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2 Spellings Speaks at

Teacher Workshop

Around the Country Iowa and Maryland

5 Calendar

Q&A Back-to-School Tips

Education News Parents

Can Use

6 Tool Kit for Hispanic

Families

The

SEPTEMBER 2006 VOL.5, NO.7 www.ed.gov

U.S.DEPARTMENT

OFEDUCATION

New Legislation Promises MoreChoices for Low-income Familie

n July 18, a bill was introduced in Congressthat would help economically disadvan-taged students in under-performing

schools transfer to the private school of theirchoice or sign up for intensive after-school or summer tutoring.

If enacted into law, the Americas

Opportunity Scholarships for Kids Act would authorize the U.S.Department of Education to award$100 million in fiscal year 2007 forcompetitive grants to states, schooldistricts and nonprofit organizationsto provide scholarships of up to$4,000 to children from low-income fam-ilies in persistently low-performing schools toattend the private school of their choice.

Grant recipients would also be authorizedto provide up to $3,000 for tutoring services to low-income students if they choose not to attend a

different school. This would include tutoring

through after-school or summer school programsdesigned to help improve students academicachievement.

Under the No Child Left Behind Actof 2001, schools failing to meet their

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goalsfor five years are identified as needing

restructuring. According to theDepartments records, 1,065 schoolswere identified as needing restruc-turing in the 200405 school year.

Preliminary estimates suggest thatan additional 1,000 schools from the

200506 school year will be identifiedas needing restructuring.

We are one step closer to ensuring that par-ents can make choices that strengthen theirchildrens futures and give them a great start in life,regardless of their resources or the communities inwhich they live, said U.S. Secretary of Education

Margaret Spellings.

I N S I D E

oposed Act Would Afford Private

chool Transfer, Intensive Tutoring

O

The Ultimate Goal

When President George W. Bush took office in January 2001,first among his domestic priorities was improving education.Lagging student performance on bothnational and state assessments had

been revealing for some time thatAmericas public schools neededsweeping reform. By the start of the following year, the presi-dents education bill had passedboth houses of Congress withoverwhelming bipartisansupport. The No Child LeftBehind Act of 2001 (NCLB)was signed into law on

Jan. 8, 2002.

We areto serve

the studentsand servethem well.

A Look at Three Schools Reaching for No Child Left BehindsFull Proficiency Target

> c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 2


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o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 1

IOWA Thousands of Iowa students willbenefit this school year from a new schooltuition tax credit bill signed by Gov. Tom

Vilsack in June. The Educational Opportuni-ties Act establishes a 65-percent tax creditfor individuals who make contributions toapproved school tuition organizations, whichdistribute scholarships to families for the

school of their choice. To qualify, a familyannual income must not exceed 300 percof the federal poverty level. School tuitioorganizations must spend 90 percent of funds raised on scholarships, and the scharships may not exceed the tuition at theprivate school.

NCLBdramatically restructured the Elemen-tary and Secondary Education Actthe mainfederal law affecting education from kinder-garten through high schoolby raising theachievement bar for Americas children. It repre-sented a formidable front against what PresidentBush termed the soft bigotry of low expecta-tions that had been hindering a staggeringnumber of students, particularly minorities

and those from low-income families, withdisabilities or with limited English proficiency.The law was based on four principles:1) stronger accountability for results, by requiringannual testing in grades 38 and at least oncein high school to track student progress, and byholding schools and districts accountable formaking that progress; 2) greater flexibility for states and communities, by allowing school

districts to redirect certain federal fundstoward financing much needed programs;3) proven education methods,by focusing onteaching strategies that research has shownto be effective; and 4) more choices for pareby affording options such as school transfersor free tutoring for children in low-performinschools. Ultimately, NCLBset a historic goalfor the country: every child reading and doing

math at grade level by 2014.In just a few short years since its enactmenthe landmark legislation has proven that rais-ing academic standards leads to a rise inachievement. According to the 2004 NationsReport Card, Americas nine-year-olds postedthe best scores in reading (since 1971) andmath (since 1973) in the report cards history,while the countrys 13-year-olds earned thehighest math scores the test ever recorded.

With such success at the primary levels, thepresident is looking to expand NCLBsprovsions at the high school level, beginning with

his American Competitiveness Initiative tobetter prepare the nations youths for theglobal marketplace.

Following are a few schools that are well otheir way to meeting NCLBs2014 target, proing that, despite the challenges communitiesmay face, achieving full proficiency in readinand math is possible.

Smith Street Elementary School

A 2005 No Child Left BehindBlue RibbonSchools Award winner, Smith Street Elemen-

tary School in Uniondale, N.Y., is a dramaticexample of high expectations driving successat a high-needs school. Last year, everyfourth-grader achieved proficiency onthe states math exam and almost all(98 percent) did as well in reading. Themulticultural, suburban schoolwith sig-nificant black, Hispanic and low-incomepopulations, as well as a relatively largenumber of English language learners andspecial education studentsranks high onNew Yorks inaugural list of high-perform-ing schools that closed achievement gaps

among multiple groups of students and

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AROUND THE COUNTRY


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MARYLAND This fall, Anne ArundelCounty will introduce 623 newly hired teachersto its public school system through its teachersupport program for newcomers. Designed toease their transition into the school system,The Right Start New Teacher Support pro-gram offers mentoring services for educatorsnew to the profession as well as a series of

seminars on topics ranging from studentdiscipline to data-driven instruction. Approxi-mately 250 of the programs participants arenew to teaching, while the others are newto the county. According to district officials,90 percent of those mentored by veteranteachers continue to teach in Anne Arundelfive years later.

p a g e 3

met Adequate YearlyProgress (AYP) goals for two consecutive years.

Smith Street has made great gains since thestate assessment was first given in 1999, when

just 31 percent and 65 percent scored proficientin reading and math, respectively. At the time,

Principal Lynnda Nadienwas the districts reading

specialist and part of ateam of administrators

and teacherscollaboratingacross schoollines toimproveachievement.In response

to the students low scores, the staff beganto make changes by analyzing test score data,scheduling students for extra academic help,and integrating the curriculum. Our goal was to have a strong balance between reading,writing, listening and speaking in order for thestudents to be proficient enough to pass anyexam put in front of them, said Nadien, who

joined Smith Street last year. She said that thisbalanced approach to learning helps studentsmake connections between concepts, so that theskills used in language arts also apply to math.As practice, students are challenged to writetheir own math word problems and explaintheir solutions. Its a real-life, problem-solving

approach, she added.Focusing on potential student achievementrather than on failing to meet academic expecta-tions, said Nadien, led to a leap in scores, not

just overall, but exponentially: from proficientto advanced levels. For instance, to prepare

students for thestate examthis pastschool year(the first

year New York began testing allgrades 38), the teachers assembledpractice questions that were consid-erably challenging. Being successfulleads to higher levels of success,Nadien explained. [Our] mentality is that everyone would aspire toget a four [the advanced categoryon the state exam]. And we believestrongly that through hard work andperseverance we will be able to get tothat point.

Peabody eMints Academy

Another struggle-to-success story,Peabody eMints Academy, a predomi-nantly black school in St. Louis where100 percent of the children qualify forfederally subsidized meals, is part of amajor revitalization spreading throughoutthe urban neighborhood. Just five yearsago, not one fourth-grader passed the math

exam, and only 7 percent of third-graderscould read at grade level. Today, however,approximately 87 percent exceed the statestandards in both subjects and nearly96 percent in science, according to 2005data. Peabodys progress over the years hasearned it a Top 10 Schools recognitionfrom Missouri and a Title I DistinguishedSchools honor.

For Principal Chereyl Spann, the 2001 scorewere a wake-up call. Spann, who was Peabody

instructional coordinatorthat year,thought that thschools strongleadership andremarkablestudent attendanand behavior wo

have promised better outcomes. But I sawneed in the testing, she realized. In orderfor students to do well, they at least need

to know what is expected of them. Sh

No

P e a b o d y e M ints A ca d e m y P r inci p a l C he r e y l S p a nn ( ce nte r ) w ith stud e nts A mo n, Br a nd i, S he T o y a , K a if a nd D ia mini. P ho to b y D a v id C a r so n.

Photo by Paul Mors

S m i t h St r e et E l e m e n t a r y

Sc h o o l

P r i n c i p a l L y n n d a N a d i e n

( l e f t )

w i t h f o r m e r P r i n c i p a l M a

r i l y n

Ha n g e n a n d As s i s t a n t P r i

n c i p a l

Dr e w Ol s e n . P h o t o c o u r t e

s y o f

S m i t h St r e e t E l e m e n t a r y

Sc h o o l .


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said that the expectations needed to berelayed to the teachers as well, which trans-lated into greater professional development,collaboration and opportunities for experteducators. You might think youre doinga wonderful job teaching, but if none of your students mastered the test, youhavent taught, Spann said.

For the students, Spann and former

principal Myrtle Reed set up an after-school program to provide additionalinstruction in reading, math andscience, which required the attendanceof every child in grades 27, Mondaythrough Thursday. (This fall, Peabodyis adding the eighth grade as part of adistrict effort to address middle schoolissues.) The program is led by half of the teaching staff, whose commit-ment Spann also credits for theschools academic breakthrough.

Another critical factor in the

schools success was a partnershipReed initiated with the businesscommunity that culminated to thePeabody Education Task Force.This consortium of businesses,which is helping to direct thecommunitys economic revival,provided the funds for jump-starting the schools eMints

(enhancing Missouris Instructional NetworkedTeaching Strategies) program, a state initiativethat allows students to take regular onlineassessments of their progress and teachers tocustomize instruction accordingly. In addition,the task force has sent volunteers for buildingimprovement projects and tutoring opportuni-ties. We are all working for the students, saidSpann. We are in the service business. We areto serve the students and serve them well.

New Plymouth Elementary School

At New Plymouth Elementary School, the keyto student achievement is readingthe gateway

skill to lifelonglearning. Havingstrong literacyskills is criticalto the high-poverty, ruraldistrict of NewPlymouth,Idaho, wherenearly 1 in5 students(primarily of Latino descent)are English lan-guage learners and 11 percent require special

education. So to help put its children on theright path, New Plymouth was awarded, inspring 2003, a grant from Reading First, a pro-gram established by NCLBto ensure childrenread at or above grade level by the end of thethird grade. By the second year of the programsimplementation, the school found that readingperformance had increased by one-third inkindergarten (from 58 percent to 90 percent)and nearly doubled in first grade (from 47 per-cent to 82 percent) on Idahos early readingtest. On the states 2005 accountability exam,New Plymouths third-graders proved just as

strong as the younger students, with nearlyevery child (98 percent) testing proficient,while 100 percent of Hispanic studentsscored at grade level.

Principal Carrie Aguas believes the ReadingFirst program provided the catalyst for change.Before the grant, New Plymouth could notmeet its AYP goals. Teachers were using threedifferent reading series and were not alwaysable to fully cover the assigned texts. But withReading First, we learned fidelity to the core

program, said Aguas. Recognizing that theNCLBinitiative requires comprehensive read-ing instruction based on scientific research,vast improvements were made to the schedule

to extend blocks of time foacademics anteacher prepa-ration, and tothe curriculum

which involvepacing calen-dars thatguaranteedeveryone taughthe same lessonat the same time

The roles of supporting staff members alsowere affected.Instructionalassistants were

now in the classrooms learning how to applythe supplemental materials. Cafeteria workershad to learn to serve students within a shorterlunch period. Even the custodian helped in thelibrary during busy checkout times. Said Aguas,Without everyone on board and rowing inthe same direction, we could not have madeimprovements in student learning.

Furthermore, according to Aguas, the gainsmade through Reading First transferred toother subjects, such as science, social studiesand especially math, where the average score is96 percent for grades 35. We used to look attest scores and go, Oh, great, this is where weare, said Aguas. But now we look at themand say, Uh-oh, what can we do next? So its

just brought [the analysis of test] scores downto individual student learning.

Note: The 2006 test results for these schools werenot all publicly available at the time of publication.

BY NICOLE ASH

p a g e 4

ild Left Behind Act> Enacted: Jan. 8, 2002> Goal: To have every child reading and doing

math at grade level by 2014.

> Major Principles: 1) Stronger accountabilityfor results; 2) greater flexibility for statesand communities; 3) proven educationmethods; and 4) more choices for parents.

> Affects: K12 public schools, particularlythose receiving Title I funds because ofhigh-poverty populations

> Interesting Fact: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 passed both houses of Congresswith overwhelming bipartisan support: in theHouse of Representatives, 381 to 41, and inthe Senate, 87 to 10.

> Glossary of Popular Terms: Adequate YearlyProgress: the annual goal of student profi-ciency, as set by each state and measured onstate assessments, that a school must reach.

Highly qualified teacher: a teacher who has a

bachelors degree, full state certification and

content knowledge in each coreacademic subject taught.

Supplemental educational services:additional enrichment activities, such astutoring, provided free-of-charge to studentsfrom low-income families in schools identi-fied as in need of improvement for two years.

Disaggregated data: test results sortedby student classifications: poverty level,race/ethnicity, disability, and limited English

proficiency.

N ew P lymout h E l ement ar y S chool P r incipal C arr ie Aguas wit h second-grader C od y. On t hecover, four th- grad e t eacher K eit h Gayd a wit hDainaand B r ian. P hot os by Vance Gr een.


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American compet-itivenessandthe ways inwhich schools and fami-lies can equip childrenwith the skills to competein a changing worldwill be the focus of theSeptember edition of Edu-cation News Parents CanUse, the U.S. Departmentof Educations monthlytelevision program.

The show, which will alsohighlight back-to-school activities aroundthe nation, will: discuss how the AmericanCompetitiveness Initiative is ensuring thatstudents graduate with the skills they needto be successful in college or in the work-force; spotlight innovative local andnational programs that strengthen learningin math, science and engineering; and pro-

vide tips for parenon what they can dto ensure that theirchildren are readymeet the demandsof an increasinglytechnological andcompetitive globaeconomy.

Each month,Education NewsParents Can Useshowcases: schoand school distri

from across the country; conversations withschool officials, parents and educationexperts; and advice and free resources forparents and educators.

To learn about viewing options, includ-ing webcasts, visit www.ed.gov and clickon Parents, then News Parents Can Useor call toll-free at 1-800-USA-LEARN .

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News Show Explores American Competitiveness

With the school year beginning, what can I do to ensuremy child is successful?

Every stakeholder, from policymakersto parents, is responsible for studentachievement. As their childrens firstteachers, parents in particular play a criticalrole in childrens learning. According to aU.S. Department of Education study, whenteachers reported high levels of outreach toparents of low-achieving third-graders, two-year growth rates for student test scores weremuch higher (reading: 50 percent; math:40 percent) than when teachers reported lowlevels of outreach. Here are some tips to helpyou support your child.> Speak with your child about school. Talkto your child about the importance of school.Ask him or her about teachers, assignments,friends and activities.> Establish a line of communication withschool staff. Keep in touch with teachers and

guidance counselors by scheduling periodicmeetings or corresponding regularly to dis-cuss academic expectations and your childsprogress in meeting those expectations.> Examine the schools report card. TheNo Child Left Behind Actrequires that schooand districts provide report cards or ongo-ing information on student progress. Thesereport cards also show how your childsschool is doing compared to others in thedistrict.> Help with homework. Review assignmenso that you will know in which subjects yourchild is excelling, needs help or lacks enthusiasm for what is being taught. Ask your childteachers if classroom and homework assign-ments are posted on the schools Web site.> Attend school functions. Participate inevents such as open houses and parent-teacher conferences. Find out about volunteeropportunities and how you can becomeinvolved in school improvement efforts.

Join or start a parent support network.For more information and resources to hel

your child succeed in school, visit www.ed.gand click on Parents.

Caen

ar September 17

Constitution and CitizenshipDay, an annual observance desig-nated by Congress in 2005 thatrequires any educational institu-tion receiving federal funds tohold an education program to

commemorate the day the U.S.Constitution was adopted in1787. This year, because the 17thfalls on a Sunday, schools willparticipate in the observance dur-ing the preceding or followingweek. Among resources, the Fed-eral Resources for EducationalExcellence (FREE) Web sitewww.ed.gov/freeoffers teachingand learning materials about the

historical document that shapedAmericas democratic government.

September 30National Book Festival, spon-

sored by the Library of Congress

and hosted by Laura Bush on the

National Mall in Washington, D.C.

It will feature more than 70

award-winning authors, illustra-tors and poets in such genres as

fiction and fantasy, mysteries

and thrillers, and history and

biography. For details, visit

www.loc.gov and click on

National Book Festival,

or call 1-888-714-4696.

October 12

Lights On Afterschool,a nationwide event saluting

after-school programs. For

information on hosting a

local event or obtaining

supporting materials, visit

www.afterschoolalliance.org

or call 202-347-1002.

Q A&


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To close the achievement gap forHispanic children, the PresidentsAdvisory Commission on Educational

Excellence for Hispanic Americans has recom-mended setting new and high expectations by:helping parents navigate the education system;creating partnerships to provide expandedoptions for children; and implementing apublic awareness campaign aimed at achievinghigher education.

To help fulfill this purpose, the U.S.Department of Education, in collaborationwith the White House Initiative on Educa-

tional Excellence for Hispanic Americans,will release an updated version of theTool Kit for Hispanic Families duringthis back-to-school season.

A colorful, illustrated resource,

the tool kit was developed with guidance fromover 1,800 Hispanic parents at Parent Informa-tion and Resource Centers across the country.It includes six topical brochures, each containingadditional references.> You and Your Preschool Child looks at factorssuch as diet, exercise and medical care thataffect how well children perform in school.> You and Your Elementary School-Aged Childsuggests important questions to ask educators,such as how much time is spent teachingchildren English, reading and math.> Tips for Helping Children Learn to Readoffers literacy techniques for the early stagesof learning how to read.> A Challenging High School Education forAll looks at how completing advanced coursework can help students to succeed in collegeand perhaps graduate early.> School Success for Your Child offershomework tips for parents and suggestionsfor helping students with disabilities.> No Child Left Behind: Help for Studentsand Their Families provides an overview of the options and benefits of the law.

To place an advance order for a free copy of the tool kit, call 1-877-4ED-PUBS.

TheU.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONED PUBS

P.O. BOX 1398JESSUP, MD 20794-1398

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300PRESORTEDFIRST CLASS

SEPTEMBER 2006 VOL.5, NO.7

POSTAGE AND FEES PAIDU.S. DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATIONPermit NO. G-17

Tool Kit for Hispanic Families

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U.S. Department of Education400 Maryland Ave., S.W.Washington, DC 20202

The Achiever is a monthly publicationfor parents and community leaders fromthe Office of Communications andOutreach, U.S. Department of Education(ED). Margaret Spellings, secretary.

Comments? Contact Nicole Ashby,editor, at 202-205-0676 (fax), [email protected].

Address changes and subscriptions?

Contact 1-877-4ED-PUBS, [email protected].

Information on ED programs, resourcesand events? Contact 1-800-USA-LEARN,or [email protected].

The Achiever contains news and informationabout and from public and private organizationsfor the reader's information. Inclusion does notconstitute an endorsement by the U.S. Depart-ment of Education of any products or servicesoffered or views expressed. This publicationalso contains hyperlinks and URLs createdand maintained by outside organizations andprovided for the readers convenience. TheDepartment is not responsible for the accuracyof this information.

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