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Educational Research; Facts and Research
Topic Started: Oct 30 2005, 05:54 PM (5,776 Views)
f11
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LPS, transportation for all
Please post any relevent facts here!
Only factual information that can be supported(give a link, or sight source)


Please, if you find your post is innacurate, edit it with the correct data.
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claddagh1227
Kindergarten
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Here are some that was given to us at the meeting today.

(1) if this passes they will have to hire 18 new bus drivers and all of them need buses, so 18 more buses

(2) they can hold 77 kids per bus with 3 to a seat. (Does't that sound like too much?)

(3) they are currently driving 50-65 students per bus.

(4) the city has NO plans on putting an extra person on the bus to help maintain safety while out kids are on there for 45 mins to an hour.

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f11
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LPS, transportation for all
There will be NO MORE safety patrol.
This is from the demographics web site:

"Will there be a school safety patrol and a service squad in the new K-4 schools?"

"We will continue to provide similar leadership opportunities for students to participate in the safety and service squad, EXCEPT for the outdoor safety patrol position."
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Administrator
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Good Idea,just the facts mam!!
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f11
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LPS, transportation for all
$7.5 million for transportation proposed for 2005-2006 school year.
(LPS website, meeting minutes, june 20 2005. Also has the entire budget, I encourage everyone to read it)


04/05 05/06
REVENUE / AMENDED / PROPOSED

Local $ 42,194,253 $ 43,629,740
State 110,575,812 112,421,376
Federal 220,000 220,000
Incoming Transfers and Other Transactions 2,693,293 2,063,293

Total Revenue $155,683,358 / $158,334,409

The money they want to save with this new proposal is only about 1% of the districts
total revenue for one year.
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f11
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LPS, transportation for all
How Much Is a Neighborhood School Worth?

This paper presents evidence of the effect on house values of a school redistricting in Shaker Heights, Ohio in 1987. As a result of redistricting, neighborhood schools are disrupted, bus transportation is introduced, and school racial composition changes. The data include all arms-length sales of houses in Shaker Heights between 1983 and 1994.

They found that disruption of neighborhood schools REDUCES HOUSE VALUES BY 9.9%, at the mean house value.

Journal of Urban Economics 47, 280-305 (2000)
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c3hull
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Principal



The fact is when you cross Joy Rd. you are in Westland. Even though Johnson and Cooper are only a few blocks into Westland, our children are not in Livonia. If a car accident or any other situation involving the law were to happen, the Westland Police Dept. will be called, not the Livonia Police Dept. Jurisdiction for the matter would also be in the Westland Judicial System, not Livonia's. One would not be able to argue,"We are Livonia residents and we were only one block out of Livonia!"
Westland has alot more registered sexual offenders than Livonia does and that is a VERY serious concern for us parents. You can find these facts by going to "mipsor.com" and enter the zip code you want results for. Here are the FACTS:
The 3 Livonia zip codes are 48150,48152, and48154. The 2 Westland zip codes are 48185 and 48186. The results in order are 16, 17, and 23 totalling 56 for Livonia. The results for Westland are 63 and 80, totalling 143. That is close to three times more off these predators residing in Westland compared to Livonia. Is anyone still wondering why us Livonia parents are so concerned about the Demographics Committee's Proposal??? Click on the link below to see!
http://www.mipsor.state.mi.us/
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lpsproposalsrbad
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The Citizens for Livonia's future has an updated website and a blog going. PLease visit the webpage at Citizens for Livonia's Future Webpage. The blog is available at http://www.lpsproposalsarebad.blogspot.com/ . I would be interested compiling a list of REAL facts for the Nov 1 meeting and beyond.

BTW, the Demographics committee webpage states that 3,700 additional, that's additional students will be eligible for bus transportation. Whoa! The post above states the school district will need 18 more busses - well do the math again.
According to Thomas Bus, a massive bus manufacturing company, 80 passengers (including the driver, 81) can ride on a bus. Hmm, 3,700 additional students divided by 81 passengers per bus... that's 46 busses! What are they thinking!?? Granted, there will be some fluctuation day to day, but WOW!

This proposal is bad news!

Tom
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scooter
4th Grade
lpsproposalsrbad
Oct 31 2005, 02:14 AM
The Citizens for Livonia's future has an updated website and a blog going. PLease visit the webpage at Citizens for Livonia's Future Webpage. The blog is available at http://www.lpsproposalsarebad.blogspot.com/ . I would be interested compiling a list of REAL facts for the Nov 1 meeting and beyond.

BTW, the Demographics committee webpage states that 3,700 additional, that's additional students will be eligible for bus transportation. Whoa! The post above states the school district will need 18 more busses - well do the math again.
According to Thomas Bus, a massive bus manufacturing company, 80 passengers (including the driver, 81) can ride on a bus. Hmm, 3,700 additional students divided by 81 passengers per bus... that's 46 busses! What are they thinking!?? Granted, there will be some fluctuation day to day, but WOW!

This proposal is bad news!

Tom

Good information! Can you find out anymore numbers such as the cost to purchase 1 bus, estimated annual maintance, etc?
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f11
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LPS, transportation for all
I posted this information in another topic, but I also felt it deserved to be here.

Michigan law states that it is the responsibility of the LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD
to handle "intra-district" reorganizations.

So, by law, they were well within their rights to do this whole deal.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/school_d...on_122545_7.pdf

There is the link for anyone who wants information on reorganiztions/redistricting...etc

WAIT!!!! does that mean it should be JUST the board??? Is there a lawyer in the house???
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Elisa
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Principal
I attended the informational meeting last night at Frost and felt that the information presented as research on grade configuration was very vague and limited. I did a simple search and this is what I found:

"As grade span configuration increases, so does achievement. The more grade levels that a school services, the better the students perform. The more transitions a student makes, the worse a student performs...The longer a student stays in a given school, the better a student performs." This is cited from The Journal of At-Risk Issues Winter 2004. Author: Stephanie Wren, Title: The Effect Of Grade Span Configuration and School to School Transition On Student Achievement. The link to look at the entire article, including other research in this area: www.middleweb.com/mw/resources/HMgradeconfig.pdf

You can also take a look at: phkhome.northstarnet.org/ikepto/GradeCenterReport.htm This gives tons of research.

Also: www.ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/poptopics/gradeconfig.html this one cites a comilation of research including a study that found a significant achievement loss during each transition year. Some will regain that loss, other will not but "it would seem that students who make fewer transitions need fewer years to make up for achievement losses caused by transitions.

I t went on to say that "sixth grade boys experienced more suspensions in middle schools or junior high schools than in elementary schools, possibly related to the effects of the transition, the school organization and the school size."

I could go on and on. I have read tons of research. Basically most researchers agree that there is no one configuration that better or that will guarantee success. BUT what the research overwhelmingly points to is the negative impact of multiple school transitions on student learning. That alone is a very real and valid concern. It seems to be that the k-8 model is the hot topic of educators. There were many instances of districts all over the country trying to implement that model. Any way I would be interested to hear if anyone else thought the "research" was lacking last night.
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f11
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LPS, transportation for all
It is stated right in the demographics committee handout
that "The research CAUTIONED about added transitions for students from level to level."

Look, this "new" configuration is about dollars$$. It allows for the LARGEST number
of buildings to close.

Thanks for the information, good post.
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c3hull
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Principal
Elisa, great findings! What your post states makes complete sense. I can't wait to begin reading from the links you provided.

I called the Michigan Board of Education today and found out that there are 4,028 schools in our state. The person I spoke with said most of the 33 buildings statewide are located in rural areas.

I just can't believe choosing a configuration used by around 1% of schools, with very little data, commonly used in rural areas is the BEST choice for LPS! Now you have found a wealth of information explaining how increased transitions have negative consequences and results for our students.

Are we supposed to believe you single handedly were able to locate these FACTS, but a 40 member committee that had over one year did not! Furthermore, around half of the committee holds college degrees specializing in Education.

I am thoroughly disgusted at the poor job this committee did. If the current proposal passes as it stands now, it will be known as the biggest nightmare Livonia has ever experienced!
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c3hull
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Principal
Elisa
Nov 2 2005, 06:49 PM
I attended the informational meeting last night at Frost and felt that the information presented as research on grade configuration was very vague and limited. I did a simple search and this is what I found:

"As grade span configuration increases, so does achievement. The more grade levels that a school services, the better the students perform. The more transitions a student makes, the worse a student performs...The longer a student stays in a given school, the better a student performs." This is cited from The Journal of At-Risk Issues Winter 2004. Author: Stephanie Wren, Title: The Effect Of Grade Span Configuration and School to School Transition On Student Achievement. The link to look at the entire article, including other research in this area: www.middleweb.com/mw/resources/HMgradeconfig.pdf

You can also take a look at: phkhome.northstarnet.org/ikepto/GradeCenterReport.htm This gives tons of research.

Also: www.ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/poptopics/gradeconfig.html this one cites a comilation of research including a study that found a significant achievement loss during each transition year. Some will regain that loss, other will not but "it would seem that students who make fewer transitions need fewer years to make up for achievement losses caused by transitions.

I t went on to say that "sixth grade boys experienced more suspensions in middle schools or junior high schools than in elementary schools, possibly related to the effects of the transition, the school organization and the school size."

I could go on and on. I have read tons of research. Basically most researchers agree that there is no one configuration that better or that will guarantee success. BUT what the research overwhelmingly points to is the negative impact of multiple school transitions on student learning. That alone is a very real and valid concern. It seems to be that the k-8 model is the hot topic of educators. There were many instances of districts all over the country trying to implement that model. Any way I would be interested to hear if anyone else thought the "research" was lacking last night.

Elisa, great findings! What your post states makes complete sense. I can't wait to begin reading from the links you provided.

I called the Michigan Board of Education today and found out that there are 4,028 schools in our state. The person I spoke with said most of the 33 buildings statewide are located in rural areas.

I just can't believe choosing a configuration used by around 1% of schools, with very little data, commonly used in rural areas is the BEST choice for LPS! Now you have found a wealth of information explaining how increased transitions have negative consequences and results for our students.

Are we supposed to believe you single handedly were able to locate these FACTS, but a 40 member committee that had over one year did not! Furthermore, around half of the committee holds college degrees specializing in Education.

I am thoroughly disgusted at the poor job this committee did. If the current proposal passes as it stands now, it will be known as the biggest nightmare Livonia has ever experienced!
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Michelle
Kindergarten
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How has every one bought into this idea that change is ALWAYS a good thing. Can we stop and think through out history all of the examples of change being a disaster? You do not change simply for the sake of change! You change because it has been a well thought out, researched idea. The idea is then presented and people have the freedom of choice to chose what works best for them. We should never encourage anyone to blindly accept a change based on the false premise that "change is a good thing" It is wonderful to be a pioneer but you will look like a very foolish pioneer if you chose to follow a path with "change is good" as your only foundation.
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