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<div>June 11, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK17">Hope springs eternal for the ESEA</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK45">Graduation rates catch up with 1973</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK44">Colorado's revolutionary funding reform</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK43">Pre-K funding: room to grow</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK42">The coming crisis with teacher pensions</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK53">Camden: Four's a charm?</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK55">Brave new teacher evaluations in LAUSD</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK54">Door-opening data</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/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://mail.aol.com/37776-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27480687&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><strong style="color: #f04f23; font-size: 14pt;">Hope springs eternal for the ESEA</strong></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;">Renewing efforts to
revise No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the signature Bush-era federal
education law, Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, has introduced a
new version he says would "replace the failed tenets" of the law, The
New York Times reports. NCLB, the most recent version of the 50-year-old
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, has been up for reauthorization
since 2007. At its core, Harkin's bill retains the most controversial
plank of the current law: the requirement that states test all students
in reading and math every year from third through eighth grades, and
once in high school. Schools must report test scores as well as how
subgroups perform against annual goals. The bill stops short of
mandating use of student test scores in teacher performance ratings, but
over the past two years, many states have imposed teacher-evaluation
systems based in part on standardized test scores as a means to qualify
for federal grants or waivers issued by the Department of Education. The
department has relieved 37 states from the NCLB provision that requires
all students to be proficient in math and reading by 2014. Harkin's
1,150-page bill must pass a fractured House, and Senator Lamar Alexander
of Tennessee, ranking Republican on the education committee, is
introducing a competing version. <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=001pDPD_sDm3c3A-BdRP1PgEyoeNUjigA4OnMNn7JcnkJEcVChl7sGvI1eyr9W4PqdYnXr1HbvRGcXJoYl-QkvdfcfF5k9Xtp5x-2tOIVUuIvznsJI7LHXoK6xjoxKDyIAccbenah-t9sUWFVAo4gVnA__5YNvaDDc8ZAP-xSXJJkeREzPELfZsm1Sw2FYT7CiekNB_2b2mOvGw5arSsZ_zuHgd9cnypNR4VIIwUY0PC-kQHGUE3DSqdzBngrnlk64dpc00qR3g5LFD47iNM-jo7EG6ZCV3fzlL421at8LUzPrijn2XkPCz2pcDRWrBlVpUIMc3z-ggS9FDXHeC1-IZNQPT9TF0zf2nm0Z_FcFjcNGJ03BfinAOkjtkVdsmdWJqR2Hm6V1CqPXMHzZ7BUKIecRRKfsNb_1moXopgxBRNDePyHFDsxJPbtaRkoFgNqDKuMSnCEHmo6Cgzk4F1IGl3ZvbWXG6e4f-qC3jjdyl9vY=">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><span style="color: #f04f23; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Graduation rates catch up with 1973</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
new analysis from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center
finds the graduation rate for America's public schools was approximately
75 percent for the class of 2010, the most recent year for which data
are available. The graduation rate rose nearly 2 full percentage points
from the previous year, and 8 points over the past decade, reaching its
highest point since 1973. However, it is projected a million students
from this year's class will not graduate -- 5,500 students lost per
school day, or a student every 31 seconds. For Latinos, graduation rates
rose 16 points during the past decade, to 68 percent for 2010. Rates
for black students, now 62 percent, rose 13 points over the same period.
Native Americans experienced modest improvements -- an increase of 3
percentage points, but a downward trend since 2008. Rates for whites and
Asian-Americans increased by 6 and 5 points to 80 and 81 percent,
respectively. The white-Latino diploma gap nearly halved since 2000,
with the black-white gap shrinking 30 percent. Across states, a 28-point
gap separates Vermont (graduating 85 percent of students) from the
District of Columbia (57 percent). Among the nation's largest school
districts, Fairfax County, Virginia ranks first with a graduation rate
of 85 percent; Maryland's Baltimore and Montgomery counties follow
closely at 84 percent each. <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=001pDPD_sDm3c2CmiYMycj_48t_MkTnK9BmDIvN-zSlUa3z_PNaDp8la9AICXoMFH1QLMGM87FZ-o_NrDx93WLNRxV-q4NZPmjPUvuEyCcoT-lHsJFv7ctFh2rcxZsBAq3EmW6pOacvDar-Qt8lRgkybM-7dDeBfv9t7xy6PseUxDjrDKt8beXsQq0E3n02mRP-eaXMSUGXGZQI_brR-NvTajnVMdNsSteufjMrAU9zxhQ1jw4lAm2n5DKYWm5-BRLZKs774TTOWkqAX6-YuZzIhg==">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>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Colorado's revolutionary funding reform</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new
issue brief from the Center for American Progress looks at Colorado's
newly redesigned school-funding system (pending approval by voters),
which it says will significantly further equitable school funding and
targeted investments in essential areas. The legislation has aspects
that are similar to other states' funding formulas, with certain
refinements, but a key difference is how the state will assess a given
community's ability to raise funds supplemental to state funds through
local (usually property) taxes. The state department of education will
determine each district's total -- state and local -- funding
allocation, then calculate the amount a district is expected to raise
locally. The department will take into account the district's property
valuation per pupil, median income, and percentage of children who
qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch program. The state will then
subtract this expected local amount from the district's total funding
allocation. A district is not required to levy a specific property-tax
rate; it is up to each district to decide how much funding to raise
locally. If a district reaches a certain threshold in additional revenue
raised locally, that additional revenue would be used to replace
categorical program funding the district would otherwise receive from
the state. Moreover, in some cases, the state will provide additional
funding to a district so as to ensure that the total revenue amount
raised by a district's mill-levy rate is equal to the statewide average
revenue per pupil for that mill rate, 2.5 mills.<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=001pDPD_sDm3c0KUrSl86XX66zWlFlld77nveklNvQDV3CK4RJlgsQ_YyibEshNyuEoCheEbiYnelng5Pxz4dwcZENNFkUYqb78SLwaAp8jcgSGNLZuz3FRcbUIK-79Uz-8AZMdue9zPVvkbqbqxvzJgN8Sg4u7UWFtCZy8n8Gq6l3GVIJhx_LnPw_FLSSRzspc-tEbjWAwpJzZwCBXvzhQHZJ3fNLL753nkxcu7zKnCJ-DjedttQ_QAkvaO8pGaXdwtohN_LPtYaRtu1EjhT7D-jrgMpV6_aju" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Pre-K funding: room to grow</div>
</b></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">
<div><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An
analysis by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) finds that the
majority of states nationally have spared pre-K funding from the
chopping block, and in about half of states, increased it -- impressive,
given that at least 26 states cut K-12 spending on a per-student basis
in 2012-13, and on average state budgets grew only 2.2% this year --
about half the typical rate. Funding for pre-K programs serving
4-year-olds increased by $181 million (3.6%) to a total of $5.3 billion.
Of 40 states that fund pre-K, 23 plus the District of Columbia
increased funding, eight kept levels the same, and eight made cuts.
Eleven states still provide no funding for pre-kindergarten, but some
are considering it. For instance, Hawaii passed legislation in 2012 to
create an office of early learning, which will develop a plan for
universal access to pre-K for the state's 4-year-olds. And states that
currently invest in pre-K programs have room to grow: Colorado's pre-K
program serves 67 percent of the state's low-income students; a proposal
to re-work the Colorado School Finance Act funding formula would expand
the program to all of Colorado's low-income students. ECS's brief
includes a chart that breaks down funding by state, program name,
funding for 2011-12 versus 2012-13, percentage change, and specific
program notes</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c0RGPXk1piFGvN4lfRCF7Hmty3syKMmgnWVazkyA-__Kp37lWDhRkYrU03clWt5-FYlylM62Lz533P_4w_MuW22VIOQrV4PI1_KqStCHjDdrYrItKKCNYBa58_DJbYvNyCEQAhRXmEaPVj3OyrteAbt">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><b style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</b></div>
<div><b style="color: #f14e23; font-size: 14pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The coming crisis with teacher pensions</div>
</b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from the
Thomas B. Fordham Institute finds that if state lawmakers fail to
address the looming crisis of skyrocketing teacher-retirement costs, the
impact on district budgets and classrooms will be substantial. The
report analyzes costs and projects future retirement obligations in
Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Cleveland, which it characterizes as
cautiously optimistic (Milwaukee) to problematic (Cleveland) to bleak
(Philadelphia). For example, the District of Philadelphia could find
itself spending as much as $2,361 per pupil by 2020 on retiree costs
alone, a tenfold increase from its current level. Leaders in two of the
three states (Wisconsin and Ohio) passed impactful legislation that will
place their districts on firmer financial footing, though they still
face long-term uncertainty. In both Wisconsin and Ohio, employee pension
contributions were raised and health benefits reduced, but by different
methods. In Wisconsin, Milwaukee Public Schools was freed to cut
retiree health costs without union assent. Ohio raised employee
contributions, reduced benefits by increasing age and service
eligibility requirements, eliminated an enhanced multiplier for teachers
with more than thirty years of service, and reduced cost-of-living
adjustments. Pennsylvania's long history of deferring pension funding
presages disaster, according to the report.<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=001pDPD_sDm3c1opwMlS0MCopdz3jfvrFtBkc1KOekTel_ZZ3J33BqgICjZ4egBC1x-mf9MtSHSDQf_vTmxM0rWl3DkxdP_hX-tCucovTVj6KUXdauLPVtr0DgVmVJi5CQ9yVFOntIgVWviXuZ72f6vtgq7Ncw6ddTMYjoKLUKJTmguSslcqWEjlZ2_ruVo9_RIVkDZxnTDc_NCMO27SPL492FxXujHELiagNj-h18KAL9LBKte3mgRlg2lV7uJVPxGXW2Optsw4KEL2qoi0ypht2PEd1TOkVyoStBH4rmFnFxcKiPxkT4SWdVmTcNaD_1N-dgi5p3MZfWa7ebyO7Gu4dfPrQTDGFUTvwQRJWlajHI=">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; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span>Camden: Four's a charm?</span></b></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
proposed state takeover of the Camden Public Schools sheds a spotlight
on New Jersey's long -- and mostly unsuccessful -- record of intervening
in struggling districts, writes Jaclyn Zubrzycki in Education Week. New
Jersey enacted its state-takeover law in 1987, and 28 states have since
followed suit. The state assumed control of Jersey City's schools in
1989; Paterson's in 1991; and Newark's in 1995. The situation in each
district is different, but student outcomes have not improved notably
after years of state oversight. If approved, the state will assume
control of Camden late this month; a search for a new superintendent is
ongoing. A state-run Regional Achievement Center already oversees some
low-performing schools in the district, and a state monitor oversees
some spending decisions. A full takeover could pave the way for bigger
changes, although the state has not laid out a plan publicly. Some have
suggested Camden could become all-charter or radically restructured. But
Camden also has specific challenges, says Gordon MacInnes of New Jersey
Policy Perspective: "You have one of the poorest and most violent
cities in the United States. That should be reflected in your takeover,"
he said. "And you ought to acknowledge -- we didn't do a great job in
the other three [districts], and this is a much harder, steeper,
slipperier slope." </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=001pDPD_sDm3c3tzxe8ee_xpyvwL292wuVWbFg78gm0PDUmjmK5qZxLKaztc_hX4gIDefgk9WScC5QV0v8O-IjrLpu6Mq8_XsEfY3dsjQOV4ja0eZot8i970_E0aRI-K7gPdi04vhopCEF03rNJ9TAhEH_mxYDrNf8qSrKhUP_VQHpt3nDZGXRufHtrBG-LvWbVYh4LUfVCdfaX3aAqgJYlWXh3PA1FHwLuNvokMNElaAWspGfc7ZwlYY2Xe-YKMiGIfuVlqwucDpI=">More</a><br>
</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: #f14e23;"><b>Brave new teacher evaluations in LAUSD</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Los
Angeles Unified is currently a testing ground for
teacher-accountability measures, with the district and teacher union
warily compromising on the latest pilot evaluation system, writes Ashly
McGlone for The Hechinger Report. The evaluation includes the
much-contested use of student test scores, but its main portion is based
on intensive, time-consuming qualitative measures. In the pilot,
undertaken by 1,100 administrators of 900 teachers, what was once four
pages is now 26, with descriptions of what an "ineffective,"
"developing," "effective," and "highly effective" teacher looks like in
61 areas. (Based on feedback, the district limited reviews to 21 areas
this year.) Principals must write exactly what they see and hear in the
classroom as evidence and rationale for a teacher's evaluation,
potentially tying them to their computers and unable to take in the
entire class experience. Because principals are presently working with a
single teacher in the pilot, the burden when all teachers will be
observed is unclear. Teachers of grades and subjects not tested on a
state exam, particularly in the early grades, must cobble together a
variety of other performance measurements. Superintendent John Deasy has
said the district will fully implement the changes tested in the pilot
next school year</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span><span> </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=001pDPD_sDm3c1UUxXGuLBJlcewVAsMUqEwXIO2mMjsxUrUx4GDHxhmyMTIH9Bp8wHtndSPABXiJshUtcBsEqypRMosGDZPrSNu1D8CngeE7qM8692MpsEUE5tN0rqVFwj9VekZI_bCTZ8cpdAQTavvUis2taI4RRvgxZPAuEWdartX35J3NWA4HBDv-zifuRkBkOTiLrJRkR02dIiWQuMHY_l8n63SCbI3_yuKdpbrjXVRR7ONAKE-z4t9UZ0YlZCUIRb480nraRQ0OOiVqDu2jyRfNzgz35e0H74GW0M07egdy2Gm_vJrESSo55ymHM-e9wjO-Ma-4UpmR0bRNTqisyQ7B-h9XJepKqljo134ngOWRaCmMgez2GjmWYdSwKUIVENkETJmxQDxt2ESV2q7DZ8ExvxUMpDv6zchk0qRzvkCHB8zRmwTow==">More</a></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Door-opening data</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A
report from the New America Foundation examines the federally funded
efforts of Oregon and Delaware to implement data systems for use by
teachers to improve instruction, assess student skills, and craft
responsive lesson plans. The Oregon DATA Project (ODP) provides
voluntary, job-embedded professional development opportunities to
teachers grouped in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), which are
run by trained staff who guide the ODP-created curriculum. The Delaware
Data Coach Program trains educators and school leaders to work with data
in PLCs like those in Oregon, and is required for core subject teachers
in grades 2 through 12. Both states found they could not train teachers
effectively in the classroom through single, day-long professional
development sessions -- data-focused professional development had to be
embedded into the workday. Both used instructors and coaches from
outside the school building to train teachers and develop long-term
skills. The most successful schools in both Oregon and Delaware had
administrators who fully embraced the power of data, integrating it into
the school's culture, which generated greater teacher buy-in. Based on
the experiences of Delaware and Oregon, the report concludes that if
policymakers focus on student data at the classroom level and arm
teachers with the necessary skills, it will open new doors for teachers
and students alike</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </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=001pDPD_sDm3c0VobzVpYeBqbxSPj1idna35ECFw4-nCXFMtIC_3Z8400xjmRXDOMD5MwQicF9VacjFToIucwfu5NUae9t2eZ7StApGs0n18aH4mQWI0I9E-cNqT9VxAOtvnQv-DXsYZ76NWed5Me06Sa6G2OrYZCMgZ9LPW-6SKR_jztAXqUAUeSy6a3KmJkKHIM3CJvrl6X4=">More</a></div>
</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" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="color: #f04f23; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>Reforming the unreformable </strong> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Less than a year after
convincing voters to approve a multi-billion dollar tax increase for the
state's schools, Gov. Jerry Brown is on the verge of reforming a school
finance system for years labeled inequitable, irrational, and
excessively complex. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c2j75d3ujWx4kuZxjApY21vsMuV_t9atWVkM5nEzz3GBZjKIsqfMsJQHXlBmUF15YFRb42EbjSzkFXxrUY00s32DzvNIKMEa4MjDKrGOmTLlyfe5h8oUXTCs1-QKiBz1fYDQmxiUEYbnTZNoTfRYTbW_3o7nS3YJ0SxR-Oc9EJ_A6jjfIZVtLnmpJC7PIQoSl9nhUE7MF5TbV7UmsZ6MFZD9lELi4PluWI=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="color: #f04f23; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>Striking back</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Teachers at the
embattled Watts campus where the principal was recently ousted through a
parent trigger are pledging to join forces with other schools to defend
themselves from privately led overhaul efforts. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c1_gA-V3vGsRxQ5jWmls2m_hmXtwmPEPO_GPSfvZw13rzI3dzLcfmmzrxGayivAFucHk0_I_wUqtGbX9H0FXvc0SS208TxJGUDPk02Mr8fUFXicq3WwkM_I_RYY-1GtQswo5-Zlz6Tr6ziuBqJwQBuC-EPuIolds9akWLWt_sDKpy2rLiXR7Pm6sconzRBxJhHXaasu5aLqju1na8DUuUWY7RX74FJ3-mO8gX9gdtuB__AN0BCpwsk3-2fddyl4yV3xDyuG46RHD-GPA2iTotHpqLI1Y35oTmU6R6ZgIWKQVpaYiLMhoojRVfHyZs3SzYKZzPeZXaFEAC-U0Pqg9WWqv3kgV6NWz21Edd4qoqBQFw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="color: #f04f23; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>Half bad</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In California, only 48 percent of Head Start teachers hold a bachelor's degree. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c1fWeCnrsp0gSZIqXS5XWN3gr3gS-JtYx6WkaLiQwbjJlgb8lBnT4V58sKrL7sjE1D_Eh_9leKs1icY2Z2YjXrDkcR56XU9gq6WuvXTWOs_Qh86h8yYx60PrUn-crxA-DmAH_tgVrko8bxGGnQ6ZqbuUPpZ17LnPse3QgjOauUgsWrEqPNOsMVglaPcA3UDR5j19bjGizkqDWN5szEUD65aeVz0jDttrhKgED9fqjiqtcZcFupJ2cA8jz2EIOsB5-UPnLPsozvOMl9DMfR2SrUC" shape="rect">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>No kidding</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">An open letter to
President Obama from America's Promise Alliance states that 4-year-olds
are key to the future economy, and if they're not educated, problems
will arise. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c2hfmFfRPoOMCoG63nmCofv2mcVGRUOPocuqxbY58NXCNJO8mtFtD7Be3vOLfYhGMPPUJxvCK2OMOKi7HVAyQCfgVkHErQP0dVJR87POczu0C6P5y2YdXtCS6RAehRA7ebm1CZLXJwbzhqdPh4HAaMWOIbh9M6TNoncT-H3A7sZM2fmBIjTdX6uyxhrkbpBuG7uz-d9FNBFXF8bG3lKz9cf5e-bBkSC0r1sr87KDvTDKfciaCQ_4_bZjeTqwcAXu-Mn5U-ndiD7yA==" 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>Let them handle this</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The top Republicans on
Congress' education committees unveiled rewrites to NCLB that would give
governors final responsibility for holding schools accountable and
largely limit the Education Department to promoting the importance of
learning. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c1VY06JcGtdAtxN5SGWo6alwPHwySbk74DpYM84fEu0WQcekiFUO5VLBKFoeekCAJVS47lvynNFiVgjg5A42CKKS-3zFJCf4cNE8XpbPbqmsjUlhVRdI2epwrTp4Q9RIE84qkmzDHuZw54ExrgRB3dLzXBTmoTCCbwjo6k0dgjNDctalUzdkf3SwdRv1nK2bG1mNe-yXV2vall8COxRVNGR" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Which should give them pause</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Michigan is poised to
became the second state to "pause" implementation of the Common Core
State Standards for math and language arts education after the state
Senate approved a budget barring funding for the guidelines. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c21STEXoZtShvtu1WH-Jv3_6TKwrppmNQT6w1zqWNGcEfNXw68VYQr5IX6ZXIHecaNTQPsuBsWMVlGOFvVrb-6ObpHYvVg5W5FykZNT5-g_dHMh3azo6DyCbjwEY1RM0QK0UN01C-Sn1-1ZC8zsoLI48BtDQEmbndtPO61WrXTWRa8q0G5ANbknoZ2TnpgcNK7dkw6QOxXdJw==" 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>Sort of sweeping</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Iowa Gov. Branstad's new
education plan creates leadership positions for teachers, but the final
bill fails to link student performance to teacher evaluations or
require Iowa high school students to pass end-of-course exams in core
subjects. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c06aduLDCmY3eWx6srsOyRaM4sZGBXOjL3z_jHz3m1gHgK5t-sBMNB4vOgH1LXvKYx5CD_VsY6N4cB3NK2l-R2qG8mcDVB0tGHe9OCEhq5gTw-35wbhoY1XnbKZhxZ6OB83ezgQafSnX9c6vTH7VHqwqvYvNYqEPywtJEv4UwpqW_-sW55QUKp-CkZAegvYXMgJrRo_2QMuBm-AYf_ekPCvZ_aFedG-o1bX6WCd904Nvlm8Re9pMvUjlxz7jPWwIvonhdtcalGjlREPqeTTLDtACx7y0-Qdqzs=" 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>The enforcer</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The New York State
education commissioner has resolved a long and acrimonious impasse by
imposing a new evaluation system that would rate New York City teachers
in part on their students' test scores and streamline the disciplinary
process, finally bringing New York City in line with state law. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c1hWOHhExmkd7FBYWY-Du1K24X7AJ9amE2IOsayeDXj8B6y9w38R_-_Gi8QE2i9-EHMcDPP_mUNpXlg1zbMhyVj6pCRwxuP3OC8ZDelV2vNRGNgCWLSJlAPEn4FccxmwySjNUYR6MlVFgl_f9khHM1ulOBkIdjooukDun6w20K4--Ou5mwKsisqI7vo2EMSHpkPPfLs5hs83fBE7YvWiiIStSn_ZrJPD8NnIksz-p4HWM3ifII6HEtlz7NlkCKjt58=" 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>He wants the bandwidth</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">President Obama has
called on the Federal Communications Commission to expand an existing
program to provide discounted high-speed Internet service to schools and
libraries, even if it means increasing fees that for years had been
added to consumers' phone bills. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001pDPD_sDm3c2tFDqnVsteqrUph9OxPXvuOwqA6tTjtIlppaCjxFPhkQDlNCVUqnVG1BU-dg-1Kl9i3tzeHaz-NKAN918RTGj7W0GIqrK6P3HowsDmiooxEx0vAXEG3dXseMHyIxHQzm2ne6aLH_kM8C2GtBCunhNwCe-UkcL7O60_JfuIZ1A_4b1agNe86MjLYPrnnzW2qUMeg_2MArnUC2j8kPGZj25S-6D5097evxjqgeVNFB9taEp_0BujsSSTcPRjDkYf54BSqLHffaXPugEp3dZCzaf7" shape="rect">More</a></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>
<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=001pDPD_sDm3c0g5FNPui47yV6JCfvUbknGEBjJP5aHAm9e5ZmMY9Ih-fMb1_eVTZajedoczVxqxPJgYFFRYB6VVgv0FvVBndyfvG8gpzALn3Vc-JJ2JPSszUaTaxvdu4ztncT_2-kB3yHIVqxBomGCkTRh0pW2oYb8BK6r8ZzFdJEJpA7_WjLn6ELebOLxBGQipHtjc43B_87oKvATObvL7w==">NASSP/MetLife: Breakthrough Schools</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
National Association of Secondary School Principals and the MetLife
Foundation Breakthrough Schools program highlights high-achieving middle
or high schools, or schools that are making dramatic improvements in
student achievement, whose best practices and outstanding results can
inform other schools as they further their own improvement efforts.
Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: high-achieving K-12 schools with 40%
or more students eligible for free and reduced priced meals. Deadline:
June 30, 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=001pDPD_sDm3c05ylk8lqatCnIfpF8QoRnkSMhoj3MiYdhsqzYzKo2DYNWAGrJqrXpdvQWpE9fiFKjzA6wsfreFnjmQmANQvYi3oG6v95ElBNQVo4u8ykz1elcaS_TfMOCILkE6uFJeFASQyznjBBLIDy1caY3O2YFXFjnqh8PIUO4=">ESA: President's Prizes for Outstanding Achievement in Primary and Secondary Education</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
Entomological Society of America's President's Prizes for Outstanding
Achievement in Primary and Secondary Education recognize educators who
have gone beyond the traditional teaching methods by using insects as
educational tools. Maximum award: $400 to the winner's school to
purchase teaching materials required to expand the use of insects in the
teaching curriculum; $400 to the winner for expenses associated with
travel required to present a paper or poster on the use of insects in
primary or secondary educational programs at a peer professional venue
of their choosing; gratis registration to attend ESA's annual meeting;
and an $800 award to the winner for expenses associated with travel,
hotel arrangements, and all other costs associated with attending the
annual meeting. Eligibility: primary teachers (grades K-6) and secondary
teachers (grades 7-12). Deadline: July 1, 2013.</div>
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<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=001pDPD_sDm3c0QjmcswvJwlWxphWFns62pe8aAuq1mfG_5ZQ1LI8MojQEzOvyHzSCm-onEpcXgLxsIPMmhw0-QA4YP_fhxp4Ua5VItENwc80IFzaZs_Q8Ak-ooxJpBRF06zgco7W48QPCQZPqBggXwR3eCfOSEZFFp">P. Buckley Moss Foundation: Grants for Teachers of Children Who Learn Differently</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">P.
Buckley Moss Foundation Education Grants aid and support teachers who
wish to establish an effective learning tool using the arts in teaching
children with learning disabilities and other special needs. Maximum
award: $1,000. Eligibility: new or evolving programs that integrate the
arts into educational programming. Deadline: September 30, 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=001pDPD_sDm3c2P1P78R6uf-7E_c684Z7RgzvFpaKOa3vSXuTuwN7-ueUhWW8zqPWR90gPjTog5ubdj5OQCYhszS8_vNdL2Xyyc932LIncshx7UHAaMuElBAvIQyKP2PmGX41wYlgqFXIyFeWl-QCvT4w==">Do Something: Seed Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Do
Something Seed Grants for youth can be used towards project ideas and
programs that are just getting started, or to jump-start a program and
realize ideas for the first time. These grants can also be used towards
projects that are already developed and sustainable, towards the next
steps of a project and organization as it looks to expand and grow
impact. Maximum award: $500. Eligibility: community projects that are
youth-led and driven. Deadline: rolling</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #f04f23; text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK</strong></span>:</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"We've
got to do a better job recognizing mental health issues in our
children, and making it easier for Americans of all ages to seek
help. Today, less than 40 percent of people with mental illness receive
treatment -- less than 40 percent. Even though three-quarters of mental
illnesses emerge by the age of 24, only about half of children with
mental health problems receive treatment." -- <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=001pDPD_sDm3c3DNEvaUJ0HexOKGkJz08KdKd1YzTQEsoEjRUptuRWyP-_GSJ2G0CTK5rGh5NqvcekFSjfsBvaLCOX4664lFPldIhHtsh01u8OwAp5hLB2nsHUnqMB8hswhPbnA3vU4_bDmxfNUUb9OIVYX9WWpIGanlBkpiS0VHep1MBP14C338-xLUx_W3iJr">President Barack Obama</a>, in opening remarks for the National Conference on Mental Health, held at the White House.</div>
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