<div style="font-family:arial;color:black;font-size:10pt;"> 
<div><img style="display: block;" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.324" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs160/1102261797723/img/324.jpg" border="0" width="640"></div>



 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>

 <td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">

 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>
 <td style="padding-bottom:6px;color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 

 

 </td>

 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>

 <td style="background:transparent;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top">
 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>

 <td style="padding:25px 0px 25px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="middle" width="100%">

 

 <table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK31" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:25px 25px 25px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top">

<div><a class="imgCaptionAnchor" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TPMWsyCXCzc9eVj88oCAsWCImReV5LRYs-XN1kC7MovDuFP77c00DgfClhlpbnqX9j7pFuiAPHEdviFa99MqHPTKwj0wS8MHFxBr437A6G0="><img style="display: block;" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/ui/stock1/wire-bound-pad.jpg" border="0" height="112" width="169"></a></div>

</td></tr></tbody></table></td>

 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 <table style="width:270px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1">
 <tbody><tr>
 <td style="height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
 </tr>
 </tbody></table>
 </td>

 <td style="background:transparent;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>

 <td style="padding:25px 0px 25px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">

 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>
 <td style="color:#76b5be;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;padding:7px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
 
<div>April 10, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>

 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;padding:0px 25px 0px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><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.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>

 </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.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>

 </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.BLOCK12">Charter policy needs a little work done</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.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>

 </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.BLOCK15">BRIEFLY NOTED.</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.BLOCK16">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>

 </td></tr>
 </tbody></table>
 </td>
 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 </td>

 </tr>
 </tbody></table>
 </td>

 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>

 <td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">

 

 

 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>
 <td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>
 <td style="background-color:#989898;padding-bottom:3px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" bgcolor="#989898" align="center" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
 </tr>
 </tbody></table>
 </td>
 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 

 

 </td>

 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 
 

 

 

 

 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
 <tbody><tr>
 <td style="padding-bottom:6px;color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
 </tr>
 </tbody></table>

 

 <a name="LETTER.BLOCK7"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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;">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>

</span></div>
</div>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

 <a name="LETTER.BLOCK8"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK45" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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>
</div>

</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK9"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK51" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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>

</div>

</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK10"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK51" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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>

</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK11"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK44" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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>

</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK12"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK12" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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>

</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK13"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK42" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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>

 <a name="LETTER.BLOCK14"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK14" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<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>

</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK16"></a>

<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>

</b>

<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>

<b>

<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"> </div>


<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>

</b>

<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>


<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">  </div>

<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>

<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>

</b></span>

<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>


<div><b>

<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">  </div>


<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>

</b></div>


<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>


<div><b>

<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">  </div>


<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">QUOTE OF THE WEEK</span></div>

</b></div>


<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>

</span></div>

</div>
</div>

<div> <br>
</div>