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Headlines
Association & Related News
Join the Largest-Ever Study of American Youth: Gallup Student Poll Measures Students’ Hope, Engagement, and Well-being
Reminder: Registration Open for Chiefs to Attend CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute
Advocacy in Action
Upcoming CCSSO Federal Liaison Network Meeting in Washington, DC
Reminder: State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Applications Due July 1, 2009
Overview of Recent Congressional Hearings with Secretary Duncan
Upcoming Congressional Briefing on Early Childhood with Kansas Commissioner of Education
Education Newsbriefs
"Head of Education for State Says He's Resigning June 30" (AR)
"School Matters: Pre-School Helps Close the Learning Gap" (CA)
"Gov. Ritter Praises National Teacher Evaluation Report" (CO)
"Tennessee Using Data to Meet Challenges of Raising Standards" (TN)
"Wisconsin Wins $2.2 Million Transition-to-Teaching Grant" (WI)
Association & Related News
Join the Largest-Ever Study of American Youth: Gallup Student Poll Measures Students’ Hope, Engagement, and Well-being
Launched by Gallup, America’s Promise Alliance, and the American Association of School Administrators, the Gallup Student Poll is an effort to engage the largest-ever group of students in grades 5 through 12 to measure their hope for the future, engagement with the world, and well-being in the community. The poll captures the voice of America's youth, a critical but often missing part of the national dialogue surrounding dropout prevention and college readiness.
The Gallup Student Poll would provide users, including chiefs, administrators, teachers, and community leaders with an accurate, meaningful, and dynamic understanding of students’ everyday experiences and future desires. Research has shown that hope, engagement, and well-being are reliable, actionable indicators of future success for students, schools, and communities. The variables strongly correlate with future attendance, credits earned, and GPA of students, and are more robust predictors of college performance than high school GPA, SAT, or ACT scores.
Available in English and Spanish and free of charge to participating districts, the Gallup Student Poll will provide users with real-time results within two weeks of the survey period. A simple online scorecard will highlight key insights about students’ future performance, to anticipate problems before they happen and identify effective interventions. By participating in the poll, users will have access to the Gallup Student Poll Solutions Center, which presents community-based solutions that can lead to increased graduation rates, better teacher effectiveness, and higher student aspirations for college and careers.
To register for the Gallup Student Poll’s October polling period or for more information about the study, visit www.gallupstudentpoll.com. For other questions, please contact Jonathan Zaff, America’s Promise Alliance Vice President for Research and Policy Development, at jonz@americaspromise.org or -617-627-5526.
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.
Advocacy in Action
Upcoming CCSSO Federal Liaison Network Meeting in Washington, DC
CCSSO will be hosting a meeting of the Federal Liaison Network (FLN), June 15–16 in Washington, DC. Pertinent issues to be discussed during the meeting include: priorities of the 111th Congress, Fiscal Year 2010 budget, state data systems, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act implementation, and the Common Core State Standards Initiative. To help inform this conversation, representatives will be joining sessions from congressional offices, the Committee on Education Funding, Wireless Generation, U.S. Department of Education, and several national organizations. In general, this meeting serves as an opportunity for the FLN to engage in meaningful conversation with each other and the broader national education community.
If you would like more information about this meeting, please contact Abigail Rogers at 202-336-7073 or abigailr@ccsso.org.
Reminder: State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Applications Due July 1, 2009
As of June 9, only 27 state applications have been approved to receive State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF). According to the Federal Register, Governors must submit applications for Phase 1 of the SFSF (67% of available funding; or more, if the state can demonstrate need) to the U.S. Department of Education by July 1, 2009 at 4:30 PM EST.
Overview of Recent Congressional Hearings with Secretary Duncan
Last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified before the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees. Throughout the hearing, Secretary Duncan outlined and answered questions regarding President Obama’s key education proposals which account for $46.7 billion of the total Fiscal Year 2010 budget. Secretary Duncan highlighted how the Recovery Act has already helped avert layoffs and shortages. According to Secretary Duncan, the focus of the administration is around four components: 1) school turnaround efforts; 2) incentivizing highly qualified teachers; 3) innovating reforms in early childhood; and 4) access to higher education.
While subcommittee chairmen, Senator Harkin and Rep. Obey, praised the administration’s work thus far with the Recovery Act, both expressed concerns for programs that were either cut or eliminated—especially the Even Start program. Sen. Harkin also expressed concern over the base cut in Title I funds, specifically questioning what would happen to the Title I and IDEA budget when Recovery Act funds run out. Rep. Obey had similar sentiments, and articulated additional concern with the Pell grant shifting to a mandatory entitlement program. Overall, there appears to be bi-partisan support in both legislative bodies for the administration’s education agenda.
Upcoming Congressional Briefing on Early Childhood with Kansas Commissioner of Education
CCSSO will co-host a congressional briefing featuring Alexa Posny, Kansas Commissioner of Education, on Thursday, June 11, 2009, 11:30am–12:30pm ET, titled, "Education that Works: The Impact of Early Childhood Interventions on Reducing the Need for Special Education Services." Panelists will also include Kathy Augustine, Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the Atlanta Public Schools and Kathleen Hebbeler, Manager, Community Services and Strategies Program at SRI International, and will be moderated by Sonya Anderson, National Director, The First Five Years Fund, with honorary hosts Senator Patty Murray, Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro and Rep. Cathy McMorriss Rodgers. The event will be webcast live at www.kzoinnovations.com/firstfive.
Education Newsbriefs
Head of Education for State Says He's Resigning June 30
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (05/30/09) P. A1; Howell, Cynthia; Wickline, Michael R.
Arkansas Education Commissioner Ken James will resign from his position as head of the State Department of Education on June 30 to assume a private-sector position. He said, "I'm very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in the past five years. Arkansas is now positioned on the national radar screen in a variety of different ways. We are and will continue to be." Gov. Mike Beebe expressed surprise when James issued his resignation and noted, "The educational advancements he oversaw already have produced measurable improvements for our students, but the true extent of those advancements will be revealed further with each additional school year." Recent changes to the state's school-funding formula have enabled the state to share in the costs of school renovation and construction with individual districts, which along with other changes spearheaded by James, have helped schools deal with fiscal distress. Arkansas continues to aggressively develop and use technology to track student achievement and manage data, which helped the state garner federal approval for a pilot program of alternate methods for evaluating schools in terms of student achievement. Other accomplishments under James include a state-funded prekindergarten program, the acquisition of millions of dollars in new technology, and high school and Advanced Placement improvement grants. Arkansas' Smart Core curriculum will start this year, ensuring students achieve four years of upper-level math and three years of upper-level science, unless parents receive waivers. As part of James' resignation, he will have abdicate his position as chair of the Council of Chief State School Officers.
School Matters: Pre-School Helps Close the Learning Gap
New America Media (06/03/09) Po, Vivian
A new study by the RAND Corporation indicates that California could close achievement gaps in its K-12 public education system by offering more Latino and African-American children access to "high quality" pre-school education. "Pre-school Adequacy and Efficiency in California: Issues, Policy Options, and Recommendations" finds that low-income students often are less prepared in kindergarten because they are less likely to attend pre-school. The report suggests that boosting the number of disadvantaged children in pre-school and enhancing pre-school quality could close the achievement gap by as much as 20 percent. It also calls for implementing universal pre-school so that all children have access, but prioritizing enrollment for children who would reap the most benefits. "We're seeing the fastest-growing student population, which are the Latino American children, lag behind on school achievements," says State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. "It is a must that we address the achievement gap problem now." To read the full report, click here.
Gov. Ritter Praises National Teacher Evaluation Report
Cherry Creek News (Colo.) (06/01/09) Shrewsbury, Holly
A recent report from The New Teacher Project reveals that teacher evaluation programs do not always accurately reflect teacher performance, and many times, teachers only can achieve a good or great rating from these evaluation programs. However, the report issued recommendations for school districts that would include matching student and teacher IDs to state standardized tests, creating multiple rating systems for teachers that enable student achievement to be used as one evaluation factor, and mandating that professional development and support systems align with individual teacher needs. Colorado Education Commissioner Dwight Jones says, "Colorado appreciates the focus that this report places upon our most critical resource--effective teachers--and will include the analysis in the information it considers as we identify opportunities to support local school districts in their efforts to provide an effective teacher for every student. The report's recommendations provide several opportunities that Colorado may pursue in its Race to the Top effort this summer and fall, as well as for the General Assembly to consider during the 2010 legislative session." Gov. Bill Ritter expressed interest in the report and its usefulness as a guide for the state's education reforms.
Tennessee Using Data to Meet Challenges of Raising Standards
UC Daily News (Tenn.) (06/04/09) Woods, Rachel
The Academic Preparedness Report by the Tennessee Department of Education and SAS Institute Inc. predicts the performance of 2008 sixth graders on the ACT college exams and examines the sixth-grade performance of those who took the 2008 ACT exam, using Tennessee Value Added Assessment System projections. The report indicates that nearly half of the sixth graders studied have a 50 percent chance of achieving a high enough ACT score to win a Tennessee Hope Scholarship; 27 percent have a 50 percent chance of scoring at least a 22 on the ACT Math exam, with a 50 percent chance of earning an A or B in freshman college algebra; and 39 percent have a 50 percent chance of achieving an ACT Science Reasoning score of 21. According to State Education Commissioner Dr. Timothy Webb, "It's an advantage for us to have both proactive and reflective materials as we move forward with raising our standards with the Tennessee Diploma Project. We do not want to leave any child behind especially as we start a new set of curriculum and assessments this school year." For more information about the Tennessee Diploma Project, click here.
Wisconsin Wins $2.2 Million Transition-to-Teaching Grant
Daily Kenoshan (06/04/09) Loring, Lisa
The U.S. Department of Education provided the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction with a $2.2 million, five-year grant to train 100 teachers in math, science, and special education through alternative certification programs. The grant will help fund the Support for Mid-Career Advancement and Retention through Transition-to-Teaching (SMARTT) Project, which aims to certify professionals, college graduates, and paraprofessionals without an education degree in math, science, and special education through alternative certification programs to ensure the more than 1,000 vacancies in Wisconsin schools are filled. Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster says, "The quality of the teacher in the classroom is an important factor for improving student achievement. Wisconsin, like most other states, has a clear need for highly qualified educators to teach mathematics, science, and students with special educational needs. This grant targets both critical-need subjects and high-need school districts to put highly qualified teachers where they are needed most." The SMARTT Project will target 20 teachers per year who currently teach with an emergency permit or provisional license, and most will complete the alternative certification process within 12 months. On-site and online mentoring, evaluation, and financial support also will be available. "High quality training and mentoring are vital to the career success of teachers who educate our children. Grant activities are being designed with maximum flexibility to ensure prospective educators and participating districts successfully attain the goals of the grant. Putting quality educators in every classroom is an important part of our efforts to provide a quality education for every child," notes Burmaster. Other states receiving grants from the U.S. Department of Education's Transition to Teaching program include California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina.
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