[ECP] Educational CyberPlayGround
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- Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:27:27 -0500
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Republicans Turning against the NCLB Act
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402741.html
More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate
-- including the House's second-ranking
Republican -- will introduce legislation today
that could severely undercut President Bush's
signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left
Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates.
Many voters in affluent suburban and exurban
districts -- GOP strongholds -- think their
schools have been adversely affected by the law.
Once-innovative public schools have increasingly
become captive to federal testing mandates,
jettisoning education programs not covered by
those tests, siphoning funds from programs for
the talented and gifted, and discouraging creativity, critics say.
Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Culdesac/kindersite.html
For ages 2 year through 5th grade educational resources
Watch the Fox "Fifth Grader" show. Each week,
grown-ups who ought to know a few things square
off with fifth-graders, who smile sweetly and
answer questions and, frequently, help the adults
reveal themselves as less knowledgeable.
You can use the computer with your children to learn
(hear and read) American Nursery Rhymes
http://edu-cyberpg.com/iec/iecmusic3.html
Find Online Nursery Rhyme Cards
Hey Diddle Diddle, Rub-a-dub-dub
Old King Cole, Georgie Porgie
Little Jack Horner, Diddle Diddle Dumpling, Jack Sprat
Swinging the Alphabet Song with the Three Stooges
NO QUICK, CHEAP FIX FOR STATE'S SCHOOLS
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-schools15mar15%2C1%2C2413543.story?coll=la-news-learning
California's immense public school system report
says $1.5 trillion more each year would be needed
to make all students academically proficient
under the current system. That's about 25 times
more than present spending for the K-12 and
community college systems, which consumes about
half of the state budget. That trillion-dollar
figure assumes nothing in the system will change.
Researchers said that no amount of money would help absent dramatic reform.
BEHIND BURQA, STUDENT GETS AN EDUCATION IN BIGOTRY
Caitlin Dean was raised not to discriminate
against others because of their race or religion.
But as a white suburban teen of Italian and Irish
descent, she often wondered what it would be like
to be the target of such abuse. The 15-year-old
freshman volunteered with a few other students to
wear traditional Muslim clothing to school for an
entire day in February after a Middle Eastern
Studies teacher announced that she was looking
for students to promote her class by wearing the
garb. Caitlin covered her slender frame and short
brown hair with a periwinkle burqa, which
concealed her face. The hateful and abusive
comments she endured that day horrified teachers,
the teen and many of her classmates. The remarks
underscored a persistent animosity toward
American Muslims that is driven largely by the
terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq. But they also opened up an
important dialogue that could help teenagers in
Colchester and across Connecticut view the Muslim
culture differently, reports Tracy Gordon Fox in
the Hartford Courant. "My fear of this hatred of
Islam is that it will become synonymous with
patriotism," teacher Angie Parkinson said. "We
are a nation of immigrants. Some of the most
disturbing comments were, `This is America. Go home.'"
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-burqa0312.artmar12,0,3126355.story?coll=hc-headlines-education
BUSH CLAIMS ABOUT NCLB QUESTIONED
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Literacy/texasScam.asp
Is the No Child Left Behind Act working?
President Bush says it is, pointing to
student-achievement results from a single
subsection of the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) and tentative Reading
First data. But the evidence available to support
his claim is questionable. The administration
appears to ignore other data that suggest the law
has had little or no positive effect on
achievement, report David J. Hoff and Kathleen Kennedy Manzo in Education Week.
The Trouble with Teachers Unions
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20070311-091129-6933r.htm
Across America, there are more than three million
public-school teachers. Organized through the
National Education Association and the American
Federation of Teachers -- the nation's two
largest labor unions -- they wield enormous
political influence and aren't afraid to use it.
Much of this power comes through the dues that
union leaders deduct from teachers' paychecks,
supposedly to improve the working conditions of the teachers they represent.
NCLB TARGET OF 100 PERCENT PROFICIENCY IS CALLED "OUT OF REACH"
No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the landmark federal
education law, sets a lofty standard: that all
students tested in reading and math will reach
grade level by 2014. Even when the law was
enacted five years ago, almost no one believed
that standard was realistic. But now, as Congress
begins to debate renewing the law, lawmakers and
education officials are confronting the reality
of the approaching deadline and the difficult
political choice between sticking with the vision
of universal proficiency or backing away from it.
"There is a zero percent chance that we will ever
reach a 100 percent target," said Robert L. Linn,
co-director of the National Center for Research
on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing at
UCLA. "But because the title of the law is so
rhetorically brilliant, politicians are afraid to
change this completely unrealistic standard. They
don't want to be accused of leaving some children
behind." The debate over the perfection standard
encapsulates the key arguments for and against No
Child Left Behind. Critics, including some
teachers unions and many testing experts, view
the law as a forced march toward an impossible
education nirvana, reports Amit R. Paley in the
Washington Post. Anything less than a universal
proficiency target and a deadline, advocates say,
will hurt children, especially society's most
vulnerable: poor and minority students.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031301781.html
75 PERCENT OF EDUCATION SCHOOL GRADS CAN'T GET JOBS IN MICHIGAN
Michigan universities continue to graduate large
numbers of new teachers -- an estimated 7,000
will be certified this year -- but three-fourths
won't land jobs in the state because there aren't
enough teaching positions to go around. That
hastens the brain drain of young professionals
who abandon Michigan to find jobs elsewhere, and
it's a burden to taxpayers who help pay for
college degrees that benefit other states, some
say. Despite the glut of elementary teachers in
particular, teaching remains among Michigan's
most popular college majors. Yet the numbers of
engineering and biomedical/health graduates have
dropped since 2000 -- even though some experts
believe those fields are critical to turning
around Michigan's bleak economy. On average,
reports Marisa Schultz in The Detroit News,
Michigan taxpayers spend $5,800 to support each
student for one year's study at a public
university. "Education schools ? are farming out
education grads at a rate much higher than
Michigan can employ. In effect, we are exporting
teachers at the taxpayers' expense," said John
Bebow, executive director of the Center for
Michigan, a public policy think tank. Competition
is fierce for the few teacher openings in
Michigan. In Rochester, for example, 1,000 people
applied for 54 teaching positions -- some of them
part-time jobs at the start of this school year.
Growth in teaching jobs doesn't seem likely soon.
The state anticipates a loss of 15,000 public
school students next year and the census predicts
a steady drop in Michigan's school age population until 2015.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/SCHOOLS/703120328
KATRINA COTTAGES: SCHOOLHOUSES OF THE FUTURE?
According to the Smart Schools Initiative, one of
the greatest practical accomplishments of new
urban architecture advocates has been the design,
development and implementation of the Katrina
Cottage in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast
region. Now, the design has been expanded to
possibly take the place of the unsightly mobile
classrooms that schools use as overflow space.
One school district in Charlotte, North Carolina
has contracted to build a prototype "Learning
Cottage" in an effort to explore a new solution to overcrowding.
http://www.huntersvilleherald.com/articles/2007/01/12/news/local/local01.txt
EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR GAY, LESBIAN & BISEXUAL STUDENTS
Concern about the impact of discrimination on the
well-being of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth
has been hotly contested in the ongoing struggle
to achieve equal educational opportunities for
all students. Advocates for GLB youth have drawn
on the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education
(1954) in their use of social science research
and in the legal and political efforts that have
emphasized the harm done to these young people,
particularly at the hands of other members of
school communities. As a result of these efforts,
after years in which few even recognized the
existence of GLB youth, recently, laws, policies,
and educational practices have been implemented
to provide support and protection for these young
people in various locales. In spite of these
advances, those seeking to help GLB youth must
heed the warning issued by Patterson (1998), who
observed the problematic consequences of the
emphasis on victimization in the struggle to
ensure equality in education and beyond. In this
article in Teachers College Record, Sarah A.
Strauss provides a brief review of the way Brown
moved the issues of discrimination and its
relationship to schooling and the well-being of
students to center stage with regard to the
struggle for equal educational opportunities for
African Americans. She advocates for a new
approach that moves beyond the victimization
model. She concludes that because research
efforts, laws, and policies have tended to focus
on the role played by victimization in the lives
of these young people within school settings,
social scientists must strive to develop a more
balanced picture of GLB youth experiences.
http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=11794
K-12 ONLINE LEARNING: A SURVEY OF U.S. SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS
A new report from the Sloan Consortium predicts
rapid growth in online education. The nationwide
survey, conducted during the 2005-2006 academic
year, finds that almost two out of three (63
percent) school districts had one or more
students enrolled in either a fully online or a
blended course, which combines online learning
with traditional face-to-face instruction. The
new study estimates that 700,000 K-12 students
were engaged in online courses in the 2005-2006 academic year.
http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/index.asp
EFFECTIVE EARLY LEARNING: WHAT EVERY POLICYMAKER & EDUCATOR SHOULD KNOW
Language and literacy skills are critical to
success in school. For low-income preschoolers,
increasing early literacy and math skills is
vital to closing the achievement gap between them
and their more advantaged peers. New research
shows that an intentional curriculum and
professional development and supports for
teachers are important components of effective
preschool classrooms and programs. A special
focus on these strategies is important because
many low-income children in early learning
settings fall behind early and remain very much
behind their peers in reading and math. A new
publication from the National Center for Children
in Poverty at Columbia University helps
policymakers and educators understand two
important elements: use of an intentional
curriculum and professional development and
teacher supports. To request paper copies
contact Telly Valdellon at valdellon@xxxxxxxxx
For questions about these materials, please
contact Lisa Klein at klein@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.nccp.org/pub_pes07a.html
|--------------- NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION--------------|
"Borders Books & Music: Educators Savings Week from March 22-27, 2007"
Educators can realize 25 Percent Savings on
books, CDs, DVDs & more at Borders and Waldenbooks from March 22-27, 2007.
http://www.bordersmedia.com/teachers/
"Fundraising?s Four Magic Questions"
Make the ask, and for a precise amount. Don't
fill in the silence. No matter how long it may
seem, wait. Follow the dictum: The first one who
speaks is dead! Do you know the answers to four
immutable fundraising questions?
http://www.guidestar.org/DisplayArticle.do?articleId=1108
"Recognizing Exemplary Service to the Community"
The Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the
Community is now accepting nominations. Sponsored
by The Hitachi Foundation, the Award recognizes
high school seniors from around the United States
for their community service activities and social
change efforts. Activities must foster longer
term community change and be focused in socially
and/or economically isolated areas. The Award is
accompanied by a gift of $5,000, dispensed over
two years. Recipients may use the Award at their
discretion. The Award is not a scholarship and is
not based on financial need or academic
achievement. Deadline for submissions: April 2, 2007.
http://www.hitachifoundation.org
"New Leaders for New Schools"
New Leaders for New Schools promotes high
academic achievement for every child by
attracting, preparing, and supporting the next
generation of outstanding leaders for our
nation?s urban public schools. This year we are
seeking highly motivated individuals nationwide
to become New Leaders in Baltimore, California?s
Bay Area, Chicago, Memphis, Milwaukee, New
Orleans, New York City, Prince George?s County,
MD, and Washington, D.C. Candidates should have a
history of success in leading adults, a
relentless drive to lead an excellent urban
school, and an unyielding belief in the potential
of all children to achieve academically at high
levels. Eligibility: K-12 instruction
experience. Deadline: March 20, 2007 (April 4, 2007 for New Orleans).
http://www.nlns.org
"Getting Youth Involved in Community Volunteerism"
"The Power of One," the latest campaign by
Country Music Television?s (CMT) pro-social
initiative, CMT One Country, urges CMT viewers to
get involved in their community through civic
participation and volunteerism. CMT One Country
is reaching out to CMT fans to let them know
about the opportunity to get involved with
National & Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22,
2007) events all over the country. CMT One
Country also rewards volunteers for making a
difference in their communities by giving them
the opportunity to win rewards from CMT. If you
want to learn more about CMT One Country and how
you can win rewards for the good work you already do, go to:
http://www.cmt.com/one_country/rewards.jhtml
"Supporting Environmental Community Action & Service-Learning Projects"
Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! offers grants
to implement community action and
service-learning projects. GreenWorks! projects
should address an environmental issue and involve
students from pre-school to high school in
hands-on community action. Maximum Award: $5,000.
Eligibility: applicant must have received
training in PLT; youth must implement the
project; project must integrate student learning
and community service; project must include at
least one community partner, such as a local
organization or business; project must acquire
50% matching funds. Deadline: April 30, 2007.
http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_22_18.html
"Honoring Teachers Who Change Outcomes in Students? Lives"
The Turnaround Management Association is now
accepting nominations for the 2007 Butler-Cooley
Excellence in Teaching Awards. The award honors
classroom teachers who have changed the outcome
of students? lives and the communities in which
they live. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility:
primary or secondary school teachers employed by
accredited schools for at least five years. Deadline: May 1, 2007.
http://www.turnaround.org/cmaextras/ButlerCooleyEntryPackage2007.doc
"Grants to Fund Participation in High-Quality Professional Development"
NEA Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants
support public school teachers, public education
support professionals, and/or faculty and staff
in public institutions of higher education for
one of two purposes: grants to individuals fund
participation in high-quality professional
development experiences, such as summer
institutes or action research; grants to groups
fund collegial study, including study groups,
action research, lesson study, or mentoring
experiences for faculty or staff new to an
assignment. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility:
public school teachers grades K12; public school
education support professionals; or faculty and
staff at public higher education institutions. Deadline: June 1, 2007.
http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/Learning&Leadership_Guidelines.htm
For a detailed listing of EXISTING GRANT
OPPORTUNITIES (updated each week), visit:
http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"Each moment we live never was before and will
never be again. And yet what we teach children in
school is 2 + 2 = 4 and Paris is the capital of
France. What we should be teaching them is what
they are. We should be saying: ?Do you know what
you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all
the world there is no other child exactly like
you. In the millions of years that have passed,
there has never been another child exactly like
you. You may become a Shakespeare, a
Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity
for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.?"
-Pablo Casals (cellist)
"I try to pack a healthy lunch and plenty of
water for my daughter each morning because I
don't want her to drink from the fountains. The
school's water is yellowish, dirty and sometimes
has orange and brown flakes. But on hot days I
know she gets thirsty and has to drink from it anyway."
-Graciela Cruz, the mother of a kindergartner
attending Huron Elementary School in Huron, Calif.
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