[ECP] K12 Newsletter Headlines and Resources
- From: Educational CyberPlayGround <admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: K12NewsLetters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:15:03 -0400
SCHOOL OF SHOCK
Eight states are sending autistic, mentally retarded, and emotionally
troubled kids to a facility that punishes them with painful electric
shocks. How many times do you have to zap a child before it's
torture? In this eye-opening article in Mother Jones, Jennifer
Gonnerman details a year-long investigation of the Judge Rotenberg
Educational Center, located in Canton, Mass., 20 miles outside
Boston. The facility, which calls itself a "special needs school,"
takes in all kinds of troubled kids -- severely autistic, mentally
retarded, schizophrenic, bipolar, emotionally disturbed -- and
attempts to change their behavior with a complex system of rewards
and punishments, including painful electric shocks to the torso and
limbs. Of the 234 current residents, about half are wired to receive
shocks, including some as young as nine or ten. Nearly 60 percent
come from New York, a quarter from Massachusetts, the rest from six
other states and Washington, D.C. The Rotenberg Center, which has 900
employees and annual revenues exceeding $56 million, charges $220,000
a year for each student. States and school districts pick up the tab.
The Rotenberg Center is the only facility in the country that
disciplines students by shocking them, a form of punishment not
inflicted on serial killers or child molesters or any of the 2.2
million inmates now incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons. Over its
36-year history, six children have died in its care, prompting
numerous lawsuits and government investigations. Last year, New York
state investigators filed a blistering report that made the place
sound like a high school version of Abu Ghraib. Yet the program
continues to thrive -- in large part because no one except desperate
parents, and a few state legislators, seems to care about what
happens to the hundreds of kids who pass through its gates.
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/09/school_of_shock.html
SCHOOL DEATHS, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, and HIGH-PROFILE INCIDENTS OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE
School Crime Facts and how the weasel out of reporting them.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/safe.html
SCHOOL DISTRICTS FIND LOOPHOLES IN NCLB
The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law on Jan. 8, 2002, is
widely viewed as the most sweeping federal education bill in more
than 40 years. "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" education special
correspondent John Merrow looked into how some teachers and school
districts are handling the federal education law and states'
execution of it in a three-part series: Part I: School Districts Find
Loopholes in No Child Left Behind. Part II: Failing San Diego Schools
Work to Meet Standards. Part III: Teachers Grapple with Attaining
Education Law's Goals. In Part I, Merrow examines how some schools
are dealing with, and trying to avoid, requirements of the law. No
Child Left Behind demands that states raise test scores or their
schools could face firings and eventually be shut down. But as Merrow
details, states have discovered creative ways to win, to make their
schools seem better than they actually are. Some examples of the
accountability shell game played by some states include lowering
standards, and not including the test scores of some minority
students by manipulating the size of subgroups. As No Child Left
Behind ratchets up the pressure on schools, states may have more
incentive to look for shortcuts.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec07/nclb_08-14.html
EDUCATION & INDOCTRINATION: THERE IS A DIFFERENCE
In Brooklyn, N.Y., a new school opened amidst controversy: The
Khalil Gibran International Academy. This first-of-its-kind bilingual
public school will conduct studies in both Arabic and English.
Standard curricula includes all the "Rs" plus sciences, physical
education, the arts and more. Concomitant with language study comes
Arab culture study: the Alhambra (Granada, Spain), the House of
Wisdom (Baghdad's great library and learning center destroyed by the
Mongols in 1258), the development of algebra, astronomy, and medical
sciences. In Hollywood, Fla., the Ben Gamla Charter School is now
open. There, Hebrew language and Jewish culture will be emphasized:
for example, the teachings of Maimonides, the great 12th century
philosopher who flourished in Cairo as chief rabbi and physician to
the sultan and author of "The Guide to the Perplexed." Some observers
are not in favor of these lessons being taught to public or charter
school students. There is a place for the study of religion in our
public schools, writes Anisa Mehdi for The American Muslim. Education
is not the same as indoctrination. When we study art history, we see
works from churches and mosques. When we study music history, we hear
great masses and requiems. When we study literature, we need to know
Bible and Qur'anic stories as well as other mythologies in order to
understand themes and references. The study of religion is essential
for a well-rounded and well-grounded civilization, says Mehdi.
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/fears_of_arab_school_in_new_york_unjustified/0014571
COPING WITH CYBERBULLYING
One of the best ways to prevent cyberbullying is to empower the
bystanders. Teens really do have the ability to make a difference.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/cyberbully.html
SCHOOL UNIFORM AND THE DRESS CODE
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/dresscode.html
ARE YOUR JEANS SAGGING? GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL
Jamarcus Marshall, a 17-year-old high school sophomore in Mansfield,
La., believes that no one should be able to tell him how low to wear
his jeans. "It's up to the person who's wearing the pants," he said.
Mr. Marshall's sagging pants, a style popularized in the early 1990s
by hip-hop artists, are becoming a criminal offense in a growing
number of communities, including his own. Starting in Louisiana, an
intensifying push by lawmakers has determined pants worn low enough
to expose underwear poses a threat to the public, and they have
enacted indecency ordinances to stop it. Since June 11, sagging pants
have been against the law in Delcambre, La., a town of 2,231 that is
80 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. The style carries a fine of as
much as $500 or up to a six-month sentence, reports Niko Koppel for
The New York Times. "We used to wear long hair, but I don't think our
trends were ever as bad as sagging," said Mayor Carol Broussard. An
ordinance in Mansfield, a town of 5,496 near Shreveport, subjects
offenders to a fine (as much as $150 plus court costs) or jail time
(up to 15 days). Police Chief Don English said the law, which takes
effect Sept. 15, will set a good civic image. Behind the indecency
laws may be the real issue -- the hip-hop style itself, which critics
say is worn as a badge of delinquency, with its distinctive walk
conveying thuggish swagger and a disrespect for authority. Also at
work is the larger issue of freedom of expression and the questions
raised when fashion moves from being merely objectionable to illegal.
Sagging began in prison, where oversized uniforms were issued without
belts to prevent suicide and their use as weapons. The style spread
through rappers and music videos, from the ghetto to the suburbs and
around the world. Following a pattern of past fashion bans, the
sagging prohibitions are seen by some as racially motivated because
the wearers are young, predominantly African-American men. Yet, this
legislation has been proposed largely by African-American officials.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/fashion/30baggy.html
FOR-PROFIT EDUCATION COMPANIES TAKE PUBLIC MONEY, PROVIDE LITTLE INFORMATION
"Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations:
2006-2007" released by the Arizona State University Commercialism in
Education and Education Policy Research Units finds that, despite
repeated requests, several large publicly funded Education Management
Organizations (EMOs) failed to provide information about their
schools or finances when queried by researchers. The data collected
in the report suggest that the number of charter schools overall has
increased and the number of EMO-run charter schools has stabilized or
declined slightly. The number of students enrolled in charter schools
has shown a slight decrease. Large-size Education Management
Organizations appear to have increased the percentage of charter
school students educated in their schools. EMO enrollments are
heavily concentrated in the primary grades and EMO-run charter
primary schools are likely to be larger than the national average
enrollment for charter primary schools. The report finds that: (1) A
significant number of students attending charter schools (about 25
percent) are enrolled in schools run by EMOs; (2) Large-size EMOs
dominate the for-profit education management industry; (3) EMOs focus
on charter primary schools; and (4) A significant percentage (about
89 percent) of students enrolled in EMO-run charter primary schools
will be in a school larger than the national average. Professor Alex
Molnar, a co-author of the report, suggests that policy makers take a
close look at the business models as well as the education models of
EMOs: "For-profit firms are cashing checks worth a lot of taxpayer
dollars. They do so while withholding as much information as possible
from the public. This does not seem like a situation likely to
benefit taxpayers and school children either financially or educationally."
http://epsl.asu.edu/ceru/CERU_2007_emo.htm
GRANTS
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/grants.html
"Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education"
The TASH Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education Awards program honors
important contributions of individuals and school districts in
advancing inclusive education and equitable opportunities for
students in grades K-12, particularly those with the most significant
disabilities and support needs. Awardees will be selected from these
categories: Inclusive Education Administrator of the Year; Inclusive
Education Teacher of the Year; Inclusive Education Advocate of the
Year; Most Promising Inclusive School; and, Most Promising Inclusive
School District. Maximum Award: recognition; a library of books about
inclusive best practices from Brookes Publishing. Eligibility: school
districts and education professionals that work inclusively with
students K-12 with disabilities. Deadline: September 20, 2007.
http://www.tash.org/2007tash/Awards.htm
"Awards Recognize School District Best Practices"
American School Board Journal (ASBJ) is accepting nominations online
for the 2008 Magna Awards through October 1, 2007. Presented in
cooperation with Sodexho School Services, winners of the Magna Awards
receive national recognition in a special supplement to ASBJ and are
honored at a luncheon at the National School Boards Association's
annual conference. Awards are handed out in three enrollment
categories -- under 5,000, 5,001 to 20,000, and more than 20,000.
Grand prize winners in each category receive a $3,500 cash award from
Sodexho. Nominations this year are being accepted only on an online
basis. For more information, call (703) 838-6739.
http://www.asbj.com/magna/
"Youth Service America Harris Wofford Awards"
Youth Service America Harris Wofford awards annually honor
exceptional individuals, institutions, and media figures who actively
contribute to this nation's spirit of service. Eligibility: Youth
(ages 5-25), Organization (nonprofit, corporate, foundation), and
Media (organization or individual). Maximum Award: $500 individual
award and a $500 award for the nonprofit organization of his/her
choice. Deadline: October 19, 2007.
http://servenet.org/DesktopModules/iBN%20News%20Articles/Download.aspx?AttachmentID=44
"U.S. News & World Report and AXA Foundation AXA Achievement Scholarships"
U.S. News & World Report and AXA Foundation AXA Achievement
Scholarships, provide resources that help make college possible for
qualified students. Maximum Award: $15,000; a laptop computer; the
offer of an AXA Financial Services internship. Eligibility: high
school students from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico who will graduate in 2008. Deadline: December 15, 2007.
http://www.axaonline.com/rs/axa/about-us/33a_National_Initiatives.html
"Awards Recognize School District Best Practices"
American School Board Journal (ASBJ) is accepting nominations online
for the 2008 Magna Awards through October 1, 2007. Presented in
cooperation with Sodexho School Services, winners of the Magna Awards
receive national recognition in a special supplement to ASBJ and are
honored at a luncheon at the National School Boards Association's
annual conference. Awards are handed out in three enrollment
categories -- under 5,000, 5,001 to 20,000, and more than 20,000.
Grand prize winners in each category receive a $3,500 cash award from
Sodexho. Nominations this year are being accepted only online. For
more information, call (703) 838-6739.
http://www.asbj.com/magna/
"Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in
grades 5 through 12 who have demonstrated exemplary voluntary service
to their communities. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: Students
grades 5-12 who have conducted a volunteer service activity within
the past year. Deadline: October 31, 2007.
http://www.prudential.com/spirit
"International Reading Association Regie Routman Teacher Recognition"
The International Reading Association Regie Routman Teacher
Recognition Award honors an outstanding elementary teacher of reading
and language arts dedicated to improving teaching and learning
through reflective writing about his or her teaching and learning
process. Maximum Award: $1,000. Eligibility: regular classroom
elementary teachers of reading and language arts grades K-6; must be
IRA members. Deadline: November 1, 2007.
http://www.reading.org/association/awards/teachers_routman.html
"National Schools of Character Awards Program"
The 2008 National Schools of Character Awards Program names public
and private schools and districts (K-12) as National Schools of
Character (NSOC) for their outstanding work in character education.
The program honors recipients, showcases their work, and helps them
to inspire and lead others. Maximum Award: $20,000. Eligibility:
schools engaged in character education for a minimum of three full
years, starting no later than December 2004, and having a minimum of
175 students; districts engaged in character education for a minimum
of four full years, starting no later than December 2003. Deadline:
December 3, 2007.
http://www.character.org/site/c.gwKUJhNYJrF/b.2766927/k.58C8/National_Schools_of_Character_Awards.htm
"Grants to Support Job Skills & Education"
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: December 7, 2007.
http://www.staplesfoundation.org/foundapplication.html
"Grants Target Improving Family Literacy"
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy's grant-making
program seeks to develop or expand projects designed to support the
development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and
their children. Maximum Award: $65,000. Eligibility: organizations
that have operated an instructional literacy program in existence for
at least two years that includes literacy for adults, parent
education, pre-literacy or literacy instruction for children pre-K to
grade 3, or intergenerational literacy activities (Parent and Child
Together time or P.A.C.T. time). Deadline: September 7, 2007.
http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/pdf/08GrantApplicationGuidelines.doc
"Awards Recognize School District Best Practices"
American School Board Journal (ASBJ) is accepting nominations online
for the 2008 Magna Awards through October 1, 2007. Presented in
cooperation with Sodexho School Services, winners of the Magna Awards
receive national recognition in a special supplement to ASBJ and are
honored at a luncheon at the National School Boards Association's
annual conference. Awards are made in three enrollment categories --
fewer than 5,000, 5,001 to 20,000, and more than 20,000. Grand prize
winners in each category receive a $3,500 cash award from Sodexho.
Nominations this year are being accepted only online. For more
information, call (703) 838-6739.
http://www.asbj.com/magna/
"Awards Recognize Outstanding Contributions to Science Education"
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Distinguished Fellow
Award recognizes extraordinary contributions to science education
through personal commitment to science teaching or science and
through significant contributions to the profession that reflect
dedication to NSTA as well as the entire educational community.
Maximum Award: Recognition. Eligibility: NSTA members of at least 10
years. Deadline: October 15, 2007.
http://www3.nsta.org/fellow
"Middle Level and High School Science Teaching Awards"
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Exemplary Middle Level and High School
Science Teaching Awards recognize teachers who have demonstrated
exemplary science teaching in one or more of the following areas:
creativity using science teaching materials; design and use of
innovative teaching plans and ideas; and development and
implementation of department, school, or school-community programs
that improve science instruction and/or stimulate interest in science
and the learning of science. Maximum Award: $2,000. Eligibility:
full-time classroom teachers. Deadline: October 15, 2007.
http://www3.nsta.org/cibateacher
"The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards"
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in
grades 5 through 12 who have demonstrated exemplary voluntary service
to their communities. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: Students in
grades 5-12 who have conducted a volunteer service activity within
the past year. Deadline: October 31, 2007.
http://www.prudential.com/view/page/public/12846
Other related posts:
- » [ECP] K12 Newsletter Headlines and Resources
