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<div>September 30, 2014 - In This Issue:</div>
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<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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">Latino strides in education</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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Teaching ELLs well</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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">AYP 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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">Extreme conclusions about education 'efficiency'</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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">Setting up principals to succeed</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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Teachers at the helm</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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">There for the long haul in Mississippi</a></div>
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<div><a style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;" shape="rect" href="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">The online gap</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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&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="https://mail.aol.com/38771-416/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27691040&seq=1&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: #ff6600;"><strong>Latino strides in education</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from Child
Trends indicates Hispanic children are gaining ground in education, but
challenges remain in terms of high rates of poverty, troubling health
indicators, and high rates of teen childbearing among the country's 17.5
million Hispanic youth. The overall number of high school dropouts has
declined in recent years, but among Latinos the drop is substantial --
from 29 percent in 1999 to 13 percent in 2012. The percentage of Latino
8th graders achieving at or above "proficient" in math has increased,
from 8 percent in 2000 to 21 percent in 2014. Latinos are now the
largest racial/ethnic minority group on college campuses, though
progress has not been as steady in regard to college completion. Latino
preschoolers lag behind white and black children in knowing their ABCs
and numbers, and being able to write their names or read, but have
higher levels of social-emotional skills such as self-control and
cooperation. Latino children are less likely than white and black to
participate in center-based early care and education, but their
participation has increased by a third since 2007. Fifty-two percent of
Latino children were in early care programs in 2012, compared to 63
percent of white children and 68 percent of black children. The report
offers a comprehensive portrait of Hispanic children in terms of
demographics, economics, family, education, health, and media use. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65lyWgwBLxAcPwopuDbW2QBaXSE5V5-rtu7EEa54bghFWeX8pXTsnMXtDOApQ5zGzwI5EDrH-U3W2Vj5dScpX-7gP_RxfDWzQaSQNqAf279hn_pKoZ4IqgxxA1eEKRbaTpFXrOjfYIYZC7Jrr-EG_fxgKK0u8Olzq0NBs86EwMQnb4YJl7mjXtTAtVeTfcNMTI1esnAA34j2s=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==" shape="rect">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-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Teaching ELLs well</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from the
Education Trust-West identifies districts across California that are
breaking away from educating ELLs with insufficient academic supports,
ill-prepared teachers, and less rigorous coursework. The report includes
an analysis of data from 276 unified school districts based on their
performance on four indicators, including the California Standards Test,
English Language Arts proficiency rates, California English Language
Development Test advancement rates, long-term English learner rates, and
reclassification rates. It identifies districts rising to the top on
each metric, as well as 11 districts that performed well on 3 of 4
indicators. The report also includes detailed information on who
California's English learners are and how state and national policies
have shaped programs, services, and funding for them; case studies of
promising practices and strategies contributing to positive results for
English learners in top-performing districts; a summary spreadsheet
showing how all 276 districts performed on the four indicators; and a
review of Local Control and Accountability Plans regarding programs and
services that top districts plan to provide to English learners. With
reforms like the Local Control Funding Formula and the Common Core
dramatically shifting California's education landscape, the report
concludes with several policy recommendations to ensure action is taken
to capitalize on these reforms to better serve English learners. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65GbfVqBLDyG91Ma8TZ79tGJjTLn29t3qDijV4fn530AIXlN59F-wQWMWl2cK5wX-xgLuGt51kZ3F5JHDGmtS2Vu_J648TrTN7JwFRu2ifOfg852bHlqYXo4PXbm9USxnayvzqfkelwsdql2zYTmxnt4Pb_mtJXt5wMTPLRY7mM9J6MGRBAbEaxmpIiohu9j7mycn3H01gmfXKlUo6oBv4aTWPmei7Yaf1D7GLyzplGZe4iygvb5URnQ==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><strong>AYP reconsidered</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new study from the
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) finds a possible upside to
NCLB's much-maligned accountability system, reports Lauren Camera for
Education Week. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) required states to
increase the number of students rated proficient on state tests each
year, with the goal of reaching 100 percent proficiency by 2014. The law
established tiered consequences for schools that failed to meet the
yearly proficiency goals, increasing in severity each subsequent year
that a school missed its target. Researchers from the NBER analyzed
student-level data from North Carolina and found the early, more lenient
sanctions for schools that initially failed to meet AYP -- such as
simply being labeled failing or allowing students to transfer out of the
school -- positively impacted performance. Intermediate interventions
for schools that failed to meet AYP for a couple of years in a row, such
as mandatory tutoring for low-income students, had no demonstrable
effect. Leadership and management changes associated with school
restructuring -- one of the most stringent sanctions for schools that
chronically failed to meet AYP -- yielded the most positive impact. The
study also showed that low-performing students gained most from the
sanctions, though there was no evidence that low-performing students
gained anything from another one of the most severe sanctions, which
deprived high-performing students of resources. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO654JUg_K5jEW0YvQD0lVJfybfcTdHCNUd9yUwUo7s8GyZ25mzu2JzStN_K543bI6CsUZs1qE6-It_QkLckB-bygEKECgeBVSBXTh9h5ark4UI1CIpVvqcnpkUWoYthynhRZKKIWn6IravtI1h-60Z7ZmFwsObGJel8RT9Xa31jxKBz2OyFAP_3Dg-lr7uwf_5G57ItEV9083jLhhL6p39ll0_NNtb4n0juYnM6g2XQ20bj4pBxNxzx_ahjHwQvZpRZi7QFDGW8iOLy0sy9DvMTrcgzZS-UhoQX3thsF5hrHOlTIjk8eG7mrLTAXSorTsi8CSMGx1lTFw8KHwq4KfXecFGmFmBAoyH2yOEc-q_HNyCrW18USsWvd5DLEP4TMi-wTGUYj9h1kGeocFWivT6RTw==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Extreme conclusions about education 'efficiency'</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new review by the
National Education Policy Center of a recent report from GEMS Education
Solutions that scores and ranks national education systems on efficiency
finds the report generates extreme conclusions and unrealistic policy
proposals. The report ranks 30 countries on their educational system
"efficiency" through a model that compares national test scores,
national teacher-wage rates, and pupil-teacher ratios. Test scores used
are from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Based on its model, the report identifies wage levels and class sizes it
deems optimally efficient for each country, which are sometimes
surprisingly drastic. Switzerland, for example, would have to cut wages
nearly in half to achieve its "optimal" teacher salary, while Indonesia
would have to triple teacher wages. For four countries, the optimal
class size is estimated at fewer than two students per teacher. Such
anomalies expose weaknesses in each of the study's three key elements,
the reviewer writes, since "the output measure is questionable, the
input measures are unclear, and the econometric method by which they are
correlated does not have a straightforward economic interpretation."
Consequently, the report does nothing more than "satisfy an apparent
keenness for reports that rank countries -- and especially for reports
that castigate low-rank countries." It fails to advance an understanding
of how to make education more efficient. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65RL7uMxej2yvJL_zC0VgRASD8Axg7ICt_TNDJQKr13zf6rp8Hwxw4z0Gf6VPQJIuIE-38xQs2aRAjef86IRt_zgWr_SrI0UklPw6C7lvDTS6s_Tz1JWeLTvohMmqhBDd3gpuiZ54VWM4Fyj_OtZZqK7OWJuR5-yr-WEqPqcSj6jE=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Setting up principals to succeed</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report from New
Leaders and the Bush Institute offers a framework of conditions that
effective school systems have in place to enable principals to succeed,
dividing conditions into different "strands." Strand 1 is alignment
among goals, strategies, structures, and resources, so that the work of
every staff member in the district supports system-wide goals focused on
increasing student achievement. Strand 2 is a culture of collective
responsibility, balanced autonomy, and continuous learning and
improvement. Strand 3 is effective management and support for
principals, with ongoing opportunities for development and feedback, as
well as roles and responsibilities that are feasible. And Strand 4 is
systems and policies to effectively manage talent at the school level.
The Conditions for Effective Leadership Project has also created the
Great Principals at Scale Toolkit, a set of tools aimed at helping
school system leaders assess and improve leadership conditions to scale.
To enable a great principal in every school, systems must recognize the
pivotal role of school leaders and implement these conditions. This
change will require a deep cultural shift in many districts to create a
climate of shared ownership, trust, and mutual accountability in which
central office and school-level leaders see one another as partners in
meeting students' needs. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO6506wPnjw674x7SxzptGgtXzA_uqU4Md5M9IZyPc_xECZms1xoHcTL7IhHFDkLCeteDo1YGqCff-2ws5dEZV2OKLcr8PKJDFZWGmc5wFFQaeKWNowJa3oxhtlKwMElBMgCdrzYOZwTaE3oV-bOo95wM2xbe5MNTYW_et4ALpcb9PSfCrDB1yjTwA==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">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: #ff6600; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Teachers at the helm</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Teachers
across the nation are looking to restructure school governance models
and run them on their own, reports Allie Bidwell for U.S. News &
World Report. The movement, Bidwell writes, stems in part from a
frustration with the structure of America's public school system and
top-down reforms. About 60 "teacher-powered" schools operate nationwide
in cities such as Denver, San Francisco, Boston, and Cincinnati. Some
operate as charters, while others are formed when they receive state
waivers. Some are contract schools, similar to charters in autonomy,
with seats for students who would normally attend other schools in the
district, but retaining district affiliation. All restructured schools
give more flexibility to teachers leading them in terms of personnel
decisions, salaries, curriculum development, and schedules. In some
schools, a separate personnel committee handles teacher evaluation,
while committees for technology, special education, and facilities, for
example, focus on other needs throughout the school. The model is a way
to retain effective teachers, since many leave within five years. A
question remains, however, whether these novel examples can be developed
on a national scale. Many are smaller schools, and required a group of
teachers willing to assume the responsibility and invest large amounts
of time to make the structure successful. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65qD0CBAXtELEUnPDtXmLNRhqjxe-XxcZeM6aS3By7eUqr5SZEk-fOfRu18t90CTYGemDMVHO2qazQgcc9t2Hj0wf0liR2c2NplZeaW30CjVptYg2WmiQp4_TBAwGygCCY7trChao98vJN9Q3LGAbc9MeZMtlZkC0a50k3rUj988874oUYAAuaN_1mC9qj7EQtkPkxPmMSzxY=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>There for the long haul in Mississippi</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A small but growing
group of Teach For America (TFA) alumni in Mississippi have stayed on in
the state to create broader, systemic change, writes Jackie Mader in
The Hechinger Report. Of the 2,000 teachers cycling through Mississippi
since TFA began sending teachers in 1993, 160 have put down roots. The
group has an outsized influence in a state of 3 million, Mader says, and
its implications extend beyond the state's classrooms. The policies
that TFA alumni push often shake the political and civic fabric of towns
that haven't seen change for years. When a charter school is proposed
for a community that's had the same school serving the same
neighborhoods for generations, long-standing alliances are tested. But
high poverty rates and entrenched segregation have kept academic
achievement at rock bottom. In 2013, nearly 90 percent of the state's
African-American fourth grade students scored below proficient on a
national reading assessment, as did 67 percent of white students. Still,
some long-time Mississippians and education advocates fear proposed
reforms will perpetuate a revolving door of teachers and not necessarily
improve schools. TFA is confronting criticism with a focused strategy
of education and recruitment of native Mississippians, who are
encouraged after assignments have ended to apply to jobs and programs at
universities and nonprofits with deep roots in Mississippi communities.
<a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65X2LBByyfWEFZ-Mlg_PswsMMZYbyy8ymnZ99IOu8Od6YipdfZ7qFa3slyXXaTdmky8cAOS4jKN8sYiiMpjjwQ3gjvvBTi19RAPG35IakGEfeBtqH_ck_M-C4KiTUxaaXJRc-c_9N-8Sx9zr7Wb1bQTaL0rV5yxIve6h5fgiKRhavJopMu6g6xvl3vLZCBKWfUS1caF9_pP90=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The online gap</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new study shows
lower-income students lag their affluent peers in ability to find,
evaluate, integrate, and communicate information found online, reports
Motoko Rich for The New York Times. The study also demonstrates a
general lack of online literacy among all students, indicating schools
are not yet teaching skills needed to navigate digital information;
student proficiency with social media is not the same thing. The study
focuses on seventh-grade students from two schools in Connecticut and
used state reading test scores and assessments that required students to
perform tasks like researching the question "are energy drinks heart
healthy?" using multiple web resources. Students were evaluated on
whether they could use keywords effectively in search engines, determine
the credibility of a website, discern bias of an internet author, and
communicate findings through email. Despite higher rates of academic
internet use among the more affluent students in the study, only a
quarter performed well on tasks where required to discern reliability of
facts on a particular web page. Only 16 percent of lower-income
students performed well on those tasks. Some schools are working to
develop student research abilities online, but with districts scrambling
to implement the Common Core, many educators are more focused on
traditional texts and reading-comprehension skills. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65zKoCh5lULjT7UUMsLlj3KJH1M0f4Z-p-_hWdjhqO9oVKpLOctGYPPY68W23BZuxtsoslwAvFbdRK56diUlIMsbLI59p-B6RPWQWoDJDxiJ72e2Gysm5tC7Xzuob7e6RbDbMcR6EQaDPVx7YVOJXUf1IjSZp8IoPyjkj3SWD3qtJQQPBSseXoXEwsQTBG4P0-dYG24BnFY-7_Y5hRxaYMsKhX0PGG_WiawgjAdJ4DeGXt7DjUdv6Ueg==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">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: #ff6600;"><strong>More muddying</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Gov. Jerry Brown signed
legislation in late June with the goal of expediting the process of
dismissing teachers for egregious misconduct, but some experts say AB
215 will only further muddy an already difficult and costly process. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65sofdxF_MGZrEKqh-nsBH9NFoyaFB_6pPJe8vomjYESrV-guYczWOFwZhd2pXTzlcf7CD2yJNVadL5Cdxhq70PX7XiF91cZ1iYeZqGRLC6XdY0qMb-nIMl7QjtVHmSgFvNlaKeBfcDuiC0U11CkbmawjWHfnRNugyfKmWTpztMwV8BMgQRWQ1r6ffTn2z0lIQ4CVeqYh_9r-LSVR3HBqU0w==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>On the rise</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">According to San Diego
County's Office of Education, over 20,000 school-aged children in the
county identified their family as homeless during 2012-2013, up from
17,457 the previous school year and 15,826 in 2010-2011. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65CptIf4CW8vAtc4MaDC_iyaENsCcNalQh4zLVcC49dueO-KlWc_ZP9r9r_nWHJxEO4UqJZM0kMn8_RDrWDGQYz6h0CXWUpvuJneA_szBNcGPluk_D8szep6SRXIxQmySJzsp805XlY65Vtt2uWKke493i-Aaky5R_qrQ4HbqQjJj_Yp8tVMikYXsp0DGUPeIMsjR8TjBJNHQ=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Tuck hearts Vergara</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The challenger in the
unexpectedly tight race for California's elected schools chief has said
that if he wins in November, he will immediately withdraw the state
superintendent from an appeal of a landmark legal decision that struck
down teacher-tenure laws and other job protections. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65KsyGXRt5Wgx_d1FqkOmwlcY37-ORQmPfoEz-9mR32kQHBdyUTG3ZXQC1G7lE9h6-IHO10Mgw84q-alqYLOWUoKdnRQlqeaP1OoY4tsL_Wf-jgVnaaVvkEaDB94jcR-AF2lN35ROLHa2zGXv7UOxMDXVJ6wE8vQbXx6-ysg9S5z0dmcwaKYQLMKIMZ3loVW_ig62Sa9ytj9N35o-XY7QM8w==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<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>
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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: #ff6600;"><strong>A decline</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The number of
due-process hearings for special education students nationwide declined
from over 7,000 during 2004-2005 to 2,262 by 2011-2012, according to a
review released from the Government Accountability Office. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65FxUD5JxC1buiatGMHAOoukD9NbuwYn6188QBVBrpCzSVs3shUEHs58HUCxpnIqkf5LC0bQ72HfHDZorsKDdrzTqIk_I4Wqge4VJZNtC-hOQH4kOx9k2JC3s1H_X2nk7wvpcqnmdmMSp7vC4sp-SgTrXsoUnFgg0ahJ_aMkzc9qkcGPlu8NC2rw==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Not a bad idea</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">States such as Delaware,
Rhode Island, and Hawaii are using Race to the Top funds to hire data
coaches who help educators learn how to use student data effectively.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65Vh1j0CziiOFjE5tb375a_Z_v5SsXOC-lYrGLLYEj6u1Q3VKdxffzbIyjTqCK-0TJbFtJQaJYXL0SYUQxDaBOWW4I-eT5eyaV61iUNk8sl2H5R9z9zz4JU53P8c2tL2BvLHZIo1mur8jNgVG62-h4wxibuPuxDlbckpzsmHBc3C4DIFwcSVygyg==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Fightin' words</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">U.S. Education Secretary
Arne Duncan mostly dismissed Gov. Bobby Jindal's federal Common
Core lawsuit against the Obama administration as petty politics during
an interview with Yahoo! Screen.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65wD2UQPgf9JtIajf4uTH1vDNZLUtH3pt669zjBxbIQivmEZVMYLJX2_vT0cO_BsPtQuJmu9lKSWqKQN7a4aexawlopXllNhH1KlsIq8iWWUer6xrOcgLv3KvyYHlH8ByhdfK49Lg57VKZETKwjG2ngO4cl92NEyH37ASLb7vkFDso_XO6T9ppx9S7Ky5DwSzq&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Paltry</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Just 15 states require students to attend kindergarten.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65a9Iw4-d8Q16WL-qTsKQNmgg6bQSv7YI-43KQF10fpJlyI0naKQHRH-X5bB7jluZLG5ITeB6te8ojT3Y6erdnxYKT6Lt5KJRQX7S66-TS5vq90KPbZajOY5ZVG44OMvthuy9vTWm_iXh7m7gWg9-UDyDEffZk_ewcuT6PDqasxWDMswSKr11kiA==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Congratulations due</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In a first, jurors
decided to split the $1 million Broad Prize between Gwinnett County
Public Schools in metro Atlanta and Orange County Public Schools in
Orlando, Florida.<span> More</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/districts-orlando-atlanta-split-school-prize-25677209" target="_blank">http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/districts-orlando-atlanta-split-school-prize-25677209</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Stem the tide</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Louisiana Education
Department and three local school systems have been awarded $1.7 million
by the federal government to prevent violence and address it when it
occurs.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65eJC93ju_W86T9p0fdJEYk32t3Ilkz6w9atcVQuWoldBjcpa4feH1gbR9u8LFvMxHzQBHFwb7M0iKsH2L0WCr0IcaI9AxO-CdAk_IlX7gkmKiqQXQDXal-TGTdccWBOxzMf20vRvSFW9YFnl_ig5a2iHVfyh4zmVNXGA_cUFv5-gCxz8xWF2zJ21dmcBcw9RWmsM7CauHCnY=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>New regime</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Next year, all Minnesotan 11th graders will be required to take the ACT in the spring of their junior year. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65WyLgIsWEmG8G7Df32AV4CSix-5Uph8VW50wjWvf3GbmjKLJe6krJKpHtRAAUEh8hMe8JZyYGghNxriUnp491VswwdmLTsUDHiEKk2QUUbkBFvZE605oxVPeHn36TVXFpMyRu4eHoLg4u7joNBiALNOWLRBlbTSnOe-SSJ3CYTTFYfwZTYGV4yePUHJz2XayHrTGCcijNvewwIIdTCnQjyw==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Time on his hands, clearly</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">An unsuccessful
gubernatorial candidate is among plaintiffs suing Missouri officials to
stop the state from making payments to a multistate consortium that has
been developing tests tied to the Common Core.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65JXDqoWvrbgJKNc-7OgyKvtOoZpATIaqhV0b_ADD4W1H9a6GgeFK-hUHtN0onttI7WEl-UHM7JVz0mH47ttlB5qrsBcxsbwMve7uWl-W0al01S7BGiLrorktZOPHtFl1_kh-2ZXEYwHEx_rRzP8LkHo7lEKYyGKW3KSnWgYmwqplEFq7OESBG3xyayhXh0PgW&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Approaching crisis</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The number of homeless
students in the United States reached a record high during the 2012-13
school year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of
Education.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65BT8t-zc893LXvqxtr410vj2KU6H6zT4AJPtDx9-YdbUS-e_N0lKqDKiw1NcjwogedqNw7U1PpVKDQ8iVTFXU3FbnPxYCTzk0ncOfxyYYpfCRgr2p4oMGhb6Gpvcp5z8rh7S2kKEtRbyL43qAiSi0ivaYrs0hHyfjjS3GQMpIJSQs6BpEO26PoID5QKbkBpupBpGcGsgRfjs=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
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<div><br>
<div style="color:#ee5624;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><b>GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES</b></span></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: #ff6600;"><strong>Lowe's: Toolbox for Education</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Lowe's Toolbox for
Education grants fund school- improvement projects initiated by parents
in recognition of the importance of parent involvement in education.
Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: K-12 schools (including charter,
parochial, private, etc.) or parent groups (associated with a non-profit
K-12 school). Deadline: October 15, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65WPSGLly2wkl_2QA4V9tLVmVcQu5qerNrV7zdY3wGHMZAO1WxjO27UZGXE9M9jFx1qDL-rKJDUmNgyln78vXoTYHTA1X2qxXQC82ndIGgiJ0TUdSGPsCvLu_7Qc3UMxjK&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>AIA/NAR: Team America Rocketry Challenge</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Team America
Rocketry Challenge is the world's largest rocket contest, sponsored by
the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association
of Rocketry (NAR). Teams of three to ten students design, build, and fly
a model rocket that reaches a specific altitude and duration determined
by a set of rules developed each year. The contest is designed to
encourage students to study math and science and pursue careers in
aerospace. The top 100 teams go to Washington, D.C. for the national
finals in May. Maximum award: $60,000 in cash and scholarships split
between the top 10 finishers. NASA invites top teams to participate in
its Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program.
Eligibility: The application for a team must come from a single school
or a single U.S. incorporated non-profit youth or educational
organization (excluding the National Association of Rocketry, Tripoli
Rocketry Association, or any other rocket club or organization). Team
members must be students who are currently enrolled in grades 7 through
12 in a U.S. school or homeschool. Teams may have members from other
schools or other organizations and may obtain financing from any source,
not limited to their sponsoring organization. Teams must be supervised
by an adult approved by the principal of the sponsoring school, or by an
officially-appointed adult leader of their sponsoring organization.
Minimum team size is three students and maximum is ten students. Each
student member must make a significant contribution to the designing,
building, and/or launching of the team's entry. Deadline: December 12,
2015.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHVIDuUjDmpqQfQbCdfTvggpPMAQiys1he-j8TtI3WswrdkDRH3Ewd-gRN8zdzbvpg-kqgP-u-3ih9GkxA0rjDNrrxGNNoXkFLDoHNLc5sw39hFcrmRkTdvJL_K085_ENbDsuZaJnv0ZceTaYmxCwYk=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>Toshiba/NSTA: ExploraVision Awards</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">All inventions and
innovations result from creative thinking and problem solving. The
Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards
Program encourages kids to create and explore a vision of future
technology by combining their imaginations with the tools of science.
Maximum award: $10,000 bond for each student. Eligibility: Students
K-12. Deadline: January 30, 2015.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO65mnlRxNq9T0WGHW84KAJ28EUFLT-otpmyIDaBVfgzoyG3jKlkiS89r9s_GDPYGYtRRSrqxz4BsGZ4ClOLKinnmbxPHRLoydb2dvdvuB1ztxzfGwAH_0molg==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"><strong>USGA/Alliance: Grants for the Good of the Game</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The National Alliance
for Accessible Golf (Alliance) and the United States Golf Association
(USGA) believe that golf should be open to everyone and supports a wide
variety of programs that create opportunities for individuals with
disabilities to participate in the sport. They especially encourage
inclusive programming- opportunities that allow participants with
disabilities and participants without disabilities to learn and play the
game side by side. Maximum award: $20,000. Eligibility: tax-exempt,
nonprofit organizations as defined under Section 501(c)3 of the U.S.
Internal Revenue Code or government entities such as public schools or
municipalities. Deadline: rolling.<span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHVIDuUjDmpq4XwKsYboUd5raHcuSHFa0ebICvrY_J0-1tY-ecWrqNv8XZU6jNL9aTU5dTH-jFZodXX5ki1-Bf-BjE8oWl6tHKhNt3EdgEga6wU_hvLgk5KnArZAP1xyMBOoblldyuWY8iw4-XTfrVhfMcaJyf4VcQ==&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></span></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: #ff6600;"><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;">"[Charters] still
haven't done what no state has really done adequately, which is to set
up a review system to keep the original bargain of charter schools,
which was if they weren't outperforming the public model, they weren't
supposed to get their charter renewed." <span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>- former President Bill Clinton at a recent gathering of about 100 international philanthropists and businesspeople. <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001B1vuA70irLGsMkohVmuqDOhBCbihRmt3hR9p7FjM6PLeeEywmJqbJHXbUUwsQO657b31mdBMHxE2QBlLSF1UEnON9yY2iLMGbErQlDh7GnC9yJl-sN2TJCSTqW_c3sEifX3ZpJvWyjRNoNtYZO8taZV7sL_vnNzzJTH67XI4YjZTsw8RUxrMqnJ-V_JTtuE_rRNB3T-k-yX4B3QNwom9QCJOXKsFBhMkqmaCWPXv8n_7d-nJu9FT7s4XN-x3W6COedVOYV0y_fY=&c=HrRGm9Tz0aqMP8S2RktH_jClt7Aq9l9ImWibjCe2Mu2yDB8YmFcFKA==&ch=JdEeBCH5dbVDKqnzltoBkT4sE9iKfkdZoF8Fvb4nUaGern0301GWcQ==">More</a></strong></span></div>
</div>
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