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Public Education Network Weekly
NewsBlast |
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PEN Weekly NewsBlast for June 20, 2003
"Public Involvement. Public Education. Public Benefit."
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MONEY MATTERS: A REPORTER’S GUIDE TO SCHOOL FINANCE
Understanding school finance has never been more
important as states, counties and cities face staggering budget deficits.
With this in mind, the Education Writers Association (EWA) has published a
new guidebook for reporters, political leaders and school reform advocates.
The guide highlights state-level reforms that have sought to correct the
disparities in funding among school districts. It also explores a
significant new trend in school finance. While the equitable distribution of
money remains a concern, a new concept called "educational adequacy"
increasingly is serving as the underpinning in school finance court cases
and legislative decision-making. Educational adequacy emphasizes how much
money is needed to reach certain educational outcomes, such as graduation
rates or passage rates on tests. The overriding goal is to provide every
student the resources they need to succeed, rather than to ensure that all
students have equal funding. For those new to education, the report explains
the basics of school finance and has a helpful glossary of terms. It
features a comprehensive list of active school finance court cases across
the country and profiles two cases involving North Carolina and New York
with contrasting definitions of what a "sound basic education" means. The
report also includes key finance data for all the states and a list of
expert sources with contact information.
http://www.ewa.org/offers/publications/
KEYS TO EFFECTIVE REFORM PARTNERSHIPS
Many school districts are turning to external
reform partners to meet mounting pressures from federal and state agencies
and from their communities to improve student results. But these
partnerships will only be effective if districts establish the conditions
that make them work for schools and communities, according to a new study
commissioned by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. "Reforming
Relationships: School Districts, External Organizations, and Systemic
Change," by Robert A. Kronley and Claire Handley, is a study of the
relationships between "reform support organizations" (RSOs) -- a range of
public, quasi-public, private for-profit, and private nonprofit
organizations -- and the school districts they partner with in systemic
reform. The report introduces the term "reform support organization" to
describe the range of groups that work with school districts. This term is
offered as a replacement for "intermediary," which researchers have found
inadequate to encompass the depth and breadth of external organizations that
help foster education reform. The study found that reform partnerships work
best when the school superintendent's vision drives the relationship and
when the superintendent involves a range of stakeholders -- including the
school board, teachers' unions, and the community -- to support the reform
goals. Superintendents also need to empower district staff to help manage
the reform and to work with the reform support organization to implement
changes, the report found.
http://www.schoolcommunities.org/new/RR_pr.html
IMAGINATION & MIDDLE SCHOOL REFORM
"If we are honest about the cultures of most
schools and most school systems, they downplay imagination, particularly
among adults," Hayes Mizell told the Middle School Leadership Team of the
Corpus Christi Independent School District recently. In fact, Mizell said,
"many educators constantly seek more specific direction so they will not
have to use their imaginations. They want principals, central office and
state department of education staff, and policy makers to tell them exactly
what to do, perhaps because they want others to be accountable for results,
or lack of them." Mizell reminded the audience that "Only when educators
imagine how their students can learn and perform at higher levels, and only
when educators imagine how they can change their practice to achieve that
result, is there hope for learning that energizes both teachers and
students."
http://www.middleweb.com/HMcreativity.html
CHARTER SCHOOLS: QUALITY UNEVEN, DESPITE
POPULARITY
The District of Columbia's experiment with charter
schools has proved hugely popular with parents, but the schools vary widely
in quality and have yet to demonstrate that they are doing better than the
city's regular public schools in raising student achievement. Visits to the
39 D.C. charter school campuses, reports from monitoring agencies,
interviews with educators and a review of student test results indicate that
the schools' overall record is uneven. Some charter schools have hired
talented principals and teachers, chosen effective curriculums and set high
standards for students. Others have brought in untrained instructors,
misspent money and failed to adopt a sound academic program. "It's a real
mixed lot," said Jeffrey R. Henig, a professor of political science and
education at Columbia University's Teachers College who has studied charters
in the District. "Some of them probably are doing a better job than the
schools from which they're drawing families...Some school leaders and some
teachers are younger and more enthusiastic and are possibly forging better
relationships with the kids. But a lot of them are quite amateurish and are
doing a bad job." In a two-part series, Justin Blum and Jay Mathews explore
why contrary to the predictions of many charter school advocates, the
vigorous competition from charters has not forced improvements in the
regular public school.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11150-2003Jun18.html
STATES GET LEEWAY TO MEET EDUCATION LAW
The Bush administration has allowed the states
some wiggle room to meet the sweeping federal No Child Left Behind education
requirements, including tactics that may help schools avoid being dubbed
"failing," education officials said. With much fanfare, President Bush
announced June 10 that all 50 states' "accountability" plans had won federal
approval. These plans, which vary widely, describe how states will ensure
all students are proficient in math and English by 2013-14.
http://www.stateline.org/story.do?storyId=310792
EDUCATOR MARKS 30 YEARS OF HELPING
STRUGGLING KIDS
After spending 30 years helping educate
underachieving, homeless and incarcerated children, Donald Felder is
retiring as principal of Seattle's Interagency Academy. But he still has a
lot of work to do. Felder plans to travel to schools in Canada, Australia
and South Africa to look at the relationship of poverty and education. He
hopes to return to Interagency in another capacity in the future. Felder
says that in the U.S., poverty is often used to explain lack of achievement,
while in some countries it is more likely to encourage people to seek
education. "Poverty isn't an issue in the poorest of countries when it comes
to education, but it's an excuse here (in the U.S.)," Felder said. "Why do
people in poverty in these countries promote education to escape it? That's
a dichotomy worth exploring." When he first was hired as a teacher,
Interagency Academy was nothing more than a two-story school with an
enrollment of 40 students. Some had behavioral problems or were in jail, on
parole or on probation. They were labeled as "unteachable" and "bad." "We
never believe we've had one 'bad' child in 30 years," Felder said.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/135019141_principal18m.html
"QUALITY MATTERS" SHOWS EFFECTIVE USE OF
SCHOOL FUNDS
The Wake County Public School System effectively
manages taxpayers’ money, while making steady gains in achievement with
limited funding, according to an annual report on school funding by Wake
Education Partnership, a local education fund. "Quality Matters 2003: A Wake
Community Review of the Public’s Schools" is the third annual financial
study conducted by the School Finance Committee, an independent group of
community and business leaders convened by Wake Education Partnership. "The
School Finance Committee concluded that the system has done an excellent job
of managing the funds they have been allocated," said Valerie Brown.
"Student achievement is at unprecedented levels across all sub-groups and
grade levels, while per pupil spending continues to be less than most school
systems examined in our report. However, additional funding is required for
the Wake County Public School System to continue achieving the goals set by
the community."
http://www.wakeedpartnership.org/Research&Reports/index.html
WHEN IS IT OKAY FOR A TEACHER TO JUMP SHIP?
When the principal in Heather Migdon's
dysfunctional school asks her how long she plans to stay, "I reply to her
concerns with the only honest sentiment I can muster -- that I plan to
dedicate my life to fighting for these children... These children who prove
the promise of a quality public education to be a lie." Heather asks
herself, and us, her readers, "Is it possible to love teaching and yet hate
your school? Can I spend months bemoaning the substandard conditions at my
school and end up providing my resignation as my only solution? When is it
okay to jump ship?"
http://www.middleweb.com/mw/msdiaries/02-03wklydiaries/HM16.html
WHY THE TEACHER CRISIS IS WORSE THAN YOU
THINK
A new book by two veteran teachers and school
reformers argues that school reform initiatives will continue to fail until
we address the critical problem of the quality of teaching. Instead of
blaming teachers, the book shows how teachers are caught in a three-armed
vortex that makes their jobs nearly impossible. First, teaching fails to
draw enough academically able students. Second, our system prepares those
less able students poorly for the job. Third and perhaps, most important,
the professional life new teachers enter is isolating, unsupportive, and
destructive of certain kinds of excellence and creativity. They dramatically
conclude that we need a radical overhaul of teacher training or educational
disaster awaits. Read the introduction and first chapter for free at:
http://www.yale.edu/yup/chapters/097417chap.htm
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION MEANS LEARNING
SUCCESS
Every child should succeed. Every child should
learn. But in Pennsylvania today, 43 percent of fifth-graders aren't
proficient in reading, and 47 percent aren't proficient in math. They
struggle with books and falter over equations. Through no one's fault but
our own, writes Joan Benso, they will not move Pennsylvania toward a
momentous mandate from the federal No Child Left Behind Act -- that 100
percent of students achieve reading and math proficiency by 2014. The
children who don't measure up aren't easily segregated into the so-called
worst school districts, either. In nine Pennsylvania school districts out of
10, at least 20 percent of fifth-graders aren't proficient in reading or
math. One of the answers is early childhood education, in proposals now
before the state legislature to fund pre-kindergarten, full-day kindergarten
and small class sizes in the early grades. State voters want their lawmakers
to commit to kids. Three-quarters support pre-kindergarten investments and
ending our reliance on local property taxes to fund education. Even in times
of economic uncertainty, voters support help for children, but they also
want to see their tax dollars spent well, on programs that yield results.
Quality early childhood education fills that bill. It is research-based,
with proven results. We know the best ways to implement it, with voluntary
participation, strong parental involvement, community planning, qualified
teachers and standards. Children with quality early childhood education get
better grades and test scores, and are likelier to graduate from high school
and avoid delinquency.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/6052785.htm
HEAD START’S CLOUDY FUTURE
There's seldom been a moment in its 38-year
history when the federal Head Start program, devised to better prepare
low-income children for school, hasn't been under attack of some kind. Jimmy
Carter tried to shuttle it from one department to another during his
presidency; Ronald Reagan cut it in half during his. Fiscal conservatives
always railed against it, and governors have never liked the way its funding
stream completely passes them by. But perhaps there's never been a moment
quite as troubled as the current one, writes Marjorie Coeyman. Legislation
recently introduced by House Republicans, based on recommendations from the
Bush administration, suggests large-scale changes for Head Start, which
serves almost a million children with a budget of approximately $6 billion.
Perhaps most disconcerting to program advocates is a drive to move Head
Start away from concern with a child's many needs -- not just academic, but
social, emotional, and physical -- to a much tighter focus on teaching early
reading and math skills. Studies done of the long-running program present
conflicting results. Various well-documented studies indicate that children
who participate in Head Start demonstrate better reading and math skills,
are less likely to fail a grade or need special education, and are more
likely to finish school. Yet other studies have shown either no particular
academic benefit to Head Start participation or an early academic "boost"
that fades with passing years.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0617/p13s01-lepr.html
DEMANDING DATA & INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLIC
EDUCATION
For more than a decade, numerous reports have
called attention to serious and persistent problems with the availability,
reliability, and credibility of information about elementary and secondary
education in the District of Columbia. The D.C. State Education Office (SEO)
has asked for information on how states handle these challenges, and it has
called for input by the public about what would be considered reliable
information for all stakeholder groups in the community -- students,
parents, educators, policy makers, and researchers alike -- so they each can
make sound judgments about the quality of local education. This report was
prepared by members of the DC VOICE education reform collaborative, the
Public Education Research Consortium, and The George Washington University.
Researchers asked students, parents, teachers, and policy makers: What
information do you need about education? How do you want to get education
information? What obstacles are there to getting education information?
Findings suggest that a wide range of citizens want school report cards,
which would include information on standardized achievement tests and other
measures of student outcomes, student and school characteristics for each
school, and comparisons with other schools or district totals. The second
most requested type of reporting concerns teacher-quality issues, such as
certification and qualification information. Other reports requested include
a financial report that includes district- and school-level information, an
annual review to determine how the State Education Office is meeting its
goals, an annual enrollment report, an annual report of school-level program
information, and an annual report on the status of special education in the
District.
http://www.dcvoice.org/research/research.html
URBAN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP IS LAUNCHED
One of the nation’s largest local education funds,
the Los Angeles Educational Partnership -- at the forefront of the school
reform movement locally and nationwide for almost 20 years -- has changed
its name to Urban Education Partnership, announced President and CEO Susan
Way-Smith. "Due to our national reach and depth of expertise in urban
education, we wanted a simple, straightforward name that describes what we
do," Way-Smith said. "We believe the name Urban Education Partnership
reflects our values and commitment to making a positive difference in
America's urban schools." Founded in 1984, Urban Education Partnership has
had a long and impressive history of developing, testing and implementing
effective teaching and learning strategies. Its mission is to help students
in high-need schools improve their academic achievement by partnering with
educators, parents and the community.
http://www.urbanedpartnership.org/
THE PROBLEM WE ALL LIVE WITH
History has a way of sneaking up on us, writes Reg
Weaver. It is hard to believe that the 50th anniversary of the Brown v.
Board of Education decision -- the landmark ruling mandating racial equality
and equal opportunity in education -- will take place less than a year from
now on May 17, 2004. It has been half a century since Supreme Court Justice
Earl Warren shattered the status quo with his words: "In these days, it is
doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he
is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity must be made
available to all on equal terms." But today children in our country are
still exposed to vastly different and unequal educational opportunities
simply by accident of birth and place of residence. The harsh realities of
separate and unequal education persist. In fact, as a result of segregated
schools and substandard facilities, overcrowded classrooms and uncertified
teachers, outdated books and underfunded budgets, millions of children are
being denied a quality education. Our celebration of the Brown decision will
be a hollow one if we do not insist that our elected officials put an
immediate end to the inadequate and unequal funding of public schools that
serve poor children. The richest nation in the world can afford to provide
every child with a quality public education. And if our elected officials
refuse to honor the fundamental right of all children to a quality public
education -- one that is adequately and equitably funded -- then we will
have to do what our brothers and sisters did in the 1950s and 1960s. We will
have to sound a call to action.
http://www.nea.org/columns/rw030611.html
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"Summer Contests for Teachers and Students"
Sponsored by the Houghton Mifflin Company, the 8th annual
summer contests begin on June 25. The KidViews and Brain Teasers challenges
for kids and the TeacherViews contest for K-8 educators will run for eight
weeks.
http://www.eduplace.com/summer/
"Advanced Placement Incentive Program Grants"
The U.S. Department of Education makes 3-year competitive
awards to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, or
national nonprofit educational entities with expertise in providing advanced
placement services. Grants must be used to expand access for low-income
individuals to Advanced Placement programs. Funds from the program permit
States and local educational agencies to give more low-income students the
opportunity to take Advanced Placement classes and participate in other
challenging programs. Eligible activities include: teacher training,
development of pre-Advanced Placement courses, coordination and articulation
between grade levels to prepare students for academic achievement in
Advanced Placement classes, books and supplies, and participation in online
Advanced Placement courses. Application deadline: July 3, 2003.
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OII/portfolio/ap.html
"VSA Arts Playwright Discovery Teacher Award"
New in 2003, the VSA arts Playwright Discovery Teacher
Award was established to recognize teachers in middle and high schools who
creatively bring disability awareness to their classrooms through the art of
playwriting. This new award is an extension of the VSA arts Playwright
Discovery Award, wherein students are invited to take a closer look at the
world around them, examine how disability affects their lives and the lives
of others, and express their views by writing a one-act play. A panel of
theater professionals and educators will select one middle or high school
teacher for this award. The selected teacher will receive national
recognition, funds to purchase playwriting resources for the classroom, and
a trip to Washington, D.C. to be honored at The Kennedy Center. Nomination
deadline: July 1, 2003.
http://www.vsarts.org/programs/pdp/rules_pdta.html
"School Funding Services Grant of the Week"
Each week School Funding Services, a division of New
American Schools, features a new grant on their website. This week they
highlight the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, Inc. Grant. This
national grant supports nonprofits dedicated to assisting children, and
grants typically range from $1,500 to $70,000, with an average of $22,000.
More specifically, the Foundation’s primary focus is on projects that
involve the dissemination of knowledge -- using such tools as a Web site, a
pamphlet, or other communication materials -- about new and innovative
organizations, as well as well-established organizations and/or their
programs designed to benefit youth.
http://www.schoolfundingservices.org/newsViewer.asp?docId=2546
"GrantsAlert"
GrantsAlert is a newly created website that helps
nonprofits, especially those involved in education, secure the funds they
need to continue their important work.
http://www.grantsalert.com/
"Grant Writing Tips"
SchoolGrants has compiled an excellent set of grant
writing tips for those that need help in developing grant proposals.
http://www.schoolgrants.org/grant_tips.htm
"FastWEB"
FastWEB is the largest online scholarship search
available, with 600,000 scholarships representing over one billion in
scholarship dollars. It provides students with accurate, regularly updated
information on scholarships, grants, and fellowships suited to their goals
and qualifications, all at no cost to the student. Students should be
advised that FastWEB collects and sells student information (such as name,
address, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, and country ofcitizenship)
collected through their site.
http://www.fastweb.com/
"Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)"
More than 30 Federal agencies formed a working group in
1997 to make hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources
easier to find. The result of that work is the FREE website.
http://www.ed.gov/free/
"Fundsnet Online Services"
A comprehensive website dedicated to providing nonprofit
organizations, colleges, and Universities with information on financial
resources available on the Internet.
http://www.fundsnetservices.com/
"Department of Education Forecast of Funding"
This document lists virtually all programs and
competitions under which the Department of Education has invited or expects
to invite applications for new awards for FY 2003 and provides actual or
estimated deadline dates for the transmittal of applications under these
programs. The lists are in the form of charts -- organized according to the
Department's principal program offices -- and include programs and
competitions the Department has previously announced, as well as those it
plans to announce at a later date. Note: This document is advisory only and
is not an official application notice of the Department of Education.
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCFO/grants/forecast.html
"eSchool News School Funding Center"
Information on up-to-the-minute grant programs, funding
sources, and technology funding.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/funding/
"Philanthropy News Digest-K-12 Funding Opportunities"
K-12 Funding opportunities with links to grantseeking for teachers,
learning technology, and more.
http://fdncenter.org/funders/
"School Grants"
A collection of resources and tips to help K-12 educators
apply for and obtain special grants for a variety of projects.
http://www.schoolgrants.org
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Schools are being forced to focus on what's tested versus what's
important, and the civic soul of public education is being further eroded.
To remedy this, education must include a very serious civic component...one
that promotes adhering to a set of civic-minded values and acting upon those
values...one that doesn't just teach 'civics,' but strives to develop
engaged citizens."
-Terry Pickeral, executive director, National Center for Learning and
Citizenship |
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===========PEN NewsBlast==========
The PEN Weekly NewsBlast is a free e-mail newsletter featuring school reform
and school fundraising resources. The PEN NewsBlast is the property of the
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Howie Schaffer
Managing Editor
Public Education Network
601 Thirteenth Street, NW #900N
Washington, DC 20005
www.PublicEducation.org
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