|
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. Election
Follow Up
Obama
wins
With last Tuesday's historic election
behind us, a groundswell of press activity
followed. Below you will find some of the
stories related to how an Obama presidency may look
for those in the education community.
Link to story on Little Rock 9's thoughts from
Assoc. Press 11/5/08
Link to eSchool News 11/6/08
Link to NSBA statement from Exec. Dir. Anne Bryant 11/5/08
Recent
Research
Education
finance and race
The Urban Institute has released a new study
focusing on race, poverty, and school
finances. In the report, researchers examined
the relationship between school financing, which is
often based on property taxes, and how schools
perform. Despite some states trying to level
the playing field with equality spending, the
results of these actions differ greatly from one
place to another, with minority students continuing
to have lower scores, poor school facilities, and
less-experienced staff as teachers. Both the
summary link and the full report link are provided
below.
Link
to Urban Institute Summary 11/3/08
Link
to full report School
leaders focus on 21st century skills
At NSBA's T+L (Technology and Learning) conference,
NSBA released a new study that encourages school
leaders to continue to focus on skills like critical
thinking, collaboration, and creativity. The
number one challenge to these leaders is finances
and many districts know that they will have to cut
technology funds in the coming year. The
survey reveals that 64% of those surveyed said that
they will delay hardware purchases or upgrades this
year.
Link
to eSchool News 11/4/08
Link
to full report Spotlight
on a Superintendent
Urban superintendent
talks about civics
In Jefferson County, Kentucky, Superintendent Berman
wants the students in the Louisville area to have a
better understanding of civics, and bridge the
"empowerment gap" which exists for many
students, especially low-income students. In
this interview with the Learning First Alliance, you
can either listen or read the superintendent's
thoughts on what works with students to make them
more interested in civics education, which is likely
to change drastically with a new president who
embraces young people.
Link
to Learning First Alliance 10/31/08
New
Ideas
The
freshman factor
Prince George's County (Maryland) is trying
to save the freshman from being an afterthought in
their high schools. A recent report revealed
that many academic struggles occur in the ninth
grade, and by the time interventions are put into
place, it is often too late for students to feel
like there is hope for graduation. The study, released
by the state of Maryland, said that one in six
current high school seniors is at risk for not
graduating on time, often because they did not pass
a state test early in their high school
career. At one high school, the principal is
putting together a freshman academy, separated from
the rest of the school. "In big schools a kid
gets lost...and ninth graders get lost more than
other students," he said.
Link
to Washington Post 11/4/08
(free registration)
Blog Watch
They ask, everyone
answers
Newtalk.org provides a forum for people to answer a
question that is posed. This month they are
focusing on education and the current question is,
"how can we restore order and respect in public
schools?" As you can imagine, a
variety of responses are being posted, with a team
of experts weighing in as well. It's also
worth noting that you can go back and look at old
conversations (Why is there so much school bureaucracy
and what can we do about it?) or look forward to
next week's question. It's fascinating to hear
what the panel says, and how readers comment on the
subject of education.
Link
to newtalk.org 11/10/08
NSBA
News
NSBA is hosting the Walk
of Excellence during this year’s Annual Conference
at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego,
California. This showcase session uses
tabletop displays as a tool for school districts to
highlight effective local programs to conference
attendees. The session attracts hundreds of
conference goers and takes place Sunday, April 5,
2009 from 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
CUBE
districts attending the
Annual Conference who want to showcase their
programs are strongly encouraged to apply.
NSBA is accepting online proposals for the Walk of
Excellence
here.
The proposal deadline is 5:00 PM Eastern on Monday,
December 8, 2008.
If you have any questions
regarding the Walk of Excellence or would like a
list of school districts attending from your state,
please e-mail
Bethany Kashawlic
or
Valerie Carty.
School Board
News has added a daily and weekly recap for your
use. Click here
to find a brief summary on what's happening around
the country in education.
Meetings
Minute
Federal
Relations Network (FRN) Coming Soon!
Mark your calendars--this year's FRN will occur
January 31-February 2, 2009 in Washington, DC.
CUBE districts are invited to attend, and are
encouraged to talk with their respective state
association to ensure a unified NSBA voice to bring
to Capitol Hill. More details will be sent out
in the next week, so keep your eyes open for more
information on how to participate.
NSBA
Annual is coming to San Diego--housing opened October
16th!
Click here
to make housing reservations in the CUBE block at
the Manchester Grand Hyatt online. This link will
only allow you to make reservations in the CUBE
block at the Manchester Grand Hyatt AFTER
you register for the conference and receive your
housing ID number. If you wish to stay at a
different hotel for the conference, you must go
through the regular housing link found on the NSBA
Annual Conference website located at www.nsba.org./conference.
For a glimpse at what CUBE will be programming at
NSBA Annual, 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.
|