Mitch,

Here is my reaction to the governor’s high school reform efforts:

You have shown me the money. Now I will show you the data (which is money):

?As a group, Learn and Earn early college schools had lower average End-of-Course test scores than state averages

?Early College at Guilford, the highest performing school of the group, was the only school that had consistently higher average End-of-Course test scores than district and state averages

?Between 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, improvement on End-of-Course test scores was mixed within schools and between subjects

?Between 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, class size reductions did not consistently correlate to higher End-of-Course test scores (The student teacher ratio at Learn and Earn schools was 1 student for every 13 teachers)

?Teacher turnover was significantly higher in Learn and Earn schools (43%) than the state average (19%)

? Note: Since the state does not disaggregate data for the schools within a school, it is not possible to assess how students participating in these programs compare to those in traditional high school programs.

A better policy would have been to fund a few pilot programs to see if the New Schools Project model actually works. So far, the results aren’t pretty.