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Turning campaign pillars into presidential priorities
A new report documents how Strong American Schools' ED in '08
campaign, an organization created by The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, became one of
the most successful independent advocacy initiatives of the 2008
election season and helped turn the need for education reform from a
low-priority campaign issue into one of Barack Obama's top policy
priorities as president. Through its advocacy campaign, ED in '08
pushed stakeholders to address three common-sense priorities (high
standards, quality teachers, and extended learning time). While the
staff encountered a variety of hurdles -- the economic crisis, a
changing political landscape -- it met its most critical targets.
The report cites several accomplishments that separate the success
of Strong American Schools from the myriad other issue advocacy
efforts in the 2008 election cycle, including: changing political
paradigms; winning support from both major party nominees; and
shaping the views of other national figures.
Toward educational inclusion in the Muslim world
In addition to signaling a new dtente between the United States and
the Muslim world in his recent speech in Cairo, President Obama also
indicated that the U.S. would partner with "any Muslim-majority
country" to improve girls' literacy and women's employment, writes
Rebecca Winthrop of the Brookings Institution. This is "a welcomed
promise," Winthrop says. Supporting all Muslim countries, "not just
those of particular geopolitical interest to the U.S., to improve
this chronically under-funded area of education is an important step
toward improving U.S.-Muslim relations today and especially in the
future." Many countries in the Muslim world are eager to see
increased gender equality in education, despite a historical pattern
of educational exclusion. To move this agenda forward, Winthrop
recommends four elements important to developing an effective
education strategy: Inclusion, in which girls are educated in equal
numbers to boys; Quality, in which all students are provided with
well-trained teachers, reasonable class sizes, and adequate
educational materials; Relevance, so that schooling includes
technical training, functional literacy and numeracy, and business
skills development; and Conflict-sensitivity, with policies that are
attuned to the special challenges of displaced populations,
disrupted schooling, unsafe learning environments, and the political
nature of education itself.
Getting a handle on 'college readiness'
The 2009 edition of Education Week's "Diplomas Count," examines an
idea of particular currency right now, backed by President Obama,
that some form of postsecondary education is crucial to student
success after high school. What "college readiness" means is open to
debate, however, with no consensus on how to measure it or ensure
all students attain it. From a practical standpoint, many high
schools aren't equipped to help students navigate the
college-application and financial-aid system -- particularly schools
in low-income areas. Advocates are now pushing for a revamped NCLB
that would assess high schools in part based on indicators such as
how many students enroll in two- or four-year colleges, and how well
they do in entry-level credit-bearing coursework there. The most
significant sign of momentum in state policy, the report finds, is
an increase in the number of states taking steps to craft a
definition. For 2009, 20 states have described the skills and
knowledge needed to succeed in entry-level college courses. These
range from course-taking recommendations to minimum scores on
standardized tests. Seven states include academic elements and/or
"soft skills," such as time management and successful study habits,
as prerequisites for success in college.
An urgent suggestion for stimulus funds
In a policy brief, Sara Mead of the New America Foundation writes
that the unprecedented federal investment in education by the
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act is a huge opportunity, but
holds the danger that states and districts "may squander these funds
on ill-conceived projects or use them simply to maintain the status
quo." It is critical, she says, that stimulus funds be used for
lasting reforms that yield ongoing gains in student achievement, as
well as for maintaining educational services and jobs during the
downturn. A crucial investment would be putting stimulus funds into
PreK-3rd reforms to ensure that all students get a solid foundation
in math, literacy, and social/emotional skills by the end of third
grade. "Research shows that third grade marks a critical turning
point in children's education: Children who cannot read or do math
on grade level by third grade are unlikely ever to achieve
proficiency." States and school districts must therefore strengthen
their PreK-3rd systems so that all children receive a high-quality,
aligned, early-educational experience. The funding influx is a
chance to "move beyond the past decade's narrow focus on pre-K
expansion to a broader focus on building PreK-3rd systems that not
only prepare children for learning, but also sustain those gains
through the early elementary school years."
A test case for 'pressing and elusive' questions in education
A new school in Manhattan called The Equity Project will engage in a
bold experiment, according to The New York Times. Its eight teachers
were recruited on the theory that excellent teachers are critical to
success rather than revolutionary technology, talented principals,
or small class size. The teachers will be compensated accordingly,
with a salary of $125,000 a year. The school is the brainchild of
Zeke Vanderhoek, himself a former teacher, who will serve as
principal and who conducted a 15-month search for just the right
educators to teach the school's starting class of 120 fifth graders.
Students were chosen in a lottery that gave preference to children
from the surrounding neighborhood, predominately low-income
Hispanic, and to low academic performers. Experts hope the school
will elucidate what The Times calls "some of the most pressing and
elusive questions in education: Is a collection of superb teachers
enough to make a great school? Are six-figure salaries the way to
get them? And just what makes a teacher great?" The school will use
public money for everything but its building, whose lease will be
covered by public school financing, a charter school grant, and
private donations.
Related:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090608/ap_on_re_us/us_stimulus_teacher_pay
An 'opportunity equation' for transforming American math and science
education
According to a new report by the Carnegie Institute for Advanced
Study's Commission on Mathematics and Science Education, "The
'opportunity equation' means transforming education in the United
States so that every student reaches higher levels of mathematics
and science learning." The study calls for coordinated national
action to establish common standards for mathematics and science --
standards that are fewer, clearer, and higher -- along with
high-quality assessments for American students. Math and science
teaching must be overhauled, it says, along with the "methods for
recruiting and preparing teachers and for managing the nation's
teaching talent." Public schools and systems must be redesigned to
deliver excellent, equitable math and science learning. "Educators,
students, parents, leaders of universities, museums, and the
business and professional communities, scientists and
mathematicians, and public officials at all levels will need to
embrace a new understanding that the world has shifted
dramatically... As a society, we must commit ourselves to the
proposition that all students can achieve at high levels in math and
science, that we need them to do so for their own futures and for
the future of our country, and that we owe it to them to structure
and staff our educational system accordingly."
New recommendations for a problem as old as time itself
A new movement is afoot, writes Dr. Perri Klass in The New York
Times, to give bullies and their victims long-deserved attention, of
the kind they have received in Europe. Americans are moving past the
idea that bullying is a normal part of childhood, and are
recognizing it as a long-term risk -- in the case of victims, for
suicidal thoughts and depression; for perpetrators, reduced
likelihood of finishing school or holding down a job. In its policy
statement on preventing youth violence, the American Academy of
Pediatrics will include a new section on bullying. This will
recommend that schools adopt a prevention model developed by
Professor Dan Olweus of Norway, which focuses attention on the
largest group of children, bystanders. "Olweus's genius," lead
author Dr. Robert Sege said, "is that he manages to turn the school
situation around so the other kids realize that the bully is someone
who has a problem managing his or her behavior, and the victim is
someone they can protect." Through class discussions, parent
meetings, and consistent responses to every incident, a school
broadcasts that bullying is not tolerated. A pediatrician can be a
first line of defense in this process, notifying schools when he
detects or is told of bullying by his patients.
Extended time must be quality time
At the Robert Treat Academy in Newark, N.J., some students start
their day at 7:30 a.m., and 70 percent of the 450 K-8 students stay
until 5 p.m., USA TODAY reports. The charter school operates 205 to
210 days a year compared with the state-required 180, and some grade
levels devote Saturday hours to state testing preparation. The
academy's principal, Michael Pallante, calls the extended schedule
"a blessing": "We have kids from broken homes, drugs, parents
incarcerated. We have everything." With the highest statewide
assessment scores among New Jersey urban public schools in 2008, the
school was one of only eight nationwide named "high-poverty,
high-achieving" by the U.S. Department of Education. Examples like
these have prompted nearly 1,000 public schools -- 80 percent
charter, 20 percent traditional -- to expand their schedules by one
to two hours a day, or 300 hours a year, according to the National
Center on Time and Learning in Boston. But Professor Karl Alexander
of Johns Hopkins University cautions that while poorer children need
enrichment programs over summer months to compete academically with
middle-class children, simply lengthening the school day isn't
enough. "The real key is what you do with the extra time," he says.
"It has to be high-quality."
First state to allow charters tightens their oversight
As the popularity of charter schools continues to grow in Minnesota,
changes in the law will now increase oversight of the schools, close
loopholes, and clarify language that made it easier for sloppy
management or outright theft, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Charter sponsors will have stricter guidelines -- which The Star
Tribune says could drive some away -- and the state will have
greater power to withhold taxpayer money or shut down a school that
breaks the law. "If these laws are working, then we'll stop seeing
these stories in the news," said Mindy Greiling, chairwoman of the
Minnesota House K-12 Education Finance Division. She is referring,
perhaps, to one Minneapolis charter school whose former director
allegedly embezzled nearly $1.4 million. State education leaders
applaud the move, but say it only addresses the most flagrant
abuses, and the law still needs work. Still, the reforms are a big
step forward, and many charter school advocates agree. "Those of us
that are doing the right thing won't be burned by the folks that
aren't," said Betsy Lueth, director of Yinghua Academy, a K-5
charter school in St. Paul.
Cracking down on parents leads to better attendance
San Francisco schools experienced a 23 percent drop in elementary
school truancy this year, as citywide efforts, including parental
prosecution, yielded real results, writes The San Francisco
Chronicle. This follows a three-year trend, with the number of
serious elementary school truants cut in half since the 2005-06
school year. At the end of April, when the statistics were last
compiled, 1,330 elementary students were habitual or chronic
truants, down from 1,730 last year, 2,517 two years ago, and 2,856
three years back. About 24,500 elementary students attend San
Francisco public schools. Recent citywide efforts have focused on
the elementary grades, where families play a greater role in student
attendance, district officials said. Efforts have included better
identification of habitual and chronic truants, meetings with
families, and taking parents to court. This year, the district also
referred 110 elementary school families to a district review board,
up from 34 the year before. There, parents and guardians learned
about the legal consequences of truancy and gained access to
community services that include parental support, mental health
options, and social workers. The trend benefits all students, since
$372,862 in state funding was tied to the increased attendance this
school year alone.
BRIEFLY NOTED
Moving beyond the "blame game" in parent involvement
John Merrow has recommendations for teachers and administrators on
his Learning Matters blog.
First-in-the-nation charter for foster teens
A new school will provide support and a stable education for kids
who would otherwise switch schools when they moved to other foster
families or facilities.
Parents aren't thrilled by funding from "The Few and The Proud"
Marines-backed charters for at-risk kids are on the rise nationally.
Endgame for Governor Sanford?
South Carolina Supreme Court rules that the governor must accept
federal education stimulus funds.
The scourge of high-fructose corn syrup
Kids may suffer as parents put low-cost, high-calorie food on the
table for economic reasons.
Program pilots adaptive tests
In Utah, some districts have dropped statewide assessments and
instead given computerized, adaptive tests to students several times
a year.
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