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<div>September 17, 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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Charters, two decades on</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">All Title I dollars are not the same</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Data boost for TFA</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">About that Mathematica study</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Tablets for everyone!</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">RttT: rushed and unresourced</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Deep cuts to special ed</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Indiana gets a C-</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/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38041-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27521464&seq=5&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">
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<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>Charters, two decades on</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;">Twenty-two years after
the first charter was founded in Minnesota, the national movement still
grapples with the tension between creativity and conventional
measurements of success, writes Sarah Butromywicz for TIME Magazine.
Overall, charter performance remains mixed. A recent study by the Center
for Research on Education Outcomes that looked at charters in 25 states
and D.C. found that just a quarter outperformed traditional peers in
reading, and just 29 percent in math. The middling quality of charter
schools on average has led to calls for increased accountability and
tighter regulations. Some states, including Florida and Ohio, have
passed charter closure laws that specify when a charter will be shut
down based on its performance. In Minnesota, lawmakers recently tweaked
charter rules to clarify that their primary purpose was to increase
student achievement. Priorities passed in the early 1990s included
fostering innovative teaching practices and devising alternate ways to
measure student achievement. Charter leaders say the recent shift in
emphasis makes experimentation more difficult. Increased paperwork and
reports to authorizers drain time and resources; more time is spent
negotiating for exemptions or putting student performance in context.
Some are pushing back. In Minnesota, Chicago, and Southern California,
educators have drafted alternate accountability systems for charters
that include multiple measures of performance, including financial
performance and school culture. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWIZuj1JxvJ3xuqK_yQD_rstx4wWkPEp82078wDkfgGmzbL222dMqBFSOfyhjxc9sKAUrD_xvyFy0N9inOPoYWRohISo2ohfMf5iSCF7HfM9wQglKThW1x_wIpOknn3ONHfM52fGJNbHl_B4TQ1JXgKoJcONg_i1wXOAHO_zlo74YtUQMnRv56txXcqt4d5Qv8D07MVyO8AUU3-6qqun44WUJErFpu_jwiU1NygTikzz8wEZ6hy9qDo9">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-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span>All Title I dollars are not the same</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 article in the
journal Education Finance & Policy takes on the accepted notion that
Title I over-subsidizes urban districts. The authors argue instead that
measures of student poverty that drive state and federal funding
allocations fail to reflect geographic differences in cost of living.
The article constructs alternative poverty income thresholds based on
regional differences in wage levels for low-skilled workers, and then
examines distribution of Title I revenues after adjusting poverty rates
for geographic differences in cost of living, and adjusting Title I
revenues for differences in purchasing power of districts. The authors
find that when fully adjusting for regional differences, Title I funding
patterns disproportionately favor rural districts in low cost-of-living
states. The authors recommend that the baseline measure of student
poverty be changed to incorporate geographic differences in cost of
living, preferably using labor market analysis because it offers a more
complete picture of regional differences. Additionally, Title I funding
allocations should be adjusted for uncontrollable differences in the
cost of education rather than for state average expenditure levels, so
that Title I funds have the same purchasing power in every district. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWLS45cLcioX7k8j1PJbvcwfQJ2S0_PC-bkwbuYshSsRto4XdFewWh-bKOkye7iEbg43xaAOky2GCvj4OqvqwJivgw37ZnufmlDkxhx6sVNvm7G5RgLUqSeCLNsu2C7QU28Am5yjlzsnfEAIIG2yliOS4MHebzSqCKiPsA0Cg4VGVQ==">More</a></div>
</span></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;">Data boost for TFA</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 study from
Mathematic Policy Research finds that middle and high school math
teachers from Teach For America (TFA) and The New Teacher Project (TNTP)
Teaching Fellows programs are as effective or more effective than other
math teachers in the same schools. Both programs recruit high-achieving
college graduates and professionals, give them five to seven weeks of
full-time training, place them in high-poverty schools -- often in
hard-to-staff subjects -- and offer ongoing training and support.
Students assigned TFA teachers scored higher than those assigned to
comparison teachers on end-of-year math tests, equivalent to gains from
an additional 2.6 months of instruction. Students of inexperienced TFA
teachers (who had taught for three years or less) outperformed students
of more experienced comparison teachers, leading the authors to conclude
that over the long term, filling positions with TFA teachers who depart
after a few years would lead to higher student math achievement than
filling the same positions with non-TFA teachers who remain in the
position and accumulate teaching experience. Students taught by Teaching
Fellows had math scores about the same as those taught by comparison
teachers. Inexperienced Teaching Fellows (who had taught for three years
or less) were more effective than inexperienced comparison teachers;
among teachers with more experience, there was no difference. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fcpIeWbIzWItoyPoPV6PcB6K_ipOi6sQJmHgjhllr6SG8GFTbL2BRCp393yIKM5JSzo0H5Z0mQOw0FStO51hsewmLBqX3FabTteB9x4a5acHDap2K9ZyL8LSfuoeSi_Fo1wfR-WIfZK9pjK1SBeKyflBcRhyagibfv0t5W1T8j7DTowPZuwiRMFrjR8MtB0Ghm75YWFTayd2vRH-tOJqxA==" 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-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span>About that Mathematica study</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;">On her blog, Dana
Goldstein makes several points about the recent Mathematica study of
Teach for America (TFA) and TNTP Teaching Fellows. First, older studies
of TFA already suggest its recruits are more effective at teaching math
than other subjects, and it's generally easier to raise math scores than
literacy scores. The study finds TFA math teachers outperformed non-TFA
math teachers in their schools by .06 standard deviations in middle
school and .13 standard deviations in high school, a modest improvement.
A child who scored in the 27th percentile in math would move to the 30<sup>th</sup>
percentile with a TFA teacher -- not exactly proficient. Goldstein also
finds the bias against first-year teachers borne out in the study's
data. Students of second-year teachers outperformed students of
first-year teachers by .08 standard deviations -- greater than the
average between students of TFA and non-TFA teachers. The data don't
indicate that teachers peak after two years on the job. To the contrary,
researchers found that for teachers with at least five years of
experience, each additional year was associated with an increase of .005
standard deviations in student achievement. Two factors likely
contribute to higher TFA-taught outcomes, Goldstein says. First, TFA
teachers are mission-driven and believe closing the achievement gap is
possible. Second, TFA's training emphasizes data tracking of student
outcomes, which could mean TFA teachers provide more test-prep and
emphasize performing well on tests. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWL4mVo6cfP0AGtxG2YABBtxblAB50RNffzCPP0a1IVu_ICBvDZ_MylYG2C9ihz-zK5NBHgi7Y-o6SDpc6ttphtaGm6ZeHKiW8Tt0PrQDRLrjgvsR6P-w7d8_61cGc7iOj-zifOmbjTj1Z42lCAt1wCiM4KTxK4rIk5_rq15Fnn1nNIAA35TMLsnIexGW8Qo-pHRU0_NHZLnvUOMDsULoAdSb_pCmYPr4q-8fyYsqOXZ0Z2q9EDzfTmChDTpOfBVxMJl2fyop9M9wQ==">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>Tablets for everyone!</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 lengthy article in
The New York Times Magazine, Carlo Rotella takes a skeptical look at the
national trend toward using computer tablets for instruction,
spearheaded by Rupert Murdoch's education technology company Amplify.
Amplify has tested its tablets and curriculum in a dozen small pilot
programs, and by next fall plans to have its products in middle schools
across the country, with high schools and perhaps elementary schools to
follow. Guilford County in North Carolina, Amplify's first paying
customer, has a modest budget and a mix of urban, suburban and rural
sections that makes it a plausible proxy for school systems nationwide.
Observers will gauge teachers' enthusiasm for the tablets, as well as
increased "time on task" and other signs of student engagement. They'll
definitely look for higher test scores in two or three years. But,
writes Rotella, if everyone agrees that good teachers make all the
difference, doesn't it make more sense to devote resources to
strengthening the teaching profession with better recruitment, training,
support, and pay? Why put an expensive tool in the hands of teachers we
otherwise treat like the poor relations of the high-tech designers?
"Are our overwhelmed, besieged, haphazardly recruited, variably trained,
underpaid, not-so-elite teachers, in fact, the potential weak link in
Amplify's bid to disrupt American schooling?" Rotella asks. He put the
question to Joel Klein, who runs Amplify. "Behind the talking points and
buzzwords, what I heard [Klein] saying was Yes," Rotella writes. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWI82_uxzstU6LTWIKfuxIX0PesVGLJg2-GG6H45hqOLRL7R02L0h1ObIFWbUXBN8v57AEU1_QYu04WiYv70jtAK2gXbCoU3CV6hJXp3HGvDiq04O3_DdhFhiEzTHbABmJBYqN7v6zRF3lzGzRK4HXDAuKlosCUlGNinymFIHuFsI0kTObYnhQquZFGjPivn3qPmMYl7D2V-rkqVUrT2gyetJj4x6dbcuVA=">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;">RttT: rushed and unresourced</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 report from the
Economic Policy Institute examines how adherence to commitments for the
federal Race to the Top (RttT) has played out over the first three
years, and what progress states have made toward meeting outcome goals.
The report finds states are largely behind schedule in improving
instruction and educational outcomes just a year before funding ends.
Many have experienced setbacks due to unrealistic promises and
unexpected challenges, and implementation of the Common Core standards
will only deepen problems. The report argues that RttT policies have
fallen especially short on teacher improvement, and have failed to
address core drivers of opportunity gaps. RttT shortcomings have spurred
state-district and union-management conflicts that hinder progress, and
the push to do too much too quickly with too few resources has led to
teacher, principal, and superintendent frustration and stress. Major
problems limiting student and school success remain unaddressed. Setting
and reaching higher standards can only happen after school boards,
principals, teachers, parents, and community leaders work to ensure that
basic student, family, and educator support systems are in place and
resourced, and that a plan to sustain progress has been established.
Strong, collaborative union-management relationships are at the core of
such coalitions. These realities should guide implementation of the
Common Core standards. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fcpIeWbIzWKONVvadwRBrO0fHqXL1nedAQR2loh8BtnJ0AoApU0zgix6lXhALNLtCl191fnvIhkBejTi7VMOxjbjQZ3xdc45ZslcIoL8_Utgy1cSMXmJHWV8c2CUfmAh1SFSLeflIWwjQRONeDxvXWysQjvptkLQMq5iJOh1xvE=" shape="rect">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;">Deep cuts to special ed</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;">Across the country,
advocates for children with disabilities are struggling with the impact
of sequestration, writes Adrienne Lu for Stateline. Many schools have
fewer speech, occupational, or physical therapists, or social workers
and school psychologists. Students who had received speech therapy twice
a week now get it once week. And some general education classrooms that
had two teachers -- one for the whole class and one specifically to
support students with special needs -- have had the special education
teacher eliminated. Although cuts took effect March 1, the impact is
felt this school year because of how programs are funded. The U.S.
Department of Education estimates that the sequester cut $579 million in
federal funding for IDEA Part B. The National Education Association
calculates that if states and local school systems do not replace funds
lost through sequestration, nearly 300,000 students receiving services
will be affected. Up to 7,800 jobs could be lost. It is unknown how many
states or districts will replace some or all of that money from other
sources, such as new taxes or cuts to other programs. They may hesitate
to replace funding, since by law, states and districts that increase
funding for special education and then later reduce it can see federal
funding cut, a rule known as maintenance of effort. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWICN_jZHKijQmllTbqOQ08Vwdoxp3tVDABSt_fLQtvS5plZGdWQWBS8X5M-WD5mNxvgHR00RTPf1bcQJv4V8jYAE3aFTIj5KJ0B2_H9AsEaiHQJOqR33I8vhsi1Ai8o7Q_kSnPlzWMrQfRnELTQPzFa4IzNknG7DWdTCtXuAPtzVbbUsyS94Q7xXQaLTadzY6eM7zXVkoCQ5qv-SPvWq4hMU_ovJNdd0mUxAfO-Po-orfbtT0WBff1WMaEMDSfAyhhdF04sPN-FWMHrIV5MsFYo4n77rwtZhSt0wqU2E5992LY5b1o_L-21wbUmeN0ZWsc=">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;">Indiana gets a C-</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 report by
legislative leaders in Indiana finds that changes to the state's
school-grading system, which benefited a politically connected charter
school, were "plausible," but it also highlights problems in
implementing new school-rating systems when departments of education are
struggling with human and technical capacity issues, reports Michele
McNeil for Education Week. The report found the raised grade of Christel
House Academy to be "both an attempt to save the credibility of the new
accountability model and a desire to treat a recognized good school
fairly. Any further motivations underlying these actions are beyond the
scope and documentation of this report" -- in other words, the authors
didn't assess whether politics played a role. The report also found the
state underestimated administrative and technical challenges of the
system, and because of loss of key personnel, ran out of time to perform
adequate programming and quality-control work. The report underscores
that significant parts of the education community in Indiana do not
trust the new rating system, and calls for more transparency around
school-grading decisions and for piloting changes to the accountability
system before full implementation. Under NCLB waivers, 41 states, the
District of Columbia, and eight districts in California are implementing
new school accountability systems. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWLI_vxthuu40rWVpNibBG9EFjQ1qmNYXfYBAcLI_pi88VsHsAI-XjEZ4fGMZQDcrTMDiJvyFZOlNDtlkP-H_mcuCXarwevAxFoHBx6vHezII9BFaEROBfY_r-GBQ9CeNshVDsBI1PhvzbeqZs5Vi-SJyhYVSKz8FKwUwie72ei_JrPOsfJUfQEEu4-8KXcPOhYnMZYn3P3Kxg==">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: #ee5624;"><strong>Line in the sand</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan has threatened to withhold federal funds if
California lawmakers approved pending legislation to revamp the state's
standardized 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=001fcpIeWbIzWLG0OJPvZK35ZDkSwOOQ7twryaBCwnUbdX9Yaus-geDAPzllVilmO-ksOfW88r06n_2naEoipzs49eYXlazQ17a-RcY4C4a4GtRdq8QgHm9w2HvVkhn7Yutp8F_Z4w3tgEPwQJdYDRwq2OL0TFux4suag4B_8hU1mcCyT2FbOJeHbZ2VvX37WuGGZiQLHyqUjOTLRY-w0zNL5VvMFGYV65OXL194Do83-2Biy2OVI89oA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>They crossed it anyway</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">On a 51-22 vote,
California's state assembly on has approved a bill that would transition
schools to new standardized tests -- and temporarily reduce the number
of tests during a transition period -- despite warnings from the federal
government that the plan is against the law. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWJfyuFuewdfWw2b84LpBLhemRPDXYOpZmqygHWq-HRhmOAHdcwBPVpjDEF_OVYoQPL6LBFt-yDhGmSKDGCkQoOU_jibnkNUuSTkQenQD0AgSAnJGIPtyXXMkcBueQsDsITdVwCgq7y6RF6c0ZousORqIVFZOFVzogY0gRFddgcu7JSDFaWh5JGxLto0rpMou5aM_jERF3ExnM_3arfwxAsQ8lvqOB93XTxJys1ohautKw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>All aboard</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California became the
sixth state to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards with the
unanimous approval by the State Board of Education. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWJZy7nUnmsHsrKSMzaRmMvSUVm2rx9UWwF1vql6zOzUx0J90ekENODBBT5bpLhqNRkpkqLxOjrjEkiIB6Tdn57B6mV2bLcdjRzZMoIkQKgSDyjxPaaHCB3DWfSxTddGaGkfIaY1CQVoQZpDqg92k-nkPmN5tJJn1DdVmGegL1TW65L9bxCFUy5N-MGXnWQ54OBRcsChsTtQ8hu6KjAmT_mBOadM1nXagf2VjEE8EAsOztyd7iKz6AAJ">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Trigger training</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Pioneering guidelines to
help Los Angeles Unified school staff and parents navigate the complex
and controversial process to overhaul failing schools under the state
parent trigger law have been approved by the school board. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWL5xUmaFo-1qYIkfiGw0MvGdjRIkXTW42tcASwDSS5jUJaujph-0frA6sr6q7eqMbPItdUN-MaRaCroKFBzVWKAswQPa1lo9jqSKSAEouTQDs_uGCPBifGvWXCJP_bVv6tn8SReFvBLjVZCWF1QuBfnv2ouJiAfcKnD7o_r6W_b66WO2U5_Ma9VbGCvsAh8f1fJpzwUOrB06Nd25cSxVkqR">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: #ee5624;"><strong>This ain't Jersey</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">School boards in
Virginia are planning a legal fight against a new law signed by Gov.
Robert F. McDonnell that creates a state-run K-12 district for schools
performing poorly academically. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWJ4fNrJEJ4cGQlXh5vHgXjC_8y1OZCF-Vth2_iisppNl3arMSB_sVYhtWN1r0nmKSsnatu3yFqST0ZiIuwaROlyRAR8naPHyK9RShvEF-NTH33vcxL9pRxwpZBAtepiwQ4BbA3dPi9cs8jey0reExVlWI_uFAHzk4kZyAk2SMIP5ehMSDYmWYu_JAMk583AgUGOyimKmD4NHS-FcVrUntuvb0iNZ4ix3Dzu92_WhG-BO840hXioNKJ38lg4hE5eJWnP8ekKMhkg8GxTZd_ccwZS">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Welcome to public education, kids</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Thousands of Oregon
kindergartners are participating in a new statewide assessment this year
expected to help education officials, teachers, and parents gauge how
prepared children are to learn as they take their first steps in the
school 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=001fcpIeWbIzWImesPy3m0ahw7W33iJ3BkLJHhTVFoHzBb-SL5XLzos5ZlO09MgUfLKnfmGdke92GgrHUiCPkS0ZFIsIBC1vH4vyz13DIQ9pAYl7zJlnwcuf69464XDT238U2cf6SI_UFtVmS2P2vXk1NBUcjbSOM_tYe9k0aoMJPZUoTEqFjRGX6_W4sllp-rOG91jP5GiohBbPsmIWC3_Md5MQ7oi4bFx-dBP_Oj2DsGIMeyiWiPTsfH8AoIYStpp-3bz3_vftml74E2S3Wx4c1whTjJSo4On">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>No dice</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The federal government
has denied Texas's request to waive No Child Left Behind testing
requirements for students in elementary and middle school. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWJX-IiQWhYWb3zM1_mZ6NI1V4nHK2vRiHWviPr3nnhf1ajiIg7JxkEGd2idTIl4YmAn9BHLKCE0gC11halkZejrITIl9YqwF3airD6vjVDYlNMzdoWdW-BPAStA3qMAh91WVatfMSdU-T467aHPRPmtE-cpeFHeNZFS6x9qGoAfiwzzwB8woPmcFV8tIy9yDug=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Backsliding</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that "at least" 34 states
are funding public schools at lower levels for the 2013-14 school year
than they did for the 2007-8 school year, on a per-student basis and
adjusted for inflation. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWIqdieBqqfJMTXjo_Jik8ey4vy40l9KLNYvUUvQbFmNH2Mmzrqwbx4Agl1iPncsUsz_EWT7pCLxW88qG2PRrQMAQsTa1vDyV5qNNakMDoR4QB1olw0MoNOPp00gUSGta0Gomosr46sHch8V1JofeXKyUb9-06QmqAmOw70bLpxyeu3SlIKEV8uyki3Xwq9xvRBAog57_I7RyJ4vie0TcJhdSEWjn8AUeVWZVjH14exVgiDmxXNkaI-vcWHjo5ZImko=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Ouch</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Michigan has cut investment in K-12 schools by 9 percent since 2008, a deeper cut than 33 other states. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fcpIeWbIzWLPNvQSaSSzXHsc8_3O1wrx_TJXDMS_HaJsKhHgHQq4fk4Rh1J8kJGnQOxBwD-71Q0aqr5HSz-mRYml_yZYPk9qBakJMHB5ZMvY1EVL1lOSbWsHMwahigFcbjpWp1tFB4XB8QQZ_v8BTI2CQ2ICvmCBWs5CSUcJwBTDZoniJU1yraIfd0W5NobvRenRP8tAR90=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Overhaul</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards has announced it will decrease the
credential's price tag by $600, give teachers more flexibility in
completing required assessments, and integrate new information into the
certification process, including student surveys and measures of
students' academic progress. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWKmXnredlQVeCKN5DRmDw9nWCJ_VdO65DMeXoJihJWMRKMWOhsbNpgSQqm6rOW-GsCZL4wmTDIzNrsQFxNsZh2GIan5ZcOi7xD5gXVuPYIS_5P4wX7QpUoLtNX214Gv7sD0b4tFoxPOt90wqgxcFU1sJpbHGJvUxCMkSPmk5JfhjueTSh4d0m_-B5GKSDjzPt1fQOMSk1A7tcWFdjMv2EGySs7Dv1FpERSDkxslmkwmBDhrWZ_14qSKrILaF8c6G-nE1uyNMA4DLqhCSTk29ytq">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>The crux of the matter</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Starting this term,
every public school student in Oregon will be graded solely on academic
mastery of a subject -- lateness, missing assignments, etc. won't
matter. <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=001fcpIeWbIzWJcVdZ8m0UHg2qOOyolA25fzKI0rLKc6oUEtVe3G4lOwklyI1M8O0m1KdiDL7YU84kv_2BZKS7XQjl0KpT70YUzndUxLcV06cwMO_NmPt-3RC45EAslW3K8IDHb90ZdxpMlzfzNHCpJ1-wjZTAs_dV9dnWwneuCUvFAkQxTFgKic8exnnuX1CA1d_kPSOsk70pv3MyFHx-3d2lXfPdt6HqE">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>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><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=001fcpIeWbIzWIZ8zT5SNgLnfptxxjmICx-Nlxh7nj5E92SSfZ4Jqatj8bA6tvVVHXf3TMfWZrjnvZRZn_OUWE5sJ5kEmHEkTK9ufamEVZ5B6pWf6VVnrMjitZks2eFp6yBftyeWkdwisD4PZlvpqFF7pRfYve1Q4-C7jUFhI2-NfLiQfFueb7E1KySIw_M4JFr">Google: RISE Awards</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Google
RISE Awards support organizations that promote access to Computer
Science (CS) education and give students aged 7-18 the opportunity to
become creators -- not just consumers -- of tomorrow's technological
innovations. Google awards funding to, and partners with, organizations
running programs that inspire, engage, and retain students on a
long-term path in the field of computing. Maximum award: $50,000.
Eligibility: organizations running a successful program in CS that they
want to expand in terms of reach and depth of impact or that currently
run a successful wide-reaching program in STEM that they want to grow to
include CS. At a minimum, programs should have regional reach (city,
county, or state) with the potential to scale nationally and collaborate
internationally with similar organizations. Programs must target girls
and/or underrepresented minority students up to the age of 18. Deadline:
September 30, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><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=001fcpIeWbIzWLl-GZx0WfVA_o4u-fu1RGvUgu1XkGHdJCGUnnvy7QyonNePlS2PCQmYLx94A3iQFhfrPcJynwFagS1qT1zwzAAjcrcgNjL4kw9TIlySZzHVnI3iwcv9iNhK080wkHcyDI=">Toshiba America Foundation: Education Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Toshiba
America Foundation Education Grants contribute to the quality of
science and mathematics education in U.S. communities by investing in
projects designed by classroom teachers to improve science and
mathematics education. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: teachers K-5.
Deadline: October 1, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><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=001fcpIeWbIzWII8qrAhnqfutkbT93GbIC4sexbm71icUzH9LQY9c1w1EuLCQa6CL-WU0iSku2vSZ_sVNVdzlWZVzJ3PLE7j8lTeB_gF2aRYn2n46fAaeTRMQ==">Knowles Science Teaching Foundation: Fellowships</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
Knowles Science Teaching Foundation awards fellowships in the areas of
biological sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences to support high
school math and science teachers from the onset of the credentialing
process through the early years of their careers. Maximum award:
professional workshops, materials grants, and access to a
teacher-to-teacher mentoring network, valued at $150,000. Eligibility:
individuals who have earned at least a bachelor's degree in an area
relevant to the subjects they plan to teach before the fellowship begins
in June. Candidates for Physical Science, Mathematics, or Biological
Science Teaching Fellowships must enroll in a secondary teacher
credential program before the fellowship is awarded. Individuals who
have completed the fourth year of a five-year combined bachelor's and
credential program by the start of the fellowship are also eligible to
apply, as well as those currently enrolled in a teacher education
program who will be first-year teachers in the fall of 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Deadline: October 15, 2013.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><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=001fcpIeWbIzWLxAtEyshsWAt-br0dt83oRferSNOFYSRYXucvTp0INvNIt1NHIniq1a8fdsZXf5wz_NS0JHsvXy2ZVTCLlVtKuX5CCAzKFJpvI_XH1FRjnHWY4a2gByhOmlkFN7wPyMm4=">Toshiba/NSTA: ExploraVision Awards</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">All
inventions and innovations result from creative thinking and
problem-solving. The Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association
ExploraVision Awards Program encourages kids to create and explore a
vision of future technology by combining their imaginations with the
tools of science. Maximum award: $10,000 bond per student on winning
team. Eligibility: Students K-12. Deadline: January 30, 2014.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK</strong></span>:</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"Part
of the energy that I have to try to change things is to expiate
whatever responsibility I had in terms of advocating something that
turned out to be so terribly wrong for children." -- <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=001fcpIeWbIzWILCnGWzgBzO_0jWhA87WHg8vwgdnB605bPFup9bIOnzJMSuVZEExsOK3v3RtQuqGrj8d5d0gIea1KH38dZmQwukceWeuLElrqJb_jVOBHRje0tSEwmyIPK4eu1DZDLNVBXD3bdO4Nz0D4njYTB3HRvgkLTItHg1DBGhpekGa5dAK7s7hC6CFvhGBZOaiONNvgdN_G5qCVZW06tYqBBGXw4EImJqzMPJUBGqxXWBv_9hospJtF-_iwTfWHclh43ekXjjg5QwrX65g==">Diane Ravitch</a>, in an interview with The New York Times.</div>
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