CUBE Edge 10-1-10

Council of Urban Boards of Education

October 1, 2010

News and Resources on Urban Education

 

Welcome!

What is Urban Edge?
Urban Edge is a service that provides CUBE districts with relevant information to help your awareness of education issues around the country. We will glean news sources, blogs, research studies, and NSBA's wide range of expertise for timely information that guides CUBE districts in making sound decisions.

CUBE News

CUBE's Annual Conference is happening NOW in Baltimore, Maryland.  All available presentations will be posted on CUBE's web site as soon as possible.  We'll also be sending out updates via our Twitter feed and School Board News Today will report on all the top sessions and speakers at CUBE’s annual conference. Check the website, http://schoolboardnews.nsba.org, each day for the most recent postings.

Baltimore City Schools wins 2010 CUBE Award for Urban School Board Excellence.  Baltimore joined Broward County, Fla., Houston Independent School District, Tx., and Portsmouth, Va., as finalist districts and celebrates their success in governance and student outcomes.  For more information, see NSBA's press release.

CUBE is on Twitter-Follow @ CUBE_Edge (CUBE_Edge) for daily updates on what's happening in urban education around the country.  

Around the nation

Teacher recruiting comes forward
A new initiative from the Department of Education was launched earlier this week by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.  The web site "teach.gov' was created to enlist new teachers to replace many of the baby boomers who are expected to retire in the next several years.  The focus will also be on teachers in high need areas, including urban districts, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  The site is intended to draw attention to alternative ways of becoming a teacher, and hopes to encourage minority candidates to apply to the profession.
Link to Teach.gov site 9/27/10
Link to Department of Education press release 9/27/10

Education Nation recap 
Earlier this week, NBC News focused on education to try and draw the nation's attention toward a topic that is often left off the front pages of newspapers.  While CUBE districts know about the importance of education firsthand, the topic remains off the collective radar screen of many Americans, and NBC dedicated its news programming from Sunday through Tuesday to the topic.  NSBA's Executive Director, Anne Bryant, was in attendance and sat on one of the panels, as well as being interviewed for spots with Tom Brokaw.  In the wake of the release of the documentary "Waiting for Superman," urban education has been featured in many media outlets in recent weeks.
Tom Brokaw’s opening video features Bryant’s comments on school boards and common core standards
The summit wrap-up video features Bryant’s comments on teacher tenure
Link to AP story on documentary
9/24/10
Link to Education Nation homepage

Teacher merit pay questioned by new study
As the pressure for teachers to perform better increases annually, some districts and states have linked teacher pay and bonuses to student performance.  The study, conducted by Vanderbilt University in conjunction with Nashville schools, looked at 300 teachers and concluded that there was no difference in achievement between the teachers that were offered as much as $15,000 incentive than the teachers who were offered no incentive at all. 
Link to eSchoolNews 9/21/10
Link to Politics Daily 9/22/10

Fort Worth looks for 'turnaround' experts
As education policymakers, school board members are challenged with the reality of changing existing schools and school leaders for the better.  The term turnaround is used, or overused, by many in the media, and it is often hard to define what a 'turnaround leader' is.  Fort Worth, Texas, one of many CUBE districts in Texas, is looking within its own cadre of principals and other school leaders to help struggling schools turn around.
Link to Star Telegram 9/21/10
 

NSBA News 

Beginning October 4, 2010, the National School Boards Association will be modifying our nsba.org and asbj.com website procedures to require National Affiliate participants to login using their email address and a password. Your password will be either your NSBA I.D. number (printed on the top line of your American School Board Journal mailing label, to the right of your subscription expiration date) or your chosen password if you have logged on previously and changed your password.  If you cannot remember your password, our “Forget My Password” functionality will send you an email with a link that will allow you to change your password.  Once logged in, you will be able to access information in both the NSBA and ASBJ password-protected areas of the sites without logging in again, and make updates to your contact information.  If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact webmaster@nsba.orgThis change is a first step in a series of enhancements being made to NSBA’s sites to streamline access and improve your online experience.  Look for additional enhancements to the site in the coming months.

NSBA's Technology Learning Network (TLN) has announced its 2010 Salute Districts who will be showcased at the T+L Conference in Phoenix this fall.  Among the three recognized districts, CUBE member district, Jefferson County (Louisville, KY) was selected and will share some of the good things happening in their district regarding executing technology efforts and implementation.  More information about the conference can be found below.  

Registration and housing are now open for NSBA’s annual T+L Conference, the premier technology and learning conference for school leaders. This year’s event, to be held Oct. 19 to 21 in Phoenix, will focus on change and the tools and programming you need. Go here for more information, or here to register.

Program Note

Did you know that all previous editions of the Urban Edge are available on CUBE's web site?  If you missed an issue, wanted to go back to find a link to a research study we referenced, or need some information about what other districts are doing, click here.   

Disclaimer

Links on the Urban Edge are subject to change or become inactive after a period of time. Please be aware that CUBE has no control over links to other organizations or entities.

ABOUT CUBE:
The CUBE program is the urban component of the National Affiliate program at NSBA.  Your district must be a member in good standing with your state school boards association to participate in CUBE.
CUBE Staff Katrina Kelley, Director, kkelley@nsba.org
Jessica Bonaiuto, Senior Manager, jbonaiuto@nsba.org
Kevin Scott, Membership Services Manager, kscott@nsba.org
Krista Freer, Coordinator, kfreer@nsba.org

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