As you know, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is due for Congressional reauthorization during the coming year, and I am committed to working with Congress and federal education officials to ensure that the reauthorized NCLB will reflect changes that address the challenges and opportunities California faces throughout our education system.
Toward that end, I sponsored four public meetings this month throughout California to collect input from all interested parties. With the information gathered, we will submit to Congress and the federal education department suggested amendments to NCLB for consideration during the ensuing debate.
The series of forums, convened in San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, and Glendale, each focused on a specific topic related to NCLB: accountability, interventions and corrective actions, highly qualified teachers, and English learner issues.
If you were not able to attend one of these meetings, I welcome submission of written comment on any issue relating to NCLB through January 2, 2007. We will review all the information received in both written and public statements, and will seek input and advice from subject-matter experts to help frame California's recommendations.
I believe it is important that California, to the extent possible, speak with one voice as we begin conversations in Washington, D.C. about changes to the law.
Also this month, I was pleased to announce the 281 grantees who will receive $22.4 million in California Partnership Academy grants. Funding from the state for this grant confirms the need for the smaller learning communities and rigorous, engaging curriculum that prepares students for real-world careers. In the next legislative session, I will continue to fight for more funding and expansion of this vital program. (For the complete list of grantees, please visit Funding Results: California Partnership Academies.)
School-community partnerships are increasingly important to our efforts to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world, so I am proud that CDE is the recipient of the prestigious 2006 Partnership State Award from the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University. At its leadership development conference in Baltimore this month, the partnership schools network cited CDE for excellent leadership in developing family, school, and community partnership programs designed to help students succeed in school. This is the third year CDE has received the partnership award.
Last week, I had the great pleasure of presenting a high school diploma to Jeffrey Ramirez, one of the 819 students in the class of 2006 who passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in July. I am tremendously proud of these students for their hard work and persistence, and commend the educators who continue to work with students even beyond the traditional senior year until they have learned the essential skills in literacy and math measured by the exam. I urge districts and schools to continue reaching out to students in the Class of 2006 who still need to complete the CAHSEE requirement and help those students find an appropriate educational venue to continue their studies.
Ninety-one point four percent of the Class of 2006 have met the Exit Exam requirement. However, passage rates among African American students, Latino students, economically disadvantaged students, and those learning the English language are significantly lower. While this gap remains disturbing, I'm convinced that the CAHSEE graduation requirement has actually helped us to focus on closing the gap by providing extra services and attention to those students who lack the skills necessary to pass the exam.
In Jeffrey's case, family problems and the need to hold after-school jobs made his early high school years a struggle, and he was unable to pass the English portion of the exam by the time most of his classmates had graduated. Jeffrey persisted in his studies, however, and his counselors and teachers provided the extra help he needed, encouraging him to enroll in community college and take the exam once again.
Now that the traditional senior year of the Class of 2006 is behind us, I think we can say that the Exit Exam is working as it was intended. Jeffrey's story illustrates why.
Programs for Infants and Young Adults at California School for the Deaf
The California School for the Deaf, Riverside Parent-Infant Program serves infants and toddlers ages 18 months through 36 months who reside within the Riverside and Moreno Valley Unified school districts. The program began in fall 2004 and now serves 19 children. The program focuses on hands-on exploration and is organized around thematic units. Early-language development is an essential part of the program for our deaf infants and toddlers.
For young adult students, CSDR has started a new program through its Career Technology Education department. Career Pathways is an experiential work-based programs serving as an alternative for students to assist them achieve employable skills in career and technical areas. The program allows students to apply the knowledge they have developed in class to real-life work experiences. In addition, the department has placed 40 students in work-experience programs during September.
Update on Awards Programs
NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has announced 280 schools as winners of the 2006 NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools award, including 31 public schools and four private schools from California. The winners will attend an awards event in Washington D.C. November 9-10. All of California's public school nominees that were submitted for consideration will be honored at the Distinguished School Award ceremony on May 18 at the Disneyland Hotel.
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching
Woodland Hills math teacher Margaret Cagle and Oakland life sciences teacher Caleb Cheung, both middle school teachers, will be presented with 2005 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and four finalists for the 2006 award will be honored by CDE November 9 at the Sheraton Hotel in Sacramento. The 2006 finalists in mathematics are Mariana Alwell of Garden Gate Elementary School, in the Cupertino Union School District and Tapp Hancock of Wayside Elementary School in the Bakersfield Unified School District. Finalists for science instruction are Debi Drab of Tincher Preparatory School in the Long Beach Unified School District and Anne Marie Wotkyns of J. B. Monlux Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Elementary School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. A representative from the California Space Authority will speak at the event, which is also attended by members of the State Board of Education. Sponsors of the event include Chevron Corporation, the National Science Foundation, the California Mathematics Council, and the California Science Teachers Association. Congratulations to these extraordinary teachers.
More information on PAEMST, including the 2007 nomination form for teachers of grades seven through twelve, may be found at The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching Web site (Outside Source).
Distinguished Schools
Applications for the 2007 Distinguished School awards program, this year honoring California high schools and middle schools, are due in December. The CDE Awards Unit is currently recruiting to fill two vacant consultant positions for Distinguished Schools and the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching program. For more information contact: Carol Kennedy, 916-319-0866.
Healthy Start Request for Applications
The Request for Applications (RFA) for Healthy Start will be released by the California Department of Education (CDE) November 1. The Superintendent will award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and their collaborative partners to develop and expand comprehensive, integrated, school-linked services and support. The deadline for submission of applications is February 2, 2007.
Honoring Teachers
This month CDE Highlights honors Lauren E. Miller, second grade teacher at Butteville Union Elementary School in Mt. Shasta and Siskiyou County Teacher of the Year. Her calling to teach came at age 14 when she helped a developmentally disabled man in his sixties fulfill his simple dream - to write his own name. In the process, she says, she learned that relationships are key to learning, and that teachers and students - no matter how great their differences-- learn from each other.
This foundation of respect for and constant attention to the potential of her students is evident in Miller's teaching.
"I seek to inspire my students, and they never fail to inspire me," she writes, sharing this from one of her scrapbooks: "There was an interaction (with) one of my students where I explained that I was 'pushing' him to learn something new. He said, 'don't push me,' so I asked, 'What should I do?' He said, 'Get me READY!' So wise!
Miller gets her students ready with focused individual attention, constant goal-setting, and assessment of progress. To teach reading, she establishes four flexible literacy groups based on common needs. While she teaches each group, volunteers read with the rest of the class, and help them take reading tests. She also embraces the use of data to inform and improve her teaching. Last year her class made an average of 1.6 year's growth.
As a teacher in a small rural school with 130 students in grades K-8, Miller is able to develop long-term relationships with students and their families. She also wears other "hats" at school, including management of the Accelerated Reader program, the spring musical, TV Turnoff week, a book fair, and two community service clubs.
"I am blessed to spend my days with seven and eight year olds, who are masters of joy," she says. "They model for me the way we could all approach life - honestly, with humor and passion."
