Monday, April 29, 2013

Lynn Municipal Campaign Fundraisers/Events: May 2013

The start of the 2013 municipal campaign season in Lynn means numerous political fundraisers and events in the coming months. Here are some events scheduled for the month of May:

Tim Phelan - A Night for Lynn
Date: Friday, May 3rd
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Knights of Columbus, 177 Lynnfield St., Lynn

Hong Net - Councilor-At-Large Re-Election Reception
Date: Friday, May 10th
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Old Tyme Italian Cuisine, 612 Boston St., Lynn

Jesse Jaeger for Ward 2 Councilor - Campaign Barbecue
Date: Saturday, May 11th
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Fundraiser to Elect Seth Albaum
Date: Thursday, May 16th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Fran's, 776 Washington St., Lynn

Friday, April 26, 2013

Ninety Percent of Lynn School Age Children Attend Public School

In January, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education publishes a report which indicates the the type of school enrollment for each full-time students in a given city or town. The most recent data from the 2011-12 school indicates that in Lynn: 

  • 13,393 students attended local public schools
  • 68 attended a Collaborative
  • 695 attended charter schools
  • 78 attended out-of-district public schools
  • 34 were home-schooled
  • 1,400 attended in-state private and parochial schools
  • 1 attended an out-of-state private or parochial school

This adds up to a total of 15,669 school age children in the city of Lynn with 90.8% attending public schools (either within Lynn public school district or a charter school).

Data taken from: www.doe.mass.edu

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Lynn Intake and Stability Rates 2012

Previously, we looked at Lynn public school attrition rates. Here we look at two other statistics regarding school enrollment: the intake rate and stability rate. The intake rate measures the number of students that enroll in the state, a district, or school after the beginning of the school year (generally after October 1st in a given school year). The stability rate measures how many students remain in a district or school throughout the entire school year as measured through a comparison of October 1st and end of school year enrollment information.

Below is the intake and stability rate information for the Lynn public school district and KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School for the 2011-12 school year.

District
% Intake
% Stability
Lynn
8.7%
91.3%
KIPP
4.4%
94.9%

Within LPS, 91.3% of students who were enrolled in an LPS school as of October 1, 2011 remained in the district through the end of the school year; KIPP's stability rate was slightly higher at 94.9%.


At the individual school level, stability rates across all public schools in Lynn (including KIPP) were relatively similar with the exception of Fecteau-Leary Junior/Senior High which had the lowest stability rate in the city at 56%.

 Lynn Public School Stability Rates 2012
 


The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education also reports stability rates at the subgroup level.

                                                             Lynn                   KIPP
English Language Learner
90.1%
94.4%
Low Income
90.9%
94.4%
Students w/ Disabilities
89.0%
93.8%
African Am/Black
88.4%
97.5%
Asian
92.0%
100.0%
Hispanic/Latino
91.1%
94.0%
Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic
89.6%
100.0%
White
93.3%
91.4%

Within LPS, African American/Black students had the lowest stability rate while at KIPP, the subgroup with the lowest stability rate was White students. 


Intake rates at each Lynn school did vary somewhat with Fecteau-Leary reporting the highest intake rate (32.6%). The percentage of students enrolling in a public Lynn school after October 1st ranged from 2.9% to 32.6%.

 Lynn Public School Intake Rates 2012
 


In considering both the stability and intake rates as well as the attrition rate, one has to consider the implications these statistics has achievement for public schools in Lynn. Having a large percentage of students or even a specific population of students both enrolling and transferring out of a school or district at any point in the year and/or after the school has the potential to have a negative impact on the school or district's overall achievement in terms of standardized testing and other academic indicators.

Below are the stability, intake and attrition rates for Lynn elementary schools along with their accountability rankings; Level 3 and 4 schools have been highlighted in blue. Accountability rankings are as follows:
  • Level 1:  On track to college and career readiness
  • Level 2:  Not meeting gap closing goals
  • Level 3:  Focus: Lowest performing 20% of schools (including schools with the largest gaps)
  • Level 4:  Priority: Lowest performing schools
  • Level 5:  Priority: Chronically under-performing schools

School
% Stability
% Intake
Attrition Rate
Accountability Ranking
Aborn
96.7%
2.8%
13.6%
Level 1
Brickett
92.9%
6.2%
12.5%
Level 2
Callahan
90.2%
10.9%
9.0%
Level 2
Cobbet
89.2%
11.4%
27.5%
Level 3
Connery
86.3%
11.1%
19.6%
Level 4
Drewicz
91.2%
9.2%
17.5%
Level 3
Ford
89.0%
9.9%
9.8%
Level 3
Harrington
89.5%
16.4%
21.3%
Level 4
Hood
87.0%
12.6%
16.3%
Level 2
Ingalls
89.3%
13.9%
12.9%
Level 2
Lincoln-Thomson
94.0%
7.7%
4.1%
Level 2
Lynn Woods
97.5%
3.7%
6.1%
Level 3
Sewall-Anderson
96.1%
6.4%
9.6%
Level 1
Shoemaker
95.9%
2.9%
6.3%
Level 1
Sisson
93.9%
8.3%
8.0%
Level 2
Tracy
89.8%
11.6%
14.8%
Level 2

Here we see that Level 4 Harrington, for example, has a 89.5% stability rate and a 21.3% attrition. This coupled with the 16.4% intake rate suggests that Harrington's student enrollment sees considerable changes throughout the school year and from year to year. In thinking school achievement, consideration must be made of pertinent mobility related statistics (stability, intake and attrition) in addition to other factors order to have an accurate picture of the school or district's overall achievement, student population and the challenges that the school or district may be facing.

  

All Data Taken from: www.doe.mass.edu