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THE STATE OF AMERICAN SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENCY
  More women are becoming superintendents, as women currently make up more than 20 percent of superintendents, up from 16 percent in 2000 and 6.6 percent in 1992, according to a new report released by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Despite the increase, 29 percent of female superintendents say a glass ceiling exists that hurts their chances of being selected for the job. The report includes information on the ever-changing roles superintendents play, especially in light of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In fact, a majority of superintendents say NCLB has had a negative impact on the nation’s schools. Not surprising, given the recent education climate, superintendents experience high levels of stress. Some 60 percent of superintendents find their position very stressful and 15 percent say they experience very great stress. Still, superintendents are drawn to the vocation by a desire to help students achieve. The AASA report includes valuable information on what makes superintendents tick -- besides federal legislation.
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2007 NATION’S REPORT CARD FINDS FOURTH & EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS PROGRESSING IN MATH AND READING
  The latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress -- the richest source of American education information -- shows that student achievement in mathematics and reading is on the rise. Thankfully, math scores for 4th - and 8th-graders have continued to rise since 1990. Unfortunately, the average 4th- and 8th-grade scores were two percentage points higher in math in 2007 than in 2005. While the math achievement gaps are smaller in 2007 than they were in 1990, there was no significant difference at the 4th-grade level between 2007 and 2005. Meanwhile, the average reading scores for 4th-graders was the highest in 15 years, even though the overall gains since 1992 have been more modest than those seen for math. As is the case with math, the average 4th-grade reading score was two points higher than in 2005, and four points higher than in 1992. Similarly, the average 8th-grade score was one point higher than in 2005, and three points higher than 1992. The release panel, consisting of members of the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics, was quick to praise the assessments for the accurate snapshots they provided, but were unable to explain the why of the outcomes. It seems to follow that it wouldn’t make sense to "use" the results to praise or criticize any form of education policy.
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COURT ALLOWS BOYS’ PROTEST VIA "HITLER YOUTH" BUTTONS
  A federal judge recently ruled that two grade-school students in Bayonne, N.J. can wear buttons depicting Hitler Youth, reports Jonathan Miller of the New York Times. The dispute began last fall, when Michael DePinto, 11, and his mother made a protest button that included a photograph of Hitler Youth with the words "No School Uniforms" imposed over the photo. Michael wore the button to school for several weeks before the district sent a letter to his home demanding that he stop or face suspension. In an action typical of the current American climate, the boys’ parents sued, claiming violation of First Amendment rights. The judge, Joseph Greenaway, wrote in a 28-page decision that the button did not "materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school." He based his decision in part on a 1969 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that allowed students in Des Moines, Iowa to wear black armbands to protest Vietnam. Apparently, depicting the Hitler Youth is different from swastikas, a Confederate flag, or a burning cross, as had the buttons shown any of those symbols, Greenaway would have ruled differently. The district is disappointed in the ruling and concerned for what precedent it might set for public school students across New Jersey. To his credit, Michael said he didn’t mean to offend anyone, but merely wanted to make a point about conformity: forcing uniforms on students is "what Hitler did to his youth, the student said. Instead of arguing in court, perhaps Michael, his history teacher and his parents should have sat down and read about Hitler. The importance of the First Amendment is undeniable, free speech must remain an unalienable right -- the problem here arises in not knowing or learning that a picture of Hitler Youth could possibly offend someone.
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TEACH YOUR ‘CHILDRENS’ WELL
  As Graham Nash’s song notes "Teach your children well/Their father's well/Will slowly go dry/ And feed them on your dreams/The one they pick/The one you'll go by." President Bush has long touted the importance of education, and teaching children, especially the disadvantaged, well. Unfortunately, it can be embarrassing when speaking about education, with an audience that includes school kids, to make grammatical errors, reports Mark Knoller of CBS News. President Bush, during an event trumpeting the recent NAEP findings, said "as yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured." The president’s hope was to use the results to affirm his call to Congress to avoid "going backwards when it comes to educational excellence," noting that "we’ve come too far to turn back." At least President Bush provided a little (unintentional) hilarity in the midst of the reauthorization "process."
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$275,000 PAYMENT TO FORMER D.C. SUPERINTENDENT JANEY DISCLOSED
  The school district that spends the most money per pupil with little to show for it spends even more money per replaced school superintendent, also with little to show for it. Former Washington D.C. school superintendent, Dr. Clifford Janey, who was removed from his position when Mayor Adrian Fenty took control of the D.C. public school system, will receive a $275,000 payment as part of a settlement with the district, reports Theola Labbe of the Washington Post. The city initially refused to release the terms of the settlement, and only did so after the Washington Post filed a Freedom of Information Act request. According to the settlement, both sides entered into the agreement "for the purpose of fully recognizing Dr. Janey’s services to the district." In addition, the agreement places restrictions on what Janey and city officials can say about his tenure as superintendent -- district officials are not to "disparage" Dr. Janey and Dr. Janey will not "disparage" the district or its officials. Maybe they will let the test scores do the talking.
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SCHOOL DISCIPLINE TOUGHER ON AFRICAN AMERICANS
  America’s schools remain as unequal as they have ever been when it comes to disciplinary sanctions (think suspensions and expulsions), according to recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2004-05 school year, reports Howard Witt in the Chicago Tribune. On average, African American New Jersey public school students are almost 60 times as likely as white students to be expelled, Minnesota black public school students are suspended six times as often as whites, and in Iowa, black students, who constitute only five percent of public school enrollment, account for 22 percent of suspended students. In every state except Idaho, black students are suspended in numbers greater than would be expected given their proportion of the student body. In 21 states alone, the percentage of black suspensions is more than double their percentage of the student body. Unfortunately, this is not purely a socioeconomic issue, as middle- and upper-class black students are being disciplined more often that their white peers as well. Russell Skiba, widely regarded as the foremost authority on school discipline and race, says "we can call it structural inequity or we can call it institutional racism." The problem goes way beyond being unfair to black youths, as research shows that a history of school suspensions is a strong predictor of future trouble, or the first step on the "school-to-prison pipeline" for black youths. Additionally, few districts across the country have recognized the stark inequity in school discipline. One district that has done something is the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. When school administrators realized blacks accounted for 37 percent of students sent to punitive alternative schools, yet only 14 percent of the district’s population, they introduced a program aimed at encouraging positive student behaviors rather then punishing negative ones. At one school, disciplinary referrals dropped from 520 in 2001-02 to just 20 last year. Skiba cautions that "there is no silver bullet for this problem," and it is possible that schools implementing positive behavioral programs are simply reducing white suspensions, while increasing black suspensions.
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DISABLED GIRLS BASK IN THEIR NEW DESTINY: CHEERLEADERS
  It is of little importance that Clare Kearney is unable to perform sophisticated dance moves, or that she has Down syndrome and autism, or that, in the beginning she barely looked at her teammates. Now she stands beside them during practice in her "place," a competitive cheerleader practice facility where girls perform intricate moves flawlessly, reports Donna St. George of the Washington Post. Clare’s 11 teammates have similar disabilities and together they comprise Destiny, a cheerleading team that has filled what was missing in many of their lives: a sense of belonging, acceptance and friendship. The team is one part of a grassroots movement to create more activities for children with disabilities. While each success has come one at a time, each achievement has had an immeasurable impact on a child’s life. In the past year, special-needs cheer squads have more than doubled to nearly 160. The need for these types of programs is great as 5.5 million school children have disabilities, but there are scarce few options for before- or after-school activities. As a result of their participation, the parents of the Destiny girls say they have become more talkative, more comfortable socially, and more engaged. In addition, belonging to this troupe has given the girls confidence, as they have performed their routine under bright lights before thousands with few problems. Ayaan Ayorinde, a 13-year-old with Down syndrome, finished a performance at the Washington Convention Center with a wave and kisses for the crowd. Allen Crocker, a Harvard University professor, believes there is a social significance that goes beyond the Destiny girls, seeing this as a "breakthrough." Cheerleading, so often associated with snobbery and the social elite, has been "the antithesis of isolation."
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THE DAY LOUIS ARMSTRONG MADE NOISE ABOUT SCHOOL SEGREGATION
  Fifty years ago, and two weeks after the Little Rock Nine were first barred from Central High School, Louis Armstrong was on tour in Grand Forks, N.D., writes David Margolick in the New York Times. Larry Lubenow, then a 21-year-old journalism student at the University of North Dakota, was sent to Armstrong’s hotel to interview him, with his editor’s caveat of "no politics." This would have aligned with Armstrong’s wishes, as up to that point he had been quoted as saying "I don’t get involved in politics...I just blow my horn." With the help of a bell captain and a room service lobster dinner, Lubenow snuck into Armstrong’s suite, and Armstrong agreed to speak with Lubenow. Lubenow initially stuck to his editor’s script, but soon brought up the happenings of Little Rock. The response was shocking -- Armstrong said President Eisenhower was "two-faced," and had "no guts." He called then Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus "an uneducated plow boy," and sang the opening bar of "The Star-Spangled Banner" with obscenities substituted for the lyrics. Lubenow knew he had a story, but couldn’t get anyone to run it, as the Associated Press editor in Minneapolis wouldn’t believe Armstrong had said those things. So the next morning, Lubenow went to Armstrong’s suite with a photographer and showed him the story. After reading it, Armstrong, who was once called "Uncle Tom" by Jet Magazine, said "don’t take nothing out of that story," wrote "solid" below the last line and signed it. There was typical backlash, but Jackie Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Lena Horne and others quickly backed Armstrong. One week later, President Eisenhower sent 1,200 paratroopers into Little Rock, and the next day those soldiers escorted nine students into Central High School.
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LEARNING FROM LONG BEACH SCHOOLS
  What has the Long Beach (Calif.) Unified School District done since winning the Broad Prize for Urban Education in 2003? Oh, they simply were a finalist this year, being one of five school districts in the country signaled out for demonstrating progress in closing the achievement gap. According to the Los Angeles Times, the district has followed a specific model, a model that has educators as far away as Japan and Romania interested. In Long Beach, community matters and education trumps politics -- the mayor, school board and superintendent encourage extensive parent, teacher and community involvement, and they remain focused on instruction. Instead of hiding and ignoring the achievement gap, the school system makes it an important aspect of ongoing instructional conversations. To help close the gaps, newly hired teachers receive two years of training on how to educate all students, including English learners. In addition, the district holds back about 1,000 students a year, effectively ending social promotion. Through the school district’s tough stance and focus on education, they have also opened rigorous courses to all students, resulting in a 105 percent increase in African American enrollment in Advanced Placement classes. While educators from across the world study Long Beach’s model, maybe it is time for American urban districts to do the same.
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FAILING EDUCATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA
  No matter what you put before ‘America,’ poor and rural children in Central America are being left behind. In a recent report released by the Partnership for Educational Revitalization in the Americas (PREAL), Central America and the Dominican Republic received poor marks in the majority of areas the report evaluated. While more Central American children go to school than ever before, the quality of their education is dismal, with poor and rural children receiving the worst of it, the report notes. The major causes of educational inequities and failures are poor teaching and a low investment in education -- as low as $200 per student per year. On average, the U.S. spends $7,000 per pupil. To address these problems, the report urges the region to strengthen the teaching profession by enabling them to receive high quality training, test students and use the data to improve instruction, and invest at least five percent of the GDP in primary and secondary education, with specific attention paid to poor and rural students. The report also advocates increased community involvement, and believes the region should consider turning schools over to parents, teachers and principals. Leonel Fernandez, president of the Dominican Republic, said it best: "we need to get education right or everything else will go wrong."
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SCHOOL UNIFORMS: ARE THEY A GOOD FIT?
  In an era where some parents seem unwilling or unable to draw the "clothes" line with their children, where pop culture influences kids’ clothing choices as never before and school safety -- including keeping children out of the crosshairs of gang violence -- is at the top of everyone’s minds, school uniforms and dress codes (looser but still explicit standards for dress) can play a significant role. But what that role should be is open to interpretation and can be a source of frustration -- and some skirmishes, reports Marsha Boutelle in California Schools Magazine. California Education Code 35183 gives school districts the power to regulate student attire, declaring that "Schools need the authorization to implement uniform clothing requirements for our public schoolchildren." On the other hand, the same law also states, "The governing board shall provide a method whereby parents may choose not to have their children comply with an adopted school uniform policy." This legislation -- the only state guideline educators have to go by on the matter -- can be exasperating for those who must wrestle with it day-to-day on campus. For the most part, districts allow schools to decide whether to impose dress codes or require students to wear uniforms. The vigor with which schools enforce apparel policies differs from school to school. Some will send children home for what may seem like a minor infraction. Others try to be accommodating, realizing that neither parents nor their children can always adhere to policy, for whatever reason. Some educators use a combination of logic and humor to deal with uniform-resistant students.
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LIFE SENTENCE -- SCHOLARS ARE JUST BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND HOW PRISON IS RESHAPING THE COUNTRY
  At one time, prisons were seen as mirroring American social and economic disparities. However, new research suggests that the penal system is not just a reflection of society but a force that shapes it, reports Christopher Shea in the Boston Globe. In this view, the prison system, which costs $60 billion a year, stigmatizes men with limited education and job skills in such a way that makes it hard for them to find jobs and slashes their wages when they do find employment. In fact, ex-convict whites, Hispanics and blacks can expect to receive about one-third less pay than their peers. Prisons and jails, currently housing 2.2 million inmates, roughly seven times the rate in the early 1970s, affect not only the incarcerated but create conditions for future crime. According to recent sociological studies, prisons have become "engines of inequality," actively widening the gap between the poor, especially poor black men, and everybody else. In addition, mass incarceration -- with 700,000 ex-prisoners re-entering society each year, and a 750 prisoners per 100,000 citizen rate -- masks a substantial portion of American poverty. In the height of the tech boom in 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts did not have jobs. Still, the unemployment level for this group was only reported at 33 percent, because government surveys excluded prisoners. Is the intent of American prisons to reform, or is it to punish? It would seem that in an ideal prison system, prisoners would be able to leave incarceration behind and be more or less restored to their previous status, with their "debt to society" being paid. However, recent research suggests that when using nearly identical resumes, black applicants with nonviolent drug records were called for an interview 5 percent of the time compared to 14 percent of black applicants without records. Meanwhile, white applicants with records were interviewed 17 percent of the time, while those without records received interviews 34 percent of the time. Black Americans and scholars are interpreting these trends as evidence of stark racism, a justice system rife with inequality -- just look at Jena, LA.
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CLUB EXPANDS FORMULA FOR INTERESTING GIRLS IN SCIENCE
  The Science Club for Girls has operated as an after-school program at five Cambridge, Mass. elementary schools since the 1990s, reports Janice O’Leary of the Boston Globe. This fall, it will debut in Boston and Lawrence and will educate 25 girls in grades one to three by having them dissect cow hearts, draw life-size human anatomy maps, and perform other activities. The program will add a new grade each year. The reason the Science Club starts young is to "nurture the natural curiosity children have," and build an interest in science that can last throughout a child’s education. Last year, 600 girls participated in the club, and 100 percent of the club’s graduates have gone on to college. The staff is encouraged to talk about college, even with girls in elementary school, hoping to set expectations high. While girls’ focus on science usually declines in high school, the club has been successful in maintaining that interest. The Science Club for Girls is trying to curtail the trend of fewer women entering scientific occupations, as over the past six years the number of women graduating with engineering degrees has declined. One would think simply getting 100 percent of participants to go to college was enough.
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‘BIOMOBILELAB’ OFFERS TOP-NOTCH SCIENCE LESSONS, RESOURCES TO STUDENTS IN DISADVANTAGED AREAS
  Across the country, affluent school districts provide students with an opportunity to learn in well-equipped science labs. This is not so for the estimated 77,000 students in poor San Jose (Calif.) school districts, reports Jessie Mangaliman of the San Jose Mercury News. Enter the Schmal Science Workshop, a local non-profit that partnered with Agilent Technologies to launch the first school science lab on wheels. The BioMobileLab, which runs on bio-diesel fuel, will allow junior and senior high school students to take part in valuable science lessons right in their neighborhoods. The science lab on wheels provides equipment for advanced biology experiments -- students will learn to use powerful microscopes linked to video screens, and a DNA thermocycler, which can perform DNA analyses with just a small sample, to name a few. In some cases, high school students will be performing college-level scientific investigations. The hope is that the lab reaches 10,000 students, and will encourage more African Americans and Latinos to enter science fairs. Current students are already making tremendous strides -- one student is working on a way to use bacteria to stabilize soil (something that might be useful in an area that experiences earthquakes) and another is working on a new method using an enzyme from horseshoe crabs to determine whether packaged seafood is safe to eat.
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LANGUAGE-LEARNING SURPRISE -- IMMERSION MAY PAY OFF FOR KIDS ACQUIRING ENGLISH
  According to recent analyses conducted by the Piton Foundation and the University of Colorado, students learning English make dramatically greater gains in wealthier schools than in poorer ones, reports Nancy Mitchell in the Rocky Mountain News (Denver). The study found that low-income English learners made virtually no progress in schools where more than 60 percent of the students come from low-income families, while in the wealthiest schools, English learners almost caught up with English speakers in the poorest schools. These findings were expected, although the research showed that the major difference between poor and wealthy schools is that the former instructs students in their native language, generally Spanish, while the latter requires students to be immersed in English. This finding seems to raise questions about the use of Spanish in classrooms. Admittedly, the study creates more questions than it has answers for, and the study’s researchers were quick to caution against concluding that the use of Spanish is hindering the acquisition of English. Similar to what has been found recently in Arizona, the research does suggest that there is "something very wrong" with the English Language Academy programs in elementary schools. Another possibility for the disparity, according to the researchers, is that there are unqualified teachers in the poorer schools’ programs. Nevertheless, the study does confirm previous research that low-income students do better in schools with fewer poor children. Conversely, students from wealthier families who attend high-poverty schools appear to be "entirely unaffected.
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PUBLIC SCHOOL PRACTICES FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION
  Everyone agrees that students learn better if they feel safe at school. The latest issue brief from the National Center for Education Statistics examines the prevalence of formal practices within public schools that are designed to prevent or reduce school violence. The brief also describes the distribution of the practices by selected school characteristics. It doesn’t appear from these findings that there are nationwide school violence prevention and reduction practices, as schools implemented a variety of different practices, with some being more commonly used than others. In fact, 59 percent of schools formally obtained parental input on polices related to school crime, and 50 percent provided parental training to deal with students’ behavioral problems. Additionally, high schools were more likely than primary schools to implement safety and security procedures, while primary schools were more likely to promote training for parents to deal with behavioral problems in students. It might be worth noting that almost as many schools had some type of security officer on hand on a regular basis (45 percent) as those that provided support for parents to engage their children with behavior issues.
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SURVEY: MONTANA METH USE PLUMMETS -- BIG DECLINES SEEN AMOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
  Teenage meth use in Montana has dropped 45 percent since the Montana Meth Project began two years ago, reports Jennifer McKee and Noelle Straub of the Billings Gazette. In a survey conducted last February, 4.6 percent of high school students reported using meth at least once, down from more than 13 percent in 1999, while in the last two years meth use rose by 6 percent in Wyoming and 8 percent in South Dakota. Since the Meth Project began, meth related crime in Montana also has dropped 53 percent. Another survey recently found that while Montana teens were as likely as their national counterparts to say meth is somewhat or very easy to get, Montana teens were more likely to believe the drug is more dangerous. In the all important peer pressure category, Montana teens also were more likely to believe that their friends would give them a hard time for using meth. The Montana Meth Project, a campaign that uses graphic advertisements depicting the effects of meth use, is given credit for the spectacular turn-around. Attorney General Mick McGrath says the advertisements, which display rotten teeth, wasted and pock-marked bodies and losing one’s virginity in a dirty bathroom, have been successful at reaching the at-risk kids. Soon other states will copy the project, as Arizona, Idaho and Illinois have plans to implement similar programs. When it comes to curbing the use of meth, it appears all publicity is good publicity.
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NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION

"The National Parent Teacher Association Research Grants"
The National Parent Teacher Association invites grant proposals for original research and writing on the organization’s policies concerning the education and/or welfare of children in the United States. Topics may cover a wide range of policy-related issues that include, but are not limited to: student achievement and assessment; student and parental attitudes; parent involvement; contextual factors (individual, curricular, and school related) in education; educational participation and persistence (kindergarten through career entry); at-risk students; early childhood education; school finance; support for public education; child health; child welfare; the role of mass media; and child advocacy. Maximum Award: $5,000. Deadline: November 16, 2007

"National Education Associate Learning and Leadership Grants"
NEA Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of two purposes: grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research; grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: public school teachers grades K–12; public school education support professionals; or faculty and staff at public higher education institutions. Deadline: October 15, 2007.

"National Education Association Foundation Student Achievement Grants"
The NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants provide funds to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: practicing U.S. public school teachers, public school education support professionals, or faculty or staff at public higher education institutions. Deadline: October 15, 2007.

"Senior Urban Education Research Fellowship Program"
The Senior Urban Education Research Fellowship program, sponsored by the Council of the Great City Schools with funding from the Institute for Education Sciences, is designed to promote collaborative, high quality, rigorous research projects between senior researchers and urban school districts. The goals of the fellowship program are the promotion of scientific inquiry into questions and challenges facing urban school districts; facilitation of significant collaboration and on-going partnerships between the research community and the leadership of urban school districts; and the production of a set of high quality studies that yield reliable guidance regarding the challenges and decisions urban school districts face in the reform of secondary education. Maximum Award: $100,000. Eligibility: researchers with at least 7-10 years of experience and an established track record of working with urban school districts. Deadline: Letter of intent, October 15, 2007.

"Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program"
The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program, sponsored by the Government of Japan, is designed to increase understanding between the people of Japan and the United States by inviting U.S. educators to visit Japan and share their experiences with fellow Americans upon their return. Maximum Award: fully-funded study tour of Japan. Eligibility: elementary and secondary school teachers. Deadline: December 10, 2007.


For a detailed listing of numerous EXISTING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES (updated each week), visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp