District Administration - August 2007 - (Page 16)

BRIEFINGS NewsUpdate Secretary Spellings Announces $237 Million in Grants for Effective Teaching SECRETARY OF EDUCATION MARGARET SPELLINGS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED $38.2 MILLION IN awards for 18 grants to provide ﬁnancial incentives for teachers and administrators who improve student achievement and work to close the achievement gap in high-poverty schools. Through the Teacher Incentive Fund program, the grants are projected to be funded over ﬁve years for a total of more than $237 million and may also be used to recruit teachers at the schools, particularly for hard-to-staff subjects like math and science. “These grants will help encourage our most effective teachers and principals to work in challenging schools where they can make a real difference in the lives of young people,” Spellings said. For more information about the Teacher Incentive Fund, as well as district grantees, visit www.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive. Margaret Spellings LAUSD Partners with Hollywood to Enhance Performing Arts Programs INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE MANagement, one of the world’s largest talent and literary agencies, is partnering with the Los Angeles Uniﬁed School District to renovate and upgrade eight high school auditoriums in an eﬀort to enhance their performing arts programs. The charitable foundation of ICM is donating $500,000 to renovate the Dorsey High School auditorium, the ﬁrst of the eight projects. L.A. Uniﬁed will contribute another $500,000 for the project. “Beyond our ﬁnancial commitment, we hope to create volunteer and mentoring opportunities for ICM employees and clients, as well as partner with other entertainment companies to set up student internship and employment positions within the industry,” says Jeﬀrey Berg, chairman and CEO of ICM. “This will be a sustained eﬀort on behalf of our agency.” ICM approached L.A. Uniﬁed in April 2006 with the idea of developing a part- New York Schools Feed Multitudes THE NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL system has eﬀectively become one of the nation’s largest summer soup kitchens, handing out breakfast and lunch in housing projects, libraries, day camps and church groups. Education Department oﬃcials say they expect to signiﬁcantly exceed last summer’s totals of 4.4 million lunches and 2 million breakfasts. Remarkably, last summer’s ﬁgure was already more than twice as many meals as Citymeals-onWheels provided for homebound elderly residents in a full year, and well beyond the reach of other large public school districts like Los Angeles and Chicago. Most of the costs are reimbursed by the federal government under the Summer Food Service Program: $1.66 for breakfast and $2.91 for lunch. The city contributes $5 million. Eric Goldstein, district chief executive of student support services, who also oversees the program, said the primary purpose was to provide proper nutrition to as many children in the city as possible. “First and foremost, it’s really an anti-hunger thing, with a really serious nutritional background to it,” he said. “Academic performance is tangential to this.” Dorsey High School in Los Angeles nership centered on entertainment and literary arts in high schools. Actors Martin Sheen and Samuel L. Jackson, who are ICM clients, are supporters of the project. “I want to thank ICM for collaborating with the district through this exciting partnership,” said L.A. Uniﬁed Superintendent David L. Brewer III in a statement. “The renovation of our high school auditoriums is sure to bring a greater appreciation of the arts to our students and the community at large.” —Kevin Butler STAT BLAST 70 % 16 August 2007 of high school students don’t complete courses needed to succeed in college. Source: ACT Survey District Administration http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - August 2007

Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
Research Corner
Computer Literature
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Bus Money
DIBELS Draws Doers & Doubters
Report from EduComm 2007
Ins and Outs of Outsourcing
Curriculum Clearance
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solution
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Professional Opinion
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - August 2007