Chatter with Children in Grocery Stores

A new study investigates adult chatter with their children while in the grocery store and find that it may help overcome the "word gap"that exists between children entering elementary school.

The Candidates (Yes, R's and D's) on Education

Education Week published this helpful index of the candidates and their plans for education. Read more here: http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/election-guide-5-education-takeaways-from-candidates.html

Georgia Governor's Opportunity School District

Georgia's Governor Nathan Deal  proposed creation of an Opportunity School District (OSD) in early 2015. The OSD would authorize the state to control "chronically failing public schools and rescue children languishing in them" according to press releases. In a March 2015 Frequently Asked Questions, the Governor's Office stated this about the structure of the school district:

The OSD is an organizational unit of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA),established and administered by the superintendent of the Opportunity School District (OSD) for the purpose of providing oversight and operation of failing schools assigned to the OSD.

The Governor shall appoint a superintendent of the OSD, to be confirmed by the Senate. TheOSD superintendent shall be a direct report to the Governor.

These schools subject to potential control by the OSD include many Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb County Schools (metro Atlanta), Fulton County Schools (metro Atlanta), Bibb County Schools (Macon, GA), Chatham County Schools (Savannah, GA), Dougherty Country Schools (Albany, GA), Muscogee County Schools (Columbus, GA), and Richmond County Schools (Augusta), including several others. In an interactive map, see the potentially impacted schools across the state of Georgia here: http://www.ajc.com/map-ga-schools-failing/  

To read more about the criteria that would trigger inclusion in the OSD, see the FAQs.

Atlanta Education Guide is Out...

Atlanta's chief business news source, The Atlanta Business Chronicle, has released its full page, stand-alone section on the metro Atlanta schools. It includes key information for elementary, middle, and high schools alike... with performance data from Georgia's Milestones assessment to teacher and student counts to enrollment and tuition numbers for some of the area's "independent" (read private) schools, charter schools, and colleges/universities.

Looks like I'm in for some good leisurely reading...

WAPPP Wire: What Happens to Minorities and Women When We Eliminate Affirmative Action

In a recent study, a researcher empirically looks into a "natural" experiment wherein several states repealed affirmative action policies for state employees. The researcher's results might be expected, but the statistical significance and magnitude are revealing nonetheless:



As covered by WAPPP Wire, see the study of Professor Fidan Ana Kurtulus of UMASS Amherst:

President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925 in 1961 introducing Affirmative Action to the American workplace. More than 40 years later, the ramifications still deeply affect millions of lives. (...) And while the dataset itself is interesting, the results of her research are even more so. (...)

Atlanta Public Schools (under new leadership) Sues for a Clear Title to Old Schools

Just made public today (but apparently filed at the end of March 2015), Atlanta Public Schools is requesting that the courts declare the legal titles for four elementary schools are clear -- so that APS can sell the old properties (not in current use), recoup the monies, and go on about the business of cleaning up the mess it made better educating children.  At the heart of this lawsuit is a dispute of words and public relations between APS and the City of Atlanta, namely the Mayor of Atlanta. 

Read more about APS's efforts to move forward and the horsetrading the Mayor has attempted to stall APS plans:

http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2015/05/01/aps-files-lawsuit-to-gain-full-control-of-four-vacant-school-deeds

Here are some quotes for context:

Mayor Kasim Reed earlier this year said several vacant schools remain part of the ongoing negotiations in the APS-Atlanta Beltline funding dispute. But APS Superintendent Meria Carstarphen disagreed, saying the deeds weren't part of those discussions. Reed responded to her remarks saying that the superintendent "doesn't know what she's talking about" regarding the dispute, which still remains unresolved.

According to the March 26 filing, which seeks to "establish title against all the world," the city should have transferred over all contracts, orders, leases, and bonds to the Atlanta Board of Education as part of the city's charter adopted in 1973. That shift in responsibility also should have included the ownership of all properties the city had acquired to provide a public education to Atlanta children when it oversaw the school system. Since that time, the lawsuit says, the city's education board has paid millions in costs associated with the upkeep of those four vacant schools.

School Leaders Wanted for KIPP Schools

KIPP is searching for a high school leader in the Bay Area, an elementary school leader in Columbus, Ohio and elementary assistant school leaders in Jacksonville, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri. Please see below for more info on each role. If interested, please reach out to Maggie Raible, Manager, National Recruitment for the KIPP Foundation at 215-740-4863 or mraible@kipp.org .
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KIPP Bay Area Schools is searching for a successor leader of KIPP King Collegiate High School. KIPP King Collegiate is ranked in the top two percent of all public high schools and #11 of public high schools in California, according to US News and World Report. With over 28 languages spoken, KIPP King Collegiate truly embodies the diversity of the Bay Area. We are looking for a school leader with proven success in a high school setting serving a low-income and culturally diverse school population. Outstanding candidates will have previous experience coaching, developing and managing new and veteran staff to provide college-focused instruction to students at all levels. 

KIPP Columbus is seeking an experienced school leader for KIPP Columbus Elementary! We're building a better tomorrow for every student in a state-of-the-art facility on one of the most unique campuses in the country. With the support of a strong leadership team and engaged community, the elementary school leader will expand the number of elementary students served from 200 in this it's first year to nearly 1,000 by the end of the decade; building a strong foundation for KIPPsters to climb the mountain to and through for years to come. 

KIPP Jacksonville is looking for an Assistant School Leader to join our dynamic Elementary leadership team and help us continue to put students on a path to and through college. As an Elementary Assistant School Leader, you will be equipped with a supportive team, receive regular coaching, and have a clear vision for growth. The Elementary ASL directly coaches teachers to greater student achievement, runs school-wide initiatives, designs and leads professional development, and collaborates with families. Come thrive both personally and professionally in a region that is easy to call home and rich with opportunity and advancement. 

KIPP St. Louis seeks an Assistant Elementary School Leader grounded in the belief that kids deserve a nurturing, challenging, joyful environment in which to learn, grow and achieve at the highest levels. We will work to ensure that our scholars understand who they are as a person and where they are academically to inform their movement towards their best self. Our scholars will be empowered to see themselves as a person that matters to the world and will be able to voice their needs, thoughts and academic knowledge in a scholarly way. Our mission is to nurture our scholars’ academic knowledge, skills, and character strengths so that our scholars have what they need to excel in post-primary school and college, and build a better tomorrow for themselves and us all. 

New Georgia Law Corrects for Students Who Did Not Pass the Georgia High School Graduation Tests

According to a bill now signed into law, students who took the Georgia high school graduation tests after 1994 but did not pass, and subsequently did not receive a high school diploma because of not passing the tests, are eligible now to get a retroactive high school diploma. According to the law, the diplomas are to be issued by the local school districts and dated retroactively. A person in this position will need to petition the local school board to determine eligibility for the retroactive diploma.

Here's an article with more information: http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/03/30/governor-signs-bill-today-enabling-8000-georgians-to-receive-high-school-diploma/?ecmp=ajc_social_facebook_2014_sfp

Here's the text of the law (formerly House Bill 91). See Section 5 starting on page 7:  http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/152497.pdf

Harvard Kennedy School Scholarship

The Harvard Kennedy School is recruiting for its second class of Sheila C. Johnson Fellows, emerging leaders committed to addressing disparities in African-American and other underserved domestic communities. It provides FULL TUITION, health insurance and a $10,000 stipend. Step #1: Apply to HKS by December 2, 2014. Step #2: Apply for the fellowship by February 26, 2015. More general info at link below and application info in PDF found here:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b7b6ab16714bc6f51fdf5eb87/files/77218199-1979-428c-affd-9f23ead00fd9.pdf

Job Opportunities for Progressive (NEW) Charter School In Jackson, MS

Friends and educators of the world, a close friend and founder of the school is calling for resumes and cover letters for teaching positions at Midtown Public Charter School (one of the first charter schools in Mississippi history) in Jackson, Mississippi for August 2015.

In the folder linked below there are three documents:

1. Teacher Position Announcement (Provides Position Details)

2. About Midtown Public (Provides a School Overview )
3. Midtown Public School Design (Provides Insights Into School Building Design)3. Midtown Public School Design (Provides Insights Into School Building Design)

Teaching certification is not required in Mississippi, so take a look and apply if you might be interested in making a big impact with an awesome team!

Here's the link of the file: http://bit.ly/1AG6svW

To get an application, Call Dr. Kristi Hendrix at 601-354-5373.