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<div>June 4, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<tbody><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK17">It's the Readin', not the 'Rithmatic</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK45">Pockets of deep poverty</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK44">Enrolling Latinos at the get-go</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK43">What price ELL education?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK42">Triggering a questionable outcome</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/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK53">Let's get off-track</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/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK55">Whose SPED responsibility?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</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/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37752-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27477960&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<a name="LETTER.BLOCK17"></a><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK17" 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="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f04f23;"><b>It's the Readin', not the 'Rithmatic</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;">Educators, policymakers,
and business leaders have publicly lamented the state of American math
education -- particularly in comparison with other countries -- but
reading may be the bigger hurdle, reports Motoko Rich in The New York
Times. "Math is very close-ended," explains Brett Peiser of the Uncommon
Schools charter network, which enrolls low-income students in Boston,
New York City, Rochester, and Newark. Reading difficulties, he said, are
more complicated to resolve: "Is it a vocabulary issue? A
background-knowledge issue? A sentence-length issue? It's a
three-dimensional problem that you have to attack." A Mathematica study
of schools run by KIPP found that on average, students enrolled in KIPP
middle schools for three years had test scores indicating they were more
than a full grade level (11 months) ahead of the national average in
math. In reading, KIPP's advantage was only eight months. Among large
public urban districts, six raised eighth-grade math scores on the NAEP
from 2009 to 2011, but just Charlotte, N.C. did so in reading. Experts
say math is more culturally neutral, and requires less background
knowledge, on top of the fact that reading development requires much
more practice. Over time, educators of disadvantaged students hope to
produce reading results similar to those in math. One strategy is to
start with intensive reading instruction when children are younger. <strong><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DShd6AN69svjiVHTOQmaNXnLo3FhAmaqxfdwXfzvH5ejgqZ0hzIn1YL1H6ITxJISmLbd8PO13kYHUC7gRN-ZIi2lNWO9bcgYoXQZFnwrRfaNS5E4dIM14HirrOQMWpILV1VbRjyolQSFdiLZVljs0PvprMxm-ugMKeG5Qe5DCLYJTAJ8q7xFjg7YO_XKEvMgGzn_2ybazvgtZG0Sa_lDQL4Ttau6H7-DA9fP-jmconDLU0vyhJ5UhKJeU7KEc-kVcp5kvgFlqScK5uXfO3tq4Q3EAbFUJwpILi4ctmQvDIFXt7EX0Rn8elKP8jSBDp-bDdyLW0XQPOH5poSJfZVmFKxyqKCl1k2ugrX18vw8wPBuk2ni0wtwsk02vwHbQGvpzen3Pq9IbySZw==">More</a></strong></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f04f23;"><b>Pockets of deep poverty</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;">In a post for the
Hechinger Report website, Jill Barshay notes that data in the Condition
of Education 2013 report by the National Center for Education Statistics
show poverty has become so concentrated in America that one out of five
public schools was classified as "high-poverty" in 2011 by the U.S.
Department of Education, a 60 percent increase from 2000. To attain a
"high-poverty" designation, 75 percent or more of a school's students
had to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Even so, "free or
reduced-price lunch" is an imperfect measure. Many families and students
feel it a stigma to accept discounted or free lunch and don't sign up,
so poverty rates in high schools especially are probably much higher.
Poverty also varies by location: A mother with two kids making under
$35,000 qualifies for subsidies -- poor for New York City, Barshay
writes, but maybe not destitute in Utah. However, a commenter to her
post notes that across the country, anything below $45,000 is
low-income, according to the Census Bureau. He directs readers to MIT's
living wage calculator, one page of which shows that in Salt Lake City,
Utah, an adult with two children would actually require $47,538 to make
the bills this year. In Queens, NY, the number would be $67,178. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #f04f23;"><strong><a style="color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DREuBPKkyvvyi3H4oD9U8E0oj8uGMJQaXVpqtPq353L6PLJ3RpGu99DeJpKbpE5KFE7qhuGkXx_U4Tmd3ysp5aF8IldC1HNR4wbcMtABDTj7tQ97D_rUk-FfurBqvVn-p_diAxsKfJw05eYhfQGwC9fc5pZCdmkEFXASv22xSyqhojen1-dl3rgKHA3GPcR0wR26bfl5X2qINm9ja63rNLqdoF4Yqt_C9LtYZPADdThjQ==">More</a></strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f04f23;"><b>Enrolling Latinos at the get-go</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;">"Less
than half of Hispanic children attend any kind of preschool -- that's
kind of staggering," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told
reporters last week, according to The Washington Post. "This is the
fastest-growing population, with a lower-than-average participation
rate." Poor children who attend quality preschool programs are less
likely to end up in the criminal justice system, more likely to be
employed and earn higher incomes, and less likely to receive public
benefits as adults. "We can keep trying to play catch-up, or we can have
an effect on the front end by leveling the playing field from the
beginning," Duncan said. In some cases, Hispanic children lack access to
preschool; in others, Hispanic families are reluctant to take advantage
of available opportunities. President Obama has proposed a federal
partnership with states to offer universal preschool for all
4-year-olds. The federal government would nearly double the federal
tobacco tax from $1.01 to $1.95 to raise $75 billion over 10 years, and
provide matching funds for enrolling children from families at up to 200
percent of the federal poverty level. States must enroll at least 50
percent of their low-income and middle-income children in order to
qualify. Each state's contribution would start at 10 percent for the
first two years, increasing to 40 percent by the fifth year</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=001JXlkvvQh4DQson9ee-wmA04YHKGMsVmHw9rgeHyR-HcCiny_-biUuj_mOOaLMquUSwENJS3riZVDX1ci2K2oD_r9X6YO2kiwmBZu7wS6pFCFLIV196jMU4mfoo5a9e-X9yZB-DnIJ3CuAhoQGqL_s-tqpkcL8loCAizheLf4lQ2zImk7lJfBDHx44Ob-0OymLvSvcpx0LZuhKBXgfNJwGEhWYXJz-7HGY1A40uE5cTo4Xh449-ELBz9uWRCW6QHsHkYN3VF7X8niXXfjUPdoZRnwblN-VJ47sW6VMeVlt8fwmjJIHvvcjJRxIQIBnTOQ" 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="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f04f23;"><b>What price ELL education?</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
Nevada, home to the highest density of English language learners in the
nation at 31 percent, what's taking place in classrooms -- and what is
not -- has parents worried, lawmakers concerned, and a civil rights
group investigating, reports the Associated Press. If percentages hold,
fewer than one in three ELL students will graduate from Nevada high
schools, according to federal data. The average state funding rate
nationally for ELL students is 1.39, meaning districts spend 39 percent
more on those students. If a district spends $10,000 per student, it
adds $3,900 for every ELL. In Clark County, Nevada's largest district
and the fifth largest in the nation, the district allots $119 per ELL
student per year, according the Lincy Institute at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas. Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval this spring proposed
$50 million in state funding for ELLs over the next two years, a
historic move in Nevada, one of eight states that don't provide extra
money for English learners. That would translate to $358 in new funding
per ELL student per year, but it's not nearly what some think is needed.
And while other states have robust funding for ELLs, they're not
necessarily translating dollars into success: Lawsuits have been filed
in 44 states over concerns that ELL students aren't getting an equal
educatio</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">n</span>.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </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=001JXlkvvQh4DQPYwK7H_jQKzYwx5SWr_WFvAmjQYvfeVKXmnt2ohUNM16Cgyv4dPW9Lj1KR5Xn9UY3jR5AZrnGb7fr8fxqM7_HVb7_32S5_mnYQBJdybpcWr_w4VGMEx7C_HB2PRhSc2GJv2NzkFZ7JvTHnwIlTZH76vLhhqVVuyPVco1ZECRlh_jd7NTSBqavOwBkwkV2B8fgS69LAaAs-OXdv7LAhEO9o6x-Y22t4zx_NRO7O-JjR40nBLSrA6VsWSPWG9QEPHNB2j_WWvPkWh2DnXqmuU75L5o4celCp5oikurNsBG5hIFaIVoi9MV8">More</a></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f04f23;"><b>Triggering a questionable outcome</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;">The recent ouster of
Principal Irma Cobian from Weigand Avenue Elementary School in Watts is
prompting elected officials and education groups to call for closer
monitoring of trigger campaigns, reports The Los Angeles Times. Cobian's
removal was California's first successful campaign to remove an
administrator, and demonstrates the power that can be wielded by
disaffected parents. Yet dissatisfaction with Cobian was far from
universal: She had the full support of her teachers, as well as praise
from LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy. Still, the district verified
signatures of parents representing 221 of 420 students, 53%, and under
California's 2010 trigger law, Cobian was compelled to go. In a show of
loyalty, 21 of 22 teachers have asked for transfers to other schools,
several saying the petition has poisoned the campus. The parents behind
the campaign, who were assisted by non-profit Parent Revolution, have
denied allegations that they misled or harassed anyone into signing, as
some have alleged. As they noted, the petition -- printed in both
English and Spanish -- clearly stated the demand to remove the
principal. Ben Austin of Parent Revolution said the move against Cobian
was justified -- the school had "academically flat-lined" and the
children could no longer wait for improvement. <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=001JXlkvvQh4DQkVs1mU0Zbe7fgpje5o09mov7brcZ2VrHtWj4NNaJrpIRLFdkNkAZFo249xGNW9XKdcnnKKiVWjPGCDcf8Lp2lXuDTP3YNJqU47ivbuACvxTouaL6624RP78mU7zQpogNHfh7Jnomm2oK7pqoEZZnXACTcSnrk7IS3A0En8Y9c4g2r9Gic_nbLdTNMqQscH-XCTfUOCt0u7A==">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f04f23;"><b>Let's get off-track</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;">The final installment in
a series of ten briefs from the National Education Policy Center on
current research examines the evidence about enrolling students in
particular classes, curricula, or courses of study based on perceived
ability -- i.e., tracking. Author William Mathis writes that the
research conclusively shows tracking has been "harmful, inequitable, and
an unsupportable practice." Initially touted as a way of tailoring
instruction to the diverse needs of students, tracking has become a way
to stratify learning opportunities, limiting the more beneficial
opportunities to high-track students and thereby denying these benefits
to lower-tracked students. This plays out in a discriminatory way,
segregating students by race and socioeconomic status. Low-tracked
classes have watered-down curricula, less-experienced teachers, lowered
expectations, more discipline problems, and less-engaging lessons.
High-quality curricula for all students together benefit both
high-achieving and low-achieving students, as numerous examples in other
countries show. Yet despite incontrovertible evidence, resistance to
eliminating tracking is substantial. Arguments in favor of tracking are
made on the grounds that it assures high-track courses will not have a
diluted curriculum and that meritocracy will be preserved, though
preservation of privilege is a clear subtext. Mathis strongly recommends
that given the clearly documented negative effects of tracking,
curricula that separate students by race, socioeconomic status, or
assumptions about ability should be eliminated.<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <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=001JXlkvvQh4DSBb2QP4eptSH4RcZFuwVAJVL5Ktzos62BXdLA93YcehotCPWSkvY-RJ2ODAIK5g_u6ukBB2bjs0aBoKN0GOpYQUixx_1FcF-OebbU-QIKwwHEVLEwRJAZRvNRbkYodwDhYYAvi-o9mDcG46URmBOmCqzico8L2DYk=">More</a></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f04f23;"><b>Whose SPED responsibility?</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;">California and federal
laws allow students with disabilities to receive special education until
age 22, but the laws are so vague about provision of service that many
young inmates fall into graduation limbo, writes Joanna Lin on the
Center for Investigative Reporting website. For instance, when Michael
Garcia -- who was receiving special education -- was transferred from
juvenile hall to the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail at 18, his
education abruptly ended. For the next 19 months, he was unable to work
toward the diploma he'll need for most jobs and to attend college. He's
spent five years in legal battles trying to hold someone accountable,
and the California Supreme Court is expected to hear his case this year
to determine whether an incarcerated student's local school district --
the one in which parents reside -- is responsible for his or her special
education (the decision will come too late for Garcia, 23 this month).
The case has implications for districts across the state that could be
required to send teachers into jails to instruct special-education
students. In L.A. County jails alone, attorneys for Garcia estimate,
between 400 and 700 young adults are eligible for special education on
any given day. LAUSD currently provides special education services to
just one of L.A. County's 18,520 inmates, according to the Sheriff's
Department.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DSXjeMK31CiK3Jqr3VRHUrjw4qo0HW4npBIFM5dy3YfcqdU71mhYvnWKJJlxOj81xyxAlLR11zvwdUA4eD17hv6xym_XO9kmRuxTWDHQecSRq5DZpClb6APLRJEE4kB9ncBUWcLQhapcJSCtSKfpaIFPvmIuPPvqxEuS_AWM-O229Q8kmhBOHX3uVaWkpSzVIraGRS_qAQW4xO04pW_U9KKGdFnTvl6F-A=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK46"></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="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Manna from the feds</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California's effort to
improve early learning programs, supported by a Race to the Top grant,
has received news of a pending supplemental grant of about $22 million. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DRBpJXJ9pZIyZbbfB1iU-VgkVGo61euAP5xp55rxRkf3YgTZm2fj5VXUojgHJzU7aojMaCNAVUw5_16lDi90z3IJivjaqQvgK57v8hUW16ia6tbGhBGiYz9vDM_yA1B1hnRfMtXybyMgsM-l0hDiLKLXlUjJqCrszM-H9wpVDpqbufE0zheb08n">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Bridge to alignment</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California's new
two-year kindergarten program was designed to better align students'
developmental readiness with state curriculum, but it's bridging the
divide between the early-childhood community and the K-12 system, a
scenario other states are interested in replicating. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DSj5ZBBZ61psEeOB8pJAIk-drBzO7PSikyNL0fyBqSny_Ncf1jgydcPvK44vPCs2taVNnQox3A2xdQ3MPIdd7E6EqBJMbjWagtnYhNVNf8EAIInW3SC4gIGNIBgqDti1cyzsqkx_F6__tuIYa8eRhjzubQrNBO4wgHEjRWKvrrqujvAIDbL9qVgRC1PjecdiBRdVADaPOUXWtxW4xln6lcpK5wax24IB4cDAt9icrCdEmebtkVET0gYtVQVEjAJ-Je8DWLDjNa_VA==">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK56"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK56" 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 </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" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Tough blow</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Colorado Supreme
Court's reversal of the Lobato school-finance lawsuit handed a stinging
defeat to plaintiffs, who for eight years had sought greater and more
equitable education funding. <a style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DTUE_SDhVfQcA-pHKKC0y2yFVAohsURMWJZWRIQcPwWkypPP2HmYHBz8NBqKwFc8hYn_x9JU0vGG47xMUWIIBvdVc2F5KqOmPDmF4pCy8dVQe8i0k7bZfvXy247D0HWzgCCr6tTB1gWUTDR8Q6Zen_wCugoYBxpAViA9DLo4vvAtcBW1Dalv29tyQoc6QCniJ3_bc1aAAUit4Hrsn6rocH1ODV8Trb1VNiDs8EET4cxMI2ZxWCgaYygIE-1q7n1jek=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>But is it a net gain?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Indiana's voucher
program could return roughly $5 million to the state's schools this year
-- nearly $800,000 more than last year, the state's top school finance
officer says. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DQM110XNZz9THi3crKZ75kK2cwJzTxtgtdT8x2J62-zaeVBKBwplvdMb_BugGfXHBEKSB4F0Lq_eO8YbSFPrTNcR2_fNXmQzRWqtUGGgkFZbkzlNwADDS2CzWs21FCF0mOYf48AWhdrQMMWCApxLwIRHEY9glR9Wpc1HiN-vbW6fVY5jJ5togSw4JpjJ9D60io=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>A window on transparency</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Education Week has updated its chart showing each state's laws regarding access to teacher-evaluation ratings. <strong style="font-size: 10pt;"> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DTClZFx_wuSEnJ_4jt4j_Zu0AjPzyW5XXvzsjoU1c6KAMXqTMQZlZsMTWHxbTvcujCQXSX6U7dybTF533WLEEFk0dZT0h848aSLsVYCStYFfz7CZvFQWUxEdKzm-4AvUOM000evYLimovHVE_eLt3r2qna9hhVQQseds1E2XmzeE6kYz3hYKczgNoi_U01uvlP_JRbYOYUCUIz2TGbL2KkMzIdmlk9zxCgrxPdxDavHllS3x1kLSx6JvZqLhV48GUdwzmhM1Th3Ag==">More</a></strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Home cookin'</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation has pledged nearly $800,000 to start a Washington-state
charter-school incubator to give charter schools extra help with
start-up planning. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DT8E7P92ZKHdc5sZx_9G1a2BDiwUC02MZP6D0gGDzOKRTvjWI14lHHk8BewnnfdrscB6hKzkl33xmD3lKUxWHY8LQKeb_0seBRz70O3wUNOCriRK4GhU8tXVKrFgNSaDnlrcWQ0B2SYDpD6CR4R1ymNRSfXTkxrGjVAVFkUB_1v3ZF6EBaMsDyOd0Y4-Fa6fbrnOd5qRQ9LifmCWDKUt6Uk">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Pulling out the rug</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">When Congress enacted
the sequester in March, they cut $60 million for American Indian schools
across the country, a drastic cut for entities that don't receive state
funds. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DTs9bHIZpo55lYFIW3fd6QiE2aMUEiEkFbvcTXbA_B96TTfAZ9lWy9mK-DGONQOQpYtxcSr0lu9-tmFBhmVSKk20TvEqybR1ZdDIWVFR8IqokwHYqnwXsDNMGvPdSP-rKahvKeg_ejUKHEoo7d2yu9n-Zr5ptFvUnWd1CgmK-nYPCoGg-ThvuqThohGurKuReT2YJqgu4t8CThhHDzISylQe-FaLQaQUfHkoZXmUdSz98ZsiaYM0OA-">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK19"></a>
<br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></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(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DSJAvvmfXFPEqsDU0vQv5KXRhG6RH9hz4QRITY4PBod1VekWJKj8uHC66Y3SxC-7CIIM6X3DScH6Ln94dlv_I-UjzGGF-94jUM6VkSy7VmUsV6LgXdRPIguDhgW_h1hAmW_9mhmu_t8lQ==">AASA: National Superintendent of the Year</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent
of the Year Program pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and
women who lead the nation's public schools. Maximum award: recognition;
a $10,000 scholarship to a student in the high school from which the
National Superintendent of the Year graduated. Eligibility: Any
superintendent, chancellor, or top leader of a school system in the
United States, Canada, or international school who plans to continue in
the profession. Deadline: varies by state.</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(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DTI_JL6mADM848jEsi1FmX_37jmhMw-NnnTZepNOhA35bDSHJB6pgJNmaOOF64XhQffYwXvfvWI6ABq4jfa1WlBdC8Lpfy2rlJly-_pg8b5_Cx7O-Fp9n1M">Open Meadows Foundation: Grants for Women and Girls</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
Open Meadows Foundation is a grant-making organization for projects
that are led by and benefit women and girls. It funds projects that
reflect the diversity of the community served by the project in both its
leadership and organization; that build community power; that promote
racial, social, economic, and environmental justice; and that have
limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search
for funding. Maximum award: $2,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations
with an organizational budget no larger than $150,000. Projects must be
designed and implemented by women and girls. Deadline: August 15, 2013.</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(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DS2Iz5A2Bw7ZFBJK95xqlzpZNhObqtNTEvTcTJWDZ2pMPrcfz-7fNrxrctwP_QIJMQmskkiMwaBc9mtVLLlfpblgoi4BtunzIW0VIxumU56Ev1TL0v3_OPwdtdQVi9ZRbZc2SFBPRcP60dBMtBlfLcxDdvB1UF1gHc=">Siemens/The College Board: Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Siemens
Awards for Advanced Placement fosters intensive research that improves
students' understanding of the value of scientific study and informs
their consideration of future careers in these disciplines. Maximum
award: $100,000 college scholarship. Eligibility: students must enrolled
in high school (grades 9-12) during the 2013-14 school year,
individually or as a team. Deadline: September 30, 2013.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">QUOTE OF THE WEEK</span>:</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"We
send these books to them in their little name, with their name on it.
They look forward to go into the mailbox. This is theirs. This is mine.
So I am going to either learn to read it, or I'm going to make somebody
teach me how to read it." -- <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JXlkvvQh4DRB7s1o4PBIXsZPQdCsRKkRbwLQcBAr5WUbyR2YmjlXQd-Xkpsrt_56RscLjlAPOz8QdGpyJu37zBzFPQHCp_hxuiqzjMsFTCajU4AaNmPkvWkuVExhJH97kFoBbZX69wMSCUOXANeE_b_qQ85G78uOK9OJt30SH7BMYBGSosMVg3ijjLOPXizh">Dolly Parton</a>
on the PBS NewsHour, explaining how her foundation distributes almost
700,000 books a month to children. Parton recounts that her father, whom
she calls "a brilliant man," could neither read nor write.</div>
</div>
<div> <br>
</div>