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<div>August 27, 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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">College for all: idealistic or paternalistic?</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Who benefits from wider access to AP?</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">What parents think</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">What Americans think</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Or perhaps they think this</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">What charters aren't saying</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Meager vindication of the NOLA experiment</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Why states are dumping the CCSS</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK57">BRIEFLY NOTED</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/37996-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27512233&seq=0&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;">College for all: idealistic or paternalistic?</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;">At schools that have
embraced a college-for-all aspiration, mostly poor and minority students
are drilled in the humanities and sciences, which their mostly middle-
or upper-income, mostly white teachers hope will yield high scores on
the ACT, SAT, and AP exams and propel them to four-year colleges, writes
Sarah Carr in The Wilson Quarterly. The opposing camp -- pragmatic --
feels that in cities where many fail tests of basic skills, a purely
academic agenda is wrong-headed. Sending everyone to and through college
might be egalitarian in theory, but the means to this end are often
paternalistic, Carr says. And many technical education programs were
designed with classist, racist assumptions about low-income and minority
students and their capabilities. A recent influential report from the
Harvard Graduate School of Education stresses improving traditional
academic instruction, but argues that career training should be
significantly upgraded through field work, extensive employer
involvement, and enhanced hands-on (not classroom-based) learning. We
should stop treating academic and vocational education as curricular
silos, Carr says, but we should also stop viewing low-income, minority
children as "other." This notional otherness underpins simplistic
positions on both sides of the debate. "In the long run, social policies
and programs that deny the overwhelming power of individual agency are
destined to fail," in Carr's view. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVqvEkkiJpgd7qUfXBAM2XIa8UfoVVmSOHXW1lifbnNQFcJwuE518liM2-Y855GrecFdhQ7GnWKrcg09ZdMHPAbM6NNGRNFFVCxEFRDIUw9SHDuRy3MjNw8ro5TWgPFo8QBAsio-z2NTsadPmqWtatGeuI4S0pvsg6SUaZ3LN-bTow==" 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;">Who benefits from wider access to AP?</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 vast expansion of
Advanced Placement (AP) classes since 2006 to bright, low-income and
minority students has failed its promise, writes Liz Bowie for The
Baltimore Sun. Huge numbers of students have not progressed from
low-performing high schools to selective colleges with credits in hand.
Students poorly prepared in earlier grades have floundered in AP
classes, or been awarded As and Bs in coursework but failed AP exams.
Many arrive to college with AP on their transcripts but skills so low
they need remedial classes. A Baltimore Sun analysis showed that in 19
high schools in the Baltimore region, over half of students earning an A
or B in an AP class failed the test. For 2011-2012, 40 percent of
students failed the AP exam nationally, but 75 percent of
African-American students nationwide did so. Pass rates for whites and
Asians dwarf those of Latinos and low-income students. Through expanded
AP participation, the College Board has expanded profits, netting $720
million in 2011; AP and the PSAT account for half of this. Federal
officials sent Maryland $589,000 to subsidize AP exam fees for
low-income students in 2012. County governments spent another $451,700,
and principals pulled money from budgets for those who couldn't pay fees
but didn't qualify for aid. Yet most fees are paid by families.
Baltimore County School Superintendent Dallas Dance says the county must
prepare students in middle school for AP, and give those in high school
extra help. <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=001XqqYTdfCcVrHVpWGzV03EDZtR2u99GzmFavqFlaqAu97PxkMXvLlGEmFgLNDdTciS3c6wFBbFHUgAuBt5jFbFfW8RbU4KBEvYdo_5h-iajAK7QYXCpTBqZTlkFiF0F0l5fl1cmFSpXzy9ABO9NDEKdaQPG2AcEpByZr4wEV8ZW_YIf0d6oqCSuHfaJt9dnrO8xLi0A3qFFrhHj7ySXKQSO9o3xDtw3THxV41kRzZ0Fqhnb9Xcq9_grGXEcC-PGCuPVsEvez36KdsdhYw-iypDJeFosWgV0fa_Aa1imEV8NcUaWXZHq9D3oNq1JyoO521ARpmiJSb-pr2bmt8bkL3YybIn-6UyFfjJqWwVBWzBdI=">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;">What parents think</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 Associated
Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll of 1,025 parents of
children who completed grades K through 12 last school year finds 61
percent say their children are given the right number of standardized
tests, and three-quarters want student performance on statewide exams
used to evaluate teachers. Fifty-six percent said classroom observations
should also be part of evaluations, and 74 percent want districts to
help struggling teachers. Fifty-two percent of parents have heard little
or nothing about the Common Core, and a third are unsure if they live
in a state using them. Given a brief description of the standards, half
of parents say educational quality will improve once they are
implemented, 11 percent think it will worsen, and 27 percent expect no
effect. Seventy-five percent of parents say standardized tests are a
solid measure of their children's abilities, and 69 percent say such
exams are a good measure of a school's quality. Among parents who are
also teachers or share a household with a teacher, only 3 in 10 think
changes in student test scores should count in teacher evaluations.
Fifty-five percent of households with teachers said standardized test
scores in general should not be used in evaluations. <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=001XqqYTdfCcVrUBf19LxxlMeaLECkAgEMnufTa2AikLKOP2HRv4_cHFTBsa5NxrTyDLYyEn09lNKRIByJyNZ6sC3KtcWTLGCdWUw1NSMPEuRGThCQlMriH2ZGQtpuRf9ahjxZxDBVJVZQIX44d_Xp0UDbWqU0j2Dnllhbl5X09CjHlvyBQmskxcEpGblHqpOzrygZkquDnDMIhJuLEaTqabRPOo-SCdkmc6Syxwu9VVkgWA0dLqp0Li-c20VJbN6Wl7QKsnbGPBde7xujeMVdCbEK5uxGpzmZA6urh-knLDKnl19Z11aJyOfVpOPNAWD6nh_RAofo0zaXktDEZO7qlZSXFjh4WztrI">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;">What Americans think</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 seventh annual
Education Next poll finds two-thirds of Americans favor the Common Core
State Standards, similar to last year, and 13 percent oppose them,
double a year ago. Half of poll participants give local public schools a
letter grade of A or B; only a fifth say the same for public schools
nationally. For local private schools, three-fourths give an A or B.
Seventy-five percent of respondents feel local schools meet the needs of
more-talented students, but 45 percent think they fail less-talented
students. Of teachers, 77 percent think the highly talented are well
served; 66 percent think the less talented are. Sixty percent of general
respondents were in favor of state- or federally funded preschool; just
27 oppose. Among teachers, 73 percent support preschool, 22 percent
don't. Fifty-five percent of general respondents who were not informed
of current pay levels favor increasing teacher pay, down from 64
percent. Only 37 percent of those informed of teacher salaries favor
increases, same as in 2012. Support for performance pay remains at 49
percent; opposition has grown from 27 to 39 percent. Similarly, 27
percent oppose basing teacher tenure on student progress, double a year
ago, and 58 percent support it. Twenty-nine percent opposed universal
vouchers in 2012, 37 percent do now; 44 percent support them, close to
last year. Those without a definite opinion on charters dropped to 24
percent from 41, and support for charters shifted from 43 to 51 percent,
while opposition increased from 16 to 26 percent. Results are based on a
sample of 1,138 adults and oversamples of public school teachers,
parents of school-age children, African Americans, and Hispanics. <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=001XqqYTdfCcVofv8_b-uEPX_7o-B2aU9npkDBdWm1YhLwrFPVBLtAC7_n4dz5UWabxooEyMZvP2mjBQnmqrWlYQEMPy0QreMEMiQlkVFNBoBasBpBGBFHUWDOGJKc5hJMFvHCEDK3VBueq3gUm3qLdAIWs6APiMt0DngdK_r29r0ZazPcVe99mXj_qsNcB6Cm9ch3BPWUx6r2uMUk8iw5L1iEglzctfHT8LT0lbHuXPMCIfIQHQegpHXVqVW3CpziZoTRkEWehRiU=">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;">Or perhaps they think this</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 survey from
PDK/Gallup finds that in a reversal of public opinion, a majority of
Americans now oppose using student test scores to evaluate teachers, and
more believe that increased testing has hurt rather than helped public
schools, report Teresa Watanabe and Marina Villeneuve for The Los
Angeles Times. Nearly two-thirds of Americans polled also oppose the
public release of student test scores of individual teachers -- a shift
from two years ago, when a majority supported it. The poll found that 36
percent of respondents believe increased testing has hurt schools,
compared to 28 percent in 2007. Only 22 percent believed testing has
helped schools; the rest saw no difference. The survey also found that
58 percent opposed using student test scores in teacher evaluations, a
reversal from last year, when 52 percent favored it. Most respondents
have never heard of the Common Core. The poll found broad support for
charter schools, with a majority of respondents saying charters offer a
better education than traditional schools. But 70 percent opposed using
public dollars to pay for private school education -- the strongest
opposition to vouchers ever recorded in the survey. In the 45th annual
poll by PDK/Gallup, a nationally representative sample of 1,001 American
adults, including a sub-sample of parents, were interviewed. <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=001XqqYTdfCcVrxESQXKLWYLaEA7hreuWv-Zhgyt9wA6oRNuaTs3OdOE_VyqblmlRAr_RpcoWd95JbKjgejzVkhJXNmKBzSxoPXKkNc7aX-JFHdVMewc0i6GPfV0gunNaWj0C8MoZ5TQzpSQTFxNWkUtrS-lIHB4nTEuKpWZ28tPbMLFArDx-kGtdnjdkS1_3Cu6k4J1vai_JXZEFNXVnQFkw==">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;">What charters aren't saying</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 recent report from the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that 37 percent of
charter schools in 2010-11 left blank the field in which to record
number of English Language learner (ELL) students in their data
reporting to the federal government, writes Katie Ash for Education
Week. A blank field could indicate a charter had no ELL students, but
because the number of blanks for this field was so high nationally, the
GAO suspects non-reporting. One reason could be definitional: The field
for ELLs asked schools for number of students enrolled in
"English-language instruction educational programs," where "program" was
inadequately defined. The field for ELLs was not the only common blank
from charters: Some were also missing data on math and/or reading
scores, as well as graduation rates, suggesting a broader reporting
problem. The GAO recommends the U.S. Department of Education conduct a
systemic evaluation of data-reporting practices in charters to determine
the extent to which non-reporting occurs, and to explore its underlying
reasons. In response, the Education Department said it was compiling a
comprehensive directory of all charters in the United States; however,
the GAO believes "these efforts are not designed to provide a clear
picture of the extent of nor reasons for charter school non-reporting." <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=001XqqYTdfCcVqdFNRfkx9YYpgbIMrqYKTQo8_aekIsXDviViyDL9DpbWHlGuNtZcqXuRnp0dXZdy_5AmjH36I2DRiU22YPJINQ7_JgxFf2mlWSRAQy86ZRT0G8QSeC17B1hN-r43T2imNdBhVllA-Hepjwili0b4cYPQsSjGwekcKmHk1ZXuJstb-Y75b2o9RqwXBxzRygf9_sIOzmlWuJ46b3VSfGR5AH71ZetL24lihXlO5RExAP5WdfFidpaBRk">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;">Meager vindication of the NOLA experiment</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 review by the National
Education Policy Center of a recent follow-up report from the Center
for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University finds
it overstates the positive effect of charter schools in New Orleans
after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans experienced immediate and dramatic
shifts in school population after the storm, with a rapid decline from
68,000 to 32,000 students -- slowly restored to 42,000 by 2011. The
outward migration of students made for a much smaller proportion of poor
children. Additionally, funds were reduced for traditional public
schools, while funds for charters continued through federal, state, and
foundation sources. Drawing an appropriate comparison group and making
well-founded conclusions is problematic with such changes and
potentially strong selection effects, particularly when 78 percent of
New Orleans public school students are enrolled in charters. The study
itself also has weaknesses. Researchers insufficiently justify their
estimation of growth, expressed in a "days of learning" metric. They use
regression models that fail to address independence of observations and
absence of measurement error. These concerns aside, the charter effect
for New Orleans is unimpressive: Differences of 0.12 standard deviations
in reading and 0.14 in mathematics indicate that less than one half of
one percent of the variation in test scores is attributable to charter
attendance. <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=001XqqYTdfCcVo-OwUGzLfy-46EGYvdnQYzEuRqZL6ZT7GYK9sbCpB41_hnIiHbT-qhpnIj9Z688Kg2ORsPKRFsdQCDntupJTzvJTigOV8RR4BtBF7NGesfJjlXbvmv7fMcxKWmc2DpSHrQfM72jauoNF8lME2_LCLh">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;">Why states are dumping the CCSS</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span>In
an opinion piece in The Hechinger Report, Charles Chieppo and Jamie
Gass write that since Race to the Top money -- whose delivery was
contingent on Common Core adoption -- is now spent, states are belatedly
scrutinizing the standards -- and high-performing states can't like
what they see. These states had rigorous standards prior to the Common
Core, and the newer standards are a significant step downward. Compared
to Massachusetts's earlier standards, for instance, the Common Core
reduces classic literature, poetry, and drama in English classes by 60
percent, eliminating Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain,
and Edith Wharton. In math, the new standards delay progression to
Algebra I -- the gateway to higher math study -- by two years. In
contrast to other states, Massachusetts's eighth-graders tied for best
in the world in science in the 2007 Trends in International Math and
Science Study. And the standards pose a different problem for
lower-performing states. Transitioning to the standards will cost states
an estimated $16 billion over seven years, mainly through technology
upgrades, new textbooks and instructional materials, and teacher
training and support. These costs, or costs associated with the
consortia developing assessments tied to Common Core, have prompted a
number of states to drop out.</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVrVhj7qgAnkvGaKtKI9s47AFF4AIYiUhCsp_2KdDXZoOfcYDgujgfOtPC-i2lMqIu3FcHzSVV5eqWjIHKQ4VKuhRXyiI4aBtTwvuwR0ISFZZcqVqXA8oskNk4_RVsshcTp4nDo-XB-VRgPsH-uhSI2Jgq5VEl0x5R_wztFDkcj5PThZE8Mi76hz5UQJF8o3_NlnY805Hfl-6KDNhwJWzV16" shape="rect">More</a></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>Into the breach</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Days after the news that
federal Head Start programs in California will serve thousands fewer
children this year because of sequestration, the California Department
of Education announced that state preschool programs will serve
thousands more children. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVrJAfh0DM_iuxaS_nbZEFSFvtwLoA9-D4gwee4Z_rJ_CPt5Mv_kWIpKbvu79xcGC4eAgt92FpNkn3NEu0etIhBDr3O4SzussLD4OVEzgbliX853ENAJgoWW22APPVwc03rWFqm-VWcJfTaCu9Aw9z0D" 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 question of means</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Both LAUSD officials and
the teacher union agree that one-time state money for the transition to
the Common Core should be spent on teacher training, but they disagree
over how best to provide it. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVpeWEg4nllH5NDxLcXSEtlxwmyDITSuF6F0wojmfui1FWzkKUJ7Mb4RWHh3R66tE4HurllJsKte8Q2zJWjy-uQob9Jw5gr9BYjQx_61c5P3NewfBkO1pMYdODPKbsaDE7v30aHK1MTe2x20RlIdd2DV1GiXE3JAQQTrzV4nrs86C7vGdBeYamxIKPmfE0jySXn944w6pGdhQWU-D1RKiIcwKpuzS7cfblyO0SUt3ERGtvaenIAh7am907pB0WuG7BMwkdIbuX3xT27OsRlgK-2ZGHngLV56LE7LDG9nrnRpMA==" 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>Kudos</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">High Tech Los Angeles in
Lake Balboa has been named as the top charter high school in California
by the University of Southern California. <a style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVr_bYnJkUboe74Hiw1WapDnvdSEOwaijb2W3NyT8sBifO7r4nEdp1gVg0Awb3pwOwUMLYU6yI4-TSlkM9g9VeM-1Btw_HbAli9TlSts80oRKqUa_mO4V_x_wz1Txo_qBS1CRDUXnfIYGwBsdjPoUZpEAhFjiLw1uEWciEWJaOFAJ7OxSXec8RR6CPjfOajJ1oGnEIal_vYbws9hmjQcmdIM" shape="rect">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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Flameout</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">The
latest ACT scores show that the average composite score on the
college-entrance exam dropped to 20.9 among high school students in
2013, the lowest in eight years. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVojoI5HUoGC6qldx_y7Ie8HCyNbNmIZoGWLEtHlg1THw033WNuLs_T_ehsI0eTXrOqLk2WpFPo3HC2_7yStrtdhmBJLaCWNX3VAD7JWxrYgBwPoLOEVwZ2tvque_zChqswLzsR0Hl6J6gFvj8nxCBmuSB_2jTts1XsU8JetUq5I5GVG0VcOqWw6IsHujTNLn0MFWlULNtVPW_CAICzam4xuIRWF7Bg1wXDfx2BAha76XSp_LY5aWRKGKvTkfAlqN5Wx0NGPjIBZ-fOglVZUQ2WC" shape="rect">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>Buttoning up</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">Many schools are opening their doors this semester with an option less controversial than arming teachers: panic buttons. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVpsda4YH7oNwp5t5va7RAxRrMhVEnDmq1egR_USfESbz2E0l30qkNKMa5pYx5vz-oNTwOM9-NBOYljMayAYxnUsOMlzwuq__6W8VfdoqyH6p8cxrxjkpsiJOlr5-YFLIYcwYMYkGmd4Ms5tmwkbGno5gf_U3Bgsmorgd_1cBxJdVmBOA4RFmIJe3OD47TQxf1sGZcjEzsl8e4Xs4_EJtfvt" shape="rect">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>Responsive</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">The
2013-14 version of New York City Public Schools' annually updated
discipline guidelines include new rules to encourage the use of
counseling, reduce bullying, and protect students with special needs. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVqZ8kib71wTNv5z7rtsC-XXVi9Ic9AE7bh3_ZlfXMXYM45CXm3xMCqf8ie_f0EDuBHwkuA5CjudeivdIBdjG2r_NAcA3M9gkFFN0QWeuyC-MWEwann1VIf7vL9TokJ664uIgrsfJsyiOjuLRPQ30AYkgYAbgbVCX3_fBCyiuvlbrhYurnMHDscf3KDffhDflyJJgI9Ew3zWmWb_EIQbM81o6JE6-R_nx8Db_2xp_5Pmt1nQJJpOT1DqJ70CN8bAbh0VPgFoEJryUQ==" shape="rect">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>Seizing momentum</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">Having
taken simultaneous control of both chambers of the legislature and the
governorship for the first time in 140 years, North Carolina Republicans
have moved aggressively on K-12 policy this year, with swift action on
school choice and teacher policy. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVonezyrXY1PLdFhWDdBvt6fphRZSIlixqQVv54HJoxA06m38GovQMsYvPB0tXfQQXYjIamnJ6S3T16WqNWHkNjDgzhiCZ_afINjLNYwuE8uStwsC69HHCAL7odpw1WqPumrGEN9j0krbGSe0UbQS3Y-2u3J2WZZ6muNi5p-NC3PkpPKQV9xfYSBN7RlXT72fYHWocfX0QbyXg-Hyv7-8O55SNfoXj9yTYU9RMrVljjpv5azp3rx30AO4AMJoEreGHM3AcaBJyzS9aAghYTCRBSM0WqwE35IYO4=" shape="rect">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>So what's the point?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">At
least 342 public school districts and charter schools have notified the
Ohio Department of Education that they are not prepared for Ohio's new
third-grade reading guarantee, which takes effect this year. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVr6xApjoiyO1F9WjPbU1oBx9sMTyUPNaxM4aA6fPBV7fcLfm8lS5JVld_WOcfs0_YvYG4Kix9KYUcrmQqXqSiTDvyKbiuJbfNBOClTHr6A3BekAapsbGvR2lkxcqsL9Sc97Vq9BWXO2BwcbHPXG3i-OoElWMfN0nRjDgoDb41ky2TSkzG6p4Kjc_xRtF75K6SjOe2A5Y3Ty4w5OgPm9iryFGvOwvCmxCkMDkHGT9lhS2haxZ50ATj7IE3Il1ata8ZRnVKES9DMOuyQjbruD6TfL" shape="rect">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>Triage</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">The
Missouri State Board of Education has approved plans for increased
oversight of failing schools, while praising recent efforts to transfer
students out of unaccredited districts. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVq7f8oYYYb_HgQI_4PdZCnqz4UTvncHxp1QuXCCqNu5UZCpUhcCvu2CmWDi39lVe2XcnTsz7-LyvM0mJHEBf8TVglkxTk736axopxB_tYjkjkLWbOwb0a9D-xGaF6EcxuRc5CTSLJyiNQEd9M7_UPcp8mwrD12KSqVCFGZWNUIuo1hOCgF_1YJSvyPamVFwkIx8baKjgxlYOKL0mFuHQ5QeJjsGs-hB2ZFKOv9iR02ceMeSsNPGq-a6t8HWBnHLOHP-GuAFE_SgFrPqdN0meuJDJ8xVZOvPjhmffTCMn-_ssag7rEFkSoPV0qprB_by0LG39rxX4_S0yg==" shape="rect">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>Not to be left out</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">The
Maine Equal Rights Center has announced it will launch a citizens'
petition campaign to repeal Maine's use of the Common Core State
Standards. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVpGo_MC-faLe_vOIb9MMqPtzyKRacG87cUilQ2-oBOLsw6OJKStDOv51-iVs3ZDwWWXQAsyxIkxaOGc931kAPIh3MwudFIhxbe90vr5XetfgTnceqWks-0NgqcKQ9vG98WfUC_wWp14rYuz52_4MpJHLxwRC0HxkxivUMjhBP_Wzddt5d8C5XzxOMnENL89HRRcOYBcv4ZWgT3IM5UfdhQOTddjDKH3wPe2zxVFTeM8lWK7ksOUBVegpU5_Ude_3tw=" shape="rect">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>Sic transit commerce</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">The
private tutoring industry, which has flourished under the No Child Left
Behind Act, has been hit hard by federal waivers that have eased key
provisions of the law. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVpO4wPF8taYFBptWrUNw6ExT-gx6Zjr2s0F1UMqM0YBLwk6ijddxh-MT_bgkdYBa5DjrciIJWKr8240bI5cqqjLc6iHXw2tggpR1sx4_SGXt-nu8qPaRSdWhCF7T_Vff54J-N6x0Sqf-d2htPBdEv5uFu8JmVQdaJ0W4-wJCs0X_DDbx1g4qqjiOtctpdStKvp5AVfQ5ZIxXlqM7yuXINsMAbeg52CKzc_LmwH7aeVnoUXk_qwZ1DEWxsMM9jCp9WLW662csbwkvA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Bringing up the rear</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 10pt;">The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it is granting a waiver from NCLB to Pennsylvania. <a style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVrVD9pfvXuj4rpO6nXtwarV3QPqbhBJQwjpwWGcPESAh95U4qSabLXZPptNonDbRX8D51UCCBdvwbuBe7XeLMbuRDAVFhUTnjWRXL470D_wQfJ8xNLDerBndXm31ft625FlNLnN6I0F2u9QlHFKrFK00FnaR9aNizp97uEZUV8ZPYEaft_i-St4NiEzNn8Gsf5iRpGDAv9oZ6QtWevxEqwEMQslhrMyjjSITkESTgbpBGuY6iPt64U4GBhRyOsHP8p0DaXeG4SALtPluHiNVD-39v4kEnqo0iKVxANq8AvXYWA9ERM0v6pPoWU7quW-f-8=" 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=001XqqYTdfCcVqnDTWi1UGxB9AWE4Lf3UG_kqbfQIAuRqbHyE4uHeYcE18mpdpATJt_qKpqDPZlqWuME69otUbhSjz0ceC-t6Yi37redw3ItU45BuEE25YayegaeffqUyKqMxBda5d7yqKRwwRXOOO9-n7rowv6CdlsnPBmsL0RhDsuQKclzoEdfA==" shape="rect">NEA Foundation: Learning & Leadership Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">NEA Foundation Learning
& Leadership Grants support public school teachers, public education
support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions
of higher education for one of two purposes: Grants to individuals fund
participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such
as summer institutes or action research; grants to groups fund
collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study,
or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment.
Maximum award: $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in
collegial study. Eligibility: public school teachers grades K-12; public
school education support professionals; or faculty and staff at public
higher education institutions. Deadline: October 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=001XqqYTdfCcVrA7YTHkpWsGC7aB86YiuOhxy5B8g9MJbYuWVj09MapclQiMGzfylZ-ugLvmlaeh_6jDCzaDtymijuY8VSAtNwZJWQAyPB8j3A_yHuIt1skXgHu4xIY4RtCj5LaBZexGL6qxZe9eIooZuiyxflbXlFchncdN0ARjRtCKabX_Ut33A==" shape="rect">NEA Foundation: Student Achievement Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The NEA Foundation
Student Achievement Grants provide funds to improve the academic
achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and
problem-solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter.
The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed
learning, and critical reflection. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility:
practicing U.S. public school teachers, public school education support
professionals, or faculty or staff at public higher education
institutions. Deadline: October 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=001XqqYTdfCcVqUtl69GXUNFU33ifpstO3UIgdR19NgR4-iw8PfytMB8iv33P3pWzXdCDKDmz1vWVEt8sfTtZKE7tVNGemgUIVqsHR6AfVtnsML0j6e7S7RTVO8A23s-T94kOXzCiLb_UMduL8_Kkyn3tESA8F_Q5iY9oTrAqYFa9c=" shape="rect">AGI: Mapping My Community</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The American Geological
Institute is sponsoring a photography contest to celebrate Earth Science
Week 2013. The photography theme for this year is "A World of Change in
My Community." Maximum award: $300, a copy of AGI's <em>Faces of Earth</em>
DVD, and winner's photograph on the Earth Science Week Website.
Eligibility: interested residents of the United States of any age.
Deadline: October 18, 2013.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"Where before we might
have been more concerned about the child's holistic development, and
allowing them to move with their natural developmental process, now
would we start teaching to the test?" -- <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001XqqYTdfCcVq82lBmm8xqu74S28nV2H8j_zBgsR2ju0_e-LGclRCEPYookacp2lVQVP29hhFLSGVqnNPwUIxCM_kLn37Mp4aiIKctavpJYm3kAhBU697R-pKGlKQgShJxudI6Rsp5Lhai7zMrST4b_j71GsDqEcsTdJu6RH4QJ1Q4oCIyYnys1byG4vlh5ifV1fnzyvLW84eN9J1k44Qf2k2YjJSbD14E_0c2PslZOWHKEIcxhY6baXY6QmOq_Vd07k2zctlZyEUO2RzRm3gy72bCbsqyuY9ld7aqflPU1yre9zYCrM0axaSQ2ykjHRm7TnAOIe5NuupUdVrqpBjOv1S_AEMXFdpm0yVtb9GjzWo=" shape="rect">Ayize Sabater</a>,
chief executive of Shining Stars Montessori Academy in D.C., regarding a
proposal by the city's public charter school board to rank preschools
based largely on how children as young as 3 are performing on reading
and math tests.</div>
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