Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast

PEN Weekly NewsBlast for May 11, 2007

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THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF MOTHERHOOD
If the typical stay-at-home mother in the United States were paid for her work as a housekeeper, cook and psychologist, among other roles, she would earn $138,095 a year, according to new research. This reflected a 3 percent raise from last year's $134,121, according to Salary.com Inc., Waltham, Mass.-based compensation experts. The 10 jobs listed as comprising a mother's work were housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, laundry machine operator, van driver, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer and psychologist. The study indicated the typical mother puts in a 92-hour work week, working 40 hours at base pay and 52 hours overtime. A mother who holds a full-time job outside the home would earn an additional $85,939 for the work she does at home. Last year she would have earned $85,876 for her at-home work. Salary.com compiled the online responses of 26,000 stay-at-home mothers and 14,000 mothers who also work outside the home. Happy Mother’s Day from Public Education Network!

SCHOOLS CANNOT DO IT BY THEMSELVES
There is little debate about the importance of community and public involvement in public schools. Years of research have shown that parent and community involvement in schools improves student achievement. When parents and the wider community work with schools, students benefit in concrete and measurable ways. Student scores on standardized tests are higher. Where civic engagement in community affairs in general is high, teachers report higher levels of parental support and lower levels of student misbehavior. In October 2006, The Education Alliance, Public Education Network and The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation released the first statewide Civic Index on quality public education. West Virginia was one of four pilots for a national Civic Index that measured the social capital and civic capacity of West Virginia and the nation. The 10 categories included in the Civic Index were developed by asking the public what they deemed crucial for a community in order to have a quality public education. The categories the public selected might surprise you. They were: education leadership of elected officials; tolerance and inclusiveness; active parents; strong civic organizations; performance data about the school/district; partnerships with higher education; knowledge of and voting for school board; active business community; youth involvement; and media coverage. This article by Becky Ceperley, president and CEO of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, published in the West Virginia Gazette, highlights findings from the civic index. As our civic organizations are looking for projects to undertake, look to your local schools. Inquire about how your organization may partner with schools. As voters, we need to make sure we ask candidates running for all public offices what their stances are on public education. We need to raise our involvement with public education to a higher level. Our relationship with public education is a highly interdependent one. We need our schools to educate our young people and stimulate our economy. Schools need our support to survive. Our schools work hard to provide a high quality education for our youth, but they can't do it alone.

STATEMENT OF ETHICS FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERS
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) has released a new code of ethical conduct for school leaders. The AASA Statement of Ethics for Educational Leaders outlines 12 key standards for school system leaders. The document affirms that the educational leader:

MAKING SURE KIDS KNOW THAT ADULTS CARE
Few lost opportunities in education result in the tragedy of the Virginia Tech murders. We have yet to learn about the lost opportunities for helping the shooter in his school experiences long before he got to Virginia Tech. That this young man could have been passed along, with the behavior he exhibited, from grade to grade in his earlier school years is incredible. Yet, it can and does happen, writes Dorothy Rich in The Sacramento Bee. In a new study on high school students and their reasons for dropping out, the traditional reasons about family issues and jobs came up. But 24 percent of the students said they had the feeling that no adults in the school cared about them. This sense of not being cared about is devastating to kids, and it should not have to happen. Caring is not only about the so-called harder things such as academic standards and testing accountability. It also is about student perceptions and feelings. And these are not soft, touchy things. These are the hard underpinnings of why schools are identified by many as the biggest disappointments in their lives. We have become so busy with the mechanisms of schooling, we forget the humanity that is basic to good education. To their credit, a number of fellow students and teachers tried to reach the Virginia Tech senior, but their efforts were not sustained, coordinated and supported. The killer's video showed very clearly that he, mistaken or not, never felt cared about as a person. Schools are really large families, with function and dysfunction. Teachers, now, most stretched to their limits, have to be given the time and resources to reclaim lost opportunities for caring. Even cool adolescents need to sense that adults care. Why is it that in the movement to reform education we keep forgetting that students' hearts, not just their minds, make all the difference in what they learn and how they perform? Teachers need to be given what it takes to reach children as individuals, and teachers need to know that caring is part and parcel of the work of education ... and that the public understands and supports this fully.

GOVERNMENT SLOW TO ADDRESS SCHOOL BUS EMISSIONS
Day in and day out, children across the U.S. are riding to school on aging buses, breathing what some activists say is a dangerous brew of pollutants up to five times dirtier than the air outside. It is a situation that Congress and many states have sought to fix in recent years. In fact, in 2005 federal lawmakers passed a measure to replace or retrofit the dirtiest diesel engines across the nation. But little has been done, reports the Associated Press. Around the country, state officials are struggling to find the money to carry out clean school bus initiatives. And Congress has yet to deliver on the $1 billion it promised over five years to help states clean up diesel fleets, including school buses. Breathing high concentrations of diesel emissions -- known as particulates -- can cause minor ailments such as headaches, wheezing and dizziness. But studies also have found the contaminants can do more serious damage. Recent studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other groups link the emissions to asthma and lung cancer. Two types of filters are available to reduce the most dangerous emissions on older buses. Diesel particulate filters -- which are installed in place of mufflers at an estimated cost of $7,500 each -- can reduce tailpipe emissions by at least 85 percent. Closed crankcase filtration systems, which go under the hood and cost $700, can reduce engine soot by about 90 percent. A bus can be fitted with one or both filters. An estimated 390,000 diesel school buses are on the road in the U.S., according to the EPA. Most newer buses were manufactured to meet stricter emissions guidelines and do not need filters. But about one-third of the nation's diesel school bus fleet, or more than 100,000 buses, were manufactured before 1990 and are big polluters, according to the EPA. Researchers say older buses also let lots of emissions enter through doors and windows. The longer the ride, the more harmful to children, they say. Congress passed the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, a bipartisan initiative that authorized $1 billion to help states clean up diesel fleets. But states have seen none of that money. The Bush administration proposed modest funding for DERA in its last two budget requests, but Congress has not acted.

THE PROMISES & PROBLEMS OF PRESIDENT BUSH’S EDUCATION POLICY
As Congress begins to consider reauthorization of the Bush Administration's 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), The Nation asked Linda Darling-Hammond, a leading education expert, to examine the law, its consequences and prospects for improving the legislation. The Nation also asked for responses from sociologist and author Pedro Noguera, longtime educator, and National Urban League vice president Velma L. Cobb and senior New York University scholar and veteran school principal Deborah Meier. As Darling-Hammond writes, "We badly need a national policy that enables schools to meet the intellectual demands of the 21st century. More fundamentally, we need to pay off the educational debt to disadvantaged students that has accrued over centuries of unequal access to quality education." As Noguera responds, "Darling-Hammond makes it clear that there are many problems associated with NCLB that have undermined the benefits it was intended to deliver. ... Despite its failings, two basic goals of NCLB remain important: Students should be educated under higher academic standards, and those responsible for educating them should be held accountable."

WHY THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IS UNSALVAGEABLE
Much of the talk in favor of the No Child Left Behind Act’s reauthorization is centered around two contentions: that the federal law needs only some tweaking to be made right, such as shifting to a "value added" or "growth" method of charting progress; and that, once tweaked, it must be fully funded to be effective. Key Democrats in Congress seem committed to a continuation of the law’s basic provisions, as do many of their Republican counterparts and the Bush administration. These proponents argue for staying the course because, they assert, left to their own devices states and districts will not push their schools to eliminate achievement gaps, or move all students to and beyond "proficiency." The intentions behind the legislation may be good, but no amount of tweaking will fix several fatal flaws. In part, these flaws are inherent in the law’s unrealistic goals, which, because they can't be met, set schools up to fail, writes Eric Schaps in Education Week. And in part, the flaws are inherent in the law’s basic strategy for realizing its goals: high-stakes testing. That strategy ignores the primary reasons for the inequities that schools are supposed to redress, and also causes collateral damage of several kinds. In this hard-hitting commentary, Schaps describes the law’s major goal of getting all students to proficiency by 2014 a "pipe dream." He also observes that requiring poorly funded districts serving needy students to somehow produce achievement levels comparable to those of the most affluent districts serving the most privileged students is nothing short of victimizing the victim. Our schools no doubt can and should improve. To do so, they need adequate time, equitable resources, and the public’s support. The No Child Left Behind Act is the wrong vehicle for facilitating such improvement, concludes Schaps. Perhaps we should return to being guided less by federal policymakers and more by local stakeholders.

STUDENTS LEARN TO THRIVE BY NOT BEING BYSTANDERS
According to a recent study, a kid's academic success may depend on whether he believes in his own ability to grow smarter. Researchers divided poorly performing middle-school students into two groups and arranged for kids in both groups to receive intense, remedial instruction. However, those in the second group also were taught to understand intelligence as an expanding opportunity, rather than an unchangeable destiny, writes Karen Utley, the mother of eight children, in the Salem (Ore.) Statesman Journal. After several months, testing revealed slightly improved scores in the first group, but soaring success among students in the second. Educators probably weren't surprised to hear that student confidence predicts scholastic achievement. Tackling the rigors of an advanced curriculum requires kids to be active, enthusiastic learners who are convinced that their intelligence can grow and that their capacity for learning is enhanced even as they learn. On the other hand, students who assume their intellectual abilities were fixed at birth approach education passively, coming to school with the attitude, appearance and expectations of detached observers. It is critical that we teach kids to redefine personal intelligence as a power they can control, and over which they have personal responsibility.

WHEN IS A SCHOOL DANGEROUS?
Under the six-year-old No Child Left Behind Act, each state must define a "persistently dangerous" school and allow parents to transfer their children out of them. But at Milwaukee's Fritsche Middle School, 187 calls to police over a recent six-month period did not make the school persistently dangerous under Wisconsin's definition. The fact that many of Milwaukee's high schools do not come close to earning the designation highlights dramatic inconsistencies in the way the federal safety provision is applied, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis shows. The analysis also found that the dangerous schools provision does little to foster accountability on school safety issues -- and could actually discourage accountability in some schools and states. Milwaukee does not have a single dangerous school, reports Sarah Carr. Neither does Chicago. Nor Boston. Nor Los Angeles. All told, 40 schools throughout the country were labeled dangerous at the start of this school year -- including nine in Philadelphia. None is in Wisconsin. The states and schools that have been the most rigorous and thorough in reporting and defining violence wind up paying a price for it. In many cases, the schools lose dozens of students to ones that are presumed to be safer.

IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP SERVING THE BEST INTERESTS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION?
Market-based education reforms are controversial with unclear outcomes regarding student achievement and service quality. Advocates for these reforms claim that overhauling entrenched public education bureaucracies is a necessary step toward providing students with better learning opportunities. However, critics worry that an increasing emphasis on entrepreneurship in education may place financial and political goals ahead of student needs. A new paper by Patrick McGuinn surveys the current policy landscape and describes how to build support for charter schools, alternative teacher certification, and supplemental education services. The author observes that even after being authorized these education reforms often face substantial barriers that limit their implementation. Policy entrepreneurs are described as essential agents of change who continue to push for desired policy outcomes. Further research is required to determine the impact of such advocacy organizations on public education.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES & TEACHER PREPARATION: ROLES, ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) announces the release of an issue paper by Tricia Coulter and Bruce Vandal that explores the expanding and evolving role community colleges are playing in teacher preparation to help meet the ongoing demand for quality teachers. The paper describes the forces shaping education policy and practice around teacher preparation, and offers suggestions on how community colleges can capitalize on their unique attributes to meet critical workforce demand in local and regional communities to positively affect the field of teacher education. Highlighted recommendations from the report include:

ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM: MAINSTREAM COVERAGE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Gregory Michie, a teacher and teacher educator for 16 years in Chicago, looks at how mainstream media reports on urban public schools, and finds that the real story is often what goes unsaid. Michie examined newspaper, magazine and television coverage about Chicago schools -- and was appalled. It was not only that the coverage was so often negative, according to his article in Rethinking Schools. More troubling was the tendency to gloss over or bury stories that deserve front page headlines or special reports. Stories often focus on the failure of an individual student or parent. Rarely do stories look in depth at questionable NCLB mandates, the lack of funding, or the sheer folly of some school policies.

MAKING SENSE OF CHARTER SCHOOL STUDIES: A REPORTER’S GUIDE
With the rush to release findings and the online availability of papers, the job of evaluating education research often falls to education reporters. The National Charter School Research Project’s latest publication, Making Sense of Charter School Studies: A Reporter’s Guide, is intended to help members of the media interpret charter school achievement studies. It provides select questions to help reporters assess the quality and applicability of a study’s findings. While the guide is catered towards studies of charter schools, it can be used to interpret other education research as well. A database of national charter school statistics, summaries of recent charter school research, and other reports from NCSRP can also be found in addition to free report downloads at the above link.

HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND AFTERMATH & SOCIAL IMPACT OF HURRICANE KATRINA
Spike Lee and HBO’s epic documentary, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," is the centerpiece of a new curriculum package that will be available this fall for high school, college and community educators. The award-winning documentary will be accompanied by a multi-disciplinary curriculum guide, "Teaching The Levees: A Curriculum for Democratic Dialogue and Civic Engagement to Accompany the HBO Documentary Film Event," published and distributed by Teachers College Press. Available free to educators, thanks to a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, the curriculum package, which includes a complete version of the documentary in a two-disk DVD set and a complementary curriculum guide, can be requested at the link below while supplies last.

SILENCE OF SCHOOL OFFICIALS PUT PARENTS AT ARM’S LENGTH
Schools nationwide are calling on parents to get involved, reports Jay Mathews in the Washington Post. The Maryland State Board of Education endorsed a broad range of family outreach initiatives in a 2005 report that called public education "a shared responsibility." Yet some Maryland parents and elsewhere have discovered limits on the get-involved policy when they ask questions about individual teachers, whether those queries are about alleged abuse of students or a decision to fire a popular instructor. School officials said they are required to hold back information because of privacy laws, union contracts and potential lawsuits. Some acknowledged that a more open policy would help families handle the repercussions of incidents involving teachers. But the officials said there is little they can do.

WHY DO TEACHERS QUIT?
A new study from the Center for Teacher Quality at California State University boldly states that bureaucracy is the single biggest reason why teachers stop teaching, even more important than pay. The researchers surveyed more than 1,900 current and former teachers in an effort to understand why 18,000 California teachers quit every year.

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"Photo, Essay and Poetry Contest Celebrates Our Sense of Wonder and Love of Nature"
To honor the late preservationist and ecologist Rachel Carson, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Generations United, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., announce a photo, essay, and poetry contest "that best expresses the sense of wonder that you feel for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife, and all that is beautiful to your eyes." In the book, The Sense of Wonder (written in the 1950s and published in a magazine in 1956), Carson used lyrical passages about the beauty of nature and the joy of helping children develop a sense of wonder and love of nature. Maximum Award: publication on the websites of EPA, Aging Initiative, Generations United, and Rachel Carson Council, Inc. Eligibility: entries must be joint projects involving a person under age 18 and a person age 50 or older. Deadline: June 15, 2007.

"Grants to Encourage Use of Outdoor Nature-based Classrooms"
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation gives grants to organizations to start or expand Nature of Learning programs in their communities. Grants support start-up expenses associated with new programs and give continued support to existing Nature of Learning programs. The Nature of Learning is the National Wildlife Refuge System’s community-based environmental education initiative that seeks to use National Wildlife Refuges as outdoor classrooms to promote greater understanding of local conservation issues; encourage interdisciplinary approaches to learning that enhance student academic achievement; use field experiences and student-led stewardship projects to connect classroom lessons to real world issues; and partner local schools, community groups, natural resource professionals and local businesses. Maximum Award: varies. Eligibility: Programs involving a partnership among a local school(s), community group (e.g., Refuge Support Group), and National Wildlife Refuge. Deadline: June 15, 2007.

"Grants to Encourage Reduction of Graffiti in the Community"
The Graffiti Hurts National Grant Program aims to help communities kick-start or add to local graffiti prevention programs. Grant funds may be used for one-time projects with the potential to reduce graffiti in the community. Maximum Award: $2,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations, including neighborhood groups, crime prevention associations, civic clubs or organizations, and other nonprofit groups; youth groups/schools; police departments or other law enforcement agencies; city, county, state and federal government agencies, or subdivisions within these agencies. Deadline: June 29, 2007.

"Staples Foundation for Learning Grants Support Job Skills and Education"
The Staples Foundation for Learning provides funding to programs that support or provide job skills and/or education for all people, with an emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: August 3, 2007.

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

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"Although social change cannot come overnight, we must always work as though it were a possibility in the morning."

 - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (minister/civil rights activist)

"So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to do work."

 - Peter Drucker (author/management consultant), quoted in "Inner Work Life: Understanding the Subtext of Business Performance" by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer in Harvard Business Review, May 2007 (Vol. 85, #5, p. 72-83), spotted in:
http://www.marshallmemo.com

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