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January 9, 2009 |
Click here to read printable version |
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| National campaign urges new administration, and public, to improve public education |
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Two weeks before President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, the Forum for Education and Democracy is launching a national web-based campaign that challenges all Americans to transform the optimism of the election season into the promise of collective action to improve public education. A short web film, an homage to the "Yes We Can" campaign film, sets in motion a national petition drive in which all signers commit to work with President Obama to honor four promises that must be fulfilled if we are serious about supporting young people and public schools: 1) Every child deserves a 21st Century education; 2) Every community deserves an equal chance; 3) Every child deserves a well-supported teacher; and 4) Every child deserves high-quality health care. To encourage action on the local level, the Forum provides a list of easy steps people can undertake individually and at the community level in support of each promise.
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| 'Virginity Pledge' makes no difference in behavior of teens |
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A new analysis of federal data by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has found that more than half of 11,000 youths surveyed became sexually active before marriage, regardless of whether they had pledged abstinence, The Washington Post reports. Moreover, youth who did not take a pledge were more likely to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases by 10 percentage points. The report is the latest to question sex education programs that focus on abstinence until marriage, including those that specifically ask students to take a "virginity pledge." The study compared teenagers who had pledged with those who did not take a pledge but were otherwise similar, basing that judgment on about 100 variables, including their attitudes and their parents' attitudes about sex and their perception of their friends' attitudes about sex and birth control. "The pledgers tend to be more religious," the study's author, Janet Rosenbaum, explained. "They tend to be more conservative. They tend to be less positive about sex. So comparing pledgers to all non-pledgers doesn't make a lot of sense." Rosenbaum's findings come as Congress and the new Obama administration are about to reconsider more than $176 million in annual funding for abstinence programs.
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| NCLB architect has second thoughts |
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In an article in The National Review, Michael J. Petrilli, former associate assistant deputy secretary in the Office of Innovation and Improvement in the Bush Department of Education and co-author of "No Child Left Behind: A Primer," writes that he's "gradually and reluctantly come to the conclusion that NCLB as enacted is fundamentally flawed and probably beyond repair." A self-professed "True Believer" in the law during his years in the Bush administration, Petrilli now concedes problems that he had foreseen -- that the "highly qualified teacher" mandate was a "huge overreach," and that requiring all states to reach proficiency by 2014 but allowing them to define proficiency would spur a "race to the bottom" -- but he also admits other problems that took him longer to recognize. These include the conversion of schools into "test-prep factories," and the fact that school-choice laws are meaningless when there are too few good schools for parents to choose. Petrilli says he remains a supporter of the ideas underlying the law, which he enumerates, but no longer believes in "the machinery of the law itself." "The way forward," he writes, "starts with a more realistic assessment of what the federal government can reasonably hope to achieve in education," and includes weighted student funding and nationalization of standards.
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| Developing early literacy |
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Learning to read and write opens doors to progress and prosperity across a lifetime. The years before kindergarten are a particularly fertile and profitable time to prepare young children to read and learn by teaching them essential literacy skills. The challenge of helping all children become successful readers requires early teaching, using home and school instruction built upon proven research and effective practices. This is the message being delivered as the National Institute for Literacy releases findings from, "Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention." The National Early Literacy Panel's (NELP) report serves as the basis of several powerful, research-based recommendations to the early childhood community --educators, caregivers, Head Start providers, and parents -- on promoting the foundational skills of life-long literacy. Some of the key findings of the report reveal the best early predictors of literacy, which include alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, writing (such as writing one's name), and short-term memory for words said aloud. Instruction on these skills may be especially helpful for children at risk for developing reading difficulties. More complex oral language skills also appear to be important.
Read more | See also | See also | Back to top
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| Gay high schools: haven or ghetto? |
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While gay high schools in Milwaukee and New York City provide safer environments for gay students, the debate continues about their segregational aspect, writes U.S. News & World Report. Tina Owen of Milwaukee's Alliance High School concedes the point, but says she was frustrated by openly gay kids getting bullied and dropping out when she taught at a regular high school. "A lot of people see schools like Alliance and say, 'You're taking away the kids and leaving the problem behind'," Owen said. "But I felt like we were not addressing the problem as it was, and we were losing kids in the process." Studies have found that kids identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or questioning are more likely to report high levels of teasing, depression, suicidal feelings, and drug use. Despite positive track records and graduation rates at the nation's two gay high schools, it's unlikely more will open soon because of social opposition, though one is under consideration in Chicago. Alternatively, several large cities have installed liaisons in schools to help gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning students with mental and physical health issues.
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| Financial education gains traction |
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Across Virginia, students are learning financial skills in school that might help them avoid problems their parents currently face. Educators are teaching the difference between pre- and post-tax pay, foreclosures' effects on property values, and how to balance a checkbook, set a budget, and differentiate between credit and debit cards. Advocates say this kind of education is crucial in a world of increasing economic complexity, with many pitfalls and far fewer safety nets. Since 2005, reports The Washington Post, students in Virginia have been required to understand various types of investments and savings, study insurance policies and how taxes work, and go through a simulated loan-application process. "I wish I had learned this when I was their age," said Julie Carreiro, a math teacher in a Virginia middle school. "I got into some credit-card debt when I was in college." Proponents say the financial instruction in her school and others in Virginia and nationally can have a major impact on our national economic literacy, going forward.
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| Breakfast is fundamental |
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A recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed more than 100 scientific articles on the relationship between nutrition and learning and came to the common-sense conclusion that the link between breakfast and student achievement is huge, The Boston Globe writes. "Impact of School Breakfast on Children's Health and Learning" cites far-ranging benefits of breakfast consumption: increased attendance, higher standardized test scores and grades, decreased classroom disruptions, and fewer trips to the nurse. "In terms of producing good outcomes for kids, it's hard to find a better investment than the school breakfast program," said J. Larry Brown, a senior author of the report. Those who ignore the benefits of school breakfasts, which are designed to meet federal nutrition standards and guard against obesity and diabetes, incur a heavy hidden cost, the researchers warn. America's annual bill for illness and lost productivity from hunger is approximately $90 billion, $10 billion of which is related to educational troubles. Despite this, while almost 18 million low-income children nationally received free or reduced-price school lunches, only about 8 million of them also participate in the marked-down breakfast program.
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| Demographics for home-schooling broaden |
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The number of American children who are home-schooled has risen 74 percent since 1999, when the Department of Education began keeping track, and has risen 36 percent since 2003, USA TODAY reports. One and a half million kids in this country are now home-schooled, and an expansion of reasons to select on the 2007 parental survey suggests that the demographics of homeschoolers are broadening beyond religious conservatives to include those who favor a non-traditional approach to education. Those who selected "other reasons" as an explanation for why they home-schooled their children rose to 30 percent in 2007 from 20 percent in 2003, and included family time and finances. The 2007 estimates are based on data from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, says the estimates are low because home-schooling parents "are significantly less likely to answer government-sponsored surveys."
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| Novices outperform experienced peers in New Orleans, study shows |
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New research indicates that novice teachers trained through a fast-track process called the Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program, a local variant of the alternative accreditation New Teacher Project, on average outperformed more experienced teachers in helping students progress in core subjects, according to The Times-Picayune. The Louisiana State University study found that Teach For America participants in Baton Rouge and New Orleans who earned their teacher certification this way outperformed more experienced peers, particularly in math and more modestly in language arts and reading. To critics, the study is inconclusive, since the study used a "value-added" analysis that measured gains in test scores regardless of a student's starting point. Critics feel students who start much farther behind than kids at the median are more likely to show significant growth. To supporters of alternative certification, however, the data indicate something else. "The student who gets that [novice] teacher for two to three years is not getting shortchanged," said Leslie Jacobs, who runs the nonprofit advocacy group Educate Now. She feels the study refutes critics who argue that it's unfair to give needy students an untried teacher through Teach For America.<
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| A for Advocacy in West Virginia schools |
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In a move to integrate technological literacy, critical thinking, and analytical ability into teaching, West Virginia is now requiring students who work on project-based units to present work before actual community decision-makers, writes Education Week. This raises the stakes for students, say educators, and makes them more civically involved. For instance, a 10th grade class in Madison, W.Va., will analyze U.S. Census data on the area from four time periods to assess how issues of health, natural resources, immigration, and urbanization have affected local quality of life and socioeconomic status. Students will then compare their county to other similarly economically challenged areas in the nation that have been revitalized. At the end of the project, students will present a business plan to officials, including the county commissioner, outlining ways to improve employment and attract migration to the area. "If the kids have a way they can voice their opinions, they might grow up to be civic leaders themselves," said their teacher, Cindy Allred. "Maybe this project will become something they will be involved with after they graduate high school."
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Browntown closes down
Minnesota Public Radio chronicles the closure of the last school in a district.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/30/mcleodclosing1/?refid=0
No more milk money
A St. Louis-area school district will implement a biometric -- fingerprint scanning -- lunch account system.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/26C9AEFBEE61B7FA8625752F000B7090?OpenDocument
Something for everyone to hate
Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed eliminating a week of instruction for California public schools and increasing state class size.
http://www.sacbee.com/arnold/story/1510332.html
Denver schools chief to replace Ken Salazar
Michael Bennet will succeed the outgoing Colorado senator, per appointment by Gov. Bill Ritter.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ivSLSDR_9CO8BGGGpb4rDrLQIr-AD95FUEAG0
Oprah gives 365K to Atlanta school
Winfrey's donation will help fund the private Ron Clark Academy, founded by the author of "The Essential 55," a best-selling book about teaching
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/arts/television/02arts-OPRAHGIVESTO_BRF.html
Seat belts in school buses?
A Wyoming state senator is sponsoring a bill to require seat belts in all new yellow buses.
http://www.casperstartribune.com/articles/2009/01/05/news/wyoming/2ca0239cf6d49696872575330079957b.txt |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
UnitedHealthcare/YSA: HEROES Service-Learning Grants
UnitedHealthcare and Youth Service America are offering UnitedHealth HEROES service-learning grants for youth-led community education projects in selected states and areas. The program supports teachers, service-learning coordinators, and students in the health professions who lead service-learning projects around childhood obesity, engaging children and youth ages 5 to 25 as volunteers. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: teachers, service-learning coordinators, students in the health professions, and non-profit organizations in selected cities and states. Deadline: January 15, 2009.
http://servenet.org/Toolkit/ContentManagement/ServiceWireNews/tabid/122/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/805/Default.aspx
National Center for Summer Learning: Excellence in Summer Learning Award
The Excellence in Summer Learning Award recognizes an outstanding summer program that demonstrates excellence in accelerating academic achievement and promoting positive development for young people between kindergarten and 12th grade. Award: national recognition, increased press opportunities, conference presentations and complimentary registrations, professional development opportunities for staff, and increased publishing opportunities. Eligibility: public or private organizations or agencies (schools, community-based organizations, libraries, universities, faith-based organizations, etc.) serving young people between the ages of kindergarten and 12th grade over the summer months. Deadline: January 21, 2009.
http://www.summerlearning.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=100&Itemid=422
Intel Foundation: Schools of Distinction
The Intel Foundation Schools of Distinction Program honors U.S. schools that have demonstrated excellence in math and science education. In order to be considered as an Intel School of Distinction, schools must develop an environment and curriculum that represents the intersection of benchmarks laid out by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills in their ICT literacy maps for math and science and national content standards for that content area. Maximum award: $25,000 cash grant and $100,000 in products and services from sponsors. Eligibility: K-12 public, private, charter, parochial schools in the United States, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. Deadline: February 17, 2009.
http://www.intel.com/education/schoolsofdistinction/application.htm#Categories
NABT/Vernier: Ecology/Environmental Teaching Award
The National Association of Biology Teachers Vernier Software & Technology Ecology/Environmental Teaching Award honors a teacher who has successfully developed and demonstrated an innovative approach in the teaching of ecology/environmental science and has carried his/her commitment to the environment into the community. Maximum award: $1,000 toward travel to the NABT Professional Development Conference, and $500 of Vernier equipment. Eligibility: secondary school teachers. Deadline: March 15, 2009.
http://www.nabt.org/sites/S1/index.php?p=290
Legacy Project: Listen to A Life
The Legacy Project Listen to A Life Contest connects generations through oral history. To enter, a young person must interview an older person about his or her hopes and goals throughout life, how he/she achieved goals and overcame obstacles, or how his/her dreams may have changed along the way. The young person then writes a 300-word essay based on the interview. Maximum award: a Lenovo ThinkCentre, iPod Classic, and $800 worth of Orchard Software; young person's school receives $25,000 worth of Orchard Software. Eligibility: each team must consist of a young person 8-18 years and a grandparent or grandfriend 50 years or over (co-entrant cannot be a parent; he or she can be a grandparent, older friend, mentor, neighbor, nursing home resident, etc.) Deadline: March 30, 2009.
http://www.legacyproject.org/contests/ltal.html
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"Right now, we don't have the capacity to ensure that everyone gets what is really the new civil right -- access to a high-quality public education. That is going to require equalization of resources, and it is going to require investments. When people -- particularly rich people -- say that money doesn't matter. I don't see them trying to give it up."
-Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education, Stanford University
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news/article.htm?id=6719
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