, has not yet made an endorsement or other type of announcement about its support.
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Trump, CDC Urge Schools To Prepare For Possible Arrival Of Coronavirus
Education Week (2/26, Superville) reports President Trump “sought to reassure the American public that the risk for the spread of coronavirus in the United States remains low” at a Wednesday press conference, but “school districts are likely to be on the front lines in efforts to limit its impact.” In response to a reporter’s question, Trump said, “I think schools should be preparing,” adding, “Get ready just in case.” Hours after warnings from CDC officials that the spread of coronavirus was “inevitable,” Daniel Domenech, president of the AASA, the School Superintendents Association, “was fielding calls and emails from superintendents seeking more information on what they should do.” He said superintendents “are very nervous” and looking for details from the CDC “on how to respond, what to communicate to parents, when to actually shut down a school system if that becomes necessary, and other factors they should consider.”
The Washington Post (2/26, Natanson) reports, “Hastened preparations are taking place in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the nation as Americans watch for the arrival of the coronavirus.” Some schools have canceled international trips, while at others, parents have received “essay-length emails...meant to reassure.” However, any related school closings “are unlikely in the near future, experts said, because relatively few coronavirus cases have been diagnosed” in the US.
Colorado school districts have “pledged to work closely with local public health authorities to keep students safe as federal health officials expressed mounting concern about the spread of coronavirus cases,” Chalkbeat (2/26, Robles) reports. Districts plan on keeping schools open unless ordered by public health authorities.
In New York City, Chalkbeat (2/26) reports officials said there are no immediate plans to cancel classes amid “growing concern about the coronavirus.” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference, “We have the greatest public health capacity of anywhere in this country,” adding, “There is not a single reason for panic.”
Meanwhile, Chalkbeat (2/26, Burke) reports the Illinois Department of Public Health “is advising that any student who has recently traveled to China should not attend school for 14 days, and that schools should automatically excuse such absences so as not to deter families from keeping children home.”
Schools should prepare for coronavirus outbreaks, CDC officials warn
Federal health officials urged the public Tuesday to prepare for the “inevitable” spread of the coronavirus within the United States, escalating warnings about a growing threat from the virus to Americans’ everyday lives. “It’s not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a news briefing. She said that cities and towns should plan for “social distancing measures,” like dividing school classes into smaller groups of students or closing schools altogether, making use of internet-based “teleschooling.” During past outbreaks like the “swine flu” of 2009, the CDC asked AASA, the School Superintendents Association, to assist in spreading the word to school districts, according to Dan Domenech, the association’s executive director. The first step schools should consider, Mr Domenech said, is establishing a process for determining whether students are contracting the virus and a system for reporting updates to health officials.
----- TEACHER STRIKES -----
St Paul Teachers, Support Staff Members Set To Strike March 10
The Minneapolis Star Tribune (2/26) reports St. Paul teachers and “support staff members are set to strike March 10 unless a deal is reached in talks resuming Friday.” Nick Faber, president of the Saint Paul Federation of Educators, “acknowledged that strikes can be scary for everyone, and disruptive to families, as well.” But, he added, “they should know that educators are out doing this because they’re fighting for their kids.”
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Education Department to assess schools' harassment policies
The Education Department is to investigate how school districts are handling allegations of sexual harassment and assault, obligations required under Title IX regulations. Announcing the initiative, the department cited its resolution last year of complaints against Chicago Public Schools, where it found “tragic and inexcusable” conduct by the district in handling such complaints, along with "systemic failures" to protect children. Separately, the department is working to finalize regulations spelling out how federally funded schools must handle such allegations. Those rules are expected to be published in the coming weeks, with women’s groups, universities and others highly critical of the proposed version. Nationally, about one in 11 high school females and one in 15 high school males reported having experienced physical dating violence in the past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why Only 24% Percent Of Superintendents Are Women
USA Today (2/20, Ramaswamy) reports that about 76 percent of K-12 educators nationwide are women, but only 24 percent of superintendents are women, according to federal data and a survey conducted by AASA, the association of the nation’s public school superintendents. Experts and female superintendents cite a “host of issues: Unconscious bias on the part of those who make hiring decisions, a lack of a strong candidate pipeline, and a paucity of female role models and networking opportunities surface as reasons for the gender imbalance.” To address this issue, AASA in 2016 “launched an initiative, backed by a $450,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to help women reach the superintendency earlier in their careers and persist once they are on the job.”
----- STATE NEWS -----
Newsom Proposes $10 Million Plan To Consolidate California Child Care Programs
The AP (2/26, Beam) reports California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wants to spend $10 million a year to consolidate the state’s “confusing array of child care programs” into a new Department of Early Childhood Development. Newsom’s proposal “highlights the difficulty new governors often face when trying to reorganize a massive government bureaucracy.” The measure must be approved by the Legislature, but the idea “received a cool reception during a budget briefing before the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee last month.” The proposal has been also “criticized by some child care providers,” who “question the wisdom of spending millions to create a new bureaucracy while thousands of children are stuck on waiting lists for services.”
Science scores show low-income minority students falling short of state standards
A state task force newly assigned to narrowing California’s achievement gap got further proof of the challenges ahead with this month’s first-ever release of the California Science Test scores, showing that less than 1 in 5 low-income black and Latino students met or exceeded the standards. The new science test, aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, was taken for the first time last spring by students in grades 5 and 8 and 10 through 12. Across all grades statewide, 9.94% of disadvantaged black students and 15.64% of disadvantaged Latino students met or exceeded the science standards on the inaugural test known as CAST, compared with 44% of non-disadvantaged white students and nearly 60% of Asian students. “The results confirm the trends we continue to see in other assessment data — that our education systems are failing to support African American, Latinx, English learners, and low-income students to meet California’s Science standards,” Christopher J. Nellum, deputy director of Education Trust–West, said. “These CAST results do not reflect the promise we must uphold to accelerate academic progress for all students, especially students of color and low-income students.”
----- DISTRICTS -----
San Francisco educators hit with layoff warning
San Francisco USD employees have been warned of layoffs and “drastic cuts” totaling $26m. The warning that staff might lose jobs is the first since the aftermath of the 2008 recession. “We’ve reached the point where we’ve depleted our reserves and, therefore, need to make more drastic cuts,” Superintendent Vincent Matthews wrote in an email to staff. “We are facing the reality that there will need to be some employee layoffs this year.” Costs have surpassed funding over the past few years, he continued. School sites, which account for two-thirds of the budget, will be reduced by $10m while central office services, which make up the other third of the budget, will see a $16m reduction. The district hopes to eventually get funding from Proposition G, a tax that voters passed in 2018 to boost teacher pay using a parcel tax. It was expected to generate $50m annually, but a court challenge could tie it up for another couple years.
Santa Rosa school board OKs multimillion-dollar budget cut proposal
The Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education has approved a plan that takes the equivalent of nearly 15 full-time positions off the budget, providing around $3m in savings as it seeks to overcome a near-$13m deficit and avoid ceding control of its finances to the state. Santa Rosa, like many districts in Sonoma County, is grappling with declining enrollment and inconsistent funding from the state, said Rich Edson, Santa Rosa’s deputy superintendent. Projections show Santa Rosa’s public schools will have lost almost 1,500 students between 2015 and 2021.
SFUSD educators warn of possible strike action
More than 100 educators and student family members attended a San Francisco USD board meeting on Tuesday, warning that strike action is a possibility if impending budget cuts and layoffs go ahead. Superintendent Vincent Matthews alerted educators of a budget shortfall and said that staff layoffs were likely this year; the district faces a $31.8m shortfall, a figure expected to double by the 2020-21 school year. School sites, which account for two-thirds of the budget, will be reduced by $10m while central office services, which make up the other third of the budget, will see a $16m reduction. Notices for certain staff are required to go out by March 15, and 60 days before the end of the school year for others. SFUSD is awaiting additional funding in the form of Proposition G, a parcel tax voters passed in 2018 to boost teacher pay. It was expected to generate $50m but is pending due to a lawsuit. A ruling in San Francisco Superior Court is scheduled for tomorrow.
----- CLASSROOM -----
Childhood Reading Experts Debate Importance Of Phonics Instruction
The New York Times (2/15, Goldstein) reported on how “lagging student performance and newly relevant research...have prompted some educators to reconsider the ABCs of reading instruction.” Proponents of the “science on reading” rely on phonics and “congregate on social media and swap lesson plans intended to avoid creating ‘curriculum casualties’ – students who have not been effectively taught to read and who will continue to struggle into adulthood, unable to comprehend medical forms, news stories or job listings.” In contrast to the “science of reading” is the “balanced literacy” theory that “holds that students can learn to read through exposure to a wide range of books that appeal to them” without emphasizing phonics. In January, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos “castigated colleges of education for teaching what she described as ‘junk science’ about reading.”
----- LEGAL -----
Author who led backlash against ‘American Dirt’ novel is escorted from Long Beach teaching job
Myriam Gurba, the novelist and Long Beach Polytechnic High School teacher who sparked a row in U.S. publishing over the bestselling novel “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins, has been placed on administrative leave. Ms Gurba, and other readers have objected to the novel for what they describe as stereotypical or harmful depictions of Mexican life. In recent days, she has been commenting on allegations of abuse or battery on the part of another Long Beach Poly teacher. The teacher and author of the memoir “Mean” said she was placed on administrative leave without being given any further explanation. A district official confirmed the decision.
Texas School District Reaches Settlement With Lesbian Teacher Who Was Suspended For Showing Photo Of “Future Wife”
NBC News (2/26, Aviles) reports a lesbian Texas elementary school teacher “who was placed on administrative leave after showing her students a picture of her fiancée has reached a $100,000 settlement after a judge ruled that her suspension was unconstitutional.” According to her lawsuit, a parent complained to Mansfield Independent School District school board and superintendent that the teacher “was promoting a ‘homosexual agenda’ in the classroom by showing students a picture of the woman who is now her wife during a ‘Get to Know Your Teacher’ presentation.” The complaint led to her “being placed on administrative leave in September 2017 and then being asked the next month for her resignation, which she refused to give.” The district said the two parties agreed to settle in an “amicable” manner and that it denied “any wrongdoing or liability.”
The AP (2/26) reports the settlement also says “the district’s human resource and counseling staff must undergo training about LGBTQ issues in school as well as optional training for administrators, educators, staff and parents in the district.”
----- CHILD DEVELOPMENT ----
Commentary: Kindergarten Students Cultivate A Fondness For School Through Play
The San Antonio Express-News (2/18) , Esther J. Cepeda says that for every school where “students are encouraged to pursue their own interests and design their own curriculum,” she can “show you 100 other schools where the classes are heavily scheduled and scripted down to the minute, making the kids feel...that school is like prison.” This starts in preschool, and that means “kids who didn’t have access to high-quality or academic care prior to their sixth year of life start school at high risk for being left behind for good.” With that said, “more work and less play isn’t the fix for low-income kids.” In short, argues, Cepeda, “academic preparation is crucial, but let all kindergarteners play, and it’ll pay off in the form of fewer kids who don’t ‘hate’ school.”
----- SAFETY, HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Tackling violence in schools now a national mission
Susan Dvorak McMahon, Ph.D., a Vincent DePaul Professor of Clinical and Community Psychology and Associate Dean for Research at DePaul University, champions schools engaging in practices with the hope of improving student safety and asserts the need for research to examine their success. She is chairing the newly-created APA National Task Force on Violence Against Educators to broaden the mission to include more school stakeholders and collate the effectiveness of various policies, practices and training. Student protesters are calling for action in Iowa, she notes, Ohio created a new School Safety Center, Johns Hopkins University in Maryland established a new Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, while Virginia has proposed legislation to improve teacher training through adding instructional requirements on positive behavioral interventions, crisis prevention and de-escalation, along with the proper use of and prevention of physical restraints. "Reducing school violence requires more effective action, research, training, and policy to improve safety, school climate, and well-being for students and educators," McMahon concludes.
-----CHARTER SCHOOLS -----
Michael Bloomberg has invested heavily in promoting California charter schools
Democratic presidential primary contender Michael Bloomberg is one of a group of billionaires which includes Netflix founder Reed Hastings, and Eli Broad, to have put money into expanding charter schools in California. At least since 2012, he has contributed each year to independent expenditure committees set up by the California Charter Schools Association Advocates. These funds have been used to back candidates for the state Assembly and Senate, as well as local school board races, typically for candidates viewed as most likely to support charter school expansion in the state. Since 2016, Bloomberg has also supported the advocacy arm of Go Public Schools, a multi-issue education organization that backs charter schools in Oakland, to the tune of $550,000, according to state election records.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Why Talking About 'Screen Time' is the Wrong Conversation
Edsurge
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Just about every week new articles warn about the dangers of excessive screen time for childhood development. That can leave parents and educators feeling a sense of anxiety about technology and kids, even as more schools use iPads and Chromebooks and other tech in classrooms.
Google sued over children’s privacy violations
New Mexico’s attorney general sued Google on Thursday, alleging that the tech giant used its educational products to spy on children and their families. Hector Balderas, in a federal lawsuit, claims Google violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires companies to obtain a parent’s consent before collecting the name, contact information and other personal details from a child under 13. “Children are being monitored by one of the largest data mining companies in the world, at school, at home, on mobile devices, without their knowledge and without the permission of their parents,” the lawsuit reads. Over half of the nation’s public schools, along with 90 million students and teachers globally, use free Google Education apps like Gmail and Google Docs.
Digital devices in the classroom considered
Linda Darling-Hammond, president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, and Natalie Wexler, an education journalist and author of “The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—and How to Fix It,” debate the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom. Darling-Hammond argues that we need a deeper understanding of what works well and why, along with continuing investment in professional learning to support teachers in taking advantage of high-quality tools. "With well thought-out, evidence-based approaches, we can use the wealth of new tools available to help our teachers teach and our children learn in new and powerful ways that allow them to fully engage the world around them," she asserts. Wexler counters that digital devices, which have the potential to yield benefits in the classroom, at present only exacerbate existing inequalities in the way they’re commonly used. Instead of digital devices providing software grounded in a "content-rich curriculum" that genuinely adapts to students’ existing vocabulary and knowledge, she says, our neediest students are getting technology that purports to be personalized but "deprives them of both human connection and a meaningful education."
Personal touch beats technology for parent-school communication, survey finds
A new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) finds that personalization, not technology, is seen as the most important feature of good parent-school communication by key players in the public school community. More than 900 parents, 400 teachers and 400 school leaders were surveyed; all three groups said highly interpersonal interactions, like parent-teacher conferences, are what they most frequently rely on and value most as a means of communicating. High-tech methods of communication did not as a whole score more highly than low-tech ones. Eighty-nine percent of parents, 85% of teachers, and 97% of school leaders said parent-teacher conferences were “mostly” or “extremely valuable,” according to the report. Social media, on the other hand, scored near the bottom, above only robocalls among the options on the survey. Fifty-eight percent of parents, 47% of teachers, and 67% of school leaders said social media was “mostly” or “extremely valuable.” “We thought there might be special interest in options that use technology because they’re newer, they offer potentially more options, but what we found was that the technological advancement, so to speak, of the communication method really wasn’t that important,” CAP research associate Abby Quirk said. “What we found was that the individualization was really important.”
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
USC offers free tuition to families making under $80,000
From this fall, the University of Southern California will offer free tuition to first-year undergraduates whose families make $80,000 or less, as part of a major push to make education opportunities more accessible to more families. The new policies will be phased in with first-year students enrolling in fall 2020 and spring 2021. USC estimates that about one-third of some 3,000 students entering class will benefit from increased annual aid of around $30 million overall and up to $45,000 for each eligible recipient over the course of their undergraduate studies. Transfer students are not eligible for the new initiative, but may still receive financial aid under previous policies.
Early college high schools provide good returns
Early College High Schools provide long-lasting and positive impacts on postsecondary enrollment, according to three studies by American Institutes for Research, which also suggests assert that such dual-enrollment programs deliver a strong return on investment. Though the Early College model requires more resources than traditional high school, at around $3,800 more per student than a traditional high school, lifetime earnings per student are estimated at around $33,709 more than those not participating in the program. Early College students had an 84% college attendance rate within six years, compared to 77% of students who didn't attend an early college school, while 21% of participants earned a bachelor’s degree within four years compared to 11% of those who didn’t.
----- OTHER -----
Later school start times improve teen safety
A study published online as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that later school start times were associated with a significant drop in vehicle accidents involving teen drivers. Researchers analyzed motor vehicle accident statistics involving adolescents in Fairfax County, Virginia, for two school years before and after the implementation of later school start times. Results show that the crash rate in 16-to-18-year-old licensed drivers decreased significantly from 31.63 to 29.59 accidents per 1,000 drivers after the delayed start time. In contrast, the teen crash rate remained steady throughout the rest of the state.
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
About three years ago ABCFT started a working relationship with National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company. Throughout our partnership, NTA has been supportive of ABCFT activities by sponsorship and prizes for our various events. This organization specializes in providing insurance for educators across the nation. We have been provided both data and member testimonials about how pleased they have been with the NTA products and the opportunity to look at alternatives to the district insurance choice.
Apply Here for NTA Benefits
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