District Administration - June 2009 - (Page 14)

BRIEFINGS Stimulus Monitor TWO K12 RELATED COALITIONS sent open letters this spring to Education Secretary Arne Duncan. In its letter, the Coalition for Student Achievement, a new group comprised of 32 organizations ranging from the Business Roundtable to the National Council of La Raza to the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, expressed its overall support for the education provisions in the ARRA but outlined some concerns: • “While we appreciate the speed and eﬃciency by which the Department is delivering these much-needed funds, we want to be on record expressing our view that speed and eﬃciency must not trump reform and improvement.” • “With respect to the ‘Race to the Top’ initiative, we believe it is essential to encourage collaboration between the states and the districts to leverage the new funds to scale best practices more broadly.” • “We urge that future directives regarding these funds give much stronger, clearer direction to states and local education leaders about how to meet the assurances and demonstrate measurable outcomes.” Go to www.coalitionforstudentachievement.org to read the letter as well as a response from Duncan (and see the sidebar below on the Coalition’s new report). In the second letter, the Dignity in By Don Parker-Burgard Dear Arne, We Like Your Stimulus Package, But … “Real Educational Results” Possible by 2012 WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING THE FUTILITY OF TRYING TO SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM with K12 education in the United States, the Coalition for Student Achievement nevertheless concludes in a new report that “the time for bold action is now.” The report, Smart Options: Investing the Recovery Funds for Student Success, doesn’t repeat the concerns expressed in the group’s open letter to Arne Duncan (see main story). Instead it provides recommendations for governors, state education ofﬁcials, and district superintendents on how best to take advantage of the opportunity for change presented by the ARRA. These recommendations are grouped according to ﬁ ve priorities: (1) developing national standards, (2) providing data that educators, policymakers and parents can use, (3) improving teacher evaluations, (4) turning around low-performing schools, and (5) helping struggling students. The report predicts that if ofﬁcials act on these recommendations, parents, educators, taxpayers and students will “see real educational results by 2012.” It can be downloaded at the Coalition’s Web site: www .coalitionforstudentachievement.org. The Broad Foundation and the Gates Foundation are working in partnership with the Coalition on additional resources to help policymakers and education leaders locate research-based, proven programs and policies—such as those called for under the ﬁ ve priorities in the report—to raise student achievement and reduce achievement gaps on a large scale. These resources will also be posted on the Coalition’s Web site. Schools Campaign, launched by a group of 24 organizations that includes the National Association of School Psychologists, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, appealed to the DOE to encourage school districts to apply stimulus funds to Positive Behavior Supports (PBS), restorative practices and other innovative approaches to improving student behavior. e letter aﬃrms a strong connection between behavior and academic achievement and claims that “safer schools are higher achieving schools.” It decries the use in many schools of zero-tolerance approaches to discipline, which rely heavily on suspension and expulsion to maintain school discipline and safety. e letter further suggests that the DOE take these four steps: • “Highlight Positive Behavior Supports, restorative practices, and the ability to improve school climate in the list of ‘smart’ uses for ARRA funds.” • “Provide innovation awards to entities that model best practices for improving school climate and supporting student engagement.” • “Consider states’ disciplinary data in rewarding ARRA incentive grants.” • “Require states to develop longitudinal data systems that collect disciplinary data.” irty-one individuals also signed the letter, which is available at www.dignityinschools.org. District Administration 14 June/July 2009 http://www.coalitionforstudentachievement.org http://www.coalitionforstudentachievement.org http://www.coalitionforstudentachievement.org http://www.coalitionforstudentachievement.org http://www.dignityinschools.org http://www.dignityinschools.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - June 2009

District Administration - June 2009
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Stimulus Monitor
District Profile
Admin Profile
Crisis Response
Tech Disruptions
A Deeper Shade of Green
The New School Lunch
Business Brings Sustainable Lessons to School
A Netbook for Every Student
Vision Videos Empower Students
New Books
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solution
Online Edge

District Administration - June 2009