If The Teacher's A Man, The Boys Do Better

by Ben Feller - August 28th, 2006 - Associated Press (News & Observer)

Here's an idea that might stir up debate in the teacher's lounge: Boys learn better from men and girls learn better from women. That's the upshot of a provocative study by Thomas Dee, an associate professor of economics at Swarthmore College and visiting scholar at Stanford University.

Some leading education advocates dispute his conclusions and the way in which he reached them. But Dee says his research shows that gender matters when it comes to learning. Specifically, he says, having a teacher of the opposite sex hurts a student's academic progress.

"We should be thinking more carefully about why," he said.

Dee warns against drawing fast conclusions based on his work. He is not endorsing single-sex education, or any other policy.

Rather, he hopes his work will spur more research into gender's effect and what to do about it.

His study comes as the proportion of male teachers is at its lowest level in 40 years. Roughly 80 percent of teachers in U.S. public schools are women.

There are people who are disturbed by the fact that boys are falling behind girls in education. Some of the people disturbed are mothers of smart boys who are dropping out of school. It is true that the historical male dominance of scholastic accomplishment was maintained by intentional suppression of women. It was said that the women's place was in the home and they did not need college for that. Having conceded that, it is still pretty clear that the active suppression of boys and their opportunities by the feminists in our nation is having an impact on the growing failure of boys in school.

The question we have to ask is the same question that was asked when women were being denied opportunity. Can our nation afford to lose the talents of some of our best and brightest? There is not currently a level playing field. A college professor friend of mine noted that 20 years ago the top 20 financial students at the university where he teaches were 18 men and 2 women. Last year it was 14 women and 6 men. Neither of these situations is tolerable. We have not fixed the problem. We have simply reversed the injustice.

You can download the entire study by Thomas Dee from the Education Next web site here: http://www.educationnext.org/

Meeting Great Men

This weekend was really special. I was the official photographer for Senator Fred Smith's Summer Celebration Golf Tournament, and also official photographer for the Reception for Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Senator Fred Smith (NC), Governor Rick Perry (Texas) and Dean Stephens

As a result I got to meet 4 North Carolina State Senators and the very impressive Governor of the State of Texas. At the reception I spent about an hour with the Governor taking photographs of him with the V.I.P's in attendance. Between guests we got several chances to chat. I found him to be a warm and personable man who can talk with great intelligence and knowledge about a wide range of topics, but in a down to earth fashion that makes everyone feel comfortable.

It was a fun experience.

If you are interested in politics, please check out the Inner Banks Eagle political web site for articles about the press conference with Governor Perry, and the great speech he gave at the reception.

Chowan University At Windsor Rotary

The Keynote Speaker for today's Windsor Rotary meeting was the new Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions for Chowan University, Chad Holt. Chad has recently come to our part of North Carolina from the western part of the state. Chad was here to bring us up to date on all of the happenings planned for the Chowan University Celebration - Thursday September 7th through Sunday Septermber the 10th. Chad also made sure that everyone was aware of the new President at Chowan University, Chris White. He is given much of the credit for the rapid expansion of the institution.

The events included in the Celebration are:

Thursday - 9/7/2006
Convocation @ 11:00 AM
Community Carnival @ 1:00 PM

Friday - 9/8/2006
Pep Rally @ 8:30 PM
Fireworks @ 9:15 PM

Saturday - 9/9/2006
Tailgating Competition @ 10:00 AM
Pre-Game Show @ 11:30 AM
Football Game @ 12:00 Noon
Dance / Live Band @ 9:00 PM

Sunday - 9/10/2006
Celebration Worship Service @ 3:00 PM

This is going to be an impressive set of events marking a key milestone in the growth of educational opportunity in our area. Everyone is invited to come out and participate.

Ned Heckstall, President Of Windsor Rotary Presents Chad Holt, Dean Of Admissions For Chowan University, With Traditional Thank You Cup

Manning Miffed At HCHS Progress

by Cal Bryant - August 21st, 2006 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

On Friday in Wake County Superior Court, Judge Manning said he was satisfied with the progress of all but one of 17 low-performing high schools in the state.

That lone exception is Hertford County High School.

"Someone is going to have to go in there and ride herd starting next week," Judge Manning said Friday while addressing a reporter with the Raleigh News & Observer."

Great article Cal. Thanks for keeping us up to date with what is happening in this case.

The comments about Bertie County at the bottom of the article are very interesting.

Inner Banks Scenic Parkway Presentations

Ron Toppin has proposed a great new transportation artery for the Inner Banks of North Carolina. His original proposal is shown on his campaign web site at http://www.rontoppin.com/inner_banks_hwy.htm.

You can see an updated proposal on the Task Force web site http://scenicparkway.blogspot.com

Inner Banks Scenic Parkway

A group of us are so excited by this proposal that we are taking on the task of communication of the concept to all of the county governments affected, and forming a group of eco-tourism interested parties to take over promotion of the idea to the NCDOT. This group is called the Inner Banks Scenic Parkway Task Force.

The schedule of presentations to county governments is as follows:

Tuesday - September 5th @ 9:00 AM - Hertford County
Tuesday - September 5th @ 6:00 PM - Washington County

Monday - September 11th @ 11:00 AM - Gates County
Monday - September 11th @ 3:00 PM – Beaufort County
Monday - September 11th @ 7:00 PM - Bertie County

Monday - September 18th @ 8:30 AM - Craven County
Monday - September 18th @ 7:30 PM - Pamlico County

Anyone who is interested in environmentally friendly development for the Inner Banks is invited to join us in this worthy cause.

Mimosa Plantation

The third major new development planned for the Merry Hill area has been announced as Mimosa Plantation. Located just west of the Intersection of U.S. 17 and Bal Gra Road, it means another major step in the growth of Bertie County. This is a development of a group called Vicinages. Click on the title above to go the the portion of the Vicinages web site that describes their plans for Mimosa Plantation.

Favorable Ruling For Schools Report

by Todd Silberman - August 18th, 2006 - News & Observer

RALEIGH — Most of the state's lowest-performing high schools won a favorable ruling today from a state judge who has threatened to close them unless they took aggressive steps to improve student achievement.

With just a week left before the first day of school in most districts, Judge Howard Manning Jr. said that he was generally satisfied with a report from a state high school official, who testified that most of the low-scoring schools would be starting the new term with able principals and well-crafted plans for improvement.

The only exception noted in the report is Hertford County, which appears to be the only County that Manning is not pleased with. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Clearly Bertie County High School at least has plans that the Judge is satisfied with (if not results). We encourage the school staff to make the plan become reality. Our children deserve it.

Link To Manning Order Re: Hearing Today

This is the link to the order that Judge Manning issued about the hearing being held today.

Manning Order

We will report further when we have some news about the hearing.

Lindalyn's Journal

The following is an email from Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Director of the North Carolina Education Alliance. It is a timely reminder that the Bertie County High School is still not serving our students effectively. The meeting Lindalyn talks about in her email will include discussions about what to do for Bertie County High School. We are a part of the court case that Judge Manning is about to rule in.

North Carolina’s high schools will soon find themselves in the hot seat – again. Tomorrow, Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. (presiding over the long-running school funding lawsuit, Leandro) will hear from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) about “turnaround” teams sent to help struggling high schools. Manning, known for his biting and inflammatory rhetoric, will surely offer up his reaction. DPI could really be in for it: news about these high schools is far from rosy.

Judge Manning’s interest in the performance of sub-par schools is substantial. A brief history of the lawsuit explains why. In May, 1994, parents, school boards, and students in 11 school districts filed a lawsuit (named Leandro after one of the plaintiffs), accusing the state of North Carolina of failing to provide enough money for a “sound basic education.” In 1997, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that our state constitution guaranteed “every child of this state an opportunity to receive a sound basic education in our public schools” but declined to rule on specific remedies. In 2004, after a number of appeals, the North Carolina Supreme Court handed the case to Judge Manning to begin implementing the decision.

Since that time, Leandro has been the subject of countless hearings, memos, and media articles. Judge Manning has used his bully pulpit to express his distaste for widespread school failure and to wag his finger at school leaders. In May of 2005, Manning wrote a stinging report on poor high school performance, equating what was going on in Mecklenburg County’s poorest-performing schools to “academic genocide.” Back in March, Manning threatened to close 19 high schools because of their consistently low student performance. And earlier this month, Manning spoke to high school principals across the state with a blunt and pointed message: put up or get out.

So, are schools shaping up? Decidedly not – in fact, things seem to be taking a turn for the worse. Several weeks ago, the Department of Public Instruction released “performance composites” for high schools around the state, summarizing the percentage of students in a school who have test scores at or above Achievement Level III (demonstrating consistent mastery of course content matter) in 10 mandated subject areas. A full 95 high schools had a performance composite below 70 percent in 2004-05 and 2005-06. A shocking 64 of these high schools performed worse in 2005-06 than in the previous year. Clearly, we are headed in the wrong direction.

Adding fuel to the fire is a troubling study on graduation rates from the Schott Foundation. According to their 2006 State Report Card on Public Education and Black Male Students, Charlotte/Mecklenburg’s graduation rate went from bad to worse between 2001-02 and 2003-04. In 2001-02, Mecklenburg’s graduation rate was 38 percent for black males and 71 percent for white males. In 2003-04, Mecklenburg schools had a graduation rate of only 35 percent among black males, and 65 percent among white males.

Will Judge Manning make good on his threats tomorrow? I doubt he will go as far as issuing a judicial mandate to close certain schools, but other educational options outside of traditional government schools must be allowed. Far too many North Carolina high schools aren’t making the grade.

To learn more about high schools in North Carolina as well as the latest education news, visit the Alliance online at www.nceducationalliance.org. Check out the "Headlines" section of their home page, updated daily with articles from every major newspaper in the state.

Windsor Rotary Welcomes District President

Today's speaker for the Windsor Rotary club was the Governor for our local District, Dan le Roux. Mr. le Roux spoke of his commitment to Rotary, and his enjoyment at getting to meet the members in all the clubs in his district. Mr. le Roux read from a speech about how those who grew up in earlier times in America have accomplished much. He also promoted the District Conference that is coming up next year at Atlantic Beach, NC.

Dan Le Roux - Governor 2006-2007, Rotary, "District 7720"

In a departure from tradition, Mr. le Roux was presented with an assortment of Bertie County Peanuts as a thank you for his presentation. If that is the new Rotary gift, I need to find another presentation to do so I can get some myself. Bertie County peanuts are awesome.


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Two Great Articles

There are two great articles covered on the Inner Banks Eagle. They are political so I can't post them here on the community service blog, but I did want to mention them for those who are interested in politics.

Apple Computer Has New Sales People?

On Friday it almost sounded like Apple Computer had taken over the School Administration of Bertie County and made it an Apple sales organization. Chairman Seaton Fairless, Superintendent Nettie Collins-Hart and Technical Manager Otis Smallwood were the major presenters of information in a meeting where the subject was the Apple Computer contract. They gushed with praise for Apple making such statements as "This project (The Bertie County Bright Futures Project) is designed for Apple MacIntosh only. Windows will not work", "Windows is not as comprehensive as Apple", "Windows is not as easily used as Apple". "Windows does not have the same depth of software as Apple", "With Apple instructional software comes standard" and "Windows does not have instructional software, at least to the extent that Apple does".

I was not permitted to ask any questions. However there are serious questions about the choice of Apple. Apple started as the largest vendor in personal computers but has always been a minor computer vendor since they lost the battle for market dominance to Microsoft back in the 80s. Since that time they always have had about 5% of the market. In the second quarter of 2006 they were down to 4.6% of the marketplace. Apple is not even the major player in the Unix marketplace, a segment that is much smaller than the overall market, as Linux is beating them there.

For many years Apple also had the major share of the education market, but it is down to 23% of the education market as of 2005. Once again, they have lost out to Microsoft though they are still beating Linux. Any rational person would have to accept that if Apple was as good as Chairman Fairless and Superintendent Dr. Collins-Hart claimed, Apple would not be sliding. But they are. Why is Apple sliding?

If you talk to Apple, they never concede the reason they keep losing is that they are too expensive and too proprietary. Microsoft keeps winning for a reason. They are very adept at listening to customers and they are always the least expensive option. That is one reason why most school systems are going with Microsoft Windows. The other is that students are better prepared for jobs after graduation if they have Windows experience because business uses Microsoft overwhelmingly. In fact Bertie County right now is exclusively Windows. It is going to cost a lot of money to retrain our teachers and our technicians for the Apple platform. However I don't believe Bertie County even talked to Microsoft vendors for this project. When I asked if they had the question was ignored. On Friday, I was told to "shut up" by the Chairman of the Bertie County Board of Education for simply asking to confirm a quote by Otis Smallwood about what these computers would be equipped with.

Mr. Smallwood said twice, "These computers will have Microsoft Windows Software" and "Microsoft Windows is a standard feature of Apple now".

The first statement is questionable but the second statement is absolutely false at this point. Today, Apple is scheduled to announce their version 10.5 of Mac OS X (the Apple Operating System) and it is predicted to have a dual boot capability to allow this feature. However dual boot is not a practical way to allow Windows since you have to shut down Apple to use it, and then shut down Windows to go back to Apple. It is a kluge solution for people who have at least one program where they have to have Windows, but also have to have Apple as well. The statement Mr. Smallwood made may be true (in a kludgy way) before the day is out (since Apple is predicted to be introducing the capability today), but was not true when he made it Friday.

[As fair public disclosure I have only used the dual boot beta of this capability on one occasion several months back, helping a friend with an Apple Mac who thought it might solve a problem for a Windows program he had to get working. The beta version we downloaded worked okay, but the drivers for Windows were a pain to get working, and you had to reinstall the Apple Mac OS X version 10.4 after Windows was working. It was not a fun effort and it soured me on the concept. Ultimately my friend simply bought a second computer to run Windows XP as dual boot was not a practical answer for him. I wonder if Mr. Smallwood has ever tried to use the dual boot capability himself? Has Apple got a better solution no one knows about?}

Another way to run Windows programs on an Apple Mac is to use a Microsoft program that is called "Virtual PC". It comes in several different versions depending on exactly what you need to do, from simply using PC files, to running Windows XP, XP Pro or 2000 in an Apple Window. For Mr. Smallwood's edification it is an option purchased as an add on, not standard! And if you check user comments about the software you will find most people think that it is terribly slow. Again it is a poor solution, only tolerable when you absolutely have to have Windows but are committed to Apple for some other reason. In addition unless something has changed it DOES NOT WORK ON THE INTEL VERSION OF MACS which Bertie County claims they are buying! To claim that using Windows on a Mac is "Interchangeable" as Mr. Smallwood did simply does not pass the test as credible.

About as credible as his claim that moving from Windows to Apple or vice versa only takes a user "about 15 minutes" of orientation. I have trained people to convert from one to the other in a corporate environment where they have to perform to do their jobs. There is a reason corporations will not normally hire an Apple experienced person if they use Windows. It is not 15 minutes! It is not even 15 hours.

[One final comment on Interchangeable. Dual boot is not interchangeable. If this is what Mr. Smallwood meant it is simply false. Is there some other way of providing Windows on these Bertie County Macs? Does Mr. Smallwood have some inside knowledge about a better solution coming from Apple? I keep pretty close tabs on industry rumors but I may have missed something. Mr. Smallwood?]

The unrealistic enthusiasm of Seaton Fairless and Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart for Apple raises serious questions. How can they be said to be objective when they appear so biased for Apple. The Concord Consortium, a leader in instructional software, is just one example of the reality that everything significant in Instructional Software is available in a Windows version as well as Apple. There is no advantage in software for Apple. Two different consultants in education software that I know are convinced of this. Both sell software for both platforms as they say Windows is so prevalent they have to support both. All the best vendors do contrary to claims made Friday. It is therefore pretty easy to ask, how can Apple be said to have such an overwhelming advantage?

How can Chairman Fairless and Dr. Collins-Hart have run this Bright Futures project and not known that? Is it an indication they did not do their homework?

Bertie County Educational Funding - Where should our focus be?

by John Davis - August 1, 2006

Everyone in Bertie County is for better public education. Most citizens embrace one of two viewpoints on how this should happen. The first group attributes our educational shortcomings to inadequate money and seems to blame the county commissioners for not overcoming a North Carolina educational finance system that is flawed. The second group attributes our educational shortcomings, first, to poor use and accountability of existing funds, but acknowledges there are inequities in the current financing method for public education in North Carolina. The financing inequity must be solved at the state level through a state constitutional amendment. Let’s examine these two perspectives.

Viewpoint 1 – The county commissioners are not giving education enough money
The 2005 Local School Finance Study, published by the Public School Forum of NC, showed Bertie provided local education funding above our ability to pay. This study ranked Bertie 98th out of 100 counties in our ability to fund education through local taxes. However, we ranked 92nd out of 100 counties in our actual efforts to fund education (see table 5 in study). So we are funding education locally better than our ability to do so and we increased education’s budget 10% for next year. Our problem is that we cannot replace lower state education revenues with local tax increases because our taxable property base is one of the state’s lowest (ranks 89 of 100 counties) and our tax rate is one of the highest in the state. Bertie County’s tax rate per hundred dollars of real estate value is 78 cents per hundred vs. a state average just under 60 cents per hundred. Higher taxes will place a severe strain on our citizen’s and discourage economic growth which is just beginning.

Viewpoint 2 – Let’s better utilize local funds and improve the equality of state funding
More money alone is not the solution. Bertie educational funds per student (from state, federal, and local sources) already rank us in the top 25% of the state. However, we are limited to funding we can make up locally when we lose state funding. We must challenge ourselves to produce better scores with the funding dollars we can afford locally and at the same time challenge the North Carolina General Assembly and Department of Public Instruction to address the inherent inequities in educational funding.

Low wealth counties like Bertie cannot match the educational opportunities provided by counties with higher property values. This problem can only be addressed by the North Carolina General Assembly. They need to better define constitutionally what an equal education is from a funding perspective. They need to simplify the current maze of allocations and make educational funding simple, equitable, and more flexible. Our county commissioners are doing a good job funding education given our local economy, and our dissatisfaction and demands to improve educational financing should be directed to our state legislators in Raleigh. The Leandro Court Case can help illustrate where our focus for change should be.

The Leandro Court Case
Five low wealth counties challenged that North Carolina children were not getting equal educations because low property tax base counties could not match the local property tax dollars raised for education by wealthier counties in the state. The US Supreme Court ruled that while education should be equal qualitatively and quantitatively, it did not define qualitative and quantitative. This case caused the North Carolina General Assembly to create the Disadvantaged Student Services Fund (DSSF). This fund’s goal is to level the playing field (test score results) between the property tax rich and property tax poor counties. Despite the good faith efforts of many, we still have a long way to go in DSSF funding. Consider that for two years only 16 school districts have shared about $22 million dollars annually in DSSF funds. Bertie was NOT one of these sixteen school districts. This is an average of about $1.4 million per school district for the original 16 schools. For the first time in three years (school year 06-07) all 115 school districts will receive some DSSF funding. Again, 16 school districts will split $22 million while the remaining will share $27 million for an average of $273 thousand per district for the remaining 99 districts. Does this sharing seem a little unbalanced to you? Consider some facts for DSSF funding for Bertie County.

Rank -115 school districts (based on Department Public Instruction DSSF data)
Bertie test scores 107/115 (bottom 7%)
Bertie students with single parent 106/115 (bottom 8%)
Bertie student poverty 107/115 (bottom 7%)
Bertie students with one parent with less than high school education 105/115 (bottom 9%)
Bertie wealth 112/115 (bottom 3%)
Bertie property valuations 89 out of 100 counties (bottom 11%)

16 districts receive DSSF funds with a per student average (ADM) of $248 for 06/07
Bertie will receive DSSF funds with a per student average (ADM) of $55 for 06/07

The $179 thousand dollars Bertie will receive for DSSF funds will not move us from the top 25% in per student spending to equal the highest spenders in North Carolina. Our kids and educators will be at a disadvantage to some of the richer counties. Our small county, low wealth and DSSF allocations from the state will not totally offset the disadvantage.

We still have work to do on equality in our DSSF formula and state education funding. Contact your legislators and insist that they pass a constitutional amendment that clearly defines educational funding so it is equal for all of North Carolina’s children. That is not the case today. Given the ball park they must play in, our county commissioners are doing a good job supporting education financing in Bertie County. Our local focus should be getting the most out of each dollar we have, and our state focus should be on equity in funding and increasing local flexibility in using state funds for all North Carolina students. All of us are very important in this cause. Write your representative. You can make a difference.

John H. Davis
113 S. Wheeler Drive
Merry Hill, NC 27957
252-482-1592

WITN "On The Road" In Windsor

Last night WITN TV host Heather King was the key speaker at an event in the Community Center announcing the planned coverage of Windsor and Bertie County for their "On The Road" segments.

Kristen and Crystal of WITN greeted everyone at the door.

Heather announced that Windsor and Bertie County will be featured August 30th, 2006 during the WITN News at Sunrise. Mark your calendar and make sure you catch the show.

Heather King of WTIN and Margaret Attkinson, Local Artist, Talking About The Show

The events of last night included showing local leaders examples of the kind of coverage they expect to do for our area, and to solicit recommendations of those aspects of Windsor that would make a good story. Windsor Mayor Bob Spivey was at the door greeting everyone and encouraging them to help make the show a great showcase of Windsor's many attractions.

Windsor Leaders Came Out To See What WITN Has Planned

In the meantime, everyone needs to be thinking about what we want to show off. WITN really is interested in what people are proud of. If you have any thoughts, they request that you email them at witn@witntv.com or call Heather King at the WITN Greenville studios, 355-5951.

Filmed Segments From Previous Shows Helped Explain The Shows Goals

Let's help them make this coverage something we can be proud of.

Heather King of WITN TV's News At Sunrise

Joe Carriere, WITN General Sales Manager, Suggested Local Businesses Could Find This Show A Great Time To Advertise