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<div>August 6, 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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Christel House: the actual tally</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">The right to learn</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">We want public preschool</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">That Head Start competition</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Systematically prepared to disengage</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Still PARCC-ing</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">The innovation leadership gap</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Four years to three</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&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/37953-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27503283&seq=14&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK17" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Christel House: the actual tally</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In a blog post on the
New America Foundation's website, Anne Hyslop finds the most troubling
aspect of the firestorm at the Indiana Department of Education to be
that the grading methodology, and the change to it, wasn't transparent.
Tony Bennet, former Superintendent of Education for both Indiana and
Florida, explained changing one school's grade by saying that Christel
House Academy and a dozen other schools were unfairly penalized due to
their unconventional grade configurations. These schools don't serve
students grades 11 or 12, and therefore lacked key data for
calculations. Except they didn't, Hyslop says. Indiana's accountability
model has a provision for schools that are just 9-10, so Christel House
should have been graded by combining its elementary and middle school
score with its score for its 9-10 school. Instead, the 9-10 scores were
thrown out, a loophole that the Indiana DoE recognized as such in its
now disclosed emails. According to The Indianapolis Star, Bennett
refused to allow two regular public schools facing state takeover to use
a similar loophole a year earlier. "Christel House's grade is simply
more false advertising from states and local districts that have a long
history of finding loopholes in accountability systems and exploiting
them," writes Hyslop. She feels accountability systems can be done
properly, but these latest "shenanigans" have made it that much harder
to argue for them. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVIaQ-a3tW7zkGveDJN_HqsetBfIKMj6tGAlRu0MS59dKADufEu5XzwweZOFVQ5_e2mITT47fJspg5GU2c2DksoTUwEPPIrEgK_aJmnRl5YEcPytxnkBSXEKucHDH2PYMiJekooI6qikV6k6Ls6LGDLt-CEDVJLmWBw0lbdVhjnlE_bJmGZM-Yo4jB6OjIEuvAPXfVPWUQnX8NG5MraFfgz6" shape="rect">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;">The right to learn</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Virginia has a religious
exemption law unlike any other in the country, allowing families to
entirely opt out of public education, writes Susan Svrluga in The
Washington Post. Children are excused from attending school -- as those
educated under the state's home-school statute are -- but they are also
exempt from any government oversight. School officials don't require
transcripts, test scores, or proof of education. The case of Josh
Powell, a student who sought public education and was refused because of
his family's exemption, highlights the debate over the long-standing
law, with Powell's parents earnestly trying to provide an education that
reflects their beliefs, and their eldest son arguing that without
structure or official guidance, children are getting shortchanged. Some
national advocates fight for the right of parents to educate their
children at home, but Powell thinks children -- most urgently, his
siblings -- should have the right to attend public school, too. He
worries that he's running out of options to help his brothers and
sisters and others, though he himself made it to university with the
help of remedial studies at a community college. "Who knows how many of
these families are out there?" Powell says. "It's the isolation that
allows it to exist. Unless you go to that small-town church, you don't
know these children are out there at all." <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=001_Ehi62nlfVL3oHCnK-ZOQADzGq2X77GGH2P8uz2OAK4S66zxG2BpAQaEgD5p-xEMoVCYVmpcOaYSnnarcv73nReR6KrwkokKW13wpfb3GRYffAALujF4OxHZnaYQrdTvDOC22skuzLjCNtKOYuY56smRUTmdWn5si9YfoDfl58IOi8VL5m8XC1WNfrNKpz4Zi-RAO9ABdsPc3pF3orOwZwGsEDo5qjDN_-byhQp4wsVaTn3ysO3f_6IOyo3lmP-lSo5MdRyiEih7zVsOQzuhKYeYwbpbZNIN6eUOllOvx_WD7pradLvnJ7VonG6ot6jqMKgSBJdXku4=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">We want public preschool</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new poll suggests
broad bipartisan support for federally funded public preschool, reports
Lillian Mongeau on the Ed Source website. The poll from the First Five
Years Fund found that 50 percent of the 800 registered voters polled
nationwide said they "strongly" support President Barack Obama's $75
billion proposal to expand public preschool offerings by raising the
federal tobacco tax. Another 20 percent said they "somewhat" support it.
A majority of likely voters from every major party -- including 60
percent of registered Republicans -- supported the plan, according to
the bipartisan polling team that conducted the poll. Several typically
conservative groups such as business organizations and retired military
officers have come out in favor of the idea, arguing that research has
shown a high return on investment for money spent on early education.
Still, no Republican lawmaker is in favor of the president's proposal.
Even Republican governors who support public preschool in their own
states, like Gov. Nathan Deal in Georgia, have balked at paying for the
program with a new tax. Advocates are hoping the new poll might sway
politicians, and are optimistic based on some of the poll results. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVI1BqSHcpb8Vmt6zA0dnBkzt2Y2NwphkK4WoLVIbwlwJCu5Md0T8-S37XmnpHW2DNU5Li29IT-NzFJOCv5jucjnokBndoSWHFchAzZK3R0ldyE7LPJSHHHHvlhJDTCeFqQ7O5L1kKWjkGitW5KRyIwDUL8kTU5ebNIiHBapfGIcy53eijL8LGbJEja64arNpqK0LcuKP7aKqoXBAtOiFI9Gn6lA0pRoMGVGPtDCA3rbWLsNlHGWfdmh">More</a></div>
</span></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;">That Head Start competition</div>
</b></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The first competition
for federal funds in Head Start's history was a sea change for the 120
programs deemed low-performing who were asked to reapply, yet the
process resulted in few new organizations participating, writes
Christina Samuels in Education Week. Only eight of 153 agencies to win
funding from the competition are new providers of Head Start services.
Many grantee organizations were prior "delegates" to larger Head Start
programs, meaning they provided services but did not directly control
their funding. Still, a Head Start shake-up was both needed and overdue,
says Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution. "The biggest flaw is
that in order for the strategy to work, you've got to have good
competition at the local level," and so far, this is lacking, he says.
But Head Start providers, even those that don't need to compete for
funds, are now focused on improving their quality: "This is still worth
doing, because Head Start wasn't providing the results it could have."
Head Start and Early Head Start, a separate program launched in 1994 to
serve pregnant women and toddlers, served about a million children and
pregnant women in fiscal 2012, at a cost of $7.97 billion. Automatic
federal budget cuts under sequestration will force some centers to
reduce enrollment. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVLYhIsGBUO0nerSgATQVFW96HhERDz2UJ2C2yuG-Bpbbe1qQV3XMyCXfuOXTiMn-Pul_ZZqtgCKb2VFtQfuze7g_csTjf0I9QIPXx7n0BHRblnu-FfBS5WfTs_01W8i77Yv6yJ0yo1clp8t7jWSoLzrbtmzc6lqT9kGWTSXN6lfWZAtvzgxmXdOLeA42h-EE-0F4yqDjNAXTH62LXMLn9ONu17_bY12mYXNShtPGHcyYHQdHLqd26zKuMrIWlMqwbR4Npq467u0K-jrRZFmZRjV">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Systematically prepared to disengage</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Whether you live in
urban or rural America, everywhere you can see the results of an
educational design that cripples learners who aren't advantaged or
nurtured, writes Bob Sornson of the Early Learning Foundation on the
Center for Michigan's Bridge website. Under our system, young children
come to school with vast differences in nutrition, oral language skills,
motor skills, and home routines around academic and social readiness.
Poor children more often attend preschools or have childcare of lesser
quality. Even in the early grades, most public American schools use
curriculum-driven instructional systems in which teachers are expected
to "cover" long lists of content expectations. A group of children with
different ages, genders, experiences, and developmental readiness are
placed in a classroom with 25 to 35 other children. The classroom is
organized using an old industrial model, in which this wildly diverse
group of children receive similar instruction within the allotted time.
Children with less-developed skills can quickly disengage from learning,
even though they have incredible potential to succeed. For poor
children, the rates of learning success are abysmally low. Unsuccessful
early learners are consigned to live without the skills that open the
doors to opportunity and success. We are systematically preparing them
to be disengaged learners and low-wage earners. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVJ6Mas5uIEb0A-9JroloBnV7B3ffD3OYEJJcz0kxXtvAIrj1JV8Ib-JpscDpVucqpY2cbGgBSRB6sLi_Y7NnwxG2dmIKzzyfUHrz379Abdd8laGMxy4Nj_qTvOeoS7pKIGFQeV210L5X-feMCuQXfXON-xy8UNOUdsdPXTEO37v2v8vrPWXvnF683IlQsliM1dNFhWqTNL-p0k-vFy8e_t2qYv0We7yb75Tae4lp3SMAZaCArVgJVYv_khCXCAtzrk=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Still PARCC-ing</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In the wake of several
withdrawals from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Careers (PARCC), leaders at the testing consortium recently
gathered to confirm the strong commitment of states remaining in the
group, writes Catherine Gewertz in Education Week. PARCC officials
announced that 14 states and the District of Columbia have committed to
field-testing the PARCC assessment in the spring of 2014: Arizona,
Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island,
Tennessee, and the District of Columbia. Four PARCC states have not
reached that level of commitment: Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, and
Oklahoma, and in fact Indiana has already announced it will drop out.
Pennsylvania, another state not mentioned, intends to withdraw from
PARCC but has not yet completed paperwork required to do so. Yet
Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester points to the fact
that not only are 14 states and D.C. committed to field tests, they're
also committed to using the PARCC exams when they debut in spring of
2015. To bolster PARCC's claim of strong member support, four state
commissioners of education and one higher education representative took
turns praising the quality and value of the assessment and the
involvement of teachers in creating it. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVLjmrPw6vL4b2bgHjVrKrwJvQdCiyoucaU4oou7PWyKcTi9GoN3Ak3vJh-zgRO3pdBP3nU5GEuL2WoyZv88-0id0EE3MChf5vj3TFTHLP388PAEtTzuGcxFWUo1c3JUxBjhhTkQs05dYbOQldkD-GUTpFgweDbNmm-SVRSscIsBYP3QQn2eYIk8ZBtH3DqPLtzBfTq-hmJe-Z4sWIADJCQe207H-GH0S9q9gPqkwiC4HSKqbaYteDIE">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The innovation leadership gap</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Chief innovation
officers (CIOs) are surfacing in districts around the country to fill a
leadership gap that some feel is holding back public education, writes
Tanya Roscorla in Governing Magazine. Newark Public Schools has a CIO in
multiple schools. Large urban systems including Detroit, Chicago, and
Milwaukee have created the position in the last two years. And one
smaller district in Illinois has inaugurated a CIO position to focus on
innovation in technology and other areas. But the position looks
different, depending on the district. The job description of the chief
innovation officer in Community Consolidated School District 59 in
Illinois has five components: technology vision and leadership;
innovative learning; administrative professional development;
communications; and community development. Detroit Public Schools has a
chief innovation officer to better prepare students for college. "That
may seem very small, and it sounds like a very simple task, but given
the urban population that we serve, it's proven to be extraordinarily
difficult," said Natasha Baker, who fills the position for the Detroit
Public Schools. Having an Office of Innovation allows Detroit to have a
central think tank that drafts ideas and then implements them. She also
pushes schools to try different methods and leadership structures. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVLYkv1HppJdLKlhVE5q74E-Wn-0051R_El_lSs_x_Ose3sZfxPB12OqJTlF2Ju-8jgtyN3KfDNITxFhua-IWB6qAVD4mgAvs4ay1ZQYrkVmWXM9o3TKoIONMwCse2AnGOOE-QQO-7lCC8FE6tKjl8k83D_K2HpLdJexoBKphU5p_rElbPJxEafi5pc7s8EjuYM=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Four years to three</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Financial incentives are
offered in Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Utah to
students who complete high school in fewer than four years, reports
Kimberly Railey in USA TODAY. Although exact figures are elusive, the
increasing creation of these programs, which lower district
instructional costs, suggests their popularity may be growing among
students. In Indiana, for example, scholarships to students who
graduated early rose from 17 in 2011-12 to 204 in 2012-13, a 1,100
percent increase. They are also cropping up at the local level: The
Dallas Independent School District, second largest in Texas, is creating
a three-year high school proposal that would direct savings toward
pre-kindergarten programs, which would take effect for 2014-15 if
approved. Across the nation, fewer than 3 percent of students graduate
high school early, according to the National Center for Education
Statistics' most recent report from 2004. About half of states have
policies that allow the practice. Proponents of the programs say they
help reduce state spending and can give students a jump-start on college
and careers. The programs often target low-income students, who face
the highest barriers to access and success in college. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVJZ4jopnOKbWT3_ExvxVNnruFrmYH74MELig_jhN5ZxgAot5htlgX_6NKTR6fpyOXb_suHPHXFQ9zGBrXnjlOpDmdDup5UHX09K4i3ci20hHVN5vmRzC6F8gIxzWC2vpdbDXDjYFiRhTJ5d0spk430eq2QfZKo4VuH48Jmn6PcREkCJA5GVSqGuABOFY5hn1cTp_TyzYM6O_Vkep7htY05q3UnaaOijtT8=">More</a></div>
</span></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="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Teach for Angelinos</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The largest number of
Teach For America instructors -- more than 700 -- from the new Walton
Family Foundation grant of $20 million are slated for Los Angeles. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVJGrCQx7D4DqSo0jK0gV5qRfFX9nRETI97hX6byiU4UJPvLg02kCG8a8cxU-eGDZ1Rx1FZ8wryMwZYmPo-jI8jagr8ff8lPHcPAROhIsjcbynofKQNJ69VtuPX6oilA6M6hEa6lLfx1xU4x_Bph-lJmMsRq2q0QHiniBmhuUiVbRFO9Mjpn2wrwTFvHsYGLsDCeUBMPwJ5biQ==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>California has CORE support</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The California
Legislature is poised to pass legislation this month that reaffirms the
start of student testing aligned to the Common Core standards in spring
2015. <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=001_Ehi62nlfVK9DjAHvjugqDm4x3rutRaKxNNC0-HR2xt9m26cA55MQy2qd1dqcdscAbgjOaxnk720K6kB__X9OO-ZXFylP5gmc0xidG8YeGlpy4jAlEczf3wh4hi-xhRqMbRhMzcVUmnbbBfdETyxESfgV1xIeG8vh4q_yrLj9jp9Ii_56GlLom5ES2EGptmWo29FdVZIm9RZ9pEfqukExdYRIr4shWay5wsIWUDSp3gtoyHP_8A4NoeREMVuenRY7dbWhi1jo6Y=">More</a></div>
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<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 PARCC-ing</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Republican Gov. Mike
Pence has filed notice that Indiana intends to withdraw from the
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, also
known as PARCC. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVLLHjZPRFKP-ZEPt6ooz7_ZpKh1kkcfyvmmTvhT0d_iFEwS69cgvI3fgh2je_u_g1oTJEus212DEvU2Ltja2mNzF0NTuuCgQS6H78u49-DkAlcmt9krYEL0yUiogDgKFeEaXTMCgU0RMY_ysNXTlEtgmNhxGjMH24Bz4fSbwUHScmjURErZ5myW6h21KJeWotLiq0bsdv1rqFATn5P_pkkEIZL4b5yXGlhEL31_23hBJ3OgzW914bG-W-fI7eK9SgdkSDTDiVMnHpvJhNga8Jz-0SjPawQS8W59ti2FDYkORQuccfSPiIy2" 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>Good news</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Students in D.C.'s
traditional public schools scored higher than ever on the city's math
and reading tests this year, posting the largest single-year gain since
2008, according to new test results. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVKcsEjjZjl5ODvLfb2gwqejunM5Po9zG17hdgiVREa9MCRpUNqy7tm5-w6YYO2doD0-3tRuXPQszhXw6RLx0MUuLmT3P9ZcFlW8VTyO563QLoPj9sk30KVgOxQo3Z-Bd8DwOf8qk8btqfMq9SYoLgwC87uaZ8EUqbi7FlfO131I0O7Uw5CGxWvRz3xc4zBQOqDoE3lylxwG52SPPD5cd3KNRnpqvtPlLBGoDhTJZBUACALwGXczDAuoJh7FMse_blxutJZ827KoNfuy3aAtvQH-GhIzc-vii2iPrN60I8uC2IaXb609W6tgY7cUH-muRW0aPbSFkJuatU6uLj-2NfcO" 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 fair</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Ohio's public colleges
must charge in-state tuition to young residents who are undocumented
immigrants with temporary legal status, Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor
John Carey has ruled. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVIp9CNVLsn-nNV9DEaZRx2undv5ErumP3JBwMgEyFPLzeq8oyJjMF-OVuomJJZshJHftyh3svWwnVomSmSpWaDNJ89mmfQ4AsHYeV8HTF4BKeeaKts1B0a6tmpNhp-wF5uXrwzA6Wbj8CJeEIGjWHhR3ZkO2gfN3OPzHCS5UTyHy4TOmLMd7W_-iDCdbCwo7_aFM2tyXodOmed676LCYDZPZbS-1Fyg7JY=" 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>Major influx</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Walton Family
Foundation, already the largest single donor to Teach For America, has
committed an additional $20 million to recruit, train, and place an
additional 4,000 corps members. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVLiYAv-3x-UYA_8pHmoyjRE5--raG99IRq84VE1O_be34qiyVpRO-DDbbEWPmgOQsnU1y5X4Ad49dIyYo2Ea3TsrsMiD4L_DNrEOeVkv_5F3xqG7bLQEkHgVwYc3agnT2U7SIkucvuI6tBDJu1RF19WgHuI9hvICpG73_kKS95I_nckUXH7e3GLYb_nfa5QJojJ7PBRAfbdPQ==" 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>A federal scolding</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Department of
Education will take the unprecedented step of withholding part of
Georgia's Race to the Top grant over problems the state is having
implementing its teacher-evaluation plans. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVJtpo3Ae7xZ7m0i_9vFW4g2M7WjvxTyDNFYfw239cUJ3d9s3D6JEldlEBfDaEHOaOITQVZxU_tddl4VdgiWbeF3oXtJyF-yFrNTVyvI3DQQLN4jMex9X1Qctxuybx1e2zI0Q5YfKo960eXxXuhRMkF6EpW0sgqfXBnaTL4Zkj6PdyyRl88sGuWlWuqB0_kKUzKMnRdWJltqWQ==" 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>No easy task</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Libby Doggett, most
recently director of the home visiting initiative at the Pew Charitable
Trusts, has been named head of the U.S. Department of Education's office
of early learning, the second person to hold the post in the office's
two-year history. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVIi_W-5kkaJTb_n694dWCXi0vQ3VAuF723eO223PJayO95wgBvhd5Td3Is5XOb2nOfv6PhKhHu-cjCzzq2NGidVJJfEBv36Hn0e78gt_P-U3slhAvZ2qNR7TVzs07sV5lTjSkloMfTnvoyuk7XAGMUPp5GLAU14BF-qr4wtWdXg3JT7c2_msXXoHuuLiRITtEGvc-wmKnmEmP7mBlUplrPLXLv2QXWBnJOITo8o6iXEYgVt7ubF4vup" 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>Goodbye to tenure as they know it</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">North Carolina is the
latest state to overhaul its teacher tenure rules, directing school
administrators to offer four-year contracts to top performers but one-
or two-year contracts to everybody else. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVJ1aIIFNgwsAd_TgzPOIGsyx_gExPn_SUfm42rDCp6vGz3l8DBV_ZWLV651JNdljZ7K8DoL46xeJQ6TMkqbN_lBU0aCvsPmo6eNmpvN3hf8Pvg3xvYhXUimGldbz3krUm6MsHa9TjjbhlMHi1lYPiFlzi76GnhQTtJuB-MyIJfYY_s-Q5whW0P0ykAOfF3gF9M3CKKFNxnyhpIuEQIP4SaqK0uq7mGKnvk=" 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>Truth will out</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Florida's commissioner
of education, a rising star in a national movement pushing for
test-based accountability in public schools, resigned after reports
surfaced that he had changed the grade of an Indiana charter school
founded by a prominent campaign donor while he was the superintendent of
schools there. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVJhtptKCUlMXUeU22BOcnKgfTSFEw3cezno1_0oUCqhBdY3faMmI_3wqEKWrr2Rc3-ERajGyliEZsqnmd_ipxr5R4OoqXEwCIgAiMq-ZiPb7OpsL5_0v0PiCE5Si0QyX9yw87rXoapytW3tbpaJbik-CcJOHzMRmvZMNMiZ6nZJQhCZE7xwBg1M4tNPmKn3zuCmc0AMsu457RUW4TV0wAUkJrtZTV7k67cFnQtUwmCOO7Xv6Qy6obDUFO8aUte4oT2lExjYtQsQjdAhWX24AOeZGVPgu7Jwg55CNNOTV5toGolk9IEoB9Ml" 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 Race continues</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Department of
Education has invited districts across the country to apply for $120
million of the latest round of Race to the Top grants. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVITCIlf0kiMyOYc4V4qO8oWLWtAzTh89Zx24IfM_FmHgVXuAiRAjjfFsgdXfeEK7X2RIJu5yLnvso-j9nB4pbuvSnhOh8jDMdyIyKxnX2OA1vWI2vDyqu4tjhMu_8GSjU5FD3NZhQiw4RcMoyVaWh2g5qLeUgOE_hT-09Z5afcJtOSCY_NW5M0neypbpowN3eKpWNaV614hJA==" 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>Take our high schools -- please!</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In New York State, the
Buffalo School Board has voted to have Johns Hopkins University serve as
lead supervisor for two city high schools. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVKndnS4ZfpEy3GKu-72z4eWae9wZ58noM87KTocoWYDUyj7Xad45kyM27rZ9rt-njNoq4u6QI6lC80rsTM7WHQgyoxm6NbdXjKkfZGUmlegV9KIpYrskVUBjh3MgmC5ugBaujlnld-a5CZS0R1S2Om6R6zExh5rIQqoMik7dMjc0-UZz5mE4UHP3sm03lnJjSf3tGC7Tv39uzHBLABkeh523ec0blck3t8=" 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>Reckoning time</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">After three years of
development and pilot tests, new teacher-effectiveness ratings begin for
all 178 Colorado districts this fall. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVLv9GQvVPfwExmjcCjEq9pY3eYjdRs-8lqjYtPlILPJzU_SLytoFZL-CDGk3Lnr5Lp9Tf7VtAXE3gNcm-uxumlLvgsXUZQVUKfjz6fyKp1nBiKANVuCMZ4EsXM2WqS_PWvh2yGwf7akU_bLU4JJhVRrE1-7kUBvF0I1zjtqxL9p8TjF2p96lvkDtXRzV9yqmmso6Q5HRkg4VqObrDvd-8iv" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVKTuy0i58_bgnQbkVbyK9p0D6sPjpznBpuqYD-blghdzQCLGIjF5JnSPyosc3PzIJsxdHWZNFd8cC7a7OhAZNIgFP0qNy9wWn29d1ve_MBVCKZSKo5B6h5Cmxk7-QsAwsHTknyAdjZE3oPLH5jlW10UKcJYfGN0OUM=" shape="rect">P. Buckley Moss Foundation: Educator Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">P. Buckley Moss
Foundation Educator Grants aid and support teachers who wish to
establish an effective learning tool using the arts for teaching
children with learning disabilities and other special needs. Maximum
award: $1,000. Eligibility: programs in the planning stages or in
existence for less than two years that use the arts to educate children
who learn differently.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Deadline: September 30, 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVIiMbbtrp7MKZETUFfKscmGx4hOceNKXjujN_ASfEh9jCLoUw5T8jBPyXkI4QJ1szsFL4SxTdJd1tSUjhahKDeeqtB12PCVbOrHCRM7lgCGmywuANPYVDAyPLKF8DdPFdpj1PlQ1MBy_eAZl2CpYgNak5s4j_0dR0FbY504Ao9EBuuRPSvxsMCE" shape="rect">IRA: Regie Routman Teacher Recognition Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The International
Reading Association Regie Routman Teacher Recognition Award honors an
outstanding elementary teacher of reading and language arts dedicated to
improving teaching and learning through reflective writing about his or
her teaching and learning process. Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility:
regular classroom elementary teachers of reading and language arts
grades K-6 in a school in which at least 60 percent of the school's
students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch; must be IRA
members. Deadline: November 15, 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVKxVpxjbq1sORdixXkzvDnOHjRNfELn1y9yn49FaH_C4s7FEDeJnAz8ttL8gTPimUbjg_by25G79n7k-PdWTI8eg4LChQYaMkjC2dOxnsS3ov2QKwTgYqQ9yMmkd83KBEWO6wo-Zw_pqvLbwkRDVTot" shape="rect">NSTA: Distinguished Service to Science Education Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Science
Teachers Association Distinguished Service to Science Education Award
recognizes those who, through active leadership and scholarly endeavor
over a significant period of time, have made extraordinary contributions
to the advancement of education in the sciences and science teaching.
Maximum award: formal citation, three nights' hotel accommodation, and
up to $500 towards expenses to attend the NSTA National Conference,
April 3-6, 2014, Boston. Eligibility: NSTA members who have shown
long-term dedication to science education. Deadline: November 30, 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVLacBUCTaREC58mIlY_rLtSokd9RpLd0OoPt8r_l2yNQk6osCR6NJeFqVyn0sUuRbQ-NBXnsHAMA2A_5R4uIPrEz7yszC9N2xT4KaD6Y5erulsy-FrhbKD9lV0NyVOGc33rHH4CUKMkWw==" shape="rect">Delta Education/Frey-Neo/CPO: Awards for Excellence in Inquiry-based Science Teaching</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Delta
Education/Frey-Neo/CPO Science Awards for Excellence in Inquiry-based
Science Teaching will recognize and honor three full-time preK-12
teachers of science who successfully use inquiry-based science to
enhance teaching and learning in their classrooms. Maximum award: $1,500
towards expenses to attend the NSTA National Conference, April 3-6,
2011, Boston; and $1,500 for the awardee. Eligibility: preK-12 teachers.
Deadline: November 30, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</b></span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"Given what the
president and the secretary and the entire administration said [about
the cuts], I'm surprised any teacher's car started the morning after
sequestration. The effect of the sequester was small in the education
world. I'm not surprised that states and localities were able to weather
this. It wasn't nearly as drastic as the administration led us to
believe." -- U.S. Rep. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_Ehi62nlfVK69Wz0hq6UzPx7B6sE5OFrpSEMCsLOVLUhCJE3SWFO7vgli61-E8pgWX2PYyYNA8jV44WYYceLCMr6gMDZNdPm7Ez-SfYi37FCiLekL3X-fDXMgLfbLmiyoaRi8g6r_DerCRfAxbuBTI7TzbEhg1Es37a4xlQZ2wyTrbv0ULjAH5LrvJENLXvT7piJ4KlOB9J_ZxV1JvpRS-fXSgR2E25P0q3IJNbtkVv5XalgwLJyxWWz7LLcQD1n_ilr7nS6GHZ_kJ-VuJVbl8tapiebQUIUar0bBO1M0bfy3bwnLipA8eOx-m7br7zplqgo_tmFUeYmcczJe4H3ko5tHKXT_ans5TSOg1vFiJo02huPBBhV0qa7dwRZwizfSfUa_2odR5p40q7x9qtB6emfvmaYI0e_" shape="rect">Todd Rokita</a>, R-Ind, regarding sequestration.</div>
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