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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>

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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.BLOCK45">Who benefits from wider access to AP?</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.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>

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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.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>

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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.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>

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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.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>

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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">College for all: idealistic or paternalistic?</div>

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

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<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>

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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;">Who benefits from wider access to AP?</div>

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

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<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>

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

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

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<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>

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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>
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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>

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<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>

</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK57"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK57" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:25px 25px 0px 25px;font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(240, 79, 35);" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">

<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED </b></div>

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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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>


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<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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