F.A.C.E. to FACE
F.A.C.E. BULLETIN
7/26/05
Dear Friends,
Great guest column in the Tallahassee Democrat, (Black and Hispanic business people support school choice). We are thankful for the support of Ed Rodriguez and the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce and Julio Fuentes and the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
It appears that there could be in excess of 100,000 children on the Voluntary Pre-K voucher program this fall, (Pre-K sign-ups start slowly). Of course, that is pending the Florida Supreme Court ruling, since a majority of the schools the students will be attending will be faith based providers.
An astounding article in the Miami Herald about falsified public school teacher credentials. Do you think we will see any editorials about the lack of accountability in the public schools? Don’t hold your breath…
Thank you for Stepping Up For Students,
Michael A. Benjamin
Executive Director, F.A.C.E.
Florida Alliance for Choices in Education
Tallahassee Democrat
July 26, 2005
Black and Hispanic business people support school choice
By Ed Rodriguez and Julio Fuentes
MY VIEWThe Florida Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on Opportunity Scholarships (Bush v. Holmes) soon. Over 2,000 parents, students and school administrators who favor school choice started the summer with a rally outside the court during oral arguments. They'll end it with either a burst of renewed energy or dashed hopes about their prospects for high-quality education in Florida.
The Florida Black Chamber of Commerce and the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce support these programs because they empower traditionally underserved, low-income minority parents to provide a high-quality education for their children, and because they promote improvements in public school performance for all children, especially minority children.
Our chambers of commerce also support wise and prudent increases in public school funding - increases that target proven approaches to improving quality and performance.
Though we have made much progress, public education is still in need of great improvement. Public high school graduation rates for black and Hispanic students in Florida were 49 percent and 50 percent respectively in 2002 compared to 67 percent for white students.
Moreover, just 21 percent of black students and 24 percent of Hispanic students graduated from public high school college-ready that same year compared to 40 percent of white students.
Despite the odds, we refuse to give up on education, because we refuse to give up on our children.
We all know that graduating from high school, entering college and completing college tend to result in a better standard of living. That is what we all want - an opportunity to better our lives and those of our children.
As the economy continues to shift from physical labor needs to knowledge and expertise needs, our children's future is increasingly dependent on the quality of education they receive.
Unfortunately, many minority and low-income parents underserved by public schools cannot afford to enroll their children in a school that better meets their needs. Their children are sentenced to limited opportunities for employment and little chance for a better life.
School choice in general and Opportunity Scholarships in particular provide effective solutions to some of the challenging problems facing minority and low-income families in Florida.
School choice is not about public vs. private or religious vs. secular. It is most fundamentally about empowering minority and low-income parents to provide a high-quality education for their children. It's about leveling the playing field for people of lesser financial means, but high aspirations.
School choice programs are tools for the improvement of all forms of education - public and private, religious and secular - and have been proven to increase the performance of public education.
In 2003, a U.S. school choice and school competition study by Harvard University economist Caroline Hoxby concluded that "Public schools do respond constructively to competition, by raising their achievement and productivity." It found that "Students' achievement generally does rise when they attend voucher or charter schools."
Also in 2003, a Florida A+ Opportunity Scholarship program study by Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Jay Greene showed that "low-performing schools facing a greater degree of threat from voucher competition made better improvements than low-performing schools facing a lesser degree of threat from vouchers."
Moreover, the study found that most of Florida's voucher students were poor and minorities. It would be most unfortunate for our communities if the Florida Supreme Court rules against proven tools that will ultimately enable our children to achieve a higher standard of living and our state a more prosperous economy.
Ed Rodriguez is chairman of the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce; Julio Fuentes is president of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Contact them, respectively, at ed.rodriguez@floridabcc.com and julio@fshcc.com.
Pre-K sign-ups start slowly
Rush expected before school begins
By Leslie Postal
Sentinel Staff Writer
July 26, 2005
Fewer than expected 4-year-olds have signed up for Florida's new pre-kindergarten program, leaving state officials wondering if parents will rush to enroll children as the new school year kicks off in the next few weeks.
At the same time, not all counties have enough spaces for all the children who are signed up. And even counties with enough pre-K slots don't necessarily have them in places parents want.
Private schools and day-care centers, under contract with the state, are mostly running the new program. Public schools also are offering a limited number of the new classes, which are open to all children who turn 4 before Sept. 1.
So far, 82,199 students statewide have enrolled -- far below the more than 150,000 children state officials had estimated would take part the first year.
Meanwhile, 74,807 spaces are available throughout Florida, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which administers the program. In Central Florida, only Volusia County had more children signed up than available seats for pre-K, based on deficit figures as of Monday.
There is no deadline for enrollment, however, so students and pre-K providers continue to sign up. Classes start in August, mostly at the same time as public schools begin their academic year. In Central Florida, that means pre-K in Seminole starts Aug. 1 and in other counties, within the next week.
'Mad rush'
"We expect a mad rush," said Gladys Wilson, director of the workforce agency's Office of Early Learning.
Wilson said she never expected the new program to enroll 66 percent of Florida's 4-year-olds -- the figure lawmakers used when they set the program's budget in May -- but does think more children will be signed up in the next few weeks.
She and other advocates of the program also say it is off to a decent start, given its ambitious scope and the short timeline allowed for setting it up.
"I think it's gone fairly well, all things considered," Wilson said. "Florida has done in seven months what it took Georgia 10 years to do."
Florida voters approved the idea of "universal" pre-K in 2002, when Georgia was the only state that offered pre-K to all youngsters. But Florida lawmakers did not devise a blueprint for this state's program until December and did not settle on a per-child price tag, about $2,500, until May.
Still, the program has attracted plenty of pre-K operators and parents eager for the new program to start.
The Apopka Child Development Center is doubling, at least, the number of pre-K classes it is offering, going from two to four and possibly five because of interest in the state program, said Alison Petrie, the center's director and owner.
Petrie said she thinks Florida's effort will boost the quality of her center.
Literacy focus
The new pre-K program requires more focus on literacy and requires her to hire an extra staff member for each pre-K class, so that should improve student-teacher interaction, she said. Plus, the program should help smooth the transition between preschool and kindergarten.
"I thought it would enhance our center," she added.
Many of the working parents signing up for pre-K at her center, she added, seem to appreciate that at least part of their bill will now be covered by the state.
Melissa Rodriguez agreed. She teaches at the Apopka center and is the parent of a 4-year-old boy who will take part.
Without the state, paying for pre-K can be difficult for many parents, she said. "It is really hard to work into the budget," she added.
Officials offer several reasons why many other parents haven't signed up.
Some probably don't yet know about it or understand that it is free.
Others registered their child for a private pre-K program months ago and decided to stick with it, even if that preschool or center isn't participating in the state program. Some parents have said they'd rather pay for what they see as a higher-quality program than get something less for free from the state.
Some private providers, including most of Florida's Catholic schools, aren't taking part in the state's program because they think the state funding, about $2,500 per child, is too little and its standards too lenient.
Child-care workers, not certified teachers, will teach the classes. The state is also paying for what amounts to a three-hour-a-day program for a 180-day school year. Many pre-K programs offer a four- to six-hour day.
Location is key
Some parents also are finding that while there are free pre-K classes available in their county, they are not at places they like or in neighborhoods convenient for them.
"We may get in a situation where we don't have as many providers as we have children," Wilson said, adding that already, "I know there are families who have not gotten what they wanted."
The list of approved providers includes a wide range of places, from public and private schools to corporate-run day-care centers, church-based preschools and family-run day-care homes.
"We still have openings," said Karen Willis, executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Seminole County, one of the committees that helps run pre-K.
But the question, Willis said, is whether the places with room for children are "a parent's first choice."
Regina D'Souza, director of school readiness at the Early Learning Coalition of Leon and Gadsden counties, said there is the same problem around Florida's capital. Although there are openings in both counties, many of the most desirable pre-K providers don't have any room.
"I know a lot of programs have filled up," she said, "and parents are concerned."
Parents who cannot find a school-year pre-K program they want can sign their children up for a summer pre-K program run by their public school district. That piece of the new program will start in summer 2006.
Leslie Postal can be reached at lpostal@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5273.
Posted on Tue, Jul. 19, 2005
EDUCATION
Former Miami-Dade teachers indicted in certification scams
Two Miami-Dade teachers were indicted in separate cases that prosecutors say show problems with how the district checks teachers' credentials.BY MATTHEW I. PINZUR
mpinzur@herald.comA former Miami-Dade high school teacher was indicted Monday, charged with running a company that sold worthless continuing-education classes that helped about 100 teachers renew their state licenses or qualify to teach additional subjects.
In a separate case, illustrating similar problems, another teacher was indicted on charges he brazenly falsified his qualifications by claiming to earn bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees -- all within three months.
The two cases were highlighted in a damning report issued Monday by a Miami-Dade grand jury, which found serious flaws in how state and local education officials verify teachers' educational records.
''It directly affects the lives of our children attending our public schools,'' Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle said, announcing the grand jury report and indictments.
The alleged credit-selling scheme centered around William McCoggle, 73, a longtime physical education teacher at Palmetto Senior High. He was charged with grand theft and organized fraud, both first-degree felonies.
McCoggle surrendered to police Monday morning, according to his attorney, Yale Freeman, and was expected to post bond Monday evening. Freeman said he had not reviewed the indictment and declined to comment on the case.
According to prosecutors, McCoggle collected more than $250,000 while running a company called Move On Toward Education and Training, or MOTET.
During late 2002 and 2003, he had a partnership with Eastern Oklahoma State College to offer noncredit classes using the college's name and accreditation.
''In fact, there were no classes taught by or through MOTET,'' the grand jury report said. ``There were no tests; there was no homework; there were no assignments and there were no class discussions. None of the adjunct professors actually taught anything. No teachers actually attended any classes.''
Some teachers said they did attend classes, according to an investigation by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, but they gave conflicting stories about where, when and how often they were given.
''I think some of the teachers may have been protecting themselves,'' Assistant State Attorney Susan Dechovitz said.
State law requires public-school teachers to earn six continuing-education credits every five years to maintain their licenses.
Even if McCoggle's classes did meet, his deal with Eastern Oklahoma State College only allowed him to provide noncredit courses, which cannot be used in Florida to meet teachers' continuing-education requirements. The transcripts received by teachers in McCoggle's program were almost indistinguishable from those listing for-credit class work.
REPUTATION SPREAD
The grand jury said McCoggle's reputation for providing easy credits spread primarily by word of mouth. Teacher Bennet Packman, who helped lead investigators to McCoggle said colleagues knew the program ``may not be exactly kosher.''
''He has no course descriptions, he has no fee schedule, doesn't tell me when we'll be meeting,'' said Bennett Packman, a physical education teacher who spoke to McCoggle in 2003 about becoming certified to teach driver's education. ``The whole thing sounded like a scam.''
Packman never registered, but the grand jury identified 15 driver's ed. teachers who received credits from McCoggle's program. They have been reassigned during the investigation, according to the grand jury.
According the grand jury's report, state and local officials make only a perfunctory review of transcripts.
''They look at the paper, the seal and the form of the transcript,'' the report read.
Miami-Dade has since tightened its reviews, looking at dates and watermarks on the documents, and investigating who has had access to the transcripts, said a spokesman for Superintendent Rudy Crew.
''The practices that were in place at the time were followed,'' said spokesman Joseph Garcia, noting that both alleged crimes were committed before Crew was hired last year. ``Those practices have been changed.''
Nonetheless, the grand jury said each teacher's records should be individually verified with their college or university.
''We're going to study the recommendations in the grand jury report,'' Garcia said, adding that Crew expects to make his own recommendations to the School Board next month.
At the very least, the grand jury said, any teacher connected to McCoggle's programs should be checked, which Garcia said the district was ''anxious'' to do once it receives a list of the teachers.
''The danger here is that two cases [found during] a year of investigation would essentially tarnish the reputation of 22,000 other teachers,'' Garcia said.
He said the district was legally required to accept continuing-education credits from any accredited college, and said state officials, not those in Miami-Dade, granted the driver's ed certificates.
''The university issued the credits; the state accepted the credits; we never saw the transcripts,'' said Thomas Gary, Crew's administration attorney.
The Oklahoma investigation identified nearly 200 South Florida teachers who paid MOTET for credits. Fernández Rundle said nearly 100 of them -- maybe more -- work in Miami-Dade schools.
They paid $175 per credit, according to the Oklahoma report, of which the college received $75 and McCoggle kept $100.
''The cheaters ought to be ashamed of themselves,'' Fernández Rundle said. ``In the end, these teachers kept their salaries and kept their certification.''
She said the teachers had been notified and ``are on notice they need to take immediate action.''
Fernández Rundle would not comment on whether those teachers face criminal investigation. The grand jury's report recommended they be removed from the classroom and forced to repay salaries.
She also would not discuss whether other charges could follow; the grand jury's report said McCoggle had at least four previous deals with other colleges and was known among teachers as ``a giant in the recertification field.''
According to the Oklahoma investigation, McCoggle presented MOTET as an 18-year-old, tax-exempt company that provided teacher training on behalf of accredited colleges.
McCoggle has worked in Miami-Dade schools since 1983 and earned nearly $75,000 a year before he retired this summer. His alleged scam was first reported last year by WSVN-Fox 7.
MORE WEAKNESSES
James Majors, the other teacher indicted Monday, was not connected to McCoggle's program, but Fernández Rundle said he further illustrated weaknesses in the school system's procedures.
Majors applied for a job in October 2002, when he was 24. He claimed to have a bachelor's degree from Vernell University and master's and doctoral degrees from Florida State University.
Prosecutors say the last two, at least, were outright lies. And Dechovitz said Vernell, based in Middletown, N.Y., was an unaccredited ''diploma mill'' and has since declared bankruptcy.
During his year as a teacher, Majors worked at Cutler Ridge and Westview middle schools.
''He had the audacity to fail 22 students,'' she said, describing Majors as ``a charlatan who was able to masquerade as a teacher.''
Majors was charged with second-degree grand theft, a felony. He was released on bond Monday afternoon and could not be reached for comment. Majors' fake credentials were not caught until he left the Miami-Dade district and applied for a job in Broward.
''Parts of our education system, both locally and statewide, missed the clues that were readily available,'' Fernández Rundle said.
Florida Alliance for Choices in Education (F.A.C.E)
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