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<div>May 7, 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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK17">Pre-K annus horribilis</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK45">KIPP: somewhat beneficial</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK44">Core: Not so fast, people</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK43">Online glitches aplenty</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK42">Los Angeles: The fired next time</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK53">Mastery versus time in seats</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK55">What those OECD data actually reveal</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK54">Assessing the source</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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK46">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/37709-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27466323&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK19">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>Pre-K annus horribilis</b></span></div>
<span style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A new analysis of the state of early-childhood education in this country by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) finds 2011-2012 to have been the worst year in a decade in terms of improving access to high-quality pre-K for America's children. State funding for pre-K decreased by over half a billion dollars in 2011-2012, adjusted for inflation the largest one-year drop ever, falling $400 per child across the states. It is the first year of stagnant enrollment, with no increase in percentage of children served. It was also a disastrous year for meeting quality benchmarks, with lax monitoring and poor technical support at the same time that local capacity to produce quality programs has been undercut by reduced financial support. The number of students whose families lack means to provide them with high-quality preschool education has increased to an all-time high. For 2012-2013, appropriations were up modestly, though how well actual expenditures track these figures remains to be seen. The most positive development is at the federal level: The president put pre-K on the national agenda in his State of the Union address, and proposed providing states with $75 billion in matching funds to increase access to high-quality pre-K over the next 10 years.</span><span style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFCrA7gFbicywyaLrIt5Eh4I1aLF3T3yUFIFSeuWSKKri_MHN8CvFf5xeTWrbDwYkmEx9F4rLSmdXfCdQs1MRYtLT2Ma84XNo_QqAp-hDuPkcFa09CLjAJ0VuKr-lESnLpyowXw16VSMTrD4zcZm1hyG" 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>KIPP: somewhat beneficial</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A review by the National Education Policy Center of a study of KIPP by Mathematica finds that while the original evaluation was carefully planned and executed -- and a positive impact from KIPP is supported by the evidence -- the authors may have overstated benefits attributable to the network. Using two different approaches, Mathematica researchers concluded that after three years, charter KIPP students scored the equivalent of 11 months of additional learning in math and eight months in reading compared with control students not attending KIPP schools. The reviewer feels that the benefits attributed to KIPP participation could be substantial if they persist into later grades, but the research as presented is overly positive. Translating educational outcomes into months of additional learning is inexact, and "leads to absurd results" if interpreted literally, according to the reviewer. Also, reported measures of effectiveness that take attrition into account indicate less positive outcomes than the estimates used to draw conclusions about KIPP effectiveness. The reviewer feels the information in the study is insufficient to guide education policy, and that "future work evaluating the persistence of KIPP impact will be key to drawing a conclusive judgment of the educational significance of KIPP schooling." </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFAeimisyjZ07AZ3aO2JhafjoxgxFQBTlZbAXeHX8uT_mBaDoErGERRegasMlt8h4tCpm8-ECi_71HIspxJehEuAZSCbvmDr5ntvoMvX7kEPWXzxEG5O_CCpA5fmuJN9YMtqxf1mINdAW_xPfhoR7bSLpF-e-zIWXWY=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b><span>Common Core: Not so fast, people</span></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;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">AFT President Randi Weingarten has called for a moratorium on all stakes associated with the Common Core State Standards, saying that teachers have had inadequate time and support to understand them and shift instruction, reports Catherine Gewertz in Education Week. High-stakes decisions should be held in check until states and districts develop -- and carry out -- Common Core plans that include time and resources for professional development, curriculum, and instruction. Weingarten's speech was triggered by recent opposition from the teacher union in New York State to this year's tests, which newly reflected the common standards. In prepared remarks, Weingarten praised the Common Core, saying it held promise for better teaching and learning, especially for disadvantaged students. But before students, teachers, or schools are judged on mastery of the common standards, Weingarten says, adequate time and support must be available to implement them and then determine -- through "a bunch of different measures" -- whether the curriculum and its instruction are working. Putting the new standards into practice without adequate preparation, she says, is "a failure of leadership." </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFAljzRpNMbI4bq-aNkSVeDxharYw9_aLUMidOeJ_OMCZ634O2f61feX7qkfqVet3fJwmlSAt_e4lt9y9nX7cDc4d89X2sc6Md1gOb2doHay2ktVO3Nf-IVgeZ-5F9UYHqmqE5bvl5ycuWCawslJ-PXe7xQ9HTDnZydYhc-i452zWDAhfVYl1OQD9cp3Id6qIhNhBVk122o9sZfAjktlm655">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b><span>Online glitches aplenty</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Widespread technical failures and interruptions of online testing in several states have shaken confidence in high-tech assessment methods, raising serious concerns about technological readiness for coming Common Core online tests, reports Michele Davis in Education Week. Disruptions occurred across Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Oklahoma, and were linked to assessment providers: CTB/McGraw-Hill in Indiana and Oklahoma; ACT, Inc. in Kentucky; and the American Institutes for Research in Minnesota. Thousands of students suffered slow question loading times, were closed out of testing mid-answer, and were unable to log in to tests; thousands of tests may be invalidated. State education departments were compelled to extend testing windows, and some lawmakers and policymakers are reconsidering online testing as a whole. Problems were "absolutely horrible, in terms of kids being anxious," said Eric Hileman, director of information technology services for Oklahoma City schools. Wendy Robinson, superintendent of Fort Wayne, Indiana community schools, said she doesn't know how students, parents, or educators can now have confidence using online testing for the Common Core. Spokespeople for both Common Core consortia said they will work to solve any technical problems before the Common Core online tests are rolled out, and were confident issues could be resolved before the tests launched.<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=001Tkc_Cp15vFBqORkx_rJVKBA8Cg_W5gzQXOila3hJ4vAqexk-CbND9F6WzW7Y5PejGiqAMONimsuOdhP4uyMu6dOv5eWMIdCStpJDJmTYGPbO5a7o4W3yCB3xFBZ8k9HMlmVi6_U6bbbGneUr3YQ5qTJc_cn3JsH9guvZ1dDi_lq3J2OAf9YBKJgkbZgCAJlsYYPttvC2HOAmS87m2kFiKrp2fQIqyeKjchhCQC2_C_LqRrymQDowLdJEKgmjPlokQIFiwjkrAO-JeIFmgcz9O2S3C91A07uv">More</a><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=001Tkc_Cp15vFAQKqLVPeq8zoIp-2X_qc4tp6MxYou3iZGs5MUyLIZc4iupH0Imh6gBAo3X286tG-VxafZhb3UgOWNbIkN1tj7pIpuXoLDXYDAlzJLmHV-pRhog_5FDd2cFCPvTztNh5LS94i6uzWzRPFSVBvX49GfSqXJ4VDbbJ9RH0pIb5ntpAptcUR7IEEH8On4-mRtt8mnTc8D8HXsTFYVHv32Y6_vrq2m8mghH6GphnZGhMqsobWHbw_JshfM5nsD-C-s1x9Tr0lhQJrgYNhr5nObWEw2DADBzCwIhcNl5bwtiNDK91w9s0VSh-gE2qju52Mp_VkOEUR4WarbFaW_Ixo7y6DujAAQUDCG4YRE=">Related</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b><span>Los Angeles: The fired next time</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Half the teachers at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles have been dismissed as part of a "conversion process," reports Dana Goldstein on her blog. These include Alex Caputo-Pearl, who has spent two decades teaching in high-poverty L.A.-area schools, and helped craft the Extended Learning Cultural Model (ELCM) for Crenshaw. ELCM was driven by the higher expectations of the Common Core but built around a curriculum that addressed the challenges of low-income South L.A. Yet despite hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal and philanthropic support for it, Superintendent John Deasy announced in November that the ELCM Social Justice and Law Academy at Crenshaw will be dismantled, replaced with three magnet programs organized around the arts, entrepreneurship, and STEM. Caputo-Pearl and other teachers who led the Social Justice and Law Academy, and who have the deep support of parents and students, seem to have been targeted for dismissal. Twenty-one of the 33 dismissed are African American, and 27 have over 10 years of experience. The LAUSD earlier attempted to remove Caputo-Pearl from Crenshaw in 2006, when he was organizing neighborhood parents to fight for better school resources. He says his next step is advocating for the Crenshaw students affected by the conversion. They will not be automatically re-enrolled in one of the new magnet schools inside Crenshaw; instead, they or their parents must fill out an intimidating "Choices" application.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFAStFYJfQh2L8UxxClh0QA15WkqxgXI4z3RTiWxxmyagVZk-sAgVyUmxrd3MCcmlC1z3HRIXpJjcgtV9nR5wNoTGbs2yppp9MT8eY4JEJ1mmMrpWM_qAXDoT9GqkGvFVHgO_43M2kInpkxnU04beOBXgaS2coa8u6WELRHyKoR4j9NQahx8YGvp2ZJJnyefKYBWJ_AbgwOvTp9twjq5BzgPPS9FkCDx3HI=">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>Mastery versus time in seats</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span color="#454545" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A new report from Knowledgeworks would help policymakers redefine federal assessment and accountability systems to support competency education in the nation's public schools. Competency education replaces rigid, time-based assessment and accountability structures with flexible systems that enable students to receive customized supports and extra time to demonstrate mastery of content and transferable skills. According to the report, "This highly personalized approach provides clear, individualized pathways to student proficiency that help mobilize stakeholders around the collective goal of college- and career-readiness for all." The success of the competency movement depends heavily on federal willingness to partner with states and districts as they redesign education systems, offering a partnership that grants states flexibility to innovate and develop accountability and assessment policies that better align with student-centered education. The report includes a competency-education continuum chart, which can help policymakers differentiate between approaches that are fully implemented and those in early stages. The report also outlines key barriers in current federal accountability and assessment systems that can undermine development of competency education, and indicates areas where the approach is currently implemented. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFBNVe6Su7IWqdxPRi2H7Gqktc6fVhYHatjFcMne4OyV2kPLYf9VoZ2nXtKqc_IjGEUgMpxLL6OyGa8Y7OgK12pDy4JsB-MQb4hClVjpxfptVmmQ-0a3wo8NNZbIEAJGKjOiPHMoxjE8ASTE9DNqMqI4dkiVta2l66HqC0iOGjkGg1cr-44r-NLT" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b><span>What those OECD data actually reveal</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">International student test scores indicate that on average, American students are a "middling bunch," but these data sometimes "obscure more than they reveal," writes Jordan Weissmann in The Atlantic Magazine. Once you compare students from similar income and class backgrounds, our relative performance improves dramatically, suggesting that American educational problems may be due to our sheer number of poor families as much as to supposedly poor schools. In raw numbers, we have far more top performers than any other developed nation. A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) on America's supply of science and tech talent found that among OECD nations in 2006, the United States claimed a third of high-performing students in both reading and science (on math, less so). Since the United States is a far bigger country than the other members of the OECD, we claim roughly 27 percent of the group's 15-to-19-year-olds overall, but the point remains: In two out of three subjects, Americans are over-represented among the best students. Our high scorers are balanced out by a very large number of low scorers, and our education system, like our economy, is polarized. But sheer numbers do not signal dominance: Based on OECD data, China likely has more young math and science geniuses. Weissman restates an argument in the EPI report: To replicate a country's style of education, you must replicate its culture, which in the instance of China is unfeasible. "So instead of looking abroad for ideas about how to teach our kids, as some policy-types are inclined to do, perhaps we should look at what's succeeding here at home, and spread it," he writes. <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=001Tkc_Cp15vFAiVzyiE0dQJRUanquRPXY8vWzPrmsMV5PlPFa5jpVgT7tmDpC-TZ6mzsfGZUan2jiQXQXYFYrAi6uSI6dSaKLcf9M9didLBczU3PvvAK2SiJ5pHruX_8RSO-hbEsOKl2zJtJW2kauiRKMfih1W7L7DDOecPfmhw0g8k-Ezz2K-rhvT72AzPYJt2RRPkwMVATgPFmiCoAuJbiLQfBo0m3TwMLV2tAfdpPcWZf_gwdL2QRvoKPUBMyezDO5N3FOuwTsdN3uyVWAU2Q==">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>Assessing the source -- but is it the source?</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Scores of teacher-training programs across the country will soon be evaluated based on the test scores of their graduates' students, reports Sarah Carr in The Hechinger Report. Louisiana's experience speaks to both the "promise and peril" of this approach, writes Carr. For instance, these analyses only use data from institutions with a large enough cohort of graduates (25 in a given subject area) for results to be statistically valid; not a single New Orleans-based teacher-training program is therefore included in the evaluations. Even when a cohort size is adequate, the data can be simplistic or misleading. Do low reading scores, measured years after a group of teachers enters the classroom, mean their training program had a bad curriculum or weak instructors? Or did it admit weaker candidates from the start? Or send them off to schools with less supportive principals? Using a value-added analysis, Louisiana researchers gauge growth in individual students regardless of starting point, then compare overall student growth in the classrooms of graduates from different training programs with growth produced by veteran educators. Louisiana embarked on its analysis over a decade ago in an effort to weed out the state's weakest teacher-training programs, and programs consistently rated low can be shut down. To date, no program has shuttered as a result of assessment.</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=001Tkc_Cp15vFBFW5nRuck44J1Pub9_sYj_oETetDi8tg4oc8fpBHR_FQsARjjlUAiYguc3iFNRcg-2iILv2A6wIX9aQcv_FNMaWfMhe4SxL_W67Pecpfi3RH7KohqC6uSyVQ9Lmp04zzcvNp595XrL8GsMARCLvhQ0_3C_7kPO9Au0YzFuA9aKFRFlLaluwqe9" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: #f04f23;"><strong>New sheriff in town</strong></span><br>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Michael Fullan, the man credited with transforming the Canadian province of Ontario into one of the world's most effective school systems, is ready to help California. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFDO9CCUlPvenVG6vF5U3WWovyN3sAqBySZKC8DWO_xv_ely0dRGnYEVGIE6dxMMtjxShm436odDOpoFzLAtK9pCZ19075kGa_WilAB8SNGAW3Nal6dZF8CqzkMXBTU4JHMM9DMxBCfCrszmbfgYGLkKJ1qrbq349RDKQTC5z3jj2LdmRJ5wV1qIkO0sPHNOgEXyRGo_uL3N4gKpRzH9wXgleP6J--sq_yjAvcn4AD9LzA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="color: #f04f23; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Tarnished appeal</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The number of new teaching credentials issued in California dropped 12 percent last year, marking the eighth straight year the state has seen a decrease in the number of initial credentials. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFDL2qsnM2-R-JZ1v7vPj0Lft0215l6wJDsBB9DC8vOLmKKbIoSxOij_krMEfvvo8VF2FjOTaQwpP--5UopNGWdhJhFxr6iIKr3dN9wXpNWBRocAfFBpgnOL0IEeUAka8wZoE1XqD_nDQQ2fmmT_htEpgenSzPjxdUnJi-Qn4rAGcXWqWd7vm5cvKPGeVzamj4qZ94tvaD72IyqCckwjqdJqdjyPGILzUola8NLzNF6JimrFaElmf22K" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #f14e23;"><strong>BRIEFLY NOTED</strong></span><br>
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<div style="color: #000000; font-size: 10pt;"><span> </span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Money where their mouth is</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Walton Family Foundation in 2012 handed out more than $158 million in funding for K-12 education reform initiatives focused on expanding charter schools and voucher programs. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFAy68rEWlhFKyLYPx5J7PUK99KMoZG2lDKeW83BS2P7zcdOSGvZcJ6juAwpOhzzbKxdhOxPXyyb31PezIzJ_cgXpdIN5aNu5Yez-PfLMPmGgeC_wcOfA2Du_Qu4l0yHfKjn2JLCopou6ZUWQ-e7mEA579m3eDFVnMoeP3KneIVYRMz5KHnDQgurHrrRDG0JZfUsPRfDZAdRMhm1JsuL6B-ZO456ggwjGj-Qz9StO4aIFMj74zPbDE3W6Y76vIdWdNWMpvy7RZuYXqahYuqeHDkQ483_LhpnGHobmGRStQcxng8iOVioXycvb0mBULsZtNYKP1Kogp1GVmzLMbFoco5j" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Loosening of strictures</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill that makes it easier to fire some low-performing teachers. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFBbHy28PAQZYZl2qpyLJ-1R4q0R4rZi5eB4GjL1ZHJIaztlm02C5aXFzLMIDGHktwGRgJ2jp30_PVIXBAbjM8_MM_9rQrhE_SAaZLgAmCOmdPQ2kaPTIseFsP9VUA0QGwpJ78WAPiC4C6y9C8XQm2OGAS7OnwhRX5tu94DauCxn-Ox9nZYq1uK_yOGDjA4B5u_dkbnjFckbY56_GYpR7YoeN3TUyZ1R68WCkdxtEpjFYhs3bGjFUDfwBCPrtiplXmZYADy47PyhH0iOosUBSZYj" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Trending private</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Thousands of Arizona students in poorly performing public schools could soon get what amounts to a voucher from the state to go elsewhere -- or even get educated at home -- in a move that could take hundreds of millions of dollars a year out of the public 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=001Tkc_Cp15vFCqYpI_44oKi__3UU7JxzZCJQeODXnMkkVAmg6mUuETNcfjgDYzN8Adq_3ZzRB2MIYhlFhv6MKF3AY85NdeNZ1I8MU4ji9S_E-gVkduu0855_NBotngX0q8q7TbxSQJL9wEaWKp4V57U3G6kRSnQ2LPwa8Ng0bz0jVXnDJxjsGzJJbubW23oP9UZI_tKgp-D7EmV3Hvt8zanhQPb3WC6SZv6vnqRi9Ljok-LU5iVvhgFKYQ_YdDoLt_OJYTarZ0QHUfHLfYd3WG7G1Dtba4f-kSp1C4ShVdAxf-Jlp2tnbY8xin7Z-S4NQ3" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Ditto</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The number of Louisiana students attending private and parochial school at taxpayer expense is going up by at least 3,000 in 2013-14, the second year of the Louisiana Scholarship Program, for a total of 8,000 kids. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFByWLNsSiaic-zF4JR1L2AgdogSjpqB-45Bj3bO6kZhr9LeQDSR2dfO82CicsCkmX87g3yhBhtKEp99vZ1WibQMwj9o2TFIc-Iufz8mLP2KIfLHUikhU4jOyGr3ErdL5T2wOWn8c9M0ssceGebIaUzvLqFAv6S4ksZpDzOTvTWJd-FAbq7ViDWTqi7hVqqmLd7xjp0rj_jnyr2Zo2ZWufBBqTyUNjak3Dc=" shape="rect">More</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>A dose of sanity</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has announced she is expanding the state's pre-kindergarten programs, allowing a dozen new programs to start up statewide, and 1,380 more students served. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFATURJbQAJ3VuF1rc-5lF3WcM2SsGLVkZwKzvrGAj2hQ_YTlcnx1PzrRs-cDSPnxD5LdGdcB4ks9YjxMqPYFuPCaCEeggVgHmiiJ149qxiKsnS1iYQV9i_-la2cMrJHC-WO80H4htD7sRb83_5xLr_QTpu2foK5lAvY9ZHArqUFlgzpL1GMgaH9DjfmtXL7SUfNOmAfngl7gCmmoO_Ns2Oe" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Their own petards</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Instead of handing out report cards, school officials will get grades themselves next week, as the state Department of Education announces A-through-F grades for Maine's 600 public schools. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFB5Omybw9m0pWrKgAjbtEpB92or4UW7FNOhaJV4c-Y8yDcSR69tJJASlSHVqTHdjjuHufS7updOMW0HSK-nHbIR2RQeGzm6uTrvK9AYSZ5zmTp7CaMj3Z0ojLVcCASyJZJ-9xTn6o6jCbAD-5mVCR9nopo-h8DozD_IrenTntkhpeN9xPv7rdgTbPEEmL2loBNmdobkhmqGzw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Live by the sword, die by the sword</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Florida's controversial parent-trigger bill has died a "dramatic legislative death" in a surprise tie vote in the Florida Senate during the final week of session. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFDib0ZIm6t-VE2rHnqFD-PFXPcoHj-KyvZtRYeHJM8kDf9gNP3LeUW6NrK9jpASb7r4vFzMbltSQEL4fKPivZZS3tJKsGEIFhzS6NkChOO75MAGvp56wMI_g3qEkKD2iTERbdOhwgjDUFDooht_8eAEzAaxUuxB-3z7Zk-qKjWBAhvlUrAiJ0dlux9De_ZxZ14pPOfoz1BRbwIm1X3_L5TlUF2MjARLSJ4=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>So they're all grounded</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Three-quarters of Maine's schools received a grade of C or lower under a new ranking system unveiled by the state Department of Education. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFCsoqMKTjaHx3tdPtwxkgOAG_m55BDKbQoM7W5e6-5nj0OoyyVnq4P0bGJ2TgyPaPMFJjnjlFasj3z5g1-3psNmFFeAT0YX33Xy3yhWMaYIG2XC0p-IOBHMsNRuqT3lzAZgfBSTaQf3VsEbPnAb2vlZOwURy2WOFmUtlhpD4jXdwQrnbQ0LyM2mODXCNmIktigEn524QNlsmH12SwoHReJ3jnjpuTxeeW5mgjUrKLk6iaKx4ggbF53ClgbvpykbEXUZ4X2XG5JoPsYtNozK5Ch_" shape="rect">More</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
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<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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFDKvAFPivD-leIwDYzkA3jD9BDVM9-1767GeWYlNrNyUx3XxHqVL8_g2osJEWf0GBIKLvxlaDUJhvnhTHR-Fxuwnf4no1iaIDX05F_Yt_HNCvw3DofCHYE6rm88dA6_6U3sfrX0Q3qi0aDUhnLNHOKzN1nVrKgiV56X-EBEuGPqLQ==" shape="rect">Dollar General Literacy Foundation: Youth Literacy Grants</a><br>
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Youth Literacy Grants provide funding to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. Grant funding is provided to assist in implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs; purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives; and purchasing books, materials, or software for literacy programs. Maximum award: $4,000. Eligibility: schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations. Deadline: May 23, 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFCoNbUmYHorOnjKj5vzTL9drNxCeKkvfuf3hs7ODbFYeYUX1kyy_w1DsGOWwNI_vK7-fTgYRO6i3dca1FvHoUCtHb6Fpa-MKKrcZ9gerdWBLXiYjRjeKXunuflnNl1hML1mXc23MVrLbEL68rbkC8cwpCWTwbW-QziCxlRRyveVu5YoHa2MkXKkpJYHEw9bMqWphA30X58Kntd_uMEZMp7t3Qogy1UD_hFv3YoEIg1LRA-54OQioCSJ" shape="rect">ACTFL: Florence Steiner Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Florence Steiner Award honors the memory of a teacher, department chair, professional speaker, and ACTFL President-Elect who inspired a generation of foreign language teachers and challenged them to improve their teaching through better communication of the goals and outcomes of second-language education with the public, administrators, colleagues, and students. Maximum award: $500. Eligibility: ACTFL members for at least the last three years who have a minimum of five years teaching experience, with at least half of each year's assignment in the area of foreign language education. Deadline: May 28, 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFD8pOLoRKZobUl0ieLPitRiSB6--OaXZokR9eAxCRFfXRNa6p6Geg_cBcx6Bi3hXMj31zgLy44lm4E6jKFFg0yjcCmsRaXNfVUbG5pJdtVZmERQyQCCrI8CamwehOlTXms=" shape="rect">Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: Grants for Youth with Disabilities</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Grants program is dedicated to helping young Americans with disabilities maximize their potential and fully participate in society. The foundation supports organizations and projects within its mission that have broad scope and impact and demonstrate potential for replication at other sites. A major program emphasis is inclusion: enabling young people with disabilities to have full access to educational, vocational, and recreational opportunities, and to participate alongside their non-disabled peers. Maximum award: $90,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: June 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFB_3milMNAoR5qV2_osZN-mWpqmk3O9M1QZ-PHL6PHEE8klc7HwnR6dqsyq4sBsUwNGiB9Q09QnDFKPorm0zHM5puxNFkUe3RdVbI9jgNJ7Nyk_QJmMKaEuPnjAR16Eg3g_0w7FXne_79zwO1FzYcElmEFjtTL6huWuwxouyUYsi3Dlc0GJefhuXeOcuS-5SnU=" shape="rect">Kennedy Center: VSA Playwright Discovery Competition</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Kennedy Center VSA Playwright Discovery Competition invites middle and high school students to take a closer look at the world around them, examine how disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and express their views through the art of script writing. Writers may write from their own experience and observations or create fictional characters and settings. scripts can be comedies, dramas, or even musicals. Maximum award: Division 1 (Grades 6-8, or equivalent): $375 for his/her school; publication in the 2013 VSA Playwright Discovery Program booklet. Division 2 (Grades 9-12, or equivalent): $750 scholarship, $375 for his/her school; publication in the 2013 VSA Playwright Discovery Program booklet. Deadline: June 1, 2013.</div>
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<div style="color: #f04f23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"It's crazy to be considering schools when she's only 7 months old. But I'd rather have a plan, knowing how difficult it can be to get in." --<a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Tkc_Cp15vFCesgpJtlGL8zoVtZJ9BMIU0OWD1TmejBrc5a5dqrL75dddeC4yJns4Mfa7M-6b58KYZiJPs7mq3HlG2_oofrXIietjw5N0jEo-QkzShOqT-ROnG5lzNGp6b-agE0gcizKBWnnD4iZ9tUDKqswxegdscsmt4F-6yIaTAiqJDUm5bs4Hgmus27QHGULlpAcHfUHrnldcE82qoKvzn-Ez-hPY" shape="rect"> Christine Dirringer,</a> a Manhattan commodities banker, strategizing on how to get her daughter into a "good" New York City public school.</div>
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