Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Media Advisories--Department of Education

Media Advisories--Department of Education

Event Date: 5:30 to 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Contact: Jo Ann Webb or Elaine Quesinberry, 202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

ASSISTANT DEPUTY SECRETARY TO DISCUSS IMPORTANCE OF A WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION AT HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION PUBLIC FORUM

Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, will participate in a Harvard Graduate School of Education public forum, "What Matters and What Counts? Expanding What We Value in Schools," on Wednesday, May 12, at the graduate school in Cambridge. The forum aims to stimulate discussion about ways to expand what schools value and accomplish, as well as explore how researchers, policymakers and educators can promote rigorous, high-quality, assessable and accountable work in areas other than literacy and math.
Event Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Contact: Jim Bradshaw 202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL LAB DAY, ADDRESS NEW SCHOOLS SUMMIT ON WEDNESDAY

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will take part in a pair of events Wednesday in Washington. Wednesday morning, Secretary Duncan will highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses in recognition of National Lab Day. Later in the morning, Secretary Duncan will join U.S. Rep. George Miller in a question and answer session on the Obama administration's education reform agenda.
At 9 a.m., Secretary Duncan will recognize National Lab Day by visiting Martin Luther King Elementary School, 3200 Sixth St., S.E. There, he will observe the student's solar car project and talk with them about the long-term value of STEM education to our nation's economy. National Lab Day is a nationwide initiative to build local communities of support and to foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators.
At 11 a.m., Secretary Duncan will join Rep. Miller in a question and answer discussion on the administration's education reform efforts at the NewSchools Venture Fund Summit. Secretary Duncan will lay out the administration's education agenda for the coming years, and talk about the role entrepreneurs can play in advancing education reform. The annual summit invites leaders from across the education, business, policy and nonprofit sectors who are passionate about transforming public education for underserved children.
Event Date: Thursday, May 13, 2010
Contact: Jim Bradshaw 202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

U.S. EDUCATION OFFICIAL TO ADDRESS CINCINNATI CONFERENCE ON TEACHER COMPENSATION

Brad Jupp, senior program advisor for teacher quality initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education, will address a Cincinnati conference Thursday bringing together educators to explore trends in teacher compensation.
Jupp's remarks, scheduled for 10:45 a.m. at the College of Mount St. Joseph, are part of a daylong forum on teacher wages sponsored by Leadership Cincinnati, a program of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce. Teachers, principals, union representatives, school board members and administrators are expected to attend.
The issue of teacher compensation comes as local districts across America consider the most effective ways to reward teachers and promote excellence in education.

Event Date: 10 a.m. EDT Thursday, May 13, 2010
Contact: Jo Ann Webb (202) 401-1576

ASSISTANT DEPUTY SECRETARY TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION ON DRINKING AND DRUG USE AMONG STUDENTS

Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS), will participate in the Department's policy briefing "The Power of Peers and Perceptions," which focuses on drinking and drug use by students. The event, scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 13, in the Departmental Auditorium, will feature students discussing how they motivate their peers to make healthier choices around alcohol and other drugs. In addition, grantees of the OSDFS Models of Exemplary, Effective and Promising Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention on College Campuses program, who work with high-school students and college students on campuses, will share their novel programs for reducing risky behavior among students. Officials from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., and the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington, N.C., will join Jennings.
Event Date: Thursday, May 13, 2010
Contact: David Thomas 202-401-1576
press@ed.gov

DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TO BE PANELIST IN WORKSHOP AT SUMMIT SERIES DC10

Assistant Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton to discuss today's youth and the future of education

Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement, will participate in Summit Series DC10's Innovation in Education panel on Teaching Today's Youth on Thursday, May 13. He will join several panelists, including recording artist John Legend, entrepreneur Marc Ecko, Teach for America CEO Wendy Kopp, and WordWorld Founder Don Moody, in discussing the future of education. During the panel discussion, Assistant Deputy Secretary Shelton will focus on the role of innovation in improving educational opportunities.
Summit Series DC10 is an invitation only conference taking place Thursday, May 13-Sunday, May 16 in Washington D.C. The Summit connects top young innovators, influencers, and business leaders to inspire a new generation of leaders to succeed in business and in life.
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NewSchools Venture Fund Congressman George Miller: We don't know enough to compare teachers.



TheEdReformer — May 12, 2010 — Congressman Miller answers a question by NewSchools Venture Fund CEO Ted Mitchell by saying that the way we determine who goes and who stays in the teaching profession is by using information, rather than broad formulas that have no evidence to back them.
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NewSchools Venture Fund Michelle Rhee, District of Columbia Public Schools



TheEdReformer — May 12, 2010 — Michelle Rhee tells edReformer that there is no sense in having collaboration between the status quo, unless there's an acknowledgment that change is about helping children. This is right after her, Go Hard or Go Home message at NewSchools Venture Fund.
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Central Falls teachers reapplying for their jobs | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Central Falls teachers reapplying for their jobs | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Central Falls teachers reapplying for their jobs



01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, May 12, 2010

By Jennifer D. Jordan

Journal Staff Writer
CENTRAL FALLS — All of the teachers at Central Falls High School have reapplied for their jobs following their mass firing three months ago, which was part of an effort to turnaround the struggling school.
But the veteran teachers face stiff competition. Supt. Frances Gallo said Tuesday that more than 700 people have applied to work at the city’s only high school, and she expects the number of applicants to grow in the coming weeks.
Gallo said about 87 teachers, guidance counselors, librarians and other teaching staff have applied to keep their positions. One teacher decided to retire and the principal and three assistant principals cannot return to the high school, although they can apply for jobs elsewhere in the district.
Just half of the teachers can be rehired according to federal rules about how persistently low-performing schools must be improved for states to receive millions in school-improvement grants.
Meanwhile, the Central Falls Teachers’ Union is fighting the firings in federal court. At the
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Why the new evaluation plan is good for teachers

Why the new evaluation plan is good for teachers

Why the new evaluation plan is good for teachers

BY DAN BROWN

Wednesday, May 12th 2010, 4:00 AM

RELATED NEWS

Yesterday's announced compromise on teacher evaluations between teachers unions and New York State is a win for teachers, although many don't see it that way. The deal, which makes students' test scores count for 40% of a teacher's effectiveness rating, marks the first time that test data will influence teachers' ratings or job security.

The concept of tying teacher evaluations to test scores - an idea endorsed so emphatically by President Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan that it's a prerequisite for states' applications for the Race to the Top billions - is moving with the momentum of a bullet train. As trains go, you're either onboard, on the sidelines or getting run over.

At the risk of being further castigated for obstructionism, teachers needed to climb on that train. And they did.

Teacher evaluations were long overdue for an overhaul. Last year, fewer than 2% of New York City teachers were rated "unsatisfactory." You can practically count on one hand the number of city teachers fired for incompetence over the past two years. That's crazy, and it reflects poorly on all teachers to have such a softball system in place. There is dead weight in the system and, via speedy due process, it needs to go.

It's a loser to argue against accountability. Since the current system for evaluations was indefensible, the blame inevitably fell - fairly or not - on teachers for appearing to protect their own interests over all else. The unions should have been out in front of this, and they've endured major collateral damage for not being more proactive.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/05/12/2010-05-12_why_the_new_evaluation_plan_is_good_for_teachers.html#ixzz0nj69vjdM
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Budgetpalooza... Or, Mr. Mulgrew, Have I Got a Speechwriter for You :: Frederick M. Hess

Budgetpalooza... Or, Mr. Mulgrew, Have I Got a Speechwriter for You :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Budgetpalooza... Or, Mr. Mulgrew, Have I Got a Speechwriter for You

by Frederick M. Hess • May 12, 2010 at 10:10 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Between the National Journal debate over Senator Tom Harkin's $23 billion bailout, the European Union ponying up a cool $1 trillion to stanch the bleeding in Greece, Mike Petrilli getting frisky on teacher firing, and my own dalliances in NYC teacher policy (see here or here), this is turning out to be quite the week for bailout mania.

Four different thoughts spurred by all this. First, I was struck by this gem from the Washington Post story on the Greek bailout. George Perros, member of the executive committee of the Pan-Hellenic Workers Front, sounded for all the world like he was channeling UFT president Michael Mulgrew when he explained why Greek workers were rioting against the cutbacks imposed by a government scrambling to stave off bankruptcy: "The rights of workers are not 'privileges.' The privileges are being enjoyed by the industrialists and big businesses,"

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Childhood Obesity Task Force Report – ED.gov Blog

Childhood Obesity Task Force Report – ED.gov Blog

Childhood Obesity Task Force Report

Today, we are one step closer to reaching First Lady Michelle Obama’s goal of solving the epidemic of childhood obesity in our country. Nearly one-third of children in America are overweight or obese—a rate that has more than doubled for younger children and tripled for adolescents over the last 30 years. In response to this health crisis, the First Lady is leading a national public awareness effort called “Let’s Move!” to improve the health of our children.Today, the Childhood Obesity Task Force, of which I am a member, released its action plan to tackle childhood obesity within a generation.
Twelve federal agencies and thousands of parents, teachers, health practitioners, and others provided input that is reflected in the report’s 70 recommendations. We have a lot of work ahead of us. But I am confident that we will succeed if we work with parents and youth and with stakeholders across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Many of the task force recommendations can be enacted immediately. Others will take longer. The report includes benchmarks to measure progress toward our goal.
At the federal level, the Department of Education is making available $35 million in grants to schools that can support physical education programs. But all of us can take responsibility for ensuring that our children grow up healthy. All of us need to model positive behaviors—such as walking or biking to work, ensuring that family recreation time includes opportunities to be physically active, and eating nutritious foods.
Today, I visited Tyler Elementary School in Washington, D.C. The parents and teachers there demonstrated that a focus on health and physical education can have a powerful impact on children’s well-being and achievement. Recognizing that children had no access to a safe park or playground, parents applied for and recently received grants to build an outdoor classroom on the school’s grounds. Parents and teachers also are working with local organizations to incorporate a yoga and fitness component into Tyler’s after-school program. Also in the after-school program, coordinators offer cooking classes that educate children on the importance of nutrition. On the horizon are partnerships with farm-to-school networks that will incorporate locally grown produce into the school’s lunch program.
Results at Tyler are promising. Children and families have a better understanding of how to make healthier choices. Test scores are up, and the teachers and parents notice that the children are more engaged in their learning. Through the First Lady’s leadership and by learning from examples such as the healthful programming and partnerships at Tyler Elementary School, our goal of ending childhood obesity can be achieved. I look forward to collaborating with states and local communities to implement the task force recommendations and to learning more about promising efforts to improve our children’s health across the country.
Secretary Arne Duncan
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