FROM: U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Education Secretary Arne Duncan Launches Principal Ambassador Fellowship with Three Principals Selected for Inaugural Program
DECEMBER 9, 2013
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the names of three principals selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education's first Principal Ambassador Fellows (PAFs) program. They are:
Sharif El-Mekki, Mastery Charter School - Shoemaker Campus, Philadelphia, Pa.;
Jill Levine, Normal Park Museum Magnet, Chattanooga, Tenn.; and,
Rachel Skerritt, Eastern Senior High School, Washington, DC.
The principals will serve from now until August 2014 as part-time employees to lend the perspective of school principals to the work of the Department. As the first PAFs, they will also help design the fellowship program for future participants.
"Each year I have the opportunity to visit schools and meet with leaders across the country who are committed to improving educational outcomes for our nation's students," said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. "Principals are a linchpin in the effort to improve student success and raise achievement at any scale, and I look forward to working with the 2013 Principal Ambassador Fellows to continue a thoughtful conversation on the best ways to sustain and support school leaders for the long haul. Their firsthand knowledge of the challenges principals face will help shape policy and programs across the country to better prepare our nation's children for college and career."
Beginning today, the PAFs are participating in a two-day summit at the Department's headquarters in Washington, DC to become more familiar with federal education policy and Department staff, as well as to begin exchanging ideas for enhancing communication between school and education policy leaders.
Launched last February, the PAF program was created in recognition of the vital role principals play in every aspect of a school's success – from instruction to the school environment to staff performance -- and to better connect their expertise and talent with education policymakers. The principal fellows, in turn, will have the opportunity to lend their perspective on the best ways to implement policies at the school level and engage local communities in the outcomes.
Principals El-Mekki, Levine, and Skerritt were selected from a pool of over 450 applicants who serve in a wide variety of traditional public and charter schools, as well as alternative and private schools. Applications came from principals in nearly every state working in a range of urban, rural and suburban settings. The Principal Ambassador Fellowship program will complement and build on the benefits of the Department's Teaching Ambassador Fellowship, now in its sixth year.
Showing posts with label STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN MAKES STATEMENT ON 2013 NAEP READING AND MATH REPORT CARD
FROM: U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Statement of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the 2013 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Report Card
NOVEMBER 7, 2013
The 2013 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Report Card is available here.
"The 2013 NAEP report card provides encouraging but modest signs of progress in reading and math for U.S. students.
"In 2013, reading and math scores edged up nationally to new highs for fourth and eighth graders. It is particularly heartening that reading scores for eighth graders are up, after remaining relatively flat for the last decade.
"Achievement among the largest minority group in our nation's public schools—Hispanic students—is also up since 2011. And higher-achieving students as a whole are making more progress in reading and math than in recent years.
"While progress on the NAEP continues to vary among the states, all eight states that had implemented the state-crafted Common Core State Standards at the time of the 2013 NAEP assessment showed improvement in at least one of the Reading and/or Mathematics assessments from 2009 to 2013—and none of the eight states had a decline in scores.
"Given the rapid and comprehensive changes that America's educators are implementing in classrooms across the nation, it is to their credit that we are seeing the strongest performance in the history of the NAEP.
"Our national progress makes me optimistic that local leaders and educators are showing the way to raising standards and driving innovation in the next few years. It is encouraging to see progress in tough economic times, when so many states and local communities have struggled with significant cuts to their education budgets.
"Among states that are making progress, Tennessee, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii made noteworthy gains in eighth grade and fourth grade in reading and/or math from 2011 to 2013.
"Signs of progress on the NAEP—known as the nation's report card—are especially compelling because they cannot be attributed to teaching to the test or testing irregularities, such as cheating.
"While fourth and eighth grade achievement in math and reading has edged upward nationally since 2011, the increases are generally modest.
"And while students in each racial group identified in the NAEP showed improvement in some areas, it is very troubling that achievement gaps between white and black students, and white and Hispanic students, failed to narrow from 2011 to 2013.
"Even with the modest increase in math and reading achievement on the 2013 NAEP, U.S. students are still well behind their peers in top-performing nations.
"If America's students are to remain competitive in a knowledge-based economy, our public schools must greatly accelerate the rate of progress of the last four years and do more to narrow America's large achievement gaps. It is an urgent moral and economic imperative that our schools do a better job of preparing students for today's globally-competitive world."
Statement of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the 2013 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Report Card
NOVEMBER 7, 2013
The 2013 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Report Card is available here.
"The 2013 NAEP report card provides encouraging but modest signs of progress in reading and math for U.S. students.
"In 2013, reading and math scores edged up nationally to new highs for fourth and eighth graders. It is particularly heartening that reading scores for eighth graders are up, after remaining relatively flat for the last decade.
"Achievement among the largest minority group in our nation's public schools—Hispanic students—is also up since 2011. And higher-achieving students as a whole are making more progress in reading and math than in recent years.
"While progress on the NAEP continues to vary among the states, all eight states that had implemented the state-crafted Common Core State Standards at the time of the 2013 NAEP assessment showed improvement in at least one of the Reading and/or Mathematics assessments from 2009 to 2013—and none of the eight states had a decline in scores.
"Given the rapid and comprehensive changes that America's educators are implementing in classrooms across the nation, it is to their credit that we are seeing the strongest performance in the history of the NAEP.
"Our national progress makes me optimistic that local leaders and educators are showing the way to raising standards and driving innovation in the next few years. It is encouraging to see progress in tough economic times, when so many states and local communities have struggled with significant cuts to their education budgets.
"Among states that are making progress, Tennessee, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii made noteworthy gains in eighth grade and fourth grade in reading and/or math from 2011 to 2013.
"Signs of progress on the NAEP—known as the nation's report card—are especially compelling because they cannot be attributed to teaching to the test or testing irregularities, such as cheating.
"While fourth and eighth grade achievement in math and reading has edged upward nationally since 2011, the increases are generally modest.
"And while students in each racial group identified in the NAEP showed improvement in some areas, it is very troubling that achievement gaps between white and black students, and white and Hispanic students, failed to narrow from 2011 to 2013.
"Even with the modest increase in math and reading achievement on the 2013 NAEP, U.S. students are still well behind their peers in top-performing nations.
"If America's students are to remain competitive in a knowledge-based economy, our public schools must greatly accelerate the rate of progress of the last four years and do more to narrow America's large achievement gaps. It is an urgent moral and economic imperative that our schools do a better job of preparing students for today's globally-competitive world."
Monday, May 6, 2013
INVESTING IN INNOVATION COMPETITION CONTINUES
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
2013 Investing in Innovation Competition Continues with Invitation for Scale-Up and Validation Applications
Following the launch of the 2013 Investing in Innovation Development Competition earlier this spring, today the U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the competition for the i3 program's Scale-up and Validation categories. These grants will continue the Department's investments in promising strategies that can help to close achievement gaps and improve student learning.
"As the Department begins the fourth round of the i3 competition, we are encouraged by the work our current i3 grantees are undertaking, and look forward to supporting the scaling of effective practices in classrooms across the country through i3's Validation and Scale-up grants," said Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement. "These grants will target federal funds where they are needed most, and we are eager to continue to advance innovative strategies in education."
The i3 program aims to develop and expand practices that accelerate student achievement and prepare every student to succeed in college and in their careers, and, as in years past, includes three grant categories: Development, Validation and Scale-up. This year, school districts and nonprofit organizations in partnership with districts or schools are eligible to compete for nearly $135 million across all three categories. The Department invited pre-applications for the Development category—the most popular of the three—earlier this spring, and received nearly 600 submissions.
The maximum grant amount available in each category is based on the evidence of effectiveness. This year, Validation grants will provide up to $12 million to fund projects with moderate levels of evidence, and Scale-up grants will award up to $20 million for proposals that have strong evidence of improving student achievement.
As noted in the notice of final priorities for the program, the 2013 competition incorporates a few changes to reflect lessons learned from prior years and to strengthen the program overall. While the Department continues to focus on broad priorities, the 2013 i3 competition includes subparts under each priority to target specific areas of need and builds a portfolio of solutions that addresses specific challenges in education. Complementing the Administration's efforts to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children—especially those from disadvantaged communities—this year, the Department has included an invitational priority in both the Scale-up and Validation categories for applicants working on delivering high-quality early learning programs.
Applications will be evaluated by peer reviewers in the coming months, and the Department will announce the highest-rated applicants in late fall. Those applicants will then be required to secure private-sector matching funds in order to become a grantee. Validation grantees must secure a private-sector match comprising 10 percent of their budget; Scale-up grantees must secure 5 percent. As it did for the Development category this year, the Department also has modified the Scale-up and Validation competitions to help grantees build meaningful private-sector support. Each highest-rated applicant must submit evidence of 50 percent of the required private-sector match prior to the awarding of an i3 grant by the end of 2013. The i3 grantees must then provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of the required private-sector match no later than six months after the project start date. Awards will be announced no later than Dec. 31, 2013.
2013 Investing in Innovation Competition Continues with Invitation for Scale-Up and Validation Applications
Following the launch of the 2013 Investing in Innovation Development Competition earlier this spring, today the U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the competition for the i3 program's Scale-up and Validation categories. These grants will continue the Department's investments in promising strategies that can help to close achievement gaps and improve student learning.
"As the Department begins the fourth round of the i3 competition, we are encouraged by the work our current i3 grantees are undertaking, and look forward to supporting the scaling of effective practices in classrooms across the country through i3's Validation and Scale-up grants," said Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement. "These grants will target federal funds where they are needed most, and we are eager to continue to advance innovative strategies in education."
The i3 program aims to develop and expand practices that accelerate student achievement and prepare every student to succeed in college and in their careers, and, as in years past, includes three grant categories: Development, Validation and Scale-up. This year, school districts and nonprofit organizations in partnership with districts or schools are eligible to compete for nearly $135 million across all three categories. The Department invited pre-applications for the Development category—the most popular of the three—earlier this spring, and received nearly 600 submissions.
The maximum grant amount available in each category is based on the evidence of effectiveness. This year, Validation grants will provide up to $12 million to fund projects with moderate levels of evidence, and Scale-up grants will award up to $20 million for proposals that have strong evidence of improving student achievement.
As noted in the notice of final priorities for the program, the 2013 competition incorporates a few changes to reflect lessons learned from prior years and to strengthen the program overall. While the Department continues to focus on broad priorities, the 2013 i3 competition includes subparts under each priority to target specific areas of need and builds a portfolio of solutions that addresses specific challenges in education. Complementing the Administration's efforts to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children—especially those from disadvantaged communities—this year, the Department has included an invitational priority in both the Scale-up and Validation categories for applicants working on delivering high-quality early learning programs.
Applications will be evaluated by peer reviewers in the coming months, and the Department will announce the highest-rated applicants in late fall. Those applicants will then be required to secure private-sector matching funds in order to become a grantee. Validation grantees must secure a private-sector match comprising 10 percent of their budget; Scale-up grantees must secure 5 percent. As it did for the Development category this year, the Department also has modified the Scale-up and Validation competitions to help grantees build meaningful private-sector support. Each highest-rated applicant must submit evidence of 50 percent of the required private-sector match prior to the awarding of an i3 grant by the end of 2013. The i3 grantees must then provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of the required private-sector match no later than six months after the project start date. Awards will be announced no later than Dec. 31, 2013.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)