Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mass. officials set anti-bullying guidelines - Boston.com

Mass. officials set anti-bullying guidelines

By Lyle Moran

Associated Press Writer / August 24, 2010

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BOSTON—School principals would be required to report any instances of bullying to the parents of the students involved under new guidelines proposed Tuesday by state education officials.

The guidelines from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education were required under an anti-bullying law Gov. Deval Patrick signed in May. The law was passed after the suicides of two students believed to be victims of intense harassment, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, of South Hadley, and 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover, of Springfield.

State education officials released the guidelines to help school officials across the state decide how to best address bullying in their districts.

"Good relationships between adults and students are the best defense against bullying, but the state must play an active role in assisting districts," Education

Catalyst writers and editors share their perspectives, analyses and the news behind the news on improving Chicago area public schools. Our on-the-ground reports will tell you what’s happening in schools and education circles here and elsewhere. Our views will tell you what to make of it.

Illinois doesn't win Race to the Top grantDespite many last minute changes to state law to make the state more competitive, Illinois fails to win a piece of the 3.4 billion of federal education grant money.

Continue Reading Illinois doesn't win Race to the Top grant »

Posted By: The Staff of Catalyst On Tue Aug 24, 2010 In In the News
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In the News: More longer CPS days; turnaround plans in doubtChicago Public Schools plans to add 90 minutes to the schedules of 15 elementary schools using online courses and nonteachers.

Continue Reading In the News: More longer CPS days; turnaround plans in doubt »

Posted By: Cassandra West On Tue Aug 24, 2010 In In the News
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In the News: Rehiring CPS teachers; TIF money for schools; Teach for America expansion

CPS officials might use federal teacher jobs funding to re-hire roughly 300 to 400 high school teachers and cap core high school class sizes at 28, according to a statement issued Friday by Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis.

Continue Reading In the News: Rehiring CPS teachers; TIF money for schools; Teach for America expansion »

Hechinger Report | Race to the Top winners

Race to the Top winners The U.S. Department of Education has awarded nine states and the District of Columbia a total of $3.3 billion for a variety of education reforms in the second round of the Race to the Top competition. The winners were chosen from 19 finalists. ...

Top buzzwords in winning Race to the Top applications What does it take to win millions of federal dollars to finance state education reforms? Including some magical words certainly can’t hurt. A look at the finalists’ applications from the second round of Race to the Top reveals that winners hit on key ...

Race to the Top: The biggest losers Race to the Top winners for round two were announced this morning by the U.S. Department of Education. The ten winners were Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. There ...

The Unwild West – The Race to the Top Geography � The Quick and the Ed

The Unwild West – The Race to the Top Geography

by Rob Manwaring

In the pictures are worth a thousand words sense, take a look at the RTT winners on a map. The only state west of the Mississippi in Hawaii, and how they ended up third overall will be the biggest question the Department will face when it releases the details tomorrow. A quick look at this map might suggest that the Obama administration may have difficulty getting the additional $1.35 billion it

QUICK Hits

by Forrest Hinton

Quick Hits is a short compilation of question-raising news stories, blog posts, and video clips that Education Sector team members are reading or viewing each day.

Where are the best (and worst) cities for school reform? You might be surprised. (Newsweek)
Have you seen the face of the unemployed generation? (The Awl)
Today’s big edunews: Who won RTT Round II and why? Politics K-12 breaks it down. (Politics K-12)
Can’t recognize the faces of your students out on the soccer field or in the hallways? (This Week in Education)

“This certainly puts a spotlight on a problem with the concept of competitive grants.” � Fred Klonsky's blog

“This certainly puts a spotlight on a problem with the concept of competitive grants.”

by preaprez

That’s what IEA President Ken Swanson said today in a statement responding to Illinois being a loser in the Race to the Top contest.

“Aw man. We was robbed.”

Are you kidding me?

ASCD Inservice: Crafting Your School's "Gettysburg Address"

Crafting Your School's "Gettysburg Address"

It may be the best historical example of a mission statement: President Lincoln'sGettysburg Address. It's clear and concise, the rationale is tightly aligned with the vision, and it even conveys the humble leadership qualities of its orator.

With the Union beginning to take the lead, Lincoln used the Gettysburg Address to mark a corner turned in the Civil War, and to energize the constituency upon whom enduring victory depended.

As a precursor to this historic speech, authors Harvey Alvy and Pam Robbins say Lincoln was immersed in an array of leadership practices relevant and useful for today's school leaders: self-reflection, getting in the trenches, and seeking out opposing perspecitves.

In Learning from Lincoln: Leadership Practices for School Success, Alvy and

U.S. Education Secretary Embarks on 'Courage in the Classroom' Bus Tour to Honor Nation's Teachers | U.S. Department of Education

Media Advisories

AUGUST 26, 2010

U.S. Education Secretary Embarks on 'Courage in the Classroom' Bus Tour to Honor Nation's Teachers

Contact:
Sandra Abrevaya, (202) 260-5003

Event Date 1 : August 26, 2010 - August 27, 2010
Event Date 2 : August 30, 2010 - August 31, 2010

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will kick off a back to school bus tour to hold conversations with and honor America’s teachers in Little Rock, Ark., this Thursday. Throughout the tour, Duncan will be visiting classrooms breaking ground in closing the achievement gap, early education, school nutrition and safety and teacher recruitment. Duncan will be joined by public school teachers now serving as U.S. Department of Education teaching fellows as well as local leaders. All events are open press.
To follow the tour online: Updates, photos and videos from the road will be posted daily on the Education Department’s website at www.ED.gov and via Twitter (@ED_Outreach) and Facebook (Secretary Arne Duncan fan page).
To equip teachers and students for the new academic year, Target will be donating a variety of commonly needed supplies to each school Secretary Duncan visits on the tour.
SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, AUG. 26

No Clear Teacher Narrative in Race to Top Phase Two Winners - Teacher Beat - Education Week

No Clear Teacher Narrative in Race to Top Phase Two Winners

by Stephen Sawchuk

The Phase 2 Race to the Top picks are here, and they're an interesting and eclectic bunch.

The effective teachers and leaders section of the competition represented the largest percentage of overall points in the competition, but based on a cursory review of the winners, there does not appear to be a clear thread among the teacher proposals that explains why some states won and others didn't.

A big theme has been incorporating student achievement into teacher evaluations. But despite the rumors, the idea of making student growth count for up to 50 percent of an evaluation does not seem to have been a major factor, after all. New York State officials, with union support, agreed to use 40 percent, of which only a portion

Race to the Top Phase 2 Results - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Issues Statement on California's Loss in Phase 2 of the Federal Race to the Top Competition

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement after learning California was not selected as a winner for Phase 2 funding of the federal Race to the Top (RTT) competition.

"I am deeply disappointed that our application was not chosen as a winner in the Race to the Top competition. However, the loss of the funding may slow, but not defeat, our efforts to improve student achievement in California," O'Connell said. "We remain fully committed to continue seeking the strategies and resources demanded to accelerate our efforts to close the achievement gap among different groups of students by creating fundamental and far-reaching reforms.

"Our application focused on the necessary elements to help us meet the needs of our lowest-performing students and help us raise the ceiling for students who are already performing at high levels. These elements included rigorous, internationally benchmarked standards, effective use of data, more emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and the most important ingredient of all—effective and accountable teachers and principals. These are the fundamentals that will improve achievement in the short run and for the long term so that we can create a statewide system of excellence in our public schools. We will continue our efforts in these areas.

"I want to offer my deepest appreciation to the dynamic and diverse team of seven local superintendents who led the bottom-up approach in writing the Phase 2 application and in arguing California's case before the federal team of reviewers," O'Connell said. The seven district superintendents are from Clovis, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Sanger, and San Francisco unified school districts.

"I also applaud the more than 302 local educational agencies or LEAs who decided to join us in taking on this bold reform initiative on behalf of California's children. Their participation in this effort required great amounts of vision, courage, and collaboration. I know they are dedicated educators who will continue to work toward better results for the students they serve."

The participating LEAs represent more than 1.7 million California students, a student population larger than the total kindergarten through twelfth grade enrollment of all but six other U.S. states. These LEAs also serve some of the neediest students in the state, as 68 percent of the students in participating districts live in poverty.

California's RTTT Phase 2 application was rooted in four key areas of reform that call for:

Refining California's rigorous state standards by adopting internationally benchmarked common core standards and aligned assessments that better prepare students for success in college and the workplace;
Recruiting, developing, and retaining effective teachers and principals and ensuring that they are helping students that need them the most;
Expanding our education data system to better measure student success in college and the workforce; and
Dramatically improving the state's persistently lowest-performing schools.

California's Phase 2 RTTT application also emphasizes the critical goal of advancing the state's students' understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). With funding from the federal government, the state plans to launch new partnerships with institutions of higher education, and strengthen and expand the delivery of STEM in California's high schools. The plan also includes an emphasis on building a strong STEM foundation in the kindergarten through eighth grade system, an expansion of support systems, and infrastructure for the future of STEM.

Information on California's RTTT Phase 2 application may be found at Race to the Top (Outside Source).

Shriver Report Examines Impact of Alzheimer's on Women as Caregivers and Patients - ABC News

Maria Shriver Examines Impact of Alzheimer's on Women as Caregivers and Patients

'The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes on Alzheimer's' Features Essays by Stars of Entertainment and Politics

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By KI MAE HEUSSNER

Aug. 24, 2010

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California first lady Maria Shriver is harnessing the power of her prominent California Women's Conference to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease and its impact on American women.

California's first lady uses the awards ceremony to honor humanitarian efforts.

In the lead-up to her annual conference on women's issues, on Oct. 15, Shriver will join with the Alzheimer's Associationto release a comprehensive study detailing how the devastating disease affects women as caregivers, advocates and patients.

Featuring essays written by personalities from the worlds of politics, entertainment and media, "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes on Alzheimer's"gives an honest and diverse look at the personal, professional and policy dimensions of the disease.

For Shriver, whose father, Sargent Shriver, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2003, this is a continuation of her own efforts to highlight the disease.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010