CFK Weekly— Oct. 20, 2003

We encourage distribution of this information! If reprinting in whole or part, please attribute it to Connect for Kids (www.connectforkids.org).

This week’s CFK Weekly is brought to you by Robert Capriccioso, Connect for Kids Writer/Reporter.

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG
**Bearing with Type 1 Diabetes
** Help With Your Bottom Line
** Phys-Ed Revolution

KIDS AND POLITICS
**High Court to Review Pledge Decision
**America Rocks the Vote

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND TAKES SOME KNOCKS
**Education Law May Hurt Bush
**Not in My Backyard
**Before No Child Left Behind
**Education Group Calls for Revised Law

NEW HORIZONS ON THE EDUCATION FRONT
**Tools for Teaching: More Time on Task, Less Goofing Off
**Ubiquitous Learning
**Men Bare All to Raise Education Funds
**Honoring the Human Heart
**EdData Unveiled

TO THEIR HEALTH
**Keeping Kids Fit and Trim
**Child Nutrition Reauthorization Postponed
**Insuring Immigrant Children

ENABLING DISABLED CHILDREN
**Advocating for Kids with Learning Disabilities
**Grading Students with Disabilities

HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND
**America Losing Ground in College Access, Participation
**Graduation for All: Bill Aims to Raise Graduation Rates
**Bill Would Penalize Colleges on High Tuition Rises

PREGNANCY CONCERNS
**Facts About Pregnancy Discrimination
**Pregnant Smokers
**Pregnancy-Bias Claims Increasing

TECHNOLOGY TOOLS
**National Teaching Board Elevates Technology's Profile

A CALL TO ARTS
**YouthARTS Toolkit for At-Risk Youth

FOCUS ON THE STATES

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PRIVACY POLICY

NEW ON CONNECTFORKIDS.ORG

**Bearing with Type 1 Diabetes
Learning that a child has Type 1 diabetes is hard on families. A familiar source of childhood comfort-- the teddy bear--is helping a growing network of kids and parents cope. By Robert Capriccioso.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=195953

** Help With Your Bottom Line
Money isn't everything, but it sure helps when it comes to sustaining and improving services for kids and families. Connect for Kids has updated our Toolkit for Funding to help you search out financial support for your programs and projects.
http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=45947

** Phys-Ed Revolution
New research indicates that adolescence is crunch time in the nation's uphill battle against obesity and overweight. Children who enter adolescence overweight are very likely to remain that way into adulthood, and large numbers of kids become overweight in adolescence. Can PE help? George Graham, president of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, says yes-if it encompasses non-jock activities such as skateboarding, rock-climbing, and the popular arcade video game Dance Dance Revolution.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=195956


KIDS AND POLITICS

**High Court to Review Pledge Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review one of the most controversial legal rulings of recent years: the federal appeals court decision declaring that it is unconstitutional for public schools to lead students in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. CNN reports.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/14/scotus.pledge.of.allegiance/index.html

**America Rocks the Vote
On November 4, from 7-8:30PM EST, the Democratic presidential candidates will come together for a forum with America's twentysomething voters, called America Rocks the Vote. If you can't get to Boston for the forum, take action in your own area by organizing a portion of the Nationwide Rock the Vote watch party.
http://action.rockthevote.org/ctt.asp?u=157204&l=2897


NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND TAKES SOME KNOCKS

**Education Law May Hurt Bush
President Bush's No Child Left Behind education program--acclaimed as a policy and political breakthrough by Republicans in January 2002--may backfire in the 2004 elections. With Congressional elections nearing, Democrats say Bush and congressional Republicans shortchanged the law by billions of dollars. (Washington Post, October 13.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17509-2003Oct12.html

**Not in My Backyard
In her latest blog installment, Connect for Kids Advocacy Director Jan Richter takes issue with the No Child Left Behind Act.
http://www.kidsandpolitics.org/richterScale.htm

**Before No Child Left Behind
In an October 13, 2003 Connect for Kids article, Montgomery County, Maryland Superintendent Jerry Weast expressed concern that No Child Left Behind does little to address the needs of kids in pre-K or kindergarten. "I think the Act is a fine symbolism of a country that wants everyone to succeed, and I think it has some really good, catchy language, but I don't think it will be fully realized without an early childhood part," he says.
http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=195444

**Education Group Calls for Revised Law
The Citizens for Effective Schools group is calling on Congress to rewrite the No Child Left Behind Act without the stiff penalties for schools that fail to measure up. In an open letter addressed to President Bush and Education Secretary Rod Paige, the group said that the law should focus less on punishing schools that fall short and more on prescribing specific steps that could help them improve.
http://citizenseffectiveschools.org/news.htm


NEW HORIZONS ON THE EDUCATION FRONT

**Tools for Teaching: More Time on Task, Less Goofing Off
What does it take to keep students' focused? A teacher who works the room, says education guru Dr. Fred Jones: "You remember. When the teacher was standing next to you, you cooled it, but when the teacher was on the far side of the room, you talked to your neighbors." Jones shares his ideas on ways to arrange classrooms to cut down on "goofing off." He includes diagrams of arrangements that allow teachers to supervise with the least steps possible.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/jones/jones001.shtml

**Ubiquitous Learning
The Education Development Center has published its new edition of MOSAIC, a quarterly report series on projects of interest to education activists. This issue focuses on the role of technology in expanding learning opportunities in and out of school.
http://main.edc.org/Mosaic/Mosaic8/learning.asp

**Men Bare All to Raise Education Funds
When the going gets tough, the tough... disrobe? In an admittedly shameless fundraising project, twelve men from Junction City, Oregon are letting it all hang out--in a strictly "PG-Rated" style--for a 2004 calendar. The Men of the Long Tom Grange calendar is being sold online for $17. All proceeds benefit the Junction City school district, which has been forced by state funding cutbacks to give up at least three teachers and eliminate art, music, gym class and field trips.
http://www.grangecalendar.com/

**Honoring the Human Heart
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, teacher, and activist who works independently on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change. In this interview with the Journal of Staff Development, Palmer explains his book called "The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life" and the responsibility schools have to nurture those who work in them.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/palmer243.html

**EdData Unveiled
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education has released EdData--a behind-the-scenes database that provides up-to-the-minute news, research, and legislation on all 50 states and the District of Columbia covering such topics as teacher quality, No Child Left Behind, charter schools, testing and special education. The database is fully searchable.
http://www.edpolicy.org/research/teacherq/index.php


TO THEIR HEALTH

**Keeping Kids Fit and Trim
In its October 16 issue, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports on ways that many nonprofit groups are seeking to reverse the rise in overweight youngsters.
http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v16/i01/01000701.htm

**Child Nutrition Reauthorization Postponed
The Senate Agriculture Committee has decided to postpone mark up of their child nutrition reauthorization legislation until early next year. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) continues to urge Congress to enact positive improvements and do no harm to the child nutrition programs.
http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/cnreauthor/overcert.htm

**Insuring Immigrant Children
The Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) provision in the Senate Medicare prescription drug bill would provide federal funding for health insurance coverage for many of the 933,000 uninsured immigrant children in the US, according to a new analysis by the Children's Defense Fund.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/pdf/ICHIA_report.pdf


ENABLING DISABLED CHILDREN

**Advocating for Kids with Learning Disabilities
The National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation have launched the Guide to Advocacy for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities. It includes a complete "how-to" reference on all aspects of public policy advocacy and offers information for both first-time and experienced advocates.
http://www.ncld.org/advocacy/tutorial.cfm

**Grading Students with Disabilities
Many students with disabilities receive inaccurate grades that do not give meaningful information about their achievement, according to this October article in Educational Leadership magazine. Creating individualized grading schemes is important for students and can help schools implement provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/200310/munk.html


HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND

**America Losing Ground in College Access, Participation
If the nation were to match the college participation rate of the top-performing states, the US could boost enrollments by an additional 8 million students by 2015, finds a new Education Commission of the States study. The study focuses on who is--and is not--participating in postsecondary education.
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/47/91/4791.htm

**Graduation for All: Bill Aims to Raise Graduation Rates
A new bill by Reps. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) and Susan Davis (D-CA) would provide $1 billion in federal funding for schools to place literacy coaches in high schools and develop individual graduation plans for students most at risk of dropping out of high school. The Graduation for All Act, H.R. 3085, would target funding to schools with the lowest graduation rates and allow them to hire one literacy coach for every 600 students. Literacy coaches would not only work with students, but also with teachers across the curriculum to incorporate research-based literacy instruction into their teaching.
http://www.all4ed.org/publications/StraightAs/Volume3No17.html#Literacy

**Bill Would Penalize Colleges on High Tuition Rises
In this October 17 article, the New York Times reports that Rep. Howard McKeon (R-CA) introduced a bill to withhold federal money from colleges that raised tuition much faster than inflation -- a category that could include hundreds of universities. Although aimed to ensure low-income students have access to college, advocates worry that the bill will hurt those it's intended to help by cutting funds for scholarships, work study and low-interest financial aid. (Free registration required to read this article.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/education/17EDUC.html


PREGNANCY CONCERNS

**Facts About Pregnancy Discrimination
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides a full explanation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-preg.html

**Pregnant Smokers
At least 12 percent of women and girls smoke during pregnancy, according to the National Women's Law Center and Oregon Health and Science University. Their report, "Women and Smoking: A National and State-By-State Report Card" discusses this alarming trend and the nation's failure to make the grade when it comes to women and smoking.
http://www.nwlc.org/display.cfm?section=health

**Pregnancy-Bias Claims Increasing
Pregnancy discrimination complaints nationwide jumped 10 percent last year to just over 4,700 cases, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). That continues a long-term trend, with such complaints up nearly 40 percent since 1992.
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Oct/10052003/business/98425.asp


TECHNOLOGY TOOLS

**National Teaching Board Elevates Technology's Profile
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is upgrading the role of technology in its vision of what makes an excellent teacher. The board--long conservative about technology's role in the classroom-- has compiled an online library of models for high-tech teaching. It's a resource that some board-certified teachers say is much needed.
http://www.nbpts.org/nbct/deli.cfm


A CALL TO ARTS

**YouthARTS Toolkit for At-Risk Youth
The YouthARTS Web site is designed to give arts agencies, juvenile justice agencies, social service organizations, and other community-based organizations detailed information about how to plan, run, provide training, and evaluate arts programs for at-risk youth.
http://www.artsusa.org/youtharts/index.asp


FOCUS ON THE STATES

State-by-State News

Arizona
Arizona education officials released the names of 444 schools--more than one out of four in the state--that did not raise student test scores enough to meet No Child Left Behind learning goals or adequate yearly progress. The state also announced its own school rankings according to a new, more lenient formula. (See the October 16 article, "Fourth of Schools in State Fail to Meet US Learning Goals.")
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1016fedlabels16.html

Michigan
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm's administration now requires child care providers to build 30 minutes of literacy activities into each day. Granholm also plans to distribute early literacy information kits to the family of every child born in the state each year.
http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-23442-76624--,00.html

Massachusetts
While many charter schools showed big gains individually, statewide they do not appear to be outperforming traditional public schools, as reported in the October 17 Boston Globe article, "Charter Schools Show MCAS Gains."
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/290/metro/Charter_schools_show_MCAS_gains+.shtml

Utah
The Utah State Office of Education has developed a new Web site that allows the public to compare schools with regard to test scores, teacher experience, class sizes and other criteria.
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/U-PassWeb/

Florida
Florida's education commissioner unveiled new evidence of missing money and the overpayments in the state's voucher programs, even as he proposed new safeguards. His recommendations include requiring private schools participating in the corporate tax scholarship program to give students a standardized test and report the results to a "private third-party research entity." The commissioner also wants to prohibit scholarship-funding organizations that raise and distribute voucher money from owning a school in the program. (See the October 17 article, "Voucher Flaws and Fixes are Revealed."
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/17/State/Voucher_flaws_and_fix.shtml

Missouri
This profile of the Citizen's for Missouri's Children advocacy group highlights their success in publicizing inadequate dental health care for children in their state. http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/Template.cfm?
http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/Template.cfm?Section=Child_Advocates_Making_a_Difference&CONTENTID=2784&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm

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In an effort to better serve the subscribers of our electronic newsletters, the Connect for Kids Weekly and Connections, periodically we may employ tracking software that lets us know how subscribers move from the e-mail newsletter to our Web site. The information we gather is strictly intended for internal evaluation and will not be shared with any individual or organization.
http://www.connectforkids.org/information1537/information_show.htm?doc_id=9207

Jan took a well-deserved break from the Weekly this week, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this week’s resources, especially that shocking “Men Bare All” Web site!

Be sure to check out www.connectforkids.org every Monday for a dose of our original reporting.

Rob
Robert Capriccioso, Writer/Reporter, and the Connect for Kids team