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<div>November 13, 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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK17">The midterms and 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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK45">Coming soon to a Congress near you</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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44">Of Tuck and Torlakson</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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43">New centerpiece for NYC schools</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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK42">The inevitable VAM lawsuit arrives</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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53">Separate, equal-ish</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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK55">Rock and robots</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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&seq=1&searchIn=none&searchQuery=&start=0&sort=received&sortDir=descending#aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK54">Early results for personalized learning</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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&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/38848-111/cs_com-6/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder=NewMail&uid=27710937&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" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>The midterms and education</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In U.S. News & World
Report, Frederick Hess and Mike McShane draw several conclusions from
the midterms. Teacher unions had a bad night, they observe. Unions
poured money into several races this cycle, and only the expensive
California superintendent's race (between two Democrats) had the outcome
they sought. Unions also campaigned against Republican Govs. Scott
Walker in Wisconsin, Rick Snyder in Michigan, Sam Brownback in Kansas,
and Rick Scott in Florida; these candidates prevailed. Hess and McShane
also note new Republican governorships in blue states: Charlie Baker in
Massachusetts, Larry Hogan in Maryland, and Bruce Rauner in Illinois.
Though they face Democratic legislatures, these governors could put a
productive and distinctive conservative twist on blue-state policy, as
Mitt Romney did in Massachusetts. Since Republicans have captured the
U.S. Senate, Lamar Alexander -- former U.S. Secretary of Education and
governor of Tennessee -- will helm the Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions committee, and has stated he'd like to reauthorize NCLB and
end the Obama administration's acting, in his words, as "a national
school board." A bill for a drastically circumscribed role for the
Department of Education may therefore be introduced. Finally, Hess and
McShane note that for all the debate it provoked this year, the Common
Core Standards had little bearing on the midterms. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxp32DcVHqG1FiBFRRz9B3pYIAzkHRaR9FelAniOW81AV9GbG0K51oTV81Cegbh0HniOU-4jGFVcsVP58QyvkkQElD5PmZ0wLb4KF-1BHcRdxZY9yWBblsCt7wGzt2WS4ZU2J2G6ycqL5QskVk6F3PQPW6gyPO5Sbx2HIK6LfJwIkqJLQTDFskaSgDCiGm0ORlPgMQKo_qMCJCqKfrO9DdBIxjy-N280giJ1q2lSkSORDBsXPNxKyhSw==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Coming soon to a Congress near you</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Since the 114th Congress
will turn to GOP control in January, charter and voucher proposals will
likely be a top education priority for leaders in the House and Senate,
writes Lauren Camera for Education Week. This should cheer Rep. John
Kline, R-Minn., chairman of the House Education and the Workforce
Committee, who has long sought a bi-cameral, bipartisan measure that he
ushered through the House in 2011 and would allow states to tap federal
funds to replicate charter models with a track record of success. It
would also help charters access high-quality facilities, and encourage
states to work with charters to serve special populations. More
recently, Kline teamed with Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. on a similar
proposal. School-choice policies are now signature issues for Republican
senators with presidential aspirations, including Sens. Rand Paul of
Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida, both co-sponsors of school choice
bills. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., future chairman of the Senate
education committee, has a school-choice proposal that would allow
states to put most federal K-12 funds into a giant block grant for
creating scholarships for low-income students to use at any school,
private or public. Voucher programs, however, are more divisive than
proposals aimed at expanding charters. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jx2pkQMkTznNxtZh4Ve6KrJBBjKJspoEOhe3QuuELCR1Oz3G9zPhbSedktwSUfG1NzPGd4vFFH7dviR31a0iwtaHJGyO5OVQI2e-q1sZIL87g5K597o74jaWJBbQqCljhxYGNskQ4BrCGeRVf303NBf1sh-FjTScc3MwbYcoX2h0drUJYjvVTF1FEA860N6qcyZNfpzw2zVy3eBy4hq1azjTz9M9jl33aAPRlghUVYoasOj3X27e6wA4JT5-RrdZfpwiJhEgSL6idkeprblDRc8739BebhuoEALG4Jy4I-TKAy_CsfEcJlb19BUaKzmoXz6kg0h2IvTgefFRqbnsXjk-l6sBfUP-8cpNiYPDvZFetRdV3We_wCerQe9x2YTkdTzzv0pqGmiSQ=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK44"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK44" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Of Tuck and Torlakson</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In the wake of Marshall
Tuck's failed effort to unseat incumbent California Superintendent of
Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, education and political observers have
reached different conclusions about the election and its significance,
writes John Fensterwald for EdSource. David Plank of Policy Analysis for
California Education says Tuck's defeat will have little impact: A win
by Tuck would have given supporters a "public triumph," but Tuck's
campaign promises were empty since actual power rests with Gov. Jerry
Brown and the State Board of Education. Tuck's vow to drop an appeal of
Vergara v. State of California is an example: Torlakson, a defendant in
the suit, appealed, but this is immaterial given that Gov. Jerry Brown
has also appealed, trumping anyone else. Dan Schnur of the Jesse M.
Unruh Institute of Politics fears the election outcome will further
deepen the rift between the two main factions that squared off in record
spending. Their takeaway may be that higher spending prevails. Steve
Barr, founder of Green Dot charters, said the closeness of returns
should prompt both sides to de-escalate rhetoric, since they must work
together. And Tuck himself says he's inspired by the campaign and the
coalition he built, and will continue working on behalf of California's
kids in ways he has yet to decide. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jx7Hp1yW79Lu28skmwcyRlgh0jpW3mxl_fYiYhY1TK8wT5jGy-DdBaurZ8ZaCaixMRJEGW_RMlQhLjdDGfV5xN7kDyWIxOezI_j19LBHkrGKHrYhDPlNwx0W0yPhpO2ldVWZPVHROlxJrgLuwursPra3R3wRIUbc5aiprbMddnXKvch5K72emtmCDNqHfc8XwlNC29lIMtvfg=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK43"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK43" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>New centerpiece for NYC schools</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio has announced a new approach to fixing the city's troubled
schools: more money and staffing, an extended day, and social services
on site, reports Elizabeth Harris for The New York Times. De Blasio says
these strategies are a sharp departure from his predecessor's, which
centered on closing large, failing schools and replacing them with
smaller ones. The new program designates 94 Renewal Schools based on a
list of criteria, including low four-year graduation rates for high
schools and poor test scores for middle and elementary schools. Students
at these schools will receive an extra hour of instruction each day,
teachers will have extra professional training, and schools will remain
open for summer. Schools will also receive a total of $150 million over
two years, $39 million this year and $111 million the next. Going
forward, these institutions will be designated Community Schools,
addressing challenges students face outside the classroom with offerings
like mental health services and food for students who lack enough to
eat at home. Schools will work along a three-year timeline that will
require improved attendance next school year and enhanced academic
performance the following. Staffing changes may occur along the way, and
if schools do not show meaningful improvement, they could still be
closed. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxaZbInULBazOpV2M4tcpNbkfCn50ed9TMa_c2bs9Ga5Kftk_BAA9couONFFxr_ECyZkyFSaxjT4oml-n4k99ZnJ1xBSqZplzhm5MpJQhvt7REQyzqYGJkTUqSpM07zmB1cA6wIzKFRc6oe0WdssVCqgvPD0S0qBWJU8qDBxM5cSKIJOYCwTcgNc1An9JmcCNOvvwt9Rg5YJvGDUtd1aBlwIfcnP14mZGc2H_u0HdKWuEBfepeA_VSzoKktcIfEDWf6BPgPTFUVnIEuB1qNZbNrw==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<span><a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxildpKjUMqRkxiYJpET6PFVJYMj2K6gwW9BN3mZgMXr98VIq20G-VaF10_Q4vA5vnvhNgEHSeD1b6ItrQN0ySvV_y2Pj6DhhBf_PhSSpdpmjIEGscDHc97A3vNhTOtqpylU1i5abu816Y52jB_sqe3vWC35EbjrLXNhDyPUDvGu9_ktmwuQxfWQ9vbbzUWKtLWtuECO9LDJB3Ve4JLhi9Fm2cWUJvy9ZZ6fHHOdbuh-TtrOHyBwuNW7ZeuqejRiPtym7oZ7jCrkNj9FcNNNVxKiq6ST75KPXk&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">Related:</a></span><br>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>The inevitable VAM lawsuit arrives</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Sheri Lederman, a
fourth-grade teacher of 17 years for Great Neck Public Schools, is suing
New York state officials over their methods of determining she was
"ineffective," writes Valerie Strauss on the Answer Sheet blog in The
Washington Post. Lederman's students have consistently outperformed
state averages on math and English standardized tests, and her
district's superintendent has signed an affidavit that "her record is
flawless" and "she is highly regarded as an educator." Value-added
modeling (VAM), which New York uses to measure teacher contributions to
student test scores, awarded Lederman just one out of 20 possible
points. Lederman's suit alleges that New York State Growth Measures
"actually punish excellence in education through a statistical black box
that no rational educator or fact-finder could see as fair, accurate,
or reliable." In 2012-13, 68.75 percent of Lederman's students met or
exceeded state standards in both English and math; she was deemed
"effective" that year. In 2013-14, her students' results were similar,
but she was rated "ineffective." Sharon Fougner, principal of the school
where Lederman teaches, signed an affidavit that she feels awarding of
one out of 20 possible points to Lederman under VAM is "arbitrary and
capricious." If the utility of VAM falls in New York, more legal
challenges are likely in other states. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxthMQtJ2azXWEK16iAJApuObQ2zAEuWwytflWFxymZVFLv_CtkG9VfgdnvkUnJxswSYNFe4xXL76AUXHfuoKRy1ah66fzFDKTypZ0PYjgIUmeimrHmY2eHSzsjPeTyEedu6kiDj26u1rHlgMkU6fWTgfAAom-JIr2wb1rLjauCM7uqACP3oVG_6-DBLbOgfmIMbEOSd8DqkjxoURXb-us7YZNyJmSjQ3bAJMAObgYmvIj_3RkdbDAe5hYvnEvE7KiVw9vMEmK3QHreKRJjbrzZA==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<a name="aolmail_LETTER.BLOCK53"></a><table id="aolmail_content_LETTER.BLOCK53" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;padding:8px 25px 9px 25px;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top">
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Separate, equal-ish</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">If wealthy Malibu can
convince less-affluent Santa Monica, Calif. that two districts would
work better than the one they now share, it could offer a template for
others around the country that have sought independence from their
less-well-off partners, writes Kyle Spencer for The Hechinger Report.
"Separatist movements" are increasingly common as parents in mostly
white, mostly middle-class communities in and around such places as
Memphis, Salt Lake City, Baton Rouge, and Dallas have sought to splinter
from more economically and racially diverse districts. These parents
say they're eager to detach from overly bureaucratic administrations,
worry that association with schools serving at-risk students hurts
property values, desire more local control when districts are
increasingly focused on outcomes for their neediest, and are
particularly motivated by burgeoning changes in PTA fundraising
policies, which create more equitable offerings between schools with
wealthy PTAs and those without. Advocates who assist communities that
seek to leave larger, more diverse districts argue that these grassroots
separatist campaigns are democratic because they result in more
parental say in neighborhood schools. Yet so many communities around the
country are already divided along racial and economic lines: Today,
American schools are more segregated than in 1968. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxBK0yaTu6eSi5sGMWJ15lvzRsjHJh4gPg3vychvhBK8lTLlsyzqmlI_zoaz95_DyZ_ZjYPCvenF-37cHANkaFzQDZ4PiI3JbspJrrffHPo5djeoWZB-F45u47xIV-BUGsU--QDqJvDuuz8uI9v2rs1IdgLMGkgIEiuzhTxLxZRViFauT4XsZeDWjsSvyyw09-u_2osjxR1jTyHNdy3E-m-O5iprltw4VAbva5I_MvZjQ=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Rock and robots</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In a profile in Popular
Mechanics, David Howard writes that Brent Bushnell and his cofounder
Eric Gradman of Two-Bit Circus -- self-professed "giant nerds" -- aim to
make STEM more attractive to kids through their STEAM Carnival (added A
for Art), which recently debuted in a 50,000-square-foot Los Angeles
warehouse. The carny is a "Trojan horse," Howard says, for the STEM
curriculum: Lure kids with attractions they're drawn to -- robots,
interactive experiences, contests, prizes, and games -- and fill their
heads with the science they never knew they wanted to know. STEAM games
include a motion-capture mechanical bull, a laser-maze limbo, a Jacob's
ladder game that sends lightning-bolt voltage up the pole to ring the
bell, and more. Unlike traditional carny games, whose secrets are
concealed, the STEAM versions have engaging explanations of their
underlying science and technology. A curriculum for participating
schools has six weeks of hands-on learning. "There's all this crazy,
awesome stuff you can do now," Bushnell says. "In a weekend, we can
build a robot that controls [things] in outer space. If kids had a
better sense of what was possible, they would be excited about it, too.
We believe it's the new rock and roll." <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jx3RDux-PHqGJTRKnhPg4kApqcAjl-en17JqkCIh30_Yazo8HcSWfKKP6fAyp-_nmnz4XPkJb0vtsDzcuajv7uweVK1JMBM1UtMiujs8tpwlIfhEPrHp-8f5c4RHmQT6DOwuYVk1DtIFNntKl1fxB7muRmOlXz5l3_Liw7WRn19UkIHu5_BUYE0ht_t9FjK4peDhyWA0eQ5HExTCh4WRDiTMdBjX1tJwrnUB6tvp_CQxQ=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a> </div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14pt; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Early results for personalized learning</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">An interim report for a
RAND Corporation study on personalized-learning practices in the
classroom, underwritten by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
finds participating students have significantly greater gains in math
and reading over the last two years than a virtual control group of
similar students at comparable schools. The concept of personalized
learning is evolving as new models, approaches, and supporting
technologies emerge, but many of the early-adopting schools appear to
implement similar practices. Each school in the study has undertaken one
or more key, personalized-learning practices: learner profiles,
personal learning paths, competency-based progression, and/or flexible
learning environments. Two-thirds of teachers from the 23 participating
schools use learner profiles and learning plans for students, and 86
percent said they pace instruction based on student need. Teachers also
report higher expectations that translate into a change in school
culture, with more emphasis on college-going. While all 23 schools in
the interim study are public charter schools, the next stage of research
includes 29 additional charter and district schools. The report is the
first in a series of an ongoing long-term study of schools using a
variety of approaches to personalized learning to identify the most
promising and important features of these school models, and to document
challenges schools face as they implement them. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxpNrvTlUhhPeY1NjkVGhtbzLBupPy-l8qOcRvlbHZQV36B0crg_Txw09ZLjVD1JJNEFegyK76kQ8_INelf3_KcT2W5RUkggNvZgh_NL_pIoNHVin1MxdpM3KTUA3rqcLQ5D9JzBPr-nwfvYSS_1vmUEt771ey0ENayx8laVkMhaQyXajkZcxCPHA2QWmv_O8Ma6J2YLI4LDTkyQJdLSeMtHEYC5IZK4kYqCdU55CKJu0jGfkePSpZXpzqtxRga2tqZpznr3LeevKX9VLG2H53OBdngua0HmW-c24HKCZenTT0xS5iLlW4dw==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA</b></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>A question of numbers</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Substantially more students are assigned per teacher in California than in Vermont. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxEccp6GZa9G9V2xfRkH2BNSjlC0DjQy-D2pbi7ToZ_Ns7pDMn7LBqfO3nNC5dDdnVf-8b9Langp8wnToyv_2IFVhoZYn2YPcY5iJCNHwL8Sqyd0dKWa6AdPiTgBOw3ILt02UYTysDU4cPoKwnMNTkSakJL3a46nXkJ1XiuB_8MgZscPBv5K0dNx_lWcSoI1Itq25HfQVYlUDdrC3hJBioc_vbjXfM0vGn8R-fvlC3yZiiJNmHv57saYCGsF_6g3RT&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Full stop</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">LAUSD's Interim
Superintendent Ramon Cortines has ordered a hiring freeze, citing
"significant deficits" for the next two school years. <span><a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jx0algCisxs8NXJk8vuVu3YGT9pXyJS1EXXQTdyDIk84fdQ-eJgh2QfAwXm7vx3cHT2KQIv5XwCEST5KzbcoHqXU7J13Hyvvb94Emf_TepA5YFSY4pHhJ0BaQREwUsRZaWiUsevkV-5nOCqj-wB8a5X01tjVG6IKwTyjEpr9GkIKJwW07D8ziKSGgxV_ucYIluiNUv5W-sKCWtblzIUC4xoOQdlcICFy9NUYGIu6DmnXE=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Tough on needless expense</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Reductions in spending
that result from Prop 47 -- fewer non-violent incarcerations -- will go
to a fund that includes the California Department of Education. <span><a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jx9b5EzE61T1fNeBUxH-aQbhm3pfWhs0n9UuBl-VHphEBu4XQmBYvGagpmzVu4WMW9o12Le2DUx3LYUJjGjnHZ5Wcd4IAKJtsSasg_0aBcNJ0FLxXr0pToxeC0TTLQMuudaYo01rEQDCDtrFtz_LthG8bC_92Q-BSydNn4B4YDmqzPtEmvvbp_vA==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Unsafe, unsanitary</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Two years after the state took over Inglewood Unified, the district still struggles with fiscal and management problems. <span><a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxLwaIvvSOQAqGSdfZH1ndvgLdK5Xg9T68UWXSfothZ4bmlO7UsPWDWF5-9KwfaLI6_wKdLV0jOzVkW9sJa87LdZ7OorPcDMOtawQMgzl_-4DvSbq7cF_cK8JOYXuFLXuVrJeJsfF-O3FsnoTeQr0kTsDG-AsrnRMTRFyCn5gwsnLNBEQY5XqpWpyV-KiweEU4zbyQ-0rA0hm9Z930VIwGfA==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==" shape="rect">More</a></span></div>
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<div><b>BRIEFLY NOTED </b></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee5624;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Tenure stands in MO</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Missouri voters rejected
a proposed constitutional amendment to limit Missouri teacher-tenure
protections and tie educator evaluations to student performance data. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxBgKp-Pj5cukkom3PbI6FVoxbvBfOaK43Ma2VellJt6d5wSf2oNeRq5szGlPKPIpwDai5WsH4auhP4Esv-oeydnBwmhKpcjiu4z1wOa73SKMjPvqiipfCYPUlxbn9s8txn4TGtZX-48guf2uQZAFsxz75cf2nK2SEExQpZNz_hY2e3HoDbzz2WqcQVM28OKVnl2T_RjqNavu1FG0tzY9p-AQu-4k7vT85&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>A new majority</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Numbers released by the
Illinois State Board of Education in its annual school report card show
that for the first time ever, low-income children now outnumber
middle-class students in the state's public schools.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxxTaaezbt_pb63h5_xWiDbATp8Adx9FGV7D6R-Obw3WIZHtIZUK4JhbNV0KbjiSq77r-Yt-_YprsKpyvb8ZvCB6K-BMm6Or2lz2ICRw-ABBSOZEpqMpPlUsoNAqaSL7l06fHZ4WIXL1mnY0gkX_z9Y1hS_OsuHHjz21KiKNn4Iopnfwu2dNpD7DnIAvm_pdVY74JCK3wRhZGUcb4B9WD-XfIWQxkDqssKmbhM5cXzqgE=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Sounds good to them</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Indiana State Board
of Education has approved "A-F" school grades that indicate more than
half the state's 2,000-plus schools earned an "A" under the key
school-rating system, with the number of schools rating the top grade
surging nearly a third in the past three years.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxxSQYPF9g5mmGUdC9eqeJxBMnGILaBaeRzoBRqLwDgpxr6CnH1lxncuHkKyXo2uzPDN1d9XLfXYmF5n4H3QPJxPyaZmdYQjr-JUW4iom38UuW8VtChNZY4qKzIaE_vE6QvsB0IYRUL8p7aqtjxLwkJJO-f2Kh9ZMPxXZW78HDiEJqeEIxLh0uij1FxE5o3_UL&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Money ill spent</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Performance is improving
"a bit" for Louisiana students attending private schools at taxpayer
expense, but only 44 percent of those students have reached a "basic"
achievement level, and 23 of the 125 participating private schools
performed too poorly to continue enrolling new voucher students next
year.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxDtEFySaBiLpVxchb4c7lBrjEQkOv2cvTZbCdKpObFiVtBbtaLZDtXKjiVOSJOdl9zyY4QZQeXRW6PiKPiNMIaUUBnWy25S3DbSUjvF70XIPR5Q7MERLp2w4oGKX8MCqizwwm_iBjwP17TZkUsfbaMlEcgl-I7Cw-NpbvCnFsCXF6hmPD8H98-z3XYDSoLssae3Rt4OJHSTIcMUCYIF2Eh0b1d6R8CHRJLwe_a8M3WmyJ892czuvchw==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>AIR supply</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Arizona education
officials have awarded a $19 million contract to the American Institutes
for Research to develop a new set of standardized tests that students
will start taking this spring.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxC-LFSBPS2Ewe5I_MAx4I_F_YaOE9QU6ez7gvf9vY32MG-bNWZRyn-EfVObddJSK4VLga1Gz-Gtk3UkBPJyH1nxr6BKmBom3yTLKXi3Qiy0prnzNWsDVnItlq4_iAVpC1RknAy9uTCyefh--ltJAQV68V5Kgwvca5-InpBXL5x8HCY6_NG8p4EUBKTkOKdSS1YiqsqkUS9pG_CrKXlX9ukN5OnXAqvBG_&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Significant failure</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A new report finds that
two-thirds of Mississippi youngest students enter school unprepared to
learn and are well below where they should be in terms of literacy.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxSFdxscrr95RWan3CfXRa4rh45XQq0bED4jvLLiIp2bfMfm0BcdTIxnrzLeUBsBVCMP3wI68sdA9pGUP4snqPWFuqkK8484xNEqGb1REPoIncgbnVVIBiAhE2Ym3eP7qQOAcSG5ZKpaoESls2WZHQP0UmlqFLrPTDF2rmx_tdxKP9IbD0VhgOfC6vtTn__ufj&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Ready to launch</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The D.C. Public Charter
School Board has given full approval for Rocketship Education, a
California-based charter operator, to open its first school in the
District in 2016.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxuFkxYVH53mlXKFj8o7-f8nTwzf7WRTMXXOW2Uy1DZjVClZwDF_eBu0ABesIWCFIlWGs3GvHVyHQOXRbGTIl4RGp4LRjvw3XoAC89RA4L9Ojmubzfy3mp4WXXz3uYwpahYUhoRczoeftcuqmxWknKRKNOlQTJ9zYiydz-nYeAehDODSse-Mgyr25xkVTHDlDFKND3MBhtoU0G5R5omEqU_3lDgoF3ENcjR-ktYwpWKRQhdHNnQkOGhkaheb4Jdh8vcllKT1ERw9UTxR12NCuSio38wHBUZWRg1xHm3rYLvhPe2JtGiXiZ39ELDDxNVa5t0CqtCwlCy7M7tYoqX5ezeA==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Falling short</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Many teachers in private
pre-kindergarten programs in New York City are not getting paid the
salaries that Mayor Bill de Blasio promised when he laid out his vision
last spring for the massive expansion of full-day pre-k.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxHD787ZRQl-AflRu6vhNBF6liGMvdkEcTIUMYuED90NpNqnpPntzC7-ZaGNw1hln1COaGT_vJnIc-acW2hcrajlEV-DETeRsg_SvcKIjBOJSEQ8z5bWj6enF5f0nu-funFXJ29jKaP919TyUtNgCGcBBU260qcbH52NPPSFni1wVXF0a45dAqALlcd7lClV0Q&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Something amiss</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Once again, black and
Hispanic students students comprised a disproportionate share of NYC
Schools suspensions: 87 percent went to black and Hispanic pupils,
though the two groups combined make up 67 percent of all public-school
students; more than a third went to students with disabilities, double
their representation in the schools.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxS-RMBhEEkBiPe4XZqjUBrPQSW2TMrUtkKSfdRXCZPRytOFM4yYV-1NlsRmnOwyNbRRLCmFDfsz0wGirzT89iE92a8Aht1ZM7DiLHMCzRqaG507Gfo3FmkvQyOc3WlnyQPWYPY95Ng5ehIYDpmR_sN7Nlu40OofzbJKz-MmHEt-g=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Expect an appeal</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A Louisiana Supreme
Court panel has overturned a lower-court class action stemming from the
dismissal of teachers after Hurricane Katrina, a decision that for now
spares the New Orleans district and Louisiana from owing $1.5 billion in
back pay.<span> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxNVGNqn78h4vCKipN6MNvtWkw2O5a8Scxo8xXznkVsLaeqSE1aScazwqXE2CnQKY_L3TTZS0FwDPqIG-tPj9h70aK2RT3KyCoXPJv8Ums2ac308DuxhY4l7G0FWXQTRjMffAsCMhKdOkPkQQcvn6XUeFo2SyMHW069Esn0YUupu7_QitrRwN0cvBrHa1f-tA0aInWQSR1Zhw=&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></span></div>
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<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;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Each year, The Kennedy
Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards solicits
nominations from the general public and notable public figures,
providing the opportunity to submit stories about teachers and
professors who made a significant difference in their lives. Maximum
award: $10,000. Eligibility: Nominees must be legal residents of the
United States teach or have taught in a K-12 school, or college, or
university in the United States. Deadline: December 14, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWayzXiXc15Mszq5dc6pBiSZWu-bFaage7deehCfGETGkOjJPIxwNBHnDJNF-zlQOsZHvI3DC67WAD79qotLmGC6VJ-kFVFZU68wNYVGFfDnGXA0eKNyRbA7eoy0MD6xDaygl34L12GK0B_smvZwl8YXZMD21n0KfrI_NFMJu-SqR&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>The New Teacher Project: The Fishman Prize</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">The Fishman prize is an
annual award for exceptionally effective teachers working in
high-poverty public schools. Maximum award: $25,000; summer residency.
Eligibility: full-time teachers at public schools (including charter
schools) where at least 40% of all students are eligible for Free or
Reduced Price Lunch (or a Title I school). Deadline: December 16, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWe5kdAaA4aaQZMPmN9ev57Qw8QKc1wRpHZEY-2XSWKMPna7yQ-HTb5bfF8SEObSLMXzhEHgWaPeWAe3tqRtZcRCwtGNTKqPR9cmtN6avLQWVtYyE_bUG1rkpbwvYAHRVGQ==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ee4a06;"><strong>U.S. Army: eCYBERMISSION</strong></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">eCYBERMISSION is a free,
web-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics competition
in which students compete against other students in their grades for
state, regional and national awards. Teams consisting of 3-4 students
and a team advisor would work to solve problems in their community
utilizing the scientific method, scientific inquiry, or engineering
design process and can win at the state, regional and national levels.
Maximum award: $5,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds per student. Eligibility:
students grades 6 through 9 at a U.S.-based public, private or home
school, or a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school
abroad. Deadline: December 17, 2014. <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWe5kdAaA4aaQj-fduabt1QfHwz_YuXkVuqy5XHSSWTRL2WaocwDPXPgB7H6WQTYa_5jFMM1nzduuBWYCTivT-qyYRdhKA8TPzNKUXXZGLCjrERfACfxfDKwdtc2ll8Rk0RmXrLt5fHjFFxWIqV7JvAYalU0xoxXtFtjKh44b7jt06F1sVqXNEX2TC9Z5DA-c_g==&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #ff6600; font-size: 12pt;"><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;">"It's hard for me to understand what the business types and the testing types of this education debate think they won here." <strong><span style="color: #ee4a06;">- AFT President Randi Weingarten on the mid-term elections.</span></strong> <a style="color: rgb(238, 74, 6); text-decoration: underline;" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0015Cn79brFQkqCjdkAHrPHa-MKG9nOL3uSlDB0NYXio4nV3y29JrvEWSsXNRScQ0jxoa04WGx1BYToY9l9vAxQ8DpDIgklPK6c5eoHMfPKaKbtBU31VklCjQ-tRUpDmxZ2fTbvLjyz2AXMpA2-TgvnrLEL65R1u5xMEkF9AfVaaqPJ2WHbIocZnC3kKj8lTmukyhe4_b9h9YJYtQv5Ifa86HHlgpTlJis_FoBd082wMCKoFylc3TnsD_N1dv0BsUCCZ2JmKo7rlfem4HLhFuXht_Y1cdxbUC42VY2AG8P2ih8VkiYz8JjEHuysMr2_gVI-&c=G2RtH0HJ6PVWhmCI07gaKI2VwA9wuRi31YzBTMjHH-PNCckIUcksbA==&ch=-zKg6nNC1Gk_ZBfTcfCVUIygNFyMfQbKGDvPIKnPdniJrfs-ASG5Yw==">More</a></div>
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