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June 2009 E-newsletter

Below is a listing of our archived monthly e-newsletters. You can view the resources we mentioned in each issue by clicking on the link or Search Resources to find any resource from an e-newsletter or event.

  1. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Opportunities for High School Improvement Summary Table and Publication

    The National High School Center recently released a summary table providing information on best practices and resources related to the primary funding streams under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that may be used for high school improvement initiatives.

    A publication outlining the major provisions of ARRA that may be used for funding high school improvement initiatives is also now available. The document highlights suggestions made by the U.S. Department of Education on ways the funds may be spent and provides best practices and resources related to these suggestions.
    http://www.betterhighschools.org/docs/NHSC_ARRA_PolicyBrief.pdf

  2. Using ARRA Funds To Improve Teacher Effectiveness and Equitable Distribution: An Interactive Mapping Tool

    The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality developed an interactive mapping tool, designed to guide conversations between regional comprehensive center (RCC) and state education agency (SEA) staff on the strategic use of funds appropriated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to improve teacher effectiveness and equitable distribution.

  3. Implementing Guidance for Reports on Use of Funds Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently published a guidance document outlining the reporting requirements included in Section 1512 of the Recovery Act for recipients of grants, loans, and other forms of assistance. The reports required by Section 1512 will be submitted by recipients beginning in October 2009 and should answer questions such as:

    • Who is receiving Recovery Act dollars and in what amounts?
    • What projects or activities are being funded with Recovery Act dollars?
    • What is the completion status of such projects or activities and what impact have they had on job creation and retention?
  4. Adolescent Literacy Walk-Through for Principals: A Guide for Instructional Leaders

    The Center on Instruction recently released a guide designed to help principals monitor and support adolescent literacy instruction in their schools more effectively. The guide can be used at the late elementary school level, in content-area classes in middle and high school, and with intervention groups or classes. It provides a scaffold to build principals' understanding of scientifically based reading instruction, as a means for a principal to gather information about the quality of literacy and reading intervention instruction in a school, and as a data collection guide for planning targeted professional development and resource allocation. Also included are examples of what a principal might expect to see in a classroom as well as templates that states, districts, and schools can use or adapt.

  5. An Introduction to Progress Monitoring in Mathematics

    The Center on Instruction has a new professional development module, consisting of a PowerPoint presentation and a presenter's manual. The module describes progress monitoring, explains common techniques often mistaken for progress monitoring, and discusses the application of progress monitoring in mathematics at both the elementary and secondary grade levels. Resources for additional information are also identified.

  6. Increasing Teacher Retention To Facilitate the Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers

    The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality's brief highlighting strategies to improve the retention of qualified and effective teachers in hard-to-staff schools is now available. The term teacher retention refers to the ability to keep teachers on the job, thus reducing or eliminating teacher turnover.

  7. State Test Score Trends Through 2007–08: Part I, Is the Emphasis on "Proficiency" Shortchanging Higher– and Lower–Achieving Students?

    The Center on Education Policy's first report in a series describing results from their third annual analysis of state testing data provides an update on student performance at the proficient level of achievement, and for the first time, includes data about student performance at the advanced and basic levels. The study provides an in-depth look at the full range of student performance in order to better understand whether the No Child Left Behind Act's focus on proficiency has caused teachers to shortchange students at either end of the academic spectrum.

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