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READING FIRST NOT WORKING PERFECTLY, FEDERAL STUDY INDICATES
Created under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the Reading First
program provides assistance to states and districts in using
research-based reading programs and instructional materials for
kindergarten through third grade students. NCLB also requires that
an evaluation of the program be conducted to determine if the
program influences teaching practices, mastery of early reading
components and reading comprehension. The Institute of Education
Sciences has done this analysis and found that Reading First did
have positive, statistically significant impacts on total class time
spent on the five essential components of reading instruction
promoted by the program. However, the study also found that, on
average, Reading First did not have statistically significant
impacts upon student reading comprehension test scores in grades one
through three. So, basically the much touted program has had no
positive effect on students' reading comprehension -- students in
schools receiving grants to implement the program did about the same
as their peers in comparison schools in reading comprehension.
HOW EARLY SHOULD EDUCATION START?
Recent research on early childhood development is inspiring
prominent scientists and politicians to argue for an unprecedented
investment in schooling that begins virtually at birth, reports
Jeremy Mainer for the Chicago Tribune. However, as decades of
studies on brain development are explored, experts have become
divided on where best to focus attention. In fact, many experts now
believe some policies popular with politicians (universal
pre-kindergarten) may not reach at-risk kids at a young enough age.
Still, universal pre-K supporters say the evidence for earlier
interventions is not yet solid, while offering conventional pre-K to
everyone would help foster support for more early interventions.
Nevertheless, in theory, starting to intervene soon after birth
should help kids more because that is when experience shapes brains.
Children's brains change more between conception and kindergarten
than at any other time. According to several studies, connections
between cells in most brain areas peak by age three, then decline
gradually as experiences mold the brain's circuitry. This doesn't
mean the age zero to three period is a magical and irreplaceable
window, but studies demonstrate that babies raised in poverty get
fewer of the early experiences that spur vocabulary growth and good
social judgment. For example, in the Abecedarian Project, a 1970s
enrichment program in North Carolina that enrolled 111 low-income
African American infants, program participants did better on reading
and math tests, were more likely to attend college and were less
likely to have babies at an early age than others.
COLLEGE SUMMIT ADDRESSES THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACCESS GAP
It is undeniable that low-income students face a harsh reality
when it comes to post-secondary education. In fact, only seven
percent of low-income kids earn a college degree by the age of 25,
and college going rates for the highest achieving low-income
students are equivalent to those of the lowest achieving more
affluent kids. Recently "NOW on PBS" aired a year-long investigation
of a program trying to level the college access/attainment playing
field. College Summit, which has worked in partnership with schools,
districts and colleges to develop a sustainable model for raising
college enrollment rates, wants to close this gap by helping needy
students select schools, complete applications, write personal
statements and navigate financial aid. After months of documenting
student participants in Denver (Colo.), PBS found that many of the
students profiled are realizing their dreams. In fact, according to
College Summit statistics, nearly 80 percent of participants in
their Peer Leadership program go on to college.
FOOD SCRAPS AREN'T WASTE, THEY'RE REUSABLE ENERGY!
Harding School in Santa Barbara, Calif., became one of the first
schools in the nation to unveil a zero-waste cafeteria, reports
Sonia Fernandez for the Santa Barbara Noozhawk. The zero-waste
program aims to divert as much trash as possible by either recycling
or composting cafeteria waste. This approach to sustainability
treats leftover food as energy, not trash, and, in fact, the
cafeteria's plates, bowls and utensils are all made of corn. The
students gleefully participate, all the while gaining a year of
hands on experience sorting, recycling and composting waste -- a
habit they ought to carry throughout life.
RACE IS NOT A FACTOR IN THE SUCCESS OF CHILDREN, ACCORDING TO PARENTS
A new report from the National School Boards Association (NSBA)
discusses parental perceptions of the urban school climate in the
hope of involving parents, families and communities in education
because their participation is imperative for school success. To
divine this information, NSBA conducted a school climate survey, and
found that the majority of parents view their child's school as a
safe place. Yet, only 42 percent of parents thought students did not
fight a lot at school. In addition, little more than half of the
parents surveyed felt that teachers had the ability to stop
bullying. Still, 84 percent of parents felt that they could trust
teachers at their child's school, and 87 percent felt respected by
teachers. The survey also found that 70 percent of parents did not
believe racial differences had an impact on a child's success at
school.
PROPORTION OF MINORITIES PURSUING STEM FIELDS STATIC, AT BEST
A new report from the National Action Council for Minorities in
Engineering (NACME) finds that participation rates for African
American, Native Americans and Latinos in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields have flatlined, and in
some cases declined. The report also discovered a vast pool of
minority students who simply aren't prepared to take advantage of
STEM fields. Furthermore, any progress has neither been steady nor
substantial enough for the representation of minorities in STEM to
reflect their overall proportion of the population. Specifically,
from 1995 to 2005, the proportion of bachelor's degrees in
engineering awarded to African Americans declined. Meanwhile,
African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos constitute 30
percent of the nation's undergraduate students (a proportion that is
expected to be 38 percent by 2025), yet fewer than 12 percent of
baccalaureate engineering graduates in this country come from these
minority groups.
SCHOOLS BRACE FOR BHUTANESE WAVE WITH RESEARCH
Sharon Birnkrant, principal of H.W. Smith School in Syracuse, N.Y.,
has grown accustomed to receiving refugees from countries she knows
little about, reports Mary Ann Zehr for Education Week. When she
heard that a group of refugees from Bhutan would be resettled in
Syracuse, she got right into "standard practice" research mode.
Birnkrant is one of dozen or so educators across the United States
under similar preparation, as the U.S. Department of State
interviews at least 60,000 Bhutanese seeking resettlement. This
group of educators says they typically don't know the specific needs
students will have when they arrive, and the Bhutanese are no
exception. Most of the refugees are descendants of people who moved
to southern Bhutan from Nepal in the late 1800s, and were known as
Lhotshampas. However in the 1980s, the ruling Druk majority became
increasingly worried about their fast growing population. Then in
1990, protests by the Lhotshampas against what they saw as overly
strict citizenship requirements led to violence and mass arrests,
which caused tens of thousands of Lhotshampas to flee to Nepal and
India. Unfortunately, the Nepalese government didn't grant freedom
of movement or permission to work in Nepal and Bhutan refused to
take them back. This started the long journey to resettlement in
America. Armed with information about the events taking place in
this region, Birnkrant and educators like her are quickly priming
themselves on the language and culture challenges they will face.
WHILE MUSLIM YOUTHS IN NEW YORK CITY FEEL SAFE, RACIAL TENSIONS EXIST
According to a new study from Teachers College, Muslim youths have
generally felt comfortable, safe and fairly content in New York City
public schools. Still, these youngsters have been made
hyper-conscious of their religious identity since September 11,
2001. In fact, 17 percent of Muslim public school students report
having been the object of bigotry, often in the shape of teasing or
taunting about Islam or being a "terrorist." While 43 percent feel
that Americans in general are respectful and tolerant towards them,
69 percent think that mainstream society is at the same time
suspicious of them. In addition, nearly all youths surveyed felt
that discrimination against Muslim Americans increased since
September 11.
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROVIDE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Richardo Grimsley, a sophomore at Pittsburgh Westinghouse High
School, said he sometimes thought about writing poetry, but never
got around to it until a new after-school program got him engaged,
reports the Associated Press. Called the Lighthouse Project, the
program represents some of the first efforts to create community or
full-service schools that go beyond traditional education. In fact,
the schools typically stay open well into the evening, providing a
range of social services aimed at uplifting individuals, mending
families and revitalizing neighborhoods. While the definition of a
community school varies, the concept has taken root (especially in
cities) nationwide as more and more policymakers recognize that what
happens outside of school affects students' performance inside. So
far it has worked for Richardo, as in just seven months he has
penned 20 poems.
HOW TO COLLABORATE WITH AND ENGAGE FAMILIES
The IRIS Center and the PACER Center have created an interactive,
online module to support educators in diversifying and improving
family participation in school. In the module, a principal and staff
demonstrate how they gain information about of their students'
families because this helps them best engage all members of a family
in education. Many schools enjoy a high level of parental
involvement from some families, but schools should be
ever-interested in increasing involvement, especially among families
of students with disabilities.
FOLLOW THE WEBSTER WAY TO RAISE TEST SCORES, LOWER SUSPENSION RATES
Five years ago teachers feared violent outbursts from gang-involved
sixth graders at Webster Elementary School in San Diego, Calif.,
reports Emily Alpert for the Voice of San Diego News. However, in
the present day, students cheerfully greet their teachers, line up
quickly and listen respectfully to one another. Teachers chalk this
dramatic turnaround to a homegrown program that explicitly teaches
students how to behave. Known as the Webster Way, the program
focuses on scholarly behaviors such as eye contact, cleaning up
after yourself and proper greetings. The Webster Way originated in a
school-wide effort to understand poverty and its impact on education
and began with teachers jotting down notes about their best
performing students. They found interesting coincidences between the
students, most notably that top achievers had mastered a behavioral
code that equated to school success. Their conduct clearly separated
them from their lower-achieving peers. From this research, teachers
began spending time each day role-playing positive behaviors and
discussing their importance. It sounds elementary, but the results
have been astounding, as Webster has seen suspensions plummet and
test scores surge. In addition, students now flock to the magnet
school.
ALMOST ALL AMERICANS HAVE A POOR IDEA OF MONEY SPENT ON EDUCATION
According to a recent survey analysis conducted by William Howell, a
professor at the University of Chicago, and Martin West, an
assistant professor at Brown University, most Americans do not
really understand how much is spent on public education. In fact,
the average respondent thought per pupil spending in their district
was just $4,231, while the actual average spending was $10,377. In
addition, the public underestimated the average teacher salary by
$14,370, in assuming teachers made about $33,000 when they actually
make $47,602. When putting these facts together, one finds that
almost 96 percent of the public underestimates either per-pupil
spending in their district or teacher salaries in their state.
NEW REPORT DETAILS STATE-LEVEL EDUCATION EXPENDITURES
A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics
includes findings on public education revenues and expenditures,
using fiscal year 2006 data. The publication contains basic revenue
and expenditure data by state for public elementary and secondary
education. It also contains state-level data on revenues by source
and expenditures by function, including per pupil.
ENGAGE STUDENTS IN HISTORY, HAVE THEM INVESTIGATE THEIR ANCESTRY
Ruby Abebe, a certified teacher in Iowa, has developed a site for
students to learn about their ancestry. The site is intended to
engage students in history, as so often children don't see the
connections the past has with their daily lives. Family histories
can be a great tool because they make learning fun and interesting
by fostering a personal connection with the past. The site's staff
are also available to provide assistance to teachers in developing
lesson plans and integrating genealogy into the classroom.
NEW SPANISH PUBLICATION AIMS TO INCREASE SCHOOL READINESS
The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) has released a new
resource printed in Spanish in conjunction with El día de los Niños,
the holiday that recognizes children as the center of the Latino
family. The publication, Cultivating Readers or Cultivando el hábito
de la lectura, provides activities for parents to support their
child's literacy, language and reading skills. NCFL thinks the
resource will increase school readiness for infants and toddlers,
preschoolers and students from kindergarten through third grade.
HOW TO SECURE PROSPERITY AND SOLVENCY FOR THE UNITED STATES
In his new book, Andrew Yarrow, vice president of Public Agenda,
goes into detail about the nature of the United States' growing
national debt. The book explains what it means for the federal
government to be sinking continuously deeper into debt, and the
potentially calamitous implications for future generations. It
appears that within 40 to 50 years, 20 percent of the national
income will go toward paying interest on the national debt, with
about 20 percent going to Medicare and Social Security.
Unfortunately, some discretionary programs (science, infrastructure
and education to name a few) are already experiencing an erosion of
funding. It is undeniable that a further inability to fund these
vital programs could be devastating for the future. In the book,
Yarrow offers a roadmap to a more secure future of solvency and
greater prosperity.
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