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<div>April 15, 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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Vergara: Everyone loses</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Teachers don't love their jobs, and students don't love their teachers</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Failing the kids who need us most</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">The data confirm: poor and minority kids have less effective teachers</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Using early warnings to turn around lives</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Hold your conclusions from the latest PISA scores</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Darling-Hammond on the Common Core</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">CCSS: Work to be done, and analyzed</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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&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;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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&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/38507-115/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27616850&seq=5&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Vergara: Everyone loses</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>In
an editorial in Education Week, David Menefee-Libey and Charles Taylor
Kerchner write that in Vergara vs. California, the plaintiffs can't win
and the defendants will lose, regardless of how Judge Rolf Treu rules.
The plaintiffs lose because they picked the wrong lawsuit. However much
tenure, due process, and seniority laws make school improvement
difficult, they are far from the core weaknesses in California's
education system. On the other side, the state and the California
Teachers Association and California Federation of Teachers have for
years failed to clean up the obvious messes in teacher tenure, dismissal
procedures, and seniority. California teachers have so far been spared
the frontal attacks seen in Wisconsin and other states, but the politics
of pensions and school reform put them at odds with Democratic
officeholders and with Republicans eager to eliminate them as an
interest group. Menefee-Libey and Kerchner feel the courtroom was just a
warm-up act. It's likely the plaintiffs don't expect to win the trial,
but arguing the case has given them a chance to speak to national
audiences, call press conferences, and tell vivid stories about children
suffering at the hands of school bureaucrats and teachers. It also
prepares the ground for a 2016 ballot initiative to wipe away teacher
tenure and job protections.</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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfozDMf6an9xFwEqSLXTfLhG7aw5soS1DUCeYaZVW56ZMa6gMX9nmPD3UFlZVi16vUozbcLv7GVlu6iO65kPL75jPWsy32whJPWB13mmfXuTR8NB07fiXBWCVoiRscv7MEY-9pP6aiOD9Vn85LFuhiPl9EnLcrjwmf0bEoEFcgA1c1ZqQO9sR-gsm5TCDjPqqf0WpXlMyLQvjR4ZyPeUizRQ==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">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;">Teachers don't love their jobs, and students don't love their teachers</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Gallup's
newly released State of America's Schools report indicates that nearly
70 percent of K-12 teachers surveyed in 2012 do not feel engaged in
their work, reports Rebecca Klein in The Huffington Post. Nearly half of
teachers reported feeling daily stress. When compared to 12 other
occupational groups, teachers were least likely to feel their "opinions
seem to count" at work; yet the survey found teachers tended to be
satisfied with their lives overall. The report also surveyed 600,000
students in grades five through 12 on their feelings of hope,
engagement, and well-being. Forty-five percent of students felt "not
engaged" or "actively disengaged" from school, with rates of
disengagement increasing by grade level. Teachers have the biggest
influence on student-engagement levels: Students who have "at least one
teacher who makes me excited about my future" and feel their school is
"committed to building the strengths of each student" were 30 times more
likely to be engaged at school. Teachers' and students' lack of
engagement seems to have filtered down to the public's perception of
American education. An earlier Gallup poll cited in the report found
just 17 percent of Americans think high school graduates are ready for
work, and just 29 percent think they're ready for college.</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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfIkswhq_oj44pHC6PvcO3JnGS-nv0Cadfcd0UCkaBFHCJhoDr33MhQVo7Wj-n1cAUwlatBiVEZbgYvxS4CIUrNbVMM_G488NFcKcIoPcDcZKFL1yfd3VsJcsSEInIQX2s8sEoZ4fug9n3rnPeA0MIPP-GSPK3lvxI8-QwP6MGcm9BUw_yBIvWuuU0kAlHgOCIdEFjhoiTAJdEBDnnHU5D0XQ47bPGLkqluNuKtE7Xt5Y3eIYv8g4oiw==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==">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;">Failing the kids who need us most</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 an opinion piece in
The Hechinger Report, Pamela Cantor writes that many of our schools are
failing to educate black and Latino children, and quick to punish them.
To change this, Cantor says we must understand the challenges that
children in poverty bring to school every day, and intentionally design
learning environments to counteract these. We must use what we already
know to intentionally design and build fortified environments for
teaching and learning -- fortified to reduce stress; to promote strong
connections to adults, peers, families, and communities; to aggressively
address academic recovery; to deliver rigorous and engaging content;
and to promote attributes common among all successful students. A
fortified school environment is filled with adults who fire up their
students, expand their confidence, increase their stamina, never give up
on them, and never let them give up on themselves. Imagine what could
happen if every school had the knowledge, skills, and tools to create
this kind of learning environment, Cantor writes. Initiatives like the
president's My Brother's Keeper are important because they help convene
all stakeholders -- the private and nonprofit sectors, philanthropy,
faith communities, educators, and government. With continued
collaboration and perseverance, we have a real chance to change the
trajectory for millions of young men, and women too. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfalBeompRZgbu9gAgYojTv0GV8E2qralDrF0i71RwEry_s4uueesylK8OpNjDxtHZ686R7-gpi5LvS7er8Hya_K0zH9fcpr1yE3bo3RzLJt8JVKnGs0P2UL4nLe5M02ITJ33ksG0guhq6Jkqvj_ut2eVbM5mC-bGj2XwMpK3H2tIRRUrtune9rpMV3KpGTqDdj7FVkWc1xERmA61mIoINMg==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==">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;">The data confirm: poor and minority kids have less effective teachers</div>
</b></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>An
analysis of data from the newest state teacher-evaluation systems by
the Center for American Progress shows that in some areas, poor students
and students of color are far less likely to have expert teachers. The
brief looks at Louisiana and Massachusetts, two early adopters of
teacher-evaluation systems that have released teacher ratings by school.
The data show that in both states, students in high-poverty schools are
three times as likely to be taught by a teacher deemed ineffective,
although in Massachusetts the number of ineffective teachers overall is
low. In Louisiana, students in schools with high minority enrollment are
more than twice as likely to have an ineffective teacher as students in
schools with low minority enrollment. The brief recommends several
policies to ensure equitable distribution of skilled teachers throughout
schools, districts, and among districts: identify high-quality teachers
by improving data about effectiveness, then use these data to determine
distribution; retain effective teachers by reforming career and
compensation systems; increase the reach of effective teachers by
creating roles for master and mentor teachers; encourage effective
teachers to move to disadvantaged schools through incentives; improve
the effectiveness of all teachers through proven professional
development; and improve recruitment of new teachers. Working toward
even one or two of the policies above could greatly increase the chance
that disadvantaged students get a level of superb instruction that could
change the course of their lives.</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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfJ4do4-zJ2f_IYm13U2opLWtIi_JX2asbKieZGbCuv35yW1xfBrQOg6Jj_Rty-20iVA_3yClK6e4M9wYAyDaIwTCFt8aoE6hpsmcYEBl9Ey4cpNdmJefyQRTH_T5gphi0yteELtshKB6fumVuEnR2Dpcyz7aCKw-MKE6pJxOIwt7lvFbYQ1ur1fNTwavBmYgWHE2MPu0TZmwNDnjYm5gRWZMISACCFpjQ_0BVhr4dxrIv6MwEIjTZ7O0a2OGNQZxv&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==">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;">Using early warnings to turn around lives</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>At
Miami Carol City Senior High in Florida, a handful of teachers,
administrators, and coaches, as well as analysts from Talent Development
Secondary, which monitors student data; City Year, a nonprofit that
provides mentors; and Communities in Schools, which connects kids with
health care and social services, all convene weekly to discuss kids on a
downward trend, reports Sammy Mack for NPR. The kids are flagged based
on attendance, behavior, and performance in math and English. The team
discusses potential options and strategies for helping the student, an
interaction between different departments that didn't happen before the
program started three years ago. The program, Diplomas Now, identifies
150 to 200 students a year at Carol City and costs about $600 per
student annually. Last year, one-third of students flagged for missing
school got back on track to graduation. Two-thirds of students having
behavioral problems made a turnaround. "The point of all this isn't to
collect data. It's to change what's happening for individual kids," says
Paige Kowalski of the Data Quality Campaign. Kowalski says about 20
states have developed early-warning systems like the one at Carol City.
Schools, she says, can learn a lot from the medical field: "[They] don't
just put out reports saying, 'The hospital lost all these patients and
saved these people.' They look at data and say, 'What can we do
better?'"</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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfcwUWwJtJreyShs5zy_TGY323T6A2mLUQMt580UeqzPMCl8aK0SVpmw7cQEDSxePB-wV_5qWxgURTjf7THX6AZuA0ibFsoy67H0KsnAY0AaTD_VGR2zAW4ae6_ZjS7eAPzKYOrq7oT91xmm9IZV01hBz30hpfxInE3O1wZnQUCsaP_4XFfVfIs6TwhWODjOQ4xeK9tsP_2-_OwZUIhcriVPfmc4Acy3VJKBrvyGJDAVIWVQ5OqRHpwg==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==">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;">Hold your conclusions from the latest PISA scores</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>When
the scores of the new PISA Creative Problem Solving test were
published, attention in different countries was predictably focused on
outcomes for their respective youth, writes Daniel Willingham for
RealClear Education. What wasn't questioned was whether the tests
actually measure what they purport to. In contrast to a subject like
math, intelligence is not domain-specific. The PISA test uses a combined
strategy that Willingham feels should prompt serious reflection in
education policymakers. The OECD, which issues the test, conceives of
problem-solving as a combination of exploring and
understanding; representing and formulating; planning and executing; and
monitoring and reflecting. Pinning the validity of the PISA test on
this particular taxonomy reflects a particular view of problem-solving,
Willingham points out. The test's authors also sought to present
problems that students might really encounter, like figuring out how to
work a new MP3 player, finding the quickest route on a map, or figuring
out how to buy a subway ticket from an automated kiosk. The tests
authors effectively say, "This is the kind of problem-solving that
people do, so we measured how well students do it." Which leads
Willingham to conclude that the PISA 2012 is surely measuring something,
and what it's measuring is probably close to something he'd comfortably
call "problem-solving," but it's nothing definitive.</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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfSXaIg4rDVh9IERzvMauXKJzHwNWbLUgC1h9PI76_UEzT9SAMWZJ2JdMhG9o2z79INNE6JHZqMA0T3RfXrrPfnebECbtoGw54boe74cm0-wwB17ixuoEaUADq53eEqhSP0TCQjlLbKfGdZIwh8LZpsutz51xLv5gFx7JqrKaKR54_pUsDFri2wCvhVG2vMq-_ZBO9HYN5FVtU-wAmNvhAY7Tl7UB8Y7bZ8Byx5br4OHaSJskhTbD_0AuEwyOGm1hRCb75HDELaEg=&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" 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>Darling-Hammond on the Common Core</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
an interview with The American Prospect, Linda Darling-Hammond
discusses the Common Core State Standards, noting they do not require
testing. In places that include standardized testing with them, what
people are really debating are the tests and the high stakes attached to
them, rather than the standards themselves, she says. In
Darling-Hammond's view, the tests aren't important; some countries have a
national curriculum, but local tests. She does feel, however, that
Common Core-aligned tests are good for most states, since they include
more open-ended items and provoke engagement. The standards themselves
ask students to collaborate, use technologies for multiple purposes,
communicate orally and in writing, extensively research, and apply
mathematics and English language arts in complex problem-solving
situations. The tests tackle standards that are closest to what
traditional sit-down tests do. But using these tests to decide whether a
student advances to the next grade or graduates from high school,
whether a teacher continues to be employed or gets merit pay, or whether
a school will be put into some kind of "failing schools" category -- is
irresponsible, Darling-Hammond says. To move forward, we must change
the accountability paradigm in this country from "test and punish" to
"assess and improve," and we should pursue the Common Core standards
within that framework. </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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAftvFt7Zm0cAAGezFwETIHiUmphl8kX_Qt8nEN7Pwzq0HhX22iCjh_b8gpAqjAdaO4RMgly8j3wxnm74nKIyXBTOYdDebSt450KFCxfK3yxRCmfXiRkGMWEJVwa65udWuR&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==">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;">CCSS: Work to be done, and analyzed</div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new brief from the
Center on Education Policy examines the needs of state and local
education policymakers around the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS). Four areas of policy-related research will be needed in the
coming year, the authors write: case studies of successful
implementation of the CCSS; studies of state and local CCSS outreach
strategies; studies of state education agency capacity to lead CCSS
implementation; and analyses of the impact of federal education
requirements on CCSS implementation. State and local policymakers want
to assist schools with CCSS implementation, but often don't know where
to start. Classroom teachers are also looking to districts and states
for curricula and other CCSS-aligned materials and strategies to help
prepare students for the Common Core. Additionally, some state and local
policymakers have a limited understanding of the CCSS and accompanying
assessments, but are tasked with making decisions about them in an
environment rampant with misinformation about what the standards
represent, how they came into being, and how they will shape education.
Decisions about the CCSS have implications for accountability
requirements and efforts to turn around low-performing schools, and for
technology demands for administering assessments aligned to the CCSS.
Charitable foundations, education organizations, and researchers must
take the next steps to fund and carry out research projects on CCSS
implementation and practice. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfx7uzulEs6KLtQAYruOxpqVv2OEL7TrYdnBqPxB9w2dD7F0bYjoIE_bBrUIS51Y_5NqM5X6G7graNQDaKvpI9tVJmOHGQBJdYwW9HmWdhXHpyZ4M3kgpjskPiZhcMnM0yrK9XVjwT8qRwkDPtIxOZvA==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">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: #ee5624;"><strong>Some resolution</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Los Angeles school
district officials have announced a lawsuit settlement that will provide
$60 million in pay increases, services, and staff at about three dozen
schools, many hit hard by teacher layoffs; the pact fails to deal with
whether instructors should continue to be dismissed based on seniority. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfS9brDpdY-r4Sl8n1nvtQciqediUTcQXKU4vU1vYOlvLs5JKgmUxJp0fUz28BWtGqMsGjMkePdysTNKITrCkhaYKP3D-1RXW_7rjYFAuRH5B_GWdoCLNws34BZYay527SZXJDX61xpC3CDkxQQ6EX2E3eRl7H3ngoRjHocuNglyO5mwAoDs-XT88wrc78LGEiJ6m6bQnefUV4YeJY1HUlwg==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Paltry</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Fewer than 4 in 10
California high school students are completing the requirements to be
eligible for the state's public universities. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfUr70g3gCiTi4EnYUzgtFsZbugbJIAn7ZzMbe6dOENe39iIeetpZ7QpaxG14CQi8sacQQo_KBHdwREFw2khIpp1QneY15oe4Me8FHLOWsp1gQ0D9DHWNrltvU06HiZ_Q4mZWlDrMGFtwXzU7nuJYm5SMIyMDsforIETmZCH1t35tyuygztcML-pbh2jnCU6Az7uVQeUHKDPHcqauSwYCbBe5aJrnNKjea&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Welcome news</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Disadvantaged students
in L.A. Unified stand to benefit from $837 million specifically aimed at
boosting services for students who are low-income, learning English, or
in foster care. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfyQek7GvWWF6EyS22L6ZwQ4jbsUEV1oCxvDepWoO75vqoVa6vlx6BN05j4FvMOA2tLS3vEGlPRNQpX5hNSoZ7a7dm6_EU6HKeNRc2RkGBgGeiIHyicWjXv0qChLh2ivzR-W0LAsmmPbH164sO-1BlvMh4LvPe14SvLvI1BTQFGhKbJRaJ1osWeMKcSq5SGunJqctRSImDXsE=&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div><span style="color: #ee5624;"><strong>Seemed like a good idea at the time</strong></span><br>
</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In a joint press
conference, the Sacramento school district and its teachers' union
announced they are withdrawing from a first-of-its-kind No Child Left
Behind Act waiver the U.S. Department of Education granted the district
less than a year ago. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfULyWVPhOxtFYBxrxfBLK1kF7IVuERdGm-xGu1nA-9XJY4Py0QgHtZsby7UaRQ9a1v-LB6fwDppuYDZJkFVS8s8am7Cvd6tjGKP8wSiuq70S2YT9j6t-tetx5Ojxl3PgR2qjQd9MMbC9t_D3of-0ReESO1toAWgHB9Qx-L8Jb3CG4Y3lJjqNetquBRE_BE9TfRB9kDlzqcM4I7g_iwBGAh6z4fAthNliljsJLwCQH9WPysh1NE6qF98H0ImQzBnnTWwqE8QchLL243_rcJ0H8ttrbDXGEVRwiYVuvYwjS17o-1cycQqTmtptNXVlJ0NLByEkYZulhSQXolx4jmHE2JluE9Da_kZZQYv5RuBFqpQHq9_EvhqNk3nPWoh2LT7TM&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED </b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Giving money for getting real</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">President Obama traveled
to a high school in the Washington, D.C. suburbs to announce winners of
$107 million in grants for updating curriculums to better integrate
work experiences and real-world learning opportunities. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfS-7QyOFv5kw5H8DduB3snZPxc5xVL_ebngcXswMoh57aE6rmZwrFwE4BhLbX4uRLr9ELS76y7pKG6t0NJdQiaeN_8oz8Fz1IB87tefDyerctwnpyxiibWtCxF_3jhHMGm5g_glBn028rI99KVnh8ToEjZmJNPCvm7G5sbI_APoPvSL_0iWVJjafikLaGULFvcWNDo8M4LrXt4l2yuK2GCB93Dq40Fx9KU4HQ5fd2kq0c8wgYGAuaC_9Q22imd3Wq1lkrB6a7rcm0zHEiumYpWNjLHGtOQti2&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Not one thin dime</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Ten Republican senators don't want further federal money going to states in exchange for adopting certain academic standards. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAf3ET6olvVmAg_z1fgy9LSIrh6iXZLftksQ7xDs9IcGuo_OJ8Gd4wXmZXWI7WyhO5IOZC_sBV9b4dQx9Z0l8DNyQh93-gL1IFYPzG-ZgkJpAC4BK3o8wGlnsR7FH438MFap1HnZ-Qww-e9MisoEqE45WDWvyoyG_LZqaJ9DCEtvz1-U9YCGw4OeLcqDH562F5rdMe_WMqgAN1CZAVZ86ICItP-npryoH3aF80Sg4RsDJxuxddI6D3f3ocneWOpIQuSkCuGoiz9u_ExV0XbsXEtWPbjUfNOSoWnXoJQuqkuqNivXw0RQjFil04wuZmHXHsrxDG_KtKhbaCjKeNm4umWy2d9cTLwuwg58M8K8lPfsxNz7bohGNDWUVhMg_JLq3ISqaxbwBod-zFDbd7s5XFBNw==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Jindal yields to Justice</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Department of
Justice has prevailed -- at least in part -- in a long-running and
politically charged battle with Louisiana over the state's
private-school voucher program; the state must provide the agency with
timely information about the racial background of participating students
each year so the Justice Department can monitor the program's effect on
school segregation. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAf0hESAmQDp7YJk0FifQvA2klutzoFtXgiNeCcUJ5XfVGaERsXTZQPbZ6tIWp7Lj99jfqhY8WxWIgZ-NkYmivubTyBfNW7CrDLt3IVuGaqTzdHxU8OfRI6yvSbZgAy_f2CqwfWi9XRj8rmlRsbj6vRVw86NDXFUqwqFzBi5u_3mQKQH8HOTlO8P5sfORkfIvsRsi4c_Uwd8lfPck66EsPvsMRZckQzdZV6LPBwGTK65Z2pei6Wsyc5t7-06KP7uGyn&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Tenure takes a hit in Kansas</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A Kansas bill that
allocates millions more to schools but also strips teachers of a
protection they have had since 1957 will head to the governor's desk. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfEG0CTIg1MKrayz8Z0Ay4ZEwKi5eZw3iAmzQjlK45exU8DiT0aH9P2NMN0hKn2kQLXPsQ50_ecMK8BkSwyjBJO30aey-V4tluz7mjMBhm_VUW7s0QWLPZdPJNzaNyKo0fW1bcT5xOjer-9jhQUSDRhJgXgVrauBJAuvv3_CdfiZavh9U5EeqImV4NVKHP2PF_EwU33DRMWDktmd5lUBBGrA==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Collective sigh of relief</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A Virginia bill recently
signed by the governor cuts in half the number of standardized tests
that third-graders take, eliminating the social studies and science
tests. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfq1HPlwfZ1co-DfATKEzhm99jpgYQnO_nNLAD9xsVnE5i1_0jYkrBgOQ3oAiHsgwe2SDrvNCFGojw_VcGQXv_s5w9TlF_5sOI1l1mdPWab0EzOJs3VwPvtJLysGJfNh4sMzbrPxx__qw4SX2RWLNs1D0ify4uIsERYIgAnRJOEcvFRCY6_g8UjO-xcV_oT-hhavCE-Jhro97NDBqe6GoqmJpU_D-u-o8FHTm01GK-oJFTBHI8pFegusLjBJY1pvIxJjB21byaKahlHpb4ltzmsA==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>All for nought?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A years-long endeavor to
create national certification for principals may be scrapped, leaving
in the lurch more than 100 school leaders who invested 18 months of time
and effort to take part in the program's rigorous pilot. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfsHWt-k2BzUkLaL71uQOqlidlxo8e556SvI8nUomcbdKWsUFvpz8NivAyOkyFUmobWv_5sJuGu7cUYap4lquzS4DXnIDpTrh__XfiWmmHXh_C9qb3PnSnT4M3frJLRVsd3JApgBNLTqxJxgUY_sOvShQQ0rD198gfvss2BO4FzBrfVPJ4sE2tMA==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>About face</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio has said he would allow religious services in public-school
buildings, reversing a policy that has been the subject of an intense
legal dispute for nearly two decades. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfxkpQVJLVrDjYkq1l4R705VAHMpJtQI7gFvS_JSVMp-0kfKC5vMWo3zqMib-56qqw3yBRrQNfMv3u0M8PF0-ni0pr5zSlicDpBw93BiySv4sU5B8d6lQx4pVuOnSByeYrB68tEMg4y7t2WRUkEzJSAAOR6z6zne_Omu_aDr8Q9zAALCeCV3i01o33jDFUJJ8E&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>S.C. remains Smart and Balanced</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The South Carolina board
of education has voted against a motion introduced by the state
department of education to withdraw from the Smarter Balanced
consortium. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfTIEZbJ7bqFxhwcybUWq4kbcHUivlBxIJR61eqkcHfP1xx1bTrBI_M-cp2z8kNfNKekRPqDQvJcRM3eB9gmJvvafI729kDrlvkvRLYOrXzqpEI9k6BJNLJSBjvvf016IVi-seanU9b3LQY_kkSAwkQpPZdG4d89P3NrExdA18C5-Vtz-G6URH6lO7ljZ52JZSZ2uX4suDsDGraO-HaEZ0FGHEpn5J0jiqNnI8WkBkjal4rnTxjphp_NSdDDJLHwjj&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Day of reckoning</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Pennsylvania Auditor
General Eugene DePasquale has announced that his office is auditing the
Philadelphia school district's multibillion-dollar budget. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfukC7bMN2PpM_aRzKW_-OF1DOqAdO3IoQYXTvc4s5xXBN6eVLP9rwT810Sw7ulWb3k_jwYy-meK60j7RtuIRChXnixFRjsL9oZHFpvBOEU0mzCMgHurtpik2xISPU-ZHPnRhFT7qkyRkg8IZmDHfjAGcbg6pNBtLtHYnbMvomNJ-ow_A8nDMbXYTQDoZkBW9Rr5LKVAOUxED05k2hM9DTNfZBXmpCjRGI4ObqMKs3MjS09uuLCnKzRw==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>The dismantling begins</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New York City's
Education Department, in a break with the data-driven policies of former
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, has moved to reduce the role of
standardized exams in deciding which students to hold back each year. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfqfdm3vctA-80xloyKG7g2-j0xKVgXkGZ-tgcYFQMk3wrs83b_cTKPtH0i8GPKkCRzXNQdAsEzN8lGmWHiWPX5adZT2yKwXhEx4DQ1h2OMreRUGkRMsK1nM-TruTPITIVfva2IJOticcaU_bZCwbF89lxBMzdI7feYKUKxrgG0b7_PBFOH347_isUk8Nb73-fB7nuXsyqS1J8MDfFFLHYjaHFb4ZvLjFCixwGlUO0z71m6eXylXOd3wr5vBNp5GLpq5qMv5WANWGHPTv_doe98LxAwMwoO8ib11A4HsASLlk=&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" 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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk8avXRic_P-EtOyoKxzErlVoTIKsCJK-tnxpnYY3593_JHLTGw385xbXL9xjuAqN4NtzasV4jGm3EnlxBYEdrMQp04vJ2SuPuIR0tsMhKZvHKZ0lwFXy487sAjWSueOW99jKjmA8mvzORL2_iqtNU7nFNOPsdKAX2u8VqpYAP6Jw_DfZrTmJpbwiJmKuZpUBdBQD8BsOSAdr&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">Kennedy Center: VSA Playwright Discovery Competition</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
Kennedy Center VSA Playwright Discovery Competition invites middle and
high school students to take a closer look at the world around them,
examine how disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and
express their views through the art of script writing. Writers may write
from their own experience and observations or create fictional
characters and settings. Scripts can be comedies, dramas, or even
musicals. Maximum award: Division 1 (Grades 6-8, or equivalent): $375
for his/her school; publication in the 2014 VSA Playwright Discovery
Program booklet. Division 2 (Grades 9-12, or equivalent): $750
scholarship, $375 for his/her school; publication in the 2013 VSA
Playwright Discovery Program booklet. Deadline: April 28, 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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfrliHLRmFxjxMAo37jT8ht6OSA1MJPByjvs_JO06R3pLEoGPGPDl78y64I8PEXuaSOJvueBYMWRqBY6fVnU54K2LvH823grS81lF4hJpTOhiT_zYmfsAlY2AyHGt-dYItmFiTZ-YPYKpErdbF8MBUS6rxAkTIIWvHFwyFNSt36Njgn4N_z1_K5w==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">Dollar General Literacy Foundation: Youth Literacy Grants</a><br>
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Youth Literacy Grants provide
funding to help students who are below grade level or experiencing
difficulty reading. Grant funding is provided to assist in implementing
new or expanding existing literacy programs; purchasing new technology
or equipment to support literacy initiatives; and purchasing books,
materials, or software for literacy programs. Maximum award: $4,000.
Eligibility: schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations.
Deadline: May 22, 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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk8avXRic_P-E3fcOQS1-ftbEXy6P9DqeYwOPS7_MoQjDbvaZfgIYz-nu1_Vsj2cMQJH6mBse_OpwNNf-rCq625mE5zQ5PicF1IXlk2pEcTFGjTwe-udTIWju7hrHUTts_3SVEBjdrMW0IPRJ5Ic_XLzk-BXEU6pJflugYb8IL_Or8mTzolZZ1FqdVbl_hz17dlb6z5geYrakMQeEnM3wNYIHI3APjK2vGifmxf0oiGtL8wcoCWb-wxrh0FeIkzyx7Q==&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">ACTFL: Florence Steiner Award</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Florence Steiner
Award honors the memory of a teacher, department chair, professional
speaker, and ACTFL President-Elect who inspired a generation of foreign
language teachers and challenged them to improve their teaching through
better communication of the goals and outcomes of second-language
education with the public, administrators, colleagues, and students.
Maximum award: $500. Eligibility: ACTFL members for at least the last
three years who have a minimum of five years teaching experience, with
at least half of each year's assignment in the area of foreign language
education. Deadline: May 28, 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?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk8avXRic_P-EsPnv9DaNCPcbe-7l9mkgI5ui2lUhewikUZMTgua9-t36VX-yWXxO8FtqZ5ydtjInXkElCPFgJaFYIbJgpzpKqK6cicx3mRwrwtPoeTXLtfP0ukkJvtiMWKHyadcab1sl&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: Grants for Youth with Disabilities</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Grants program is dedicated to
helping young Americans with disabilities maximize their potential and
fully participate in society. The foundation supports organizations and
projects within its mission that have broad scope and impact and
demonstrate potential for replication at other sites. A major program
emphasis is inclusion: enabling young people with disabilities to have
full access to educational, vocational, and recreational opportunities,
and to participate alongside their non-disabled peers. Maximum award:
$90,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: June 1, 2014.</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; color: #ee5624;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>QUOTE OF THE WEEK:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"I'm just a big proponent of high standards. Whether they're common or not is secondary." -- <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTWLh00UuZEF84Xo9DhCXJFhMq9KaF-bfQquLjBoIBWQI7tOHYMtk7kcUcaXfEAfvr7tbiLJbUrCNrfyc74PAEfrhOJoNN40BFWWVi8mPISewoetlkHYiZxvABxTYAiU7fvapAqJhtkZ_g5q_rVrGzcKzgbvlIPt1o1_ZENRbBWprrA-LQt1Tr31YrQ-u1dMB3EKNaYozboJkL4MXHA95ZBWY9Taj7MzkmGlrNvWWnBVIx_tlhsgQ3GXBNGnFzTth6itux5-TMpte8eW_9rLTble8syVv6U8xWUwd5_7jvBwIowaZiioxulw7rDNsFIk00FVPRsXEIQ7kbuoDThXLwpPDjns46y7EOOxSeHgyRAyAYiC34_65QagM5b28SlElx-HfAvV6HInXHyVanv2zG6l9tFGKFF7QPDrzGJEb-QvDC2zmpQ2DJGGmsd4VM5LZKm3EAsh0XI=&c=7P5wvZg35wBL08GsQaNqghClS9zS4_OMASvsa_zLYq3wPoEWsKq7SQ==&ch=EnkDU0agWxmI1OI-86ANNd1d2vlySemfTj3k7M4bb97VjkSmQ45mCw==" shape="rect">U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan</a> to members of the House appropriations subcommittee that works on health, education, and other related issues.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <br>
</span></div>
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