Expert: Longer classes needed
By WILL SENTELL
wsentell@theadvocate.com
Capitol news bureau

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School days that last from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., classes on Saturdays, and longer school years are among the changes needed to improve student performance, the co-founder of an innovative cluster of public schools told top state educators on Friday.
"There are no shortcuts, no easy answers," said Mike Feinberg, who helped start 38 schools in 16 states dubbed the Knowledge in Power Program. Feinberg spoke to a panel of state educators, teachers, school board members and others studying how better leadership can upgrade Louisiana's public schools.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco joined the group in time to hear that the state won a $3.6 million grant from a national foundation to improve education leadership. She appeared before the Blue Ribbon Commission for Educational Excellence, which was meeting in one of the governor's offices.

Feinberg said traditional public schools fail to spend enough time preparing students. Strip away recess time and other breaks, he said, and school days typically last about four hours.

"We have to be kidding ourselves," he told the panel. "There needs to be enough time on the clock to get the job done."

Feinberg said Knowledge in Power schools generally last from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., meet for four hours on Saturdays and include about one month's work in the summer. Teachers are typically available to students for help on homework via cell phones. Total enrollment is about 6,000.

Feinberg said minority students make up about 90 percent of the ranks and about 80 percent come from poor families. He said teachers are paid about 20 percent more than those in nearby schools, in part with money saved through lower administrative costs.

The original Knowledge in Power schools in Houston and New York have both won honors. Texas officials have labeled the Houston school exemplary each year of its existence. Its New York counterpart has won recognition as the highest performing public middle school in one part of New York City for six straight years.

Most of the Knowledge in Power operations are charter schools, which means they rely on public funds without most of the traditional rules. Feinberg said private fund raising helps provide some of the funds.

No such schools operate in Louisiana. Three years ago Feinberg's group tried to open just such a school in Baton Rouge. However, sponsors dropped their bid because they said comments by members of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board suggested the effort would be difficult.

Feinberg said those sponsors have since opened a Knowledge in Power school in Helena, Ark., which has proven one of the most successful in the state.

Families whose children attend Feinberg's schools have to make a commitment that they will do the work needed for success. Leadership from principals, he said, is one of the keys.

Prospective principals are first sent to six-week leadership institutes at the University of California in Berkley. They then spend one semester watching operations in high-performing Knowledge in Power schools. In January principals start setting up their own schools with assistance from Knowledge in Power officials.

Meanwhile, the state won $3.6 million from The Wallace Foundation, an education support group started by the founder of Reader's Digest.

Richard Laine, director of education for the group, said Louisiana was one of six states awarded grants from the 21 that applied. He said the state's recent efforts to improve public schools – and signs that there is leadership to make more improvements – helped pave the way for the grant.

State leaders plan to use the money to set up a network to develop leaders in kindergarten through 12th grade and colleges and universities trained in the latest ways to improve student achievement.