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<div>February 4, 2014 - In This Issue:</div>
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<tbody><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">State of the Union: more of the same</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Since 2009</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">4th-grade reading, across the nation</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Have we been a Great Society?</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">De Blasio aims at afterschool</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">All eyes on California tenure</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">A truer accounting for foster kids</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Unchartered territory</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/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38331-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27583793&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b><span>State of the Union: more of 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;">In The Huffington Post,
Joy Resmovits writes that President Barack Obama's State of the Union
address for 2014 "ran short on fresh education policy ideas." Instead of
new initiatives, the president mostly expanded on proposals announced
during and since last year's address, tying them to his theme of
fighting poverty and pushing the country forward despite legislative
inaction. Mr. Obama promoted a competition to redesign high school,
plans to boost internet connectivity, and college affordability and
accessibility -- all ideas already proposed. In his 2013 speech,
President Obama proposed a federal-state partnership that would fund
preschool for all 4-year-olds whose families make below 200 percent of
the poverty line, at an estimated $100 billion cost. He now seems
resigned to smaller versions of the plan: "We'll invest in new
partnerships with states and communities across the country in a Race to
the Top for our youngest children... As Congress decides what it's
going to do, I'm going to pull together a coalition of elected
officials, business leaders, and philanthropists willing to help more
kids access the high-quality pre-K they need." The president also
promoted a previously announced plan to spur innovation in high schools
that strengthens connections to college and career, and his continuing
efforts to make college more accessible and to increase university
completion rates. <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=001dqfEzFSpvgeHhIZjBJcRIpMli7Ex71wIeKZ8N2IheaYPxoONdybW002WHW1BdXYvISHtwaxjwuZhH_umcowrHp2yTHft--kmOeHnpESJDvVACGCwDysScu9Czje2UIHU0LnBuPNZ3R2EenIGjCOnwSJkWpHbexXNm8ZixFjz6jcG3nt0tUqg3u8gsRULL5Jm29y3CN1FjWhVkziXnXnHhQ==">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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<div>
<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;">Since 2009</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;">An analysis by the New
America Foundation gauges indicators since 2009 across the
birth-through-eight age span regarding student achievement, family well
being, and education funding. It finds that the financial crash from
subprime lending has led to subprime learning for too many kids in
America. School funding has fluctuated wildly, millions lack access to
quality programs, the K-3 grades have received scant attention,
dual-language learners are underserved, and achievement gaps in reading
and math have widened between family-income levels. Child poverty rates
have shot up. In 2009, Congress helped newly sworn-in President Obama
make good on a $10-billion pledge, but since then the federal government
has barely maintained its baseline investment year after year. The
report found progress in home-visiting programs,
infrastructure-building, standards, and accountability across states and
federal policies, as well as PreK-3rd alignment within a small but
growing number of places. Yet with years of reduced state funding,
sequestered federal funding, lackluster access to good public pre-K and
full-day kindergarten, and neglect of K-3 teacher preparation, the past
five years have not favored children who need a strong start in school
and life. The report urges lawmakers, policymakers, and philanthropists
to become more strategic about policies and investments that address the
income gap so as to immerse more children in better learning
experiences over the next five years. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgdevnQ8wTag5WyWdF_Bo7Pr2lu_rUtZULaI5-w__oUOHoFcqSMdNU2C2swtFkcKT0FJIKSUwePh70Shxn-2UQ1s1aeHb-BRE3UjXJy4_OprHJ1zPZL_u2nIKFdeiDzJOew2gzpWVRslBsu2AsikggSyCn9qSbOMlFmujL30Zb04Lh1N5UJnwdg5BmRoosf3Ir-TiIYyzBqYVCoww-fkwO1hkGLpkG8ljgQ=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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<div>
<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;">4th-grade reading, across the nation</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 brief from the
Annie E. Casey Foundation updates its earlier reports on the status of
4th-grade reading across the nation and in each state. Despite
improvement in the past decade, reading proficiency remains low. All
demographic groups improved, but proficiency increased significantly
more for higher-income students (17 percent) than for lower-income (6
percent). The gap in proficiency based on family income widened by
nearly 20 percent and worsened in nearly every state. Eighty percent of
low-income children are below proficiency, compared with 49 percent of
higher-income children. The likelihood of proficiency varies
dramatically by location. In 2013, 79 percent of fourth-grade students
in New Mexico and Mississippi were not proficient, compared with 53
percent in Massachusetts. Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Rhode
Island saw the biggest gains; only West Virginia, Michigan, Alaska, and
South Dakota saw rates get slightly worse. The gap based on
socioeconomic status is highest in the District of Columbia,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The brief calls for policies that ensure
the physical health of children so they can be present and learning
every day, and socially and emotionally on track. We must encourage and
support parents, families, and caregivers to be co-producers of good
outcomes for children, and hold schools and policymakers accountable for
results-driven solutions that transform low-performing schools into
high-quality learning environments. <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=001dqfEzFSpvgdJYSzPSrX9k6U-5Zj-j2YO5Vch9pgRNHZpco2CAGkMxbP9Qd0uCHWkAgAZJli6och58VqYo5tH8ifWaQk4WHr9Mx_4UkhWAnvT9sqZ3Xvw3msE4ideuHsrTPHYczvP3Mqg0P8k-3elIMbtjGlhsJ_3f8aNOGEpwdretNKEHk5ipwo5YCpnTMKUdLqe6Ts2h_xhWNc7TA1Q4mCd7po9KMGF43kD4TRXpoBwzEsIE5Hao9TmN_hR6dciYlkqEJOVUvs=">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Have we been a Great Society?</div>
</b></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>In
Education Week, Sarah Sparks examines the legacy and outcomes of Lyndon
Johnson's War on Poverty, 50 years later. The campaign ushered in
Medicaid; community health centers and school immunization and
screening; predecessors to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
and Section 8 housing vouchers; and Head Start and the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, among others. According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, 16 million children under 18 -- 23 percent of all American youth
-- lived in poverty in 1964. Child poverty dropped precipitously
through the 1960s and '70s, then rose, dropped, and rose again. By 2012,
16 million children lived in poverty, 22 percent of all American kids
-- little change. Yet analysis by Columbia University finds that without
Great Society</span><span>-</span><span>related government supports
like housing aid, food stamps, and school meals, the proportion of
Americans in poverty in 2012 would have been 31 percent. The proportion
of Americans in deep poverty -- living on less than half the federal
poverty line -- would have more than tripled. Still, social mobility has
stagnated and achievement gaps between wealthy and poor children remain
wide. As policymakers consider the next steps -- including
reauthorization of many laws born of the War on Poverty -- many urge
consistent support and sensible accountability: both, not one or the
other.</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=001dqfEzFSpvgeRI2-gNU4gCGZ8_Z1jTaHSEQ_a3Wt2qGY6ojfmwCcQuAJkOBviHlRdjRM6U-QliBcj2hCfH9fZcyfMK8fTKeqV_CjaqyznQm9ayL0zP7Vh8O0MaYRVfxAiMFB--YeOnPNFN8j8qPWrzzG7aeYgdYH-yyXtqRVuRDFUH08sSHJaxp1bVCZ5CByMb0QZZWKG7vT8MCkC0dDLbteZ404xnxv-4W2JJUdJQQwvEG_Wn6QjFZJqYgfxdwq3uTKGAMdbW6Z1mQ1n_hrvzUlSFbUHNQW4">More</a></div>
</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;">De Blasio aims at afterschool<b style="font-size: 14pt;"> </b></div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Mayor
Bill de Blasio is hoping to offer a city-run after-school program to
every middle-schooler in New York, writes Sarah Butrymowicz in The
Hechinger Report. If successful, the initiative would be the largest
after-school expansion in the city's history and would solidify it as a
national leader in a movement to give young people more time to learn.
In theory, it would also help close the gap between low-income students
and more affluent peers, since kids from wealthier homes are more likely
to participate in after-school activities already. Gov. Andrew Cuomo
has proposed $720 million to go to after-school programs statewide over
five years beginning in 2015-2016, to forestall a city tax increase that
would also fund universal pre-K. De Blasio wants after-school expansion
sooner and argues his proposal provides a funding guarantee the state
budget cannot. Since 2008, the number of available city seats in
after-school has declined and costs increased, thanks to a 2012 shift to
run programs year-round and a focus on academics and quality enrichment
activities. If the mayor is successful in getting the state legislature
to sign off on a tax on the wealthy, it would bring in $530 million for
New York City annually, about $190 million of which would go to middle
school after-school.</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=001dqfEzFSpvgdGlMd_Vj7Bw7BmkCYITn8jAVQdlEnDnmq3e8ZIODJ_qzaH-vESgztbL8GD7brtLVEO-z6hNnE19YdMA2GqNraoZU7ebYo0qOjpTyi8tm-dJ86jz842beAuSOrgVNji-LYbxGjFDky9wXBNPzggXX5rkndgx0B0xFqjn_vEnd6AYeTnR6Et-HBswCCHQYpvedaQSEtVUcwIePftZvXLC8lKnGbNifVl-t-MrujVRzjivyOCzKZGY8FCt1Dzg1LkOYQ=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">All eyes on California tenure</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Nine
public school students are challenging California's tenure system,
arguing their right to a good education is violated by job protections
that make it too difficult to fire bad instructors, reports Jennifer
Medina in The New York Times. At issue is a set of rules that grant
permanent employment status to California teachers after 18 months,
require a lengthy procedure for dismissal, and require that teachers
most recently hired are first to lose jobs during layoffs. The
month-long trial promises to be a national test case on one of the most
contentious debates in education. For the past decade, many attempts at
similar legislative changes have been made, with mixed success. Teacher
tenure has been eliminated in three states and in Washington, D.C., and a
handful of states prohibit seniority as a factor in layoffs. But in
many large states with urban districts, including California and New
York, efforts have repeatedly failed. The California case is the most
sweeping legal challenge to claim that students are hurt by employment
laws for teachers. The case also relies on a civil rights argument so
far untested: that poor and minority students are denied equal access to
education since they are more likely to have "grossly ineffective"
teachers. Judge Rolf Michael Treu of Los Angeles County Superior Court
will decide the nonjury trial. His ruling will almost certainly be
appealed to the State Supreme Court.</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=001dqfEzFSpvgcwSXMdP41Sd7-WKwXZtId4v47ll9fbeMHG6qwRY4LKwvGFM4E8320KukoCs9aBJP6-qd-6nMiEYhRBo73GrRqWmIsC0IuncT--N8hRmuksN89F9PWBL4C6-AlCu4lCIbrMtTtw6AJqIXkH7K9t9ofFoCzJdfUzfIZPojS_KkIF6ZRh_N4snhIvgcN-LDzTunK4NetkfTwGUGqzqKVTedlAOZ3YBVYHrgGmKwpLmuWdpg==">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A truer accounting for foster kids</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Perhaps
no aspect of California's new funding and accountability program for
schools delivers more anxiety than mandates surrounding foster youth,
writes Tom Chorneau for The Cabinet Report. Districts are required for
the first time to file detailed, public reports on the academic progress
of foster children, and administrators must also develop plans
outlining specific goals and activities to improve performance. As such,
there's new emphasis on the process for measuring, awarding, and
accepting partial credits earned by foster kids. Grades now cannot be
lowered due to absences or gaps in enrollment caused by changes in
school or home placements, attendance at court hearings, or
participation in any court-related activity. Upon receiving notification
of transfer, the sending school must issue check-out grades and
calculate and send credits earned on an official transcript to the
receiving school within two business days. The receiving school must
accept all credits, apply them to the same courses, and enroll foster
youth in the same or equivalent classes as at the sending school. Foster
youth who transfer schools after their second year of high school may
opt to graduate by completing only state requirements if they cannot
reasonably complete additional local graduation requirements.
Alternatively, they have a right to remain in high school for a 5th
year. </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=001dqfEzFSpvgfIgb5AkGWrc8GmSg_mV8YoOUp5Vu36mMjtWjgLfbgRT-FfRIEEN71SsWpn7GLfWtEnKPSvGuO_2BPaHSedd_WS8nwk7pE3okWMV4em7-AcYM5hqaqM2AIlx0OmPYL8hFf33G7o7DrIAjBtQ4uB77Fe053ddnj_VHeZ2cQkY_ZxmO3PDoQ5B4uUZOEXDXfechl6vZSYFUjKNUR6jLjq_ekS" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Unchartered territory</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>A
new report from Bellwether Education Partners offers four key policy
recommendations for states with significant rural populations with
regard to charter schools, which the author feels could greatly benefit
rural education. To facilitate creation of rural charters, state leaders
should craft flexible policies that enable communities, districts,
state officials, and school operators to jointly determine when and
where charters might be a useful reform. The author feels too many
states have in place policies that explicitly or implicitly limit growth
of rural charters. Since many rural areas struggle to recruit and
retain highly effective educators, the accountability-autonomy bargain
of charter schooling offers new opportunities to solve this problem, and
policies should give charters additional flexibility related to teacher
and administrator credentialing -- either through school-wide waivers
from certification requirements or flexible but rigorous alternative
routes to certification. Policymakers should also ensure that rural
charters have equitable access to funding, including funding for
transportation and facilities, and policies should enable rural charters
to access unutilized and underutilized public assets, including
buildings, municipal facilities, and land. Finally, policies should
allow rural charters to pilot innovative uses of technology, both to
bridge the distance between students and their schools and to increase
student access to highly effective teachers.</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=001dqfEzFSpvgdhb1JhkvCZmifgNfQXkwppTj8CRXRQ2qhQB3H8r5NVxPfiRu5zYQv08E8WVkV92bNHIscAnZ1sqiTV3ovjmOaYBycVi3qpq1pXIbN8G2ojfM1t-xdFhynlngwyBTK40JgUjKbpUPeHL5Ic498RyqQDlkOF67YNLcn5Lgq9FcDcarotRRcukPQyRHN9n15lbrQqhpkFKZKM3IyKyLrei9rD" shape="rect">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: #f14e23;"><strong>Oversell</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">According to figures
released this month by Gov. Jerry Brown's Department of Finance, the
state is expecting to receive about $700 million annually from the
Proposition 39 initiative -- far less than the $1 billion-a-year
anticipated when the measure was sold to voters last November. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgcPtOA7_xq3P3uxrGfZt-CUyV0jzyZ5Lhs_tSTeEhDgTOR7VYKFzUvDi4d0QGWZY7aWv5mGCts0Oi0S2-U62uIi-MFlES4iHhCXcYxq19MobWVhQ_nIz1-4R6URof4cXtcgbV8pM0qVguV0smoqTVvzDzTcaB54HeSFjTlFju-gbqf1xYhUTFwJsR6FSLYNtuf-9S7gq7IZWg==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Half measures</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Of the 135,000 children
served by California's subsidized preschool program for low-income
families, 95,000 go to half-day programs. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvge-1veRM-r8Zv-UP9O4lNynlKMQp4Ej9WqJwdggFsB9EeNe4O1LwbFRmwoymbuimXyQbdQja54mxlWp1X-t-Fb-n-9gLh0YhNwHqP67t8bTWpxHJc5o3ja_H8wU7mYld1PfUEPnlVcMaaB_t0WxXY8TvOLdffuHZQ8PIpuFyLhHnbF82n43CsoELb9ApKny6EpRoUo7Qdu14QYlBdwQTE_3UpU9-idSHGqKmE9RbjkF_A==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>But we've all got iPads</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Los Angeles Unified
School District officials said they don't have a complete accounting of
computers at schools because they stopped counting during budget cuts --
and a new survey meant to get an accurate accounting is incomplete,
according to records, statements at public meetings, and interviews. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgf3yCTyP_hJY7-lvRKcjLlMxpiKplSv4uRFnS_r6mIde4dB4Qpg0Yi7SvNaCBo-Eh-sMlukbQ8eipnjrdeemGVn5T5YZIbbxmUf6Tfg8ZPJ7meBrrjaO4_InkXKYAr7FErDvdX2WS2oFaw2-xnTQAwKH6RGTGeTC3Lz69KdV0M_INMCQ7O9GssDPah7DDDFxy-IM9zYFI6k6Rzh0PWu5dNI6uXo0P6kqabWraXYY75sVQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Make that 667</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Of LAUSD's approximately
13,000 buildings, 667 have been deemed to need some form of seismic
safety evaluation and possible repairs. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgeJp-B11BeUxV7HOPATzh-BFwDmt11l1iNiK4GM99cWo4I5wIdNNO7sn9MoXlFx8lcjsfRu3kwt84-yprHTmIq75IF9tLz1oUWs78KDG432kbxwepaZ6YaU6YVJw_HR2yN77mgpMEeH1tIY56gR6RnCYxpg4xwZELUxQNoWB9gKO5QRKX1eDixcGp3DO59MVKrjjoFJl9QMnfCNUJ2LX3ub0BnvPTSaFulRR4DeutzEHw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED </b></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Booster shot</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Pregnant women, infants,
and children up to age 3 could end up being particular beneficiaries of
the $1 billion boost that early-childhood education received in the
recently approved federal spending bill, signed into law by President
Barack Obama on January 17. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgctoAYbMvn8oPoSelPTL8sC0j1t5yzrBNhAALgil8wUJCADf_-HdqoOFrMIURstt4xEIh2RwYc-sOtempL4rE2GTKpI1fRvo-o8LpZ6D0PI1wo3R2__T78LUarXFf46oVKiLsP-r3118SP-vbYkCv2beJVJAxWAsa8Km_nLNST2UbhGoi22K6GqfcRn0q0-44E1olZaC8Kt-_TOul_04c1ZbzPCRR04Q5xDKEZdFnTL6RnOwRqbPezvIsOSYbk28A9rS9MhPQpmtT0GT3RyI_Gu" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Change of heart</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Education
Department has reversed a long-standing policy and will now allow public
charter schools that receive federal grants to give admissions
preference to low-income children, minorities, and other disadvantaged
students. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgeAe8feLHboRwmOCkjHEQ-V79DwFNylXFkInHdziNuISu9Qf2KDE1hXKkn_Jzb7DYCPp9oqRK2rZcKrTuIf-fq2CInxxi17cHQGs_8aXdZ9BDylIK00oH2iODC9pLyTeuKaIuGuLToqeht-lxHRp-z2uflN0W7tgW8rabJzFvAISPEJ_hs___HrqkBV42r7LdJMQznlv4va7lQMizzorWZ1xkMENks-xufFGiNYxsbtMhi-Ym9z26x0uOQqe7KAHrVohpc5q0lJUooSr50TASUjH3JbhJKbUv-pewom3ZvrPplmBt15kd2LzAHVpfn0ejfA7fOWx7qe8wvQo3hJVmTZU5xP8mzy0IlTsyELDplaQA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Attrition</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Delaware, Massachusetts,
New York, North Carolina, and Ohio all have had some local districts or
charter schools bail out of their Race to the Top program. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgdaJSyO_bViiIiZ70AmTZSK5xocFai7YQuv7ojwjfsBn7o1jUVEoz2rCNXi3vZZ_mHrhIoa_5fK2Wk4wAV6KhZH9dNJB0sGeN1zSJ9qA2ct1Y30Jf65MgnCitttxbRex-UtJh8kDRfN9BWth1n_WG-ybeKgOnGY8itlbPi-4tD3dYD48TxutV8MViQfl3Z5B5n20eDW0yCBnoGIKVKl4RkY2RATQwiBjqGF5mMX88Opj4oMYf7g1XQjIAPT48gW4cVIRiJHNUHkXEW8BTNvQXZv" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Fuel on the fire</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Changes to Indiana's
voucher program in 2013 helped fuel dramatic growth and allowed a
growing share of wealthier families to access tax dollars to pay private
school tuition. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgeAUel9uyHBVNFQvmi_qR6OTx2Od2EFiYtHaTVCfsVV2dtjKCATYZ4YkEsvxDxXCdABLSPyvkTXZkVMhb2HcXlA0--UgMyZQHUqeeuZC_vKVp2N3AZTFjzTrXLFy3BhoGW4Xfi_DUpTThZmvJD64V0hQRKbbRvpa-14OibKbsMa4Ob7sXAKRgvTPYIW5iT2gz8LNdhEngmdJg==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>A welcome low</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Massachusetts recorded
its lowest high school dropout rate in decades last school year amid
substantial declines in such cities as Boston, Lawrence, and
Springfield, state education officials have announced. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgf_qe-phv9o198051PZX203ers5JEewCvjmTo48elNtxy6y4GHiuNKzSxNqgQRoUMN1pQ0t_fn7bJsq7zp4Sudr_6mZ_Z8tbbY_7D3T2Jc4FiYZYS1-faVkcFHoUHW5GN4T-HxuzOQgYUKx7FX5afFaUsc692QhDGiVTysv2jx060_7JnmYnSKdcEkykVbS9quDSLbQHQsrhsaS1attxCUqrNLI86awgQUq_oSH8D13-0hjVWLQduVWr2a7V-cchHAPLSjMS1bn-4tQ1lT-YDyF" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Sound move</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">After four years of
deliberation, the Maryland school board has passed new disciplinary
regulations that will end a zero-tolerance policy that sent home large
numbers of boys, special education students, and African Americans for
minor infractions. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgetHsVRShqVhQPH0iZ57jsUCJ8f742UB5AE-55kBeM7y4mFKlShbjRm-0Lf570hhkmT8Pic8MG6a-0T4A0R9Ft8HKDeCYLLZ7jNwVuXfCrxkq111UuTfpy6DnfapwJJU9R97mI7G0mX9iYMYP9NuPN8ovRtOjzJtb5E-jkAsczwejaV3SenvRKoqPX-pk7_DLHOHT-hTZ3t5CAck_7OzkgsCTc8Cj0itVv3Oluu9RfM-bQ8IasyBmHCA6xJ0z7fHAM=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>The long view</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The New York State
Education Department is in the final stages of creating a system to
share student data with colleges and a half-dozen other state agencies
so that New Yorkers can be tracked from preschool to college to the
workforce and, potentially, "throughout their lives." <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgd8f4XX8ZYQ6rdUa7iezJpUwAMYCAbjBU2hmDfWFhR6KOlyjnfqI9A_bW5I8hTGCm6HdqSLCgRm6U8uDwGuHayn1LiPh31hWv6cNTgdKcnJfXbgzYQ7oQmunw6SJvDyGBYMrDMPuRUG6QKFvbiDi5Kp6I_N5rf7vuihkBIWcDw2BMOymyPSHxNg3473ncp-IRCN_D7lRLdU5ESAFdlu1Zy65KxBMxakQE2ey5SmiqXJVb90HMAXeYUnvnXzRgpz-PsBygEeN-MXWSRwX2Ki2BvHG7fALR45B-c=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>In with the new</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Following orders from
state lawmakers in 2013, the Nevada State Board of Education is phasing
out the four high school proficiency exams in reading, writing, math,
and science required to graduate. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgeDcn8mQxa8DlllRZt4ZV2uwXxz9epm7Ec4yvfekZQBXU4Iyd1-l5eG1R2-99tgQOQpa0aqFhpDswGRTMb_2jifDOmTz1ANC1-_ZBvgDDSKH1UadXVaEBSKavmvl4iiWuKXISnw3wSn7axKgNuo6h4e2P8X_9okw85BoBQRzEsse8MDCF-84tKru8TiUq2YytsXS2EaNwE0uE1StRQdqgVtFWbdR41UzPRdF_N10aVeSg==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Can't hurt</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell
has submitted an education bill that would increase per-pupil funding
in the state by $201 over the next three years. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgdQbSCGCduElh-JyhMJG_GVUu5ya9rq7rjP-Ur_L8rcTlxv8_cIEOuDLt-57qBAAvz66xj-y_FD6ZJAtv2KdmuUHTwWPJn85WtGvgI8tumEMKnxrMdUA2yiM3PwIY_ZG0KDQ7byxcFy1wXkpl3_X9EOFed3GpuC-PvfHPBBbvT9oSN8onNFQM0bX9KqLf073dGlgMV0bruKn_Grv7HH4Ljr" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Teachers dig it</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Approximately 75 percent of educators support the Common Core, according to poll after poll. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgeaIr-PkfVLBpWfKIpXZgF5YxFMRnzs9AI6Y0b6qkyoXw0OFjdZsnICvl-7GDZwyVaDCB-ea2PN-WicmITFgohVM35ytNBGfQ5r9G0ni1arDcMc4TQr326PUxwT1Eh80BRIAhSx7bc-DKdedg_cGxKS-dNHKwPfpZJwE-ADjioRtoSNhLCmvcLlMHMkmfz7GY4=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><strong>Outside his purview, unfortunately</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Education Secretary Arne
Duncan says schools are doing "fantastic" work to improve safety but
easy access to guns is contributing to school violence. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgewwVnp74ifa71C3vdoXKn0AosuGRh9gOr8j7DuoRoLCZmhPUdmqqQLRUCm3diBoIDHOr-CXkVlLsYFyUXVchgeBZ2ZXmw9P72Vdz2FQWorTi5Cltf70xXJVeKv8GXm2BmdFfil3_EXcXR0m6PHVX4AB3KWbCcAPMo=" shape="rect">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>
<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=001dqfEzFSpvgfQNUVJvWnpYavi-I1htVWRWQrltVMUxo4HnjrnmGWc-y9RALtw9hdxjZse2l694fMHnAHggG4DmV9haf6hzvYJAZ59a7aXJkx6EQ9M0fDtWWY9PjKVvxhB7HoAonfBTGga9Dgc8l7FQJWc-QRSTgTyC1b1gO2K0Ob8sTSgPSrV6A==">National Book Foundation: Innovations in Reading Prize</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">NBF's Innovations in
Reading Prize recognizes exceptional initiatives and programs that have
created and sustained a lifelong love of reading: thoughtful,
groundbreaking projects that generate excitement and passion for
literature and books. Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility: All U.S.
citizens and American institutions. Deadline: February 19, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgczoXxJqGoms0FNuVS9j54_e6Cky7ayoEWGIQGYqZeX8sydyrnTIwR4HxWi5SQXWqs9EsCtbAwfpWv5F-gOuECrOhfSNGPEKXYA8QOGlR_BGFd6gVHclaMFer3fI-QPvCBhjIGd0-RhSe8cyQc71-daQkb3RVDCwGS2BQLKItysXxPbCq7rK9zw">NABT: Kim Foglia AP Biology Service Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Association
of Biology Teachers Kim Foglia AP Biology Service Award recognizes an
AP Biology teacher who displays a willingness to share materials, serves
as a mentor to both students and professional colleagues, creates an
innovative and student-centered classroom environment, and exemplifies a
personal philosophy that encourages professional growth as an AP
biology teacher and member of that community. Maximum award: $1,000
honorarium, recognition plaque to be presented at the NABT Professional
Development Conference, and one year of complimentary membership to
NABT. Eligibility: teachers of AP Biology. Deadline: March 15, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dqfEzFSpvgeQ2QCzsrPe9Racu0a6HB7Eo7BP632y_Blud8nLnvx_g2BnOf7fq4KRoB8TgcQMoG-I9NWOpAfZTpmGB9NWDTllkOW9Eg1OqdW6CVzJXJjXNqdFmj7E-7B2cNKGfIXzaCUz5wc5PpAEA21TCavy1IgU18QN6qaLy7frECmthyN9MArxFcLOJe3I592wNa5wkSZYnLC3al5C_g==">GenerationOn: Hasbro Community Action Hero</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A Hasbro Community
Action Hero is a young person who makes an extraordinary mark on the
world through service. The nominee's achievements must demonstrate one
or more of the following characteristics: outstanding service to one's
local, national, or global community; extraordinary effort in creating
innovative solutions to community needs; and leadership of an
exceptional service or advocacy activity. Maximum award: $1,000.
Eligibility: kids enrolled in school (grades K-12) and ages 5 to 18 at
time of nomination who are residents of the 50 United States or District
of Columbia and are available to travel on Thursday, May 8 and Friday,
May 9, 2014 (tentative) for an expense-paid event in New York City.
Deadline: February 25, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14e23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"Very often a lack of
jobs and money is not the cause of poverty, but the symptom. The cause
may lie deeper in our failure to give our fellow citizens a fair chance
to develop their own capacities." -- <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=001dqfEzFSpvgeRI2-gNU4gCGZ8_Z1jTaHSEQ_a3Wt2qGY6ojfmwCcQuAJkOBviHlRdjRM6U-QliBcj2hCfH9fZcyfMK8fTKeqV_CjaqyznQm9ayL0zP7Vh8O0MaYRVfxAiMFB--YeOnPNFN8j8qPWrzzG7aeYgdYH-yyXtqRVuRDFUH08sSHJaxp1bVCZ5CByMb0QZZWKG7vT8MCkC0dDLbteZ404xnxv-4W2JJUdJQQwvEG_Wn6QjFZJqYgfxdwq3uTKGAMdbW6Z1mQ1n_hrvzUlSFbUHNQW4">President Lyndon B. Johnson</a> in his January 8, 1964 State of the Union address.</div>
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