From: John & Jan Lahr (johnjan@lahr.org)
Date: Wed Dec 11 2002 - 06:04:15 PST
Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.2.20021211070019.01758760@mail.attbi.com> Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 07:04:15 -0700 From: John & Jan Lahr <johnjan@lahr.org> Subject: Fwd: Public Education Network,PEN, Newsblast
This weekly news letter provides a lot of food for thought - perhaps too much
to digest all of it every week - but there may be a few items of particular
interest. Subscription information is given at the end.
Cheers,
John Lahr
>Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast
>"America's Favorite Free Newsletter on Improving Public Education"
>***************************************************************************
>
>GIVE KIDS GOOD SCHOOLS
>Having a good teacher in the classroom is the single most important factor
>in kids' learning. America is facing a huge teacher shortage - with 50
>million kids in public school, we will need 2.2 million new teachers in
>the next 10 years. These kids represent the future of our country. It's up
>to all of us to make sure they get the education they'll need to succeed.
>But more than 20% of new teachers quit after only 3 years. And over 1/3 of
>teachers in high poverty schools are not even qualified to teach the
>subject they're assigned. GiveKidsGoodSchools.com, a project of Public
>Education Network, is a new national campaign targeted at mobilizing
>citizens to demand high-quality investments in improving public education,
>especially for poor and minority students. Please tell your friends and
>family about GiveKidsGoodSchools.com and this easy way they can help.
>Please take 30 seconds and send an e-mail to help put a good teacher in
>every classroom. Act now and tell your governor to make good teachers a
>top priority.
>http://www.givekidsgoodschools.com/
>
>MAKING SENSE OF THE "PUBLIC" IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
>What is a "public" school? That question looms large over the national
>debate about school reform. In light of the Supreme Court's recent voucher
>decision, the No Child Left Behind Act's provisions mandating creation of
>public choice options for children in low-performing schools, and the
>proliferation of charter schooling and tuition tax credit plans, Frederick
>Hess says it is time for policymakers to rethink what is public and
>private in education. As we seek to tackle today's educational challenges,
>we need to think carefully about how to provide schooling that is
>consistent with our shared heritage of liberty and community. This paper
>offers a framework for negotiating this thorny conversation as we consider
>the various ways we provide education, whether through conventional
>district-run schools, charter schooling, school vouchers, tuition tax
>credits, for-profit operators, public-school choice, home schooling, or
>anything else. The hard-and-fast lines we have drawn between public and
>private are much more blurry and less useful than we pretend.
>http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecid=134&contentid=251034
>
>
>PUBLIC EDUCATION: CAN WE BE PROUD?
>Helen Larson has come to believe it is "politically correct" to bash
>public schools. How did we get to this point? Has public education always
>been so bad that we're just coming to grips with its ineffectiveness? What
>about the studies that compare our students with those from Japan, the
>Netherlands, and other industrialized nations? Is public education
>shortchanging our students in the global market? How do we make sense of
>all the controversy surrounding public schools? Larson admits not
>understanding why we aren't more proud of our country's struggle to
>educate all students. We should be proud of our desire to battle
>inequities, however shortsighted we might have been in the past and may be
>in the future. But she writes that she would not trade the limitations of
>our public schools for any other form of education.
>http://www.edweek.com/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=12larson.h22
>
>STANDARDS-BASED REFORM: A CIVIC IMPERATIVE
>PEN's recent annual conference received top grades from participants.
>In-depth conference sessions and inspirational keynote presentations
>created a unique learning event where grassroots school reform activists
>could learn best practices and proven interventions for improving local
>schools. Click below to discover numerous tools, papers, and presentations
>from top-notch experts and presenters.
>http://www.publiceducation.org/events/conference/index.htm
>
>THE BOTTOM LINE ON PARENT ACCOUNTABILITY
>"Our job is to teach the kids we have -- each and every one. Not just the
>kids who have responsible parents," writes Bill Page. "Within the
>politics, mandates, mission, goals, strategic planning, curriculum, and
>educational policies, we take kids where they are and we teach them. We
>teach them whatever is required by those rules and within that structure.
>We Teach Unconditionally -- no excuses, no exceptions!" To read more of
>Mr. Page's straightforward and passionate manifesto, visit:
>http://teachers.net/gazette/DEC02/page.html
>
>SCHOOLS TEACH THREE Cs: COOKIES, CANDY & CHIPS
>School is back in session, but do you know what your children are learning
>about a matter of lifelong importance? That matter is food and drink, the
>substances that sustain health and life. But in more and more schools
>nationwide, children from kindergarten through high school are being
>taught that "nutrition" comes in boxes of fast foods, candy wrappers and
>soft-drink cans and bottles. In many schools, fast-food companies have
>co-opted the lunch program, and children have ready access to soft drink
>and snack machines. In the classroom, too, children in 12,000 schools are
>required to watch a 12-minute television program every day with two
>minutes of commercials from companies like McDonald's, Hershey, PepsiCo,
>Coca-Cola, KFC, Frito-Lay, Domino's and 7Up. In this article, Dr. Jane
>Brody calls for legislation at the national level to curb predatory
>marketing in schools that is fattening both corporate wallets and
>America's children.
>http://www.bebeyond.com/LearnEnglish/DailyReadings/Leisure/Schools3C.htm
>
>EDUCATING LATINOS: A SPECIAL REPORT
>Latino students now make up the largest minority group in the school-age
>population in the country. Yet they lag behind their white and Asian peers
>-- and in some cases African-Americans as well -- on most measures of
>achievement: test scores, college completion, and dropout rates. There is
>a broad consensus in research and policy circles that the public schools
>are not doing a good job of meeting the needs of these students, and that
>a vast pool of human capital is at risk of being squandered. NPR's "All
>Things Considered" is featuring a five-part series on the challenges
>facing Latino students, assimilation, gender equality, bilingual
>education, and finding Spanish-speaking teachers.
>http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/nov/educating_latinos/index.html
>
>
>NEW FACE OF PHILANTHROPY
>Business Week examines a need breed of large donors who are getting much
>more involved in the work of the organizations they support. More than
>just ribbon-cutters, the new philanthropists are actively engaged in
>projects that become passions. What does the "new philanthropy" look like?
>It's more ambitious. It's more strategic. It's more global. And, it
>demands results: The new philanthropists attach a lot of strings.
>Recipients are often required to meet milestone goals, to invite
>foundation members onto their boards, and to produce measurable results --
>or risk losing their funding.
>http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_48/b3810001.htm
>
>FAMILY LITERACY: A STRATEGY FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
>Over the past three decades, Americans have actively pursued reforms to
>improve the academic achievement of our nation's children. The majority of
>these efforts have focused on instruction and intervention practices, but
>have seldom addressed the overwhelming relationship between parental
>education levels, parental involvement, and children's school success.
>Family literacy directly affects the role and effectiveness of parents in
>helping their children learn. If parents understand the language and
>literacy lessons their children learn in school, they can more easily
>provide the experiences necessary for their children to succeed . Bringing
>parents and children together to learn in an educational setting is the
>core of family literacy and the way to provide parents with firsthand
>experiences about what their children learn and how they are taught. This
>new issue brief explains the concept of family literacy in elementary
>schools and cites several state initiatives where governors have been very
>instrumental in supporting family literacy in their states.
>http://www.famlit.org/media/preleases.html#ntlgov
>
>NEW TEACHERS IN GEORGIA NOW COME WITH A TWO-YEAR WARRANTY
>In Georgia, school district officials who decide a teacher isn't
>performing up to standards can send the ineffective teacher back to
>college for additional training during the first two years on the job.
>Neither the school system nor the teacher will be charged for the extra
>courses. The guarantee, which applies to graduates of the University
>System's 15 teacher education programs, kicked in with teachers who
>graduated last spring. So far, university officials say they haven't
>gotten any requests to take a teacher back. The program appears to be the
>nation's first large-scale effort to stand by the quality of teachers
>coming out of college programs.
>http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/wednesday/metro_d3de0acc80ec30830036.html
>
>
>MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL BOARD OKAYS DIPLOMA ALTERNATIVE
>In a nod to hard-working students who are denied diplomas for failing the
>10th-grade MCAS, the state Board of Education adopted a controversial
>''certificate of attainment'' yesterday designed to recognize their
>diligence. The certificate, which local school districts can award, is
>designed for students who meet other graduation requirements but after at
>least three tries have not passed the English and math sections of the
>MCAS. While students who earn the certificate will be able to participate
>in graduation ceremonies, it's still unclear what the credential will
>guarantee them -- an uncertainty that has sparked concerns about the
>certificate's value. This, even as state officials urge area employers to
>give it weight and push to have the document qualify students for federal
>financial aid. Over the last few months, critics have blasted the
>certificate idea as potentially undermining the graduation requirement and
>leading to a two-tiered system that would hold some students to a lower
>standard.
>http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/331/metro/Education_board_OK_s_alternative_to_diploma+.shtml
>
>http://www.s-t.com/daily/11-02/11-26-02/a17op053.htm
>
>KEEPING KIDS IN SCHOOL
>"Who can play the biggest role in preventing dropouts? According to Susan
>Black, it's not the kids. Why do kids drop out of school? Some folks blame
>parents for passing on their low aspirations on to their kids. Others
>blame the kids for their lack of motivation and poor behavior. According
>to some researchers the greatest factors are school-centered. Certain
>school practices, such as suspension and expulsion, are identified s "push
>effects" that move kids closer to the school door. Students who were
>suspended and expelled, the researchers found, became convinced that
>teachers and administrators no longer wanted them in their school.
>Predictably, perhaps, these students became more disruptive, were
>chronically absent, and gave up trying to pass their courses. Just as
>predictably, many of them eventually dropped out. Another factor pushing
>some kids out of school is high-stakes testing. This article outlines
>numerous risk factors and strategies for schools to use in dealing more
>responsibly with kids at risk of dropping out.
>http://www.asbj.com/current/research.html
>
>AN EXPLOSIVE DEBATE: HELPING TO DIAGNOSE & TREAT BIPOLAR CHILDREN
>During the past decade, perhaps no psychiatric disorder has inspired as
>much controversy within the mental health profession as Juvenile Bipolar
>Disorder, also called Juvenile Manic Depression. Only in the past few
>years have clinicians become willing to accept this diagnosis. As a
>result, educators are just beginning to hear about Juvenile Bipolar
>Disorder and about treatments aimed at ameliorating its often devastating
>consequences. Children and adolescents with Bipolar Disorder can be
>particularly disruptive in the school environment. Mood swings and
>emotional volatility, coupled with the possibility of major emotional
>outbursts, make learning at times difficult for the entire class. For this
>reason, accurate diagnosis is extremely important. The implementation of
>appropriate treatment will substantially improve learning, and teachers
>who suspect any mood disorder should not feel shy about alerting school
>counselors or nurses. Bipolar disorder can potentially lead to other
>learning disabilities. This article outlines numerous strategies for
>parents, teachers, and school administrators to use in helping to treat
>these vulnerable children.
>http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0211/schlozman.html
>
>BOUNTY HUNTERS: TURNING IN ILLEGAL STUDENTS CAN PAY
>These days, a truant officer's job goes beyond keeping kids in school.
>Some spend more time keeping out-of-towners out, sometimes by spotting
>bogus leases or trailing students home. A few school districts are even
>going a step further, offering members of the public bounties of $100 or
>more for information on students who sneak across district lines. Parents
>falsify proof-of-residence documents to get their kids into schools for
>their academic reputations, extracurricular activities or proximity to
>after-school care. Each illegal student costs a district thousands of
>dollars. For decades, school districts around the nation have used
>investigators to address the problem, but asking families to turn each
>other in is a rare approach. Both the National Association of State Boards
>of Education and the Education Commission of the States have heard of the
>bounties, but can name no state other than New Jersey where they're used.
>Rich Vespucci, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said
>bounties are an illustration of how heated school residency battles can
>get -- especially in New Jersey, a state where poor areas and wealthy ones
>are often side-by-side.
>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-12-04-bounty-hunters_x.htm
>
>WHY EDISON DOESN'T WORK
>After all, few things in this country need improvement more than our
>public schools. But Edison Schools has been in business for seven years
>now, and the verdict is clear: It doesn't work. Many folks would be
>willing to overlook Edison's financial mess if its educational results
>were outstanding. Perhaps the simplest reason Edison doesn't work, though,
>is that for-profit education just isn't a very good business.
>http://www.fortune.com/fortune/articles/0,15114,395208,00.html
>
>|---------------GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION--------------|
>
>"Leadership for a Changing World"
>Leadership for a Changing World is seeking nominations of community
>leaders across the country who are successfully tackling tough social
>problems. Twenty outstanding social justice leaders and leadership teams
>that are not broadly known beyond their immediate community or field will
>receive awards of $100,000 to advance their work, plus $30,000 for
>learning activities that will advance their efforts. The program also
>includes a major, multi-year research initiative and numerous forums to
>bring awardees together with other leaders to share experiences, address
>specific challenges, and explore opportunities for collaboration. Leaders
>must be nominated by someone who is well acquainted with their work and
>can attest to their qualifications. Nominations will be accepted through
>January 7, 2003.
>http://leadershipforchange.org/nomination/
>
>"New Hispanic Scholarship Website"
>A new website will make more than 1,000 sources of financial aid more
>easily accessible to Hispanic students around the country and world. The
>site includes application guidelines, an alumni section, and, most
>importantly, a database of scholarships fully searchable by a variety of
>categories, including state, college, and field of interest.
>http://www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org/
>
>"Daniel Pearl Writing Contest"
>The Daniel Pearl Foundation and YouthNOISE -- a nonprofit initiative of
>Save the Children -- announce the first annual Daniel Pearl Writing
>Contest. They invite students ages 13-18 to use the power of words to
>share their solutions to intolerance and cultural hatred and be eligible
>to win a SONY laptop computer. The deadline for submissions -- essays,
>songs, poems, plays, and short-stories qualify -- is February 7, 2003.
>http://www.youthnoise.com/site/CDA/CDA_Page/0,1004,1189,00.html
>
>"Educators Explore the American West"
>National History Day (NHD) is proud to announce the focus for its 2003
>Summer Teacher Institute "History of the American West: The Legacy of
>Exploration and Encounter." The institute will take place July 19-26,
>2003 in Portland, Oregon. The institute is free but participants must
>cover the travel cost to Portland. This institute will provide teachers
>with the hands-on learning that will expose participants to recent
>scholarship on the American West and available primary sources to improve
>curriculum. There will be special activities, like visits to historic
>sites on the Lewis and Clark Trail, an exploration of Native Voices in
>discussions with tribal members and visits to Native American sites.
>Participants also will explore the American West by analyzing the geologic
>history of the region at the Oregon Gorge Discovery Center and through an
>examination of the oral history of the Bonneville Dam. Applications must
>be postmarked no later than March 1, 2003
>http://nationalhistoryday.org/03_educators/frameb_03_c_4.htm
>
>"School Funding Services Grant of the Week"
>Each week School Funding Services, a division of New American Schools,
>features a new grant on their website. This week they highlight the
>Electronic Data Systems (EDS) Foundation's Technology Grant.
>http://www.schoolfundingservices.org/newsViewer.asp?docId=2546
>
>"FastWEB"
>FastWEB is the largest online scholarship search available, with 600,000
>scholarships representing over one billion in scholarship dollars. It
>provides students with accurate, regularly updated information on
>scholarships, grants, and fellowships suited to their goals and
>qualifications, all at no cost to the student. Students should be advised
>that FastWEB collects and sells student information (such as name,
>address, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, and country of
>citizenship) collected through their site.
>http://www.fastweb.com/
>
>"Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)"
>More than 30 Federal agencies formed a working group in 1997 to make
>hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to
>find. The result of that work is the FREE website.
>http://www.ed.gov/free/
>
>"Fundsnet Online Services"
>A comprehensive website dedicated to providing nonprofit organizations,
>colleges, and Universities with information on financial resources
>available on the Internet.
>http://www.fundsnetservices.com/
>
>"Department of Education Forecast of Funding"
>This document lists virtually all programs and competitions under which
>the Department of Education has invited or expects to invite applications
>for new awards for FY 2003 and provides actual or estimated deadline dates
>for the transmittal of applications under these programs. The lists are in
>the form of charts -- organized according to the Department's principal
>program offices -- and include programs and competitions the Department
>has previously announced, as well as those it plans to announce at a later
>date. Note: This document is advisory only and is not an official
>application notice of the Department of Education.
>http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCFO/grants/forecast.html
>
>"eSchool News School Funding Center"
>Information on up-to-the-minute grant programs, funding sources, and
>technology funding.
>http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/funding/
>
>"Philanthropy News Digest-K-12 Funding Opportunities"
>K-12 Funding opportunities with links to grantseeking for teachers,
>learning technology, and more.
>http://fdncenter.org/funders/
>
>"School Grants"
>A collection of resources and tips to help K-12 educators apply for and
>obtain special grants for a variety of projects.
>http://www.schoolgrants.org
>
>QUOTE OF THE WEEK
>
>"As a superintendent of a small, rural district, I have seen both good and
>bad home schooling. The majority of students return to public education in
>middle school or high school for social and educational reasons. Over the
>years, I have observed that many of these students tend to be poorly
>prepared in math and science. In my experience, the most successful home
>schooling has been for gifted youngsters by parents who are professional
>educators by trade."
>-Shanda G. Hahn (superintendent), from a letter to the editor in the
>September 2002 issue of "The School Administrator"
>
>
> ===========PEN NewsBlast==========
>The PEN Weekly NewsBlast is a free e-mail newsletter featuring school
>reform and school fundraising resources. The PEN NewsBlast is the property
>of the Public Education Network, a national association of 78 local
>education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income
>communities nationwide.
>
>There are currently 47,125 subscribers to the PEN Weekly NewsBlast. Please
>forward this e-mail to anyone who enjoys free updates on education news
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>
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>
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>
>If you would like an article or news about your local education fund,
>public school, or school reform organization featured in a future issue of
>PEN Weekly NewsBlast, send a note to HSchaffer@PublicEducation.org
>
>Andrew Smith is a regular contributor to the PEN Weekly NewsBlast.
>
>----------
>Howie Schaffer
>Managing Editor
>Public Education Network
>601 Thirteenth Street, NW #900N
>Washington, DC 20005
>202-628-7460
>202-628-1893 fax
>www.PublicEducation.org
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