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<div><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="5"><b>Public Education Network Weekly <em>NewsBlast</em></b></font><br>
<b><font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"Public Involvement. Public Education. Public Benefit."</font></b></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><i>Dec. 7, 2012</i></font></div>
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<div><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG__99PXkFa0r-0jJn3WmCljOO0mSzEkODxeYDA6Ydy-HoDfBjBlueGiQihesBUFJh-gFoKQY3CkxqKtuKb-WNL17ZMtSEBlKf32SecqH33JSZjwSIL2DTFGHBSuP72SCTl8hSIWF4OcriPR2GYEluTH-JTiIFzP1xApVwAIhXnZm0_UKU43Q0w58TBzAAWzOCw=">The road ahead</a></strong><br>
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently laid out his
priorities for the next four years in a speech at the Foundation for
Excellence in Education, emphasizing he thinks teacher preparation is
broken and the best educators should be teaching the highest-need
children, reports Michele McNeil in Education Week. He also wants to
renew focus on teacher and principal quality. Duncan said teacher <a href="http://mail.aol.com/37252-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27404465&seq=26&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#" style="text-decoration:underline" id="_GPLITA_0" title="Click to Continue > by CouponDropDown">education programs</a>
are "part of the problem," and without getting specific, said there are
a "number of things we plan to do," such as a competitive initiative to
foster innovation in schools of education. "We need to push very, very
hard in schools of education," he said. He also expressed concern that
no schools or districts he knows of work "systemically" to identify the
best teachers and principals, then place them with children with the
highest needs. Duncan also indicated early education would get a renewed
focus in his second term. This was the most widely viewed speech from
the secretary since President Barack Obama was re-elected.<br>
Read more: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG__99PXkFa0r-0jJn3WmCljOO0mSzEkODxeYDA6Ydy-HoDfBjBlueGiQihesBUFJh-gFoKQY3CkxqKtuKb-WNL17ZMtSEBlKf32SecqH33JSZjwSIL2DTFGHBSuP72SCTl8hSIWF4OcriPR2GYEluTH-JTiIFzP1xApVwAIhXnZm0_UKU43Q0w58TBzAAWzOCw=">http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/11/_this_marks_the_first.html</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9hJgb8mGsB0HFO41pDJSgGiD33ppz1t83WkMi2NtUApJLjUXW3MefSDdQwMK6JXc8p-kX0NlwJR7kjNt_E5LreHh2HmsCFGSg695gEk2g-q98JD2-Y613OhwFMSU57EfXIDBq41yGJxhdiT8H5gcEMG5lGeNsWNe7H6XjyrtwN6OWOhY4-p702E9cKC4xYmrwsV-QLwwIw9ZC2-V7_CJtV21zw-ipo-IE=">Education without representation</a></strong><br>
Though Hispanic students are a quarter of the nation's public school <a href="http://mail.aol.com/37252-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27404465&seq=26&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#" style="text-decoration:underline" id="_GPLITA_1" title="Click to Continue > by CouponDropDown">enrollment</a>
and the fastest-growing segment of the school population, non-white
Latino children seldom see themselves in books for young readers,
reports The New York Times. Education experts and teachers who work with
Latino populations say the lack of familiar images could be an obstacle
as young readers work to build stamina and deepen their understanding
of story elements like character motivation. The Cooperative Children's
Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education,
which compiles statistics about the race of authors and characters in
children's books published each year, found that in 2011, only 3 percent
of the 3,400 books reviewed were written by or about Latinos, a
proportion unchanged in a decade. As schools across the country
implement the Common Core State Standards, many are questioning whether
nonwhite students are seeing themselves reflected in the required
reading. Suggested books for the early elementary grades include some by
African-American authors about black characters, but few by Latino
writers or featuring Hispanic characters. In response to concerns by the
Southern Poverty Law Center and others, the architects of the Common
Core are now developing a more diverse supplemental list.<br>
Read: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9hJgb8mGsB0HFO41pDJSgGiD33ppz1t83WkMi2NtUApJLjUXW3MefSDdQwMK6JXc8p-kX0NlwJR7kjNt_E5LreHh2HmsCFGSg695gEk2g-q98JD2-Y613OhwFMSU57EfXIDBq41yGJxhdiT8H5gcEMG5lGeNsWNe7H6XjyrtwN6OWOhY4-p702E9cKC4xYmrwsV-QLwwIw9ZC2-V7_CJtV21zw-ipo-IE=">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/education/young-latino-students-dont-see-themselves-in-books.html?hpw</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-xABSg60HSvZ6cBIglK6IvEqlEbO_c34D86g7ywuCpd079-QWgBqANco8KV_C7GQW3SS6EgUwk3D3ryvRhW5QPw6WsoZCfG6ADCEOBbXk5hQ==">Pulling the plug on promise</a></strong><br>
Should reforms that show signs of success be halted by a competing
district agenda? asks Dana Goldstein on her blog. Goldstein considers
Crenshaw High in South Los Angeles, now facing a district-imposed
"reconstitution." Crenshaw, high-poverty and predominantly African
American, has instituted the Extended Learning Cultural Model. Led by
teachers -- and financed by the Ford Foundation and a School Improvement
Grant -- Crenshaw split into several themed academies and reorganized
its curriculum around neighborhood problem-solving. Students worked with
researchers to examine local health and nutrition issues; graphed the
relationship between truancy and incarceration rates; and interned at
local nonprofits. The principal worked closely with teachers to raise
rigor across the curriculum and implement the Common Core standards. But
Superintendent John Deasy, who favors corporate-style reforms, has
notified Crenshaw he intends to suspend the school's existing reforms,
divide Crenshaw into three magnet schools, and ask the current teaching
and administrative staff to reapply for their jobs. "Everyone in the
field of public education has his or her favored reform methods,"
Goldstein writes, "from merit pay to vocational education to year-round
schooling to giving every kid violin lessons. But if district leaders
don't allow other experts' ideas to come to fruition over the course of
years, not months, new strategies can never be fully assessed, nor
scaled up if they work."<br>
Read more: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-xABSg60HSvZ6cBIglK6IvEqlEbO_c34D86g7ywuCpd079-QWgBqANco8KV_C7GQW3SS6EgUwk3D3ryvRhW5QPw6WsoZCfG6ADCEOBbXk5hQ==">http://tinyurl.com/a9hmaoy</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-3cBN2j9OB4UkgeocUNnblBwxigUHLfuyP2hZIqEFGWu7oudDl7_dDc3iNBqO2yZCrTv2KWn1GLUYROfYGDEs0hdUNXXnKrfwfdS46oeEAfzAVXXBGSkPqmpc5eHKZpE7YfejpgcXc68cppNm0bjP71bG5Qz8Ebp4mZGOWpWEDUrhWd9ZJhqUp">A cure worse than the disease?</a></strong><br>
Singing River Head Start center in Lucedale, Mississippi is one of 131
Head Start programs in the U.S. that must compete for their contract as
part of a new initiative to improve early childhood education, writes
Sarah Garland in The Hechinger Report. Singing River was placed in
competition based on a "deficient" rating in one of five criteria when
evaluated by the federal Administration for Children and Families, whose
assessment did not include classroom evaluations or academic goals. The
main reason the center could lose funding, according to Singing River's
director, Billy Knight, is an incident in 2010 in which a driver
allowed a child to get off the bus in a church parking lot before his
mother arrived. Knight doesn't deny the incident was serious, but says
his program has rectified the matter and doesn't deserve to be driven
out of business. "It had nothing to do with our instruction," Knight
said. "It had nothing to do with the quality of programs." In Lucedale,
people like injecting competition into the system but worry the current
process could derail a program with a good track record and deep local
roots. And who would take over Lucedale's Head Start program if Singing
River closed? "I can't think of anybody in George County who would want
to take this on," said Terri Nyman, special education director for the
George County public schools. In other states, large nonprofits and even
for-profit companies have taken over Head Start centers. But with its
1,500 regulations and tight budget, Head Start tends to be a stressful,
money-losing endeavor. Lucedale is so remote and financially strapped
that locals wonder what sort of organization -- if any -- would bother
to compete for the grant.<br>
Read more: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-3cBN2j9OB4UkgeocUNnblBwxigUHLfuyP2hZIqEFGWu7oudDl7_dDc3iNBqO2yZCrTv2KWn1GLUYROfYGDEs0hdUNXXnKrfwfdS46oeEAfzAVXXBGSkPqmpc5eHKZpE7YfejpgcXc68cppNm0bjP71bG5Qz8Ebp4mZGOWpWEDUrhWd9ZJhqUp">http://hechingerreport.org/content/will-competition-cure-head-start_10440/</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG8jrZz3CEtz-QKQycEKAnOtQiLIlNOMl3j7Wko6WIJ017_Onqgy78UGiMbOVOXehVJPz99PlAJ5bba9yKtEn1ypKJsKWCa4qGfy4POeGtg9wLj30BthfYfhBKycP_6ituqYGaSCQGjfe6KpzVqDGNfaKZHjphEL4og=">Beyond regular attendance and Cs</a></strong><br>
A new report from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation looks at schools
in the Proficiency-Based Pathways Project (PBP), which implements
mastery-based approaches to teaching in rural, suburban, and inner-city
regions in New England. Competency education is rooted in mastering a
set of skills and knowledge rather than simply moving through a
curriculum. Students work on skills or knowledge until they demonstrate
understanding and ability to apply them; they then move on. They cannot
advance simply by showing up to class a sufficient number of days and
earning a grade just above failing. The report finds time-based policies
and systems -- from schedules to contracts to credit systems, at both
the district and state level -- often impede implementation of
competency-based designs, yet educators find ways to create flexibility,
starting within familiar structures but locating strategies to support
individualized pacing. The biggest logistical challenge to
competency-based initiatives is the lack of high-quality data and
technological tools to assess and monitor student progress. Expansion of
competency education will likely be aided by evolving state policies
that allow districts or schools to opt out of seat-time requirements.
Adoption of the Common Core standards will encourage consistency in
developing competencies grounded in high-quality college-readiness
standards, and the assessment systems being developed for these by
multi-state consortia will support the need to measure complex knowledge
and skills.<br>
See the report: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG8jrZz3CEtz-QKQycEKAnOtQiLIlNOMl3j7Wko6WIJ017_Onqgy78UGiMbOVOXehVJPz99PlAJ5bba9yKtEn1ypKJsKWCa4qGfy4POeGtg9wLj30BthfYfhBKycP_6ituqYGaSCQGjfe6KpzVqDGNfaKZHjphEL4og=">http://www.competencyworks.org/resources/making-mastery-work/</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-E4LIib7Hu8T4q92LUHhlHQsE4X0MV-PTSbKwjYPBAFZ-t0WDhbk3iZdj9UOuY6SAsyCdHfGJi2CN7XrQF_Qg5oK0yWkuK3epbsdVQTexjEg==">To help innovation thrive</a></strong><br>
A new report from the Center for American Progress describes the role
that government can play at multiple stages of education innovation, and
the role social innovation funds can play in advancing an "investing in
what works" policy agenda. The report synthesizes key lessons from
prior innovation funds, and proposes policy and implementation
recommendations for strengthening current and informing future
evidence-based innovation funds. The authors suggest redirecting
resources from ineffective federal programs, determining where
additional social innovation funds should be created, providing
additional funding for innovation fund grantees, increasing funding for
data collection and third-party evaluations, and setting aside a portion
of funding streams to award competitively. The authors also recommend
executive and legislative branches of the federal government support
quality implementation of innovation funds by creating an interagency
working group and a common evidence framework, and by encouraging
greater implementation of a tiered awards approach. The government can
also improve the peer review process, better define the role of
philanthropy and the private sector in supporting innovation funds,
ensure flexibility of private-sector matching funds, and better leverage
data collection and evaluation results to communicate progress and
outcomes from innovation funds to critical stakeholders.<br>
See the report: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-E4LIib7Hu8T4q92LUHhlHQsE4X0MV-PTSbKwjYPBAFZ-t0WDhbk3iZdj9UOuY6SAsyCdHfGJi2CN7XrQF_Qg5oK0yWkuK3epbsdVQTexjEg==">http://tinyurl.com/aztfqfc</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_E1vNz_ziaCqFc5yhVBzNIw-4MonHRYQa2Mk-UOxQtZXSrq-w6lQHUYSOlOsLWRmbqcuWFz-THTsUhzfzhdabigjwU5ONvP3oKiyRvLMIst-Cyr0O647YSUcPXfAEsOyKiwLpQLb8lUQDlv_v9fbPM">How to weight the student survey?</a></strong><br>
A review by the National Education Policy Center of a recent report
from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation about its Measures of
Effective Teaching Program (MET) finds the report, which seeks to
establish student surveys as valid evidence for evaluation of and
feedback for teachers, suggests a relationship between the surveys and
teacher effectiveness unsupported by evidence provided. According to the
reviewer, many of the report's findings and conclusions are presented
uncritically and without sufficient justification. Developers of the MET
project advance the idea that multiple measures of teaching
effectiveness are needed to represent the complex, multi-faceted
phenomenon of good teaching. In discussing the potential uses of student
surveys, however, the reviewer finds the report's stance lopsided,
placing too much weight on the strengths of student surveys and too
little on their weaknesses. His concern is that implementation of some
of the report's recommendations might result in an overconfidence in
student-survey results. The reviewer agrees with the report's general
assertion that student surveys are a useful tool in practitioners' and
policymakers' toolkits, and says the report contains many practical
pieces of advice that are sensible and worth putting into practice.<br>
See the report: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_E1vNz_ziaCqFc5yhVBzNIw-4MonHRYQa2Mk-UOxQtZXSrq-w6lQHUYSOlOsLWRmbqcuWFz-THTsUhzfzhdabigjwU5ONvP3oKiyRvLMIst-Cyr0O647YSUcPXfAEsOyKiwLpQLb8lUQDlv_v9fbPM">http://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/review-asking-students</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG99DDljM-ZD_lvzHMKI0A1XcRjYFEKDdxpV4h5FUn4F7mm_H8MMMsRPb5uzPNp8bPbtN5YJJuWT_vi0LUTKTBKOAmmWpGgtYuEXpxz4adClEnxireE4gD-I">Localize, don't centralize</a></strong><br>
A new paper from the Center for the Study of Privatization in
Education focuses on the effects of a 1994 school-finance reform in
Michigan known as Proposal A. The legislation increased state aid to
low-spending districts and shifted control of revenues and expenditures
to the state. This had a disproportionate effect on wealthy districts,
which used their discretion before the reform to raise more revenues
while receiving less state aid. The authors hypothesize that while
increasing state control over expenditures may have significantly
reduced inter-district spending inequities, its unintended consequence
was reducing the incentive for all districts, especially wealthy ones,
to focus on improving the quality of education. Prior research has found
that instructional spending is the expenditure category most closely
related to academic outcomes. The authors therefore examined relative
differences in instructional spending as a result of proposal A in
districts of different income levels. Their analysis found Proposal A
led to declines in the growth rate of instructional expenditures and
teachers per pupil across all districts. More importantly, these
declines were significantly sharper in wealthier districts. These
results support the hypothesis that increasing local fiscal discretion
leads to a sharper focus on improving student outcomes (and vice versa).
To the extent that spending on instruction is correlated with student
achievement, the paper suggests centralizing spending on education can
result in reduced student achievement.<br>
See the report: <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG99DDljM-ZD_lvzHMKI0A1XcRjYFEKDdxpV4h5FUn4F7mm_H8MMMsRPb5uzPNp8bPbtN5YJJuWT_vi0LUTKTBKOAmmWpGgtYuEXpxz4adClEnxireE4gD-I">http://ncspe.org/list-papers.php</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>BRIEFLY NOTED</strong><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>More, more, more</strong><br>
Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee have
announced they will add at least 300 hours of learning time to the
calendar in some schools starting in 2013.<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_2IH-ZNpTnhzFq9wcmZAdHbXLk94as1x7az7JhVsTZoH35rFkcTkIEvtj50P_2sCmVdaPMfSWj1jq-Nt6LcwgdhyDBnEDDAORKXAeHbAE2aVWeJsnu-fRpLgkkmL8C85uPfylZA1WHMy1zVbE8_zQypCbVoPHnM1faU194xqt3-A==">http://news.yahoo.com/5-states-increase-class-time-schools-221441177.html</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>Raising the bar</strong><br>
The American Federation of Teachers has unveiled an initiative to
raise entry standards for teacher-preparation programs and create a
"universal assessment," analogous to the bar exam in law that teachers
must pass to demonstrate competence.<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9JlZGn46IZ1zFG4C6Mwt2NJu8ZrWDyISHJwVPcsPFIwtRH7q-8VGtFe63sMUanfwnv5dNdkWMJHKjNjCIYJZAFhyCEe2pAA4Mcw94GiezeFC1zTgM6u6hTPoBD3vu6O0JR36PsPpAzii7KIH3poQDtDPYTnwP0j6-w0U5EQHmG7SyGo_zMis-H3HDMlxjIHW8mi8GBEdfHvg==">http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2012/12/aft_calls_for_higher_teacher-p.html</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>Fragile pact</strong><br>
After months of tense negotiations, leaders of the Los Angeles Unified
School District and its teacher union have agreed to use student test
scores to evaluate instructors.<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_pvMj_mID6v69Gwcl2Zl960ZvtoHQs5IaRpIWQsNTXKhRIg8jJTP8d0L7pt4e-arCaSOGL13dE9c-VyujEo6nEZ-hksNKnJ7RE72ccyt0bk28n2G2zTBAeALhGo8ie6LAc-Sr-uvvnEdHCZi8BKjKHHENCXMlz_uyy1lYF1Faxaf3IAZDHD6gIJDwocnF5g8M=">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1201-lausd-evals-20121201,0,4606955.story</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>Nice try</strong><br>
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's school voucher overhaul has been dealt a
blow, with a Baton Rouge judge declaring the diversion of public money
by the voucher program to private schools unconstitutional.<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG8fQ9mK20esvj-suODZHT787Il8t4AwfR9ELxnkouZnzTF16UhkF9oDjSc2TGVA9PyvrpW-k7YZaHi1Y_YBvm1tSVzeg6O7Ntxug-Fr6fDUG025CTV2vItqXi3nOq7yhm0Z1SrXD8ZRN1LGnRmY_FeI_u0gBWkpdFl8orPQgfZlJjqkjmF3vlrNqGBQUO9W5S4=">http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/jindal_voucher_overhaul_uncons.html</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>Time...</strong><br>
The Smarter Balanced Assessment consortium has dramatically reduced
the length of its Common Core assessment to balance the desire for a
more meaningful and useful exam with concerns about the amount of time
spent on testing.<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_lBCXYU3iM9C6w8aDyOXwxZD3Md7z9pKz-RIns6oXNL24I0zDKt-lFdgJZPg-9ROHBOeWasCnxlwraGRY6IKfY7xyleBtMM3GbGO14fqbhKA==">http://tinyurl.com/ahkue3v</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>... is money</strong><br>
Standardized-testing cost states some $1.7 billion a year overall, or a
quarter of 1 percent of total K-12 spending in the United States,
according to a new report on assessment finances by the Brookings
Institution.<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9iNjxUiYuSPa5qHSVPXEPKWOMmvoVvzThrM-2PTNESa8PrDu9oKftD9W6i01EhssnyxJ7AAs468gKPHF4r_y1FSifpmxKp5vlXjf_ZxGZpSg==">http://tinyurl.com/amuwn9v</a><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>But an A for effort</strong><br>
A new report from Education Trust-Midwest finds Michigan public school
districts are improving their teacher-evaluation systems, but
struggling with issues of fairness, consistency, and effectiveness.<br>
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_UqrJf5d8uDL2wXKx9JxnEegdOyPHEMY3d2eRFRQFC9p154UY4mMFoFPJkyWZfn5sD5tbpeX2soVg_6wazK-3Br-j6pexmTEwN1Q2urfPzKY9TSjcTVOdproozSSzFRDk1cdJov8bXZTOs4z2GUFDFGwhghdVfpMZV9jZhq6hQZ_DsbTzRVs9wa9CLASSOLrk=">http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/11/districts_are_improving_teache.html</a><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>Self-policing</strong><br>
As enrollment in charters continues to climb, the National Association
of Charter School Authorizers is urging state legislators to draw a
harder line on setting standards for opening charter schools and
ensuring weak ones shut down.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9UbjVzaOFE9aem05Y89Ayr-1giadtfM4mdhhpZmPJDXs8pZJMNOSK0kxQFGNa1yR06YQJVOuBvu7-NBPMNveujT4IockKHbEBwCEm82S717V94vEbehqiiL9OnYk5BsQUFR9BwSWEWjnXhFGADcjYAItrZ44Mh85UsoWGvmMy4ffxQzCFzEKh8k9UIMauaRUffiRUoVg-oRU4MYNRsSOHeZVKCbwsOEro=">http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/charterschoice/2012/11/a_new_campaign_to_close_sub-par_charter_schools.html</a><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>Transform now!</strong><br>
Education Resource Strategies has a new video urging bold action.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9xN4uTQo709p1h_93zCOnPG-Fem1AXzeE1r50EfOCgy-cUkXif0AbOvP939UJBlhzhjYEHSs7-Ctw4e0sx6CM8Dp-QfCIysCdVzrhAHynGEXr8FR64Xrg1B2yAkRDaMbYeiglrscD7-g==">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElLqbDfokao</a><br>
</font>
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</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>Seems reasonable</strong><br>
Texas college students could achieve technical certification for jobs
in high-demand fields without taking coursework in skills they already
possess, under an initiative announced by Gov. Ricky Perry.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-ZyS22i2RWS3-vjjYwQIS3sLxmkRZaBJ-5fdZVxhmknlAkpjSUrNNSUnOCaVCVUzIgHrolfK4zECHrpdhXonXX7nUIdgVSs15qKT_CjPBDeQ==">http://tinyurl.com/at875fj</a><br>
</font>
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</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</strong><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_At5cc0_W2zTRMS2VECtDVlu9JUJjjWADmoah0KR3DNLEeIUHDc6L6f09FcIE85H_xANJl6UHetayNpx5UHeI-7ejZlPrH6jpHXVo5HpLpojs-J3-7spk0FmV-G3YTcznsa6V4qMiUng=="><strong>LEGO: Children's Fund Grants</strong></a><br>
The LEGO Children's Fund provides grants for collaborative programs,
either in part or in total, to organizations that focus on early
childhood education and development; technology and communication
projects that advance learning opportunities; or sport or athletic
programs that concentrate on underserved youth. Maximum award: $5,000.
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. Deadline: January 15, 2013.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG_At5cc0_W2zTRMS2VECtDVlu9JUJjjWADmoah0KR3DNLEeIUHDc6L6f09FcIE85H_xANJl6UHetayNpx5UHeI-7ejZlPrH6jpHXVo5HpLpojs-J3-7spk0FmV-G3YTcznsa6V4qMiUng==">http://www.legochildrensfund.org/Guidelines.html</a><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9zajwIIqocSTOIvOUyyiryLZHbUDNpgHmQscTsxHUg7i3LwYwtKz_XXYXpQ8sBUEBeijfdtdzapRpYhSIZSgAezVH4OUb0l1cemiYRD7JGPA==">C-SPAN StudentCam</a></strong><br>
C-SPAN's StudentCam is an annual national video documentary
competition that encourages students to think seriously about issues
that affect our communities and our nation. Students are asked to create
a short (5-8 minute) video documentary on a topic related to the theme
"Message to the President": What's the most important issue the
president should consider in 2013? Maximum award: $5,000, plus $1,000 in
digital equipment for school. Eligibility: individuals or teams of two
to three students grades 6-8 or grades 9-12; Deadline: January 18, 2013.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9zajwIIqocSTOIvOUyyiryLZHbUDNpgHmQscTsxHUg7i3LwYwtKz_XXYXpQ8sBUEBeijfdtdzapRpYhSIZSgAezVH4OUb0l1cemiYRD7JGPA==">http://www.studentcam.org/</a><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG8n1xPwfEX2OsH_tiYmrqC97iyAcdxFy-_94wEHqXpEzUsAcuAJr7NFUhHMmbvCoiX_odeg1DK0UlHBl4xnNV0VQWmdvj8LDI5QaxLNf898lPC0_dzlryt4">United States-Japan Foundation: Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award</a></strong><br>
The United States-Japan Foundation Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher
Award recognizes exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding
between Americans and Japanese. The award is presented annually to two
pre-college teachers in two categories, humanities and Japanese
language. Maximum award: $7,500 ($2,500 monetary award, $5,000 in
project funds). Eligibility: current full-time K-12 classroom teachers
of any relevant subject in the United States who have been teaching for
at least five years. Deadline: February 1, 2013.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG8n1xPwfEX2OsH_tiYmrqC97iyAcdxFy-_94wEHqXpEzUsAcuAJr7NFUhHMmbvCoiX_odeg1DK0UlHBl4xnNV0VQWmdvj8LDI5QaxLNf898lPC0_dzlryt4">http://www.us-jf.org/elginHeinz.html</a><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9mCq5U6SoHu9Z1A8FKreLiXKTxdyzQ3K5Mgn5gbqaM_ABk2ksIE8OZLUHiM7TWrOrLop-E00exju0CO6mvzQQiROX6T92TXyj0PgmzKeGSH4Y1uQ7zctc__50LHDU_bo461kFjYjEOCvIibvWBwlzA">The Christopher Columbus Awards Program</a></strong><br>
The Christopher Columbus Awards Program combines science and
technology with community problem-solving. Students work in teams with
the help of an adult coach to identify an issue they care about and,
using science and technology, work with experts, conduct research, and
put their ideas to the test to develop an innovative solution. Maximum
award: $25,000. Eligibility: middle-school-age (sixth, seventh, and
eighth grade) children; teams do not need to be affiliated with a school
to enter. Deadline: February 4, 2013.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG9mCq5U6SoHu9Z1A8FKreLiXKTxdyzQ3K5Mgn5gbqaM_ABk2ksIE8OZLUHiM7TWrOrLop-E00exju0CO6mvzQQiROX6T92TXyj0PgmzKeGSH4Y1uQ7zctc__50LHDU_bo461kFjYjEOCvIibvWBwlzA">http://www.christophercolumbusawards.com/contact_info.php</a><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK</strong><br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><br>
"These are pretty basic tests. The fact that there were folks who felt
like they needed to bring somebody else in, in order to meet a very
basic level of content knowledge is disturbing, in particular for the
kids those teachers are going to wind up teaching." -- Sarah Almy,
director of teacher quality at the Education Trust, regarding an alleged
test-cheating ring in three Southern states for teachers and
prospective teachers who wanted to pass standardized certification
exams.<br>
</font>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001O4yhfHJ-bG-jkP4WhNt9-DgS4zpNBICe_PvQqx4DE4b7vg6ar1L1J7sHC5JYKW3vG5HyIedz_iZ4T4R2rofQxqOoD5vNXYgnkTJI5nbc6MfY8qjLmGo7FHqdIWomPhHA63JH-RsLMYNzWvFRkhFTj7NVulDSHm1w0CJDzbiBiXOG1TvVd6rIqhHjWzZPY5BSRRZwWZtHEFrmZUgb_iVbE1SuidP1BuCdxY9XTy8dOpo=">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/us/educator-aided-others-at-cheating-us-charges.html?ref=education</a></font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4">Kate Guiney<br>
Editor<br>
PEN Weekly NewsBlast<br>
<a href="mailto:NewsBlast@PublicEducation.org" title="mailto:NewsBlast@PublicEducation.org">NewsBlast@PublicEducation.org</a></font></div>
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