5/13/2008 - MENC "Asks" Pertaining to the U.S. Department of Education Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regulations for No Child Left Behind
1. The U.S. Department of Education's new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) contains a proposal for the standardization of graduation rates and new reporting requirements for rates directly associated with annual yearly progress (AYP). In response to this idea, MENC is asking that members nationwide advocate on behalf of the inclusion of the following additional language in the Title 1 reforms: "Strategies crafted to aid with the reform of schools not currently achieving AYP will encompass information pertaining to the various manners in which music education programs have been associated with a rise in graduation rates and other forms of success, as noted in the findings of multiple recent Harris Interactive polls.
2. "In response to the U.S. Department of Education's proposal for the creation of a National Technical Advisory Council (TAC) comprised of standards, assessments and accountability system experts, MENC asks that members advocate on behalf of including on this council the opinions of not only those individuals representing subjects tested for AYP, but also from ALL core academic subjects (including music and the other arts).
3. MENC recommends that members advocate on behalf of expanding the U.S. Department of Education's Supplemental Educational Services (SES) focus to include tutoring and other forms of assistance for students struggling in ANY core academic subject, so long as the evaluation is conducted as required and standards for reporting on the monitoring of effectiveness be complied with.
Please visit http://www.regulations.gov/search/index.jsp, enter Docket ID ED-2008-OESE-0003, to share your thoughts.
5/1/2008 – "The Presidential Candidates’ Domestic Policy Plans"
On April 29th, The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, with the New America Foundation, American University and the Tax Foundation, held a discussion on the domestic policy plans of the presidential candidates’. Panels of experts discussed climate change, health care reform and tax reform. A fourth panel was made of the candidates’ economic advisers, who gave remarks on the candidates’ stances on the major domestic policy issues discussed.
Click here to read a full summary of the event.
5/1/2008 – Discussion Highlights “Innovation in Alternative Teacher Certification”
On April 28th The Center for American Progress hosted an event entitled “Thinking Outside of the University: Innovation in Alternative Teacher Certification.” The discussion centered on improving teacher certification standards in order to increase teacher quality and therefore teacher performance. While many new options for teacher certification have been developed in recent years, these programs differ little from the standard programs. Discussion panelists included, Steven Farr of Teach for America, Sharon Robinson of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and Jesse Solomon of the Boston Teacher Residency Program.
Click here to read the full report.
4/23/2008 – The Forum for Education and Democracy Releases New Report
The Forum for Education and Democracy released a new report, Democracy at Risk: The Need for a New Federal Policy in Education at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The day marked the 25th anniversary of A Nation at Risk, and highlighted that despite the years of education reform brought on by A Nation at Risk, “the U.S. is further behind than it was in 1983.” Democracy at Risk makes recommendations for education reform to the federal government such as paying off education debt, supporting education research and innovation, and engaging and educating local communities.
Click here to view the full report.
4/22/2008 – “Ready to Innovate: Key Findings”
A new survey released by Americans for the Arts, The Conference Board and the American Association of School Administrators seeks to answer the question, “Are educators and executives aligned on the creative readiness of the U.S. workforce?” Both school administrators and employers agree that creativity is an important factor in the workplace. The research finds that the split between the two groups is in defining what exactely denotes creativity.
Click here to view the full report.
4/10/2008 - MENC Launches New Web Site, Legislative ALERTS Revamped into Regularly Updated News Feed
Along with the launch of the new web site, MENC will begin posting to its brand new news feed called "The Recorder." The news feed will replace the existing Legislative ALERTS and help to ensure that we convey the latest music education and advocacy news to our members.
4/3/2008 – Fourth Report Released on Implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
The U.S. Department of Education has released an interim report on NCLB’s public school choice and supplemental education services as implemented at the local and state levels during the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years. Though the amount of students participating grew significantly, it is still only a small proportion of qualified students taking advantage of these options.
Click here to view the full report.
4/1/2008 - "The School Finance Redesign Project: A Synthesis of Project Work to Date"
The Center on Reinventing Public Education has released an Interim Study Report on it's School Finance Redesign Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project aims to determine how resources can help student achievement rise to the levels that the national education standards demand. More than 30 research studies and expert papers have been initiated in response to this report.
Click here to view the report.
4/1/2008 - America's Promise Alliance Releases "Cities in Crisis" Report
America's Promise Alliance has released a new independent analysis of graduation rates in America's 50 largest cities conducted by Christopher Swanson, Director of Editorial Projects in the Education Research Center. The study coincides with the start of America's Promise National Dropout Initiative.
Click here to view the report.