Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast

PEN Weekly NewsBlast for July 20, 2007

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"BYE KIDS" -- WHERE TEACHERS GO IN SUMMERTIME
Ever wonder what teachers do over the long summer break? Many teachers take classes, travel on exotic exchange programs, or do fancy research, all in preparation for the coming school years. Others catch up on their reading, reports Larry Abramson for National Public Radio, or use the time to recharge their batteries.

NCLB SEEN AS CURBING LOW, HIGH ACHIEVERS’ GAINS
A new study of Chicago students suggests that the federal No Child Left Behind Act may indeed be leaving behind students at the far ends of the academic ability spectrum -- the least able students and those who are gifted. The study by University of Chicago economists Derek A. Neal and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach lends some empirical support to the common perception that schools are focusing on students in the middle -- the so-called "bubble kids" -- in order to boost scores on the state exams used to determine whether schools are meeting their proficiency targets. "The whole point is that the details of how you calculate `adequate yearly progress’ matter for how teachers will allocate their effort across students," said Mr. Neal, who presented his paper at a conference hosted by the American Enterprise Institute, reports Debra Viadero in Education Week. "Anytime you keep score by looking at the number of kids who pass some proficiency standard, that will shape whom teachers teach."

WHO NEEDS HONORS COURSES? TRY EVERYONE
The honors course was once a vital part of American high schools, respected by all. That is changing fast and many students and their parents are upset about it, writes Jay Mathews in the Washington Post. School districts are replacing honors studies with more strenuous, college-level Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate or Cambridge courses. Ambitious students who have already signed up for several of these demanding courses and are hoping to take the less terrifying honors option in some subjects find they must choose between other AP courses or rudimentary regular courses. Their parents are filling PTA e-mail lists with complaints. Some parents still fear that if their college-bound kids mix with students from the lower social strata in regular classes, they risk being robbed of their lunch money or developing an unhealthy interest in auto mechanics as a career option. In the hands of determined and talented teachers, honors classes can be as challenging as AP courses. But in many schools, Mathews has found courses with the honors label deteriorating into little more than free periods for middle-class students.

PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONALISM FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS
Today’s science educators play central roles in educating, inspiring, and guiding students to become responsible scientifically literate citizens. Therefore, it is essential that teachers of science uphold the highest ethical standards of the profession to earn the respect, trust, and confidence of students, parents, school leadership, colleagues, and other members of the community. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) establishes the following expectations and principles to guide the professional conduct of all preK–16 teachers of science, including preservice, novice, and experienced educators. Quality science instruction is an interdependent process that requires the active participation and shared responsibility of science educators, school leaders, district administrators, school boards, and parents. With this in mind, NSTA calls on science educators to accept the responsibility of conducting themselves as professionals to provide all students with the best science education possible; embrace and promote their own professional learning and growth; uphold and strengthen the public image of the profession; and, become active leaders in their schools and communities advocating for quality science education. Read all five detailed declarations in the position statement at the above link.

MINDFUL KIDS, PEACEFUL SCHOOLS
With eyes closed and deep breaths, students are learning a new method to reduce anxiety, conflict, and increase focus and attention. But don't call it meditation, writes Jill Suttie. The summer 2007 issue of Greater Good contains a profile of the growing movement to teach "mindfulness" exercises -- which draw from Buddhist meditative practices -- in schools across the country. While it may seem like an unusual trend, preliminary research suggests these exercises serve to reduce stress, behavioral problems, and symptoms of attention deficit disorders among children in school.

THE NEW TEN COMMANDMENTS OF EDUCATION
Each side of the progressivism-versus-traditionalism debate tries to advance its cause by ridiculing the other. David B. Ackerman looks beyond the caricatures and finds valid ideas on both sides that can be synthesized into a new Ten Commandments of Education: Thou shalt teach that which is of deepest value; Thou shalt teach with rigor; Thou shalt uphold standards of excellence; Thou shalt not kill time; Remember the disciplines and keep them holy (even though they are partial); Remember that children are whole people, not deficient adults; Thou shalt not try to make one standard fit all; Thou shalt not treat the mind of a child as though it were a receptacle; Honor what children bring to the text; and, Thou shalt honor the student's search for holistic knowledge.

IT'S MORE THAN CONTENT: EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS
As early childhood education continues to rise to the top of federal, state, and local policy makers’ agendas as a "tool" to improve children’s academic performance in the later grades, many researchers and experts within the field are raising cautionary flags to ensure that policy makers understand the uniqueness that exists within the early childhood years. These stakeholders want to ensure that policy makers do not simply push down K-12 education reforms for the early years. A new Early Childhood Research & Practice article investigates repackaging of the K-12 standards within early childhood education through a case study of the formulation and implementation of Wisconsin’s Model Early Learning Standards.

REACHING OUT TO DIVERSE FAMILIES
Family involvement in schools is often limited to a small group of parents who seem to do everything. Culturally diverse families may not feel they fit in at the school or have a different perspective on what it means to be involved, so they are often left out of school activities. How can schools move beyond a limited level of family involvement and encourage all families to become more active in their children's schools and education? A strategy brief from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) helps answer this question. It discusses strategies helpful to schools that want to broaden and deepen involvement beyond the traditional fundraising or party-planning activities. In "Reaching Out to Diverse Populations: What Can Schools Do to Foster Family-School Connections", author Chris Ferguson says that research has indicated that parents, regardless of their ethnicity, culture, or economic status are interested in their children's education. "They just may not know how to help their children with school matters," she says, "or they may feel like they don't have the knowledge or expertise to help their children with school work." According to Ferguson, schools can help parents become more comfortable playing a strong role in their children's education. Schools that are successful involving families are able to build on the cultural values of families and foster communication with families. Successful schools also have created an inviting environment for families and often facilitate involvement by providing transportation, translators, and other similar services. They can also help parents learn strategies to support their children's academic needs. "All schools can increase their parent and family involvement," says Ferguson. "It just takes time and innovative strategies to develop a strong, two-way relationship."

GAINING THE ARTS EDUCATION ADVANTAGE
The arts are widely accepted as one of the defining elements of any culture, community, society, or civilization. If we want to understand the values, morals, philosophies, aesthetics, and qualities of life in an historical period or geographic region (including our own), we study the arts of that time and place, according to a report from the Arts Education Partnership. If we want to contribute to the creation of our own culture in our own time, participation in the arts as creators, audience, or critics allows us an active role in the essential conversations of our communities and culture. Making art and actively appreciating the aesthetic dimensions of human creations are ways we transform our world from a random, chaotic place into a pleasing and even beautiful environment -- a profound, but possible, transformation and one sorely needed in most of our schools. ...Ironically, in most of our schools, being a teacher is often as passive as being a student. Teachers are conveyors of curriculum and assessment, not creators; they are discouraged from invention and improvisation and encouraged to stick to the 'program.' Indeed, programmed instruction is as prevalent in schools today as it has ever been. ...The arts connect schools with their communities and enable them to create powerful contexts and conditions for learning.

FULL-DAY VS. HALF-DAY PRESCHOOL: RECENT RESEARCH
The National Institute for Early Education Research report "Is More Better? The Effects of Full-Day vs Half-Day Preschool on Early School Achievement "discusses a randomized trial that compared children from low-income families in half-day and full-day public preschool programs. Results show that children attending full-day programs did better on mathematics and literacy tests than children in a 2.5 to 3-hour public preschool program and the achievement gains continued at least until the end of first grade.

WHY READING IS LIKE BASEBALL
Do your students often struggle with difficult novels and other challenging texts? Do they think one reading of a work is more than enough? Do they primarily comprehend at a surface-level, and are they frequently unwilling or unable to discover the deeper meaning found in multi-layered works? Do you feel that you are doing more work teaching the novel than they are reading it? Building on 20 years of teaching language arts, Kelly Gallagher shows how students can be taught to successfully read a broad range of challenging and difficult texts with deeper levels of comprehension. In this free chapter of her new book, Gallagher begins sharing funny, poignant, and practical ideas that work in real classrooms.

CAFETERIA PLANS
California is in the forefront of the fight against childhood obesity and in favor of good nutrition. Building on already-stringent requirements, new laws taking effect this year mandate that the food served to students and sold in on-campus vending machines must meet tighter limits on fat, sugar and calories -- even while it passes the kids’ own finicky taste tests. In the summer issue of California Schools, writer Scott LaFee reports on how nutritionists and educators are rising to the challenge with appetizing fare that’s attractively packaged and presented to students.

COMBATING THE CULTURE OF KID CANDY CONSUMPTION
Candy is everywhere, and its presence is wreaking havoc on our children's teeth and waistlines. Children are visiting the dentist with serious tooth decay at younger and younger ages every year. Obesity in children is a national concern. The following suggestions from Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller can assist you in curbing your children's candy consumption. Use them to increase the health and well being of your family:

INTERNET ACCESS IN U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS: 1994-2005
This report presents 11 years of data from 1994 to 2005 (no survey was conducted in 2004) on Internet access in U.S. public schools by school characteristics. It provides trend analysis on the percent of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access and on the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access. The report contains data on the types of Internet connections, technologies and procedures used to prevent student access to inappropriate material on the Internet, and the availability of handheld and laptop computers to students and teachers. It also provides information on teacher professional development on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum, and the use of the Internet to provide opportunities and information for teaching and learning.

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"Grants of Early Childhood Learning Programs"
The LEGO Children’s Fund will provide grants for collaborative programs, either in part or in total, to organizations that focus on early childhood education and development; technology and communication projects that advance learning opportunities; or, sport or athletic programs that concentrate on underserved youth. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. Deadline: August 1, 2007.

"Best Buy Grants for Interactive Technology Programs"
The Best Buy te@ch program rewards schools for successful interactive programs they have launched using available technology. Winning te@ch programs focus on kids using technology to learn standards-based curriculum, rather than on teaching students to use technology or educators using technology that children aren't able to use hands-on. Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: Accredited K-12 public, private, parochial, and nonprofit charter schools located within a 50-mile radius of a Best Buy store. Deadline: September 30, 2007.

"Funds for School Improvement Projects Led by Parents"
Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant program funds school improvement projects initiated by parents in recognition of the importance of parent involvement in education. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: K-12 schools (including charter, parochial, private, etc) or parent groups (associated with a non-profit K-12 school). Deadline: October 12, 2007.

"Pay It Forward Service-Oriented Mini-Grants"
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus – that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: K-12 youth. Deadline: October 15, 2007.

"NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants"
The NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants provide funds to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: practicing U.S. public school teachers, public school education support professionals, or faculty or staff at public higher education institutions. Deadline: October 15, 2007.

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

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"My belief is that if we seek to regain a semblance of control over democracy and public life -- our very community life -- than we must not make the mistake of mimicking mass culture. In doing so, we will only deepen the chasm people face, and push people farther away from the very goal they seek to achieve: a sense of coherence about the world around them, as they live in an age of hyper-fragmentation; a sense of connection to one another at a time, when people increasingly see themselves as free agents; a sense of possibility for the public good, when people are told repeatedly that they should concern themselves only with their own good. To regain control over public life, our task is to bring a decidedly civic approach to the challenge of mass culture. Then maybe people will step forward and we can harness the power of change around us."

 - Richard C. Harwood (author/advocate)
http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/rcharwood/weblog/

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