August 11 is a big day here in IPS – our first day of the 2010-11 school year. Recently, I’ve noticed that the first day of school isn’t greeted with the same enthusiasm by today’s families as it was back when those in my generation attended school.

When I was a child, the first day of school was magical. The night before, my mother set out the clothes I would wear. I would gather up my pencils and paper and set them by the front door. My mother and I would talk about the things I would learn and how I would apply them to my life. My mother would impress upon me the importance of getting to school on time every day, of asking teachers questions when I was confused, of participating in class discussions, and of studying hard at night.

Growing up poor in Alabama, where Jim Crow laws were alive and well, my mother instilled in me a truism: To break free of poverty and oppression, I needed to be educated.

This family ritual was as important to my mother and me as the first day of school itself.

Today, unfortunately, many of our families fail to feel the magic of the first day of school. And far too few recognize the transformative power of education. In the words of Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

IPS has a history of beginning the school year with as many as 4,000 students missing from the classroom. Rather than ensuring their children are on the bus stop in the morning, many parents allow their children to sleep in under the mistaken impression the first few days are “just for review” and that their children won’t miss out on learning. Some parents feel that school should start after Labor Day, so they allow their children to remain at home throughout August.

The reality is that parents who allow their children to miss the first days – or in some cases weeks -- of school are compromising their youngsters’ futures. With only 180 days in the school year, IPS teachers hit the ground running. Teachers have developed lesson plans based on state academic standards and follow pacing guides that make it difficult to stop and restart lessons with each new child who arrives. The result is students who lag their peers right off the bat. Instead of looking forward to the school year ahead, these students quickly grow frustrated. Some demonstrate that frustration through misbehavior, which keeps other children from being able to learn. Some students never extricate themselves from the cycle of frustration and misbehavior, and doom themselves to failure.

This year, IPS has set a new expectation for middle and high school students. Each of our secondary schools has set registration dates well in advance of the first day of school. These dates can be found on our website at www.ips.k12.in.us or by calling the school. Students must register for school on one of these dates. Students who show up on Aug. 11 without having registered in advance will be sent home and will be expected to return to the school on Sat., Aug. 14 to register. While this new procedure may seem contrary to our goal of having students in school on Day 1, it is intended to eliminate the confusion and frustration that occurs at schools when large numbers of students show up without a schedule in place.

IPS is grateful that a spotlight is being focused on the importance of attending school starting on Day 1. We appreciate the community’s support in helping spread the word that every day is an important day at school.

By clicking on the following link, you can hear me on the August 4 “Afternoons with Amos” radio program: http://tinyurl.com/24amdf8

Each February, I share the State of the District report with the community. This year’s format has changed slightly, as I am no longer grading worker productivity. The graded areas are: academic achievement, administrative supervision and student discipline and supervision.

Academic achievement has increased from a grade of C to a C+. While the district’s results of the ISTEP+ test are still not where we want them to be, there are academic bright spots:

•       Sidener Academy was the top performing school in the state with the highest percentage of students passing the Spring 2009 ISTEP+  across all tested grades.

•       The Diploma Plus programs at Tech and Arlington helped 22 seniors who would not have graduated while in a traditional classroom setting to earn high school diplomas.

•       IPS’ high school graduation rate increased from 47% to 49% in 2009. 

Administrative supervision has moved from a grade of C+ to a C. While elementary administrators do an excellent job of enforcing the dress code, administrators at all levels must continue to communicate their expectations to students, faculty and staff. Once the expectations are communicated, everyone must be held accountable.

Student discipline and supervision remains steady at a C+. The biggest reason for this performance is the lack of consistency and commitment to achieve the kind of learning environment that is truly conducive to academic success. The good news is, data illustrates reductions in the areas of in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and the number of students enrolled in our Alternative Options Programs.

We continue to make progress in IPS, although not at the urgent pace needed. We must take advantage of the recent push by the Indianapolis Star to provide volunteers in our schools, and the ongoing support of our many business partners. With the community’s support and the continuing hard work of our faculty, staff and students, we can move to closer to excellence.

The end of the calendar year is a natural time for reflection. As I look back over the first semester, I’m pleased by the progress the district has made and the many successes we can already claim, including:

§         The terrific launch of both the Shortridge Magnet High School for Law and Public Policy and the Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities.

§         The turnaround in our annual enrollment loss from more than 1,500 students to approximately 500 students.

§         The selection of the Center for Inquiry at School 2 as a No Child Left Behind National Blue Ribbon school by the U.S. Department of Education.

§         The inclusion of George Washington Community High School as one of only eight schools nationwide to be featured in the report "Raising Graduation and College Going Rates" issued by the Coalition for Community Schools and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

§         The addition of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program at the Center for Inquiry at School 84.

§         The selection of New Tech High @ Arsenal as one of just 19 national demonstration sites by the New Tech Network.

§         A unique partnership among IPS, the Indianapolis Colts, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Lucas Oil Stadium that has resulted in IPS students creating 3'x4' canvas panels that are on permanent display at Lucas Oil Stadium.

§         The completion of renovation at George W. Julian School 57 and Christian Park School 82. The renovations preserved the character of the schools while providing modern-day amenities to assist with improved student achievement.

§         The launch of “Descubra IPS,” a new television program created specifically to improve communication with our Hispanic families.

§         The recommendation by a national team of education experts that IPS receive five-year district accreditation. This is the first time the school system has sought this type of accreditation; in the past, only high schools sought this designation.

§         The award of  an "AA+" programmatic rating and an "AA" underlying credit rating from Standard & Poor's Rating Service and an "Aa3" rating from Moody Investors Service.

When we return from winter break, the district will focus on sharing information with the community about our Board Action Plan. I’ll discuss this process in more detail in my next post.

The first sign of good news came early in the month in the form of our confirmed enrollment numbers. This year's enrollment is 33,277, about 500 students less than last year. This is the first time since 2001 that we have lost fewer than 1,000 students from one school year to the next.

Not only did we lose far fewer students than in previous years, we also enrolled more than 100 students who live outside the IPS boundary. This is because of a new state law that allows families to send their children to schools outside of their district boundaries.

I believe our enrollment did not drop as much as in years past because IPS offers more educational choices than any other Indiana school system. Clearly, parents want the choices we offer. Both of our new programs -- the Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities and the Shortridge Magnet High School for Law and Public Policy -- have waiting lists. Our Montessori options continue to be popular, as do our Centers for Inquiry. But we also have neighborhood schools that are attracting interest and increasing enrollment.

Prior to Fall Break, the district was involved in an extensive three-day accreditation review by an AdvancED Quality Assurance Review team. AdvancED is a national group that uses research-based standards to help schools and districts to continuously improve. This is the first time IPS is seeking district-wide accreditation. In the past, only our high schools earned accreditation. Why did we decide to seek district accreditation? Because this process ensures IPS is using research-based strategies to improving learning from kindergarten through Grade 12.

Under the leadership of Dr. Douglass Ann Kinkade, Ruthanne Adams and Kathy Sharp, the district prepared documentation and artifacts for review, as well as arranged for the group to tour 16 schools. When all was said and done, the team had interviewed the School Board, 148 administrators, 281 teachers, 56 support staff, 153 parents and community members, and 177 students - nearly 1,000 stakeholders.

On Oct. 21, the School Board was presented with the results of the review. The team is recommending to the AdvancED Accreditation Commission that IPS be awarded a District Accreditation for a five-year term.

This is tremendous news that validates that the "new" IPS is making substantial progress.

I want to thank all of the staff, parents, students and community members who assisted us in meeting this first accreditation hurdle. IPS will be advised whether the recommendation was accepted or denied in January 2010.

As I travel throughout the district visiting schools, I see reasons to be greatly encouraged about the 2009-10 school year.

IPS' enrollment numbers are strong as we head toward ADM, particularly at the elementary level. This year, ADM falls on Sept. 18. As you know, IPS receives its state funding based on the number of students who attend school on or before the 18th. For those who wonder, ADM stands for Average Daily Membership.

I want to thank all of the staff members who are knocking on doors, calling on phones and finding creative ways to encourage those students who have not returned to school to come back as soon as possible. I appreciate the extra effort you are making to help our students see that they are hurting themselves by not getting their education.

I'm encouraged by the more than 100 students who live outside the IPS boundary who have chosen to attend IPS schools. Not all of these students have selected magnet programs. Many are the students of IPS teachers who want their youngsters to be educated where they themselves teach.

This year, Radio Disney and the Indianapolis Recorder are teaming with IPS to encourage students to attend school on Sept. 18. Any elementary or middle school (Grades 7-8 only) with 100% attendance on Sept. 18 will be eligible for a drawing to receive a free 90-minute visit from Radio Disney. If no schools hits the 100% mark, we'll scale back to the applicable percentage.

The drawing will be held the week of Sept. 21.

The station will air public service announcements beginning this week through Sept. 18 encouraging student attendance. The Recorder is running free advertising about the contest.

IPS appreciates our community partners who are helping us get the word out about this important date.

This year’s opening of schools was tremendous! Students across the district arrived to school excited and ready to take on new challenges. Our new Shortridge Magnet High School for Law and Public Policy and the Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities each enjoyed a smooth start. I appreciate the students, teachers, bus drivers, administrators and other staff who helped to make our opening memorable for its ease.

I’m especially pleased that our school year was able to get underway with a ratified teachers’ contract in place. According to the Indianapolis Education Association, which represents our teachers, 88 percent of the votes cast supported the contract. The Board of School Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of the contract during a special-called meeting on Aug. 11. Both sides are happy to be able to focus our complete attention on the classroom.

Parents, I encourage you to visit your child’s school as often as you can this year. Get to know your child’s teacher(s) and principal. Let’s work together from Day 1 to have a great 2009-10 school year!

As I continue to share with the General Assembly the devastating affects that will result from not adequately funding our school system, legislators keep asking me "Why does it cost so much to educate a child in IPS, when similar school districts can do the same thing for less?"

That's a difficult question to answer, for the simple reason that there is no other school district in Indiana exactly like IPS.

I've heard IPS compared with Fort Wayne Community Schools, because IPS and Fort Wayne are the state's two largest school districts in the state's two largest cities.

Here are some critical differences between these districts to keep in mind:

• The free lunch rate in IPS is 21% higher than in Fort Wayne.
• 10% of IPS children are not proficient in English, compared to 6% in Fort Wayne.
• IPS' intra-district mobility rate is three-and-a-half times that of Fort Wayne. In fact, IPS has the       highest intra-district mobility rate in the state - 13.5% - which means more than 4,000       IPS students move from one IPS school to another during the course of a single school year.
• At the end of the 2008-09 school year, nearly 1,600 IPS students were homeless - about 5% of the entire student population.  Fort Wayne had 211 homeless students.
• Finally, Fort Wayne is not located in a city where the mayor has the authority to establish       charter schools. In fact, IPS is the largest school district in the only city in the United States   where the mayor has this authority.

It does not cost the same amount to educate every child. The per-pupil amount each district receives represents the average cost of providing basic educational services to each child in the district. Some children cost less to educate, and some children cost more.

In a declining enrollment district such as IPS, the children who are leaving our schools are generally less costly to educate than the children who remain behind.

For example, one of the reasons that IPS' poverty rate has grown in recent years is because many of the more affluent families took advantage of the housing boom to build new houses in the suburbs.

One of the reasons that our percentage of special education and Limited English Proficiency children has increased is because most of the children who leave IPS are not in special education or LEP classes.

IPS asks the General Assembly to adequately fund the services that IPS is required by law to provide to the children who remain in the district.

For example, last year IPS paid $28 million out of the General Fund to pay for special education services because we did not receive enough categorical funds to cover costs. This mandatory expenditure had to come out of the per-pupil funding for the children who are NOT in special education, reducing each student's available per-pupil amount by around $1,100.

We have the same problem with Limited English Proficiency services. Last year, IPS was underfunded by about $6 million, which reduced the available per pupil funding for non-LEP students by $200.

In recent months, we've all heard about institutions that everyone believed were too big to fail. And we all saw the chaos and devastation that resulted when they did fail.

I don't believe anyone wants IPS to fail, but without adequate resources to serve our children, this is exactly what will happen.

Please contact your state legislator today and tell him or her that you support IPS and want a budget that adequately funds our school system.