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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. Around
the nation
Advanced
Placement tests in the news
Some good news came from the College Board,
who oversees the Advanced Placement (AP) exams
nationwide. The pass rate for many states is
up, and in some states the number of minority
students who pass the test is growing. As more
students use these AP classes for college credit, it
is especially important that their time and effort
is not wasted, especially since some school
districts reimburse students for the exam
fees. The AP Report
to the Nation was released last week, showing
growth in the number of students taking the tests in
southern states, and states like Maryland
demonstrating big gains in passing
scores.
Link
to USA Today 2/4/10
Link
to Seattle Times 2/10/10
E-rate
changes ahead
The government program that gives discounts
on technology expenses to school districts and
libraries is up for some significant changes.
"E-rate 2.0," introduced last week in
Congress, has initiatives that include internet
vouchers so low-income students can gain internet
access at home, give millions to extend broadband
support to community colleges and Head Start
programs, and begin a pilot program for E-book
technology. With the debate set for early
March in the House of Representatives, there is
still time for many of these ideas to be fleshed out
but the new law will have an impact on all CUBE
districts.
Link
to The Journal
2/10/10
NSBA's
E-rate web site
Two CUBE districts hope to lead teacher
training movement
Columbus, Ohio, and Durham, North Carolina, received
a grant (along with Springfield, MA) last week from
the National Education Association (NEA) to bridge
the achievement gap between minority and white
students. The $1.25 million grant for each
district will give a team of teachers the power to
look carefully at student achievement data, school
climate issues, and work together with teachers and
parents to help close the gap. The program
director for the NEA foundation said, “The three sites we have picked have shown district
capacity to collect data and to look at data in ways
that can drive instructional change.”
Link
to Columbus Dispatch 2/9/10
Link
to Durham Herald Sun 2/9/10
Snow school?
With 49 states reporting snow on the ground last
week, many school districts were grappling with a
problem they are unaccustomed to seeing - a February
vacation. While some school systems devote the
resources and equipment to clear streets and
sidewalks, other areas of the country are getting
creative with how to engage students while at
home. But with tens of thousands of students
in the mid-Atlantic states relying of free and
reduced lunches at school every day, the extended
break means more to those students who are missing
meals daily. Fortunately, other non-profit
organizations have been stepping in to help.
Link to MSNBC 2/13/10
Blog
Watch
CUBE
continues to watch the education related blogs
for relevant information to help CUBE
districts. One of the best is Public
School Insights, from Learning First
Alliance. In the most recent post, they look
at the continuing problem of segregation in schools
and cite information and data from the UCLA Civil
Rights project. This entry marries the topic
of school segregation and charter schools, two
issues being watched closely by CUBE and the
education wonks around the country.
Link
to Separate but Equal blog
2/15/10
CUBE
News
CUBE
is on Twitter-Follow CUBE_Edge (CUBE_Edge)
for daily updates on what's happening in urban
education around the country.
Contest
opportunity
NASA and USA Today announced a new
contest for students titled "No Boundaries,"
to help 7-12th graders explore STEM careers.
This cross-curricular free project includes cash
awards up to $2,000 and a NASA VIP experience for
students. For more information, check their web
site. Deadline for applications
is April 15,
2010.
Meetings
Minute
Did
you miss CUBE's programming in conjunction
with NSBA's FRN conference earlier this
month? CUBE's Congressional Luncheon gained a
good deal of media exposure due to the timing of
President Obama's new budget, Representative Chaka
Fattah's speech, and the efforts of NSBA's School
Board News coverage. All available
presentations from FRN are available on CUBE's
web
site.
NSBA's
Annual Conference is coming to Chicago April 9-12 and
registrations are now being accepted. An email
was sent to all board contacts last week outlining
the process, including how to request a room in the
Palmer House Hotel, where CUBE's pre-conference
programming takes place. Details can be found
on NSBA's Annual Conference web
site. Be sure to check off CUBE
programming when you register. Housing
Deadline - March 12.
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.
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