2004 Archives

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2003-2004
Supplemental Service Providers
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Schools on School Improvement 2003-2004
PDF 158KB

1/7/2004
FairTest.org
NCLB FLUNKS ON 3RD-ANNIVERSARY REPORT CARD
The federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) education plan fails by its own
standards, according to a "Report Card" issued to mark Saturday's third
anniversary of President George Bush signing the controversial plan into
law. The grades are based on a detailed analysis of NCLB in FairTest's
recent report "Failing Our Children." FairTest and 32 other education,
civil rights and children's advocacy organizations recently sent Congress
a joint statement recommending more than a dozen changes to overhaul
NCLB.
http://www.fairtest.org/nattest/Year%20three%20Report%20Card.html

1/7/2004

STOP THE INSANITY: IT TAKES A TEAM TO LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND
What has happened to common sense in this era of No Child Left Behind?
In response to high-stakes testing and higher standards for even the most
challenging students, schools have responded by talking louder.
http://www.ifsi.org/Butzin%20Article%20PDK.pdf

12/16/2004

Under NCLB the law encourages that schools interface with faith-based communities. In this article, Bob Edgar addresses how religious organizations can honor teachers as role models, provide parenting classes to emphasize the special responsibilities of families to schools and to school-aged children, and strengthen student learning by supporting afterschool and vacation programs. There are many in the faith community who can speak with authority on the moral imperative of public education and bring a sense of integrity and urgency to the debate and to the action at local, state, and national levels. Congregations can promote efforts to equalize state and local funding and end the present unjust educational disparities between rich and poor.
http://www.publiceducation.org/connections/fall04/edgar.asp

10/11/2004

IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/index.html

10/4/2004

CHOOSING CHAMPIONS:
A VOTER'S GUIDE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION CANDIDATES
Public Education Network has created a voter's guide that presents a list
of questions highlighting the most pressing concerns and issues in public
education today.
http://www.publiceducation.org/voter_guide/home.asp

9/24/2004

A new report from the Education Commission of the States, "State
Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act," says that 20 months
after passage of NCLB, most states are beginning to make it work in
their public schools.
http://snipurl.com/ecs_NCLB

9/24/2004

REPORT SHOWS BIG DROP IN READING
The reading of books is on the decline in America, despite Harry Potter
and the best efforts of Oprah Winfrey. A report from the National
Endowment for the Arts says the number of non-reading adults increased by more than 17 million between 1992 and 2002.
Click here for entire article.

9/23/2004

Since 1995, Children's Alliance, a KPIRC partner, has administered this statewide training program offering Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting and on-going training for foster and adoptive parents, agency staff, community and Social Rehabilitation Services professionals, training over 5,000 individuals annually.
http://www.childally.org/
Click here to view the September/October training schedule.

9/23/2004

The U.S. citizenry appears to be as confused as many educators about the current direction of public education, according to the lastest Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes on Public Education. More than two-thirds of those surveyed knew "little or nothing" about No Child Left Behind. Get the details at the PDK.
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0409pol.pdf

9/23/2004

This article is about a recent statewide poll that finds Kansans satisfied with public education, just released.
http://www.ljworld.com/section/schoolfinance/storypr/180759

9/23/2004

This is a busy time - students all over the country are heading back to school, parents are finalizing after-school arrangements, and afterschool programs are getting into gear. This is also a critical time to showcase the value of afterschool programs. Be part of Lights On Afterschool! October 14th. Celebrate your program and help call attention to the need for more afterschool opportunities for our youth. Lights On is the only day dedicated to afterschool - we hope you will join us.
http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa_2004/index.cfm

9/23/2004
October 7-9, 2004 Conference:
Eliminating The African American Achievement Gap So That No Child Is Left Behind
An educational conference for principals, teachers, school support staff. central office administrators, school board members, parents, community leaders and concerned citizens.
http://conference.blackleadershiproundtable.org/

8/31/2004

THE PUBLIC'S ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The public is a bit fickle about its schools, with mixed or even
contradictory views about testing, vouchers and other education topics, a
poll finds. At least two in three adults, for example, oppose the way test
scores in reading and math are used to judge school performance under
federal law. Yet almost as many people said schools give the right
emphasis to tests or don't emphasize them enough, the poll found.
Conducted by the Gallup Organization and Phi Delta Kappa International, a
professional society for educators, the annual poll on school attitudes
focused on No Child Left Behind. To read the entire article, click below:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/08/24/schools.attitudes.ap/index.html

8/26/2004
Kansas Districts and Schools on Improvement 2004-2005
Student achievement improved in Kansas schools last year, according to Andy Tompkins, state superintendent of schools. Based on preliminary information, six school districts and 15 Title I schools will be on improvement in 2004, compared to seven districts and 30 Title I schools last year.
Word Document
PDF 49.8 KB
KSDE Press Release

8/26/2004

BACK TO SCHOOL CHECKLIST
Questions and Tips for Parents, Schools and the Community
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2004/08/08052004-checklist.pdf

8/26/2004

TITLE 1 FUNDS: WHO GAINS, WHO LOSES & WHY
Over half of the nation's school districts will receive fewer Title I
dollars this coming school year than they did last year, even though the
No Child Left Behind Act is demanding more of all school districts. This
report from the Center on Education Policy discusses the reasons why
districts are losing funds, including the formulas used to allocate Title
I money as well as federal appropriations for the program.
http://www.cep-dc.org/pubs/Title1_Funds_15June2004/TitleI_15June2004_Paper.htm

8/26/2004

It's as simple as ABC:
Preschool teachers should have a B.A.
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
Preschool teachers should have at least a bachelor's degree — and get salaries that match those of public elementary, middle and high school teachers, an influential education group says.
Click here to read entire article.

8/26/2004
HOST A HOUSE PARTY FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
SEPTEMBER 22nd
The National Mobilization for
Great Public Schools
The federal budget calls for cuts in education across the board for the next five years -- as well as cuts in children’s health care, nutrition programs, college grants and loans, and preschool funding -- impacting children’s health and their education in the classroom, and the daily lives of dedicated school employees. It is time for parents, teachers, students, and concerned citizens to mobilize to meet the challenge of educating the next generation. That's why we invite you to be part of the largest mobilization for public schools ever.
Click here to learn more.

8/26/2004

A majority of Americans recognize that there are significant differences in the quality of schools in high- and low-income areas, and they worry about an over-reliance on property taxes as a way to fund schools, according to a national survey released by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Click below to read entire article.
http://www.ets.org/news/04070101.html

8/26/2004

This groundbreaking report contains information you won't find anywhere else about how implementation of NCLB is playing out in states. It includes results from ECS' comprehensive database, which tracks and reports state implementation activity on 40 NCLB indicators; trends within and across states; issues and challenges facing states; and recommendations. The online version of this report includes resources and clickable links to more information.

8/26/2004

Though people might be excited about books and celebrities -- witness the long lines greeting Bill Clinton and, a few years ago, Colin Powell and the clamor over Harry Potter -- a national survey reported yesterday that most adults are not reading literature. Click below to read this article.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A38033-2004Jul8?language=printer

8/26/2004

Education News Parents Can Use
A television series about ways to ensure children's educational success
***********************************************************************
2004-2005 BROADCAST SCHEDULE
EDTV Family:
Thank you for your loyalty and continual support of our programming. We
are pleased to present the 2004-2005 Education News Parents Can Use broadcast schedule. Please note, while the dates and times are confirmed, the topics are subject to change. PLEASE NOTE: Each season requires a new registration. Please register for individual broadcasts or the entire season at registerevent.ed.gov.

2004-2005 SCHEDULE
******************
Back To School: Ready to Read, Ready to Succeed
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Supplemental Services: Helping All Students Achieve
Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Dropout Prevention: Catching Students Before It's Too Late
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 8PM- 9PM ET
No Child Left Behind 3rd Anniversary Show: Stories of Success
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Drug and Alcohol Prevention: Keeping Kids on the Right Track
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Arts Education: Improving Students' Academic Performance
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Early Childhood Development: What Parents Need to Know
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Science Education: Preparing Students for the Global Economy
Tuesday, May 17, 2005 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Service Learning: Creating Community and Developing Citizens
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 - 8PM- 9PM ET
Registration Details & More
***************************
NOTE: Even if you registered last season, you will need to re-register to
access coordinates for show this season. Visit
http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html for more information.
Just select the "FAQ's" if you need assistance on:
* How to Register
* Technical Assistance for Satellite Downlink Sites
* Viewing Options, including webcast
* And, much more...
Contact Information: Please contact Education.TV@ed.gov or 800-USA-LEARN for any questions.

6/24/2004

The Department and the School Information Partnership has put another great resource online for parents. This promises to be very helpful. You can get to this site through www.ed.gov – click on parents or directly through www.schoolresults.org.

6/24/2004

More families are benefiting from the school choice mandates of No Child Left Behind than is generally recognized, according to a report by the Citizens' Comission on Civil Rights. But incomplete data might have greatly underestimated the actual number of students who applied to transfer or actually did so. The commission called on the U.S. Department of Education to "enforce the data collection and reporting provisions of the law." Further, most states ranked the choice provisions as a low priority and did little to help districts carry them out effectively.
http://www.cccr.org/

6-6-2004

AFT Brief Challenges Notions of "Proficiency" Under NCLB
A new American Federation of Teachers (AFT) analysis of how states measure student proficiency in reading and math to meet performance goals under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) shows that there is no common understanding among policymakers about what "proficient" means.
www.aft.org/privatization/reports/index.html

6-6-2004

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement is pleased to offer a new guide on public school choice, titled Creating Strong District School Choice Programs.This new publication shares practical advice and concrete examples from five school districts that have been successful in creating and expanding public school choice initiatives and making them work for students and parents. It also has information on how to avoid some of the pitfalls that school districts may face in addressing the needs of all students, a requirement under NCLB.
Download PDF 4.51 MB
www.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/choiceprograms/index.html

6-6-2004

Creating Strong Supplemental Educational Services Programs
This book follows the first in the series: Creating Strong District School Choice Programs.
Download PDF 5.5 MB
/www.ed.gov/admins/comm/suppsvcs/sesprograms/index.html

6-6-2004
FairTest
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing
A new report out from FairTest details the fundamental errors in the
conception and execution of the federal No Child Left Behind law. The
report goes on to propose a better system of accountability to serve as
the basis of a comprehensive overhaul of NCLB.
The full report and a summary report are now available on the web at
www.fairtest.org/Failing_Our_Children_Report.html

5-27-2004

Additions
Vocabulary
Fluency
Phonics
Phonemic Awareness
Comprehension
All 5 Sections

Additions to the Reading Activities Packet
Download PDF 308 KB (All 5)
This packet of additional Reading Activities was developed from contributions from parents and educators throughout the state who attended Parent Involvement and DIBELS trainings hosted by KPIRC.
Click here for the original Reading Activities Packet.

5-25-2004

Summer Fun With Reading
NOW IN SPANISH!
Download Spanish Version PDF 65.4 KB
In English
Download PDF .97 MB (All Color Version)
Download Red Version
Click here to order printed copies in English

5-25-2004

The ABC Book of Educational Terms:
A Plain Language Guide For Parents
NOW IN SPANISH!
Download Spanish Version PDF 278 KB
In English
Download PDF 200 KB
Click here to order printed copies in English

5-20-2004

Reading Rockets News, May 2004

Reading Rockets offers a free monthly newsletter! Here you'll find information for parents and educators about teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. To subscribe, click below.
http://pbsmail.org/weta_learning/join.html?r=cdztuRY1vB7mE

In this issue:
Plan Ahead for Summer Reading
An Exclusive Video Interview With Katherine Paterson
Study Shows That Tutoring Can Change the Way the Brain Works
10 Weeks of Summer Reading Adventures for You and Your Kids
Five Key Skills for Academic Success
And more!

5-20-2004

The site has information for families, educators, policymakers, and providers. Parents can click on the map and find out what providers are serving their child's school.
www.tutorsforkids.org/

5-20-2004

NFI is about to release a guide --- the Deployed Fathers and Families Guide for Enlisted Personnel and an accompanying brochure titled 10 Ways to Stay Involved with Your Children During Deployment. The 48-page guide offers practical pre-deployment tips and exercises to help military dads and their families handle the financial, medical, legal, and personal aspects of military deployment as well as tools they need to stay connected at home while overseas. They will be available in May: www.fatherhood.org.

5-6-2004

This is a story that says that Kansas has passed a bill offering some illegal immigrants a tuition break at kansas' public colleges and universities. The proposal extends in-state tuition -- which is much lower than tuition for nonresidents -- to illegal immigrants who have attended a Kansas high school at least three years and graduated, or who earned a general educational development certificate in Kansas.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Central/05/05/immigrant.tuition.ap/index.html

5-4-2004

The Non-Regulatory Guidance for Parent Involvement, Title I
Download PDF 231 KB
This guidance is divided into five major sections:

General issues related to parental involvement;
Parental involvement responsibilities of SEAs;
Parental involvement responsibilities of LEAs;
Responsibilities of schools
Responsibilities of LEAs and schools to build parents' capacity for becoming involved in improving their child's academic achievement

4/29/2005

ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
Did you know that NCLB Title IX, Section 9528 requires school districts
that receive NCLB assistance to share student information such as names
and addresses of students to military recruiters? Another provision in
Section 9528 allows parents and students to protect this information by
requesting that it not be released.
http://www.publiceducation.org/portals/nclb/military/military_home.asp

4-15--2004

The Department of Education has had a series of policy changes designed to give states and school districts additional flexibility in meeting requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act. Here is a summary of the changes so far.
Download PDF 316 KB
Download Word Document

4/21/2005

The Public Education Network (PEN) held a series of public hearings on No Child Left Behind to assess what its impact has been on students, families, schools, and community members and to explore how the perspectives and experiences of these individuals might inform and improve the law and its implementation. This report documents the hearings and provides messages for policymakers based on the findings.
www.publiceducation.org/portals/nclb/hearings/national/
Open_to_the_Public.asp

Newsletter Articles
Article One (Word Document)
Article Two (Word Document)
Article Three (Word Document)

As a service to you, we have a series of five articles about the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center, No Child Left Behind, and parent involvement in a word document for publication in your monthly school newsletters. Feel free to download it, and please, check back next month for the next article!

4-30-2004

Poll finds split on educational equality
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2004-04-26-brownpoll-usat_x.htm

4-14--2004

Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics
Download PDF 758 KB
Also available on Downloads For Parents.
Helping Your Child Learn Science
Download PDF 1.66 MB
Also available on Downloads For Schools.
These documents are not yet available in Spanish.
Click here to veiw the entire Helping Your Child Series.

4-8-2004

Three new courses have been added to the Verizon Literacy Curriculum.
Parents and Children: Natural Learning Partners
This course describes the roles of the parents, volunteers and staff in the PACT Time classroom. The value that volunteers bring to family literacy programs is illustrated throughout the course and various strategies are introduced for PACT Time activities with young children (birth to age 8) and in the elementary school setting. This course was written by Noemi Aguilar.
Connecting Families and Computers, Part I
This course, the first of a two-part series, will focus on how to
incorporate basic computer applications for parents during the Parent Time and Adult Education components of family literacy. This course was based on the National Center for Family Literacy publication, Using Computers in Family Literacy Programs, by C. Nelson, H. Duvergé, B. Gary, and G. Price and was adapted by Sylvia Lieshoff.
Working With Adult Literacy Learners
This course is designed for people who are interested in learning more about what it will be like as a volunteer in an adult basic literacy program. Literacy programs are like buildings in a community: they come in many shapes and sizes and have many things in common, but depending on which door you go in, it looks very different inside. Volunteering is a valuable and rewarding experience! This course will help you learn more about adults who attend basic literacy programs, the services provided to help meet their educational needs, and how you can use your knowledge and experience to make an important difference in people's lives. This course was developed by Marguerite Lukes, Director of Program Services at the Literacy Assistance Center in New York City.
Please take a few minutes to visit www.vluonline.org/course/ and explore these new offerings.

4-8-2004
Abstract
Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children
Objective. Cross-sectional research has suggested that television viewing may be associated with decreased attention spans in children. However, longitudinal data of early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems have been lacking. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that early television exposure (at ages 1 and 3) is associated with attentional problems at age 7.
Methods. We used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a representative longitudinal data set. Our main outcome was the hyperactivity subscale of the Behavioral Problems Index determined on all participants at age 7. Children who were 1.2 standard deviations above the mean were classified as having attentional problems. Our main predictor was hours of television watched daily at ages 1 and 3 years.
Results. Data were available for 1278 children at age 1 and 1345 children at age 3. Ten percent of children had attentional problems at age 7. In a logistic regression model, hours of television viewed per day at both ages 1 and 3 was associated with attentional problems at age 7 (1.09 [1.03–1.15] and 1.09 [1.02–1.16]), respectively.
Conclusions. Early television exposure is associated with attentional problems at age 7. Efforts to limit television viewing in early childhood may be warranted, and additional research is needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH*,,,||, Frederick J. Zimmerman, PhD,, David L. DiGiuseppe, MSc and Carolyn A. McCarty, PhD*,

4-16-2004

Reading Rockets News, April 2004

In this issue:
- April highlights
- News about reading
- Especially for parents
- Especially for educators
- Upcoming events

3-4-2004
NEW PRE-K BRIEFS SHOW NEED FOR HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAMS

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids releases new state-by-state briefs on the need for high-quality pre-kindergarten. These briefs show that thousands of the most at-risk children are not receiving high-quality programs proven to reduce crime and save money.
www.fightcrime.org/reports/stateCC/kansasCC.pdf

3-4-2004
The National PTA Poll concerning parents' opinions about school

National PTA's Education Funding Poll was conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs in January 2004. Telephone interviews were conducted between January 19 and 21 with a representative sample of 800 public school parents nationwide. Interviews were representative of race and geographic distribution.
http://www.pta.org/aboutpta/pressroom/findings.pdf

3-18-2004

1-800-944-1601 www.naesp.org
Do you have a question about your children’s education?
Want tips on reading, information on testing, or ways to prevent bullying? Help for these questions and much more will be at your fingertips on April 18, 19, and 20 in English and Spanish.
Download flyer in PDF

3-18-2004

Reading Rockets News, March 2004

In this issue:
- March highlights
- News about reading
- Especially for parents
- Especially for educators
- Upcoming events

2-19-2004

Federal Government Announces Changes in NCLB Concerning Testing of ELL Students

On Thursday, February 19th, Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced major changes for testing ELL students. The test scores of recent immigrants who do not speak English would no longer be considered in determining whether a school was meeting annual targets for academic progress. Students who do not speak English will have a year -- during which they will presumable learn the language -- before they must take the standardized tests in reading and math. School may administer English proficiency, language arts and math exams to immigrant students in that first year, but the scores will not count toward a school's academic ranking.

A second change to the law is that schools may now continue counting foreign students in the subgroup of student learning English for two years after they have learned the language.
www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2004/02/02192004.html

1/7/2004

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PIRCS?
Although Parent Information Resource Centers (PIRCs) were established
and funded under Title V of the No Child Left Behind Act, many
schools remain unfamiliar with their work. One PIRC director (a
24-year education veteran) describes the Centers' mission this way:
"I see as our goal to help teachers in high poverty schools make
sense of the parent involvement component of NCLB and to provide them
with the kind of information they need to effect change and impact
parent involvement in their own schools. Given the fact that they are
up to their eyeballs in testing issues, we see the free resources and
information that we can provide them as a valuable service." You can
find out more about the PIRC mission and the Centers closest to you
at the link above.
http://www.pirc-info.net/

1/7/2004

Started in 1998 as a way to get kids excited about reading, NEA's Read Across America has become the nation's largest reading event. The year-round program culminates each year on or near Dr. Seuss's birthday (March 2).
www.nea.org/readacross/

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka U.S. Supreme court decision is considered one of the most important judicial opinions in the country's democratic history. It revolutionized race relations, extended the protection of equal rights to all U.S. citizens, and inspired oppressed peoples around the world to believe in the United States' creed of freedom and equality. However, the country continues to struggle with fulfilling the decision's many promises. A public conference, March 14-17, 2004, titled "The Legacies and Unfinished Business of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" will celebrate and explore this historical legacy. This commemorative event will be the last in a series of nationwide public programs featured by the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary National Commission. Visit this site to find more information and register online.
http://www.kuce.org/programs/bbec/

www.readingrockets.org/teleconference/ell.php

Visit Reading Rockets for more information about the “Making Parents Partners” teleconferences. A teleconference sponsored by Reading Rockets on parents helping their children read as well as another opportunity enabling ELL children to become readers This is an ideal opportunity for parent and professional development. Note that Reading Rockets will be making these teleconferences available on videotape.The teleconference that follows on “Teaching English Language Learners to Read” is also pertinent to our priority parent populations.

Just released testing requirements for SPED and NCLB!

January 15, 2004 * Vol. 3, No. 1

PDF version
Past issues

WHAT'S INSIDE...
New Rule Increases Flexibility for Students with Disabilities
The Three Rs for Success
Close-Up: No Child Left Behind-Flexibility for Students with Disabilities
Tips for Parents
Helping Your Child! Booklet Focuses on the Preschool Years