The Collaborative for Student Success is a grant-making initiative that pools the resources of a diverse group of education foundations.
Committed to improving public education, the members of the Collaborative for Student Success share the concept that successfully putting the Common Core State Standards into effect is important to ensuring that all students are prepared for school and life.
Their mission is to "support the state-led efforts of State Education Agencies and local education organizations responsible for educating and informing all stakeholders—parents, students, teachers and community leaders—about the new state standards and assessments."
The Collaborative is providing grants to:
aid state and local efforts to effectively inform about the standards and assessments.
ensure that teachers’ voices are heard both locally and nationally as implementation moves forward.
involve higher education leaders and business representatives in dialogue about the standards.
Thus far, Collaborative for Student Success grantees have included groups representing state departments of education, state advocacy organizations, educator-led organizations, faith-based organizations, and local chambers of commerce.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0
About two months ago 14 students from four diverse Pennsylvania high schools were given the task of considering what they thought 21st century high school education should become.
They initially met in early March, established two teams each consisting of members from each of the four schools, and laid the groundwork for their projects. Since that time, they have worked collaboratively using cell phones and the Internet to research the current state of US education, to generate ideas as to where high schools should be going, and to suggest potential ways to make American students more globally competitive.
Today, the kids all came together once again to present their projects to an audience of teachers, administrators, and a PDE official. Each team presented its case for reshaping 21st century education and responded to questions from the observers related to the content of their presentation. In conclusion, the entire group of students engaged in a less formal Q&A with the audience that engaged the students in discussion both of the content and the process of their projects.
All in all, I was impressed by the thoughtfulness, the scope, and the insights demonstrated by these kids. The product was theirs and theirs alone. We, as their faculty advisers, kept "hands off" their work. We provided only technical and logistical support.
When the full body of their work is consolidated I hope to be able to present more of their conclusions, but I will summarize some of the more salient points.
Students feel that the technology they use in school is too limited.
Schools should leverage technology to provide students with a wider range of experiences.
Students should spend less time physically in a classroom with greater opportunity for online access to educational opportunities.
Students should have the chance to use personal laptops and other devices in the school setting with a higher level of trust.
Some way should be established to help kids with a genuine need and their families afford a personal laptop and internet access.
Schools should provide full access to coursework, teaching, and testing outside the traditional classroom.
The cost of providing technology should be lessened through increased use of free and open-source software.
All of the students involved indicated they would be willing to do coursework on their own time if they had the opportunity.
In my opinion, these kids all did a commendable job. Further, I think they learned some invaluable life-lessons about working with people you don't really know in a collaborative situation.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: The Largest Investment in Education in Our Nation's History - to Prevent Teacher Layoffs, Make Key Education Improvements and Help Make College Affordable
* Preventing teacher layoffs and education cuts in every state. A recent study by the University of Washington found that states are likely to cut nearly 15 percent of their education spending over the next three years, which could eliminate 574,000 education jobs. The ARRP will help prevent devastating cuts to education by providing $53.6 billion to states and school districts to prevent layoffs and cuts in critical education services and $25 billion in support for educating at risk students and those with special needs.
* Investing in Early Head Start and Head Start - programs that work. Doubling the number of children in Early Head Start and expanding Head Start. The ARRP will provide $1.1 billion for Early Head Start and $1 billion for Head Start, thereby providing services for approximately 120,000 additional infants and children over two years. Taken together, investments in Head Start and Early Head Start are estimated to create at least 15,000 new jobs, many of which are held by low-income women.
* Providing enough funding to support quality child care for an additional 150,000 children and keep 200,000 children from being dropped from care. The plan's $2 billion investment in the Child Care Development Block Grant will help an increasing number of families during the downturn who are struggling to afford care and allow parents to hold onto their jobs.
* Providing a new higher education tax cut to nearly 4 million students. Helping people afford college is particularly important during an economic downturn. When people are unable to find work one of the best investments we can make is to improve the skills of the workforce. The ARRP will create a new $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit that is partially refundable. As a result, the nearly one-fifth of high school seniors who receive no tax credit under the current system will receive a tax cut to make college affordable for the first time.
* Increasing college affordability for more 7 million students by funding the shortfall in Pell Grants and increasing the maximum award level by $500. Demand for the Pell Grant has surged during the economic downturn. The ARRP will ensure the Pell Grant is available to those who need it and make the award more generous.
* Investing in data systems to improve student achievement. The ARRP will enable States and school districts to put in place comprehensive data systems that provide teachers, parents, and students with the useful information they need to support student achievement and growth. These critical, one-time investments will enable policymakers to continually measure the progress of students, schools, districts, and States in meeting high standards.
* Maintaining key education reforms during the economic downturn. The ARRP ensures that States, districts, and schools can continue pursuing important education reforms enacted by Congress that have effectively closed the student achievement gap. The plan will ensure that there are high-quality teachers in the classroom, especially in low-income and minority communities and for high-need subject areas such as science and math. The plan will support compensation and incentive systems that fairly reward educators for their performance. And the plan will invest in school systems and organizations with track records of success to expand their work and share what's working with educators and policymakers across the nation.
This bill prohibits the possession by students of telephone paging devices, commonly referred to as beepers, cellular telephones and portable electronic devices that record or play audio or video material on school grounds, at school sponsored activities and on buses or other vehicles provided by the school district.
I strongly OPPOSE the passage of this bill. It is at odds with 21st century educational theory and conflicts with the goals of the Commonwealth's Classrooms for the Future initiative. I see this bill as a backward step in the quest to make Pennsylvania students nationally and globally competitive.
If you agree with me, please sign the online petition which is directed to the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Image by m-c via FlickrThe economic stimulus bill currently facing a House vote includes as much as $120-$142 billion for public school systems over the next two years, more than infrastructure, healthcare, or energy.
Approximately 12% of that money would go to repairing existing school buildings bringing them up to an acceptable level. About a billion dollars would also go to classroom modernization and providing students access to broadband Internet, computers and other 21st century technology. Full funding (or nearly so) of NCLB and other big ticket federal programs may also be included.
The goal is to provide a positive educational environment for students and teachers, as well as to create new jobs. Some critics contend that it is not enough, however, as various estimates claim the cost to repair and modernize schools is between $100 billion and $360 billion.
The House has allocated the funds in an attempt to get the money to the schools with the greatest need. Thirteen billion dollars goes to Title I, the proxy the government uses to determine the school districts with the highest need for academic improvement. Another $13 billion is tagged for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Approximately $14 billion is directed to a school modernization and repair program, $1 billion to an education technology program, and as much as $79 billion to state legislatures.
A significant challenge will be to make certain that states don't merely reduce their own education budgets in expectation of big federal increases.
Of course, there are some strings attached. Schools who want the money must spend a portion of it to develop high-quality educational test, ways to recruit and retain teachers, and longitudinal data systems to track long term school progress.
If the government gets it right, most observers agree, this stimulus package could help transform learning environments across America, putting our students on a level playing field in the years to come.
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