Parent of teen who killed self promises vigil in capital

Parent of teen who killed self promises vigil in capital

By Jason Wermers • jwermers@news-press.com • April 27, 2008

Debbie Johnston, who has led an effort to get a state law passed requiring school districts to do more to prevent bullying and harassment of students, will be in Tallahassee today to lobby for the passage of a bully bill.

The bill, known as the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act, is awaiting a possible vote on the Senate floor. That vote would have to take place this week if the bill is to have a chance to become law because the legislative session ends Friday.

Jeffrey Johnston of Cape Coral committed suicide in June 2005, at age 15, after enduring more than two years of cyberbullying from a classmate.

Debbie Johnston, now 50 and a first-grade teacher at Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary in Cape Coral, will be with 12 students, including some of Jeff’s best friends, to make sure senators know how important it is to her and children across the state that the bill come to the floor for a vote.

“It’s very important because I don’t want anyone to go through what we went through — to lose everyone’s best friend and my uncle,” said Danny Pierson, 16, a freshman at Cypress Lake High.

Debbie Johnston led a two-van crew to Tallahassee on Sunday evening. Two more vans, led by Mariner Middle School guidance counselor Kathleen Saucier were scheduled to leave this afternoon to take 12 more students to the capital.

A crew from ABC television’s “Good Morning America” was at Johnston’s house Sunday to do a feature on her experience and the anti-bullying bill. The feature is expected to air sometime this week. The local Kiwanis Club donated $1,000 to help with the costs of the trip.

Read more …

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080427/NEWS0104/80427027/1003/ACC

Senate help committee holds field hearing on affordable College education

Senate help committee holds field hearing on affordable College education: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a field hearing this week at Ohio State University (OSU) on affordable postsecondary study. The hearing, titled "Fulfilling the Promise of an Affordable College Education," addressed the effect the credit crunch and current market conditions are having on the availability of student loans, the continuing problem of rising tuition and the fast growth of high-cost private student loans. Hearing witnesses included Donald J. Kohne, managing director of Student Lending Works; Natala K. Hart, senior advisor for Economic Access at OSU; Mellissa Miller, former college student; Debra Van Camp, current student at OSU; and Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director, external relations, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said, "It is imperative that students in Ohio and across the nation are able to attend college and get the skills they need to compete. It is equally important that a college education is affordable and does not leave students with crippling debt. Congress very often legislates through the rear-view mirror. We wait until a problem becomes close to unmanageable before we feel compelled to act. This hearing is an attempt to shine the light on a problem before it becomes unmanageable."

http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_04_21/2008_04_21.html

Secretary Announces New NCLB Regulations

On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced a package of proposed new regulations to address the high school dropout crisis, strengthen accountability, ensure increased access to "high-quality tutoring" and to clarify certain provisions related to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). While the secretary made the announcement in Detroit, Mich., three of her top aides remained in Washington, D.C., and shared the same information with the education community at an event held at the Department of Education.

In Washington, D.C., Deputy Secretary Ray Simon stressed that the Spellings and her staff remain committed to working with Congress in its efforts to reauthorize NCLB. However, in the absence of congressional action, the administration wants to make the law work better now for students and their families, as well as school districts and states, while remaining true to the law's core principles of accountability and transparency.

The proposed regulations and new pilot programs affect Title I of NCLB with the "intent of building on the advancements of state assessment and accountability systems, as well as strengthening the public school choice and supplemental educational services provisions" of NCLB. In addition, some proposed changes included in the department's proposal for reauthorization, such as making science part of AYP, do not appear in these proposed regulations because it was determined that the department did not have the authority to make certain changes through regulation. The proposed regulations clarify and, in some instances, codify current department policy and propose new actions.

The regulations proposed by Spellings are published in the Federal Register, and public comments will be due on or before Monday, June 23, 2008. Final regulations are expected in mid-to-late fall. In addition, the Department of Education is planning four regional hearings in May to solicit comments. Dates and locations of these regional hearings will be posted in the Federal Register in the near future.

http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/reg/proposal/index.html

Budget and Appropriations

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) hit a new record this week as he filed his 100th cloture petition for the 110th Congress. That means it was the 100th time he's had to seek 60 votes from his Democratic and Republican colleagues to bring up a piece of legislative business for consideration on the Senate floor. It is not a good record as it indicates the extremely partisan and fractious climate that currently dominates the Senate. In other words, it is hard to get any work done and keeps getting harder.

While the senators argued about whether or not they could begin debating the legislative matters before them, the House of Representatives made progress on an important Medicaid bill and continued to hold leadership meetings regarding consideration of an emergency supplemental spending bill. With Memorial Day looming, the date by which the military says it will run out of money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Democrats struggled to decide how much more than the $108 billion the president requested they would actually appropriate. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced mid-week that the bill will likely provide a second infusion of war "bridge funding" of as much as $65 billion. The intent is to provide enough funding to give the next administration some breathing space regarding war policy.

There is also continuing debate among House Democrats about how much, if any, funding will be provided for domestic emergencies. The president has promised a veto if additional dollars are added, and a loud Republican chorus is repeating that threat. The items being considered include unemployment benefits, food stamps and some form of a second economic stimulus package. By Friday, the domestic pot of funding appeared to be shrinking as fears of a protracted fight with the White House, and one another, grew. The Senate, so far, has been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the Democrats in the House to resolve their disagreements.

Also at week's end, Budget Committee leaders in Congress sounded more optimistic that a budget resolution conference agreement might be ready within the next two weeks. The House's Blue Dog Coalition, now strong with 50 Democratic members, is finally ready to talk about a compromise on the reconciliation instructions that Senate Democrats had threatened to strip from the bill. A budget resolution or a "deeming resolution" will be needed soon if the Memorial Day Recess target date is to be met by the 12 subcommittees on appropriations. That is the date when all bills are to be written and, ideally, ready for floor action.

Either resolution would provide direction to appropriators on just how much money Congress will be willing to spend in FY 2009. Both the House- and Senate-passed budget resolutions top the president's recommended level by almost $25 billion. The hope among education advocates is for that number to be as high as possible, providing enough funding to reject the cuts and program eliminations at the Department of Education that were recommended by the administration.

Governor Crist Announces Plan to Increase High School Achievement

Governor Charlie Crist announced Florida’s participation in the American Diploma Project Network, a nationwide movement designed to improve preparation of high school students for higher education and the 21st century workforce. Governor Crist designated Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith to lead Florida’s participation in the American Diploma Project.

In October 2007, the Go Higher, Florida! Task Force recommended that Governor Crist join 32 other Governors whose states are currently participating in the American Diploma Project Network. The task force developed recommendations for preparing all Florida students for a successful transition to college or other career preparation. For more information, visit www.flgov.com/release/9970.

 

Anti-bully bill nears Fla. Senate passage

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/MOMS/804240400/1006/RSS0104

PROPOSED REGULATIONS TO STRENGTHEN NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 22, 2008 

CONTACT:        Samara Yudof or Elissa Leonard
                (202) 401-1576    

                     

U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION MARGARET SPELLINGS ANNOUNCES PROPOSED REGULATIONS TO STRENGTHEN NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Focus on Improved Accountability and Transparency, Uniform and Disaggregated Graduation Rates and Improved Parental Notification

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced proposed new regulations to strengthen and clarify No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  The proposed regulations focus on improved accountability and transparency, uniform and disaggregated graduation rates and improved parental notification for Supplemental Education Services and public school choice.  The Secretary made the announcement at the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Mich.

“I’m proposing new policy tools that will give families lifelines - and empower educators to create dramatic improvement,” said Secretary Spellings.  “Many are actions that have gained broad support through conversations on how to strengthen No Child Left Behind.  While I will continue working with legislators to renew this law, I also realize that students and families and teachers and schools need help now.  So, at the President’s request, I’m moving forward to empower educators to take actions that families have been waiting for.”

The Secretary noted that these new regulations build on NCLB’s positive results and are consistent with the law’s core principles of annual testing, publishing data and helping schools that fall behind.  She added that in her travels to nearly two dozen states -- which included meetings with governors, state school chiefs and state legislatures -- discussions focused on how states and districts can improve struggling schools, more accurately measure dropout rates and chart student progress over time. 

Several of the proposed regulations seek to clarify elements of the law that demand school systems be accountable for results and transparent in their reporting to parents and the public, including requiring that states publish data from the Nation’s Report Card alongside data from their own tests for students.  The Secretary emphasized that measures of student academic achievement may include multiple types of questions and multiple assessments within a subject area.  In addition, a state’s accountability system must ensure the inclusion of all sub-groups of students by adopting appropriate N-sizes.

Building on the Department’s growth model pilot program, the proposed regulations would outline the criteria that States must meet in order to incorporate individual student progress into the State’s definition of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).  Secretary Spellings is also proposing to strengthen the provisions of the law on school restructuring.  Schools in restructuring need the most significant intervention, and a recent study found that 40 percent of schools in restructuring did not implement any of the restructuring options under the law.  The proposed regulations will clarify that restructuring interventions must be more rigorous and that interventions must address the reasons for the school being in restructuring.

To continue the dialogue and address some of the more technical needs of the states and their departments of education, Secretary Spellings proposed the creation of a National Technical Advisory Council.  The council will be made up of experts in the fields of education standards, accountability systems, statistics and psychometrics and be tasked with advising the Department on highly complex and technical issues and ensuring state standards and assessments are of the highest technical quality.

Noting that, according to a recent study, 75 percent of high school students in Detroit public schools do not graduate on time, Secretary Spellings announced the Department would build on the work of the National Governor’s Association to establish a uniform graduate rate that shows how many incoming freshman in a given high school graduate within four years. 

“Over their lifetimes, dropouts from the class of 2007 alone will cost our nation more than 300 billion dollars in lost wages, lost taxes and lost productivity,” said Secretary Spellings. “Increasing graduation rates by just five percent, for male students alone, would save us nearly eight billion dollars each year in crime-related costs.”

All states would use the same formula to calculate how many students graduate from high school on time and how many drop out.  The data would then be made public so that educators and parents can compare how students of every race, background and income level are performing.

States will be allowed to use an interim calculation on a transitional basis, but every high school in every state will be required to report new graduation rates for accountability purposes no later than 2013.  In the meantime, each state will be responsible for setting a graduation rate goal and for disaggregating data by subgroup to report and determine AYP.  Beginning in the 2008-2009 academic year, in order to make AYP, a school or district would have to meet the graduation goal or demonstrate their continuous and substantial improvement from the prior year.  

Additionally, the Secretary is proposing rules to ensure parents are notified in a clear and timely way about their public school choice and supplemental education service options.  The proposed regulations will ensure that states make more information available to the public about what tutoring providers are available, how these providers are approved and monitored, and most importantly, how effective they are in helping students improve.

“Research has shown that effective tutoring programs can reduce the achievement gap by 10 to 15 percent,” said Secretary Spellings.  “The problem is, these options will not make a difference if parents don’t know they’re available.  I hope these proposed regulations will assist parents in getting the extra help their children may need to succeed.” 

The regulations proposed by the Secretary are published online in today’s Federal Register for public comment.  Hard copies of the Federal Register will be available on Wednesday, April 23. 

For further information on how the regulations will strengthen NCLB, including a link to the Federal Register, please visit http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/reg/proposal/.

 

 

FL Recognized as Leader in ELL Education

The state of Florida has long been recognized as a leader in requiring general education teachers to obtain training to develop skills in working with English-language learners (ELL). On Tuesday, Ed Daily reported on a bill currently making its way through the Florida legislature that would significantly reduce the number of training hours required for teachers. Currently, according to the Florida Department of Education, "In some districts with large Limited English Proficient (LEP) student populations, the expectation is that primary language providers will either have the English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Endorsement on their certificates at the time of initial employment or will be expected to immediately begin working toward the endorsement as a condition of hire." The endorsement requires 300 in-service hours of teaching strategies for the instruction of LEP students for elementary, pre-K and English teachers. Other teachers, such as math and science teachers, are required to have only 60 hours of in-service training. The legislation in the Florida Legislature would reduce the in-service hours required for general education teachers by 80 percent, reducing them to 60 hours from the original 300. A similar bill was vetoed by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist last year, and he is expected to veto it again if it is presented by the legislature. To view information from the Florida Department of Education visit: http://www.fldoe.org/profdev/pdf/final_esol.pdf

AYPF Briefing on Promising State Initiatives in Literacy and Mathematics

As part of the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) series on middle school reform efforts, an event was held last Friday on "Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High Schools: Promising State Initiatives in Literacy and Mathematics." The event was to examine two promising programs implemented in middle schools in Alabama and Virginia to improve students' literacy and math skills. Because low proficiency rates in middle school reading and math test scores have been linked to high dropout rates in high school, states have implemented a variety of programs targeted to middle school students in an effort to improve overall graduation rates. Specifically, Alabama's adolescent literacy program, The Alabama Reading Initiative Project for Adolescent Literacy (ARI-PAL) and Virginia's middle grades mathematics program, the Algebra Readiness Initiative (ARI), were profiled at this forum. This forum was part of the series, "Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High School." Additional information can be found at http://www.aypf.org.

Financial Services Committee to Hold Hearing on Financial Literacy and Education

Washington, DC – House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank today announced that the committee will hold a hearing on financial literacy and education, and will examine the effectiveness of governmental and private sector initiatives. 

“Learning to manage one’s spending is the most important thing an individual can do to ensure their family’s financial future. Unfortunately, too many Americans right now are struggling with unmanageable mortgage payments, credit card debt, and out-of-control spending habits,” said Financial Services Committee member Rep. Rubén Hinojosa. “Next week’s hearing is part of an on-going effort to discover what financial literacy programs work and find ways to incorporate financial education into the classroom and into the day-to-day lives of consumers. It will be a detriment to our nation’s economic future if so many Americans continue to mismanage their money, credit, and debt.”

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/press041508.shtml

While HEA Conference Continues, House Passes Student Loan Bill

The House and Senate remain engaged in a conference on their respective proposals to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (H.R. 4137/S. 1642), and staff reports that while meetings continue and the negotiations are making progress, it is unlikely that the conference can be completed and the result considered by the House and Senate before the end of the month. It seems the new unofficial target for enactment of the legislation is the Memorial Day recess.

While HEA reauthorization moves closer to enactment, last week there was action on higher education policy in the House. To legislatively address what many see as a potential crisis in federal student loans, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5715, the "Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act," by an overwhelming margin of 383-27.

During floor debate of the measure, members commended Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), House Education and Labor Committee chairman, and Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), ranking member, for acting on student loan access issues now vs. "waiting on a crisis," and the debate on the bill reinforced the bipartisan nature of the legislation. The bill would make a number of changes to the federal student loan programs to ease some credit eligibility requirements for families adversely affected by the country's mortgage crisis, increase access to loan capital for lenders and make changes to loan limits to ease the financial burdens students and families face. A similar measure has been introduced in the Senate.

Legislative Update: Budget and Appropriations

Washington was consumed with a visiting celebrity last week and, as a result, it was fairly quiet on the legislative front. The Pope came to town, and it meant the cancellation of countless hearings, meetings and events that had been scheduled in the Capitol. Instead, members attended White House meetings and a large mass at the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

One of the cancellations was the hearing scheduled in the Senate on the FY 2009 budget for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. Margaret Spellings, secretary of education, had been scheduled to appear, along with Michelle Rhee, DC Schools chancellor, and Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford professor and teacher preparation expert. It is unclear if the hearing was simply postponed or in fact cancelled.

There were no announcements from the conferees on the committee to negotiate a final FY 2009 budget resolution. Rep. Spratt (D-S.C.), House Budget Committee chairman, was quoted as saying that a "deeming resolution," which provides guidance to the Appropriations Committees that are anxious to begin drafting spending bills, will be forthcoming if the conferees remain at an impasse. As reported last week, all subcommittees have been told to have bills ready for mark-up and floor debate by the Memorial Day recess.

The buzz on the Hill this week when members were present was about the president's $108 billion request for funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats want to add funds for what they consider to be domestic emergencies. There was even talk of a $35 billion economic stimulus package that would include extended unemployment benefits, increase food stamps, provide funds for schools in the West that are not getting timber revenues and monies for a variety of construction projects. To mute the president's veto threats there was also talk of increasing the war funding to $170 billion, making another emergency supplemental this fall unnecessary. Republicans on Capitol Hill acknowledged that this would be a hard offer for the administration to refuse.

And finally, to address fears that access to student loan capital will be squeezed given the faltering economy, the House of Representatives passed a student loan bill designed to stabilize the program and offer relief to needy students and families. There was speculation that this might become the engine that propels the Higher Education Act Reauthorization bill, also stuck in a conference committee, across the finish line to the president's desk by the Memorial Day recess.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON AND AUBUCHON WORK TO PROTECT ALL STUDENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 CONTACT:  Matt Visaggio

April 18, 2008                                                                                                                                                        (239) 344-4900

                                                                                                                                     

REPRESENTATIVES NICK THOMPSON AND

GARY AUBUCHON WORK TO PROTECT ALL STUDENTS

 

TALLAHASSEE – Legislation protecting Florida’s students from bullying won approval on the House floor today.  House Bill (HB) 173, sponsored by Representative Nick Thompson, Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff and Representative Gary Aubuchon is named the Jeffrey Johnston Stand up for All Students Act, for the Cape Coral student who committed suicide in 2005 after being the victim of bullying by a classmate.

 

“For three years, Jeffrey’s mother has worked to preserve the memory of her son and to protect all Florida’s children from bullying,” said Representative Thompson. “For her, and for countless other parents and children around the state, I’m proud that the Florida House passed this important legislation.” 

 

“This bill increases transparency and formalizes the ability of schools to protect our children,” said Representative Aubuchon. “Our children are the most important members of our society, and this legislation will keep them safer.”

 

HB 173 prohibits the bullying or harassment, including cyber bullying, of any public K-12 student or employee.   It requires the Department of Education to adopt a model policy to prohibit bullying and harassment and directs all school districts to adopt a similar policy.  School districts are directed to work with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and local law enforcement on developing this policy. School districts will be required to report all instances of bullying or harassment and to notify the parents of the bully and the parents of the victim. The required communication among parents, students and teachers about incidents of bullying will help to prevent acts of violence and future tragedies. Schools should be a safe place for teachers and children to teach and learn. House Bill 669 will make our schools safer throughout the State of Florida.

 

The Senate companion for HB 173 is Senate Bill 790 which is in the Senate Education Pre-K Committee. 

 

 

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New bill extends P.E. requirement to middle schools | WINK News - Southwest Florida | Eye on Education

http://www.winknews.com/features/education/17305804.html

By The Associated Press

Story Updated: Apr 4, 2008 at 5:20 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida lawmakers thought they'd reintroduced physical education to the state's public schools a year ago.

They have since learned that many elementary schools are not fully complying with the new mandatory physical education requirements.

The Legislature passed a law a year ago calling for 150 minutes of P.E. weekly for elementary school students.

But state Senator Lee Constantine who sponsored the legislation says some schools are "fudging on the rules."

Constantine is now sponsoring a new bill (SB 0610) designed to squeeze out that "fudge factor" and extend a P.E. requirement to the middle schools. That bill sailed through a Senate committee this week without anyone opposing it. A similar proposal is working its way through the House.

 

NBPTS Hosts Forum on Board Certified Teachers

On April 3, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) hosted a forum on National Board Certified Teachers: Catalysts for Improving High Need Schools. Joe Aguerrebere, NBPTS president and CEO, discussed the challenge for NBPTS in addressing the disproportionate number of ethnic minority teachers holding the National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) credential. He shared concerns for schools that need good teachers but who were most likely not to have them. He acknowledged that the thoroughness of their process can seem overwhelming and present a barrier for some teachers. This process requires 10 assessments; four of which are portfolio submissions, and six of which are assessments of content knowledge.

In response to this challenge, NBPTS developed targeted programs to remove barriers preventing teachers from pursuing advanced certification with the support of funds from the federal government. The Direct Recruitment Efforts to Attract Minorities (DREAM) Team was established in 2005 with a specific focus on increasing the number of minority candidates seeking the NBCT credential. By engaging in targeted, direct recruiting activities combined with on-site supports for candidates, NBPTS has seen a 41 percent increase in the number of minority candidates. The Targeted High-Need Initiative (THNI) offers two options for teachers in high-need, high-poverty urban and rural schools to pursue NBPTS certification. The Full Certification approach is implemented in partnership with local organizations such as higher education institutions, foundations and unions to provide the infrastructure and supports teachers in high-need schools require to complete the program. The federal dollars provided through NBPTS combined with additional resources from partners help remove the barriers to participation by funding application fees, training for candidate mentors, materials, food, transportation expenses and even child care expenses so that teachers can participate.

Read more here

 

America's Promise Alliance Commits to Ending High School Dropout Crisis

On April 1, America's Promise Alliance held a news conference and panel discussion on the high school dropout crisis in the United States. In addition, it released a new report, "Cities in Crisis," and announced plans to hold a series of Dropout Prevention Summits, across the United States over the next two years in an effort to find a lasting solution to the high school dropout crisis. These summits will be held in every state and 50 communities as part of the Alliance's Dropout Prevention Campaign. This campaign will also support the Alliance's 15 in 5 Campaign Network, a program headed by the Alliance, committed to improving the lives of 15 million young people over the next five years by providing them with five key wrap-around supports called the "Five Promises." This includes: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others. Co-founder of the Alliance, former Secretary of State Colin Powell introduced the "Cities in Crisis" report, which identifies a 15 percent gap in graduation rates between urban and suburban schools, with the urban schools graduating fewer students.

Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings commended the Alliance's efforts as a "bipartisan coalition of people from business to government to the nonprofit sector." Noting that the high school dropout problem is often masked by insufficient state data on the actual number of dropouts, Spellings announced the Education Department's intention to develop a uniform method of reporting graduation and dropout rates in the United States (for more information, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/04/04012008.html).

A panel of experts in the education community emphasized the importance of the Alliance's focus on providing students with the Five Promises to prevent dropouts and raise the graduation rate. Carmita Vaughan from the Chicago Public Schools stressed the importance of gathering more data on the dropout crisis and successful dropout prevention programs. "We've reached out to find out what works everywhere," Vaughan stated.