News from ASCA
ASCA Weekly Wrapup
A roundup of the week's education-related headlines
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
Race to the Top Education Grant Propels Reforms
USA Today
It's relatively small by Washington standards, but the Obama administration's $4.35 billion carrot for schools is already leading states to adopt a handful of key reforms. Tucked into the $110 billion federal stimulus slated for education, a comparatively tiny grant known as the Race to the Top requires that states that want the money must commit to closing historic achievement gaps and getting more kids into college, but they also must show they're attending to a few nitty-gritty details that President Obama and Arne Duncan, secretary of education, believe are important. Read more.
Initiative Requires Counselors to Meet With All Students
The Northwestern
The Oshkosh Area School District will begin a comprehensive approach to counseling students in the 2010-11 school year that requires school counselors to meet with every single fifth-, eighth- and 10th-grader to explore and plan career paths. An initiative to have every Oshkosh student meet with a school counselor three times before graduation reflects a nationwide trend of increasing school counselors' responsibilities. Read more.
Kids "Absolutely" Feel Parents' Stress, 30% Worry About Finances
USA Today
Americans young and old appear resigned to the stress in their lives: 75 percent of adults feel moderate to high stress, yet fewer report it's getting worse, a survey reports today. And, children and teens are plenty stressed, too, even though their parents may not realize it. Read more.
Education Jobs Boost Connected to Stimulus
The Washington Post
Federal economic recovery aid for education has created or saved more than 7,000 jobs in the District, Maryland and Virginia, according to a report by the government board assigned to keep track of stimulus spending, part of about 400,000 jobs preserved nationwide. Read more.
Ford Foundation Commits $100 Million to Transform Secondary Education in the Nation's Most Distadvantaged Schools
Reuters
The Ford Foundation announced a new $100 million initiative to transform secondary education in urban schools across the country, saying it wants to help build the conditions and resources required to provide a great education to public school students. The seven-year, seven-city initiative will fund projects addressing four basic elements of school infrastructure that have a decisive impact on the quality of education offered to the nation's most vulnerable student populations: sufficient and equitable school financing, quality teaching, additional and more useful learning time and meaningful accountability. Read more.
Students Using MacBook Laptops at School and Home in Pilot Program
Belleville-News Democrat
Students at Joseph Arthur Middle School in O'Fallon are using MacBook laptops this year to learn at school and at home as part of a $140,000 pilot program called the Apple 1:1 Initiative. While students will be able to access the laptops at school throughout the school year, they will also be taking them home for nine-week periods, allowing them to access school projects, homework and software programs from their homes. Read more.
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