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September 26, 2008 |
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| Policy experts blast 'piecemeal' student-aid system |
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A group of policy experts convened by the College Board has called for a sweeping overhaul of the federal financial-aid system for college students, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Describing current programs as "piecemeal" and "rickety," the group says in a report that the system's complexity discourages students from low- and moderate-income families from seeking financial assistance. The experts also urge the government to add incentives for institutions to retain such students and to help them complete college. The federal government distributed more than $86 billion in grants, loans, tax benefits, and other student aid in the 2006-07 academic year. Changes to the current system would require Congressional approval.
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| Revolving door: Politics and the urban school superintendent |
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The position of the urban school superintendent is becoming increasingly vulnerable, says an analytical piece in the Washington Times. The article points to the recent resignation of Rudy Crew from his administrative duties at the Miami-Dade schools just seven months after he was named Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of that organization, blames political infighting between Crew and an elected school board for Crew's departure. Comparing the role of school superintendent to that of coach of a popular home team that isn't doing well, Domenech says: "You can't get rid of all of the players, so you get rid of the coach. Unfortunately, in the long run, it does them no good to have this revolving door. They never have the longevity that you need to have in a school system for programs to set in and for progress to be made over the long term." According to the Council of the Great City Schools, the average tenure for an urban superintendent is 3.1 years.
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| Thousands in over their heads as schools push advanced math |
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What happens when you try to challenge more students by placing them in advanced eighth-grade math classes? "Unintended and damaging consequences," says the Brookings Instititution in releasing a report by Tom Loveless, director of the think tank's Brown Center on Education Policy. In a hard look at the nationwide trend to teach algebra to eighth graders, USA Today notes, the Brookings study found that about 120,000 middle-schoolers have been struggling in advanced classes for which they were seriously unprepared. Based on data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Loveless estimates that among the lowest-scoring 10 percent of students, nearly 29 percent have been taking advanced math, despite having the math skills of a typical second-grader. The idea may be to level the playing field among students, but Loveless thinks the practice is doing kids a disservice. "It's really counterfeit equity," he says. The report's title: "The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra."
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| Coalition backs plan to improve public schools |
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A coalition of leading educators and community organizations has produced a "Community Agenda for America's Public Schools." The group, which includes Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, seeks to address complex social problems -- including poverty, violence, substance abuse, and family instability -- by focusing on schools. The agenda calls for more partnerships between public schools and local community groups, health-care providers, and other social services to help struggling students, especially in the nation's urban and rural areas.
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| A state's budgetary concerns could lead to larger classes |
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In public education, broader economic troubles can generate increases in the number of students sitting in each classroom. In Florida, for example, as school districts anticipate budget shortfalls for next year, lawmakers are considering a relaxation of a state constitutional amendment that strictly controls class size in public schools, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The popular amendment, which voters ratified in 2002, dictates that the number of students in each class be limited to 18 in pre-K through grade 3, to 22 in grades 4 through 8, and to 25 in high school. School financing in Florida, which has been especially hard hit by a real estate bust, is split between property taxes and state revenues. Education and social services make up the largest items in the state budget, and a $3.5 billion deficit has been estimated for next year.
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| Big jump found in school failures under NCLB |
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The number of schools nationwide that are failing to meet achievement goals under the No Child Left Behind Act has grown by 50 percent since last year, according to a study by the Center on Education Policy. The report, "A Call to Restructure Restructuring," charges that the U.S. Department of Education has offered "little guidance on what to do about persistently struggling schools," which now number 3,500 across the country. According to the report, once a school enters restructuring, it rarely leaves that status, and adequate funding for school overhauls and qualified teaching to bolster achievement are often in short supply. As a law, NCLB is "like a first draft of a paper," says Jack Jennings, president of the center, "and we don't think it's developed very well."
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| Researchers call for more criteria in assessing students' competence |
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The nonprofit research center Child Trends says it has found gaps in the criteria that colleges and employers use to assess the competence of young applicants. A report by the group maintains that, in addition to traditional assessments, criteria for determining college or job readiness could include positive mental health, resilience, social competence, and sense of purpose, and that high schools could make such criteria part of students' preparation. Titled "A Developmental Perspective on College and Workplace Readiness," the report includes a chart of key competencies.
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| College admissions group wants to play down the SAT, ACT |
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College admissions officers should pay less attention to SAT and ACT scores in evaluating applicants, if not do away entirely with requiring the exams, a commission convened by the National Association for College Admission Counseling has declared. Reporting on the panel's recommendations, ABC News notes that many students focus on beating the tests instead of relying on knowledge they have acquired from studying. Meanwhile, an abundance of coaching and prep courses that students can take for high fees is believed to add to an economic bias that some critics have found in the tests themselves. The commission favors tests tied more closely to the high school curriculum.
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| Oregon initiative would curb teaching ELL students in their native language |
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The conservative activist Bill Sizemore is campaigning through a ballot initiative to prohibit Oregon schools from teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) in their native language after one year in elementary school or two years in high school. According to the Oregonian, Sizemore's proposal underscores how little most people know about the way Oregon's ELL students spend their days at school. The newspaper says about 85 percent of such students are taught exclusively in English. Measure 58, as the initiative is known, contradicts consistent research findings that teaching students literacy in their own language helps them become stronger readers of English, the Oregonian adds. A coalition of major education groups in the state is working to defeat the measure.
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| Parents paid to learn how to help their kids with school |
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In an effort to encourage parents to become more connected to her Iowa school district, education activist Jeanette Wiley is paying some of them $25 each to attend a program about how they can help their children with school, reports CNN. In day-long seminars, the Education Brain Trust coaches parents on working with teachers, helping with homework, and providing a better home environment for doing school work. Participants are required to sign letters in which they agree to have at least four positive experiences involving their children's school activities, including attending parent-teacher conferences, and to supervise an hour of homework each night. "We talk about turning the radio down, turning the music off, getting the people out of the house, [and] no card games at the table," Wiley explains.
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| Wide sea, small boat: Marian Wright Edelman looks ahead |
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Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, has released a new book, "The Sea Is So Wide and My Boat Is So Small: Charting a Course for the Next Generation." It's a series of letters -- to educators, faith leaders, young people, mothers, elected officials, and concerned citizens -- that reflects on America's social and economic progress, as well as its setbacks, since the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. Writes Edelman: "We now have the opportunity and awesome responsibility to compose and play the next movement of America's symphony of freedom and justice. I hope that through this book our nation is motivated to take on this challenge and step forward for all children."
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Broad Foundation, Harvard in fresh assault on achievement gap
The university's new Education Innovation Laboratory (a.k.a. EdLabs) will team up with New York, Chicago, and Washington school districts to improve public education. Budget: $44 million.
Pre-K programs draw state support despite economic problems
It's "very good news," says Libby Doggett, head of Pre-K Now. An analysis by the organization finds states standing firm in their commitment to finance pre-kindergarten programs.
Free wikis for teachers as company expands its giveaway project
After giving away its collaborative Internet software to 100,000 K-12 teachers around the world since 2006, a San Francisco company, Wikispaces, plans to offer 250,000 more free wikis.
In pursuit of dropouts
Baltimore schools chief Andres Alonso has ordered the city's high schools to locate the 925 students who have quit school since January, call them, visit their homes, and get them back.
Aftermath of a school district's loss of accreditation
U.S. News and World Report looks at how a recent decision by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has affected students, families, and educators in Clayton County, GA.
In the works: a book about boys and reading
A USA Today editorial writer is seeking anecdotes about adults helping boys get excited about reading. Send a summary, phone number, and contact time to richard.whitmire@gmail.com. |
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| NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION |
National Child Labor Committee: Awards for Service to Children and Youth
The 2009 Lewis Hine Awards for Service to Children and Youth will be presented to individuals who have made a commitment to the well-being, growth, and development of youth, either in a paid job or through volunteering. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: professional nominees must work full- or part-time and receive pay for the activity or service for which they are nominated; volunteer nominees must be unpaid volunteers in the activity or service. Deadline: Oct. 23, 2008.
Science Teachers: Sylvia Shugrue Award
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Sylvia Shugrue Award for Elementary School Teachers honors a teacher who has established (or is establishing) an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based lesson plan. The lesson plan must fully reference information sources and any relevant National Science Education Standards and benchmarks found in The Atlas of Science Literacy. Maximum award: $1,000, and up to $500 to attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education, March 19-22, 2009, in New Orleans. The recipient will be honored during the Awards Banquet at the NSTA Conference. Eligibility: full-time elementary school teachers (grades K-6) with a minimum of three years' experience. Deadline: Nov. 30, 2008.
Allstate: Grants for National and Local Programs
The Allstate Foundation supports national and local programs in three focus areas. Safe and Vital Communities programs address catastrophe response, youth anti-violence, neighborhood revitalization, or teen safe driving. Economic Empowerment programs address financial and economic literacy, insurance education, or empowerment for victims of domestic violence. Tolerance, Inclusion, and Diversity programs address teaching tolerance to youth, ending hate crimes, or alleviating discrimination. Maximum award: varies. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. Deadline: rolling.
Mathematics Council: Grants to Improve Students' Understanding of Geometry
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Improving Students' Understanding of Geometry Grants seek to enable students to better appreciate and understand an aspect of geometry that is consistent with the council's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. The project should include applications of geometry to, for example, art, literature, music, architecture, nature, or some other relevant area, and may integrate the use of technology into the teaching of geometry. Maximum award: $3,000. Eligibility: K-8 teachers who are NCTM members as of Oct. 15, 2008, and are teaching at a school with an NCTM K-8 membership as of Oct. 15, 2008. Deadline: Nov. 14, 2008.
ALA Cavendish Award: Library Programming
The American Library Association's Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award recognizes a library whose programs have community impact and respond to community needs. Eligible programs include: support of educational programs, library programs for children and adults, reading and literature programs for children, library programs for young adults, programming for multi-ethnic groups, community outreach, literacy programs, and programs and services for people with disabilities. Maximum award: $2,000 and a citation of achievement. Eligibility: school or public libraries. Deadline: Dec. 1, 2008.
For more grants, see http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
"In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have."
-- Lee Iacocca, American businessman (b. 1924)
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PEN Weekly NewsBlast
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and Editor, PEN Weekly NewsBlast
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