<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 border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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 border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="background:transparent;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table style="width:270px;" border="0" width="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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 border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:25px 0px 25px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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>September 10, 2014 - In This Issue:</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;padding:0px 25px 0px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Bill Gates would like History to be Big</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">The new TFA: more than a face-lift</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Are test-score gains 'real'?</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Grit reconsidered</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">The math on hours in school</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Do superintendents matter?</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Unplugging for computer science</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Let teachers help teachers with the CCSS</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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&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;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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&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;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/38727-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27681701&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 border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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 border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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 style="display: table;" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK17" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Bill Gates would like History to be Big</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In a New York Times
Magazine article that describes Bill Gates's championing of "Big
History" -- a synthesis of history, biology, chemistry, astronomy, and
other fields that Professor David Christian has woven into a unifying
narrative -- Andrew Ross Sorkin feels Gates's goal is personal: It's a
class Gates wishes he'd had in high school. Funded by the billionaire
himself, not the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the project was
developed with Christian and a team of engineers and designers, and has a
website of interactive graphics and videos. Units begin with the Big
Bang and shift to the solar system, trade and communications,
globalization, and finally, the future. With feedback from teachers,
it's contracted from 20 units to 10. It's also been pitched to
individual schools instead of entire districts, to grow organically and
in real time, like a start-up. Gates is tracking the venture as he would
any Microsoft or foundation project, with reams of data -- regular
student and teachers surveys, results from classes -- which allow for
continuous refinement. Still, the project faces challenges: bureaucracy,
teacher capacity, traditional teaching practice, and -- to Gates's
chagrin -- hostility towards his participation. The course's content
also has detractors, from academics preferring distinct disciplines to,
who else, Diane Ravitch. Yet the project has expanded each year, and may
one day rival Western Civ or World History, Sorkin says. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQqTFqz-EH8AiySQRMYlCSZAG00JUmCE1bByLi9dzCxxZuxMMlXmAmXwGaj_hHvUSrbUinpRw0QspIibpmqKonIErSfE9haskr82sgYfEf7Z_MZvwpYPK5eBvhmiXzIM4Q8L189-iNc1W0yPmFeDRQ8b1juoOKETEdt_Y31xuD-IeGbixj09PudaEeM_NfQEmlqDyzGCdpo3WmY0xkQVM_IoQJVkfyi9Xw7qJ3Xn-IckEduiQa1qTcytmrsYM4c6zCbbqswKLe5MVTdb4XZxRLjBsrerVQp4spgtPUbgX1ag6oh5fNJamQcY8B9Sm8IxySw8mPR-LdBnaat-t9i-sM6zpFpSZRmYV62K7hprH3voQgF9L5eRgySt5XhFgJVeY9u4pIDxZ-SicQ72qpM5J1g5N2fJKra0X4muJlb_2S5jM=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK45" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>The new TFA: more than a face-lift</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Since its founding in
1989, critics both from within and outside the Teach for America (TFA)
family have called for a reassessment of its model: recruiting elite
young graduates and career-changers to teach two years in low-income
schools after a summer crash course, writes Dana Goldstein for Vox. Yet
new studies using value-added measurement (a reformers' favorite)
indicate that in schools with high teacher turnover, students lose
significant learning in both reading and math compared to
socioeconomically and academically similar schools with low turnover.
The first changes of TFA's new CEOs (Wendy Kopp stepped down in 2011,
replaced by Matt Kramer and Elisa Villanueva Beard) were to place
teachers in regions where they'd lived, attended school, or volunteered,
if possible. They also announced two pilots: one with a full year of
pre-service training; one requiring five years in the classroom. TFA's
newest and highest-priority regional partnerships are now in rural
America, where teacher need is high. That said, most recruits still
undergo a "no-excuses," content-neutral instructional training; both
modes have been shown to interfere with student learning. But if the
pilots succeed, the organization that helped build today's no-excuses,
high-turnover, standards-and-accountability driven movement might help
to revise, transform, and reform it. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQ3PUoTUhXbqoHpubq5T_X4qpK30vST1XwCZgVx3m1Q09dd0-cZ7Syiu_9ZzhiwIEIdw7qFfmUsrG37rwiYOY81p9sfHd-CMarL1Ujd1e9JVC1I3Y414FNYe9PZoz6EefRqO6aXiqXJUuvRafyrYO4wmn2HcDxvkSIrSO0XxvG2OCi2ZCZjrz6NA==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK44" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Are test-score gains 'real'?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new article from
Education Next examines whether schools that raise test scores of
disadvantaged students do so by improving underlying cognitive
capacities or by "artificially" boosting scores to higher levels than
predicted, based on measures of cognitive ability. The authors draw on
data from 1,300 8th graders attending 32 public schools in Boston --
traditional public schools, exam schools (admitting the city's most
academically talented), and charters. In addition to state scores
typically used in research, the authors gathered measures of cognitive
ability that psychologists refer to as "fluid cognitive skills."
Cognitive ability is often characterized as crystallized knowledge
(e.g., vocabulary) or fluid cognitive skills (abstract reasoning).
Researchers found that attending a school that produces strong
test-score gains does not improve fluid cognitive skills. However,
longitudinal studies also indicate that gains in processing speed
support gains in working memory capacity (crystallized knowledge) that
in turn support fluid reasoning. Developing school-based strategies to
boost fluid cognitive skills could be an important next step in helping
schools provide even greater benefits for their students, having an
equally profound impact on academic and life outcomes. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQcqYL6tu-e43jG01fkkFGtcDzjF31siw6G2lDKBUFYNU2g_3a-nKvXeyyjA1_N45-63xfPHqDBfep9HKtpITeD2QTw3UvDW4OD4pvjKQlJ_i7dMWBc21BkGvgm_XhtlI4r-Zs2kaxPIGwlP1vaxUCZgTGlBqWC-q4l3D-04qcmuOLdrGfAFlJVg==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK43" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Grit reconsidered</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Studies presented at the
American Psychological Association's annual conference suggest "grit"
may not boost creative achievement, reports Sarah Sparks for Education
Week. It's well known that Angela Duckworth found measures of
conscientiousness and perseverance predicted everything from graduation
rates at West Point to National Spelling Bee champions. Yet Magdalena
Grohman of the Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology at
the University of Texas argues grittiness is not essential to student
success. In two analyses, undergraduates answered questionnaires on
personality, extracurriculars, grades, and data on creative activities
and accomplishments. Ratings of grit and openness to new experience were
compared to academic and extracurricular records. Grohman found neither
grit nor consistency and perseverance predicted success in creative
endeavors in visual and performing art, writing, scientific ingenuity,
or everyday problem-solving. Openness to new experiences was most
closely associated with likelihood of creative success. In a separate
study, Zorana Ivcevic Pringle of the Yale Center for Emotional
Intelligence compared academics and reports on high school students,
peers, and teachers, finding individual scores of grit, and teacher
ratings of high persistence, were unrelated to creativity on group
projects. Individual ratings of openness to experiences and teacher
ratings of student passion for work predicted creativity. Pringle is
still studying whether grit matters later, when creative ideas must be
built into long-term projects. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQWFAffiBvEQob9kc3dwL9xpZPRddb6Ry51Tn3ulZyCP7WwLRMkaX-irJBLHCjsCD2NF215Fpw3SmLL_UjlTggtign1r58TWaWT6vK0z55ZWv4NJONVkdoxfQVgJc8sHH6nkSX38_y0OdHdpeqAaQ_rMbZ_pNNLbwx0Wajb3EpW9-A9ZMynkUgbynAaP3txKMvqY1WNDpauo8=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK42" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>The math on hours in school</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Adding up hours,
American children spend more time in school than all but three countries
in the OECD, writes Mona Chalabi for Five Thirty-Eight. Only in Chile,
Israel, and Australia do elementary students spend longer days in class
each year than U.S. counterparts. In lower-secondary school (defined as
starting six years after primary education and lasting three years,
about the equivalent of U.S. middle school), the average year in America
lasts 1,016 hours, or 42 continuous days, longer than in most developed
countries. Combining primary and lower-secondary school hours, the U.S.
ranks fourth of 34 countries. That said, OECD's data can obscure
important variations in each country's classrooms. In the U.S., for
example, not all states count what the OECD calls "required schooling"
the same way. A study by the Pew Charitable Trust found that in Texas,
where number of school hours per year (1,260) appears highest in
America, unlike other states that total includes lunch and recess. Money
might affect the syllabus, too. The 2007 schools and staffing survey by
the National Center for Education Statistics found that in a typical
week, third-graders in U.S. public schools spent 2.8 hours more on core
subjects, but 30 minutes less on foreign languages and 30 minutes less
at recess than counterparts in private schools. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQvP1tCpXkbn7qSObCif4yJtik_gf3Fe-wnhxCnVkdUiJupYojb2WZleF1iyqLH3Tt7i5hamuBk2N-jsgC2fG7iaBKdevBedZarFH7JlcsvJxvDj2HHTTbLoe0teA5ICGmegWvQ9V4oQUwbNP9zLe0jKrcbfGC9CYrxYSMPNVN8UXWoOHzPLLPf_WG-uMUUMs6lmBjGc3gnDz-wMfaOQKJCYQDGdz3J6qR5JuNj3cfwR0=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK53" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Do superintendents matter?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from the
Brookings Institution is the first broad study to examine whether
district effects on student learning are due to the superintendent in
charge. Analyzing student-level data from Florida and North Carolina for
2000-01 to 2009-10, the authors found superintendency to be a
short-term job. The typical superintendent stays three to four years,
and student achievement does not improve with longevity of
superintendent service. Hiring a new superintendent is also not
associated with higher student achievement. In all, superintendents
account for a small fraction (0. 3 percent) of student differences in
achievement. While statistically significant, this is orders of
magnitude smaller than effects associated with any other major component
of the education system, including measured and unmeasured student
characteristics; teachers; schools; and districts themselves. Individual
superintendents who have an exceptional impact on student achievement
cannot be reliably identified. Ultimately, the authors conclude that
when district academic achievement improves or deteriorates, the
superintendent is likely to play a part in an ensemble performance in
which his or her role could be filled successfully by many others. In
the end, it's the system that promotes or hinders student
achievement. Superintendents are basically indistinguishable. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQ_FpQ2JMBuV50YnvPkPBRLJf71uX7npfwOS8idvMpTTQS_up-nQ9AhlTrrfAIeq3iMTNaXHEv84hmfsgoA4Ox-xBnmlII7IevhFYBhDW8TiO6WX6hbhfIFwhEYUg1WgofaqDzIriEfj4px_m145SX1FKstT9VfAZXPoIeRbQhrAuGc2d3TcnPifUSIvvr6rSaG4Je7_stzWdKJZDmh5hk2RUK2tKqRYNafZY0olXg0z00Lo1WbpHPgPbwqTquPKJL5s54pGoBZjww_TVQDqO1aLNbmNejh5lNVwXTLXD9xso=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQbdGt4PH_OWcqiiYJWLLs2rMMR9MKNV7BBxexS0cujlvhezn-C1ZdTVv-sjZOXPqusLCrcxAVSAK5p4GP4pUWub557Q4uokarKkWahzGn6jHSJligZOESPgB2pNJ9pQuPgXntsgLuP-SfjmUxgQp8cFGPnhx6GVKfVINu9Y-RFgZbVhSzMr945Mbk0YTg-HligOlSTIcXRuNoUiR3xMeaDQ==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">Related:</a></span></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK55" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Unplugging for computer science</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new project called
Computer Science Unplugged teaches computer science without computers,
reports Annie Murphy Paul for The Hechinger Report. Beneath visible
trappings of hardware and software, computer science is a mental
discipline that uses computational thinking, the ability to understand
and apply principles on which computers and networks operate. In
conventional computer-science instruction, these principles are only
accessible to those who learn to program. Taking computers out of the
picture -- for the time being -- allows children as young as five to
learn basic ideas that undergird computer science. Younger children
might learn about "finite state automata" -- sequential sets of choices
-- by following a pirates' map, dashing around a playground in search of
the fastest route to Treasure Island. Older kids can learn how
computers compress text to save storage space by marking repetitions of a
word within a text, crossing out the word each time it reappears,
drawing an arrow back to its first appearance on the page. Computer
Science Unplugged asks students to move and gesture or run and hunt in
an effort to embody a computer's operation. It employs real-life objects
-- crayons, string, chalk -- to convey abstract entities like data and
memory. And it nurtures social interaction among students and between
students and their teachers. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQISpyEBDv3G5JHu_LmDJksI1ABmYbYdA6PtbsmLVw3KVMHeDRleOUKYr7EsKl-9kk8fI23gJrsrSHFSnymBZ2sZmrt1Q0oNmI224Gf-npd4l3PXss1gDWgn6xEp-kz11-l52uSkjO5Me9mngSjuiBJvlTS1cFfi_OBbF_bdEujBxg9ibZXJV__eranvAxK3ZfgFuZ0efxtIs=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK54" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Let teachers help teachers with the CCSS</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">One of the best aspects
of the Common Core State Standards is their focus on student literacy
across subjects, rather than segregated in a single subject period of
ELA, writes teacher Susan Carle on the Center for Teaching Quality
website. Yet many non-ELA teachers have found cross-curricular literacy
an uneasy transition. Some difficulty stems from educators asked to
teach with unfamiliar Common Core techniques and texts -- and without
sufficient support. Some districts require scripted lessons, denying
teachers an opportunity to adapt materials based on expertise and
knowledge of students' needs. As the Small Learning Community Lead
Teacher at her school, Carle created two professional-development
workshops: one for English and history teachers, another for math and
science. She took colleagues' individual and team needs into account to
create workshops that were hugely successful. Teachers took away
strategies for implementing the standards in class; learned to use
familiar texts in innovative and engaging ways; aired concerns about the
standards; and learned to better collaborate across the curriculum. By
using teacher-leaders trained in Common Core techniques and curriculum
writing, districts can effectively and cost-efficiently transition into
Common Core implementation. Each school and classroom has specific
needs, best evaluated and met by the teachers who work in them, Carle
says. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQrSfJwLZVX8uC_pZzOVbAsGo3dSaDSUCCFVwk45SFmhAqxT9_I-qYMlZZ3jgZ2xtIlL8VwBuEYj-O0pdfG4r1LnZ5ZYzON2WsMRtqZhJeGEFiTCNc0dtY8WIezxnLywK2eUOr5MCzljTefEriATnI-aVRYzqsFCnSEtYPE6ZSYQMVOOZ7K3YVd_vPs06IKeK1XdLT2RZ4PDSJxJwS8ZsiNg==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Vergara prevails</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A Los Angeles judge has
affirmed a tentative ruling striking down five laws governing job
protections for teachers in California. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQd6VhJAUDG5U6laFTlAOmP7gXfqc2BnxRdDWYzfUlF01z7x8VwIqVYgkDjgMDpVjWrcf5HIBB4IeG05zgpU71MlgoCX85wDggT9JAPOxTLXmHJUvBjfQjxj55DAtWP_NHcLGV0i1phBGUcwaT6u1MCO7yBnxv16TgFAlhtZhA5qhGnxCx6ZDnYWXLRN-Nd1hnCWELSKhVv_lNe6N8B4RySg==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>A good showing (up)</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">California students
attend school more consistently than most U.S. peers, and attendance
directly relates to better performance on national math and reading
tests, a new analysis has found. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQUvi8Gcxz_DikhrfnfNPf5RR27gMv_9Uq1KJ1RQ0E8nJmcQOSPODy2ULeCswH3pvR_62EisyD-UMZLjZ3hcmKE6qbgFFzuEnG50STJbl2R9Dpq8x6rIvdflSKMVLwwjVP_CgDqCmXAhvgXyoryLDFzyq2MyO5PMI0akznmVr2lKprZfZnRZ-TooaiSTa2D379&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Crackdown</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Lawmakers in California
have passed legislation that prohibits sale and disclosure of schools'
online student data in what officials say is the toughest law in the
U.S. regarding K-12 students' digital data. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQGbnP1XFQO18eLcbphrlCXJz9KIylhVKPQPNHrt4ktjrj3n2NwoYg8gaOC23lO2oKWdkTN9DzVy0H7Qe9rEeWVufuRi1O4CkVQFHBmqvkelAh0DQ5jHAo9izNg3dESui4gD0cb4EZaon4FT0i7cKjERV3qkNw4nvabZO32AewSzOjsR3Zvfr0pa0QmVa2TFzc-RZ7DlNzm0EiZBYifmGlrKe33klyHDUNEBzvDguMTxhBCZ23Jgx-Hg==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>California is now Smarter and Balanced</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">With the State Board of
Education's approval, California became the ninth state to award a
contract to the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium for the
standardized tests in the Common Core State Standards, which students
will take next spring. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQyHIbA_pOO75V29Ig9_L-AWRqCWKSs_oBhWwVBmIIHGMQOuVfyMi1XHYTuh5iryG-RGnS5rXk2IE8wPtMEESBPRxvkerEyI4CBixVI7LlccEiFLd1CTY8ktmAR8xYijbPULy_g6hrX6dVD-EQ4yA_PXH6MAyWjYZ1HOSnNCKafa20yu1qi_rb8_LGSwAVL20C&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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;display: table;" id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK56" bgcolor="#ebf5f6" border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><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;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>A different STEM issue</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Although a recent study
found almost 75 percent of those holding science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) bachelor's degrees have jobs in other
fields, policymakers, advocates, and executives continue to push STEM
education as a way to close achievement gaps and produce U.S.
innovation. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQNAqx6eQIony6qZsiA0MRAuK42CqJiwwLsj-NEdjlvSa9N6Vy7VZwDNzeCJ6U6HNYdmpIMN2OyOTZHlcdchyOGgl_m3lwRzgwQlfLJ6W9wiYFzJpqse13W9_kP6BZpT13bYfqiCxltVRpgs52mDImiq3nh0OJbf6-wz_B2_1WTPMlmn9mQLtgBIcJkIaWhIhWlkmBUQQwumq5NX3rDbvqsFtv_hotcWoiSfREnn2yFwnbE5vmC-ve6cXHNbLiq8gLZ4DXXCxdeGG6EqM2UieBOcCgbFTtL3skxNDLicV7yZUPqVJaGGKp1vSG9BAmseqs7dAN9upvrBU=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>No strings</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Tennessee and the District of Columbia have had their waivers extended, and without caveats. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQbBqANOMgcodbO4rCC8CniQEkoMg0e5rKhxtTYxvlsE8vgP8tS1K_LX8qmECS1FXtkwbfy-cuFvvnTuyKc4RJHf5MU4-LIYt8UORuu1mLgfs6I9jNTINQoD2Rjl5GpmzZ-PWkvV1XbQ8zoRsvtx5jHM6YUUjX4bC2_Bbnln4RmsfFaWD8B42uD8fTufhj8klvMNhdwZ-x7IY=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Two Newarks</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A group of parents and
students in Newark, New Jersey boycotted the first day of school to
protest One Newark, a system that reorganized the state-run district
this year. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQfkkPoxRlrkYzudTTmWehf4dZ75opgQrETfF3QcYC0ydmldi8PNbWzvUavU02cspn6k5hfpCdeTg--xpPJZhKEzCU9ChRuRWbbnMDEKX8XSqJFSrpfYuTobRD2HHTKVX7BrZZNcnSGeaI5KMuSbcx0ezdBJR5EM0vhsc-DvhynzqqRzyO_jMmaZEvJaTdQhIFNH9DZl1PN9sZKM1cQj-xBQYb3eWucYpaBBYyMu-tD6Q4qx8lEe4wnS71bZBE0tVx&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Good news</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">This year, for the first
time, the state of Minnesota is picking up the $134 million tab for
full-day kindergarten, a move educators hope will provide an academic
jump-start for the state's youngest learners. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQdAsejpqm4ONl_S41q51CIOXBDGDYnOAR-nyXcWIHC4vUyfu2nrtNiV5usfJSYKQmcV1DMCzJVTx0OEupVTf3flIF52smQeMQgsf9YQV4h1m9AMNhfe7bEkzTHfVCdPY6w2qwkOxnCCSNluel4R8k1A==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Better still</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Minneapolis Public
Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson has banned suspension of pre-k,
kindergarten, and first-grade students, a unilateral move aimed at
keeping children in class and forcing teachers to dole out discipline in
school. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQryW2IT6L66i1eqf4I5zIhHC3__EpU5EguHAyIjkV1s2o5gLj1yThUKpeUdvVGrxuyM1x6jbYuG6_ZtX7T4jTdHYypdAdNwP9FkFY1fC1l49KKZNjU3LfqsAte6RjWHvc9kbkVKI2u9iwLCdhzEOQ-OZnmBelS6mq&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Bad news</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">More than 76,000 Texas
students in the fifth and eighth grades -- about 1 in 10 pupils -- were
unable to pass the state STAAR math or reading tests on the third try
this summer. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQwgMVdHEhCwNtpZ1GUM_SNvee7n652jGgBGMRZFJF22HOmHlmBGqziDpxML6L0DMxVyTH1NgeGqswa3JJZsBRklVXVWUJ6RunGpPYQz9qNFaxGq5wwGC0-NSnIxf4nDjJNlNcnDihtATNGP2SBJVwkVv3WTbQzjLnDi1Bh_iKvEqx0HtdVqDv6MEDWSr5TcmpsdTg3kqH0KIojPpISdhRrMWKumyYztLh9LhuI8z0SqHu7EUrVfMRPhbMo5vtZBTH8I-Nv_Fji5YZm43tcbHb0A==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Moderation?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The expulsion rate for
D.C. charters in the past school year was half what it was two years
before, and the rate of out-of-school suspensions decreased by
20 percent in one year, according to a new report. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQsZVPX1TacdHRhtYDIF4ROJwS0LdFElVXY45H-KtSWYw4l1B4hvgtt1NXMukn4fklK7j3atVFx4hauamOh7GeFDKSxp7IdB6SBYMsaud-LxiWZqqLxRLqMhzGmgN-4VZHaMpzRwcjpCHR0aAHl3OLvF8BFB8ByN1L3KrjJKmf11albG7nrsKVPb2WGxtLEBguLz-7OP9g_w_APlHncLf1lhYFZHbNFAePaE2dEypB2Jqi88uIhLNVbTR6jbGyV9kmfqn73W3KzjJX_RQQpKPOia9rgTs2EBVdq40VNrtSCAOZuCSzioVWQHCMeVas4G88BvrO6RV5l0qG5-nlpc6kbQ==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Thanks for the memories</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The school board in
Durham, N.C. voted 6-1 to end its relationship with Teach For America
after the current crop of teachers finish their stints. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQgWgf1HZnwKSFlGdteSoIUqoEAFP4cA7cLh7Kw3uOn-a-fBnQFy3Z02Gk7wcbNlBzbVFw1LAFEfC-RU_pA8HDKrdiT2NLtib8bzeOPLHKHvSngopOdUfsTRAOT9jBu2orlMJcp0pUnrqLwA_ItH7jJ0DsocnQplpR9rp_b6m1C7hNGERDPmlS_DkPQ7M-I0XG52-6ZSpozeEb0kPkvfc2b7dNZ1QMJGKe&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>End -- or beginning -- of an era</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">First Place Scholars in
Seattle, serving homeless students for 25 years, will convert from a
private school to Washington state's first taxpayer-funded charter. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQ0YycwQmSsAqle8SPk3RHu-Ma91lIqb-kttPYs1LeqeY_HcfS2rSdjX8dah1a9nvZMsRaEVoR9S0nUYrwA57eID9nE63S6349Z3ae5y_pH_Q7Jjyy1nKv0-xVBt3nDmA0g1reHlsL2OQ69x4bF6vYpxeBeEqhVchmurFfRitfhaUkKPFuGaFuIFccQDII4MBJv_NaIb5hdFs=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;height:1px;line-height:1px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<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>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Jamba Juice: It's About the Fruit and Veggies</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Fall 2014 Jamba
Juice "It's About the Fruit and Veggies" Garden Grant provides youth
garden programs with gardening supplies, curricula, and funding for soil
amendments and plants to create engaging nutrition and gardening
experiences. Maximum award: $1,500. Eligibility: schools, community
organizations, and non-profit programs in the United States, gardening
with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. Deadline:
October 1, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQUw9JW3CbNtsLtoC55eTlnu0FmoW5hrmVAZTzCmX1Vt6ZgYYMfIO264AfJrXqxjeSPEdOTHspaiBQKsfayCD3813BdO3w3v7AhTBkBzSIxoBWvT54xunCNksOXbk2qG2yYjWlwf4wJ6C6eTV-ggZEYGlfKunYF0dWC-g3rLzggPyRqoZ6Sb8VvQtuWh1eNuEupa_kPG0D-0EjDv8rKxcpaw==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>IRA: Teacher as Researcher Grant</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">International Reading
Association Teacher as Researcher grants support classroom teachers who
undertake action research inquiries about literacy and instruction.
Maximum award: $4,000. Eligibility: All applicants must be members of
the International Reading Association (IRA) and practicing pre-K-12
teachers with full time or permanent half-time teaching responsibilities
(includes librarians, Title I teachers, classroom teachers, and
resource teachers). Classroom teachers will be given preference.
Applicants may apply as a collaborative group or individually. Deadline:
November 1, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NAGcX1J7l65Wj6b5Jv5WXpqFFKr3UgcPBnSHIr3-LavzZdFZKYGruyPIcrPxPH48w6qktkEHhMkJb4uHAyg5osWz5Tqhaag372f_sqWxgznq40LhxNPKAzoTGLG1FxiVKQ1yIZxq6UbeDXOGi2FH31g0DzIUHKmLaogRoCBpiDvKUNfpcb7MeNOZ5gdiWc4xdPy8_aXvHBEn&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>NCTM: Professional Development Grants for Grades PreK-5</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics Professional Development Grants for Grades
PreK-5 Teachers support professional development to improve the
competence in the teaching of mathematics of one or more classroom
teachers. Maximum award: $3,000. Eligibility: current (as of October 15,
2014) Full Individual or E-Members of NCTM or teachers at a school with
a current (as of October 15, 2014) NCTM Pre-K8 school membership,
currently teaching grades PreK-5 level and with three or more years
teaching experience. Deadline: November 7, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NAGcX1J7l65WXt1xmLmOIpvviWGCtH-U8CC64lvP-VG50_ei0jvq83auSkVVQF1td_2wbRU2_ssJZSTQFuWYwkcQgCrbdm8ynnTAiqVGXeaL15s6Af5nIOHFNXD6YfItQvOKYW-kHW4GwLxVtNTAVduGSYHmiKd5Ug==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>NGA: Youth Garden Grants</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">National Gardening
Association Youth Garden Grants support schools and community
organizations with child-centered garden programs. In evaluating grant
applications, priority will be given to programs that emphasize
educational focus or curricular/program integration; nutrition or
plant-to-food connections; environmental awareness/education;
entrepreneurship; and social aspects of gardening such as leadership
development, team building, community support, or service-learning.
Maximum award: a $500 gift card to the Gardening with Kids catalog,
seeds and plants from Bonnie Plants, an Ames tool package, and
educational materials from NGA. Eligibility: schools, youth groups,
community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and
intergenerational groups throughout the United States. Deadline:
December 5, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQ6XxhUg5u-T2gt52EddRht_oH1iTe6dKjVajOP3yikhuryo5ZQUvFi2LkZCSSph-7KY4k9qzarB9yWw7ToR-hE0O2UKGsLIE_6VBoYXtmaRJ8nrJlpRp4IDk1z3_EdPd_s76qEE3puKk62r3N0OwMBg==&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 12pt; color: #ee5624;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Quote of the Week:</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"Amid the sometimes
fierce debate about improving our nation's schools lies an indisputable
truth: Students must attend school regularly to benefit from what is
taught there. But each year, an estimated 5 million to 7.5 million U.S.
students miss nearly a month of school." -- <span style="color: #ee5624;"><strong>a new report from Attendance Works,</strong></span> "Absences Add Up: How School Attendance Influences Student Success." <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QVx05FAbthkr0ny8AHkkeHJ2qCVElcr_kzVF6JIk0J5W1D1IHfH0NMsHuXIIzsiQP0HIIFXGNi_wZeUO-QP13D4Vsq0zCvf6YYLINvfmy-mgrFtSna1hlJWQYFB-NbzcQd7ohzCn5bJG2AH46rAJFerHW7dZGoQAlIWnO12CGoJaIh01Jf3nLmEkOxOWCsQgGtw8YT_e5L6r4uZe4cGJLhKOOreD6MWgsmKeQcequnIPldM7IJeaF8ITiS41diuStV_veHQk5bAKQ0jr77wAPU8NHit0C-U7q5g5KwFwTEo=&c=Zj9k-dXoZW3sjw6AgwNncCeEOmKkEKNTJez127-r91MMLOrfuwJaEw==&ch=YRj_NaaSVtGI5-xdASwZJq6pkL1eXXBqyKTY9x7dGMEdD1H_rKnreA==">More</a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div> <br>
</div>