When should Ga. schools allow student transfers?
As many of you predicted, it won’t be so easy to take advantage of a new state law that allows families to transfer their child to any public school within the district.
The Georgia Department of Education wrote the rules for HB 251 and school districts will post on July 1 which campuses have room for extra students.
Charter schools don’t have to accept transfer students. Schools that only have room in trailers or those that have been open for less than four years won’t have to participate either.
Before schools can accept students under the new state law, officials must allow transfer students under the federal No Child Left Behind Act guidelines.
Priority also goes to students who have siblings at the school and special education students who would benefit from programs offered exclusively at the school.
Once that’s done, schools may have few spots (or none) for parents who hoped the new law would give their kids a shot at a better school.
The law’s sponsor, Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, said the rules are not parent friendly and fail to provide the flexibility she hoped for.
State education officials said the rules follow the spirit of the law, while allowing for concerns about overcrowding.
What do you think of these transfer rules? How can schools balance parent choice without overcrowding the best schools?
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68 comments Add your comment
Seen it
June 25th, 2009
8:33 am
Choice students do not get the same letter as those who get an Administrative Transfer or special permission to attend a school. Choice students get a letter that tells them they have been allowed to attend a school under the NCLB law. Administrative transfers get a letter with the stipulation of good behavior and attendance being required. Schools do enforce them but can’t do anything with an NCLB kids, except get them sent to alternative school for the worst behaviors and we have had that happen.
Seen it
June 25th, 2009
8:43 am
Yes, like Seen it All (I may have to change my name), I have taught in a very low performing school in DCSS. I made a difference in my class and listened to the other teachers make excuses. I closed my door and handled business. My kids knew if it was important for me to teach it, they were going to learn it by God. I was recognized as being a “No Excuses” teacher. There were a few of us on staff and I could not understand why the other teachers had excuses all of the time and bad data. These were veterans and mothers and fathers. I just did not get it. Good teachers trump everything, including sad home situations and no involvement. I made a committment to be mom and daddy during school hours.
ScienceTeacher671
June 25th, 2009
8:50 am
jim d, according to the link you provided, it looks as if there might be some significant differences in Michigan’s program – for example, school districts choose whether or not to participate, rather than being mandated to participate by state law, and it appears that students can transfer not just from one zone within a district to another, but between districts.
Show us the data
June 25th, 2009
6:42 pm
“Good teachers trump everything, including sad home situations and no involvement. I made a committment to be mom and daddy during school hours.”
If good teachers trump everything, then please show us one public school, just one, where the free and reduced lunch rate is 90% or above, that consistently, on a variety of academic measures, outscores a public school where the free and reduced lunch rate is 10% or below.
Why is it that the people who claim that it’s all the teacher’s fault, because the teacher trumps everything, can’t provide an answer to such a simple question that would support their point?
Real Deal
June 25th, 2009
7:02 pm
It is high time that some of these tight knit schools in affluent areas become more integrated. This new law is an attempt to do just that. This can be viewed as a direct threat to the test scores and home values to those with children in the better school districts. A battle is on the way because people are going to protect what they value and, of course, are resistant to change. There is too much room in the law for the schools to not allow any provisions and still be within their right. Unfortunately, since there are so many ways around this new law already, it may as well not exist, especially when it comes to Cobb County School District. Students will not be transferring to the best schools in this district unless the law is tweaked or thoroughly overseen. Schools run the real estate market, there is money in the market and money is power. Great idea, Good Luck.
The End of NCLB! « The Life That Chose Me
June 25th, 2009
8:15 pm
[...] too. Even when the state legislature tried to make room for some choice within a district, the rules imposed by the DOE pretty much make it impossible to happen, for good or ill. Basically, the Georgia DOE has proven itself to be more and more of an [...]
To Real Deal
June 26th, 2009
10:03 am
Have you seen the list of “open for transfer” schools for Cobb? It’s amusing, particularly at the HS & MS level – not an East Cobb school in the bunch!
ScienceTeacher671
June 26th, 2009
10:36 am
Who cares about Cobb County? The law was laughable from the start. For most of the state, there’s not another high school in the district anyway (or at least not within a reasonable commute).
Reality2
June 26th, 2009
10:47 am
Data,
Perhaps there is no such school you are looking for as an evidence BECAUSE those schools aren’t filled with good teachers. Too many of those schools with high-poverty level also have a very high turn-over ratio and very high number of teachers will little experiences.
To ST671
June 26th, 2009
1:16 pm
“Who cares about Cobb County?” Duh, people who live in Cobb County.
Show me the data
June 26th, 2009
1:50 pm
Reality 2,
First we are supposed to believe, as posters want to imply, that we should blame teachers we students fall short, because good teacher trump every other societal factor, even though nobody can point out a single public school where 90% and above of the students get free and reduced lunch that consistently outscores a school were 10% and below get free and reduced lunch.
Now we are supposed to believe, even though we can’t find a single public school to support it, that the theory is still correct, and the real problem is that we can’t find a single public school, with a 90% and above free and reduced lunch count, that has a good teaching staff?
I guess so, if our focus and purpose is to blame the teacher and absolve society of everything.
Show me the data
June 26th, 2009
1:56 pm
Grammar police alert: Below is the 1:50pm post, as it should have been presented. It’s not my fault for not properly proofreading, I just had bad teachers, according to the theorists on this board. LOL
Reality 2,
First we are supposed to believe, as posters want to imply, that we should blame teachers when students fall short, because good teachers trump every other societal factor, even though nobody can point out a single public school where 90% and above of the students get free and reduced lunch that consistently outscores a school where 10% and below get free and reduced lunch.
Now we are supposed to believe, even though we can’t find a single public school to support it, that the theory is still correct, and the real problem is that we can’t find a single public school with a 90% and above free and reduced lunch count, that has a good teaching staff?
I guess so, if our focus and purpose is to blame the teacher and absolve society of everything.
katherine
June 26th, 2009
4:54 pm
The School Choice information is already up on the Henry County Schools website – letter to parents, application, and schools. Deadline is posted, as well.
What new education laws go into effect today? | Get Schooled
July 1st, 2009
8:37 am
[...] their home district provided the campuses have room. The bill’s sponsor and others have complained about the rules the state education department developed concerning this new [...]
What new education laws go into effect today? « iThinkEducation.net!
July 1st, 2009
6:47 pm
[...] within their home district provided the campus has room. The bill’s sponsor and others have complained about the rules the state education department developed concerning this new [...]
A Johnson
July 7th, 2009
10:07 pm
I think its a shame that children would be forced to attend a school just because the school is in the attendance area just because, some children have the thirst for knowledge and can acheive higher ground if given the opportunity to attend the school that would best address their educational goals.If the parents are responsible for travel & volunteer @ the school, tranfers should be allowed based on good behavior & good GPA’s.
Amazed
July 9th, 2009
8:58 pm
Once again, funny how parents will complain about Georgia public schools and keep sending their children to them. They will spend money on expensive homes, cars, vacations etc. but then will say “we can’t afford to send our children to private schools. Anything is better then Georgia public school being one of the lowest ranked for academics. Georgia public school standards are the same for ALL Georgia schools. Sending your child to a different one isn’t going to change the curriculum.
Crystal
March 16th, 2010
9:44 pm
Well my son was jumped by gang members right before Christmas at Marietta High.Those boys were expelled and my son was suspended for fighting.He continued to be threatened by their friends he was so scared he called me to come and get him out of class.They let him take his finals during teacher in service.I’ve been home schooling him because even though we live in Kennesaw we can’t put him in a Cobb County School.We may have to walk away from our house to get him into another school.