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<div>June 27, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<tbody><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Teacher prep 'an industry of mediocrity'</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">NCTQ 'nonsense'</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">NGSS: Not so hot</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">A striking return on investment</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Assessments we can believe in</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Professional Growth & Support</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Unpersuasive on the Brown plan</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" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37834-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27487165&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style="color: #f14e23;">
<div style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; display: inline !important;" align="left">NewsBlast will be taking next week off in observance of the national holiday. </div>
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style="color: #f14e23;">
<div style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; display: inline !important;" align="left">Happy Fourth!</div>
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<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;">Teacher prep 'an industry of mediocrity'</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A
new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality finds that
institutions producing America's traditionally prepared teachers are "an
industry of mediocrity." The review gives ratings for 608 institutions
based on a set of key standards, and offers additional data on another
522. The authors report enormous resistance from many programs they
sought to assess; in some cases, they sued for data. On a scale of four
stars, less than 10 percent of rated programs got three stars or more.
Only four programs, all secondary-level, garnered four stars: Lipscomb
and Vanderbilt, both in Tennessee; Ohio State University; and Furman
University in South Carolina. One institution, Ohio State, earned more
than three stars for both its elementary (3½ stars) and secondary (4
stars) programs. A mere quarter of programs restrict admissions to
students in the top half of their class. Fewer than one in nine
elementary programs, and just over one-third of high school programs,
are preparing candidates at the level necessary to teach the new Common
Core State Standards. Three out of four elementary-teacher preparation
programs are not teaching methods of reading instruction that will
substantially raise the number of proficient readers. Finally, just
seven percent of programs ensure their student- teachers will have
uniformly strong experiences, such as only being placed in classrooms
taught by effective teachers</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </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=001DgxENBjJN6FmNzBkL1nEBkEr5UrkkTXuSoCpIP4Qyb4IUC9ZT94Y0XyIhc1fg967kRZuS4H0mHPSjJe4_UR6NowQMfonNwaGzpAntKpX37mfrJC1eUB0ZNkE39IcjsJKiC-Q_lc9PQCkCwa5VlaGxnVFkLkK_Fk7WnU3n6c6Tfh4-skBP4iIKaG7YFQpaRqA" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">NCTQ 'nonsense'</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
The Washington Post, Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University
writes that the new ratings of teacher preparatory programs by the
National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) are seriously flawed. The
researchers' methodology consisted of a review of published course
requirements and course syllabi against a checklist that did not
consider quality of instruction, evidence of student learning, or
graduate outcomes, Darling-Hammond says. Most schools of education
nationally declined to participate in the data collection due to
concerns around methods -- so documents were collected through websites
and public records requests. The degree of inaccuracy in data is
"shocking," she writes: For instance, Columbia was rated highly for the
selectivity of an undergraduate program that does not exist. Stanford
received low scores for the reported absence of courses in secondary
mathematics that in fact exist (candidates take three full courses in
mathematics curriculum and instruction) and are prominently displayed,
along with syllabi, on its website. Last month, NCTQ published ratings
of states' teacher-education policies that bore no relationship to the
quality of their training systems or outcomes as measured by student
achievement. In that study, the highest-achieving states on the NAEP --
including Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, and
Minnesota -- all got grades of C or D, while low-achieving Alabama got
the top rating. </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=001DgxENBjJN6FyMzdCM67-QsqdOlNO8985GVh1PlIKNsomutGYdVn_5hMtBfy03CE18iwjW_UJtzpKQtxZExANKZoQ0stEFMe9S58Jwd_U0L65F8hdIje7D3NAKFQhm_eQ_pQxHuL55w585MChRKZn4su5Q7mHfr2JiXbCfNoT0CJsCa3kxsuZEZ9JmcB0HFCGqBVndecllUxhVmgQXSU7m2XH6XcwMQszNSMkvwerDfblPhLlLT3IdxvlCQF6HhhV" 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="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14e23;"><b>NGSS: Not so hot</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
new evaluation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by the
Thomas B. Fordham Institute gives the standards a grade of C. It
declares them inferior to those of 12 states and the District of
Columbia, as well as the NAEP and TIMSS frameworks, though superior to
the science standards of 16 states and the PISA framework. The remaining
22 states have standards on a par with the NGSS, as does the ACT
science assessment framework. According to the authors, the NGSS fail to
integrate and balance necessary content with critical "practices"
through which students can extend learning and deepen understanding.
They omit essential content that would lay the groundwork for high
school physics and chemistry, as well as for college-level science. Too
often, the authors note, the NGSS assume that students have mastered
prerequisite content that is never spelled out for earlier grades. They
incorporate "assessment boundaries" in some standards to limit the scope
of knowledge and skills to be tested on state assessments, but this
will likely just limit curriculum and instruction. Finally, the authors
find the NGSS fail to include math content that is critical to science
learning, especially at the high school level, where math is essential
for physics and chemistry.<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=001DgxENBjJN6H_-0IDwuU74w7L6HwQ_QeAkMiV-aNHQ5SXwAklBNaX_Q5pPoZDRRs0r_Jdw-a7pRPTi9HX58NfLEtsYraXmTbh5Ofr7UL37SPh37APCUsOTZj7B9J45ajDz-v6sQdhbwnIz1VeEiU80x_KNoe7poQn-nBY4ijuCuDv_GGYPI5zqnuKV-Hg73Yorx_Mo8Q5WsHUANF3pB65EbVv-ZJMW2y1PCE9YJ9Gt4g=" 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;"><b>A striking return on investment</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
Children's Aid Society and The Finance Project have released a case
study of community schools that demonstrates a significant social return
on investment (SROI) for the community-schools strategy. Researchers
examined two community school sites in Washington Heights in New York
City, P.S. 5/Ellen Lurie Elementary School and its sister site, the
Salomé Ureña de Henriquez Campus (grades six to 12), and identified
eight primary goals for participating students -- including readiness to
enter school, academic success, health and safety, and family and
school engagement -- and analyzed 40 measurable outcomes to achieve
them. After extensive research of third party sources, the authors
assigned financial values to each benefit and gathered cost data to
reflect the monetary value -- in terms of improved outcomes, revenues
generated, and costs avoided -- of the resources needed to run community
schools. Once the benefits were adjusted to reflect the value of past
investments in current dollars, the figure was divided by investment
costs. The researchers found that every dollar invested in the schools
over a three-year period produced a $10.30 and $14.80 return in social
value, respectively. A companion publication provides a comprehensive,
three-step guide, complete with tools and worksheets, to help community
school leaders measure and communicate the social and economic value of
their schools and programs.</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=001DgxENBjJN6Ec6RzQPpig5LAHyBbZdYKxn0jDJxYHg63nF1ANG7sGSQTxZZCZDYNMNYxG00VJQ5ZlcipvpMaVW40QA6ukXPzF9Hjp_yA3KBFn0APt_UC2ePSX5LGmkCaQjpZqqQplvYoF_p-PNdgHAXKsr060YwAjvwV-cKvT7c52UWKOJrMj8A==">Report</a> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">&</span><strong> <a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6FYbgUdlG30ZulNzTSap7Cf9kxkFfKOVWFPzvO1_dDLpmaTQqLBGtT6tUWJCI7-ZVMJQ5F2YwEIMsWxpJs5BMISpFPfTbD6sWHZuZ-l3kj3mZskzm4NXhsJpyfVc-lSuD_9RyEjSNI00zZrwj7AvRg09m0dea1ekO8=">Companion Guide</a></strong></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;">Assessments we can believe in</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A
new report from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education
offers criteria for high-quality student assessments. New assessments
should tap "higher-level" cognitive skills that allow students to
transfer learning to new situations and problems. The abilities to
evaluate, compare, hypothesize, and investigate, and the abilities to
analyze, synthesize, design, and create should be the focus of at least
one third of the total points in mathematics and at least half in
English language arts. Assessments should evaluate critical abilities
such as communication (speaking, reading, writing, and listening in
multimedia forms), collaboration, modeling, complex problem solving,
research, experimentation, and evaluation, and tasks should measure
these abilities as they will be used in the real world. Assessments
should be as rigorous as those of the leading education countries, in
terms of the tasks they present as well as the level of performance they
expect. Assessment tasks should also represent the curriculum in ways
that respond to instruction and have value for guiding and informing
teaching. Finally, in order to have assessments that are truly valid for
a wide range of learners, they should accurately evaluate students'
abilities reliably across testing contexts and scorers. They should also
be free from bias, and designed to reduce unnecessary obstacles to
performance that could undermine validity for some subgroups. </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=001DgxENBjJN6HjDKNC5voKIIqpst1FHyos0c-y5Llc1HyQMC5Sajf4GOTkaf2QG-Bz5TDfShT_TAg758TysrrwxGZgsphEqG24Xg-Q79VuuQogGDKENO_tG4XRb1-rlX6fPEKQhE8vSCHHSbYGnD_hSBBG75tVDnrZ">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK53" 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="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Professional Growth & Support</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new
report from Education Resource Strategies challenges school system
leaders to expand the traditional definition of teacher professional
development to one of Professional Growth and Support, which can include
any use of people, time, and money that bolsters improvement of
teaching. This can range from time devoted to teacher evaluation
debriefs, to the cost of required planning blocks, to salary increments
for education credits. The paper urges a more holistic approach to
building teaching effectiveness that moves beyond "training" and is
integrated into a larger school-improvement strategy. It offers analysis
of three different school systems -- Duval County, Florida; Washington,
DC; and charter network Achievement First -- to identify six steps to
re-envision teacher professional growth. It recommends that school
leaders: quantify current spending on the universe of teacher
Professional Growth & Support; capitalize on mandates and growing
investments in Common Core State Standards, student assessment systems,
and teacher evaluation to create integrated systems; leverage expert
support to guide teacher teams in shared instructional content; support
growth throughout a teacher's career by restructuring compensation and
career paths; add and optimize time to address organizational priorities
as well as individual needs; and overhaul legacy policies and make
strategic tradeoffs. The report is accompanied by a series of tools to
help districts assess their use of professional development dollars and
consider ways to allocate them more effectively. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6HDlQ81vd2x79DmzTBMlh8BaVtBfMkGW-k4-yV5a_TMX4AcIrqDLIfhkNgdAoiSHawQdWXUsnZRLS2dyTLsm1oDNsSHRX4xpwXI0w6Z0Q_-ubiEIcwLsUTZI5BmLNRw07Ng7zoD6lnXt0VsBU7RHoW19WTrnA3pl5E=" 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;">Unpersuasive on the Brown plan</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new
review from the National Education Policy Center looks at the Reason
Foundation's brief assessing California Governor Jerry Brown's
school-finance reform plan. The brief touts the plan and suggests
improvements, some of which are based on the recent school-finance bill
in Colorado. Yet while the Reason brief asserts that Brown's proposed
plan is better than the status quo -- arguing it would more equitably
distribute funding across local public school districts -- the NEPC
review finds no data in the brief to support these claims. The bulk of
Reason's report is dedicated to the claim that Brown's reforms should be
expanded to include weighted student funding that is distributed
directly to each school, with the principal given autonomy over how the
money is spent. The brief makes the claim that this process would be
more equitable, efficient, and transparent, but the reviewer finds
little evidence presented that supports this claim. The reviewer finds
instead "a highly filtered summary of existing literature on the
efficacy of weighted student funding for improving educational equity or
school quality," which he finds unpersuasive. "While many would concur
that California's funding system is in disrepair," the reviewer writes,
"the Reason report offers little precise or valuable guidance for
policymakers." <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=001DgxENBjJN6EIHd-p_Ij5SBwh0cHCIe5fN_WkgH8cLENgpCvPq6ChgAofqEPUiHYJCm9votER7281TthprBQVhtX1DBTNFvmMqsjjZfsKHe6q7D17-zYgfssVxbWI_76EljgdM46ILYaKJLYS2zBSXhTIBn3LxxlE5WoGs0SCjz8=" 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" 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>New era</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">LAUSD's incoming
freshmen class will be the first that must pass a rigorous college-prep
curriculum with a "C" in order to get a diploma. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6EA_ATkRNaz2XlNQZHHcMZfKL8_tp9lhr64pbl8ukdZevy8qvjtKXpFui-c6X1gDetCiBHP4_fPQ5VVrm5uo86mgIOkbqgYEksNS5it_VyZVzRBm5c6yX8jxS3jKkMLpcsuptOUJ_EsZP3eo83y84kFBQ9UgoprV5Lz0l5gp4frWNK7fh9UAP5ltRaQ198g5ZHOqPVwceTwKA==" 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>Lucky for them</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Just 19% of students in
the LAUSD who started ninth grade as the class of 2011 would have
fulfilled the more rigorous standards that will apply in the future. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6ENmoNLey-oFgSv7iVRnesnzzaKNyV828o7n2aEhOGw0y0O2Ck-9LKBPKeO7eSTCA8_r1MtsMRVuUsorUysPCnyMgRc1rrhiC70f9TaikO0zB5maTwIdOvbWAOBotVdOwPRGURO_counqI2K9aV1OcZhKkcCrHW_oNEBwhBQql6jCUJvt4LeK-9NG5gdjzbjXXEW6aNkGh1aMUujB3EPb-G" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="aolmail_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>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Another reprieve</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Department of
Education will allow some states that have gotten waivers from parts of
the ESEA to postpone using student growth on state tests as a factor in
personnel decisions for up to one additional year, to 2016-17. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6GvJ-vG9FaQNOzeFyVbIpOj7kL1o1DBon_iymlEIdQ8akJQd6VLH8-bgpuP945tJVelWVKr86zN-VVm8VmzBMZD8q8MuzIDiKMmRCVD3hpyy1NXD1ZU9_Umg7Pau9agsxWdZMWG_-vAfDsXWmZCtUGNOuWsvEy-jYgiIKEeNANiErFbmlZOPOhFJbyDwtKSddF0HdWx6fWReA==" 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>More implications for school finance</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The system Texas uses to
fund public schools violates the state's Constitution by not providing
enough money to school districts and failing to distribute it fairly, a
judge has ruled. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6EYqTn_Ndex9j0jsO-BCBVozZwcDld7LQqz4T5RIrPbOMnXR-KJV_iFbRskaDD9H1BK6z3H76L7NMTxDApnBWxLdD0Cb5lALOyh9rjivD7396V-4dlyog78FmLlk2Y0e6tJ7l7-z19bqnhRFqjpRNefWRpMrxEvRLtmcZjxKO9ew4AQLNt9brPCU-LMAylX4G2XVovqjOYnOWtKK1twqwaOzuXzURHWPi8jKxYDKolY0Q==" 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>To what end?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Michigan joined Indiana
as the only other state to halt implementing the Common Core State
Standards for mathematics and language arts after Gov. Rick Snyder
signed the state's budget. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6H7-LAhswjxD6jf6MluSzXZLITaZ_5BLnzFEI-YygAqQ9pbV5XYAyVauQmBsrav8deFu7cZToZTC-eGZzrEaCuIxyq3ynwnOErox7oJpCed7F6BtBF-NF2VCIL8envYloOSmmYUvhwW_fDD_I0FWgL5cIQk0DcTbS6DJLUcRaDTxrIyLpz7608lT4xQVFP-hqVdC8xYdW_G2fk6zwKqwErEk-6vizkK9Ts=" 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>Depth in accountability</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Maryland State
Department of Education has approved 21 out of 22 teacher and principal
evaluation plans that are required to take effect for the 2013-14 school
year. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6HWw3a6YO-u_Nf8HyTmNEye__Auw01h9-rhTiDG0CNJZCdF2lk9X3Fh0dapmkKHeQ0MDTLcUqciiZ-6yHA9FOiBi9kcOzaB9Je8jxw-w4VieAYYwWi-9vJupfdjrcXNWDsbmp_hQy-uxFZZnl7A20uD6VfgcBEbHgtpGNiSI9DbAuLgh_L4D9KvMT5u7dtHTPaS6qe8lr2tTdnqS6CkjHXnITUXYtDqXBQWOLwUP7NQvfgy05YODlrv-X5_ygN8-AE00_XhZ8iKdgohGg-Ix8ubSFd7nm6S2tst6HvB3okZ9A-YHcqfarOc" 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>Check mate</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Chicago Public Schools
has said that 663 employees at schools the district is closing,
including teachers, teaching assistants, and bus aides, don't qualify to
follow students to their new schools and will be laid off. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6E5Mz_gHHhUyQmIuFulTZhKG0kaxN7df3nluRQtX7VNw-DGcEu52iV8iUXcdGXDxq-i5ewd_0yeP6SagPU3dKuLSkz-s30H0iggmcGglYJqu0kh_RdO3-2B3ZPl2m7Er2Y3RnB8Ce3fiUgaKBKTZ_1bBVwWUrIwM4KoDsho0KXx5XlOlH8DUiuimmBNuW-2DrCJS-FD7QxRBcVWOmdUX3JyP_cmvLpV1dg=" 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>Only a matter of time</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed into law a parent trigger for the Recovery School District in New Orleans. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6EW5C-ghDcYqZHbAMVeOLyZLhrBLh5VpoZqMSPHZX16jgm4JC_QdV0V2fpW6jlZZxqfgjMnUQyQZ9fwVZMI8XRQRn0rmAnKp9ND65WWO8aD7_sHWJjSeOQ6QXDlk1JSiLjVebn6fUmmqcz8fdV0BH5tyC_TZ2nooz7V-z1vw2fAx0O5HBROiVi1VviTCZpOmcETT_PSFWdS0gmSpVRYFOP8_Zd5rN8PTKQ=" 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>Retooled</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Nevada Board of
Education unanimously adopted legislative changes to a new teacher
evaluation system rolling out this fall that will have a four-tiered
rating system that grades teachers "highly effective," "effective,"
"minimally effective" or "ineffective" based on student test scores and
how well teachers model good teaching practices. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6Efu_kYH15BaQMFc544bi7uobN1aAPXX3wTqGnnotgRnyuIGIHLhpyYoDXe3_nIiiTtPW_vELhIRPf441Nz9DOLlf8WsE9AbvAQPQiwjwX4OOypNp39Ll3x5YeHI_jYzdxo74kReYtiVJjLRCHUQPDzJIgHDfh9KJNF2zLZtd1-OMf2qJ5fzXTS_bGmDSs3r3VS2uM6Gfbav3Rz6nSFLKyD" 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>Go team go</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Nevada is one of six
states awarded a National Governors Association grant and technical
assistance to improve early childhood education. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6EEhGxWqHAxoVRpljiOVqUsARaiOl_SV9gZlbJi9RzJ_bo1sYGIls6VZah3ASqfrp5bCtYWKtgpoyTEsm0SRkngZrAo0v1EPEw2jEAgxo0u5ySgjU-zsHu-epxv12qI2UWI1gvsqXUlFRPMx6gYWAEHPoNlsj7kBqBeFzQXUmOiqpbHoPqPBJ4l31tVcl0Y_HoIBugpY8toXA==" 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>Two out of three</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New Hampshire's new
education tax law violates the state Constitution's ban on sending
public money to religious schools, but the program can continue to
provide scholarships for secular schools and homeschooling, a judge has
ruled. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6GlkS7-L6hN6zAuddqhWZgIiNldotgqG92uf6A9200aAoHVmgpT_Et1JhCp9vENk9ju4if-V3X1Fu_UR-P5EMWwpyKw8V8Xus3qcif0r1-8PkqH49A66PBEX06leXpfPgvbuz5vDgo6mTl5MoafxdO-iTKTqoDfhnghvGF5jwR0w0cgFfzXXdl6WOsk9QZYCVwVMbcABlIx0Zj7c3H81widik7AkjW44D9E003gCRu1Cg==" 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>Not a moment too soon</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">With just days before
Kentucky's new high school dropout law takes effect, dozens of school
districts are preparing to increase their mandatory attendance age to 18
and seize on state grant money that has been promised to help plan for
the change. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6HIL2rGnep4BjspDJgJglupjx3cN8dRJ2adxpuGGDTjaTqLYpEOl3KgoUHDI-TG81rQWshMnqgBch-lNH0Kk4JQReQ2jQ5fe07xtrtVw4y_TlmaiRtG3dncAoZtE9TjHEw316Iov40_6fvsaKrJGeaKz2H3VGWi6ahXG2MaaDkEV5kdcYUI_XKX9fUk5QBCF2fjdsystRTg_jbvh0fTv5-fe6R2gnuifSQselmAZdinTKhYRaLu_KjZzaIWr-ZvW-M=" 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>Full speed ahead</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New Jersey will forge
ahead with plans to link student test scores to thousands of teachers'
evaluations starting with next spring's state tests, despite a new
federal offer to delay using them in tenure decisions. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6FdcuU95tfPcUIdzvwsZDlj7evY9s5mGwP2QC2zfLqiULBw-7D0plvuIWdAY4_67ca1yHxvX_0S5f-Hn1Fm1x3h0Nr-XYT7epDr1O4WXDUoTF2UOV3tyT6QsP4TKoSs9uI-WVf-N6-ImLMSFHNBlzTfNdRUuOBgPWvTPeHiJpfUHkogyWFTax2wNPKXeH_z-BR4GAL2sOftQP15hMjFNXjG6tcnjg2jdyNYLiBTH1DuGCyfRs2tR0JffcJY-RBfO4E=" 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>Stealth vouchers</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Wisconsin Senate
Republicans passed the state budget by a one-vote margin as the state
schools superintendent raised concerns a little-noticed provision could
lead to a flood of students attending private schools at taxpayer
expense. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6EuyRTdV3x7eeYAKleaaO_0KKqVbT2YdHXmFuvYnnJtYpDpTEpc0savxVqts9rNVFrefNy5BowwShtZ3XEir46OGvaFjrBpZLA6C7wCxB_iNo0hPDYkmAw90cnMq1P6a--B8yfxaBqoABoCKPykuFvQIj9l5K5p9Fd6LrOPJQeNhX7DaOvoOkGzEBA3yZ24NGwZvBSIleXoKdvGLxrUfifimoX0mu8_rvOe7fglgDCV2a2Nk7ABn9ayHtgDO_tuh90=" 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>Never too early</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Missouri education
officials are recommending that early childhood programs use a system
developed in California to assess whether children are ready to enter
school. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6GVBgGg0O70RZpXR92HMO1l2BVKi1LpixL2tKquhPHxIT2f7AjtxTMAnZUawIsSBqH8tZbmSC0PkGswdd1beuXuXbz5QG8oTUyOubA1n-IhTVTu1E2y693H6omavUAy9yaphai3-EdxC4puEg8kmKeeqOTFbKg9b5Mob2ubGG2yBEa5IM2Y5XNkYPKpypF03wmLDBsfrM49xFlk_uIiiZ_p" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19"></a>
<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
<br>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6EcFMKk9lKozhCCVXB9aGGx_azZYGP884WFHD1FIOyT-1fwGG0d4KnCmJTtw9C0hgH9lPhe26-NFY5KXrZxjMRYIZYV2-XEC5VP4q6uOKeLggPNtAdiu3cVJ4meY5Kr41Hopnfjv6UnikyLW9vbwvCcyRbQBVmiNH0dtzm9DseLjZurEfSf7CtyPmLQzaiyK2cpo2J7D76aWA==">Civil War Trust/History Channel: Best Civil War Lesson Plan Contest</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Teachers
are invited to enter their best lesson plans on the American Civil War.
Lessons must be authored by only one teacher, there is no group entry
category; follow the format of Civil War Trust Lesson Plans; include a
goal(s) and measurable objectives; include a list of the materials to be
used, as well as copies of teacher-created handouts; include an
approximation of the time involved and appropriate grade level; include
an explanation of the methods to be used and procedure of the lesson;
use at least one primary source -- a historic photograph,
document, letter, diary, artifact, etc.; and use original work, turning
in permission for any copyrighted materials. Maximum award: $2,500.
Eligibility: single teachers at public or private schools. Deadline:
July 1, 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(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6HqxNUV-bA4rYRzf8o_IAT67WWmKfvg5EFiyFpz4BCkAnOL-FHNyz2C-pflEvOLgE1LX3oJdvbqz_xh0LUL8dCvaDQwuS74eAVOV1ppMCs-IzB2-znSQsLOU3wD6B9RE0F7QYvtkrDgrdMIfKhqqIQ44E0v7FYXO0u5xvxmLZMbMYQ4iP8icIYymNpWHWlS6tcnedOpvRvlYA==">Travelers Insurance: Grants for Helping Underrepresented Youth</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Travelers
supports initiatives that improve academic and career success for
underrepresented youth, specifically targeted at public school children
in grades five through 12, students in transition to post-secondary
education, and students in post-secondary learning environments. Maximum
award: varies. Eligibility: 501(c )3 organizations in the Twin Cities
(primarily Saint Paul); Hartford, Conn.; and selected locations where
Travelers has a significant business presence. Deadline: July 12, 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(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6ESQkmUPCoj_4jJJK1aHELe6Gt5cV7sb-6zYCasggOxg6kj448PZPXOLIxEXfLasP3ztURqoVTKUH6WTxQaJhxtzYZbBy9XmwvHcbLAu4P_utVbxWCdn9hJEr7QI-MHAIe9GnfWUo6Dlg==">LEGO Children's Fund: Grants for Collaborative Programs</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
LEGO Children's Fund will provide grants for collaborative programs,
either in part or in total, to organizations that focus on early
childhood education and development; technology and communication
projects that advance learning opportunities; or sport or athletic
programs that concentrate on underserved youth. Maximum award: $5,000.
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. Deadline: July 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(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6GB5KVlv06lrhMs50eAF0Ht18d7QAo7WH8dEHHxYdnQmOnM7F1tTaBDDKIRH4X_lbGxbFdB3u7MBc8G1kwC8qo8RuwIhJA__u3PADqdgVnEgjEIWYFCm3_LbV960OV72CojxyBOjnFEeQ==">AASA: Educational Administration Scholarship</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
School Superintendents Association's Educational Administration
Scholarships provide incentive, honor and financial assistance to
outstanding graduate students in school administration who intend to
make the school superintendency a career. Maximum award: $2,500, plus a
$500 travel allowance to attend AASA's National Conference on Education.
Eligibility: members of the AASA at the aspiring superintendent rate.
Deadline: July 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(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001DgxENBjJN6H3B_63x1idQlApGNmwHKPsIrnxQqNaNc7Ggj_YhpkVBFHZ90zCJIDVCjZil9-rw0qvJZ1s-0lKWQ1BwhyRIViHws5HBxjet6Q37xM69nIn-lmXSRuftGJOKjICuUQOvZSwPAN7c9psyirjeDD134inIClaR_zpOvBz9f6dfSNN2g==">Fender Music Foundation: Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Fender
Music Foundation grants are awarded to music academies, schools, local
music programs and national music programs across America, particularly
in-school music classes, in which the students make music; after-school
music programs that are not run by the school; and music therapy
programs, in which the participants make the music. Maximum award: up to
8 instruments. Eligibility: established, ongoing and sustainable music
programs in the United States, which provide music instruction for
people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make
music. Deadline: rolling.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #ffffff;">"Have
we made progress? Yes, we've made tremendous progress. The South has
made a lot of progress.You don't have the public Klan meetings. You
don't have the blatant discrimination. But you still have intimidation.
You still have racism. As long as the potential for discrimination is
still there, the act is still needed." -- <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=001DgxENBjJN6HhWdjAYcXpRWDZCkoZ50CIWxlgQkIXKi7uFPdmgEkmOeVP6bWG95z1a5ADh-Jxm8Cuoxq0LJrna6JUcI1SDwLezOMBbuZxS9c14dM9EY-rIoc1toCMdu7GL7RImK4ewc4-mvvPbSEG9eFUQDvG73ryOli5N7BomYI0ax5Amw2lQ4J8EvNss3NiJRq5YSWoZ_g52JbTHD-_SyhW7K0G3TnvZN4YZNirZ72hyFwPW3Fdz0spCAQeLIEmJf2DqOx3qLwS63PvD-P-Ww==">Kenneth Dukes</a>, a minister in Montevallo, Alabama, regarding the recent Supreme Court ruling on parts of the Voting Rights Act. <br>
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
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