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13 Ways the 113th Congress Can Improve Education in America

There is no shortage of opportunities for Congress to reform federal education policy. Dozens of federal education programs are managed by well-intentioned yet disconnected bureaucrats in Washington, who are far removed from the needs of teachers and children in the classroom.

Taxpayers, meanwhile, must send billions of dollars every year to Washington to fund federal education programs housed within the U.S. Department of Education and other agencies, which redistribute that money back to states through myriad formula and competitive grant programs. In order to ensure that their share of education funding is returned to them, states and schools must navigate a complex and time-consuming process of applying for grants, constantly monitoring changes in program regulations, and submitting proof to the Department of Education that they are meeting federal benchmarks. No Child Left Behind is the largest K–12 education law, and alone contains more than 60 competitive grant programs. Regulations on the law have been promulgated over 100 times in the decade following NCLB’s enactment.[1]

It is no wonder that state education agencies have grown dramatically over the decades; the regulatory maze through which school districts must maneuver seems to grow more convoluted with every Congress. That maze diverts the attention of school leaders and teachers on whom the burden of complying with federal regulations falls, leaving them with less and less time to focus on their most important job: teaching. Federal intervention has failed to increase achievement outcomes over the past half century, yet has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars, has grown bureaucracy, and has weakened states’ education decision-making authority.

The Founders placed the important job of educating America’s children with states, localities, and most critically, parents. The Constitution does not mention the word “education,” even though its architects believed in its supreme importance. “I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource to be relied on for ameliorating the condition, promoting the virtue, and advancing the happiness of man,” wrote Thomas Jefferson.[2 ]

Conservatives in Congress and policymakers in general who want to restore excellence in education should work to trim the size, scope, and funding of the Department of Education. The reforms outlined below do just that, and provide first steps for returning education to states and school districts, creating an education system that is responsive to parents and fits the needs of children.

Pre–K and Early Learning

For decades, the federal government has funded early education and child care programs, and despite little to no impact on child outcomes, the Obama Administration and many on the left are attempting to expand such programs. Yet, policymakers must not attempt to replace the family in the important role of laying the building blocks for a child’s formal learning, and, rather than adding more programs, should reform current programs or eliminate those that are ineffective.

1. Congress should recognize that parents and private preschool providers should be the first and second options for families, followed by state programs, when necessary. Policymakers should avoid any incentives to expand government preschool. In order to achieve excellence in early education, policymakers must abandon the presumption that government preschool is preferable to family care. Families are children’s first educators and government programs cannot replace the benefits that children receive from being raised in a stable, two-parent home. Federal and state policymakers interested in maintaining the role of families and civil society in providing early education and care for children should resist the latest push by the Obama Administration to expand federal preschool and child care. More government preschool is not the answer to helping America’s children succeed, and any efforts to expand federal preschool initiatives should be opposed.

2. Excellence in early education requires cleaning up the labyrinth of existing federal preschool and day care programs, and eliminating ineffective programs. Since taking office, President Obama has called for increases in federal spending for early childhood education. The Obama Administration wants to establish a continuum of preschool services for children from birth through age five. As part of the President’s drive for a “cradle-to-career” government-controlled education system, in February the Administration proposed significantly increasing government spending on early childhood education and care. The President’s proposal consists of (1) new federal spending to establish a “cost-sharing” model with states to expand public preschool programs; (2) significant new spending on Early Head Start to serve infants, toddlers, and three-year-old children; (3) an effort to “grow” the federal Head Start program; and (4) an expansion of home visitation programs. The White House deems this its Preschool for All initiative.[3 ]

Additionally, in recent years left-leaning Members of Congress have proposed legislation to expand preschool programs such as the Providing Resources for Kids Act (PRE-K Act) and the Prepare All Kids Act.[4]

The federal government already funds dozens of early-childhood education and child care programs. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that there are 45 such programs in operation today, spread across numerous federal agencies, including the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, the Interior, and Housing and Urban Development, among others.[5] The 45 programs in operation today are estimated to cost taxpayers more than $20 billion annually.[6] The list of programs includes Head Start; the Childcare and Development Block Grant; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides a portion of its funding for child care; portions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; the Social Services Block Grant, which provides day care; and many others.

President Obama’s massive federal preschool expansion would further entangle Washington in the education and care of the youngest Americans. Instead of creating more government preschool and child care programs, Congress should examine current programs and eliminate those that are ineffective as well as consolidate duplicative programs.

3. Policymakers should base decisions about preschool funding and programs on empirical evidence, and reconsider the future of Head Start. Head Start is the largest of the federal government’s early childhood programs and has been funded by taxpayers for nearly five decades. Since Head Start began in 1965, the federal government has spent over $150 billion to fund it.[7] During 2011–2012 fiscal year, some 964,000 children were enrolled in the program.[8]

However, the federal government’s own “gold standard” evaluations show that Head Start fails to promote lasting academic benefits for children. The Department of Health and Human Services’ first-grade and final third-grade follow-up studies show that any effects of Head Start dissipate by third grade, with children who participate in Head Start doing no better on cognitive outcomes than their peers from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program. Head Start children also fared no better on the vast majority of other factors measured, including social, emotional, and health outcomes.[9]

Fraud was also recently uncovered in Head Start centers.[10] A 2010 GAO investigation found, for example, that Head Start workers in several states falsified applicants’ financial information to allow children to enroll in the program who would otherwise not qualify.

Head Start has failed to improve the educational outcomes and kindergarten readiness (the program’s stated mission) of poor children for nearly 50 years. The program should be eliminated. At a minimum, states should be allowed to make their Head Start funds portable, following children to a private preschool provider of their parents’ choice.

Elementary and Secondary Education

Federal intervention in K–12 education has steadily increased over the past five decades. Yet such growth has failed to increase achievement outcomes, has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars, has grown bureaucracy, and has weakened states’ education decision-making authority. Congress should reform current policies to restore educational authority to state and local leaders and to give parents greater control over their children’s education.

4. To improve K–12 education, Congress should reject wholesale reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. From its enactment in 1965 as the education portion of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program, to its seventh reauthorization as No Child Left Behind in 2001, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has failed to achieve its original purpose of eliminating achievement gaps between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers. Despite seven reauthorizations of a law designed to close achievement gaps and improve academic outcomes, an achievement gap persists between poor children and their wealthier counterparts, and between white students and their minority peers. Low-income 12th-graders, for example, read at the same level as non-poor eighth-graders.[11] Similarly, white eighth-graders score two points higher than black 12th graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term trend reading assessment. White eighth-graders are just one point behind Hispanic 12th-graders.[12]

Instead of improving educational outcomes for children, the nation’s largest K–12 education law has resulted in a litany of federal regulations that bind the hands of states and local school leaders. The law has grown state-level bureaucracy, has increased costs for local school districts, and has accelerated federal education spending. At just 31 pages and with a 1965 price tag of $1 billion when first enacted, over four and a half decades the ESEA has morphed into a behemoth federal education law. Today, No Child Left Behind consists of approximately 80 programs (60 competitive grant programs and nearly 20 formula grant programs), at a cost of nearly $25 billion annually.

No Child Left Behind has created an inefficient mechanism for redistributing education funding to states. While approximately $23 billion is funneled through nearly 20 formula grant programs, the remaining $2 billion is redistributed through more than 60 competitive grant programs, each with a separate application process and compliance burden. The myriad programs strain school-level management by requiring states and school districts to spend their time completing applications, monitoring federal program notices, and complying with federal reporting requirements.

President Johnson’s ESEA task force, which crafted the recommendations that would eventually make up the five parts of the original ESEA, argued that the law “would ensure an equal education for all children by providing federal aid to low-income elementary and secondary education students.”[13] Yet instead of ensuring equal education, the law has only ensured equal bureaucratic red tape for schools:

The administrative burden of implementing the thousands of Title I programs [funding for compensatory education] created by federal fiat fell primarily upon state education agencies and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs). Title V of ESEA [establishing federal funding for state departments of education] was the mechanism used to increase the authority, size, and power of SEAs to approve and monitor Title I programs. Congress appropriated $128,250,000 to SEAs from 1966 to 1970 to accomplish this, doubling SEAs’ staff during that period….

The implementation of ESEA had two major effects on SEAs. First, their budgets, authority, and staff grew tremendously. Second, they became agents for the federal government, ensuring their proper implementation of federal rules and programs at the state and local levels.[14]

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act has been reauthorized seven times since its inception. The law was expanded multiple times throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and underwent revisions under the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton Administrations, culminating with No Child Left Behind in 2001. Federal intervention into education has grown significantly over various reauthorizations, yet significant improvements in student outcomes remain elusive.

Policymakers in the 113th Congress should avoid a wholesale eighth reauthorization. Instead, federal policymakers should simplify existing law by eliminating all of the law’s duplicative and ineffective programs and allowing cross-program flexibility among the remaining K–12 programs operated by the Department of Education. At the same time, they should allow states to make their Title I dollars portable, following children to a private school of choice.

5. To better serve low-income children, Congress should allow states to make their Title I dollars portable. Title I of No Child Left Behind provides federal funding to states in order for the states to provide additional funds to low-income school districts. While the intent of Title I is to provide resources to low-income children, its design is “neither student-centered nor transparent. Instead, Title I funds are delivered through complex funding formulas created over decades of congressional policymaking.”[15] As researcher Susan Aud writes:

The funding formulas used to determine each school district’s total Title I, Part A allocation are prohibitively complex, with provisions that render the final results substantially incongruent with the original legislative intention. Additionally, as grants have been added to the program, the complexity of the funding system has increased exponentially. Consequently, it is likely that no more than a handful of experts in the country clearly understand the process from beginning to end or could project a particular district’s allocation based on information about its low-income students. The result is a funding system that is opaque and unaccountable.[16 ]

In order to make Title I work for the disadvantaged children it was originally intended to help, the program’s funding formula should be simplified. It should be simplified using a set per-pupil allocation to ensure maximum funding reaches poor children, rather than diluting it due to formula complexity and administrative requirements. Congress should also permit states to make Title I funding portable, allowing funding to follow a child to the school of his parents’ choice—public, private, charter, or virtual.

6. Congress should eliminate and consolidate ineffective and duplicative programs. In all, the Department of Education operates more than 100 competitive and formula grant programs. In order to restore good constitutional governance in education, Congress should consolidate or eliminate the vast majority of programs operated by the Department, beginning with those that are duplicative and ineffective.

Several proposals were advanced in the 112th Congress to provide cross-program flexibility, and to eliminate duplicative or ineffective education programs.

One of the major provisions of the Student Success Act (SSA), introduced by House Education and the Workforce Committee chairman John Kline (R–MN), is an allowance for states and local school districts to have funding flexibility with designated Title I programs. Migrant education, rural education, programs for neglected and delinquent children, English language learner funding, and American Indian education remain separate funding streams under the SSA, but states would have the flexibility to use that funding for activities across any of those five programs. The proposal would also allow low-income school districts to have greater flexibility with the dollars they receive through Title I.

Representative Duncan Hunter (R–CA) introduced the Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act (H.R. 1891), which the Education and the Workforce Committee noted “would begin the process of weeding out inefficient and unnecessary K–12 education programs.” The proposal would completely eliminate 43 wasteful programs.

Efforts to eliminate ineffective and duplicative education programs deserve attention, and are a smart first step in curtailing federal intervention into education. Most of the more than 100 competitive grant and formula grant programs should be consolidated or eliminated (including the 60 competitive grant programs and nearly 20 formula grant programs that fall under No Child Left Behind). Federal policymakers should scale back the number of programs and consolidate funding among many others. The vast majority of competitive grant programs that fall under No Child Left Behind should be eliminated, and formula grant programs that are similarly structured should be subsumed under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.[17]

7. Congress should provide relief to states and schools through the Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (A-PLUS) Act, creating an alternative to the Obama Administration’s strings-attached No Child Left Behind waivers.

Federal policymakers should limit federal intervention in education by eliminating the majority of programs that fall under No Child Left Behind. At the same time, Congress should allow states to opt out of the many federal requirements associated with those programs, and to use those funds in a way that best meets the needs of local students. This approach is embodied in the A-PLUS Act.

The A-PLUS Act would allow a state to provide a declaration of intent to the U.S. Department of Education, alerting the department that the state will be combining funds from the many No Child Left Behind programs to administer those funds at the state and local level. A-PLUS allows states an effective opt-out from No Child Left Behind, and to have funds distributed to the state in a single funding stream, which state and local policymakers can then direct to their state’s educational priorities.

The A-PLUS approach offers accountability through academic transparency to parents and fiscal reporting to Washington. It allows states to spend their own money in ways that allow state and local leaders to better target resources. Moreover, bureaucratic red tape is reduced, freeing up time and resources for classroom teaching. It is a policy that aligns incentives with the needs of parents and taxpayers, not the demands of Washington.

Moreover, the A-PLUS approach provides genuine relief to states from the burdens of federal intervention. The Obama Administration has worked to convince states that such relief will be granted through No Child Left Behind waivers; however, the waivers are only granted to those states that agree to the Administration’s preferred education policies, carrying with them significant strings. Any short-term relief states feel from the waivers comes in exchange for ceding educational decision-making authority to the Department of Education. The waivers also completely circumvent the normal legislative process. The A-PLUS approach comes without the many strings attached to No Child Left Behind waivers and is a legislative branch proposal with strong support in Congress.

In addition to significantly limiting No Child Left Behind programs and spending, policymakers in the 113th Congress should provide states with immediate, genuine relief from the law’s mandates and red tape. Policymakers should pursue an approach like A-PLUS, giving states the opportunity to opt out of the many programs that fall under the law.

8. Congress should prevent any new federal funding of national standards and assessments.

Over the past four years, the Obama Administration has used a combination of carrots and sticks to prod states to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). CCSSI is an effort to establish national education standards and tests to define what every child in public schools across the country will learn. The effort to nationalize standards and tests represents the most significant federal overreach into education in history, and poses a grave threat to educational freedom in America’s schools.

The Obama Administration has heavily incentivized the adoption of Common Core standards and tests. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—the so-called stimulus—the Obama Administration carved out $4.35 billion in competitive grant funding known as the Race to the Top program. States had to agree to adopt common standards to be competitive.[18] Moreover, the Department of Education provided $360 million to directly finance the national assessments aligned with the common core standards. And the aforementioned No Child Left Behind waivers require states to either adopt common “college- and career-ready” standards, or have their state university system verify their standards.

The Obama Administration has propelled the federal government into defining standards, assessments, and curricula by providing significant rhetorical and financial support to the Common Core effort.

It is an area in which Washington is prohibited from interfering. As Senator Marco Rubio (R–FL) stated in a letter to education secretary Arne Duncan: “Such activities are unacceptable; they violate three existing laws: NCLB [No Child Left Behind], the Department of Education Organization Act, and the General Education Provisions Act. All three laws prohibit the federal government from creating or prescribing national curriculum.”[19] 

States still have the opportunity to exit the national standards push. Perhaps most critical, federal policymakers should work to prevent any additional federal funding from being appropriated to further fund Common Core, or to nationalize standards and assessments in schools across the country. At the same time, federal policymakers who want to preserve educational liberty should lend as much rhetorical support as possible to the principle that education is rightly the domain of parents and teachers, and decisions about what is taught in the classroom should be made at the local level, not by the federal Department of Education.

9. Congress should stop the education spending spree and allow for meaningful reform. In addition to eliminating existing ineffective and duplicative federal education programs, conservatives in Congress should oppose proposals by the Obama Administration to create new programs. Last year, as part of his “Education Blueprint”—a proposal to spend billions in taxpayer money on new federal education initiatives—President Obama proposed the following: (1) the RESPECT Project (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching), a new $5 billion competitive grant program allocating federal funding to states to compensate effective teachers; (2) the Keeping Educators in the Classroom proposal, which would create a new $25 billion program to “avoid harmful layoffs”; and (3) an additional $30 billion in new spending for “modernizing America’s schools.”[20]

If the past four years are any indication, the Administration will likely continue pushing for similar new programs and spending, which should be ardently opposed by conservatives in Congress. Conservatives should resist any proposals to create a “Master Teacher Corps” (an effort proposed by the Obama Administration in 2012), and should reject any new funding for the Race to the Top (RTT) competitive grant program, including grants made directly to local school districts through the RTT District program.

10. Congress should restore dollars and decision making to those closest to the student by reducing the size and scope of the Department of Education. Federal education spending has increased significantly since President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Education in 1979. Since then, funding for the Department of Education has more than doubled. Today, the Education Department has the third-largest discretionary budget of any federal agency, trailing only the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services.

In 1980, the Department of Education’s budget was $11.6 billion (which equates to approximately $31.7 billion in constant 2012 dollars). By the time President Obama took office in 2009, the budget had increased to $67 billion ($41 billion for elementary and secondary education). Besides significantly increasing discretionary education spending, the President sent nearly $100 billion to the Department of Education in 2009 as part of the stimulus package.

Federal education spending has exceeded $2 trillion since 1965 (after adjusting for inflation), yet U.S. students are barely any better off than they were four decades ago.[21] Congress should stop the education spending spree, and reduce the size and scope of the Department of Education.

Today, the Department of Education is home to more than 4,200 federal employees. Refocusing No Child Left Behind to mirror the ESEA’s original purpose of compensatory education, eliminating the multitude of competitive grant programs, and trimming the Department’s mission to that of check-writing agency would enable a significant reduction in size and budget of the agency.

Another first step in stopping the education spending spree is to return the federal elementary and secondary education budget to 2000 levels, or approximately $22 billion.

11. To better serve special needs children, Congress should allow states to make Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding portable. IDEA provides federal funds to children with special needs. Like Title I, the students the law was designed to help would be better served by having control over their share of IDEA funding, being allowed to take their IDEA funds to any school of their choice.

The IDEA program, funded at approximately $11.5 billion in 2012, should be reformed to allow states to make their funds portable. Allowing states the option to make their IDEA funds portable would mean that special needs children could take an average of $1,950 to a school of their choice that meets their unique learning needs.[22] While, as University of Colorado professor Marcus Winters notes, a voucher in that amount would likely not be enough to cover the full amount of tuition at a private school, “it could provide a meaningful supplement to parents looking for educational alternatives.”[23 ]

12. Congress should expand the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to ensure that low-income children in the nation’s capital have access to schools that meet their unique learning needs. Since 2004, children in the nation’s capital have had access to vouchers to attend a private school of choice. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (D.C. OSP) was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2004 and has provided scholarships to approximately 5,000 students since then.[24] In a city with a chronically underperforming public school system, the D.C. OSP has been a lifeline for low-income children to attend a private school that meets their learning needs. Congressionally mandated evaluations of the D.C. OSP found that students who used a voucher to attend a private school were 21 percentage points more likely to graduate high school than their non-scholarship peers. Moreover, at around $8,500, the vouchers are less than half the more than $18,000 spent per pupil in the D.C. public school system.

The D.C. OSP is currently capped at $20 million per year. Federal policymakers are in a unique position to expand the D.C. OSP since Washington, D.C., is a federal city, with its school system falling under the jurisdiction of Congress.

13. Congress should expand Coverdell and 529 Education Savings Accounts to help families invest in education. The momentum for school choice has increased substantially over the past few years. In 2011, states passed a record number of school-choice policies to create or expand educational opportunities for K–12 students.[25] Today, 21 states and Washington, D.C., offer some type of private school option to families. States and localities have, appropriately, been at the forefront of this movement.

While the Constitution leaves educational authority to the states and the vast majority of education funding is provided by states and localities, the federal government can also advance school choice by relieving American families’ tax burden, particularly when they save for education. A simple way to do this would be by (1) lifting the cap on Coverdell education savings accounts and (2) expanding current 529 college education savings accounts to allow families to save for K–12 education.[26]

Lifting the Cap on Coverdell Education Accounts. Coverdell savings accounts allow parents to save for a child’s educational expenses, both K–12 and college costs.[27] Families can use Coverdell savings to pay for a variety of education options, including private school tuition, tutoring, and special-education services.[28] While contributions to Coverdell accounts are made with after-tax dollars, the interest earned is free from federal income taxes. By allowing families to save for education needs, Coverdell accounts increase educational options for elementary and secondary students. However, Coverdell accounts are currently limited to a maximum annual contribution of $2,000. Lifting this $2,000 cap would increase families’ opportunities to fund their children’s education and thereby expand educational choice. Besides lifting the cap, Congress can insert provisions into the existing law to eliminate tax penalties for any leftover funds by allowing these funds to be handed down to the next generation or rolled into a contributor’s gross income without extra penalty.

Expanding 529 College Education Savings Accounts. Another way federal policymakers can promote school choice is by letting families save for K–12 education costs under 529 college savings plans; 529 college savings accounts allow families to save money without federal tax penalties. These savings plans are municipal securities regulated by states, and contributions are largely managed by private investment firms. A number of states also allow interest earned on 529 accounts to accrue without state tax penalty. Additionally, money can be withdrawn from a 529 account without tax penalty as long as the money is used to pay for higher-education expenses: college tuition, textbooks, and other college expenses[29]

Expanding section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code to allow families to save for K–12 education expenses, such as private school tuition, online education courses, and tutoring services, would provide new incentives for families to save for their young children’s education and at the same time increase their ability to pay for educational options outside the public school system.

Conclusion: Go Bold on Reform

The 113th Congress has the opportunity to dramatically reshape federal education policy in a way that re-establishes education decision making with states and schools, empowers parents, and restores excellence in education. Congress has the opportunity to make education funding more student centered; to ensure funding for special needs and low-income children actually serves those children, instead of feeding the bureaucracy. Congress has the opportunity to reform federal education programs in a way that cuts costs, saving taxpayers money while making spending more effective. To achieve these goals, the 113th Congress should:

  • Recognize that parents, and then private preschool providers, should be the first option for families, followed by state programs, when necessary. Avoid any incentives to expand government preschool.
  • Understand that excellence in early education requires cleaning up the labyrinth of existing federal preschool and day care programs, and eliminating ineffective programs.
  • Base decisions about preschool funding and programs on evidence, and reconsider the future of Head Start.
  • Reject wholesale reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.
  • Allow states to make their Title I dollars portable to better serve low-income children.
  • Eliminate and consolidate ineffective and duplicative K–12 programs.
  • Offer relief to states and schools through reforms such as the A-PLUS Act, providing a genuine alternative to No Child Left Behind.
  • Prevent any new federal funding of national standards and assessments.
  • Stop the education spending spree and allow for meaningful reform.
  • Restore dollars and decision making to those closest to the student by reducing the size and scope of the Department of Education.
  • Allow states to make IDEA funding portable to better serve special needs children.
  • Expand the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to ensure low-income children in the nation’s capital have access to schools that meet their unique learning needs.
  • Expand Coverdell and 529 Education Savings Accounts to help families invest in education.

Instead of tinkering around the edges—or worse, perpetuating the failed status quo through more spending and programs—Congress should take responsibility for cleaning up the bureaucratic mess it has created for states and schools, and should do what it can within its proper constitutional limits to expand choice and make education funding more student centered. The steps outlined above will help to accomplish those goals, and provide a blueprint for restoring excellence in education.

—Lindsey M. Burke is the Will Skillman Fellow in Education, and Rachel Sheffield is a Policy Analyst in Domestic Policy Studies, at The Heritage Foundation.

Article source: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/05/13-ways-the-113th-congress-can-improve-education-in-america

IRSC UPDATE: Register now for IRSC Summer classes

FORT PIERCE —
Registration is now under way for the 2013 Summer Semesters at Indian River State College with a wide variety of opportunities to obtain a degree, prepare for a career or re-train for a new direction in life. Students can choose among bachelor’s degree and associate degree programs and quick job training.

Summer I classes begin May 8, and Summer II classes begin June 25.

IRSC is recognized nationally for providing a quality education with affordable tuition. Substantiating this is the College’s ranking as the 5th most affordable college in the country with enrollment over 5,000 students by the U.S. Department of Education and its ranking as the 10th top public regional college in the South by U.S. News World Report.

The College offers convenient one-stop student services centers to help students of all ages plan their educational and career path and obtain financial aid information. Financial aid and scholarships are available for full-time and part-time students. In fact, over $36 million in financial aid was awarded to IRSC students last year to continue their education for a brighter future. Students are encouraged to apply for financial aid now for upcoming semesters.

IRSC’s growing menu of Bachelor’s Degree programs includes Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Information Technology / Security Management, Biology, Digital Media, Human Services, Organizational Management, Public Administration (Emergency Planning Management or Public Policy Leadership), Health Care Management, Nursing, High School and Middle School Math and Science and Exceptional Student Education (ESE).

The Associate in Arts degree prepares students for university transfer. Associate in Science degree programs develop the knowledge needed for in-demand careers in technology, health care, business, public safety and many other fields, enabling students to build marketable skills that are attractive to employers. Area residents can prepare for employment in a year or less through Quick Job Training.

Professional development courses enhance specific skills and personal development classes encompass many areas of interest. Students can take advantage of Academic Support Centers for free tutoring to help them succeed in their classes. For more information, call 1-866-792-4772 or visit www.irsc.edu.

Article source: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2013/apr/23/irsc-update-register-now-for-irsc-summer-classes-3/

New Orleans College Prep seeks federal grant for after-school programs

The board of directors of New Orleans College Preparatory Academies met briefly March 22 to pass a resolution to apply for federal grant known as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant.

Funded through the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the state of Louisiana the grant would fund after-school academic and extracurricular programs at the New Orleans College Preparatory Academies campuses. The programs could also be available on weekends and during the summers.

The charter organization operates Sylvanie Williams College Preparatory Elementary and Cohen College Prep Middle and High schools.

Founder and CEO Ben Kleban said that in the past the grants were given to nonprofits such as New Orleans Outreach. But the federal program has recently shifted to providing funding directly to schools.

NOCP will now submit the grant application to the Louisiana Department of Education. If approved, the grant will fund learning centers at the school for three years. Up to $800,000 is available per year per applicant.

Present at the meeting were chair Kenneth Polite, secretary Murray Pitts, Ruth Kullman, and Treasurer Peter Harding.

Article source: http://thelensnola.org/2013/04/04/new-orleans-college-prep-seeks-federal-grant-for-after-school-programs/

Norris leader shares spotlight with first lady

Norris Public Schools Superintendent John Skretta is a healthy school celebrity these days – at least enough so that he found himself on a call-in panel with Michelle Obama this week.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Skretta said. “You’re standing there holding the phone and hearing her speak and knowing you’re on another line – and you all care about the same things. It becomes pretty easy to deliver that message when you’re surrounded by people at that level.”

Skretta was one of six people asked to speak on a live conference call-in program to help the first lady launch “Let’s Move! Active Schools” initiative to bring physical activity back to America’s schools.

In addition to Obama – and Skretta – speakers included Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Sam Kass, who works with the first lady; Jill Wynns, a San Francisco Board of Education; and an assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education.

On Tuesday, they spoke to about 250 school leaders from around the country who called into the conference call.

Skretta got three minutes to talk about efforts Norris has made to keep kids active: piping music through loudspeakers at various points through the day; using the Wii Dance Revolution or YouTube videos to get kids moving in before- and after-school programs; making good use of walking paths.

Maybe Obama — or someone she works with – read about Skretta a couple of years ago when he was featured in Fitness magazine as one of 10 people given a Champions of Health and Fitness Award.

Norris also has worked with the national non-profit organization called the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for six years, and it was someone from the alliance who called and asked if he’d be interested in participating in the call-in panel.

“Initially I was pretty sure I was going to become the victim of an elaborate prank,” Skretta said.

But then someone from the White House called — saying he needed security clearance before he could be on the panel.

“You can’t even get on a conference call without going through a security background check,” he said.

Skretta said he’s happy to be a steward for programs that help young people find a connection between health and academic performance, but stressed that the reason he’s able to do that is because Norris staff have embraced the idea and made it an integral part of the school.

The district has focused as much on nutrition as fitness, adding healthier choices to meals and offering fresh fruits and vegetable snacks in the elementary school and a healthy “grab and go” breakfast in the middle school. The latter won third place in the Nebraska School Breakfast Challenge sponsored by Hunger Free Heartland and the state of Nebraska’s Department of Education nutrition services.

Skretta said being able to be a spokesperson at a national level speaks well of both Norris and the state.

“Nebraska is a leader in many of these things,” he said. “There are lots of ways in which Nebraska schools find ways to accomplish things with limited resources that get good results and attract attention nationally.”

Article source: http://journalstar.com/news/local/education/norris-leader-shares-spotlight-with-first-lady/article_8799c2e2-9863-57f1-ba2f-25ec0fe137da.html

Racism addressed

Bridgeforth, a freshman at Grand Haven High School, has been at the center of some race-related incidents at the school.

Hall and several other parents spoke out about the incidents at Monday night’s school board meeting in Central High School’s gym.

The Grand Haven school district is under local and federal investigations following a series of incidents at the high school involving KKK-like apparel and a racial slur written on a school bus window.

In September 2012, Bridgeforth said a student wore a KKK-like mask after school before a fight broke out. Later in the year, Bridgeforth said she and a friend overheard a conversation on a bus ride home in which a girl said the world would be a better place if all African-Americans went back to Africa and all Hispanics went back to Mexico.

After those incidents, Hall filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. In December, the agency launched an investigation into the incidents.

In February, Bridgeforth and her friend were the direct subjects of harassment as they rode the bus home from school. According to Bridgeforth, some male students on the bus said, “Look at those n—-s over there. I’ll give you $5 if you (have sex with) one of them.”

Hall told the school board the district has let her down in the way it has handled the incidents.

“There’s no excuse for it,” she said.

Hall said she hoped the school district’s staff will become better educated about racism, and programs are set in place for students to come forward and report incidents.

“I want you to feel her pain,” Hall told the board.

School board President Chris Houghtaling thanked Hall for her comments.

Megan Rohn also expressed her frustration to the board regarding the lack of notification when her son, Patrick Gardener, was brought into the school’s office and falsely accused of writing a racial slur on the side window of Bus No. 1. Gardner, a freshman, previously said he was accused of writing, “Kill all n—–s.”

After reviewing the bus’ surveillance videos, school officials determined Gardner was innocent.

High school Principal Tracy Wilson said she couldn’t say what was written on the bus because of the open investigations, but it didn’t contain the word “kill.”

Rohn said she felt like the school was failing the students during these situations.

Joni Dunn, the mother of Bridgeforth’s friend who was with her during both bus incidents, told the school board that her daughter has been through more than any child should.

Dunn said she drove her daughter and Bridgeforth to school on Monday because the girls didn’t want to ride the bus. When they arrived at the school, both girls put their hoods on like they were ashamed, Dunn said.

“They are girls, not colors,” Dunn said.

Amber Love told the board that her son, Isaac, reported an incident to her and she contacted the school about it. Love said she felt nothing was done and the school failed her son.

“These acts are appalling,” she said.

Love said students need to receive stronger consequences for their actions to learn that their actions follow them.

Paula Kendra, a member of the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance Board of Directors, urged the school board to expand beyond training for administrators and optional programs for students. She challenged the board to make it a mandatory aspect of the curriculum for all grades.

On Monday, Wilson e-mailed the school’s parents a copy of the announcement she read over the school’s public address system to staff and students that morning. Her announcement addressed current educational aspects the school participates in — including Calling All Colors, Restorative Circles, Capturing Kids Hearts, Anti-Bullying/Bucs Above Bullying, Team GH and Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance’s Institute for Healing Racism.

Wilson also addressed the ongoing investigations, and said the district is cooperating with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department and the Office of Civil Rights.

“We do not take any of these types of situations lightly and will continue to uphold our Student Code of Conduct,” she said in her statement.

Andre Daley, associate executive director of the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance, told the school board that it’s a challenging and complex issue. He said the good news is that the agency is working with the school district to address the issues through educational training and providing students with the resources to speak up.

The bad news, Daley said, is that such incidents still arise. To combat that, Daley said it needs to be looked at beyond the school campus.

“We need to look at the broader community context,” he said.

Grand Haven Area Public Schools Superintendent Keith Konarska said he appreciates the community’s input, and it is important for the board and himself to hear their heartfelt and sincere comments.

With the help of the diversity alliance, Konarska said they are bringing the issue to the community for resolution. He said they plan to engage residents through a committee to begin a broader dialogue about expecting tolerance.

“If one child feels harassed or threatened, it’s one child too many,” he said.

Houghtaling said they will continue to educate students and staff about combatting racism, and will do whatever it takes to make sure all children feel comfortable attending school.

“It’s my goal to make sure that happens,” he said.

Article source: http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/education/338406

Brooklyn’s Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader


186de more photos Brooklyns Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader

186de image320x240 Brooklyns Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader

GREENPOINT — When P.S. 34 Oliver Perry appointed her to be principal last month, Carmen Asselta inherited both the esteemed traditions and the challenges of Brooklyn’s oldest public elementary school.

“We have a lot of parents who graduated this school and then choose to send their kids here,” she said in the small 167-year-old building near McGolrick Park. “But while other schools enjoy the privileges of a gym, library and auditorium, those are unfortunately things I do not enjoy.”

But the staff, kids, parents and neighbors make up for that lack of space, Asselta said, noting that the cafeteria is filled with “rich activities” that imbue it with a constant energy of creativity. The school’s ties between the local Polish and Latino communities run strong, she said, and many of her students are English Language Learners from immigrant families. The U.S. Department of Education recently honored P.S. 34 as a National Blue Ribbon School for the academic success of its diversity of students.

Now, Asselta is focused on enhancing the bonds between her institution and groups who offer extra facilities and services.

“I know the past principal had a very strong relationship with the community,” said Asselta of Alicja Winnicki, a Greenpoint resident who is now District 14′s superintendent. “We’re working to maintain those partnerships and to build more.” 

How are you following in the past principal’s academic footsteps and what are you doing differently?

We’re continuing the rigorous curriculum that also encourages students to be lifelong learners, and I’m working toward a more rigorous science program. I’d like to start the STEM (science technology engineering and math) program here. 

What are some of your proudest new partnerships with local groups?

We just started a chess program, in which we’re partnered with the nonprofit St. Nick’s Alliance and with [the Bushwick chess champions] M.S. 318. We have middle and high school students come in to work with our kids after school, and we’re hoping to have them take part in competitions. We have 30 students in the chess program, but over 65 applied. Many parents wanted the opportunity for their kids to play the game and M.S. 318′s notoriety for chess made them the ideal match.

We also reinstated this year the studio-in-classroom program. Artists come in to work with the art teacher and with teachers in the classroom to implement the arts in lessons.

And this year [Assemblyman Joseph] Lentol offered to let our “young environmentalists” group plant in Lentol Gardens.

How do you accommodate and appeal to the diverse mix of immigrant families, from Polish to Latino, at your school?

All communications to parents are translated, and we have Polish and Spanish translators in the school for parents. We have an international night celebrating all of our cultures and bringing them all together, rather than just highlighting one at a time. And of course we have a significant ESL staff.

Can you tell me about the challenges and perks of having school in a landmarked building?

The classrooms are set up right next to each other, so it’s been called “the school without walls” because the rooms run into each other. The staircase and the style of the railings are unique and beautiful, but space is an issue. Our fifth graders, for instance, have their graduation in the Polish and Slavic Center nearby.

What’s your background in NYC and in education?

I was born in Ridgewood, Queens. I had my first job in education in this district, at M.S. 50 teaching Spanish and then in staff development…then I left to go to District 15 (Sunset Park) and now I’m back. This is my first time to be principal. I don’t know of a better job — it’s the most rewarding career. 

 

Also on DNAinfo.com…

eaf32 image120x90cropped Brooklyns Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader

By Meredith Hoffman, DNAinfo.com

Article source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130304/greenpoint/brooklyns-oldest-public-elementary-school-welcomes-new-leader

Brooklyn’s Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader


186de more photos Brooklyns Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader

186de image320x240 Brooklyns Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader

GREENPOINT — When P.S. 34 Oliver Perry appointed her to be principal last month, Carmen Asselta inherited both the esteemed traditions and the challenges of Brooklyn’s oldest public elementary school.

“We have a lot of parents who graduated this school and then choose to send their kids here,” she said in the small 167-year-old building near McGolrick Park. “But while other schools enjoy the privileges of a gym, library and auditorium, those are unfortunately things I do not enjoy.”

But the staff, kids, parents and neighbors make up for that lack of space, Asselta said, noting that the cafeteria is filled with “rich activities” that imbue it with a constant energy of creativity. The school’s ties between the local Polish and Latino communities run strong, she said, and many of her students are English Language Learners from immigrant families. The U.S. Department of Education recently honored P.S. 34 as a National Blue Ribbon School for the academic success of its diversity of students.

Now, Asselta is focused on enhancing the bonds between her institution and groups who offer extra facilities and services.

“I know the past principal had a very strong relationship with the community,” said Asselta of Alicja Winnicki, a Greenpoint resident who is now District 14′s superintendent. “We’re working to maintain those partnerships and to build more.” 

How are you following in the past principal’s academic footsteps and what are you doing differently?

We’re continuing the rigorous curriculum that also encourages students to be lifelong learners, and I’m working toward a more rigorous science program. I’d like to start the STEM (science technology engineering and math) program here. 

What are some of your proudest new partnerships with local groups?

We just started a chess program, in which we’re partnered with the nonprofit St. Nick’s Alliance and with [the Bushwick chess champions] M.S. 318. We have middle and high school students come in to work with our kids after school, and we’re hoping to have them take part in competitions. We have 30 students in the chess program, but over 65 applied. Many parents wanted the opportunity for their kids to play the game and M.S. 318′s notoriety for chess made them the ideal match.

We also reinstated this year the studio-in-classroom program. Artists come in to work with the art teacher and with teachers in the classroom to implement the arts in lessons.

And this year [Assemblyman Joseph] Lentol offered to let our “young environmentalists” group plant in Lentol Gardens.

How do you accommodate and appeal to the diverse mix of immigrant families, from Polish to Latino, at your school?

All communications to parents are translated, and we have Polish and Spanish translators in the school for parents. We have an international night celebrating all of our cultures and bringing them all together, rather than just highlighting one at a time. And of course we have a significant ESL staff.

Can you tell me about the challenges and perks of having school in a landmarked building?

The classrooms are set up right next to each other, so it’s been called “the school without walls” because the rooms run into each other. The staircase and the style of the railings are unique and beautiful, but space is an issue. Our fifth graders, for instance, have their graduation in the Polish and Slavic Center nearby.

What’s your background in NYC and in education?

I was born in Ridgewood, Queens. I had my first job in education in this district, at M.S. 50 teaching Spanish and then in staff development…then I left to go to District 15 (Sunset Park) and now I’m back. This is my first time to be principal. I don’t know of a better job — it’s the most rewarding career. 

 

Also on DNAinfo.com…

186de image120x90cropped Brooklyns Oldest Public Elementary School Welcomes New Leader

By Meredith Hoffman, DNAinfo.com

Article source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130304/greenpoint/brooklyns-oldest-public-elementary-school-welcomes-new-leader

Racial intimidation

A series of race-related incidents at Grand Haven High School are at the center of ongoing federal and criminal investigations.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is examining incidents that have occurred this school year. The incidents, characterized by a parent of a biracial student as “racial intimidation,” involve KKK-like apparel and a racial slur written on a school bus window.

A separate criminal investigation into the window incident is also ongoing.

Grand Haven Area Public Schools Superintendent Keith Konarska said he finds any type of racially insensitive behavior to be unacceptable, and that the school district is fully cooperating with investigators.

“Our expectations for our students are far greater,” Konarska said.

KKK-inspired incidents

The string of racially-motivated incidents began in September 2012.

As freshman Katie Bridgeforth waited for a bus after school on Homecoming Friday, she said a student wore a KKK-like white mask outside the high school’s doors.

Bridgeforth said fellow students asked the teen wearing the mask how he would feel if he were black and saw the mask, but he defended his actions by saying it was freedom of speech.

When the 15-year-old first told her mom about the incident, Lisa Hall said she couldn’t believe this would occur in this community, in this day and age.

After contacting the school with her concerns, Hall said she viewed the school’s surveillance video with her husband’s cousin and one of the school’s assistant principals, Pamela Vanderkamp.

From the footage, Hall said she could see the student wearing a mask. She then saw another student punch the mask-wearing student as a crowd gathered around the two.

“It was surreal to see,” she said.

Grand Haven High School Principal Tracy Wilson confirmed that the incident did occur, but said she was unaware if a fight broke out afterward. She added that no adults saw the event unfold.

Wilson said they became aware of the incident after Hall called the school.

Shortly after Homecoming, Bridgeforth said she and a friend overheard a conversation between two other female students on the bus ride home.

Bridgeforth said she overheard a girl say the world would be a better place if all African-Americans went back to Africa and all Hispanics went back to Mexico.

Wilson said that snippet of conversation could have stemmed from a classroom history lesson.

Another incident occurred in October, Bridgeforth said, when a student at lunch wore a dunce-like paper hat with cursive letters “KKK” written on it.

Wilson said that story has changed many times. Wilson said her interview with the Tribune was the first she heard of the hat having “KKK” written in cursive on it.

The school’s policy is strictly no hats, whether it is a winter hat or baseball cap.

Wilson said one of the school’s assistant principals, Michael Roberson, was in the cafeteria and saw a sailor-like hat from across the room, but when he looked back the student no longer wore the hat.

After reviewing the surveillance videos, school officials weren’t able to identify the student involved. Wilson said the cafeteria has containers that food comes in, which might be what a student wore upside down atop his head.

“That’s what it appears to be,” Wilson said.

Following the incident, Hall said she filed a sheriff’s report, and also complained to the U.S. Department of Education, sparking the investigation.

More recently, in early February, Bridgeforth said she and her friend were the direct subjects of harassment as they rode Bus No. 1 home from school.

“Look at those n—–s over there,” Bridgeforth said, recalling some of the dialogue used by the male students. “I’ll give you $5 if you (have sex with) one of them.”

Bridgeforth said the conversation continued with the group of five boys asking if they would ever date a black person, to which another student singled out Bridgeforth and her friend by saying, “No, they have nappy hair.”

“I can’t believe people have the guts to say that to somebody,” Bridgeforth said.

Hall said she watched the bus surveillance video, and could see the interaction between the girls and the boys. Immediately after that confrontation, her daughter laid her head in her lap until the bus reached her stop.

“It’s heart-wrenching to see it,” she said.

Although the bus’ surveillance video lacks sound and provides a grainy image, Wilson said she could tell it was an uncomfortable conversation based on the body language and reaction of the girls putting their heads down.

Wilson said their whole demeanor wasn’t confident, and that it was awful to watch, knowing some of the things that were said.

“I don’t know how they didn’t punch someone in the face,” Wilson said.

During the school’s investigation of the Bus No. 1 incident, the principal said they received further information about a student who wrote a racial slur on the bus window the day before.

Wilson said the slur was written backward on a steamed-up window on the side of the bus so passing cars could read it. 

Freshman Patrick Gardner said he was called into the office by assistant principal Vanderkamp a few days after the most recent incident and was accused of writing, “Kill all n—–s” on the bus window.

When Gardner insisted on his innocence, he said he was told that he could be suspended for up to three days if he wrote the racial slur and another seven if he lied about it.

Wilson confirmed Vanderkamp met with Gardner because a student named and identified him as the writer, and she pressed the issue because students often immediately claim their innocence.

Although Wilson wouldn’t disclose what was written on the window because it’s under investigation, she did say that the writing was inappropriate and did not contain the word “kill.”

Upon reviewing the bus surveillance footage, Wilson said they were able to determine Gardner did not write the slur and another student did.

Gardner’s mother, Megan Rohn, said the event was disheartening because her younger son, who is biracial, will most likely go through the same kind of intimidation some day.

“Something or someone has influenced them to feel that way about other races,” Rohn said.

Bridgeforth said the incidents have left her feeling unwanted, unsafe, angry and misunderstood.

“I should be Caucasian if I want to live here,” she said.

School investigations

While Wilson said five students received disciplinary measures related to the incidents, she declined to share specific details because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Generally speaking, she said that students who participate in these sorts of incidents are disciplined via the school’s harassment and bullying policy.

If an action is intentionally focused on an individual or group, the consequences are steeper because there is a victim.

The school uses both in-school and out-of-school suspensions starting at three days, although it depends on the severity of the incident. Wilson said they try to be consistent when disciplining students, but they do take into account whether a student has been in trouble previously.

“These are kids,” Wilson said. “They’re going to make mistakes.”

In addition to the school’s internal investigation into the incidents, the two other agencies’ investigations remain open.

Judy Mulder, chief of the West Ottawa Prosecuting Attorney Division, confirmed there is an ongoing criminal investigation regarding the racial slur written on the bus window.

Based on the law, Mulder said there wasn’t sufficient evidence that the threat would be carried out, but her office is looking into whether other acts were committed by the same individual, which could result in stalking charges.

Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sgt. Valerie Weiss, who oversees the School Resource Deputy Program, said the department is involved in the prosecutor’s investigation and couldn’t elaborate on the investigation until it is closed. 

The Tribune submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department seeking the incident reports. A clerk said the department is processing the request, and declined to provide those public records.

Mulder said she couldn’t immediately recall exactly what was written on the bus window, but that it was racial.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education has been conducting an investigation since Dec. 6, which was initiated by Hall’s Oct. 21 complaint.

Hall said she felt the school has been negligent in how officials handled the incidents and that the incidents haven’t been appropriately dealt with as yet.

“My daughter deserves justice,” Hall said. “So do the other kids who have been bullied.”

Konarska responded to the family’s concern by saying that school officials take these issues seriously.

“We’ve worked very hard to put in place a broader understanding of issues of diversity and an appropriate response,” he said.

Jim Bradshaw, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education, wouldn’t say much about the nature or status of the investigation, other than to confirm that there is a case against the school district involving a racial harassment complaint.

Bradshaw said they don’t discuss details of investigations, but there is an allegation that the district violated civil rights laws, specifically Title 6 prohibiting discrimination of race, color and national origin. 

“It is currently under investigation,” he said.

When Konarska received the investigation notification, he said he was “obviously concerned.”

“But I understood the reason for the complaint and hope that we can benefit from the third-party review,” he said.

Konarska declined to comment on what types of information the district provided the agency during its investigation.

“It’s ongoing and we’re just cooperating in every way possible,” he said.

When asked if the Tribune could see the video surveillance of the incidents or get copies of any correspondence related to the incidents, Konarska declined to produce the public records without a FOIA request. A FOIA request was immediately presented, at which time Konarska said they’d process it. 

Facing tough issues

Following the February bus incidents, Wilson said she contacted the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance for its assistance in providing a proactive, instead of reactive, stance on these sorts of issues.

Andre Daley, the diversity group’s associate executive director, said he’s working to create additional diversity training for staff and students.

Daley said the group has collaborated with Grand Haven schools for several years. The agency and school are now working on training specific to how teachers can break down barriers and help create welcoming environments.

Through the new programming, students should learn strategies to speak up and speak out. They should also learn what to do when racist behavior happens, why it happens and how it can be prevented.

Daley said it’s about deepening the understanding of racial biases.

“That’s what’s going to break down that cycle,” he said.

Students who are being disciplined for bullying or negative behavior directed at people of other ethnicities will also be required to participate in diversity education.

Wilson said they want to make sure the school is proactive and that all of the diversity education efforts are meaningful.

“It needs to be intentional and sustainable,” Wilson said.

In the meantime, a quiet biracial girl at Grand Haven High School waits for a time when she feels welcome at the school.

Bridgeforth said she feels like it’s her against the school, and she makes sure she has friends walk with her to class to try to avoid further confrontations.

“I just hope everybody just accepts us more,” she said. “They’re not really accepting.”

 

Article source: http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/336266

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces Unprecedented Collaboration to Bring …

The White House

Office of the First Lady

Mrs. Obama calls for school champions to sign up at LetsMoveSchools.org to help all students get active, sets ambitious goal of engaging 50,000 schools in the next five years and praises range of partners, including a $50 million investment from NIKE, Inc.

Chicago, IL – First Lady Michelle Obama today launched Let’s Move! Active Schools – an unprecedented collaboration to bring physical activity back to America’s schools. The program provides simple steps and tools to help schools create active environments where students get 60 minutes of physical activity before, during and after the school day. Mrs. Obama called on school staff, families and communities to work together to reach an ambitious goal of engaging 50,000 schools in this program over the next five years. 

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports Nutrition (PCFSN) the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation Dance (AAHPERD) and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation are the managing organizations guiding the development and implementation of the program.

Funding and other resources for Let’s Move! Active Schools are being kick-started by NIKE, Inc., the GENYOUth Foundation, ChildObesity180, Kaiser Permanente, and the General Mills Foundation, the inaugural sponsor of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. Over the next five years, NIKE, Inc. will invest $50 million in the U.S. to increase the physical activity of kids in schools and communities as well as target advocacy efforts to inspire kids and draw additional resources to this important effort.  Collectively, the other groups are committing over $20 million to help America’s schools engage all students in quality physical activity.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Education will continue to support both physical and nutrition education in schools by realigning its $80 million Carol M. White Physical Education Program (“PEP”) to prioritize schools most in need and support applicants with plans to maximize their reach by building cost effective, sustainable programs.

Let’s Move! Active Schools combines effective elements of existing programs and draws on new resources to provide customized support for schools to encourage physical activity. The program mobilizes physical education teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, staff, and even parents to be “school champions” for their community.  School champions are encouraged to sign up at LetsMoveSchools.org, where they will be guided along a simple, six-step process. Participating schools will have access to free tools and resources, including in-person trainings, program activation grants, and direct, personal assistance from certified professionals. 
                                                                                                                         
“With each passing year, schools feel like it’s just getting harder to find the time, the money, and the will to help our kids be active. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we should stop trying – it means we should try harder. It means that all of us – not just educators, but businesses and non-profits and ordinary citizens – we all need to dig deeper and start getting even more creative,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “That’s what Let’s Move! Active Schools is all about – it’s about all of us coming together to once again make being active a way of life for our kids. And with today’s announcement, anyone, in any community, can become a champion to bring physical education back to their school.” 

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, children and adolescents need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day to stay healthy.  Regular physical activity enhances important skills, like concentration and problem solving, which have been shown to improve academic performance.  However, kids today are the most sedentary generation in America’s history. Only 1 in 3 children is active on a daily basis and only 4% of elementary schools, 8% of middle schools and 2% of high schools offer daily P.E..  Meanwhile, only 9 states require recess in elementary schools.

Kids spend a significant portion of their time in school, which is why the First Lady is focusing this initiative on the school environment as a key place to increase access to quality physical activity, so that all students can stay healthy and reach their potential. Let’s Move! Active Schools is designed to make this work easier for schools by recommending evidence-based, free or low-cost solutions and providing ongoing support to every school that signs up.  Let’s Move! Active Schools also calls on parents and community members to build support for active lifestyles and help schools make movement a part of every student’s day.

The First Lady was joined by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, NIKE, Inc. President CEO Mark Parker, Serena Williams, Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix, Bo Jackson, Colin Kaepernick, Sarah Reinertsen, Ashton Eaton, Paul Rodriguez, Dominique Dawes, and Bob Harper.  Thousands of Chicago area students and teachers participated in the launch event at McCormick Place.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports Nutrition (PCFSN) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the program’s leading federal partner.  As part of Let’s Move! Active Schools, PCFSN will promote and scale up the new Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP).  To maximize reach and implementation of the PYFP in schools, the General Mills Foundation has committed $10 Million to support opportunities for schools to utilize the program

“Children need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day where they live, learn and play. With youth spending six to seven hours in school daily, schools are a great place to get kids moving. With the launch of this initiative, we are confident that schools will have the tools, resources, and support they need to inspire their students to be physically active for a lifetime.”
- U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius

Since 2001, the Department of Education has awarded more than $785 million to schools through its Carol M. White Physical Education Program (“PEP”). During the Obama Administration, PEP has been significantly improved to promote innovations in the field.  Earlier this week, the Department of Education announced a new series of changes to PEP for fiscal year 2013. The improved PEP encourages proposals designed around evidence-based best practices, and prioritizes addressing the persistently lowest-achieving schools.  In addition, the program now integrates the Presidential Youth Fitness Program by including new performance measures based on moving students into the healthy fitness zone in 6 critical fitness areas.

“Good health is not an add-on to a good education. Our children need to be healthy to be prepared to learn, and we know active students are better able to engage in the classroom and excel academically. We need more of our schools creating environments that promote physical activity and play and encourage our students to get moving.”
- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

As a managing organization for Let’s Move! Active Schools, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation Dance (AAHPERD) will work to recruit individual champions, provide customized support to schools, and facilitate the training of at least 20,000 school Physical Activity Leaders over the next 5 years.

“Physical educators have always known that children are designed to move. Now through Let’s Move! Active Schools, we are thrilled to elevate our efforts in increasing physical activity before, during and after school to a larger national stage. Our role will be to provide professional development training so that physical educators will create even more early, positive experiences for all children.  We want physical activity to become an integral part of their daily lives.”
- AAHPERD CEO E. Paul Roetert

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, whose Healthy Schools Program works with 15,000 schools across the country, played a critical role in the development of Let’s Move! Active Schools.  Alongside AAHPERD and PCFSN, the Alliance will host the 6-step process, facilitate direct technical assistance to participating schools, and lead recognition efforts for schools that have created active environments. 

“The Alliance is honored to serve as a managing partner of Let’s Move! Active Schools. We embrace and understand the importance of reintegrating physical activity into young people’s lives. Since 2006, the Alliance has supported schools to implement the evidence-based, Six Steps to a Healthier School, the roadmap to making school health changes, where schools continuously take a status check, work on making improvements, learn from successes and challenges and keep pushing the needle forward.”
- Ginny Ehrlich D. Ed

Over the next five years, NIKE, Inc. will invest $50 million to get American kids physically active. As part of this commitment, Nike is supporting Let’s Move! Active Schools by focusing resources on getting kids active before, during and after school.  In addition, Nike’s efforts will include developing access to sport in our communities and broadening the community of partners focused on this important issue.

“Today’s announcement is part of Nike’s long-term commitment to help our nation’s youth lead more active and healthy lives. All kids deserve a chance to realize their full potential and we believe creating active schools will help kids do better in school and most importantly in life.”
- NIKE, Inc. President and CEO Mark Parker

ChildObesity180 will provide “Acceleration Grants” totaling $1 million and innovative curricula to at least 1,000 school champions in 2013 to get them started on the path to becoming a Let’s Move! Active School.  These resources will scale up model programs identified last year through the Active Schools Acceleration Project. Over the next three years, ChildObesity180 will invest up to $3 million to grow and expand quality school-based physical activity programs.

“ChildObesity180 is thrilled to collaborate with Let’s Move! Active Schools and the Partnership for a Healthier America, and bring innovative and flexible physical activity programs to America’s schools. We believe this work will further our shared goal of reversing the childhood obesity epidemic.”
- Christina D. Economos, PhD, Vice-Chair and Director of ChildObesity180, Associate Professor at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R.  Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and a leading researcher in the field of childhood obesity prevention

The GENYOUth Foundation will dedicate $9 million over the next 5 years to help at least 5,000 schools implement quality physical activity programs through Fuel Up to Play 60 grants. Through these direct grants, GENYOUth will encourage schools to complete the Let’s Move! Active Schools program and empower students of all ages to be leaders for physical activity.

“GENYOUth believes that active and healthy students are better students and schools need our help. Through our flagship program, Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) – developed by the National Dairy Council and the NFL – more than 73,000 schools are taking action to improve nutrition and physical activity. More than 3,000 schools have benefited from over $10 million in FUTP 60 mini-grants to jump start healthy changes. We are proud to be a part of Let’s Move! Active Schools and join forces with other leading organizations to ignite further support for healthy school environments.”
- GENYOUth CEO, Alexis Glick

In partnership with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and the National PTA, Kaiser Permanente is launching “Fire Up Your Feet,” an innovative program that helps teachers, parents, and administrators get students moving before, during, and after the school day.  The program also helps schools conduct healthy fundraisers that promote walking, biking and other types of physical activity. Over the next three years, Kaiser Permanente will invest $1.76 million to make this program available to every elementary and middle school in the country, and to provide an opportunity to compete for challenge awards to 11,000 elementary and middle schools in communities served by Kaiser Permanente.

“Every child deserves a chance to be active during the day. It’s good for kids’ health, and it’s good for their learning. At Kaiser Permanente, we do all we can to help children live healthy and active lives through extensive work in the community and collaborative partnerships. That’s why we are excited to be part of this important initiative.”
-Raymond J. Baxter, senior vice president, Community Benefit, Research and Health Policy

As the nonprofit partner of Let’s Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) played a key role in convening the organizations represented here to develop the concept for Let’s Move! Active Schools and make commitments to support its long-term success.

“The Partnership for a Healthier America is proud to be a part of this effort to end physical inactivity across the country. Today’s announcement is an opportunity to change our kids’ futures, it is a chance to make sure they do not live shorter lives than their parents. But with a challenge this big, no single company or organization can solve it alone. PHA is honored to be among such leaders in this effort and we look forward to the strides this group will undoubtedly make.”
-PHA President and CEO Larry Soler

Article source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/28/first-lady-michelle-obama-announces-unprecedented-collaboration-bring-ph

Feds: Provide students with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in …

New Guidelines Will Enhance Opportunities for Students with Disabilities to Particpate in School Sports

Impact Compared to Title IX

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2013

ATLANTA, GA – A historic and significant milestone for our nations’ school children with disabilities has been reached with the guidance issued today by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The guidelines clarify schools’ responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to provide athletic opportunities for students with disabilities. The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP) commends the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights for this guidance, as it will have far reaching positive effects on the lives of children with disabilities and our communities.

Guidelines
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201301-504.html

“Each person and group who has worked within this sports movement can take heart that their work has not gone unnoticed and that with this new guidance we can further advance our vital work of making sure all kids who want to take part in school sports will have an opportunity to do so,” said Beverly Vaughn , AAASP Cofounder and Executive Director.

Ralph Swearngin , Executive Director of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) and board member of the National Federation of State High Schools said that he applauds the focus OCR is giving to providing athletic opportunities for disabled students. Swearingin commended AAASP for its leadership, expert guidance and pioneering efforts in this area of sport development for students with disabilities and stated, “the partnership GHSA has had with AAASP for over ten years now has been exceptional and we hope to see other state associations join AAASP as we move forward together for the positive educational benefit of sports participation for all students with disabilities.”

Through an alliance struck between the two groups in 2001, GHSA has relied on AAASP to assist with the integration of track and field events for those with disabilities. The AAASP/GHSA Varsity Wheelchair Basketball State Championship game has been telecast across the state for 8 years by Georgia Public Broadcasting alongside the boys and girls title games in basketball.

GAO study called for guidance
The guidance followed a 2010 study from the Government Accountability Office . GAO found that students with disabilities receive fewer opportunities for physical activity and sports participation than students without disabilities. The GAO called on the Department of Education to provide resources to assist states and schools in addressing this disparity of services and also asked that clarification of schools’ responsibilities be provided regarding athletic opportunities for students under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Catolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and George Miller (D-CA) had called for the GOA study.

Advocates invoke Title IX
The Inclusive Fitness Coalition , comprised of over 200 groups around the nation, including AAASP, has called OCR’s guidance a landmark moment in opening the doors to students with disabilities in much the same way as Title IX has done for women. “It sends a loud message to educational institutions that students with disabilities must be provided opportunities for physical activity and sports equal to those afforded to students without disabilities,” according to AAASP Board member, Terri Lakowski , CEO of Active Policy Solutions in Washington, DC and former policy director for the Women’s Sports Foundation. Lakowski has championed efforts for equal physical activity and sports opportunities for women, girls and students with disabilities for over ten years.

Impact
Researchers with Healthy People 2011 indicated that since activity levels in adulthood are usually lower than during childhood, sport and physical activity patterns established during childhood form the foundation for lifelong physical activity and subsequent health and contribute to an overall quality of life.

Studies considered by OCR in issuing their guidance also establish that children with physical disabilities have greater activity barriers. They are often not encouraged to lead active lives and in fact this failure tends to lead to sedentary lives with greater health problems that may be avoidable.

Commenting on OCR’s announcement, Tommie Storms, AAASP’s Cofounder and Director of Operations noted that, “From its founding nearly 16 years ago, when our model was integrated into 10 school districts in less than three months time. AAASP has utilized every tool at its disposal to develop and implement policy, systems, adapted rules and training opportunities that have led to lasting sustainability and reasonable costs.”

Vaughn added, “We would also be   remise not to acknowledge those who comprise our member schools and high school associations and nearly two decades of input, review and recognition for our collective efforts by many of the nations’ best minds in this  area of sport and physical development. This news could not come at a  better time for these administrators, teachers, coaches and coordinators   who’ve dedicated themselves to the success of these students.”

Parents whose children take part in these programs have reported that it has been noting short of a life changing experience for their child.

The other top benefits identified by parents whose children participate include:
•    The opportunity to play sports that the kids would otherwise never have
•    Noted reductions over previous years in secondary health complications resulting from sedentary habits.
•    The ability to work hard, participate in a group, set goals, excel in sports
•    Increased motivation to get good grades, improvement in academics
•    Active engagement and friendship with other students, mentors, coaches 

Ben Master Named Athlete of the Week in Warner Robbin, GA.

Additional Info                                                                        

Story 1: PBS, “This is Atlanta” Introduction to AAASP

About AAASP
The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, Inc. works in partnership with education agencies in the U.S. to establish programs, policies, procedures, and regulations in interscholastic adapted sports for students with physical disabilities; provides services to Local Education Agencies, State High School Associations and State Departments of Education in extracurricular adapted athletics for physically disabled children attending grades 1-12; and improves student well-being while positively influencing total student development. For more information, please visit http://www.adaptedsports.org and/or view this short PBS special on the group.

Article source: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2013/01/25/feds-provide-students-with-disabilities-equal-opportunity-to-participate-n-after-school-athletics-and-clubs/?cxntfid=blogs_get_schooled_blog

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