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<div>September 4, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<tbody><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">50 years later, what bars social mobility</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Our middle-skills gap</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Actually, small high schools work</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Teaching as a short-term stint</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Rolling back SPED allowances</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Trouble in waiverland</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">More trouble in waiverland</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Steeling themselves for the CCSS</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38023-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27515761&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;">50 years later, what bars social mobility</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 resources that the
affluent devote to their children are driving a gap between the academic
outcomes of well-to-do children and everyone else, writes Sarah Garland
in The Atlantic Monthly. That widening divide means kids born poor and
kids born rich are increasingly likely to stay that way. When Martin
Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech a half-century ago,
blacks lagged whites in school by more than three years. At the time,
those in the 10th percentile of income lagged affluent children by a
year. Fifty years on, social class is the chief determiner of
opportunity in America. The country is far from fulfilling King's dream
that race no longer limit opportunity, but parental income is more and
more significant. According to a 2011 study from Stanford, the
test-score gap between children of the poor (10th percentile of income)
and children of the wealthy (90th percentile) has expanded by 40 percent
and is 50 percent larger than the black-white achievement gap -- a
reversal of 50 years ago. Middle-class children are also losing ground.
The test-score gap between middle-income (50th percentile) and poor
children has stayed steady; the gap between affluent kids and
middle-class kids is expanding. And though more poor and middle-income
children are completing college, this is outstripped by the growth in
college graduates among the wealthiest. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001hudSMGyVQnSRc4xkjYSSNjOPfqvv98tIfioVU_T_8qL7ijUdER7QzbwXs4KUPTdwVUMxDzpEedlKum23WpXLbcWyAnMl1w53BTUZqJJqAEqxgD0SQ5IMUl9cdEnUm_1pID6jyIqfd6xs98xJIsvdMKcVZZ53F-iczgTL0TOeykS-fai6-FCiU-9hxfSALOlNOt3lsNLiMA2imKv4oS4m7JX37gncYTCsrJWVjjPpT2QK5-X1UXn9u5lRdi8t5d9KjYgCxRsflnU=" 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;">Our middle-skills gap</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">President Obama's
near-exclusive focus on college leaves little room for apprenticeships
and other pathways to rewarding careers, write Robert Lerman and
Nicholas Wyman in a post on the PBS NewsHour website. Two out of every
five young adults have no job, yet there is a shortage of machinists,
computer numerical controllers, electricians, welders, healthcare
technicians, and dozens of other middle-skill professions. The
middle-skills gap stems from a general neglect of vocational education.
However, some are addressing these problems: In New York City, 'P-Tech'
school, a collaboration of IBM, the City's Education Department, and
CUNY, offers a STEM-oriented, grades 9-to-14 curriculum with work-based
learning that leads to a high school diploma and associate's degree. And
in South Carolina, educators, employers, and the state government are
collaborating to expand high school career and technical education,
support a first-rate system of state technical colleges, and increase
apprenticeships. In Pickens County in Appalachia, youth train for
careers in grammar school, where they get hands-on experience with STEM
concepts and problem-solving. This continues at the Career &
Technical Center, where high school students access industry-experienced
teachers and machine tools, computers, robotic systems, and other
equipment. Local CEOs work with the superintendent on issues facing the
local economy, and company managers and technicians regularly visit
classrooms where they work with teachers and promising students. Since
its 2007 launch, the program has increased apprenticeships in South
Carolina sixfold. Its cost is a $1,000-per-apprentice-per-year state tax
credit -- cheap, relative to the return to the state economy and income
and sales taxes that 9,000 skilled people will pay over their working
lives. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001hudSMGyVQnRj6Ti2qY_oJtgjKQO0gCmCPAF8-_wbni2yPU3WFJDP0SQqRgGufNaj1NcAkBUY3zmIMmjduFiXOpT0unBr7FJCYf864PapLJ0y-ohAw3fV746JyHo8ZdewxYPu10ynnEEZrlaGZBO69LfMG5dC6frCKmteiVoNtjbFRtCqY7inpUIoyq4brM1GN4qr5-gatriLbkn06txHHg==" 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;">Actually, small high schools work</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;">New findings from a
multi-year study by MDRC show that small high schools in New York City,
which serve mostly disadvantaged students of color, continue to produce
sustained positive effects, raising graduation rates by 9.5 percentage
points -- nearly 10 more graduates for every 100 entering ninth-grade
students. These effects are seen in virtually every subgroup, including
male and female students of color, students with below-grade-level
eighth-grade proficiency in math and reading, and low-income students.
In addition, there is evidence that small high schools may increase
graduation rates for two new subgroups for which findings were
previously unavailable: special education students and English language
learners. The schools also raise by 6.8 percentage points the proportion
of students scoring 75 or more on the English Regents exam, a critical
measure of college readiness used by the City University of New
York. Two prior reports by MDRC in 2010 and 2012 showed marked increases
in progress toward graduation and in graduation rates for cohorts of
students who entered these small high schools in 2005 and 2006. This
report updates those findings with results from a third cohort, who
entered ninth grade in fall of 2007. For the first time, it also
includes a look inside these schools through the eyes of principals and
teachers, as reported in interviews and focus groups. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001hudSMGyVQnQIutUphyoJ4HW0Ke58A8siLhHlbJVnV9HHDa5eQBqBHwpBjBp2BE1wVP-Dwnj9BTq75_PhGq5PfV5Rv3Jc6L6-3kZbvfXHyBk1XWEMZVJTZu_U8Ik1K268HYP8jzFPzs4v-7S10NFihfu7QIktsCkM" shape="rect">More</a></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;">Teaching as a short-term stint</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;">Charter networks are
developing a youth cult of teaching for two to five years, writes Motoko
Rich in The New York Times. Teachers in traditional public schools have
an average of 14 years' experience, and policymakers have long
prioritized a reduction in teacher turnover, but charters are redefining
the arc of a teaching career. Studies show that on average, teacher
turnover diminishes student achievement. Some feel programs like Teach
for America fill a need in the short run, but training and working
environments must be improved so teachers invest in long careers. Many
argue that charters are driving teachers away with longer hours and
school years, and higher workplace demands. They also say schools and
students need stability, and a system of serial short-timers is not
replicable across districts nationwide. Charter leaders say they sustain
rapid turnover in teaching staff because they prepare recruits and
coach them as they progress. Given the increase in applicants who do not
anticipate a life in teaching, districts are beginning to reward
teachers for shorter trajectories: In D.C., Public Schools Chancellor
Kaya Henderson said high-performing teachers could be paid $80,000 by
their third year of teaching. Charter leaders say similar pay structures
could persuade their best teachers to stay longer, given that some
leave sooner because the pay 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=001hudSMGyVQnT6CvpDIqDlb68S4cPEf9KzCFyahStTYwCTCwoBwzoSzGNzVmA-N2tiLdDUJnw9nYG3jR1xeBGJXG-YMfELaRhAmteW1qEHG7JXkFSD7koWeb1TwmZYUJIXpXoZBr-vAYEwaJrnPyhTCk5Qv0HBAY87s-k9qZ4Dyk-0OdGUPuYe0dO08Wjnl-xLl_YA0lmowuJ1DW9UKq96ClT6YG_BDrg3GHU0AhHr_R9-G-3BqK-OPg==">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;">Rolling back SPED allowances</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;">Since President Barack
Obama came into office, his administration has upheld and advanced
policies that increased the stakes of standardized testing, arguing that
student progress trumps other concerns, writes Joy Resmovits for The
Huffington Post. A 2003 NCLB regulation allowed states to use "alternate
achievement standards" for up to 1 percent of students with the most
challenging cognitive disabilities. In 2007, the Education Department
(ED) tweaked the law to allow 2 percent of students per state to learn a
curriculum based on "modified" objectives to be measured on an aligned
test. Since then, a consortium representing special education students,
including organizations such as the Easter Seals and the National Center
for Learning Disabilities, have pushed to end the allowance. The Obama
administration has now posted a proposal to roll it back, with states
already administering alternate tests to use them for the last time this
school year. The administration can act on its own accord, and is
gathering feedback from the public until October 7 before making a final
decision. States could still count 1 percent of kids, those with the
most severe disabilities, as proficient on alternate assessments, even
under the new regulations. The National Education Association, the
nation's largest teachers union, plans to submit public comments in
opposition to the proposal. <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=001hudSMGyVQnRP6t55Fl3l00PfXdjfLoVBJgiPPZCORi7WqVExFbyIVtN7JNaE5RXoG4bMWFSh9Ydz4S9KyAL1Q2hHkEwjzXwMmv2hFLjl64nPR-FqAPIGNUClQDqpitBNgW_bSuqAinYDjvxXEQO8RzpLu6aN6zfCqOCUhifLo_e4d1L5Wbg7iya1OlEg4gOj-p6nXqyLbhoS7v3t_aaFsQ==">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;">Trouble in waiverland</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 Campaign for High
School Equity (CHSE) has released a report that seriously questions
accountability plans under NCLB waivers, specifically whether use of
"super subgroups" will result in fewer students of color receiving the
supports and interventions they need. The waivers allow 41 states and
the District of Columbia to create accountability systems that support
only 15 percent of schools within a state, with 85 percent of schools
receiving little help. Far fewer schools are being identified as
Priority or Focus Schools under waivers: Specifically, 22 states
identified fewer Title I schools and/or fewer schools overall, with some
states like Missouri and Ohio identifying more than 400 fewer schools.
In New Mexico, approximately 317 fewer schools were identified; and in
the District of Columbia, 98 fewer. In 11 states with waivers, schools
pegged for intervention dropped by more than 100. While some reasonably
argue that current law over-identifies low-performing schools, the vast
discrepancy in number of schools identified is troubling. CHSE urges the
U.S. Department of Education (ED) to ensure that low achievement and
graduation rates among African-American students, Asian and Pacific
Islander students, English language learners, students with
disabilities, Native students, Latino students, and economically
disadvantaged students will each trigger clear interventions. ED should
also strengthen requirements for states to focus on narrowing
achievement gaps by maintaining its policy on reporting student
achievement, but strengthening its policy on accountability for student
subgroups. <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=001hudSMGyVQnRovnuOhYNAMfsrDw6Tw56zlB7neblBHlBMYuAzWugsuaHoMUrvtxu-HAVq3iWbVdv2RbTvzH7dz8Ew1d124YsVxujv9hzQdZMh7PJkrYHJP0WQ0VFDPWbdvCzo6hwkxXLTzyCgprpfPpn3x1OF1_ro2MT4ffiEwzs=">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;">More trouble in waiverland</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In light of the U.S.
Department of Education's (ED) placing three states on "high-risk
status" for problems with NCLB waivers, sweeping flexibility in school
accountability is clearly fraught with pitfalls, writes Michele McNeil
in Education Week. Tying teacher evaluations to student growth has been
one problem, but federal officials are also concerned about other
issues: how states like Arizona, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will
promote significant improvement in lowest-performing "priority" schools
that haven't received School Improvement Grants; how states like
Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah are intervening in schools with poor
progress from specific student subgroups; and whether Florida,
Louisiana, and South Dakota are measuring graduation rates in a
meaningful way. Most waivers expire at the end of 2013-14, and ED will
issue guidance about the renewal process. To that end, the department is
conducting two levels of monitoring. The first level involves 90-minute
phone calls with each state, and follow-up reports posted on the
department's website. In the next level, federal officials will conduct
site visits in each state for in-depth interviews about waiver
implementation. States with greater problem areas and larger Title I
grants (usually because of student-enrollment size) have priority.
Federal officials have piloted on-site monitoring already with Louisiana
and Colorado, which got waivers last year. <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=001hudSMGyVQnR5NXY8sNPHB1KqINHkOzEgwU6gQnKJ3Bgfi9llkkNX1-vV6AFfq6jZifhPKFdsIWCkHTVoLWZh3yrxAb7hTppA98nT0weT1xxaavtmnSC13AkjGmzW2lW9I41_7Ei9PSuBVCbF2p7m-mlEAGWUYkVjfUN2Jqo0gtyvDD3i4cFNfpZ-mC16LcJOMN0MY5fk5wJtPiKSFiPMdRImyxZDJaoEOoz5hHUKerDY_50338KrWbUfWRdRYxNG_juOaxH3cnPdW0kX60q4gEgKKzcDrUMw">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; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b><span>Steeling themselves for the CCSS</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from the
Center on Education Policy finds that 27 states have already taken steps
to assess student mastery of the Common Core (CCSS) by modifying state
tests, or will do so before consortia-developed assessments are ready in
2014-2015. Officials in 30 states expect assessments developed by the
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium to better measure
higher-order analytical and performance skills than current tests.
Twenty-seven states in the consortia say the new assessments will drive
instruction in positive ways, and a majority of states view the
consortia assessments as an improvement over state tests in math (26
states) and in English language arts (25). Still, 17 survey states are
considering using other CCSS-aligned assessments in addition to or
instead of consortia tests, including three states that belong to
neither consortia and 14 that were members of one or both at the time of
survey. Anticipating lower passing rates on tests aligned to the CCSS,
19 states are working with districts to offer extra assistance and
remediation for students who fail the exams. Many states report
prospective challenges in administering CCSS-aligned assessments,
including in developing, adopting, and implementing new or revised
tests; providing technology and related support to administer online
consortia-developed assessments; and ensuring state education agencies
have sufficient staffing, expertise, and funding to implement a
CCSS-aligned testing system. <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=001hudSMGyVQnR1kvXVsInMyI6irUAu8B6SBbdq89WucohHA5YTXFg7EJ6EidPuno7fdusvxz_Gv9s7I3Vg0airxulYwUP9IvJmVEVhL9e4gW7CvuRuGq2Vs7N2868_Rp-yFiOYFDndgncNkANZmOf9dDkBZEkzffyF-5KM7BY7-2Q=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>More time can't hurt</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A measure signed by Gov.
Jerry Brown will let aspiring teachers pursue an additional year of
training, extending the maximum length of graduate teaching programs to
two years. <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=001hudSMGyVQnTIzVysXTf6_LGT3ADSzGKcpqde2cZWhYF3EYiK5k8lFHxHxy0XylRxyTq7V1pw4n-5KqmGsusJX2D8dq8q0IbNhnZN5f7E86_CUXP3zntir0nukpct_amQ8G2OVk0D6z9TprNJZwTaUPAxfrpyCa6qMgK6jvodkQ1vwChdqFyNOH2HSMY0NtxCSACmIjQGmga3mynuc1RTa4bXBljCxhX5">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Now, to implement it</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">After years of meetings, a new plan to improve and expand early childhood education programs in California has been published. <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=001hudSMGyVQnRanxhdpG9v48j3yn47rCGHPL2DUJRaAs6q24TB1gzWay0WrkdkKBVfJrSRd7UVamRtSHqrQV6sN_aCDhyllJeeGmjhMgv8O7xYj4e70EbFBRjCo0Lkq0WToFoEvQq7OsooDM5HpNyPKacOspnWWQrRvytJ3jarXyJD-ETBn8S44OD0evO__6eqAZkSY1msjToilbZ7UaBKwMaJ8MU4edf7peqb4F1MFAfjFYa2VC32iQ==">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED </b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>That should help our PISA scores</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Chinese officials hope
to rein in teachers who assign too much homework, as the country's
Ministry of Education consider new rules that ban schools from requiring
students to complete written tasks at home. <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=001hudSMGyVQnQ350BrDJ9efdzw9SWI4VGt89wVVXEKpFy85vBZntJdRXRxc5eXtXo-eMJlt3RtlUDDY7XmEHASwJU8w6stN6c_bP47vnnw5CnQDF_ml20McFGOCD5sxenAeNCws46yYIBABP_ymJkAnRXiTCTOd3eomJdFuDtexAlwZws2N1z7jEAaYL68Zsitg-8VhLJ2a-B_JFBYWJhZ2LE2_l1epWc1oR_antHdrp7W3d0FgoqYW-ysNS1U43dZ16u90eIN0vJGaO6NH51TD4tf8CItLHQ8">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Excellent news</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The W.K. Kellogg
Foundation plans to invest $5 million to enhance and develop family
engagement efforts to support the education of children from birth to
age 8 living in low-income and/or minority communities. <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=001hudSMGyVQnRJPn2PNOvhWtwJJV0BwQ6xTFwoPLqTc3IrbkbLlRXZEAl3I5eeo7kMgVnRkzAlDjRf_lbc4rVev5gSVTkhvQIwKhjhCM49lDijd6ruqNaSKlatWomQyjXJzuAGJTwB5CIA1ByZYqiwBfTnX6bjWGwWai1VacRdqlsb60qYIO7gAU_b9Omw6ebQlYiO4LitoTpI3uS0GjuG5zFtvG1MrRAQ3HiJ8UC8-SjcklSIlBcVwZ_r9c4iGtlv_rqOi7877ZQ=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Change is painful</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">After just one year,
some schools around the country are dropping out of the healthier new
federal lunch program, complaining that so many students turned up their
noses at meals packed with whole grains, fruits and vegetables that the
cafeterias were losing money. <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=001hudSMGyVQnQE_3oDJTOH2ZE-ON-AApntw7T95LzlYMzYjT4dMBbKGS2vBl0fzJKnLZTH5YL8Kdfu-oMo1RIgFq6Urgf6ENkAwffSpOrxIcNXjiW4XxKOAl7AI1UIMrGTVML3oefim9EnvlwxktLPCrX9jd1jAldVaJBrRCDhyTFlrxjdHfuQ4bZRt3X4-s5Ca199vlm-Ep_G3Ay_xScLcp5ncoiFm76BAujLcfUxvDAtq_6eNAG1U4hIDdXV9Fw7di24OH2MDd8=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Part of the solution</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A government survey has
found 44% of school districts banned junk food from vending machines
last year, up from 30% in 2006, including a drop in how many districts
took a cut of soft drink sales, received donations from soda companies,
or allowed soda-company advertising. <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=001hudSMGyVQnSEdzhbeFrmo7jSmY2pFGUcnmrEAyTCycyv6EOFravEMbN8dtOlnmnw7JfVywA89K4Cer7wWmo9Fh4JsxVl0Zk4UC26NWrq3helLKmIYup-LIcraf00S_OXXA1unCgJBEPJSuJkL5nDc6wpmaVC5BS6UKqOHO2od8mG0kuxHyrf86PeUZ5hB7K6Q7r8jqvZMz04VJzR9YK2125tNrLqM6ZADtmrorzHdv4=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Sobering</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from Share
Our Strength finds that public school teachers spend $37 a month of
their own money buying food for hungry students, on average, based on an
"on-the-ground view of hunger" from 1,200 teachers and principals of
kindergarten through eighth grade. <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=001hudSMGyVQnT-7ksfBdMfL7uF1FnoWpyiE0a-CYdAcHXBPv0TeD7OHPH_s1UyEB4m53F19ioBsVegOItBfDEgy0MAIrr_eAhZsZbHiNrRcsCs-TKoz6FJrd4tsA5Brvt27KIORsUW3AaGrVa5WLPaCE-xeH__VN7pBAVC9KGkX_gxXSxyve7IugT-naSG2MgQe3pn7gLIXwg=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Those bonuses in Newark</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">One hundred ninety
Newark public-school teachers have learned they'll be getting bonuses in
a merit-pay program funded by Mark Zuckerberg's foundation; only 3,200
teachers were eligible to begin with, and even fewer -- 11 teachers --
qualified for the full bonus amount of $12,500. <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=001hudSMGyVQnR_pB4oBnW7Xo25OhHHp84izSihN2Yrt-XoOy7j0p5QHLF-xzPqbVScX3lB-lzQppSwWNsn-BxKLiCv1PiKRgEtXmtGA3SYb8qSHeHnWGA1Qll4zJ-WXf2I6ZFR4lE2YK4_DB69YLOJ5bYS2nZGRX_E_VzEDcp1OIWFLTct4_u1-XYaIvtgECQuj5QnJp7diRNBrQ8UJx8hDg==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Viable alternatives</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Iowa legislation has led to a state boom in technical high school education. <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=001hudSMGyVQnStB5OU2CFkRScOcrFkdHMTUFh09-Ce9JWWkIjqP_aEbHsadzlGWefEbBA947MrozWTvzuNCdEzuLJ7QNlMc-7gD2pCIHKXPHyFQ5fDj0xFkXcEL6nrAdrREwG55ixhS7R9aMwvY9x8QM8XDi1lBSg4KyxqnkTgS3-ruEA7tPdEUe6KSKGpEsDl0nye3Y6Sm8E=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Not to be left out</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The GED test, which students must pass to receive the equivalent of a high school diploma, will soon reflect the Common Core. <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=001hudSMGyVQnSAx5WNi65jv8BYnyKHsQS8hRf3CW2ikSaTUbFu1slIWL-jJouG2zuZn4sKKl4HZObI96R4dJ6IGDRW2iVhhDcdMx2eVc8ehIkg2nRfrfXPNBQ_ka8irN5jmZam19LNfJ72V0cn11cYnjyS749hxx53iHCh0zGtyOgGoPX4VyMUtwyRd7prc7FWGt1qrqzjBR0b438nv-OS1Tk9x7XoeBLpXq8gIS_w9Uc=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Good thinking</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">This year, Delaware is
looking to hire 30 licensed professionals, such as social workers and
mental health counselors, to serve as middle school behavioral health
consultants in each district. <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=001hudSMGyVQnRKDxlUOYUhcBWZaSO2FGRmPC3Y9-78eic6fMxzeTSIHAM--bCxfZx9Vv-o_SYBn4KUb4cOOjXJBbYcCLtCWcs59fIyEE86PKWy14s8XsxGUmQXGJcgk74DkQ2aZl7Ar4lgAq3Dz-ZRgFslN40cJSiWArVKS-kYxp8YeYHsHzXGyXptEyz3O72X9IZkkAz1KYSHjRv-eKG066MkTjcoZ9KpdBMRtKTCKn_KLW1e3XHjJ_Zsv93r8xEo0EiMIhxsHsQ=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>A good thing?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The federal government
has awarded Louisiana $158,085 to cover the costs of administering
Advancement Placement tests to low-income high school students. <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=001hudSMGyVQnRUgVvwQ5WxaZ_HZi_cBOfQ4AkVta97wtb9N1vm_gEVPTOMBlGnuIqZAjVzJ-BfAux3YXMI2w_V09BSzYb1rSwx-cZvufJbnYq-8_xXYbjWoJlz6zeQNpUMgVbO9P33dLHn4QS1yKZTl0zDteRhOaK_edIVUNtSH19xtOQCcgYxONpBs1dCrQ_SNyLEKvDIqcjC0dfehs4CBw==">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=001hudSMGyVQnSATMOwiIt0BIrDkGhTsZVkc4cEh150Cqlz944rCkXnvkdniV2nolRQx0q-ZHhLB2Rzbp4W5hJu9xFZdepdDfQeuWo0gmFvZ9dJihl0P0NyLtAz8kgHRoj_WrugQ47ZXNibtMtP6queQaW7mwFVovZ-eDk_FAGInzQ5MJu260KPqbP5qr-QcCsvNgzrQp9oHNM=" shape="rect">IRA: Teacher as Researcher Grant</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">International
Reading Association Teacher as Researcher grants support classroom
teachers who undertake action research inquiries about literacy and
instruction. Maximum award: $4,000. Eligibility: All applicants must be
members of the International Reading Association (IRA) and practicing
pre-K-12 teachers with full time or permanent half time teaching
responsibilities (includes librarians, Title I teachers, classroom
teachers, and resource teachers). Classroom teachers will be given
preference. Applicants may apply as a collaborative group or
individually. Deadline: November 1, 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=001hudSMGyVQnSDU7RVoPR0SYFw8r26h1VFWHZnut7vXvQD_UUkSp4APM3NAelxnXAcpUoL5izskaNozo70SIkEt_BQu_W6aoh3WVxviFTdi99xeeogwB0-ZzlMVSXsa49ufjYJ33Badmos6DeedivvjbvSoDWmoFnD" shape="rect">NCTM: Professional Development Grants for Grades PreK-5 Teachers</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Professional Development
Grants for Grades PreK-5 Teachers support professional development to
improve the competence in the teaching of mathematics of one or
more classroom teachers. Maximum award: $3,000. Eligibility: current (as
of October 15, 2013) Full Individual or E-Members of NCTM or teachers
at a school with a current (as of October 15, 2013) NCTM Pre-K8 school
membership currently teaching at the grades PreK-5 level and with three
or more years teaching experience. Deadline: November 11, 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=001hudSMGyVQnQkf48NGWU6Hh5w-_fs_wcFzddwgiEf6BEKCudqrKwpcTPdOkcspkkyx0qP84zIaD232OJEoMxbrM8_DaCSAPrMuRrEQa6-31i2Z5aSRvPvEG6BgvYTZBsJrMEZPrECNwl7pFTId5GmWoBydbgADIrw" shape="rect">NGA/Mantis: Mantis Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
National Gardening Association Mantis Awards to charitable and
educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their
host communities. Maximum award: NGA selects 19 outstanding applicants
to receive Mantis tiller/cultivators. Eligibility: Applicants must
operate a charitable or educational program that is not-for-profit in
the United States. Deadline: March 7, 2014.</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;">"Some
in Congress would reduce the federal government to a passive
check-writer, asking nothing in return for taxpayers' funds. And they
would lock in major cuts to education funding at a time when continued
investment in education is the only way we can remain globally
competitive." -- U.S. Secretary of Education <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001hudSMGyVQnT0Y0mTuAIfEkFyr6shyx7AS6CkeGyjUY5QfZJ22ykGrdubSIlK5tQZw5c__8Hn68ISM8p2MVC5V8ctTQ01OqY6mMRlBPH_fXDB9BAh7HxuLEAyoIBjOPuflGTd4ZDWsIPbP3s19eZCcwOWRHgNo4cQ8uzZP4QbIg0WRqavHSKs4hyyGEYzRKwHvdlVy9f_kKYH-OYCP0WjTt6AmWVx9meNjg8A8q2swMUc7pNJ4Xb_O3yM_RIjctAUnyceTWDmSvgp3n2KxVJ2W6UXIaR9tUJG" shape="rect">Arne Duncan</a>, arguing in an op-ed for the administration's preferred version of ESEA reauthorization.</div>
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