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<div>March 4, 2014 - In This Issue:</div>
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<tbody><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Will earlier demands lead to earlier (false) diagnoses?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">The critical social-emotional component</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Common Core: Proceeding with care and caution</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Facilitating FAFSA</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">What college is worth</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Co-locating charters: the weak argument for rent-free</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">What price virtual charters?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">A few recommendations about data stewardship</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">UPCOMING EVENTS</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;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;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38430-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27597147&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK60">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>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>Will earlier demands lead to earlier (false) diagnoses?</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>In
an op-ed in The New York Times, researchers Stephen Hinshaw and Richard
Scheffler write they welcome the new national emphasis on early
childhood education, but caution that "today's preschool bandwagon could
lead to an epidemic of 4- and 5-year-olds wrongfully being told they
have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" (ADHD). Introducing
millions of 3- to 5-year-olds to classrooms and pre-academic demands
means many more distracted kids will catch the attention of teachers,
while making preschool universal and embedding transitional-K programs
in public schools is bound to increase diagnostic pressure. The American
Academy of Pediatrics now endorses a diagnosis of ADHD at age 4.
Adderall and other stimulants are approved for treatment of children as
young as 3. Millions of American children have been labeled with ADHD
when they don't have it. Hinshaw and Scheffler have found a worrisome
parallel between the push for academic achievement and for increased
accountability and skyrocketing ADHD diagnoses, particularly for poor
children. Many kids are identified and treated after a pediatric visit
of 20 minutes or less. Accurate diagnosis requires reports of impairment
from home and school, and a thorough history of the child and family to
rule out abuse or unrelated disorders. Just like investing in
preschool, spending more on careful diagnosis and treatment of ADHD will
lead to lifetimes of savings.</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=001bW8R3FzQKJ8i92l_1WwqIZ9UVZaZWy-QGd7O0Xal5YKiOaNDliA3SIoomPpLDMC3GSi_w7ZQTNPkKaRQLxf3aLAwNGqG9nYeHdGS7Q4BEg2WTuScqGyvTR3MF4zpo9SFMPNY8g0TdPfVL1ugG5Ax7uTi_fu1GytF4vwD6BUQLVcx0QRVubUrrcRZdFVO5Du_XYrAxddpNaQoSxOVgTOEOHj1fWVGTM5WXZ2DTTjP94A=">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;">The critical social-emotional component</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Schools
in San Francisco, Oakland, and a handful of districts across California
are adding social-emotional learning to their curricula, redefining
what students need to know, writes Jill Tucker for The San Francisco
Chronicle. Some students show up to kindergarten knowing how to play
nice in the sandbox, more likely to share shovels and collaborate on
building castles and less likely to throw sand in someone's face. Others
are unable to navigate the social mores of the playground or classroom
as easily, and kids who lack these skills often lag in school.
Forty-eight of San Francisco's 107 elementary and middle schools are
incorporating a program called Second Step, which teaches a range of
skills in each grade, kindergarten through eighth, including how to
listen, how to manage stress, how to be empathetic, and how to deal
with conflict. Eventually, all K-8 students in the district will
participate in Second Step as part of their regular schooling, learning
self-management, self- and social awareness, and relationship skills.
And while it means setting aside class time, it's worth it when students
are more focused, stay on task, and listen for the rest of the day. The
eight California districts incorporating social-emotional learning
jointly received a federal waiver from many of the requirements of NCLB.</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=001bW8R3FzQKJ97PdnoD8bNGskAhPVa_y5cIS5V7Fp6xdElUwl24yQUWIah6F7PeAjizgK03UaYiuh42FX8E10epAXPYuaY7c2H3Kl8Yv7mdq_Nitv5B1IcU5SPiMoBkDJJpYGS3rIEyx3FP3HYH1s76iLBxBrhz8ic4oLcgA1HsfeTtIAqdrXArb0oTFNsn1H8lucQeMLwRVfKHT53iMmE9OidLNkG3Kt1QXIbRheSQ7g=">More</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>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Common Core: Proceeding with care and caution</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 idea of 'less is
more' has permeated West Defuniak Elementary in the Florida panhandle
since 2011, writes Jackie Mader in The Hechinger Report. That's when the
school began phasing in the Common Core with its youngest students, who
now read more non-fiction and must use evidence to back up written
responses. In math, students must learn more than one way to solve the
same problem, and must explain their methods. Although teachers are
optimistic about the standards, they're also cautious about rolling out
too much too soon. This spring, grades 3 through 12 will be tested on
the old standards, so their teachers are teaching a hybrid, and the
district has carefully planned when each concept is taught. The
community has mostly welcomed the Common Core, but West Defuniak
Principal Darlene Paul says parents worry that test scores and grades
will drop. Paul herself is concerned because the new tests will be on
computers, a technology many stuents lack at home (West Defuniak serves
about 650 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, of which more
than 70 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch). Next year,
more challenges could arise even as teachers become familiar with the
standards: The state Board of Education recently approved nearly 100
changes to them. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ-RNrwR4BCoeVsNdFTLgc2gFfafbfWamgM5pCUy7TpXkPVoRsT7-D5GGMkTLu1tmrv55Nw_21mM08pCmiiAGszvvHaG9dhkklF0cXHrdLgKW_Vc_6wSgxzFriWiFuzRBTvht1l5P8rg5vJVtCPIPM9sLHaizrl_w9ioVnYNEpH4Kr97Vpe7qn4ifd6RFNiRMNwu-tApA0Li7JmvVdiiHrqr0ueK0nA2_1c=" shape="rect">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;">Facilitating FAFSA</div>
</b></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 policy brief by the
College Board proposes four changes to the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) process, which many students don't complete because
of its perceived complexity, despite a new online application and an IRS
Data Retrieval Tool. The brief recommends creating a more transparent
federal eligibility determination by limiting required financial data to
two elements: Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and number of exemptions
(family size) -- information readily available from the IRS. Second, it
recommends the process allow applicants whose parents or who themselves
are not required to file a federal tax form to qualify for the maximum
Pell Grant award without submitting financial data on the FAFSA. Third,
eligibility should be based on "prior prior" year (PPY) tax data (data
from the year before the year currently used). Finally, students who
have experienced unusual changes in family circumstances -- for example,
the death of a parent or working spouse -- should be able to appeal an
earlier eligibility determination. These proposals would go some way
toward eliminating barriers so that students are aware at an early age
of the financial aid available to them and can follow a simple,
transparent path to access it. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ_qfpQtNRLnS-WkJiB5X0HPB_NtWDo313Gfn5taBO01P_XDMDp3L9JBs3hynZXh6XI3jg8Qq1ylehfyoTaScM_BYJQstgm6Q4ueo6wS8mD3CS2_U4gebafzDCcoz2QkBUw=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</span></div>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">What college is worth</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 brief from the Urban Institute highlights the complexities that
underlie the return on investment for postsecondary education, as well
as the variation in outcomes that lead to uncertainty about its value.
The brief argues that disappointing outcomes for some are not
inconsistent with a high average payoff and significant benefits for
most. Some have suggested that certain students forgo college and
instead seek vocational training, but most of this training takes place
in community colleges or for-profit postsecondary institutions that are
included in most metrics relating to college enrollment. A broader
definition of college could ease confusion and encourage more students
to pursue postsecondary education, highlighting options and pathways
available. The brief also calls attention to the wide variation in
earnings of people with similar levels of education, which can be
explained by academic preparation, gender, race or ethnicity, age,
degree-granting institutions, and geography, as well as personal choices
and chance. There are significant differences in both earnings levels
and earnings premiums across occupations. And many rewards of
postsecondary education are nonmonetary: College graduates are
healthier, more engaged citizens, and have more opportunities. Making
earnings the dominant criterion for guiding students could lead them
into fields where they would be unlikely to succeed or find
satisfaction.</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=001bW8R3FzQKJ8Ueob0C_57JPQ0yKBwacJjzcro34MKWqI3lvvmHktTMFd80XA43HSeOJAoBKGat7GyVhRC3QXkEJrzmyRVSpXsXXSMNslFvITyUWTIVoLvZa4LFNVusxu_-wzuBbA8biiVZVztjLmpraJy-4YSktlRZ3ZxzH0u0GWni1kUp5xRdDjcfrBQj5qUg0tDDuAu2IlB2TMAsM6Kvw3im548JBr0-7UJedPbfrc=" 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;">Co-locating charters: the weak argument for rent-free</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>A
review by the National Education Policy Center of a new report from the
Manhattan Institute finds it consists of "a handful of poorly
documented tables and graphs listing potential budget deficits,
speculative layoffs, and average proficiency rates of co-located and
non-co-located charters." The report criticizes a plan to charge rent to
co-locating charter schools in NYC, and its premise, according to the
reviewer, is that support for charters increases high-quality schooling
options for children in New York City; charters would run budget
deficits on the order of 10 percent if charged rent for their current
space in city-owned buildings. This reduction in available funds, the
report argues, would necessarily lead to staffing cuts that compromise
future growth or even current levels of high-performing charters. The
reviewer takes issue with the paper's central assumption "that providing
these subsidies benefits charters and harms no one, and that not
providing these subsidies harms charters and benefits no one." Given
finite resources, shifting these from city schools to charters or vice
versa has both winners and losers. Because the brief ignores broader and
more complex policy questions about managing a balanced and equitable
portfolio of schooling options, and because of its poor documentation of
fundamental calculations, the reviewer finds it to have little policy
value.</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=001bW8R3FzQKJ_7FMF417GfaaiVYFQ8eCql_EsIbez3dY66WJR_ugLRvv16N6_lEwdw58QsKSAPDKJr4UkBeHd1LmDhnjT8um0Jgrr1oXM4arAWOX_0HiTIOMRY4Gu8z7GZrQLy71-ZG3O-2s6mvdKGQjWXlwVyXfbNSJRjjESZ3WhEfC9NUfpkKsQt0r1Mms2R">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>What price virtual charters?</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>A
new brief from the Education Commission of the States looks at funding
of virtual charter schools, noting that in the last ten years, their
enrollment has grown to 310,000 students in 30 states. Virtual charters
differ in significant ways from traditional public schools and
brick-and-mortar charters and have forced states to re-evaluate
school-finance formulas. Four issues make funding virtual charters
different: student-enrollment areas, potential school size, how students
are counted, and cost of providing educational services. The first two
issues in combination alter funding predictability for traditional K-12
schools and brick-and-mortar charters, since traditional schools that
lose students to charters not only lose state and federal funding for
each child, but often must send that child's local funding to the
charter as well. Also, when home-schooled or private-school students
transfer to virtual charters, they become the financial responsibility
of their home district. Because virtual-school students often learn at
their own pace at home, attendance can't be measured by seat time, so
some states use course enrollment as their measure for funding -- but
not all students complete courses. Finally, there is the clear fact that
virtual schools have lower costs because they don't pay for
transportation or facilities maintenance. No studies to date have
pinpointed the exact cost difference between virtual and
brick-and-mortar schools.</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=001bW8R3FzQKJ_2epmpIBTb_gJb2I7Fjt-YmvTKgVY-rlbaXNOsB7SOpG74a3ukwDtMmkFX4mUxjySv02xUrCnlAF2w1ZxXFaVwkGkqDBMPQwYmTsTOYIVylPRYMk1Csc-YbfW1UPoiaygAusKu9PyCSUsE15tC62MZLawn8BC8uao=" 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;">A few recommendations about data stewardship</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>The
U.S. Department of Education has released new guidance on proper use,
storage, and security of data generated by online educational resources,
reports Benjamin Herold in Education Week. The guidelines are
non-binding and contain no new regulations, but encourage
"self-policing" by the industry and better policies and practices by
districts. Much of the 14-page document focuses on the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), while emphasizing that FERPA
and a companion statute, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, are
limited in power. Among the practices recommended are awareness of
relevant federal, state, tribal, or local laws, particularly the
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act; awareness of which online
educational services are in use in a district; and explicit policies and
procedures to evaluate and approve proposed online educational
services, both those with formal contracts, and no-cost software
requiring only click-through consent. It also suggests provisions for
security and data stewardship; the collection of data; the use,
retention, disclosure, and destruction of data; and the right of parents
and students to access and modify their data. A trade association for
the software and digital-content industries said the guidance "affirms
and reinforces the strong safeguards in current law," while a leading
parent advocate said it "completely misses the point when it comes to
parental concerns about children's privacy and security."</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=001bW8R3FzQKJ_a_owrsBhGb4Ns6nbALYMiIra3fOiFdXDZYexcHJrhNm1e8PFQE2MaSPWnFfRuYnBiNB6XCbjanpXNkKaoFVH6BiIq43TB6gsvKunAyDUmqGIq3SyPWI6h7R_VyqT8O10fPJ0w6Ze27aLontKdawI7pONgJ-NbNi8v0tV5dgwuoQProYXvfoaou0YJzhjHIJsbijiV5X-AbRWhgcxTqgRn">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: #f14f23;"><strong>Communication breakdown</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California districts
with high concentrations of English-learners are facing a new challenge
in ensuring that parents who need language translation are informed of
their role under the new funding formula for schools. <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ9B8C8l5muG7Ucgkg8H2kei-hMdHUyBBgbEuK6YpjiYpaMubcYrIOxw8SnLVBtWEbtWT7oUrmj4TthgU5lWNRoWkbMfhLEGJP0T06qQZLpn1IyEMO991w0u7oc4IYIpTBMdMOUOtnLHX908aagA0cqb1UXlgtwMhfm6B0LXdFbbG7S8pnmVG-yP6nJr2tTq69zrnSfZVgDcEjcm7oOTh3PIwvT-msq4AbdsM53DmGVrBdQ1QxjiO6TR">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Tolerance prevails</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Efforts to overturn a
law shielding transgender students has stalled, with advocates of the
repeal failing to gather enough signatures to qualify for the statewide
ballot. <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ-ZGN0fyQiIQwOFZoyAHrEkfh_g2Jc1FP13HUXb5Flm3PpQ8jZVTZ8vLpBU4HFjyRp8vxRP1QjjEy2J5EWEEp_yaidBbSaaUwklyyAQUCYT1zdWjFitT3f4spHwm9dX7GuD-R_pUzOJMcD-AGtFbyldDqpaSiS2VZ5QoCS6VnfogTMLH50_c-n5d0a73sEZLF4U5EkJ_mTfIGwDm1dfJmw-">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>A different tone</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Administrators in San
Francisco Unified will no longer be able to use "willful defiance" as a
reason to suspend or expel a student, beginning in the 2014-15 school
year. <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ8WGTdzlUHCvvmstZzDTjw_1WgB9c0qXV1uK9uvtqPzOEAwzyyLmzx5JKXSgT-EVp3pOxSgdhRMi9Bv84IK6CsDtYcnaqP_UIxUjF6vvO3_BS0zvU_V0wQR41PwburnUMmboteaf0qQR6YrHf76cB8F0m8YK4fQdpl2-2YKqyiJg3S-SZp7jw6ve9xnzCe2f7Dqq9_RKHCFuWdUCDdCCGFgtKU_qy1G0ATyI3lEIljujWjeUccE7TxuJKhS6ZAyF2anjqJRMR2rH1Fdti60JqGk">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>A different approach</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Oakland Unified School District has taken up Instructional Rounds, based on the Medical Rounds model. <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ-ZScRjU7ShlTdzLQetNauoE13eQkX8EycdofzJ2SDGwJpdWtqPrqVCBOQc__hXIciDFCIE_DrlVRCv3z74yaKHStR9KVtmhojPUT47S6PWjofHNz27tZbMlgHl7FwrZ4ejg7gFdyv87EthP4mKt6mXvGoL6u13_pR_a2ULmGl3EkN_EoyRIVrOR-eD10yxo8c=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Budget fallout</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">School nurses, speech
pathologists, counselors and psychologists throughout California face
pink slips this spring as districts struggle to close a $600 million gap
created by a withholding of federal funds. <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ_hb53abZ64ysLNDACjx_UPVyptdBraxcnFwWxtBXK_XyIdXbmxfRBQytUGzDVk8J8guc7ThDLvdPi8e-py9sQzMj6no4OmGjZ08Y2O22FiUZia_1EfU_KA1k_CoT9s50TSE04DXFzxPgXrkal23k4rMkO3c_6NoXyUEAb_VXNe4EGIfZruEmvh939j-H6Byogp5uosv2LUiA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>What's wrong with this picture?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new study out from
listing site Redfin shows that only 8.7 percent of the residences on the
market in Los Angeles are affordable for working teachers in the city. <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ88iZ49773RXdjFIXZSlLUR08-WqO-DR4SrBgKReMYCVfWzE3JFK6l_j_Yk20cDedEqzUogmkLBFIZATRL8yneK21EiUxt6uUWNVuDwo1Psz9xgWCQ_us1wnRnS98mO2dqDpTBUxeAcjZdoRGqEAsnrxohVwArlrevlTMAqrUiMIYLDsdbzoCgpvakb172wHZIR33DXFKz_ZkoNmCoXjmN0">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Take three</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Picking up pieces from
two failed attempts to rewrite the law on teacher dismissals, the
California School Boards Association will lead this year's attempt to
make it easier and less expensive to fire teachers accused of serious
misconduct and sex crimes against children. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ9PODfksif59OyryvL4F09zUJ7w6sHq4mSsa_L8cPEkRvHlz2ueav2SWTM8KrVL236ncrVzu9A4JGxPzYKBpp0sBdANgP7u921qEIXToMrlnq30MRQ0A77bkBVlfTYdmVr6U5cH-txZtWlZtcUqp4H04Aqw8FCxKflRYOKlKGOWQmNuCfb0WFwX5nHkq1UP037mhjLHCEM2PY3Idu9XJv_UrvSCDCpJd_rRiBLgxG1l_iQhaovErXMe-DQ1RMSqWxw=">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: #f14f23;"><strong>Challenges continue</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Department of
Education has released waiver monitoring reports for Kansas, Oklahoma,
and South Dakota that show continued struggles with low-performing
schools and new tests aligned to the Common Core. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ8DnBxz3pxoOFmVAh7GtCLsiZfOT2gA33FzteHZxLTh6jw9vJksV9RPee7BAIcIR4OCwKDq-rylOwqr-u_tPaXMWpU90uR-RXoxj3k4BsY1g73yrlDDNJK1S_HTliE-16yHHTCjWwZXTENRVETY8UoDUAhYKyRqgcayxNH5rrA50GNHLdkrTp2T16S3yyIOAcCu_26pOYMc6A==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Not so fast</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A judge blocked a new
law that would have allowed North Carolina taxpayer money to go for
tuition at private or religious schools, days before a lottery to
determine its first 2,400 students. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ8a1nZbAaXHHONaOltBNuTZG0k4o4NjkonYF97RTkATUCahthNxEaRDC1X9K4aUyQbLQW_ttJluFKvyDMj2fWTHJN-lL4aI0xMEFRuuK-K75bZv6MkxL_P9g01a5eb2P_PfBkny8uVTmd-B-FRkD6EG87rRbZBs-l3sI7VFri7_mD2X-FBZ0f29WnwpAr0PSF2rOYW-EeRuZq3tfLNJRQsZZ663FwM83WU08aEukxRh1w==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>New metric</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The D.C. Public Charter School Board has adopted a new way to define "alternative schools" and judge their performance. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ_JynzDCO8cfeaqPDf7RpfLNg1eNuaDwvcJtSmCGEMxbswz4KNXAtZXFUu2Ov6M5Q23Zy_h-AF__KKBSUv9FPb-fXJ-veunpvD_LGrZFRScUfHYBJgWPCY3VjT_LccljvXsRJAu9nT1NgXDFLb-hbHaXIxkodt8GOf9PaD8gdu8Ky1o_jIdX9diFqLzx4ByZJllV-s-Z2vGUPrNwKhp5XM-3aPiEmzqLWfXmQ2SKrlJAGyvI6QIYKw6MOTP3K4k0okUQ0g73jAKph2SLrHOUdheFcdv5iTeqJsBbBcSttv1cW-NFPOPU4kDM1O8VgEjLTI=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>VAM time</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">After a protracted legal
battle, Florida's education department has released for the first time
data showing how well most teachers scored on the value-added model, or
VAM. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ_u32YE8qrwmhKPdmAVjLQ2ocRtRzyy0260LC-4VY-TdGscbHlzkly1e1keJdxxjnvY6gGPdS4GrQ_sl_tgY79WQr0JGpio0ktBuh-2i_2uFHOjx-ij-A8MBHiMAiQwR5HSh7iCEJXfM7iSGisNOF_dPaf9iXvPhc1VK0k2fZebupQORcZN3b8pJ58KLFuKomQ_pnEjym8CWBT5BsY5JDa5nKFf8AHAzCg1XVPTV1VODqdA4HTq01a1HB0seaUXE44=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>The power of persuasion</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A meeting with Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan has apparently convinced Gov. Jay Inslee that
Washington state must act to require teacher evaluations that take into
account student scores on statewide tests. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ_YchRm-E4H9lKFqcWZYwtGLaTipojKUI54xnO7qWFWIL1-ALMDH-OIBJw231vSqYheVC_RfcvQs1cZLRowRxUPo2WlCHPlS5n9tuaRoSkaA7gvxh6zseVw6NGMVJ7uLsAXwQS0zxQ59faMPjsDpIe4FZqZVPe3Krqi4hH2TZLf5OE0GmTtAZ_cTd5NjHSZOyh3sMZ8hOeWw3-eosH-452PsNMSYgsNLleyeqAtVOP5-jO3ePcXsBE-kl231UwLWp4=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>So long, Doritos</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Obama administration
is moving to phase out junk-food advertising on football scoreboards
and elsewhere on school grounds, part of a broad effort to combat child
obesity and create what Michelle Obama calls "a new norm" for today's
schoolchildren and future generations. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ9vB6Qs_z8dSwo83_x0jC2Tlth0SoKP2LbIaGYOVpALUDTp7j3C3PTjP1PKRRx2UcIqlb065ZimdZrrdiAIBNLxsXdBwcur2WtG6BOg5sZBlsXDKh9m2JGtUSA1TSnwXOlqKUCNF60_ybi-k3yufe49mKu9Frtiw1IvvR7DvHGji5LSbdC_NjWyXXN2dExTC0nWm-kU6YD8LyKcr7WHqbtc" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Angling for exposure</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Christie
administration has released proposed school-aid figures that include
additional per-pupil funding in discretionary spending and technology --
about $20 per child -- and a $5 million innovation fund to explore
initiatives such as longer school days. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ8jg0KdXmiYK0ldFx8NkX2mw6gTHTlsFeaVggY6j24VU1kZ8oQuFv0wW3Qdyy0PXTbu2kqzfqlOlvsX4KtcWa4KMJOGmOkr5ln9LAG2leCIBCtO2zlwpk0hSCuWqkHoO10NyxoOpc5YEnGWglzE7WRObZF_GLJqeUWyNsZAHDPOpO8K3kDC1RrNbs4VmVWpqlbbcfWJ7swPnIWEqjYqjdvS" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Trouble on the horizon</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">As it prepares to lay
off more than 1,000 teachers over the next three years, the Newark
school system has asked the state for permission to base the job
reductions primarily on classroom effectiveness instead of seniority, an
unprecedented move union officials vowed to fight. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ_n-uztvo4MzJm3JpojlJcDyKBNjREw_7j6GfhKRLCPcAKi-wPBkXqSaoMwqjmSZ598kxu3ajLx38mQE7a00xJBB0St7wXhz7-A7kordruEKdNLres84npkcDYWoVyIadQd3t1kN8MjdbjS29Cd08N3oZ8B6sx7TsBGDd7FwLscQPIIYE2g-anSk4tVYVO-dJiWR_7pyPdmYf3uVJoUtF10vNLdLc7G5M7tZnS3LEbYXv4Yi4JVR4Chb5QR3uxllv29kY7VK3C16A==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Blowback</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Parents and teachers are
demanding the ouster of Christie's appointed superintendent of the
Newark schools Cami Anderson, who is fending off accusations that she
orchestrated political payback against opponents of a district reform
plan. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bW8R3FzQKJ-oFNnXImzwPP1RiQcY-44vc6e9Ky20V7AYLd8VWw9sp7ZsQ7oF7RsOVd1X9_zdPx9tRLgwfcwlbc7Xj33oh01uwx42NwlF7qdxZP5BvWs46GMRhHgLqbYaa4ltptmIeaRt7BnctxzJ_yg_lUl2iZACYV0v1NgaRSX2LOKwO8FQeAJUJdfIVDlkptePwzT7wc9t1OdUQ6-kJIHQjT9QkUdsgyPE4nBaeC0ta33ZgqDTuw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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</tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK19" 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>UPCOMING EVENTS</b></div>
<br>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The California School Health Centers Association invites you to join hundreds of</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> school officials,
educators, community school partners, and children's health stakeholders
in downtown Oakland March 6-7 for Advancing School Health in a Time of
Reform. <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ_kfoxxC9Va6yPeO-UKCJDIm8MjyIkQg1N5Vn9Wgx-7rIp4W6UZndmIDiWk7i52B_jwueQp2gYqHsF_VzQWbs2mxC4tuVo3BpuVeg-DN604yuyM7YEenXVVylB3oghyXOlHzGp9zBMcd_G5nJdEzNdjcLUrN1qp2c3U24-qELndVeEIx9QFHlCvcjOlDwOec0Y=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a shape="rect"><span>The
2014 Community Schools Forum will have a theme of "Community Schools:
Engines of Opportunity" and will take place in Cincinnati from April
9-11, 2014. </span></a><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=001bW8R3FzQKJ8cl8AwrjFpDCiZVsWaU922h2zdKpv5_zvprBiFj8KGEzKG7I3Sq7sWgK369JG885rFDWC7mRqi_BhohvBLNodjBAts5_i9_hInTiW15Kuunf-TnSwPoUsRq1SgC6jZxFqjV0pTV5X8Y99praHe6VPrSoNnL7-Q_Yyk6vfSYBHuuX4r2VzQOQUjT-Fhr0l-vU_LYZHg4n8igwTF4JQoyViVCr3qFW5wGB1kJ6wgltwWDSxdBfzvkoxDT1-oXWacJGc=">More</a><span> </span><span> </span> </div>
</div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
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</div>
<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=001bW8R3FzQKJ-F93A9-1j6OpOfIafpN9MmXEAI8JvMNuRZY6XGIgpgQo2aZV7uFEogCUfl28oOR0ZkSj9hSjMcLq-igN9fqlaracG3q5z8lZXYFLVyxpPpAl5cQhFsxhuEUXbKUlRvcr9nFLz4LEedNEr8kpFVhxXZENs7SpcU14Sxc2g3woJE8FUEN06WX2jA2O0gjxcjWncYd0-Az7U3d0GeApiTiLzrhfMdYDTZH6pw6Qqd44RenQ==">Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics/General Mills:</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics and the General Mills Foundations are asking schools and
nonprofits to offer their proposals for innovative, science-backed
healthy eating/exercise programs for students. Maximum award: $20,000.
Eligibility: schools serving kids 2-18 working with a registered
dietitian. Deadline: March 14, 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=001bW8R3FzQKJ-6oouctQ_XOrHJxhQ8lDDRsnWxEOB7vdno-dZLpMcnTvOqtVv0gAwNq1ly_H_b1XqlWeO1td4OTCJbtzofP9wE_0FOEFUNrsvT3TLZMjoMKDZhk3fTK6fx4ZK6SUzk7yQvki0Y2vgQTw==">Wish You Well Foundation: Grants for Literacy</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Wish You Well
Foundation's mission is to foster and promote the development and
expansion of new and existing literacy and educational programs. Maximum
award: $10,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: rolling.</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=001bW8R3FzQKJ8YiHQKMoo2X3PsNlubv6RRBTcpmCDezJ7cqfVG48MI6NNftPOOgPRb5tHrE9hjcejh1Lwo6RSM_F0_Hmxwp7teZfrJDxLyHIhIf9lEesP3eaRexIhBXVWs">Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Gloria Barron Prize
for Young Heroes honors outstanding young leaders who have focused on
helping their communities and fellow beings and/or on protecting the
health and sustainability of the environment. Maximum award: $2,500.
Eligibility: youth 8-18. Deadline: April 15, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"Teenagers have been
committing pranks and doing foolish things forever, and blacks will be
out of their minds if they were planning on going to Ole Miss and let
this distraction turn them away," <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=001bW8R3FzQKJ__iscwe6njezn6bJLVCM49w3rS8a6cqU3grw2BgU6G6RevyqA9vZcMXMR5Di34S0_tZj3_VHrvhRmxaMH89qa00d4xbXdOK7sbRYqScdOA0py90K7H4ntSq4n2L34ncpRBgGxCkOes7OMyNdtjYGhpdaz8as9CskPixcuUq6CIOQTt5oaq9k4aEfHIIBTXVUiuq6efdVSHMDZwzHBY5YAbVCjdjNdksrQ=">James Meredith</a>,
regarding a statue of him on the campus of the University of
Mississippi that was found with a noose around its neck and a
Confederate flag.</div>
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<div> <br>
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