Going the Distance!
July - August 2004

Newsletter Articles:

• New "Flexibility" Guidelines for Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements Debated
• Thinking of Applying for a Grant?
• Teacher Recruitment Program Analyzed
• Survey Says: Strong Leadership Essential to Successful Ed-Tech Programs

New “Flexibility” Guidelines for Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements Debated: Not All Rural Schools Will Benefit
According to a recent article in the Rural Policy Matters newsletter, there is some concern that new exceptions in the No Child Left Behind Act will only help a limited number of rural schools.

The article, titled, “Few Rural Schools Benefit from New ‘Flexibility’ Rules for No Child Left Behind Highly Qualified Teacher Provisions,” states that only a quarter of the country’s rural schools will be able to fully benefit from the changes in the Act for highly qualified teachers.

The applicability of the new benefits for rural schools lies within the definition of “rural.” Under the new rules, “the flexibility provisions give veteran rural teachers in ‘rural’ districts an extra year (until the end of the 2006-07 school year) to demonstrate subject matter competency in every academic subject they teach.” According to the article, however, these rules are restricted to teachers that meet the criteria for the U.S. Department of Education’s Small Rural Schools Achievement (SRSA) program, which falls under the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) within the department. Teachers that belong to the Rural Low Income Schools (RLIS) program also under REAP, do not qualify for the new exemptions.

For more on this article please go to: http://www.ruraledu.org/rpm/rpm606e.htm

---

Thinking of Applying for a Grant? Maybe These Tips Will Help
As many educators know, the world of grant seeking can be overwhelming, with many sources, deadlines and methods for applying for funds. An article titled, “Five Basic Tenets of School Grant-Seeking,” in a recent edition of eSchoolNews was written by an individual grant writing consultant and outlines a few tips for those interested in applying for funding – which may be of help to those new to the process or for those that may just need a refresher. Outlined below is each tip that the article lists with a brief description:

1. “We are an unregulated profession.” The author states that “although there are some practices that many of us consider unethical” there are no overall regulations or certification requirements that govern grant writers. Though some grant writers have received training or certification, many writers have become experts simply through practice, repetitiveness and past successes.
2. “There’s no ‘perfect time’ to jump into the grants arena.” In this tip the author explains that it is never too late to start seeking and applying for grants. There are many outlets for funding with deadlines throughout the year.
3. “Writing proposals is not for the faint of heart.” Grant applications can take a lot of time and research and there is no guarantee that all of it will result in funding. This tip serves as a reminder to have “tough skin” and take all reviewer comments into consideration and to also remember that in the end if funding is received, it makes all the time and effort spent worthwhile.
4. “Rejection happens to everybody.” This tip builds upon the previous one, and discusses that most will face rejection for their proposals at one point or another. The trick is to realize that, keep applying and use the rejection to build a better proposal next time.
5. “Collaboration is often the best route to take.” The author states that funders are often looking to provide cost-effective and non-duplicative solutions for grant seekers and many believe that collaboration is the one of the most effective uses of funding. If possible, school leaders should consider exploring how they might work with others and jointly pursue grants.

For more information, visit www.eschoolnews.com/news/PRshowstory.cfm?ArticleID=5154.

---

Teacher Recruitment Program Analyzed: Study Finds Advantages
The Teach for America program is having marked success with students taught by their recruits – particularly in the area of mathematics, according to a new report by the Mathematica research group. The results of the new report, titled “The Effects of Teach for America on Students: Findings from a National Evaluation,” is featured in a recent article in Education Week.

The article provides details on the organization, study and different points of view on the program. The privately organized Teach for America program was formed in 1990 to enlist the services of graduate students to teach in disadvantaged rural and inner-city schools for a period of two years. According to the survey, the program has measured success, with students learning more in mathematics from the program’s recruits than with other teachers that were hired through other methods.

Part of the study included evaluating 2002-03 test scores for over 2,000 students in various cities around the country. The analysts found the math gains significant stating that “gains were worth about 65 percent of the academic growth that can occur when schools reduce class size.”

For more details on this article go to: http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=40TFA.h23&keywords=rural

For more details on the report go to: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/teach.pdf

---

Survey Says: Strong Leadership Essential to Successful Ed-Tech Programs

According to a recent survey by an independent research group and non-profit organization, leadership plays a prominent role when it comes to successful education technology implementation in the schools.

The survey, “Digital Leadership Divide,” was released by Grunwald Associates and the non-profit Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and is featured in a recent article in eSchoolNews. The article provides an in-depth examination of the study, including its findings and conclusions and recommendations. One of the main conclusions is that the type of leadership can determine whether or not ed-tech funding is being put to the best use.

“Despite budget shortfalls affecting schools from coast to coast, visionary leaders refuse to let a lack of funds derail the effective use of technology in their schools. Even in the face of stagnant or declining budgets, the report states, dedicated educators are aggressively pursuing the use of technology by employing creative thinking and innovative partnerships to make up for a shortage of cash.”

The authors of the survey also suggest that many school leaders cite the lack of professional development for technology training as a main obstacle to successful implementation and efficient use of ed-tech funding.

The article also provides recommendations made by CoSN as a result of the survey’s findings:

• Move from automating administrative practices to transforming teaching and learning;
• Invest in strong technology leadership;
• Create new professional development initiatives; and
• Recruit the active support of parents and the community.

For more details on this article go to: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=5109 back to the top