Supplemental SES: Monday Conference

The good folks at the Center on Education Policy are having a well-timed confererence on SES Monday (you should go) and have posted some of the papers that are going to be part of the discussion about what's next for SES.

What jumps out at me from Caitlin Scott's overview presentation (here) is that NCLB tutoring has perhaps unfortunately ended up being a much bigger deal, dollar- and program-wise, than the weak and easily-dodged NCLB choice requirement; that there are lots of very reasonable questions about the effectiveness of the tutoring that's being provided; and that school districts very much hate the fact that they are not in charge of approving and monitoring providers and increasingly can't be providers anymore. (Case in point, see Beth Swanson's views in re Chicago schools.)

From what I have seen, better monitoring and evaluation makes sense, and targeting eligibility better might work as well, but putting LEAs back in charge seems like a step backwards, and letting SES turn into just another after school program like 21st Century Schools would seem a shame. Extra time for the kids who need it most, in truly small groups -- that's what I envision: Giving them tutoring they deserve (Chicago Journal)