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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>Brave New World of Parent Partnership </strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>by guest blogger: Melia Franklin</strong></span></div>
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<div><span>Across California, school districts are struggling to align
with the brave new world that is Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).
This revolutionary restructuring of California's school-finance system
requires that districts partner with parents more than ever before by
letting them have a say on how funds should be spent through the Local
Control Accountability Plan, or LCAP... </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe9_eF972ruD6kCk1EAA7CtssajTEvdmYnSrA0j0BXEP7aBhNqc-NpI2BCeKhxDHA4OOeAqPuS7E_f4McJW8MbF1ZuAeTy_JJ9IF0LjKg39zIhErXFXfvD0pY-mXmPM2sYc_IPNPB2sCxVlGFtJEr4tgpnmcn2a0nMyqLlfNY5dI6cz-wjGb5N6k" shape="rect">Read more and comment</a></span></div>
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<div>March 25, 2014 - In This Issue:</div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK60">Federal data confirm the obvious</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">True grit</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Preschool: a good bet all around</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Charter lotteries are neutral as a process, but not as a system</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Robust outcomes for LA charters</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Teachers have seen the future, and they want training</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">The homework crisis that isn't</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Unwaivering</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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&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/38442-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27607084&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">TGRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK60"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK60" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="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">
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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;">Federal data confirm the obvious </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;">In the first analysis in
nearly 15 years of information from the country's 97,000 public
schools, the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has
found a pattern of inequality along racial lines, reports Motoko Rich in
The New York Times. Black students are suspended and expelled at three
times the rate of white students. A quarter of high schools with the
highest percentage of black and Latino students do not offer Algebra II
courses, and a third of those schools do not offer chemistry. Black
students are four times as likely as white students -- and Latino
students are twice as likely -- to attend schools where one out of every
five teachers does not meet all state teaching requirements. Even as
early as preschool, close to half of all children suspended more than
once are African-American. The Education Department's report found that
black, Latino, American Indian, and Native Alaskan students are three
times as likely as white students to attend schools with higher
concentrations of first-year teachers. And in nearly a quarter of school
districts with at least two high schools, the teacher-salary gap
between schools with the highest concentrations of black and Latino
students and those with the lowest is more than $5,000 a 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=001ZkdXkf3PJe-7lOBu8iv8SvnmCSLbJYZsxu4TQFLjddRpRtvK20qIbtwQT4IFFxTXirAsqG8l4mxgHOdmCR6VSepw4C9Sl11qQ7UESMGL0PNaqcFI7XP2oASUPg5tPyHfFaR-OZ-NzB8OYF9pQ1Du5M84_pGTgDD9WTowrBGEsHvJAQBm4E1DX9cAwD2evBHw0js4Lbg_pDYdeJm2cJpLpfuilzNbJkjfrpHlrsNHDeUnIeMrnu06BQXXQaPEEZkzpkWvKyeQZEY=">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;">True grit</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Around
the nation, schools are beginning to see grit as key to student
success, reports Tovia Smith for NPR. The idea is to get kids
comfortable with struggle as a normal part of learning. To get parents
and kids on board, educators say, they need to have a "growth mindset,"
in the words of Stanford University professor Carol Dweck -- the belief
that success comes from effort -- and not a "fixed mindset" -- the
notion that people succeed because they are born with intelligence or
talent. Kids with fixed mindsets who think they lack the "gift" don't
bother applying themselves. Kids with fixed mindsets who always were
told they were "gifted" and skated through school tend to crumble when
they hit their first challenge. Teachers must change the way they see
and speak to students, but adjustment isn't easy for teachers trained to
focus on high scores on standardized tests. Education writer Alfie Kohn
sees the focus on grit as the latest fad, and doesn't believe kids
today are any less gritty than before. He feels research showing gritty
people are more successful is "a pure circular assumption, like
'persistent people persist.'" The onus should be on schools to get
better at how they teach -- not on getting kids to endure more of the
same.</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=001ZkdXkf3PJe9hrf4qw0Y3b1Hl8PKnIBVDRcqU5-SQLhGK23qp9ibefDKtUqHNvC-fnvmlWluGDm5adSC7kCJHVVJxy5motg-NhCu5NOCc-aNBhPLdzwDJqE3SFZcGlgZYl2Um8z8OXCzDG7UXTzGyGuyPxc-cm1f2iH6_8nLJ0xgSdADOWOe7plz5GamWKB1I0_7A_z7BLb4ano8eBaRefW-jUN7Ea4J4_0dbQL-v7CddGjINRDX_rw==">More</a></div>
</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;">Preschool: a good bet all around</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 innovative financing
model is catching the attention of government officials and lawmakers
across the country as a way to fund preschool, reports Adrienne Lu for
Stateline. Under "results-based financing," also known as
"pay-for-success" or "social impact bonds," private investors or
philanthropists provide the initial funding for social programs expected
to save taxpayer dollars down the road. If policy goals are met and
savings materialize (according to third-party evaluators), investors
receive their money back with interest, although the government doesn't
have to pay out more than it saves. The Rockefeller Foundation, which
has spent about $9 million in grants and program-related investments
since 2009 to support pay-for-success financing, was among the earliest
promoters of the idea in the U.S. But it also appeals to private
investors such as Goldman Sachs, which has invested $23 million of firm
and client capital in New York City, Massachusetts, and Utah projects
and is considering others, reporting strong interest from clients to
make investments that offer a financial return but also help improve
communities. According to the Center for American Progress,
pay-for-success financing is in use or under consideration in more than a
dozen states. To help pay for programs, the Obama administration is
giving grants of about $12 million each to Massachusetts and New York
state. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe8Xh6uxcghgrUMknNCwx8ZU4nsUpklBcIp74EBxqyCBmK1f0zqHGYrxWaGl6Egrj1Nn4cBOH4PherDZ-lNWf7Uptl2m-JAQkvIQWNlIqxNKQck224GP5SgiapBSHsq4RVIn9bFMEWPc9e0aD9R7svR26gF7tENEWvh4X5_zyWZ67PvS_ce7iC8cmKRBjsqdyGdLIrlf56JqD9rpw2mO5QCegfgUe_YRR3bd1g4rcFRvjRyt0wcKMwTE">More</a></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;">Charter lotteries are neutral as a process, but not as a system </div>
</b></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Something
that's become clearer to Conor Williams as his family works through the
charter-school application process in D.C. is the degree to which
school choice is much less about "choice" than it looks on paper, he
writes in The Atlantic. Since demand for quality charter seats far
outstrips supply, D.C.'s system is, in the words of one parent, more
school "chance" than school choice. Charter lotteries respond to
zip-code inequity in public education by randomizing a school's
enrollment; as a process, they don't favor wealth or other privilege,
and are neutral. But lotteries don't exist in a vacuum. A system of
lotteries can still tilt in favor of families with sufficient resources
and free time to get around town and apply to as many schools as
possible. Lotteries also reward families who can afford to live close to
high-performing charters, since there are practical limits to how far a
student can commute, especially young students. This is particularly
pressing in D.C., where rapid gentrification is overrunning charters in
neighborhoods once filled with a majority of low-income families. So at
best, Williams writes, charters are a mild corrective to inequity. Even
if a lottery removes privilege from the process at one school, it can't
eliminate it from the broader charter sector and does nothing to address
effects after the fact.</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=001ZkdXkf3PJe96SNULmIkg50_nAdtTXp4hBVFv1WuK47HUKgjMzpe9pVGXQjP-QoNcTg99OheA8cMhmcvHUWHtWr_qW5hZwQIMyPZqafIfpTa9TtWQoo6rh0YusnMAZVHIuvswLdxJrPCcsv1x5iN-x8EJEr4zREZ3JFZq6uvIRw3tLbC3-mXd65Og2NLhJiXckbgZbWD34WBhv-Ay0RKqP8-TogoPyppDInLDhcrpsTpoegfJM_VlKUZfeaX327zB92SQDACEqDs=">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>Robust outcomes for LA charters</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 study from the
Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) finds students in
charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District significantly
outperform similar students in traditional schools there, reports John
Fensterwald in EdSource. Forty-eight percent of charters had
significantly larger gains in reading than traditional school
counterparts, and 44 percent did much better in math, while 13 percent
fared significantly worse in reading and 22 percent worse in math. LAUSD
had 195 charters serving 82,000 of the district's 670,000 students in
2010-11, making it the largest charter authorizer in California and one
of the largest in the nation. Charters served slightly fewer low-income
students (70 versus 75 percent in the district), English learners (21
versus 29 percent) and special education students (7 percent versus 11
percent) but more African-American students (15 percent versus 9
percent) and white students (14 percent versus 8 percent). Charters run
by Aspire and Alliance of College Ready Public Schools did best: 65
additional learning days in reading and 122 days in math, double and
triple the gains of non-affiliated charters. Low-income charter students
gained 14 more days of learning in reading and 43 more days of learning
in math. Gains for low-income Hispanic students were largest: 58 days
in reading and 115 days in math. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe8YoS1O1nT7UjJXMQLKFLN9HnKTzVPWumroCRLwzMx_KgJWy14j1B4ILlB_nyNiEY1G_lbUmx88h11Ve2ySPrqUylXTQL2GAhaXqE3qsp6l9ARAcdhUjLHECGtgSHjsBnHlx5aRuX03A69udQvZfR_StKvgCD6nEOzlWec6C-c9LgBalgI-BqCBhOSci7sKWTTSmR-nQ7nEMjr32wiqaAKgod8O4TEql1ZGERfyKkmHT0fEbUqzSOvD" 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;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>Teachers have seen the future, and they want training</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rather
than the latest gadget or app, many teachers want training in using new
technology to facilitate what they do best: teach, writes Liz Willen
for The Hechinger Report. In a new nationwide survey by digedu of more
than 600 K-12 teachers, 50 percent reported inadequate assistance when
using technology in the classroom. Many also reported feeling left out
of the debate around the role of technology to improve teaching and
learning. At the South by Southwest.edu (SXSW) festival, Willen spoke
with teachers and attended panels, looking at how teachers are dealing
with "convergence" -- the transition to digitally focused classrooms --
as well as new devices and techniques like blended learning aimed at
giving students more control over where, how, and when they learn. Some
schools offer incentives for teachers, others offer "blended learning
coaches'' to help. But what happens if teachers are resistant? Some
suggest teachers who use technology will simply replace those who don't.
But in Baltimore County, where Superintendent S. Dallas Dance is
pushing the district of 174 schools toward a digital conversion, he told
Willen it helps when transitioning to keep the focus on curriculum and
training: "Curriculum drives it; not the device." </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=001ZkdXkf3PJe-93x2BThMrwq_utW8qzUZuz3kK4Z1AQEI1c-oDgM3IjQQCx2CB4kYMC0nKBXtgIX99I2pCTqtvU61BfdF2KL4aJBwj0JmjoKuTtPSmJ4lSm0QJzQy76jMnYjV3GybyKC5CkP5pHFAsYLJdH9IZyZrHzC1IhQozOlZigxgdtn6O-oiX9GY2rN9E6lu9ap-zOyCchRkIOxoyFg==">More</a></div>
</div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>The homework crisis that isn't</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 the Brookings Institution finds reports of American
students overwhelmed with homework to be overblown. In fact, homework
loads have been stable over the past 30 years, and the "homework wars"
themselves are a century old. While today's younger students have more
homework than in the past -- NAEP data for age 9 indicate those with no
homework declined from 35 percent in 1984 to 22 percent in 2012
-- 13-year-olds reporting one to two hours of work per night declined
from 29 percent in 1984 to 23 percent in 2012. Those with less than an
hour of homework per night increased from 36 to 44 percent.
Seventeen-year-olds reporting no homework grew from 22 percent in 1984
to 27 percent in 2012, and 11 percent reported not doing homework at
all. Different data show only 38.4 percent of college freshmen surveyed
by UCLA in 2012 reported six hours per week of studying when high school
seniors. And the MetLife annual survey of teachers, which in 1987 and
2007 included questions on homework and sampled opinions of parents,
found little change over two decades in parental attitudes. Sixty
percent of parents rated the amount of homework good or excellent, and
two-thirds gave high ratings to quality. Those giving poor ratings to
either quantity or quality of homework did not exceed 10 percent in
either year. Loveless concludes that "homework horror stories... seem to
originate from the very personal discontents of a small group of
parents."</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=001ZkdXkf3PJe_h4mU62X8m7-Qcd5hY5Jst-w0N17tJMcAwZTqsnC_Zixfrnmvvy7uTt7KOZyEPkZiRZJqvf24K20ii5OztEe9kDoh3NZXXPSX8UgF1R7QBa6HIscB9zDB4tFHJwRST2ONEQVl6OBcGbS2nFjph5zjl7y25gXwwEs-ebOm_sZgMno2F9t99I0Sv" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</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;">Unwaivering</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;">Washington state may
stand as a first test case on what happens when states lose NCLB waiver
status, writes Alyson Klein in Education Week. Washington was placed on
"high-risk status" back in August because the state's teacher-evaluation
system didn't require districts to use state assessments in gauging
educator performance and allowed local tests. The federal waiver system
insists on state exams. Washington state lawmakers tried and failed to
remedy this. The challenge now for the Education Department is ensuring
appropriate punishment without disrupting the state's strong work in its
lowest-performing schools. A major issue is exactly where a state with a
revoked waiver must start on NCLB's timetable. Should Washington state
put every school back at square one (which would mean no sanctions at
all for at least a year), or should the feds pretend Washington never
got a waiver in the first place, which would mean more schools subject
to serious sanctions? Money is at stake. Depending on where the waiver
clock is set, districts with schools not making AYP could be compelled
to set aside money for school choice, tutoring, and professional
development, which in Washington state could total $40 million. A
spokeswoman for the federal agency said it is not necessarily ready to
revoke Washington's waiver and is still working with the state. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe98WOLxbS0UwJqVlT6P-4YdgpiZLO3AldWkC7PCDB4IKOvXCB8tk0MKVbjOJhmrz0Coz4wKPEPtRkZfwU-jvgjZRCVKTNAGmRwfN8Uv6J1Y2PsPxIz30xcIF_Rap0oujjTfY9_YiDL_rnCBimDhUN3T4VGnEZYcu-ffOmR57TGQTZHwJC36schoom3fFkLwTFLdADGkWiyPcw==">More</a></div>
</span></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>Pay to go</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A teacher
retirement-incentive package approved by the San Diego school board has
the potential to reshape California's second-largest school district and
shave millions off its looming multiyear budget deficit.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe_PCtRKb34Iag_SYTh2IApKtru-at_64ylqWTQKWUaV_Eov1nNCWhxdKAeiKQnZjm50TOEo0T7nBqe6As-jIAzMFB1APo5nDComal0VCrfg3ywpUsuQoQIBEDXccUy-n7APWHDZ98nFm2ISglBIsJs5ZZhBIKfVM8wtKhTFVv-l1kcyeHaucXQstUMZsZisAiY=" shape="rect">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Misstep</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A recent decision by the
L.A. Unified School District to relocate the Roosevelt Academy to
Lincoln High for the coming school year, quietly made without input from
students or parents, is escalating into a bitter furor. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe_lhppGNwOMUz1ZlNGgjURORZXV2ckOJUgoII_flaivvlwiGq4wtpSaVxvyaNozxybHRKoKY_39WgLyMj_kywQU2eyH_BAbbcifBiN2WWLy_ta1LXxW-lj7f_CoMscSBqIyeFw7gRaxunhHt_T1rBrjbrfo-zLE9lUHfbRXbRvjE4oPtYrTcghRM1vq8E6p8T5YO-8V-TfTgA==" 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>They want tech</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">More than half the
California school districts surveyed by an education advocacy group said
they've spent all or most of the funds set aside to implement Common
Core State Standards, but still have more to do to prepare for the new
academic standards, including offering PD in technology to teachers. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe-3gVQS2xmUezvtbpGTRfwQt76cetEszbHpBhvXGM0AQ9Uhlii9L4B6AH_ah7AypDmodGNiskuDtcV939Z_1w9raoa_Ls_TSlWQJ8DY_HBhr9HfdOu3LROxzvYBqvmkKCSD2oBK5jUS7RxVpl6HyMKNQsn1-OvWkpTMRhZtqg784RE9Xv6OoUZ5uMmMEcG4EASjj0D6icD78yY9odW-DCry" 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 do they</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Half a dozen bills
before the California Legislature address the growing concern that
California students don't have the computer science skills necessary to
thrive in the modern workforce. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe-ATBeGWN6-eUKNhpDmtH3jJCvruIvcNhyQU8xhZfpS8TSUtOkHV2mI8st-pipX9iX-dIps7oeBSTqCqTwc7ynlS_QgxOU2cKdzEaj_5WWcsXToSDWsguIqP-nGJe0n13HQ-WxB8OBE_3ZkwBwWMb0iqQd2Oe71UCjbu6hCMaTG7TVZv77_moB73VOme6EDAK_-Sit8KdEkbEn-ofqxQ8QXLi2Y4ibNiLo=" 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>Time to deal</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The longer California's
leaders delay shoring up the cash-strapped teacher pension fund, the
more money it will cost taxpayers in the long run, according to an
analysis presented to lawmakers. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe8KW_HdZSAKfsNZefZewpTkb5RSOhHee5uqbelUjFfk1uQzPvB3Wl5visIJt_KBS52CRpO-g3tb3vian-8GoRSOQ3nCrqTUGHeFWRnygnYn1qVebeDKTC92kbnHA49juTJtVxcyyMh8Hny4nMmBf0LA0TVTEhWtsTIGd39QKfVeqFdLT8OTRg4n8WtZdELc2ENvDIicbZr6UKNXrxuiZQHQC_z7l0jkjtP7iiHvhY_p7Y780zPv7ygU" 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>Paras, not police</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Two California groups
have released a policy brief that asks districts in the state to use new
funding to lessen the gap in spending between school security versus
student support and engagement initiatives. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe9m0-_Cm0K9aDgPQRlhQPyk9HlhZuPBXxj1M3F1GOLzosQbeLB0VKiiIDNheVZUKGRTNrjGHKILHofOJTk1fPYgOcmIVHFHYOuMfAm-Fja3P1iQjK-mfcoZq_Mgd98k2B7nYRfsRTIsfsAO0jQsdDsFupY-t7IH0jt45jKpc_7nMjodrtzYaoigoqbn5eFYm600bW2q45Qp8W2MpbIzKUTPFkl7miE3KpNZVwjLl_mOlVwk52xpL3KlYFsQiZl4gic6V1m92QrCtTM8rzCLk0cc" 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: #f14f23;"><strong>How they're doing</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Annual progress reports
have been released from the U.S. Department of Education that show how
far the 12 state-level Race to the Top grant winners have come as they
seek to deliver on the promises that won them 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=001ZkdXkf3PJe-2St9cWYbBPDf4A25HX1rK_ADPjS7GsAZvKepUDKkv7v_5Un1R_oTxU05ul65ONOBXGp3KbtqBc4nnwbCbFQRBtr3zMxqvYP1bs705KHToaoJFjG97zSrCX0AK519Gsp-aXv5B4XDmqR1EnB-32BXaj2OPNWOvFfMpEeVHiddnzA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Starting small</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Indiana Gov. Mike Pence
is expected to sign legislation that creates a small-scale voucher-style
pre-K program for low-income kids in the state. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe_zqAopLFgmHFSivOM7ef8550XB2l_3JUORnS4Krvt3E3aP8HD9P0Gl8lp3JlyyTOzXsQF60PR8yf5_cVMHvZyHQXOt_XGl9TRXnDTbGF0ehg4Eiv378hsdZ6aDstUJoDnN4aYGURe0g9kXsGSF1srcbppxvPjel4YGjKbDI8FKxvXr6HZsn_ST947fIvrErk-LZBpS_MWdhRRyRPUHrymbhq1HJbLRW3o=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Everyone's a critic</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Louisiana Gov. Bobby
Jindal is the latest to criticize New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's
education policies, using a New York Post op-ed to declare them those of
a "petulant tyrant." <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe89CK_bwa3Wgz9woAXnpthC8cG-k7x_qahjR8DEpfiAEoPuNwdfZh-1iPEDZlonKNFFdr-elKcWPigF0FqpIdA-h7hDLaOeJYUYO-ZGo2IjETQXavqFGE3kcHZ8IdYEuC56hsr_JorMGuuXlNYDfJsmt5iUysPoqN5gGa2f5gQc2SXQBQcNRBQ01501AZ3lqBo=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Ad hominem</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Nineteen parents of
students from a Harlem charter school have filed a federal lawsuit
against New York City, claiming Mayor de Blasio hurt their children by
picking on Success Academy Charter Schools CEO Eva Moskowitz. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe9iY9nTMl18CS5DucUyBVIDvS7kDP2rIehsptz_-T6Vm-b214Cet1YNP0DjQrfoN7mvmLRBnac3tsBPWCEqPfJtbd9EEzXAULVhvCYjYhLYRai0Dnkd2ZLLklv6LAJJ2xLOkc3_hrvLiwdTTdZbDP5idV1aywGsG7tDb_4gxKoI_SAqHtlQWibiWuDSihzbpQYqjHC-lR6BxYp8VctdapFm2_PXHc3qCv5tgPCk62FE4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Piling on</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A pro-charter school
group has spent $3.6 million on TV ads over the past three weeks
attacking Mayor de Blasio, an insider with knowledge of the ad buy
revealed. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe-Fq9OCjCNDQSBV_MpmOYLgiA7WOk-lFcNeQzyj9En2SQsC-y0foTUWPmFZEvUVbubY4rZBswtVxVdjRFQGik-LDPyepctX2dMLQNwkojYa1hPaku-u6gh_uFhYafJgbyZdqxQ0VAeJgLMakedZdGFgH3mGqZ8LscrI3MB8Va0XehdhW0IR7Bca8h36AuCqKRXflxPIc_6-0GBsNFB-E8JHHGP54CgBSPoQUS_2TEnlEA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Progressive</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A footnote in Wyoming's
budget bill bars the state board of education from adopting or even
continuing to review the Next Generation Science Standards, based in
part on the fact that they teach evolution and that climate change is
driven by humans. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe9Eu3ekCJDwAHRPiwcqsck4j_boQ3uaT8ylek5VyLWZDQogFaB1G_SM94oYi4v7k0mHkHvyfG5PaPj87pROk_oF8u35I4idFEv-SCYP_eOdqXmsvHb5bZYgMPVrk_UCQD7p3LClOkxDpfjgHeL7t_QYktFQkAeCSPGmZReGKUukwoAhWfL4B8DwmkPLpbb7NOFmtXrRls7qhw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Shorting out</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">For three years,
Portland Public Schools has failed to offer high school students the
minimum amount of class time required by the state, Oregon Department of
Education officials have ruled. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe-rXkQphsA34mwq83vF76WCamI4cUFo5V-scSx_Rh6CO4LPV_PgCNXqRNYQ9OxIf7EeCOf3alSPD9YmwInJTJKHIVSxutt8iFqW5ryNhf25HLYrKW94ZiB1Iz_4f-x0S1MzZFdyHutEHpvKeLHY5uHIAQTayEprL8cPWMWJKmBt0gLjqzPql8ZzHjHudqxYLBuZD7SgT3NcqSpx_neKE2if6EddySApliP5nL7d6TW3Hg==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Reinventing the wheel</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The American Institutes
for Research has been awarded a $220 million, six-year contract to
develop and administer new Florida statewide exams. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe9axRYtepcwD5-PZSSg2XcpBd4RWrMiYu031Go--I7PFPrem-ztibovhOhwg9x_6ndfecOZyUdFd588zTQwwvUyKuaDfrxVQHIgKHAhJ1pYElPyvLcizBskzQexb1P1vLqjz3VynCuKQbmC0Xp9a3E1LYyn9YE7LS_D7IhYj0VcRHlNGoIaDko32v5_sHQUGLfs-ScCBc1IyMCRWZjjpOO1blDf1NeHdWM=">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>Oregon is Next</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Oregon has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe8iSk6LxUjoQrUNeZ_mpXybkISAE002bPh1WQQy-6PnsWBEXsPhqS4SYwBQ6yahS9BSZ9noDESCrx3o3oS4lKXRUpFHCkLSSyqqecZzUT8-NCff-6GCxIE_yO4KJhOhd9XHT7l_QfOs-KPT0jYuJ1hdOcLRbPOWqx5p4Ndge8p68kfalKpinLCdxi62dzkvJApY7yQAxEeQug==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #f14f23;"><strong>How uncharacteristic</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Of the 12 jurisdictions
that won the earliest grants under the Obama administration's Race to
the Top program, the District of Columbia has come under extra scrutiny
by federal officials concerned about its ability to manage the money. <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=001ZkdXkf3PJe9bKlUDyTsFo46OeiL1Mqif9NgEjvTVUfh0xBE598r-9vpG9GyfUV2GPUWIcJ-swpkLyM2T-6vDqd5KjAbb7_U8C5gnel3o5_1xqu41Uo4H674e5FV3rVduWhxGT8r6fIpwN6iIE3-ro25btuKemGU569P5DLbBEiOQqLCThVWiVn5RtdoyQejNehhZHOZi13ldhiPtg4o4QDL2G5Ix6QdiowkHrUVs6XrUwrhHoNvtz4cFFLa9NT2EB3f-RdgQmRAIxnG5SEYo0j7yB_ifTbs-uOgfF_NQMuWl5E6ysoXaIYWWmBlJRlcKqHhayhMxcBM=">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 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=001ZkdXkf3PJe-2Weu93SoxTruox5xL9sCFCg2FPuKaY3xxWg9-RkJg2iFIN7EXqqftmORqLbChZwiulhZrjiUVgsi9jpXZnYYHt09RXyR3tPd1a_q9c_tq5iEm4hG2BoXD5yG3QGn3bbHN2LCkFV5IUA==" shape="rect">AIAA Foundation: Grants for Excellence in Math, Science, Technology, and Engineering</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation Classroom Grants encourage
excellence in educating students about math, science, technology, and
engineering. Eligibility: current AIAA Educator Associate or AIAA
Professional members actively engaged as K-12 classroom educators.
Maximum award: $200. Deadline: March 31, 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=001ZkdXkf3PJe9WnW2A-WXBaQzl-ErhKQAtTfl6uju04mDPGUEubyrRZ-h2jHrsLImcW37ZGS3Hs4SDV7HuGKQwUqhcj4dRgihTLy0QfHo6LV6yibCfklQxjCwNqQDGlqi7o_EgITznhHn4JksH46SSigILfC4iZzTP" shape="rect">Snapdragon Book Foundation: Grants to Libraries</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Snapdragon Book
Foundation provides funds to improve school libraries for disadvantaged
children. Maximum award: $20,000. Eligibility: public, private, and
experimental schools. Deadline: April 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;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe8zh5g0W5e_hGTReI2PbloNlj-VBAvmQgBaUxU_ypdRYYvaEddrwugo5Pc0eeWzeE30p22URNtrqBHAJJTE-Knj1ZcpBYl07ghPyL670DZVmdJruG4neoeK77alPEJkGHA1BUNZWE6pUWadYtIiSjjVWG3ip_kvLypfV9oFG2yFiA==" shape="rect">Earth Island Institute: Brower Youth Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Earth Island
Institute Brower Youth Award recognizes young people for their
outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and
social justice advocacy. Maximum Award: $3,000, a trip to California
for the awards ceremony, and a wilderness camping trip. Eligibility:
youth ages 13-22. Deadline: May 12, 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;">"We don't need more data to tell us we need action." -- <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001ZkdXkf3PJe9FUds4UV6F8uC09LoY7p4PqdT4RbJdpW7lNNO3ZtaWlUfQV0UVOfb8kGTm1sHp5_XJe_Mckxbtyxoqoy57sCjjTHAknNE1pHOO6dIs3eKkucdEu62tf5uiPwmQXeJPmFQshbOWydmhzyUXVIsWDkQ_y-h3YOPp-5-IrCKKtWKsoCChriwSTsJoatg-qlPmCairZppgv0qbxP_eKKhqfNvj5KWp5KlsC4XHlVIB0-nT5ZJNF4FFsuaV" shape="rect">Randi Weingarten</a>, president of the American Federation of Teachers, regarding new federal data on educational inequities.</div>
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