Edutopia - August/September 2008 - (Page 17)

HeadofClass JNewsJGearJScienceJHot StuffJField Trips BytheNumbers trains business executives to lead large urban school districts. “Somehow, we have to ⇒nd a way to make fund development part of the K–12 culture.” Educators often ⇒nd themselves ⇒ghting an uphill battle. Some people feel that the public-education system is funded adequately with current tax dollars and are reluctant to contribute more. However, only 1 percent of the $295 billion in charitable dollars given away per year goes to public education, says the GivingUSA Foundation and Indiana University’s Center for Philanthropy. People don’t expect school and district administrators to raise funds, but Quinn suggests that change. The funding issue constantly comes up with superintendents-in-training at the Broad Academy, he says, but it never seems to become a priority. Money management is also key. Superintendents should keep close tabs on where their dollars are going, according to Quinn. He says that districts need, though most don’t have, “a really good process for determining which programs don’t work and eliminating those programs so they can recapture those dollars for kids.” He also suggests that school leaders could learn more about fund development from local business leaders. “If superintendents could ⇒nd a way to hire the best chief development of⇒cer in their communities on a consulting basis,” he notes, “they would raise ten times their salary during the ⇒rst year.” e Percentage of high school graduates who feel inadequately prepared for… COLLEGE ? OR THE WORKPLACE ?? ? …according to a report by the American Diploma Project. Chief concern: Their COURSES ARE NOT ALIGNED TO COLLEGE AND CAREER STANDARDS. Cash Crunch As public dollars dwindle, administrators must sharpen their money-raising skills. By Sara Bernard DUAL One solution is DUAL ENROLLMENT, wherein high school seniors take courses that give college credit. is no longer just for talented high schoolers hoping to get a jump ENROLLMENT on college. Such programs can serve as an ON-RAMP TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION… A LEFT: GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT: XPLANE.COM nother year, another budget crisis. Welcome to modern-day public education. With many schools and districts facing yet another year of ⇒scal belt tightening—including the entire state of California, which is reeling in the face of $4.3 billion in proposed cuts to the state’s education budget —teachers, administrators, and PTAs are once again sharpening their fund-raising skills. “This is the worst budget I’ve seen in this state’s history, and I’ve been involved for thirty-two years,” says Jan Harp Domene, the 2007–09 president of the National Parent Teacher Association and a former California PTA president. Domene says that outside funds are now “paying the nuts and bolts of what keeps our education system going.” This includes teacher salaries, Advanced Placement classes— even PE equipment. Teachers have long paid their own money to secure classroom basics, such as paper, pencils, and tissues. And many an administrator has burned up a weekend writing a grant proposal. Meanwhile, PTAs scratch together money with drives that have locals bringing in old printer cartridges, or they ask parents to sign up with local food markets that donate a percentage of sales to nearby schools. But the severity of the latest budget crisis has many in public education saying that current and aspiring educators need to learn a new skill—how to raise money. “I don’t know of a single program that focuses on teaching superintendents how to raise money, but there should be,” says Tim Quinn, managing director of the Broad Academy, a nonpro⇒t organization that 6756 E LEG CO L e Fre it! red C …for students who are otherwise unlikely to attend college, according to Jobs for the Future. nk ba Taking college courses increase a student's academic readiness, while FREE COLLEGE CREDITS make earning a postsecondary degree more affordable. Several states are working on EXPANDED DUAL-ENROLLMENT policies, including: READIN’, ’RIGHTIN’, AND RAISIN’ MONEY Learn more about fund-raising at fundraisingskills.co.uk/schools.html Source: Jobs for the Future, American Diploma Project EDUTOPIA.ORG EDUTOPIA 17 http://XPLANE.COM http://fundraisingskills.co.uk/schools.html http://EDUTOPIA.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Edutopia - August/September 2008

Edutopia Contents Up Front Feedback Dispatches Sage Advice Ask Ellen Head of Class Cool Schools Design: Building on Disaster What's Next Full-Service Schools In the Trenches Moral Aptitude Serious Gaming Behaveyourself.com Media Is the Message The Way of the Wiki A Match Made in Cyberspace Hail to the New Chief Rise of the Robots Disrupting Class As Others See Us Heart & Soul Pop Quiz: Moby

Edutopia - August/September 2008

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