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COMMUNITY ORGANIZING LINKED TO INCREASED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT |
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Findings from a landmark six-year study by the Community Involvement Program of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform reveal that sophisticated community organizing at the grassroots level produces major improvements in student achievement. The study uncovered strong and consistent evidence that indicates effective organizing: contributes to higher attendance rates and test scores and increased graduation rates and college-going aspirations; fosters school-community relationships, parental involvement and engagement in schools; and, stimulates important changes in policy, practices and resource distribution that expand capacity and equity in traditionally underserved communities. The study's authors also argue that effective organizing groups achieve impact through a combination of system-level advocacy and school- or community-based activity. As a result of continued and consistent parental, youth and community engagement, improvements have been both generated and sustained. In addition to educational change, organizing groups contribute to the development of new civic capacity, as adults and youths report higher goals and expectations for themselves and their families after participating in community organizing groups. |
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MAKE YOUR LESSON PLANS MAKE MONEY FOR YOUR CLASSROOMS |
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To obtain state-of-the-art supplies and equipment for your classroom, learn how to apply for grants, writes LaVerne Hamlin for Teachers.net Gazette. Hamlin began working in a public school system that allocated only $200 to its science department. Under these constraints, her students lacked the ability to understand basic scientific concepts because the school could not afford the necessary supplies. Hamlin knew that she had to find another source of support to satisfy her students' needs. So, she decided to tap into the market of grant writing and, as of today, she has won over $1 million in classroom grants and awards. In her article, Hamlin goes on to explain key aspects of successful grant writing, and essentially provides a dissertation on how to turn a lesson plan into an award-winning grant. As school budgets continue to shrink (especially in the area of arts education), Andrea Mulder-Slater writes in Education World (second link) that some of the neatest works of art are made with recycled or inexpensive materials. For example, using simple materials such as pie plates, poster board, scrap wood pieces and a few basic classroom supplies, students can create amazing Pie Plate Fish. The article includes several other examples of how best to fund exciting and engaging art projects. |
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WAKE UP SLEEPY ONE, KUNG FU IN CLASS TODAY |
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Sam Fawks, a math teacher at Harlan Elementary School in Wilmington, Del., has combined your parents' flashcards with the allure of Bruce Lee's flying fists and flashy kicks, reports the Associated Press. Fawks created the Belting Out the Facts program, which gives students "belts" for their wrists and lockers once they conquer increasingly difficult math problems. The program began with his sixth-grade class last year, but school administrators saw it succeed and expanded it throughout the school. Sensei Fawks, as he is known around the halls, has created different sets of small flashcards organized by difficulty level and the color of belt each student is seeking. Once students think they have mastered the concepts necessary to get the next belt, they must achieve a 93 percent score on a five-minute test to pass. By the time students get to the blue belt level, which is the mid-point, they must complete random algebra questions. "Last year, it was really boring doing just flash cards. Now you get pumped," said nine-year-old Joshua Sanchez. |
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SPRINKLE IN EMPATHY AND AWARENESS TO ADDRESS ACHIEVEMENT GAPS |
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Kevin MacDonald, principal at T. R. Smedberg Middle School in Sacramento, Calif., started the Achievement Gap Club two years ago, reports Melissa Nix for the Sacramento Bee. At the first meeting, MacDonald entered the room with six binders of research and threw them on the floor. He then said to the students "these experts don't have the answers. The gap has existed for 50 years. Why don't you tell me what we need to do?" Now, every other Wednesday morning, about 30 seventh and eighth graders meet to talk about the persistent gap in test scores among whites and Asians and African Americans and Latinos. Club members also brief teachers about what they think should be done when it comes to teaching students of color, and in so doing, help staff members understand what it's like to be a minority student. To better explain the achievement gap, Macdonald uses a parable about two fish: a seawater marlin and a freshwater pond trout. The marlin represents minority students and the trout, whites and Asians. There is a freshwater pond, i.e., the school, which has been largely based on a white cultural model. "You can't take a freshwater fish, put him in saltwater and expect him to survive," and vice versa MacDonald explains. "But if you take a little bit of salt and sprinkle it in the freshwater," then both fish can survive. In this analogy, the salt is a concerted effort to establish communication, empathy and cultural awareness between staff and students. The plan has been working, as former students, now in high school, return every Wednesday morning to tutor, encourage and solve problems with their younger counterparts. |
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SMALL SCHOOLS/CLASSES CHANGE CULTURE, COMBAT THE MATH GAP |
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One of the largest and most persistent inequities in the modern American education system is the gap in math achievement along income and race lines. This is not a universal case though, as some secondary schools are demonstrating their capacity to beat the odds and produce consistently strong math performance with students who typically fail in traditional settings. A new paper from Jobs for the Future highlights several obstacles to raising math achievement that deserve more attention and also provides key characteristics of model schools. By taking the best ideas from the small schools movement, a new generation of small schools has been able to retain struggling students and prepare them for post-secondary life. One critical difference between these schools and the run-of-the-mill public school is culture. It is their explicit mission to eliminate the psychological barriers to learning which are too often ignored in traditional schools. It is hoped that the success of high-achieving schools can teach important lessons about how best to design schools, inform classroom instruction and prepare math teachers to reach the "unreachable." Apparently there is something to the small schools/class size movement, as a new British study confirms that students tend to be "off task" more often when they are in larger classes, reports Debbie Viadero for Education Week (second link). |
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CONGRESS SETS RECORD WITH LATEST HIGHER EDUCATION EARMARKS |
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Congress set aside a record $2.3 billion in pet projects for colleges and universities last year for research on subjects like berries and reducing odors from farm animals, reports Alan Finder for the New York Times. Despite recent campaign rhetoric and calls in Congress for a moratorium on home state projects, known as earmarks, the sum was $300 million more than in 2003. While pork-barrel projects range far beyond academia, they are particularly controversial in higher education because they bypass the normal route for financing peer-reviewed scientific research. Typically, research proposals submitted to government entities are selected only after intense reviews by scientific panels and are based on broad national priorities. Still, many lawmakers defend the practice, saying it enables them to support important local institutions and to encourage research that stimulates economic development or addresses other public needs. All three presidential candidates have said they would support a moratorium on earmarks. However, the Senate rejected the idea on March 13, falling 31 votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a procedural hurdle. |
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KIDS MARKETPLACE TEACHES: DON'T BUY PUPPIES, THEY CHEW ON YOUR STUFF |
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Speaking of finances, most third graders know two things about money: you need it to buy a Wii and it doesn't grow on trees, reports Jonas Beals for the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star. While those ideas provide a great foundation, they don't exactly capture the complexities of the financial world and balancing budgets against income. So for two hours last week, the Robert E. Lee Elementary School gymnasium housed the Kids Marketplace program, which included "stores" manned by volunteers in an attempt to teach personal finance. Each student was handed an envelope containing a job title, a month's salary and a pamphlet listing all of their monthly expenses. The "shops" then sold necessities like health care, transportation, groceries, clothes and housing. This put the onus on the students to decide what they could afford to spend on each item. To save money, students were allowed to pair up and live as roommates, thereby splitting expenses. One participate shouted "don't get a puppy!" to his roommate, who was making his way to the pet table. Carl Woodward, having completed the game comfortably as a doctor with $90 in the bank, gestured toward a buddy and smiled. "He's broke...he said he's going to rob somebody." |
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COLLECT SIX TONS OF PAPER, SAVE ABOUT 100 TREES...AND THE ENVIRONMENT |
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A Flippin, Ark. high school's science club saved 100 trees in less than a week, reports Joanne Bratton for the Baxter (Ark.) Bulletin. The club started a five-day recycling competition in an effort to keep their community beautiful and eliminate landfill waste, resulting in the accumulation of six tons of paper. By continuing to recycle, the students hope to inspire their community to follow suit. "If you leave it for someone else to do, they'll leave it for someone else to do," said Dwan Garrison, science club sponsor. |
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COMMUNITY EDUCATION PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS RE-ENGAGE DROPOUTS |
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In New York City, nearly 70 percent of dropouts begin high school at low literacy levels. Yet currently this population remains drastically underserved, especially when it comes to the allocation of resources. To address their needs, the Youth Development Institute (YDI) began the Community Education Pathways to Success (CEPS), which provide the academic, vocational and personal support people with low skill levels need to become eligible for GED programs and to succeed in post-secondary life. CEPS participants, many of whom attended their high schools less than 20 percent of the time, have become readers and made gains on standardized tests. |
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GIVE PARENTS KNOWLEDGE; EMPOWER THEM TO MAKE COMMUNITY CHANGE |
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A new study of the long-term impact of the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) on parents trained by the program from 1997 to 2006 finds that, quite simply, knowledge is power. So far, nearly 1,400 graduates have completed CIPL's intensive training program that aims to impart a combination of information, skills and data. The study notes that parents sustained their educational involvement and broadened its scope beyond their children's schools and became more actively involved and more influential in improvement efforts, after completing CIPL. In addition, parents shifted from school-based to community- and system-based reform efforts. The study concludes that planting the seeds of educational knowledge will grow strong parental advocates. |
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BUILD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: STRENGTHEN OUT-OF-SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
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Increasing community involvement in out-of-school programs has the potential to create significant benefits for the communities they serve. The partnerships satisfy a wide variety of needs, such as improving recruitment and attendance and contributing volunteers and other resources. This Child Trends brief discusses how community involvement can become a crucial factor for out-of-school programs and describes how programs can identify valuable community resources and develop strategies for leveraging community support. |
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BOOK FOCUSES ON HOW BEST TO CONSTRUCT 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION SYSTEM |
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A new book recently published by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future brings together education experts from across the country and presents a wide range of strategies and solutions to provide every child with a high-quality education. In their respective chapters, former U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard Riley and Jim Hunt, former governor of North Carolina, called for shifting education to a national priority and developing a new national consensus as the best mechanisms for creating stronger and more dynamic schools. At the same time, Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles Ducommon Professor of Education at Stanford University, urged readers to consider an entirely new paradigm for national education policy. Chad Wick, president and CEO of KnowledgeWorks in Cincinnati, closed the book by focusing on the future forces that will affect education. Wick also challenged readers to consider new models for education, teaching, learning and policymaking. As a whole, the authors formed a chorus arguing for stronger grass-roots groups in every city and town to support quality education for all. |
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THE WHAT, WHEN, HOW AND WHY OF HIGH QUALITY PRINCIPALS |
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Education leaders, like any highly skilled important profession, benefit from "talking shop" with their colleagues, thus enjoying that whole free flow of ideas thing. In leadership development programs, the use of case methodology offers principals an opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas at a level that improves their effectiveness as leaders. In the latest "McREL Insights," Greg Cameron, Cherie A. Lyons, and Jane A. Schumacher examine the role of case methodology in leadership development. To develop true professional wisdom, the writers assert, principals must master four types of knowledge: declarative (knowing what to do), procedural (knowing how to do it), contextual (knowing when to do it) and experiential (knowing why it's important). While declarative and procedural knowledge can be taught directly, contextual and experiential knowledge is best developed, in part, through case methodology. |
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FIGHTING BACKING AGAINST AN ANTI-TEACHER CAMPAIGN |
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On March 11, the Center for Union Facts (CUF), a Washington-based anti-union group, launched an imposing advertising campaign against bad teachers. CUF promoted its campaign by asking parents, students and teachers to nominate the "worst unionized teacher in America." In interest of full disclosure, CUF has been found to be linked with several of lobbyist Rick Berman's groups, including the Employment Policies Institute. To learn more about CUF and the groups associated with it, check out the link below. |
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ITALY LAUNCHES $1.5 MILLION CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT EATING DISORDERS |
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Italian authorities are launching a campaign to combat a growing epidemic of anorexia and other eating disorders, reports the Associated Press. In a country known for its fashion industry and the "bella figura," upwards of three million people suffer from eating disorders, 90 percent of whom are women. In addition, nearly 65 percent of girls ages 10 to 16 want to be skinnier than they are at present. To counter these trends, the Italian Ministry of Health and Sports is targeting schools and the media by providing guidelines for magazines, television, radio and Internet sites to discourage ultra-thin beauty ideals. The one million Euro campaign also provides training for dance instructors and coaches and includes a website centered on encouraging teens to discuss healthy eating habits. |
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YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK |
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At the Public Education Network, we are always searching for ways to make the NewsBlast more informative, readable and user-friendly. Help us to deepen our understanding of your areas of interest, how you use the NewsBlast and ways that we can improve quality. Please click below and answer a short survey about what you really like and what you really need from the NewsBlast. The willingness of readers to provide feedback has helped us to expand its appeal and become one of the eight most influential education information sources. Thank you for helping improve the content and readability of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast. The survey will close Thursday, April 3, 2008. |
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NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
"Grants for Music Education"
The Music Is Revolution Foundation administers a grant program for Music Is Revolution activities designed by teachers to implement, support and/or improve their ability to provide quality music education for their students. Funds may be used for supplies, materials, equipment, transportation for a field trip and/or to bring a performer or musical group to the school. Maximum Award: $500. Deadline: April 15, 2008.
"Fordham Fellows"
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation Fellowship program seeks to bring bright and ambitious people into the world of education policy. Five fellows will come to Washington, D.C. in fall 2008 to work full-time for nine months (Labor Day to Memorial Day) at a different education policy organization in the city. Each will be integrated into that organization, be involved in a challenging project, have access to organization leaders and contribute to fulfilling the organization's mission and goals. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: applicants must have an undergraduate degree. Deadline: April 30, 2008.
"Grants for Athletics for Young Women"
Women's Sports Foundation GoGirlGo! Grants provide financial assistance to sports/physical activity programs seeking to add new or expand program participation opportunities for an under-served population of girls, particularly economically disadvantaged girls and/or girls from populations with high incidences of health-risk behaviors. Average Award: $5,700. Eligibility: School, amateur, community and/or nonprofit organization whose program members are female, enrolled in 9th through12th grade and residents of the United States. Some area restrictions apply. Applicants must provide a minimum eight-week sports/physical activity program with preference given to organizations working consistently with girls throughout the year. Deadline: May 9, 2008.
"Grants for Math and Science"
The Toshiba America Foundation makes grants for projects in math and science designed by classroom teachers to improve instruction for students in grades K-12. Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: Grades K-12. Deadline: Decisions about grants under $5,000 (K-6: $1,000) are made on a rolling basis and applications are accepted throughout the year. Deadline for large grants grades 7-12: August 1, 2008.
"Books Across America"
The National Education Association's Books Across America Library Books Awards Program enables public school libraries serving economically disadvantaged students to purchase books. Maximum Award: $1,000. Eligibility: Practicing pre-kindergarten through grade12 school librarians, teachers, or education support professionals in a U.S. public school in which at least 70 percent of the students are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program. Deadline: November 7, 2008.
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