The Funding of Public Education in Chicago

Professor Robert J. Lemke
Department of Economics and Business
Lake Forest College
Fall 2006

Syllabus

Assignments

• For 8/14: Listen to the Chicago Matters episodes on education in Chicago that are archived by Chicago Public Radio. (See the summer assignment below for more details.) Type a one-page response to the following claim: Chicago Public Schools should equalize per pupil spending across each of its almost 600 schools.

• For 8/20: Read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott; Smashed be Koren Zailckas.

• For 8/22: Plot a route to take us from Lake Forest to the Newberry Library to Ogilvie Transportation Center back to Lake Forest. Important websites are: METRA and CTA.

• For 8/24: Read Brown v. Board of Education; Chapter 6: Productivity and Human Capital: Why is Bill Gates so much richer than you are? in Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Charles Wheelan (available on Moodle); and The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.

• For 8/29: Read Some Thoughts Concerning Education (Sections 31 - 99 & 212 - 215) and Of the Conduct of the Understanding by John Locke. Outline both readings with a sentence or two for each section.

• For 8/31: College Choice Paper is due. Research the state constitution you were assigned in class to see what it says about education. E-mail the text you find to Ashley Hall. (Thanks Ashley!).

• For 9/5: Turn in a weekly schedule of your life. Include at least 2 hours of study for every 1 hour of class. Include time for your hobbies and social life. Include your work hours if you are working a part-time job on or off campus. Reminder: We meet in Room 203 of the library on 9/5.

• For 9/7: High School Experience Paper is due. Read No Child Left Behind Primer by Frederick Hess and Michael Petrilli. Be prepared to discuss your views on NCLB. In particular, do you agree with holding schools accountable for yearly test scores, sanctioning under-performing schools, the federal government mandating teacher quality and tools for improvement (e.g., tutoring), allowing states to set standards of academic achievement, etc.? Also have at least two responses for each of the following questions:
  1. What parts of NCLB didn't you know before you read the book?
  2. What parts of NCLB do you agree with?
  3. What parts of NCLB do you find objectionable on moral/philosophical/educational grounds?
  4. What parts of NCLB do you think are good ideas but have been legislated poorly, and how would you change these parts of the law?

• For 9/5: Turn in a weekly schedule of your life. Include at least 2 hours of study for every 1 hour of class. Include time for your hobbies and social life. Include your work hours if you are working a part-time job on or off campus. Reminder: We meet in Room 203 of the library on 9/5.

• For 9/12: Explore the data and codebook for the 2001-2002 reported to the public by the Illinois State Board of Education. These data are essentially those used for producing school and district report cards as required by NCLB. For your convenience, I have taken the data and created 11 different data sets. The data sets differ depending on the unit of analysis (school vs. district) and the population of observations (Illinois, Chicago, not Chicago, etc.) The data sets are all listed below (in the 2001-02 ISBE Data section), along with instructions for downloading them as Excel files. I have also included an on-line codebook for the variables, though not all of the variables are included in all of the data sets. After playing around with the data a little bit and reading the codebook, work through the following problems, and bring your answers to class. (Taylor, could you please bring all three data sets used in the problems to class on your laptop: districts.xls, chicago_elemschls.xls, and chicago_highschls.xls. Thanks!)

• For 9/14: Letter of Recommendation Paper is due. Read The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools by Alfie Kohn.

• For 9/19: Class meets in Room 211 of the Library. Before class, go to the library (preferably to Room 211) and make sure you can log on. Then save all eleven of the Illinois Excel data sets listed below on your U drive. Read through both codebooks (one on schools and one on districts) that were distributed in class. Also play around with what you find on the website for the Common Core of Data website.

• For 9/21: Class meets in Room 211 of the Library. Letter to the Stentor is due.

• For 9/26: Read What You Should Know about the War Against America's Public Schools by Gerald Bracey.

• For 9/28: Review your notes on Locke. Read "The Role of Government in Education," Chapter 6 of Capitalism and Freedom, by Milton Friedman. Available on Moodle.

• For 10/3: Read Common Sense School Reform by Frederick Hess.

• For 10/5: We will meet in Room 211 of the library to work on the CCD Problem Set. Your graphs are due on Tuesday October 10. If you can do the problem set without help, you can skip class on Thursday October 5.

• For 10/10: The first summary paper, Philosophy of Education, is due. The CCD Problem Set graphs are due.

• For 10/12: The midterm. The midterm will be in class on October 12. It will cover all readings through Hess, the NPR radio shows, and all data work we have done so far. There will be some choice on the exam. The exam will mostly be writing, though there will be some fact checking and definitions just to make sure everyone knows their facts and definitions.

• For 10/17: No Class - Fall Break.

• For 10/19: No Class - Time swap for Chicago trips. However, everyone must come to office hours sometime during the week to pick up one's Philosophy of Education Paper and Midterm, to select a book for the upcoming book review, and to discuss how the semester is going so far in this class, in other classes, and overall at Lake Forest College.

• For 10/24: Maureen Hager, Superintendent of District 112 (Highland Park Elementary and Middle Schools), will speak to the class.

• For 10/26: Be ready to brainstorm ideas concerning your Education Policy Report. Bring the grading rubric for the Education Policy Report to class.

• For 10/29: Sunday trip to Shedd Aquarium. Meet at the Lake Forest train station at 9:15AM to catch the 9:24AM train. Everyone should have a plan for how to get to the Shedd Aquarium.

• For 10/31: Read Getting Choice Right: Ensuring Equity and Efficiency in Education Policy by Julian Betts and Thomas Loveless.

• For 11/2: Turn in book review by 5:00pm in the box on my office door. Class at 8:00am is cancelled. Everyone is required to attend the panel on education policy at 7:30pm in Meyer auditorium. The panelists include Susan Garrett (State Senator and Lake Forest College alum), Bindu Batchu (A+ Illinois Coalition for School Reform), and Ralph Martire (Center for Tax and Budget Analysis).

• For 11/7: Details to come.

• For 11/9: Michelle Reininger, Assistant Professor of Education at Northwestern University, will speak to the class. Assignment: Answer the following essay question: "What do you think makes for a good K-12 teacher?" Your answer can be a few sentences or just a list of attributes, characteristics, or behaviors. Class will meet in 505 Young Hall.

• For 11/14: Each student must give a two minute description of their Education Policy Report Topic.

• For 11/16: Class meets in 211 of the library. Students will have an opportunity to work with their data for their Education Policy Report.

• For 11/21: A reading assignment will be handed out in class on November 7th that we will discuss on the 21st. (The authors are remaining anonymous until the 21st.) Students will be assigned dates for their PowerPoint presentations on the 21st.

• For 11/23: No Class - Thanksgiving Break.

• For 11/28: Education Policy Reports are due (regardless of which day a student presents). Students will give a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation of their Education Policy Report. Class will meet in 505 Young Hall. Here is a description of the project as well as a grading rubric.

• For 11/30: Students will give a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation of their Education Policy Report. Class will meet in 505 Young Hall.

• For 12/5: Students will give a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation of their Education Policy Report. Class will meet in 505 Young Hall.

• For 12/13: Final Exam: 8:30 - 11:30 in 313 Young Hall.

2003-04 Common Core Data

Each year, National Center for Education Statistics compiles data on all schools and school districts, called the Common Core of Data. Here is an Excel file of an edited version for 2003-04 district data that has 155 variables and 13,857 observations. Here is the corresponding codebook.

2001-02 ISBE Data

Each year, the Illinois State Board of Education provides some of the data it uses to produce school and district report cards. The most comprehensive set of data it has released so far has been for the 2001-02 school year. I have taken this data and made 11 different data sets with it. Each of these 11 data sets is an Excel file with variable names listed in the top row. In order to know the meaning of each variable, one must read the on-line codebook. Each of the data sets is briefly described and linked below. In a few cases, schools or entire districts have been dropped due to missing data. To download any of the Excel files, right click on the link, and "Save Target As". You might also be able to left clik on the link and "Save As" from a pop-up menu.

1. districts.xls: One observation for each district in Illinois. (37 variables; 888 observations; 362kb)

2. elemdists.xls: One observation for each elementary district in Illinois. (37 variables; 382 observations; 151kb)

3. highschldists.xls: One observation for each high school district in Illinois. (37 variables; 100 observations; 50kb)

4. unitdists.xls: One observation for each unit district in Illinois. (37 variables; 406 observations; 174kb)

5. schools.xls: One observation for each school in Illinois. (51 variables; 3777 observations; 1924kb)

6. elemschls.xls: One observation for each elementary school in Illinois. (47 variables; 2550 observations; 1166kb)

7. chicago_elemschls.xls: One observation for each elementary school in Chicago. (16 variables; 479 observations; 108kb)

8. nonchicago_elemschls.xls: One observation for each elementary school in Illinois not in Chicago. (47 variables; 2071 observations; 941kb)

9. highschls.xls: One observation for each high school in Illinois. (51 variables; 629 observations; 326kb)

10. chicago_highschls.xls: One observation for each high school in Chicago. (18 variables; 68 observations; 27kb)

11. nonchicago_highschls.xls: One observation for each high school in Illinois not in Chicago. (51 variables; 561 observations; 302kb)

Resources

• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, 1869.

• Little Men, Louisa May Alcott, 1871.

• Getting Choice Right: Ensuring Equity and Efficiency in Education Policy, Julian Betts and Tom Loveless (editors), ISBN: 0-8157-5331-4, Brookings Institution Press, 2005.

• What You Should Know About the War Against Public Schools, Gerald Bracey, ISBN: 0-2053-5188-3, Allyn & Bacon Publishers, 2003.

• Brown v. Board of Education, 1954.

• "The Impact of School Choice on Student Outcomes: An Analysis of the Chicago Public Schools," Journal of Public Economic, Julie Cullen, Brian Jacob, and Steven Levitt, 2004.

• Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville, 1835.

• Democracy and Education, John Dewey, ISBN: 0-6488-3631-9, Free Press, 1944 (1916).

• Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Friedman, Chapter 6, "The Role of Government in Education", ISBN: 0-2262-6421-1, The University of Chicago Press, 2002 (1962), available on Moodle.

• "The Black-White Test Score Gap Through the Third Grade," Roland Fryer, Jr. and Steven Levitt, National Bureau of Economic Research, working paper 11049, January 2005.

• A Pocket Style Manual, Fourth Edition, Diana Hacker, ISBN: 0-3122-0488-4, Bedford - St. Martins, 2000.

• "The Economics of Schooling: Production and Efficiency in Public Schools," Journal of Economic Literature, Eric Hanushek, 24(3), pp. 1141 - 1177, 1986, available on Moodle.

• Common Sense School Reform, Fredrick Hess, ISBN: 1-4039-7310-5, Palgrave Macmillian Ltd., 2004.

• No Child Left Behind Primer, Frederick Hess and Michael Petrilli, ISBN: 0-8204-7844-X, Peter Lang Publishing, 2006.

• Sample 2003 ISAT questions in mathematics, Illionois State Board of Education, 2005.

• The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools, Alfie Kohn, ISBN: 0-3250-0325-4, Heinemann Publishers, 2000.

• The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America, Jonathon Kozol, ISBN: 1-4000-5244-0, Crown Publishers, 2005.

• "Catching Cheating Teachers: The Results of an Unusual Experiment in Implementing Theory," Brookings-Wharton Papers on Urban Affairs, Steven Levitt and Brian Jacob, pp. 185 - 209, 2003.

• "Rotten Apples: An Investigation of the Prevalence and Predictors of Teacher Cheating," Quarterly Journal of Economics, Steven Levitt and Brian Jacob, 118(3), pp. 843 - 877, 2003.

• Some Thoughts on Education, John Locke, ISBN: 0-1404-3207-8, Hackett Publishers, 1996 (1693).

• Of the Conduct of the Understanding, John Locke, ISBN: 0-1404-3207-8, Hackett Publishers, 1996 (1706).

• A Nation at Risk, National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983.

• Public Law 107-110: No Child Left Behind, January 2002.

• Equality and Efficiency: The Big Tradeoff, Arthur Okun, Chapter 3, "Equality of Income and Opportunity", ISBN: 0-8157-6475-8, The Brookings Institution Press, 1975, available on Moodle.

• The Rights of Man, Parts I and II, Thomas Paine, 1791.

• Kill the Messenger: The War on Standardized Testing, Richard Phelps, ISBN: 1-4128-0512-0, Transaction Publishers, 2005.

• Republic, Plato, circa 385 B.C.E.

• Financing Education: The Struggle Between Governmental Monopoly and Parental Control, Quentin Quade, ISBN: 1-5600-0255-7, Transaction Publishers, 1996.

• Left Back: A Century of Battles Over School Reform, Diane Ravitch, ISBN: 0-7432-0326-7, Simon & Schuster, 2001.

• Brookings Papers on Education Policy: 2005, Diane Ravitch (editor), ISBN: 0-8157-7407-9, Brookings Institution Press, 2005.

• The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, ISBN: 0-2053-0902-X, Allyn & Bacon, 2000.

• On Liberty, John Stuart Mill, 1869.

• School District Expenditures for Elementary and Secondary Education: 1997-98, US Department of Education, ERN3669P. This is a free document that is also on-line as a PDF file at www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp by entering the ED ID number ERN3669P.

• School District Revenues for Elementary and Secondary Education: 1997-98, US Department of Education, ERN3607P. This is a free document that is also on-line as a PDF file at www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp by entering the ED ID number ERN3607P.

• The Common Core of Data, US Department of Education, ERN3647C. This is a CD-ROM of data, and will be distributed in class.

• A Room of One's Own, Virginia Wolff, ISBN: 0-1567-8733-4, Harcourt Publishers, 1989 (1929).

• Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, Charles Wheelan, Chapter 6, "Productivity and Human Capital: Why is Bill Gates so much richer than you are?", ISBN: 0-3930-4982-5, W.W. Norton & Company, 2002, available on Moodle.

• Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood, Koren Zailckas, ISBN: 0-1430-3647-5, Penguin Publishing Group, 2006.

Summer Assignments

1. Before our first class meeting (12:30 - 1:20, 510 Young Hall, Sunday, August 20), read Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood, Little Men, and, if you have never read it, Little Women.

2. Chicago Public Radio aired a 23-part series on education in Chicago. The website is: http://www.wbez.org/programs/specials/chicagomatters/cm06_education/cm06_audio.asp. Please listen to the episodes that aired on April 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 27, 28 and on May 3, 4, 15, 18.

3. Type a one-page (max) response to the following claim: Chicago Public Schools should equalize per pupil spending across each of its almost 600 schools. Please email this to me by August 14. It will not be graded, but I would like to have a sample of your writing (and thinking) before the semester officially begins.

Exams

The midterm will take place during class on October 12. If you miss the midterm due to sickness, you must contact me immediately to reschedule the exam. If you will be away from campus on the 12th for a College-sanctioned event, you should see me at least by October 5th to schedule a time to take the exam. The final will be from 8:30 to 11:30 on Wednesday, December 13.

Personal Papers

You will write 4 one-page papers on your own educational experience. Use one-inch margins, double spacing, and 11 point Times Roman font for the first two papers. Style details are left to you on the last two papers.

1. College Choice: Write a one-page description of why you chose Lake Forest College. In saying why you chose Lake Forest College, you should mention the other colleges you were considering, what characteristics of colleges were important to you, and how you ended up choosing Lake Forest College over the others. Due: August 31.

2. High School Experience: Write a one-page description of some way in which your high school education could have been improved. Be specific and include funding and enforcement provisions if applicable. That is, what resources would have been needed to make the improvement, and who (e.g., a government -- federal, state, or local; a person -- an administrator, teacher, parent, or student; etc.) should have implemented this policy and been responsible to make sure it was improving your education. Due: September 7.

3. Letter of Recommendation: Think ahead three years. You are a senior at Lake Forest College who is applying to graduate school. Acting as a professor at Lake Forest College, write a letter of recommendation on your behalf for admittance to graduate school. Due: September 14.

4. Letter to the Editor: Write a one-page letter to the editor of the Stentor on any academic issue facing Lake Forest College that is important to you. (We will not be submitting them to the Stentor, unless you choose to do so on your own.) Due: September 21.

Summary Papers

Each summary paper should be three to five pages with one-inch margins, double spaced, and 12 point Times Roman font. Be sure to include a title, and center your page numbers at the bottom of each page. Include references, which can extend to a sixth page.

1. Philosophy of Education: Write a paper expressing your philosophy of education. When appropriate, refer to the ideas of De Tocquiville, Dewey, Locke, Mill, Plato, Woolf, or others. You can also appeal to your own experiences and background. Much of your grade will be determined by the consistency with which you make your arguments. Due: October 5

2. Book Review: Write a New York Times-type book review of a non-required book on education. You must tell me which book you plan on reading and reviewing by October 12. In liew of a book review, you can read an academic journal ariticle, and write a referee report on the article. (Referee reports tend to be more argumentative and detail oriented in nature.) Due: November 2.

Policy Report

Write a 15 to 25 page policy report on any current policy relating to public education. For example, you might write on any part of No Child Left Behid, the ISAT, high-stakes testing, the current system for funding public schools, Title IX funding, busing, or teacher certification. Write about something you are interested in. Refer to the literature, laws, or government programs/policies whenever possible. This paper will require research/reading in addition to what has been assigned in class. One place to start is with the resources listed under "Other Materials". You might also refer to your own experiences in schools and to your observation of schools in Chicago, Evanston, Lake Forest, and Waukegan.

The purpose of the report is to inform readers of the current status of some education issue. The report should highlight problems or shortcomings of the current system (or defend the current system against common attacks). Possible solutions or at least possible adjustments to the current system should be proposed and defended. Each student will present his or her report to the class in a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation after Thanksgiving. A rubric for grading policy reports will be available on November 2. The report should have the same style as the Summary Papers. Include an unnumbered title page. The report must use quantitative data and contain some tables and/or graphs displaying the data. Include all tables and graphs at the end of the report. Number tables and graphs sequentially, and include a title for each. Your grade will be determined in large part by how well you explain the issue at hand, interpret and present statistical evidence, and argue for a policy remedy. Due: Tuesday, November 28.