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PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS GET LOW MARKS |
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Californians are increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with their public school system, and so skeptical about government's ability to spend money wisely that they oppose any general tax increase to improve education, according to a new statewide poll. Nearly two in three Californians believe the quality of education is a major problem for the state, and only one issue -- immigration -- is seen as a higher priority for state government, according to the poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California. More than nine in 10 people surveyed said education was shaping up as an important issue in the upcoming race for governor. The poll revealed some interesting attitudes toward school spending, reports Mitchell Landsberg. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said schools would improve if the state spent more money on them. But an even larger majority (81%) said schools could make better use of existing funds. And people don't appear eager to raise taxes to improve schools. Just over a third of likely voters favor raising the state sales tax, and less than one-quarter support higher property taxes to fund public schools. (A hefty majority, however, is willing to raise income taxes on the wealthiest Californians.)
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RADICAL POSSIBILITIES |
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Jean Anyon's new book demonstrates the influence of federal policies on the poverty that plagues schools and school reform in America's urban areas. Public policies -- such as those regulating the minimum wage, job availability, tax rates, and public transit -- all create conditions in urban areas that no education policy as currently conceived can transcend. Anyon reminds us that historically, more equitable public policies have typically been created as a result of the political pressure brought to bear by social movements. Basing her analysis on new research in civil rights history and social movement theory, she argues that the current moment offers serious possibilities for the creation of such a force. Teachers, principals, and urban students are not the culprits -- as reform policies that target increased testing, educator quality, and the control of youth assume. Rather, an unjust economy and the policies through which it is maintained create barriers to educational success that no teacher or principal practice, no standardized test, and no "zero tolerance" policy can surmount. Rules and regulations regarding teaching, curriculum, and assessment certainly count; but, perhaps policies that maintain high levels of urban poverty and segregation should be part of the educational policy panoply as well -- for these have consequences for urban education at least as profound as curriculum and pedagogy. As a nation, we have been counting on education to solve the problems of unemployment, joblessness, and poverty for many years. But education did not cause these problems, and education cannot solve them. An economic system that chases profits and casts people aside (especially people of color) is culpable.
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PICKING OUR BATTLES |
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Elementary principal Joanne Rooney remembers the days when she and her faculty invested a lot of time and energy in enforcing long-standing rules like "no gum chewing," maintaining careful records of chewers and spelling out the evils of gum. "But our efforts were of no avail. Defeated, we regrouped to analyze the point of it all." Ultimately, the faculty settled on five rules of behavior "in harmony with our work as educators, not prison guards." Something significant happened, Rooney says, "as teachers spent less time deciding on rules and complex consequences: The more seriously we attended to the matter of successful student engagement in learning, the less we needed to address rule-breaking and consequences. When students' daily experiences in the classroom were positive and successful, misbehavior became less of an issue.
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STUDENT PRIZE IS A TRIP INTO IMMIGRATION LIMBO |
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In an upset that astonished its sponsors, a rookie team from East Harlem won a robot-building competition last month, beating rivals from elite schools like Stuyvesant in Manhattan and the Bronx High School of Science for a chance to compete in the national robotics finals in Atlanta. Yet for Amadou Ly, who helps operate the robot the team built, success has come at a price. As the group prepared for the flight to Atlanta today, he was forced to reveal his secret: He is an illegal immigrant from Senegal, with no ID to allow him to board a plane. Left here long ago by his mother, he has no way to attend the college that has accepted him, and only a slim chance to win his two-year court battle against deportation. In the end, his fate could hinge on immigration legislation now being debated in Congress. Several Senate bills include a pathway for successful high school graduates to earn legal status. But a measure passed by the House of Representatives would make his presence in the United States a felony, and both House and Senate bills would curtail the judicial review that allows exceptions to deportation. Meanwhile, the team's sponsors scrambled to put him on a train yesterday afternoon for a separate 18-hour journey to join his teammates from Central Park East High School at the Georgia Dome. "I didn't want other people to know," said Amadou, 18, referring to his illegal status. "They're all U.S. citizens but me."
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GAP IN TEACHER QUALITY FALLS ALONG INCOME LINES |
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Public school teachers in the nation's wealthiest communities continue to be more qualified than those in the poorest despite a federal law designed to provide all children equal educational opportunity. Preliminary data released by the Department of Education show that in 39 states, the chance of finding teachers who know their subjects are better in elementary schools where parents' incomes are highest. The data show that's also the case among middle and high schools in 43 states. Under the No Child Left Behind law President Bush signed in 2002, states are supposed to have "highly qualified teachers" for all core academic courses, such as math, English and science, by the end of this school year. States that don't face a loss of federal funding. As of the 2004-05 school year, nearly 91% of schools nationwide reported having highly qualified teachers for those courses, up from 86% the year before. Wisconsin reported the highest compliance rate at 99.5%. Several, including Hawaii, California and South Carolina, were below 80%. The numbers are improving at a slightly faster rate for schools in the poorest neighborhoods, where nearly 87% of classes had a qualified teacher last year, compared with 93% in the most affluent areas. With low test scores and high drop-out rates, schools in high-poverty areas historically have had a tougher time attracting and keeping good teachers. Seventeen states are responding to the challenge by offering bonuses, scholarships and other incentives to prospective teachers who sign up for "hard-to-staff" schools, according to Education Commission of the States. For example, New York City is offering up to $15,000 in housing support to attract teachers of math, science or special education. Nevada tries a different tack, giving principals at high-poverty schools first crack at new teachers. Instructors who refuse an assignment can be removed from the hiring list for a year.
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STATE COURT UPHOLD BAN ON VOUCHER FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS |
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Maine's highest court has upheld -- once again -- a state law banning state funding of religious schools. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court's 6-1 majority ruled that restrictions on tuition vouchers continue to be a "valid, constitutional enactment." Justice Robert Clifford dissented, saying a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated Maine's law. The recent ruling marked the second time in a decade that the state supreme court has upheld a 1983 law, which bans tuition vouchers from being paid to parochial schools.
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NEW GUIDE EXPLAINS LAW IMPACTING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS |
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Teachers of struggling learners have a new resource to draw upon. The National Center for Learning Disabilities has just launched an innovative, online guide to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is designed to explain the federal laws that underpin special education in every state. Although created primarily for parents, the guide is also a valuable source of information -- in accessible language -- for classroom teachers who may not have a background in special education. Teachers can use the guide as a referral for parents or use it themselves to better understand the rights and requirements of their students who have special needs.
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NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR |
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Last fall it was a new car, $5,000 and a giant silver cup. Come tomorrow it will be a visit to the White House, complete with presidential greeting in a Rose Garden ceremony. Who says teaching doesn't pay? It has paid off -- not just in money and prizes but in personal satisfaction -- for Kimberly Oliver, a kindergarten teacher at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring, MD, who has been named the 2006 National Teacher of the Year. Oliver is a Delaware native who has been teaching kindergarten for six years. She will receive her official award from President Bush at a Rose Garden ceremony tomorrow. The celebration also will honor teachers of the year from all U.S. states and territories. The National Teacher of the Year program, which began in 1952, is the oldest national honors program that recognizes teaching excellence, reports Lori Aratani. "I was absolutely struck by how this teacher so skillfully met the needs of a very diverse group of children in a very quiet but organized way," said fellow teacher, Linda Randall. "It just struck me that this is what kindergarten should look like in every classroom across the United States." Oliver, 29, said she chose to teach at Broad Acres, one of the most diverse campuses in Montgomery County, in part because she firmly believed that all students -- regardless of language ability or family background -- should be exposed to good teaching.
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POORER SCHOOL DISTRICTS PRACTICE HIGHER MATH TO PAY LEADERS |
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Across suburban New York, salaries of school administrators are testing new heights. Districts, competing to give the children of their affluent residents every advantage, have helped create a seller's market for management talent that has pushed some superintendents into the thin air of the $300,000 salary-and-benefit package. Meanwhile, the $200,000 milestone -- effectively the floor for superintendent pay now -- has become increasingly common among deputy and assistant superintendents. Fifty-six school administrators in Westchester now make more than $200,000 in total compensation, and 19 of them are assistants or deputies. Critics dismiss the talk of low supply and high demand and say that cozy relationships between boards and administrators are the reason for the large pay packages.
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PREPARING FOR MOVIES ABOUT 9/11: A PARENT'S GUIDE |
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Advertising and media controversy surrounding the release of "United 93" is saturating the airwaves, making exposure to violent 9/11 images an inevitability. When confronted with news or images about 9/11, some people may find that they will experience feelings similar to those they had soon after 9/11 itself, such as sadness, anger, confusion, disappointment, and nervousness. Others may feel that they are able to more effectively cope, and that they are in fact more ready than they were in the past to talk about their feelings.
Undertaken in an informed and sensitive way, talking about 9/11 or other potentially frightening topics will not increase children's feelings of worry or sadness. In fact, it is usually through discussions with a trusted adult that children are able to feel safer and less afraid. By being proactive and preparing your children for the media attention they are likely to be exposed to, you will be taking an important step toward helping your children cope. A parent's guide and other valuable resources are available online at http://www.aboutourkids.org/aboutour/articles/911_movie_guide.html |
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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER'S TRADE SCHOOL |
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New career offerings in schools have helped fuel an apparent surge in vocational enrollment across the country in the last five years. The swell in traditional and newfangled shop classes comes, however, at a time when federal funding for the programs is again in danger. The Bush administration has proposed eliminating federal money earmarked for vocational education for the second consecutive year. While Congress re-appropriated $1.3 billion in the last budget, the funding is back on the chopping block. The proposed cut comes after a U.S. Department of Education report to Congress showed that enrollment in technical education has soared by 57 percent, to 15.1 million in 2004 from 9.6 million in 1999.
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COURT LETS SCHOOLS BAN INFLAMMATORY T-SHIRTS |
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Schools in the Western United States can forbid a high school student to wear a T-shirt with a slogan that denigrates gay and lesbian students, a sharply divided federal appeals court in San Francisco has ruled. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said that a T-shirt that proclaimed "Be ashamed, our school embraced what God has condemned" on the front and "Homosexuality is shameful" on the back was "injurious to gay and lesbian students and interfered with their right to learn." Wearing such a T-shirt can be barred on a public high school campus without violating the 1st Amendment, the court said. In numerous instances, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that Americans must tolerate offensive speech, including permitting marches by Nazis through a community with a substantial Jewish population. However, the majority ruled in this instance that some limitations were permissible in a public secondary school setting. The court concluded that donning the T-shirt "collides with the rights of other students in the most fundamental way," wrote 9th Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt. "Public school students who may be injured by verbal assaults on the basis of a core identifying characteristic such as race, religion, or sexual orientation have a right to be free from such attacks while on school campuses," Reinhardt said. "Being secure involves not only the freedom from physical assaults but from psychological attacks that cause young people to question their self-worth and their rightful place in society."
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GET OUT THE WORD: COVER THE UNINSURED WEEK |
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During May 1-7, 2006 thousands of activities will take place across the United States to tell Congress that health coverage for Americans must be their top priority. Find out how you can get involved! Visit the website below to: learn about the various strategies under discussion to expand coverage; Write to Congress; and Get free educational materials, including planning guides, banners, stickers, and more.
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NO DOLLAR LEFT BEHIND? |
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The most aggressive education law in a generation, No Child Left Behind aims to make sure all kids can read and do math on grade level. It has also benefited an industry of vendors, who collect public money and help schools meet the law's requirements. Revenues for products and services sold to public schools hit almost $22 billion in 2004-05, according to Eduventures, a market research company. That was up 6 percent from the year before, and revenues are expected to keep growing at that kind of rate. But the market is not expanding for all. Some vendors say the law has even cost them money by eroding demand for any academic area not considered to be a federal priority. In particular, money is flowing to testing, tutoring and teacher training. All three areas have direct ties to deadlines under the No Child law.
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TEACHERS SUE FOR FAIR SCHOOL FUNDING |
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A battle expected to reach the Indiana Supreme Court began last week when the Indiana State Teachers Association officially filed a lawsuit challenging the state's funding of education as unconstitutional. The move had been rumored for months, and Indiana joins 45 other states where proponents have sought more money for education. The lawsuit claims the state's school funding formula does not provide the resources necessary for all Hoosier schoolchildren to have a fair chance to learn. The technical basis for the challenge is the education clause of the Indiana Constitution, which says knowledge and learning shall be diffused generally through the community and that the General Assembly has a duty to provide a "general and uniform system" of schools. Teachers' union executives said they had expected state officials to provide adequate funding after passing rigorous standards and accountability laws in 1999, but the money hasn't followed. Indiana education spending has grown in recent years, and several statistics show Indiana above the national average in per pupil funding. But there has always been debate about whether the dollars are getting to the right place.
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TEXAS TEST SCORES BY KATRINA EVACUEES PROMPT CONCERN |
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Fifth-graders who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina are lagging even further behind in math than on reading, leaving some educators worried that hundreds of Texas' newest pupils may have to repeat the grade. Only 45 percent of the 2,396 fifth-grade Katrina evacuees who took the math Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills this month passed, reports Jennifer Radcliffe, compared with 82 percent of the Texas students, according to statewide results released by the Texas Education Agency. Last month, 47 percent of the Louisiana students enrolled in Texas passed the reading test, compared with an overall passing rate of 80 percent. Since more than 40,000 displaced students arrived in Texas last year, schools have been rushing to create tutoring and remediation programs to help those who may be lagging behind. They've been lobbying for grants, donations and federal funding to try to finance the extra programs.
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WHY WE MUST ALIGN HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM WITH COLLEGE EXPECTATIONS |
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Millions of high school seniors have signed college acceptance letters as of May 1, but does making it into college ensure academic success and a degree? A new Policy Perspectives paper from WestEd argues that high schools and colleges haven't aligned their separate education systems enough to eliminate college remedial work, decrease college dropout rates, and speed the time toward earning a baccalaureate degree. David T. Conley outlines the alarming indicators of a system that is not functioning as efficiently as it could: (1) Between 30 and 60 percent of students now require remedial college courses, an increase over previous years; (2) For those who make it to college graduation, on average it now takes six years to earn a four-year college degree; and (3) While more companies now expect a college degree as a baseline for employment, the percentage of high school students who go on to earn bachelor's degrees has remained relatively constant over the past 25 years. "If we are to address such problems," says Conley, "it's going to take a coordinated, concerted reform effort involving all stakeholders -- policymakers, high school educators, college faculty and administrators, parents, and students." Conley proposes several actions to smooth the transition between high school and college and ensure academic success at:
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NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
"Students Invited to Join NetAid Global Citizen Corps"
Do you know high school students who want to make a difference in the lives of the world's poor? Would you like to help schools get more involved in addressing global challenges like HIV/AIDS, hunger, and access to education? Tell students to apply for the NetAid Global Citizen Corps (GCC)! The Global Citizen Corps is a national network of high school student leaders working to educate and mobilize their peers in efforts to end global poverty. The application deadline is May 7, 2006.
"Grants for School Website Development"
SchoolSpan "Set-You-Free" Grants are for school districts nationwide that feel they are financially unable to escape from their current content management software vendors. The grant offers complete setup of a new web site; added functionality such as alumni portals, teacher course sites and newsletters; and one year of free web site service. Maximum Award: Varies. Eligibility: all public and private school systems currently using a third party company to manage its web site; school districts using independent consultants or local firms to update and manage their site. Deadline: May 30, 2006.
"$1,000 Community Service Grant for Literary"
Youth Service America and Lionsgate are excited to announce the "Bee" the Change Community Service Grant for literacy. This grant opportunity offers $1,000 to one young person between the ages of 5-25 to implement a sustainable community service project that increases literacy in their community and uses the movie, "Akeelah and the Bee" as inspiration. The "Bee" the Change Community Service Grant is open to all young people in the United States between the ages of 5-25. Projects should be youth-led and created, and must have a portion of their project take place on National and Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2007). Deadline: June 9, 2006.
"Aramco Educators to Saudi Arabia Program"
This program aims to cultivate a greater awareness and understanding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in U.S. primary and secondary schools and communities. The program examines Saudi education, culture, history and global relations through site visits, panel discussions and cultural activities in the cities of Dhahran, Riyadh and Jeddah from November 14 - 28, 2006. Maximum Award: a fully-funded, ten-day study tour of Saudi Arabia. Eligibility: full-time social studies teachers and library media specialists in grades 1-12. Deadline: June 15, 2006.
"Beyond Words: The Dollar General School Library Relief Program"
Dollar General has created a grant program to benefit public school libraries in communities affected by disasters. The fund will provide grants for books, media, and/or equipment that support learning in a school library environment. Maximum Award: $15,000. Eligibility: Public school libraries that have incurred substantial damage or hardship due to a natural disaster (tornado, earthquake, hurricane, flood, avalanche, mudslide), fire or an act recognized by the federal government as terrorism. First priority for the initial grants will be given to school libraries impacted by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma -- either through direct loss or through an increase in enrollment due to displaced students. Deadline: open.
"Grants for Teaching Meteorology"
National Weather Association Sol Hirsch Education Fund Grants are available to help improve the education of their students in meteorology. Teachers selected will be able to use the funds to take an accredited course in atmospheric sciences, attend a relevant workshop or conference, or purchase scientific materials or equipment for the classroom. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: Teachers, program directors, school district supervisors and other individuals or groups proposing to improve the education of K-12 students in meteorology. Deadline: August 1, 2006.
"Programs Targeting Children with Disabilities"
CVS/pharmacy Community Grants are currently accepting proposals for programs targeting children under age 18 with disabilities that address: health and rehabilitation services; a greater level of inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs; opportunities or facilities that give greater access to physical movement and play. Maximum Award: varies. Eligibility: Public schools with programs for children under age 18 with disabilities. Deadline: applications accepted through October 2006.
For a detailed listing of numerous EXISTING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES (updated each week), visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"(I)n public education, how many members of a geographically determined school district share a core of beliefs about the purposes of education? Most districts contain a wide spectrum of beliefs about the role of education. There are those who believe that education should support the talented elite, which includes their child. Those who view education as the foundation of a pluralistic society where education should open doors for all. Those who believe in a rich life of the mind. Those who want their children taught only the values of their parents or church. The startling conclusion is that most school systems aren't systems. They are only boundary lines drawn by somebody, somewhere. They are not systems because they do not arise from a core of shared beliefs about the purpose of public education. In the absence of shared beliefs and desires, people are not motivated to seek out one another and develop relationships. Instead, they co-inhabit the same organizational and community space without weaving together mutually sustaining relationships. They co-exist by defining clear boundaries, creating respectful and disrespectful distances, developing self-protective behaviors, and using power politics to get what they want."
Margaret Wheatley (author/educator)
http://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/lifetoschools.html
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