Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast

PEN Weekly NewsBlast for February 16, 2007

******************************************************************

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND AS AN ANTI-POVERTY MEASURE
This article in Teacher Education Quarterly argues that, although No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is not presented as a jobs policy, the Act does function as a substitute for the creation of decently paying jobs for those who need them. Aimed particularly at the minority poor, NCLB acts as an anti-poverty program because it is based on an implicit assumption that increased educational achievement is the route out of poverty for low-income families and individuals. NCLB stands in the place of policies like job creation and significant raises in the minimum wage which -- although considerably more expensive than standardized testing -- would significantly decrease poverty in the United States. In the article, Jean Anyon and Kiersten Greene demonstrate that there are significant economic realities, and existing public policies, that severely curtail the power of education to function as a route out of poverty for poor people. The weakened role of education in upward mobility vitiates any premise that better scores on achievement tests, and increased education, will secure for low-income folks the jobs and income they need. For more education to lead to better jobs, there have to be jobs available. Even a college degree no longer guarantees a decent job. When the federal government and the business communities rely on education to reduce poverty, the social costs of the failure of such an approach are enormous, and taxpayers shoulder the burden.

GIVE KIDS GOOD SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN CONTINUES WITH GUSTO
In five short months, the GiveKidsGoodSchools.org campaign and Give Kids Good Schools week have won national attention and reached over 60 million people nationwide through public service announcements (PSAs) and the help of concerned and caring citizens and taxpayers, like you! In 2007, this powerful public effort is building a greater groundswell and we are eager for your help in securing a quality public education for every child. Join the thousands who have already signed on to the campaign by placing your name on the Give Kids Good Schools pledge. The pledge involves a promise to get involved in local activities aimed at improving American public education. Our website includes a number of effective ways to make a difference. Visit the link below to see which involvement options work best for you or your organization. We thank you in advance for your action on behalf of kids and we look forward to working with you to help Give Kids Good Schools!!

WHAT, EXACTLY, IS PROFICIENCY?
The No Child Left Behind Act created an audacious goal for American education: by 2014 -- just seven years from now -- all children must be "proficient" in reading and mathematics. But what, exactly, is proficiency? What would it take to bring all students to that level, and what role would organizations outside of schools play? The latest issue of "Voices in Urban Education" from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform offers five perspectives on what "proficiency" looks like and how students can learn in and out of school to reach that goal. According to professor Edmund W. Gordon, "The ability to use knowledge to engage and solve problems, not just acquire knowledge, is increasingly the currency of advanced societies. The goal should be to develop such abilities in a broader range of young people." These articles suggest that there is somewhat of a consensus on what constitutes proficiency and that, in the consensus view, proficiency demands fairly high levels of ability. These abilities, writes editor Robert Rothman, are not just "a little more" than basic skills; they are qualitatively different. Achieving them takes more than simply ratcheting up teaching and learning. There is also a growing recognition that schools alone cannot accomplish this task. Affluent families already know this; children from relatively well-off families not only receive high-quality instruction in school, but also visit museums, join clubs, and engage with professionals in the workplace. Children from low-income families tend to lack these resources, so the inequalities they face in school are magnified. The challenge is to marshal the resources cities have for learning and make them more widely accessible, particularly for youths who have been poorly served in schools. Only then, with stronger support for learning in and out of school, can we move all students toward proficiency.

NCLB COMMISSION REPORT
The Commission on No Child Left Behind released its final recommendations for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The 75 recommendations in the report focus on making sure teachers and principals are effective, improving accountability measures, effective school improvement and student options, rigorous standards, and strengthening high schools. The commission’s charge was to identify the successes of NCLB as well as its challenges and problems and to develop solutions that will improve the law’s impact on raising student achievement and closing these achievement gaps. These recommendations were produced through a bipartisan independent process that included 12 public hearings and roundtables around the country and over 10,000 emails, submissions of written testimony, meetings and letters from those with thoughts on how to improve the law. Most of the commission’s recommendations can be grouped into five broad categories:

PEN STATEMENT ON NCLB COMMISSION FINDINGS
Public Education Network (PEN) is pleased that the bi-partisan Commission on No Child Left Behind has recommended much-needed improvements to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, many of which are consistent with research PEN has conducted concerning public views of NCLB. The following is a statement on the commission’s findings from PEN President and CEO Wendy D. Puriefoy: "The commission’s recommendations are a starting point for making dramatic improvements to NCLB. PEN commends the commission for its focus on improving accountability systems based on individual student progress over time, on improving data systems and on increasing support for teachers and principals. We should invest in a new accountability system that tracks and recognizes the progress of all students and teachers so that we can target help where it is needed most. The commission has recommended important steps, but we would ask that Congress do more. Congress should ensure that school improvement interventions focus on improving schools, not just punishing them for failure. Although we are pleased that the commission calls for putting more information and more rights in the hands of parents and communities, Congress should do more to make strong parent and community engagement a priority through increased monitoring, assistance and enforcement. Still, any recommendation to improve the law will not have the dramatic impact we expect if Congress does not put significant new resources behind it. Congress should act quickly to dramatically improve NCLB and fully fund it." In 2004, 2005, and 2006, PEN held a series of public hearings concerning NCLB and will soon announce a formal position on the act. PEN has a complete set of NCLB informational tools available at the above link.

WHAT MAKES A TEACHER EFFECTIVE?
When Congress reauthorizes President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law in the next year or two, lawmakers almost certainly will add provisions that allow administrators to tie many teachers' jobs to student achievement. Among recommendations issued by the Commission on No Child Left Behind, a blue-ribbon panel assembled by the Aspen Institute, a non-partisan think tank, is a call to assess teachers "by their effectiveness in raising student achievement" rather than just their qualifications. It also proposes using evaluations by principals and fellow teachers, reports Greg Toppo in USA TODAY. Under the proposal, student achievement would count for no less than half of a teacher's score. Other experts have proposed similar ideas to replace the law's teacher ratings, widely criticized as weak. The current ratings take into account only teachers' credentials: their college major or professional training and subject matter knowledge, asking, for instance, if a French teacher knows French. And even when teachers don't meet such standards, states can call them qualified anyway if teachers have taught for long enough and consistently get satisfactory evaluations. So what makes a teacher effective? And should teachers' jobs -- their careers, really -- be pinned on a couple of pages' worth of bubble answer sheets their students fill in each spring? But experts say if tying effectiveness to test scores is broadly applied to schools nationwide, it risks unfairly putting down or dismissing thousands of good teachers.

BEYOND THE BAKESALE: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS
This innovative guide reveals how to build strong collaborative relationships and offers practical advice for improving interactions between parents and teachers, from insuring that PTA groups are constructive and inclusive to navigating the complex issues surrounding diversity in the classroom. Written for educators as well as parent and community leaders, this book is packed with tools to engage families in ways that will improve student achievement. Anne Henderson, Karen Mapp, Vivian Johnson and Don Davies pack this one-of-a-kind volume with tips from principals and teachers, checklists, and an invaluable resource section. You can read excerpts at the above link.

AMERICA’S PERFECT STORM: THREE FORCES CHANGING OUR NATION’S FUTURE
Our nation is in the midst of a perfect storm, according to ETS researchers -- and the forecast is grim -- unless we invest in policies that will change our perilous course. A new report from ETS's Policy Information Center looks at the convergence of three powerful sociological and economical forces that are changing our nation's future: substantial disparities in skill levels (reading and math); seismic economic changes (widening wage gaps); and sweeping demographic shifts (less education, lower skills). There is little chance that economic opportunities will improve among key segments of our population if we follow our current path. To date, educational reform has not been sufficient to solve the problem. National test results show no evidence of improvement over the last 20 years. Scores are flat and achievement gaps persist. Hope for a better life -- with decent jobs and livable wages -- will vanish unless we act now. We must raise our learning levels, increase our reading and math skills and narrow the existing achievement gaps, or these forces will turn the American Dream into an American Tragedy -- putting our nation at risk.

DARING TO LEAD 2006: NATIONAL SURVEY OF NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Nearly 2,000 nonprofit executive directors in eight cities completed the survey for Daring to Lead 2006, a joint project of the Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. Among the major findings: Three quarters don't plan on being in their current jobs five years from now, and nine percent are currently in the process of leaving. Frustrations with boards of directors and institutional funders, lack of management and administrative support, and below-market compensation add stress to a role that can be challenging even in the best circumstances.

STUDENT ART FEATURED IN ANNUAL LOCAL EDUCATION FUND SHOWCASE
A panel of judges selected winners this week in the 14th annual Gifts of Gold art show. Ninety Wake County (N.C.) students from 70 schools showcased their artistic abilities in the competition, which serves as the visual arts component of Pieces of Gold, the annual performing arts extravaganza produced by Wake Education Partnership, a local education fund, and the Wake County Public School System. Wake County art teachers were each encouraged to submit one piece of 2-D or 3-D student art to be honored in the showcase, which will be featured in a public exhibit. Images of the winning artwork and a complete list of student participants can be found at:

SCHOOL UNIFORMS: THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH
The basic argument for adopting school uniforms is that merely a change of clothes will bring about desired behavioral and academic student outcomes. That a uniform transforms individuals appears to be at the heart of the argument. But, does just wearing a uniform bring about changes in behavior? Student behavioral change, school cultural change, and higher achievement, all for little to no cost, must be the holy grail of school remedies, writes Todd A. DeMitchell in Teachers College Record. But, will the bromide of only a change of clothes bring about these desired outcomes? Are school uniforms a real remedy for the thorny problems that beset our public schools or are they just a placebo that masks the heavy lifting that real achievement and school cultural change require? If wearing a school uniform brings about behavioral changes and enhanced academic achievement, should we require that teachers and principals also wear the same uniform? Or, does the magic of a uniform only work for students?

THE RIGHT TO AN EDUCATION
Education, "that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations", is one of the most critical issues in any society. How we raise our children reflects our values and beliefs and affects what our nation will become. It is vital to the preservation of our liberty, in fact. But is it a right? On what basis is education considered a right? According to the blog "Principled Discovery" the conclusion that education is a right and thus must be provided by the state is a poorly constructed argument. Such arguments are not going to serve our children well as we enter a new age of federal control and direction in education. Rights imply responsibility on the part of the individual, not society. The only role the government should have in regards to our basic rights is in securing them. If one’s life, liberty or property is endangered by another human being, it is the proper role of civil government to prosecute those individuals accordingly. It is not, however, the responsibility of civil government to maintain our health or guarantee us a certain standard of living. Nor is it the responsibility of civil government to guarantee citizens a minimum standard of education or define exactly what constitutes an education. Thanks to Alexander Russo at www.ThisWeekinEducation.com for pointing the NewsBlast to the article.

HOKEY POKEY OR HANKY PANKY?
Freak dancing. Dirty dancing. Bumping and grinding. It doesn't matter what the kids call it these days. What does matter to hundreds of Gig Harbor High School students is that administrators cut short a campus dance last weekend and have suspended dances for the rest of the year, at least temporarily. The promiscuous behavior came to a boiling point Saturday at Gig Harbor High’s dance, which the school estimates drew about 700 students. Principal Greg Schellenberg said the sexually suggestive moves started with a few teens, then quickly spread even after administrators warned they would send everybody home. With a sense that he was losing control of the crowd, Schellenberg stopped the dance about 10 p.m., with more than an hour left. Some students criticized the decision because it also punished those who followed the rules. Many teens spent hundreds of dollars on tickets, semi-formal attire, dinner, corsages and other expenses related to the ritual of adolescence, reports Brent Champaco for the Tacoma News Tribune. Gig Harbor is one of the few schools where administrators have stopped an event because of risque dancing, but it is hardly the first to tackle the issue. Some adults can remember their high school dances, when they had to face their partner and stand a minimum distance apart. Conflicting inter-generational morals were captured in movies such as "Footlose" and "Dirty Dancing" before today’s crop of teens was even born. But over the past decade, pop culture loosened its standards on sexual taboos. Images of bumping and grinding in large crowds now appear regularly in movies, music videos and on the Internet.

STARTING OFF RIGHT: DC VOICE READY SCHOOLS PROJECT
The Ready Schools Project (RSP) is a major initiative of DC VOICE, a local education fund. The initiative collects hard data about the conditions needed for quality teaching and learning and shares it with policymakers and the public. A new report, "Starting Off Right 2006: From Transition to Implementation" is the result of confidential interviews with principals in the 38 schools. The report looks at four areas -- Recruitment and Hiring; Professional Development; Teaching and Learning Conditions; and Facilities. School principals continue to report insufficient communication and support from the central office. They are frustrated in their efforts to obtain information that helps them better manage their schools and allows them to focus more on instructional leadership. Some principals find it easier to avoid approaching the central office at all. Many would like more budget and decision-making authority at the local school level. After reviewing data collected over three years, major improvements are seen in human resources, professional development, and some procurement services. Need for greater improvement in facilities repair and maintenance is urgently highlighted.

TEACH FOR AMERICA SETTING SIGHTS ON PRE-K
Founded in 1990 by then-college student Wendy Kopp, the Teach for America has prepared 17,000 teachers through a program that includes an intensive summer training course and four weeks of student teaching. Teach For America occasionally has had its recruits assigned to prekindergarten in the past, reports Linda Jacobson in Education Week. But last summer was the first time the organization specifically trained recruits to work in public pre-K classrooms. That move reflects both a growing demand for early-childhood teachers and a demand from TFA corps members themselves, according to Catherine Brown, the director of Teach For America’s early-childhood initiative. Over the years, she said, participants assigned to higher grades have often said of their students, "‘If only I could have gotten to them younger.’"

TEN BEST ONLINE FUNDRAISING RESOURCES OF 2006
The Gilbert Center has selected the ten best resources related to online fundraising. Particularly interesting is the link to "Ten Ways to Fail at Email" and a link to Seth Godin's latest free eBook called "Flipping the Funnel". It's a clear and compelling description of the three stages of fundraising (or marketing):

NEW SCHOOL BLENDS BOOK LEARNING & CONSTRUCTION TRAINING
Jordan Koster, 17, is one of 52 students in Construction Career Academy, a school within a school that sets students on a path to become anything from bricklayers to electricians to experts in computer-aided design. The academy, the first of its kind in Wisconsin, launched at Burlington in the fall of 2005, reports Dani McClain in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. What makes the Burlington program more than a series of souped-up shop classes is its commitment to integrating academics into the hands-on work, said Arlo Ketchpaw, a teacher who has written the curriculum for the English component. Students enter the academy in their sophomore year and take required college-prep work alongside the tailored curriculum, which includes academy-only sections of economics and U.S. history. The Burlington program may be just the answer to lagging work-force development in Racine County, where nearly a third of the population ages 18 to 24 lacks a high school diploma or GED. Three nearby counties will be home to more than 1,600 new construction jobs between 2002 and 2012.

NEW LEADERS FOR NEW SCHOOLS APPLICATION DEADLINE APPROACHING
New Leaders for New Schools promotes high academic achievement for every child by attracting, preparing and supporting the next generation of outstanding leaders for our nation’s urban public schools. This year we are seeking over 130 highly motivated individuals nationwide and the final application deadline is rapidly approaching! If you are interested in becoming an urban public school principal, we encourage you to apply. The application deadline for Baltimore, California's Bay Area, Chicago, Memphis, Milwaukee, New York City, and Washington, DC is March 1, 2007. In addition, New Leaders is thrilled to announce New Orleans and Prince George’s County, Maryland as their newest program sites. The application deadline for these two sites ONLY is March 20, 2007. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please contact Margot Lowenstein at mlowenstein@nlns.org, call 646-792-1054, or visit the above link.

|---------------GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION--------------|

"Grants to Improve Teen Driver Safety"
State Farm and the National Youth Leadership Council are sponsoring Project Ignition, which funds programs that give high school students and their teachers the chance to work together to address the issue of teen driver safety. Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: students grades 9-12. Deadline: April 15, 2007.

"Prize for Young Heroes Who Help Communities and Protect the Environment"
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes honors outstanding young leaders who have focused on helping their communities and fellow beings and/or on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment. Maximum Award: $2,000. Eligibility: youth 8-18. Deadline: April 30, 2007.

"Grants to Improve Technology Resources"
AT&T Excelerator Grants helps nonprofit organizations better serve their communities by improving technology resources, including hardware, software and networking tools. These grants also fund resources, such as Internet access and computer training, to assist organizations with various programs aimed to increase educational learning and job skills development. Maximum Award: $50,000. Eligibility: nonprofit organizations located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Deadline: May 4, 2007.

"Community Improvement Grants from Hamburger Helper"
Hamburger Helper is looking to lend a helping hand to neighborhoods nationwide with its "My Hometown Helper" grant program. Individuals from communities and organizations across America can submit a written essay of 250 words or less describing how the "My Hometown Helper" grant would help improve their community project. Maximum Award: $15,000. Eligibility: Requests for funding must be sponsored by a municipal or civic organization or public school. Deadline: May 31, 2007.

For a detailed listing of EXISTING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES (updated each week), visit:
http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"Teachers aspire to teach well, but reaching this commendable goal is not always easy. Striving for it requires strength, energy, and might, as well as the vital ability to influence others, especially the students. First-rate teachers have the inner traits and influential abilities needed and use them together with well-thought-through teaching strategies. They dare to be powerful in their pursuit of excellence, and to use their strengths to benefit their students. With such tremendous influence, though, comes much responsibility. What if we teach a concept incorrectly? What if we inadvertently ‘turn a student off’? What if we say something that a child misconstrues and takes as an insult or personal attack? How can we possibly say the right things and act in the right ways all the time? It is not uncommon for even the best of educators to second-guess their abilities, cross-examine their weaknesses, and critically judge their capabilities as teachers."

 - Kathy Paterson (author/educator), "55 Teaching Dilemmas: Ten Powerful Solutions to Almost Any Classroom Challenge"
http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/8191fm.pdf

|---------------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 Public Education Network, a national association of 86 local education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income communities nationwide.

There are currently 45,095 subscribers to the PEN Weekly NewsBlast. Please forward this e-mail to anyone who enjoys free updates on education news and grant alerts. Some links in the PEN Weekly NewsBlast change or expire on a daily or weekly basis. Some links may also require local website registration.