Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 17:30:43 -0700 Subject: PEN Weekly NewsBlast for September 27, 2002 To: "PEN Weekly NewsBlast" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: "Public Education Network" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast "America's Favorite Free Newsletter on Improving Public Education" *************************************************************************** HOLES IN THE WAR AGAINST PUBLIC EDUCATION Public education in America has undergone the biggest smear job of any institution in history, according to Elizabeth Randall. Read any national publication; popular concerns about our current situation align in a remarkable consensus. The consensus is this: The parents are absent; the students are helpless; the teachers are inept; the schools are battlegrounds in which a socioeconomic war rages and everyone loses. Randall writes, "Instead of apologizing for public education or fleeing from it, maybe we should just appreciate it. Instead of shunting our children into private or home schools and teaching them about exclusivity and privilege, maybe we should just teach them to work hard. To be fair, education is like anything else in life: You get out of it what you put into it. Public education makes me proud to be an American. It embodies, after all, the purest of American ethics: It's free to all, and it's as good as we want to make it. That's a lesson I want to ensure that my child learns." http://www.edweek.com/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=04randall.h22 EDUCATING AMERICA'S NEW MAJORITY Recent test results confirm once again what many already know: The communities with the lowest test scores are the communities with the highest percentage of poor children -- especially poor immigrant children. Those involved in the implementation of new standards and assessments have always known the strong correlation between poverty and poor academic performance. The unanswered question, however, remains: Given all the talk about school reform, why haven't we done something about it? According to Pedro Noguera and Eileen Moran Brown, the key factor in the success of America's ''new majority'' will be our public schools. The challenge will be to give teachers the tools, skills, and credentials they need to be effective in reaching this new population and meeting the demands of a rapidly changing, high-stakes educational environment. Reformers have initiated school reforms without thinking about teaching reforms. Reformers too often incorrectly assume that reducing class sizes, raising student standards, or creating small schools could be accomplished in a vacuum without teachers. However, studies confirm that the quality of teaching is the single most important factor in closing the student achievement gap. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/263/oped/Educating_America_s_new_majority+.sht ml UPDATE OR ADD A NEWSBLAST SUBCRIPTION PEN wants you to get each weekly issue of the NewsBlast at your preferred e-mail address. We also welcome new subscribers. Please notify us if your e-mail address is about to change. Send your name and new e-mail address to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Be sure to let us know your old e-mail address so we can unsubscribe it. If you know anyone who is interested in receiving the NewsBlast, please forward this e-mail to them and ask them to e-mail us and put "subscribe" in the subject field or visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/news/signup.htm BRING ON THE NEW SCHOOLS Ron Wolk, a PEN board member, writes that there are two strategies for establishing better public schools. One is to transform existing traditional ones. The other is to build nontraditional schools from scratch. For almost 20 years, nearly every reform effort has focused on the former. But because the problems are so daunting and the school culture so firmly entrenched, success has been elusive. Now is the time to devote more energy and resources to creating new, innovative public schools. He points to the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other philanthropic partners, and to local education funds in New York City and Baltimore as exemplars of new thinking about new schools. http://www.teachermagazine.org/tmstory.cfm?slug=02persp.h14 THE MYTHOLOGY OF SCHOOL REFORM Our preoccupation with school improvement, accountability, assessment and other ways of working to upgrade education will only matter if we are focused on real problems and move away from mythology. Paul Houston writes that too many myths are driving the school reform agenda: (1) Schools are worse now than ever before; (2) Student achievement and test result are synonymous; (3) If you test them, they will learn; (4) Coercion is the best management tool; (5) You can make reforms educator proof; and (6) If you brag loud enough about it, it becomes real. http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2002_8/execper.htm USING ASSESSMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING The current issue of "The Vision" includes numerous articles on improving instructional practices, facing the challenges of designing effective district and state accountability systems, and supporting teachers in their efforts to provide high-quality, interesting, challenging, and purposeful learning experiences for all students. Articles worth examining include: "Standards of Classroom Practice: Defining a Vision of Quality in the Classroom" and "Can High-Stakes Testing Be Improved?" To receive a FREE subscription to "The Vision," please call Anita Smith at 800-352-6001 or e-mail her at [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.serve.org/publications/vision.htm MOVING AHEAD ON RESULTS ACCOUNTABILITY: THE HUMAN ELEMENT Extensive guidance is readily available on choosing and measuring results, including lists of results and benchmarks, language frameworks, and definitions for all of the varied categories of measurement. The various taskforces that are charged with creating a results accountability system have spent years developing their own answers to the questions of what results to seek, what nomenclature to use, what numbers to collect, and how they should be collected. This level of sophistication and variety is important -- without the right foundation, results accountability systems will be at the best ineffective and, at the worst, destructive. But these are only the initial questions that must be addressed in order to use results to actually improve the well being of children and families over time. Much harder are the questions about people, not numbers -- about management, not measurement. Once the numbers are in hand, what should be done with them? Who should be accountable for what? How does one unearth the reasons behind a particular performance? What's the best way to decide what follow-up actions will help the numbers improve? What process is both fair to all parties and effective at promoting continuous improvement? What actions will engage workers as partners and encourage them to do their best, instead of making them feel criticized and threatened? In this article, Sara Watson of the Pew Charitable Trusts explains that true accountability must extend beyond the purely technical to also address the management of people. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue19/spotlight2.html EVERY CHILD A GRADUATE The time has come for the federal, state, and local governments to form a national partnership that transforms middle schools and high schools from warehouses of student failure and frustration into centers of learning and engagement that prepare students for rewarding and meaningful lives. Instead of funding the limited school choice provisions of No Child Left Behind, a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education advocates expanding funding to include new initiatives that focus on adolescent literacy, teacher and principal quality, college preparation, and small learning communities. http://www.all4ed.org/policymakers/Every/index.html TOWARD EDUCATION JUSTICE John Beam argues that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 confuses information with accountability. Accountability-- let alone comprehensive school reform -- does not equate to greater access to information, especially for poor and minority families. Ironically, the encoding of the national rhetoric of accountability into federal and state policy has fueled the need for citizen organizing at the local school level. The new federal education law notwithstanding, we still lack a national consensus that every child deserves a high-quality public education, regardless of her or his color, language, or income. At the community level, however, organized parents, youths, and their allies are using actions, studies, demonstrations, boycotts, lobbying, and press events to make concrete changes. They are winning community-controlled schools; more full-time, licensed teachers and fewer unlicensed substitutes; reading programs (yes, research-based); textbooks; professional development for teachers; and other victories that improve the safety, climate, and quality of public schools. http://www.edweek.com/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=04beam.h22 HIGH-POVERTY SCHOOLS THAT SUCCEED SHARE COMMON TEACHING PROGRAMS A recent report by the Pacific Research Institute's Center for School Reform found that many of California lowest-income schools receiving high achievement scores use direct-instruction teaching methods. Direct-instruction or teacher-centered programs, in which teachers follow scripted lesson plans, have never been very popular among teachers, who call it "drill and kill" teaching. However, more and more schools are switching to direct-instruction teaching programs as states move toward tougher education standards. School officials say they like direct instruction programs because the structured lesson plans mean every kid in every class learns the same material at the same time. Critics say direct instruction is too structured and stifles creativity. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/09/25/state1820ED T0168.DTL ARE STATE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OUT OF REACH? The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation requires that each school make yearly progress or face classification as a school in need of improvement. In addition, all students, including groupings identified by ethnicity, economic status, disability, and English proficiency, must test at the proficient level within 12 years. "The notion is that given enough pressure from the accountability system and additional resources, the schools will improve and the goal will be met," three scholars write in the recent issue of "Educational Researcher." "One can agree that schools should improve and that holding schools accountable will contribute to improvement but still conclude that the goal of having 100 percent of students reaching the proficient level . . . is so high that it is completely out of reach." The requirement to measure yearly progress necessitates establishment of performance standards on state tests. In many states, ambitious proficiency levels were established before the federal legislation exacted consequences for failure to meet targeted goals, resulting in proficiency levels too difficult for all students to attain by 2014. Currently, no state or country is close to meeting such a high performance level. http://www.aera.net/pubs/er/eronline.htm TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS WITH STUDENT VOICE Throughout the nation there is a call that is growing louder and more urgent everyday. It is asking for meaningful civic engagement, for active democracy, and for the power that accompanies leadership. It comes from the youngest of our nation's citizens, the students in our elementary and secondary schools. While it hasn't overwhelmed all schools yet with its energy and passion, the clarion call of empowered voice for young people is spreading across the nation, forming community youth councils and youth-led activist organizations. When examined for their educational value, these actions should challenge educators with three essential questions: what is student voice, why is it important, and how can schools engage students in meaningful ways throughout their educations? http://freechild.org/CMSI/Article.104.htm REMODEL PUBLIC SCHOOLS INTO KNOWLEDGE FACTORIES Politicians sometimes characterize public schools as factories, grim places where students are mere objects moving along an assembly line as teachers attempt to pour knowledge into them. This metaphor assumes that factories are the antithesis of quality. In fact, the opposite often is true. According to John Merrow, public schools would do well to emulate today's most modern factories: efficient, clean, productive and accountable. Like factories, schools should be held responsible for outcomes, which requires clear goals and standards. If a chip-production plant fails to achieve its goals, the management doesn't blame the chips or make the employees work longer hours, the way some push for more schooling. Instead, the managers examine the factory's procedures and make necessary corrections. Our economy can no longer afford schools that pick winners and losers. What we need is to produce highly educated, well-rounded students based on the standards and approaches used by our most modern and effective factories. http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020925/4478602s.htm PRIVATE SCHOOLS PRESSURED FOR DATA The pressure on private schools to divulge more information is increasing as parents gain a wider choice of schools, along with access to taxpayer dollars -- from federal and some local governments -- to spend on private education. According to Jay Mathews, education experts say that if tax-supported private school tuition vouchers and other ways of funding private schools with government money become popular, private schools that receive such money will be obliged to report test scores, teacher qualifications and graduation rates, as public schools do now. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57664-2002Sep23.html FREE CYBER SECURITY KIT FOR SCHOOLS The "NetDay Cyber Security Kit for Schools" features tools and resources to raise awareness about online safety and computer security. NetDay encourages education leaders to distribute these resources in schools across the country, to ensure that schools and homes -- the places where children are most likely to access computers -- are "cyber secure." Resources -- some in both English and Spanish --are included for K-12 educators, school district administrators, parents, and families. http://www.netday.org/cyber_security_kit.htm EDUCATION & THE ECONOMY The new issue of Education Next asks: Can the nation depend on today's education system to fuel economic growth in the future? For more than three decades, the United States has been scoring below the international average among participating nations on tests of math and science achievement. Again and again, civic leaders have pointed to this fact when warning that a crisis in American education may imperil continued growth in economic productivity. Yet after two decades of nearly uninterrupted boom times, the United States remains the most prosperous nation in the world. What's the relationship between education and economic growth? If the educational rain falls, do the flowers automatically bloom? After looking at international evidence on the impact of educational quality on economic productivity, Eric A. Hanushek finds a tight, if delayed connection. Unless the United States does a mid-course correction, a price will eventually have to be paid. Focusing on the developing world, William Easterly finds a much more loosely coupled tie. So many other factors affect growth that more schooling, by itself, is no panacea. Building schools in an economic wasteland does little good. http://www.educationnext.org/20023/9.html BE A SMART MOUTH The Center for Science in the Public Interest introduces a snazzy new website designed to teach kids that healthy eating can be fun! Smart-Mouth uses games to teach kids (and their parents and teachers) how to eat well and resist the food industry's marketing campaigns. Kids can see how their favorite restaurant foods stack up, play "true or false" with a food-industry spokesman, and "bite back" by asking food companies and government officials to promote nutrition. http://Smart-Mouth.org |---------------GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION--------------| "2003 Toyota International Teacher Program" The 2003 Toyota International Teacher Program is a fully funded 2-week study tour of Japan sponsored by the Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Toyota sponsors 50 full-time secondary teachers, grades 9-12, from Alabama, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and West Virginia to learn first-hand about education, culture, environment and technology and how these affect industry and society. Apply online or call (877) TEACH-JP or e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more information. Application deadline: January 13, 2003. http://www.iie.org/programs/toyota "2003 New Leaders Academy" The National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) is currently seeking applicants for the 2003 New Leaders Academy, a competitive year-long professional management and training program specifically designed to equip mid-level youth service professionals with the skills and comprehension necessary to successfully manage and lead youth programs. The New Leaders Academy provides training to mid-level professional youth service staff in current information and best practices on what works in youth employment and the use of available data and successful models of youth employment and youth development. The Academy also helps staff improve management skills and encourages networking with other senior professionals in the field. Application deadline: November 1, 2002. http://www.nyec.org/newleaders.html "National Endowment for the Humanities" The National Endowment for the Humanities provides grants to schools, colleges, universities, libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions to improve formal humanities education in the United States from kindergarten through college. The program supports projects that promise national significance by virtue of their content, approach, or reach. The size of a grant depends on the scope of the project, its duration (up to three years) and the number of participants. Application deadline: October 15, 2002. http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/eep-hfg.html "The Coca-Cola Foundation" The Coca-Cola Foundation encourages new solutions to countless problems that impede educational systems today, and it supports existing programs that work. Because the challenges for education are so broad, the Foundation's commitment is multifaceted. It offers support to public and private colleges and universities, elementary and secondary schools, teacher-training programs, educational programs for minority students, and global educational programs. Next application deadline: December 1, 2002. http://www2.coca-cola.com/citizenship/foundation_guidelines.html "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 2002 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 "Of course we need standards and resources to make our schools work well in solving the myriad tasks they face. But resources and standards alone will not work. We need a surer sense of what to teach to whom and how to go about teaching it in such a way that it will make those taught more effective, less alienated, and better human beings." -Jerome Bruner (author/educator), "The Culture of Education" ===========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 71 local education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income communities nationwide. There are currently 45,871 subscribers to the PEN Weekly NewsBlast. Please forward this e-mail to anyone who enjoys free updates on education news and grant alerts. Some links in the PEN Weekly NewsBlast change or expire on a daily or weekly basis. Some links may also require local Web site registration. To view past issues of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/news/signup.htm To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/news/signup.htm 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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 ************************************************************************* NOTE: Gleason Sackmann is the owner and host of this list. All inquiries regarding this list and its contents should be directed to Gleason Sackmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. 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