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SOME ASIAN-AMERICAN GROUPS LEFT BEHIND BY NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
A report by the Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund
suggests some Asian ethnicities are not being served by the way the
No Child Left Behind Act requires schools and districts to
disaggregate data by race, ethnicity, and family income level, David
Hoff of Education Week writes. To make adequate yearly progress,
districts must meet achievement goals in reading and math for each
subgroup, but because "Asian-American" is a broad category covering
many ethnicities, achievement by some has rendered the struggles of
others invisible. "Contrary to stereotypes that cast Asian-Americans
as model students of academic achievement, many Asian-American
students are struggling, failing, and dropping out of schools that
ignore their needs," the report states.
Whereas the Latino student
population, the other major English Language Learner (ELL) group,
speaks the same language and shares some common cultural background,
Asian ethnicities and languages can vary widely. However, the report
does not recommend that each school be held accountable for the
performance of each ethnic subgroup. Rather, the authors suggest it
would increase ELL services based on ethnic subgroup performance.
Also:
http://www.aaldef.org/docs/AALDEF_LeftintheMargins_NCLB.pdf
NEW RESEARCH CASTS DOUBT ON "UNZ" INITIATIVES
Initial findings from studies commissioned by the Civil Rights
Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the
Linguistic Minority Research Initiative at University of California,
Santa Barbara, suggest that states that have replaced bilingual
education with structured English immersion have seen little
benefit, according to Mary Ann Zehr in Education Week. Though the
language and implementation of the referenda that brought this
change varied slightly from state to state, findings from the
studies indicate that the achievement gap on the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) in both reading and math is wider in
California, Massachusetts, and Arizona than in two other states that
still require bilingual education. Russell Rumberger, director of
the Linguistic Minority Research Institute said "there's no visual
evidence that these three states are doing better than the national
average or other states," with regard to educating English Language
Learners, based on NAEP results.
Researchers found
instead that other factors - such as whether students have books at
home - have greater impact upon English Language Learners' (ELLs)
achievement than state instructional policies. However, the NAEP
data did show that rigorous academic standards reduced the
achievement gap between ELLs and their non-ELL peers in the fourth
grade, and that those with the lowest proficiency in English
benefited most from specialized English instruction.
HELPING AND RETAINING NEW MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) are taking steps to
stem the attrition rates of novice math and science teachers, writes
Sean Cavanagh in Education Week. According to Richard Ingersoll, a
professor of education and sociology at the University of
Pennsylvania, the issue is not that higher percentages of science
and math teachers leave the profession, but that their numbers are
fewer to begin with, and the United States isn't producing enough
new ones. "There's not a surplus of math and science teachers, so
that turnover matters," said Ingersoll. The caliber and strength of
the American math and science teaching force also has been
spotlighted as a concern of business and policy leaders, who fear
that inadequate teaching in these subjects will compromise the
American workforce in a global economy. To remedy new teacher loss,
the NCTM has organized a series of seminars at its annual meeting to
help novices with new or difficult content, classroom management
strategies, and general exposure to resources. NSTA has launched a
new science teachers' academy that furnishes professional
development and mentoring. NSTA also is continuing its nationwide
college campus student chapter program to facilitate idea-sharing
and peer support among science-teachers-in-training.
NEW RAND STUDY RECOMMENDS USE OF ECONOMICS TO STEER EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICY
A new study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research
organization, could prompt a reorganization of child and human
services away from the current system that "treats" problems after
the fact in favor of investment and prevention. Using the economic
concepts of human capital theory and monetary "payoffs" from
investments in early childhood services, a host of experts that
includes business CEOs, Federal Reserve analysts, and Nobel
Prize-winning economists has called for greater public spending on
early childhood programs. Programs evaluated according to these
economic concepts show, for example, that increased investment in
early childhood results in government savings by leading to less
need for social services later in life and increased earnings by
individuals - which in turn leads to greater tax revenue for the
government. "The Economics of Early Childhood: What the Dismal
Science Has to Say About Investing in Children" aims to serve as a
primer for policy-makers in the use of cost/benefits/rate-of-return
analysis in making early childhood policy.
ENCOURAGING WALKING TO COMBAT CHILDHOOD OBESITY
May is National Fitness Month, and the Milton Area School District
in Pennsylvania is participating by having its students take part in
the annual All Children Exercise Simultaneously (ACES) walking
event, reports Jeff Shaffer in the Milton Standard Journal. The walk
was first started in 1989 by New Jersey physical education teacher
Len Saunders and claims millions of participants nationwide and in
other countries. Its premise is that children are motivated by the
knowledge that others are exercising alongside them - something that
could mitigate the near-epidemic nature of childhood obesity in this
country, where a generation of students are already exhibiting risk
factors for heart disease. Some teachers in the district are finding
enterprising ways to engage children in physical activity. Kara
Steck, a teacher in Baugher, Pa., is having her students measure
their steps to collectively "walk" the 2,175 miles of the
Appalachian Trail.
GOOD SCHOOLS, GOOD NEIGHBHORHOODS, LONG WAITS
In some ways victims of their own success, but also reflecting
larger demographic trends in which middle- and upper-middle-class
couples are choosing to raise their children in cities, many coveted
New York public schools are wait-listing children of families who
have moved to a neighborhood specifically to attend those schools.
Elissa Gootman in the New York Times reports that in other
neighborhoods, schools not yet overcrowded could face similar
problems as residential development outpaces school capacity and
more properties are converted from commercial and industrial use.
Developers often use successful public school proximity as an
enticement for potential buyers.
MOVING TOWARD INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN QATAR
A two-day conference "Inclusion: Practices and Challenges" recently
held at Qatar University in Doha, Qatar, signals steps toward
helping practitioners, researchers, educators, community workers,
and parents build a base of information and greater understanding of
disabilities in that country, according to the Doha-based Gulf
Times. Seminars, discussion panels, and presentations were held with
the goal of highlighting trends and best practices in the provision
of services and delivery of least restrictive environments for
students with disabilities.
Next year, Qatar University's College of
Education will offer a masters degree in special education, and in
so doing hopes to contribute to UNESCO's Education for All
Initiative. This is in keeping with the 2006 U.N. Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which called for "countries to
ensure an inclusive education system at all levels." Professor Eman
Gaad of the British University of Dubai, who presented at the Qatar
symposium, spoke of "the constraints of Arab societies in
acknowledging the realities of physical learning disabilities and
developing a rights-based approach to addressing the issues."
TEACH FOR AMERICA EXPANDS BY 28 PERCENT IN 2008-2009
Teach for America, the nonprofit organization that places college
graduates for two years in challenging public schools, will place
3,700 new teachers this September, a 28 percent increase from the
2,900 it placed last fall. In 1990, the program's first, Teach for
America placed 500 teachers. Sam Dillon in the New York Times
reports that the group saw a huge surge in applications from college
seniors this year - 24,700 for 2008, compared to 18,000 in 2007,
accounting for a 37 percent increase. Dillon went on to write that
Teach for America was the number one employer this year at Duke
University, Emory University, George Washington University,
Georgetown University, New York University, and Spelman College.
CLEVELAND'S PUBLIC AND CHARTER SCHOOLS TO WORK, LEARN TOGETHER
Eric Gordon, chief academic officer of the Cleveland Public Schools,
has met with representatives of three top-performing charter schools
in that city in an effort to cooperate and "reinforce things that
work." In a story by Scott Stephens of the Cleveland Plain Dealer,
the discussions may generate a new era of exchange between the
publicly funded charter schools that operate with fewer bureaucratic
constraints and their traditional counterparts. In Cleveland, as in
many other cities, charter schools have been criticized for taking
much-needed funds from urban districts, but the talks with the
Citizens' Academy, the Intergenerational School, and the
Entrepreneurship Preparatory Academy in Cleveland may signal a
detente of sorts. "This is about changing the conversation," said
Cathy Whitehouse of the Intergenerational School. "We'd like to
teach other interested schools in the community or districts things
we found that have worked."
CLEVELAND'S PUBLIC AND CHARTER SCHOOLS TO WORK, LEARN TOGETHER
Eric Gordon, chief academic officer of the Cleveland Public Schools,
has met with representatives of three top-performing charter schools
in that city in an effort to cooperate and "reinforce things that
work." In a story by Scott Stephens of the Cleveland Plain Dealer,
the discussions may generate a new era of exchange between the
publicly funded charter schools that operate with fewer bureaucratic
constraints and their traditional counterparts. In Cleveland, as in
many other cities, charter schools have been criticized for taking
much-needed funds from urban districts, but the talks with the
Citizens' Academy, the Intergenerational School, and the
Entrepreneurship Preparatory Academy in Cleveland may signal a
detente of sorts. "This is about changing the conversation," said
Cathy Whitehouse of the Intergenerational School. "We'd like to
teach other interested schools in the community or districts things
we found that have worked."
SCHOOL RENOVATION FUNDS APPROVED BY U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee has
passed legislation that would provide monies to school districts for
badly needed facilities repairs, the website Facilities.net reports.
The 21st-century High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, H.R.
3021, would authorize $6.4 billion for renovation and modernization
projects for fiscal year 2009. The bill also would require most
school improvement projects to meet recognized green building
standards and would encourage schools to track their energy use.
Despite this new infusion of money, the funds will most likely prove
inadequate. Facilities.net cites the National Center for Education
Statistics 2000 report that it would take $127 billion to bring the
three-quarters of American public schools in disrepair into good
condition. And a 2000 study by the National Education Association
indicated it would take $322 billion to make public schools in the
United States "safe, well-constructed, and up-to-date
technologically."
SMALLER CALIFORNIA ELEMENTARY CLASS SIZE RESULTS ARE MIXED
In the face of stringent budget cuts, California is re-evaluating
its policy of smaller class sizes in kindergarten through third
grade, reports Bruce Lieberman of the San Diego Union-Tribune. More
than $4 billion in education cuts are expected in the state for the
next school year, which will lead to the elimination of teaching
posts and will impose larger class sizes.
In 2000, the California
Department of Education commissioned an evaluation of the state's
class-size-reduction program that had been initiated in 1996. The
conclusions were less definitive than those found in the 1996
Project STAR Tennessee study. Although elementary school student
achievement rose between 1996 and 2000, it wasn't clear that reduced
class size was the reason for the improvement. In many instances,
districts had scrambled to staff more classrooms and hired teachers
who were not yet credentialed. Moreover, a recent study from
Northwestern University suggests that small class sizes benefit high
achievers over lower achievers, and has less impact on achievement
gaps within individual classrooms. These results are now being
mobilized as a rationale in some circles to enlarge class size
again.
REPLACING SUB-PAR SUPERINTENDENTS IN MISSISSIPPI
Governor Haley Balbour (R) of Mississippi has just signed
legislation that would replace superintendents whose districts merit
an "underperforming" label for two years in a row, Michele McNeil of
Education Week reports. In the case of superintendents who were
appointed (accounting for approximately two-thirds of Mississippi's
district superintendents), school boards would simply replace
individuals. However, more than one-third are elected, and these
superintendents would have to be removed by the governor and the
post then filled by a more complicated electoral process. Removed
superintendents would be barred from running for reelection for four
years. Because Mississippi is still covered under the Voting Rights
Act of 1965, the U.S. Department of Justice must review the changes
in election and voting procedures before the legislation can be
implemented.
The genesis of the legislation is a move toward having
all superintendents appointed by school boards. Mississippi is one
of only three states, with Alabama and Florida, that have elected
district superintendents. Critics say this system interferes with
superintendent recruitment, since many qualified candidates are put
off by having to run for office. Since elected superintendents must
live in their districts, this geographically constrains the
applicant pool too. "Clearly, we have some excellent elected
superintendents," said Mississippi state board chairman Claude
Hartely. "However, this system limits the pool from which you are
able to draw. We want to be able to attract the best of the best,
which means we may have to recruit from across the state and across
the nation. Districts with appointed superintendents are able to do
just that."
NEW WAYS TO BATTLE TRUANTS IN THE BIG "D"
In an effort to find new ways to alleviate chronic high school
truancy, the Dallas Public Schools has instituted a pilot program at
Bryan Adams High School that uses global positioning system
mechanisms to track students, Gretchen Kovach writes in the New York
Times. Students strap on the device as they enter school, and take
it off at the end of the day. "With location verification,
[students] can't sneak through it, they can't game it like they can
game their parents and game their teachers and game their friends,"
says Paul Pottinger, chief executive of the Center for Criminal
Justice Solutions, which is marketing the truancy monitoring system.
The six-week, $29,000 pilot program is financed by a grant from an
equity investor who supports the program's goals. Of the more than
300 students sent to truancy court this year, nine are enrolled in
the test.
Kyle Ross, administrator of Bryan Adams' in-school
suspension program, says that although he was initially skeptical,
he was willing to give the system a try. To his surprise, the
program seems to work. Students have said that despite the
temptation to "yank off" the monitoring ankle bracelet, it has kept
them on track.
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"Graffiti Prevention Grants Program"
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 6,
2008.
"Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest"
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 her 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 felt when helping
children develop a sense of wonder and love of nature. Maximum
Award: publication on the websites of the 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 16, 2008.
"Staples Grants for Disadvantaged Youth"
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: June 16, 2008.
"Mini-grants for Public Schools and Public Libraries"
Ezra Jack Keats Mini-grant Program for Public Schools and Public
Libraries supports educators, parents and children in their efforts
to spread literacy and love of learning. Maximum Award: $500.
Eligibility: public schools and libraries anywhere in the United
States and its protectorates. Deadline: September 15, 2008.
"Grants for Math Mentoring Programs Using Actuaries"
The Actuarial Foundation Advancing Student Achievement Mentoring
Program awards grants to schools and groups to develop a viable
mentoring program involving actuaries in the teaching of mathematics
to children in private and public schools. Collaboration among
school systems, local actuarial clubs, corporations and other
stakeholders in education is encouraged in order to enhance the
chances of success, particularly on a long-term basis. Maximum
Award: $30,000. Eligibility: All schools and groups willing to
undertake a math mentoring program that involves local actuaries as
volunteers. Deadline: N/A.
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