RIASP’s Position Statement on Central Falls

Below, we’ve listed the title of briefing, along with three selected headlines or a short summary from the contents (note that of course each briefing contains more content than just the excerpted content).

YSA National Service Briefing (January 28th)

• Volunteering Up Amid Tough Economic Times
• Overcoming Obstacles Led Burney to Community Service
• Learn and Serve America Higher Education Grants (Deadline: March 9)
• … and more!

YSA National Service Briefing (February 4th)

• President Obama Releases FY2011 Budget Request
• Pepsi Refresh Project
• Do Something Awards (Deadline: March 1)
• … and more!

NASSP Principal’s Update (February 9th)

• Making the Best Use of School Time
• 2010 NASSP/Virco National Assistant Principal of the Year Finalists
• Four Things Every Student Should Learn…But Not Every School is Teaching
• … and more!

A Letter from NAESP

“Dear Colleagues and Friends: On behalf of NAESP, I want to encourage you to attend the NAESP 89th Annual Convention and Exposition, April 8-11, 2010 in Houston, Texas.” Read the entire letter.

Jon Gordon: Build a Winning Team

“Build a Winning Team — In the spirit of the New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl I thought this was an appropriate newsletter this week.” Read the entire newsletter.

YSA 21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference

“Don’t miss your chance to join us for the 21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference – Inspire. Imagine. Innovate! Held March 24-27, 2010 in San Jose, California, this event celebrates service-learning as a force that spans cultural and national boundaries, builds communities, and strengthens young people.” Read the entire invitation.

SDE Research-based Learning Training

“Do the teachers in your school know what the essential numeracy, language, literacy, behavior, and motor skills are for successful K-3 students? And, more importantly, do they know how to use instructional strategies that are based on monitoring these developmental skills?” Read the entire email.

Below, we’ve listed the date of each briefing, along with three selected headlines from the contents (note that of course each briefing contains more content than just the excerpted headlines).

January 28, 2010

• Report Says Principals’ Authority To Dismiss Teachers Affects Absences
• Magnet School’s Curriculum Developed With Help From Museum Of Science In Boston
• Removal Of Dictionaries From Schools Seen As Harmful To Students
• … and more!

January 29, 2010

• Report: State Policies Protect Ineffective Teachers
• Preschools In Massachusetts Must Teach Oral Hygiene
• Los Angeles District Reveals New School Report Cards
• … and more!

February 1, 2010

• Obama Administration Proposing “Sweeping Overhaul” Of NCLB
• Duncan Says Katrina “Best Thing That Happened” To New Orleans Education
• Some Schools In Haiti Will Reopen On Monday For The First Time Since Jan 12
• … and more!

February 2, 2010

• Elementary School Invites Parents To Sit-In On Classes
• Editorial: Keeping Public School Bible Classes Nonreligious Will Be A Major Challenge
• Curriculum Overhaul Seen As Key Component Of Education Reform
• … and more!

February 4, 2010

• Middle School Principal Calls On Volunteers To Help Clean Campus Ahead Of District Review
• Educators Seek To Boost Overall Student Performance Through Music Enrichment Program
• Rhode Island Governor Wants Tax Credits For Private School Donors, Cut Public School Budget
• … and more!

February 5, 2010

• Most Elementary School Principals Say Recess Positively Impacts Achievement, Poll Shows
• Study Says Gay, Lesbian Teens Are Bullied More Than Heterosexual Peers
• Middle-School Students Petition DC Mayor To Reverse Principal’s Reassignment
• … and more!

February 8, 2010

• Several Schools In Georgia Work Way Off Needs Improvement List After Five Or More Years
• Some Schools In Kentucky Still Use Paddling As Disciplinary Method
• Teacher Created Math Curriculum Around Football Statistics
• … and more!

February 9, 2010

• Obama Administration Launches Campaign To Remove Junk Food From Schools
• NBC Launches Website Highlighting Science Of Winter Olympics
• Students Collaborate With Non-Profit To Collect Soap For Haiti
• … and more!

February 10, 2010

• Los Angeles Unified To Fire Above Average Number Of Probationary Teachers This Year
• Circus Director Is Artist-In-Residence At Elementary School In Massachusetts
• Report Recommends Use Of Identifiers To Connect Disciplinary Actions To Students
• … and more!

Response-to-Intervention (RTI) can be both a system for providing early interventions to struggling students and a special education diagnostic tool for evaluating and identifying students with specific learning disabilities. In this 60-minute webinar, researchers at REL Northeast and Islands and REL West will talk about their review of state education agency (SEA) policies and supports for RTI in 16 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington.

If you’re interested, you can read more and sign-up for the webinar from the forwarded email.

Below, we’ve listed the title of each briefing, along with a short summary or, in the case of a digest-style briefing, three selected headlines from the contents (note that of course each briefing contains more content than just the excerpted headlines).

Alliance for Excellent Education “Straight A’s”

• New OECD Report Finds that 25 Point Increase in PISA Scores Could Lead to $40.6 Trillion Increase in United States’s GDP
• New Alliance Study Finds Lowering the High School Dropout Rate Boosts Job Creation, Home Ownership, Automobile Sales, and Economic Growth
• New Education Sector Report Offers a Different Take on Measuring Student College and Career Readiness
• … and more!

REL Northeast and Islands Monthly Digest

• Ask Your Education Question to the REL-NEI Reference Desk
• Race to the Top Nearing First Finish Line
• How Are States Approaching Response to Intervention?
• … and more!

Youth Service America Grants Alert

• Sprint Character Education Grants (Deadline: February 5)
• Learn and Serve America Higher Education Grants (Deadline: March 9)
• Get Ur Good On Grants (Deadline: February 22)
• … and more!

YSA National Service Briefing (January 21)

• Cities of Service and Rockefeller Foundation Award First-Ever “Cities of Service Leadership Grants” to Ten Cities to Hire Chief Service Officers
• Change.org Launches the Changemakers Network
• Steve Culbertson on Huffington Post: “Youth Poised for Action”
• … and more!

NASSP Principal’s Update (January 19)

• President Seeks Additional $1.35 Billion for Education
• Spring Session Online Courses
• A Shot at School Reform Fund Provokes Tensions, Fast Changes
• … and more!

News from Green Education Foundation

In this briefing from the Green Education Foundation, the Foundation invites principals and educators to take part in nationwide GEF eco-challenge programs, including this year’s goals of increasing consumption of waste-free snacks, reducing school utility costs, and planting indoor and outdoor gardens.

Below, we’ve listed the date of each briefing, along with three selected headlines from the contents (note that of course each briefing contains more content than just the excerpted headlines).

January 12, 2010

• Indianapolis Public Schools Gives Weakest Teachers A Chance To Improve
• AFT President To Announce Teacher-Rating System
• NASA-Funded Program Teaching Science On A Winnebago
• … and more!

January 13, 2010

• North Carolina District Accused Of Not Offering Algebra To Some Middle Schoolers
• Georgia Governor To Push For Adoption Of Teacher Merit Pay Measure
• Audit: One In Four West Virginia High School Students Drop Out
• … and more!

January 14, 2010

• Governor Announces Texas Will Not Participate In Race To The Top
• Experts Push Introductory Science Education For Preschoolers
• New Jersey School Aims To Help Special Needs Students Reach Full Potential
• … and more!

January 15, 2010

• Experts Tout Educational Benefits Of Board Games
• Teachers Incorporate Haiti Earthquake Into The Classroom
• Study Says More Than 1 In 4 Female Teens Have Engaged In Violence
• … and more!

January 19, 2010

• Obama To Call For More Race To The Top Funding
• Massachusetts Governor Signs Bill To Close Education Gap
• High School Students Ride Bus With Elementary Students To Reduce Bullying
• … and more!

January 20, 2010

• Public School In Brooklyn Will Have Year-Round Edible Schoolyard
• Compliance With State Class Size Law Will Cost Florida District $4.5 Million
• Massachusetts Elementary School Staff Mistakenly Given Insulin Instead Of Vaccine
• … and more!

January 21, 2010

• More US Schools Offering Chinese, Dropping Other Foreign Languages
• School Uniforms Seen As Becoming Trendier For Rural Districts
• Flat Stanley Pen-Pal Project Helps Students Learn Geography
• … and more!

January 22, 2010

• Study Suggests Need For “More Nuanced” Understanding Of Student Engagement
• Recent Graduates Mentor Students In Miami-Dade High-Need Schools
• Washington State Legislature Urged To Take Up Cyberbullying Issue
• … and more!

January 25, 2010

• More School Districts Requiring Public Finance Education
• No Child Left Behind Seen As Boon For Private Tutors
• Many Ohio Districts Diverting Money From Special Education To Stabilize Budgets
• … and more!

January 26, 2010

• Girls May Learn Math Anxieties From Female Teachers, Study Finds
• Memphis Schools Adding Earlier Introduction To Math, Science
• New York City Steps Up Efforts To Close Underperforming Schools
• … and more!

January 27, 2010

• Sen. Franken Outlines Goals Of School Principal Recruitment And Training Act
• Leader Of DC Schools Explains Claims About Laid-Off Teachers
• Critics Say Math Curriculum Discriminates Against Students Who Struggle With English
• … and more!

Below, we’ve listed the date of each briefing, along with three selected headlines from the contents (note that of course each briefing contains more content than just the excerpted headlines).

December 16, 2009 (Vol. 16, #48)

• Disney Kicks Off the Season of Giving with New “Friends for Change” Grants for Youth-Led Environmental Service Projects
• Congress Approves Historic Budget Increase for National Service
• National Conference on Citizenship Looking for Local Partners for 2010 Civic Health Index Reports
• … and more!

December 22, 2009 (Vol. 16, #49)

• Largest King Day of Service Ever
• National Learn and Serve Challenge
• YSA Grants Support 450 Schools & Organizations
• … and more!

December 29, 2009 (Vol. 16, #50)

• Top 10 Service Stories of the Decade
• Top 10 Youth Service America Stories of the Decade
• … and more!

January 8, 2010 (Vol. 17, #1)

• Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service – January 18
• New York Times: “Does Service Learning Really Help?”
• … and more!

Below, we’ve listed the date of each briefing, along with three selected headlines from the contents (note that of course each briefing contains more content than just the excerpted headlines).

December 9, 2009

• NAEP Results Show Improvement For Students In Large Cities
• Growing Number Of Teachers Using Sign Language To Manage Classrooms
• Minneapolis Working To Close The Achievement Gap
• … and more!

December 11, 2009

• Social Media Helps Shed Light On Bullying Case
• National Board To Launch Principal Certification Program In 2011
• California District Replaces Anti-Gay Bullying Curriculum
• … and more!

December 14, 2009

• Louisiana Serves As Model In Teacher Assessment
• Classroom Management Seen As Key To Teaching Success
• Elementary Students In North Carolina Use Skype For Classroom Projects
• … and more!

December 15, 2009

• More Class Time Is Key To Raising Performance, Some Educators Say
• Virginia Middle School Drops Assignment Asking Students To Argue In Support Of Taliban
• Massachusetts DOE Eliminates Program To Help Students Who Transfer Mid Year
• … and more!

December 16, 2009

• Wisconsin District Trains Teachers In “Cultural Relevance”
• ISS Butterfly Experiment Dominates School’s Curriculum
• Rhode Island Governor Wants Teachers To Take Three-Percent Pay Cut
• … and more!

December 18, 2009

• House Approves Bill With $23 Billion For Education Jobs
• Schools Singled Out For Reducing Achievement Gap
• Florida Education Association Sees State’s Race To The Top Bid As “Fatally Flawed”
• … and more!

December 22, 2009

• Study Says Schools Face Shortfalls After Stimulus Ends
• Teachers, Not Technology, Viewed As Key To Enhancing Classroom Learning
• Music Can Be Part Of Therapy Regimen For Disabled Students, Researchers Say
• … and more!

December 23, 2009

• Forbes Lists Most “Revolutionary” Education Reformers
• Efforts To Boost Parental Involvement In Schools Analyzed
• Writers Disagree On Whether US Education Is Declining
• … and more!

January 4, 2010

• Lunchtime Philosophy Club Challenges Middle School Students To Think Critically
• Benefits Of E-Learning Outlined
• New Rhode Island Education Chief Pushing Reform Agenda
• … and more!

January 5, 2010

• Principal’s Initiatives Help Middle School Overcome Barriers To AYP
• Report Says Many California Teachers Are Not Ready For Education Reform
• More Middle School Teachers Reading Aloud To Students
• … and more!

January 6, 2010

• Colorado Public-School Data Shows Racial Disparity In Suspensions
• Many Parents Moving Children From Private To Public Schools Amid Recession
• Districts Using Special Ed Funds To Cover Budget Shortfalls Elsewhere
• … and more!

January 7, 2010

• Obama Announces “Educate to Innovate” STEM Training Initiative
• South Is First Region In US Where Majority Of Students Are Minority, Low Income
• NASA Program Will Target Minority Students
• … and more!

January 8, 2010

• Schwarzenegger Signs Education Reform Bills
• Eighth-Graders Use 3D Printer To Solve Cup Holder Project
• Rhode Island Education Commissioner Discusses Reform With State’s Distinguished Teachers
• … and more!

January 11, 2010

• Green School In Brooklyn Emphasizes Civic Involvement
• Third-Grade Class Raises Money To Provide Meals For Students In Ghana
• Massachusetts Lawmakers Again Consider Extended School Hours
• … and more!

That does it for this week, enjoy the updates!

Washington Post: Calvert high school turns them loose at lunch

“It’s lunchtime at Patuxent High School in Southern Maryland, but it looks and sounds more like recess.” This article was forwarded to our office, and we thought our members might also find it interesting. You can view it online at the Washington Post’s website.

NAESP Before the Bell (December 4th)

This issue of “Before the Bell” features headlines including “Duncan Outlines Goals Of School Turnaround Program,” “Racial Disparities In Illinois District’s Expulsion Rate Analyzed,” and “Technology Gives Teachers More Control Over Students’ Computer Screens.” You can view the newsletter online.

NAESP Notice: School Improvement Grant Program

“Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education finalized guidelines for the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program which provides grant funds to schools in need of improvement. You will remember that NAESP had strong objections to the proposed changes regarding the four reform models that schools receiving SIG funds would be required to implement.” You can read the full note from NAESP, and view the guidelines, on the notice sent out last week.

NAESP Before the Bell (December 7th)

This issue of “Before the Bell” features headlines including “Increased Use Of Technology For School Assignments Underscores Digital Divide,” “Fewer Indiana Schools Using Paddle To Discipline Students,” and “Kids And The Power Of Work Program Links Education, Careers.” You can view the newsletter online.

NAESP Before the Bell (December 8th)

This issue of “Before the Bell” features headlines including “Repeated Deployments Found To Be Taking Toll On Children Of Military Families,” “Rising DC Test Scores Create Dilemma,” and “Early Childhood Advocates Seek Reauthorization Of Early Reading First.” You can view the newsletter online.

NEIT Green Grant

NEIT was recently selected by the Governors Workforce Board of Rhode Island as the administrative operator of the Rhode Island Green Technology Industry Partnership Grant. The objective of this nearly $150,000 grant is to establish a consortium of Rhode Island private businesses, educational institutions, and public and private entities. The mission is to define and plan a multi-faceted, long term approach to incorporate green technology’s emerging industries into the economic, educational, job generation and regulatory future of our state.

Automotive Technology Teams Up with ABC News

New England Tech was recently contacted by ABC News, New York, asking if they could interview one of our automotive “industry experts” for an investigative report they were conducting concerning the sudden acceleration of over 2000 vehicles manufactured by Toyota resulting in 16 deaths thus far.

With the assistance of Chris Bannister, Transportation Technology Department Chair, the interview took place with Bob Kennedy, one of our outstanding automotive faculty members, as spokesperson. Bob was a “natural” as he easily answered their many technical questions. The story aired on November 6th on Good Morning America, World News and Nightline. The ABC reporters were so impressed with Bob and the NEIT facilities that they would like to continue their relationship with NEIT for future stories.