<div style="font-family:arial;color:black;font-size:10pt;">
<div><img style="display: block;" name="aolmail_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.411" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs160/1102261797723/img/411.jpg" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="640"></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding-bottom:6px;color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="background:transparent;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:25px 0px 25px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="middle" width="100%">
<table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK31" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:25px 25px 25px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top"><img style="border: 1px dashed black;" name="aolmail_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.415" alt="pencils" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs160/1102261797723/img/415.jpg" border="0" height="209" hspace="0" vspace="5" width="220"> </td></tr></tbody></table><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:25px 25px 25px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top"><a class="aolmail_imgCaptionAnchor" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qONe3sYP-6IE5zarP5dRKpzGgn2EOJ1e9eSmLt5nBg3cJxkCFrWvaSQMNdE10tC2Xy1eAyXSGlIuVBz8kn97QeOFAQlurV85dOHJF7ja6B5ZQKGOGWrq4ams7dcK1LC6F6e1Z1oC06AJi&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q=="><img style="border: 1px dashed black;" name="aolmail_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.437" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs160/1102261797723/img/437.jpg" border="0" height="58" hspace="0" vspace="5" width="220"></a> </td></tr></tbody></table></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table style="width:270px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="1">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
<td style="background:transparent;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:25px 0px 25px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="color:#76b5be;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;padding:7px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div>June 10, 2014 - In This Issue:</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;padding:0px 25px 0px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Does STEM work?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Getting off tracks</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">When teachers are no-shows</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">'How to deal with black folk'</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">What's Boston's secret?</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">(Student) survey says</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">The push for data privacy</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Immigrant barriers to early childhood education</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46">BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56">BRIEFLY NOTED</a></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;border-bottom:2px dotted #8c8d8d;border-color:#8c8d8d;padding:7px 0px 7px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38584-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27641773&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="background-color:#989898;padding-bottom:3px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#989898" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding-bottom:6px;color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK17" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b><span>Does STEM work?</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Several recent studies
question the efficacy of STEM-focused schools, writes Holly Yettick for
Education Week. A report in The Journal of Educational Research
indicated that students in STEM schools in North Carolina were
significantly more likely to take core, advanced, and
vocational-technical STEM courses than peers in other schools; however,
in Florida, STEM students took vocational-technical STEM courses at
higher rates, but took core and advanced STEM courses at the same rate
as peers in non-STEM schools. Students in STEM-focused schools in both
Florida and North Carolina were no more likely to perform well on state
math exams between 2006 and 2008. Another report in the same journal
looked specifically at STEM-focused elementary and middle schools,
finding results mixed. Transferring to STEM magnets didn't change
achievement trajectories; students performed at the same levels as peers
who transferred to non-STEM schools in the same district. Still another
study examined math, biology, chemistry, and physics course-taking and
exam results for 70,000 students attending both selective and
nonselective public STEM high schools in New York City. The STEM schools
appeared at first glance to have higher scores and STEM course-taking
rates than other high schools, but once researchers accounted for
demographics and prior test scores, most STEM-school advantages
disappeared, suggesting they were disproportionately attracting
higher-achieving students interested in STEM. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0qL85_tUeVGPkocBngt_6TeP-AOtS13MmLesh2y7shvaAX7XDFCBadbukb7o3alRxZdZk3NnuZhBPmIDi7jzOzoviYhjrlvc8PeG6PDZTZpi2mH5PfEMSj0f98n_A_sm7Vd_hClaTN29loI5cIgba0gf9GFbXggfAUJHAbhWJ9Zrw296Is6uZ4GAgn1bnhbiq&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK45" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b><span>Getting off tracks</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<div><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Should public schools offer
separate programs for "gifted" students? asks The New York Times on its
Room for Debate blog. Halley Potter of the Century Foundation and David
Tipson of New York Appleseed write that New York City's gifted and
talented (G&T) programs have long exacerbated socioeconomic and
racial segregation within schools. Instead of providing segregated
tracks, they write, schools should take a school-wide approach to gifted
education, incorporating identified students into mixed-ability
classrooms. Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute strongly
favors segregation by ability, arguing that it puts future innovators
at risk to hope that overburdened classroom teachers can offer the
teaching and learning environments gifted children need through
"differentiation." Economist Darrick Hamilton writes that tracking
students by ability is self-fulfilling, and locks students into
hierarchical groups; particularly pernicious is so-called ability-group
sorting across and within schools that is largely defined by race and
class position at birth. Economist Bruce Sacerdote feels that data,
theory, and decades of experience show that tracking can have a big
payoff, since high-ability students benefit most from high-ability
peers. Wholesale elimination of G&T programs or specialized high
schools could have serious consequences for bright but not wealthy
students.</span> </span><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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0JPZYaoAAj6XOigrqzIOI3VaZGdZ9iJdxZvqSy5frnGB57y-UXqGD5Dw1zTWHIngzTkzCQ-GgPGknzw5fzDjc06Mtf6XVL4iTrDikzwep7DePil6LLLdCgE6SyZ6ha8qTu7yqKgHAz5IHXtyPq62NLphRgW4YyXJFCzW6eueS83rN1EnrsNEEJR6x5LfU4Cs5WUviQiFyOFY5AtL34d4gfj8PoQVGB5hNp5jM9OSxnzD865RGeuGRrftNMSmTmD5Bo8cEhqUQkYQGLBTRKYu8TgXwMYBP9Q-hvJr5omWt2aU=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK44" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b><span>When teachers are no-shows</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A
new study from the National Council on Teacher Quality looks at how
often teachers are in the classroom and what factors affect their
attendance. Using district data for 40 of the country's largest
metropolitan areas for 2012-13, researchers found that on average,
public school teachers were in the classroom 94 percent of the year,
missing 11 days out of 186. Teachers used slightly less than all of
short-term leave offered, an average of 13 days. Sixteen percent of
teachers were classified as chronically absent for missing 18 days or
more, accounting for a third of all absences. In spite of prior research
to the contrary, the study did not find a relationship between teacher
absence and poverty levels of children in a school. Districts with
formal policies to discourage teacher absenteeism did not appear to have
better attendance rates than those without them, suggesting common
policies to encourage better attendance bear further scrutiny. Common
attendance incentives also did not significantly impact teacher
attendance rates. The authors suggest further research is needed: What
factors in high-poverty schools contribute to similar teacher attendance
rates across school-poverty levels? Are there differences within
poverty levels examined? Potential catalysts such as school climate,
teacher and administrator leadership, and community involvement are also
subjects for future analysis. </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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0NSk-Ae9_ZyFa90tcTUxKBWcKt2UIu5zd1wLCMJIV6wFlGMYhaZRGxF2yhTWn91ZztGN1aHDHWRTHAXjJ4eqH6t4nboHqyWEZ0V6XjPQdTPRB-Dil8LYYoxj-iM5OoF4JAPU2QzcKMW1npx4zzt-ntg==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK43" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span><b>'How to deal with black folk'</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>"Community
engagement" is a euphemism for "how to deal with black folk," writes
Andre Perry in The Hechinger Report. Referring to the reorganization of
New Orleans's schools post-Katrina, Perry is constantly asked, "In lieu
of a hurricane, what can be done to radically reform districts?"
"Hurricane" is a metaphor for an apparatus that can spur certain reform
strategies, and the turnaround/takeover/portfolio district, implemented
without community input, has become a favored model. Yes, community
groups, alumni associations, teachers unions, parents, and non-profits
can be part of the problem, but they are an undeniable part of the
solution, too, in Perry's view. Turnaround districts should incubate
local talent, recruiting teachers from a diverse range of prep programs.
In most cases, the benefits of changing a school name don't outweigh
the ill will it brings. And if building a positive school culture leads
to disproportionate expulsion and suspension rates of black and brown
children, a different strategy is needed. Ensuring that parents and
neighbors are represented on charter school boards heightens trust, and
reformers must work with local civil rights organizations to
conceptualize a community-relations strategy. These are some of many
different ways to facilitate authentic community engagement, but
"funders and reformers don't want to work with the community, because
hurricanes don't negotiate," Perry says.</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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0OC1La_vr4x3cbGJOGc486m2yc41o1C1TxV19F2-UEvpavm7CLZ6SdmketV1LgPup7HkNBXumgfe62Sd3zW09pNIdOeZIXh1aHQAHe6g3sNfEFjfc2varGGzoibLJDOVxu-bPriWcQe8PB0Tm49cSYBs9yJcvDMgtn4Nymh8dEkRPGnXg3QMmBucF51kWs5PQHzVKqYKpQqk=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK42" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>What's Boston's secret?</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>On
the Flypaper blog of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Michael Goldstein
examines why Boston charters outstrip those in other urban districts in
terms of student outcomes. Is it a question of size? Boston's charters
serve 9,000 students, a fourth the charter population of cities like New
Orleans and D.C. Yet when D.C., New Orleans, New York, or Los Angeles
had 9,000 kids in charters, Goldstein writes, the schools didn't perform
nearly as well. Perhaps it's since Massachusetts has a strong charter
authorizer? Yet the same authorizer green-lit numerous non-Boston
charters that generated few value-add gains. Funding doesn't explain the
difference, since several comparison districts spend equally or more.
Nor are Boston's traditional schools worse than those in comparison
cities such that it's "easier to outperform" them. Caps matter: The
state lifted its "9 percent of a district's enrollment cap" in 2011, but
retained a "smart cap," leading to operators like Edward Brooke, Excel,
KIPP, and Uncommon each opening two more schools -- not ten, not zero.
To explain Boston's success, Goldstein points to the high-quality,
youthful talent drawn from universities in the Boston area, as well as
cooperation mixed with competition among charters, and the number of
self-identified, authentic adherents to the No Excuses model.
Individuals in and around Boston also have had an outsized positive
influence.</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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0KGPCC63NGqd1_lY1EhN3oJFdjbBEzMXbFnCzfIbvO_qfc0KjioI7s1w2i0o8FnZTi0t2B8gtKbds79qkTRdBPGlyuNgXABNgrEbEYLBE1mTLyZ35FM4V1g9DQteyCEdOSS1GOczntP7FLJDB1zwBr80u5fm18YwCcPWudsN889shgeY1vbCXDFQZK5XhlWi9pTiQwPbUDcs=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK53" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>(Student) survey says...</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>A
new report from Bellwether Partners looks at the experience of states,
districts, charter management organizations (CMOs), and
teacher-preparation programs that were "early adopters" of
student-perception surveys. Well-designed surveys ask students about
instructional practices, student-teacher relationships, teacher
management of classrooms, rigor of lessons, student engagement, and
teacher responsiveness to student struggles. Researchers found
experiences with student surveys to be positive, but identified several
challenges. One is survey design: Questions must measure what matters
and differentiate among classrooms. Another is teacher buy-in, since
teachers fear that those with high standards and expectations might not
be well liked. Administrators must communicate clearly and regularly
with teachers and students about what surveys will ask, how questions
were developed, and how results will be used. States and districts must
integrate survey data into professional development to help teachers
grow throughout their careers. The report recommends that states avoid
one-size-fits-all solutions; support pilot programs in districts that
want to incorporate surveys; and encourage knowledge-sharing among
districts that implement them. Districts and CMOs should ensure survey
data are part of professional development processes, not just evaluative
measures. Vendors should develop functionality that links to technology
platforms for ease of use and likelihood that outcomes will be part of
broader teacher-effectiveness initiatives. And funders should create
channels for stakeholders to share best practices, lessons learned, and
vendor information.</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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0_nbeOcMx4_APDratRj1Ge0Zqw3C0YXJHqJZ_SwcRkQzPVYgdjwZUajml7TFz2vQxXIqi2mTD6XZ2UaTGV2xhLWu4-YI-Aw62EQcmzjxqA2DJwYovfwDqS9seUBAybtvNZeBTeZ3qb9w8k0XU9hrhEF1ZsnqsqWt_Tn9OxIyPbxru-6zphsvnSEBQiBWwpUQK&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK55" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>The push for data privacy</b></span></div>
<div style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span>Moms
and dads from across the political spectrum have mobilized into an
unexpected political force to fight the data mining of their children,
reports Stephanie Simon for Politico.com. They've catapulted student
privacy -- barely an issue last spring -- to prominence in statehouses
from New York to Florida to Wyoming. Initially dismissed as a fringe
campaign, the privacy movement has attracted powerful allies on the left
and right. Activists have already claimed one trophy: a privately run,
$100 million database set up to make it easier for schools to share
confidential student records with private companies. The project,
inBloom, folded just 15 months after its triumphal public launch. Now,
parents are rallying against another perceived threat: huge state
databases to track children for more than two decades, from as early as
infancy through the start of their careers. In the past five months, 14
states have enacted stricter student-privacy protections, often with
overwhelming bipartisan support. The latest iterations in Louisiana and
New Hampshire take strong steps to limit the scope of state databases
and restrict the use of information collected on students. All told, at
least 105 student-privacy bills were introduced this year in 35 states,
according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.</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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0S4MQc8XdrH0JIZ3AEpaO4GVTF-ehoGeHYRKZ_6bk1z_ZPDYVgFI5RyDDUUD1jTKAbD4WqSt9q8yUZP62hQMPOosoCkYEUJjv2KvVbOJAAZFHkbYmfIAi7mFYXBEvLFdNx-HVBEHxn6zLC5hHCCZaDdO_uFtkVr-KrKXIloMLhfES6Y6mGVVdrXRCFFKTfVyxyYyT4KbhD1Xv74GRs2Vwiw==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK54" 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">
<div>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #f14e23;"><b>Immigrant barriers to early childhood education</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 Migration Policy Institute identifies the unique
needs of immigrant parents across a range of expectations for parent
skills and engagement in early childhood education and care programs,
and strategies to address these needs. Children of immigrants are more
than 25 percent of the total U.S. population aged 8 and under. The
foreign-born parents of these children, who make up 21 percent of
parents of young children overall, face challenges that impede access
and meaningful participation in family-engagement programs and
activities. Forty-five percent are low-income, and 47 percent have
limited English proficiency (LEP). Currently, no public funding
explicitly supports language, cultural access, or other immigrant
family-specific needs in parent-engagement programming. The report
recommends expanding parent education, literacy, and English-language
programs: The federal Preschool for All initiative can be leveraged to
include comprehensive and purposeful engagement strategies for
low-literate and LEP parents -- both immigrant and native-born -- as
part of state expansion of universal pre-K programs. These efforts can
be bolstered by the creation of data systems that collect and share
pertinent parent information -- e.g., family home language and parents'
English proficiency (speaking, writing, reading), disaggregated by
subgroup. The report also calls for a federal study to determine
language and cultural barriers that impede access to federally supported
early childhood and K-3 services.</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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0nCw5y4vBFZvN0RAe6dCxp-DVz6fxB9_pPKp-ZMvBtVyWM9eYuvO-SZAL2Pag_zARv3f3eE_eF8-FUzc99AgR_5ZJ8Z3aM9zZGQ0HfCi9isU2-CC1twKrXQ87lMbY-ZRA30aY8BsxssJvwQCNZfP1Gb9Jc3wXILX9RDpcOF99NnDscBCDtILwJzmNexPy5VdTUZP2_MtiwrE=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="background-color:#989898;padding-bottom:3px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#989898" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK46"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK46" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:25px 25px 0px 25px;font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(240, 79, 35);" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<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: #ee5624;"><strong>Torlakson versus Tuck</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The state
superintendent's race in California is headed to a run-off, with
incumbent Superintendent Tom Torlakson and challenger Marshall Tuck now
set to face each other again in the Nov. 4 general election. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0CnOovWTkuXJX62ngBBoeYVuBEIQNxIDr-SmGVx3iKCNE6Gu0bPQihFDlnbl_BVR0rGcmptGpL6XANsX0lnBE3IrVoaK_kUczQloa91ZAfsKTBg1PAHgD9zk1k1ba0K30smGsvgHRzxbso3l0KVrmazXOFlLUwe_GrOEPtCZEAqnBuvnrbCbKt7TuTySEcrmzfIGGcJt3kyeasNZlrJhdmty_4a_QBqaZugqp-2vdIIk5wsWuwuo-tz6IBF4k2VyyXACS5UTahiFWAJWOGuIwOFFztNPiW7srSlTOQCRpX-BkctCZhdovQXmFzmU0pIhrX8vDRJKokscJrUH8uK16ikCJGim8ULHJkcp45GzC9GQNb-wqeJ3W7OTZu5elalBxBukSEFmq2JNkxnxzPuYkXxQOWbWqRng1AvcclMIj1vMOyfeOGfB4GVUxweSibAYTgn3meWAkT54h6xDA5iCcNN5RVRk30LbgsHDPRoIlMi0=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>School bonds win big</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In the primary, voters
in 44 California districts passed 35 school-construction measures, worth
$2 billion, a pass rate of 80 percent. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0LrO3hqshhUOwBTa1YySLeWjaIE2VvL-NSJqhyeJAwtsNZPbBnDfStCcWoi_u4OjDuU3TfwGH6h_w5tc4XZh4AxmH7PYeVHAWk4z1JOjsrxgA0AykxMvTWifqBo8gUesljwJMREJCQYvxnOXeGgsAvUTuBPf73tGDrjFUNWkl8PIJPye5a1m2JaZnd6rQ6G1p4lmAGDfLpk8=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>The numbers are in</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">After a frenetic effort
to count every high-needs student in the California public school
system, the first official tally under the sweeping new K-12 finance law
is in, but results are mixed. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0t7wlU9neHSy_Soxjv2FOHCLnW4bKQAZoxfUbxJBfXja0IpYBC_JmvN8ec0k8KCdqL5Gk98u5es9PpNLcLTK1KLHw0yLw8MxxNITFEvltoRbrrq7dfEWNdTTdoFq1sfZtSLBrfZdm2yTHieRLJA9dYtI9hc7aG4kgUZ8qorlf8ZB8WjuGI4YzMbj7_y2NCpY6_l-ZzNt6o4XkbQgoTtY7w7swNf9OQdI5d268wYGPayzCmRAXr-TbYQ==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>In demand</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Orange and Los Angeles
County schools are the winners of a $250 million pot of money from the
state designed to provide students with more work experience in
high-demand industries. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0LIxOr6SrQMLQtuIBwhjnZbKC-aDS7Hcao6fhRMIBtLI5_EpzNw0UvLR1UOpz5m80lCtkoSDh643zwYC44sQln_k5_fkKLfxN2umDUd6Yq26cvtFbNI-nGmD0DPmtzuUaLEgEUISwLligPf0NgEZS1gM8neZA5C5rG386PKyX5YA=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Suspensions drop -- maybe</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In LAUSD overall, the suspension rate dropped to 1.5 percent last year from 8 percent in 2008, although some question the data. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0_MbkR2TCpN8w2mLq3jhXzudUNv3990n64xEhlTvVrlHVGuvfwbn31Z87tstjg6hvDcmCKIP2DZwjozhPyUCQIGSpuWYO4C7bzD5Ws1AWVgUbs-5d10JTcHAeXWEl8E6mAihwXMI-J3eGChB_C0pYrgYrCA00FUB7zjCeXYOs-P1C52C5slY8Ag==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Where's student voice?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">While California
districts held an unprecedented number of meetings and conducted scores
of surveys seeking parent, community, and staff input to develop
financial blueprints to improve learning for their neediest children,
some students feel their voices were left out of the process. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv048q_m3qHIAXNiJt1rZ1yKzPWCGOT1rSI1AubnSp0YbcFSvYGCJLxARxmGu7-GalqTbo_vwIR57tBUd5W6Xdat_7M5rg9dWMrE4xqGCntfPVtjDkXtssxBzm3q0ucv4qsb-QHU3kwWmUy5VR0O7OtCxnYVuQFK90lOduCHF8CKFHACVoO5IqWXdBR-ayU6SzsmhSewzUZcL_t_uqymdxNOx0kun3M-bZy&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>A deficit at home</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new study finds that
parents in Hispanic or Asian immigrant families in California were less
likely to read or look at picture books with their young children than
non-Hispanic white parents. <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv05hoWVmEKZI54ym2f-A_yEbziU6--PU5da7I91YmC01fPbWn8v_Mb7W6em5LOmDa7AmGVHx3IpyAgYBLgxasQwbCR1Ro-mvqz8daKFgurAAi89nd27ZYnUqgiJ4zdYZzLvvsuJuRRG9EZUPNu-DU8dz17UP3WuS8gUc6CnWnxbqqEH1ns0zX4MkZ5xS4Pg9nNUhinChfa1mKrP9i6koruTw==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="background-color:#989898;padding-bottom:3px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#989898" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK56"></a><table style="background-color:#ebf5f6;" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK56" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:25px 25px 0px 25px;font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(240, 79, 35);" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<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>What's the metric?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The U.S. Department of
Education may not have a good way to evaluate the effectiveness of
Promise Neighborhoods, a $100 million competitive-grant program intended
to improve education for students in distressed communities, according
to the GAO. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0f7uqVmLVRTFbGyjWr46geFO1twh46GKvKbCSoo1yy9G7RCv_3okqhzlFzrWsBQWSvuD9b6jP0Gs7wlqb6le0OGJYm2ikyjVxzz50IfHgtzZbLrjVtdJKUA1SRjYFmuG3r7bDITnJgc8EAd194PEcWXeeDfL8NK3oj9BOFj7Qc4n33QpZPxpePmeBLn7G05MwWtr84bskPufy7pPkp_n2-V6gZn5GFa1F30BUE0NhhbWKgoh_OjQvbHAAf4un1wyfbVQDoF7xUQ1bATLy_TGrG-o6V_tx_k28iaIe-fNDx53vpfsZmad6b0pwTsiMUredV5OR1qNB1fzTJPfksR8sJnIw9afeBaN7PYLN-HQz8keNoD_FDBRrnj4vxjDcSBuO68qyY9XYN2pZ2T3SSMLOOg==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Shoring up</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Education
Association is attempting to revive a fundamental labor principle --
organizing -- as its membership drops. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv02fUw0HI9VAKx55UEk0SGPdzrXOPcgSkeeynPh6d845hOL4zRhxeIjFa4HbXNIOz2I0cMRJX3qaq345aGAFRJeh66ruxnSyW8sDKN-eK8qCeAsrbdXjgejoLwxkn-D0j0-rqaCJ5HrgUhYKuqgmAPKyQTdyUseBzNRBripRilIqjTR4SqWndOtw==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Gaining traction</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Eighty-two percent of
high schools nationwide offered dual-enrollment courses during 2010-11
-- an increase from 71 percent of high schools in 2002-03, according to a
report by the National Center for Education Statistics. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv067qAYtrKtLYPVEoNsihSkDV2VauAIzBgEePIm3NXtApYqEvwBzrWdZD6xjSaNrfFVe_GcZ2vVd1sMH3dUxOIpjBHB3A-Bk2x8iM2rglv4aPVAgRSnpGa9seME_L2a0IT9Vy9_jPXQzYTverVyHHkSjIC3XSSQhVl4Avn4adbaw5c7Bh3XbiDB96pdUCLOQFixst4b_Umk6zvrnlT_vZF_HWCiBFpuhDPr-N84VA7RGpTHKMVPQBsDw==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>But does it work?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Researchers at the
University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
and the Tennessee Department of Education will share in a $2 million
grant from the U.S. Department of Education to launch a five-year study
on the impact of a new dual-credit policy in Tennessee. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0Xd89X4h_HHS9PgcXl1KndPD6iqxKZR15xcbUGZN5qc8VuY0g97Ae38eozbCkGdlnHmVsFhdEKFvPTj8W0aJAfb-93R8-KWiT0lbfkMEbgnLoCIhdGFVBr15rQXf2N3XKzVUWZjn-5GbXvvvrUos9fFKtVnDGxlV_IgQJNyZMgqBw7qJTAup0-EtASjmLsXzV-ztbVGf8ubjyABdtrvoS9A3phOj4s-2v&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Unique issues</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">States turning to dual
enrollment are encountering challenges unique to rural areas, such as
finding high school teachers qualified to teach college-level courses. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0tXS1fpA8iuNm_olF2QFjlK2RoYZWBmdyJwhKLv2uRJ5tzADImnnzBLIYfPnx9pctemeXK8N30UszE2JzV8Oe89n59HUYj1ne_0ouO61JRRvIXUZvx7OgEUgqkOqcC3h0A1CqQCNqriBq_p_JhY0GgMMTumbKCosO&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>New rigor</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">With the shift to the
common standards and recent history of low student-achievement results
as catalysts, education leaders in New York state are pushing a new
agenda for English-language learners that calls for more accountability
for their needs and more opportunities for rigorous bilingual and
dual-language instruction. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0uj7nfMyQn1OTVwjs6dB8ptkFHxNeYJkV5tvdWElburAYKZMjERxmjPAF87cP6kcHL9Iv4fi1DZ2lrZxNcExsF2KoFuUxTh_iLCpAc5Mj_ieBMovKtOcpZraAcV0s5ypOM8MyVj3RTANHS4gbchopKI5h8_yAvIOSMAQjp7bm2rI=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>To universal applause</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Vermont Gov. Peter
Shumlin has signed a bill into law that will offer 10 hours per week of
early education to every 3- and 4-year-old in the state. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0vUNJK4IVUTtsA-zFEaHg_FE3r8YzOcJf6JnuKglAE6xQhHsvIWXcvSs0SZmitI33EgBr64sLkWSw-DYSu-MV2gNiC0H4HGubOVAOY9Cp3eZ90oF1dzcg5xHTxnAIUBp7LQ8V0gRq7jyL9x6Hizw-0e4lvOn5V4TEZSXwDbTVDRk=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Slow down, there</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Maine Department of
Education will allow school districts to slow the process of
implementing a law that requires students to graduate from high school
only after demonstrating they have met a set of state standards. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0D3JYiARM70XWruAN_dsiV5wOMAc1MjWEUbCqr_a9u_sVEOk1htZkGvj-o2M8wDfZsmI0EFGH7r08BgrIlkRUICpwE53U-3YeQdRfnW2oVU_9aqibUl1RWbCqtTJ2wxTn3bN8W9FMNTnMcsjVphIbSEzT--PJ8s-qblDQ_YJrDQRyBQj3JZ20hF1ki6JL_0ZzrrB1KLvLXsoGCrMuGlcEXgGOBaI1-G-u5Wfa3MirjZzg1tRwbT8oDY0vhytsnZ8Ltc8LN2qtS_M=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Dumped</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Oklahoma Gov. Mary
Fallin has signed a law dispensing with the Common Core as public school
teaching guidelines and replacing them with state-designed education
benchmarks. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv07ERNYTdZ4Wa_B7A9cgGOwLHWFnFfP1k_LJZiEFum3xyPZFulVoMKdSyzXRN5Zc-OUrl8TWFNQqRaePDEUaIrXOpVj0rZ-HthDYWZqS4zB3foctrqN5lIPgSht5gKr74o4Nn_4aI1jumxX7m6imSnH-xuZFEj8G1fcJB6DHx52KgkkrO8rY3BM_FLXdKedNH-7S6bo9pBViNm17VrEI2cHfV2tpurEe09x7QYAZgtC1hEYYmb2IAaH5PlDnsISavE&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #ee5624;"><strong>And then there were..</strong></span>.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Republican Gov. Nikki
Haley of South Carolina has signed a bill that requires the state to
adopt new content standards for 2015-16 and drop the Common Core State
Standards. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0S0ZSJbC_pam_F254-p_98_3T4Sw7bwleIx5uuV3DVGioAxJj6_Sokg_FymHiCEYt-QQEQBsTufwDDP9zW2I2P4uwKiG3O0geeZ9M4n9mJIrj8zDG9kxkQb7Z72t3gGwd_u6K5v_2y-rn3dIkQXO-D-I-zfbqWRHVBgbIANAjttBmOYju_sGgOm74CQ2cbQbjFqDXRl0VC2V4XY8VgamR3Q==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Ohio holds steady</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Ohio's legislature,
which is heavily Republican, reaffirmed the math and English standards
it adopted along with 43 other states and the District of Columbia. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0VCd7dQ3OAImvajc9szcdaJoBUXRQ0STsr4ZYOgjBGqDF9AZQUOui0wqxzHI3jdJ4jb0xQHVrJNnNKcXMFcHcU52bSIRDkOZyI3EFNojPXFDj-Iw87XA3uFaaQpghSjCuRUImipdGzHR5rnuOpQoYdur9ezyAQHVSvetjndz6I6OUd3V9lMxrXTwTZ-8eD1llA08ITXle4iQdQaHikN93QLqVjoT9oHlpvtyj-B8AsvE=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Meanwhile, in Indiana</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Indiana students must
take an assessment that tests their knowledge of the new state standards
next spring if the state wants to keep its NCLB waiver. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv027ezVSusIZseQOFoBBqBnRFNCMCXf9GKU9pDj-s9cHhAj8wTnGwWUD4LxfGQiFhTZ6M7hPnnPji9YYvrDs5ZDvwIzl4YpVEVoWuj6Johfh0VkSPTnBKZe1zHr5boEIg0R5eJ26zX0kI3RdpkSxrLBeffMRamma7sojGIxWA0M2epRCEzM_mfciAMCuGuPXC8lfoxWrFIUzibjrTPu2dfyR3dmMpP4ZbR&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>No surprise there</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Among the 20 schools
with the highest dropout rates in 2011 and 2012, all but two saw the
principal change during four years prior to graduation. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0wXsNNN3Yo_mylBAHCJNnSDu_T1ae_2LW0y3TcEgqzYH9S8siuUJ5ZxboqXJFciwjWMaiWfVQ61xWmOb9BG9uVoMOrxzNl7gi6M2B03JLf6Zpy2mpQP0xGqunfvy6DNcts5LU7_o04lH9Uhb1CAue1m6s7Ga_4Wwe_bPDaYoyWo64vDUHVNR8YnTtf4L4hoPjaKpbPFatkoE=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" 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>Interference!</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Some Utah high school
students cracked their yearbooks to find sleeves digitally added to
their tank tops and tattoos erased; school officials have apologized to
them. <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0w7SQVqnCCPk14PVtojsYBipbV2t1B4F2kkf1Wd3BHmu7P9puXEeDSY6NyRv8w5nXRaawcW2mcorZ8tXKA_Y-6ClHU2cwYc3hNKdB_k4TcToATqe3qbvpsF4Zy8sq1ENOU1RTOjwiOtwvqvttE93orvsdfzgQEnvwiFPeORLMg3JjwhJtwL8rjZ0OnQ1cOYLuiUl94wexwKryVYj228zwtA==&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="background-color:#989898;padding-bottom:3px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#989898" height="1" valign="top"><img style="display: block;" alt="" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19"></a>
<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></div>
<br>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0auwGPQLVFumEqjKbDMZm40q8a6glR3_GdB5PLt2fLXovZ54Qz7MV9jztfXN5uJR60_0x2XpS-jN_jc1rXFCq35XO0spwAZwA_Ihl_3JCJ_oj2B67DkE3IEYwT37NOVbxkZ2VsmAewB2pipJmYBFIl0UgfJCeXGgDy6PUlfDd9ow=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">Crayola/NAESP: Champion Creatively Alive Children Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Crayola Champion
Creatively Alive Children program provides grants for innovative,
creative leadership team-building within schools. Maximum award: $2,500
and Crayola products valued at $1,000. Eligibility: schools in the U.S.
or Canada whose principals are members of the National Association of
Elementary School Principals (NAESP) currently and intend on renewing
membership for the 2014-2015 school year. Deadline: June 23, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0SLFhWoRFGRmi2_JzoZ1mEft5JbKS-gdGtdeHjkG_VpgoglXVaQzpSSHUnIa-o1gy507Eq9fuHfDpftmgd0dEnuAYn0YjqrLiBuOXhXDLeqhauGx5Se17YhNmobc6Ohvqxra_lemeuvb43qunaB0QWfJ3PSK5iO65_aGI63QP89GATj4bDcyK55Pxicp8pJ1w&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">CEE: John Morton Excellence in the Teaching of Economics Awards</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Council for Economic
Education John Morton Excellence in the Teaching of Economics Awards
promotes economic education at the K-12 level by recognizing and
honoring inspirational teachers whose innovative teaching concepts
improve and stimulate economic understanding in and out of their
classrooms and achieve results. Maximum award: $500; an all-expense-paid
trip to attend the 53rd Annual Financial Literacy and Economic
Education Conference in Dallas, October 2014; recognition at the CEE's
annual conference awards luncheon and dinner; recognition on the CEE
website, digital assets, communications and in CEE's Teaching
Opportunity November newsletter; an opportunity to share best practices
with their teaching colleagues by co-facilitating a session at the CEE
annual conference in Dallas. Eligibility: all K-12 teachers that are
members of the CEE Educator Community. Deadline: July 15, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: none;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0zKp-IyQ8SGO0uXXgvfo_P2RkBV6MvaCnsAg0gw3ZA3V_OzZz3ZacPQ5WmDeH2j4OFZjfsKJh6v2IwC5hBPnb6yQDoe7Ds5InQHFChBwUHeGBNUvkrCAe0eFc0RABXsk0OxGPi5xAszhljYbZ-kqhJCLkb22DFqiN&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">Share Our Strength: No Kid Hungry Grants</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Share Our Strength
awards grants to eligible organizations involved in increasing access to
summer meals programs supported through the Summer Food Service Program
or the National School Lunch "Seamless Summer" Program; educating and
enrolling more eligible families in the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
program; increasing the availability of school breakfast through
alternative models such as "in-classroom" breakfast and "grab-n-go"
breakfasts; increasing access to afterschool snack and meal programs, as
well as child care programs, supported through the Child and Adult Care
Food Program (CACFP); and advocacy around any of the above anti-hunger
issues. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: nonprofit organizations and
schools in the U.S. Deadline: rolling.</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;">"Not only ought young
persons (in association with their teachers) be provided a range of
experiences for perceiving and noticing, they ought to have
opportunities, in every classroom, to pay heed to color and glimmer and
sound, to attend to the appearances of things from an aesthetic point of
view. If not, they are unlikely to be in a position to be challenged by
what they see or hear; and one of the great powers associated with the
arts is the power to challenge expectations, to break stereotypes, to
change the ways in which persons apprehend the world." -- <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=001YI4GJMn9xZcfODZPUgYtn-LciYZtEbkkinr7A2FkrTYF6kYWFV6qOGZMy46zJrv0FVzMXzt22eIvsryn4BI7XChhg3Fpz3FYIMAULdidO7dsa4S3_yh0sSp8f3WhitBIPPplFGXpJW2LkhZIEvy-UiF9NLgOQ_H9ldPdUqEkMSYBObktmLzUuk6kzhsqjxOtteuoEmHQccJbCLJYUqX5rgMfpGaLxRv_uisctCugvukUlGB-H4gtPSu3uiF5PxXcORxGDpL122VUygAgi-RzK-cCTAPdY4hQos1OLMgrOf5ag7GK1zezM-WujZE4o4AdonPla-6a7so=&c=HucSu-BvUvx4UffST-zAvDr12U9BbYhc2VcnSvd3dYFK00y5Nx4v4w==&ch=2Pl-tG-yltGJigHsnKpjVXdnVL3wndMRRDpcgcxVLuHnOwyeXaEL3Q==">Maxine Green</a>, 1917-2014.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div> <br>
</div>