Early Learning Challenge Fund Eliminated from Health Reform Bill
The Early Learning Challenge Fund that many considered the most progressive aspect of the Obama administration's early childhood agenda didn't survive the reconciliation process needed to pass health care reform — reportedly because some Congressional leaders felt keeping it might endanger passage. However, $1.5 billion for expansion of home visitation did survive. The Early Learning Challenge Fund's loss leaves some in the early childhood community wondering how much clout early childhood issues have on Capitol Hill these days. That's the subject of today's post on NIEER's Preschool Matters ... Today!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
NIEER - Early Ed Hot Topics 3/26
Connecticut High Court Ruling Establishes Need for Quantifying Education Quality
The Hartford Courant reports that the Connecticut Supreme Court has opened the door to changing the way the state funds public education. In a 4-3 ruling, the court found that the Connecticut Constitution guarantees students not only a public education, but one that prepares them for employment, higher education, and civic responsibilities such as voting and jury duty. The ruling doesn't prescribe changes but does set forth a new framework that says students have a right to a certain level of education. In siding with plaintiffs in the 2005 education equity lawsuit, the court sent the case back to Superior Court for trial.
The Hartford Courant reports that the Connecticut Supreme Court has opened the door to changing the way the state funds public education. In a 4-3 ruling, the court found that the Connecticut Constitution guarantees students not only a public education, but one that prepares them for employment, higher education, and civic responsibilities such as voting and jury duty. The ruling doesn't prescribe changes but does set forth a new framework that says students have a right to a certain level of education. In siding with plaintiffs in the 2005 education equity lawsuit, the court sent the case back to Superior Court for trial.
Richardson's Surprise Veto Nixes Money for New Mexico PreK
Just when advocates were feeling good about the prospects for expanding New Mexico PreK, Governor Bill Richardson used his line item veto to eliminate a provision in tax legislation that would have earmarked part of a 75-cent increase in the cigarette tax for early childhood programs. The earmark was for one year and would have generated $11 million for pre-K and other early childhood programs. Richardson also made the cigarette tax hike, which was to have been in effect for four years, permanent.
Just when advocates were feeling good about the prospects for expanding New Mexico PreK, Governor Bill Richardson used his line item veto to eliminate a provision in tax legislation that would have earmarked part of a 75-cent increase in the cigarette tax for early childhood programs. The earmark was for one year and would have generated $11 million for pre-K and other early childhood programs. Richardson also made the cigarette tax hike, which was to have been in effect for four years, permanent.
NAEP: One in Three Kids Unable to Read at Basic Level by Fourth Grade
Reading scores for American students have hardly budged, says the latest report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Fourth grade reading scores were unchanged from 2007. Achievement gaps between racial and ethnic groups remained unchanged as did the gaps between children who are and are not eligible for free lunch. Eighth grade children scored only one point higher in 2009 than 2007.
Reading scores for American students have hardly budged, says the latest report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Fourth grade reading scores were unchanged from 2007. Achievement gaps between racial and ethnic groups remained unchanged as did the gaps between children who are and are not eligible for free lunch. Eighth grade children scored only one point higher in 2009 than 2007.
Common Insecticide Linked to Childhood Developmental Delays
New research confirms that even when adjustments are made for environmental factors such as poverty, exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos is linked to delayed mental and motor skill development in children. Commonly used to control insects in crops like corn, cotton, apples, oranges, and almonds, chlorpyrifos was banned in 2001 for use in the home, where it was primarily used for termite, mosquito, and flea control.
New research confirms that even when adjustments are made for environmental factors such as poverty, exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos is linked to delayed mental and motor skill development in children. Commonly used to control insects in crops like corn, cotton, apples, oranges, and almonds, chlorpyrifos was banned in 2001 for use in the home, where it was primarily used for termite, mosquito, and flea control.
Died: Doctor Who Prevented Childhood Blindness
Arnall Patz, the doctor who in the 1950s figured out that too much oxygen administered to premature infants caused overdevelopment of blood vessels, consigning a great many of them, including Stevie Wonder, to a lifetime of blindness, died last week. To prove his point, he conducted the first controlled clinical trial in ophthalmology.
Arnall Patz, the doctor who in the 1950s figured out that too much oxygen administered to premature infants caused overdevelopment of blood vessels, consigning a great many of them, including Stevie Wonder, to a lifetime of blindness, died last week. To prove his point, he conducted the first controlled clinical trial in ophthalmology.
Calling All Doctoral Students: Dissertation Funding Available
Child Care Research Scholars grants are available to support graduate students as a way of encouraging child care policy research. Eligible applicants include doctoral level graduate students. For information about previous Child Care Research Scholars, see http://www.researchconnections.org/childcare/federal/ccb.jsp. Those with questions can email the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation child care research grant review team at ChildcareScholars@icfi.com or call 1-877-301-6977. Visit the HHS Grants Forecast site at https://extranet.acf.hhs.gov/hhsgrantsforecast/index.cfm to learn about upcoming funding opportunities from the OPRE.
Child Care Research Scholars grants are available to support graduate students as a way of encouraging child care policy research. Eligible applicants include doctoral level graduate students. For information about previous Child Care Research Scholars, see http://www.researchconnections.org/childcare/federal/ccb.jsp. Those with questions can email the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation child care research grant review team at ChildcareScholars@icfi.com or call 1-877-301-6977. Visit the HHS Grants Forecast site at https://extranet.acf.hhs.gov/hhsgrantsforecast/index.cfm to learn about upcoming funding opportunities from the OPRE.
An inner-city schoolteacher examines the lack of parental involvement.
We're in the midst of parent-teacher conferences here in New York City public high schools.
Between last night and this afternoon, family members from 20 of my 78 students' families attended meetings. Of those 20, 16 made the honor roll, which unscientifically shows a correlation between parental involvement and academic success as well as a lack of involvement by parents of struggling students.
I can count on both hands the number of family members who have contacted me in the past year and a half, despite having given out my cell phone number and e-mail address to them all. My e-mails seem to be sent into an abyss; about one in 10 of the voicemails I leave with parents is ever returned. And even though my students’ grades are posted online and all parents or guardians are given login information, about three out of 25 students’ families ever check their progress. (And just in case you’re wondering, it's not for a lack of Internet access—I take a survey at the beginning of the year.)
Based on conversations I've had with colleagues at similar schools throughout the Bronx, this low-level of involvement is more or less par for the course.
But there are exceptions to this trend—heroic mothers, fathers, grandmothers, aunts and siblings who provide strong support—and, as for the rest, it's not their fault. Not yet.
Just as I believe all students want to succeed, so I (need to) believe that all parents want their children to succeed. Yet just like my students, I have found that some of their families aren't sure of what they need to do to be successful. If schools expect families to be involved, it falls to teachers and administrators to teach them.
Am I recommending that schools teach parents how to carry out their responsibilities? Absolutely. Condescending as may it sound, evidence suggests that someone must intervene if we—teachers, schools, supporters of better public schools generally—expect family involvement to increase.
(I’m inclined at times to abandon laborious efforts to engage parents and relatives and just work directly with my students, who at 16-, 17- or 18-years-old should be held responsible for their academics. Deep down, however, I understand that the kind of dramatic improvement we are seeking will only come if all parties are engaged.)
There are endless ways teachers and schools can increase families’ engagement (and I’d love to read your ideas in the comments section below). First, prove to them their participation makes a significant difference in their students’ achievement. Next, provide different ways they can get involved. Furthermore, incentivize involvement. For instance, a middle school where a friend of mine works raffles off computers and flat-screen TVs on parent-teacher conference nights. Another friend’s school offers free ESL classes to parents on Saturdays. Many parents have a lot going on, especially single-parent households and heads of low-income households. We must appeal to their self-interest.
Lastly, exhibit interest in families, too. Parents are people, not just the number to call when their child breaks a rule. Many families only hear from their children's teachers when they've done something wrong, which complicates the relationship between families and schools. Try calling home to reinforce positive behaviors or academic achievement. I don’t make enough positive calls home—I’d say about three in 10 calls are solely to deliver praise—but the ones I do make have a dramatic impact. One mother woke her daughter up at 1:30 am after hearing my message about her daughter winning the Student of the Week award. Such calls also add weight to more critical calls I may need to make in the future.
So, fellow teachers, let’s extend the four walls of our classrooms, to include parents and families in our pursuit of increased academic achievement.
Brendan Lowe is a Teach for America corps member who is in his second year of teaching high school in the South Bronx. His dispatch for GOOD will appear on Fridays. Last week's essay can be gotten here.
Read more: http://www.good.is/post/mind-the-gap-4/#ixzz0jHaqO7eH
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
How We Reform Schools: Bill Maher Versus John Legend
GOOD Education > Amanda M. Fairbanks on March 17, 2010 at 12:30 pm PDT
Ever since Central Falls High School in Rhode Island fired 93 teachers and staffers for poor performance, the debate around school reform has taken all sorts of interesting twists and turns.
President Obama voiced his support. Newsweek devoted a cover story to it, whose headline "The Key to Saving American Education," was nearly obscured by the subtle refrain: We must fire bad teachers. We must fire bad teachers. We must fire bad teachers.
If schools are failing, how do we reform them? And are teachers solely to blame?
Enter Bill Maher, stand-up comedian versus John Legend, pop star.
On Friday night's Real Time with Bill Maher, he criticized Obama's stance on backing the Rhode Island superintendent.
Some highlights of Maher's rebuke: “Let's not fire the teachers when students don't learn—let's fire the parents. Isn't it convenient that once again it turns out that the problem isn't us, and the fix is something that doesn't require us to change our behavior or spend any money?"
Full clip below:
Read more: http://www.good.is/post/how-we-reform-schools-bill-maher-versus-john-legend/#ixzz0icOmY2tk
Yesterday, John Legend responded by penning a letter to Maher for The Daily Beast. It began:
In the battle to reform schools, whose side are you on—Maher's or Legend's?
Read more: http://www.good.is/post/how-we-reform-schools-bill-maher-versus-john-legend/#ixzz0icPGysoo
Ever since Central Falls High School in Rhode Island fired 93 teachers and staffers for poor performance, the debate around school reform has taken all sorts of interesting twists and turns.
President Obama voiced his support. Newsweek devoted a cover story to it, whose headline "The Key to Saving American Education," was nearly obscured by the subtle refrain: We must fire bad teachers. We must fire bad teachers. We must fire bad teachers.
If schools are failing, how do we reform them? And are teachers solely to blame?
Enter Bill Maher, stand-up comedian versus John Legend, pop star.
On Friday night's Real Time with Bill Maher, he criticized Obama's stance on backing the Rhode Island superintendent.
Some highlights of Maher's rebuke: “Let's not fire the teachers when students don't learn—let's fire the parents. Isn't it convenient that once again it turns out that the problem isn't us, and the fix is something that doesn't require us to change our behavior or spend any money?"
Full clip below:
Read more: http://www.good.is/post/how-we-reform-schools-bill-maher-versus-john-legend/#ixzz0icOmY2tk
Yesterday, John Legend responded by penning a letter to Maher for The Daily Beast. It began:
Hey Bill,
So, from one man without children to another, I think you were pretty off base in your closing monologue about education on Friday.
You were right about some things: Parental involvement really matters. Parents should turn off the TV, encourage reading, talk with their kids about their day, help with their homework, hold them accountable, and get involved in their education.
However, a child’s academic success does not only depend on parenting. Parents control what happens at home. But parents do not control what happens at school where students spend a large portion of their day being educated. Parents don’t determine whether the books are woefully out of date, whether the school and surrounding neighborhood are safe, whether there are too many kids in the classroom, and whether the teacher leading the classroom knows what they are doing. Individual parents can’t always influence those factors, especially when they themselves may be struggling in poverty or working double shifts just to make ends meet.
In the battle to reform schools, whose side are you on—Maher's or Legend's?
Read more: http://www.good.is/post/how-we-reform-schools-bill-maher-versus-john-legend/#ixzz0icPGysoo
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
NIEER - Early Ed hot topics 3/12
A First: Proposed National Standards for K-12 Math, English
Kindergartners should, among other things, be able to count to 100, says a set of proposed national learning standards released this week. The standards, drafted at the behest of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, are an evidence-based list of what children should learn at each grade level. They are intended to replace the patchwork of standards that now exists across the country and enable more standardization of textbooks and testing. While some have criticized the effort as representing a step toward nationalizing education, most welcome it. Only Texas and Alaska chose not to participate. The public comment period runs until April 2.
Kindergartners should, among other things, be able to count to 100, says a set of proposed national learning standards released this week. The standards, drafted at the behest of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, are an evidence-based list of what children should learn at each grade level. They are intended to replace the patchwork of standards that now exists across the country and enable more standardization of textbooks and testing. While some have criticized the effort as representing a step toward nationalizing education, most welcome it. Only Texas and Alaska chose not to participate. The public comment period runs until April 2.
Immunizing Kids for Flu Protects the Whole Community
A vaccination trial conducted in isolated Canadian Hutterite colonies found that immunizing children for the flu protected the entire community. Children ages 3 to 15 in 25 colonies received the flu vaccine while children of the same ages in 24 colonies received a hepatitis A vaccine instead. More than 10 percent of the people of all ages in the colonies receiving the placebo contracted the flu while less than 5 percent of those in treatment group colonies came down with it. Experts say the study confirms that when it comes to the flu, vaccinating children goes a long way toward conferring "herd immunity" on the entire community. It also affirms the wisdom of the Centers for Disease Control H1N1 flu shot recommendations that called for vaccinating children.
A vaccination trial conducted in isolated Canadian Hutterite colonies found that immunizing children for the flu protected the entire community. Children ages 3 to 15 in 25 colonies received the flu vaccine while children of the same ages in 24 colonies received a hepatitis A vaccine instead. More than 10 percent of the people of all ages in the colonies receiving the placebo contracted the flu while less than 5 percent of those in treatment group colonies came down with it. Experts say the study confirms that when it comes to the flu, vaccinating children goes a long way toward conferring "herd immunity" on the entire community. It also affirms the wisdom of the Centers for Disease Control H1N1 flu shot recommendations that called for vaccinating children.
Impact of Poverty in Early Childhood Lasts Well into Adulthood
A study tracking the lives of children born between 1968 and 1975 found that poverty during the period when children are infants to age 5 has a lasting detrimental impact on outcomes related to attainment such as earnings and hours worked. Negative impacts from poverty during this early period could be measured as late as age 37. Subsequent periods of poverty, when children were older, had fewer effects. Greg Duncan, University of California, and colleagues found that an increase in income of $3,000 per year between a child’s prenatal year and fifth birthday is associated with 19 percent higher earnings and an increase in hours worked.
A study tracking the lives of children born between 1968 and 1975 found that poverty during the period when children are infants to age 5 has a lasting detrimental impact on outcomes related to attainment such as earnings and hours worked. Negative impacts from poverty during this early period could be measured as late as age 37. Subsequent periods of poverty, when children were older, had fewer effects. Greg Duncan, University of California, and colleagues found that an increase in income of $3,000 per year between a child’s prenatal year and fifth birthday is associated with 19 percent higher earnings and an increase in hours worked.
Pearson Report: Mobile Digital Devices Changing Early Literacy Dynamics
A new white paper by Arizona State University's Jay Blanchard and Terry Moore says that developmental milestones are changing as a new generation of young children approach learning and literacy in ways not thought possible in the past because of the availability of mobile digital devices such as cell phones. Funded by the Pearson Foundation, the report was released at the annual Consortium for School Networking international symposium. Blanchard says new opportunities to develop emergent literacy skills are occurring worldwide, in such disparate places as video game rooms in Mumbai, cybercafés in Nicaragua, and Internet-enabled schools in Senegal.
A new white paper by Arizona State University's Jay Blanchard and Terry Moore says that developmental milestones are changing as a new generation of young children approach learning and literacy in ways not thought possible in the past because of the availability of mobile digital devices such as cell phones. Funded by the Pearson Foundation, the report was released at the annual Consortium for School Networking international symposium. Blanchard says new opportunities to develop emergent literacy skills are occurring worldwide, in such disparate places as video game rooms in Mumbai, cybercafés in Nicaragua, and Internet-enabled schools in Senegal.
New Pew Report: Pre-K Teacher Training a Significant Factor in School Readiness
Teachers with bachelor’s degrees and specialized training in early childhood education support stronger social-emotional and cognitive development for children, says Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford and co-author of a new report from the Pew Center for the States. She and Danielle Gonzales, formerly of Pre-K Now, examined the research on pre-K teacher preparation, children's learning and program quality to determine how preparedness influences effectiveness. The report recommends that states move toward requiring a bachelor's degree and specialized training in early education, and highlights some models for doing so.
Teachers with bachelor’s degrees and specialized training in early childhood education support stronger social-emotional and cognitive development for children, says Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford and co-author of a new report from the Pew Center for the States. She and Danielle Gonzales, formerly of Pre-K Now, examined the research on pre-K teacher preparation, children's learning and program quality to determine how preparedness influences effectiveness. The report recommends that states move toward requiring a bachelor's degree and specialized training in early education, and highlights some models for doing so.
New on Preschool Matters...Today!
Why School Reform Should Begin With Pre-K
The latest issue of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) quarterly journal American Educatorpost on Preschool Matters ... Today! features two articles devoted preschool education, including "The Promise of Preschool," by NIEER Co-Directors Ellen Frede and Steve Barnett. Read about it in today's blog
The latest issue of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) quarterly journal American Educatorpost on Preschool Matters ... Today! features two articles devoted preschool education, including "The Promise of Preschool," by NIEER Co-Directors Ellen Frede and Steve Barnett. Read about it in today's blog
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