District Administration - March 2012 - (Page 29)

NewsUpdate Br iefings continued from page 24 She’s Back: Rhee Organization Pushes Legislative Reforms Michelle Rhee is back. Rhee’s grassroots organization, studentsFirst, metaphorically descended on the state capitol in alabama last month, ready to persuade state legislators to reform k12 education. With more than one million members, including parents, grandparents, teachers, principals and policy makers, studentsFirst advocates for education reforms, via state or federal legislation and policies, that will improve student achievement. “The wind seems to be at our backs now,” says Tim Melton, studentsFirst’s vice president of legislative affairs and a former Michigan state representative. “We’re starting to see a majority of the states moving in that direction. Over the last two or three weeks, several governors have taken this head-on. connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, New York Gov. andrew cuomo, and Washington Gov. chris Gregoire are realizing this is the right thing to do. We feel it’s certainly sweeping the nation and public opinion is behind it. it’s almost at the tipping point that this is the norm, not the reform anymore.” 50 Policies in Seven States The focus of the nonprofit, which was created by Rhee in December 2010, is to empower parents, create meaningful teacher evaluations tied to student growth and achievement, and provide quality public school choices. Rhee, chancellor of the District of columbia Public schools from 2007 to 2010 and founder of The New Teacher Project, stated in a member conference call last December that in one year of operation, the group helped create 50 legislative policies in seven states that “empower parents, ensure accountability, and elevate good teachers.” The group now is working on policy or legislative changes in 10 states, including alabama, california, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and iowa. For example, studentsFirst pushed for teacher-tenure reform legislation in Michigan. last July, Mich. Gov. Rick snyder signed a law www.DistrictAdministration.com that ends the “last in, first out” practice through which districts make staffing decisions based solely on seniority, in favor of a new system that requires administrators to consider demonstrated effectiveness in the classroom. Melton describes studentsFirst members as “real, everyday people, who are highly motivated and highly active.” studentsFirst started focusing on alabama in part because the state is one of 10 in the nation that doesn’t allow public charter schools. “We believe highly successful charter schools are great,” says Nancy Zuckerbrod, studentsFirst spokesperson, adding that this is especially the case for parents who don’t have many choices for sending their children to school. aside from allowing charters, Melton says that alabama should establish “consistent and easy-to-read school report cards so parents have accurate information about their child’s school and how it compares to other school options.” Former D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, with Florida Gov. Rick Scott, is shaking up education. Her organization, StudentsFirst, is working with 10 states, including Florida, to change legislation. Rhee wants studentsFirst members to help grow the movement by involving more people; organizing and driving reform in communities, in part by raising awareness at school meetings or contacting legislators; and voting in local school elections. —Angela Pascopella Move over Groupon and LivinG SociaL; SchooLa iS the neweSt deaLof-the-day web site, and its mission is to help schools raise money. Schoola, launched by Savvy Source in February, helps school supporters, such as parent teacher associations, work with businesses in their community to create a deal. Schoola hosts and facilitates the fundraiser online, handles the purchases and sends the proceeds to merchants and schools. to reach a larger audience, schools can partner with other schools to reach a larger audience and increase visibility. Stacey Boyd, ceo and founder of Savvy Source, says, “at a time when schools are struggling with funding, Schoola provides a fundraising fix. it’s a way to raise significant funds quickly without the administrative burden you typically have with fundraisers like wrapping paper or cookie dough.” Lakewood elementary School in the dallas (texas) independent School district was the first to use Schoola and raised $3,500 in just five days. Meredith Manak, vice president of the pta, said the school will likely use the money raised to fund tutoring programs. “Schoola took little effort to coordinate and put together. we plan to use this platform once every two months with six merchants each time.” Schoola keeps 15 percent of the money, and schools work with businesses to decide what percentage will go to schools. “Schoola allows consumers to get a great discount on things they use every day. it’s a win-win for local businesses and schools,” says Boyd. For more information, visit www.schoola.com. —Courtney Williams Social Media Takes on Fundraising March 2012 29 http://www.schoola.com http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - March 2012

District Administration - March 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Research Center
CIO News
Building an Ed Tech Dream Team
Are you Ready for Common Core Math?
A Crystal Ball for Student Achievement
The Single Largest Education Donor Comes With Controversy
Models of Education Reform
Noteworthy Books
New Products
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion

District Administration - March 2012