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<div>September 17, 2014 - In This Issue:</div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://mail.aol.com/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">All about Eva (Moskowitz)</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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">The marshmallow test, 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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Teachers and their debt</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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Alt-cert: what alternative?</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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Traditional PD: 'totally useless'?</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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">What a 'balanced' tenure system might look like</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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Principals and teacher data</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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">A running tally for 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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&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/38755-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27685010&seq=0&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK19">GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</a></div>
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<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>All about Eva (Moskowitz)</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Bill de Blasio and Eva
Moskowitz are liberal crusaders with profoundly divergent ideas, writes
Daniel Bergner for The New York Times Magazine. De Blasio is a populist;
Moskowitz's board is "filled with Wall Street one-percenters." Their
clash, Bergner says, may determine the city's educational future.
Moskowitz has swiftly created the largest charter network in the city,
its students mostly black or Latino and qualifying for subsidized lunch.
Citywide, fewer than a fifth of black students can read or do math at
grade level, yet Success Academy students far outscore not only the
city's traditional schools, but highly regarded charter groups like
Achievement First, KIPP, and Uncommon Schools. One Success Academy in
Harlem surpassed all public schools in the state in math for the fifth
grade, even Scarsdale and Briarcliff Manor, "the whitest and richest of
suburbs." 2014 state results put the network in the top one percent of
all public schools in math, and the top three percent in English. For
opponents, Moskowitz's charters and results pose a grave threat to
liberalism. The mayor says all New York's children must be saved; the
city's 170 charters take needed resources. Though Moskowitz bested de
Blasio in their first skirmish, she still feels in a state of siege.
"The experience," she told Bergner, "is of having to wake up every day
and beg" for space and support to carry out her mission. Her mission,
Moskowitz feels, holds the answers. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2c9yHuo8asEOMKbUibdkqM13piar8I2BJvkUKcuW9TSuzfpAi0ALOwWtlqBpN42r7fdv8gCiQjLo043Fc6i28fz52GvM_Rhf2eh0iwNLYQUdBLqje2ZPXgtjwaIRCDBjLdgTZSrmQdTchmZe_SW_P5CafuBkdr9qMUuSCha3O4O80YNOvPohyJjsug6KHLsYGMwgjMbztzFVTscgbGe9Iwi0dw9cjDSsVrVL02u7Cjmfd183QfdW6BVoyiMRxCZNWeZh42z7UnYy9CvuXzCd3SzJskZqeYDIzMoce54sFF-OPzj0YaS5YkZvbgPxME9XkC2ZEkqYncqMKTNy1YmQDLWUlo_F25liQKlV4J3gptthx0bQX4vz-F4_k-p7WFbKZuDql5bI-l8EmYRaUE-XKt8SnB_5h_sRk8sABfQ3BPnl_PoSext5sBA==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
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<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-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #ee5624; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The marshmallow test, reconsidered</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Deferred gratification
underlies self-discipline and grit -- putting off what you enjoy until
you finish what you don't, writes Alfie Kohn for Education Week.
Proponents of grit often point to a study by Stanford psychologist
Walter Mischel, in which preschool-aged children were left alone and
told they could get a small treat (a marshmallow or pretzel) by ringing a
bell at any time, but if they held out until the psychologist returned,
they'd get a bigger treat (two marshmallows or pretzels). It's usually
represented that children able to wait for an extra treat scored better
on measures of cognitive and social skills years later and had higher
SAT scores. In fact, Mischel's central question was how children go
about trying to wait, not whether they waited at all. Kids generally
waited longer when distracted by a toy. What worked best wasn't (in
Mischel's words) "self-denial and grim determination," but doing
something enjoyable while waiting, so self-control wasn't really needed.
When participants were tracked down 10 years later, those who'd waited
didn't have more self-control or willpower, only greater ability to
distract themselves, which correlated with higher scores on tests of
intelligence. This flies in the face of the current contention that
intelligence and self-discipline are different things, and we must
cultivate the latter in children. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2u1WoPnIJ3unHkqhxZ2RA5qEGjxDNtijmOIAzO5mtLuGIsuVEoCh5uYQDk3yuE9ibqzZYjL9B6IEBMDXscXK7tooHll6irr5OD85eZ_ucwYAiBitKLaRjwM8JJJpzQX0v-8-m7nnFx77XlVrFI4lGTxWcKc8KS4kHLhR0sWGsxJg=&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </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-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Teachers and their debt</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new brief from the
Third Way finds current federal programs to aid teachers with student
debt are confusing, underutilized, conflicting, and sometimes
detrimental to the long-term finances of teachers who apply for them. To
recruit and retain the best teachers, the brief argues for
consolidation of programs into a single offer: If you teach, the federal
government will pay your student loans, up front, every single month,
until you leave the classroom. Currently, teachers must meet an unwieldy
set of criteria to qualify for federal loan assistance. A patchwork
bureaucracy, compounded by narrow eligibility requirements and delayed
systems of forgiveness, all contribute to the limited reach and
effectiveness of loan assistance programs today. The federal government
should streamline teacher-specific loan assistance options into one
program that would begin monthly loan payments for teachers on day one.
Such a program would be more potent for luring high-achieving
Millennials into the profession, particularly since the average loan
payment for someone with a master's degree in education is $429 a month
(a $40k average salary). Until state budgets free up money to pay
teachers higher salaries on the front end, offering teachers a
supplemental monthly loan payment from the outset would serve as an
immediate way for districts to boost teacher compensation. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2etermZcfyDTcqadDhxWijignRwkeo64pMXzbojgsGYO29a56pe_-br2c9sGb3IfeVeZjg6zuumdNM9T4dqQKEiZxLihP07-6C23fzRRQFj5Cx-n0u92wLgm0sScVvkUuvi4mZ7UGDLo9Ulvu-ENn6-ett-xeSlrQw3un8MBf8GMJ_OZ84SCCSSUG4f5g0BLhqWswO1K06fDmtOn9l9yoS89OZ8PlR_HfuCZp92YClYY6UKbeFh9IKg==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">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-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Alt-cert: what alternative?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Alternative
certification has grown as a means of addressing teacher shortages,
especially in specific content areas, yet the programs are
controversial, fueling debates over rigor, subject expertise, and the
bypassing of traditional colleges of education, reports Anya Kamenetz
for NPR. One in five new teachers becomes so by means other than a
four-year undergraduate program or master's degree. Many are uncertified
the first time they stand in front of students. Programs also vary
widely in design. The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) reviews
teacher preparation around the country, and for the first time has
undertaken a study of "alt-cert" programs. Focused on 85 of the "most"
alternative programs -- those not affiliated with an institution of
higher education -- the study based evaluations on criteria such as
applicants' GPA and degree of support in internships. Results were poor.
Sixty-three of the 85 programs -- 74 percent -- got a "D" or "F," with
for-profit programs faring worst; only 41 percent of traditional
programs scored this low. Yet it's worth noting the NCTQ has been
critical of traditional certification programs, too. "If traditional
programs knocked it out of the park," observes Sandi Jacobs of NCTQ,
"there would be less need for alternative programs." <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2pZm9CcAsJKAn82_f1Fts68U_jMmpBVAfEuflWZsmPO3j4TcDsfKdHVG6dm_bArsBy6BadDaXH8a-2hIvc70ZUnOsncm3V7WcUNGUWQWKfbqARwycbtKafPp-34FDLcH3ufn25dawsUg5glMcdTTcQMVVQU0RzrF1L_IER3kf8207owcxAzAiIMbPBVj2_bffsp-jYyCyUgSKkIaop7izIyVfeN5TsMPNX4wmW0W8vzbKggAnT5xHVsa4cYB6I2AZ0qBwlBLTVU-MiHYVTUKLARARjX5yj1eBz-lYZvn-316xsz9U7QoogotAgQX62M5cQuWI_oV8Qf9VMzDMViuPKg==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Traditional PD: 'totally useless'?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In a guest post on the
Answer Sheet blog in The Washington Post, Alvin Crawford of Knowledge
Delivery Systems, which offers online professional development, writes
that few can argue teachers today are getting the support and training
they need to be effective and efficient, whether they stay in the
classroom or not. In a 2009 report from the Center for Public Education,
for instance, asked about experiences with professional development,
"most teachers... reported it was totally useless." Yet federal, state
and district spending on professional development is an estimated $6
billion a year. Teacher development studies going back 30 years have
shown repeatedly that merely exposing a teacher to a new concept or
skill has little classroom impact; most professional development is
still lecture-style: telling, showing, and explaining, then sending the
teacher back to class alone. Crawford feels transformative professional
development requires 50 hours or more, plus informal and ongoing
interaction and peer engagement to refine skills and model successes.
Meeting these time demands would take a district with 5,000 teachers
nearly 300 qualified trainers and five years to complete. Crawford
therefore advocates technology and social-engagement tools for initial
teacher training "on virtually any subject to be done in 12 weeks and
continue indefinitely." <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2wT9hyGZlIBdZvB6IhWOPQa0QErv3o1e-yomLTrNzrLzsx7NQ1SiEGvoiATjDN1I1cuA3hPej6YgHplvY2zvkRjH6gHh9a97fVYiEMPuob8U9kBQlVKvPsjZnQIA9TXCjzeHHhW-Ey35bePG6BewTi5954RTJN0DIRLErCwmOjzjlwzfzNagYm4aXzh_Slt_LlUGbNJtI7WIkZVis-e7C0ao52oCVGJuikkPhRgmrOj6PnvJVQ6cH6CjVO1gTQ7pY&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
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<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>What a 'balanced' tenure system might look like</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new brief from The New
Teacher Project envisions what it is casting as a "balanced"
teacher-tenure system. Under this system, teachers would be eligible for
tenure after five years. Tenure would be awarded for sustained strong
performance, and could be revoked for ineffective performance. Appeals
could contest process and bad faith, but not judgments about
performance. Hearings would be limited to a single day, and appeals
processes limited to 90 days. Arbitrators would be independent and
salaried, such as administrative law judges. There would be zero
tolerance for abuse or sexual misconduct. Teachers who were replaced
could apply to other schools, except in cases of egregious misconduct.
Currently in teaching, a formal dismissal of a tenured teacher for
performance reasons could mean the revocation of the teacher's license
or, at a minimum, an employment record that renders the teacher
unemployable. Instead, districts should reset their perspective on due
process so it aligns with virtually every other profession: protections
against egregious actions, such as dismissal based on political beliefs
or legal conduct outside of work. Due process should no longer be a
means for second-guessing school leaders' professional judgment about a
teacher's job performance, which is its primary function now. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV25LgC4_GE5po6YrioyhEDBch5DEfy9MH2YOSdUDLmWFmbmRiO6bzX4Jl9yzIDIkXYJpEOoW_C3j8s27FqXtJWRAoHnyKuBeAusd0DjEEnVIjlrruWpEmbDqFujgzif5sZRXgSZaPn4taOgA6N1OVBv6P70xXPjO1gr9cYCEzvqCK3Pdj_Nqp-YeJ9g-GdKvpsqDfHuQtH_0lDwRsrKqs0FvEkIvy1TAvqB9oS6NDPXsXuQr0l0JmNy4EUE8XZSN0QNYxwloSzfARKTpDs7KiTb0PVj-dZg6GQZjOx0rB7-9QSNtfusDzg4PBNplaUlBWDdFu5Ql-X7EhbsBQ9-hzXEDaW92JWeFMrtJO3ecgYy41R2VoHMSUWFB67Sn-KkYr0J6Xjs075rOo=&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Principals and teacher data</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New research from
Vanderbilt University evaluates how principals use teacher-effectiveness
data in decisions around hiring, placement, evaluation support, and
leadership. The report finds principals generally believe rubric-based
observations generate the most valid data and provide specific,
transparent, actionable information. Value-added measures, on the other
hand, are perceived as having shortcomings, and principals are less
likely to use these despite their ready availability. The timing of
teacher-effectiveness data is also problematic: Spring observation
scores, state standardized test scores, student survey results, teacher
value-added estimates, and overall evaluation scores are released after
assignment and renewal decisions are made. The report recommends that
districts: clarify expectations for data use, such as specifying data
sources and years of data to be used for each talent-management
decision; hold principals accountable for using multiple forms of data;
train principals on understanding and using value-added estimates;
institute opportunities for teacher evaluation, teacher peer
calibration, co-observation, teacher training on rubrics, and assistance
from the central/home office; open discussions about how to reconcile
and use multiple sources of data, especially when they do not agree; and
clarify the roles of value-added estimates and observation scores and
the extent to which, and under what circumstance, they may be
inconsistent. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2V9yAVJAji73diAJ_bOtEUA0q6IORzf52YHDQ5m_fE2MIhWAOG71J1hx1DssIWsE-Y1AOhwlCsGDenBdTFJxc93BpMpBLh0-sqzpUdm-DYA9hA9SNOMROatgZ3GOpf_VDyGqfIGs_pEoX22TKlbkrfxOxS4rNKbvI0WGUSlbTKCVG0kPgxv9BoA==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee5624;"><strong>A running tally for the CCSS</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new brief from the
Education Commission of the States profiles state legislative activity
and executive branch action around the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) through September 1, 2014. State legislatures are responsible for
establishing academic standards in nearly all states; most legislatures
then task state boards or departments of education with adopting and
implementing them. A number of legislatures have recently added steps,
such as waiting periods for public comment, that state education leaders
must follow. At this point, 46 state legislatures have convened in 2014
and 38 have adjourned for the year. Indiana and Oklahoma have exited
the CCSS; Louisiana is attempting to do so; Missouri, North Carolina,
Ohio, and South Carolina are considering replacing the CCSS with other
standards; and Georgia, Maine, Mississippi, and Tennessee affirmed the
CCSS as a matter of local control. Connecticut, Iowa, and Wisconsin
reviewed implementation; Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, and
Nevada have committed to CCSS implementation; and South Dakota affirmed
the CCSS but limited future multi-state standards. Arizona and 25 other
states have affirmed the CCSS but are renaming them; Florida affirmed
the CCSS but is modifying and renaming them. Arkansas, Minnesota,
Nebraska, Texas, and Virginia either did not adopt the CCSS or only
partially adopted them. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2FEmbRYjogfGZnlTxDz7Tgl0G7AhArubIDmZZTveMEf1jAryCk-KPm8wpOmpX6fOVTRhcGOpY1kgsTCIngqoEkfBx5UNNn6CraanAVW33nb--4gjahEIJuhDHbQkIhBr5ZC6lJz1d6gGDNRa43aA7TXgfgLpFuaGj&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Title IX time</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Beginning in 2015-16,
all California elementary and secondary public schools -- including
charters -- must report annually the number of students who participate
in competitive athletics, as well as the number of school-sponsored
sports teams, broken down by gender. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV25lNT5q_R9GQQjjGdc8LG-s8ukr_vZAZyM2zkkfDxG54A2obpKgopHBN-_nw6EXLm3QYornnQsyKgOCMEUGoBgWwv1beqe5LjB3Ksk0g4JA7tkhqWc-L2Ae8q5soQi1uDoFWZiZPjyD6po-pGwvtD4CZlNlFpcDyxL_0qMYIubxGVcMiMSb5aPLcW_apeq0_H&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" 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>Bad science reigns</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Despite overwhelming
evidence that vaccines are safe and effective, the rate of California
parents opting out of vaccines for their children has doubled since
2007. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2D4T40820DZa25gIHl9spvjB7bbaTV1XkCwPchv0gxRmEUSUZCXqfEAaOdmwa6-K4WUwwCVrVZ4d3X2ZwZReEqXXG8Jp87FIrusEYIltEsEkT32FfepYHGGkLuvUm67eydFYEqak12v-WUzw6ehXZkXvqaMzRiefadHWo3txP0DZGDQOSmhveKHm1J_qT4BqrnYj2-OVgbZVvB33GQvd9Wluh3U2Cnr8gGzTjg3GWA4KunzEXYmo5zg==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" 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>According to his math...</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">United Teachers Los
Angeles President Alex Caputo-Pearl says newly released LAUSD budget
figures for the fiscal year that ended June 30 prove the district can
afford a 17.6 percent pay raise for teachers. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV29VY7qe6OM9KCBR43NTrKDdfgNl7WpfDCrHLaQtGgR1-8pfsKQlnpHzEyR1ylYcuFO_8uA-lt2XS2Tq0wUulfsVq0jsQGL-WL-0yg_JlO_cNLiChoAre3cJIwq0mbVgOa3Z2qI273bmA9bQgASZyLN_cW1EoI3xFhrsQ4iB1XqTjQD51Y32E3BG6BnkL45QESG1p_xpEGDVN4gpIhKy-hRdCdjoJt3chRZqcyohVFFYzzYkzVnhll3g==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" 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>He may have a point</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">As union leaders discuss
shutting down Los Angeles' public schools with a strike for better
wages and teaching conditions, records show that LAUSD educators
averaged $2,148 less in pay than peers at a majority of California
schools last year. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2pZTJ8HnOSHgCXZBkF4mjBvzpkIRUdcCz12y84VKY4EjLxXNZQMRpngdfaP_CdYy3yp1yKpJQrkmohbC5mF1inkN8SUwsQn_0jqga2I8zE5oA0maVRqYKoopt5e7fy3aXijNnlgQF2OtvWF0Smd6P7HpCFn4OsMNtfIvde5Bg2L0c474ymsELs0SoV_PTa0P56mZBY7XF7hGewhazcwo8sF-kDwdM5ViR&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" 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>For shame</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Affluent Santa Barbara
was surpassed only by Trinity as having the highest countywide
percentage of public school students identified as homeless sometime
during 2012-13. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2XxHoanRnN6bo0ap-OmU1vI3sENmAsmpSdZ8AKqipB2bFYnuzzNMRrYbL33mGgVLwXHY4yruYgfu-7z4OUPqTyFnAF85ENHDLWfKWWvmMIm9gwrsuVkqhW_cvxVIrypmGA2CjAU8EX5xSD7P57xSNcHCcAeXeIyJpimNPKCIWBml25VJ0B8mnfOIQu0LkO_n_0zYTb2UvxZ8=&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" 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>Back at ya</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">L.A. Unified Supt. John
Deasy has filed a public records request seeking emails and other
documents involving school board members and nearly two dozen companies,
including those at the center of the controversial iPad project. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2lrj73qSCqDQk1oeOY5wBxgojBcvCzfhrvZ59J84Prg192t4A8Tx_FtOiwJak4yLLz3c59SD1EH-1rmoIG8UZzftl7puZBRfpAI0mbra98PopzuUziwwAB7ar2gQoy618pf76N_jHfi3AgY1d0I5l4ankqMgCJdGuWFLSm80cVK8352iqKpm_Dg==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED </b></div>
</td></tr><tr><td style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 18px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>What's not to love?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new Gallup Poll shows more than two-thirds of those surveyed favor federal funding of expanded preschool access. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2mSuwVKvPXtiyGSPlKxQf3S2fn-AncXNGqL4_jH2ouUAstzW8XhMwtORctTM0Yi2dW3gnk0QzucBy7POAlAofWj59ZZT9CHulouYwb5coo8EE2FOYbkd9z5fPFDNn6367MFicXNv0ckac8YDxyOoNZXEe5ZRDFJzJCtvuS51_qFwb47dER5s9Gu_kEv-SAulj4ssMqPouHYJ23_sPmhYNWznTu61xrOJtI-ekvxJkWbM=&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Better together</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">After frequently hitting
roadblocks when trying to track students who moved out of state --
whether as youngsters moving with their families or to attend college or
take jobs elsewhere -- several states recently participated in a pilot
project to share data on student outcomes. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2lgY9HF-OFbv1-ZUbjgAmt99sea1eac19D0AEsfjB4OD1prBLbsHh6iyHcllcQQJ5lEiKZzjJYUSPkXHqEEtjJgh5IL0gMc3dD_CpV5m7k4QbY-myGzshY1mHy6kUxP0qmI--av1It3EWPgyXdXry7_ytBEK5KW-zOEiq1nPB3SwupjgDVcwXBrrG0pXeal34SG6HuCrUvTV_JZ5adlSAb8t1LvwLhhxru-BCSQaDM9HloOztl71upU91Jb1fOXmI&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Cui bono?</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Oklahoma City Public
Schools Superintendent Rob Neu is calling on legislators to repeal the
state's third-grade reading law because it does not serve the individual
needs of children. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2Gyv8e3EFOIBrA_-C_zFHW7pVOBGQp-yQMIK8GDJIhmmov-ZFAuEqzkktfb8jxnPfeHQF9AN1DrJpnRrxp5GasGMMUtz1TDWBZME3KXy4EpiF34EibGbMchURkOkgac7vqIdNV_D4HzPnc04UC4Ij1Gc6e_d18xyGZxrM85_6SbwUDsbpXpT5Cesq3UIc4J9XECUYhjUo1j1FlCNXDGXCtAG_p6Uzd7SA4-VNX_LI5iw-TrEE_TmBdRUIDeRY8RKv&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Get your act together... soon</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Washington State
Supreme Court is holding the state legislature in contempt over its lack
of progress in fixing how the state pays for public education, though
it withheld punishment until after the 2015 session if lawmakers did not
make plans to solve the problem by then. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2pDDxs-UMRkRvrAhRCY1MhZTaX1zs6d3BBhbdq6h3qyW8i50PNOr-NBGWTmBpyBSa3uKdGsYFJU_iEC_YJ5T0f1PYMO4FTqYih4GHN603K8HncPkhX23f_6Y8hn01j5arirwfdDs9JXWk2cpjC80TH4V6WQYf9MtIb7AXRbt-2Ld0DrEHdva_KVxG8g_Ejg5PbkRAm8VPYU7yZfhD4nUlG0OITP0xGLaoi2nvpNXicd_muIq-WVsm0mHfyAZP8hdcDlOc_Oaaju3P7BZF2XQXyg==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>The toilet may have provoked her</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A Utah elementary school
teacher who was carrying a concealed firearm at school was struck by
fragments from a bullet and a porcelain toilet when her gun fired in a
faculty bathroom. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV24rJOG6eSUH6S6B29ZVbBzCEmfPjS_zPrfQZhbPl8ZRst93uavqlNZvtw2Kj5-GomXaUGCPs-AQ2ybX4TmIOZqngJaAckwGo6c7IxynCdtXOJQDiVu5i0xUiZYvwSVMKRpGo5Px5iTI4FrihRRzZQrtokxlgiSIoS8dGpn3FEwRFnhiaKnYhr-4gyG5mF-NNk&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Barely progress</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A report from the
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute shows the state is still
shortchanging districts an average of $439 per student compared to $633
per student last year. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2hco5yqWT2kiAOcD71fv8JgJs54WL3w_Prt8LQkf0Yb_CfCR16DE0wuX-XGpe32RMkp0T8l7Cr_2qG7rltYBIfhe8ikAHGcyCjfkThJWKk6BFOGl7tcGTQaZQgnCXLIOC4s0gMQ0tJ8Qa4vUPycn917PBr_oTeudMRbM13ivLUy7-1jCAW50nK4vGlNwUKCxARy9j8DlVbcxBQMl7tQNxwA==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>From bad, some good</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Administrators at the
Ferguson-Florissant School District in suburban St. Louis doubled the
number of counselors during the first week of school in late August to
help students cope with their emotions during the time of instability
following Michael Brown's death. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2U7kfZ34xt_mcewqtAnZwGaM7R9NgOf6Y_h7Lv1oYvdL7EO3eyBEmcvAuDLmaRJaQiBTItG-CQ3-HGS9pOpnJs_1-_I_g1VnaqGsEUXjzpkGKDKMhidVvsPsxOTeNWarphrJT_vskKUkmFGh0tdNRavsT0OH1ymU2jMwFOtDJo4ghqyxN3cgigP3PZiskeZMQqPC_jrbCOTo=&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<br>
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<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></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;"><strong>Google: RISE Awards</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Google RISE Awards
support organizations that promote access to Computer Science (CS)
education and give students aged 7-18 the opportunity to become creators
-- not just consumers -- of tomorrow's technological innovations.
Google awards funding to, and partners with, organizations running
programs that inspire, engage, and retain students on a long-term path
in the field of computing. Maximum award: $50,000. Eligibility:
organizations running a successful program in CS that they want to
expand in terms of reach and depth of impact or that currently run a
successful wide-reaching program in STEM that they want to grow to
include CS. At a minimum, programs should have regional reach (city,
county, or state) with the potential to scale nationally and collaborate
internationally with similar organizations. Programs must target girls
and/or underrepresented minority students up to the age of 18. Deadline:
September 30, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNsjI30K5MBIC9krqX9hbfnfQTQL3SXZIsRhz5hAXCumN6IXOOewAshi0__PuQudg86KXMgBfm2sZIDg7f7yliXixYL8Vx7S3XzCGiloPxHOtuCB6c3UCNDxiHTKOu2aUJp615eHVTCcl_2wwQ7l7r-OqAl7zh2EklI4jdc8WAUxXp0T66me-P2lGU8yViuy7vQ==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Toshiba America Foundation: Education Grants</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Toshiba America
Foundation Education Grants contribute to the quality of science and
mathematics education in U.S. communities by investing in projects
designed by classroom teachers to improve science and mathematics
education. Maximum award: $1,000. Eligibility: teachers K-5. 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=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNsjI30K5MBICHaCDEZgVJ_MQ3Ww1IJeAcsnebvvgotgsWYSCdeQVt5nHXqVzQX1fz3GnheoXCMNFTpcDYJ7AU3sQE7d7SKV-DxR8REJlJPkd3bEM3uPEyFRHlZ49q3A8A9pL3U-zlTk1&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>Knowles Science Teaching Foundation: Fellowships</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Knowles Science
Teaching Foundation awards fellowships in the areas of biological
sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences to support high school math
and science teachers from the onset of the credentialing process
through the early years of their careers. Maximum award: professional
workshops, materials grants, and access to a teacher-to-teacher
mentoring network, valued at $150,000. Eligibility: individuals who have
earned at least a bachelor's degree in an area relevant to the subjects
they plan to teach before the fellowship begins in June. Candidates for
Physical Science, Mathematics, or Biological Science Teaching
Fellowships must enroll in a secondary teacher credential program before
the fellowship is awarded. Individuals who have completed the fourth
year of a five-year combined bachelor's and credential program by the
start of the fellowship are also eligible to apply, as well as those
currently enrolled in a teacher education program who will be first-year
teachers in the fall of 2015. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNsjI30K5MBICvbmminguVHYzj2VU-FqUxucBQVNK2cs4aqX599B4Hjgw-htk2MxD62vHs3ahTba59TMcCOpACZNU9u6nh1hL2egRDS5zwkoRXvJBF6M92dM=&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Deadline: October 29, 2014.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"><strong>NGA/Mantis: 2015 Mantis Tiller Award</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Gardening
Association/ Mantis Tiller Awards offer tiller/cultivators to
educational gardens that enhance quality of life in their host
communities. Maximum award: Mantis Tiller/Cultivator with border/edger
and kickstand, and choice of gas-powered 2-cycle engine or electric
motor. Eligibility: not-for-profit charitable or educational garden
programs in the United States. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2DxOJybFf-0PELpLM8w2h9RtiujVCQ_iKExfLhThVsVzNHungK3-ETguJjq-SKLdzNBQK7vIQtgp8zzOUUJ1QjIn9lY_Z2ahUa-T16JZRDTYfTupFXYe98Yjnc0ex_NUi8wwMyFUpp5VzRIZPHo-pqQ==&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a> Deadline: March 6, 2015.</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;">"That's just absolutely a dishonest excuse and they need to get past their dysfunction." <span style="color: #ee5624;"><strong>- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan,</strong></span> rejecting the claim that NCLB waivers kept Congress from updating the ESEA. <a style="color: rgb(238, 86, 36); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gyu3OG2gA-B1YeSYo9epi8wfvJM3TVQOfczSrL1phgCgw4xZogocNhM-ZiXvzRV2jn4LarDbv_5Y9ir6T3h3CneGwc3EDsJwsCn2CYyoH9DSw3YtbG38xm-8Tvt_Yv6Vae-tCFuzxpH1XSnjvcTVcbLYdx1XjlQPHKr_dTkoYLGX2fNErT9161DL7cQWTZ0wYTlDrHY2ZkfOsiKK3DVJXfHa008gVUuGd1BTh6bKFtUZtAWrkhcwuwUSQe-DPPUa7B3t9VBlg-M=&c=xMXtAp5Qh_17akddvCs5_c4fFJwGyMjFeidsj2a-hlTfAz-6FhbZKw==&ch=vb7jxNGhYZi-XuDEUs9vm5ZBWqmuSHk-63xwMc94KFWcPtySr4dY4w==">More</a></div>
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