<div style="font-family:arial;color:black;font-size:10pt;"> <font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" size="4">Friends:<br>
<br>
Good news! The <b>PEN NewsBlast</b> -- a longtime favorite of all who want to keep abreast of education news -- has returned. It's now known as <b>Public Education NewsBlast</b>, and you can read the debut issue pasted below.<br>
<br>
Best wishes,<br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" size="4"> Art Snyder</font><br>
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<div>March 26, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK12">Re-launch of the PEN NewsBlast</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK17">So that knowledge is indeed powerful</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK45">Supply and demand</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK44">Bellweather</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK43">A critical juncture</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK42">On the rise</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK19">A cohering model, 20 years out</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK49">Teacher education now</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK48">It works</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK46">Briefly noted</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37605-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27449528&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK47">Grants and funding opportunities</a></div>
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<div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23; font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Introducing the re-launch of the PEN NewsBlast, now the Public Education NewsBlast.</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Greetings!
If you're receiving this edition of the LAEP NewsBlast, it's because
you received the PEN NewsBlast in the past or you are part of LAEP's
network of teachers, administrators and community members. </span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">For eight years, the PEN
NewsBlast has been a vital information resource for the education
reform community. When the Public Education Network closed its doors in
December 2012, the Barr Foundation provided funding to continue the
NewsBlast, and the Los Angeles Education Partnership, an original PEN
member, agreed to host its timely delivery of each week's education news
and research to you. LAEP has retained the same editor and format, and
will continue to refine our output as the NewsBlast grows under our
stewardship.</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>So that knowledge is indeed powerful</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">For
years, a central motif of the narrative surrounding No Excuses charter
schools has been their high college-acceptance rates, but what about
rates for college completion? asks Robert Pondiscio in Education Next.
KIPP's College Completion Report (2011), which Pondiscio calls "a
laudable exercise in transparency," found that 33 percent of the
earliest KIPP cohorts of middle-schoolers graduated college within six
years, four times the average of students from underserved communities
and slightly higher than for all U.S. students. To improve completion
rates, KIPP has identified critical factors: enhanced academic
preparedness; "grit," self-control, and optimism; students matched with
the right colleges; social and academic integration on campus; and
college affordability. KIPP has forged partnerships with 20
colleges--including Franklin & Marshall, the University of Houston,
Tulane, Morehouse, Spelman, Syracuse, Duke, and New York City's Hunter
College--that offer enhanced commitment and support to KIPP alumni. The
"KIPP Through College" program provides services from middle school
through college and beyond, including college placement, financial
literacy, mentorships, college and career advisement, and one-to-one
support. This formula for getting students to and through college will
soon be tested at scale: In 2016, KIPP alumni in college will number
10,000. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAeS_F-jXuJPmVLH_e4icXeetN-orCnQIyr5vAoWNUHZZQbPusc1eM7_z_1YNPfy7k8liZ8biWfTYcTacOR197hmLSBTH8BXs1jzybKI-7CghfLx1LFCQ54jQFCesp-oro2i9puTTELHGQhf8Q_IhIps" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><strong style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;">Supply and demand</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Non-degree certificates
are the fastest-growing form of post secondary credential, valued for
equipping workers with skills in high demand, according to Steven
Greenhouse in The New York Times. A recent report from Georgetown
University found men with certificates in computer/information services
averaged $72,498 annually--earning more than 72 percent of men with
associate's degrees and 54 percent of men with bachelor's degrees. Women
with certificates earned more than 75 percent of women with associate's
degrees and 64 percent with bachelor's degrees. But though certificates
have grown in number and importance, federal financial aid still
overwhelmingly funds students in traditional degree programs, even while
employers complain of too few job applicants with needed skills. With
many college graduates currently unemployed, and forecasts showing that
18 of the nation's 20 fastest-growing occupations will not require
bachelor's degrees, some are urging young Americans to consider a
different post-secondary path. At the same time, many that would seek
certificates "are financially very fragile," says Robert Templin Jr.,
president of Northern Virginia Community College. "Tuition is often
cost-prohibitive. And not having a source of reliable student aid
discourages institutions like ours from offering some of these training
programs for job categories that are among the fastest growing in the
nation." <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAfwU8NkXDRtQ3SbpGKDzGERcgk26_YzC22bulSZ8XZujcEPhLyEDtHJ7ur1ds1lgqQCBNfFwbFq79QaYxc6bfCnMRScNtHWqSTCJ3po5QzHaIBYGJ-7g8s-pQ73fi2UlpniGWOGzMFMr_Zrp7cHkKyYhQ09CDoOHcqgl9DBY1i1lqxCI5-Kp7YRhzIohWc_D1icVzKLkKkwCcpr5r7sF7ttM8_ga0M0vAZn6UTdmSuN3FdDyFDjqYryGop6tmnUH_OiUzymBV2TXFm97rkznXBzag8guLevl3LdKCULIjoVfkmvQcQxyCFW4S6LVAzD-N33JB0w6XRhoZMhQrblZv_N" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAfXT4-rkbc_af0arf-RuNgW0YB_sSqhDmay-Z8WI89N15khWmbu8mdsorhOt6u2JnaM6GsBJKKvVHwgm3WvKnpSOus0lJvTJZmW885C68475Q8rZjCpBmbrZzqz51hH3k73cM5xIR8Ym25l70YwQ_yKrGOD4tGyVm0=">Related Article</a> </div>
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<div><strong style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;">Bellwether</strong><br>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
new report from Excelencia in Education looks at undergraduate
financial aid through a "Latino lens": Latinos are representative of the
growing majority of students--a post-traditional profile, where
students enroll at a community college, take courses part-time while
working, study online and at multiple institutions, live off-campus with
family, and take more than four years to complete a degree. Yet a
conventional student profile drives public policy. Accordingly, the
report urges the federal government to prioritize access to financial
aid for low-income students, present it in a simplified process, and
complement increased access with incentives for college completion.
Given that funding alone can't guarantee college completion--especially
for post-traditional students--aligned support services should reinforce
the government's investment, targeting services relevant to
post-traditional concerns. Transparency of information about college
performance and cost must reach those in need of information through
intentional outreach and engagement of diverse communities. "Education
is part of the Infrastructure of Opportunity that enables Americans to
pursue their dreams," says Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas). "It is critical
that we review and improve federal financial aid policies that reflect
the needs of all of today's students, recognizing that Latinos have the
fastest-growing enrollment in higher education." <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAeBsCgXK3oKSE5_qKKig-iVSs2NaU8K7LO_ohmGm3_fjlNCy31SKB9ywM5qHstE46En77DIwWJ8-gX-26fLNMvII7epVaa-YsxvNnpdHWJ2CnOXmzwT5j_OwsAkJSQLIE2hyZ47G69gyQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>A critical juncture</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from the
American Dream 2.0 Coalition argues that unless our nation ushers more
citizens through college graduation, society will divide into
post-secondary haves and have-nots and the economy will founder. Federal
aid programs are a common-sense part of the solution. The same
investment that gets students into college can be put toward helping
them finish. The report therefore calls for policies that focus federal
resources on the neediest students; innovate and evaluate new strategies
to make quality education affordable and better suited for today's
students, including increasing numbers of adult matriculants; simplify
aid and present students and parents with a transparent picture of
college costs, repayment obligations, and career and earnings prospects;
and hold institutions, states, and students accountable for completion.
As a nation, we have no time to waste: By 2018, the United States will
need 22 million more credentials to fill good jobs--but will fall short
by three million. "The moral imperative is huge, because we have failed
too many people in early childhood and K-12 education," says Dr. Michael
McPherson, president of the Spencer Foundation and chair of the
coalition. "We cannot abandon them now. For most, a postsecondary
credential is their only way to success." <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAcy9R1MWyJNpMjMGLRqK3yz13AhE_PPqif41geL7jYSNmlyqTq3DpMdMW8MGmjC9sd_vM-x8HeW8ndxs6sdar78eiz5A5n4kLZiECp85OgMUzJsT04PFynPlY1ipZ16zNlj-lchXbrNow08KaL5JYPF" shape="rect">More </a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>On the rise</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">As part of its 12th
Brown Center Report on American Education, the Brookings Institution has
released a report that finds a resurgence of ability-grouping in the
elementary school (4th grade), based on the most recent NAEP data.
Whereas student tracking occurs between classes with different teachers
and curricula and is most common in high school, ability-grouping occurs
within classes and predominates in elementary school. Grouping students
by ability, no matter how it's done, inevitably separates by
characteristics correlated statistically with measures of ability that
include race, ethnicity, native language, and class, and for this reason
the practice fell into disfavor in the 1990s. Yet the NAEP indicates
the practice has "skyrocketed" in the 4th grade for reading instruction,
from 28 percent in 1998 to 71 percent in 2009. Does this trend matter?
Some studies find mild beneficial effects for ability-grouping, while
others suggest lower-grouped students learn substantially less. At the
beginning of the 1990s, both tracking and ability grouping were
conventional practices in decline due to high public scrutiny. Now,
given both accountability systems and the rise of technology-driven
"differentiated instruction" a resurgence is underway, with a likelihood
that Common Core standards will exacerbate grouping tendencies. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAcrwV4bG_jnsLT02UA29XcRwyx4uQ3jBbRH-2my5fHGfnwD38hQfepV63MJ3O1gnNyZFAaJjH_-27XHZgVbHk5KeTOXIPAIpiBEi30Dh3zxxE4jpb17vXW-Miyp8m9_VeMo4elqriSYSPffE-FJ_ar4q_Z7evBs_a78sFEJPEmibHn616viH9n9Fqahg7xJUjpqcoOax1B4UA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAeICxf2AdPv7B0iqxSWKJbcJO_1tRa3KR4-xO1NXP8paqCoz4G9ZRmDO-DzkK0gAPGrcrtcIiqXrigQxkgdk4vuVZTQqkVC65ThMfcw1jp7uhl3SSZaoIaJA0meVO0H_JFRZ32Dvb0DByvTGBI_dVjuzLMlCcxp7WHNdOoQVoxE8e3KPHojTUdxL4ENA3VMIuihYY7b83AoFPTxeorY4pdlHdjorD215klwETJCVr5_Aw==">Related Article</a></span></div>
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<div><strong style="font-size: 14pt; color: #f14e23;">A cohering model, 20 years out</strong><br>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
new report from the Center for American Progress examines mayoral
control of school districts, which has arisen in urban systems over the
past 20 years, and in the view of the authors has promoted coherence in
otherwise highly fragmented urban systems. As an institutional redesign,
mayoral governance can integrate school-district accountability and the
electoral process at a system-wide level, since school boards are
typically elected by fewer than 10 percent of eligible voters, whereas
mayoral races poll half the electorate. Under mayoral control, citywide
priorities can receive focused attention, and resources can be allocated
more strategically. Data over the past decade indicate that
mayoral-control districts have improved overall performance relative to
other districts' performance in respective states. The authors also draw
several lessons. To turn around a low-performing district, they say an
education mayor is necessary, but his or her mere presence is
insufficient--the mayor must be ready to act. Cities considering mayoral
governance must also adapt the model to their unique local context.
Once established, mayoral governance cannot rely on early success but
must reinvent itself. Finally, the future of mayoral control must
involve authorization of diverse providers and charter schools. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAezIckJYy1usmzTIf9ha7MdDPlz-qmcHFp-2ybkKccfrBsOgIEWK8jR9eHKQerRpezC3dKhAv5NWzQEe0HDodrvUNcQnLwhdDeGNDDewhaxGU-gPiFKa7gbLhKjwGqTQ_BMLhAFl_WduCGfxd9cinrRY1q2aGmMe18AHMYOYSnGeya8jypc9iJEwb6R0YFY03duFmEGyzkW3HLHKvHgtamu-HWshp5agujiEs2PeCtLIzvlSNUvvJL0" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><strong><span style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;">Teacher education now</span></strong><br>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) has
released a new report that profiles the current progress and challenges
of higher-education teacher preparation, using the most recent
information from its Professional Education Data System (PEDS). The data
show that public perception notwithstanding, teacher-preparation
programs are admitting academically competitive candidates: The average
GPA of students at the initial certification level is 3.24. The study
also finds extensive clinical experiences are being incorporated into
higher-education-based teacher-preparation programs, and a significant
number of hours are now spent in early field experiences, averaging 13
to 16 weeks. About 70 percent of institutions reporting data were
tracking their graduates in the field; half had successfully obtained
placement data, but only 8 percent had secured state value-added data
about graduates. Ninety-eight percent of programs prepare aspiring
teachers to use technology for instruction, and 62 percent have
technology-related requirements for graduation or program completion.
The use of performance-based exit measures is also on the rise, but
chronic shortages of candidates in math and science, and a limited
diversity of candidates, persist. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAeGFiB5fgXv9v3Vj46-zqAFRh6UkNgwGJMWT-030TIPAb0ElgiV7Hrg6iaRH3cGb8Lx80eJQua_2gsmfsGQqjIKQgewQfCLL5XC0z5vYTogAAVf6eLbhdDUrK-bDSZgMUTCw2imu-mx6Ts21jSAJf4twkxrWi3vKnQSp0tehdSb5pRgs8ugS9WD9w0gTE2U9apicZ2Ms3ygrBcY0GPsKMke">More</a></div>
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<div><strong style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It works</span></strong><br>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
one-day seminar at the California Endowment organized by the Los
Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) and the Coalition for Community
Schools drew 120 participants on March 18, 2013, from California,
Oregon, Washington state, and Washington, DC. As a proven strategy,
community schools have "results that can be stunning," said LAUSD
Superintendent John Deasy during opening remarks. "Community schools
have helped LAUSD incubate models that work for communities and students
in a district where 83 percent of its 664,233 students live in peril or
poverty." Three keynote speakers described how community schools align
resources to local needs, in contrast to a traditional model where
organizations and resources operate in silos. Martin Blank of the
National Coalition for Community Schools discussed addressing all
dimensions of a student's life and involving teachers, parents, and the
community to promote student success. Ed Walsh of the Pasadena Public
Health Department spoke about the impact of education on community
health. José Navarro, principal at LAEP community school Social Justice
Humanitas Academy, explained how teachers benefit from community
schools. The seminar was a collaborative effort between LAEP,
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA 32nd district), CA Senator Carol Liu (CA 21st
district), LAUSD Board Member Nury Martinez, and Pasadena Unified
School District Board Member Ed Honowitz. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAdm311opk444K_UkuQdpdpVJN-5jLsdE3UQAqcxX6jCTGXjasS1fOWWSDs3zrqI-y7EX30kWRytxGn8o-BiXgKW420gVtiD-WLbkVTxoDgYQw==">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA<br>
</b></div>
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<div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>His legacy</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">If any one policy area
indicates where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's ambition outstripped his
performance, it is his oversight of the LAUSD, according to Southern
California Public Radio.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAeSdG4uNkQmmsxA3SBNt0kGwtAlnHTD927bJkXGtvc4OKSF2PcGTMBgD1v6_hxD7lgu1ehIHbT-6h-BNg6sjMCw90TKGIPMYd8J2RhpAoj4KJVI7qRAyl15ygqs1jOH3tk4ECGv6Ns2pgVTDo60GaKYqSR4Et9uIT6mhAWPM6El2r8SugZ4wGtTSunhJTTCwnx3l7CmvQ-MjsKAoeCEacuNgjvEW1XHfIWDOxf0xdxuxUKJMI7wHEX1" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Unacceptable</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">More than one in six gay
students in California have been physically assaulted because of sexual
orientation, according to a study released by the Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network. </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAcdqaonA4IMSDZE9_OhQ3Kg9EAdg83-XIG6KGc5pfQqiXFuYeh12E0COcEiubYuuIhLP6Ep41Y470ued2Ut8twSIp1WK7ZJahJtkgLsCFKeWRuoB40-CcxZ4PIeOKjBowWlFNCi1ZRAYxwu6u3ethmEo4U869T_zEuiDI7g-GroB2OPPEuCN38IkfhguzCDbv3BrDrxEisCatPQ1KM4SZmhZQmL1pR1QpSMGHpn1RUWKoQkJF-0UT5z" shape="rect">More</a> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>At the CORE</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">If approved by the U.S.
Department of Education, nine California districts--known collectively
as the California Office to Reform Education, or CORE--would receive
waivers from NCLB and operate under a different school accountability
system than the rest of the state. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAfSYoUDyVfaV5MWS20bC6Pc3o7qfmm3xBS2gdjYdlPHJe_xP9jQfwimtOZCa-bayl7PDiFRZ2_YJgaRmDtLNG5oRHGPHlEosNg1_WWZH6K69VlUK08xhLfI3N11mR_-8cpBkOL9duNtccoDJFJWDpKeVutw9MC-DD5hX8ZRCOCjYqILZYzbrYd6TAQGa4zicix3_bIA344ugQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<a style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAcpVnXIkqc7LBJHfhe6t7fCO0e8ihgRdHgKQYhSLxELIYJCMTTbBgyS-QpvZjD-yqiRQeI5coPnslgabnvYcQSxGdoBfygGIi4=">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
<br>
<div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Apocalypse now</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">With Chicago Public
Schools facing a financial meltdown, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration
is targeting 61 school buildings for closing, unleashing a torrent of
criticism from anxious parents, children, and teachers, as well as
aldermen. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAemkAFcgwV9GaVNqxAz5409v4lzSW7WiwIe6ucVMasGRf6GyzxYa4qZSAX41AvyCQzD_qPZXP15RTxkXnGTmhvtBEEn-3d8MybebFUjXmgk-mpnlUXkFBiLSLi8j2_vjcTzgbJBM-isOVKPNcWKi9drZP3BRL7aOvgPhAIjbP08Ksh_pyra5of3DEL2u3SalZiFgehYTJ1yDWWpme865ZCI_8W8Z38SJM4=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>The Race belongs not to the swift</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Department of
Education will consider, on a case-by-case basis, granting the original
12 Race to the Top winners an extra year to finish their work. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAdMfsE0vMqOuN8lPQglKYpICOsaPoDVtmTokma50Ci-PRQ2etoEDaWmh23z6C_rRx5_fG-w3-BAffoWhOroSm9Qv2-n1RbFHEh0AroN-Zkgc1RvVjR8eD6f4HnqU6fP6J772EXgE8SVnNVcCtzEcj6-S9ZMZrp0Wlfsw9JAyD6AMSuBjC6Pa4qHY066dr_ByN5igCJ_nfsQ8g==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Removing the public from public education</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Parents would be able to
take their child's Title I dollars to any school of their
choice--including a private school--under a budget amendment written by
Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lamar Alexander of
Tennessee. <strong style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 10pt;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAfm5KErFX7zNBPxSInuuK2UwwKx0EeSvjrfwII3pDS2Y4bWfnZ3dgnQsxVlMU9elUrGVYJzANRQmuLkqixlY27N1RK4FtTIAXmrV2pMG3xkqp4mj9DXioNTE6N-OqGZVftQWLLhhFiGQgk16Owb_GvTfxG-1wHy9bpGEuA4Woh6L57110kqoM28_NUdQnPk53YGX3CIR9h0pw==" shape="rect">More</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Training supermen</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Louisiana Superintendent
John White has announced the state will use $5 million in federal
professional development funds to train educators interested in turning
around failing district-run schools. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAeJ3hzeQlfQ0eV9XSIuw3PK-eUjL0KTbHusDvsBHyIPsy3oDwDWYqu06L0pP9y7OBj4VER4YwRCSMUUAwO63r3W1FI9vPHeTVZIZ7HPeqbGGC5fV9jiNoSi5Jwg8A32tWqbEPC-z2ISGmOejiQMRFVJpd5c87zyRn-qAwxkYo9JwABuINTADsDp4u7Pqbg5nYI=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong><a shape="rect">Suit yourselves</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Nebraska's refusal to
adopt the Common Core academic standards in math and language arts may
cost students, teachers, and taxpayers, even as 45 other states move to
implement them. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAc_SiQ8hrCNV6BI_ty0teyaY8AywI44KUMix7Gdezic4PKG_WU_SjdT-2Ks0WJjc84NMHDyN8fq7LgfvYzo3v3XwfWCLVmRVIoNHUY5CJV7Y4G1zfWjoI-Mej9oGFQhyKzCtb8v3WlOvInHp6NUh359zGcQZNFnmN4=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Counting the hours</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Iowa lawmakers are
poised to approve legislation that does away with the 180 instructional
days requirement on which school calendars are currently based, in favor
of one based on 1,080 instructional hours. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAd3zBUdT9qFCVtoKyZk7hXnBv07gOj_VKeeLyH4V_R9ctSc3jW_2ro7uUPgYWdul1VXP5RPXCMBT30T6m9Y770wf5EEXrzqFOFaQPhX9y3Xaly1v3X-8obkb1U9caxd2Fl35VdNDWRCzWPrnvJrlvlkdgl5MhILiWCik15kqT7u-SJMcpQo32JXUXXg6nceATVmZLPLx5AH11HXdUoJoWUzVNgkoK_IXFCpJ_r3diWn-Y_hKkiyXsowufGuCoz8XhYFlu1EMDgvE5j6yBQs91Q9" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Creating a problem where one doesn't exist?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Georgia could become the
only state to force local school boards to consider petitions to
transform non-failing traditional public schools into charter schools. <span style="color: #f14e23;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAdc83rIO4hJV-uu6gvvb8BPT7Y88cQs0FL0YPWAngFhx3hAlxfCLFBjk0vqPTpmfJU9MDbnpvrWyd7Lj2zUjuNuA0RsdoAvAp9ymWHWX190xZzWsh3zBfsGj3Kx8oKXN65Al8v028-iNzhfTSGMIObXIefI7AB-Q604GAUN_PmB--EhQXKR236sFmMxBJ2CSckq1tr4rgxi-qGNcdU6OBF4uPbjKXLXkV4=" shape="rect">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>As per usual</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Budget cuts from the
federal sequestration are causing little noticeable effect on most
school campuses nationally, with the exception of schools for Native
Americans. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAf_DqsLZlVSQvcBXBq3UMcN6FMr_weH7lc7tbf3067lpQHVVmIr-a81l5XsFffTDJvBVn48tL3ZGisX1KFrrmQCO9ibSNwqT2COZk5NEl4gJ-vRuavTRyWYelRP1jbtl4sFx_lEkmXw8l7uUkfWWMHSom7B7f_uY8BVU-q5qDLjBskBJJhDGn9bgx5diHLPmgcpNzZSn3N8rf5SyUW2z4otdL9Bj3UfV5I=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAcL7NvxWk4bUNcccOsglVEfVwlAzIhd9FWLeOO9GNhom0zR5nLIZYZR8AOnfDZT1tu1QQ9h9YdkOu13Np68z926bfBs6qYOHanMgzCp4ufPrTuN_3hxHEfKsLy5D2O0JPACo3MPdmBWgHHCJLvpyEj5KG4AIh-xGo4IK5ewspHfvnxuFaThDQQY">Target: Early Childhood Reading Grants</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Target
Early Childhood Reading Grants promote a love of reading and encourages
young children to read together with their families by supporting
programs such as after-school reading events and weekend book clubs.
Maximum award: $2,000.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Eligibility: schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations. Deadline: April 30, 2013.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAda7rS1HWPRsidNbJ5Y0x5KtzPOhyBRO13zkLSEPeeok1ZHLfAA2SfjLGyqglButJy7V01KzcjgazwVE4SyaZV--nZB8fsxWpvizyK55elpg2GSmdokzSv9QxoY4FxytF23TjENeR35542akycmyfX9VPYjDAEmc_IwvEtaPFjwhPc2Ts55tTw09sIYr-Iz8b5GVbecx1iEXROSgN-ONt6U">Target: Arts and Culture in Schools Grants</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Target
Arts and Culture in Schools Grants help schools and nonprofits to bring
arts and cultural experiences directly to K-12 students. These programs
must have a curriculum component. Maximum award: $2,000. Eligibility:
schools and nonprofit organizations. Deadline: April 30, 2013.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAcxtd86wYCBpdt_Hm0LtZyvmSguospK6hWqk1VKQi2LbJaGZr2CaA6W08fVJEFzgE10Y58--A7vwZXf_YN4Q-zOYVGbt1X5xuaRaLZk4x354L4qTdbLVDgT">ING: Unsung Heroes</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">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, 2013.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAdbO0C1yI_EIgrUCWYef-3qdzHmDQjJeeQ_TYv8FsFI726hstrRZ6gMoBYdDzbxSOPM8Ck9UjUh-XNV0uH462syBRIgRda1VtVmbMZHZpU-bVW-2BjPuBCqonjxfRnM7kwDXdfG0jij5EvD8HNhLvwi">NCSS: Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">National
Council for the Social Studies Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars
Award aims to help a social studies educator make his or her dream of
innovative social studies a reality. Grants will be given to assist
classroom teachers in developing and implementing imaginative,
innovative, and illustrative social studies teaching strategies; and
supporting student implementation of innovative social studies,
citizenship projects, field experiences, and community connections.
Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility: Full-time social studies teachers or
social studies teacher educators currently engaged with K-12 students;
NCSS membership required. Deadline: May 1, 2013. </div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">QUOTE OF THE WEEK</span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"A
lot of low-income and middle-income students have the inclination to
stay local, at known colleges, which is understandable when you think
about it. They didn't have any other examples, any models-who's ever
heard of Bowdoin College?" --<a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAdhEBTGfosEpxEbaCDi6RcnGmYvTxF4jQJqDgoJiZL1EJPZIgQFcUVmgITX0m84qOYEyr5Os4YKYDUhVNJ9Ny78hjm_JRM4jcMh2QbPEY38PfOhWJNZWHs_ADt_LGXjRLnecOMA8k_HOIA7EeaTVM8XXorda8K3BLFuvam2NE5OAu5mRJelRjMa5fxCDeA6KkMKFOOGjaOuucokevanC4XhgUypX6qvkMGI-faLBBkcNg=="> George Moran,</a>
a guidance counselor in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in an article
describing the failure of top colleges to attract high-achieving
low-income students.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>A little about us</strong>:</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>Los
Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support
organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty
communities. Our aim is to foster schools that facilitate the personal
and academic success of children and youth, from birth through high
school. We are an innovative leader in teacher-led school reform, known
for proven, effective programs and responsive collaboration. Our focus
is on producing college- and career-ready graduates. Founded in 1984,
LAEP was the first educational-transformation organization in Los
Angeles and among those at the forefront of the movement nationwide.
Over the decades, our cutting-edge work, community school strategy and
teacher-led innovation has evolved into recognized best practices.</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<span>For more on LAEP and our work, <strong><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Ig6uceFCtAcS6SdF9PkwIpPuK0sEBZCQvkc79ct1F5e7Z-44uLt1dQFLXeneh9H-oKo9L_VDn_IjQFyts7DGaHpfY06lasHWyzrIhtCZzmM=">click here</a></strong>.</span><br>
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