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District Intervention & Capacity Building Evaluation Released The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) and the California Department of Education (CDE) received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to pursue the development of the District Intervention and Capacity Building Initiative, a three year grant to develop technical assistance processes and procedures for districts in Program Improvement. The completed evaluation of the three-year project conducted by SRI International provides indepth findings, impact on student achievement, and lessons learned. Click here for the complete evaluation. Common Sense California, in partnership with UserVoice, is offering five grantees free use of the UserVoice platform plus implementation training. UserVoice is an online idea-gathering and prioritization platform. Common Sense California promotes citizen engagement as a means of producing better policy decisions. Applications must be received no later than March 8, 2010. New grant phases may be opened as availability permits. For more information: http://www.commonsenseca.org/about/grantprogram.php A Guidebook to Expand Arts Learning in Public Schools, produced by CCSESA and the California State PTA. If you would like a hard copy of the publication, please contact CCSESA at 916-446-3095 Click here to download our new publication www.ProtectOurStudents.org - featuring information about the impact of proposed cuts in funding on our public schools - is a key component of the Education Coalition's efforts to provide the public with up-to-date facts about the education budget. Visit this website to view press releases and news stories from throughout the state illustrating the impact of the budget on local schools; see information compiled by the Education Coalition that can help you work with and inform your local media; and listen to the Coalition's latest radio messages about the Governor's education proposals. The site contains a wealth of material to keep you informed as the 2008- 09 budget process continues to unfold. Be sure to visit often! The California Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee (CAEL QIS) has scheduled subcommittee meetings to clarify issues, outline possible alternatives, and present likely results in five different areas: Design Ideas for Licensing, Quality Rating, and Improvement Systems; Finance and Incentives, Including Funding Models; Workforce and Professional Development and Quality Incentives; Data for Program Improvement and Research; and Engagement and Outreach for Families, Providers, and Public. For more information concerning the ELQIS Advisory and Subcommittee meetings, please go to the California Department of Education website at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/sb1629committee.asp For a link to the at a glance calendar of all subcommittee meetings on CDE's website, go to http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/sb1629calendar.asp The federal Department of Education (ED) recently released non-regulatory guidance regarding waiver requests for Title I funding and the requirements for releasing the second phase of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF). With respect to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Title I funding, ED is inviting waiver requests related to 1) specified fiscal and "set-aside" calculations, 2) limitations on carryover and 3) maintenance-of-effort requirements. Secretary Duncan is also considering requests for waivers of regulatory provisions related to the implementation of public school choice and supplemental educational services (SES). With respect to SFSF, ED has issued proposed data collection requirements that states must complete regarding progress around the four reform goals mandated by ARRA before they will release the final $12.6 billion: adopting internationally benchmarked standards and assessments; recruiting, and retaining effective teachers and principals; building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals; and turning around our lowest-performing schools. Public comment is invited by August 28, 2009 on the proposed requirements. We encourage you to regularly visit cde.ca.gov to view updates on federal ARRA funding issues. For more information about ARRA visit www.recovery.gov or for information about how ARRA will affect California, visit www.recovery.ca.gov or http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ar/. Primary OESE ARRA ARRA Contacts |