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Reminder: Registration Open for Chiefs to Attend CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute
Education Newsbriefs
"Verizon Makes Grants to Arkansas Nonprofits to Support Education and Workforce Development" (AR)
"California Considers Open Digital Textbooks" (CA)
"Miss. Students Work on Dropout Prevention" (MS)
"School Libraries to Benefit From Green Schools Bill"
Association & Related News
Reminder: Registration Open for Chiefs to Attend CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute
By Bevin Kennedy
CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute will be held July 18-21, at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, Colorado. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m., Saturday, July 18, with a reception and dinner, and concludes with a dinner and celebration, Tuesday, July 21.
The Summer Institute will be an opportunity for chiefs to:
- Discuss the imperative to transform state educational systems
- Be exposed to sensible approaches to transforming education systems in relation to the Council’s four strategic initiatives
- Experience both networking and collaboration opportunities
The deadline for registration is Monday, July 6. If you have questions about registration or the program, please contact Bevin Kennedy at bevink@ccsso.org or 202-336-7014.
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Education Newsbriefs
Verizon Makes Grants to Arkansas Nonprofits to Support Education and Workforce Development
Trading Markets (05/20/09)
The Verizon Foundation recently awarded $635,000 in grant money to four nonprofits in Arkansas. Jobs for America's Graduates will receive $250,000 to implement the national program in three school districts to assist at-risk students and offer work-based learning, and One Economy will receive $250,000 to roll out its Digital Connectors program at three high schools in the Delta region to provide technology training and cultivate leadership skills to prepare students for participation in the global economy. Additionally, the Arkansas Department of Education will receive $100,000 for technology upgrades and a professional development program at Little Rock Central High School and $35,000 for statewide teacher training using Thinkfinity.org's educational resources. State Commissioner of Education Dr. Ken James says, "The grants announced will have a positive impact in the classrooms and communities throughout Arkansas. The Arkansas Department of Education is proud to partner with Verizon on such a worthy and necessary program to ensure our teachers have the tools they need to help our students master 21st century skills." For more information on the Verizon Foundation, click here. For more information on Thinkfinity, the Verizon Foundation's Web site for K-12 lesson plans and other educational materials, click here.
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California Considers Open Digital Textbooks
eSchool News (05/21/09) Prabhu, Maya T.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has been asked by Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar to collaborate with Secretary of Education Glen Thomas and State Board of Education President Ted Mitchell on a list of open educational resources that meet state standards. The trio will issue an advisory report on open digital textbooks for high school math and science classes by Aug. 10, and the resources could be made available to students in the fall. Use of the open digital textbooks would be voluntary, and it remains to be seen how much money would be saved and whether they would replace current textbooks. The state has a textbook adoption process for grades K-8, but it does not review instructional materials for grades 9-12 at the present time. "[High schools] can use [open] textbooks anyway right now, but the question is whether they're going to invest any time and energy in them. So we're determining if the materials are aligned to California state standards," says Tom Adams, California Department of Education's director of curriculum frameworks and instructional resources.
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Miss. Students Work on Dropout Prevention
Jackson Clarion-Ledger (MS) (05/19/09)
The Youth Advisory Board, created by Mississippi Superintendent of Education Hank Bounds to speak on education issues on behalf of students across the state, met on May 18 to discuss ideas for dropout prevention legislation that would be considered by lawmakers during the 2010 session. The group of 20 high school students from schools all over the state is generating strategies to help the State Board of Education meet its goal of lowering the dropout rate to 13 percent by 2013. The board is considering a plan that would pay high school students to mentor and tutor middle school students, and the program would be monitored by a teacher or counselor acting as a dropout prevention coordinator. Bounds says, "In order to create meaningful change, people of influence in education--including state lawmakers--should be seeking advice from these students because they are the ones who can tell us exactly how to keep their peers interested in school and in graduation."
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School Libraries to Benefit From Green Schools Bill
School Library Journal (05/09)
The U.S. House recently passed the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act to provide $6.4 billion in funding for school repair and renovation projects with the goal of creating safer, healthier, and more energy-efficient learning environments. The bill, sponsored by House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and Reps. Ben Chandler (D-Ky.) and Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa), would distribute funds to schools based on their state Title I funding and require that a certain amount be used for green improvement projects. According to House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Secondary and Elementary Education Chairman Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), "Many of our nation's schools are in disrepair, creating an unsafe and unhealthy classroom environment that makes it more difficult to learn. This legislation will modernize and improve our educational facilities, providing a healthier learning and working climate for our students and teachers. Not only will this benefit our local schools, but it will create good jobs in our communities while helping to clean up the environment." For more information on the legislation, click here.
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