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<div>June 18, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Old unions, new realities</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Brown's overhaul: Far enough?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">How complete is charter autonomy?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Gates's altered stance</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">The Core of the matter</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">A messy transition to Common Cor</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">When a diploma no longer signals competence</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Math failure in Montgomery County</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37798-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27483427&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</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;">Old unions, new realities</div>
</b></span></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">For decades, teacher
unions have used political power and bargaining to exert control over
school systems, but now Democrats are embracing policies that challenge
this, and Republicans have successfully weakened labor laws in former
bastions of union strength, writes Sarah Butrymowicz in The Hechinger
Report. On top of this, a new generation of teachers questions the old
way of doing things, generating dissent within the ranks. Whereas
negotiations and political fights between teacher unions and management
once centered on benefits and school funding, unions are battling to
bargain for benefits at all, and warding off reform efforts that could
undermine union power. Approval ratings for unions have been at their
lowest point in history for the past four years, and conservatives
predict teacher unions will soon go the way of their private-sector
counterparts: present, but weak and small. Butrymowicz thinks teacher
unions will survive, but not without making concessions and carefully
juggling the demands of members and opponents alike. Both the NEA and
AFT are attempting to transform themselves into organizations that once
again direct the conversation on public education. The AFT is focusing
on state and local issues, spending less time and money in Washington,
D.C., and the NEA is investing millions of dollars on its own education
reforms, such as turning around schools and providing professional
development to members<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=001ki6vPETtebE1A7XJ6XrY14b4xU_ljSbczC5dtOa2VnB9wgRTs4j00i1Jhdle6Wnrr4LXzjV1THMR6knrXDx_2FeMGBE80bxtHKMJU6fHtNazzVJKHwo_a9kbYcnbvhoWW3090sdRecp3MtHehH-A1XR_vUA8Ns7JXleqM0VBffNz5ZyqC9yEE7mpQxIl28MWq3ofuadibUjBK7412Zik34fttp2ChMcBWmHU6mUzGbk=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Brown's overhaul: Far enough?</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Gov.
Jerry Brown has orchestrated what's being called a major overhaul of how
California funds K-12 education, report Sharon Noguchi and Mike
Rosenberg of The Oakland Tribune. The new formula will untangle four
decades of mandates that created more than 60 pots of money for programs
like school lunches and libraries. Starting this fall, most of
California's roughly 1,000 districts will receive a larger base grant to
spend as they see fit, supplemented by money for hard-to-educate
students. Districts where more than 55 percent of students are poor,
English learners, or foster kids will receive additional money, and
revenue will grow more quickly in districts with high poverty levels,
such as Oakland Unified, Richmond, and San Jose. Critics point out that
with funding growing slowly, schools can't immediately restore the
librarians, counselors, music, and arts programs cut over the years.
Even by 2020-21, when full funding kicks in, California will lag the
national average in education spending. Other remnants of California's
old funding system won't change. Tax-rich districts like Palo Alto,
Mountain View-Los Altos, San Mateo, and others will retain the property
taxes that boost their schools' funding beyond the level the state would
otherwise fund. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebFD77kjCuELoLvpYyNTz4yNdHd5b9xSZRkqojH1jVX_nRduhLFyN948ST8onNQ5W55IzQKCvV78894DXh3wBlRiHkH1s-xlptc4TFIweT7ohCswQo6loWWkzvPkPPEpmhyqdf70f6JsuqORevMJ8V4HUiCeKOlCTJLDq0HB2O1XBikRIVxuYtWtmncvychTXdeRPhn7RaGrKO0ugeDECw_HEoCwk_g096WaUDZIMj4RqRNxsuiW5xvcItdZKfvR0IFfQaWg66dyO9-jUcItOSWD" shape="rect">More</a>. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebEaMeP0daXJRDmOJNwcGyETJjw2NuEfESH6ynvWYkIh-Fm1Y5MJ9y1_ZjtoERXhO7BcPbgfHR4Wb0VbVEBYbkDU8-jznqWsZSJSACYG5XnaBIMTZlRGgwP7vjp1EbhMDOcdCBDJvkQIZC1lN0iI5IGPTnWdEjOc-5QipmHzwe6Be1_b4dlr2-iSRFpbRgQxJCMVJRV4-jqjIDr5WacrU916cTsMWc9KfJoKVH_y23-eObQ_TZhRbX5oXR4zoSsA39XGtr4t9DeMMP_Ny95G6SxF" shape="rect">Related</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;">How complete is charter autonomy?</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A civil
war is brewing within the education reform movement over evaluations
for teachers at charter schools, writes Dylan Scott in Governing
Magazine. Since charters are granted broad flexibility from regulatory
requirements in exchange for accountability, new state teacher
evaluation policies, by mandating teacher evaluations that meet certain
parameters, could infringe on charters' historical freedom in personnel
matters. Charter schools are supposed to have complete authority within
their walls -- authority to hire, fire, and otherwise evaluate teachers
as they see fit without outside requirements -- in exchange for being
held accountable for their students' success. A top-down teacher
evaluation mandate violates the terms of that deal. In a few states, the
issue has been resolved peacefully -- Pennsylvania, for example,
exempts charter schools from its new teacher evaluation program -- but
the debate has been very contentious in other states, like New York. The
newly unveiled U.S. Senate bill to replace NCLB contains language on
teacher evaluations similar to that of the Obama administration's NCLB
waiver program, which means more states could move to state-mandated
teacher evaluations. How the debate shakes out will have long-lasting
consequences for both charters and teacher evaluations, Scott 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=001ki6vPETtebFF95DAtxma-KQ2k41fu3SZYqk2bJtJDrFXpyTZfpw8CXWmWNmbr5NoClZBXcUaQbntErDCDEEaC5sH9LtRZG75Hw4HIPNIigoQK660-VtIrYOUZxEKJZcPMave7FXhIfoBQ3MNj87160Rp1oGCEFOfgM3_Dt7Rjwp74wHg0wE_u-UPr7FISOHQwCvXLli5EBTHNRqEwurbLk5iYqqckXU79API7i1E7Gk=">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;">Gates's altered stance</div>
</b></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Though widely
viewed as a critic of teachers and their unions, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation has begun reaching out to both in new ways, writes
Linda Shaw in The Seattle Times. It is putting less emphasis on
test-score metrics, and it strongly supports the notion that a fair
evaluation of teachers requires multiple measures. About five years ago,
Gates thought the best way to improve teachers was to "get rid of
10-20-30 percent of the bottom and just keep doing that," said Jeanne
Harmon of the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession. Now the
message is one of supporting teachers so they can improve. But the
foundation also is known for searching out and backing people who can
help advance its efforts, raising questions about whether all its
teacher-courting is simply a way to gain more clout. Anthony Cody, a
former California teacher and blogger for Education Week, sees Gates's
softer stances as an effort to mitigate "a tremendous backlash to his
unfortunate ideas." He'll believe the foundation is changing, he said,
when Gates apologizes for setting in motion some of the very policies
the foundation is now criticizing. He'll believe the foundation is
listening to teachers when there's evidence it is working with a wide
range of teachers, not just those involved in Gates-funded projects. <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=001ki6vPETtebENQTNOq_oTzJDiQ1r1jpz5FdcD_rzUXGXzkosvA8wpQo5NK3R9RJt4BUJAY88fV0A00AkppRWioqxIt-w8uLgJG7WeL6goA9xmkCbkIyv9MS8qDuM8WkbIkFAzZ5zg-F4Sds1Xm04uBCVv6FFdLvAPbKj1IDGi2ur1kA7_tkHsSzLSNHiUy4EzCDk82p_YIHc=">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;">The Core of the matter</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Speaking
on the NPR show On Point, Catherine Gewerz of Education Week said that
what lies between the Common Core State Standards and assessments based
on them is curriculum, "and that's where some of the heat is being
generated... In other words, how do you turn standards into day-to-day
instruction? That's going to vary a lot." One strain of criticism, she
said, is that teachers and schools have had too little time with these
very complicated standards to be evaluated. Andrew Rotherham of
Bellwether Education added that most people would be surprised at the
low quality of a lot of Common Core curricula. "A lot of stuff that's
off-the-shelf from commercial vendors is very bland; it's not really
enriching, the kind of things we want kids to read." Material in even
the leading states is not up to the challenge, he says, and he expects
this will frustrate teachers. Political scientist Andrew Hacker fears
the Common Core assessments will essentially be one national test that
will exacerbate student failure rates (Rotherham points out that
different states are in different consortia or are going their own way
with assessments), and prefers Texas's system of different kinds of high
school diplomas for different kinds of curricula. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebEy3qPz19pxqqDa6XxYRzwXf9k4DsuCx_uHNzIrGHG4-TH4paGKqY5lrhZ5WUOS6u7r5ZeWG7SI1OXgBlQLo1Tun8KuS315VM_hgwQt4Kdj0e7-ymqTrgc56I3rI0-n-CEX7EOx5WSXk9vsmEo2HAIzopvwlJ-7HhY=" 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;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A messy transition to Common Core</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">With
Common Core assessments less than two years away, states and districts
are worried about the accountability systems that hinge on those tests,
report Michele McNeil and Catherine Gewertz in Education Week. A number
of policy groups are urging more flexibility in how states evaluate
teachers, label schools, and enforce other high-stakes consequences
during a likely messy transition. Sandy Kress, who worked on
accountability issues in Texas for decades, points out that most states
have reworked their standards and tests in recent years, but have done
so with years of planning. "The questions are, what would a transitional
accountability system look like? Are there pathways that could allow us
to compare apples to apples in the old and new tests? Can we get the
test-makers of the old tests and new tests to sit down and talk about
that?" State superintendents are calling on the U.S. Department of
Education to give leeway on accountability, testing, and teacher
evaluations in the next two years -- on top of the flexibility that 37
states and the District of Columbia have in the form of waivers from
NCLB. They also want a delay in use of test scores for teacher
evaluations, something that could pose a problem, since this practice is
stipulated in many states' NCLB waivers as well as the winning plans of
the 12 Race to the Top states. <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=001ki6vPETtebG7lY97n4Gk3NOlUBkJcqnuIwWlS3FEOWyUU1Mvu6ng41W6THXRsDm17keX_P1oQlNFv_ukhHwbDYwZFaQ1E5lcBJaEZJo-EpMQDu4KR1ihqJpMyp51kOnNLPNAaKXXYx6EVboT_KgHct9lV7jtsi-4mJJMcIB38xVcYEINJZLEwl4sFy8YxcI96io_pmY2NzrofND2p70vgEKav7frVWH645RorbS0j3IIO-kMdN0GuvPhaXRANClA4eDGbj9A7JpjW3yYUtpAwQ6YQtzF--ax">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;">When a diploma no longer signals competence</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new
report from the Center for Public Education finds that until states and
districts re-examine their graduation policies, a high school diploma
will not necessarily signify college- and career-readiness as envisioned
by the Common Core. The authors compared state high school graduation
requirements in math for alignment with the standards, defining
alignment as including math in each year of high school, with
substantial content typically taught in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra
II classes. Their analysis found that graduation requirements in only
11 Common Core states meet this definition; requirements in 13 are
partially aligned. Twenty-two states have adopted the Common Core but
lack graduation requirements that match standards expectations. Even
states whose graduation requirements reflect the Common Core have work
to do to ensure that their high school course sequence and content is
truly aligned to the standards, in the view of the authors. Because the
standards describe outcomes, states and districts must outline classes
and curricula that best deliver the content and practices the standards
define. Traditional course pathways -- Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II,
and further mathematical coursework -- may neglect critical Common Core
content or mathematical practices if the courses are not re-examined
and aligned to the new demands, and teachers given preparation<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=001ki6vPETtebHG8xaVupUg_l1tfVDDE8MTFOTmAZ8HGR8Z3mlJlxoufkm3a1kZZTG8T8elVf6JSFVD_pd-qY8g84E8mYatSdYzxdrkHL_ZHfc6HvZNOGXopqx05BDCZraI_67MmDsS1hpka5qUO69lsKSRiXfgID_GhWu_aFZxqb5avFre-gzddCpqKuIvxtozfb4BKbk1_xX1l7Klj2pnIEuS9eLvhyuAM4rZVjH8u0djn8dkO6JY9EeOGnY9T7C8DAGwAx0mEPtsvR7fpb-CiGoSm4Bpr3Vrtk63jZr-ZFhum6AeyYxmvjfdDBlBAGTs4W0A0TuNCzSGiJg3jFk9p26Ig56GQj4H7iyhj6K_YTk=">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK54" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f04f23; font-size: 14pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-color: #ffffff;">Math failure in Montgomery County</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
an open letter to the students and parents of Montgomery County,
Maryland and the Montgomery County Department of Education, teachers in
the math department at Poolesville High School explain what they see as
the systemic reasons behind widespread exam failures in their content
area by students (letter reprinted by Valerie Strauss in The Washington
Post). The failures proceed from policies in place for many years having
a cumulative effect, they write. Students have been accelerated through
the math curriculum as teachers and principals have been pressured to
meet unrealistic targets, with the result that students have gaps in
understanding. As many students as possible have been placed in honors
math classes, so higher-performing students lack sufficient challenges,
and those not in honors find themselves in classes with no peer role
models and a culture of failure. The ubiquitous use of calculators in
the early grades has resulted in students who lack number sense and
basic skills, and thus cannot make the leap to algebra. And Algebra I
de-emphasizes algebraic manipulation, leaving students unprepared for
Algebra II and beyond. The teachers also recommend that students be
required to pass a final exam to receive credit for a course, and
teachers be allowed to assign grades that truly reflect mastery of
content. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebEto2YL-2hUfqbnqlf-BqJM-9jU90MvrC2eSf5nHptrmlye3sC5USAvU-po_LUOUhSDJvHUNTyBSLpsuTGERk8MJYS_RC3vFYG5w1i__UtZyWuDOoajCFS7QASvpvbD6rYVzPUUzCBeTuj22IKX6ptf3cTXs9ugRf-uVX6J8iJ3wpaW5eN8cV3_4q_NPAe92tXKdXjOGUV_F_8CGt_yWP34kn9Qj3MlT7wi1jEEsYRiPbCKqcNx9WQV5756B4D5FNbGdZ8992ANk_oF0vNY2qR4" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK46" width="100%" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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" valign="top" align="left">
<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top" align="left">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebHWqubxUhyDdnWPTTn68aK_4mxUKLkfM4bZbKZhIOqPN8MXDnT0IgsmZdHfwQs0c2iPElfOT6B_bh54UJcthXEdDdu7e8mM6x_7JHnlTGW3K1hILHDr3m15cidBMDtEnKNmcBBREsYlP68r3FxhS2gKcMdB_vixy3l2Z4Cc7VjjLMmcVNQusvFYsfV6oLbYf6-qAXyNDYgzQYkLHUPRjAB_bKH5xGdi-x9yB5fICTi8yYCd_7oJIYEN">Core strengthening</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The proposed state
budget for California allocates $1.25 billion in one-time money to help
schools implement the Common Core State Standards; the funding, to be
distributed over two years, works out to about $200 per student.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;">'<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=001ki6vPETtebFCc6WzhSmZz-KKUk6i_Po7jSwtJ2E3rftvRR7zWlCwEwuOpNtAbbpXa-0vaMtKyLlRr9Q89D39fqtcc-1Q_kfhRmu_aQ8tpR7UX3tNpGakeAeCozjXDmOUPzXqAA2KVHbopkvMarZcc52Qw_pvzESbb9iuylZ2SCUQEcuO_a_zHKu1blr3k8xr">A Cadillac for a Chevy</a>'</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Plans in California to
replace the state's existing science curriculum standards with a new
national set would be a step down, according to new analysis from the
Fordham Institute.</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK56" width="100%" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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" valign="top" align="left">
<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" valign="top" align="left">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebHlwpibiCYY7OyGQM-66yAkT-75cAQ3sdfprZeRuW2y5kYYf8GoQbZb-hRPan4nflJiWhE5uSh4chrheWHUlFaqJoNcmC_LIAA9jq2JdhuGHEwxbXtlWTdXoMnqEg9uO9khQzmHxiZqaq0MkEbFTzG-6mBUTP1P4h522Ijh7c9G4agR0VbhGtwp0MWBu2tr3nKD6xhSg7JWmzh8EPMkmh52LimBGHAFxtWrFqepkaX3QxaXC4_S3ho_aEakT0fZ37LujJhEuNJzXk5_4k88w0x-9HvRa9x7pbpUaogNBv633_wHk_VG6wugHgRXUyk-Ltgjweh0MY0JpFZ4eyJRbMpTu2SY5hDXuYHyE9uUxcgTB9xunVpCLzNo0cDYXg6PiE12zZiwbi_k3Utm77wq3cXt" shape="rect">The glacier moves onward</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">On a completely
predictable party-line vote, the Senate Education Committee approved a
bill to reauthorize the long-stalled renewal of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebHSSYuFajeLFyeJ2CvS7txHYvWJzdTFSgt6HZIMbhZYn1WMoVEaQsNu-SyHTksRWQmNyhQUWy5DQmbLFM95rAJIpCrxwKFNnhcI7wd4zw8Vw6RsefL3zh33lXa6QCR67JSU25fSgsp20DzbMRftaYPbjbDB9lDzAKQHor8EMVJgci2AqRyAln-Xuf2GeOqCb2Ey1XCHLZCK-WdNMcYcC61_4Td3nqrwrFr06tHOEtsdpfGs6llyUhw2OZ4TkK_4274fLGXH7f8wWMxSYWD9jvmJ" shape="rect">Have a nice summer</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Administrators and
teachers in New York City have just three months to adapt before the
expectations of a new teacher-evaluation system kick in.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebH-3jDVTKaLenowtVTbZLr88NYioXJqeWnMD07ha8WRBZpSoOOsGoxaq97fd8m1szzNc78p_ZsD0aG9s3Hh3kNu5xj6RGYoygiK51Mknmpk0bSHGSeEarcNQCgGtAciIm96XsYBQt8d8edU0nsUQHWVr_k_uJ_NEEaZy0LUV3CQBpjg4OvIcPofvosEo39_XV4=" shape="rect">Supply/demand</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A wealthy district in
Colorado is launching a radical experiment that sets a different pay
scale for each category of educator, ensuring that even the best
third-grade teacher would never earn as much as a veteran high school
math teacher.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebG0rITEmsL5H_pWr5z6CDETSbboNGVkAwnUc3e47ayAlgSnr5LylQz6COteBwaAgyZgDL_TSWhH4Yg79HFmtcg6MuUdkGJTwisAYixWS9gZU4_N9E9zMzJ3jlB4MKeJe6yhT2cdTG4Cmq40vNbxhqREcizWfGAywUFHLjzpsngmfqxm68f1nOkW87wLgYh08KHcn5KgvwbHg9HoGo3NRMcm5MFZn3UjG5G40t4k66F4lw==" shape="rect">Poor showing</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Among Oregon's high
school class of 2011, just 61 percent enrolled in a college or community
college anywhere in the country by fall 2012, according to the National
Student Clearinghouse.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebGF1iefVPyLFL0d8YQ5UvRJ4iWsiT-5heZCXXr51lMo0-05QARUu167Rp4otzlVUffNTmASW7U77jj4tsXo4NUgwwbYXlFkawhS5zdAa_GDMx4NgVVdEEorthrpQXmsDCnuANKPtc_FhdAro1_W2PofmJWaheyvLZpKSOkG4ZSfv90x7rYjJySAl59Z0zk89Di1_n6WMab-CQpb2rVDlTx2" shape="rect">Hard times, indeed</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Philadelphia
Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. has announced that 676 teachers, 283
counselors, 127 assistant principals, and 1,202 noontime aides will lose
their jobs July 1 because of the district's financial crisis.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebEENrd-ERcXGcfUtoEPbXY-tRiKKTRBp-dd1FjFQUD_0_xPSw63fD6PZHxvDLI4KLBGQL0EXjyFeSP7AXJnHr8unYUdqsD7sCwwGiwb7hwdLKnnI6LReWGM3bvSiDk7-NPgooJQoRnDySKNQzsfZqe7j_XqJ_DxfMIMq543ZbqxmLqIKVrgJZZ_Sg0lhNwptS061fflcsasnufjkbpfTxb4RRAmqGwf4i1pTU9PqP4OPEKEiC6ibvGbVqeZHJaW4g6GlZMHz5-XQH9Vkp5ZfrY8" shape="rect">Enlightenment</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Kentucky Board of
Education approved new academic standards for science education in
public schools, including updates on evolution and climate change that
have drawn the ire of some conservatives.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebECHY6EKbpJhlv3cCPQZQArBzTawDJe4nOSha0ltQygcD5aoB2tgli8cb8_dZxIYiVF7nKC8vG_jzdoTkxxnC3Oo7IQQpKeLCSk0mKP8d1GTqqsh17j-p5hYMdSB1pU6toEqvSCg2ury_2l06vRbUTvOEQMoipdzqqsWd-fTft_WGTgliaol8HiHLlElVHzJqMVK08PU2ZpG_VtgY8eFUAdVaXQVm3Fe1KdHAJcOmzNLce31wolJmC0" shape="rect">Squeezed</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Texas excused 1,480
elementary campuses -- a third of the state's elementary schools -- from
the 22-pupil class size limit in kindergarten through fourth grade,
with the vast majority getting a waiver because of "financial hardship."</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebGUF_i7786H84rbIayiHikW8V4L7JsLvYjfeS_dYZHxmvy1Xx57bm4ZEJpXXcacAZVWdbtCC0AAbM9unhu0kn_vcto2vdx77iqWtAB9cdqW2DHq0PWOa4-kwRu8GDRwXr-AsDuXlLVBN_wv9CK1b5c4o7g0dg5h743ZUWsvzXAFuJqtplxUCIZ68mlI-tfFDaB4tb3HynBy4VfNmxl8AEqJax2iPA_V5zP1Q8lYiCtrGKWLM15mVa2D7O8QKZbPcfirmTmQJd6foycZXeLHew5h" shape="rect">Further muscular moves in Chicago</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Even with nearly 50
schools shutting down at the end of this month, Chicago education
officials have been barreling ahead with plans to groom a large crop of
high-performing principals they say represents the most ambitious effort
the city has undertaken to upgrade its school leadership ranks.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebGdK9j3tpzgQ65D53oC8w_AyJBR32a5ObU_P5i2Pu2YN3pLQ-ccUhd2IGlVGZ1MvWs0--CnNC5GaIsdX3CWN0keq1wYwCu9A4EHztP8U1kfUlpB_99shhEwT7ViH9JSV5lHP5tdXe9p17lq0GOEBOFRe6cDJ-OHQh-AqTsazs5QfFllZi5Ruo9NKrbHo2_G9oVGHIzxlS4kTU1F1Fjwg2GvK6vEWBVcOgS2CbyT522KqQ==" shape="rect">Vouchsafed</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Arizona Senate has
reversed course and approved an expansion of a school voucher program
that allows students to use public funds to attend a private school.</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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ki6vPETtebHWbOFvIGWpTL1PZ5i162kmy5ubKnsdDjb1ifBBIUX44UQnjkBiFtNIFfGnjhowHpc59yUISOL_VrnJ3VuhXwGas8-vQ_oaiI34XO83sq_bXWrtcXHoxlSDp7927DNCjxg4CgiYyTuryjDngbZMVItFkrePFjDYBdDiqQBC4j80di03Lm5dgxk2sd8gNtY_qOkGzkjiLGMR732343byzMKQE7TKe17CdteQbaRA3OAuruM9_O2ZTA2eexfU7evFUJpmR18yj_zpJEm05GHGetJj" shape="rect">As Jersey goes...</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Plans are underway in
Virginia for the opening of a new state-run district aimed at taking
over and turning around academic performance in some of the state's
lowest-performing schools -- the fourth in a growing number of such
entities across the nation.</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>
<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=001ki6vPETtebEipghn4GS3IOrH_sYn_jGhKKqIhY0nHSBWV3QeTQzpvlzwMk--SR-vg3s17MQw5ZAEl-aqa7juZt14NaJypowxBnJC4JlZsgT5TBP92aPBshQ3FkW0p8Ihy3Lze27MGVwgPfXYRfG6Oa1wgrDrVp61SvxpkJtZwl-AMqu1qNGuOZocLXC269R9mvptDWI9Rsw=">Dow Jones Fund: National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year program identifies
outstanding high school journalism teachers who have done exemplary work
in the previous academic year. Maximum award: laptop computer, travel
and lodging expenses to national conference, a per diem for substitute
teacher fees, and a quarterly column for the Fund's newspaper, Adviser
Update; the winner also attends a seminar at the Poynter Institute for
Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla., and a senior student at the
winning teacher's school will receive a $1,000 scholarship to
study journalism based on their performance in a writing contest held at
their school. Eligibility: high school teachers with at least three
years' experience. Deadline: July 8, 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=001ki6vPETtebHCg4OhfN-Ef0KfBhxRlJS6SzaBSF3THmnlzyZtbW1Sm79kHFH5PO8GXEn2flcKjDmbo7e1XRVj4N5YmAbhd-mG2pLRHcD9TiB9r1KgsKSBQwkz76nL8kIbE6xQ7-gHFXKQ_XIo-_xSB5KEciclDIPlMDMFL7Kbkqs=">NAIS: Challenge 20/20 Program</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">National
Association of Independent Schools Challenge 20/20 Program provides an
opportunity for schools to develop globally based, experiential
curricula and to build educational partnerships with schools around the
world. Challenge 20/20 students form authentic bonds with students from
across the globe and learn first-hand about cross-cultural
communication; together, teams tackle real problems. Maximum award:
participation in the program. Eligibility: elementary and secondary
schools, public or private, located anywhere in the world. Deadline:
August 16, 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=001ki6vPETtebFoUPvnvBA9pX8AgNO7U92NM2xKRXK3rgMaMLC-A0G44IY2C2Hp3xHk4cHtkbqS76OMH-WJkN_d1l5vLwHzwfuGo_EjsFaSyPB2a79EF__V8uQKWtyVed54blzeGKL8P8x-fmVDqkBh2e3sT5fKEpkQ">Dollar General: Beyond Words Library Disaster Relief</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Dollar
General, in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA),
the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the National
Education Association (NEA), is sponsoring a school library disaster
relief fund for public school libraries in the states served by Dollar
General. The fund will provide grants to public schools whose school
library program has been affected by a disaster. Grants are to replace
or supplement books, media and/or library equipment in the school
library setting. Maximum award: up to $15,000 to replace or supplement
books, media and/or library equipment. Eligibility: public school
libraries Pre K-12 located within 20 miles of a Dollar General store,
distribution center or corporate office that have lost their building or
incurred substantial damage or hardship due to a natural disaster
(tornado, earthquake, hurricane, flood, avalanche, mudslide), fire or an
act recognized by the federal government as terrorism; or have absorbed
a significant number (more than 10% enrollment) of displaced/evacuee
students. Deadline: none.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"You
have the adults pushing kids into this court system that could
ultimately lead to them being locked up for very, very minor behavior. "
-- <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=001ki6vPETtebEbFg-BqyPNhftRn7iy4rLEHr2AoUAwN_ePOrY0DsgPjoZ6lTiCfvNSzgop1yfRpWyJRwPc5lnRaNCQdsfRrpcMU0VtXQltN3lL-ypFAAPaJ3_Ouz3GsDL2FEjUHhrhbrHXReGGx--hP0gGUjkguFhp7kRclJUNI1YTI003m4fzAxhYZj9CavvHzDWrNTk4uRdSOKpVXato_dZVbqLPGM5felIWrm7ObEEJtDk9E2NUwhnrnGicPdA-9WjkNTaF2mgDAJujYmZBLqiagXfVQ5BX">Michael Harris</a>
of the National Center for Youth Law, which is one of several nonprofit
law centers that have filed a complaint against truancy courts in
Dallas County, Texas in which students, some as young as 12, were
prosecuted as adults and not given legal counsel.</div>
</div>
</div>
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