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<div>September 10, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
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<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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">How to raise math and science scores in real life</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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Schools foundations are uncharitable</a></div>
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<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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Scraping by in Mississippi</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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">The dearth of black male teachers</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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">The other parent factor</a></div>
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<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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Ripe for reform</a></div>
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<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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">When you evaluate preschools</a></div>
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<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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Pervasive myths</a></div>
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<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/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&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;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38022-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27518486&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="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">How to raise math and science scores in real life</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;">If Massachusetts were a
country, its eighth graders would rank second in the world in science
and sixth in math, according to the Trends in International Mathematics
and Science Study (Timss), reports Kenneth Chang in The New York Times.
Behind Massachusetts's raw numbers are two decades of sustained efforts.
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 had three core
components: more money (mostly to the urban schools), ambitious academic
standards, and a high-stakes test that students had to pass before
collecting high school diplomas. All students were taught algebra before
high school. Parents were not offered vouchers for private schools. The
state did not close poorly performing schools, eliminate tenure for
teachers, or add merit pay. Some charters were allowed, but not many.
Then the state stayed the course, even when many urban schools performed
poorly on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).
Since then, test scores have risen markedly. Some credit the added
money; others note successful countries operate schools at much lower
costs. Some think high-stakes testing imposes accountability; others say
it takes away time from learning. Some feel standards give clarity to
what was expected of teachers and students; others find little
correlation between standards and student performance. And some feel all
three components were essential to the reform's success. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX70qUKOydFEeauVprsLX9m2G4Wrbui4YqgPsbBQxHiW5AF8pPkOUnb3R00oKsSmnxL5dISne8xrQm-QiF4qF7Vy16ORSl0Rd7I4d759JwofHbHATub27U9bkP65VmFVRP_F65hjZvba6vuDrEWoc321QL4BMt6PLXRAQliG-GRAODMy2nXlgL5cck4jWYQzcm3QLrIghAqlTdV_ml57KaZDCDIxrUxGQuR6bXCnyk1608IwLzk8b2s5" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14e23;"><b>Schools foundations are uncharitable</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 Hillsborough,
California, public school parents get a request from the Hillsborough
Schools Foundation for $2,300 per child, writes Rob Reich in an op-ed in
The New York Times. The town's median household income is $250,000.
Twenty miles away is East Palo Alto, where median household income is
$48,700, and there is no schools foundation. When donors give to their
child's school or district, their deductible contribution is treated by
the federal government in the same way as a donation to a food bank or
disaster relief. But these are not donations to the poor or people in
crisis, Reich says. By lowering taxes for donors and diminishing tax
revenues that would otherwise have been distributed to rich and poor
schools alike, federal and state governments are subsidizing donations
to the well-to-do and are complicit in deepening existing inequalities.
Reich feels we can do much to improve this upside-down system of
charity. First, wealthy school foundations like Hillsborough's should
honor the equality-promoting standards released by the National
Commission on Civic Investment in Public Education, which at a minimum
require private giving to be aggregated across schools and shared
equally within a school district; it could also channel private giving
to support poor districts. Second, we should support political and tax
reforms. Third, Congress should differentiate or eliminate charitable
status for local education foundations. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX4DTjUotcOYlbLNNP5OVcinHkBktAdUP5P5qbracw1PwXSFTezIQbuvbxv5_8S6XGzeOAmWzcwTy9htNq3tgrGiu1mlEd8NEXJCd-hi5MQVMMXrTegvwHpfqaYVqdswi_r8kq86N6haIbtIlgy1Qpg2FW6eNOmvNCsoeGNnk5ug3iS5K3_CTDlMg9h94QReeDtW6t-w5aMIvQmt3Yodg1xK0QB8NQlZRq0=" shape="rect">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; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b><span>Scraping by in Mississippi</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;">With school underway
throughout Mississippi, superintendents have few options for meeting
district needs, writes Jackie Mader for The Clarion Ledger. Since 1997,
Mississippi has fully funded its school system just three times,
shortchanging schools by an estimated $1 billion in the past four years
alone. Many feel Mississippi's lagging test scores and dismal graduation
rates can't be fixed without better funding. Sixty-two percent of
Mississippi's students graduate from high school within four years; one
out of three eighth-graders attends a school without a science lab. Many
Mississippi teachers have looked elsewhere for assistance: On
DonorsChoose.org, nine Jackson Public Schools teachers have requested
$7,000 for basic supplies. Since 1997, districts have been funded based
on a complex formula known as the Mississippi Adequate Education
Program, which takes into account average daily attendance and
percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. A new
law mandates counting only students present for 63 percent or more of
the instructional day. "A lot of the districts that are screaming they
need more money because they're low-performing, they're already spending
more than other districts," said Rep. John Moore, Republican, chair of
the Mississippi House Education Committee. "If we went in tomorrow and
doubled the amount of spending that we're putting in education, there's
no data that shows that it would increase test scores." <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=001iw7U_24PjX7fMb6kQYdsypl703_jaT3acoXK_VT7mlFNs9GRmsVdPEHZjWS_2HTcmsvgMFiB4KxoSDlhgZ9HWcjT-M85F3XaCk-FgqIVus6zZ2FlDN8nHGI9JltgGDHQfZSoD8GI-97NJBXghki7nCS50Iw24NHPta8zv0kxZnTYnK8UR2oNkkolnbrHs9sdXgNCOX0S_tUHDLDZwXK9Dg==">More</a></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b>The dearth of black male teachers</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 post on the Albert
Shanker Institute blog by Travis Bristol discusses the lack of black
male teachers in public education. Some fault the academic
under-achievement of black males, making them less likely to attain
degrees in higher education. But many researchers and policymakers have
failed to ask why many who do graduate and enter teaching go on to
leave. Districts and schools, particularly urban ones, have as much
difficulty retaining black male teachers as recruiting, Bristol says. An
analysis of longitudinal data from the Schools and Staffing Survey
found that minority male teachers, especially black, were more likely to
move to other schools than teachers from other sub-groups. A
meta-analysis of turnover and retention among teachers of color
identified just one study that focused on black male teachers, and it
found that they left the profession at higher rates than other groups.
Little empirical research exists on how working conditions influence
decisions for sub-groups. With the help of the Achievement Gap
Initiative at Harvard University, Bristol designed a Black Male Teacher
Environment survey and administered it to black male teachers in the
Boston Public Schools. Survey responses indicate that those who are the
only black male teacher on staff are more likely to want to leave their
current schools. And despite ongoing efforts to increase black male
teachers in the workforce, black men are more often movers and leavers
when compared to other sub-groups. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX4DvYJ5IVtyKu0B1yF5s1C0ozbYbCwsUR9Y8s35QgSCJfuC7XU8SxXcz_IDIEKyMbWczOsG5ygY8AWrdZ4vZuUy7q-lxM1GsCnTQTeAoJpA_gzq74pdNAAk4Z0-8IRR0ACnWRj6Zlk_Tw==" shape="rect">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; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b><span>The other parent factor</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;">The recent New York
Times article on youthful hiring in charters focused on high turnover,
but overlooked another downside, writes Sarah Mosle in Slate Magazine.
Many charters launch with few or no adults on staff who know parenthood
and the inner workings of adult family life firsthand. Mosle herself was
a Teach for America recruit 20 years ago when single and childless,
then returned to teaching after having a child. She is acutely aware of
how parenting has made her a better teacher, she writes. For instance,
"I am more flexible about discipline, in part because I'd never want my
daughter to be so docile she wouldn't rock the boat." She has an
understanding that "children's lives are not static but instead
endlessly fluid." Mosle gets agreement from Ryan Hill, founding
principal of a KIPP school in Newark, New Jersey. When he started the
school in 2002, he thought of it like a Silicon Valley startup,
demanding 100 hours a week from himself and teachers. But the inevitable
followed: Original teachers began to marry and start families, just as
they were blossoming as educators. The charter was confronting issues
like maternity leave. Unlike some charter proponents, Hill recognizes
the value of his veteran teachers. "Our people who are proven, who are
good, are so irreplaceable," he told Mosle. "It was just not an option
for us to lose them." <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=001iw7U_24PjX7yWI8w6rn3NJx2Q7FkwSyPMqkIgZiRcH5Pm3ZlFJNFWEgl4jFHY0ua8MGzJ5TpHZs0z1Nyyxi8knD9-O7fkTxBfLKyaE3kXemZSEXAbSeByl72s-Hi2-rreNP45nkLeuPvX5au7foiSaMAaW0A6IzW0ySK8eOn0OlE3qd_ZFNu_NNC-aY2mwd1NnyY72L09BL_kBBN0N2Nl3kpuSpZEh1SIYGuWcS4q5ZQU7EAPP1aBAKh0uTc7xLHycWRgWPY0dD_-vhnQZCjmvcxlNwVKODU">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="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14e23;"><b>Ripe for reform</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>A
new analysis from the Manhattan Institute of teacher compensation in
the nation's 10 largest districts finds that two reforms -- neither of
which increase spending -- would allow districts to raise teacher
salaries; offer greater retirement security than teachers now have; make
teaching more attractive to people unsure they'll work for decades in
the same district; and offer teachers more control over when they stop
working. First, districts should adopt retirement systems where benefits
accrue smoothly, year after year, without sudden, arbitrary jumps late
in a teacher's working life. This allows talented people to teach for
part of their career, or in more than one district, without harming
their retirement. It also ends the unfair practice that places the
majority of teachers on an insecure retirement savings path to support
more generous pensions for the minority who work a full career in one
system. Second, districts should increase compensation paid directly as
salary, and reduce compensation devoted to retirement benefits, thereby
matching the norm for similarly situated workers in the private sector.
This would substantially increase teacher take-home pay in some systems.
The paper asserts that these changes in teacher compensation would
likely have a positive effect on teacher quality and student achievement
without the need for higher taxes or reduced services.</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX7GUZpLaeN6LBi7PLrf_yZfqOwqvfafX8kkxSspPQNCNQ0ws5RahPxRgaAs-wTNfaNaFUBx-zpv-mN2b5LT6g8_Jh5AiotXxYvoe8uwNRgvYnk5hHQnqf6RSOpB0rDoRizFyAsTZsJ9RTlFrUcFAZSN50fFHf-mZKXcdqj2msKbAA==">More</a></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;">When you evaluate preschools</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>A
new study in the journal Science finds that preschools highly ranked by
state evaluation systems produce student outcomes not significantly
better than lower-ranked programs, because the evaluations include too
many indicators, reports Christina Samuels in Education Week.
Researchers examined the connection between student learning and Quality
Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) that have been created to
evaluate preschools and share rankings with the public. The federal Race
to the Top Early Learning Challenge, as well as funding from states and
foundations, have prompted widespread adoption of these systems, with
nearly every state having or developing a QRIS. The study used data from
two studies by the National Center for Early Development and Learning:
the Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten and the Statewide Early
Education Programs. Together, the studies give detailed information on
prekindergarten teachers, children, and classrooms in 11 states between
2001 and 2004. After linking outcomes to the evaluation measures,
researchers found that teacher interactions had the highest connection
to student learning, followed by learning environment. Teacher
qualifications, class size, and family partnerships had a weaker and
sometimes inconsistent connection. Thus, rating systems that combined
all those measures also had a weaker and less consistent connection to
child outcomes.</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX6akZLO1aex10pXTNE_e35fB9MMVcPWkA9Nz8fZp2jD7OTHq9QMVrULEDzyWMpl_RjGb6ryjVMKPkeZyMFp9fIDq_Zv6K9J28-GgaT_DrvO5eH8Wjvx6fKmRYcmM_kBGBMcsMNJGdTQ2-tqwC7HnLO49VKkN2NFU95u1Wyj-RaHDx2d-CJmJWOQ7oEOcT3lAaE1huXMKtVHKM9-GGR-cex6qbieStCmu_4-fhrfolwXvUa7_RbS4Dsq">More</a></div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14e23;"><b>Pervasive myths</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 a post on her
Digital/Edu blog for The Hechinger Report, Anya Kamenetz examines three
pervasive education reform myths. The first is "disruptive innovation"
-- an idea so different it creates an entirely new market and "value
network" (e.g., mass-produced automobiles, personal computing) -- as a
positive. Some argue it's disruptive in the wrong ways for public
agencies and services. For instance, with widespread closings of
"underperforming" schools in Chicago, poor kids have stayed in their
neighborhoods because they are less accessible by public transportation
and more divided by gang violence. High-achieving kids have transferred
across neighborhood lines into higher-achieving schools, but low-testing
kids have stayed put, transferring to schools marginally better than
the ones they left. The second is the notion of "digital natives."
Repeated studies show that youth use the internet in simple and passive
ways, are not adept multi-taskers, and rarely use technology to create
content rather than consume it. Third is the idea of learning styles.
Few agree what the styles are -- visual? kinetic? reflective? impulsive?
-- and experiments fail to sort people reliably. Different modes might
be better suited to different kinds of lessons, not people. Also,
Kamenetz says, learning is difficult. Instructing in a style they prefer
might not be the best way to challenge them to understand difficult
material. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX6e-_5zw1xjgW8UXXNsbJvJ4GMISdhc2X28dDo4XiEvr5bdI12oVCJkd38FZumvRl5hOD3IlTNWxYtgH86Pe0cqEBR1nV4wWCYsc5BLQISxbUfT9f8ezoB7plu7Lm-3o3oS5MUdub2web5w28OIQ-z4lWFONKhCz3Fvain9OIJYrtrjkzguqPgtiz1ZkiBqIfTNhYocuMD8qGexjRFXw7PypOz3CX9VZ585FX4NzqbqiXyrsbRZIrr8VxITA6yMehXre1kgTWZwAA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Plus ca change</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California education
officials have presented a proposal that would immediately do away with
the standardized tests in reading, math, and social science that have
assessed student learning and school performance since the late 1990s in
favor of new ones. <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=001iw7U_24PjX6491wjI9R3Hlep1UIx94y2WHGquf59pQ4fGn7cs3e3lDDnGWoHERmiTKE7IviwcQ4cHOXUG_XmcbdPI1L-kfupzd0FDGacDwjDy8JPCeSu_b8LMdZYtU4hr6vvwVls2sPk2jJOAk3-Ke6gC8F7-hSK_eGWF09ZhUMQdiGIOVf-y2n-DEVjQzHuYoQkt3bm0WmDZ8zqwLDBWUp_4E2ozKMXFM6FqoNDe0g6sNuE9aVOsA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>Monitoring the purse strings</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A group of advocacy
organizations want to influence how the Los Angeles Unified School
District spends the extra $188 million it'll be receiving each year as
part of the state's new Local Control Funding Formula. <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=001iw7U_24PjX413G3zVfgU7be925uXZLjU8G3gpLAyDryD4qjocuWcFDsCxl0FWemsHFPodho4pTwjm7Fi6-J2O07njnMXLIkzrDob4TIl0F7psZznAJ1Z8qsXiv7X_Xtt6kh1K7bBzcSXb1akCY01md1EvZB241g73erHYRcJ2-_ErXHaV9ZkvxwwQciyc42GT6JpoEq-PxqJ8gI8Lkb47p7-UK5TXUG_x8t6jJTGC1t0uqZ4YUDLKQ==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f04f23;"><strong>A step in the right direction</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">This fall, 7,218 undocumented students in California have received Cal Grants from the state totaling $31 million. <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=001iw7U_24PjX4q053EIRCgOXH6B8N5sp2d1cTPMR93uFvp-Yme3Sbnlg5C0b81aN3HTQeiubRLatHHYIA-g_ccbz5G53HSbaMdJqlWOsueaDJzoqnb1T5s-ntv_vOmEABL0LnnqPDD8WrgNeDKFFxtRDBbC1SBDUqlpZKpoQxEaCoMf0YP8QJ6MA==">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>Strings attached</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">To get a two-year
extension of their waivers, states must reaffirm commitment to college-
and career-ready standards and tests as well as differentiated
accountability systems that focus on closing achievement gaps, according
to guidelines issued by the U.S. Department 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=001iw7U_24PjX4lEYsPBOYPx6nH8uZjKZjCGCS-ZnHoTYEKW1671YhbK5KQJ2BBj5fToMvWA35lSq6QbA-ZZxNYbCKpuJu5_z1J_mkQw0EfviidxDyjqp_r9Z0haLIWRbK-luceXCzt2RATGL0CBZr1unZRi5DjHh8L-h5SZGLBQ09WHO0awkQESdy_YS0-x1hCrAz4-c6rBRH0QFWxniH3kQ==" 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>Not to his taste</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">An Alabama state senator
is calling on educators in his state to effectively ban Nobel
Prize-winner Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, even though--or
perhaps because--the book is on the list of "text exemplars" for 11th
graders in the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX5NTcDDODFvCqGklUlAYJAdgh_uIyad85U8lJC0vqnmI5s3ze-B1b8A-qEJBUIR3U3VaHfIe9znPOtLB0eF4KwE6z2kxL1zOuwhsQME-P6M_CX4J1HurEaoz72jy_t-6IJNw11wJ7JmhRLDyMEmqpixEum47NZdv473UA3GF7o537AlNAMz82OnwblgpuUW0l4M7FVG4hd3hHMTjFnlb9-S7_4aQBx8Wyd7AiAAap32fvXQrVVd8E4x" 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>Fails the smell test</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Nearly one in three
public school teachers got the top rating in the first year of
Louisiana's new job evaluations, while 4 percent were labeled as
ineffective. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX6vloECpoyJmdxSsfb_k2eIo_wmus0yWiVuHlNYSa8OSgijjBRLETmPfHM-S6MGSEZMZ2I0DAGCJ8_4aWeyTfRXpGZ_ppSH--dqldxvtZFaPPalZMtY2plPfMNbmKEKj2byESMb3AULoFbGHOofTnLE75qab_iUxa2NmizaYG87K8X5nIFeGNhN" 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>Nice work</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The pass rate on
Advanced Placement tests went up by 72 percent last year at high schools
that took part in a National Math and Science Initiative program that
trains teachers and gives students extra help on Saturdays. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX51wDdxho3VN8eHrt4Crnya9ViHobKnRkgfVzmATj1FhVseSNpQO1FHGRZAVw8AGT3XjPZW6OIqm28c3scxBPmvFEYnMEZaYSsgbxurdUUWiC5R1UH0lkJrqSLaYYVYP7nsk_TqrgpvIfHto4qg_JW7GiY7nDZezchOHLap8WvZ4uQaBZHQmP6_az2K-CIGMgCed_AGRjBgFoRFkSNSmLVk" 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>Conundrum</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Because new Washington
state money for full-day kindergartens can't be used to fund capital
projects for new classroom space, putting it to use has brought
logistical and financial challenges for some districts. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX5LwDXxWaXwvOJwWkLbyW3Ei_viHeX2qJVTl1SZjecrBCoUgeRX8-qjBzS2T6-EJKhtC4cQoo7dbY1tSS6_uIgS9pPScp8wXZZd4NcMkDgq6YiN7Tz2AcS3FLP9xFyMo_8DrdXM-QW7v1WydZ4Ao4myIaGSW7CCDyKZJS3Z38MZWKxunYsm8rMp" 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>Near miss</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Seattle teachers have
voted to approve a new two-year contract, ending the possibility of a
strike and ensuring that students returned to school on time. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX6100ErA9TfRBC-wiyyuDSHPiiE9TLVws5s49On2l3IlZWH1nm_gz8LzM86ai2477YA1gWmrmM3D0FYrkA9bGSNjnnqSGc4NsZJBQXWk9f9X2goqPu7gNfkSPiNVa0qNYlsechTbVjEoHtTz7sFHoh4EFHxhRVHrU9H37qANfCAzCx0w5Uei8100esqTSkJ6fsdv0ruKDJvYw==" 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>Bellwether?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The first Atlanta school
administrator to face trial in the largest school cheating scandal in
the country has been found not guilty. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX4Axrz_S_ExkpTLlBUksH_Fo0_JSD6H5gZdh_Bs0nfz39z_7wUGL8EFSaGRfZI6xqaGu8UcM5zZz3RKusTOhaPoNZYoH8-pBWOT9FnzfgmdP6hdRWqsfs3mJvIczeupmTlIso0yJ6AR6aeOEN5QtrOWUL1yinG_1au1gNBHykpdq_ZzjWZvqn68slcbb91K4sanj-KZ-AVPsmKRfGE0hHqY1w8BR3ezt2BUC4Iwzebgx-FNqpYS8GXC" 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>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
<br>
</div>
<div>
<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=001iw7U_24PjX5YAij02ifY8GfkwHERu_Fdf692_u8eN30Lbw-WLQkKrPTvrJwfK4iDtLvCmRDtYYshfdOXRgoWPNnWJmJfYktF8DkzE4MbPn2ZWF_p4479PTxN2khmj-X0xrQhzVvWG-M=" shape="rect">New Leaders: Aspiring Principals Program</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New Leaders for New
Schools is currently accepting applications for candidates who meet 10
selection criteria (see website) and want to lead change for children in
low-income communities by becoming urban public school principals.
Candidates should have a record of success in leading adults, an
expertise in K-12 teaching and learning, a relentless drive to lead an
excellent urban school, and most importantly, an unyielding belief in
the potential of every child to achieve academically at high levels.
Eligibility: a minimum of 2-3 years of successful K-12 instruction
experience; a teaching certificate preferred. This application is for
candidates who are not currently in a school-based instructional or
instructional leadership role and do not work in a district, charter
management organization (CMO), or city that is offering the Emerging
Leaders Program.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Deadline: October 24, 2013.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX5NTVBvj146Si7y2x3y0TyXKlBI5oWAZ7rqOShJGgK2ThlPRRSeh52pG__ORTwCb_YUCkhSpG9Ty7iG45yGJSCDff8zBjb1dO-LU04TVwV2WdbwiX-hXtS0rSWOVdfTDeIIjEVd8yC-iQ==" shape="rect">AIA/NAR: Team America Rocketry Challenge</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Team America
Rocketry Challenge is the world's largest rocket contest, sponsored by
the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association
of Rocketry (NAR). Teams of three to ten students design, build, and fly
a model rocket that reaches a specific altitude and duration determined
by a set of rules developed each year. The contest is designed to
encourage students to study math and science and pursue careers in
aerospace. The top 100 teams go to Washington, D.C. for the national
finals in May. Maximum award: $60,000 in cash and scholarships split
between the top 10 finishers. NASA invites top teams to participate in
its Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program.
Eligibility: The application for a team must come from a single school
or a single U.S. incorporated non-profit youth or educational
organization (excluding the National Association of Rocketry, Tripoli
Rocketry Association, or any other rocket club or organization). Team
members must be students who are currently enrolled in grades 7 through
12 in a U.S. school or homeschool. Teams may have members from other
schools or other organizations and may obtain financing from any source,
not limited to their sponsoring organization. Teams must be supervised
by an adult approved by the principal of the sponsoring school, or by an
officially-appointed adult leader of their sponsoring organization.
Minimum team size is three students and maximum is ten students. Each
student member must make a significant contribution to the designing,
building, and/or launching of the team's entry. Deadline: November 30,
2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX66gu54OFGcfZIFJ5EisqpeKGRgJzhX4q7_VGEZc0ar_jaeqRLh_uRM4AmubtdQzLvI5Cziz5tR6IsOX726xtixH0NP4pbfbz5IwrsoyUnX3wmcZWpriYi7OV32NkvRFx1yozIiffsXAEXS7OZzPUX3dLz3ZPGFxvv2rwMqaI0VCw==" shape="rect">CVS Caremark: Community Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">CVS Caremark Community
Grants give funds to nonprofit organizations for programs targeting
children with disabilities, programs focusing on health and
rehabilitation services, public schools promoting a greater level of
inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs, and
initiatives that give greater access to physical movement and play.
Additionally, some contributions are made to organizations that provide
uninsured individuals with needed care, in particular programs where the
care received is of higher quality and delivered by providers who
participate in accountable community health care programs. Maximum
award: $5,000. Eligibility: nonprofit organizations with programs
targeting children with disabilities; public schools with programs for
children under age 18 with disabilities. Deadline: October 31, 2011.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX7iN2LfbGBE1RdiAs1yJn6m9lEDldI3nLAmbLcceNezATZKvn-rWC79U3g2rW70FBtEnqk8NyiNnywwa_hGmEF4aSsT6asyWzqA9JdIloZM4wpaSmGDjFF2lG6NH4j8cHN3Gz1FGmlKBm6Um2zj7-l6" shape="rect">USGA/Alliance: Grants for the Good of the Game</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Alliance
for Accessible Golf (Alliance) and the United States Golf Association
(USGA) believe that golf should be open to everyone and support a wide
variety of programs that create opportunities for individuals with
disabilities to participate in the sport. They especially encourage
inclusive programming-- opportunities that allow participants with
disabilities and participants without disabilities to learn and play the
game side by side. Maximum award: $20,000. Eligibility: tax-exempt,
nonprofit organizations as defined under Section SOl(c) 3 of the U.S.
Internal Revenue Code or government entities such as public schools or
municipalities. Deadline: rolling.</div>
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<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;">"Either you have to pay now (for preschool), or you're going to have to pay a guy like me later." -- Los Angeles County Sheriff <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(240, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iw7U_24PjX4iwg9VOpHQ8W2SeZPAu9APERrOsSItmG5Y4g00k55MSKoN-Ya2z_3bfiTJlqZlDbJBCCcwWqHdfw_VBYBEBthg3H7ojs-peRIK4HMQup2zLfrtgTXbH1xlABfkfGYMugxCUR9zHYitIJ7-zjST8_D84_zCpE-LSn2Ef6_6Hdh4om1ssWpoivYQHKn3bMyxF-6lNCVHRLUMyoTRBj-dy791HSRRX6VZQ-_8piG4rHisNQ==" shape="rect">Leroy Baca</a>,
who oversees a prison system of 19,000 inmates, heading a lobbying
effort by more than 1,000 police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors to
convince Congress to enact the Obama administration's plan to expand
preschool to every 4-year-old in the country.</div>
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