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<div>August 13, 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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Syracuse: Busy Saying Yes</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">NYS charters take a dive</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Lousy grades for the A-to-F model</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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Florida's racial expectations</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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Pre-K in Tennessee</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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Does more time equal more learning?</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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Are states ready for CCSS?</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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">The vapid Mr. Damon</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&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/37966-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27506081&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></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;">Syracuse: Busy Saying Yes</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;">Five years ago, Syracuse
became the first city to adopt, citywide, an education partnership with
Say Yes to Education, reports Sarah Sparks in Education Week. The
program provides academic, legal, social, and health supports to
families and students from preschool through college, culminating in
free tuition for any student who graduates from high school and wants to
attend college. Eight out of 10 of the district's 21,000 students
qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and 19 of the district's 32
schools have been designated "priority schools" by the state for
persistently low academic performance. Say Yes doesn't fund every aspect
of Syracuse's initiative, but it coordinates services through a
representative at each school and a biweekly task force of leaders from
the district, the teachers' union, local universities, state and county
social-services agencies, and mental- and physical-health offices. Six
schools have full-service dental and physical-health clinics, with
screening available in all schools and health-insurance support
available. The state's office of mental health partnered with Say Yes to
provide mental-health clinics in 23 of 32 district schools, as well as
social workers. Since the initiative began in the 2008-09 school year,
the 9<sup>th</sup>-grade dropout rate has fallen by nearly half. High
school graduation rates have risen 10 percent to 55 percent in 2011, and
college certification and degree-earning grew by a third, from 451
students to 579 in 2012. <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=001u1xyuMFORA6otSCo_p9cyBh7XLv5JqfCQB4q0KM451acxd3IojF0RkcOELCKSnuIcB_keDTNfXJ-WMStNo5c3GJDdE3xMmZGPS-cy0lhJOoxPPyL2GE7uSkMImw7tqxbtBoLlYTP8X436jU0ahxq3r_B-Z4EKB6yXnSkaarSuiyqzAm1o2rzEnzlNO-JsEFcUH-ssQ0laetk9XEZj1S8O-8tuPXkOctbPisuflzu-yziXXHKDr0ZIHmrBIXj1OjykUGwOSWrTIljnsUID2ZX3Q==">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;">NYS charters take a dive</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;">Fewer than a third of
New York State public school students passed the recent Common
Core-linked tests, with highly touted charter schools faring
particularly badly, reports Stephanie Simon on Polito.com. Charters are
often put forward as a means to boost student outcomes, yet just 23
percent of New York State charter students scored proficient in English
language arts, compared with 31 percent of NYS public schools overall.
In math, 31 percent of charter students scored proficient, same as in
public schools. Significantly, results were mixed at some of New York
City's "miracle" charters. The Success Academies network continued to
post outstanding results, especially in math. But the Democracy Prep
chain posted uneven results, with particularly poor scores in sixth
grade. The KIPP network also stumbled, with proficiency rates well below
the city average for several grades and subjects. The poor results for
KIPP, Democracy Prep, and other renowned charters suggest that "we have
to be more careful about claims of miracle schools," said Michael
Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. That said, Petrilli
cautioned that the new tests are "a terrible metric to use for measuring
school quality," since they generally reflect school demographics, with
low-income students entering school with weaker skills and having a
longer road to proficiency. <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=001u1xyuMFORA6Ole9EpQlOXwdMBrBv4AK2FArtufGTq5cW5Dbs5vmcEhBFew3jKWdhLPZxBekt-Esgb2WhNdgWsNNIxFXoCaAnmTRQx172kGowOd11HG_c3K3UYUyU2yKDUnrMwgBMopR_hZ3pNK6p-5BR8qN_18ra5MmKsj8VbCTRt020PgEhFhXdbvef0ic0jT_Abbcn_dcNgOAP4V0X70X-_V04gUXw">More</a>, and <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=001u1xyuMFORA6iwRlmpJKEPilW1jGyept2i4DB12oJLiBpouIEx7QnKCD-AUlTTtjnUG3tPqWpjvi4-XFRW-DvHCP8ucbcFWgYBvIKO6R7ZQl4RkYm3LmEoZKpDc9_IA8F-ztlf1JPhS2emnIRwFF9XJGcFQnKL0vggt--5HYtm4cNFJnDy3Ww2o5May2sZAWZu5wo2R4Ph8qXQ4DhWqOawUUskicve1TX3NQiknTNmBwRHm7j2WfI2M3RM5-9vPpY66txy7LGq88=">related</a> articles in <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=001u1xyuMFORA6IBJukSJMHydCiePcRnkb0YEXifoXX5iS5su1_XK6ZnryAiE1vrpkSxtUvv-HRUsdyFZUS0ShP562cSp9BYz8LWCqeScEobY_S_4sIyQCJL-DEqK1pm4Y-Z-njMC5XF0JAPe-UhkxF76c9-LtOtVzn">orange</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;">Lousy grades for the A-to-F model</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;">The scandal that
accompanied Tony Bennet's resignation has raised questions about the
validity of A-to-F school grading systems in more than a dozen states,
reports Lyndsey Layton in The Washington Post. Besides Florida and
Indiana, other states that use an A-to-F scale include Arizona, Alabama,
Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah, as
well as New York City. Virginia plans to implement an A-to-F system in
2015, as does Ohio. Many states made the grading system central to their
plans for a waiver from NCLB. Several states, including Indiana, have
used the scale to determine funding, closure, and school takeovers.
Florida was first to grade its schools in 1999; then-Gov. Jeb Bush
touted it as a simple way to boil down complicated information for
parents. But simple isn't always better, says RiShawn Biddle, who writes
the <a shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u1xyuMFORA6A8pjqljU9u-IFd1z6K2YPjqHmnunPoTRTmjrsDkOMZ1Jdv9VxyAny35zM_BJz4WkMpxmFc35Lp_aQ1lZKxAi4TUMz59kAPdDtrr3zMwnO40Z5XT4iEye9"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">DropoutNation</span></a>
blog. "It's seductively simple. But it doesn't provide families the
information they need to be able to make decisions. If you're a parent,
you want to know growth over time. Are they providing AP courses? How
are they doing in algebra? If you've got young black sons, you want to
know: Can this school serve your son well? You can't get that from a
letter grade." <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=001u1xyuMFORA6Lb_IHdb3mxQ4iHvd8iZSBHL8ubPpZ8NulvEcS5A6FS2rLdkUUCxKZWsbBOLXivLiowMy09maEOfULkW5vTXUuVfkMR4j29eAiIJQnt9CzcdQoSTj0Ws8dGk-FAXhNRD01aHJrx2gT121Zar7b-YQH2rRLj-h2yS2gk1_1EzjauZ2dJTFHMkhwbA-5TKMu8l0Otz7nxA70sFKreT01hlTAXBRZjGZ3yuq9OSc2b5f6f0mwOH0WZ7YW-36UqwXFwLYIedt-wsebQ-5rg_1uYkyVf5YZWxaizVSjcqXayy8SRJ1kpATYFSHF">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;">Florida's racial expectations</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;">In an interview on the
NPR show "Tell Me More," host Michel Martin spoke with Jerri Katzerman
of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which recently filed a civil
rights complaint against the Florida Department of Education over its
race-based goals for increasing student achievement. These goals set
higher proficiency levels for Asian-American and white students than for
black and Hispanic students. For instance, in reading, it calls for 90
percent of Asian-American students to be at grade level by 2018, 88
percent of white students, 81 percent of Hispanic students, and 74
percent of black students. Supporters say it sets realistic targets for
student performance, based on where students are starting. Katzerman
explains that the SPLC is suing because Florida has drawn lines simply
based on race, rather than including resources or strategies that would
help children actually meet any goal -- the state is moving the goal
post for its own benefit. These race-based goals differ from affirmative
action, Katzerman said, because affirmative action promotes diversity
and offers opportunities to kids of different backgrounds, acknowledging
that differences in experience add to a university or college setting.
Florida has created "wildly divergent expectations without any real
pedagogical reasons," other than acknowledging that the baseline for
some subgroups is low. <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=001u1xyuMFORA5BjbpHTbyY2I5WYqwM29fbsAY9funQAtGYXjdbrCDw5QdS-1_a89DGXrb-2ky5m8Dgeq3j1FeXq2f2bgzF6Gc8WySiBVsNm0c2Lgr8UKVlu551Ow1Vv0wcSsgkgCWsQLYV9Iy8ZCVGWxtwMTNJjMt3hYHughShwUjN80Z6DJQASgircgaHzBrbl9d-ZaelVfGFRd7VChcEGg==">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;">Pre-K in Tennessee</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 study from the
Peabody Research Institute of Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee
Division of School Readiness and Early Learning evaluates the
effectiveness of Tennessee's voluntary pre-K program (TN-VPK), finding
that TN-VPK children made significantly greater gains in literacy,
language, and math over the pre-K year, and were rated by their teachers
as better prepared for kindergarten and having better social and
work-related skills, than similar children who did not attend TN-VPK.
However, by the end of the kindergarten and first grade, achievement
differences between TN-VPK children and non-participants were no longer
statistically significant. Similarly, ratings of academic preparedness
and classroom behavior by first grade teachers showed no differences.
However, significant TN-VPK effects were found for non-cognitive aspects
of performance at the end of the kindergarten and first grade: fewer
TN-VPK participants were retained in kindergarten than non-participants,
and school attendance in first grade was better. Since comparable
studies show similar short-term results as well as benefits over the
much longer term, the study will follow TN-VPK participants as they
progress through school. At this point, the study's data reveal great
variation in teacher experience, time management, classroom environment,
and instructional interactions with students. When data are complete,
they can help identify characteristics of more effective classrooms and
offer guidance for program improvement. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u1xyuMFORA4zdUcmPAZiMD-UY-fUXctC6Ew2gRKL8tP7pEpsAKYEh6GmJup-X5LbiVdkdk-ZYnYWG5njlznUH1kc8BE07BA88Zk7IcxM4VHt-VzNu0QYprXeuvnnfCacL4HzEuFVOVcdEFGueeqXi45dznc1Rp529E-t2bsH2rEpvaQWn9lzY4SKbpuMOicENfjt81ka25iHudEtlcjJEe1jf78HKfnE6_gi3tvj2TtU0sBf0qk92h185eMh0mo1n_IPA8ayB4MlniMwOVY76O2U7cj4U9miTyV7dOMOQS3UurCfNzhsJSpcOV1Q1Kup">More</a>. <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=001u1xyuMFORA78iui6zzVri9Md9pmu4B3curtSr7MTQ63zvXDA4RbTCZ3wW8JhE0L2hecJtqr00-vORGUfAMHbzY6Fkr8fsWv8HfoG1xy0DQ_0dH3ZNEeWgyQ8I7WFneSU2CcbR7JuRgGHldMnfxcWjgqc_G0G1R09">Related.</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;">Does more time equal more learning?</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;">Hundreds of schools
nationwide are adding time to the school year, lengthening school days,
requiring Saturday classes, or shortening summer vacation, reports Sarah
Carr in The Hechinger Report. Nationally, schools adding hours or days
have jumped 53 percent since 2009, according to a 2012 report from the
National Center on Time & Learning. Schools have various reasons for
adding time. Some cite global competitiveness, pointing to the long day
and year at many Asian schools; others want to accommodate the
schedules of working families. Charter schools, whose teachers are not
usually unionized, have greater calendar and work-hour flexibility. The
most common reason is summer learning loss. Yet research is inconclusive
about whether more time in school equals more learning. A 2012
literature review by Child Trends found most schools that added time
showed academic growth, yet it was impossible to attribute improvement
directly to increased time in school. The report concluded that more
time will never compensate for bad teaching. There is also a question of
resources. For instance, in one charter in New Orleans -- the ReNEW
Cultural Arts Academy, which began the school year on July 22 --
additional time costs about $500,000 annually, which comes out of
various grants. <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=001u1xyuMFORA4XXZ2VeV7eIq83GGJlvY4qvEJRGTHu8D2JcQoBFd9NP6cPuaps7353rRmC1uT9gZ2Lxt23jbOvrQvifaM9LuSKMdKwnLgFF6m02rgyypfaPRljGEt_BdYT-SZLZ9Z9PwxILPhD0leiRpi3kO9NsgxLYf2g6hK3sQaiWP7alv74EDLtK3-VYRucPa2DYG9Zdgvb2brY-iTw6Wvx2Ohcw446h9uOMJQGCc0=">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;">Are states ready for CCSS?</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 report from the
Center on Education Policy finds that most states adopting the Common
Core State Standards (CCSS) are already teaching to them. These states
are preparing teachers and principals to implement the standards, but
state education agencies are struggling to secure adequate staffing and
resources for implementation and teacher training. In 30 of the states
responding to a survey, curricula aligned to the Common Core in math and
ELA are being taught in at least some grades and districts. Some states
are phasing in CCSS-aligned curricula by grade span, district, or both.
Several states (nine in math and 10 in ELA) will begin implementing
aligned curricula in 2013-14 or later. All 40 surveyed states are
providing some type of teacher professional development in the CCSS; 39
are training principals. Only 10 states estimate more than three-fourths
of teachers of math and ELA have received CCSS-related training.
Thirty-two states report challenges in developing educator evaluation
systems. Thirty-seven states are struggling with overall implementation,
including 31 states that find providing all math and ELA teachers with
professional development to be difficult. Most states report adequate
staff expertise to implement CCSS-related activities, but fewer have
enough staff and/or resources. <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=001u1xyuMFORA522VjfJI3LC-PXiBc9VKjw-afjSM6TzsoxrrTDQnjBVRm9oPK9llkXjixa-IdpX-BpDe7ihDhs-iBKZr-ABurcHHhNzKQ5-8mvBcVQ-BMssdMYeamOJ9UXVJALna5GwIkLRh1ci15aX21TNn_ayZZRVaohVLnjEzo=">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 vapid Mr. Damon</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;">Actor Matt Damon
recently disclosed he is sending his children to private schools,
despite his own vocal criticism of certain education reforms and his
allegedly staunch support for public education; this again raises the
question of whether it's hypocritical for education activists to make
choices they would deny others through public policy, writes Andrew
Rotherham in TIME Magazine. Public school activists quietly shipping
their own children off to private schools is an old story, Rotherham
says, and on the other side, supporters of school-choice plans often
tout schools as great options for low-income parents when they wouldn't
let their own children spend an hour there. Rotherham himself is a
public-school supporter and parent, but admits that if public schools
weren't working for his kids, he wouldn't hesitate to make a different
choice. Too bad not all parents are similarly empowered, he adds.
Rotherham can think of many practical reasons that make a private school
the best option for the Damons. Instead, Damon explained there were no
longer public schools progressive enough for his family, so private was
the only choice in their new home of Los Angeles. But Los Angeles
specifically has an abundance of educational choices (some of which
Damon opposes). And the crux of the matter is this: Los Angeles has many
schools propelling first-in-family students into and through
college. Research shows this to be the best thing we can do to increase
social mobility and reduce structural inequality in America. If these
schools aren't progressive, what is? <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u1xyuMFORA5UmbRiwBnLJ2H4W0_hif0ZI6nLdpqkXgpN23LIGCIKop-YDdDzMjdoe8w2hWiea9lJkkZe80x90w1DVCjUD8S-LmZpScaIkNUMUQR2aa36Bzdis7KKycNLEAcMQPEtpSdZzNBcwkfG7JKzvsG1tjN1mD81RaJd2axIKydoKeUmE-u-lhqAnL07YWpzxWuRLLP2lLlwIlQbsEhngWRguzR5xz1YrIGwjR4=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</span></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>CORE-rect</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">School districts in
eight California cities have been granted at least a one-year reprieve
from NCLB, a waiver otherwise given only to 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=001u1xyuMFORA4DfkMHXbaz4PKHK6Niz4FC1pPYlHnZb5yaRlN87xFHvZtFn1Q_gaVeKl74erdftsMKnXDOlFLHpryx2pv-luDOXfVQA1pWs6tq09t8okpCBTexQ2RtHE85xzUNZydTBDejYOLbgsTpGNiq97zKHi82j0JpRr8YDzojG1AJwiuKX3LmQggFrrc0fYf5H8JWpTD1rdE_0u7tMPFqC4NRH7VWkCRAmHGmxhA=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Appalling</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A federal class action
lawsuit filed by juvenile justice advocates alleges that Contra Costa
County Juvenile Hall officials kept teenagers with disabilities in
solitary confinement for up to 100 days and denied them special
education services that the county is legally required to provide. <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=001u1xyuMFORA6XbmVo1emFv31CX5sF_-OhxHhJqeMLBrr1_9nTktcmQaq8kmWHN3w7fGLUPHqv2b8TBCME9MfL5GJRG49PRnYMkwxE8R5tjyO4MQPU3v9agdReOFuVAZmT3cjM5aZC3QSL3kphJ_YY0InpZXudYEgvmnjKFruRmzPfM7QpiQPriG7pBLSlmsoPFmDcQceJC76UJ0LA1Dnua9B5Y-fLRRTAD4hbd0jcAiWte0_trZ2QhYKTdkw8DESNOXE15RNf7j2wV5a4BQxygIvvux5ev43lve3DluXACS0mvsXBzh3hqQ==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Windfall for Early Learning</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California has received an additional $22.4 million grant under the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge. <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=001u1xyuMFORA4djpvEcVNBaLr1uK4PVXEsWtK6SHFrkMckVMCvmvIqQ6lvGi7ZeXhY91Pk_PFhQfgKZeP_sB41oqbl7sa4apZcSg2mcrZbRSNY2Ffk_bjK8-c1yQ8uj3QLBAg3AP9FVL_Bt4OZzU-icA00c_RUzVTfOXgBSclyk9b6gBhrKuNmHOl6OzBx9kEb5SfJl64Ygo6_jBIowx_ggGepZjCDg4M3AMdjmqA6ZnoJuk-c2bNVpLiHGtwcaveLBg6h48ITsikRteBKscmcm0RaNGMTdkTT">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Is anyone surprised, though?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California education
officials have identified 242 schools statewide where students posted
standardized test-related images on social-networking sites -- 16 of
which included exam questions or answers that could be deemed as
cheating violations. <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=001u1xyuMFORA5hdN92ud9UuwPZBUzLtGMGssK-K_T782zUXZzPGbhSlE21DCR5vSOzx15a4Niy9X9kTrCk7s3WVzx65n_AK3C-NbaIWckUU1y2FQvk3sw7rE2dqDiso_RFP5wCPXQIzggOlvBM3JKrnKdfQDaibR1XiTodFzutN3hf9sG80gbGbBiIMJKC22gUPiMAd6NLl-y-S3YWoYE8lkU_wVEpBR338r-NNSBzdaOEMHPB1I2uaPsS8krQBUcbSNYt8zipZD-qa2uZfux7lb8hNWGEJt0rYA4enikHsFUpIOf9i4M166Zy5XLnOB8PM9pT7mGcQ4Yh6SJ0O9tTB5WvnTvD5YOiABcJFywO836sZmLZHthUKMAQ69O6p9AibTMXo-C9PJk=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Trending downward</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">For the first time in a
decade, California standardized test scores in English and math slipped,
flummoxing educators who blame budget cuts and new national learning
standards that have required curriculum changes. <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=001u1xyuMFORA7Zz0eYaKGYfkBYYuQRXp-Mvn7dS8h8E5jsRo0NCMumE5m4lS63F_9T3yRv9-fR9RR5l6Z279G90fRnrYClHCpGgggyyt5HrHgER9-Cj-nTYESrjqclWf_qeBWWSVRNQw591VJfUTFZuX3Uifyb6LJID2aP-mIk5JFRP2SI0Zx5Om1O42PGXFo0qubC__F4uGU=">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED </b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div>
<div style="color: #f04f23;"><strong>
<div><span style="font-size: 10pt;">C</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">oming clean</span></div>
</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Indiana's
current state schools superintendent has acknowledged manipulation in
the way Indiana's schools were graded, and this year's school ratings
will be delayed as a result of an independent review into the A-to-F
grading system. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u1xyuMFORA4yVBT1EU3TaMGZKoIRc8xGt4Wzu5yg31azPdNhhbxhz086J05dkKz6cJerSOOdO5_aZ_6imyVUWJBl-tpA4p0s7toWFiDM8N77hY3-CEWHlPHjzZwuCVMjZu_gYo1ds5khye9r2nw03yGASbcy_MaT8WPvnT6ZXuYCk_K4IszMogtJlP670DgwbUz0F7dMfMrwAy-AGthCdXrd0Ar1jFDGRlof8OMZrtM=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #f04f23;"><strong>To clarify</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">Pennsylvania will remain a member of PARCC and Smarter Balanced, but it will not use either consortium's assessments. <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=001u1xyuMFORA5PtAjEzK19ogXG4Q5noMb3-2EdGJKAtpR3IaHmT6kPSolIwH07cnhLup2qZLptOrGANVAOzfNlu4052779vzwRP0_8y2NLAyl7I75kzd_k-3wH5Uk3cbCJlZ16we7W0e0bWhW0kJIzGuhSkj3itNi0xpMzAQOVFBe3A9BnWCu7nDMvq5s9zhEJmFxtYZvsvItSydEGCBIQcg==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #f04f23;"><strong>A seat at the table</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">The
Wyoming Department of Education has announced its new status as a voting
member within the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. <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=001u1xyuMFORA4w0BX2mUjBS1pvHywgjsKDhB21n_VmOLaw_FffyL1bwX1fSvNCfLilhQnz9JxdTolKkykAHv0gjoQ8pHQokhEBax04UUnXMc9xi1pWsURy77ztnlUn5SuFjoNLfD4qeAE04we6Ifcl9SYO3zcb_BC1e7vk5SJPtgtv4T55jg0Ma0WXFM5uGZ4aXG1WTtbhLxyFTL_Ecj0dCJj0SUzeQXkTIzBASSP4RA2c0DUWB1fzZ0gkfdvMZXxP_QCk2LZZMLHF7tEkclw6EQ==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Gambit</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">When
the St. Paul, Minnesota teachers union continues contract talks later
this month, it will demand that by next spring, the district stop giving
students an assessment test required by the state and federal
government. <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=001u1xyuMFORA4tc2U-LK9g2ZANWx1kWBFlzZFLK6UpMDLEVa4vg3iXL9BEmF9Z46Z-sIuVeupz97wyaA8CAe9H3pkPFYfyPDKVWDsQhme2WZWPuXU3H7-IJpXydQp9bk0d9UYYwhHkueOIcvx-ftr2ez_BFasDFahSoJ8J4AILowp2j6ltsxwOfuUA2QPCr4V7ysqZMy4FpQjxQwkrnLuBBVPpS3_Dg6-faV1BJbvwep8=">More</a></div>
</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;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u1xyuMFORA7_3c05k0KqvcRGBNKi8Z7furYRIi72LfKjCh58m9OdtUX5eQz4Cm15hsUCRij1789z6BtR7-KoKdAHZpF4i02TUUs9wrH9SK3yiR31ikqbCdhwFe8MUZcXzRYxxLAKz_p9zD1MlBru9A==">Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times: I Love My Librarian Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Carnegie Corporation
of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award encourages library
users in the United States to recognize the accomplishments of
exceptional public, school, and college librarians. Maximum award:
$5,000 cash, a plaque, and $500 travel stipend to attend the awards
reception in New York hosted by The New York Times. Eligibility:
librarians with a master's degree from an ALA-accredited program in
library and information studies or a master's degree with a specialty in
school library media from an educational unit accredited by the
National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees
must be currently working in the U.S. in a public library, a library at
an accredited two- or four-year college or university, or at an
accredited K-12 school. Deadline: September 6, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u1xyuMFORA6sRJTjWy1BSu502jkNtSneTMvQFx10HYXORjdVexZTRZ7XRGsvkfQG5pOO5sOlu69SDtS7oWlVkWA1XxscmHj24Ptgmv4Kvu8lvBSD9zmRKLLfRjzXuJ4lEAmNLj2oS4PpqKDKy0E9Sg==">Kids in Need Foundation: Teacher Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Kids in Need Foundation
Teacher grants provide funds for classroom teachers with innovative,
worthy ideas. Projects may qualify for funding if they make creative use
of common teaching aids, approach curricula from an imaginative angle,
or tie nontraditional concepts together for the purpose of illustrating
commonalities. The program is designed to be the sole funding agent for a
project, and a budget must be included with the application. Maximum
award: $500. Eligibility: K-12 certified teachers working at a public,
private, charter, or parochial schools in the subject of the project.
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;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001u1xyuMFORA60xTCNoH10znLdKPnSCzI5NeXgfm8iWOyvh4RD8ZHJSbKj6SdyC0gf4kU43MOtFiURWaL0GjK9MpLCLOuXB-TBCDbfdiph07qVhzjVb5RzLjkT7GNd6LI0SQ2Y7ajgaFFexo7o0V8La__gac_OFixW_9v-KBJxRBmSBn56-VY5B-12F33-g-KQCOY_9KSIGGJrVoSFgkB46EOIKdrBUalG7bFgJOgFwqI9oUTmYO6BpFWdhGl6c9M_JIwYaAqe8n0=">GEF/Gardener's Supply Company: Green Thumb Challenge</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">GEF and Gardener's
Supply Company are calling on schools and youth groups to submit
chronicles of their garden projects. The award is designed to support
the continued sustainability of an exceptional youth garden program that
has demonstrated success and has impacted the lives of kids and their
community. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: Existing garden programs
involving children currently in grades K-12, from schools and youth
groups nationwide. Deadline: September 30, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</span></strong></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"It's difficult to turn
off the faucet of religion once it's there, whether it's in the shape of
the building or the people who are running it. If you are a person of
faith you say, 'I am religious 24/7.' It's just really hard to turn
religion off if you are as dedicated or as evangelical as many of these
groups are." -- <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=001u1xyuMFORA6BGdVlkn_1Sd1nlv3nVHeIiEqQXC3UaQQebjbpf2wxZPIRcR05ERYGqPxOYn7gAMh17Urf8o8tWZBme8I2gWWH7bS2J4hw5GnRSqBjDw_0c5RfjaKuB_SKTnf_4DXUvAEt7aS90Ge-W_zwUli3KedgSZF99SYWHb9xHvjshAd7O-_dgLKgnbEtS9Ex6RxeA8kQ4WizBYGBSB571lMe7zua2xFt1SKIMSFKt8EKHuaq3gBJ7XfbQdcC">Barry Lynn</a>, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, regarding charter schools in places of worship.</div>
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