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<div>April 16, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK17">With liberty, and preschool, for all</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK45">Mapping the preschool gap</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK44">One in three black secondary school males</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK43">Some alternatives to suspension</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK42">To change outcomes, change teaching</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK53">Holla for 'hollege'</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK55">A back-track in testing, from the state in the vanguard</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK54">About those 10K degrees</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37614-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27458040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK19">THE MARKETING HELP YOU NEED</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>With liberty, and preschool, for all</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
the unveiling of his latest proposed budget, President Obama has again
signaled that education -- from early childhood through college and
career-training -- is a priority, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
Under his proposal, the Department of Education would receive $71.2
billion in discretionary spending for 2014, up 4.5 percent from 2013
pre-sequester funding but without adding to the deficit because of other
offsets. Overall spending is increased by 2.5 percent for a total of
$3.8 trillion. Mr. Obama's signature education proposal -- Preschool for
All -- would cost $75 billion over 10 years, to be funded by a tax hike
on cigarettes. The federal government would partner with states to
expand high-quality preschool to all low- and moderate-income
4-year-olds (children below 200 percent of the poverty level). Some
funding would also support younger children and encourage expansion of
full-day kindergarten. An additional $750 million is proposed for FY
2014 to help states not yet ready to expand pre-K. In the K-12 realm,
the budget largely holds the line, bringing spending on major formula
grant programs back to 2013 levels before the sequester. For example,
Title I for districts would get $14.5 billion; IDEA grants for
special-education students would get $11.6 billion.</span><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=001wNF0dFR6Iq9isAYbA4t9qDhwykI0aJQC3ZanxplsTPjqXXqcIqz-kr9rig9JyS4IMupxh2yb2apKWpmANFkrXpMZOkmySBwIXtp1uKfZG-p6sgrMT_Ore4fFxhF7Iw6SmQ94uH9WQ0Y-dmYEjkiysWF8nJNQogIXThEyJh4Ck5jY96_fnXArBoeEoKWWB9ETi3Y7r5TVfHudmQm9aBsN0rpi5WZ-w4LDhEaTNelkiXIuApca5T8dsyTQ6t2gjQvH3I3a7c3_MevijRu_hy45EfTp88WeZnXGGu6lhDdfeyQ=" 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>Mapping the preschool gap</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div>A new brief and interactive map from the Center for American
Progress highlights the preschool-access gap by state. Currently, only
39 states have state-funded preschools (with a 40th, Mississippi, on the
way), but these have limited reach: Most state programs are unavailable
for 3-year-olds. Vermont leads the country in 3- and 4-year-old
state-funded enrollment, followed by Florida, Oklahoma, and West
Virginia, but even in Vermont less than half of 3- and 4-year-olds
attend. In almost every state, enrollment of children in poverty trails
the general population. Sixty percent of all 3- and 4-year-olds attend
preschool nationally, compared with less than 50 percent of
disadvantaged children. Over one million low-income children attend no
preschool at all. The brief also argues that access is but one issue;
program quality is key. Using the National Institute for Early Education
Research's 10 quality benchmarks, the brief categorizes states based on
quality of state preschool programs, with additional weight given to
whether teachers must hold a four-year college degree and have training
in early childhood education. The brief recommends a significant federal
investment to help states provide high-quality preschool for all, and
to jumpstart programs in states without adequate preschools, while
helping states with existing programs reach their lowest-income
children. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq-rG7qTvqTazTwz9nYAwES2vT1e-1P_oDzSs7-W28k0nGekdpEVJTokf_6-TSeFEUtkHZEnBCw6aTzwyQm7Ew-K73U_ujhUF6FLgtIsrQEcWwYU0Wz5HtcTUmW5hDDcp5u82k_y8IKr3m14KgVaELhacn2ekWxntaGsWbXSGk-2UYm11wWukqHFKLhaRqeFq3AZIr3Gl59QJsBvp6ttKSe5d5F6jgnbVOVS5ZoGewc_9ryWA6TRBdAvtiakkFEBYx_VGwxwwZsbjQ==" 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>One in three black secondary school males</b></span></div>
<span>A
new report from the Civil Rights Project at UCLA analyzes data from
26,000 U.S. middle and high schools to estimate over two million
secondary school students -- one in nine -- were suspended at least once
during 2009-2010. Research indicates suspension even once in the ninth
grade doubles likelihood of dropping out. Suspension rates in middle and
high schools have increased dramatically since the 1970s, especially
for black students, to the extent that about one in four black secondary
school children today, and nearly one in three black middle school
males, was suspended at least once in 2009-2010. Black female secondary
students were suspended at a higher rate (18.3 percent) than male
counterparts from all other racial/ethnic groups. One in five secondary
school students with disabilities was suspended (19.3 percent), nearly
triple the rate of students without disabilities. The highest rates were
at the intersection of race, disability, and gender: 36 percent of all
black middle school males with disabilities were suspended one or more
times. The analysis also found suspension "hotspots": In 323 districts,
suspension risk for all secondary students was 25 percent or higher.
Nationally, 2,624 secondary schools suspended 25 percent or more
students annually; for 519 schools, suspension rates equaled or exceeded
50 percent. Nearly 7,000 secondary schools with at least 50 members of a
racial subgroup, English learners, or students with disabilities met or
exceeded suspension rates of 25 percent for at least one subgroup. In
contrast, 7,710 secondary schools in 3,752 districts did not exceed 10
percent for any subgroup with at least 10 members. Chicago had the
highest number (82) of high-suspending hotspot secondary schools in the
nation.</span> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq-QivPh2PDLAc-k0_dGvdZQKJlEPW0JZ3xP2HFoizQvJ6PTz5Yfz6JEMN8-BxW9rgTIFkcE0r5HNmz3Pf0STisNd-YMOqcDoXxh7b2LcOUuLkK1b4lqrF-BYgv2DDZ-gYOoc-uENKZ7leBE_DuTdf7-wZGqdAhP1raSruTh0SixXk6CqIdafPVQ5P4xeyT-9OqdJ7xrThhpTWaeSyZPSNC_SKv7JaoqNHigVYUu1_0EO6oQBN99DYsNt7NYhf8OmQUX9WFhglUvbeMEniaMb9Z0I2Xi9wqNm0un0VFPvG2QCcnXEyW4FrqMAfGuzV7nt-Uv4IV4Jx4HTxt1h2qWDRIzrouBjwhudZAq7563Hr2HhZdVuBlA_xN2bYETYGBTG36BJM0AtIK71FiyvV3WcK3IZgZ9mwb5sjpPKZnMRtpc8jUd1140iN75pYRtW8Up20Sdy7sshWAB2E2ZJdcpC7Bf-dbmzcLzRuizclx_F-DZgg2nSOXWtzcohnYTh-PghdXMaSESPlFMB5qkRfqGNv553RaThjq-PyvOaprAEdkY9V3iTK6O1J5dY4LIH-cnbO9Emjog5PQrrA==" shape="rect">More</a><br>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b><span>Some alternatives to suspension</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Given
a growing body of research that links low self-control in childhood
with serious problems later on, schools are exploring ways -- from
character-based education to mindfulness meditation to social-emotional
learning -- to teach self-restraint, writes Andrew Reiner in The
Washington Post Magazine. At the D.C. Prep Middle School, for instance,
administrators cultivate persistence and self-restraint through a school
day that runs from 8 to 4, teachers who are on-call until 8 p.m., and
evening study and college counseling for graduates. Suspended students
wear green pinafores and still attend classes, though they may not speak
and are placed at the back of the classroom and the end of the hallway
line. Alternatively, Mindful Schools and the University of California at
Davis taught meditation practice in three Oakland elementary schools,
resulting in 84 percent of teachers believing students calmed more
easily, and 61 percent of students reporting better focus. The third
front -- social emotional learning, or SEL -- centers on the emotional
needs of children. SEL curricula teach children self-awareness and
empathy, as well as steps for handling conflict constructively and
creating positive relationships. A study by the University of Virginia
found that children at schools using the Responsive Classroom approach
showed increases in reading and math scores; teachers were more
effective in discipline and in offering high-quality instruction; and
children felt more positively about school. </span><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=001wNF0dFR6Iq8buaXSAPUoaPLMMwOg3pAqjyinJMnEWh0EKsvN0XR3Tsq1UPXhERlzJQFzDyrhh8Y9s_MkbA2WRli9Sro6ask5qkRS_0yRsk4x5-RMdmF3VpgNJucntefutkPuCWxGaUcy_NFfWXQgrOnskMdJ1fjlg8NPzdwYY2Tn0G6pxnjwocLFaqkIen-H6kTUSO-0_UjaUGGW8X_T17cT9yIgpQQmnleiabe8GaykgATvYZxoBX53TlxzNe93j3XhJAz21Ezks8oNW0SDKjGRjQ72EHYN">More</a></span></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>To change outcomes, change teaching</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
today's world, students must not only acquire information, but
competently analyze, synthesize, and apply what they've learned to
address problems, design solutions, collaborate effectively, and
communicate persuasively, writes Linda Darling-Hammond in The Washington
Post. Efforts to manage instruction through top-down prescriptions will
not enable the teaching required. Educators must be able to model and
demonstrate these skills, link what their students already know to what
they must learn, build on students' diverse experiences and language
backgrounds, and structure rich learning opportunities that combine
explicit instruction with inquiry, feedback, reflection, and revision.
Teacher collaboration can transform practice to meet these expectations.
Yet a recent National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE) survey found
only 32 percent of educators have a chance to co-create or reflect with
colleagues about how a lesson has worked; only 21 percent are given
time to examine student work with colleagues; only 14 percent receive
feedback from colleagues; and only 10 percent have the opportunity to
observe the teaching practices of colleagues. The NCLE survey also found
that in schools where educators report professional collaboration is
routine, trust is high, and effective practices are shared more rapidly.
Where principals, school system leaders, and instructional coaches
model collaborative decision-making, real change in student learning
results. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq-nUaM2sRJF95cwTYSjeF7wjrB6rP1E6UJ7TVcYYFsah5cn8lcbI1dLFJN0tuwloVo9njVNetrNdYLGCgtZ4Lv2UL7rAEGxZDNoEEE8xq4grpH8NKJukGkbSq4k2enCqJzDpf-ApjqeG7I7j1V9eFsNRqj3OKEgcpuQXtvjy2esEIYv-j-f50iySlnzmIi_9IfZ2Mn5-eT2yZIitKX8J14pM33PzKSq7G0AkercajbWL1B7aZgXFsK_5GGjE5Iryj8=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq8YI-M0Wik01Vblszxd_IkJSlQI1eb9KNdo-zLc4sS-mxWWmP9BfiYF9SZX8r6tuolgAEJwo0dQE2qAS_pRZIceWfncIgiUyT-BHOwoBYm3ubXclcmLoJt4ebXvNAAStsrxSdq6p1_2Pe5DStC6yrN7757ybOSQ7761M43LLW9UpxloarYfqq5-ptpKRfW-9PHsFSVbEnTHjQ==" shape="rect">Related</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>Holla for 'hollege'</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On
the School Book website, NYC principal Rashid Davis -- who runs the
Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-Tech -- writes
that although the 9-14 school model would seem to exclude high-needs
students, his school employs techniques that broaden inclusion and can
be duplicated in other schools. Many who enter these 9-14 programs,
which he calls "hollege," seek to graduate with an associate's degree
and a job in a technical field. To achieve this, P-Tech's ninth grade
spends additional learning time on core academic subjects, which means
teachers work more hours in the classroom and are compensated for it.
Team-teaching comprised of one special education and one general
education teacher worked so well for students with disabilities that
Davis now has two teachers in the room for all core classes, sometimes
using two general education teachers. Team-teaching, a longer school
day, low adult-to-student ratio in the first year, and a six-week summer
program focused on geometry has contributed to 68 percent of students
with disabilities scoring a 65 or higher on a math Regents exam, and 12
percent scoring an 80 or higher, the first year out. Currently at
P-Tech, 37 percent of students with disabilities are in a college
course, as are 66 percent of students without disabilities. </span> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq9jk6ikTAIgzinpD5-yu994KcxCqjs86rtNJ70aq_jBI-4-7HenPAZ-hCgvPin6RtOXl3M2X_tnm2clwSEFrp9wJEGRaY0JtOVUHocDgnpcum9YdTky7_R4RiWTTktz_OmUt3yH6jWzglCQepW8n_YdaolL8r3keaNzXggyde9RcUBlr6Nu823-ats-POokOwc=" 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>A back-track in testing, from the state in the vanguard</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In Texas, which spearheaded test-based accountability and tough high school curricula<span> in public schools</span>,
lawmakers are considering a reversal that would ease graduation
requirements and standardized testing, reports Motoko Rich in The New
York Times. The Texas House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed
a bill that would trim the number of exams students must pass to earn a
high school diploma to 5 from 15; the Texas Senate is expected to take
up a similar bill. Proponents say the move will allow more creativity in
teaching, and students will be freed to pursue vocational courses.
Critics fear the changes will result in tracking poor and minority
students into classes that won't prepare them for four-year colleges and
higher-paying careers. "What we all know is when you leave it up to
kids and schools, the poor kids and kids of color will be
disproportionately not in the curriculum that could make the most
difference for them," says Kati Haycock of the Education Trust. Texas is
an outlier in the number of exit exams it requires and in the number of
courses its default high school curriculum prescribes. Actions in Texas
are being closely watched as many states move to raise curriculum
standards to meet the demands of employers while grappling with critics
who say testing has spun out of control. </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=001wNF0dFR6Iq8fX6kycUH2MjD0AuxnHM1bxqNtaxG3tv88qPD8XgHdWh_wVP99KgqpUu-_0zXjJv1BxoglD6rUu87x3ZQ2Nn7rkHwJympxFCTSCUOPzSz7ADNlGAjgu3FMn2LtqyiU6toPMHehCIMzPthCPz8A8dTFnzsrK0dO6U6PRrbBw4O6UR5Wq67AIlWQdkAfOdMp6TtQY9WCz1volfL6wBGfyqF6XSdWxwlJHknlKc65Kbia2yqcywZ9IEzXNcsrJlKNbCfxO8N9N84lBGYcN8FRaka4">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>About those 10K degrees...</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Even
as Texas Gov. Rick Perry thanked 13 Texas universities that "have
announced plans for a $10,000 degree" in his State of the State speech
this year, some degrees exceeded this price when textbooks were added
and before a single student had graduated, The San Antonio Express
reports. The low-cost degrees are often touted by the University of
Texas and Texas A&M University systems, under whose umbrella seven
of the 13 programs fall. Yet "cost creep" is underway: The IT degree
available through the Alamo Colleges and Texas A&M University-San
Antonio, for example, grew by $400 between its announcement last spring
as a $9,672 package and today. To attain any of the 13 degrees at their
lowest advertised cost, students must clear significant hurdles --
accruing college credits in high school, maintaining good grades, taking
heavy course loads, or receiving federal aid -- which eliminate many
potential applicants. Few schools offering so-called $10,000 degrees
track how many students have responded, but numbers are thought to be
low. Based on 2012 tuition rates, the average price of a degree before
financial aid at one of Texas' four-year public universities is about
$28,700 -- a 109 percent increase from a decade ago. Two years at a
Texas community college costs $4,300 on average, also a dramatic
increase.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq-2jMfXahFj0hHqxCC7I3d-KqfuviyuB-GxbzwPQR4dyAeh-u-yax2GY69JS4oi5nbp2U-QX2vrJQ3LJm8oQdX9_yJyEEUATURYuxPamTlwTyLACUs9kaalXK5m7U3Q-Pye-olUbd2tdijKPM31Gxaggsmz0N6M5N8ejIba1aPZ5bhFDEWd4BFjIdIVjqL6IoJsqEFTW3kH0YjKgQp50tXv" shape="rect">More</a></span></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq_JOBCIsejjByR0SSyPZpxKQcGNhlpsakDA-fd9fDtLRYcKzGD5Iiy15HHYYl0tkLwEVoq9SXIx0xMtxyjKWuGj4nCX7QMiP7MZNG03ju_BrBk4aeFmL9RGfFa3cn_r4-Ti-_BHNRi44IBiKihHd1syQVSDEzErbWUe_qh4fqyO63ukBA0reWGSyCw14-Q4c3zqWk0_q_KYmo1raVGjTbkJ" shape="rect">Ray of sun amid general gloom</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Despite the recession
and years of budget cuts, California schools overall haven't lost any
ground in getting students to graduation day, according to 2012
statistics newly released. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq_JOBCIsejjByR0SSyPZpxKQcGNhlpsakDA-fd9fDtLRYcKzGD5Iiy15HHYYl0tkLwEVoq9SXIx0xMtxyjKWuGj4nCX7QMiP7MZNG03ju_BrBk4aeFmL9RGfFa3cn_r4-Ti-_BHNRi44IBiKihHd1syQVSDEzErbWUe_qh4fqyO63ukBA0reWGSyCw14-Q4c3zqWk0_q_KYmo1raVGjTbkJ" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq8htGicigfWbUIoyCUYPiX1-ATMe6C606rls2eGpTlDnWL0lFMDXPPTaQcMmKqQnl61SiWQ4j6Y0GuGmFn9FRQUM_KNfuSsRzPxcX5TP7uR5Eu-ri3tESR5fNO8SzFw_dgDEYzxElZ-HClJ07lqX0d3M_CeQXxZK8Kcs4xb-osr9HoicAYpJgd5wkWVd5GTctOxwj4RvGAqdsscU83yz4na" shape="rect">Alternative thinking</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">More than 200 people
rallying against excessive suspensions and expulsions were buoyed by a
commitment from Fresno Unified school leaders to embrace an alternative
approach to discipline. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq8htGicigfWbUIoyCUYPiX1-ATMe6C606rls2eGpTlDnWL0lFMDXPPTaQcMmKqQnl61SiWQ4j6Y0GuGmFn9FRQUM_KNfuSsRzPxcX5TP7uR5Eu-ri3tESR5fNO8SzFw_dgDEYzxElZ-HClJ07lqX0d3M_CeQXxZK8Kcs4xb-osr9HoicAYpJgd5wkWVd5GTctOxwj4RvGAqdsscU83yz4na" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Poor showing</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Los Angeles teachers
overwhelmingly expressed "no confidence" in L.A. schools Supt. John
Deasy in the first vote of its kind in the nation's second-largest
school system. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq_1crUJehmJaYrTkbgT4ag-x6E4mhreyhvQcy0M0uaHW8n3G1VMGPIpfM_Waf0MgTDnb7OsMh-2Q1MqmNGrH0M8uU_Z4lnDSDuF6CPC9sZ_Pg2AeRr_hOpBJq6kFJSOz49d0Za_3tM0bg5CQLNYESUAIX4s8VLzokWYviS7zG5Xt45uUP-r8WdSeEyruIHn_U7m3u-IRjBvTyfsC4_0inbS" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div><strong style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;">BRIEFLY NOTED</strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;"><span><strong> </strong></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;"><span>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>What's Next</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The final set of
standards aimed at reshaping the focus and delivery of science
instruction in U.S. schools -- the Next Generation Science Standards --
has been publicly unveiled, setting the stage for states to consider
adopting them as their own. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq8CHl6MbpMWe8AnMkgAn0_XERwc4brJZxOYHmGj-Aqd8JYmgECa4P4yhK1fk0gJHCP3C4A3P6MsXPjjGprX_84GYfJgdc6TsXVJ9qXAeRRnJPZyeHNLsAj6G2qjSGDWOsn6X0JYiobkYdlrt0BA7kuj5-eUkV-fCvgrn5fnufrsnn1owT28tzNcfJWBb5rBXXd-S1cIacKb46XuvdEB61EjtsGrBkU3WxFHLFmpSc8I1sHEo6Tw89uiCOfLkHTXkKtVsHr966KnR7-ycGtcNJLC" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong style="font-size: 10pt;">Inconvenience notwithstanding</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Next Generation
Science Standards will also ensure that the politically touchy topic of
climate change will be taught more deeply to students. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq_qdEf8edqtwCUNN2ntPadnfTzxVZpxJq5DI6uszCknmmOInScn_m4L5esHvymcD9gWF5OmUwBn6eWxemzlMnv_PupcsI4ZmM6PJc0Xm6KyMJGTlOmwHfOeOwNCrW33m2n6syet5aD2lG_DIoaDMzbHC0A4pHGNCki0viHJptEp9vCTqT6mqbwP3rK0kAY7GVgzfdNRe3E493gRRhfqZrwhUJYDLosODBIIVWbrO0mGv-oPiNZ7SQ2wYX4SBZTaFeNnK_BCynxi9KAxN3p8laWN5JtWtSqUqhJkgjZ2rWvManr_RlyzcER6nDC631iNjhLUZiRTl5L8lup2ODXXue-7O_46Ktw1VAQ=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>The Wizard of Ed</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Jim Shelton, the U.S.
Department of Education's assistant secretary who helped craft and
implement the Investing in Innovation grant competition, is in line to
become deputy secretary. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq-PflOTZG-NWwbBz-qnfva_vwK2WKaqd9EMqDUiK6R4S-xmd8cgMGN-Ipzkt3AboFyr84RHIv8vhUJmvyeq4Oliem_cg1F4FCiLVzc0v4farY-sXqFWq199mo2WphXJm2EUq6HgxjUzuUczkhYuIGgLOvJaqXont766htwbHXUe4PsMYGSCcD-CN3wiPasnh6xF1q7cYs6-xMDGqB0DH1xyA3vZTkljBfvl0cyGQS44P4ZoZ5qCGX4z7PmG1BVIrGl0wbsxrivlA3mPMhXMUKFataTaPQxWCeAyIaM6xXEg_WNJGfIfyxUH2MmsoWcbS6StXvz42QOGkNHVcMvmzRIo0jr0cDi79Q8ARrl3V8_YpruMJyuaU7YBFGaoj_GShs1osTeqPbwN8l_Tsal6dgGhHlU3Micpfex7Nu3_FnITkkrtO2QvtZsQ" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>We are shocked, shocked</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The city council in
Washington, D.C. is slated to hold a hearing after the surfacing of a
memo that warned officials of cheating on standardized tests during the
chancellorship of Michelle Rhee. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq92h3g_-pOAzwP09GqurwodPVeuMIpCiQff9tXN5ZGB_Y2ayCJlqwS9xdRB-FqNZzSTr8PEV9G2QFZ300EDU5uFzxjo29wBYLkAIUIUJpVS7nof5ZO5emM3sUNsx4Rhso2KpF3n-KweMqf9BwuE02hljEB_f8dbQYVrx-h7Ve77nrtK5xRzH9uXujAc9LIJQRCDPBesNPUyxV4E0hIRi8Dc" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Only fair</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Maine Education
Commissioner Stephen Bowen has introduced a proposal that would spread
the cost of charter schools across every school district in the state,
minimizing the impact on individual schools in favor of having everyone
pay a lower amount. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq8HjuA61sMh0PUCnuDJQv0LBntFN8u6eCNLVUdxc61Cgn3pzGY3r3z93F6eSnxaJjGW2259UU3rMHFmZsLicdlxyrB3Uiw5U7UuVF2-WF9zYcqElokRpjLwAiCaWuKlSwRhJegpwGbiyedegJg41nciHSuizIX05bSlHozgVPQUCkF1bTTt4VI6M6z0-JDbI43HeNCa1Mv_2ruGHIcJ8cCziwy4yroJanoJ6i1b8eFtIg==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Getting real</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Florida's
high-school-graduation requirements would be altered considerably to
make a diploma easier for some students to earn and to encourage more
teenagers to gain job skills while in school under a bill the Florida
Senate has passed. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq8f3R3l6w8RimvTUyLvce3X1KpRqwSWDcl4W8s6m0XVCraUod_dwamyKaFVyKs1XDIvJUQJ9OwxbDHiTH1t4XabIufxRPn-VYxk6DUb4ue1FKkqHMPZeTYtjuIwSGicAJ-pmIdHmufqB-tBwakj-hk5KP0JeBBe1NzUn7e0OPWyMmGTKT4CrpXSGyD1Gthu8wkVWB8MTWDwhixRP6sfw7IBI95FVcp7yOZ2rxP4Y86LYw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Close shave</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Cleveland Public Schools will not fall under the control of a state academic distress commission. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wNF0dFR6Iq-FwVVP8EZHI2rgvcMCG0zNtu0VYGa9FRmZdz5C7fiRf8Vm3cHavb9tHiIAjWonQizjp90mXnrQg-MRPOOvDXBx8lsviOa7gy1OLO5xiMuTsTj3ZNBazF3bp-RX9QwAwV1gKwe4_NezOhhEoZsAXC3CJEMIUyW8is_LcsQFh9fHEqxMwqund74eG8GcvwDCXj8=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 10pt; color: #000000;"><br>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><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=001wNF0dFR6Iq-MOPFIxUE-X5rrRcdvtql8VWdqFouZ75HHXn4eEXnRI8KsGVm4LYHKzwoEFuD1Y8rQXzVAAplqWE6RVmOxEEwNqFTmOBTVwPWYYHGyJIPnwKRRB9I4GFn7ii3ktxFKayqzd8-2q5DhMw==">American Psychological Foundation: Pre-College Grant Program</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
American Psychological Foundation Pre-College Grant Program provides
financial support for efforts aimed at improving education in
psychological science and its application in secondary schools for
high-ability students. Proposals must focus on supplying education for
gifted and talented high school students. Maximum award: $20,000.
Eligibility: educational institutions or 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organizations affiliated with them. Deadline: May 1, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><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=001wNF0dFR6Iq-vc5U2gB5f3161COsfRaj85kqbDrepF1zcaBgTk1wUROXT0UmAEWxzvSsukHg_HHdBtMITyIFBRC6RZk7H8Iu7hLeKkPPsCMYuKgqjTk2Hdryj2gscQTRwiL9GCqIqfo0s0f-lE4WTO3tMbVR7PBTj2CKb02ySCS4=">Butler-Cooley: Excellence in Teaching Awards Program</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Awards Program honors teachers who
have demonstrated capacity to change the outcome of students' lives and
the communities where they teach. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility:
licensed and active elementary or secondary (K-12) classroom teachers
who teach at an accredited public or private school and have at least
five years of teaching experience, and have instructed students the
equivalent of 20 hours per week during a nine-month academic calendar
year for at least five of the prior seven years. Deadline: May 1, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><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=001wNF0dFR6Iq9MeLgfIlDaBK9fJMzdeoeJs0rmMAmDG2ST8i43OVYtXcbCZmfPd9mgJc8xFcw_Qhtl-bgvfgxz5iJ7oPwLjwGCUYY2e1Dn-rFxKp4nMFd0XWU2mDb5CRseTnk7vkvNhTiQva9-nNZdi54zkSDcbsKh7l0ulrRaEEEsM4roY3hq2g==">CVS/Caremark: Community Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">CVS/Caremark
Community Grants are currently accepting proposals for programs,
targeting children under age 21 with disabilities, which address health
and rehabilitation services or enabling physical movement and play.
Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: non-profits located in states that
also have CVS stores. Deadline: October 31, 2013.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK</strong></span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"It's not a 'Well, here's your gun; carry it.' It's very closely monitored. It's not a Clint Eastwood-type deal." -- " <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=001wNF0dFR6Iq9y1XAsVIkO9N3zEql9wJ2eHl8waF23_uDsk1Hkk3M25TBpLtRkIrlkYFGJzPaajFyxVTTmace7CZgA_LJKk2VRofjyWfV5tloak2WcqHRdJKwUvraHQtf0uuXrB2wiz4DVmaLsxbzGSlWLwDELMC5C0EashpLvhuqvwLsk7okF11nD3klO_Qg9t91iS0o3jPXiJiB7UqrPAzfcCKhWuQne">Vic Williams</a>, superintendent of schools in Fairview, Missouri, regarding the recent training and arming of teachers at an area school.</span></div>
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