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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>

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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.BLOCK45">NYS charters take a dive</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.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>

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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.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="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Syracuse: Busy Saying Yes</div>

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<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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">NYS charters take a dive</div>

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<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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Lousy grades for the A-to-F model</div>

</b></span></div>

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<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>

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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Florida's racial expectations</div>

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<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>

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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Pre-K in Tennessee</div>

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<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>

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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Does more time equal more learning?</div>

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<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>

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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Are states ready for CCSS?</div>

</b></span></div>

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<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>

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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The vapid Mr. Damon</div>

</b></span></div>

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<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>

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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>

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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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>

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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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>

<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>


<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>


<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=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>


<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>


<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=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>


<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>


<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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