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<div>December 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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Our relative mediocrity</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">A serious problem with early care and education</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">EMO growth spurt, yet again</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">SIG data: More questions than answers</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">A retreat from the zero-tolerance fiasco</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Redistributing effectiveness</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Cultivating parent engagement</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">A stab at the pension impasse</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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&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/38227-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27558787&seq=2&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK17" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Our relative mediocrity</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The latest scores from
the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) of 15-year-olds
in the United States were flat in reading and science, and below-average
in math compared with 64 other participating countries and economies,
reports Lyndsey Layton in The Washington Post. The Chinese province of
Shanghai took the top slot in all three subjects, catapulting upward
through a focus on teacher preparation and investment in its most
challenging classrooms, among other things. Germany, Poland, and Italy
were among several countries with significant improvements, while
Finland, a top scorer in past exams, had a drop. American scores offer
fresh evidence for those who argue the United States is losing ground to
global competitors, and for others who feel a decade's worth of school
reform has had little positive effect. U.S. Education Secretary Arne
Duncan called the scores a "brutal truth" that "must serve as a wake-up
call" for the country. Yet some observers, including education historian
Diane Ravitch, note that American students have not been top performers
on international tests dating back to the 1960s, but this has not kept
us from global success and innovation. Ravitch accused Duncan of trying
to "whip up a national hysteria" over the PISA scores. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGSIQoNsB4XIaqsxm4erzVzG0fijSYlCEKtpGa3dS5xgZwblM2e-bvPPrSg1tC5oiLIffRHWWZg2naQCtfiRw9lSP1dLQidc9KHsioswAbhQ24oXOrokSn6GXhdliGhIiUzxWOEPTg_oXQeRHocshVsfsB5PrnBCcEZQlSb8rEYtSzWpvIdMLioxt6OG7l354dE97XFQz2FfUlsOWoijyjNC2vU_xCb63KTAVjW9GS2_ctmMb7SS4d11gHi4VgegY5htpBLlm-bxcu0_pliISkCGizR-GIKDDrrwSsDgx_9Myv2DhbzCxdUup_4otkDT-Q1ZviIfwkdwx9I7WnfehPM1" shape="rect">More</a>. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGRvm-RKSe21LSlGLTptpF9Ypndm6A_tAJp0r8mq3P1hBL6ehQ9whYJO0XRcbEtMEx_kt7d1vHoQFiH3dsgzf68rauRt0t2QHD_WtSTgknhRBNkImgbK80EYnYn8G39hUcl13izYvjLU346p3aLcXHMaLlCcl_KsLiGdIK3iGriBzHCtU0mwGwQefZHFPsQQHW5Po6czbrUlTys8TSYjQRvh36w-mZ9pWq7Fw-ZmC5L0QBTLRcEKDEccRotUEJBcfXZWUVU3Hw2i_g==" shape="rect">Related</a></div>
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<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK45" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A serious problem with early care and education</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Center for Law and
Social Policy and the National Center for Children in Poverty have
released a fact sheet on early care and education in this country that
indicates significant underinvestment at the state and federal levels.
This is apparent with the three largest federal programs: the Child Care
and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF), and Head Start. Funding for CCDBG has not kept pace
with inflation or need, with 150,000 losing access to childcare
subsidies since 2006, and an additional 30,000 losing subsidies due to
sequestration. Funding for Head Start has increased by $1.2 billion from
2006 to 2012, but demand has exceeded growth, with only 42 percent of
eligible children served by Head Start preschool and a mere four percent
eligible served by Early Head Start. States are also falling short of
recommended quality benchmarks. Currently, only four states (CT, ND, OR,
VT) meet benchmarks for both class size and adult-child ratios, while
33 meet neither. A complex mix of federal and state investments and
policies shapes low-income access to quality early care and education.
Currently, these are too weak to benefit large numbers of young children
experiencing economic hardship and other circumstances posing serious
risks to their healthy development and success in school and life. <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=001BwB9JtdrIGSh1wFR8MukoHaaIQHVPO1qYKlH8XPBSHczXUyqIpHjzKmCYVLwS_Y8dWm9N1HP0t95K8gJJDveuHslIMmlIxS0WZAPLmh0Z33MM_AzMAwZZWhG-anmEJPLiBYCvmtl6JX6TLAPp1doEjzGaiZ2IIG6t2o2ZnEycMNHwSstpE3ZfVLrueVh_MklgZcMWH8_SI6VZLUGMVnapw==">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;">EMO growth spurt, yet again</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
National Education Policy Center finds that across the nation, schools
managed by for-profit and nonprofit education management organizations
(EMOs) continue to increase in number and enrollment. Since 1995-1996,
the number of for-profit EMOs has grown from 5 to 97, and the number of
schools these operate has expanded from 6 to 840. Enrollment has grown
from approximately 1,000 students in 1995-96 to 462,926 in 2011-12.
While the actual number of for-profit companies has grown little in
recent years, many large- and medium-sized EMOs are expanding into new
areas such as supplemental education services and virtual schooling.
Virtual schools operated by EMOs increased from 60 in 2009-10 to 91 in
2011-12, representing 10.8 percent of all schools managed by
for-profits. Imagine Schools was the largest for-profit EMO in 2011-12
in terms of number of schools: 89 during 2011-12, though it has lost
contracts since then. The next largest for-profit operators are
Academica (76 schools) and National Heritage Academies (68). In terms of
enrollment, the largest EMO is K12 Inc., which operates 57 virtual
schools with 87,091 students. Enrollment in nonprofit EMO-managed
schools has expanded dramatically, from 237,591 students in 2009-10 to
445,052 in 2011-12. KIPP remained the largest nonprofit EMO: 98 schools
and 35,045 students in 2011-12. <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=001BwB9JtdrIGTKzCHywqNsTxw16g7mjepPal-rm39wwxkxlfMCs59iCCZgG-MDfFYRQALE09ledMDT6a-OfYHBTdr3kZQSfjkeHXaPlCHJwsksSDflllxu4LG98T70TGrNhZUsA_xDxBLV6WWCxm7usvfLa8ZcRLQVymaRZORPezY=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK43" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">SIG data: More questions than answers</div>
</b></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>The
recent U.S. Department of Education summary data on the School
Improvement Grant (SIG) program omit a number of factors crucial to
measuring the program's efficacy, writes Alyson Klein in Education Week.
To begin with, the data don't indicate how struggling schools that did
not receive SIG funds performed, so any analysis lacks a control group.
We can't determine whether diverting non-monetary resources (e.g.,
highly effective principals) to SIG schools led to dips in student
achievement elsewhere in a district. The data indicate modestly improved
student performance nationally, but don't show individual gains. Did a
handful of high-achieving schools boost the national average? Were these
schools already on an upward trajectory? Were backsliding schools
concentrated in particular districts or states? Schools chose "lead
partners," often outside for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, to
help with turnarounds, so which were most or least effective?
Critically, the summary lacks breakouts for subgroups like students in
special education and English-language learners, so we can't know if the
program met their needs, even in schools with gains. We don't know how
different proficiency standards in different states contributed to
overall (modest) gains in math and reading. Finally, the data can't show
us whether failures or successes rest on program design versus
implementation, since we have no way of knowing whether schools
implemented turnaround models with fidelity.</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=001BwB9JtdrIGTx00kkch3gGmb1NzKXLxiWyKYdGWdBzenFvhXHbtGyqTLzA4ItlHb-Fur_pi3ZBS7G3WKNM8T8ed8c7iDMs4KWnaDl4T1DG2RwySmgZBlEM2E4whQ-kwuTy7DBfbcDFrEX4O1jJHn4iSnKWKVUeFtqUkaZEriHQWiCWROytNoDFiXsBJDjYiG2w_jMfyePzFgcdTEHattrUw==">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;">A retreat from the zero-tolerance fiasco</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;">Faced with mounting
evidence that get-tough policies in schools are leading to arrest
records, low academic achievement, and high dropout rates, districts
around the country are rethinking their approach to minor offenses,
writes Lizette Alvarez for The New York Times. The policies, called zero
tolerance, first grew out of the War on Drugs in the 1990s and became
more aggressive in the wake of school shootings starting with Columbine.
Districts like Broward County Schools in Florida are taking a different
direction, joining other large districts like Los Angeles, Baltimore,
Chicago, and Denver. Rather than expelling lawbreaking students, they
are retaining them in school, away from the streets, and offering
counseling and other assistance aimed at changing behavior. These
alternative efforts are increasingly supported, sometimes even led, by
state juvenile justice directors, judges, and police officers.
Nationwide, more than 70 percent of students involved in arrests or
referrals to court are black or Hispanic, according to federal data. In
Broward County, the policy shift has shown immediate results, although
it's too early to predict overall success. School-based arrests have
dropped by 41 percent, and suspensions, which in 2011 added up to 87,000
out of 258,000 students, are down 66 percent from the same period in
2012, school data show. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGTy7MDl72-reyjUINbe1_04ubHpjC9W3ehOdhQgkCdakA7iMHheNwxmLNXhVnaqnPmyaRK9Sy2jE2Y_MsNHhhNNUOVQtaVGagARJn5BDo-EqbHz0Cd2wCl39ET-AubZ3EdpJyYLWoRqAGIIr94VQO3e_8-0IL8MQfrq418IMFDYDHtfZ9Rc1dPUSwnvvs_1BSrK1hChNll76WukX6KF7FH0Js9FgOXWLOJw_1-BboZBmCfIv2gWLDE7d7WjWwGfV2v_ToIh4ieHDdTgYiHgnl31fTOlI08Djoc=" 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;">Redistributing effectiveness</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 paper from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute describes a change in
education policy that could potentially solve several issues: that our
best teachers aren't paid enough, that too few kids benefit from great
teachers, and that too many are stuck with weak teachers. It would
address these issues simultaneously and at no additional cost to
taxpayers. Following this route, however, means reversing position on
class-size reduction. The paper proposes leveraging existing teacher
talent by enlarging classes taught by the best instructors, compensating
them for the extra work. This would also help less-effective teachers
by allowing them to concentrate on fewer students. To determine possible
effects from manipulating class sizes in this way, the study used North
Carolina data to simulate student outcomes. The results of this
hypothetical suggest that student learning can improve by simply
redistributing students among teachers, though the extent of the
achievement gain -- and its price tag -- depend on grade level and a
suite of human-resource policy decisions. Perhaps most important, the
analysis indicates that universally shrinking class sizes may be
counterproductive in terms of student achievement -- and that
purposefully expanding some can be more efficacious.</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGTgNuVQs_yj_tD96GuXpuPlZLBSU1TM0EnMpsNX7nY92bbewCapzxsbFtZ1rNsPVDv9VHPM50Bn4Yt3faaRXZLkt5PzuKNQc827NYAxG1B8CZ_qy1lXVBZ_zQTJRPy9aEDwQz2zo_l6HiKDeCv8BM4wAMQsOgKaIxg1wJdfhJZrlE3pXHH9Fcwjel18EFFZjgqmF0nibeTscyoEBMglU7-wAz-qUBV0t56CN5_TVMhE-hk8x4SpHyNz0QjwCVLtyW2aQCr1WZmSIiXK_DgM86eeff6JhoyyED8=" shape="rect">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;">Cultivating parent engagement</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>Getting
parent engagement right takes dedicated and continued effort, writes
L.A. teacher Angie Trae-Greenbarg in The Hechinger Report. Parents,
teachers, and students alike are frequently frustrated by roadblocks to
engagement such as scheduling conflicts, language barriers, lack of
technology, and a by-the-numbers approach that doesn't account for
individual circumstances. Trae-Greenbarg recommends five strategies that
any school can use to improve parent participation. One is harnessing
parent expertise about the community, proactively asking parents for
their community connections and hosting events to which students and
parents invite community members. Another is creating a range of
volunteering opportunities at varying time slots and commitment levels,
offering flexible ways to engage. Schools should also train parents on
technology tools that already exist: have an orientation on a school's
website that shows parents what information they can access where, and
make sure the website is dynamic and up-to-date, offering information
parents actually want. Another step is to empower parents by encouraging
them to assume leadership positions and training them to lead
parent-breakout sessions during monthly meetings. Finally, parental
involvement should be fun. By motivating parents and students to attend
activities together, meaningful and holistic relationships between
teachers and families are built. Events should encourage participation
and engage everyone simultaneously.</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=001BwB9JtdrIGRhJD-SHsG2A1P5A2Bz7i0kcfBj0UGNAERt-J1M9d_qunYiy8M915iq3Ry2P7FhNMBdy-A7uVj9cqDwD4fBEf3PAEUZ1uagaodrHnqVd9vHcwvlrnpUg3W-tiaaf-BGGj4KcqaeY9eczF9a1ggKAKw2hbw__XMw3ba61j-EuvY2f3-eW2cI1WGmB6Z8dUf_r473tALxuX07b2TEvRyIOCfh5k5UxoZuPOY=">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;">A stab at the pension impasse</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Illinois legislature
has passed a deal to shore up the state's debt-engulfed pension system
by trimming retiree benefits and increasing state contributions, reports
Rick Lyman in The New York Times. With one of the nation's
worst-financed state-employee pension systems -- some $100 billion in
arrears -- Illinois has been the focus of intense attention across the
country as states and municipalities grapple with their own
public-pension problems. The compromise reached in Illinois, a staunchly
blue state with a strong labor movement that had beaten back prior
efforts to trim pensions, could offer a template for agreements
elsewhere. The plan's architects said it will generate $90 billion to
$100 billion in savings by curtailing cost-of-living increases for
retirees, offering an optional 401(k) plan for those willing to leave
the pension system, capping the salary level used to calculate pension
benefits, and raising the retirement age for younger workers. In
exchange, workers will see their pension contributions drop by 1
percent. The state will increase payments into the system by $60 billion
to $70 billion. The battle now turns to the courts, where union leaders
have promised to take the legislation that some assert violates the
Illinois Constitution by illegally lowering pension benefits. <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=001BwB9JtdrIGQjk1r4QIFjp7J__hqqbAscUD_TL2kXVkqau3pT4d9gY6Akfn25Cc-CSpHrCLUnTVy145t3yiu6DpYzOzDw96v_-a5wPF0wM2BwB1opJkvznZjqr1UXS8Yxf-9FHsU6XB-vIiDaXU7zV5qdprNOtUW54ZOQRLfhxL2m5CdBToPp4feUSJR8h0iQFfgRHq9Z82htM_5wA8QmypNrYBWIdQOk24EId4eeyLnBCxmV0dcupXSY_DUxJXJNuuyQ5_Zlg4VryAOWQ7Gw4F-NXAeaC8G9gAG0M4e1D-W9PFzIALIAFRNWmz0Uuf5UmrJYXQnRvVk=">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: #f24f23;"><strong>Zooming upward</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Rocketship Education,
with eight K-5 charter schools in San Jose, one in Milwaukee, and
invitations to expand into urban districts in other states, is the sole
finalist from California competing for $120 million in the second
district Race to the Top competition. <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=001BwB9JtdrIGS1PNnshB_jTg6u0Iemlkyv-iTvZrOaALpmysDQl-NSOrbrcb_hkxQao6bev-45QUc8j_b4FkpiqeDJbr3bEPUnOS2p489J8qCBoQpVWoMDBqHH6VJscF7CM1b1eyOhp-3zUw2jThp2uyZin6glK9Y5D4FYLuAdth4ViyVTeajmg_9XKAjcTutgpmwFjwfV86m8ysiL7t0ENczj2EesuXnDkwi1JuVwPZk5o3szbjpUuafMkli2SawlVBunxSnMHuMrbGxKmis9Pg==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Welcome change</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A resurgent economy and
recalculations of revenue from the past two years will leave the
California budget with a multi-billion-dollar surplus next year and K-12
schools and community colleges with unexpected billions more to spend,
according to a projection from the California Legislative Analyst's
Office. <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=001BwB9JtdrIGTKVk5bS85TdYH4ordAte-j6wdjjYBrwo0OUpomT4HfKLlxabpJCWXKX2cmbMGCDn_n7k3Ww-OZClPMqUuNMSV_-j1b_X8t9lieanjP-YZGN4fn1JHXMwEPAGfWWUdBm6a3VkkAZxgGb-TXZaqXt9AQ0JntrAQrGBdV-aSJGC2SA_9dh09NogvP2EsMrHKJy2zAneZ59HDQgCxJYPssc3lNXzWdwS7FC3ZdCOI_k8TJLdrS8otAX9E4KQkwSN7f6V4=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Workaround?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California, threatened
with the loss of $3.5 billion in federal funds for suspending
high-stakes testing next spring, has tweaked its exam plan, but it's not
certain that the change, which was not cleared first with U.S.
officials, will ease the threat. <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=001BwB9JtdrIGSjWhDZnZAXMbYkVsWskcGNJKl9zeuaX_Rs7QmLunuYUXVXtJqe3SpyrcyG5T84WsYxvXt3CgJxrrxxrQ_jHdOCn8j_qKcBmHVleRKUGiLTbdR7zyf5rGcG2y0tpx-uM1o4GTk-SDrMMwhtdn3e6DAEiM7Sosn_8f4xJsNvbp_NJElf9ESNwFcbujeYD2tkyyCQYx5WNHyNDKHuqCGtbvqNWQxs4ve6akQ=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Facelift</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Districts across California are rewriting elementary school report cards to reflect the Common Core.</div>
<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=001BwB9JtdrIGTvRPuK71poxsHJt4ph2iD0wNlLLppv1L6Oe0EScE7uqWCZtkSTYRotrLNdOpoXhrvaCMEI_4jXQKuWvB7r7uENtKuggip--Pw8_9y90PKzHrP0pSOn4Ne8-382x_gpMGaA2zVkWud8Op_M7zgIpybyLvk5TWVJ81kGGNrxpCg-WXJbH04z5XlA2mMhQTDdUPMOjtqHUM6pYmgYfOqumHm7m4O0zZVYXXNs41rlY8WYrw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Mad dash</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Facing the potential
loss of $200 million in state money to help educate impoverished
students, Los Angeles Unified is scrambling to comply with new rules
requiring financial verification for every low-income pupil. <a style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGQc8s37JurWDMaBk-qxVhV1nEwdyeO8dWU8YeYRiNZC-BHKPND0PwPWlBqpmtoeQCMdlrqAyMQm7fkqIITARnV_SVJmbgI-TszySO8rhI5ybNQU1sYC2vuGkAKvlsjoewrX8XUpufckYLlL_5SWQ2ZkGnRBDs6xulRBVT0gWJ7TmXnoC7mQCnjsfZT8NoDYyIO5uLU-2GvgOM3tf5hFYJbRpJLoF5_deHDrY0sTuSTgkWdTJX_OZIScl_h-9hH9b3c=">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>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Reprieve</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Louisiana State
Superintendent of Education John White has announced the state will
delay how students, teachers, and schools are held accountable under the
Common Core State Standards and related testing for at least two
years. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGTgvC9kgS_zbIBvPPXUmjw6SM1brO0Y9kbjtpI7kFTcoYczrhQviOaB8CjGgiY_dg1Vplkyqen_qm60BSBeoDiZHp3_k36VcVaRZxCg4G0jCDGgMVs15MdPNdOQi_ufLoOnv2jeQwn2V2f4InTnH2KpPXhMiYSMcII0NNtO9XOAYfuItAhPjJnDPn4NkWinD0m44bfanVf9Cw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Waiver waiver</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Two states -- Nevada and
Mississippi -- will get extra time to implement the teacher-evaluation
portion of their waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGTkYygEqZCl3zing4yQk2rMtbYI_sBQLCC0NU2BlVVRIzk3iGCx1YQ__xscXlKL872b-1F00knLihMwtJxnTXbCyDkBSh5gGBSxJ5cffTUtHxpRHXdqZkNjefNE6wj7OVtepivna0fR19sMKj_Lnq9-glmO1oYWWtN_s3mOM5h_5SSlwXqmRxddwApGrTDR4QCFLIq5S5jSYr4_1J-vdRkmif1qSluALULglBjRYQEXETf6OSZQ6ImRXOeEs1yGXeb73kBVW1hc4HVY2wF1PRKrTo2B4-usuJyD0c22aw3C0OZrSvmlwdfW62Ug-nv8qRpRVoV-ArSjB-JkMBa1yWRZtyFBGVJovl_4-eZGcujhBX-18VVfQJ3UPvEdTLrKQqiYEnY5QwL-9O3GPdjz5Qps">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Headway</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">This calendar year saw
more than three dozen laws enacted in 25 states that in some way support
early learning, according to a list of enacted legislation compiled by
the Education Commission of the States. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGRvYrwzcI4PxCyB7cZKCL-T-Cd21xq4baH5BEJvjJETn-6apkoS_oRsrYz-3OPMIcXJywkVhg2VCXoGhD2nc7jB7GMC8iqaLf5vSImoAfeuhXIkU09b26f3z7ZZ1_0eJgL1Sv8afN0u-JIlTH_1QbYu01WO-vwEAWJ1S1IQcuBD4NT0XqLZzQGgfWIGppkcambmkq3Z5EWEo6lmf6yHsLJlTr4W-eAdbc_83GehBCSteZi3PuOrBOvAceqwRHIvHgQ=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Seeking bandwidth</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are among several
philanthropists who have pledged $9 million to a nonprofit trying to
bring the internet to public school classrooms around the country. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGSvNrY4ZtJQd-GX1xcjy5eNqm1GzExE0bkHXT2A6IP7kHZkOTQv4aOL3xE6Cpfe5JSTmL9AodnR_l-2lye1ji5mUSO3AMqu6EbmhiNHUGBTsWZsF9k-KVycBArWGSn3rI0yQwNTaKyXQF5NWEkfYX2vR--XEQ_3jObE1UjCXsFYosvu2wxZBILodTx4LFwG2NdO4hGIAeQ52v7TPLt_BhB9lUReWJ5gjZnWxD2v3X6cvF9WWKCdG6k-V9Sh0rnmfhymFlgFVRvS5mps2o06DSZbpBvwIRILUt_UIymVHpWr98eebJbENZFFq8PC7kchKGm_NZqkKrXi1xzW249ygOLa">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Leaving on a high note</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The four-year graduation
rate for NYC students entering high school in 2009 reached 66 percent,
an all-time high, up from 64.7 percent the previous school year. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGQ_kC48sbRfQuhJwzASa_yF8C70Rne6ZjhtcpCvhy2i3Akn5v2pwGoU5J1qOUue87RwKO0UnD1JYoUIV_xmkVQwrHoRvJOw789QDM6AguWk6T4kdH6fQ15tcU4d-MKWPKOZvodOlVRHgxla9JsJySI-DchELWY0Y8LXJ9n5E5GeesYnM05Q7jAn">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><strong>Data reckoning</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Acknowledging that
scores on a national reading test may have been inflated, Maryland
education officials have pledged to reduce the number of special
education students excluded from taking the test. <a style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGTvwnIpy4ZjlQ8dr2H-OcAt-0T6bJfEUK1JZ3Kd7mBs3HD7HYZjm_0PCsFSNPRgr20QMZbEA3SrfzP8pNR-m5dvEauskZxDJqC8EsX2kVXROMAL_3sEQ2RHjwvWfafwwYRkwxSXZWTI20dO5jDuHVcNdQVyYgWOYp74zH17z6i44JKaNZMkEtSkJRiOyFGUQJpYy45w0wvY8glDD8CEpoSuJ60zlarEj_FPtg-KzGfR2HL1extVPk1nx5asXXlItzc=">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
<br>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGRzN9tPZ1CVgglC2mn2x3W2TDEzpcGiwL4XeeQvMIYJFCxmWbOo3v3mMUOtYyzkd6bCDRpyMur25aWoNEyhFfnwnVi3tFL6meHZ9MGps7LWH0IqLr_Lt1ODJJbSrADOOrapxqSRKoUEgA==" shape="rect">LEGO: Children's Fund Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
LEGO Children's Fund will provide grants for collaborative programs,
either in part or in total, to organizations that focus on early
childhood education and development; technology and communication
projects that advance learning opportunities; or sport or athletic
programs that concentrate on underserved youth. Maximum award: $5,000.
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. Deadline: January 15, 2014.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGRzN9tPZ1CVgglC2mn2x3W2TDEzpcGiwL4XeeQvMIYJFCxmWbOo3v3mMUOtYyzkd6bCDRpyMur25aWoNEyhFfnwnVi3tFL6meHZ9MGps7LWH0IqLr_Lt1ODJJbSrADOOrapxqSRKoUEgA==" shape="rect">C-SPAN StudentCam</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">C-SPAN's
StudentCam is an annual national video documentary competition that
encourages students to think seriously about issues that affect our
communities and our nation. Students are asked to create a short (5-8
minute) video documentary on a topic related to the competition theme "A
Message to the U.S. Congress." Documentary should address the question,
'What's the most important issue Congress should consider in 2012?"
Maximum award: $5,000, plus $1,000 in digital equipment for school.
Eligibility: individuals or teams of two to three students grades 6-8 or
grades 9- 12; Deadline: January 20, 2014.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGRzN9tPZ1CVgglC2mn2x3W2TDEzpcGiwL4XeeQvMIYJFCxmWbOo3v3mMUOtYyzkd6bCDRpyMur25aWoNEyhFfnwnVi3tFL6meHZ9MGps7LWH0IqLr_Lt1ODJJbSrADOOrapxqSRKoUEgA==" shape="rect">United States-Japan Foundation: Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
United States-Japan Foundation Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award
recognizes exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between
Americans and Japanese. The award is presented annually to two
pre-college teachers in two categories, humanities and Japanese
language. Maximum award: $7,500 ($2,500 monetary award, $5,000 in
project funds). Eligibility: current full-time K-12 classroom teachers
of any relevant subject in the United States who have been teaching for
at least five years. Deadline: February 5, 2014.</div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f24f23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"I think the issue of poverty is something we've been quiet about too much." -- Harlem Children's Zone founder <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(242, 79, 35); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BwB9JtdrIGTpEcBK01ptP0gUyP4_Lffy6fnm_ewA8dgyDTR6Nb07X_lUk_PuPjolEewhyBmdMTS-NP3mSAMnQV6zSdvpc7M-KtBUQVNq8i2N3SEOkeGzFQkJqR671p1pgcnr8XABYvjDaC0_YOHDi2aI_ThJWWzStwuCqyPfx-QZFWriIZphOGhoxkhW0fJ9AlN4i72nFqrAZeX9A9DnbF4xHTNxAO5g" shape="rect">Geoffrey Canada</a>, at a Rural Education Summit.</div>
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