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<div>April 10, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK7">Before they walk through the doors of kindergarten</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK8">Gap perpetuated from the start</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK9">Breaking: high-quality preschool yields gains</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK10">Ground zero in 'reinventing public education'</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK11">Community school partnerships: Better Together</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK12">Charter policy needs a little work done</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK13">Bill Gates: Everybody slow down</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK14">How flexible is too flexible for students with disabilities?</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK15">BRIEFLY NOTED.</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27455822&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK16">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Before they walk through the doors of kindergarten</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">If the intent of
American public education is to redress inequities at birth and improve
the lot of disadvantaged children, it is failing, writes Eduardo Porter
in The New York Times. Studies have found the difference in cognitive
performance between privileged and disadvantaged children to be as big
at age 18 as it was at 3, one of the largest achievement gaps of the 65
countries participating in the Program for International Student
Achievement (PISA). The gap is comparable to that between average scores
in the United States and Tunisia, and a key reason why income equality
in the United States follows generations at a much higher rate than in
most advanced nations. This is a scandal, writes Porter, considering the
government spends about 5.5 percent of the nation's economic output on
education, preschool through college. It also suggests that "the angry,
worried debate over how to improve the nation's mediocre education --
pitting teachers' unions and advocates of more money for public schools
against the champions of school vouchers and standardized tests -- is
missing the most important part: infants and toddlers." Public spending
on higher education is over three times that of spending on preschool in
this country, according to data from the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) for 2009. Another recent study found
that in 2008, federal and state governments spent around $10,000 per
child, kindergarten through 12th grade. Three- to five-year-olds got
less than $5,000, and children under three got $300<span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzc72o2R53ON876XxVj1Voq4ZKep2HRuK2FDzpeoWBZ8XFSKujmDjUkqsqPYKvluqmpKIyOa3rCTL0SKVMLE4xUbzwIbdwQbQ-OWTvK16HxG-HJhYgVWIS-_5q3b78-af9pU4DlSXJo6SqRFSeh6PBxRjVVH1qMO6yuTtXXlVQ_RKd8wgBTTkSCCoh2D67xivG_iEnyS8lbE_Zgg6ZVECynFkpH6k2TjWYc=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b style="font-size: 14pt;">
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Gap perpetuated from the start</div>
</b><b> </b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
new report from the Education Commission of the States finds that
provision of kindergarten in terms of availability, duration, and
quality is highly unequal across states, and perpetuates, if not
exacerbates, the achievement gap. Only 11 states plus D.C. require
full-day kindergarten; Alaska, Idaho, New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania do not require kindergarten at all, leaving the decision to
districts. Kindergarten enrollment is mandatory in only 15 states and
the District of Columbia, and half-day programs range from a minimum of
two hours to three-and-a-quarter hours per day, while full-day programs
are a minimum of four hours to seven hours per day. In terms of
kindergarten class size, the lowest maximum teacher/student ratio
specified in law is 1:15, the highest 1:30. Some states offer a P-3
license, but many principals prefer staff hold K-6 or K-8 licenses
because it provides flexibility in teacher placement. With such
significant diversity in kindergarten policies both within and across
states, the education some students receive is far superior to that of
others. It's impossible to expect students in low-quality programs --
whether due to length of day, teaching quality, or low standards -- to
develop at the same speed as their peers. The result is different
outcomes for children, and the perpetuation of the achievement gap<span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzc4iJpIQ0WqkgPOaco5c3rC8_Y0M0Nv8RNP8EMI_vBPjFleOspXoOKVCFXT09SvqJHuBEVbJ-LY18x_7SrWArW82a0b6fUdcik=">More</a></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b style="font-size: 14pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><b style="font-size: 14pt;"> </b></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><b><b>Breaking: high-quality preschool yields gains<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #454545;"> </span></b></b></div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">As the national debate
continues over how much and how best to invest in preschool, two new
studies of large-scale programs have shown significant gains for
students compared with similar peers not enrolled, The Christian Science
Monitor reports. Backers have identified key factors they believe
contribute to program success: teachers' educational backgrounds, pay,
and support (such as coaching) are higher than typical at the preschool
level; the programs are full-day and open to all students of a certain
age group, regardless of family income; curricula are linked to
system-wide educational standards; and districts monitor preschool
teacher and student improvement on an ongoing basis. The Boston study of
the district's universal program for 4- to 5-year-olds found greater
gains in vocabulary and math for participating students, compared with
nonparticipants after one year, larger than in any other study of
large-scale pre-K programs around the U.S. The New Jersey study updates a
long-term assessment of the Abbott Preschool Program, high-quality
pre-K in 31 low-income districts, which had found sizable effects as
students entered kindergarten; these effects continued in language,
math, and science scores in fourth and fifth grades. The National
Institute for Early Education Research estimates that high-quality
preschool costs a national average of $8,000 per child per year.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzc08Dcw08x8MTvKynNQ9kyRM1IPMyf71MHkO8JyFVZ3OFeR6HlEKLw9zlvwM-xx0KsPjzEocYvODJcLHdw47qxU_4PWPmABxFX8li2SqdGvv0tT7vMRslEVrDjkW8a29sDGH3YRVBRRfPaAap9RvH18FaDyl07Nmb7d5KaRzGtdrHVpH9CiqEvqSbMDr-Q5WzlJ02azFxQN9gpaZ-YWKkIjgpw9uxk5Maw8PDJYjQMeRT9yS0pk5rt1h32muUZHMcM3MQynKpKFlmXCksJlZANJCyv69lGqjfM=">More</a></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b style="font-size: 14pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Ground zero in 'reinventing public education'</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
what she describes as "a radical experiment in reinventing public
education," Motoko Rich reports in The New York Times that last fall,
Tennessee began putting schools with the lowest student test scores and
graduation rates into the state-run Achievement School District, a
"veritable petri dish" of practices favored by data-driven reformers
across the country. The district is mostly run by charter operators,
emphasizes frequent testing and data analysis, has performance pay for
teachers and longer school days, sources about a fifth of its teachers
from Teach for America, and does not offer tenure. The turnaround has
been bumpiest with Cornerstone Prep, a nonprofit charter group that took
over prekindergarten through third grade at a school in one of the
poorest Memphis neighborhoods. No teachers remain from the previous
year. At one explosive community meeting in December, parents complained
that children had suffered repeated bathroom accidents under strict new
disciplinary policies. Others fumed that teachers were taking shoes
from students caught fiddling with them. "They don't understand black
folk," said Sara Lewis of the merged Memphis and Shelby County School
Board. "They don't understand our values or events in our history." Ms.
Lewis said taking away students' shoes, for example, evoked masters who
did the same to punish slaves. But some community members feel tensions
are an adjustment period. "I think sometime where I come from, people
don't know that change is good," said Sarah Carpenter, a Memphis mother
and grandmother on an advisory council to the district. "The
expectations are higher and the kids are not used to that. But they can
live up to these expectations." </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzc_zPEtPk5xe6R1BJ3qsvDa0KSQXdgUyLq5wnmbp3DOP8KNHsPu7pj5UkPo1fDhA0EGQLABW_j98uVIZ16-heY-jV80WukXnFgV21Z1Ij3aRpHlh8U-X4k4PdXjaqI0jmD1qHYQdH1RSEtcdy4xd7cGGyab8gxYvv0kyqHxOG71g3KSDmle4abk6OMW8hhhZD4lAPLyTzVV4RTuVUYZnCK1LzQ2cZgLiRWeB3RWpY6cx5i8Iqy8yS89bWRiL4UPNOuFOhxUYX-BeginZCDsVKYL">More</a></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Community school partnerships: Better Together</div>
</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new brief from the
Partnership for Community Schools describes how local government
agencies can partner with schools to align existing resources, how these
partnerships can be truly effective, and how to pay for them. Through a
coordinated delivery system, a community school offers more effective
programs and services than any partner could offer on its own. The brief
profiles five efforts in California that illustrate the critical role
of coordination and intentional collaboration between partners. The core
tenet of the community schools approach is that partnering entities
share resources, including funds, time, personnel, and/or other assets.
Funding is not always the most important shared asset: Sharing buildings
and other facilities make significant contributions to meeting a
collaborative's goals. Many community schools are started with a single
public agency partnering with a district to expand reach to a certain
population. Once an effective partnership is established around one type
of service, the agency and school identify another service to integrate
into the school site that helps both agency and school meet its goals.
Results from the partnership attract other entities with complementary
services to join the collaborative, so that they too can reach their
goals. However, without staff specifically responsible for coordination,
maximizing the resources brought together by partner organizations is
not possible. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzcK0csG16zj-M7kZbzgAV5vuIHrTjTJ7lRcjjrVpoNetzQHOJyoZvV8_s2TJKM5RTf9E6A9PImtmiAOF-x3Ser8i_7DWdeJ87X8H79nG8eL2CaNAaHrKyA_zkY8g354tMZSj9_LGcD9HWINAutV7cMHzXAdgh9VfWZW59eLUrNucA==">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span><b>Charter policy needs a little work done</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Over the course of its
20-year history, American education and its charter school sector have
evolved in important ways, writes Adam Emerson in a policy brief from
the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. A crucial area for overhaul is
charter-school governance. The growth of nonprofit charter networks
(called "charter management organizations" or CMOs), for-profit
school-management companies (called "education management organizations"
or EMOs), and "virtual" charter schools have upended the notion that
charters are freestanding, community-based schools of the one-off
variety. The brief calls for a charter-governance blueprint that retains
the founding vision of charter schooling while seeking economies of
scale, efficiency, and uniformity. The brief recommends eliminating the
common requirement that each charter school have its own governing
board, since this hampers the growth of high-achieving networks. It is
also essential that EMOs and CMOs be subordinate to the boards of
schools they operate, not "puppeteers determining all the moves," so
strong laws and rules demanding greater accountability and transparency,
along with vigilant authorizing, must provide effective checks. And in
the "virtual" charter sector, 19th-century political boundaries drive
policies that constrain promising 21st-century reforms. States should
allow virtual charter applicants to seek authorization from a suitable
state-level -- rather than district -- entity that is serious about
innovation and educational quality.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzeKhlxbzJ13M7DlT5BcHJlOP3HWRPkrdFYXrHQHAM8lYo1Vi7N2_3LiOsqqE6hpH7C0WIiYiXcXlBekzitaDLGvgJTLCHevh8chM8B1iVU3gxrWWiwsLddE2uec6T6lTb0nz5mvNYhfrWSkdKg4krwoMrBd0m89sym81S5Ox8SnZpxMTuKX6t1DK2FMQIN3JqJ2M5nA9K5PmmyXHpTgIX6GyuIvhdhiw3qbYuQptORg9tC07seilQ2jL70sgaoNosgm9uY_QSwSAPL6irZ2G5UeikA-CPzeKf-3IzFnTI6IvQfXsTVvP94BNZf8rGAPUvL2hk0f7IE6inemS4VFZhU1" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Bill Gates: Everybody slow down</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">We have
a window of opportunity in public education to create systems that
encourage and develop fantastic teachers, writes Bill Gates in The
Washington Post. But as states and districts rush to implement new
teacher-development and -evaluation systems, they risk using hastily
contrived, unproven measures. If we don't build a system that offers
feedback that teachers trust, this opportunity to dramatically improve
U.S. education will be wasted. We need thoughtfully developed teacher
evaluations that include multiple measures of performance, such as
student surveys, classroom observations by experienced colleagues, and
student test results. Of particular concern is the possibility that
test results alone will be used to determine a large part of how much
teachers get paid. In top-performing education systems such as Singapore
and Shanghai, accomplished teachers earn more by assuming additional
responsibilities such as coaching and mentoring other teachers, and
helping to spread effective teaching techniques. Such systems attract,
retain, and reward the best teachers; make great use of their skills;
and honor the collaborative nature of work in schools. States such as
Connecticut, Delaware, and Kentucky are showing leadership in creating
feedback and evaluation systems that reflect the patience and
involvement of teachers and administrators. This is required to build an
infrastructure that stands the test of time<span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzcRlYoWKQ0Azy7Yp7A7cW4d-wDXesYKt7ZkPZT_iyOhBuA25qGI36Jx2hqoq5YlpgJDv2IC12GgGbIkaWWYCvknXQdKA1foLEghZgZrtgW2LIpL1TCR35D3XEcUZVOY09PQMFdp-5E-zVduJSk98_0n-05401UyJvLRDzqDhzjHOLpKL8ZnQxky8xAj6jxeWyFbZPLF7uKnL2rz0a8CwpKGP1OhloyVrwnNAmaUhItkStLEpxdooqnMwH6nhpR9QRxOuxyMYHJoyO1IBkRcwYhI">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b style="font-size: 14pt;">
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>How flexible is too flexible for students with disabilities?</span></div>
</b></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from the
Advocacy Institute identifies several issues that could negatively
impact students with disabilities in states with approved ESEA
flexibility, or waivers. One concern is loss of subgroup accountability.
While some states have kept test participation requirements the same
(i.e., a 95 percent participation requirement for all schools), other
states have relaxed requirements, which could excuse significant numbers
of students with disabilities from testing. Also, many states have
consolidated subgroups under ESEA waivers -- often called "super groups"
-- with no student counting more than once, even if a student belongs
to more than one subgroup. Additionally, waiver flexibility around
Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) -- the percentage of students who
must score proficient or above on state assessments in reading and math
-- allows states to set new AMOs for subgroups and schools, potentially
lowering expectations for lower-performing groups. Flexible AMOs may
mislead parents and stakeholders about how students are actually doing,
and be an incentive for schools to move low-performing students into
special education to minimize the impact of their scores. Flexibility
may also bring a decreased focus on graduation rates, which could
marginalize the importance of graduation rates for students with
disabilities. Finally, many states with waivers have not indicated how
students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, who
participate in alternate state assessment systems, would be included in
growth calculations. All states with ESEA flexibility are required to
end use of the Alternate Assessment on Modified Academic Achievement
Standards, which could ensure better access to the general curriculum
and a regular diploma for alternately assessed students, but poses a
significant risk if handled poorly.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzfGc1MrS7DlL7RAe53U4aIJDyc5gnDhyVt9rs0dY8Byft_4-UvyffxP7gB2nUm6OKF0lznV6JSOEM9LA_mKMCINrZsTmY4rcI7e1aiFeY6avpJGGRuhXm9FQ1KTOoApANjgj4Dxg2D3G2PM45GGQV92">More</a></span></div>
</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<a name="LETTER.BLOCK15"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK46" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:25px 25px 0px 25px;font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(240, 79, 35);" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Writing on the wall</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California's largest
teacher union is backing a measure that makes it easier to discipline
and fire teachers accused of misconduct, after successfully fighting a
similar proposal last year. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzdoV49ZzhIctXcvwfWH_LYYyJyLpKd636-szzAErPkz9qQGdC0pAP5qnRZqGx-z6XDuO67uZH3expxoMVPlXfRji1uXnBHD9XdL6uWyEKPHHq__i-OxFWmaUZdzGtu-C9uGCSWE0xecczPtIHohasLFREsGWy8Oxs-_SH7EW7ZGuRNkAXDniZR4JBxM1kPMu7KNSf2MgcmleWHsemTCXNcL">More</a></div>
<div style="color: #f14e23; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Lovers, not fighters</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Rather than battle a
controversial parent-empowerment law, Los Angeles school officials
earlier this year opted for collaboration, resulting in a plan by the
LAUSD and a charter school being endorsed by leaders of a parents group.
<a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzdX1ch-ZW5iCOQ-3p2jmicryew1ZuWwOQ8sdTrootWXGhFflNggNZm9fEZmHQCnInUtCmwHIwe1lkcuOlHm09FUeDPini__o_XJxUdsaLNxzb9mx1Ld-0nlFli7WZmnlTqkyIOEofw9Q1m74w7Q-sBd7ECqLEoqA0KV7H0kEEiNw3tvYrRjbMCXwBdkgiEjUvs=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</div>
<div style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #f14e23;"><strong>BRIEFLY NOTED</strong></span></div>
<div style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><strong style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Survival of the fittest</div>
</strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Twenty-five
out of 125 low-performing Head Start providers that went through a
recompetition process to maintain federal funding have lost their entire
service area. <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=001TPMWsyCXCzdiZk_qBrH-YUkemLW5SZX0Lrd3iYMNNRZ0ebMWho9qaGhbfSBBHIsH3qg6geQ0iqfu939tEDwbz4rYClFKIsCp3PKmnIu27GlFOPrToNW9Xo_fY1rCsN4KwOIqkt28stpMmNp05UpOd3fj2VuYPcHDyCB9b-UA9fKrg-7dTVe6d80guhUz6SlvXIPl0tQHR9fbyHgmONFpNxkuNuZjhix2UgpFbWHfBJI=">More</a></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong style="font-size: 10pt;">Maintaining focus</strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 10pt;">The
Indiana Commission for Higher Education has developed an evolving,
performance-based funding formula that rewards schools for growth in
number of overall degrees; on-time graduation rates; student retention;
number of degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math; and
degrees granted to students receiving federal Pell grants. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong><a style="color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzePhtgRYWQxo6mWuFE5ny43oWaDZzJ04CkG-6Oj6bevSRzTRsq7YLGioR0hwmqMXVHRAgVihQKjNJvANVzKqczryVRy7CMe5RZAbYteO-hu4VoUSqmlq3HwTGFuiY38Af9gWDwHdYe-GTzHsT549on1nIC3bM7pqCt47VCPjyEv4M8z_iVZGdWIvWajOH9pOjUcOuUgLHqJd0_A3ibJy1SGclRQ_dp55SU=">More</a></strong></span><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; display: inline !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong> </strong></div>
</strong></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Long overdue</b></span></div>
<div>
<div><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div><span style="color: #000000;">Gov. John Kitzhaber has signed into
law a bill that grants in-state tuition to undocumented Oregon high
school graduates who meet certain criteria</span><span style="color: #000000;">. </span><b style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 10pt; display: inline !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong><a style="color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzfDT2FeZVies2I4_NTTxEcVlMciLh-j4_OrP1ACaMYAn1ftHASpONgIRTL4WttpkdkuVpd4P0U395QpUJ8gdcKknoxP3Wi4zsLzGdqqLBnQ6Ne-NVO_2rzhVMX2ZtpDC_P2DY48k-RF16HNZaF8SxaUrKS_j3vSPBvvqQGWtfIQOVCursY7Jgx7Whg5Y_7ktXOoX2ueOLohnRNFeZHvcoY9Mc8SooUaxzw=">More</a></strong></div>
</strong></b></div>
<div><strong style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</strong></div>
<div><strong style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">How accommodating?</div>
</strong></div>
</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #000000;">With
a rollout of the new Common Core State Standards assessments in
2014-15, test developers aim to streamline the types of testing supports
offered to special education students and English-language learners,
and to ensure the tests are broadly accessible to all students,
regardless of profile. </span><strong style="font-size: 10pt;"><a style="color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzc9p2Fu67tUf-ogaNADxsFt0ePj3sxcMUD-U5FqzO_7utbBBD0jJWfLIfoKvwQZxP2UfBaqrQWVg1ABurk47L7YgjlHAWOSbsH9JttdOymtulTWo3PYiJ3LmnFDUlB2iUT8No623bysr2fyAkLsO-v8U8-rBK7FgB2lQO8QnPTSfMNWjiZxTkyEpxKgNyKKZuQSaqvEL7w_jXzSGxdzUmxsWMib8AYya-8-78dlHYjXKdo1WEArzWo7DsJ-8-em6zAmIo6fGuTXwg==">More</a></strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong> </strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; display: inline !important;"><strong><strong>Smart man</strong></strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #000000;">Tennessee
Gov. Bill Haslam abruptly withdrew his proposal for school vouchers
after he and the bill's sponsor in the state Senate failed to get
guarantees from fellow Republicans that they would not try to expand the
measure. <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=001TPMWsyCXCzdxdhMiCj6Avk6D9l_rqi9AZm-4E2u-f_9FV_PLcBJEAol7YuPeornkubWM-DRjdsFXW_ucy9ljepyKEBg78R2-WyjFquO6fRJyhXLsYbBIJq2bpDIYxy2t9R7Tqs4yePC_IXmGZNV5--0M5rriyhSk9MOhG41c4bv8o9g9FqiBqBDU4bdPgk9fS-eo5stEWwritW8_EsXjpLR7n_YpDFZSTUthgWoxbrFaeDScJR8-Xg==">More</a></div>
<div style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Smarter man</div>
</strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #000000;">Nevada
Gov. Brian Sandoval has announced he wants to spend $25 million more
than he previously proposed on K-12 education in the next biennium for
programs to help English language learners and to expand all-day
kindergarten. <strong style="font-size: 10pt; color: #f14e23;"><a style="color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzf9WjitQzcWsmFNCNFhZcm5AKZgxzpsijRwNS_HtZqvLdwcGklFhGFjJjrrQ0uCPJsStCNdJ7l7eKwUPH3fm9MtgcCDf0QIbubpLvR-c8BteiGeZiWS3rb0HzFlY_ZPzPcO1E8EAWbcnvM1vnIrZaW1IGFeDHEl8NG4c7t9HaIdAvHnC5jKjqCI-QdFzIX2ZDPI9QuQkgFzZg==">More</a></strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; display: inline !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>Better late than never</strong></div>
</strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 10pt;">Mississippi would directly fund a limited preschool program for the first time under a bill on its way to Gov. Phil Bryant. </span><strong style="font-size: 10pt;"> </strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; display: inline !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong style="font-size: 10pt;"><a style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(241, 78, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzeJ9s-K7YiBwq7i76oQpuzRsmoDeyhB5L5gJGkmHyHTN2mV-GmzdF9uc2K8q69bD0JO6SQ-s166taz0Sc92tJMyqN8uCY475t_qso5AGElrs1IvCFeCog5UTqznFktTvQMsC3eTy5uAb9ka4GtUlJqZGpIrUKskyKC4C-JovrQK0Za03HCSClj6p4gpm0QNlZXjjyfx0zKaBYiOd2pVvp_ANK6WhI-eBqYJaN1r7pOo5A==">More</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</div>
<div><strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Devil/details</div>
</strong></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Report
cards released annually by New Jersey that provide detailed information
about public schools' spending, enrollment, and test scores will now
include new indicators of student performance. <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=001TPMWsyCXCzcfVo8mEMH45q-TNNJQAug7RwrrwPYtjxCtFaRdO_mAAS5ogD9EvllbgnZvl8j9zBh2cPp0CZukIWC0YbV9PvSrt1zs4z_qXyOhStnTR8UjHhNVrAX3w_vSSRLSERS8M7fITCzjiRyiEXrQilYrff_LWnQ6YQRJQunMsri8F63tFLeMeKdVQ_64">More</a></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<strong style="font-size: 18pt;">
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Public-ish</div>
</strong>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #000000;">Asked
whether Michelle Rhee's daughters attend public school, a spokesperson
for Rhee asserted Rhee was "a public school parent." </span><strong style="font-size: 10pt;"><a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzcHOlnesA1rYrpSh3yuHfRL0NrPERV9JNvwzL-oCsiU8Qk_jTnYufyvjFNvJn1bfWth7isFJLDRbBkSvLrGnWIsCkHV7ISawiBsydS7bzzOAJlZAqvRiqcylxjgQ6fywx-QNV-KBNo1Flfg_AvPJcoLG-kZllna_kEmE5JLejnaJGQkGCbh27KQySZYpRDxukirrxr4uZstAGXF0vEFZAwIgmCd5HIpGQCw6uypLe7r0w==">More</a></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
</span></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt;">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</div>
<span> </span>
<div style="font-size: 10pt;"><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=001TPMWsyCXCzeWwbU42vkRI3z4ePQWlzXkVwu1OmKCnpvcnzZyQg4m6NcR-Iv3-dz11mkGMlKn0upK-a_lCuztNjEWXHPShyL-7_sG36HRVNGmxMle1XgeoCM0epq5PV2n0gsHCWlSuLcmQgptXGZsLb9V4iAJ6r_WxuvOPBidxM2XFEwLs4Yg8Sh5egySApawnZab3543eNimvQ7Fda2u7hi4pV0aKdCGRvFSDPJhhwVcFGoeQ5NcWA==">Institute for Global Environmental Strategies: Thacher Environmental Research Contest</a></div>
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<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
2013 Thacher Environmental Research Contest, sponsored by the Institute
for Global Environmental Strategies, challenges high school students to
conduct innovative research on our changing planet using the latest
geospatial tools and data. Eligible geospatial tools and data include
satellite remote sensing, aerial photography, geographic information
systems (GIS), and Global Positioning System (GPS). The main focus of
the project must be the application of the geospatial tool(s) or data to
study a problem related to Earth's environment. Maximum award: $2,000.
Eligibility: any student attending high school (grades 9-12 -- public,
private, parochial, Native American reservation, or home school) in the
United States or U.S. territories; or any student who is a United States
citizen and enrolled in a high school (grades 9-12) attending a
Department of Defense Dependents' Overseas School or an accredited
overseas American or International School; or foreign school as an
exchange student; or a foreign school because his/her parent(s) are
temporarily working and living abroad. Deadline: April 15, 2013.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"><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=001TPMWsyCXCzfEMRsc16kVxsCeQEjWkardY8FUsb1d71uwwHIpQUg-qnIIkpnlvdMVSa6l2DYA2PmDBR5m3WlTZdRf_HB4h34mFOXOomdoUkxQWMPK6i--Oy3QPryBLFgX">NSTA: New Science Teacher Academy</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;">The
NSTA New Science Teacher Academy Foundation is a professional
development initiative created to promote quality science teaching,
enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence, and improve teacher
content knowledge. Maximum award: program expenses. Eligibility: middle
or high school science teachers entering their second or third year of
teaching, working a schedule with 51 percent of their classes in
science. Deadline: July 1, 2013.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; display: inline !important;"><b><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=001TPMWsyCXCzeyVgMiLyBaLIfWSN30xBmUn1IQcoebXZY1WsbNR2ewfM6xhze8VvFnek3HvE6IyQjjsuINPqvQk7KRqYpQrK6F04Eni1A3CXlOefaKCRNccL3UivDfag9_">Mickelson/ExxonMobil: 2014 Teachers Academy</a></b></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;">The
Mickelson ExxonMobil 2014 Teachers Academy offers a five-day program,
with camp in New Jersey designed to provide third- through fifth-grade
teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to motivate students to
pursue careers in science and math. Maximum award: all expenses paid
five-day program in July 2014. Eligibility: third- through fifth-grade
teachers from all over the United States. Deadline: October 31, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"><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=001TPMWsyCXCzcEANs17lD5olf1080u8ZFRZSyOt32-7HbkpL09uTb9-6ivSniiE01s0X5oMuG5NI2503UmLAHNi2yaO-X3nzQGpX9bb4Xu6zZoZXQK6yfEU_-SNFKIWpxrrSDeoOptpu9aEWRQwdsEQbZLAJby9PQfli59lEHKfYd8mlvMSAL9pg==">Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest: Community Grant Program</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;">The
Brown Rudnick Center Community Grant Program recognizes, encourages,
and collaborates with front-line workers within the educational system
who often do not have a voice in funding decisions; and provides funding
to assist with small, concrete projects or needs that will make an
improvement in inner-city education in Boston, Hartford, New York City,
Providence, and Washington, D.C. within a year of the award. Maximum
award: $2,000. Eligibility: "front-line educational workers" involved in
the education field or a related field in Boston, Hartford, New York
City, Providence, or Washington, D.C. partnered with a non-profit
organization or tax-exempt organization (e.g. a public school) that is
willing to accept the grant and use it in the required manner. Deadline:
rolling.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">QUOTE OF THE WEEK</span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;">"Arming
the teacher is merely a response to the last tragedy. The one before
that was in a shopping mall in Oregon, and the one before that was in a
movie theater in Colorado. I don't think the proper response is to arm
all the projectionists in the movie theaters or all the vendors in the
mall." -- <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=001TPMWsyCXCzff532MExoFOvu2M0-E-sVwWYF6hCtoCXmt9RmvEAvBTOONvoDTtEw6Gy5WQEFmaPbilTDyToWgG9jG8UufO-rmtiBwJlx9A7WETNWCbgifx0i0zNMl23ijkGc-Dt4zqAmN4PVsfWU_-2EWSVlsWWg31PuqKWGx2uJK7cJIAF94Pu7BCTOOQMGBrCsZIz4W67YaeCV3XbspRciyC2HgFXGp">Representative Mike Thompson</a>, California Democrat, in response to the National Rifle Associations's new report on school safety.</div>
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