Here are three interesting state-of-Arizona-education articles I’ve read this week.
Low marks for Arizona in education study. Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services.
In a WalletHub report, Arizona ranked 48th overall in the quality of its schools. Like most WalletHub studies I’ve looked at, this one has a quick-and-dirty feel, but the criteria it uses to arrive at its conclusions are reasonable. The problem is, it doesn’t take socioeconomic factors into account—family income, ELL students, etc. That’s a huge omission.
Can you guess which sectors gained and lost the most jobs in Arizona since the recession? Eric Jay Toll, Phoenix Business Journal.
Construction lost the most jobs—no surprise there—followed by education. Hmm. The recession meant a big cutback n building, so we could have fewer construction workers with no loss of quality. But we’re educating the same number of students as before the recession, so to keep quality up, we need as many people in education as before. Cuts in education are definitely going to hurt the children.
Phoenix moves up in Forbes’ ‘best places for business’ list, but education drags down region. Eric Jay Toll, Phoenix Business Journal.
Phoenix moved up 12 positions in the Forbes “Best Places for Business and Careers” ranking, from 56 to 44, but it came in at 103 for education. “[E]ight of the top 10 metros in education all ranked in the top 50 for best places for business and career.” Though it’s not mentioned in the article, Tucson ranked #103 overall in the Forbes ranking—far lower than Phoenix—but #91 in education, a bit higher than Phoenix.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2015.
If we are educating the same number of students as before the recession they must be illegals. This papers opinion is that students have left public schools for charter and privates.
Less kids, less money, fewer schools. Didn’t TUSD close 20 or so?
Love that Tucson ranks higher in quality of eduction than Phoenix only because I know how hard so many work here. (I imagine teachers, staff and parents work hard in Phoenix but Tucson must be doing something right). TUSD did not close any schools in 2014 and we opened some for early childhood facilities. TUSD closed 20 schools in the past 11 years so TUSD is doing much better now. So the improvements seen in TUSD can be attributed at least in part to Dr. Sanchez’s leadership as well as our school board, teachers and staff.
Arizona is 48th (depending on who is measuring but close and we have been put in 50th place by some) in money spent with achievement close to that. Let’s look at the undocumented workers in comparison to other states who rank much high in spending and achievement. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/…
California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois have had the most illegal immigration of all the states and Arizona’s numbers are declining. All of those states had more of them and did much better in the ranks in regard to achievement and money spent(see the correlation?).
The factors that I point to which make Arizona so low in education are: We have the most charter schools in the nation that continue to have little oversight . Also the education is poorly funded and that falls solely in the lap of the Republican leadership since the 1980s. Of course this year we have hit a new low. We live in the sunbelt and should be flourishing.
The co-occurrence of two variables does not prove causation.
The co-occurrence, for example, of a reduction in school closures and new leadership at the district level does not prove either that “we’re doing much better now,” or that “the improvements [?] seen in TUSD can be attributed to” the quality of administrative and governance leadership. The fact that the district is reported by some parties to have an unresolved operating deficit which continues, month by month, to drain its reserves may be related to the fact that there have been no recent closures and consolidations, and it may also be related to the fact that early childhood centers have been opened which some say do not “break even.” Like much else relating to TUSD, whether what we see happening can be interpreted as a positive development and what the actual relationships between cause and effect are remain unclear.
Please also note that the co-occurrence of higher funding levels and achievement in other states may be explained in a variety of ways — for example, the population in those states values education more and this drives support for higher funding at the same time that there is more going on in the homes and / or in the broader community to support children. Or, parent education levels are higher and this contributes to higher pre-school literacy / numeracy, which in turn feeds school achievement. Or, the economy is better in those states and there is less childhood poverty. The isolation of cause and effect relationships is notoriously difficult in the field of education. To readers who have any degree of knowledge of the complexity of the relationship between variables in this field, commenters on both sides of the ideological spectrum who (with obvious political affiliations / motives) jump to dubious conclusions about causal relationships only end up giving a bad impression of their own veracity and / or level of understanding.
The fact remains Concurrence that we do spend less money per child than most states in the U.S. Period. The fact that TUSD is doing better can be attributed to a new leadership, the board, teachers and staff because there were no other big changes. TUSD did not close any schools and opened 2 is a fact.
As for your accusation about a deficit in the operating budget… I have written 2 departments because there is absolutely nothing online about that. “The district is reported by some parties to have an unresolved operating deficit” is not a source but a rumor.
It reminds me of the ‘fact’ that someone reported not that long ago here about TUSD being under investigation by the AG and others . I went to multiple TUSD departments and the AG . No one, not 1 knew anything about it or even what it could possibly be for. I will return to report on what I find if there is any truth to it and if so how it is explained.
But no one has granted that you are correct in your assertion that TUSD “is doing better,” Guardians, and it’s clear from what you write that you failed to understand the points I made in the post above. If you had understood, you would realize that “the fact” that TUSD did not close schools and that they opened early learning centers cannot necessarily be regarded as evidence that the district’s performance is improving. It depends on the relationship between this “fact” and the district’s actual financial situation, which is hard to discern.
I am not a supporter of any particular party on the TUSD Board, but I have read and considered all the various sources that reported on the district’s business for the past year or so. What you find when you do this is, in general, a depressing spectacle of discord and mutually contradictory reports. For your information, the ongoing presence of an operating deficit has been referenced — more than once — by one of the sitting board members. If you were tracking the district’s business as closely as you like to give the impression you are doing — and comparing and contrasting information available from both sides of the majority / minority fence — you would know this.
But you will, evidently, have to continue on with the same mode of commentary you have provided all along. Nothing anyone writes here — and nothing that is actually going on in the district’s governance — seems to have much effect on you. You are a reliable provider of “Pollyanna glob” in every circumstance.
Concurrence, This source is impeccable… however do your own homework and you will see this is 100% true and factual. I will not disclose the source because if you try you will find it is all true. Your sources are selling you a line and you appear to buy it hook line and sinker. Here is the response I received. I removed my name and his. He may say publish it but I would say in response… let Concurrence find the real truth because it is there. You said in so many ways that I do not know what I know. Well look for the truth Concurrence and you will find it. I stand by my first post.
Here is the response to what you said. I copied what you wrote:
******”We cannot offer a budget that is not balanced. That is against Arizona law.”******
“We are not operating with a deficit. The teacher payraises and all other employee payraises are covered by our budget. We cannot offer a budget that is not balanced. That is against Arizona law. We have sold over 4 closed schools and are awaiting the deals to close. We are very close to breaking even with our infant and early education learning centers. The first year of any new project incurs one-time costs, and we are positioned to do well this next year. We have not laid off staff, and we have cut our teacher vacancies from 250 two years ago to 103 at this point. We have increased teacher salaries by 1000 dollars from February to September 1 of this year, and we are offering 500 dollars in our 301 plan. We haven’t raised insurance costs, either. We feel very good that our budget puts over 50% of all funds expended into instructional lines for the first time in over 5 years.
We are doing well. We have a great CFO, and we have good processes. We have eliminated 6 million dollars from central office, and we have shifted funds to the schools.
I hope this information helps.”
More Pollyanna glob. What a surprise.
Concurrence was done on purpose. I was hoping that when you read the truth ( which you call Pollyanna glob… interesting take on the truth)… you might concur with me. Alas no.
I don’t know where this ” Co-occurrence of variables does not prove causation” individual came from, but I want more, I want them to start writing for the Weekly and the Range.
Kudos writing some posts that are more interesting and informative than the article.