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<div style="text-align: left; font-size: 12pt;" align="left"><span><strong>LAEP
announces a blog focused on school transformation and is looking for
voices from the field that address the Six Core Elements we use as our
model.</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left; font-size: 12pt;" align="left"><span><strong> </strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>We
invite teachers, students, parents, policy makers and all educators to
share your voice with us on the Newsblast published nationwide:</strong></span><br>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">* High-quality instruction<br>
* Teacher leadership and collaboration<br>
* College-and career-readiness<br>
* Parents as partners<br>
* Youth empowerment<br>
* Educational equity</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">We seek submissions of
350 to 750 words on any of these elements. Selections--some of which
we'll publish on a bi-weekly basis with the NewsBlast--will be chosen
based on timeliness, with an added goal of balancing unheard voices from
the field with noted voices in education.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">We regret we cannot publish everything submitted, and we may lightly edit for the sake of concision.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
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<div>March 11, 2014 - In This Issue:</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27600440&seq=23&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED</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 White House's education wish list</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 president's FY 2015
budget includes level funding for key formula programs and introduces
several new competitive initiatives, reports Alyson Klein for Education
Week. Overall, the White House is requesting $68.6 billion for the
Department of Education, a $1.3 billion increase over FY 2014. A new
$300 million Race to the Top would help states and districts create data
systems that track characteristics like teacher and principal
experience and effectiveness, academic achievement, and student
coursework. It includes school grants to attract and retain effective
teachers, extend learning time, bolster school culture, and help
students with non-cognitive skills. The White House is also seeking $200
million to bolster professional development around use of technology,
including student data systems to improve instruction. It's requesting
$150 million to redesign high schools and help them partner with
employers and institutions of higher education. Title I and special ed
grants would stay at last year's level, roughly $14.4 billion and $11.5
billion respectively. Charter schools would get $240 million and the
School Improvement Grant program would get $505 million, last year's
levels. Investing in Innovation would be raised to $165 million. The
administration is again seeking $75 billion over 10 years to help states
expand prekindergarten programs, and wants $500 million for preschool
development grants to help states improve early-childhood education. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27qzGW8PjFkIK3hE4sBECZZMsBrZRIplZHmYyNJMSelDuTb7EpE99FmESQGNJufptzohg6ns7f23COfW8w3TnZX1DrDlE81z7AONEXm_bK_Q-JJYFxZ50AspFZlP3-TMp8SsymOu6ESf4ZvlQJoA_ENWtgiDgspG5STp1qt__h_ddK2HPFPQ_IrGRkiIk5LcVkPvgovvMMGpaw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><span>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>SAT changes, yet stays the same</strong></div>
</span></div>
<div><span>Saying its college-admission exams do not focus enough on
important academic skills, the College Board has announced a fundamental
rethinking of the SAT, ending the longstanding penalty for guessing
wrong, cutting obscure vocabulary words, and making the essay optional,
reports Tamar Lewin in The New York Times. The changes are extensive:
Vocabulary challenges will feature words more common in college courses,
like "empirical" and "synthesis." Math questions will focus more
narrowly on linear equations, functions, and proportional thinking.
Calculators will no longer be allowed on some math sections. The new
exam will be available on paper and computer, and scoring will revert to
the old 1,600-point scale -- from 2,400 -- with top scores of 800 on
math and 800 on what will now be called "evidence-based reading and
writing." The optional essay will have a separate score. The new SAT
will not quell all criticism of standardized tests, since critics have
long pointed out that high school grades are a better predictor of
college success than standardized test scores. Accordingly, more
colleges have become "test optional," allowing students to forgo exams
and submit grades, transcripts, and perhaps a graded paper.
Test-preparation companies say the SAT is moving in the right direction,
but changes are unlikely to diminish demand for their services. </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27plU1Ct3obSuYW4NSaeFZC3BCNDqWVZbIf4kkqV_nVVkglc7LhdpYe1BIRug3BKlOjeWh82u6VSVeFbwTS39NNz6jGRZC2Q4fLecfzsa6nQ2giFiht94POqJtZ9hS-oYY2wMueU7TqxW8b-74wmdjXA28kApTnq73MrXX2jOP1Um86thk4v73wkSyq5FRQwlUHeA7Lytaq41108NBkOKvgDhrz_dGjoI09Ei-6X5RdfTcFF-tzK-ZaU_b078_UjXA6nnLD6mKDW8gkySwO5WdopdcS8x7Z4OaxmEymWho61vCr4Gu61nlkr9k8gf5yX6s4n_QjM_Bw1k_Q4LLTjAXhjwW9R71LMfXoHFQ-MRfuF7SPjDYl_TIgl" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Nothing "soft" about social-emotional skills</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
randomized, controlled trial examining the technique known as
Responsive Classroom that helps elementary students develop emotional
and social skills finds it also leads to academic achievement, reports
Lyndsey Layton of The Washington Post. Researchers found that children
in classrooms where the technique was fully used scored significantly
higher in math and reading tests than students in classrooms where it
wasn't -- meaningful in an era when teacher evaluations and school
performance are increasingly judged by student test scores, and
educators feel limited classroom time is better spent on academics than
"soft" skills. The technique is designed to create positive classroom
relationships between teachers and students and among students, aiming
to teach young children to cooperate with each other and feel part of a
community. Teachers set expectations for behavior and learning so
children internalize those goals over time and can regulate their own
behavior. The Responsive Classroom method also dovetails with the Common
Core, in that the standards assume students possess a range of social
skills such as taking turns, listening to each other talk in front of a
group, and the courage to make mistakes in front of peers. "There is a
real synergy between these new standards and social and emotional
learning practices," said Sara Rimm-Kaufman, the study's lead author. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27pheNJwjndmBoisMY6rfZJeXHnnHpXLf8bmaZh0k9X5oy99L92DElSdex0MSzykhwW1fdFO7hGJdtFP6Sh4YXt5WH9u3iaH8-aUStKJSn5Rtj4Gg8pfwsU-XNY3AAZwyFQz2SDk7WCCH9g-MX4HQhvS6lhxkyaiKyZoJvcpUeDQgVTWoPJY0vlilq4tmpTPhP3iWJkkTFNEUlOqfeuxcA8Pd2-BBxUUujoFXYTDn8-tp0UZ8pghvNsAmEQQNZUffJpKcWpnLOLRBOIsJ2bbFwjcpqARTAX4NrVrZ5lXzIoN1n8zk8o98inVOWp584yEr0OO1QbPWuGv_g==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Early-adopters and the Common Core</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute examines four districts
that have already implemented the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
The report looks at district-level, school-level, and classroom-level
implementation, and finds Common Core implementation works best when
district and school leaders make the standards the linchpin of
instruction, professional learning, and accountability. Absent
externally vetted, high-quality Common Core materials, districts are
striving with mixed success to devise their own, as well as scrambling
to deliver CCSS-aligned professional development to all who need it. The
lack of aligned assessments makes effective implementation challenging
for at least another year. The report recommends that districts avoid a
political tug-of-war and get on with the hard work of helping parents
understand the substance of the standards and how schools are helping
kids meet them. Well-aligned curricula are essential, and require time
and effort to devise. Professional development must focus on teacher
understanding and application, with PD structures supporting this focus.
"The road ahead requires not only persistence with the new standards,
but also a fundamental rethinking of our education status quo,
particularly when it comes to instructional materials, assessments, and
professional development. The success of the Common Core -- and the
promise of college- and career-readiness for all students -- demand it,"
according to the report. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27q4ad5mIMS_dZI47iziA0aoLT2a1c4tCYWG6wbQ3MWjZURfY4MwFH_Okp2zVvm9AFuLajA455Vq3HZhYEqUDzo95Msy0HZD2Mk3asktzlhz_yxOyTOlsaQJ-TdmfPEtyggIswip1QPaJTW7MwjEOxUkUZunu_t7d26y5SA36UEcIvWMib36-jNP5bQrwtNfTfde3f4G3lC8F1RxSIPOtPJLyRiy2HR39h2To9XYut6gug==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>A sea change in student enrollment</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New
projections on student enrollment from the federal government hint at
the financial pressures many states will face as student populations
rise considerably in the next decade, writes Mikhail Zinshsteyn in The
Atlantic Magazine. The data, released last week by the National Center
on Education Statistics, forecast that the number of public school
students from prekindergarten through high school will grow nationally
by 7 percent between 2011 and 2022, especially in Western and Southern
states. School populations in Nevada and Arizona are expected to swell
by more than 20 percent. Utah should grow by 19 percent, and Texas by
more than 15 percent. Florida anticipates 14 percent growth. These
states are in the bottom 10 for state expenditures per pupil, according
to data, and will have to ramp up spending just to stay flat. Younger
students account for the bulk of expansion figures: K-8 students are
expected to increase by 8 percent, high school students just 1 percent.
Whether projections will spur policymakers to tweak funding formulas is
an open question. Elsewhere in the data, researchers indicate private
schools will continue to see enrollments dip: After losing over a tenth
of their students between 1997 and 2011, these schools will slouch by
another 5 percent in the coming decade. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27rrvwraP-3FuYC1yKnHCYwoqBw2lKbRqDXcC1LnwcbUkJWaVA6VrKSt3Pby9QP69uo2vHBDKHprD6UZ2OeiNrTN_RD580THJo0mjzQTLmBgp9-oE6KzlMG_WeXiDrGAR_r_tRjAIoUxCtqs35ttDlYK9Qs-O4Xx0PmxFZAboziQx2UJvpgHG78TENYxhmxCLGolTPDhl-TRxHlD2KZyxE1Xq3bC42YtikZfH2JJE1BO7elUs4wVYVvVPjMhpd0R1Mk=" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Virtual schools: much growth, little analysis</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A
new study by the National Education Policy Center finds that full-time
virtual schools continue to have serious problems with respect to
education quality, diversity, accountability, and funding. Virtual
schools enroll 248,000 elementary and secondary students in 39 states
and the District of Columbia, up 21.7 percent from 2011-2012. A single,
for-profit virtual-school provider, K12 Inc., accounts for 82 schools
enrolling 87,808 students in 2013, more than one-third of the nation's
full-time virtual-school students. Student diversity still lags in the
online classroom: Three out of four full-time virtual-school students
are white/non-Hispanic; that same group accounts for 54 percent of
public school students. Percentages of African American and Hispanic
students are far below their respective shares of the public school
population. Virtual schools also serve a smaller percentage of
low-income students, students with disabilities, and English Language
Learners than do other public schools, and compare less favorably to
traditional public schools in student achievement and school
performance. The report recommends greater efforts to require virtual
schools to report more data on student and teacher performance, in part
because so little high-quality research exists to justify the sector's
rapid growth. It also recommends that policymakers enforce higher
quality standards and require greater transparency and accountability on
the part of the sector. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27q-RJr-5FG3YBlF3F5PjPxOcfq4ny-ByVG1uUtjx4NTbs0FEevPPIs8cnqnDCigX8RFhVBoY0XBDXK6gRbqHqiM-Y8lFoNzAcNjlaGMraDR1N0vGsx-rPXCSOcozIctBEK3g_RbwwYWMOkRzVyc9IJnq6jruyiE72RlgmYvyOGUSw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Florida VAM veers into absurdity</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In
a post on the Education by the Numbers blog in The Hechinger Report,
Jill Barshay analyzes recently released value-added scores of Florida
teachers and say they show how "messy and absurd" the new teacher data
are. The metric uses a complicated formula that predicts how much each
student is expected to learn during the year. Barshay isn't clear how
the formula factors where a student starts, and notes it's generally
easier to show larger gains from a low starting point, and much harder
to show gains from a high starting bar. She says one illustration of the
data's quality is indicated by a look at the top ten teachers in the
state, according to this assessment. She sorted the entire database of
teacher names by value-added measure, and found that eight of the top 10
don't even teach courses measured by the state's math and reading
tests, which are used to calculate value-added rank. Teachers that don't
teach a subject measured on the test are still gauged by student verbal
and math test scores, despite the fact that other teachers taught those
subjects to these students. Moreover, she found one of the top teachers
is indeed a math teacher, but the state used her students' English
scores to measure her. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27oFbvSJxFkKd5VT110WVgh9AO9dNqowjIp_EGJa76g-Wnxe4lfJ7B9iweLOQPvz5B-ZheS6bFVxCERcbLG84guIxClmeqIOAMq5FhH_GIDuthKF9huRHEiPTp9IygowizyIjF41D5YzpzcY66q4w1_u0gNWVbUFBoOQYD-3kRpnf7SMTxKStH9bB14QXzm_xiD-c3m0xcVg4XcTMIay739SQ9orpIu72JlB83pUo3uY5w==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>De Blasio vs. Moskowitz: coming to a district near you</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New
York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is waging an internecine battle over
education that could spill into the 2016 Democratic presidential
primary, write Andrew Rotherham and Richard Whitmire in USA TODAY. The
issues range from how to pay for preschool to how fast to pursue the
Common Core, but the most revealing clash, they write, involves
charters. De Blasio has singled out fellow Democrat Eva Moskowitz, who
runs 22 Success Academy charter schools that educate 6,700 students. The
mayor cites Moskowitz as the kind of charter operator who needs reining
in, and classroom and office space that Success Academy receives from
the city enrage him: "There's no way in hell that Eva Moskowitz should
get free rent," he has said. Success Academy students, predominantly
low-income and minority, have excelled on recent standardized tests, a
result critics attribute to only accepting the best students. The de
Blasio-Moskowitz confrontation neatly sums up the growing national
Democrat vs. Democrat battle, in the authors' view. The "de Blasio wing"
of the party sees teacher unions as important institutions standing up
for the average guy; the reform wing sees them as just another special
interest. The de Blasio faction sees school testing as a scheme to
discredit public schools; the reform wing sees testing as a tool to
protect poor and minority students from "slipping into education
oblivion." If this battle hasn't come to your city, Rotherham and
Whitmire write, it will. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27qlj9V_92lCUjpfmKIQ2s0T7up6q-wJ9S_EaBsSEbAwDdm2f_kxS2orfNVkTowdIsZTTto4x1nclWz27t7-8g7pxCWhTnSa5ZPtEy7lpo8eGuVXoAWmeaXUkZnCsVQ5oocmUE--AQPcf4tBzbvGTzcfSw40JsGAZsxf7caWZade5QDXVnTLAJuTFE7PuzPwYWcEU4nhYld2sveQVgemSKQwHKBFCzgYxSiiZGFhTM0zCA==" shape="rect">More</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </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: #f14f23;"><strong>Not happy</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">UTLA President Warren
Fletcher has lashed out at the LAUSD for its handling of teachers
accused of misconduct, vowing to file federal and state
age-discrimination complaints. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27px6X-bbiCvWDNkYl37Pg-QmeFgTi-aZ12GRC7khch-Csx_9Xit8zo0CuvHmnehmLd_CwcwKpD-T2KENxarGixgHEZjIDBgRyJdojJEFEgke1Myx9ql57lwbXkXJ47kCqHajR3jO8nn6Wpf1SbD7faYhKnNgkgRJOT7_o36n0Ebml-EowSTXVRtThihQIfq6WhIp62zHqMvPUP3-3kp67Lmfk_LcuR0GPE=" 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>Two-timing</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Thousands of
California's most severely disabled students face a double-testing
dilemma this spring, a result of the state's complex transition to the
Common Core curriculum and a problem lawmakers are scrambling to fix. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27ryZY-L_1nWmvhLg3mXgDWL-dEfjHVJu8gFSMh1uHqr_zUVX8soU_EFJYnMt7lkid7X1CRoUD3ldgfqK57JXRTBxOaxEXRIYBUj_nD_DJWsTZdLNrLa60Za7HoN5cHB28OwZUl_gmIp-Z_R2fLdhLuhcRz4rpig_7cFO8RzNPXI63qVYKPmrX-VbCWxNRx5P94J6x9Q4KX8Ug==" 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>Good or bad, depending on your vantage</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">From 2008 to 2013,
California saw a 40 percent drop in teachers with less than six years'
experience, according to a Sacramento Bee review of state data. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27rbU52cHJqlFRwaOzs5e6b-1NAaO9Y1A23DSt5zSfqLOCSxbYlW_bGuK5MQdH9FHDgxbcEmXhMkpoWjYc0Ob5xvhRwGmCTfIgi2-j3hGBn-kywl6uYiWrKYyYS7eswGU_M7RX20V7CiIFWWYFZO6owKt95GVS2Refi4CfOClG6_so3IHwesCv3i6Axlp10ALI3idYCvvoF5tzge3MnEoxIQ" 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 even close</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Representatives of the
Education Coalition told a California Senate budget subcommittee that
despite increases in school spending in the current state budget and
promises of more in the next one, California must spend much more on
education. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27om1jcC7pp_5Q4M7gq5MZ8hW2L-ofKuIKiK0IKLqSs_bQn2Ln5x6iRBNC7zCbvTN6vKf-KR63dKGD_IX1MFvGox44S-GYAozFeI8apMqVxBLYmX7Ky2S7xsV4hnXUjVK6tPIgPO6nniUVQQFH708e6S8ukbe3E0LvGAR9ZlsNMb5gxe1Bwwy1mw01GtoVurr8UtJTB1iVnCssZAJxHsxPtk" 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>Take note</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California State
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has issued new
guidelines to help parents and guardians report suspected child abuse at
schools. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27r-mIGGpBmR8ltWTDCtWjCCS8i4Ek96dqWgv4R-0nwcgbXwRjzA2aAQ12nRTKXfsb_D_M1vD4zydN_AIZCmcz3HtMsfjY_J3sgqQ7IrususK8Y0X4ynzr9dOmvKfYpEFqoiDJINPOY9TxiN6Ze9sLwFljYjETH69vGV_8bSPtOsHbK213s1BXRbjAIGxdMTOsCLHzvmw-VWTktH_nSXledvE6fW8irejSgSvWGSGswQ63uEat9LBxdn" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #f14f23;"><strong>BRIEFLY NOTED</strong> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>The majority minority</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">White students are predicted to be in the minority in U.S. public schools by fall 2014. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27rSwq26REGTZlQTMHrtQKWPXlY6nYEc-nINqeJxnEpmBc9fC4xA1qYAgPuEzuGYHRJOSFXJWDTmqWUES3z5B6is-hAHm-cp84xU9fp_8PfnFdfdrIlEdzHWmP_V1UQHXZxmD_MeiyXCEh1q_uZQYNzDt3hn_rn_736GLl0q3M-VtdJgICLUnpTserENN3dWjEHJck2rhJ-MZlpAzevzrEh9" 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 new frontier</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">English language
curricula built entirely on a digital platform -- replacing written
textbooks, worksheets, or printed study guides -- are about to enter the
market from several companies, with promises they'll change the nature
of classroom learning across the country. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27rNWDXkhJy4dyBQiOfpDKYFElcs6EuJ3sp2ZXCwOGYqX02DuvZpQheQ4dCIE9N94CjcqmrqA7UQFs9prpgplkfj4RInIArgh1wSTdwdvNnsOStgawbZKxG4zF4SJlM6v7IUE83-YT-enrVAzvQMt0hzJAhILiXDogH9W-YippWw13OapgXB1aCNJiLlkPZAt6SopT0zwlgC2U9c70Vl9nAa2BSfhl65UDojbqOB3h197V_j2nwLL-k4oKTIa6YUvrBGBKF66Au9MsKehix7DqCqlKQKJtguDpR24sp1b_ugJw==" 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>Yet another test</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">ETS is offering a new teacher-performance exam that purports to measure many of the same competencies as the edTPA. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27qv1egJtIk3HDnXouXKm6XvQuCG_Zo7oDvHhcZEM2QSmiMsGI1C9vrZ6qKbQ4pfc8NLYTkw8EFzZjAVvH0Fg9IXEWKZbPFz4lKWJ6paWKXXQV3NdjiWNOV668dSFQ5RQHpFOEIEaqPrGbkG3l4qa8aXudzpyi5OwC132RuxarhUeKahbS8pwlcbR4dyrz2pEPWMQDq-V0Vi9bXgf85c_UeHswocnK0JqdOIOIxag_zouFLvN7bIXiKriuwPSSeMY9FEYn4MEYMD1VjpF2wTeYoL" 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>On second thought</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Indiana is close to
terminating its use of Common Core educational standards, which 45 other
states have adopted as the basis by which local schools set their
curriculum. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27rV4VdbbxwafYmyl7kiLLF5v-u1NusozlsXcCih-1pzbSdGNhq-VISeOSbjKjf4YA7DbvvdukA1ZXRCYrCfW1FBOiDbnsau96BL9Ya-IPHT9_chotACXprn2UWAl9MVQha82r_JjNaOlb2sLjMBcm6G9LnGi9QPhqdhh2Ky2TCVZnTN918vmmZawGcFrMxT6IoP__ydxiqdYgy_YaF7S7_AH9fTrJBOOMDEOBlr9wPiQ_RavSd3vqLvn5LUeNmnM-HJzWor9b5D3T0B7eCfBtczv27bMILtC-Y=" 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>Strengthening paths?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A proposal to remake
Louisiana's career and technical education offerings envisions
districts, two-year colleges, and private firms forming regional teams
to offer course and workplace training for high school juniors and
seniors. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27qRVWki81EGCOzHwd9dMuMHnrT5qzQPELhA-LRL2fm5KU5vbQo8iTR-n6CGC2WISmB_eQsIAGTOAtVab3CCwCY9sliNpjRvjhlySRDolSLX3tQ9_Hx6jh-2Xgl8n01FkC4S8cjV1vfWpFcfttmHX1SLsco2kwG0Z1a6aesU7yocslRdlwP5tmwI" 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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27oi4eRvHdCIgaeR7oMK9719YQ-8RcF6v7dE8XCmpne2iNbHPVGjqOhfLB2_imowDJAWwL4yciMbeJMxEErTgdN_bfOzlcPZEqlpWdNcOz3JXizB3hbSjq8iuO4JBCdvIfHpZhfyPlv0XqHXRMt-hi0T6ruq_w1A425Hmj0y4cSluKQNeVvek_-_Qi-8c0BWlfNZN2oFdurrPw==" shape="rect">Target: Early Childhood Reading Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Target
Early Childhood Reading Grants promote a love of reading and encourages
young children to read together with their families by supporting
programs such as after-school reading events and weekend book clubs.
Maximum award: $2,000. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Eligibility: schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations. Deadline: April 30, 2014.</span></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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27pQqlOAerY0bTFzboFxGKlM4S4PD8kIqRXZk7ZoTNaDc_bZAxamOrDUlLAnW645MfdrjetxBHJa7HLs8sTMXgXtaOp2HpFhgN_obe541At4UA156HZkdXwTmHueMve7l5jJqZy8DOkaBD3Ijd3jYx2-jukl-O6GXAKtGXvXfCMUp8dO-CtdUj7vU_22z21HD12Ynqk5K-K-g8C07jZ_Rx9X" shape="rect">Target: Arts and Culture in Schools Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Target
Arts and Culture in Schools Grants help schools and nonprofits to bring
arts and cultural experiences directly to K-12 students. These programs
must have a curriculum component. Maximum award: $2,000. Eligibility:
schools and nonprofit organizations. Deadline: April 30, 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27qUHsYPYTzKPhiez7xJqzE7UsNqzJuGnXo4Vv27qjXAzn_1eiWtq1vqkY2PW6f_ZqHfkOTc15PWrGvxfvSOCtJPOnQhcyzpXTGWAeEAiop-KhVyzRCbTpKFAfEoZrLRKScRtR7q_jaCGQ==" shape="rect">ING: Unsung Heroes</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes innovative and progressive
thinking in education through monetary awards. Maximum award: $25,000.
Eligibility: full-time educators, teachers, principals,
paraprofessionals, or classified staff members with effective projects
that improve student learning at an accredited K-12 public or private
school. Deadline: April 30, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>American Honda Foundation: Grants for Education</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
American Honda Foundation makes grants to K-12 schools, colleges,
universities, trade schools, and other youth-focused nonprofit
organizations for programs that benefit youth and scientific education.
Maximum award: $60,000. Eligibility: schools and youth-focused nonprofit
organizations. Deadline: May 1, 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;">"I've
never gotten an email from a boss saying: 'Is failure necessary for
success? Get back to me in 25 minutes?' But that's what the SAT does."
-- <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001uEr0edTE27oJ6ocns_ZdRTIk6dpfdEk5uox6XTzFkHI3eNKgO4l6NxBQfOkvibboxGbXJ7YzSU9XSWA3SLN1xYC4_sXcPozQHaXDg-L35OjaygW9IheEbAzbU5XCdk2EMY9mDmHD3UyNGYPkfVs1vTTCgH3QULRruxG8hArCf1Mt22wjnOBcnbzyg-nhg-oEbxaqvegnNEyQ9ReeQhPPgyAnAKoCdUAg" shape="rect">Les Perelman</a>, former director of the writing program at MIT, regarding the essay portion of the SAT.</div>
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