Carol’s Summary:

 The Council of Chief School Officers and the National Governors Association announced a set of nationwide standards for math and English on Wednesday, which, if accepted by states, would standardize the curriculum of public schools around the country. The motivation behind the concept of standardized learning is to increase academic achievement and level the field for all students regardless of what state they live in.

According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, the English language standards include learning to write logical, research-based arguments as well as to be thoroughly prepared for college-level reading and vocabulary upon completing high school. For math, one of the main goals is to ensure that students are prepared for algebra by the eighth grade.

 Education Secretary Arne Duncan has accepted the authorization of the national guidelines as a part of the criteria for Race to the Top, the competition in which states vie for education funding. Various education groups also advocate the standards and are encouraging states to consider incorporating them into their curriculum.

Curriculum, whether it is standardized or unique, is one of the most important aspects of academics and education. It is at the core of what helps students to learn and accomplish their goals. LifeBound’s curriculum and books are used in schools and classrooms to supplement the existing curriculum that many schools use to help their students succeed. Visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com for more details and information on LifeBound’s books and curriculum.

 

Article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/06/AR2010060603062.html

The Answer Sheet: Common state standards are no more than part of the answer

By Valerie Strauss

Special to The Washington Post
Monday, June 7, 2010

So now we have a set of standards for math and English language arts that were designed for all states to adopt so learning could be more uniform across the country.

On Wednesday, the folks behind the initiative — the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association — released the standards, which spell out what children are expected to learn in those two subjects from kindergarten through high school.

Carol’s Summary:

                The Federal Government’s Race to the Top competition, which grants funding for education reform, is going into its second phase after Tuesday night’s application deadline. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second round of the competition, where states are rewarded grants for their efforts to reform the education system.

States will win grants based on their efforts towards amending curriculum, improving low-performing and underprivileged schools, as well as for the methods by which they employ and train teachers. There is a total of $3.4 billion dollars to be presented to the states that demonstrate the most efforts towards changing their schools.

In the first round, forty states applied for funds, with Delaware and Tennessee winning a combined $600 million. Three states have not re-applied, while states like Alaska and Texas did not apply for funds in either round of the competition. The finalists will be named around July 26, and by the end of September the winners will be decided. It is predicted that between 10-15 states will receive Race to the Top grants.

Many schools use LifeBound books in their classrooms to apply lessons to real-life situations, thus making learning more purposeful and suitable to students’ needs. Books such as Making the Most out of High School offer curriculum that is unique and allows teachers, students and parents to teach and learn with more hands-on strategies. The methods that LifeBound teaches are carefully researched and tested to ensure academic success.

While many schools are cutting budgets right and left, we are working to meet districts in creative ways to bring the best programs possible to students and teachers. For more information about Lifebound’s books and curriculum, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com.

 

Article:

Wall Street Journal

Thirty-Five States, D.C. Vie for Education Funding

By STEPHANIE BANCHERO

Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second phase of the Race to the Top federal education competition as the application deadline passed Tuesday night.

The states are hoping to win a piece of the $3.4 billion available under President Barack Obama’s signature education initiative.

Race to the Top aims to spur innovation by rewarding states that promote charter schools, tie teacher pay to student achievement and intervene in low-performing schools.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704875604575281041763656342.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_news

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

The Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission is sponsoring an initiative to educate fourth through sixth grade students in analyzing advertisements. According to the New York Times article below, “The centerpiece of the effort is a Web site called Admongo (admongo.gov), where visitors can get an “ad-ucation” by playing a game featuring make-believe products closely modeled on real ones, among them Choco Crunch’n Good cereal, Cleanology acne medication, Double Dunk sporting goods and the Smile Meals sold at Fast Chef restaurants.” Students are taught to always ask three questions:

1.      Who is responsible for the ad?

2.      What is the ad actually saying?

3.      What does the ad want me to do?”

Scholastic, the educational publishing company based in New York, was recruited by the bureau to work on the materials that will be distributed to teachers and classrooms. Ann Amstutz Hayes, vice president at Scholastic In School, states that the reason the program is targeting fourth through sixth grade students is because that is when “they’re at the stage they’re developing their critical-thinking skills.”

Outside of determining whether purchasing a product or service is in your best interest, developing critical and creative thinking skills is essential to making informed decisions and problem solving, as well as, becoming an effective student and a valued employee.

LifeBound recently published, Critical and Creative Thinking for Teenagers, to help students ask powerful questions to identify a problem, creatively brainstorm solutions, and analyze the outcome to solve problems and inform themselves about the world around them. To request a review copy of Critical and Creative Thinking call our toll free # at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE

By STUART ELLIOTT

Published: April 26, 2010

New York Times

The centerpiece of the effort is a Web site called Admongo (admongo.gov), where visitors can get an “ad-ucation” by playing a game featuring make-believe products closely modeled on real ones, among them Choco Crunch’n Good cereal, Cleanology acne medication, Double Dunk sporting goods and the Smile Meals sold at Fast Chef restaurants.

“Advertising is all around you,” the home page declares in urging youngsters to always ask three questions: “Who is responsible for the ad? What is the ad actually saying? What does the ad want me to do?”

The initiative is being sponsored by the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission, which polices deceptive, fraudulent and unfair marketing and advertising practices. The bureau is enlisting Scholastic, the educational publishing company based in New York, to help distribute materials to teachers and classrooms.

To view entire article visit

http://nyti.ms/9bio6B