Welcome to the Institute for Education and the Arts’ weekly newsletter for June 13, 2007. The newsletter is published each Wednesday morning to the IEA listserv and archived here on the IEA blog.
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REPORTS
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PUBLIC ATTITUDES ON K-12 FUNDING IN OHIO:
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED
KnowledgeWorks Foundation, 5/07
“A statewide survey of Ohio voters shows that the public supports most K-12 school funding proposals made by Governor Ted Strickland, believing that the state system of funding public schools is broken and needs to be fixed. Voters surveyed handed this problem to state leaders as their highest priority. That contrasts to opinions held by some state leaders over the years who believed that the state has largely fixed the school funding system. In the survey, the public supported the governor's proposal to give additional property tax breaks to elderly and disabled homeowners, to direct more state aid to low-property-wealth school districts and programs that help economically disadvantaged students, and to use money from a tobacco settlement fund to help pay for more school facilities construction. The public, however, did not support the governor's elimination of the statewide school voucher program. Voters also did not indicate that tax breaks for the elderly and disabled would make them more likely to vote for local school levies – a supposition forwarded by the Strickland administration. The public knew little about alternative school funding strategies, such as a Constitutional Amendment that is proposed for the November ballot or a relatively unused earned income tax for local school districts, and they will need much more information about them to form an opinion.”
Read more: http://www.kwfdn.org/resource_library/_resources/may2007_policy_report.asp
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SCHOOL FUNDING
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U.S. SPENDS AVERAGE OF $8,701 PER PUPIL ON EDUCATION
CNN.com, 5/24/07
”The United States spent an average of $8,701 per pupil to educate its children in 2005, the Census Bureau said Thursday, with some states paying more than twice as much per student as others. New York was the biggest spender on education, at $14,119 per student, with New Jersey second at $13,800 and Washington, D.C., third at $12,979, the Census Bureau said. Seven of the top 10 education spenders were Northeastern states.The states with the lowest spending were Utah, at $5,257 per pupil, Arizona $6,261, Idaho $6,283, Mississippi $6,575 and Oklahoma $6,613. The 10 states with the lowest education spending were in the West or South. Overall the United States spent an average of $8,701 per student on elementary and secondary education in 2005.”
Read more:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/24/usa.education.spending.reut/index.html
SCHOOLS’ DEEP-POCKETED PARTNERS
Alison Cowan, New York Times, 6/3/07
”In the last decade, a growing number of parents, alumni and corporations have been donating private money to public schools for a wide range of school equipment, educational supplies, artists-in-residence and accouterments that go beyond the traditional PTA gifts and what may otherwise be outside the local school board’s spending plan. Some schools have used the donated money to provide basics, at a time when many districts are facing ballooning instructional costs coupled with taxpayer fatigue. Especially in [New York] areas like Long Island and Westchester, where voters rejected some school budgets and forced deep budget cuts, some schools have come to rely on parental contributions to nonprofit educational foundations created to finance extracurricular activities like the football team and the drama club. In Greenwich, [Connecticut], school administrators had to set caps on how much donors could collectively give to a single school, all in the name of fairness. Now even that policy is being revisited after it became apparent how adept parents were at persuading school officials to waive the caps if the donations to an individual school were significant enough. District officials also noticed over time that donors did not always supply operating funds needed to make use of the gifts and maintain them in years to come.”
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03Rschool.html?ex=1339387200&en=1f5b5056c1437b88&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
$1,100 FOR LEMONADE IN ROSS – WITH A TWIST
Gary Klien, Marin Independent Journal, 5/31/07
“For $1,100, you could buy 44 lemon trees at Sloat Garden Center, 183 lemon meringue pies at United Markets, or 738 bags of lemons at Trader Joe's. Or you could buy one glass of lemonade in Ross. The Ross School Foundation will offer the high-end lemonade Saturday in a fundraiser at the post office. The catch is that an $1,100 glass of lemonade also comes with a round of golf for … For anyone low on cash, there's a more economical option - a medium glass of lemonade goes for $300 and includes golf for one. Visitors also can donate a buck and get a small glass of lemonade, or sink a putt and get one for free … Tammy Murphy, superintendent of the 385-student district, said the foundation plays a huge role in the district, contributing about 20 percent of the $5 million operating budget each year. For the current school year, the foundation donated more than $1.3 million. ‘When you think about that from 240 families, that's pretty amazing,’ Murphy said. ‘We don't have the commercial base that other districts do. A large part of our budget comes from generous and giving families.’”
Read more: http://www.marinij.com/ci_6034362?source=most_viewed
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REVISES ITS MISSION STATEMENT
”As of May 24, the Department is using a revised mission statement that reflects educational priorities for the 21st century and beyond … The updated statement reads as follows:’The U.S. Department of Education's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.’”This mission statement is part of the Department's ‘Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2007-12,’ which also took effect on May 24.
Learn more: http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/strat/.
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SUMMER LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS
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ARTS INFUSED EDUCATION SUMMER INTENSIVE:
COMMUNITY ARTS PARTNERSHIPS – MODELING INNOVATIVE METHODS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS EDUCATION
Marygrove College, Detroit, MI, 8/13 – 8/15/07
Marygrove hosts its second arts infused education summer intensive, featuring presentations by Marygrove faculty, as well as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Matrix Theatre Company, and Michigan Opera Theatre. Topics include assessment, brain development, puppetry, and Visual Thinking Strategies.
Learn more: (313) 927-1538
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GRANTS, FUNDING, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
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STUDY TRIPS FOR SECONDARY TEACHERS TO COSTA RICA
Toyota International Teacher Program
Deadline: 9/7/07
“In the 2007-2008 school year, Toyota will offer a study visit to … Costa Rica to full-time classroom teachers (grades 7-12, all subjects) in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. [The] program will offer country-specific themes to help educators expand their professional skills, increase cultural awareness, and enhance their understanding of environmental issues around the world.”
Learn more: http://www.iie.org/Template.cfm?&Template=/programs/toyota/default.htm
FIND YOUR VOICE WITH TOOL FACTORY PODCASTING
Tool Factory and Olympus America
Deadline: 6/30/07
”Apply for the Podcasting Grant and win a free site license of Tool Factory Podcasting software plus all the digital media accessories you need to start a podcasting program in your school! To apply, simply develop a lesson plan demonstrating how you would use podcasting in your curriculum.”
Learn more: http://www.toolfactory.com/olympus_contest/olympus_podcasting.htm
TEACHERS AND TEACHING INITIATIVE
Wachovia Foundation
Deadline: n/a
”This multi-million dollar program was created in 2004 to provide funding to organizations that enhance teacher recruitment, development, support, and retention, with the goal of increasing student achievement. The program ultimately seeks to increase student achievement in pre-K – 12 public education by building and supporting teachers and the teaching profession in scalable and sustainable ways.”
Learn more about the program and its eligible states: http://www.wachovia.com/inside/page/0,,139_414_430_6336,00.html
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