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November 21, 2008 |
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| PEN celebrates 25 years of LEFs |
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PEN hosted its 2008 Annual Conference (November 16-18) celebrating 25 years of the impact and legacy of local education funds (LEFs). Sample highlights include: Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, examined the impact of public opinion on public education. In most districts, users of local schools are less likely to find them lacking, noted Lake. She focused on how we understand public opinion, what drives our "knowing," and who crafts opinion into "fact." See Lake's PowerPoint presentation here. Andreas Schleicher, of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, compared quality and equity in schooling outcomes across the world's major economies, and identified policy lessons to be learned from top performers and rapid improvers. You can hear an audio montage of PEN members, national education leaders, and partners expressing thanks for PEN's contributions to education reform and public engagement here.
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| Public school parents, unite! |
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Now that we've made history by electing our first African-American president, what has changed? On first blush, writes Sandra Tsing Loh on The New York Times website, not much, especially when it comes to our schools. Indeed, as the spiraling United States economy takes precedence, education is moving to the back burner, though sadly it was never really on the front burner during the campaign. Meanwhile Washington high society is swooning as chatty lifestyle stories document the courtship of President-elect Barack Obama's daughters by a bevy of exclusive private schools. Oddly, the first extraordinary boon for public education in America is the economic apocalypse. A 30-year-long habit of increasing privatization of our own little corners of democracy, of swiping the credit card to flee our public spaces, is dying hard. With any luck, in the next generation, the meritocratic dream conveyed in the ascension of Barack Obama will not hinge on a lucky jaunt at an elite private school but will be entwined in a narrative that reflects the triumph of public school, a fought-for hearth in which burns the essential goodness, fair-mindedness and optimism of America.
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| Reading First boosts decoding, but not understanding |
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According to a congressionally mandated study, students in the $6 billion Reading First program are now better able to decode words but have made little progress in comprehension and are no more likely to be proficient readers than students who were not in the program, writes Education Week. The report, one of the largest and most rigorous undertaken by the U.S. Department of Education, found that among both the Reading First and comparison groups, reading achievement was low, with fewer than half of 1st graders, and fewer than 40 percent of 2nd and 3rd graders showing grade-level proficiency. Reading First, which has been dogged by mismanagement issues and allegations of conflicts of interest in the past few years, is facing the federal budget scalpel in 2009. The final report of the Reading First Impact Study is part of the $40 million evaluation process for the program.
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| The forgotten middle class, pre-K edition |
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A new study by Pre-K Now finds that 700,000 middle-income families in 20 states are being squeezed out of prekindergarten programs for lower-income children, unable to qualify based on family earnings but unable to afford private prekindergarten, the Associated Press reports. The study breaks down the cost of basic living expenses for middle-class families in the 20 states where pre-K is only for low-income children, finding that pre-K is the single largest expense for middle-class families of four (30 percent of monthly spending). States with publicly run pre-k programs have targeted services to poor children because they need the most help to be ready for kindergarten, but the study shows that middle-income children also are behind in reading, writing, and math when compared with their upper-income peers.
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| AFT chief signals openness to potential reforms |
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In her first speech since being elected president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten signaled her openness to a number of school reform ideas that have been unpopular with teacher unions. Speaking at the National Press Club, Weingarten stated: "With the exception of vouchers, which siphon scarce resources from public schools, no issue should be off the table, provided it is good for children and fair to teachers." Weingarten urged that all stakeholders in public education -- parents, teachers, school administrators, business leaders, and elected officials -- take responsibility for public education and work to find common ground on divisive issues like differentiated pay, tenure, and teacher assignment. She also took exception to what she considers the widespread scapegoating of teachers and teacher unions for low student achievement, and called the No Child Left Behind Act "a stand-in for real discussions at the state and national levels about a robust education policy that prepares our children for the 21st century."
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| New survey profiles states' use of data for student achievement |
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The Data Quality Campaign -- a national effort to encourage and support state improvement on the collection, availability, and use of education data and to improve student achievement -- has released, "Measuring What Matters: Creating Longitudinal Data Systems to Improve Student Achievement." This survey of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, finds that six states have all 10 elements of a comprehensive data system that can track student progress from preschool through college, and 48 states have at least half the elements. (For a description of the 10 elements, see HERE [http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/].) This was up from zero states in 2005. 47 states plan to have eight or more of the 10 elements in place within three years. The survey found, however, that only 21 states have a teacher identifier system with the ability to match teachers to students; another 13 states plan to have this element by 2012, but 17 states report no plans to implement it. Only 17 states collect student-level course completion and transcript information, and at least nine have no plans to do so. And 29 states have the ability to collect college readiness test scores, but at least 12 states have no plans to implement this element. States report that it's not a lack of technological know-how that keeps them from doing this work, but the lack of political will and resources to implement the elements and change the culture around data use.
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| Three states take on high school innovations for global readiness |
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The states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Utah will undertake a redefinition of high school as outlined in a 2006 report "Tough Choices or Tough Times" by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, writes the Christian Science Monitor. The report calls for restructuring school systems and redirecting money toward universal prekindergarten and higher teacher salaries, among other steps it says will better prepare students for the 21st-century global economy. New Hampshire will let students leave high school as early as age 16 to pursue college or career training after passing a state board exam. Massachusetts has created a panel that will share student health, social services, and education information in an early-warning data system that will identify and help students at risk of dropping out. And Utah has created a 21st Century Workforce Initiative to address the 57 percent of the state's high school graduates who don't go on to postsecondary education. Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, applauds these moves. "It's significant that three states are willing to try some of these ideas," he said. "It shows that the discussion about reform is being broadened beyond the current test-driven accountability system."
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| Oregon graduation requirements stymied by downturn |
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Due to the sharp economic downturn, Gov. Ted Kulongoski is seeking to delay proposed tougher graduation requirements for Oregon's high school students rather than give schools what he called an "unfunded mandate," according to the Portland Oregonian. The more rigorous requirements were enacted by a unanimous Oregon Board of Education in June after nearly three years of study, in a bid to get all students up to par in so-called essential skills -- reading, math, speaking, and writing -- before sending them to college and careers. The proposed delay was generally well received by the school board, though board chairman Duncan Wyse said they would not lose course despite financial constraints and would retain some elements of the new graduation standard. "There are a lot of ways to be creative about how we do that," Wyse said, steps like delaying the new test for math but requiring students to meet the new reading and speaking standards. A panel of Oregon educators convened by the state estimated that if the state were to equip schools to get all students to meet the new graduation requirements would cost about $266 million in 2009-11.
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| D.C. Chancellor and Mayor may seek federal emergency legislation for schools |
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The Washington Post reports that D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty may seek federal legislation declaring the D.C. schools to be in a "state of emergency," a dramatic gambit that would eliminate the need to bargain with the Washington Teachers' Union and allow them to build a system essentially from scratch, much as has happened in New Orleans. The proposals were contained in a draft statement that Rhee and Fenty had been slated to deliver in late September, but their news conference was cancelled and its proposals never made public. The Post obtained the draft statement via the Freedom of Information Act. The draft also states that Rhee intends to explore local and federal legislation to assume the power to create charter and "autonomous" schools operated by the District, in which staff and parents would have a higher degree of freedom to shape academic programs. This power had been held by the D.C. School Board but lapsed with the mayoral takeover of the school system last year. Union leaders doubt these ideas can gain traction in the current political environment.
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| ACLU gender suit in Alabama middle school |
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The American Civil Liberties Union has accused a Mobile, Ala. middle school of illegally segregating its students by gender, according to the Associated Press. The ACLU sent a letter to Mobile County school officials protesting that Hankins Middle School has divided boys and girls into separate classes without notifying parents, and that no coeducational alternative was provided, as required by federal law. The parent of one eighth-grader has reported that his son was told by school officials to have no contact with girls at the school, including at the bus stop, and another parent has said the school's principal told him that gender segregation was necessary because boys' and girls' brains are so different that they need different curricula. Several other counties in Alabama have been reported to be experimenting with gender segregation, and the ACLU has a similar suit pending in Kentucky and has resolved one in Louisiana. The ACLU contends that mandatory gender segregation in public schools violates federal law on equal education opportunities, as well as violating the U.S. Constitution.
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| L.A. Times says LAUSD Superintendent must go |
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In an editorial on the second anniversary of his four-year tenure, the Los Angeles Times writes that Retired Vice Adm. David L. Brewer is not the man to lead the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD). "This is a treacherous moment for a school district that has long operated on the edge of failure, and it demands unimpeachable leadership," the Times writes. "In such a moment, the district cannot afford a superintendent who holds the title but isn't up to the job." Though the Times appears to like Brewer as a person, it feels he lacks political and educational acumen, which has led to a pile up of missteps that has considerably weakened his authority. The Times alleges that he mishandled the assembly of his command team and has responded to crises with flow charts and management-speak rather than solutions. It further says that he failed to control the school board on financial matters, which has short-changed students, and his reform ideas have been "faded out or... scaled back until they were hardly recognizable." LAUSD currently faces a budget shortfall of at least $200 million, and may have to close schools, fire staff, and curtail elective courses and preschool offerings. At this juncture, the Times feels the school board should facilitate Brewer's graceful departure.
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| Student-run bank teaches teens to manage money |
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To help educate youth about financial planning and introduce them to careers in finance, Capital One has opened a bank branch at Newark's West Side High School. The bank is housed in a former classroom, with security cameras on a wall behind the teller counter and a five-foot-high safe with a lock box for each student banker in a room adjacent to counter. The room provides spaces for student bankers to consult with fellow schoolmates who want to open savings or checking accounts, and a financial education center has been set up next door so community members can attend seminars on tax preparation and money management classes that will be offered by area nonprofits. Among other benefits, the bank introduces teens to "mainstream banks" and the importance of checking and savings accounts. "In economically challenged areas, there is not always a presence of banking, so families go to check cashing or other agencies," explained Capital One Senior Vice-President Mike Wall. "This allows [young people] to build a more solid foundation in money management." Officials believe it is one of the first student-run bank branches to open in a New Jersey school and there are only a handful of school-based banks across the country.
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Heading the transition team at ED
Judith Winston, general counsel for the Department of Education in the Clinton administration, and Professor Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University are heading President-elect Barack Obama's transition team at the Department of Education.
Teenagers' Internet socializing not a bad thing
All those hours teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing, according to a new study by the MacArthur Foundation. Their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world.
Sour economy forces unpaid leave for South Carolina education employees
South Carolina Education Department employees must take five days of unpaid leave by the end of June, a move that Schools Superintendent Jim Rex says will save 13 to 15 jobs.
Philadelphia charters cost system 5 percent of budget
The chief business officer of the School District of Philadelphia has announced that after a detailed financial analysis, he has found that charter schools are costing the system $105 million for the 2008-09 academic year.
Georgia County proposes green initiative for schools
Under a proposed incentive plan, schools in Richmond County, Ga. would get 10 percent of the school system's savings if they cut back on utilities.
The question of Susan Neuman
Education News delves into lingering questions surrounding Susan Neuman, Bush education appointee and NCLB apostate turned Obama advisor, who left the Department of Education under a cloud in 2003. |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
American Association of School Librarians: National School Library Media Program of the Year Award
The National School Library Media Program of the Year Award recognizes exemplary school library media programs that ensure students and staff are effective users of ideas and information and are fully integrated into the host school's curriculum. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: school districts and single schools within a district -- public as well as non-public -- from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Deadline: Jan. 2, 2009.
National Teachers Hall of Fame
The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors exceptional career teachers, encourages excellence in teaching, and preserves the rich heritage of the teaching profession in the United States. Maximum award: recognition; $1,000 scholarship for a student in the inductee's school district who plans to pursue a degree in education; $1,000 in educational materials from the Pearson Learning Group for the inductee's school district. Eligibility: nominees must have a minimum of 20 years of full-time preK-12 teaching experience, and hold a valid teaching certificate or license from the state in which he or she is teaching or has taught. Deadline: Jan. 2, 2009.
Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award
National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Earth Science Teacher awards are given for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth Sciences at the secondary level. Maximum award: $500 classroom improvement funds. Eligibility: middle and high-school teachers of earth science. Deadline: Feb. 1, 2009.
Amgen: Award for Science Teaching Excellence
The Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence recognizes extraordinary contributions by educators across the United States who are elevating the level of science literacy through creativity in the classroom and motivation of students. Maximum award: $5,000 to recipient, $5,000 to the recipient's school for the expansion or enhancement of a school science program, for science resources, or for the professional development of the school's science teachers. Eligibility: full-time classroom teachers grades K–12 in public or private school whose major responsibilities include teaching science and who work in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, or Washington state. Deadline: Feb. 2, 2009.
ING: Unsung Heroes Awards
The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes innovative and progressive thinking in education through monetary awards. Maximum award: $25,000. Eligibility: full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff members with effective projects that improve student learning at an accredited K-12 public or private school. Deadline: April 30, 2009.
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"As citizens, we are less involved with our schools and in our democracy. We must recognize that community issues -- poverty, violence, family stability, and substance abuse -- are school issues. These issues are realities -- not excuses. Without question, our schools need qualified teachers and strong principals. Like all public institutions, schools must be accountable for performance. But, just as surely, our young people and their families need more connections, more support, more opportunities, and more learning time to be successful. We can and we must do both. We must create effective schools that have robust relationships with families and other community institutions."
-From The Community Agenda for America's Public Schools
http://www.thecommunityagenda.org/_assets/docs/community_agenda.pdf
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