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<div>October 29, 2013 - In This Issue:</div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 25px; PADDING-RIGHT: 25px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 0px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17" shape="rect">The wisdom of community schools</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45" shape="rect">Without instructional shifts, new standards amount to little</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44" shape="rect">The fluid classification of 'ELL'</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43" shape="rect">An ELL morass in LA</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42" shape="rect">The language gap starts earlier</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53" shape="rect">Alternative accountability for alternative schools</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55" shape="rect">Districts, support staff, and the ACA</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54" shape="rect">One vantage on the Common Core</a></div>
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<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46" shape="rect">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</a></div>
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<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56" shape="rect">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
</td></tr> <tr> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #8c8d8d 2px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 7px; BORDER-TOP-COLOR: #8c8d8d; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; BORDER-RIGHT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BORDER-LEFT-COLOR: #8c8d8d; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none; PADDING-TOP: 7px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19" shape="rect">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 1px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 3px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #989898; HEIGHT: 1px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#989898" height="1" valign="top"><img style="DISPLAY: block" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 6px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top"><img style="DISPLAY: block" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17"></a> <table style="DISPLAY: table" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK17" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 25px; PADDING-RIGHT: 25px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-TOP: 8px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">The wisdom of community schools</div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In a guest column for the Answer Sheet in The Washington Post, Brock Cohen of the Los Angeles Education Partnership writes that "what makes California's community schools movement so profoundly inspiring is that its core tenets reflect the fundamental belief that disadvantaged children are resilient, complex, thoughtful human beings." Cohen accompanied California State Senator Carol Liu on a three-day bus tour of effective cross-agency partnerships in California that are having dynamic impacts by connecting students, parents, and schools to local resources. The foundational principles of the community-school framework reject a notion of students as data points, Cohen writes, addressing low achievement through a holistic course of action. The movement's champions spotlight poverty and social injustice as primary impediments to student learning, and emphasize how community schools are as much an exercise in fiscal pragmatism as a moral call to action. Past reforms have focused on channeling limited financial and human-resource inputs to schools and districts. The community-schools model establishes inputs as the process by which a child's needs are fulfilled. If community partners and resources (as inputs) are actively engaged in addressing these needs (health, wellness, literacy, and cognitive growth), the outcomes take care of themselves. Community schools aren't a quick-fix policy instrument, but represent a cultural shift toward "a more effective, efficient, sustainable, and ethical public school paradigm."</span> <strong><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZdJFTGraTQcg2xO36iKGdYk02R30npR79XRFd1zduvpfe7CBO37om9iXRONLZ23j8oPxUi8dz8PjV8Dpmlmr2BQFYehMoBmgz_fQgplAjRUc4y0dDgmhWtgL8oHHZe90HcjN2bfYsmp69nmigN42RXjepu6cWOfhl_XNJ62tP3YNNxJhDSep0VKl2Ek4pGhgcP6AEco3NaWBfOqnmr3FHgQvzhD_W_LTmtNnG9K6Qixw==" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></strong></div>
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</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45"></a> <table style="DISPLAY: table" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK45" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 25px; PADDING-RIGHT: 25px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-TOP: 8px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><span style="COLOR: #f14e23"><b>Without instructional shifts, new standards amount to little</b></span></div>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute looks at assigned texts and instructional techniques in Common Core states as a baseline indicator of early CCSS implementation. For the most part, it finds the work of aligning curricula and instruction to CCSS rigor has not yet been undertaken. The Common Core asks teachers to assign texts with language complexity appropriate to grade level, but significant proportions of teachers -- particularly in elementary grades -- still assign texts based on student reading ability. Teachers are also more likely to fit texts to skills than to ground skills instruction in texts. For instance, 73 percent of elementary school teachers and 56 percent of middle school teachers place greater emphasis on reading skills than text. The CCSS call for students to read informational texts, including literary nonfiction such as speeches and essays, and most teachers surveyed said they already assign these, but many English language arts teachers (including 56 percent at the middle school level) assigned none of the literary or informational texts listed in the study's survey. The CCSS demand instructional shifts based on the best research for boosting student reading comprehension and analysis, but if the standards are to have any impact, they must change classroom practice.</span> <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8Fa3QAhHeayC3VnnZs26rhpJj-rhC_NYpF7mqLTUW90hhmfN8_BbjigEV-fFBe23DeHh3gNJYrW1wTOSPZmdHneyHgWD5C-5ojg8CJ0RE0gZsYLmD44jTg_31bJZ_BxXaIhJU5mkEfXDyS3HqmI9_f-NLvl1WvgEPse1GzHoonQL1hWBpvmbTWZ7V1xLXrOEUeSRavpgs2HziipMn1OS36B-WaCCSe_9p11VVPYWgNk_NmkdrH3UgrND5GCanzCnY0-gezjRgFAFo6iSlKcPztAe" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a><br>
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</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44"></a> <table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK44" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 25px; PADDING-RIGHT: 25px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-TOP: 8px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><span style="COLOR: #f14e23"><b>The fluid classification of 'ELL'</b></span></div>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Cambria, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">If a U.S. student learning English were to travel across the country, in some states she would be classified an English-language learner and get extra support, but in others she would not, writes Adrienne Liu for Stateline.org. Under the federal Civil Rights Act, schools must provide English-language learners with additional services to ensure mastery of both English and the material other students are learning. The wide variety in classification policies creates problems for students who move from state to state, or even from one district to another, as they suddenly find themselves in a new category. Now that nearly all states have agreed to adopt the Common Core State Standards in English and math, some are striving for a common definition of an English-language learner, a task that likely will take years, given the political and policy implications. For instance, California, which has about 1,000 school districts, has "1,000 different definitions of what's an English learner," according to Robert Linquanti of WestEd. The federal government, which gives money to states to help English learners but struggles to evaluate its use, hopes to prompt a common definition by requiring any state that belongs to a CCSS consortium to establish a common definition of English learner within its consortium to receive federal grants. </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FYqBFFG3SBrvwhKFl6pmfVzLMWcgOGii8s7rUvS-BsjPyr1qOd5uGlqUUaW5Rql8603vGgSP5_WenukXfuxV9_g0MiESrHjG57E6z8BvPTQyzudTEkW5A_I1iP8ljuFIEye7lPszCUlTo6GWfhkdCfNKzUXEgISDq81Hq_ioDmDa-ShQKe0WUy92FZhocF_0rWByCNASBuKGXLK4QLgktxg6pVdlHvax9Q=" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><b>An ELL morass in LA</b></div>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Plans to separate Los Angeles elementary students not fluent in English from native speakers in all core classes is drawing fire, as critics say this will make students "second-class citizens" in their own schools, reports The Christian Science Monitor. The policy is an attempt to improve performance of non-English-speaking students in response to a two-year-old federal civil rights lawsuit. Test results show that roughly 50,000 district students classified as "English Language Learners" (ELLs) in kindergarten never become proficient. The issue is particularly urgent for the Los Angeles Unified School District because California is one of a handful of English-only states that requires instruction in English, and LAUSD has almost 200,000 ELLs -- nearly a third of overall enrollment. For opponents of the district's two-year "master plan," however, a long line of research literature and common sense suggest that ELLs have a better opportunity to learn English if placed with English-speaking peers. Principals and teachers have organized protests to delay implementation. But district officials say that far from discounting the needs of ELL students, this plan is designed to address them. Meanwhile, principals responsible for implementing the new policies at each school are being encouraged to mainstream children with limited English in non-core subjects such as physical education and art.</span> </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FbO79Z7s3L5tDTxYk7scgB8ur8taWyuZDiTM2LDt0Qt4L8_LwrqYfXMGIe8oNpO9LPzOfgPEvb393gAISJSmeW_RebaN5AMf-CW_1n4mufGMGBeCTXZD8-j5aMslNpyg3rKZe9dwvulYavZS7LSEp2g_XYYlhkg28EO2fYw1lrQzBi33_IGvAUnN9P492PQq_w3F50gwVUmt8DvmmqtbXdLi18wkLcyt5cTmGeOY-PZa7Fw0YsX6ZeqQc_C709I8ok=" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42"></a> <table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK42" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 25px; PADDING-RIGHT: 25px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-TOP: 8px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><span style="COLOR: #f14e23"><b>The language gap starts earlier</b></span></div>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A follow-up to the study finding that by age 3, children of wealthier professionals have heard words millions more times than those of less-educated parents, has found a language gap even earlier, writes Motoko Rich for The New York Times. New research finds that at 18 months, affluent children can identify pictures of simple words -- "dog" or "ball" -- much faster than children from low-income families. By age 2, wealthier children have learned 30 percent more words in the intervening months than lower-income peers. Since oral language and vocabulary are deeply connected to reading comprehension, disadvantaged children face increased challenges once they enter school and start learning to read. However, David Dickinson of Vanderbilt University fears teachers or parents could pervert these findings. "The worst thing that could come out of all this interest in vocabulary," he said, "is flash cards with pictures making kids memorize a thousand words." Instead, experts emphasize the importance of natural conversations with children, asking questions while reading books, and helping children identify words during playtime. Even these simple principles may be hard to implement, some say, because preschool instructors are paid far less than public schoolteachers and receive scant training. Literacy experts and publishing companies are rushing to develop materials for teachers, but policymakers say they must focus increasingly on parents.</span> <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZpWwBHxZl6oPmcUhN6upd8Ygfwy12q_0QEs4i6RXqTOyosiLBlwCssj6KiBg7nNP9A9dn8mAq1CCUK2sQuk3Eieo6ftNf7jbJDD95D-k7w9qHZb4bnUDdF6MmqyOfOm5XLuz-C5CDaGLHbDki5qFH5fJpa2jXcx62FN5lmiO4hFMTQk6JTU9k1nvqQRkSCbSX4yoA0fGNmOyUSvuLtHBl1ZE-HVMDOg_Y=" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a><br>
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</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53"></a> <table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK53" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 25px; PADDING-RIGHT: 25px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-TOP: 8px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><span style="COLOR: #f14e23"><b>Alternative accountability for alternative schools</b></span></div>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A new report from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers sets out recommendations for appropriate accountability systems for the growing sector of alternative charter schools -- schools that serve special populations, including adjudicated youth, dropouts, pregnant teens, and recovering addicts. States have struggled with defining and implementing academic accountability systems for these schools, and only six states -- California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas -- have clear and separate accountability measures in place. Charter authorizers elsewhere are left to make high-stakes decisions without adequate guidance from state policies. The report recommends that authorizers set a high bar when identifying a school as alternative, and that any school considered for alternative accountability treatment must have its intentions clearly indicated in its mission statement. Authorizers should be open to different approaches, but these approaches must be detailed. Oversight must be specialized and tailored to the circumstances of the school. And charter contracts must become the central instrument of accountability, forming a solid basis for evaluating academic and non-academic goals, as well as traditional and non-traditional measures of academic performance. Policy for these schools is too often made on the basis of anecdote -- recognition is needed that they engage students differently, and that a one-size-fits-all approach to accountability will not work.</span> </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZyrEKbbZNBiGzvdhvWpb-m_igC5byCU_zK-G5am4dHXa7bQIUiWUaIp9jNqJyJWSmUhKs9_8OxO6-W422t99ZhHe8yVqstE1qIWccxJEXjf-Q2Mv4YxUhe6j06ztTZ3zb1T6hnMBSNf7acfauUL974FaKNk9x1dCLah7Mw6hvRWylGN4_f4wJnUhMxwlpu-gqEYUdkwLZisNRhpgU704MiUFuxTZ55WCbkPGVfxEbL9A-VkBpE0Y7f" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><span style="COLOR: #f14e23"><b>Districts, support staff, and the ACA</b></span></div>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Districts are facing financial and operational challenges in complying with the Affordable Care Act, which administrators say force them to choose between absorbing the costs of health coverage for uninsured employees or cutting back their hours, reports Sean Cavanaugh for Education Week. The law mandates that public and private employers with at least 50 workers must provide health insurance to those working an average of 30 hours a week or face steep fines. Many districts have long relied on support-staff members such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and instructional aides to perform a range of duties, in some cases juggling several assignments, without offering health insurance. Some officials fear cutting hours will hurt employees by reducing their paychecks, and undermine K-12 services. Last year, 11 percent of school officials said that the impact of the health-care law was an issue that most worried them. That number is now 54 percent, according to a survey by the Association of School Business Officials International. In most cases, the employer mandate does not affect teachers, who typically receive health insurance through contracts that are collectively bargained with districts. Backers of the ACA argue that employees who work 30 or more hours, in education and other fields, deserve insurance.</span> </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZc-IYqVKlkSRDrivi2TBH-WmQjvwv8AOibj2YeDMqYOXvVbkI8y2NwVFAK1eh_pjJgNM6uAlBBFNSBf85c25A-Y_a1hOOAVzlmPYp4V_rSBnGkUgh4f9hinQv7WvFrTyeDqh1ziAkgDLLHTglO37lZnZA61wmoO1zB53IrgBqj2PLMq8XbteoXuWDNW7IojIZGXM_BZa80DzZESQVd4rmFq0wsKcLpJcq30zDZlD9SAhIOA5p8mo380pMUU8oVNNE4Q6yJfR2Wbz4hQ5au3MZN" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54"></a> <table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK54" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 9px; PADDING-LEFT: 25px; PADDING-RIGHT: 25px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-TOP: 8px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><span style="COLOR: #f14e23"><b>One vantage on the Common Core</b></span></div>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #454545; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In a profile of Cecily Woodard, an eighth-grade math teacher in Nashville, Tennessee, Barbara Kantrowiz writes in The Hechinger Report that Woodard disagrees that the Common Core is too hard for struggling students. She thinks its focus on fewer concepts, in greater depth, will help them. "The goal is for me not to talk a lot, but to ask a lot of questions so I am advancing their thinking," she says. When Woodard was growing up in Memphis, her math teachers stood at the front of the class and lectured, and students took notes. Because of that rote instruction, Woodard says she wasn't a great math student. In contrast, struggling Rose Park Middle School students get an extra math class every day called Focus Seminar. In the 50-minute class Kantrowiz observed, Woodard conducted a conversation more than a lecture. She gave students a minute for "private think time" before they broke into groups, using small handheld whiteboards for computations. Woodard walked from group to group, checking on progress and guiding students. At the end of class, she distributed Post-It notes and asked students to answer: What did you learn? What questions do you have? Or, what stopped your learning today? Woodard's goal is that all her students love math as much as she does.</span> </span><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FYeaM5YZee_W2ss0FJOjQvbi0yFKHxgnJvzK8BW02cozbFRlaO3d1XV2A8hymHQgoBrPqxMRiSiGiHEpUejutOsVkvipm_FSE726XEXzuF5D-vcTDrH1cFcANR4IP9G7Bw6gXZyWpbEzDTldr_-r0Lzvbl5Mxm4sg9i1WZWo1Nrt71Cxg2oG-W0fD9Y8L10vIpjjDnl_4eEKtzPY2tOjV5eWRVpN4McIZQwCZ6DtfmRpyfsnTGY8AZMM7lnuEXMxPH3_YMZDlSWjQ==" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Over Deasy</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Los Angeles Schools Supt. John Deasy, who has led the nation's second-largest school system since 2011, told top district officials he could be leaving in coming months. <strong><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FbXYzfvR0DIDElt59ipMMVrP9GJbKGmkau5xhz-eTHShO8kh-ACTirJwjB3m2eJtyk0ReVFSBgffVo8JEi3Z6agxIh11HK5hezfXN4lGzASsmB20Dy17jaEZscMKMmPbM9xttsLyB9yPrPi_8qy1qQQVpIKO8NV-I8CkIwuwc0oHYxpHt2zfLXkzWg7E65pybYe1Zrabpb4nHQYrbXKSIHn" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></strong></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Or not</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">In a communication to a reporter John Deasy said, "I have not resigned. Have not submitted a letter of resignation." He declined further comment. <strong style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ebf5f6; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FYBcKbHPXMY4omvRfBu1ywB1jdZRx8sUW68x8IIVleggiGsQzvtUK7sxsT5Ep7j3ncHyKbhqbxavWd06LQ6A_XEYyPNkw4M0ismCmk7GzyJCWneeT1aYxb6bE3oWCeHG2PtWWCWD6jgIuxPEntmIHXkpDVTRPxd4y39-D7MvBt9KNepm7j4XgQHz753MPBjeOuMlxVtGEjP-AS5SjkWMaAzrmHBeWODd2ZZq1Cqu_H8XcGlCwW7xxRt" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></strong></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>In other news</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Providing iPads to Los Angeles students will cost nearly $100 more apiece -- or $770 per tablet, a new LAUSD budget shows. <strong style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ebf5f6; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FYS3kfQAcoF6j0jbq7RHsyVRx_aWiZrmNVjyJtbmjGINYhUQDKkZ4YiFFo6DlJgG272y-hsjonZgUkp7Bndbq-abg8P4N2HTII50pdZREQDx1S6DPwPL2o_pEiDdEB0XzLlcfU6q5NpEW-EO1Aev9pLRUyEG48h7S2NzQ1zZru-829LJvWIs9_oXh6LpZDgkrHk7C_wUzV2-Q==" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></strong></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Time to lay off the Doritos</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Only one in three California students earned a "fit" rating in the annual physical fitness test given to more than one million fifth, seventh, and ninth grade students, according to 2012-13 test results. <strong style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ebf5f6; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px"><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FaoTZXcnZLPe34eWBub1uZnRGi6tUl9n4MkHLQ0vloMhKv5KOwnC9u1iSZn3os6yF3bWrhU88H1V_inqKBVZvSwlbYvuN1j7Y48M_Pjsho_ybxFPHb7qa6OMPfHi8DS5F8_tDpkVVjP8tIoochhKtlUKFHwVCwsHV4u4lz_PBsByUG0sKj3wXjcqkk1u1NHuMrzzn8WRNRRJ59SPO04-bmFphatGdxFlwZIykbed3HuOpApGPK7XO3v" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></strong></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED</b></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Adrift</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Almost six million young people are neither in school nor working, according to a study by Opportunity Nation. <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FYolkh7_unlhMboCqtJMwBEplxsj9dhhKntCYz_oEaQB6ElhYqIfjNd0I05awbyQBqpiNnIXOd7fjFt8cgdAnG-JVThhnIG3R8knz5dgW_jpZ9JtuK2h4-TiT8p3atOunb0hiOuhTaC7qsAdlXR6oKH7l1ROsM57VuDZQXyQt2IaYSnmLvl_JrrQJnDJNhV-o8aKbSDKbxC5HxAfkTza_F8fN5UTVvqbMM5DFvJNHiA-Xtkw3tRa_J559tcuNS8nh8=" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Getting in Early</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Sixteen states plus the District of Columbia are competing for a slice of the next round of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge. <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FbQ0UCO5BBQbomrk1Z9gwry-tAvaYEpu6FdsVF_pLBfT3Ti6N7JQn6KePM3vU9jeYDw2Xa9F_o3AE27kzvdqJ0j-97IcWf5stCka67eTg0RltVf0DYXtdSjXPrzMnC3mwjOMXUPeCDpxuZ_L-RnwHCJ2pxIDnuwkKC4xMfj8tLrDyCfQLaMAys3YULS_s89N01Q8TIP8eN5UQ==" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>More overhauls</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Seven states will overhaul their teacher-preparation and -licensing systems under a two-year pilot program created by Council of Chief State School Officers. <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8Fb0eOgv1o_lainUFQ_rHzme2XWIvkGEKUXZWqd5pILdNHRSG7JJDupj0DSOaI940C3VAh-h3-aOh_XSHIIxU8o2z2SUFyP7Pg0xKBMH_TiXwanWJCTxLP2pRJ_yy8ENr1xwdbW1OEJLQTeouXflxGwlNgfQz4VWhoOELLu9T5AJuOr6dpIaS-jDeMvjB1c5ilbE9bGvaIFO0A==" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Short and sweet</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">A plan is underway to create a three-year high school diploma in Dallas ISD. <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FajuxDlrb8RW8ZM1CHp5yEdNHOw7K3rn_EtuGXhxE55Xa7FHlh9UW_9XtTPX3EJqpc1h5DgIlRjVvVmL-GuwXjThvU9vosIpfXouEchY7LFdvlfRVEOqhBEWQXUunOuSB3yXC7pn3I80MpQZYKH2-zUOcFyV150YqOsJB_NQ8ziN3yCZd9Xrf03bvJntfEwrSKMxa2mAezISLVSprl0p9kEyFoTBD9Iu3SbSyAjycsJcQzpA43ImPtl1fw_7sdi_OxCy6pfH_3PA9fSUgJ0r12Y" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Welcome back</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Michigan Schools Superintendent Mike Flanagan has ordered the Michigan Department of Education to resume implementation of the state's Common Core State Standards after the Michigan Senate adopted a resolution to restart funding. <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FbtdzPeKFqeMd_QBbSbIOu8Sk50qlOMKCoiCfvHtsds7oUzYOi9dHjO-ASKoA0b8JGKLsLvotKg2wJO6g7Jnn-7Du1txZGldpVIV0di2wrWgVk96O6DZqalIvmeBDsEcJTiwI-f7gJsgWBuWFNvSkPjkuSsSsNon7kSNpgg01Aa9lFEPVdsdVb143X-mxOZjJE=" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Since gun control is out of the question</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">A new law requiring Nevada districts to track incidents of bullying and harassment may get fresh attention after a student opened fire at a middle school in Sparks, Nev. on Oct. 21, killing a teacher and wounding two other students. <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FY4y2R_hc7pYC0Cfbmdtq4IoiXL7tr-iH9l749sQjLM_wDO6G6P3C8ZgZwh_mO7bq-2_LDtv8CPTNSqeCoSTGJFXQwfA-m2HBLB4gS4sA6uhWu8W6YUYh5swHxtYmEZWXTpQlnwUsMxFTlXYo3RjdZLP-BIJzlpLRaszBDVYBWiVHUNHCVAuKYAIM7ssVFZvIFHQUQXYHruWn3hnrCFRDQDrg70oOKyhZofVhZGtyyvO_XpmADALnlayMMrCsTI-ZQ=" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong>Guess we can all relax</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Amid growing alarm over the slipping international competitiveness of American students, a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics comparing math and science test scores of eighth graders in individual states to those in other countries found that a majority outperformed the international average. <a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZVh-jxwRrPovQosAKyjfRDLiTwluTC7G05hylxlCGWJUaeq3ETvgNfdwpuf4E76z83_uEPC5UW2ssUoC826EY7yitNwXCJwNoHqB8JM5u69GGMBZwe_Y01LYWxkzYtYz28H2bkJT5uWIQgszOLh-jHYzyFWholdvOnQ-yBa75r7873zJf-G3NoNHgQKqOxIq2bnOkmlOZB_vxzQXf0d3SRCJHLfMu2NL3I0r1fLDEQ0EEz-7wiIUprNezWmXd_N_E=" shape="rect" target="_blank">More</a></div>
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<div style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: #ee5624; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZguypEwuxH5iFuT7LUeNJv1WrhoIq1runEVqgTqBpyWuVF4oFj6ioYIkiAvQyMO1Qcvpy35sV7Yz--P9vURkGcm7jq3FgbOgiDXzH3LgZSWo4t-h6KZnJsy-VPc9TdKp-Mm--I7duaM4o6ZfhtLg9ES2hQCo8D4fWpBfPDYOK5sc8fcI-TjJnl" shape="rect" target="_blank">Sodexo: Steven J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship</a></strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">The Sodexo Steven J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship program supports the education of young people working to end hunger in communities across the United States, and brings attention to the innovative and effective solutions they are implementing toward ending hunger in their lifetime. Maximum award: a $5,000 scholarship award and a matching $5,000 grant in their name for the hunger-related charity of their choice. Eligibility: students enrolled in an accredited education institution (kindergarten through graduate school) in the United States who can demonstrate an ongoing commitment to hunger-relief activities in their community. Deadline: December 5, 2013.</div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZdHNej61KCPEuLD3-MGxccPyIChdv2UrriUcz6vnhuuKW_nwb1g1yAJD9e-Y0o6zpDtqHCf-tscBAXRPKGgYJZZEByZxoxNvFVsFzPMVDfi1ER75yYiGD76ALenl9ZInY=" shape="rect" target="_blank">Children's Tylenol: National Child Care Teacher Awards</a></strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">The Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Awards acknowledge the critical role of child-care teachers in providing quality early care and education. Applicants are asked to design an enhancement project for children in their classroom, illustrating the educational, social, and emotional benefits from the project. Maximum award: $5,500. Eligibility: teachers of infants, toddlers, or preschool-age children employed in a home-, group-, or center-based program that is fully compliant with local and state regulations for operating child care programs. Deadline: December 6, 2013.</div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FZ_thMCHHf6XIWN2w1CzmP9P1cw4l06-ATOLny2o3UM7mfYQ0jo_pHrPIrKksqF4kvlPToVxZsxUBGu6ScOkaKmjZLZK1667ACe3lAC27LlqpLUsbmxAwyRpmRNvJGKQ-RWdNV2T44rAe7Xh_qgwFOx3n3AbcaCY9Wqu1tdx4IFi_tSJcIGbVlv" shape="rect" target="_blank">Starbucks Foundation: Youth Action Grant</a></strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">The Starbucks Foundation is interested in supporting organizations that equip young people in the areas of Business Savvy -- the ability to leverage opportunities with integrity and innovation, and to make good decisions and achieve results;</div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Social Conscience -- the impact an individual and enterprise can have on the community; and Collaborative Communication -- engaging others in an inclusive manner across teams, functions, and cultures, and leveraging new and creative ways of communication. Maximum award: $30,000. Eligibility: organizations working with youth ages 15 to 24. Deadline: December 15, 2013.</div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000"><strong><a style="COLOR: rgb(238,86,36); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FbMaJGk-wsIWzAWMYtRox7vSj4eA7P803epNrkAchCFDRv_Eaz0N0fNWfvqsBJrdWG4w20BeFZSsQhT0SGKTNuyHeGJkn8G3cXH7z0Pg3fc2qqjaWn9UHS-jqmAJNGdbi5NubCrxAk2E9OzsR3OZ7ye" shape="rect" target="_blank">Captain Planet Foundation: Grants for the Environment</a></strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">The Captain Planet Foundation funds hands-on environmental projects to encourage youth around the world to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including schools, with an annual operating budget of less than $3 million. Deadline: January 31, 2013.</div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; COLOR: #ff0000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-DECORATION: underline">QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</span> </strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">"There are a lot of folk who have a lot of money who simply don't need Social Security. And we can't even begin to have a conversation around means testing for that group. It's unfair to the next generation." -- <span style="COLOR: #ff0000"><strong> </strong></span><a style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001KVXA1HsA8FY11Td3XCocRhsGOU9T4J8n0BoRgWOm2Y6Sq4Kk2lILPV6l2E8h3gEPz3E6xqKKz6zFasyHPafp4D-LLfGx86dbUr5UIgwnibgZSjTHwb7ZIOytf-FRtj3SAoOzTKhyU8MJ0j2Ivxf_yM6ZiZKyAUuHZKUaAGRIvT4=" shape="rect" target="_blank">Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone,</a> campaigning against entitlement spending.</div>
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