Helios Education Foundation: Newsletters

Education Connection

Volume VI Issue I

President's Message

In the Spotlight

Education Connection

Volume V Issue III

President's Message

In the Spotlight

Education Connection

Volume V Issue I

President's Message

In the Spotlight

Education Connection

Volume IV Issue IV

President's Message

Voting ‘Yes on Prop 204’ is a Vote for Arizona’s Future and Our Children

By Vince Roig, Chairman, and Paul J. Luna, President and CEO, Helios Education Foundation

In November, the nation will engage in the very democracy our country was founded on when we vote to elect the next President of the United States. But as Arizonans go to the polls, we have another key vote to cast on Election Day — a vote for education.

Arizona’s economic future is inextricably linked to our state’s ability to provide a high-quality, P-20 educational system. And by investing in a strong educational system, we open the door to opportunities for Arizona and our children by preparing them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s global economy.

With Arizona’s prosperity currently at stake as we face the end of the one-cent sales tax benefiting education, Helios Education Foundation stands in support of Proposition 204 and in favor of a long-term, dedicated source of revenue to fund education. Prop 204 renews and makes permanent the three-year temporary sales tax passed by voters in 2010, ensuring that 80 percent of the revenue generated will be dedicated to education.

While no one initiative is a silver bullet, Prop 204 moves us closer to filling the financial gaps eating away at the very fabric of our educational system. In fact, without it, our state could face a budget shortfall of up to $1 billion, resulting in more devastating cuts to education and further impeding our ability to prepare our students for success in an increasingly competitive college and career environment.

The report card is out, Arizona has yet to make the grade on its constitutional mandate to appropriately and adequately fund education. According to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, state legislators cut $671 million from the K-12 budget and deferred $1 billion in payments to schools between fiscal years 2008 and 2012. As a result, when compared to other states, we consistently rank at the bottom for per-pupil funding.

Supporting Proposition 204 is a vote for education, our children and Arizona’s economic future.

Right now, across grades, the academic performance of Arizona students, especially minorities and women, in math and science is low. In fact, only 34 percent of 4^th graders and 23 percent of 8th graders score at or above proficient in math. At the same time, Arizona business leaders report not being able to find enough talent with skills in science, technology, engineering and math to fill current and projected jobs opportunities.

Fortunately, Arizona has joined 44 other states in adopting the rigorous, internationally-bench marked Common Core State Standards for math and English, and is collaborating on the Next Generation Science Standards. Arizona is also part of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a collaboration to develop a higher bar assessment of student achievement aligned with these important new standards.

Arizona’s adoption of higher standards and assessments signifies that excellence is expected for every student and in every classroom. Unfortunately, critical components of these mandates remain unfunded or under-funded, including teacher training and much needed technology upgrades for the PARCC test.

We must change course. We must invest in high quality education for all Arizona students.

Prop 204 could provide as much as $180 million toward the implementation of Common Core and other under-funded education reforms, such as Move On When Reading which requires that students be reading at grade level by third grade or be held back; teacher and principal evaluations which will be heavily linked to student performance; and the new A-F school grading system requiring districts and charter schools to improve the performance of their lowest achieving students.

In addition, Prop 204 would establish scholarships for in-state community college and university students, fund General Educational Development (GED) programs and invest in career and technical education programs in high schools and community colleges that graduate students ready to enter the workforce.

Accountable to Arizona voters, Proposition 204 also earmarks resources for a statewide accountability database system and ties a portion of funding to student performance, mandating periodic audits to ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely and deliver results. Most importantly, local school boards, whose members are elected by and accountable to voters, are responsible for the funds and are able to invest them in their local districts for the greatest impact on teacher quality and student achievement.

The world’s ever-evolving, knowledge-based economy demands more graduates who are innovative, critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers. By investing in the academic success of our children and grandchildren, and those of our neighbors, we will naturally address the workforce needs of our state and nation. A commitment to ensuring all Arizona students receive an excellent education also contributes to our overall quality of life, making Arizona a great place to work, live and raise a family.

With government, business, philanthropy and others at the table, we can create a high-performing educational system that produces high-demand graduates. But we must engage and put our children’s education first. Our state needs a long-term, stable solution to education funding, a dedicated source of revenue to help build a high-performing system.

Even in tough economic times we must act with the future in mind, putting our children and our state at the forefront of our decision-making. Prop 204 is a step in that direction.

In the Spotlight

Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable

A group of eight Arizona mayors, with initial funding from the Helios Education Foundation, have formed the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable. The virtual organization, managed by WestEd, a research, development and service agency, will provide an important way for mayors to have in-depth discussions about education initiatives, overcome policy barriers, and develop common, cohesive strategies for addressing local problems.

The Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable will give mayors, who typically have limited opportunities to become involved in their public schools, the chance to share ideas, learn from more experienced peers and experts, and participate in new, place-based convenings and discussions among mayors, their staff, urban superintendents, school district leadership, and community members.

The initial framework for the work of the Arizona Mayors Educational Roundtable is a focus on getting all students to be college and career ready, with the understanding that individual cities may work to reach that goal in different ways, depending on school districts and community priorities.

View Video

Community Investment Highlights and Public Relations

Helios Promotes Linda Thompson to New SVP & Chief Impact Officer Position
Linda Thompson, the Foundation’s former Vice President and Director of Grants Administration, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer.

In her new role, Linda is responsible for leading Helios’ community investment team in Arizona and Florida where she will direct the Foundation’s program officers in the development of funding concepts and partnerships. She is also responsible for aligning the Foundation’s community investment strategies across impact areas and to its overall mission and vision and for managing Helios’ grant processes and systems.

Below, Linda shares her thoughts about her new role and the evolution of the Foundation’s community investment process and its theories of change:

Question: What is your vision for your new role as Chief Impact Officer?

Answer: I envision leading the development of partnerships and community investment strategies that are inclusive and collaborative in nature, have the potential for high impact and learning and are innovative in ways that inform the education landscape.

Question: Does this new role change your interaction with the Foundation’s grantees?

Answer: This new role elevates my relationship with our grantees to that of a strategy thought partner. The Foundation’s grantees may have previously associated me primarily with the grant process and contractual management. Now as Chief Impact Officer, our grantees will see more of my collaborative strategy development role throughout the life of our partnership.

Question: Has the Foundation’s community investment process changed in any way?

Answer: Helios’ community investment process has evolved significantly since we began investing in 2006. Originally, the Foundation looked at the investment process as a mechanism for advancing programmatic efforts either with enhanced or re-designed services or by expanding the scope of promising practices. Now, our community investments are made in complex, systemic efforts that are changing and reforming education in Arizona and Florida. Today’s investments in education attempt to balance innovation with best practice for creating impactful and sustainable change.

Question: How have the Foundation’s theories of change evolved?

Answer: Learning is one of Helios’ key values. As the Foundation learned from the experiences of our early grant making and began to apply that learning, the key strategies employed began to evolve as well. The Foundation uses theories of change to:

Articulate how intended impact will happen.
As a cause-and-effect statement showing how resources will be converted into the desired results.
As an if / then hypothesis: If X happens, then Y will occur.

Recently, both the Early Childhood Education and the Postsecondary Education Success theories of change were refreshed to reflect both programmatic learning and the Foundation's evolving focus on systemic impact.

For more information about Helios Education Foundation's community investment processes, visit our website at www.helios.org.

Arizona Mayors Form Alliance to Improve Education
A number of Arizona mayors have formed the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable, pledging to work together with their local school districts and other community leaders to prepare students to be college and career ready.

At a press event announcing the launch of the new organization in October, eight mayors from across the state agreed that Arizona’s future economic strength is tied to all students having the skills necessary to perform in a 21^st century workforce. Helios Education Foundation provided initial funding for the organization which will be supported by WestEd, a research, development and service agency.

Mayors, who typically have limited opportunities to become involved in their public schools, will have the chance to share ideas, learn from peers and experts and participate in discussions among each other, their staff members, school superintendents, school district leadership and community members.

“Mayors know that education is a key factor in ensuring the quality of life in communities,” said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who will serve as the initial chair of the group. “The Roundtable gives us an active way to work closely with our superintendents, school boards and others in the community to ensure that we are aligning resources toward common community aspirations for education.”

Founding members of the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable include Mayor Stanton, along with Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers, Gilbert Mayor John Lewis, Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Miami Mayor Rosemary Castaneda, and Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell. Several other mayors will be invited to join the roundtable over the course of the first year.

To view press conference photos click here.

Science Foundation Arizona Issues Statewide RFP to Fund Helios STEM Schools
Through a strategic partnership with Helios Education Foundation, Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) has issued a competitive request for proposals (RFP) to fund Helios STEM School Pilot sites in Arizona. The RFP makes grants of up to $500,000 available to schools and districts to implement STEM education curricula in classrooms.

Interested applicants were required to submit a letter of intent by October 5, 2012, and provide their final proposals by November 28, 2012.

The Helios STEM School Pilot initiative is part of SFAz’s newly launched Arizona STEM Network and is designed to improve student outcomes and success rates, increase student readiness for advanced math and science courses, and better prepare students for college and career success.

The competitive RFP was opened to all public and not-for-profit public charter schools and districts across the state to build interdisciplinary, integrated, rigorous and relevant STEM education opportunities for students regardless of their geographic location, academic ability and socioeconomic status.

Eligible proposals will be reviewed by an external review panel, and finalists will be evaluated through site visits to determine the overall quality of the proposals, the leadership and strength of the design team and the potential impact on students, schools and the broader community. Winning applicants will be notified on or before March 1, 2013, and funds will be awarded over a three-year period.

For more information on the RFP, visit Science Foundation Arizona at www.sfaz.org.

Foundations Partner to Expand Associate Degree Completion
Five national foundations announced the recipients of $6.4 million in grants supporting a multi-state initiative to help more students who have transferred from community colleges to four-year colleges and universities complete their associate degrees. The projects were selected from a competitive grant proposal process.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Lumina Foundation and USA Funds have joined forces in the initiative, “Credit When It’s Due: Recognizing the Value of the Quality Associate Degree.”

The initiative encourages partnerships between community colleges and universities to significantly expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when they complete the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. This approach is commonly known as “reverse back” or “reverse transfer.”

The funding will support expansion of programs in 12 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon. For more information, click here.

Teachers in Rural Arizona to Get Boost in Math Professional Development
With Arizona Common Core Standards for Mathematics being implemented statewide, Helios Education Foundation is helping three rural counties, Gila, Graham and Greenlee, build capacity and use interactive technology to provide relevant, high-quality professional development to 5th-9th grade math teachers.

The Foundation is investing $1.2 million over three years into the Arizona Rural Tri-County Education Innovation Initiative (ARTEII) which will collectively impact 700 teachers in 50 schools across 22 districts.

The ARTEII vision is to develop and build the capacity to use interactive and progressive technology-based applications to change professional development delivery in the rural tri-county area. These technologies will create strong links within and among the schools and communities, providing the vehicle for implementing a strong system for professional development, classroom instruction, communication and teacher and principal collaboration.

The partners are working closely with the University of Arizona College of Mathematics which will provide the leadership and training using the Intel Mathematics Program. This researched, evidence-based 80-hour training program will address improvements to teacher skills in areas showing the greatest need based on test scores and high school dropout rates.

Guest Commentary

A Vote for Education is a Vote for a World-Class Future
By Pearl Chang Esau, President and CEO, Expect More Arizona

In the midst of this important election season, as we are pulled in multiple directions for our vote, we need to look seriously at one of the election’s most important issues – education – and why it matters for our nation’s future economic vitality. Both at a national and state level, critical decisions will be made on November 6^th that will impact the preparedness of our future workforce and future leaders.

Our nation is at a fork in the road.

One path leads us to staying where we are today: U.S. students are falling behind their international peers in academic achievement. Students in the U.S. now rank 17^th in science and 25^th in math (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). What’s more, the U.S. is falling behind in college completion. Once a world leader, the U.S. now ranks 12^th in the world of the percentage of young adults who have at least an associate’s degree (College Board).

The other path focuses on raising expectations to deliver a world-class education for all students. This path provides the support necessary to prepare all students to succeed in college and career.

I believe this is the path we’re on together. Arizona and Florida have both adopted reforms that raise the bar and move our education systems in the right direction. For example, both states have adopted the Common Core Standards to increase rigor in our K-12 education system. In Arizona, they are being implemented this year in targeted grades and are expected to roll out to all others next year. The successful implementation of these standards moves us one step closer to ensuring that all of our students are prepared to succeed in college, career and life and compete with their peers around the world for the best jobs.

But we need to do more.

Whether we succeed in raising expectations and improving outcomes for education depends on our public will to make strategic investments in education that deliver a world-class education for all students regardless of zip code, ethnicity or special need. We have a shared responsibility to create the state, nation and world that we want. It starts with each of us voting in support of students, educators and schools in our communities.

At Expect More Arizona, we are asking that we choose the path of success for all students with our Vote 4 Education campaign, a statewide, nonpartisan campaign that asks Arizonans to make education a priority when they vote. Regardless of where you live, you can become a more informed voter by taking the following actions:

Study up on education issues. Learn about the key education reforms that are being implemented in your state, including the Common Core Standards. Expect More Arizona provides four questions that Arizonans can ask their friends, neighbors, family members, elected officials, candidates and community leaders to educate themselves about the issues and to start a dialogue to improve our education system.
Speak Up let your candidate know that you Vote 4 Education by posting on Facebook or Twitter.
Show up on Nov. 6 and cast your ballot.

With your voice and your passion for education, we have the power to change the course of our nation’s education system.

To learn more, visit www.ExpectMoreArizona.org.

Research and Reports

Ready for Success: Creating Collaborative and Thoughtful Transitions into Kindergarten
Christine Patton and Justina Wang of the Harvard Family Research Project

This brief highlights promising practices in six states— New Jersey, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia, and California— where local- and state-level leadership are helping to make the transition into kindergarten a positive experience. The brief concludes with a set of recommendations for policymakers to help support these innovative practices at the local, state, and federal levels.

A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Different Types of Parental Involvement Programs for Urban Students
William Jeynes of California State University

This meta-analysis of 51 studies examines the relationship between various kinds of parental involvement programs and the academic achievement of K-12 students. The analysis supports the notion that school-based parental involvement programs have a positive relationship with the academic achievement of youth, but that further research is needed to examine why some types of programs have a stronger relationship to educational achievement than others.

The Effects of Student Coaching in College: An Evaluation of a Randomized Experiment in Student Mentoring
Eric P. Bettinger and Rachel Baker of Stanford University School of Education

This study presents findings from a rigorous evaluation of InsideTrack, a service that provided individualized coaching to students over two semesters in a range of postsecondary institutions. The coach assisted students in developing a clear vision of their goals, to guide them in connecting their daily activities to their long term goals, and to support them in building skills. The study found that students assigned to receive InsideTrack were significantly more likely than students in the control group to remain enrolled at their institutions. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) determined that the subset of the study meets their WWC evidence standards without reservations. WWC single study review can be found here.

New Brief Offers Recommendations on ECE Professional Development Systems
National Association for the Education of Young Children

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) released a new brief of public policy recommendations on key professionals working to improve early childhood program quality.

With the increasing attention to helping all programs—child care, Head Start, schools—improve the quality of early development and learning of young children, the number of technical assistance professionals has grown significantly. Yet as NAEYC found, through interviews, focus groups and a national survey, state public policies related to these professionals, as well as data and quality assurance policies, remain fragmented and are not fully integrated into the developing state professional development systems.

The report, “Strategic Directions: Technical Assistance Professionals in State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems,” offers states policy recommendations in four key areas:

Common terminology for the diversity of technical assistance professionals.
Standards along with competencies, qualifications and credentials aligned to these roles.
Career pathways, ongoing support and appropriate compensation, and
Data, evaluation and quality assurance.

The report is part of a series of work by NAEYC’s Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative (ECWSI) to help states design and implement high-quality, well-financed early childhood professional development systems for those working directly with and on behalf of young children in the range of settings and sectors.

The ECWSI, assisting states in developing, enhancing, and implementing policies for an integrated early childhood professional development system, is supported by the Birth to Five Policy Alliance and the McCormick Foundation.

National News

60 Percent High School Graduates At Risk of Not Succeeding in College and Career
ACT, Inc
Success in college and career is at risk for at least 60 percent of likely college-bound 2012 U.S. high school graduates, according to nonprofit ACT’s report, The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2012. The annual report focuses on the scores earned by graduating seniors who took the ACT college and career readiness exam—this year a record 52 percent of the U.S. graduating class.

More than a fourth (28 percent) of ACT-tested 2012 graduates did not meet any of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in English, mathematics, reading and science, suggesting they are likely to struggle in first-year college courses in all four of those subject areas. Another 15 percent met only one of the benchmarks, while 17 percent met just two. In short, a total of 60 percent of test takers met no more than two of the four benchmarks. In comparison, only 25 percent of tested 2012 grads met all four ACT benchmarks, unchanged from last year.

ACT’s empirically derived College Readiness Benchmarks are based on actual grades earned in college by ACT-tested students. They specify the minimum score needed on each of the four ACT subject tests to indicate that a student has a 75 percent chance of earning a grade of C or higher or a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher in a typical credit-bearing first-year college course in that subject area. ACT continually updates its research to ensure that the benchmarks are reflective of college success.

College readiness levels remain particularly low among African American and Hispanic students. None of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks were met by more than half of students in those racial/ethnic groups. In contrast, the majority of Asian American and white students met or surpassed the benchmarks in all areas except science.

Common Core Standards Are a 'Heavy Lift' for Districts, Educators
US News and World Report
Implementing the Common Core State Standardswill be challenging—but not impossible—according to experts speaking at NBCs Education Nation summit held in New York recently.

The new standards, adopted by 45 states and theDistrict of Columbia, require English andmath lessons to go more in-depth to teach students critical thinking and analytical skills, in order to develop students who are moreprepared to succeed in college and the workplace. During an informal survey at a discussion, 92 percent of those attending said they thought rolling out the new standards would be either difficult or very difficult.

"It's going to change what we teach, ... how we teach and what materials we use to teach,...how we decide who's ready to graduate fromhigh schooland ... who gets into college, and how we prepare teachers," said Chester Finn, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a nonprofit, education policy think tank. "It's a very heavy lift, and it's well worth lifting."

Learn why STEM knowledge is only skin deep for most U.S. teens.

Read why high school students need to think, not memorize.

Having a common set of standards and expectations means educators can collaborate across state lines as well, noted Monica Sims, a teaching fellow at America Achieves, a nonprofit group working to improve education quality.

"I could talk to a [teacher] across the nation and say ... 'This is what I'm grappling with; what are you doing?" Sims said. "I believe that this is definitely something that everyone has to take a different approach to, but it's totally doable."

While the standards are achievable, they are not a quick fix and states will experience some hurdles in implementing them, cautioned Finn, with the Fordham Institute.

"It's going to go at different rates in different places … and we need to be ready for that," he said. "But honestly, if a dozen states do a bang-up job over the next five, six years, it's going to begin to change the country."

NEA Unveils Plans to Prepare More STEM Teachers
Education Week
The National Education Association recently announced plans to raise $1.5 million for an initiative that aims to increase the number of certified science and math teachers and improve STEM instruction. The teachers' union is pledging up to $500,000, and committing to raise at least $1 million more from the private sector, to expand and replicate the Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) and Progressive Math Initiative both developed by the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning, a nonprofit organization founded by the New Jersey Education Association.

Both the math and science programs use technology to integrate curriculum, pedagogy and assessment and use free open-source digital course content instead of traditional textbooks.

The science program has helped prepare 115 new physics and chemistry teachers since 2009, according to the center.

The N.J. center has also provided training for teachers in New York, Colorado, and Rhode Island.

Teach For America Inspires and Prepares Latino Education Leaders
Teach For America and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) announced the expansion of their partnership to increase the number of Latino leaders working for educational equity and excellence. The partnership focuses on raising awareness among top Latino undergraduates of the impact they can have in the teaching profession.

Teach For America recruits, prepares, and supports outstanding individuals of all backgrounds who commit to teach for two years in underserved schools and become leaders throughout their life in the movement for educational equity. The HHF, established by the White House in 1987, identifies and develops Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce to meet America's priorities.

Teach For America places a particular focus on attracting and fostering the leadership of Latinos and others who share the racial and socioeconomic backgrounds of the students underserved by public schools. Nearly 10 percent of Teach For America’s 5,800 incoming corps members are Hispanic, compared with less than 6 percent of graduates of the top 350 colleges and universities.

Under the new partnership, Teach For America will expand its support of Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT), HHF’s workforce program that provides top Latino students and emerging professionals with leadership training, mentoring, and career-path inspiration. LOFT has tens of thousands of members ages 18 to 27, and works with thousands of others through its Youth Awards program, which honors Latino high school seniors for academic excellence and community service.

For more information, visit Teach For America at www.teachforamerica.org and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation at www.HispanicHeritage.org.

New ACT System Better Connects Assessment to Teaching and Learning
ACT, Inc.
ACT, Inc., has announced new details about its upcoming “next generation” assessment system. The new program, which will span elementary grades through high school, will be called ACT Aspire.

The goal of the system is to provide educators, parents and students with the insights they need to help students get and stay on track for college and career readiness starting early in their academic careers by better connecting assessment, teaching and learning. Field testing for ACT Aspire is already under way, with plans to launch the system in the spring of 2014.

Educators and administrators will benefit from the following aspects of the ACT Aspire system:

The ACT Aspire system will be aligned from elementary grades to high school, connecting each grade level to the next. This will create a cohesive longitudinal system that is comparable and transportable from one state to the next. Teachers and parents can know with confidence where each student is on the path to college and career readiness at every step along the way.

In addition to summative assessments that measure how much students have learned over time, ACT Aspire will include formative assessments that help teachers meet students’ learning needs within individual classes throughout the year. The aligned assessments will inform teachers about students’ progress toward specific learning standards, so they can better tailor their instructional activities and resources to help students learn.

A state-of-the-art, digital delivery of the system—powered by Pearson, with which ACT is partnering on this initiative—will allow teachers to take control of classroom testing, giving them the flexibility to schedule tests according to their classroom schedules. The system will also have the ability to support millions of students at scale on multiple devices, such as laptops and tablets. (The system will also accommodate a paper-and-pencil format for schools that need it.)

The cloud-based, interactive system will accommodate new types of multimedia test items and give educators the ability to view classroom test results almost immediately. This quick insight will help pinpoint gaps between what students have actually learned and what they need to learn, allowing educators to better align assessment, curriculum, learning and intervention strategies.

Because ACT Aspire is evolving from ACT’s more than 50 years of experience with college and career readiness assessment programs and research—and because the system will be anchored by the organization’s flagship college and career readiness exam, the ACT®—it will offer continuity to schools and states that have used the organization’s existing solutions.

The score scales for 3rd through 10th grade assessments will be linked to the familiar College Readiness Benchmark scores used on the ACT, PLAN® and EXPLORE®. The transition to ACT Aspire can therefore occur smoothly, with minimal disruption for many schools and teachers.

ACT Aspire will be fully aligned with the Common Core State Standards, which draw heavily from ACT’s College Readiness Standards and research. The system will also go beyond those standards to measure science skills and other dimensions of readiness.

ACT research indicates that assessment and intervention provided earlier in students’ academic careers improves their chances of succeeding in school and reaching their college and career goals.

Exit Exams Face Pinch in Common-Core Push
Education Week
With many states crafting assessments based on the common core standards—and an increasing emphasis on college and career readiness—some are rethinking the kind of tests high school students must pass to graduate, or whether to use such exit exams at all.

Twenty-five states, enrolling a total of 34.1 million students, make exit exams a graduation requirement, according to astudy released in September by the Center on Education Policy, a Washington-based think tank. That represents 69 percent of the nation's K-12 enrollment. And that's grown over the past decade: In 2003, 19 states representing 52 percent of U.S. enrollment had such exit exams.

But now states including Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island plan to use new common core-aligned tests as exit exams in some form once those tests are fully implemented in 2014-15. Other states are less certain about their plans for the assessments being developed as part of the common-standards push.

Exit exams have grown more prevalent over the past decade, due in part to advocacy from the business community for assessments that can better measure whether students will be ready for the labor force and therefore ensure the value of a high school diploma.

Many of today's exit exams, however, are seen as significantly less rigorous than the common core tests being produced by two consortia, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.

Miami-Dade School District wins Top National Education Award
Miami Herald
The Miami-Dade school district has won the Broad Prize, considered the top award in U.S. public education. The district, a five-time finalist, shone for its academic gains, especially the advanced work and improved graduation rates for black and Hispanic students.

The award brings national prestige to the district and more than half a million dollars in scholarships to Miami-Dade students.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools beat out peer Florida school district and first-time finalist, Palm Beach County, as well as Corona-Norco Unified School District in Southern California and the Houston Independent School District, which was the inaugural winner of the prize 10 years ago.

The Broad (rhymes with “road”) is the largest education award in the country. It aims to combine the spirit of the Pulitzer Prize with the reward of the Nobel Prize, giving $1 million in scholarship money for kids.

The California-based Broad Foundation started the prize in 2002 to recognize urban school districts that have shown the strongest student improvement and closed achievement gaps for poor and minority students. The biggest 75 school districts in the country are automatically considered for the prize; districts cannot apply.

Miami-Dade, the nation’s fourth-largest school district with some 345,000 students, was touted for its work with minority students, including:

A greater percentage of Hispanic and black students reaching advanced academic levels.

A large rise in graduation rates for black and Hispanic students, which climbed 14 percentage points from 2006 to 2009, according to the average of the three recognized methods.

More students taking the college-entrance SAT exam and higher scores, as well. Between 2008 and 2011, the participation and scores rose both across the board and for black and Hispanic students. For example, the number of Hispanic students who took the exam increased 6 percentage points, and the scores rose on average 15 points.

In a panel discussion with district leaders before the announcement, Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho highlighted several strategies, including leveraging the recession into opportunity; not bringing back some 6,000 teachers over the last four years but not firing teachers “for economic reasons”; expanding magnet programs; a laser-like focus on data at the district, region and school levels; and a focus on struggling schools, where principals were replaced and outside groups like City Year and Teach for America provided support.

Even with Miami-Dade’s success, Carvalho said the greatest challenge is an organizational pushback, a sense of complacency that the district has done well and it’s time to rest. “Honestly, I don’t believe in that. We have 80 percent graduation rates. How can we rest with that? We have 20 percent to go,” Carvalho said.

As the winning district, Miami-Dade County Public Schools will distribute $550,000 in college scholarships for high school seniors graduating in 2013. The three remaining finalist districts will each receive $150,000 in college scholarships.

College Enrollment Dropped Last Year, Preliminary Data Show
The Chronicle of Higher Education
After years of growth, enrollment in college dropped slightly in the fall of 2011, according to a new report of preliminary data by the U.S. Department of Education.

The "First Look (Preliminary Data)" report, "Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2011; Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2011; and Graduation Rates, Selected Cohorts, 2003-2008," is based on data from the more than 7,000 colleges that receive federal student aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act.

About 18.62 million undergraduates were enrolled in such institutions in 2011, down from 18.65 million the year before. Graduate-school enrollment also fell, to 2.93 million students in 2011 from 2.94 million in 2010.

While the report does not spell out possible reasons for the declines, for-profit colleges have seen their enrollments drop, in part because of the weak economy and scrutiny of the sector, and state budget cuts have reduced capacity at some public institutions.

Nearly 59 percent of first-time, full-time students seeking bachelor's degrees, or the equivalent, who entered college in 2005 graduated from the institution where they began within six years, the report says

The department plans to release a full report on the data in December.

World Celebrates Teachers in October
Each year on October 5, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) encourages the world to celebrate teachers. This year slogan was “Take a Stand for Teachers!”

“On this day, we call for teachers to receive supportive environments, adequate quality training as well as ‘safeguards’ for teachers’ rights and responsibilities...We expect a lot from teachers – they, in turn, are right to expect as much from us. This World Teachers’ Day is an opportunity for all to take a stand,” said Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General

According to UNESCO, taking a stand for the teaching profession means providing adequate training, ongoing professional development and protection for teachers’ rights. All over the world, a quality education offers hope and the promise of a better standard of living. However, there can be no quality education without competent and motivated teachers, UNESCO says.

Teachers are among the many factors that keep children in school and influence learning. They help students think critically, process information from several sources, work cooperatively, tackle problems and make informed choices.

“Teachers empower students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the 21st century. They connect them to people, languages and experiences beyond their home borders. Recognizing the invaluable contribution and expertise of educators across America and around the world, our Department has gathered teachers from coast to coast and worldwide to share effective methods that encourage labor management collaboration and elevate the teaching profession,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

At UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on World Teachers’ Day, organizers focused on how to attract top graduates to teaching and how to raise the status of teachers.

Education Secretary Outlines Progress and Challenges Ahead
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told an audience at the National Press Club recently that the country is more focused on improving education than ever before and saluted teachers, parents, students and community leaders for embracing real change in a challenging economy.

Duncan and other senior leadership at the U.S. Department of Education embarked on a 12-state tour called “Education Drives America,” where Duncan discussed major education reforms underway, including:

College and career-ready standards in 45 states and D.C.
State-designed accountability systems in 33 states serving more than 60 percent of students.
More local decision-making around interventions in low-performing schools.
Nearly 10 million students attending college with Pell grants – up from 6 million; rising college enrollment and completion.
Greater labor-management collaboration around issues like teacher and principal evaluation, compensation, and career pathways for teachers.

Duncan acknowledged budget pressures affecting states and districts across the country and highlighted the administration’s effort to protect 400,000 education jobs through the Recovery Act and the American Jobs Act. He also raised concerns about cuts to education in Congress.

Vowing to “double down on what we know is working,” Duncan outlined several educational priorities for the country:

High quality early education for more low-income children.
State-driven accountability that demands progress for all kids.
More local decision-making and fewer mandates from Washington.
More support for principals and teachers to translate high standards into practice.
More personalization in the classroom and greater student engagement.
A stronger partnership between teachers and technology.
A new generation of math and science teachers recruited from America’s top universities.
Passage of the DREAM Act.
Reforming career education programs in high schools and community colleges.
Closing the skills gap for millions of unemployed or underemployed adults.
Reforming and simplifying student aid to help drive college affordability and completion.

Duncan closed his remarks with an urgent appeal for bipartisan commitment to education reform, saying: “America must unite behind the cause of public education and recognize that the solutions don’t come from one party or one ideology. They come from all of us – you and me – challenging ourselves and holding ourselves accountable. We don’t have a minute to waste.”

Polk County School District among National Recipients of $28 Million Literacy Grant
The U.S. Department of Education announced the award of $28 million for 46 first-time grants that aim to improve literacy skills for students in high-need districts and schools. Funded for the first time under the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) Program, grants are designed to increase student achievement by promoting early literacy for young children and by motivating older children to read.

Grantees are located in 21 states and the District of Columbia and are comprised of school districts with at least 25 percent of students from families below the poverty line, nonprofit organizations, and a consortium of these organizations and agencies.

In addition to the high-quality literacy activities they will carry out, grantees also will distribute free books to children and their families, efforts which must be based on at least one study that meets the definition of scientifically valid research.

The $28 million represents the first year of funding of these two-year grants. Below are examples of two of this year's IAL grants, one to a school district and one to a national nonprofit organization:

The School District of Polk County in Florida will use its grant to enhance its "Books Bridge" program by expanding family Internet access, extending library hours, and providing outreach to parents about ways to provide engaging and developmentally appropriate literacy activities to use with their children.

Reading is Fundamental (RIF) in Washington, D.C., will use its grant to improve the performance of participating prekindergarten to third grade students in 38 partnering high-need school districts, located across 17 states. RIF's program will focus on improving participating students' performance on early reading assessments, increasing oral language and pre-literacy skills of preschool children, and increasing the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

For the complete list of the 46 IAL grants, alphabetical by state, and including the first year funding amounts, click here.

Tough Times, Even Higher Debts for College Graduates
NPR
Two-thirds of American college graduates left school last year with student loan debt hanging over their heads and the average amount they owed was $26,600, up 5 percent from the previous year. They also walked into a "tough job market" that was only marginally more friendly than in 2010, according to a report released by the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS).

The California-based institute says "the unemployment rate for young college graduates in 2011 remained high at 8.8 percent, a slight decrease from 2010, which saw the highest annual rate on record for this group (9.1 percent)."

But, it adds, "many more young graduates were considered underemployed. Among those who wanted to be working full time, as many as 19.1 percent were either working part time or had given up looking for work. Further, 37.8 percent of working young graduates had jobs that did not require a college degree, depressing their wages."

Despite those sobering statistics, "in these tough times, a college degree is still your best bet for getting a job and decent pay," institute President Lauren Asher says, according to The Associated Press. "But, as debt levels rise, fear of loans can prevent students from getting the education they need to succeed."

Arizona Headlines

Arizona Schools Struggle with Math Demands
The Arizona Republic
Math has gotten harder in Arizona high schools -- not only for students, but for teachers who now need to make sure students pass four years of classes like algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics.

Under a plan approved by the Arizona State Board of Education, this year's graduating class needs four years of math to graduate instead of three. In general, that means that all students must pass algebra I, geometry, algebra II and a fourth class, such as calculus, pre-calculus or business math and statistics.

Starting in the 2014-15 school year, Arizona's statewide math assessment will become more difficult. In some sections of the test, students will be asked to explain answers to math questions essay-style.

The increased requirements are part of a state and national effort to better prepare students for college and the workforce. While educators like Red Mountain Principal Gerald Slemmer favor the change, they also say getting their teachers prepared for it continues to be difficult.

"It's huge -- a monumental project," Slemmer said. "It's not easy to take every kid in a school and teach them math at a level where they are college or career ready by the time they graduate. Their parents and grandparents never learned this stuff. People don't realize how hard it is to change a culture that has been in existence for years."

Teachers in classes like algebra II and geometry, such as Red Mountain's Liz Beveridge, say they are putting in several hours of extra time a week to better prepare for their classes.

"It's a lot more prep time," said Beveridge, who has been teaching high-school math for nine years, the last two Red Mountain. "Overall, it's going well, but I am here until about 6 every night."

Anticipating the change three years ago, Slemmer arranged with Marilyn Carlson, an Arizona State University mathematics professor and director of ASU's ResearchInnovationsin Mathematics and Science Education program, to help his math faculty start to tackle the challenge.

Carlson's program has a five-year $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to research and develop improved high-school pre-calculus instruction. So she has been working with teachers in four Arizona districts -- Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale and southern Arizona's Vail -- to make concepts in classes like algebra II more understandable to students.

Since Red Mountain math teachers started working with Carlson, students at the school have had the highest average scores -- about 19 out of 25 -- in Mesa Public Schools on the district's pre-calculus assessment.

"Our primary goal is to equip teachers to be successful in teaching the new Common Core Standards," Carlson said.

The new Arizona standards demand that teachers present math and reading skills to students in more practical, hands-on ways. Carlson believes that all high-school students -- even those not headed for university educations -- can understand and pass high-school calculus if they get a solid understanding of concepts, like proportion, slope and constant rate of change, in algebra classes.

Such concepts are important not just for future doctors or engineers, but also for students who need a clear understanding of measurements when they work as roofers and nursing assistants

Arizona Launches Common Core Standards
Arizona Public Engagement Task Force
The Arizona Public Engagement Task Force, joined by Governor Jan Brewer and Superintendent John Huppenthal, announced the launch of ArizonaCommonCore.org, a tool for Arizona educators, families and business leaders to learn more about Arizona’s Common Core Standards.

This school year, schools are implementing the Common Core Standards in targeted grades, with full implementation in all grades expected next year. The Standards, along with highly effective teachers, will raise the bar to ensure that all Arizona students have the knowledge and academic skills they need to be successful in college, career, and life.

The Arizona Public Engagement Task Force was convened as an independently formed collaboration of more than 30 partners, representing education statewide from cradle to career. The Task Force was created to build public awareness and engagement regarding key issues impacting education in the state, starting with Common Core.

As a part of ArizonaCommonCore.org, the Task Force also announced the launch of the Arizona Common Core Standards Communications Toolkit. The Toolkit provides superintendents, principals, teachers, parent liaisons, and other community leaders with resources to let parents and the public know about the new Standards.

Items in the Toolkit include: an overview of the Standards, an elevator speech, talking points, key messages for target groups, a template letter for educators to send to parents and a PowerPoint presentation for families, among other resources.

Eileen Klein Accepts Position as ABOR President
Arizona Board of Regents
The Arizona Board of Regents’ (ABOR) Presidential Search Committee named Eileen Klein as the finalist for the position of president of the Arizona Board of Regents and authorized contract negotiations to begin. Ms. Klein is currently chief of staff for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.

In their search for a new president, the Regents sought a seasoned leader with a proven record of success in managing large, complex organizations and experience in senior management; strategic planning and fiscal management; working with legislative bodies; and the ability to analyze state and federal education issues, policy and legislation that will impact the Arizona Higher Education Enterprise (AHEE).

Further, the Board desired a leader to join the three university presidents as a member of the Enterprise Executive Committee and work collectively to advance the goals outlined in the AHEE plan.

The plan calls for reforms in both the instructional delivery model and financing of the university system to support and stimulate Arizona’s economy and quality of life through a top-performing university system that is nationally recognized for excellence in academic and research pursuits.

The Board is expected to vote on a final contract for Ms. Klein at its December 6-7, 2012 meeting.

Percentage of Adults with Bachelor’s Degrees in Arizona Continues to Climb
Arizona Board of Regents
Several years after the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) developed a statewide plan to reach the national average of adults with bachelor’s degrees to ensure an educated workforce for the state, Arizona is making steady progress toward that goal. New data from the 2011 American Community Survey shows that 26.6 percent of Arizonans 25 years of age or older hold a bachelor’s degree, up from 25.9 percent in 2010. The national average for adults with bachelor’s degrees is 28.5 percent.

This news coincides with ABOR’s recent review of its Arizona Higher Education Enterprise metrics, many of which are used to measure and manage the university system’s progress toward its goal of increasing the percentage of adults with bachelor’s degrees. The number of bachelor’s degrees awarded by the university system has steadily increased over the past three years, up 9.2 percent from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Over that same time period, community college transfers are up 8.8 percent and the number of transfer students awarded bachelor’s degrees is up 12.1 percent. Arizona’s state universities currently award about 22,000 bachelor’s degrees per year. The system is working to increase that number to approximately 30,000 by the year 2020. The proportion of Arizona adults who currently hold an associate’s degree saw a slight uptick between 2010 (8.1 percent) and 2011 (8.3 percent).

Arizona’s three state universities – Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona – have expanded access to higher education by developing partnerships with community colleges that allow seamless transfer and offer reduced tuition; increasing online offerings; and opening new partnership campuses such as NAU-Yavapai and ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City that offer select high-demand degrees at a lower rate than main campuses.

Students interested in community college to university transfer programs can visit www.aztransfer.com.

Florida Headlines

Governor Rick Scott Announces College and Career FIRST Agenda
Florida Governor Rick Scott announced his College and Career FIRST (Focusing Investments on Results for Students and Teachers) education agenda for the 2013 legislative session at the Market Watch Education Summit.

During his education listening tour, Governor Scott met with parents, teachers, students, superintendents and union representatives to get ideas on how to better prepare students for college and careers. Governor Scott’s education agenda is based on the feedback he received and is focused on producing better results for teachers and students.

There are three main goals in the College and Career First Agenda:

GOAL 1: Accountability in Transition: Florida will not implement new testing requirements that do not support the new Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards are the new measures that will drive accountability in the classroom. The transition is underway now and the new standards will take full effect next fall. These standards have been adopted in 45 states and the District of Columbia and were developed by educators, business leaders and college professors.

A student’s performance against the Common Core standards will be a practical, tangible measure of how they will perform in both higher education and the workforce.

For example, under these new standards, students will no longer just be asked to answer math questions like the FCAT did. Instead, they will be asked to write out an explanation of how they came up with their answer. This will give educators better information about how students are learning.

As the new standards are implemented, the FCAT for math and English will be eliminated. However, there will still be accountability in Common Core that will help teachers evaluate student progress and change their instruction as needed to drive better outcomes.
The shift to Common Core will not be a curveball thrown into Florida’s education system, but will be clearly communicated to students, parents and teachers to ensure success in the classroom.

GOAL 2: Support Teachers: Florida must support teachers by giving them the tools they need to succeed.

Teacher Supply Program: Under this program, every teacher will be given a debit card, supported by state, district and hopefully private sector funds to purchase supplies for their classroom without spending their personal money, like they do today. Businesses will have the opportunity to invest in classrooms across Florida by working with local districts to support this award program.

Competitive Teacher Training Grant: $2 million of state funds will be invested to create a competitive teacher training grant which will also leverage private sector funding and federal grant dollars to increase teacher training programs.

Mentor Program Funding: Accountability on current mentor program funding will be established to ensure Florida is funding programs that help prepare students for college and careers.

GOAL 3: Flexibility in Education: Florida must increase flexibility in education by eliminating unnecessary regulations so teachers do not lose valuable time preparing students for college and careers

Eliminate Regulations: Many of the regulations recommended to Governor Scott by a panel of seven superintendents will be eliminated to streamline the work of Florida educators. Teachers and superintendants have said they waste valuable time on unnecessary rules and outdated regulations that could be better spent on helping students in the classroom.

District Flexibility: With the move toward more digital materials in the classroom, the law to allow all districts maximum flexibility in purchasing instructional materials will be changed this year. School districts will no longer be restricted to only paper books – but can instead also purchase software programs or other technology.

Remove Enrollment Caps: Enrollment caps on existing charter schools will be removed. Parents will have more options for their child’s success – especially when their child is in a failing school. In business, choice and competition create excellence. Increasing options in education will drive increased results for Florida students.

District Charter Innovation Schools: Legislation will be pursed to allow school districts that already have charter schools to be given the ability to open “District Charter Innovation Schools.” These can be operated by the district with the same funding levels and create more options for parents and students.

“The absolute top priority of our administration is to create jobs and to educate our workers to fill those jobs. A growing economy demands an educated, trained workforce and we must work together to improve our education system for all of Florida’s students,” said Governor Rick Scott. “Our goal is clear - we must focus our entire education system on better preparing students to go on to college or a career. During the upcoming legislative session, we are working to make sure all of Florida’s students are ready to compete and succeed in the 21^st century global economy.”

To learn more about Governor Scott’s education agenda, please click HERE.

New Florida Pre-K Test Draws Concerns from Educators
Education Week
Teachers at Orlando Day Nursery in Florida have always evaluated how well their 4-year-old prekindergartners—most of them poor and African-American—could recognize letters, isolate sounds in words, understand stories read to them and show other hallmarks of early literacy.

Just as important, though, have been the teachers' formal observations of social and emotional development: Could children follow instructions, for example, and make friends and cooperate in a group?

But under a new standardized assessment required by the state to measure how the nearly 184,000 4-year-olds in Florida's voluntary prekindergarten program are doing in early literacy, numeracy, and language development, some early-education providers say those key social skills will be discounted as evidence of how well they are preparing pupils for kindergarten.

Voicing concerns that resonate around the country, early-childhood advocates fear that the state's pre-K providers—under pressure to demonstrate children's progress on academic indicators—will focus only on developing those skills.

The issues in Florida reflect an ongoing national debate over how best to evaluate the school-readiness skills of young children, especially as a growing number of states provide publicly funded preschool programs for low-income families and want to ensure that the money is spent well.

Roughly half the states now use some form of a kindergarten-entry or -readiness assessment, but there are huge variations in which skills and knowledge are measured and how states use the results to make policy and instructional decisions, said Kyle Snow, the director of the Center for Applied Research at the Washington-basedNational Association for the Education of Young Children.

And while momentum around using assessments to measure and improve quality has picked up even more since the U.S. Department of Education announced itsRace to the Top Early-Learning Challenge grantsfor states last year, establishing broad agreement among early-childhood educators and K-12 practitioners on what constitutes school readiness and measuring that accurately is a work in progress everywhere, Mr. Snow said.

If states are going to require assessments, Mr. Snow said, it's imperative to proceed with care in deciding when, how and why they are doing so, and to make sure all facets of a child's development and learning are evaluated.

In 2012-13, the state will spend $413 million to provide prekindergarten services through a network of private preschools and child-care centers, as well as some public schools. The estimated enrollment of nearly 184,000 children represents roughly 84 percent of all of Florida's 4-year-olds. Any child who turns 4 by Sept. 1 is eligible to participate; there is no family-income requirement.

$2M Grant for University of Florida Will Bolster STEM Teaching
NPR State Impact – Florida
Young students who have their eyes on a future in STEM-related careers are getting a boost from the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville.

Governor Rick Scott wants more degree programs in STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Scott believes that if Florida produces more STEM graduates, companies will be lured to the state and more high paying jobs will be created.

Now, UFs College of Education has been awarded a $2 million, two-year grant from the state to create research-based, professional development support for new science and math teachers in middle and high schools.

The university has established a program called Florida STEM-Teacher Induction and Professional Support, also known as the Florida STEM-TIPS Center. Through this project, teachers will be provided with mentoring, training and other support during their first two years on the job.

Griffith Jones, a UF science education professor, will oversee teacher development activities statewide.

“We aim to work with districts to reverse the lack of teacher induction support that historically drives nearly one-third of new teachers from the classroom by their third year of teaching,” Jones said.

The work will start in Dade, Duval and Palm Beach counties, where UF has partnerships with the local school districts. Activities include professional-development training in new curriculum standards and grade-specific mentoring.

The Florida Department of Education grant will also enable UF professors to visit state universities to tout a STEM teacher preparation program called UTeach. It’s the model for UF’s own UFTeach program which recruits top science and math majors into teaching by offering a creative curriculum with progressively complex field experiences teaching those subjects in area schools.

The center will also host webinars and online networking opportunities for science and math teachers.

Florida PTA Asks State Board of Education to Reconsider Race-Based Plan
NPRs State Impact – Florida
The Florida PTA is asking the State Board of Education to reconsider a five-year plan which sets different achievement goals by race.

The new goals have drawn criticism from local school officials, who argue they set a lower bar for black and Hispanic students.

While the recently adopted plan sets different goals by race short-term, state officials said, the long-term goal is 100 percent of students of all races performing at grade level or better.

“Florida PTA and the Board of Education share a common goal – to increase the proficiency of all students and to provide them with a quality education in preparation for college and career,” the group said in a statement. “How we move towards this goal is where we differ.”

“Florida PTA believes all students, regardless of race, geography or gender should be expected to attain the same educational goals. Given the proper tools, we believe every child can learn and be successful. By setting ethnicity-based goals, the door is open for continued discrimination.”

The Florida PTA says the state should focus on high poverty areas, putting money into early childhood education, health and nutrition programs.

Gov. Rick Scott has also criticized the new race-based goals but has not said what the State Board of Education should do instead. A coalition of parent activists has asked the federal government to review the new academic plan.

Education Reform Group to Close its Doors
Los Angeles Times
The Gates Foundation, the country's most influential education-policy organization, has quietly ended financial support for a national group formed to push for favored reforms, including an overhaul of teacher evaluations.

Communities for Teaching Excellence, headed by former L.A. school board member Yolie Flores, is planning to close its doors next month. Although based in Los Angeles, the group had a presence in Hillsborough County, Florida; Memphis, Tenn.; and in Pittsburgh — all locations where the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded the development of new teacher-evaluation systems.

The group was formed in 2010 to influence public opinion and exert pressure on public officials to adopt sometimes controversial policies. Since then, a number of other groups have taken up a similar mission; Gates has helped fund some of those as well.

When the organization started, Flores said, "there was not much going on in terms of advocacy. Fast forward three years, it's a pretty crowded space and it's a good thing."

But Communities for Teaching Excellence was not hitting its marks in terms of generating press coverage and building community coalitions, said Amy Wilkins, chairwoman of the board of directors. She said the board voted to shutter the organization; the Seattle-based Gates Foundation agreed with the decision.

"The field was more complex … and building these partnerships was more difficult than anybody had imagined," Wilkins said. "The inventors of this organization had envisioned more robust activity at the local level than we were achieving."

Perceptions also were an issue: The group was depending on Gates for 75 percent of its budget.

"Gates was such a big part of the funding," Wilkins said. "That made some of the partners and other funders nervous. How do you look like an independent actor? You have to show broad public support so you're not seen as a phony-baloney front for Gates. People criticized the organization for that and they didn't move closer to shaking that label."

Wilkins praised Flores and her staff, but said that the "model" of a national advocacy organization wasn't working and that it made more sense for Gates to support local groups engaged in comparable work. (Wilkins also has ties to Gates funding as an official with Washington, D.C.-based Education Trust, for which the foundation has provided substantial support.)

The group coordinated media campaigns and, at times, helped recruit a small army of parents who descended on school board meetings. Many of these parents were recruited from independently managed local charter schools, even though those campuses can enforce their own evaluation rules and were not directly affected.

Although Flores said test results are not the only way to gauge achievement, she said other options are not generally available and that such an objective measure has a necessary role in teacher reviews.

Such positions prompted opposition from the teachers union in L.A. and others but have been supported by the Obama administration through grants and other incentives. Across the country, many school systems are revamping teacher evaluations as well as tenure and seniority rules.

In Hillsborough County this year, new bonuses will be paid to teachers who raise the achievement of low-performing students.

Florida Educational Consortia Select Instructional Improvement System
Orlando Sentinel
One of Florida’s Race to the Top initiatives is that all districts will implement a local instructional improvement system (LIIS) to provide teachers and administrators with the information and resources they need to improve their instructional practices, decision-making and overall effectiveness.

To systematically manage instructional improvement, regional educational consortia across the state are turning to Performance Matters™, a web-based solution that provides an integrated platform for student assessment, data management and teacher effectiveness.
The Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC) and the Heartland Educational Consortium (HEC) are the most recent consortia to make the Performance Matters assessment and data management system and the FASTe (Formative Action System for Teacher Effectiveness) platform available to their member districts.

To date, all six HEC districts and 11 of 13 PAEC member districts, as well as two PAEC participating districts, have purchased the Performance Matters assessment and data management system.

The web-based system, which is currently in use in 47 percent of Florida school districts, provides an integrated solution for data-driven decision making, from the individual student level to the district level. Using interactive dashboards and color-coded reports, educators can monitor student performance and growth in real time, evaluate instructional impact, and analyze policies and programs.

The districts also purchased FASTe, a turnkey system for evaluating educator effectiveness, with a framework that can be customized for each school district. Accessible year-round, the FASTe online platform enables educators to “progress monitor” their performance against the multiple measures that make up their annual evaluations and link to relevant, timely professional development resources. At the end of the year, educators can then produce summative rating reports, based on the school system’s criteria.

STEM-Related Job Openings on the Rise in Florida
Florida Governor’s Office
The number of available online job openings in STEM-related fields in Florida is up sharply over the previous year, with more than 64,000 postings in September 2012 (the most recent month available). Over-the-year job postings are up almost 9 percent compared to September 2011.

“Jobs in STEM-related fields are high skill positions that are helping to further grow and diversify our economy,” said Governor Rick Scott. “Seeing an increase in the demand for these jobs shows that we’re making significant strides and ensuring that Florida is a leader in growing industries.”

According to the Help Wanted OnLine data series from The Conference Board, the number of STEM-related job postings in Florida in September 2012 increased by over 5,000 from the previous September. Major occupational groups with the most online ads in September were healthcare practitioners and technical occupations; computer and mathematical occupations; and business and financial operations occupations.

Hillsborough County led all Florida counties in job postings followed by Miami-Dade, Orange, Broward, Duval and Palm Beach counties.

Community Investments

Helios Education Foundation’s Board of Directors has announced its Fourth Quarter community investments in education toward early childhood literacy, college access and postsecondary education success and numerous other initiatives in Arizona and Florida.

Arizona

United Way of Northern Arizona, Campaign for Grade Level Reading - $330,000
Valley of the Sun United Way, Campaign for Grade Level Reading - $550,000
United Way of Yuma County, Campaign for Grade Level Reading - $150,000
Arizona State University Foundation, ASU Spirit of Service Scholars - $120,000

Florida

Foundation for Florida Colleges, Credit When It’s Due - $495,000

Education Connection

Volume 3 Issue 3

President's Message

Yuma Leaders Take Bold Steps toward College and Career Readiness

If you're unfamiliar with Yuma, Arizona, that may soon change because it's on the verge of making education history. This not-so-sleepy community close to the Arizona-Mexico-California borders is the home of Yuma Union High School District and its nearly 11,000 students—the majority of whom are minority and qualify for the district's free/reduced lunch program.

At a time when educators are often criticized for being slow to change, Yuma Union High School District's leadership, teachers and students are taking bold steps to ensure every YUHSD graduate is prepared to succeed in college and career. And the steps they are taking are designed to challenge and support academically elite students, struggling students and every student in between.

Helios Education Foundation is proud to partner with Yuma Union High School District on a new initiative called Ready Now Yuma. Ready Now Yuma provides every student with a rigorous, high expectations curriculum within a college-going environment. Its district-wide approach makes it unique from other programs across the state and it raises the bar for all students by providing them with an academic program used by many of the countries leading the world in student academic achievement.

Currently in Arizona, however, 60 percent of graduates require remediation upon entry into a two-year college program. Only 18 percent of the state's graduates meet all four benchmarks – English, reading, math and science – for college and career-readiness on the ACT exam. Add to the mix the newly adopted and more rigorous Arizona Common Core State Standards and preparing our students to succeed in college and career can seem out-of-reach.

But, our goal is for Ready Now Yuma to show that it can be done for every student across an entire public school district.

Helios is investing $3.9 million in Ready Now Yuma and the success of YUHSD students over the next five years. The rigorous curriculum and adoption of a learning model that fosters college and career-ready skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving sets Yuma students on a path to preparedness ahead of many of their peers.

Although the results of our collective efforts around Ready Now Yuma will not be realized for several years to come, what we do know is that the leadership being demonstrated by the Yuma Union High School District board, administrators, teachers and students should be commended.

Being the first to blaze a trail takes courage, but it's their unwavering commitment to the success of every student that deserves our support and applause.

In the Spotlight

It Takes a Village: A Look at "STEM in the Middle"

In its second summer of providing teacher professional development to science and math instructors from across the Valley of the Sun, STEM in the Middle has quickly become a proven, effective approach to teacher professional development, mentoring and problem-solving. It's an initiative aimed at increasing middle school student success in mathematics and the sciences, while enhancing their interest in careers in STEM.

Hosted by Arizona State University's Center for Practice, Research and Innovation in Mathematics Education (PRIME), STEM in the Middle has attracted over 46 teachers and 93 students from valley schools to participate in workshops during the academic school year and summer months.

Each workshop deepens teachers' math and science content knowledge and their pedagogical skills, ultimately helping them provide their students with engaging relevant learning activities in the STEM disciplines.

The workshops also provide teachers the opportunity to network, learn other teaching strategies from each other and increase their knowledge of how to address student needs and talents, including how to connect a student's academic strengths to career interests.

Dr. Jo Anne Vasquez, Vice President and Program Director, Transition Years – Teacher & Curriculum Initiatives for Helios Education Foundation has been working closely with PRIME Center on the development and implementation of STEM in the Middle.

"The uniqueness of this program is twofold," Dr. Vasquez said. "It helps prepare teachers for implementing the new Mathematics Common Core Standards and it lays the framework for their understanding of the Next Generation Science Standards due out in 2013," she continued. "This initiative provides relevant, interdisciplinary activities that engage teachers and students and provides the springboard to quality STEM education."

The program's "it takes a village" approach encourages teachers to share their teaching strategies, collaborate with one another and, most importantly, share what their students learned through the workshops.

The student component of STEM in the Middle provides 5th through 8th grade students an opportunity to participate in ClubSTEM, a highly engaging, hands-on education session. While students engage in activities with their teachers, researchers gather data to help further develop effective teaching strategies that will prepare students for postsecondary education success.

Undergraduate STEM majors from ASU and high school students from Bioscience High School in Phoenix assist the scientists, mentor the students during project explorations and serve as student role models. Seven Club STEM meetings are held at the ASU Preparatory Academy in downtown Phoenix for three hours on Saturday mornings each semester. The seventh meeting is a showcase for the community where students describe and demonstrate their projects.

Helios Education Foundation was attracted to this innovative program because of its research-based approach to teaching difficult subjects to students. The Foundation invested $823,826 over a three-year period for program implementation.

By moving outside the classroom walls, the workshops provide strategies for incorporating visits to museums, zoos and public parks with an emphasis on incorporating science and math in order to give students experiences in applying their learning.

For example, a trip to the Arizona Science Center could also serve as a mathematical adventure, where students can apply mathematical concepts, skills and strategies to solve problems that arise from the exhibits, such as the Brainy Exhibit. Here students learn to calculate the weight of their brain by knowing their own body weight.

Kristi Larson, a former 5th and 6th grade Science teacher at Sequoia Charter School Elementary, who will be teaching 5th and 6th grade Science this upcoming school year at the ASU Preparatory Academy, has been participating in STEM in the Middle since inception. During a recent visit to this summer's workshop, she shared that she applied the strategies she learned through STEM in the Middle and now her students have achieved the highest math scores in her district this academic school year.

"This program has helped me gain a better understanding of how to make math teaching fun," Ms. Larson said. "Anything around you—a pencil, paper and measuring tape—can be made into a math problem."

Kristi's participation in STEM in the Middle led to the creation of a new position at her school. The STEM Coordinator role now focuses on professional development for math and science teachers to help increase their content knowledge, develop curricula and design activities and projects that integrate key STEM ideas and concepts.

It takes a village to help students achieve academic success, and programs like STEM in the Middle are helping engage students, improve their academic performance and expose them to STEM-related fields while creating and sustaining a strong pipeline of STEM educators.

Community Investment

Helios Education Foundation's Board of Directors has announced its Third Quarter community investments in education, totaling more than $11.3 million toward college access, math readiness, early literacy and numerous other initiatives in Arizona and Florida.

Third Quarter Investments

ACT, Inc., for the ACT Initiative - $275,000
Center for the Future of Arizona for the Education Innovation Collaborative - $525,000
Gila County Education Service Agency for the Arizona Rural Tri-County Education Initiative - $1,274,000
Science Foundation Arizona toward the development of the Arizona STEM Network and the implementation of the Helios STEM Immersion Pilot School Program - $ 4,050,000
United Way of Tampa Bay for the School Readiness Project - $1,000,000
United Way of Tucson for the Read On Preschool Literacy Project Grade Level Reading - $310,000
Yuma Union High School District for Ready Now Yuma - $3,900,000

Helios Invests $3.9 Million to Advance the College & Career Readiness of Yuma Students

With nearly 60 percent of Arizona students requiring remediation upon entry into college, Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD ) students have an unprecedented opportunity to lead the state in college and career readiness as a result of a $3.9 million, five-year investment by Helios Education Foundation.

The multi-million dollar investment in Yuma County's largest high school district is targeted for the implementation of Ready Now Yuma, an initiative of YUHSD and Helios to ensure that every district student graduates prepared to succeed in college and career. By providing students with a rigorous, high expectations curriculum within a college-going environment the partners also seek to increase the number of students entering and succeeding in postsecondary education.

Nearly 3,000 9th grade students and 100 teachers, counselors and administrators participated in the initial planning and pilot of Ready Now Yuma during the 2011-2012 academic school year. Ready Now Yuma moves into district-wide implementation beginning this fall, where every 9th and 10th grade student in the district will participate in the high expectations curriculum.

All 11,000 YUHSD students will benefit from the college-going and career-readiness culture being fostered within the district's six high schools as well as student-centered counseling, inquiry-based instruction and additional academic supports.

"Ready Now Yuma represents a cultural shift in the way we prepare students to compete and succeed in a global economy," said Vince Roig, founding chairman of Helios Education Foundation. "Every YUHSD student, regardless of past academic performance or post-high school aspirations, will now receive a world-class education which prepares them for every future opportunity and puts them on-par with their national and international peers."

The investment comes at a pivotal time for Yuma students as YUHSD, along with school districts across Arizona, are required to begin implementing the nationally and internationally-benchmarked Common Core State Standards. Arizona, in addition to 45 other states and the District of Columbia, adopted the higher-bar standards to improve the academic performance and college and career-readiness of students to meet the higher expectations and needs of colleges and employers.

According to the Arizona Board of Regents, nearly half of Arizona's graduates do not qualify to enroll in the state's public universities. Since full implementation of the Common Core State Standards is not required until 2014, Yuma students who embrace Ready Now Yuma will have a competitive advantage over their peers and will be leading the way to academic excellence in Arizona.

"Helios' leadership and investment in Ready Now Yuma will profoundly impact our students, YUHSD and the Yuma community overall," commented Toni Badone, superintendent of Yuma Union High School District. "Our goal is to equip every student with the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in college, career and life. By doing so, we will demonstrate that Yuma is a viable business environment with a stable and talented workforce pipeline."

In addition to the high expectations curriculum, the various reforms and improvements being implemented within YUHSD as part of Ready Now Yuma include supporting teachers to actively engage students in a learning model that emphasizes critical thinking, inquiry and problem-solving; focusing on student mastery of skills and knowledge by providing authentic learning experiences and high-bar assessments; enabling personalized, future-oriented conversations with students and families that reinforce the importance of postsecondary education for every student; offering additional academic supports to ensure mastery of skills and knowledge by all students; and providing multiple pathways to college and career success including advanced placement, dual enrollment, and career and technical education.

The Class of 2015 will be the first group of graduates to reap the full rewards of Ready Now Yuma by having participated in the high expectations initiative for their entire high school career.

Doubling Up for Education

The Rays Baseball Foundation and Helios Education Foundation are partnering to provide $1 million in college scholarships for students participating in Take Stock in Children in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee and Pasco counties.

Foundation Chairman Vince Roig joined Rays Principle Owner Stuart Sternberg to announce "Doubling Up for Education," a partnership aimed at giving students the financial resources and mentorship support they need to successfully achieve a postsecondary education at any Florida state college.

"The Rays are proud to join the Helios Education Foundation and Take Stock in Children in the creation of "Doubling up for Education," said Tampa Bay Rays Principle Owner Stuart Sternberg. "The scholarships and mentoring support provided by this program will open new doors for students and families throughout Tampa Bay and provide long-lasting impacts within our community."

Each time a Rays player hits a double in a regular season game, Helios will donate $600 toward the initiative and the Rays Baseball Foundation will match that gift. The partners expect a combined cash total of $200,000 each season toward college scholarships, bringing the total scholarship investment to $1 million over five years.

"We are in a race against the clock in education today," said Helios Education Foundation Chairman Vince Roig. "We are living in a knowledge-based economy, and it's going to take all of us - parents, teachers, school systems, political leaders, businesses - everybody staying engaged and investing in education if we are to graduate our students college and career ready. We're excited to partner with the Rays Baseball Foundation and to support an organization like Take Stock in Children, which is committed to helping our students achieve postsecondary education success."

Take Stock in Children provides a unique opportunity for low-income and at-risk students, many from minority families, to escape the cycle of poverty through education. The program offers students college scholarships, mentorship and hope for a better life. The program's comprehensive services start in middle school, continue through high school and include helping students transition to college.

"On behalf of the five local programs that are receiving Take Stock in Children scholarships, I would like to sincerely thank the Rays Baseball Foundation and Helios Education Foundation for their generous support," said Terry Boehm, President, Pinellas Education Foundation. "It's because of partners like these that we are all able to support deserving students in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

Although each of our programs work within our own counties, we are all part of a bigger family - that being Take Stock in Children."

Florida's Education Funders Convene on Reform Initiatives

The Florida Philanthropic Network hosted its annual summer convening of the Education Funders Affinity Group to focus on current education reform initiatives in the state and explore philanthropy's role in those efforts.

Funders gathered to hear from each other and from industry experts on current education initiatives, K-12 education reforms underway or soon to be underway, including Common Core State Standards, new teacher and principal evaluation systems, new FCAT cut scores, the ESEA waiver and Florida's Race To The Top effort.

Participants mapped out how Florida grantmakers can be most effective with their educational investments in light of current reforms, and how they can partner with government and others to enhance the effectiveness of those reform efforts.

Professional Development and Inspiration

In 2009, Helios Education Foundation partnered with Northern Arizona University (NAU) and the Flagstaff Unified School District to establish and implement learning hubs for early childhood educators in northern Arizona. The Foundation invested over $294,000 toward this initiative with a focus on teacher professional development and training research over a two-year period, particularly among early care educators in Flagstaff.

NAU researchers documented these trainings, capturing best practices so that early childhood professional development can be enhanced and implemented in other communities.

During the first year, learning hubs were created and implemented in the Flagstaff community only. This allowed for the team of researchers to closely monitor the program and document the details for the next phase, which was expanding to nearby communities.

In year two, the learning hubs were extended to the outlying communities of STARR School in Leupp, Whiteriver and Page, Arizona, Hopi, TAPP and Ponderosa High School. Over the two-year period, approximately 220 people directly benefited and nearly 3,000 other indirectly benefited from the professional development in early childhood education.

In each community, participants identified their needs and this led to specific content for professional development. Some of the needs included supporting literacy in children birth through five, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education), Reggio Emilia inspired teaching and classrooms, resources in early childhood (special needs, health and advocacy) and integrating technology in early childhood. Each of the needs was addressed and resources were provided to each of the learning hubs.

Specifically, a group of teachers from Marshall Elementary Magnet School and Little Ropers Preschool in Flagstaff had been exploring Reggio Emilia inspired classrooms, meeting weekly to discuss their projects, their documentation efforts and their own journey in reframing their ideas about the image of the child.

The Reggio Emilia Educational Philosophy provides teachers with the knowledge, flexibility and if necessary, the permission to create activities and interactions based on the interests of the children through self-guided curriculum.

The Reggio project, as it affectionately became known, included trips to Opal School in Portland, Oregon, Ochoa School in Tucson, Arizona and a joint professional development session with Paradise Valley Community College. The trips provided additional opportunities for the participants to learn more about the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy.

NAU documented this journey and produced a video to highlight the implementation of a Reggio Emilia inspired classroom and teachings.

Click here to view the video

TGen Provides Scientific Starting Blocks for Helios Scholars

The 45 interns in the Helios Scholars Program at TGen recently completed eight weeks of scientific investigations with a daylong symposium at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

Under the mentorship of TGen researchers - who provide one-on-one instruction - Helios Scholars use leading-edge technology to help discover the genetic causes of diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and many types of cancer.

This is the sixth year of TGen's Helios Scholars program, funded for 25 years through a $6.5 million grant from Helios Education Foundation. Helios is focused on creating a high-expectations, college-going culture in Arizona and Florida by investing in initiatives that improve education at all stages of the continuum and create opportunities where all students are prepared to attend and succeed in postsecondary education.

"TGen's summer intern program is a prime example of why Helios believes in the transformational power of education and in the importance of creating opportunities for student success," said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna. "Helios Scholars at TGen get a head start in advancing their professional goals in a hands-on program. At the same time, they are potentially making breakthroughs that could benefit actual patients."

TGen's Helios Scholars Program is open to high school, undergraduate and graduate level students, including those in medical school.

"Our collaboration with the Helios Education Foundation is helping prepare a new generation of scientific investigators for Arizona," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen's President and Scientific Director. "We enable them to explore the biosciences beyond the classroom, engaging their research skills through critical work in state-of-the-art laboratories."

The internships help students from all backgrounds - selected from a competitive pool of applicants - sharpen their research skills as they prepare for careers in science and medicine.

"TGen's cultivation of the scientific interests of these students is an investment in Arizona's future. We're enhancing the skill sets they will need to succeed in today's high-tech, knowledge-based economy," said Brandy Wells, TGen's Education and Outreach Specialist. "It is amazing what these students have been able to accomplish in such a short time."

TGen's past summer interns boast an array of impressive accomplishments, including publishing scientific abstracts and peer-reviewed articles, gaining acceptance into medical and graduate school and winning scholarships and prizes.

The application for next year's Helios program opens in January 2013. For more information about TGen and the internship program, visit www.tgen.org/intern

Guest Commentary

Reaching a Big Goal

By Braulio Colón, Executive Director
Florida College Access Network

By 2015, Florida is projected to become the third most populous state in the U.S. just behind California and Texas. The implication such growth will have on our nation's economic, political, and cultural climate will be determined largely by the educational attainment level of Florida residents and how well-matched the skills of our talent pool are with that of the 21st century economy.

Florida's economy is changing and now looks beyond agriculture, growth, and tourism to sustain development and to generate prosperity for its citizens. High-growth industries in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), healthcare, business, financial services, high-tech manufacturing, and education are all expected to drive Florida's economic growth during this century. These jobs will require training beyond high school and therefore meeting the talent demand of such middle and high-wage industries will require that more students in Florida succeed in postsecondary education.

Today, only 37 percent of Florida residents hold at least a two-year college degree. According to labor market estimates, Florida will need to increase this percentage to at least 60 percent during the next decade. This can be done. But getting there is going to take all of us taking action, working together as partners, and leveraging our talents and strengths to make sure all students in our community have access to a high-quality education that prepares them academically, socially, and financially for success in college or a career.

To this end, the Florida College Access Network (Florida C.A.N.!) is committed to doing its part to create and strengthen a statewide network that catalyzes and supports communities to improve college and career readiness, access, and completion for all students.

With the expertise of our strategic planning taskforce and with the support of our national and state partners including the Helios Education Foundation, Lumina Foundation for Education, Florida Department of Education, and the University of South Florida, Florida C.A.N.! is finalizing its plan of action and calling on business, philanthropy, local governments, community organizations, institutions of higher education, media, students, and parents to partner with us in helping Florida reach a BIG GOAL: to increase the percentage of Florida residents who hold a high-quality degree or credential from 37 percent to 60 percent by the year 2025. We call it "Goal 2025" and together we can reach it.

Over the next several months, Florida C.A.N.! will be hosting regional conversations throughout the state to seek input on the network strategy and to hear directly from business and community leaders on what it will take to support effective local action around this agenda. This movement is about more than economic development, it's about securing Florida's future and ensuring a high quality of life for our children.

The Florida College Access Network (FCAN) is one of Helios Education Foundation's strategic initiatives and it's Florida's first collaborating network of national, state and local entities committed to increasing the proportion of working adults who hold a high-quality postsecondary degree or credential from 37 percent to 60 percent by 2025. Helios has awarded FCAN a planning grant of $200,000 toward its statewide, strategic planning efforts.

Recent Research and Reports in Education

Compiled by Bethany Miller, Evaluation and Research Analyst
Helios Education Foundation

Certificates Gateway to Gainful Employment and College Degrees

By Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce

This recent report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce finds certificates to be a cost-effective means of enhancing postsecondary educational attainment as well as gainful employment. Counting only certificates with “clear and demonstrable economic value,” the United States would “move from 15th to 10th in postsecondary completions” among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for 25- to 34-year-olds.

In making this case, the report investigates several aspects of certificates:

The earnings of certificate holders by field of study, sex, race/ethnicity, and program length.
The demographic characteristics of certificate holders: sex, race/ethnicity, age, educational attainment, academic preparation/skill, family income, and parents' education.
The institutions that most commonly award certificates—such as community colleges and for-profit institutions—and the states where certificates are most prevalent and provide the highest earnings returns.

See the full report here

Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers

By the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance Chaired by Steve Graham of ASU

The What Works Clearinghouse produced a new educator's practice guide targeted to teachers, literacy coaches, and other educators who want to improve the writing of their elementary students. The guide reviews four recommendations for improving elementary students' writing:

Provide daily time for students to write.
Teach students to use the writing process for a variety of purposes.
Teach students to become fluent with handwriting, spelling, sentence construction, typing, and word processing.
Create an engaged community of writers

For each recommendation, the guide provides both a review of the evidence supporting the recommendation and examples of successful implementation.

See the full report here

National Indian Education Study: The Education Experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native Students at Grades 4 and 8

By the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics

The National Indian Education Study (NIES), as part of the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), provides information on the academic performance of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in reading and mathematics.

Over 5,000 AI/AN fourth-graders and 4,000 AI/AN eighth graders participated in the 2011 NAEP assessments nationwide. The overall results document a persistent achievement gap between AI/AN students and their non-AI/AN peers. The report presents additional performance results, including updated data on the achievement gap and trends, broken out by race and ethnicity, gender, and family income. It also includes descriptive information about the schools attended by AI/AN students.

See the full report here

Arizona News Stories

Report: Arizona Ranks Nearly Last In Spending on Public Education

Captiol Media Services

Arizona is near the bottom of all states when it comes to spending money on public education, according to a new report.

The study by the U.S. Census Bureau shows per pupil spending in Arizona at $7,848. That compares with $10,615 nationwide and puts the state ahead of only Idaho and Utah.

But the report also shows that this isn’t simply a function of Arizona being a less expensive place to live, a figure that is repeatedly reflected in the fact that per capita personal income in the state lags the national average.

The Census Bureau also looked at classroom spending in each state based on personal income for that state.

That, however, moved Arizona up in the rankings only a bit. Its figure of $40.55 for each $1,000 of personal income left it ahead of only Tennessee, Florida and the District of Columbia.

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said the state had to cut education funding in prior years to balance the budget.

He said some of that was restored, with an additional $177 million put into public schools this year. That includes $40 million given to schools to help ensure that children know how to read by the end of third grade.

"But it's also a mistake to judge education by per student funding," said Kavanagh, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

"If per pupil funding were the most important factor, parents would be rushing to send their children to school in Newark, N.J. and Washington, D.C.," he said. "They have the highest per pupil funding in the nation. But they also have the worst performance."

State School Superintendent John Huppenthal agreed.

"Contrary to popular perception, our education system is slightly above the national average," he said. "When you have our cost equation, it means we run a much, much more cost-effective school system than any other state in the nation."

Huppenthal acknoweldged that figures from last year's National Assessment of Education Progress actually show the state lagged the national average in each of the four categories where students in fourth and eighth grade were tested. That includes math, reading, science and writing.

A further analysis shows other patterns. For example, 28 percent of Arizona eighth-graders were listed as proficient or advanced in reading. That compares with 32 percent nationwide. But Huppenthal said the Rand Corp., a conservative think tank, does its own analysis of those NAEP scores, one he said shows Arizona above the national average.

Sen. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, Kavanagh's Senate counterpart, was more willing to link funding to academic achievement. "Of course it's a factor," he said, though he said it's not the "total picture."

Shooter said, though, lawmakers had little choice when the economy went in the tank - and tax collections shrank - but to make some of the spending cuts in education. He said part of that is because other big-ticket items, like the state's Medicaid program, are protected at least in part by voter-approved requirements, making them off-limits to legislative cuts.

Grant to Help Upgrade Arizona Data System On Schools

Replacement will help state track school, testing info better
Arizona Republic

A federal grant, coupled with money from the Arizona Legislature, will help lay the groundwork for replacing the state's data system to give schools more-timely information on test scores and student enrollments.

Arizona is one of two dozen states receiving federal grants to improve their data systems. The $5 million grant to Arizona, along with up to $6.6 million in state money for fiscal 2013, will set the stage for a larger and more powerful data system.

For more than a decade, the state Department of Education has struggled to track the roughly 1 million students who attend public schools. The giant data system, called the Student Accountability Information System, or SAIS, is outdated and overburdened, and the state is taking steps to replace it.

"Our current system is so awful, it is a mutant organism," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

States around the country are working to improve their data systems because of increased federal reporting and accountability requirements. Arizona's system was originally used to track enrollment and students moving in and out of schools for the purposes of paying schools. Later, the state began gathering scores on state standardized tests, which allow the state and federal governments to measure how much academic progress students and schools are making.

School officials have complained the system is slow, inefficient and error-prone. Errors have meant some schools end up with overpayments or underpayments that have to be sorted out. This also presents a challenge for school districts when they prepare their budgets for the next year. It's hard for them to forecast how much money they will get if student enrollment numbers are wrong.

The new data system will eventually allow the state to link individual student test scores to teachers. Many schools and districts track this, but such data is not available in the state computer system. Starting in 2012-2013, from one-third to one-half of a teacher's or principal's total evaluation score must be based on student academic progress.

Huppenthal declined to estimate what the entire data system would cost, but he said the federal grant and state appropriation, totaling up to $11.6 million, would provide a "healthy fraction, but only a fraction," of what is needed. The department is seeking additional money from various sources and hopes to begin phasing in portions of the new data system within a couple of years.

Among the new capabilities would be to know what state college or university a teacher attended and be able to see student academic gains for each teacher in real-time.

Huppenthal also wants more rapid release of test-score data to teachers and schools. For instance, scores on the Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, or AIMS test, aren't released until the summer after students have left school.

Arizona Schools Post Some of Nation’s Biggest Tuition Increases

Arizona Cronkite News

Fueled by state budget cuts to higher education, tuition increases of 49 percent at the University of Arizona and 44 percent at Arizona State University landed the two schools in the top 20 for tuition hikes from 2008 to 2010.

At ASU, in-state tuition rose from $5,661 in 2008 to $8,132 in 2010 while at the University of Arizona, in-state tuition “sticker price” rose from $5,542 to $8,237 in the same period. Nationally, the average for in-state tuition at a four-year public university in 2010 was $6,669, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Education.

But Arizona’s public universities are still reasonably affordable when compared to similarly sized schools across the country with the same scope and purpose, said Arizona Board of Regents spokeswoman Katie Paquet.

“Institution types can be vastly different, but compared to our peers we are still at the middle of the pack for tuition prices,” Paquet said.

The Education Department report, released in June, said that more than 40 states cut higher education spending last year, and the problem has been especially acute in Arizona, California and Georgia. The resulting tuition increases could put college out of reach at a time when the nation needs more college graduates, said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

“As a nation, we need more college graduates in order to stay competitive in the global economy,” Duncan said. “But if the costs keep rising, especially at a time when family incomes are hurting, college will become increasingly unaffordable for the middle class.”

But Paquet said things are starting to turn around in the Arizona. In 2012, for the first time in 20 years, she said, both Arizona State University and the University of Arizona will be immune from tuition hikes – a result of a slight increase in state funding.

In the past four years, ASU has faced more than $200 million in state budget cuts – among the most severe reductions in the country, said Arizona State University communications director Sharon Keeler. More than $100 million of those reductions resulted in cuts, with the remainder covered, in part, by increased tuition.

“As a result of the significant budget reductions, ASU tuition rates have increased to maintain program quality and availability for ASU students,” Keeler said.

Paquet said the same is true of the university system in general, with only about half of the budget cuts made up through tuition increases and the rest made up through reductions in other areas.

In light of higher education budget cuts, Duncan said that community colleges remain one of the most consistently affordable options for higher education. Paquet said the Board of Regents has worked to increase access to higher education through the state’s community colleges.

“We have seen huge partnerships with the community colleges across the state,” she said. “Students are accepted into both the community college and the university at the same time and after they take two years at a community college, they go on to a university to complete a bachelor’s degree.”

Enrollment at community colleges has increased for three consecutive semesters, which can be attributed to their prices remaining the same, said Tom Gariepy, a spokesman for Maricopa Community Colleges.

Gariepy said tuition hikes were not the sole reason for higher enrollment, and said several elements are “conspiring” to increase student numbers.

“When the economy goes south, community college enrollment invariably increases,” he said. “And when things get tough, people feel the need to upgrade their job skills or even find a new career.”

Over the past four years, when government funding for higher education has seen the most severe cutbacks, there has been a huge surge in new ways to make higher education more affordable, Paquet said.

“We’re always looking for ways to innovate and make college more accessible for students,” she said.

The 20 schools that posted the highest percentage increases in tuition and fees from 2008 to 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

University of the District of Columbia: 123%
Escuela de Artes Plasticas de Puerto Rico: 75%
Lake Washington Technical College: 64%
University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla: 54%
University of Puerto Rico-Ponce: 54%
University of Puerto Rico-Cayey: 54%
University of Arizona: 49%
Georgia State University: 49%
University of Puerto Rico-Humacao: 48%
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez: 48%
University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras: 48%
Savannah State University: 46%
University of South Florida-St. Petersburg Campus: 45%
University of Georgia: 45%
Texas A&M-Kingsville: 45%
Georgia Institute of Technology: 44%
Arizona State University: 44%
Georgia College & State University: 43%
University of California-Berkley: 43%
University of California-Los Angeles: 43%

STEM Education Brings Learning, Career Prep to Another Level

East Valley Tribune

What would it take to explore an alien spacecraft at the bottom of a lake and rescue 20 abducted town folks before the National Guard steps in?

It’s the stuff of the “X-Files,” but the lessons help push skills students are learning today through STEM education in Arizona.

At this year’s National Underwater Robotics Challenge, held at Chandler High School in early June, teams of students and adults were asked to create a robot that could dive into a high school swimming pool, maneuver into a submerged “space craft” and retrieve objects set around the “X-Files” story theme.

But there’s no science fiction in what the participants - especially the elementary and high school students – were learning.

All around Arizona, there’s been a push for more science, technology, engineering and math education, known as STEM. One group behind that is Arizona Promoters of Applied Science in Education (APASE), which runs Arizona’s National Underwater Robotics Challenge.

“We want to develop an interest in STEM fields early on. With (the National Underwater Robotics Challenge) NURC, students see the applicability of what they learned in the classroom in a hands-on environment. They also develop discipline, problem-solving skills, design and engineering techniques. There is little to no design and engineering in regular curriculum and NURC provides that experience, even to the little ones,” said Carmen Cornejo, a board member of APASE.

Students at the robotics competition recognize that.

Triyiadela Rosa, 11, a student at Chandler’s Bologna Elementary School, said the competition was, “good exposure” to science. Plus, “It’s something new and we’ve never done it before.”

Chandler High School student Brian Mogollon, 17, not only participates in his school’s team, but mentors the younger children through Chandler-based Si Se Puede, which promotes non-violence through community participation and educational activities, like its year-round science programs.

“That’s the idea,” Mogollon said during the competition, “to get the younger kids into technology. I get to work and teach them about what I learn. I liked to build LEGOs when I was a kid. Now that I’m older, I get to work with higher skills.”

Those higher skills are what could lead to college and employment in some hard-to-fill science and engineering jobs. But they can also lend themselves to any field, just by boosting students’ enthusiasm for learning.

“You can see how excited those kids are and how excited they are about what they’re doing,” said Darcy Renfro, vice president of the Arizona Science Foundation and coordinator for the Arizona STEM Network. “They’re dealing with significantly complex problems … It’s fascinating to see that level of energy. That’s what we’re trying to replicate in places all over the state.”

Renfro and her group are trying to encourage schools to bring STEM education into the classrooms, either through after-school activities like robotics and LEGO clubs or through full integration into the curriculum.

Arizona lawmakers recently helped create a STEM diploma. East Valley schools – Gilbert’s Highland High School and Mesa’s Red Mountain High School – plan to launch the program in the fall. Chandler Unified School District’s Perry High School is launching its own STEM diploma.

Money to run these programs can be hard to come by, said Cornejo of Arizona Promoters of Applied Science in Education. The Medtronic Foundation and Si Se Puede Foundation helped put on the robotics competition, but even some of the high school students pulled money out of their own pockets to pay for the robots.

Renfro said the foundations and the Arizona STEM Network are working to get funding to start programs around the state to show how STEM integration can work.

There are glimpses of where it can ultimately lead.

“We have kids who go to university because of this,” said Cornejo. “If they didn’t have this, they wouldn’t even fathom the concept (of college). It’s the exposure that really transforms.”

As far as that robotics competition and attempts to rescue the “abducted” people, the older student competition was won by Tempe Union High School District’s Desert Vista High School, followed by a NASA space grant-backed ASU team and the Chandler High School team. Students from Chandler’s Frye Elementary School won the “light” division for the younger students.

Arizona Increases Number of High School Graduates, But Rate Still Average

East Valley Tribune

Arizona high schools have increased their graduation rate by 24 percentage points in the last decade, the biggest increase in the country, according to a national report released this month.

While the state has improved, it still ranks only in the middle of the pack nationally, according to the report from Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. It said Arizona graduated 72 percent of its high school students in 2009, putting the state “a hair below” the national average for the year.

The most striking fact about Arizona’s “whopping improvement” is that graduation rates have improved more than three times faster than the national average of 7.3 percentage points, said Sterling Lloyd, a senior research associate for the center.

State officials said one of the chief reasons for Arizona’s increase has been the rise in the number of Latino students graduating from high school. Arizona Department of Education spokesman Ryan Ducharme said the state has one of the largest concentrations of Latino students in the nation, at nearly 45 percent, and has seen their graduation rate increase from 60 percent in 2005 to nearly 70 percent in 2011.

“That’s our fastest growing population of students in Arizona and we made a concerted effort to create programs and help schools improve those graduation rates,” Ducharme said. “We attribute a lot of success to those schools who serve those populations. They do a lot of great work.”

Because of Arizona’s sizeable Latino population, any improvements in that group considerably affect the overall graduation numbers for the entire state, Lloyd said.

“There has been a great focus on the achievement gap over the last decade with efforts to improve, not just graduation rates, but overall academic results for students of color,” said Lloyd, a co-author of the report.

Despite steady graduation gains, Arizona continues to struggle with students dropping out of school. An average of 119 students are lost each school day in Arizona, the 14th-highest total in the country.

Lloyd said there has been greater awareness about the dropout crisis over the past decade and a number of community leaders, educators and policy-makers are starting to take this issue more seriously.

In an attempt to remedy the situation, the Arizona Department of Education created a division dedicated to studying the issue of high school dropouts and working to prevent them and to increase graduation rates. The division, in conjunction with much-improved student tracking data, has helped the state provide more accurate graduation numbers.

“Many students would be classified in our systems as unknown in terms of their status. They may have transferred to a private school or even moved out of state,” Ducharme said. “Those numbers weren’t being properly tracked and we have better data to track true graduation rates now.”

Even though Arizona made the most significant strides in improving its graduation rate, the state still ranks 29th nationally. But the overall rankings depend not only on how Arizona is doing, but how all other states are doing. Sizeable increases or decreases from another state could potentially have huge impacts on Arizona’s rankings, said Amy Hightower, director of the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center.

“Arizona’s average is just a hair below the national average (of 73.4 percent) at 72.3 percentage points,” she said. “That’s just how the dice rolled for Arizona in terms of the rankings this year.”

Ducharme said he expects the improvement to continue as Arizona focuses on keeping kids in school.

“The ultimate goal at the department is to better prepare students for college and career success,” he said. “If you’re not graduating from high school, then you are limiting your opportunities for later in life.”

Florida News Stories

School Grades Reflect New Higher Standards

Florida Department of Education

As Florida continues efforts to raise school performance, the state's school grades are being calculated using more rigorous standards and new achievement levels. According to the 2012 school grades report for elementary, middle and some combination schools released by the Florida Department of Education, 89 percent of schools (2,301) earned an A, B, or C grade and 11 percent (285) earned a D or F grade.

"This has been a year of tremendous change for Florida's students, teachers, and schools," said Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson. "Florida's economic future depends on preparing our students for success. The high standards we have in place today will help our students prepare for college, the workforce and life. I am confident that we are on the right path to prepare our students to compete with the best in the nation and around the world."

Florida has raised expectations for school grades five times in the past ten years. The results show that after an initial drop, school grades improved consistently in the years that followed. As Florida moves toward implementing the Common Core State Standards in 2014-15, the progress seen over the next few years will smooth the transition to the more challenging standards.

2012 School Grades
Elementary, Middle and Combination Schools (without high school grades):

School Grade	Number	Percentage
A	1,124	43%
B	667	26%
C	510	20%
D	238	9%
F	47	2%

"I am particularly pleased that it is the first time that we have included students who are just learning English and students with disabilities in the school grade performance component," added Commissioner Robinson. "It is important that we measure our schools by the performance of all students, since that is the most accurate and fair way to represent our diverse state."

Based on a recommendation by the Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability, the State Board of Education approved a policy ensuring that no school would drop more than one letter grade from the previous year. This provides Florida's public school leaders, teachers and students a year of transition to the new standards.

Florida has graded schools on an A-F scale since 1999, offering parents, teachers, students and taxpayers a simple and effective way to see how well their schools are doing. High-performing schools and those that improve their school grade may receive school recognition dollars, and struggling schools will receive extra help to improve.

Florida's school improvement or Differentiated Accountability program provides focused support for low-performing schools. Through five regional support teams, the Florida Department of Education offers districts and schools the expertise of individuals with a proven track record of increasing student achievement. The teams work directly with schools and districts to develop individualized improvement plans designed to increase student performance.

Florida Universities Join Effort to Ease Visa Requirements for STEM Grads

NPR - State Impact – Florida
By WLRN reporter Luc Cohen

The presidents of more than 100 U.S. research universities signed a letter to President Obama and Congressional leaders urging them to make it easier for international students to get jobs in the country after they graduate.

The letter argues that highly skilled workers in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — are in high demand in the U.S. work force and necessary for global economic competitiveness.

The university presidents call on Congress to provide students who graduate from American universities with advanced STEM degrees with a “clear path to a green card.”

“After we have trained and educated these future job creators, our antiquated immigration laws turn them away to work for our competitors in other countries,” the letter reads.

The presidents of the University of Miami, Florida State University, the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida all signed the letter.

University of Miami president Donna Shalala said that although UM’s engineering graduate school is not as large as those of the other signatories, she believes keeping these graduates in the U.S. will benefit the economy.

And it can benefit UM too, she said.

She says she would like to be able to recruit foreign nationals with doctorates to teach at UM.

“We believe that we’re letting go some highly skilled workers, trained at American universities, and the competing economies around the world are going to grab them,” Shalala said.

No other Florida schools signed the letter, nor did State University System of Florida Chancellor Frank Brogan.

“I don’t know that [Brogan] was invited to [sign it] or provided a copy of the letter,” Florida Board of Governors spokesman Kelly Layman said in an email.

Leaders of university systems in states like California, Missouri, New York and Oregon all signed the letter.

Madeline Baro is assistant director of media relations at Florida International University.

She says FIU president Mark Rosenberg supports the campaign and he “is committed to signing it.”

The campaign is a project of an organization called the Partnership for a New American Economy, which was started by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and communications giant Rupert Murdoch to advocate for immigration reform.

According to Bloomberg’s chief policy analyst John Feinblatt, the letter began with ten participating institutions. The leaders of these schools then invited their colleagues at other universities to sign.

Feinblatt said the list of signatories is by no means exclusive, but the group did not actively try to recruit presidents to sign either.

Foreign engineers and scientists who start businesses and receive patents in the U.S. after graduating from an American institution help create jobs and boost the economy, he said.

“This country just has to start looking at immigration as an economic issue,” Feinblatt said. “Immigration policy should be central to economic policy.

Florida Ranks Second in the Nation for Test-Score Improvement

Florida Department of Education

A new study released by Education Next ranks Florida second in the nation for education test-score gains. The report examines international and U.S. state trends in student achievement growth using National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics, reading, and science data from 1992 to 2011.

Eric Hanushek, Paul Peterson, and Ludger Woessmann conducted the study, which shows that Florida gained 3.2 percent of a standard deviation annually, well over a full year's worth of additional learning during the time period. Florida is second only to Maryland in test-score improvement between 1992 and 2011. The top ten most-improving states in rank order are Maryland, Florida, Delaware, Massachusetts, Louisiana, South Carolina, New Jersey, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Virginia.

"Florida is a national leader in education and the results of this study clearly show the incredible accomplishments of our learners," said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. "I applaud the diligent work of our students and teachers, and I am confident that our state is on the right path to providing world-class education to our students."

The United States as a whole ranks 25th out of 49 countries in student test-score gains over a 14-year period. "If, however, the entire country performed at the level of Florida," Hanushek says, "the U.S. would have ranked considerably higher among the participating countries." Additionally, Southern states that began to adopt education reform measures in the 1990s outpaced Midwestern states, where school reform made little headway until very recently. Five of the top 10 states were in the South and no Southern states were in the bottom 18.

About Education Next
Education Next is a scholarly journal published by the Hoover Institution that is committed to looking at hard facts about school reform. Other sponsoring institutions are the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance, part of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.

Most Florida 12th Graders Didn’t Apply for Federal Financial Aid

Florida College Access Network

A new government tracking tool shows that the majority of Florida high school seniors failed to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid before the school year ended.

According to a Florida College Access Network (Florida C.A.N.!) analysis of federal data, only 37.8-percent of high school seniors in Florida completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as of June 10, 2012. Although this number is up from 21-percent in March, it still shows 62.2-percent of Florida’s 12th graders failed to complete the form for the 2012-13 academic year.

It’s been more than three months since the U.S. Department of Education unveiled the FAFSA Completion Tool website, which tracks how many students in each high school across the country, both public and private, are submitting and completing the FAFSA.

With tuition and overall college costs on the rise, access to financial aid can be a deciding factor for those considering college. By filling out a FAFSA, a student can find out if he or she is eligible for financial aid such as Pell Grants, federal student loans and work study opportunities.

For Florida students, completing the FAFSA is also important because it has been made a requirement for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which can award students attending a Florida college or university up to $3,000 during their first year.

Research shows one of the main reasons students fail to fill out a FAFSA is because they don’t think they’re eligible. Other reasons include fear of more debt, lack of information or misinformation on how or when to apply and viewing the forms as tedious and cumbersome.

“There are many deadlines posted throughout the internet that can be misinterpreted or could discourage students to apply for aid,” said Braulio Colón, Executive Director for the Florida College Access Network. “The application is free and doesn’t require contracts or commitments to institutions, so simply seeing what money is available can help students and their families determine whether college will be affordable to them,” said Colón.

While deadlines for some sources of money have passed, students can still complete a FAFSA and receive a Pell Grant or be offered loans depending on their eligibility.

“Not only do we need to better inform our students about the importance of completing and submitting the FAFSA, we also need to think about how we can help students and parents through the process, particularly during the summer months,” said Colón.

About Florida College Access Network
Florida College Access Network’s mission is to create and strengthen a statewide network that catalyzes and supports communities to improve college and career preparation, access and completion for all students. Our Big Goal is to increase the proportion of working-age adults in Florida who hold a high-quality postsecondary degree or credential to 60% by the year 2025. For more information, visit www.floridacollegeaccess.org

Four Florida Magnet Schools Make U.S. News and World Report's 2012 Top 10 List

Florida Department of Education

A national report lists four Florida high schools in the top 10 magnet schools in the country. The 2012 U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools report names the schools in recognition of their student's academic success and the school's specialized thematic or academic focus.

"This ranking affirms that Florida is a national leader when it come to providing public school options and I am very pleased that our state is so well represented," said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. "Florida parents and families are fortunate to live in a state that offers a wide array of public school options so they can choose the best learning environment for their child."

U.S. News and World Report looked at all public high schools nationally that were designated as magnet schools and were also ranked as being gold or silver medal winners in the magazine's best high schools rankings. The methodology is based on the school's ability to successfully educate its student body across a range of performance indicators and the degree to which they prepare students for college level work.

Here are Florida's four magnet high schools listed in the top 10 Best Magnet Schools report:

Rank	School Name (District)
2	Design & Architecture Senior High School (Miami-Dade)
5	Young Women's Academy (Miami-Dade)
6	Suncoast Community High School (Palm Beach)
7	Stanton College Preparatory School (Duval)

To view the U.S. News and World Report Best Magnet Schools ranking, visit http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/national-rankings/magnet-school-rankings

For information about the methodology used by U.S. News and World Report, visit http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2012/05/07/best-high-schools-methodology

National News Stories

New State-by-State College Attainment Numbers Show Progress toward 2020 Goal

The Obama Administration released new numbers showing college attainment state-by-state based on census bureau data from 2009 to 2010. All told, the percentage of 25-34 year olds with some kind of postsecondary degree rose half a percentage point from 38.8 percent to 39.3 percent.

America used to be No. 1 in the world for the percentage of adults with college degrees but has recently slid to 16th. President Obama has called for America to increase the number of degree-holders to 60 percent by the end of the decade.

"To meet the president's goal for America to become No. 1 in the world for college graduates all of us—the federal government, states, and institutions—must work together. We've made some progress, but the combination of deep state budget cuts and rising tuition prices is pushing an affordable college education out of reach for middle class families," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"As the President has said, the countries that out-educate today will out-compete us tomorrow. The federal government has done a tremendous amount to increase the amount of aid available to students. But we need states and institutions to meet us halfway by doing more to keep college costs down," Duncan added.

For a list of the state-by-state figures, click here: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-state-state-college-attainment-numbers-show-progress-toward-2020-goal

Teach For America to Bring a Record 10,000 Teachers to Nation’s Highest-Need Classrooms In 2012

Teach For America announced that it has reached a milestone, as this fall marks the first time more than 10,000 first- and second-year corps members will be teaching in high-need classrooms. This represents a 10 percent increase over last year’s total corps size.

Teach For America’s teachers will work in 46 regions in 36 states and the District of Columbia, including communities in three new locations: Northeast Ohio-Cleveland, Southwest Ohio, and Sacramento, Calif.

This year, Teach For America welcomes its 23rd incoming corps, which numbers 5,800. Thirty-eight percent of these first-year teachers identify as people of color, including 13 percent who are African American and 10 percent who are Hispanic. Thirty-five percent received Pell Grants (the most reliable indicator of a low-income background), and 23 percent are the first in their families to earn a college degree.

Ninety-eight served as student-body presidents at their alma mater. And 23 percent are graduate students or professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, including veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, financial analysts, nonprofit staffers, consultants, and participants in other AmeriCorps programs.

“More than 16 million children are growing up below the poverty line, and unless things change, only 8 percent of them will get through college by the time they’re 24,” said Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach For America. “Given the progress we’re seeing in schools and districts across the country, we know this is a solvable problem. I’m so inspired by the individuals in our large and diverse corps who have chosen to join the effort to tackle it. With hard work, dedication, and the partnership of their schools and communities, they are poised to make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of students while gaining the perspective and experience necessary for a lifetime of educational leadership and advocacy.”

Teach For America’s admissions standards remained high this year; together, the 10,000-member corps has an average GPA of 3.55 and includes alumni of more than 600 colleges and universities across the country. At 55 schools—including the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the University of California-Berkeley, Howard University, Yale University, Arizona State University, and Washington University in St. Louis—Teach For America is the top employer of graduating seniors.

About Teach For America
Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. This fall, more than 10,000 corps members will be teaching in 46 urban and rural regions across the country, while nearly 28,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org.

AEYC Launches New Website to Help Families Find High-Quality Child Care

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s leading professional organization for those working with and on behalf of young children from birth through age 8, has launched the new For Families website designed to be a valuable resource for parents and families with young children.

Families know that the early years are a special time in their children’s lives. The For Families site provides families with information on finding quality child care, articles about how children learn by well-known pediatricians and child development experts, and creative learning ideas to try at home. In addition, the site contains a searchable database to help families locate centers and schools accredited by NAEYC for their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

“NAEYC understands how important it is to parents and families to select a high-quality program for their children,” said Jerlean E. Daniel, Ph.D., Executive Director of NAEYC. “We developed the For Families website to help them find the best possible early childhood experience for their child and to share useful, research-based parenting and child development information.”

To help parents locate high-quality early childhood programs in their area, the site contains an NAEYC-Accredited program search. NAEYC-Accredited programs have met NAEYC’s 10 standards for high-quality early childhood education. These programs have demonstrated that they provide a safe and healthy environment for children, have teachers who are well-trained, have access to excellent teaching materials, and work with a curriculum that is appropriately challenging and developmentally sound.

NAEYC will update the website regularly to provide timely, research-based information about children’s learning and development. To learn more, visit http://families.naeyc.org.

STEM Gender Gap Pronounced in U.S.

Education Week

When the gender gap in STEM education is discussed, it usually centers on the lower proportion of women pursuing college majors and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

But some recent data suggest STEM achievement disparities persist at the K-12 level, based on results from the Advanced Placement program as well as national and global exams.

And yet, what may be true for the United States is not necessarily so around the world. In some instances, international averages on global exams tell a different story, with either no measurable gender difference in math and science scores or girls outpacing boys.

How to interpret the U.S. data is a conundrum, some experts say.

"This is a bit of an unexplained phenomenon," said Martin Storksdieck, the director of the National Research Council's Board on Science Education. "My sense is that these differences are potentially a question of the kinds of tests we have, and the kinds of self-confidence people have, and expectations they have, rather than an innate difference or potentially stronger preparation that boys may have over girls."

The gender achievement gaps are far smaller than those seen for low-income, black, and Hispanic students. But they are evident across a number of measures.

Take the AP program. In all 10 STEM subjects currently taught and tested, including chemistry, physics, calculus, and computer science, the average scores of females lagged behind males, according to data for the class of 2011.

In fact, the College Board recently commissioned a study to examine one possible factor, known as "stereotype threat." This anxiety is believed to occur when individuals in a certain population group, such as racial and ethnic minorities or females, face a situation in which they may be judged by a negative stereotype. Some research suggests that can diminish performance on assessments, especially high-stakes tests.

Recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate some gender gaps, mainly in science.

The latest science data, for 2011, show 8th grade boys outscoring girls by 5 points on NAEP's 0-300 scale for the subject. Only 8th graders were tested that year. Looked at another way, 37 percent of boys scored "proficient" or above, compared with 29 percent of females.

Science data for 2009 show average scores for girls trailed boys at all three grade levels tested. The NAEP gap widened for older students, from 2 points at 4th grade to 4 points at 8th grade and 6 points at 12th.

Going back to 1996, NAEP data show a fairly consistent pattern of girls trailing boys, though the gap size has varied.

In math, 2011 NAEP resultsRequires Adobe Acrobat Reader show boys performing only slightly better on average, with a difference of just 1 point at the 4th and 8th grades on the 0-500 scale. (The difference was statistically significant.)

In looking beyond the U.S. border, the issue of STEM achievement by gender gets more complex.

Boys—on average—outperformed girls in math across the 34-member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, based on the most recent data, in 2009, from the Program for International Student Assessment. PISA gauges 15-year-olds. In science, there was no measurable gender gap on average across the OECD nations.

PISA results for American students show lower average scores for girls than boys in math and science. In fact, the U.S. gaps were among the largest of any countries tested, an OECD report says.

In science, the biggest gaps favoring boys were in the United States and Denmark. Girls outscored boys in Finland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, and Turkey.

Data from another global assessment suggest girls generally enjoy an achievement edge in math and science when averaging results across the 58 participating nations and jurisdictions, but not in the United States. That outcome is for the latest round, in 2007, of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.

In science, the global TIMSS average was higher for girls than boys at the 4th and 8th grades, according to an analysis by Boston College. By contrast, U.S. boys scored higher than girls at the 8th grade. At the 4th grade, U.S. boys scored higher, but the gender gap was not statistically significant.

For math, the global average for girls was higher at the 8th grade, but for U.S. students, the gender gap was not statistically significant. At the 4th grade, there was no statistical difference in the global average by gender, but American boys outscored girls on TIMSS.

The global data seem to cast doubt on the notion that innate differences between males and females help explain the U.S. situation.

Education Connection

Volume 4 Issue 2

President's Message

Helios Education Foundation's voice around creating a high-expectations, college-going culture in Arizona and Florida is emerging through the implementation of our strategic initiatives. As an engaged foundation, embedded in communities across both states, we are contributing our leadership, expertise and financial resources to better prepare students to succeed academically throughout K-12 and postsecondary education.

While all of our investments are changing lives through education, five strategic initiatives are working to transform education systems and cultures. Expect More Arizona, Florida College Access Network, Arizona STEM Network, Ready Now Yuma and the Arizona ACT Initiative are collectively empowering communities, increasing curriculum rigor, improving academic results and removing barriers to college access and completion.

In the Spotlight

Leaders Roll Out 5-Year STEM Plan
Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz), recently launched the Arizona STEM Network, a first-of-its-kind strategic effort to help transform Arizona's educational system for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

A five-year plan being led by SFAz will leverage effective education practices and teaching advances including the state-adopted, internationally benchmarked Common Core Standards. The Arizona STEM Network is a unified approach that will provide educators, the business community and donors with a centralized infrastructure, tools, resources and the framework needed to measure performance and achieve collective impact in Arizona classrooms. The plan's driving force is to help Arizona children be successful in school, careers and life.

The plan focuses on four strategic areas:

Integrate STEM learning into Arizona schools and districts
Develop and deploy a predictive analytics system to measure impacts
Strengthen teacher effectiveness in STEM teaching
Create opportunities for the private business sector to meaningfully engage with schools

"Arizona must develop a globally competitive educational system and STEM disciplines will lead the way," said Darcy Renfro, vice president of education and coordinator of the Arizona STEM Network at SFAz. "The Network will link existing STEM assets in Arizona, build on best practices and foster innovative teaching approaches for school districts to help students improve in these areas."

Arizona is one of 12 states in the U.S., with developing or existing STEM Networks, that are leading the charge to implement a proactive approach to STEM teaching which provides interactive coursework in classrooms to prepare students for successful careers in the 21st century. STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that provides project-based and relevant experiences for students.

"Helios Education Foundation's investment in the Arizona STEM Network's plan to transform K-12 education is really an investment in the future of our state," said the Foundation's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Barbara Ryan. "STEM education is the linchpin that will better prepare our students academically and ultimately increase the number of high school graduates ready to succeed in postsecondary education."

The Arizona STEM Network will be led and coordinated by SFAz staff with a structured system of information management tools, processes and technical assistance. The Network is in place and will be rolled out in phases, with initial pilot sites to be announced by late 2012.

"The vision for a statewide, strategic commitment to STEM education is coming to fruition," said Gov. Brewer. "The Arizona STEM Network will help build a common agenda for STEM education that will lead our teachers and students forward."

For more information, visit www.sfaz.org.

Chronicling the Success of UTeach
In the national movement to better prepare students to achieve academic success, more emphasis is being placed on equipping students with the problem-solving and analytical skills most often associated with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. As a result, the need for more math and science teachers is on the rise.

In fact, some analysts say that the U.S. will need 200,000 more math and science teachers by 2015 in order to meet ongoing education demands. They also say that the pool of math and science teachers with strong content knowledge is on the decline.

UTeach was created at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997 to respond to national concerns about the quality of K-12 STEM education. The program's premise is to recruit the brightest science, math and computer science majors into secondary teaching careers. It also prepares students through an advanced field-intensive curriculum and promotes retention through support and ongoing professional development.

Helios Education Foundation invested $3 million into the UTeach initiative in 2007 at the University of Florida, Northern Arizona University and Florida State University, providing a $1 million match at each school to help establish each program. Since then, all three programs have successfully recruited, taught and graduated math and science students.

"We started with two master teachers and a handful of students," said Tom Dana, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, College of Education at the University of Florida. "Now we have four master teachers and 177 students enrolled in various coursework," he added. "Because we've been able to launch UFTeach with gusto from the beginning, it's become an integral part of the university," Dana said.

UFTeach is a partnership between the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and College of Education which actively recruits college students, beginning as early as their freshman year, from diverse ethnic, socioeconomic and academic backgrounds.

The program graduated its first cohort in May 2011 with three math majors and two science majors prepared to enter the teaching field. In spring 2011, there were 224 students enrolled in UFTeach courses. School officials hope to have over 400 students enrolled over the course of the 2012 academic year, with the goal of graduating 80 UFTeach students annually.

The program at Northern Arizona University started admitting students in fall 2008. By May 2011, the program had its first four graduates: three in mathematics and one in biology. Prior to implementing the NAUTeach program, the university graduated approximately 30 new teachers per year in math and science. Now, school administrators say they are on track to double that number.

In spring 2011, NAUTeach enrolled 318 students, 64 percent of them female and 36 percent of them male. Over 40 percent of the students were math majors with 23 percent in biology, nine percent in chemistry and six percent in physics.

For field placements, NAUTeach works in collaboration with local school districts, including Flagstaff Unified School District, Maine Consolidated School District, Beaver Creek School District, Williams Unified School District and Winslow Unified School District. NAU has also partnered with Mesa Community College on class offerings.

Courtney Stombock, Assistant Dean for Development at Florida State University says FSU-Teach is continuing to flourish. All four graduates from spring 2011 have secured full-time teaching positions and another seven students were expected to receive their degrees in winter 2011. As part of the program, FSU-Teach students serve as tutors in math and science at Godby High School in Tallahassee, Florida.

The UTeach model has been replicated successfully on university campuses around the country. Today, UTeach programs are operating in 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. In spring 2011, over 5,500 undergraduate students were enrolled in UTeach programs across the U.S.

By 2018, officials at the UTeach Institute, which provides assistance and direction to universities replicating the UTeach model, hope to have 7,300 secondary STEM teachers who will have graduated from UTeach programs nationwide. It's estimated that these teachers will impact approximately four million students.

Administrators at the UTeach Institute say that UTeach attracts students by eliminating traditional barriers to certification. The program expands post-graduate options for students, essentially offering "one degree but two career possibilities," with no additional time or cost required. In addition, UTeach graduates become part of an extensive national network of professionals with content expertise and similar pedagogical training.

The UTeach Program is aligned with Helios Education Foundation's focus on teacher quality and training, but it is also grounded in the Foundation's emphasis on STEM education. The continued success of UTeach at the University of Florida, Northern Arizona University, Florida State University and other sites across the country directly impacts the pipeline of qualified STEM educators in the classroom.

If today's students are to achieve postsecondary education success and remain competitive in what is now a global economy, they will need the fundamental analytical and problem-solving skills inherent in STEM education.

Our country will need qualified math and science teachers to impart that knowledge.

Getting Algebra Ready
by Gabrielle Fimbres

Imagine that you are a high school student who, like many of your peers, just doesn't get algebra. All those darn equations seem so confusing. You do poorly in high school algebra, so you don't get into calculus. You might not get into college. And forget ever becoming an engineer, just one of the many in-demand professions that require a strong math background.

So many doors close for students who struggle with algebra. But a new $560,000 Helios Education Foundation partnership with the University of Arizona's College of Education will arm educators with strategies for teaching early algebra concepts to students in grades 4-6.

Crafting a New Model
Officials at the University of Tampa (UT) are expecting gains in graduation rates of up to 17 percent thanks to an initiative called Student Success – Responding to a National Imperative. UT is working with Helios Education Foundation to increase college graduation rates for first-generation and under-represented students by crafting academically effective and socially-supportive environments around students that include scholarships. Helios is investing $1.3 million in the effort over four years.

The program reaches across academic, enrollment, student services and financial aid and includes the formation of an Office of Student Success and the creation of micro-academic communities where students can interact with faculty and staff. The initiative includes gap financial aid for students with the greatest financial needs and merit-based incentive awards for students who have demonstrated academic success after their first year.

Students Rally around STEM
Over 200 students from across Pinal County Arizona stepped foot on the Central Arizona College (CAC) campus for a day full of hands on science labs, panel discussions and group activities.

The Arizona Rural Education Alliance Foundation hosted the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Field Day with support from CAC. Students could participate in 10 very different STEM labs, from biology, genetics and the science of butter. Organizers say the event helped engage and stimulate students in the field of STEM, while giving each student the opportunity to explore and experience a college environment.

Activities also included discussions around college access, scholarships and financial aid.

Click here for a photo essay from STEM Day.

FCAN Summit Focuses On Postsecondary Success & Partnerships
The Florida College Access Network (Florida C.A.N.!) is leading a summit that will convene local, state and national education leaders around an agenda to increase Florida's college degree attainment rate from 37 percent to 60 percent by 2025.

The Florida College Access & Success Summit scheduled for May 11 from 9am-2pm at the University of South Florida's Marshall Student Center will shed light on state policy trends, Goal 2025 and college access and success strategies. The event will create a space for participants to contribute best practices on local integrated approaches for improving college access and success for 21st century students.

"This is the first time we are bringing together all of our national, state and local partners to discuss a strategy designed to spur local community action in Florida," said Braulio Colón, Executive Director for Florida C.A.N.!. "If we want to position our state to succeed in the future, now is the time for all stakeholders to come together for the purpose of improving college and career readiness, access, and completion for all students," said Colón.

Organizers say in order to lead and remain economically competitive globally, Florida needs to produce more college graduates with high-quality degrees or credentials. Doing so will require strong partnerships across sectors and local action that maximizes resources, reduces duplication, and builds broad-based consensus around Florida's programmatic and policy direction for improving higher education.

Florida C.A.N.! is launching an effort to create and strengthen a statewide network that catalyzes and supports communities to improve college and career preparation, access, and completion for all students. The organization has received planning grant support from Helios Education Foundation.

Click here for the summit's detailed agenda, featured speakers, sponsorship opportunities and more.

Recent Research and Reports

Reading by Third Grade
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) has released a new report delving into third grade literacy policies across the country. According to ECS, students not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school. The challenges of improving literacy are, in turn, causing more state leaders to confront the difficult question: Should students who do not have the requisite knowledge and reading skills to succeed in the next grade be retained?

The growing number of state initiatives aimed at addressing 3rd-grade reading proficiency includes three elements:

Early identification of reading difficulties
Interventions that occur as close to the point of need as possible
Retention.

Research asserting that birth to age five are critical years for brain development is also encouraging a growing number of state leaders to target literacy development in the earliest years as well as the early grades.

Click here to read more about Third Grade Literacy Policies: Identification, Intervention, Retention.

Latino College Completion
The latest report from Excelencia in Education includes 50 separate research-based fact sheets detailing the current status of college completion among Latinos in each state.

"The United States cannot retain its international competitiveness unless we improve Latino college completion. While there are things we must do in Washington to advance this cause, this is an issue that requires leadership at all levels - from school boards to statehouses across America. True to its unique ability to provide actionable data and to engage a multitude of stakeholders to accelerate Latino college completion, Excelencia in Education has given leaders in all 50 states information they can use to engage the talents of Latino students and make their states and our country stronger." said U.S. Rep. Charles Gonzalez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Stronger Nation
Lumina Foundation's third installment of A Stronger Nation through Higher Education contains several additions and improvements designed to make it more pertinent and useful, according to Lumina. This latest report provides:

An assessment of higher education attainment in the nation and in every state, showing recent progress toward the Big Goal.
The attainment rate for every county in the United States.
Various breakdowns of the attainment data, including by race and ethnicity, age, and level of education.
A new report on the attainment rate for the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas.
A scenario for how to close the gap and reach 60 percent attainment by 2025.

View the report here.

'Dropped?
The Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University is releasing Dropped? Latino Education and Arizona's Economic Future. This report is a follow-up report to Five Shoes Waiting to Drop on Arizona's Future, Morrison Institute's landmark report of 10 years ago.

Five Shoes identified five areas – education being one of them – that could lead to economic prosperity or crisis for the state, depending on action. This new 40-page report looks at fresh data and new projections for Arizona, its citizens and our economy if education gaps continue in the Latino and general populations.

This project was funded by Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust and Helios Education Foundation. For more information, click here.

Florida Charter Schools Report Compares Achievement
Student Achievement in Florida's Charter Schools: A Comparison with Achievement in Traditional Public Schools, is a statewide analysis of student achievement in charter schools versus the achievement of comparable students in traditional public schools. Using data from the 2010-2011 school year, the report makes 168 comparisons covering three measurements: FCAT proficiency percentages, achievement gaps, and learning gains.

"This report clearly demonstrates that charter schools are a viable option for parents," said Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. "Charter schools offer a wide range of educational environments to meet the needs of students and their families."

Student Achievement in Florida's Charter Schools: A Comparison with Achievement in Traditional Public Schools can be found here.

For more information about Florida's charter schools and other educational options, visit http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org.

Florida Virtual School Largest Provider in the US
Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice (2011) is the latest ina series of annual reports that began in 2004 that examine the status of K-12 online education across the country. The report provides an overview of the latest policies, practices, and trends affecting online learning programs across all 50 states.

According to the report, Florida Virtual School remains the nation's largest online education provider. Students enrolled in nearly 260,000 courses through the school in the 2010–2011 school year. Florida trails other states in the number of students enrolled full-time in online programs.

The Florida Virtual School will begin offering diplomas in the 2012–2013 school year. See the full report here.

Predicting Success in College: The Importance of Placement Tests and High School Transcripts
By Clive Belfield & Peter M. Crosta, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University Photo: Use image from report

Could many community college students be unnecessarily placed into remedial classes because of their scores on standardized tests?

In this study out of the Community College Research Center, the authors found that placement tests do not yield strong predictions of how students will perform in college. Placement test scores are positively—but weakly—associated with college grade point average (GPA). The correlation disappears when high school GPA is controlled for

Get the full report here.

Statewide News

Taskforce to Shape Florida Education's Digital Future
The Florida 2.0 Digital Learning Group is set to focus on digital learning in Florida, developing a comprehensive plan to make certain that the state has the infrastructure, instructors and institutional reforms in place by the 2014-2015 school year to ensure that Florida remains a national leader in digital learning.

The Florida 2.0 Digital Learning Group includes 30 members, each of whom is assigned to one of three subcommittees: Infrastructure, Quality Instruction, and Institutional Reform. Similar to the approach used successfully with Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability, each subcommittee will focus on a specific assignment and the entire group will convene to discuss all recommendations.

"Technology has changed the world we live in, the way we get our information, and the way we learn," said Commissioner Robinson. "Many of today's top careers did not even exist 10 years ago. Digital learning plays an important role in education in our state and it will become even more critical as we prepare students for college and challenging new 21st century careers."

The digital learning group includes educators, parents, organization and business leaders, and legislative representatives from across the state.

Online Tool Connects Teachers, Parents and Students
The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) Teacher Community, in partnership with Novachi, is enhancing resources available to Florida's educators through online collaborative tools designed to help teachers in the classroom.

The Teacher Classroom Collaboration (TCC) tool is a social learning platform designed to facilitate online education by providing virtual classrooms on top of a social network. This innovative application combines the best social networking features with private classroom-level security to create a whole new way to learn and communicate.

TCC enables teachers to work with students and parents in a classroom-like setting with confidence that the classroom activities are private. Teachers have the ability to create new classes, invite students and parents, and act as the administrator for their newly created virtual classrooms. Students can find their list of classes, participate in classroom activities and discussions, upload assignments, review shared content, class requirements and calendars, access learning trees (created by teachers or fellow peers), and view photos and videos.

"The new Teacher Classroom Collaboration tool will allow teachers to connect directly with parents and students online by simply adding their information to the virtual interface," said FLDOE Deputy Director of Educator Relations Kelly Seay. "This type of collaboration is important because it enhances the level of teacher communication with parents and encourages involvement in their child's learning routine."

For more information about Florida's Teacher Community, please visit http://www.fldoe.org/justforteachers.

State's Latino Students Do Well in College, but Lag in Degrees
By Stephanie Snyder, Cronkite News Service

Arizona did a better job of getting Latino students through college than other states, but still lagged when it came to the number of Latino adults with college degrees compared to all adults, a new report said.

"Compared to other states, Arizona does look better," said Deborah Santiago, vice president for Excelencia in Education.

The report, which stressed the need for improved college completion by Latinos for the sake of the country's work force, looked at three college completion measures to determine achievement gaps between Latino and white students.

Arizona scored above the national average on two measures - full-time Latino student graduation rates and the number of degrees earned by full- and part-time Latino students in the 2007-2008 school year. The gap between Latinos and whites was also narrower in Arizona than in the nation for graduation rates and for degrees earned, where there was no difference between groups.

But Santiago cautioned that while the state did well on college completion rates, Arizona still lagged in degree attainment overall by Latino adults. Only 17 percent of Latino adults in Arizona had a college degree, compared to 35 percent of all adults in the state - both numbers that fell below the national average, she said.

"There are a lot of people in Arizona, especially Latinos, that haven't gone to college," Santiago said.

That means that many of the state's grade-school and high-school students, 41 percent of whom are Latino, "would potentially be the first in their families to go to college," she said.

Eduardo Ochoa, assistant U.S. secretary of education, said improving Latino college completion is crucial to meeting President Barack Obama's goal of making the United States the leader in college graduates by 2020.

"We're not going to be able to do that unless the gap between the Latino population and the overall population in the United States is bridged," said Ochoa, who participated in the release of the report. "This is clearly a priority."

But education advocates said Latinos face a variety of challenges to getting an education in Arizona. Rene Diaz-Lefebvre, president-elect of the Arizona Association of Chicanos for Higher Education, said tensions in the state such as the ban on ethnic studies and the aftermath of SB 1070 negatively affect Latino education.

"There is so much that is going on that is adding to the climate of concern of attention to students and the Latino community in general," Diaz-Lefebvre said.

"We're seeing an explosion in terms of the number of children, the number of kids enrolled in our schools and hopefully those kids will be encouraged to go on to higher education," he said. "We're really at a major crossroads in higher education."

Florida Gets Flexibility Waiver from US Department Of Education
The U.S. Department of Education has approved Florida's request for a flexibility waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Florida was one of 11 states asking for flexibility with regard to accountability standards mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation implemented in 2001. The state requested the waiver to be able to move to a single statewide accountability system that would eliminate duplicative regulation and make Florida's system easier to understand.

"Florida was one of the first states to implement strong accountability measures for its schools," said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. "Overlaying a federal accountability system atop what was already in place and working in our state has proven to be confusing for parents and stakeholders."

Commissioner Robinson added that flexibility would strengthen the state's ability to tailor its program to meet Florida's unique educational needs and better align state and federal accountability systems into one cohesive, easy-to-understand structure.

Rural Students Vs. Urban Students: Who Performs Better in College-Level Classes?
By Sarah Gonzalez - StateImpact Florida

One reason participation in college-level classes is low at rural high schools is because there isn't a lot of interest. Daniel Glawson, a senior at Sneads High in Jackson, Florida wants to be a downhill pipeline welder for oil rigs. Glawson says he rather work with his hands than go to college.

In Florida's rural counties, high school leaders say they can't offer as many college-level courses as large urban high schools. But rural students are more likely to earn college credit for the college courses they do take, than urban students.

So who does better in college-level classes? Click here to find out.

Florida Scores High in Graduating Hispanics
By Florida College Access Network

Florida makes the grade in a report recently released by one of Florida College Access Network's national partners. Excelencia in Education's "Finding Your Workforce" provides an analysis of the top 25 institutions graduating Hispanics nationally. The project's goal is to help employers recruit recent Latino degree recipients in key sectors.

In the opening report of the "Finding Your Workforce" series, several Florida institutions come out on top of their national peers in the total number of degrees or certificates awarded to Latinos during the 2009 to 2010 school year. Top Florida institutions include Florida International University, Miami Dade College, the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida.

Florida International University ranks #1 in the nation for the amount of bachelor and master degrees it awards Hispanics. FIU also ranks 10th for professional degrees and 19th in doctoral degrees awarded to Latinos during the 2009-2010 school year.

The report also shows Miami Dade College awards more associate degrees to Latinos than any other institution in the country. During the 2009-2010 school year, 65% of all Miami Dade College graduates were Latino.

The University of Florida scores high in the report as well, placing 6th for professional degrees, 9th for doctoral degrees, 11th for bachelor degrees and 21st for master degrees awarded to Hispanics.

The University of Central Florida is in at #14 of U.S. institutions awarding the most bachelor degrees to Latinos.

Private universities round out the top 25 as well, including the University of Miami, which is 9th on the list of national institutions that award professional degrees to Latinos.

Other Florida institutions in the top 25 of all academic levels are Broward College, Valencia Community College, Palm Beach State College, Nova Southeastern University, Saint Thomas University, Everest Institute-Hialeah, Everest University-South Orlando, Florida Career College-Miami, Florida National College, Fortis College-Miami and Keiser University-Ft. Lauderdale.

State Failing to Adequately Support Preschool Education
By Alex Reese, Cronkite News

Arizona has "shut the door" on preschool programs by making funding cuts that leave a bleak educational future for the state's children, according to a report released by the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The study says Arizona in 2010 eliminated the early childhood block grants that were used to provide accredited preschool education programs for children of low-income families. "The State of Preschool Yearbook 2011 also said that Arizona no longer has a program specifically funding early childhood education that can be measured in the institute's survey.

"This is particularly disturbing given that Arizona has a large population of Hispanic children who would benefit a great deal from preschool education," institute Director Steve Barnett said in a statement.

But an Arizona Department of Education spokesman called it "disingenuous" for the institute to claim that the state does not have a program at all, noting that such programs got more than $6.2 million from the state's First Things First initiative in 2011. First Things First, approved by voters in 2006, distributes funds from Arizona cigarette taxes to various early childhood education programs.

"Whether or not it meets their criteria of what their report is on, we need to go beyond the scope of their report," said Ryan Ducharme, the state department spokesman. "And it's fair to say that Arizona is still providing early childhood programs for children in preschool up through third grade."

While the report mentions First Things First funding, an institute spokeswoman noted that those funds are not dedicated to early childhood education but can also go toward initiatives like dental and health care as well as home care.

Barnett said state lawmakers cut state funds and left First Things First to pick up the slack. But a First Things First spokeswoman agreed with Ducharme that the programs are still being funded, just in another way.

"The intent of the initiative was to build upon what was already existing and to provide the opportunity for more children birth to age 5 to help them arrive at kindergarten well prepared," said Liz Barker, the spokeswoman.

In the institute's previous report, Arizona ranked 40th for state funding out of 40 states measured - 10 states had no programming in 2010 and were not included in the report. Arizona served about 5,000 children in 2010, at $117 per child, and received only three of the 10 suggested benchmarks.

National Headlines

CEOs Take Action for America
Business Roundtable (BRT), an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies, has released Taking Action for America: A CEO Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth, a comprehensive plan to put the United States back on the path of strong economic growth. The plan includes a specific set of recommendations designed to advance education and workforce policies that restore U.S. economic growth and equip workers with the skills needed for future workplace demands.

"Accelerating economic growth and job creation are top priorities for American companies and American workers," said Jim McNerney, Chairman, President and CEO of The Boeing Company, and Chairman of Business Roundtable. "The plan we are releasing outlines a path to achieve these goals through sensible, pro-growth economic policies that will create an environment in which American businesses can compete and grow in 21st century global economy."

Despite hopeful signs of economic recovery, the United States remains in a deep jobs crisis with mounting deficits and national debt that threatens the nation's long-term competitiveness and continued economic prosperity. One out of every 12 Americans who are willing and able to work cannot find a job, and approximately 13 million Americans remain unemployed.

"'Taking Action for America' is a plan to revitalize the U.S. economy through policies that encourage innovation and investment and remove barriers to economic growth," said Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company. "While America's political system remains frozen in gridlock, the rest of the world is not standing still. Other nations around the world that compete with the United States for jobs, business investment and export markets are moving forward - and we must too."

"Taking Action for America" provides a thoughtful and very specific set of recommendations that builds on America's many advantages to restore the type of business environment that encourages companies to invest, grow and create jobs. The CEOs recommendations are centered around three general principles:

American global leadership must be secured through sound fiscal policy, smarter regulation and competitive taxation.
American advantages should be better leveraged through open markets for international trade and investment, reliable, affordable energy and protection of U.S. technology assets.
American workers and families should be supported with improved education and workforce policies, affordable, quality health care and stable policies that ensure retirement security.

Is High School Tough Enough?
By the Center for Public Education

Is the high school curriculum tough enough? Education initiatives as broad as the Common Core State Standards, grant organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and legislative actions like ESEA reauthorization all raise the issue in some way. Each of these initiatives agrees that high schools should produce "college and career-ready graduates," and that "a rigorous curriculum" is the way to do so.

Beyond that, the picture gets murky. What do those two phrases mean? How do we determine what makes a prepared high school graduate, and how do we know if the current high school curriculum is "rigorous" enough to produce such graduates?

While education experts often disagree on what truly constitutes "rigor," the definition put forth by the National High School Alliance succinctly captures the essence of the concept. Rigor, according to the alliance, is shorthand for "an educational experience that leads to a common outcome - that all students are well prepared for post-secondary education, career and civic life" (National High School Alliance, 2006).

The Center for Public Education decided to examine the research behind effective curricular strategies for promoting high school rigor. Click here to take a look at the full analysis.

Education Department Releases Blueprint to Transform Career and Technical Education
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has released a blueprint for transforming Career and Technical Education (CTE), by reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. According to Duncan, the plan will ensure that the education system provides high-quality job-training opportunities that reduce skill shortages, spur business growth, encourage new investment and hires, and spark innovation and economic growth.

Of jobs added nationwide in the last year, 60 percent went to those with at least a bachelor's degree, and 90 percent to those with at least some college. Over the next decade, as many as two-thirds of all new jobs will require education beyond high school.

"In the knowledge-based economy, lifelong learning is so critical. And that means that the traditional mission of career and technical education has to change," Secretary Duncan said. "It can no longer be about earning a diploma and landing a job after high school. The goal of CTE should be that students earn an industry certification and postsecondary certificate or degree — and land a job that leads to a successful career."

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 introduced important changes in federal support for CTE. These changes helped to improve the learning experiences of students, but did not go far enough to systemically create better outcomes for students and employers competing in a 21st century global economy.

Through a $1 billion investment in the Obama Administration's FY 2013 budget, the Administration's blueprint for reauthorizing the Perkins Act will transform the Perkins program in four key areas:

Alignment: Ensuring that the skills taught in CTE programs reflect the actual needs of the labor market so that CTE students acquire the 21st century skills necessary for in-demand occupations within high-growth industry sectors.
Collaboration: Incentivizing secondary schools, institutions of higher education, employers, and industry partners to work together to ensure that all CTE programs offer students high-quality learning opportunities.
Accountability: Requiring CTE programs to show, through common definitions and related performance measures, that they are improving academic outcomes and enabling students to build technical and job skills.
Innovation: Promoting systemic reform of state-level policies to support effective CTE implementation and innovation at the local level

The Obama Administration already has made key investments to align classroom teaching and learning with real-world business needs. The Departments of Education and Labor are in the process of distributing $2 billion in Trade Adjustment Assistance grants to strengthen community college programs and workforce partnerships.

Improving Measures of Postsecondary Success
To provide more complete information on student persistence and completion, the U.S. Education Department released an action plan that takes steps to augment its current measures of student success in postsecondary education. Graduation rate reporting required for institutions of higher education will be broadened to include part-time and other students who have previously attended postsecondary education.

Current law excludes a substantial portion of the student population by only requiring that schools track graduation rates for full-time, first-time students. The additional reporting would supplement this existing requirement.

"Not all students take a linear path in their pursuit of higher education," said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. "Many students work full-time and are balancing family obligations while also attending school. These new outcome measures will accurately demonstrate how postsecondary schools are preparing students for success in different ways."

Entitled "Action Plan for Improving Measures of Postsecondary Success," the plan responds to the final report of the Committee on Measures of Student Success (CMSS). The committee was created under the Higher Education Opportunity Act to help two-year degree granting institutions comply with the law's disclosure requirements, and to develop alternate measures of student success that are comparable to completion and graduation rates.

About 7,000 postsecondary institutions that participate in federal student aid programs report their graduation rates through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of the Department's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In addition to taking steps to expand the population of students to include part-time and others who are not attending postsecondary education for the first time, NCES is examining other measures to better document students' progression through higher education as well as other significant outcomes.

Information about the Committee on Measures of Student Success, including its members and final report, can be found at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/acmss.html

Teach For America One of 100 Best Companies To Work For In 2012
Fortune magazine has ranked Teach For America number 70 on its 2012 list of "Best Companies to Work For." This is the second consecutive year that Teach For America has been on the list.

Teach For America recruits, trains, and supports recent college graduates and professionals who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools in under-resourced communities and gain the foundational experience for a lifetime of educational leadership and advocacy. More than 9,000 Teach For America teachers are working in 34 states and the District of Columbia, and the program's nearly 24,000 alumni are advocates for educational equity and excellence.

"It's an honor to be named to this list and is a testament to our staff members' tremendous leadership and teamwork, and the strong and inclusive culture we've built together," said Wendy Kopp, founder and chief executive officer of Teach For America. "I am proud to work alongside such a talented, committed, and diverse group of people who care deeply about ensuring that all kids have access to an excellent education."

To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Fortune partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 280 firms participated in this year's survey. More than 246,000 employees at those companies responded to a survey created by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world.

Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of the institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute's Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts. Any company that is at least five years old and has more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible.

Education Connection

Volume 4 Issue 1

President's Message

Strategic Partnerships Exemplify Work of Helios

As we wind down 2011, Helios Education Foundation continues its work to create a college-going culture in Arizona and Florida. The impact of the work of many of our strategic partnerships is becoming even more evident. Our partners are paving the way toward postsecondary education success for all students, and we recognize that the Foundation’s current and future achievements are rooted in the success of organizations working to change lives through education.

Partnerships like Ready Now Yuma, Florida College Access Network and Expect More Arizona embody many of the goals of Helios by promoting college-readiness, family and community involvement, college access and success for all students.

We’re proud to reaffirm our commitment to Expect More Arizona through our recent investment of $3 million, bringing our total investment since 2008 to $5 million. With new President and CEO Pearl Chang Esau at the helm, Expect More Arizona is focusing these dollars on engaging more parents, families, students and voters in championing a high quality education for Arizona students.

Our support of the Florida College Access Network will help empower communities to work collaboratively across the state of Florida, building mission-driven, student-focused partnerships with universities, colleges, schools, community organizations, businesses and parents. The whole-school, curriculum reform occurring through our Ready Now Yuma initiative in Yuma, Arizona, with our partners the Center for the Future of Arizona and Yuma Unified High School District, will better prepare students for career and postsecondary education success.

We’re proud of our partners and recognize the significant impact of their work. It’s through this work that successful and prepared students will emerge, ready to compete in the 21st century’s global economy. Happy Holidays to everyone!

In the Spotlight

Arizona Foundations Join National Movement for Grade-Level Reading

With a new national report showing that children who don't read well by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, three Arizona foundations are leading a statewide collaborative to tackle the underlying issues preventing children, especially low-income children, from learning to read at grade level.

Helios Education Foundation, the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) and the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust are collaborating with numerous organizations across Arizona who have all joined the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. This national, 10-year initiative is focused on moving the needle on reading proficiency and making early reading an urgent priority.

Helios, ACF and Piper will convene these stakeholders in a series of community meetings throughout Arizona, with the results leading to an integrated statewide system that addresses the three leading causes preventing students from reading at grade level: school readiness, school absenteeism and summer learning loss.

Organizers plan to build on and enhance the data collection and other work already done by Arizona stakeholders such as First Things First, the Arizona Department of Education and the United Way.

The state of Arizona joins more than 150 cities, counties and towns across the country all taking action and pledging to tackle the grade-level reading crisis through coordinated local efforts. The National League of Cities, United Way World Wide, and other national partners will recognize communities that develop the most comprehensive and sustainable plans to address the three primary barriers to early reading.

Arizona's statewide collaborative includes a broad cross-section of community groups and organizations who have signed on in support of the campaign:
Arizona Community Foundation
Arizona Department of Education
Arizona Interfaith Movement
Balz School District, Superintendent
Children's Action Alliance
City of Phoenix Human Services Department
Coconino County Supervisor
Diamond Foundation
Educare Arizona
Expect More Arizona
Flagstaff Mayor
Flagstaff Unified School District
First Things First
Flowing Wells Unified School District
Helios Education Foundation
Literacy Connects in Tucson
Navajo County
Northern Arizona University
Phoenix Elementary School District
Pima County Public Library
Southwest Human Development
Tucson Mayor
Tucson Unified School District
United Way of Northern Arizona
United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona
United Way of Yuma County
Valley of the Sun United Way
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
Yuma Chamber of Commerce
Yuma County School Superintendent

For more information on the Campaign, visit the website at www.gradelevelreading.net.

Helios News

New Office Aims to Increase College Graduation Rates

Shani Bennett is a freshman at the University of Tampa, and she's still undecided about her major. But, she's considering pre-dentistry.

"I'm looking at everything," she says.

Although Shani is a first-generation college student who is new to the Tampa Bay community, she's adjusting well as a result of the university's Office of Student Success. The office is part of a new initiative that Helios Education Foundation and the University of Tampa created to help increase college graduation rates among first-generation and under-represented students by as much as 17 percent.

There are 282 full-time students in the program who are studying either mathematics, education, technology or other science-related disciplines. The program reaches across academic, enrollment, student services and financial aid and includes:

Formation of an Office of Student Success.
Creation of micro academic communities in which students can interact with faculty and staff.
Providing "gap" financial aid for students with the greatest financial needs.
Development of programs that link students' academic areas with the campus offices of Advising and Career Services, thus ensuring successful career development.
Developing merit-based incentive awards for students who have demonstrated academic success after their first year.
Creating new on-campus employment opportunities.
Selecting current graduate and undergraduate students to serve as academic coaches and program mentors.

"I get exposure to different employers and meet a lot of new people," Bennett said. She added that she and her Helios student mentor have already talked about future class schedules, and about doing community service at a local school.

The University expects to see gains in students' perceptions of academic challenges, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environments.

"This initial cohort is made up of students who traditionally need additional support mechanisms for the challenges they face in college, said University of Tampa President Ronald L. Vaughn. "And while over the past 15 years UT has committed tremendous resources to student development and support services, including substantial investments in infrastructures, the Helios partnership provides a boost.

Helios Education Foundation invested $1.3 million into the Student Success - Responding to a National Imperative program and is hopeful the initiative will lead to increased persistence and graduation rates as well as increased student engagement in all aspects of the college experience.

"Preparing students for the academic rigor of a college education is only part of the equation," said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna. "We have to ensure that those same students, once in college, persist and complete that education. That's why we're so supportive of the University of Tampa's Student Success initiative which wraps academic, social and financial support around incoming first-generation and under-represented students, helping them succeed and graduate."

Lorie Kittendorf, UT's director of student success, said that with the Helios grant, UT can approach the support of this student population intentionally and tactically. She added that the initiative is unique in that support of the program rests largely on students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, who will connect with the students of interest in targeted ways.

"We never know what person, event, or moment will help a student connect to an institution, but we do know how crucial student engagement and involvement are for persistence and success," Kittendorf said. "Our team of graduate academic coaches and undergraduate peers will hopefully serve as a key resource for the information, advice, support and involvement that are so critical for student learning and persistence."

The University of Tampa serves 6,738 students from 50 states and 115 countries. Approximately two-thirds of full-time students live on campus and about half of UT students are from Florida.

Helios Fuels EMA's Growth With $3 Million Investment
Helios Education Foundation is investing $3 million in Expect More Arizona over the next four years, fueling the growth and sustainability of the organization that is dedicated to making Arizona education the best in the nation.

The investment will advance Expect More Arizona's efforts to engage more parents, families, students and voters in championing a high quality education for all children and students, and fund the infrastructure and capacity needed to ensure Expect More Arizona can influence positive change in education for generations to come.

These new dollars bring Helios' total investment in Expect More Arizona to $5 million, including the seed money, which helped launch the organization in December 2008.

"Helios Education Foundation has been a vital part of Expect More Arizona's past and present success," said Pearl Chang Esau, Expect More Arizona's new President and CEO. "This investment will allow us to strengthen our organization, expand our movement and ultimately create a high-expectations, education-first culture in our state."

Computer-Based Modeling Underway in Citrus County Florida
Until recently, scientists had two ways to work: conduct physical experiments or construct theories. Today, computers offer a powerful, third way: mathematical modeling using computer simulations. In fact, computer-based modeling now allows scientists to model and analyze systems on a scale far greater than was previously possible, offering the potential to revolutionize nearly all science disciplines.

A new project underway at the Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) at Florida State University is preparing teachers to help middle school students acquire the math, science and computing skills they will need to enter STEM fields in the 21st Century. The project, made possible by a $495,000 grant from Helios Education Foundation, is being conducted in collaboration with Citrus County Public Schools and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD).

"Blending STEM teaching and learning is strongly supported by research on how students learn but we know little about how to prepare teachers to do it," said Laura Lang, director of the Learning Systems Institute (LSI), which houses FCR-STEM, and the principal investigator on the grant.

"This project will develop and test a teacher professional development approach for students in the middle grades, a critical time for sparking interest in STEM and helping students understand first-hand what the work of scientists is all about, Lang added."

The program targets middle school students because they are choosing courses to take in high school that will influence their college and career paths. Students introduced to computational science early can develop new ways of thinking and problem-solving that are increasingly essential in the workforce. Thanks to SWFWMD's participation, students will work with data pertaining to local water resources, underscoring the real-world impact of science and math.

Resource Center Aims to Boost College Attendance
Navigating the pathways to colleges, universities and technical and vocational schools can be a dense maze of paperwork, standardized tests and financial worry. But the Northern Arizona College Resource Center (NACRC) is helping students and adults navigate that maze and achieve their academic goals.

Housed in the Flagstaff Family YMCA, NACRC is offering free one-on-one advising, community workshops and school and community presentations on all aspects of the college-going process, including information on finding best fit schools, applications, essays, standardized tests, education financing and a host of special topics. Services are free to both youth and adults throughout Northern Arizona.

Through a new partnership with Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona Community Foundation, the Center is able to continue its existing programs, add tutoring and expand the Center's reach and number of clients being served.

"Initiatives like these in our community help create a college-going culture and put students on a path toward success in postsecondary education," said Antonia Franco, Helios Education Foundation's Vice President and Program Director, Arizona Transition Years; Student, Family and Community Initiatives.

The NACRC is located at 1001 N. Turquoise Drive in Flagstaff, Arizona and can be reached by email at staff@nacrc.net.

Helios Partners Recognized at Milestone Event
Helios Education Foundation and education stakeholders in Arizona and Florida came together in September to celebrate the programs and initiatives that are helping improve student achievement in both states. At a breakfast held in honor of its partners, the Foundation highlighted the successes of a number of programs and reflected on the thousands of lives enriched through the over $100 million invested in education since 2006.

Click here to view photo and video highlights from celebration events held in Arizona and Florida.

"Our community breakfast was an opportunity to say thank you to our partners for their incredible commitment to helping students succeed from their earliest years all the way through postsecondary education," said Helios Education Foundation Chairman Vince Roig. "Moving the needle toward higher achievement in our schools simply would not be possible without the support and in-the-trenches knowledge of our partners. It's important that we shine a spotlight on that work."

Florida's event featured success stories from Take Stock in Children's CEO Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, the Port of Tampa's Dave Sessums and the Dean of the College of Education at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Dr. Vivian Fueyo. Arizona's celebration showcased the programmatic successes of Dr. Sybil Francis, Executive Director of the Center for the Future of Arizona, Nicole Magnuson, former Executive Director of Expect More Arizona, and Tamara Santilli, a teacher and science chair at Villago Middle School.

Helios' strategic initiatives are focused ultimately on creating a college-going culture by improving student achievement and teacher quality in the classroom. Many of these programs are also elevating the critical role of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in better preparing students for postsecondary education success.

Helios Board Member Among Hispanic Business Magazine's Top 100
Maria Sastre, a member of Helios Education Foundation's Board of Directors, is one of Hispanic Business Magazine's top 100 most influential Hispanics of 2011. The magazine announced its national picks for the top 100 based on individuals who have promoted the advancement of Hispanics in the United States by their leadership, community involvement or professional achievements.

The magazine recognizes people from a variety of fields, including entertainment, performing arts, media and journalism, literature, sports, science and academia, entrepreneurship, government and corporate. Ms. Sastre has been highlighted as one of the country's top corporate Hispanic leaders whose achievements continue to inspire others.

Ms. Sastre was elected to Helios' Board of Directors in 2011, joining seven other members all focused on creating opportunities for individuals in Arizona and Florida to achieve postsecondary education success. She is Chief Operating Officer for Global Operations at Signature Flight Support Corporation, and is responsible for the company's worldwide network of fixed base operations.

For more information on this year's Top 100, visit hispanicbusiness.com.

Luna, Keogh Co-Chair Phoenix Mayor-Elect's Transition Team
Phoenix Mayor-elect Greg Stanton has chosen Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna and Karlene Keogh Parks, senior vice president with HUB International Insurance Services of Arizona and co-founder of the Keogh Health Connection, to lead his transition team. Paul Blue, director of Phoenix Community & Economic Development, has also been named to the team.

Mayor-elect Stanton takes office on January 3.

Transforming Early Childhood Education
It's clear that the ages of birth to five represent the most critical stage in the growth and development of young children, forming the building blocks for a child's future educational success. Since 2006, Helios Education Foundation has invested over $10 million in strategic partnerships across Arizona and Florida focused on better preparing early childhood educators and practitioners and on increasing the number of high quality early learning environments in child care centers and family child care homes.

Click here to view the Foundation's latest report on Impact in Early Childhood Education.

In The Headlines

Sesame Street Incorporates STEM Lessons into New Season
From Education News

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math basics will be a part of the upcoming season of Sesame Street in "Murray's Science Experiments." The program will integrate a new curriculum into its shows to help viewers get prepared for school by giving them more exposure to subjects like science and mathematics.

The STEM curriculum will help children think critically as well as encourage them to get more "hands on" about their learning. Experimentation will become as significant a part of the program as observation. The new slogan that encompasses the effort is "Let's Find Out!"

"Sesame Street's curriculum fosters children's natural inclinations to ask questions and encourages investigation and experimentation in order to make new discoveries," adds Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Vice President of Education and Research, Sesame Workshop. "By approaching STEM education as an integrated discipline through the process of scientific inquiry, rather than individual domains, the curriculum helps children develop a better understanding of how things work, and builds stronger cognitive reasoning, critical thinking and problem solving skills."

Throughout the season, a new character named Murray will lead the viewers in lessons that will help them understand the scientific method. Murray will start each of his segments with a question and then will set up an experiment that will help him find the answer. The new segment will be called "Murray's Science Experiments."

Hispanic ACT Test Takers Show Gains
From ACT

College and career readiness among Hispanics who took the ACT test shows slow but steady improvement, particularly in the key areas of math and science, according to ACT's yearly report: The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2011. This increase has occurred as the number of Hispanic test-takers continues to increase dramatically.

Eleven percent of Hispanic graduates in the class of 2011 who took the ACT exam met or surpassed all four of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, suggesting they are ready to succeed academically in specific first-year college courses (English composition, college algebra, introductory social science and biology) without the need for remediation. This is unchanged from last year and up from 10 percent the previous three years.

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, which are based on actual grades earned by students in college, specify the minimum scores needed on each ACT subject-area test (English, mathematics, reading and science) to indicate that a student has a 50 percent chance of earning a grade of B or higher or about a 75 percent chance of earning a C or higher in a typical credit-bearing first-year college course in that subject area.

The improvement in college readiness among Hispanic students is most evident in mathematics. This year, 30 percent (compared to 27 percent in 2010 and 26 percent in 2007) of the students in this group met or exceeded the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in math, while 47 percent (compared to 46 percent in 2010 and 49 percent in 2007) met or exceeded the English benchmark. Thirty-five percent (compared to 34 percent in 2010 and 2007) of Hispanic graduates met or exceeded the ACT benchmark in reading. Finally, 15 percent (compared to 14 percent in 2010 and 13 percent in 2007) met or exceeded the benchmark in science.

However, ACT results continue to show an alarmingly high number of students who are graduating without all of the academic skills they need to succeed after high school. Forty-five percent of Hispanic test takers in the 2011 graduating class failed to meet any of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.

STEM Students Finding Majors Too Hard
From Education News
Students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math have higher rates of attrition than any other subject. Over the past few years test scores have shown that American students are consistently behind their counterparts in countries like Finland and Singapore.

President Obama and industry groups have called on colleges to graduate 10,000 more engineers a year and 100,000 new teachers with majors in STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - to try and bridge the gap, writes Christopher Drew at the New York Times.

There are encouraging signs, with surveys showing the number of college freshmen interested in majoring in a STEM field is on the rise. However, after middle and high school, the excitement quickly fades as students brush up against the reality of what David E. Goldberg, an emeritus engineering professor, calls "the math-science death march."

Studies have found that roughly 40 percent of students planning engineering and science majors end up switching to other subjects or dropping out completely. This number shoots up to 60 percent with pre-medical students. This is twice the combined attrition rate of all other majors.

And for educators, the key question is how to keep the momentum created in the lower grades from dissipating once the students get to college.

"We're losing an alarming proportion of our nation's science talent once the students get to college," says Mitchell J. Chang, an education professor at U.C.L.A. who has studied the matter.

Professor Chang says the attrition rate can be higher at the most selective schools, where he believes the competition overwhelms even well-qualified students.

"You'd like to think that since these institutions are getting the best students, the students who go there would have the best chances to succeed," says Chang.
"But if you take two students who have the same high school grade-point average and SAT scores, and you put one in a highly selective school like Berkeley and the other in a school with lower average scores like Cal State, that Berkeley student is at least 13 percent less likely than the one at Cal State to finish a STEM degree."

In September, the Association of American Universities, which represents 61 of the largest research institutions, announced a five-year initiative to encourage faculty members in the STEM fields to use more interactive teaching techniques.

"There is a long way to go," says Hunter R. Rawlings, the association's president, "and there is an urgent need to accelerate the process of reform."

No one doubts that students need a strong theoretical foundation. But what frustrates education experts is how long it has taken for most schools to make changes, writes Drew.

Public University Tuition Rates Rise
From The College Board

The College Board reports that increases in college prices for the 2011-2012 academic year reflect the continued impact of a weakened economy as well as state funding that has not kept pace with the growth in college enrollments.

For the fifth consecutive year, the percentage increase in average tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities was higher than the percentage increase at private nonprofit four-year colleges. While national data provide an important snapshot of overall college prices, this year's data also reveal substantial state-to-state pricing variations underlying the national averages.

Florida's public universities' tuition rates averaged an increase of 11.8 percent. This change moves the state from 48th to 45th lowest in tuition costs in the nation. Arizona's published tuition rates at public four-year colleges increased by 17 percent.

Key National Findings:

Published in-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions average $8,244 in 2011-2012 - 8.3 percent higher than in 2010-11. Average total charges, including tuition and fees and room and board, are $17,131, up 6.0 percent.

Published out-of-state tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities average $20,770 - 5.7 percent higher than in 2010-2011. Average total charges are $29,657, up 5.2 percent.

Published in-state tuition and fees at public two-year colleges average $2,963 - 8.7 percent higher than in 2010-2011.

Student aid plays an important role in cushioning the impact of increases in published prices. New data reveal that the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), implemented in 2009, increased the subsidies provided to students through the combination of education tax credits and deductions from about $7 billion in 2007-2008 to an estimated $14.8 billion in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

Hispanic College Enrollment Rises, Narrowing Gaps with Other Groups
From Pew Hispanic Center

The Pew Hispanic Center reports that the number of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics attending college in the United States hit an all-time high of 12.2 million in October 2010. From 2009 to 2010, the number of Hispanic young adults enrolled in college grew by 349,000 compared with an increase of 88,000 young African Americans and 43,000 young Asian Americans and a decrease of 320,000 young non-Hispanic whites.

With these new numbers, young Hispanics for the first time outnumbered young African-Americans on campus, even though African-American college enrollment has grown steadily for decades and it, too, has surged in recent years. In 2010, 38 percent of all 18- to 24-year-old African-Americans were enrolled in college, up from 13 percent in 1967 and 32 percent in 2008.

The Hispanic enrollment increase has been even more dramatic than the African-American enrollment increase because it has been spurred by a mixture of population growth and educational strides. High levels of immigration and high birth rates have made Hispanics the nation's biggest minority group, comprising 16 percent of the U.S. population as of 2010. In 1972, just 5 percent of the nation's 18- to 24-year-olds were Hispanic. By 2010, that share rose to 19 percent.

Rising educational attainment is an important driver of these enrollment trends, over the long term as well as in recent years. The rate of young Hispanics enrolled in college rose from 13 percent in 1972 to 27 percent in 2009 to 32 percent in 2010.

The Pew Hispanic Center analysis is based on the U.S. Census Bureau's School Enrollment Supplement of the October 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS), supplemented by historical time series based on the CPS. The CPS is the standard source for national rates of college enrollment and has collected college enrollment information in a consistent manner since 1947.

U.S. Department of Education Proposes Dedicated Office for Early Learning
The U.S. Department of Education is proposing to create an Office of Early Learning, tasked with overseeing the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grants and coordinating early learning programs across the Department.

The proposal names Senior Advisor for Early Learning Jacqueline Jones as head of the new office, which will operate within the Department's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE).

"Effective early learning programs are essential to prepare our children for success in school and beyond," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "A dedicated early learning office will institutionalize, elevate and coordinate federal support for high-quality early learning, while enhancing support for state efforts to build high-performing early education systems."

The U.S. Department of Education says that further details on staffing and office operations will be available in the coming months.

Arizona, Florida among States Applying to Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge
The U.S. departments of Education and Health and Human Services say that 35 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, have submitted applications for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge, a $500 million state-level competitive grant program to improve early learning and development.

Applicants include: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The applications are being reviewed by early childhood experts from across the country. In mid-December, the highest ranked applicants will receive awards, ranging from $50 million up to $100 million, depending on a state's population of children from low-income families and their proposed plan.

"The strong response from states shows there is a shared commitment to raising the bar on quality across early learning programs, including those serving low income children who too often start kindergarten already behind their classmates," said Secretary for Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. "By investing in our children's early years, we can put them on track to success in school and in the 21st century job market while boosting our long term competitiveness as a nation."

Nation's Report Card Shows Florida's Upward Progress
From The Florida Department of Education
The 2011 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading and Mathematics show that fourth graders in Florida continue to outpace the nation in reading, with an average scale score of 225 compared to 220 nationwide.

Results for Florida's Hispanic students also show higher average scale scores than their counterparts across the country, in both reading and mathematics in fourth and eighth grades, while the overall results for grades 4 and 8 show no significant change since the most recent 2009 results.

In fourth grade mathematics, Hispanic students, students with disabilities and students eligible for free or reduced price lunch scored higher than the national average, and overall fourth graders matched the national average score of 240. In addition, Hispanic eighth graders scored higher than their national counterparts with a score of 274.

Since 1998, Florida has seen steady progress on NAEP and the Florida Department of Education continues to work closely with schools across the state to infuse effective reading instruction focused on prevention and intervention, including phonemic awareness, fluency in word recognition and text processing, construction of meaning, vocabulary, spelling and writing.

Education Connection

Volume 3 Issue 2

President's Message

By this time of year, hundreds of thousands of students all over the country have walked across a brightly lit stage at their graduation ceremonies, transitioning from one part of their lives to another. Whether graduating from kindergarten to first grade or from high school to postsecondary education, students and their families not only celebrate that moment, but they celebrate what that moment symbolizes: success.

Ensuring that our students have the opportunity to succeed in education today gives them a passport to success in tomorrow's globally competitive workforce. At Helios Education Foundation, engaging minds and enriching lives is more than just a tag line, it's fundamental to every investment we make. It's through these investments and because of our partners that individuals in Arizona and Florida are succeeding in education.

Today, in this moment and for everything it symbolizes, Helios too is celebrating. We have invested over $100 million in education in Arizona and Florida since 2006, and we are celebrating the partnerships created through those investments, but more importantly, the thousands of lives enriched through education.

We are working hand-in-hand with our partners, having invested over $10 million in early childhood education, over $43 million in the transition years, over $32 million in postsecondary scholarships and over $12 million in innovative programs. Through our partnerships, we are closing education achievement gaps, improving academic performance and providing more access to teacher professional development programs.

Yet we know our work has only just begun.

As we celebrate this moment, we are reminded of the true impact of investing in education. Our success lies in the eyes of early learners who, because of our partners, are now surrounded in language rich, high quality environments, eager and becoming ready to learn in first grade. For us, success rests with the middle school student who, through a better understanding and application of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), is now an analytical thinker and better problem solver.

Ultimately, our celebration symbolizes all of the new pathways and opportunities created for students to succeed from kindergarten to career. For that, we sincerely thank our partners and commit to being here in perpetuity, working with you to change lives through education.

In the Spotlight

Celebrating Our Partnerships and $100 Million Invested in Education
What began as a vision in the minds of members of the Southwest Student Services Corporation's board of directors 8 years ago has today blossomed into philanthropic organization focused on changing lives through education in Arizona and Florida.

Helios Education Foundation was created in 2004 and began investing in education in 2006. Now, the Foundation is celebrating the partnerships created, the thousands of lives enriched and the $100 million that has been invested in education.

"This truly is an exciting time for Helios Education Foundation and for the communities we serve," said the Foundation's President and CEO Paul Luna. "It's thrilling to know that a number of our strategic investments are helping move the needle toward creating a college-going culture. And for that, we're taking this time to reflect on and celebrate our partners," he added.

"So much has been accomplished in education because of our partners' efforts, but there is so much left to do in order to prepare our students for postsecondary education and for the workforce. We need our partners - the people and the organizations that remain committed, persistent and innovative about improving education - in order to change the landscape and elevate education as the key to changing lives and communities."

A History of Helios
Helios opened its doors in Phoenix, Arizona in 2006 and announced its first community investment in the amount of $10 million to the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation for scholarships for first-generation students. It was also 2006 when Helios announced its first investment in Florida: $10 million toward Florida's university and community college systems to support scholarships for first-generation students. The Foundation opened its doors in Tampa, Florida the following year.

Very early on in its development, Helios fine-tuned its focus, earmarking its financial resources for initiatives that contribute toward a college-going culture, one in which every individual in Arizona and Florida would have access to a postsecondary education. The Foundation developed a strategic community investment philosophy rooted in improving student achievement. The approach was simple: invest within a specific framework across the education continuum, from early childhood education through the transition years and on to postsecondary scholarships.

And, that approach is yielding success.

"It's been an interesting and impactful journey for Helios since inception," said the Foundation's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Barbara Ryan. "Over the past five years, we've been implementing innovative initiatives that will reshape early childhood education in some areas, improve middle school students' knowledge and skills around math and science and open doors to a postsecondary education for people who traditionally haven't had those opportunities."

Changing lives through education is a mission that can't happen in a vacuum and it can't happen overnight, Ryan says.

"Helios plans to be an ongoing force for education," Ryan added. "...pushing for higher quality learning environments with more rigor and relevance for students, and helping parents become

more engaged and embedded in the academic success of their children. Some of that is already reflected in the investments we've made."

The Impact Areas
Helios Education Foundation invests its leadership, expertise and resources across three key impact areas:

Investment Focus Amount Invested Since 2006

Early Childhood Education $10,874,912
With a focus on improving teacher quality, incorporating emergent literacy and language acquisition curriculum into postsecondary education programs and bridging the gap between the early childhood and K-3 education systems.

Transition Years (grades 5-12) $43,156,655
With a focus on college readiness for all students by creating a college-going culture and increasing curriculum rigor and relevance with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; creating and sustaining a pipeline of highly effective STEM educators and school leaders; and strengthening family and community engagement to support student success.

Postsecondary Scholarships $32,795,516
With a focus on increasing access to postsecondary education for underserved and underrepresented populations; creating a pipeline of STEM students and educators; and cultivating early childhood education teachers and practitioners.

Innovative $12,413,466
With a focus on supporting new and innovative initiatives that seek to improve student achievement across the education continuum.

Raising Expectations
Expect More Arizona is one of Helios Education Foundation's innovative partnership's which is engaging and empowering students, families and communities in Arizona to improve education. The statewide, nonpartisan partnership seeks to make education Arizona's top priority by building public demand for a higher quality education system.

Helios is a founding partner of Expect More Arizona and the Foundation's President and CEO, Paul Luna, is Chair of Expect More Arizona's Oversight Board.

"Expect More Arizona is a movement working to create a groundswell of better informed and more actively engaged Arizonans who believe that every Arizona student deserves the best education possible," said Expect More Arizona's Executive Director Nicole Magnuson. "In order for Arizona's education system to be a model of excellence across the nation, we must raise our expectations and commit to doing more for education and our students."

Recognizing that not all Arizona students have access to high quality education, Expect More Arizona is advocating for a high quality education system for all Arizona students from birth through career that effectively prepares students to succeed.

The partnership's motivation stems from the statistics below, which reinforce that Arizona's students are falling behind their national and international peers in academic performance, high school graduation rates and postsecondary degree attainment.

60% of kindergartners don't enter kindergarten ready to succeed
75% of 3rd graders are below proficient in reading
71% of 8th graders are below proficient in math
30% of students don't graduate from high school
50% of high school graduates don't qualify to enroll in Arizona's public universities
17% of Arizona students go on to postsecondary education and earn a college degree on time

With these percentages in mind, Expect More Arizona is evolving its public awareness and engagement efforts to encourage parents and families to set high expectations in their homes and get actively involved in supporting the academic success to their students.
"Research shows that parents have a significant and positive impact on the academic success and postsecondary education goals of students," Magnuson said. "The more engaged parents become in their child's education, at all stages of the education continuum, the more likely those parents will be to advocate on behalf of their children, their children's school and on behalf of education reform overall."

What makes Expect More Arizona unique, however, is that even if you don't have children, there is a place for everyone in this important movement. Learn more at ExpectMoreArizona.org.

Sources for the statistics mentioned above include:

Arizona School Readiness Key Performance Indicators, Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families, 2006
National Center for Education Statistics
Newamerica.net
Green, J. & Winters, M. (2005). Public high school graduation and college-readiness rates: 1991-2002. New York: Manhattan Institute.
The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems Information Center for State Higher Education Policy and Analysis, 2003-2004

Helios Partner Total Investment
Expect More Arizona $1.5 million

Master Class
With the College Board's assessment of the U.S. now ranking 12th in the world in postsecondary education attainment among adults ages 25- to 64-years-old, Helios is supporting initiatives aimed at preparing students to successfully compete globally and on helping them acquire the knowledge and skills that will make them a productive part of the workforce. Advancing student skills around STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) have shown to be an effective part of a comprehensive approach to improving student achievement.

But according to the Education Commission of the States (ECS), teacher quality is also critical to student achievement. In a 2008 policy brief, the ECS found that while numerous state efforts seek to recruit, train and retain more teachers, fewer initiatives focus on developing teachers, particularly high school teachers, once they enter the classroom.

In their brief, the ECS examined seven high-leverage components to strengthening teacher professional development at the high school level, including:

Deepening conceptual knowledge
Integrating college and workforce readiness into teacher expectations and instruction
Developing communities of practice and mentorship supports
Using data, school- and classroom-level assessment practices and differentiated instruction
Keeping a focus on instruction
Addressing organizational professional development and
Using technology to leverage learning

As part of its effort to create more opportunities for teacher professional development, Helios is working with the University of Florida's (UF) Lastinger Center for Learning and the Pinellas County School District to develop master middle school and high school teachers in math and science.

Through the Pinellas County STEM Master Teachers initiative, UF is collaborating with the school district to provide job-embedded graduate education programs for teachers. As part of this initiative, teachers are working side-by-side with UF researchers on biological and physical sciences and related technologies, gaining new content knowledge and skills, leaning about the processes of discovery science and exploring multiple academic and workforce career paths for students.

One of the highlights of this program is that teachers earn a graduate degree from UF while further enhancing their abilities in the classroom.

"This program has grown faster than we had anticipated," said Don Pemberton, Director of UF's Lastinger Center for Learning. "We're able to respond to the real needs for math and science teachers in some of the most vulnerable schools in Pinellas County. And, this really is a unique partnership that we've been able to leverage our resources and we've gone from three schools when we launched to 11 with the support of the Pinellas County School Board over two years. "

Pemberton says that some of the key objectives of the program are to provide high quality professional development for all math and science teachers at the demonstration schools, and to give those teachers summer experiences in UF labs with research scientists, engineers and mathematicians. The hope is that the program will ultimately improve the content knowledge and pedagogy of the entire math and science faculties in the demonstration schools.

"Right now we feel that math and science education is a national priority, and it's extremely encouraging to know that Helios Education Foundation and Pinellas County schools are on the cutting edge of helping develop a new prototype for training math and science teachers," Pemberton said. "This kind of investment and support is so critically needed at a time when traditional resources are drying up. Because of this partnership, we are collaborating across all levels and meeting the needs of students in vulnerable schools."

Helios Partner Total Investment
University of Florida Foundation Over $1.6 million

For the Pinellas County STEM Master Teachers Program

The Future
As Helios Education Foundation looks toward investing its next $100 million in education, the Foundation is taking a closer look at the measurability, sustainability and long-term impacts of its initiatives. As a Foundation designed to exist in perpetuity, Helios wants to ensure that the residual effects of its investments continue to ripple across Arizona and Florida for years to come. Being able to evaluate that kind of impact is a critical part of Helios' investment approach.

"It's been incredible to watch Helios Education Foundation evolve and become an integral part of helping improve education," said the Foundation's Founding Chairman Vince Roig. "What's going to be even more incredible, are the years to come. I speak on behalf of the board and staff when I say that none of the work, none of the vision, none of the change in education we are seeking would be possible without our partners. This really is about celebrating our partnerships and looking toward educating the future leaders of this country."

For more information about the history and development of Helios Education Foundation, click here. General information about the Foundation's focus and community investment initiatives is available online at helios.org.

Helios Elects Top Power Influencer to Board of Directors
Helios Education Foundation has elected Florida leader and top power influencer Maria Sastre to its Board of Directors. Ms. Sastre joins seven other members on Helios' Board all focused on supporting initiatives that help create a college-going culture in Arizona and Florida and lead students to postsecondary education success.

"As we continue to build new partnerships and strategically invest in education, it's critical that the voices on the Foundation's Board of Directors reflect a diversity of experiences and viewpoints," said Helios Education Foundation's Founding Chairman, Vince Roig.

Ms. Sastre currently serves on the boards of directors and audit committees for Publix Supermarkets and Darden Restaurants. She has been recognized as one of the Top 80 U.S. Hispanics, Top 20 Latinas and has received numerous awards in the travel and hospitality industry sectors. She was named one of South Florida CEO magazine's Top Power Influencers in 2007.

Ms. Sastre is Chief Operating Officer for Global Operations at Signature Flight Support Corporation - based in Orlando, Florida - where she is responsible for the company's worldwide network of fixed base operations. Before joining Signature, Ms. Sastre served as President and CEO of Take Stock in Children, a statewide non-profit organization in Florida that, since inception, has helped over 16,000 low-income, at-risk students overcome the cycle of poverty through education, mentorship and access to college scholarships.

"In getting to know Maria in her role at Take Stock in Children, I've seen firsthand her proven leadership skills and wide-ranging knowledge of education systems," Vince Roig continued.
"I'm excited that her voice will complement the board's commitment to changing lives through education."

Prior to her work at Take Stock in Children, Ms. Sastre held positions at Royal Caribbean Cruises, LTD, including Vice President of Operations and Vice President International, Latin America, Caribbean and Asia. Her roles included strategic growth across emerging markets as well as managing all aspects of the guest experience onboard Royal Caribbean's fleet of vessels. She has served as Vice President of Worldwide Customer Satisfaction for United Airlines where she led the newly created customer satisfaction division charged with refining the customer service experience.

Ms. Sastre's education includes a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and a Master's in Business Administration, both from New York Institute of Technology. She joins Vince Roig, Founding Chairman; Tom Herndon; Ioanna Morfessis, Ph.D; Jane Roig; Don Aripoli, M.S.Ed, Ph.D; Mark Fernandez; and Paul Luna, President and CEO on the Helios Board.

Community Investments

University of Arizona Foundation - $1,555,384
CREATE
This funding supports the redesign of The University of Arizona Early Childhood Education Teacher Preparatory Program. The redesign called CREATE (Communities as Resources in Early Childhood Teacher Education) will incorporate a community-based program with a particular emphasis on the literacy needs of English Language Learners, their families and communities.

BUILD Initiative - $300,000
The Arizona BUILD partnership will work with Arizona leaders to define goals and objectives critical for the development of a comprehensive early childhood system. The process will be developed through the convening of public/private leadership teams and will include core components such as content knowledge, collective understandings, core programs, infrastructure, public support, adequate financing, and political will. The initial phase will culminate with the creation of a strategic plan that cultivates partnerships and identifies partners roles and responsibilities within the early childhood system.

Arizona State University Foundation - $50,000
Revisiting Arizona's Latino Education Dilemma-Morrison Institute
This partnership will help put the Latino education gap in the context of social and economic outcomes that will impact neighborhoods and the state as a whole. The project will utilize novel strategies to uncover the influences of neighborhood effects and education policies on long-term achievement.

University of Arizona Foundation - $40,000
Zona de Promesa: Children's Promise Zone
This partnership seeks to create opportunities for children to access effective schools and strong systems of family and community support that will prepare them to attain an excellent education and successfully transition to college and career. The University of Arizona Foundation envisions a collaboration of multiple partners that provide a pipeline of effective schools and family/community support for children from cradle to college through career.

Celebrating Our Milestones: A Snapshot of 2010

Celebrating Our Milestones: A Snapshot of 2010
Helios Education Foundation recently released its 2010 electronic annual report entitled A Celebration of Milestones, showcasing the partnerships and investments the Foundation has made over the past fiscal year (October 1, 2009 - September 30 2010). The video stories and informative articles in the report highlight the thousands of lives that have been enriched by bold new education initiatives in Arizona and Florida focused on student success.

In 2010, Helios invested over $20 million in education programs being led by non-profit organizations, school districts, institutions of higher education and other partners in Arizona and Florida to help move the needle in early childhood education (children ages birth to five), the transition years (Grades 5-12) and postsecondary scholarships.

We invite you to review A Celebration of Milestones.

A Follow Up to "Waiting for Superman"

Six months after the Pinellas Education Foundation in partnership with Helios Education Foundation and Tucker Hall hosted a community viewing of the nationally-acclaimed education documentary "Waiting for Superman," numerous community leaders came together in April 2011 to discuss critical issues in education in Pinellas County.

The Pinellas Education Foundation, the Voice of Florida Business in Education and the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations invited opinion leaders to a symposium called "Your Voice in Education Reform" moderated by Helios Education Foundation's President and CEO Paul Luna. The symposium presented an opportunity for the community to review the results of a recent survey of Governor Rick Scott's education agenda and engage in dialogue with a well-respected panel on the top local education issues facing the community.

Panelists included:

Sean Barth, Treasurer of the Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Foundation for Seminole Public Schools and a member of the Voice of Florida Business in Public Education
John Kirtly, creator of Step Up For Students, co-Founder of KLH Capital, Founder of the Children's Scholarship Fund of Tampa Bay and Vice Chairman of the Alliance for School Choice and the American Federation for Children
Liza McFadden, President of Volunteer USA Foundation
Ernest Hooper, an award-winning general news columnist for the St. Petersburg Times
Tracy Staley, a 5th grade teacher at Ponce De Leon Elementary School in Clearwater, Florida

National News

Obama Administration Announces $500 Million for Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius have announced a new $500 million state-level grant competition, the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge.

The Challenge will reward states that create comprehensive plans to transform early learning systems with better coordination, clearer learning standards, and meaningful workforce development. Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius also challenged the broader innovation community-leading researchers, high-tech entrepreneurs, foundations, non-profits and others-to engage with the early learning community and to close the school readiness gap.

"To win the future, our children need a strong start," said Secretary Duncan. "The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge encourages states to develop bold and comprehensive plans for raising the quality of early learning programs across America."

States applying for challenge grants will be encouraged to increase access to quality early learning programs for low-income and disadvantaged children, design integrated and transparent systems that align their early care and education programs, bolster training and support for the early learning workforce, create robust evaluation systems to document and share effective practices and successful programs and help parents make informed decisions about care for their children.

Research shows that high-quality early learning programs lead to long-lasting positive outcomes for children, including increased rates of high school graduation, college attendance and college completion. Yet, just 40 percent of 4-year olds in America are currently enrolled in preschool programs. The most recent report from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) indicates that, for the first time in a decade, states are reducing some of their key investments in early learning.

The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grants will encourage states to make the best possible use of current federal and state investments in child care and early learning. The public is invited to provide input, including data and relevant research, by clicking here.

The application will be released later this summer with grants awarded to states no later than December 31, 2011.

Number of Students Succeeding on AP Exams Has Nearly Doubled in 10 Years
Florida among Top 10 Leading States

More than half a million public school students from the class of 2010 scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP® Exam during high school, nearly double the number of successful students from the class of 2001, according to the College Board.

The top 10 states with the greatest proportion of their seniors from the class of 2010 having at least one successful AP experience were:

Maryland (26.4 percent)
New York (24.6 percent)
Virginia (23.7 percent)
Connecticut (23.2 percent)
Massachusetts (23.1 percent)
California (22.3 percent)
Florida (22.3 percent)
Vermont (21.8 percent)
Colorado (21.4 percent)
Utah (19.2 percent)

The states with the greatest five-year increases in the percentage of seniors scoring 3 or higher on an AP Exam were: Vermont, Florida, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Colorado, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Washington. According to The College Board, students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience stronger college outcomes than students who do not.

"This latest AP report offers tremendous news for our children as we continue to ramp up our efforts to prepare them for the rigors of a postsecondary education," said Florida Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith. "We have hit new highs in the percent of our students taking and succeeding in this critical coursework and our teachers and school leaders should be proud of what they have been able to accomplish."

According to the Florida Department of Education, the percentage of Florida students receiving a score of three or higher on an AP exam has grown five percent over the past five years, placing Florida second in the nation for the largest five-year increase. Additionally, Florida is third in the nation for the total number of AP exams taken by students at 231,632.

Education officials say that Florida's AP progress continues to be largely driven by minority students. Mirroring trends seen last year, African-American and Hispanic 2010 graduating seniors experienced increases in both the percent taking and the percent passing AP exams. Florida also continues to be one of only a few states in the country that has eliminated the AP achievement gap for Hispanic 2010 graduating seniors.

Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick, whose state led the nation for the third straight year with the highest percentage of students succeeding in AP, said, "Maryland puts a great deal of emphasis on having the best prepared high school graduates, and the Advanced Placement Program is a key part of this effort. AP provides students with a high standard, which gives them a foundation for success in college and in their careers."

Increases for Traditionally Underserved Populations
Over the past 10 years, the number of traditionally underserved minority students graduating with a successful AP experience has more than doubled - African-American graduates with scores of 3 or higher increased from 7,764 in 2001 to 19,675 in 2010; Hispanic/Latino graduates with scores of 3 or higher increased from 33,479 in 2001 to 74,479 in 2010; and American Indian/Alaska Native graduates with scores of 3 or higher increased from 988 in 2001 to 2,195 in 2010.

In addition, the number of low-income graduates with scores of 3 or higher has increased from 53,662 in 2006 to 84,135 in 2010. Despite increases, Hispanic/Latino, African American and American Indian/Alaska Native students remain underrepresented both in AP classrooms and within that group of students experiencing success in AP, according to the report.

"Students and educators routinely attest that exposure to AP's high standards helps prepare students for success in college. However, the likelihood of college success is significantly higher for AP students who score 3 or better," said Trevor Packer, vice president of the Advanced Placement Program® for the College Board. "Accordingly, simply expanding AP course enrollments is not enough - this year's report provides additional data points on exam performance that can help each state take a closer look at how well they are preparing all of their students, during the middle school and high school years, for the rigors of college-level course work.

The College Board recently completed an analysis of every U.S. school district's AP trends. Typically, as schools expand access to AP, the raw number of students who score 3 or higher increases, but so does the raw number of students who score 1 and 2. As a result, for some districts the percentage of 3s, 4s, and 5s may slightly decrease.

"States with high percentages of exams receiving scores of 3 or higher, but who are serving a lower percentage of their high school population, should implement policies for making AP teachers available to a greater proportion of the high school population. On the other hand, states with high percentages of exams receiving scores of 1 or 2 should focus on the sort of middle school and early high school strategies that prepare a greater diversity of students for eventual enrollment and success in AP classes," said Packer.

Improvements in Math and Science
The number of students from the class of 2010 who succeeded on AP science and math exams exceeds the number of students who merely took these exams nearly 10 years ago. While 134,957 students in the class of 2001 graduated after taking an AP science exam, 143,651 students in the class of 2010 scored 3 or higher on an AP science exam. Similarly, 166,905 students in the class of 2001 graduated after taking an AP math exam, compared with 179,193 students in the class of 2010 who scored 3 or higher on an AP math exam during high school.

In September 2010, President Barack Obama announced the launch of Change the Equation, a nonprofit and nonpartisan initiative to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and to push the U.S. to "the top of the pack" in these fields in the next decade. This initiative follows on recent studies such as the National Academies' landmark 2005 volume Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which warned that, because of the country's relative weakness compared to the rest of the world in math and science education, "the age of relatively unchallenged U.S. leadership is ending."

According to that report, the U.S. now ranks 27th out of 29 wealthy countries in the proportion of college students with degrees in science and engineering, and, in 2009, more than half of this country's patents were awarded to foreign companies.

Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of more than 5,900 of the world's leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.

Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success - including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.

Significant Skills Gap Exists between U.S. Jobs and Workers (Photo: Jobs)
From Civic Enterprises and the Business News Daily

While access to higher education has expanded significantly in the United States over the last century, a new crisis has emerged: disturbing numbers of students who enroll in postsecondary education are failing to complete their degrees with huge consequences to them, society, and the economy - this according to a new study released by Civic Enterprises and Corporate Voices for Working Families.
Today, more than 70 percent of high school graduates enroll in some kind of advanced education within two years. Yet, just over one-half of bachelor's degree candidates complete their degree within six years, and less than one-third of associate's degree candidates earn their degree within three years.

"Across the Great Divide" examines the perspectives of CEOs and college presidents regarding America's higher education and skills gap. The report offers recommendations to move higher education from a system focused on access to one that embraces access and completion. The study also suggests that there is a big gap between the skills workers have and the skills that employers require, and that there are misperceptions about education and training hindering the ability to close that gap.

According to experts, two-thirds of job openings in the next decade will require at least some postsecondary education, including programs that are two years or less, but a majority of employers in the U.S. are facing a major challenge recruiting employees with the skills, training and education their companies require.

Study Highlights:

More than half (53%) of business leaders say their companies face a very or fairly major challenge in recruiting nonmanagerial employees with the skills, training, and education their company needs, despite current unemployment rates and millions of Americans seeking jobs.

Those at smaller companies, who were responsible for over 50 percent of new jobs created in 2007, feel this most acutely:
67% say it is difficult while only 33% find it easy

However, the focus on "college" too often excludes the demand for those who hold two-year associate's degrees and trade-specific credentials.

Most business leaders (98%) believe the term "college" means a four-year degree. Just 13% of business leaders also think of a two-year associate's degree, and only 10% say "college" includes a career or technical credential. By the end of this decade, however, about an equal percentage of jobs will require a bachelor's degree or better (33%) as some college or a two-year associate's degree (30%)

The majority of business leaders (63%) believe a four-year bachelor's degree is the important degree to achieve success in the workplace, while only 18% believe a career or technical credential and 14% believe a two-year associate's degree are important to achieve such success

"It is a significant issue if people are not being trained for the jobs that exist and, perhaps more to the point, the jobs that are evolving, because then our economy and nation are in real trouble," Taylor Reveley, president of The College of William and Mary, said in the study.

But there are two key misperceptions that are hindering the U.S. from closing the divide between the readiness of the work force and the skills employers are looking for, and it has to do with recognizing the value of short-term degrees and credentials, the study said, and the need to broaden the national focus from college access to the necessity for college completion.

The problem is exacerbated, the study said, by a focus on "college" that too often overlooks two-year associate's degrees and trade-specific credentials. Most business leaders (98 percent) believe the term "college" means a four-year degree. Just 13 percent also think of a two-year associate's degree and only 10 percent of respondents said "college" includes career or technical credentials.

"The focus on college too often excludes the demand for those who hold two-year associate degrees and trade-specific credentials," said Stephen M. Wing, president of Corporate Voices for Working Families. "Despite the conventional wisdom that bachelor's degrees are critical to success, the job market of the future will demand a vast new supply of talented graduates of a diverse range of postsecondary programs, including those that are two years or less. Not recognizing the value of these degrees is hindering our efforts to meet the needs of employers."

Click here to read the full report.

Don't Fail Me: Why Would Be Engineers End Up as English Majors

From CNN's Education in America Series

In 2010, the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) published a report on Bachelor's Degree completion rates among students who declared majors in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) between 1971 and 2009. The study found an alarming number of low STEM degree completion rates across all racial groups. But, the study also revealed low overall completion rates for students who start in STEM as compared to their counterparts who enter college in non-STEM disciplines.

CNN's Education in America series took a closer look at this issue, finding that undergraduates across the country are either choosing to leave STEM before they graduate or struggle to complete their degrees in four years.

To view the Higher Education Research Institute's complete report, click here.
For CNN's Education in America series focused on STEM graduation rates, click here.

A New Agenda for Business in Improving STEM Education
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) is outlining the essential role business plays in the success of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, which it says is crucial to U.S. students' preparation for the future workforce and ensuring American economic health for future generations.

The Case for Being Bold: A New Agenda for Business in Improving STEM Education, an ICW report, calls on the American business community to use its credibility, political heft and its ultimate role as the employer of America's STEM talent to apply innovative and fresh thinking to the debate around academic standards, human capital and new school models. The Case for Being Bold outlines action steps businesses can take on advancing these issues.

"It is clear that if we are to re-ignite the fires of innovation that we, the business community, must be innovative," said Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Education and current president of the U.S. Chamber's Forum for Policy Innovation. "Instead of continually reinventing the wheel, we must re-imagine our schools, revise how we recruit and train our teachers, and rethink the stale strategies that have stagnated academic achievement. If we do not dare to be bolder in STEM education, we risk losing even more ground globally."

The report comes at a time when results of American student assessments show continuing struggles to be proficient and competitive in STEM subjects when compared to international peers. Recently, the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam ranked U.S. students 25th in math and 17th in science literacy.

"While policymakers, educators, and business leaders have demonstrated an admirable concern for STEM education, current efforts on this front too often fail to acknowledge how severely most proposals are constrained by outdated, 19th century models of schooling and teaching. In The Case for Being Bold, we suggest some of the ways in which reformers might harness new tools, talent, and technologies to push transformative improvement," said Frederick M. Hess, co-author of the report and Director of the Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

For more information on action items, as well as a summary of report, click here.

Getting Young Americans on a Path to Employability
From the Pathways to Prosperity Project at the Harvard School of Education

In its most recent analysis, the Pathways to Prosperity Project at the Harvard School of Education says that despite decades of efforts to reform education, and billions of dollars of expenditures, the harsh reality is that America is still failing to prepare millions of its young people to lead successful lives as adults.

Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century contends that the country's national strategy for education and youth development has been too narrowly focused on an academic, classroom-based approach. This strategy has appeared to produce only incremental gains in achievement and attainment, even as many other nations are leapfrogging the United States. In response, the report advocates development of a comprehensive pathways network to serve youth in high school and beyond.

This pathways system would be based on three essential elements. The first is the development of a broader vision of school reform that embraces multiple pathways to help young people successfully navigate the journey from adolescence to adulthood. The report contends that there is too much emphasis on a single pathway to success: attending and graduating from a four-year college. Yet only 30 percent of young adults successfully complete this preferred pathway.

Meanwhile, even in the second decade of the 21st century, most jobs do not require a bachelor's. The report notes that while the United States is expected to create 47 million jobs in the 10-year period ending in 2018, only a third of these jobs will require a bachelor's or higher degree. Almost as many jobs - some 30 percent - will only require an associate's degree or a post-secondary occupational credential.

Given these realities, the report argues that the country needs to broaden the range of high-quality pathways and include more emphasis on career counseling and high-quality career education, as well as apprenticeship programs and community colleges as viable routes to well-paying jobs.

The second essential element the report argues is that that employers should play a greatly expanded role in supporting the pathways system, and in providing more opportunities for young adults to participate in work-based learning and actual jobs related to their programs of study.

Thirdly, the analysis suggests that there needs to be a new social compact between society and young people with the goal that by the time young adults reach their mid-20s, they will be equipped with the education and experience they need to lead a successful life. Achieving this goal would require far bigger contributions from the nation's employers and governments.

"We are the only developed nation that depends so exclusively on its higher education system as the sole institutional vehicle to help young people transition from secondary school to careers, and from adolescence to adulthood," says Robert Schwartz, academic dean and professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who heads the Pathways to Prosperity Project. "Unless we are willing to provide more flexibility and choice in the last two years of high school, and more opportunities for students to pursue program options that link work and learning, we will continue to lose far too many young people along the path to graduation," he says.

The report notes that even as many young adults are failing to earn a postsecondary degree, they have also been hit far harder than older adults by unemployment in the Great Recession. The percentage of teens and young adults who have jobs is now at its lowest level since the end of World War II. This has dire implications, according to the report, because employment in the teen and young adult years can have a positive impact on future prospects for employment and earnings.

The report was developed over two years and included both research and working closely with partners interested in the pathways challenge, including major corporations, leaders from K-12 and higher education, the non-profit community and government.

Funding for the Pathways Project has been provided by Accenture, the DeVry Foundation, The General Electric Foundation and the Pearson Foundation. Additional support was provided by the James Irvine Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation.

Since its founding in 1920, the Harvard Graduate School of Education has been training leaders to transform education in the United States and around the globe. Through its 13 master's programs, two doctoral programs, professional education institutes, and research projects, the Harvard Graduate School of Education prepares leaders in education and generates knowledge to improve student opportunity, achievement and success.

State News

Florida Chamber Announces Florida STEM Strategic Plan
Plan offers Florida a Systemic Reform of STEM Education and Workforce Readiness

The Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) has released the Florida STEM Strategic Plan, providing a coordinated, informed and strategic path to competitiveness in a global economy.

According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, students in Florida currently perform below students in many other states and nations on science and mathematics assessments. Florida also trails other states and nations in aligning STEM education and workforce needs, adopting globally competitive standards for all STEM fields and creating a fertile environment for innovation.

"The release of this Plan comes at a critical time in the Sunshine State's economic transition," said Dale A. Brill, Ph.D., President of the Florida Chamber Foundation. "I look forward to the impact of this contribution to the Caucus process in pursuit of a more globally competitive position."

The STEM Strategic Task Force that developed this plan consisted of more than 70 members of the business, industry, education, workforce and economic development, policy and philanthropic communities, including Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna and Vice President and Program Director for Florida, Stacy Carlson.

The task force identified three strategic goals that include measurable objectives and action items contained in the plan. The goals are:

Increase the percentage of students successful at each level to ensure our diverse population is
Capable of conducting real-world STEM projects and inquiry
Capable of authentic and collaborative problem solving
Proficient in applying multidisciplinary knowledge and skills through STEM
Proficient in English and other languages in order to succeed on a global scale and
Knowledgeable about and interested in STEM careers.
Increase the quality and quantity of STEM educators.
Create a statewide sustainable STEM leadership organization to align existing and emerging STEM initiatives and represent Florida as one voice in meeting STEM demands.

"We now have a valuable contribution to inform discussions occurring across all four fields of STEM as a major component of school reform," said Brill. "With the support of educators, business partners and our community leaders, Florida will be positioned to grow and prosper for years to come."

Founded in 1968, the Florida Chamber Foundation is a business-led, problem-solver and research organization, working in partnership with state business leaders to promote a vibrant Florida economy. The Foundation's "Six Pillars" serve as a visioning platform for moving Florida forward.

The Foundation's work focuses on:

Talent Supply and Education
Innovation and Economic Development
Infrastructure and Growth Leadership
Business Climate and Competitiveness
Civic and Governance Systems
Quality of Life and Quality Places

The Florida STEM Strategic Plan can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.

Arizona One of Nine States Eligible for $200 Million under Race to the Top
As a finalist in the second round of Race to the Top, Arizona and eight other states are eligible to compete for $200 million in additional funds this year. Applications will be available in the early fall.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina can seek grants ranging from $10 million to $50 million, depending on state size and the final number of grants. States will be asked to update their Race To The Top plans to reflect a more limited scope of work.

"Every state that applied for Race to the Top funds now has a blueprint for raising educational quality across America," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "These funds will encourage states to continue their courageous work to challenge the status quo and build on the momentum for education reform happening in our classrooms, schools and communities."

The funds were made available to support states that developed reform plans to raise academic standards, build cradle to career data systems, invest in great teachers and leaders, and turn around persistently low-performing schools.

The Obama Administration has also proposed to continue Race to the Top in fiscal year 2012 and is seeking authority to develop a district-level competition.

Arizona's State University System Technology Transfer Helps Spark the Economy
The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) says that the translation of research and inventions from the state's university system to the commercial marketplace is not only improving lives, but stimulating the economy.

ABOR's latest look at technology transfer from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and The University of Arizona estimates that in 2010 the universities generated $8 million in revenue from the development and licensing of new technology, a 70 percent increase from the prior year. ABOR says that technology transfer is a tremendous catalyst for the vitality of the local economy, and that when public dollars are invested in university research, new jobs are created and Arizonans benefit directly from the new innovations.

"University system researchers are continually developing technologies, products and processes that make significant contributions not only to our local community, but worldwide," said Regent Rick Myers. "Watching our home-grown technology translate to the local or global marketplace is inspiring and should be a point of pride for Arizona."

It sounds like pop science - fueling airplanes with algae, treating illness without medicine, or using DNA sequencing to track elusive strains of tuberculosis. But innovations such as these translate to impactful technologies and products that also end up being big businesses for the university system.

Here is a sampling of Arizona university system technology transfer activity for the 2010 fiscal year:

5 percent increase in invention disclosures-327 compared to 310 in FY 2009;
8 percent increase in U.S. patent applications-315 compared to 271 in FY 2009;
10 percent increase in U.S. patents issued-33 compared to 30 in FY 2009; and
26 percent increase in licenses/options signed-127 compared to 101 in FY 2009.

To maximize the opportunity for technology transfer, each of the universities works with a separate organization that specializes in managing the transfer process. Arizona State University‘s intellectual property management company is Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE). Northern Arizona University partners with Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NACET), and the new NAU Ventures, LLC (NAUVLLC)-an affiliate of the NAU Foundation. The UA partners with the UA Office of Technology Transfer (OTT).

"Arizona‘s universities are world-renowned research institutions," said Regent Myers. "The innovations and products that successfully transfer from research lab to commercialization are as diverse as the minds and labs in which they originate. The technology transfer accomplishments last year are truly distinguished and impressive."

Here are highlights of a few of the start-ups and licenses signed at the universities last year:

Healing Common Ailments without Medicine
Acid reflux affects millions of people worldwide and over-the-counter antacids are one of the most common drugs purchased. So what if you could treat this common, but uncomfortable, ailment without having to take any medication? Arizona State University‘s intellectual property management company, AzTE, finalized a series of licensing deals with EndoStim, Inc., a St. Louis medical device startup, developing applications for the groundbreaking neurostimulation technologies that may be used to aid in the treatment of acid reflux, as well as urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction.

Tracking Elusive Strains of Tuberculosis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes tuberculosis, a devastating, worldwide infectious disease. Researchers at NAU have developed a high-resolution DNA typing or fingerprinting system that can identify particular strains or sub-strains of the pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis that have traditionally been elusive to track. This invention will be used for biomedical identification and tracking of these strains, lending to superior diagnostics and therapeutics.

Finding a solution for Valley Fever
A new technology-transfer start-up, Valley Fever Solutions (VFS) of Tucson, is partnering with the UA‘s Valley Fever Center of Excellence in developing Nikkomycin Z (NikZ), a federally designated orphan drug as a therapy for Valley Fever, a debilitating fungal disease predominant in the Southwest. Through this start-up, this orphan drug is now in active development, opening the window to a potential cure in the future for Valley Fever.

From Generation Z to Generation I: Using Technology in Education
Technology is a way of life for those in Generation Z, also known as Generation I - the Internet Generation. This generation, born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, has grown up with technology as a fundamental part of the way they communicate.

However, those from Generation Z currently attending school are being taught by educators who are often not comfortable teaching in the electronic age. In fact, a recent survey of Arizona K-12 educators involved in a technology conference found that 74 percent of the attendees had little or no experience using electronic information technology.

In 2010, Arizona State University and The University of Arizona teamed up to create a teacher certificate program illustrating how different technologies can serve as high-impact educational tools for middle school students. The course content addresses low-cost technologies currently available for quick and easy implementation.

Teaching an Enhanced, Advanced, Customized, Hands-on Technology Education Course (Teach Tec) was born, exposing teachers to the latest technologies that will ultimately enhance classroom STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.

Teach Tec provides a 12-hour certificate program for 7th - 9th grade teachers in Arizona to show them how technologies such as video cameras, wordle, survey monkey, Twitter, Neat Chat, Google docs and others can serve as tools to enhance the learning experience. While the workshops are held jointly in Phoenix and Tucson, they have also been accessible to all Arizona 7th - 9th grade science and mathematics teachers via video-streaming online.

Helios Education Foundation invested $115,000 in the Teach Tec initiative, and according to the Foundation's Vice President and Director of Transition Years, Teacher and Curriculum Initiatives, Dr. Jo Anne Vasquez, providing opportunities for teachers to learn how to integrate everyday technology tools into their classroom practice to enhance the teaching and learning of math and science.

The project's original research, was funded by the Arizona Board of Regents and was developed in response to the effort "Building 21st Century Schools," which called for the preparation and modernization of grades K-12, aligning schools with modern information technologies in order to better meet the needs of technologically-savvy students.

The course was based on hands-on training with a requirement for teachers to upload a classroom exercise to the Teach Tec website showing how they had applied the new use of technology into their lessons.

"Through this outstanding partnership, science, technology, engineering and math teachers will better understand how to incorporate no-cost, cutting-edge technology into the classroom," said Catherine Eden, director of Arizona State's Ramsey Executive Education Program, which is awarding the certificate.

Plans are to place the Teach Tec course on the Ramsey Executive Development curriculum once all the methodologies have been thoroughly assessed.

Tampa among 50 Cities Competing to Increase College Degree Earners
Dr. Ken Atwater, President of Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida, has accepted the CEOs for Cities challenge to lead Tampa's effort to increase the number of residents with a college degree.

More than 50 cities have entered the competition. The winning metropolitan area will receive a $1 million prize for showing the greatest increase in the number of postsecondary education degrees granted per capita over a three-year period. CEOs for Cities says the competition is designed as an effort to increase college attainment in the nation's cities by one percentage point, which it says is worth $124 billion a year in increased national earnings.

Research from Chicago-based CEOs for Cities, a non-profit network of urban leaders advancing the next generation of great American cities, indicates that 58 percent of a city's success, as measured by per capita income, can be attributed to the percentage of the adult population with a college degree.

"There are huge financial gains that can be achieved through small improvements in educational attainment in our cities," said CEOs for Cities President and CEO Lee Fisher. "This competition is part of our ongoing effort to generate awareness, and ultimately action, among urban leaders of the potential economic returns that can be achieved by increasing the rate of college degrees by just one percentage point. Simply put-the more educated a city's population, the more robust its economy will be."

CEOs for Cities' research shows that increasing the four-year college attainment rate in each of the 51 largest metropolitan areas by one percentage point, from its current median of 29.4 percent to 30.4 percent, would be associated with an increase in aggregate personal income of $124 billion per year for the nation.

The $1 million prize can be used by the winning city to launch a national promotional campaign centered on talent development. In order to be eligible for the competition, cities had to be either the largest metropolitan area in the state, or have a population of 500,000 based on 2009 Census data.

Competing cities include: Akron, Ohio; Albany, N.Y.; Baltimore, Md.; Baton Rouge, La.; Boston, Mass.; Bradenton, Fla.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Charleston, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Chicago, Ill.; Cleveland, Ohio; Columbia, S.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; Detroit, Mich.; El Paso, Texas; Fargo, N.D.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Hartford, Conn.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Houston, Texas; Indianapolis, Ind.; Jackson, Miss.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Lakeland, Fla.; Little Rock, Ark.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Louisville, Ky.; Madison, Wis.; Manchester, N.H.; McAllen, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Nashville, Tenn.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Omaha, Neb.; Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Portland, Ore.; Providence, R.I.; Raleigh, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; Rochester, N.Y.; San Diego, Calif.; St. Louis, Mo.; Stockton, Calif.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Tampa, Fla.; Tulsa, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Wichita, Kan.; Youngstown, Ohio.

The Talent Dividend Prize competition comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Education's "Race to the Top" initiative that encouraged states to improve outcomes among K-12 students. In addition to boosting educational attainment, the Talent Dividend competition aims to boost economic gains at both the local and national level. For more information on the Talent Dividend Prize, click here.

Education Connection

Volume 3, Issue 1

President's Message

With the Arizona Legislature facing what some estimate to be a $1.4 billion budget shortfall this year, and with the Florida Legislature facing an over $3.5 billion budget deficit, elected officials in both states are already signaling that tough cuts to health care and education may be inevitable.

As the dust settles from the mid-term elections and as Florida's new Governor Rick Scott and Arizona's newly re-elected Governor Jan Brewer make their budget priorities known, our hope is that fiscal policies in both states will work to support the gains and momentum in education that our communities are experiencing.

The 2011 Quality Counts report gave Florida a B- in education for its academic standards, accountability policies and continued improvement across the K-12 education system and ranked the state fifth in the nation overall. While there's clearly room for improvement with Arizona's grade of C- and position of 42nd overall, that same report acknowledged Arizona's improved marks in education standards, assessments and accountability.

A recent Arizona Board of Regents report also shows record numbers of Bachelor's degrees awarded in the state this past year, but there's an opportunity to refocus the high school student pipeline and not only get them into postsecondary education, but help them complete that education.

There is no doubt that education gains have been made in Arizona and Florida, but a long and challenging road still lies ahead in preparing our students to succeed in a technologically-advanced, 21st Century global economy.

That's why during this time of fiscal analysis, state budget planning and debates over state spending policies, it's even more incumbent upon our elected officials to ensure that the path to education success isn't eroded by a lack of adequate financial resources.

Education continues to be treated as an expense and not as a strategic investment in our future. It's time to demand that we strengthen our entire education system through investment and innovative reform.

Let's review our successes, call out our challenges and build consensus around the need for education funding that maintains the kind of momentum our students need in K-12 and beyond.

Our economic future depends on it, and our children deserve it.

In the Spotlight

New Education Report Grades States on Education Performance

In a new national report on education quality released by Education Week, researchers say that the nation and states continue to struggle back from the most severe economic downtown in generations and face new challenges in delivering a high quality education to all students.

In Quality Counts 2011, the nation receives a C when graded across six areas of policy and performance. Arizona's K-12 education system receives a C-minus and ranks 42nd overall when evaluated against 18 individual indicators that capture current achievement, improvements over time and poverty-based disparities or gaps. Florida received a B-minus, ranking fifth overall. Four states - Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and West Virginia - and the District of Columbia received grades of F on the index.

Florida's 5th place ranking with a score of 81.5 was bolstered by strong academic standards, school-accountability rules and major improvements on national tests and in high school graduation rates. The state also earned top marks for closing the gap between the performance of students from poor and more affluent families.

Arizona's score of 71.5 is below the national average of 76.3, however Arizona received its best grades in standards, assessments and accountability. It did the worst in spending, achievement and the teaching profession.

"If we are going to continue advancing as a nation, then strong, sustained and equitable educational improvement must become the norm for students in every state rather than the exception that is today," said Christopher B. Swanson, Vice President of Editorial Projects in Education, the nonprofit organization that publishes Education Week.

Quality Counts 2011 also offers an updated view of state efforts to better coordinate the connections between K-12 schooling and other segments of the education pipeline, including early childhood education, college readiness and links to the workforce. The most rapid movement is seen around policies that promote college preparation, which is a major focus of the Common Core Standards Initiative and the federal Race to the Top program.

Other key findings in the report include education's leading role in federal stimulus spending through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Specifically, the report finds that education factors into the goals of the federal government's recovery plan in terms of both saving jobs, (e.g., funding to help states avoid cutting existing school positions) and shoring up the economy by upgrading skills in the workforce (e.g., funding to support educational reform initiatives). In addition, as of September 2010, more funds have flowed to the U.S. Department of Education than any other federal agency and education accounts for about one-third of the total spending of the $243 billion in recovery expenditures.

The report also finds that most states have relatively limited authority over teacher compensation and layoffs. According to the study, 20 states have an established statewide teacher-salary schedule in place for the 2010-2011 school year, 12 states have a policy that determines whether seniority is used as a criterion for teacher dismissal decisions and in most states, authority over compensation and dismissal decisions rests with local school officials.

For a look at the full report click here.

A Review of our Quarterly Investments

Helios Education Foundation is pleased to announce the following community investments that were approved during the last three quarters. More information about these and all of our investments is available on our website at Investment History.

Arizona State University Foundation - $823,826
The STEM in the Middle program is designed to increase middle school students' success in mathematics and the sciences, and enhance their interest in careers in science, technology engineering and math. The program incorporates best practices in teacher professional development, mentoring and problem solving.

Center for the Future of Arizona - $450,000
Funding supports the planning phase for implementation of a whole-school Move On When Ready (MOWR) strategy in two Arizona high schools. In the whole-school MOWR strategy, every student beginning in 9th grade participates in a core academic program of study that upon completion will enter 11th grade able to participate in multiple vigorous pathway options, all intended to lead toward successful postsecondary study and careers.

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona - $75,000
Tucson Values Teachers is an innovative partnership among the business community, educators and the public in Southern Arizona. This initiative is aimed at working to transform the ways in which teachers are valued and supported as a means of improving the K-12 system.

National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) - $250,000
Funding supports the creation of Helios STEM Education Leadership teams at the National Science Education Leadership Association Summer Leadership Institute.

Science Foundation Arizona - $300,000
Helios Education Foundation funding supports the planning of an Arizona STEM Network that will provide leadership, support and coordination to accelerate improvements in STEM teaching and learning, and to impact policies that support a stronger, more diversified and competitive economy to benefit all Arizonans.

SRI International - $100,000
Funding provides continued support to the SunBay Digital Mathematics Program, a collaboration between Pinellas County Schools, SRI International and Helios Education Foundation designed to increase Pinellas County middle school student achievement in mathematics utilizing an integrated digital curriculum while engaging teachers in active professional development opportunities.

Take Stock in Children - $1,000,000
Take Stock in Children (TSIC) is a comprehensive program that helps low-income middle and high school students in Florida succeed by providing volunteer mentors, student advocates, tutoring, and college and vocational scholarships. TSIC received a developmental grant from the US Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund. Helios Education Foundation's investment provides the matching funds required by the i3 grant and supports programmatic enhancement.

Florida’s Year in Review: A Look at Education in 2010

Florida education officials are taking a retrospective look at the triumphs, challenges, adversity and progress of the state's education system in 2010. Officials say that with a $700 million win in the national Race to the Top competition, and with an eighth straight year of the Florida College System leading the nation in an array of degree programs, the state continues to demonstrate that education reform and success go hand in hand.

"Whether it's our public school classrooms, state college lecture halls, workforce centers or vocational rehabilitation and blind services programs, Floridians should be proud of the educational strides our state has made this past year," said outgoing State Board of Education Chairman T. Willard Fair. "Despite the challenges we have faced, our resilience and determination to build a better future for our children has won out yet again and our future remains brighter because of it."

Here is a snapshot of state education officials' review of 2010:

Eighth Place National Ranking: The 2010 Quality Counts report by Education Week, which tracks state policies and performance across key areas of education, ranked Florida eighth in the nation. This jump continues the trend the state has seen progressing to 14th in 2008 and 10th in 2009.

(The recently released Quality Counts 2011 report has ranked Florida fifth in the nation.)

Nationally Renowned State College System: For the eighth year in a row, Community College Week's annual top 100 report honored Florida's state colleges with top spots in terms of degrees earned for a variety of categories. Additionally, North Florida Community College (NFCC), the smallest college in the Florida College System, was named as one of America's best community colleges in the Washington Monthly magazine's 2010 College Rankings edition, and the College System itself became the newest member of the Alliance of States-an organization comprised of 24 states united to focus on dramatically increasing the nation's college completion rate.

Graduation Rate Climbs to Highest Point: Florida's graduation rate climbed more than two-and-a-half percentage points in 2010 to 79 percent. Included in the increase was a 3.5 percentage point increase for African-American students, a 3.2 percentage point increase for Hispanic students and a 2.3 percentage point increase for White students.

Minority Students Outpace Nation in Reading: The latest reading results for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the gold standard for measurement of student achievement across the nation, indicate that Florida's minority students continue to perform above the national average in both 4th and 8th grade reading. According to the results, reading scores for African-American 4th and 8th grade students are seven and five points higher than their national counterparts, respectively, and Hispanic students outpaced their peers across the country by 19 points in 4th grade and 12 points in 8th grade.

Students better prepared for Kindergarten: More than 120,000 students entered kindergarten better prepared in 2010 as a result of their participation in a Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program. Children who completed VPK last year performed better on key Kindergarten readiness measures than children who did not participate. Additionally, children who only attended a portion of a VPK program outperformed students who had no exposure to the program at all.

Student Performance Soaring in More Rigorous Coursework: More rigorous and focused coursework such as Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment and Industry Certification helps students gain better preparedness for success in college or career. In 2010, the number of AP exams administered to Florida's public school students increased 19.5 percent and the number of students receiving a passing score on an AP exam jumped 14.5 percent. At the same time, participation in Dual Enrollment coursework increased 18.4 percent, with a 12.2 percent increase in the number of students earning college credit in these courses. Additionally, the number of students earning Industry Certification increased from 2,576 students in 2008-2009 to 14,230 last year.

$700 million Race to the Top Win: In August 2010, Florida was named a winner in the Race to the Top competition, securing $700 million in federal funds to revolutionize the state's education system. The four-year grant focuses on dramatically improving academic performance, providing assistance to the most struggling schools, enriching and expanding technology and data systems, and ensuring all students have access to highly effective teachers and leaders.

Adoption of Common Core Standards: The State Board of Education officially adopted the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts and Mathematics last year. The Board's approval not only strengthens Florida's curriculum standards in these critical subjects, but it lays the groundwork for the comparison of Florida's academic progress with the nation and the world.

Increased Graduation Requirements: New graduation requirements were introduced last year through Senate Bill 4 to ensure students are leaving high school better prepared for college or career. Initially, 9th-graders in the 2010-2011 school year will need to earn credit in Geometry and must take an End-of-Course (EOC) exam in Algebra I that will be a part of their course average. These new requirements will expand over the next few years, culminating in 2013-2014 when students will need to pass EOC exams in Algebra 1, Geometry and Biology to earn course credit, and will need to earn credit in Chemistry or Physics and an equally rigorous science course in order to graduate with a Florida standard diploma.

Expanded High School Grading Formula: Florida implemented a new high school grading formula in 2010 that gives parents a more comprehensive look at the education being offered by their child's school. In addition to FCAT results, the formula takes into account the school's graduation rate, performance and participation in rigorous coursework and college and career readiness. Florida's schools rose to the challenge of meeting these new measures, resulting in a record number of "A" and "B" high schools for the 2009-2010 school year.

In a statement in response to the 2010 year in review, Florida Commissioner of Education Dr. Eric J. Smith said that he is proud of the education stakeholders in Florida for their efforts to transform 2010 into a banner year for children.

"The coming years will certainly contain their own challenges, but the momentum we are building through groundbreaking new initiatives like Race to the Top will help ensure that our work remains successful and students throughout the state continue to find success," Smith added.

ABOR Reports on College Degrees and the High School Student Pipeline

In a recent report that looks at student matriculation, enrollment and graduation in Arizona, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) says a record number of bachelor's degrees were awarded in the 2009-2010 academic year, there was a substantial uptick in the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees awarded and record enrollment for Fall 2010.

But an analysis of the high school student pipeline also suggests that four out of five Arizona high-school graduates do not have a college degree six years after graduating from high school, and just over half haven't gone to college at all.

College Degree Attainment
In 2009-2010, the Arizona University System awarded 21,037 bachelor's degrees. That is an increase of 743 degrees, or a 3.7 percent jump from the year prior. Arizona State University awarded the largest number of bachelor's degrees at 11,810, followed by the University of Arizona at 5,827 and Northern Arizona University at 3,400. Compared to ten years ago, the universities have increased the number of bachelor degrees awarded by 5,226 or 33.1 percent.

The Arizona University System also increased the number of degrees awarded in the STEM fields by 32 percent at both the undergraduate and graduate level. In addition, between fall 2009 and fall 2010, full-time enrollment at Arizona's universities increased by 4.7 percent for undergraduate students and 3.8 percent for graduate students.

"These are important gains for the University System as we work toward the 2020 Vision goal of increasing the number of bachelor's degrees awarded by the three universities while transforming into a more efficient and effective Enterprise model," said Arizona Board of Regents Chair Anne Mariucci.

"Our outcome-driven approach with the Enterprise model will allow the University System to build on this success and continue to increase productivity and efficiencies for the benefit of students and the state."

Through a collaborative and comprehensive initiative called "Getting AHEAD - Access to Higher Education and Degrees," Arizona's universities, community colleges, K-12 sector, business community and legislative and executive branches of government are working to reshape Arizona's postsecondary education system to enable more residents to successfully obtain a college degree.

Getting AHEAD seeks to increase the educational attainment of Arizonans, including a focus on making degrees more affordable and accessible through strategic partnerships among community colleges and universities, increased institutional efficiencies, creating a student-centered system that improves e-advising and career planning and improved governance and coordination of Arizona's higher education system.

Student Pipeline Study
A study of the high school student pipeline in Arizona suggests that the state needs to increase its efforts in K-12 to get more students into college. The report finds that:

From 2003-2004 to 2008-2009, the number of Arizona high school graduates has increased by 15,256 or 31 percent to 64,483. This growth exceeds the forecasts necessary to meet the 2020 Vision enrollment goals.
There is no evidence that students delay entry to postsecondary education past the year immediately following graduation.
Over half of all Arizona high school graduates have no postsecondary education attendance.
Six years after graduating from high school, about 17 percent of students have graduated from a four-year institution and another three to four percent of students have graduated from a two-year institution.
Over 25 percent of high school graduates have attended some college, but have not graduated. These students represent a potential pool of individuals who could earn a bachelor's degree for the 2020 Vision degrees goal.

The report provides a snapshot of what happens to Arizona high-school students after they graduate, even if they move or attend college out of state. Using federal and state data from colleges nationwide, the regents tracked several classes of high-school graduates in Arizona, beginning with 49,277 graduates in the 2003-2004 school year. As of September 2010, only 20 percent had graduated with a certificate or college degree.

Fifty-three percent had never gone to college, and 27 percent took college courses but hadn't graduated. Officials say several factors are contributing to the low percentages. High schools need to do a better job preparing students for college, and community colleges and universities need to focus more on helping students finish their degrees.

Some officials hope that changes made in recent years, such as increasing math and science requirements in high school and adding advisers and other support in the freshman year, will pave the way for improved college attendance and completion.

The findings in the report echo other studies that have led to calls for reforming the state's education system.

Florida School Districts Begin Receiving Race to the Top Funds

As Florida begins implementing its $700 million Race to the Top program, school districts around the state are receiving their portion of the funding for local education reform. The Florida Department of Education has awarded funding to at least 11 school districts, totaling more than $25 million. The first 11 districts to be approved are Alachua, Calhoun, Clay, DeSoto, Gulf, Hendry, Holmes, Manatee, Pasco, Putnam, and Washington.

Officials say applications for the remaining 54 grant-eligible districts are being evaluated on an ongoing basis with award notices going out as the approvals occur. All remaining award notices are expected to be issued by the end of January.

"My congratulations go out to each of these districts for being the first to access their Race to the Top funding and getting a jumpstart on their local education reform efforts," said Florida Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith. "We are moving full steam ahead on a track of unprecedented improvement in our schools and I'm looking forward to more of our districts receiving this important funding in the weeks ahead."

The approved districts will be able to draw down a percentage of their funds each quarter during the next four years. The funds will be used to meet specific Race to the Top deliverables, including the development of new teacher and principal evaluation systems that are based in part on student achievement, expansion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) coursework and program offerings and driving improvement in persistently low-performing schools.

"The start of the flow of these funds into our participating school districts is a crucial milestone for Florida and the 2.6 million children who attend its public schools each year," said Public Schools Chancellor Dr. Frances Haithcock. "Through these targeted reform efforts we can expect a revolution in the quality of education our children receive and their ability to build the prosperous life each one of them deserves."

Including K-12 in the Discussion about College Completion

As more national studies and initiatives emerge aimed at improving college completion rates, some education advocates are calling for more dialogue between the K-12 and postsecondary education systems to better align expectations and make students college ready.

Education Week found recently that a report released by three higher-education organizations applauds President Obama's goal to lead the world in college graduates by 2020, and then calls for greater action and commitment from government and institutions to make it happen.

In Strengthening College Opportunity and Performance, the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs Productivity and Accountability, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education urge federal and state governments to move beyond the rhetoric and set some specific targets and policies to boost college completion.

They call for better data collection to track higher education performance and the development of systems to reward completion, not just enrollments. They also say colleges need to change their culture to focus on improving instruction and encouraging graduation, as well as channeling financial resources to support those goals to reward innovation and completion.

But according to Education Week, Dennis Jones, president of National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, says there needs to be better alignment of high school and college standards, in particular matching high school exit exams with college placement exams.

He says the K-12 education system should insist that higher education come to the table with a definition of what it means to be college-ready. K-12 has worked hard at setting standards, Jones says, and he faults higher education for not doing more on this front.

"It's way too easy for higher ed. to point to K-12 and say, 'If they just sent us good students.' We don't want to let higher ed. off the hook," he says.

Stan Jones, president of Complete College America, says K-12 can improve the college completion rate by maintaining high standards in high school, offering strong college prep classes, and making use of one of the simplest solutions: encouraging students not to skip math their senior year, even if they have fulfilled their requirements. Too often, kids fail their first year in college because they aren't prepared in math.

But when it comes to the discussion between the two sectors, Jones believes high schools are actually working harder at this than colleges. He thinks colleges should do more to reach out and have joint faculty discussions with high schools so the expectations in college are met.

"Higher education could do a better job communicating that the expectations are-both to students and teachers," Jones says. "I don't think the agenda needs more money. It needs more focus on completion. ... We are winning the battle to get students to go to college; we are losing the battle with completion."

State Education Chiefs Form "Chiefs for Change"

The Foundation for Excellence in Education announced the formation of Chiefs for Change, a bi-partisan group of State Education Chiefs committed to bold education reform. According to organizers, Chiefs for Change is committed to putting children first through bold, visionary education reform that will improve student achievement and prepare students for success in college and careers. The state education leaders will be part of a national network of experts with experience in successful reform who will continue to advance proven education policies at local, state and federal levels.

Members of Chiefs for Change include:

Paul Pastorek, Louisiana Superintendent of Education - Chair
Eric Smith, Florida Commissioner of Education - Vice Chair
Tony Bennett, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Deborah A. Gist, Rhode Island Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
Gerard Robinson, Virginia Secretary of Education

"Chiefs for Change represents an important step by educational leaders throughout this country to join together to create better academic outcomes and educational opportunities not just for students in our respective states, but for every child in the nation," said Florida Commissioner of Education Dr. Eric J. Smith.

"By working together, we can pool our expertise, passion, experience and drive to develop collaborative, working solutions to the issues being faced by our schools. My colleagues in this organization are among our nation's strongest reform-minded educational leaders and I am proud to be a part of this tremendous effort. Now is the time for bold and intentional reform of our educational system; our children deserve it and our nation demands it."

O'Connor House, Expect More Arizona Launch Education Commitment

The O'Connor House and Expect More Arizona have announced the launch of The Arizona Education Commitment, a statewide, nonpartisan initiative to protect and preserve Arizona's state educational institutions.

Organizers say that the principles outlined in The Arizona Education Commitment are based on Article XI, Section 10 of the Arizona Constitution, and it was developed to open positive and productive discussion about the current, critical state of education in Arizona and to elevate Arizona's constitutional duty to prioritize the continued maintenance, development and improvement of all state educational institutions.

"The authors of the Arizona Constitution believed so strongly in providing for our state educational institutions that education is the only significant affirmative appropriation identified in our state's governing document," said Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (Ret.). "As a result, the state legislature is required to insure the proper maintenance of all our state educational institutions, even in tough economic times, and to make such special appropriations as shall provide for their development and maintenance."

The Arizona Education Commitment is being elevated by supporters to increase public awareness about the constitutional prioritization of education and as a means to encourage Arizona citizens and leaders to explore all revenue enhancing options for addressing the state's budget deficit and protecting vital public services such as education, public health and public safety.

Arizona is currently ranked 49th in the nation for K-12 per student investment. Although Federal stimulus funding and voter-approved initiatives such as Proposition 100 have helped to temporarily mitigate some of the multi-million dollar cuts that have already occurred to K-12 education over the past two years, much of those sources of funding are not recurring.

"Arizona cannot cut its way out of its current budget challenges," comments Sue Clark-Johnson, Chairman of the O'Connor House Policy Advisory Committee. "The Arizona Constitution gives all Arizonans clear direction for how they can protect education while increasing aggregate incomes, adding wealth to the Arizona economy and generating revenues for vital public health and safety services."

Organizers say that Governor Brewer's proposed FY12 budget includes cuts of $170 million to Arizona's state universities and $64 million, a 46% decrease, to community colleges. They also say that the collective FY11 and FY12 cuts and disappearing sources of revenue come at a time when Arizona students already rank below their national and international peers in academic achievement, graduation rates and postsecondary degree attainment.

Advocates of the Arizona Education Commitment say that Arizona voters have consistently shown support for investing in education. The landslide passage of Proposition 100, a temporary sales tax for primary and secondary education as well as the defeat of Proposition 302, which preserved funding for early childhood health and development programs, during the 2010 elections, are just two representative examples. In addition, according to a 2010 Pew Center for the States poll, 60% of Arizona voters want to protect education during budget cuts and 71% would vote for a tax increase to support K-12 education.

"It is time for Arizona to view education as an investment, not an expense to be minimized," states Paul J. Luna, chairman, Expect More Arizona. "The long-term economic growth of our state and our overall quality of life are directly tied to the quality of our education system."

"The future of Arizona business and industry depends on the strength of our education system and our ability to deliver a competitive and skilled workforce," explains Phil Francis, Executive Chairman, PetSmart. "We must invest now. We are below average and deteriorating. We cannot afford to wait any longer to ensure Arizona has world-class educational institutions, at all levels."

Arizonans are encouraged to sign on to The Arizona Education Commitment by visiting www.ArizonaEducationCommitment.org. They are also encouraged to contact their legislators to let them know that they want education to be protected and preserved as tough budget decisions are made.

Florida Senate President Says Education Cuts Likely

Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, pictured to the right, indicated that education could face big cuts this year as part of the Legislature's effort to balance Florida's $3.62-billion projected budget shortfall. In a discussion with reporters, Haridopolos said policymakers would be passing a budget this spring without any new tax increases, which means they would have to make dramatic cuts to health care and education to make the math work.

"I'm a big proponent of tax cuts. This is not a year I can push them through," Haridopolos told the St. Petersburg Times. "And if Governor Rick Scott wants to follow through on his campaign pledge of cutting taxes by $2 billion in his first year in office, the governor would have to offset them with spending cuts."

Governor Scott has proposed to cut school property taxes by $1.4 billion and make up the millage reduction with more state dollars. He also promised to start phasing out Florida's corporate income tax, which could cost another $700 million this year.

The Senate president said education could be particularly hard-hit in next year's budget, saying it may be impossible to make up for about $1.2 billion in expiring federal stimulus dollars that are financing core classroom programs.

"Whether you like to admit it or not, half our general revenue goes to education," Haridopolos told reporters. "It's a very difficult spot to be in, and the reason we wanted to make the adjustments to the class-size amendment" defeated by voters last fall.

Senate budget-writers also signaled they would target health-care for the poor and elderly, and public employee pension contributions.

Governor Scott has until early February to submit his budget proposal to the Florida Legislature.

Huppenthal Weighs in on State Budget and Ethnic Studies

Arizona's new Superintendent of Public Instruction, John Huppenthal, pictured to the right, is weighing in on state budget cuts in education and on an ethnic studies program in the Tucson Unified School District.

In an interview with the Arizona Republic, Huppenthal says state universities may bear the brunt of educational budget cuts this year, and that the reductions experienced so far by public schools in Arizona have been mild compared with the steep drop in state revenue. He plans to stress accountability of public schools and their districts by issuing letter grades to compare the performance of schools, and he challenges national studies that suggest that Arizona schools rank low in achievement and funding.

Huppenthal said he wants to give parents more choices for their children's education, and that the charter-school movement in Arizona shows that parents want that.

"A number of charter schools in Arizona are in the top one percent of the nation," Huppenthal said. "So are a number of district schools. I'm a supporter of vouchers because they go a step above that, and we have to empower parents."

In early January, Huppenthal issued a statement saying that the Tucson Unified School District's (TUSD) Mexican-American Studies Program violates a new state law.

"Given the evidence that I have reviewed as of today, I support former Superintendent Tom Horne's decision that a violation of one or more provisions of A.R.S. § 15-112 (the statute created by passage of HB 2281) has occurred by the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD)," Huppenthal said.

A.R.S. § 15-112 and its provisions went into effect as of midnight on December 31, 2010, making it illegal for a school district to have any courses or classes that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals. It also would ban classes that promote resentment toward a race or class of people.

TUSD officials have said all along that the program in the district's Mexican-American studies department simply provides historical information and does not promote the overthrow of the U.S. government or racial conflict.

"As of today, sections of TUSD's website on their Mexican American Studies Program clearly indicate that the program is designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group - Latino students. This is in clear violation of A.R.S. § 15-112 A (3)," Huppenthal continued.

Huppenthal pledged the full resources and commitment of the Arizona Department of Education to help TUSD "come into full compliance with A.R.S. § 15-112."

"As Superintendent of Public Instruction, I won't rest until every child, regardless of race, ethnic background or socio-economic status, receives the excellent education he or she deserves," Huppenthal concluded.

Education Connection

Volume 2, Issue 4

President's Message

Davis Guggenheim’s documentary film Waiting for Superman is causing a national buzz. The film is inspiring change in some communities and education circles, but it’s also causing controversy in others.

While the film chronicles the lives of five students and their families in search of a better education, some say it shines too bright a light on what appears to be a broken and disjointed U.S. educational system. Others argue that the film paints too rosy a picture of charter schools while denigrating teachers unions. What’s the true message of the film? After watching the movie, only you can decide. And, perhaps that’s the whole point of it all.

It’s true that Waiting for Superman takes an all access, no-frills look at a subset of the country’s public educational system, specifically school systems in the District of Columbia, the Bronx and Harlem in New York City, and Los Angeles and Redwood City in California. Students from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds vie for a better opportunity in education, but whether they succeed remains to be seen.

Although educators, teachers unions, administrators and even pundits may disagree about the tone and approach of the film and about the perceptions of our country’s educational system portrayed in the movie, one question still remains: what is each one of us doing to make our country’s educational system better?

If nothing else, Waiting for Superman has placed a national spotlight on education, and we should use that spotlight as an opportunity to make a difference, each in our own way, for the better. What things can you do in your school district or at your child’s school to make sure that the opportunity students seek truly is a better one?

Something everyone can agree on is that the film encourages social action, action like supporting great teachers, demanding high educational standards, getting involved locally, volunteering and mentoring. National education policy reform may take an act of Congress, but volunteering, getting involved and supporting great teachers don’t.

So no matter your opinion of Waiting for Superman, use your energy to make a difference in schools right where you are. If enough of us do that, we may all be the superman our school systems have been waiting for.

In the Spotlight

Hillsborough Community College Announces Largest Scholarship Partnership Project in the College’s History

Pictured from left to right at the announcement of Hillsborough Community College’s (HCC) largest scholarship partnership are Dr. Robert Chun, Campus President at HCC; Mimi Corcoran, Director, Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation at the Open Society Foundations; Gordon Berlin, President of MDRC; Dr. Ken Atwater, HCC President and Paul Luna, President and CEO of Helios Education Foundation.

Hillsborough Community College (HCC), Helios Education Foundation, MDRC and the Open Society Foundations (OSI) recently announced the launch of a $2.4 million performance-based scholarship initiative that has become the largest scholarship partnership in HCC’s history.

The four-year demonstration program at the community college in Hillsborough County, Florida is designed to help 750 low-income students who successfully pass a sequence of three math courses, including first level college math, transitional algebra and the highest level of developmental math.

“The college is excited for this opportunity because of the potential to impact the success rate of our students who struggle in developmental mathematics and for its significance in affecting what is a national problem,” said HCC President Dr. Ken Atwater.

Students who pass the three math classes and complete at least five hours and five visits of math tutoring will be eligible for a maximum scholarship award of $600 per course or a total of $1,800 for all three courses. These funds will be paid directly to students, allowing them the flexibility to address their most pressing financial needs such as tuition, books, child care, personal emergencies or other issues disrupting their studies.

“Helios Education Foundation is constantly looking for innovative ways to help students succeed in postsecondary education, and we’re especially interested in helping students improve their understanding of mathematics,” said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna. “That’s one of the reasons why this new demonstration program at HCC was so attractive to us. It presents a real opportunity to identify and remove some of the barriers preventing students from successfully completing required math courses and subsequently graduating from college.”

Program partners agree that the primary obstacle to college success is that many students are not prepared to do college-level work and are often required to take remedial courses. HCC officials say that over 75 percent of incoming new students test into remedial math. They add that avoiding or failing remedial math is one of the primary reasons why students drop out of college. These barriers can be further compounded by other factors including inadequate financial aid and low participation in academic support services.

In the spring of 2010, HCC began working with Helios and MDRC, a national nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, to develop a pilot program aimed at improving achievement levels and student completion in math. The pilot program led to this four-year demonstration with Helios providing close to $1.4 million to HCC for performance-based math scholarships and the Open Society Foundations providing close to $1 million for technical assistance, evaluation, dissemination and scholarships.

This demonstration program is part of a broader multi-college, national demonstration being led by MDRC to test variations of this scholarship idea and provide evidence on what works to improve college success rates. The national demonstration project includes colleges in Arizona, California, New Mexico, New York and Ohio.

For more information on MDRC’s national performance-based demonstration program, visit them online at www.mdrc.org.

Building a Skilled Workforce

Industry Building Nationwide Network with Community Colleges

Most analysts agree that in an increasingly competitive global economy, America’s economic growth and competitiveness depends on the education and skills of its workers. With this in mind, businesses are leading a national initiative to improve partnerships with community colleges and build a network aimed at maximizing workforce development, job training and job placement.

The initiative called Skills for America’s Future would help connect more employers, schools and other job training providers, and help them share knowledge about what practices work best. Skills for America’s Future would build high-impact partnerships with industry, labor unions, community colleges and other training providers in all 50 states in support of the Obama Administration’s goal of five million more community college graduates and certificates by 2020.

The network hopes to build on the national Educate to Innovate campaign which is focused on increasing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning. The initiative currently has the commitment of companies and organizations such as PG&E, Gap Inc, McDonald’s, United Technologies, Accenture, Pritzker Realty Group and the Aspen Institute.

Partners Launch Arizona STEM Network

Science Foundation Arizona, Partners Launch Network to Promote Science and Math Education

More than 80 leaders from the nonprofit, corporate, education and government sectors gathered in Phoenix, Arizona on September 16 for a first-ever effort to consolidate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education resources in a way that will better prepare students for college and career success.

Considered vital to helping students from kindergarten through college build a 21st century skill set, STEM education has become a critical focus across the U.S. and around the world as the dynamic and fast-paced global economy becomes increasingly competitive.

"Virtually any career that a young person wants to pursue will require a strong foundation in science and math," said Darcy Renfro, Science Foundation Arizona Vice President and Executive Director of STEM Initiatives. "Science and math education lay the foundation for success, regardless of which industries they choose."

Building on Arizona's Race to the Top plan, which promoted STEM education, the meeting centered on developing an aggressive and coordinated course of action to implement a statewide STEM action plan to increase student achievement.

"Now really is the time to make STEM education an integral part of how our educational system prepares students for success in postsecondary education and in the workforce of the future," said Paul Luna, President and CEO, Helios Education Foundation. "We know the benefits of a workforce with a high-quality STEM education - more opportunity for workers to find stable, well-paying careers and an attractive and favorable business landscape for industries who will need educated and skilled teams. Our state's future success will depend on how well we prepare our young people to compete in the global marketplace."

According to the 2007 State New Economy Index, Arizona is ranked 37th in terms of classroom computer and Internet use, 30th in scientists and engineers as a percentage of the workforce and 43rd in the nation in percentage of students who head directly to college from high school. Additionally, low-income and minority students are significantly underrepresented in STEM degrees (four percent in engineering, math and computers and two percent in science/engineering technology). The STEM action plan will work to address these and other issues.

"A state's quality of life is directly affected by the quality of general and STEM education it offers students," said Jay Labov, Senior Advisor for Education and Communication with the National Academy of Sciences. "Like the rest of the nation, Arizona must step up and find ways to meet and exceed international standards for science and math education, or be left behind in the global marketplace."

Discussing the State of Early Care in Arizona

Leaders from Arizona's philanthropic community gathered in late September to examine the state of early care and education in Arizona, including the challenges communities face in light of the current economic climate and unstable state budget, and the role private funders can play in the short- and long-term to protect Arizona's investments in young children.

Since the passage of Proposition 203, Arizona voters created the first public revenue source dedicated exclusively to support children ages birth to five. The meeting was an opportunity to initiate dialogue on how the philanthropic leaders of the community can work together to further Arizona's commitment to young children and family.

The event was sponsored in part by Helios Education Foundation and the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.

There's a Superman in All of Us

Helios Convenes Community Conversations around Waiting for Superman in Arizona and Florida

The statistics are staggering: among 30 developed countries, the U.S. is ranked 25th in math and 21st in science. Now, a new documentary film dares to shed light on the country's educational system and hopes to spark a social action wave aimed at ensuring a quality educational system for every student in the country.

Being called a powerful, passionate, controversial and potentially revolutionary documentary, Davis Guggenheim's film, Waiting for Superman, opened across the country throughout October. In his film, Guggenheim, who is also the filmmaker of An Inconvenient Truth, argues that the fate of our country won't be decided on a battlefield, but in the classroom, and that every American child deserves a good public-school education.

When asked in an interview by Take Part what he hopes moviegoers who see Waiting for Superman are inspired to do, Guggenheim said, "I want people to feel as though this is the most important issue of our time. It is possible to give every kid a great education and they can do something about it. Driving by and worrying is not enough. Unless each one of us takes a step to make change, our schools won't get any better."

Helios Education Foundation helped convene community discussions in Phoenix, Arizona and Oldsmar, Florida around the issues outlined in the film. The Foundation co-sponsored private screenings of the film in both communities in partnership with organizations such as the Arizona Community Foundation and the Pinellas Education Foundation (in Florida) to facilitate community discussions following each showing. Helios also worked in conjunction with community action social partners in Arizona such as Expect More Arizona and Stand for Children to promote next steps for community engagement.

Ernest Hooper, a St. Petersburg Times education columnist, attended the showing in Oldsmar, Florida and wrote in his column that "everybody needs to see Waiting for Superman. Not because the movie does a perfect job of dissecting the problems in the American education system, and not because it offers the most tangible solutions. No, everybody needs to see it because when it comes to education, we're standing at a pivotal crossroads. Our system has faltered. We've fallen behind the rest of the developed world, and to continue the trend threatens our standing in a global economy." (Click here to see more of Hooper's column on the film.)

Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna seen here introducing the education documentary Waiting for Superman at a Phoenix, Arizona screening of the film. In the audience were community and business leaders, social action organizations, educators and other citizens concerned about the state of education in the U.S.

Guggenheim's hope is that his film will build public awareness, ignite personal involvement and inspire real social change. The social action campaign connected to his film is centered on four core initiatives:

Setting academic standards that are on par with the world's best
Recruiting and rewarding great teachers
Creating and nurturing excellent schools, and
Increasing literacy rates

The campaign has created toolkits for educational reform that help parents, teachers, students, schools and the community at large take better charge of ensuring that students get a quality education. For more information on the film, including movie theater locations and the social action campaign, visit www.waitingforsuperman.com.

Take Stock in Children Secures $5 Million Grant; Helios Provides $1 Million Match

From left to right: Richard A. Berkowitz, TSIC statewide Board Chair; Kim Sweers, TSIC Broward Co-Chair; Paul Luna, Helios Education Foundation President and CEO; Don Pemberton, TSIC Founder; and Gale Butler, TSIC Broward Co-Chair.

Take Stock in Children (TSIC), a statewide non-profit organization that provides scholarships, mentors and hope for low-income and at-risk children, has secured a $5 million federal grant through the U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) program and a $1 million matching investment from Helios Education Foundation.

"Helios Education Foundation's community investments are driven by the goal of getting students prepared to succeed in postsecondary education," said Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna. "Take Stock in Children has a similar mission and that's why we're so pleased to invest $1 million in support of their efforts to help students advance successfully from middle school through postsecondary education. We commend Take Stock for their undying commitment to students, and for achieving national recognition through the i3 program."

Take Stock in Children will use these funds for high school mentoring, enhancements to its web-based data collection system, online college readiness tools, enrollment training modules in English, Spanish and Creole and for online virtual college tours featuring major Florida colleges and universities.

With the federal and private grant funds, Take Stock in Children plans to launch its FLIGHT program (Facilitating Long-Term Improvements in Graduation and Higher Education for Tomorrow). FLIGHT is designed to improve academic and behavioral student outcomes, increase post-secondary matriculation and reduce college remediation. The program also aims to enhance utilization of student data to identify high-need students and implement timely interventions to increase their academic success.

"This investment will further demonstrate Take Stock in Children's unparalleled success in graduating youth from high school and continuing their postsecondary education," says Richard Berkowitz, State Board Chair of Take Stock in Children. "We applaud the Helios Education Foundation for making it possible for us to expand our new enhanced program model to serve Take Stock in Children students beyond high school and throughout their first 18 months of college."

Students enrolled with Take Stock in Children are identified in middle and high school, and then sign a contract pledging to remain drug and crime free, as well as maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 or greater. All students that fulfill these obligations and successfully complete the Take Stock in Children program receive full scholarships to a state college or university upon graduation.

Take Stock in Children currently serves nearly 8,000 low-income and minority students in grades 6-12 annually throughout 60 counties in Florida. To learn more about benefiting from Take Stock in Children or becoming a valued mentor or supporter, please call 888-322-4673 or visit www.takestockinchildren.org.

Florida's AP and SAT Scores Show Progress

Performance on college-oriented exams continues to rise as more students ready themselves for a college education

Florida Governor Charlie Crist and the state's Commissioner of Education Dr. Eric Smith announced the results of Florida's 2009-2010 public school SAT and Advance Placement (AP) tests, showing that students have improved their scores. The results show that more students than ever are taking the college readiness exams, and Crist praised Florida schools for providing the preparation students need for postsecondary education. Since 2005, Florida has experienced a 73.4-percent increase in the number of AP test-takers, compared to a 40.1-percent increase nationwide. The five-year trend also shows a 54.7-percent increase among Florida students scoring a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams, compared to a 36.9 percent increase nationwide.

"Florida's concentrated focus on greater academic achievement has continued to open doors of opportunity for our young people," Governor Crist said. "I commend our teachers for their dedication and commitment to our students and applaud Florida students for being eager to accept the additional challenges of Advanced Placement classes."

According to the College Board, nearly 10 percent more Florida students took the SAT this year, almost five times the national increase, and Florida also increased the percentage of AP test-takers. Minority student participation and performance on the SAT also showed gains with a 10.4-percent increase in African-American public school SAT test-takers, compared to a 7.1-percent national increase. Florida's African-American SAT test-takers also continue to outscore their national counterparts in all three subject areas (eight points higher in reading, five in mathematics and three in writing). Additionally, Florida Hispanic public school SAT test-takers increased 15.9 percentage points, compared to a 7.7-percent national increase. These students also continue to significantly outscore their national peers (28 points higher in reading, 16 in mathematics and 19 in writing).

Florida's minority students also showed notable increases on AP exams, with the numbers of African-American and Hispanic AP test-takers increasing by 22.3 percent and 23.4 percent, respectively, compared to the national increase of 13.9 percent for African-American test-takers and 15.3 percent for Hispanic test-takers. Florida's minority student AP performance showed gains in comparison to their national counterparts, with a 14.3-percent increase in AP-exam scores of 3 or higher for African-American test-takers, and a 18.1-percent increase for Hispanic test-takers.

"Florida's teachers and school leaders have answered the call for increased student college and career readiness with a resounding voice challenging our students to reach higher and unleash their true potential," said Commissioner Smith. "Because of their efforts, more of our children will graduate from school prepared for the next stage of their life, more will succeed in their careers and more will experience the happiness and prosperity that only a quality educational experience can provide."

In December 2008, the Florida State Board of Education formally adopted Florida's Next Generation PreK-20 Education Strategic Plan. A primary focus of the plan is to improve the college and career readiness of all students to better enable them for success in the 21st century. Through this statewide focus, combined with recent changes to Florida's high school accountability system, Florida's public schools have begun to successfully transform the culture of their learning environments to challenge the minds of students and increase the educational options available to them.

For more details on Florida's performance on the SAT and AP, visit www.fldoe.org/evaluation/act-sat-ap.asp.

U.S. DOE Announces Teacher Incentive Awards

U.S. DOE Awards $442 Million in Teacher Incentive Fund Grants To 62 Winners in 27 States; Arizona and Florida Programs Funded

The U.S. Department of Education has announced its inaugural Teacher Incentive Fund grants, which will direct a total of $442 million over two years to 62 rural and urban school districts, nonprofit groups and state education organizations around the country. A number of teacher incentive programs in Arizona and Florida have been awarded funds through this new program, including:

Arizona

Arizona State University
Maricopa County Education Service Agency
Safford Unified School District #1

Florida

Duval County Public Schools
Hillsborough County Public Schools
Putnam County School District
School Board of Miami-Dade County
School Board of Orange County
School Board of Pinellas County

The five-year, $1.2 billion Teacher Incentive Fund Grant program aims to strengthen the education profession by rewarding excellence, attracting teachers and principals to high-need and hard-to-staff areas and providing all teachers and principals with the feedback and support they need to succeed. The winners were determined based on their comprehensive plans to develop, reward and support effective teachers and principals in high-need schools.

All applicants were required to demonstrate a high level of local educator support and involvement and a plan for financial sustainability after the five-year grant period. Applicants received additional points for using value added measures, attracting effective teachers in hard to staff subject or specialty areas and for being a first-time applicant.

"Nothing is more important than great teaching," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "These grants will help schools build a culture that celebrates excellence in the classroom and helps all teachers improve their practice."

For details on the Arizona and Florida programs and for a full list of winning applicants, click here.

Making the MAC-Ro Difference

Making the MAC-Ro Difference

The Math Achievement Club by Rodel (MAC-Ro) began as a pilot program in Arizona in 2003 in 10 high-poverty schools in five school disctricts. Today, the program expects to help 30,999 first- through sixth-grade students in 10 counties this school year.

Helios Education Foundation invested $730,000 in MAC-Ro in 2009 to help the project expand to fifth grade and to conduct the research, development and piloting of the sixth grade program, and today, MAC-Ro expects to help 39,000 first- through sixth-grade students in 10 counties during the 2010-2011 school year. This fall began the full scale implementation of the 6th grade program across Arizona which will provide a consistent mathematical development pathway for MAC-Ro schools.

"The true excellence of the MAC-Ro Program is its comprehensive design," said Dr. Jo Anne Vasquez, Vice President and Program Director of Arizona Transition Years: Teacher & Curriculum Initiatives at Helios Education Foundation. "It provides for a total systems approach to the teaching of mathematics that involves and holds accountable the district superintendents, principals and teachers who all must sign an agreement that they will carry out the intent and procedures of the MAC-Ro program."

One of the key aspects of the initiative is the monthly MAC-Ro school-to-home booklet that reinforces the mathematical concepts the students are learning that month. These booklets support and are aligned with the Arizona Mathematics Standard and help improve long-term mastery of math skills. These booklets too must be signed by the parent or guardian and returned to the school. The program is in both English and Spanish with guides and prompts to help parents work with their students.

MAC-Ro schools continue to close the achievement gap. The 52 schools that implemented the fifth-grade level of the MAC-Ro program during the 2009-2010 academic year posted an average gain of almost two-tenths (.17) of a standard deviation relative to the state average. In other words, the average fifth-grade MAC-Ro school improved its pass rate by approximately 4 percent while the state average remained constant.

Education Connection

Volume 2, Issue 3

President's Message

It’s a Matter of Education
With the Florida and Arizona primary elections coming up on August 24, political candidates are smothering the airwaves, papering our communities with political materials and canvassing the streets in our neighborhoods. Election season is here and your voice is a crucial part of ensuring that education remains at the top of our states’ political agendas.

Our elected officials must continue to carry the torch for education, recognizing that an investment in education today is an investment in the success of our community tomorrow.

The U.S. Department of Education’s recent announcements about the 19 phase two finalists in the Race to the Top program, including Arizona and Florida, and the 49 organizations eligible for Investing in Innovation (I3) funds, remind us that despite the current challenges, we truly are building a future where effective community partnerships can lead to innovation and change.

It’s up to us to be part of that innovation. And, it’s up to us to hold our leaders accountable.

As you meet with your candidates and learn more about their platforms, press them on the fundamentals of education. Be an active participant in the democratic process and stay informed and engaged.

Above all, make sure your candidates commit to carry the torch after the elections, ensuring that every decision made around education supports new opportunities for students to succeed from birth through postsecondary education.

In the Spotlight

Each summer, the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) hosts a professional development program that focuses on leadership and on the learning of science as a social, cultural and cognitive process with an emphasis on how to increase the academic literacy of diverse learners in the math and science classrooms.

This year, Helios Education Foundation partnered with NSELA, providing over $46,000 toward the training which was held in Flagstaff, Arizona. The program helped create professional development opportunities for 32 math and science educators from eight Helios-funded science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) projects in Arizona and Florida.

The training included special emphasis on understanding the role that academic language, critical thinking and content reading play in the science classroom. All of these strategies are aimed at helping improve student achievement.

Each of the eight Helios teams was assigned a nationally recognized education leader who will act as their mentor throughout the coming school year. Teachers will work to implement their new learning from their four-day summer institute into their school districts and classrooms. The mentors will serve a key role in helping provide a platform for team members to share their experiences and communicate their progress.

"I've already connected with two school administrators who want to learn more about what we learned from the institute and how to connect the strategies for working with English language learners students into their schools," said Joan Gilbert, a member of the JrBio5 team at Tuscon Unified School District. "I'm excited about sharing," she added.

Community Investments

A Review of Our Quarterly Community Investments
Helios Education Foundation is pleased to announce the following community investments that were approved during the quarter running from April 2010 through June 2010. More information about these and all of our investments is available on our website at http://www.helios.org under Community Investment.

Paradise Valley Community College - $327,302 (AZ)
Through their early childhood education curriculum, Paradise Valley Community College and Central Arizona College will outline what early care providers should know and be able to do to ensure that children ages birth to five acquire the language and literacy skills they need to enter school ready to succeed. This work will impact the early care community across Maricopa, Pinal and Gila counties as well as Gila and Salt River Indian reservations over three years.

Childsplay - $115,036 (AZ)
Capitalizing on its 30-plus years of experience in using theatre as a medium to engage children and adults, this project outlines strategies to adapt an existing research-based model of delivering professional development for the early childhood environment. The program will work with early childhood teachers and practitioners to integrate drama strategies, writing/reading curricula, and provide job-embedded professional development that uses creative drama and dramatic play for early language and literacy development for children in early childhood programs. The work will occur over 18 months in collaboration with the Arizona State University School of Theater within the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts.

Northern Arizona University Foundation - $294,676 (AZ)
Northern Arizona University (NAU) and the Flagstaff Unified School District are creating a learning hub for early childhood educators in northern Arizona. The partnership will focus on teacher professional development and training research over the next two years, especially among early care educators in Flagstaff. NAU researchers will document these trainings, capturing best practices. During the second year of the project, training opportunities will be extended to outlying communities.

Arizona Rural Education Alliance Foundation - $806,322 (AZ)
The Next Generation STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Leaders is building a core of educators in Pinal County schools in Arizona who, by 2013, can become the school-based change agents needed to expand STEM learning. The program focuses on STEM teachers serving students in grades 5-8. The goal is to build a core of teachers who can demonstrate knowledge of content, pedagogy and problem-solving skills in STEM, and who, through shared learning experiences, will better understand how students learn math, science and technology. STEM leaders will also work closely with parents, stressing the importance of parental support and involvement.

Stand for Children - $600,000 (AZ)
Stand for Children is pushing for reforms in education that turn chronically under-performing schools around and support excellent teaching and appropriate investment in Arizona's education system. Stand for Children recruits and mobilizes parents, teachers and other concerned citizens around urgent, high-stakes issues in education, building a core base of members who are engaged about education reform policies that can improve teacher and principal effectiveness, expand instruction time and increase school accountability. Stand for Children will use these funds over an 18-month period as a challenge grant to help expand its local reach and impact across Arizona.

Early Learning Coalition of Polk County - $497,608 (FL)
Because home childcare providers can sometimes be disconnected from the early learning educational system in their communities and may be underserved, the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County will offer onsite coaching and professional development training for home care providers to help improve their understanding of how children ages birth to five learn and acquire language and literacy skills. The coalition will offer these trainings to 120 home providers in Manatee, Sarasota and Polk counties, impacting 400 families and as many as 800 children over two years.

Investing in a Child’s Academic Future

Research consistently shows that the years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the most critical in his or her life, especially in influencing learning. Exposing children ages birth to five to high quality early learning environments has been proven to have a positive, long-lasting impact on a student's academic success across the K-12 continuum.

According to the National Institute for Early Education Research¹ (NIEER), involving children in high-quality early education programs helps them acquire more advanced language, math and social skills. But, what constitutes a high quality early education program? Most researchers agree that key components of a quality program include:

Positive interactions between teachers and children.
Good communication -- teachers and children listening to one another and teachers encouraging children to use reasoning and problem solving.
Daily opportunities for language and reasoning, science, math, block play, dramatic play, art and music.
Teachers and staff who are well educated and adequately compensated.
Active parent involvement.
Low child-staff ratios and small group sizes.
Supervision and evaluation of staff, with opportunities for professional growth.
Well-equipped facilities suited to the needs of pre-school-age children.
Sufficient toys, books and materials.

With the ages of birth to five being the most critical stage in the growth and development of young children, Helios Education Foundation is investing close to $1 million in three early childhood education (ECE) initiatives that will expose children to positive learning environments and provide high quality professional development for ECE teachers in Arizona and Florida.

The Foundation is awarding Childsplay and Paradise Valley Community College (both in Arizona) and the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County, Florida with funding for ECE teacher professional development programs that, over time, will help teachers acquire the knowledge to better understand how children develop vocabulary and pre-reading skills.

With limited professional development opportunities available for ECE teachers, especially around how children acquire early language and literacy skills, Helios initiated a request for proposals (RFP) process, making dollars available to fund targeted teacher professional development programs. Over 100 organizations with a focus on early care engaged in the process and of that number, 37 applied for funding. Applications were reviewed, with Childsplay, Paradise Valley Community College and the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County ultimately selected for funding.

"Although we knew there was a need for high quality teacher professional development programs for early care professionals in Arizona and Florida, that need became even more clear to us early on in the RFP process just by the overwhelming response we received and by the programmatic substance in those proposals," said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna. "We're excited to be making this commitment to early childhood education in both states because investing in the early years helps lay the academic foundation our students need in order to succeed across the education continuum."

Helios has awarded $497,608 to the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County, Florida. The Coalition, in partnership with the Early Learning Coalition in Manatee and Sarasota counties in Florida, will offer professional development to the family child care home community.

While working, many parents choose to have their children in a child care program offered in a home setting versus an early childhood center. The family child care home practitioner is often the only adult providing care and education to the children which in turn limits the opportunities for practitioners to participate in professional development opportunities and network with other early childhood professionals.

This project identifies strategies to address and minimize professional development challenges faced by the early childhood practitioner. Participants will receive onsite coaching to improve their understanding, skill level and teaching practices related to early language and literacy development for children ages birth to five.

Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) in Arizona is receiving $327,032 from Helios for its program. PVCC, in partnership with Central Arizona College (CAC) will update and unify language and early literacy coursework for early childhood practitioners and educators.

PVCC and CAC will accomplish this through academic college courses, an analysis of related community based trainings and the creation of early childhood programs that demonstrate best practices in building the knowledge and skills of the early childhood professional. Participating early childhood professionals will improve age appropriate, interactive learning activities for the child aged birth to five focused on early language and literacy development.

The Foundation is awarding Childsplay (Arizona) $115,036 toward its initiative. Capitalizing on its 30-plus years of experience in using theatre as a medium to engage children and adults, this project outlines strategies to adapt an existing research-based model of delivering professional development for the early childhood environment.

The program will work with early childhood teachers and practitioners to integrate drama strategies, writing/reading curricula and provide job-embedded professional development that uses creative drama and dramatic play for early language and literacy development for children in early childhood programs.

The work will occur over 18 months in collaboration with the Arizona State University School of Theater within the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts.

But as the need for more opportunities for teacher professional development in early care continues to rise, so do the costs associated with high quality care. According to a 2010 report released by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)², parents are paying a significant part of their income for child care.

NACCRRA estimates that more than 11 million children under age five are in some type of child care arrangement every week, and children of working mothers spend an average of 36 hours a week in child care. Unfortunately, the high cost of child care limits parents' options.

"In funding teacher professional development programs for early child care practitioners, Helios is not only helping address teacher quality, but in some ways we're helping to offset some of the additional costs that parents would have to pay for high quality child care programs," said Helios Education Foundation Vice President and Director of Early Childhood Education Karen Ortiz.

"Because we're investing in these programs, some of those costs aren't being passed on to parents, and that's important right now, especially given the state of today's economy," Karen added.

NACCRRA estimates that the cost of infant care in a child care center is more than the cost of college in 40 states, and they're calling on Congress to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the primary public source of child care funds to states to help pay for child care and improve the quality of care.

"As a result of increasing child care costs and the current economy, some parents have been forced to remove their children from organized child care programs or licensed settings and place them in more informal settings," said Linda Smith, Executive Director of NACCRRA.

"This potentially means that the provider has not had a background check or training in health and safety practices or early childhood development, let alone training to provide age-appropriate activities," she added.

NACCRRAs, Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2010 Update provides results from a 2009 survey of Child Care Resource and Referral state networks that asked for the average costs charged by child care programs located in every state and most communities across the nation.

1.The National Institute for Early Education Research (www.nieer.org), a unit of the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, supports early childhood education policy by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research. NIEER is supported through grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and others.

2.NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, is the
nation's leading voice for child care. They work with more than 700 state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies nationwide. These agencies help ensure that families in 99 percent of all populated ZIP codes in the United States have access to high-quality, affordable child care.

Helios Chairman Named to Teach For America Board

Teach For America (TFA), the national organization working to eliminate education inequality across the country, has named Helios Education Foundation Chairman Vince Roig to its national board of directors. Roig joins 26 other members of the board, including leaders from the business, media and academic sectors.

"I'm really humbled and honored to serve on the board of Teach For America, and I'm excited to be able to broaden my passion for not only investing in education, but for changing lives through education," Roig said. "There's great synergy between Helios' mission and Teach For America's goals, and I believe that alignment and common understanding will create even more opportunities for students to excel and succeed in postsecondary education."

Each year, TFA recruits a corps of the nation's most promising college graduates from all academic majors to teach for two years in urban and rural schools. These recruits become lifelong education advocates and leaders in pursuit of education excellence and equality for all students. Corps members receive intensive training and support designed to help them lead their students to make substantial academic progress.

Incoming corps members attend rigorous five-week summer training institutes where, through practice, observation, coaching and study, they develop the foundational knowledge, skills and mindsets needed to be highly effective beginning teachers.

According to TFA, educational inequity starts early and gets worse over time. It's the reality that where a child is born can determine the quality of that child's education and life prospects. By the time children living in low-income communities reach fourth grade, they are often two-to-three grades behind their higher-income peers. In fact, just half of students in low-income communities will graduate high school by age 18, and only one in 10 students growing up in poverty will graduate college.

Teach For America places corps members in regions heavily impacted by these gaps in educational outcomes. Roughly 80 percent of the students reached by corps members qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and more than 90 percent are African-American or Latino. All of the districts served are classified as "high-need."

This fall, more than 8,200 corps members will be teaching in 39 regions across the country while 20,000 Teach For America alumni continue to push for fundamental changes in education that will help ensure educational excellence and equity.

Helios Education Foundation is working with TFA in Phoenix, Arizona and Miami, Florida on expanding its teacher recruitment programs, ultimately impacting tens of thousands of students.

"Vince and Helios Education Foundation have been such strong public champions and supporters of our work to expand educational opportunity in Phoenix and Miami," said Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach For America. "We are thrilled that he is deepening his engagement with Teach For America, and know that he will provide invaluable guidance and support for our efforts to grow our impact nationally."

As a college senior, Wendy Kopp proposed Teach For America's creation in her Princeton University undergraduate thesis. She was convinced that many in her generation were searching for a way to assume a significant responsibility that would make a real difference in the world and that top college students would choose teaching over more lucrative opportunities if a prominent teacher corps existed.

As a 21 year-old, Kopp raised $2.5 million of start-up funding, hired a skeleton staff, and launched a grass-roots recruitment campaign. During Teach For America's first year in 1990, 500 men and women began teaching in six low-income communities across the country. Since then, Teach For America's network has grown to over 28,000 individuals, and has become one of the nation's largest providers of teachers for low-income communities.

For more information, visit Teach For America online at www.teachforamerica.org.

Arizona, Florida among Finalists for Race to the Top Funding

Both Florida and Arizona have been named among the 19 finalists in the second phase of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top competition, seeking to win a share of the $3.4 billion available.

"Peer reviewers identified these 19 finalists as having the boldest plans, but every state that applied will benefit from this process of collaboratively creating a comprehensive education reform agenda," said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. "Much of the federal dollars we distribute though other channels can support their plan to raise standards, improve teaching, use data more effectively to support student learning, and turn around underperforming schools."

The 19 finalists are: Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

Between the current phase of Race to the Top and the first phase of the program, a total of 47 states have applied.

"This took a lot of hard work and political courage," said Secretary Duncan. "It required administrators, elected officials, union leaders, teachers, and advocates to work together and embrace a common reform agenda. Every state that applied now has a blueprint for raising educational quality across America," he added.

The U.S. Department of Education is expected to announce the winners before the end of September. The agency will select the phase two winners using the same process as phase one. In the panel review stage, five expert reviewers will read and discuss each application. They will then score and comment on each application independently, and the applicant will be given a score based on the average of the five scores.

The Department will also look for a natural break in the scores to identify finalists and invite them to D.C. to make in-person presentations to their reviewers. Each reviewer will then submit final scores, and Secretary Duncan will select awardees. Depending on the size of the winning states, 10-15 states could win Race to the Top grants.

Designed to incentivize excellence, drive reform, and promote the adoption and use of effective policies and practices, the Race to the Top program is backed by $4.35 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Of that money, the Department set aside $350 million for a separate competition to improve the quality of assessments and awarded approximately $600 million to Phase 1 winners Delaware and Tennessee, leaving $3.4 billion for Phase 2.

FCAT Scores Raise Questions, Contractor Fined Nearly $15 Million

Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith fielded tough questions from Florida legislators recently about problems with this year's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores, and has since fined NCS Pearson, the contractor who administers and grades the test, close to $15 million for tardy results.

The scores were released almost a month late, upsetting several school districts. Some districts raised additional concerns once they reviewed the scores for fourth and fifth graders. A group of five superintendents, including Hillsborough County's MaryEllen Elia, called on the state to audit the exam results for anomalies. Hillsborough saw a four-point drop in the number of fourth-graders reading at grade level.

Commissioner Smith agreed to conduct an audit, ultimately bringing in two companies to do it.

"The FCAT test administered this last spring is one that mom and dad at home should have confidence in," Commissioner Smith said.

The auditors found that the sharp drop in learning gains among fourth- and fifth-graders and their flat performance in reading did not fall outside historical trends for test scores, Smith said.
However, with these new results, fewer schools will earn A and B grades this year.

The state announced in early June that many FCAT results would be more than a month behind schedule because of problems with NCS Pearson's database technology. The state insisted there were no problems with accuracy, but the delay caused headaches for school districts that needed the results to schedule students, evaluate teachers and plan classes for the fall.

Lawmakers were concerned that the results couldn't be trusted because of the difficulty NCS Pearson had in matching the test results to each child's individual demographic information. NCS Pearson's $254 million FCAT contract with the state was also brought into question.

Lawmakers also pressed Commissioner Smith on his Department's selection of NCS Pearson given the company's history of problems. The company was blamed for delays related to scoring tests in Arkansas in 2009 and South Carolina in 2008. Since securing the Florida contract in 2009, Pearson has also had trouble with an online test in Wyoming; that state is claiming $9.5 million in damages.

Pearson also has a spotty record in Florida, where 10 years ago, operating as NCS, it agreed to pay $4 million in fines after delivering test results late.

Most major testing companies have run into pitfalls since the federal No Child Left Behind law pushed states to rely more heavily on standardized tests.

To find out more about this year's FCAT results, go to http://fcat.fldoe.org/.

Education News

Volume 2 Issue 2

President's Message

As leaders and change agents in our own communities, our voices can be a powerful tool. All around us there are opportunities to use our voices to push for changes that will make our educational system better.

Education policy in Arizona and Florida has been front and center in recent weeks, in some cases sparking debate and in others sparking consensus toward change. From improved early learning environments for children ages birth to five to incorporating more rigor and relevance with an emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), the debate rages on.

But the change we need in education may very well rest on our commitment to get involved, have our voices heard and hold our elected officials accountable.

The Race to the Top application process galvanized communities not only in Arizona and Florida but across the country, bringing a diversity of voices to the table. Education stakeholders, including local and state public sector leaders and advocates and private sector businesses and industries, came together under one charge, showing us the kind of multi-lateral collaboration and accountability it will take to implement innovative, cohesive education reform.

But the Race to the Top process also showed us that consensus is truly the linchpin of success.

The passionate voices of teachers, parents, students, education advocates and others reverberated through the chambers of the Florida House and Senate during the 2010 session of the Florida Legislature. More than a quarter of the session centered around education issues like class size, teacher merit pay, civics education and increasing high school graduation requirements.

No matter what side of the debate people were on, they used their voices to push for an outcome they believed in. From holding picket signs on street corners to sending thousands of email messages to elected officials, Florida’s constituents were engaged.

And, now there is an opportunity for Arizonans to influence the future of education in Arizona.

On Tuesday May 18, Proposition 100 asks voters to approve a temporary one-percent sales tax increase to support K-12 and higher education, health and human services and public safety through 2013. We urge you to engage, have your voices heard and vote Yes on Prop 100.

In addition, Expect More Arizona recently launched the Vote 4 Education campaign to empower people with the resources they need to make informed decisions about education issues in the state. The campaign’s purpose is to rally Arizonans to make sure their candidates are true champions of education by asking these 4 questions when selecting candidates:

1. Is education one of their top two priorities?
2. Do they have a clear plan with specific strategies for how they will address the biggest issues affecting education in Arizona?
3. Are they willing to invest resources in education to support Arizona’s long-term success?
4. How will they challenge Arizonans to expect more and do more for education?

But beyond these questions, the Vote 4 Education campaign provides some very specific action steps that everyone can follow to show they expect more for education in Arizona:

1. Vote Yes on Prop 100
2. Protect the Voter-Approved Early Childhood Health and Development Funds
3. Make sure your candidates are unwavering advocates for education
4. Rally 10 friends to vote with education as their “hot button” issue

It really is our responsibility to act on what we believe in and be the catalyst for the change we want to see. Taking those four action steps and holding our elected leaders accountable for the future of education in Arizona is part of having our voices heard. It’s part of being an informed, active and engaged citizenry that values the importance of investing in education.

Be part of the movement to strengthen education in Arizona by visiting www.expectmorearizona.org to empower yourself around issues in education.

Now is the time to harness the power of our collective voices, channel it to improve the quality of education in Arizona and Florida and propel our students toward the success they need and deserve across the entire P-20 continuum — from birth through career.

In the Spotlight

With the critical shortage of nurses in Arizona, especially in rural communities, Helios Education Foundation has partnered with Mohave County Community College's Nursing RN program to provide financial assistance to students seeking a nursing degree. The scholarship program gives preference to high financial need students who are single head-of-household.

Scholarships have been awarded to current students in the RN program at Mohave Community College campuses located in Bullhead City, Colorado City, Kingman and Lake Havasu City. The majority of these students will work for their local health care facility.

Lacy Jonker (left), pictured with JoAnne Vasquez, Ph.D., Helios' Vice President and Program Director of Transition Years - Arizona, is a Helios scholarship recipient at Mohave County Community College in the Nursing Program. She will complete her degree in May 2010 and plans to work in Lake Havasu City for a few years before continuing on to specialize in obstetrics.

To date, Helios Education Foundation has committed over $142,500 in postsecondary scholarships to the Mohave County Community College Nursing Program.

A Review of Our Quarterly Community Investments

Helios Education Foundation is pleased to announce the following community investments that were approved during the quarter running from January 2010 to March 2010. More information about these and all of our investments is available on our website at http://www.helios.org under Community Investment.

Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education - $25,000
This funding will be used toward the “To Learn and Earn: Arizona's Unfinished Business in Human Capital” initiative. The goal of the program is to help identify what is needed to prepare students and adults for the workforce. The initiative will also help Arizona develop next steps in its quest for an equitable, high-wage economy.

Arizona State University Foundation - $100,000
Helios has invested in Arizona State University’s Spirit of Service Scholars (SOSS) program to help address present and future workforce needs in the public and nonprofit sector by providing outstanding high school students with postsecondary education scholarships, a life-long interdisciplinary network and committed effective mentors.

Children First, Inc. - $338,085
Helios’ funding is directed toward the Ladder to Literacy teacher professional development initiative which will help strengthen the literacy and language acquisition knowledge and education of 76 early childhood educators in Sarasota, Florida.

Easter Seals - $213,856
Helios’ investment in the Tampa Preschool Partnership for Language and Literacy Education will help provide professional development to early childhood program staff on instructional strategies in developing early literacy skills and incorporating those strategies into classroom practices.

National Science Education Leadership Association - $49,700
Helios’ funding will help send teams of science leaders from Arizona and Florida to the research-based Summer Leadership Institute at Northern Arizona University. Together, the teams help create and sustain a pipeline of quality STEM educators and cultivate strong middle and high school leadership.

Ophelia Project and Boys Initiative of Tampa Bay - $165,000
This investment helps fund the Transitioning with Confidence & Character program designed to provide high-quality and effective opportunities for middle school students to develop critical social skills.

Phoenix Art Museum - $50,000
Helios’ investment is directed toward the Building a Learning Community program in support of strategic planning related to education.

Vote 4 Education

Helios Education Foundation's President and CEO, Paul Luna, who is also Chairman of the Oversight Board of Expect More Arizona, joined business and community leaders in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff to launch the "Vote 4 Education" campaign in Arizona. This statewide campaign motivates voters to make education their "hot button issue" throughout the election season.

Growing concern that education is not valued as highly as it should be by elected officials led to the campaign’s development. A recent voter poll commissioned by Expect More Arizona and conducted by Lake Research, a national polling firm, found that Arizonans are "greatly concerned" about education and view its quality as declining, not improving.

In fact, most felt Arizona's education system is worse than others across the nation and the globe, that expectations for academic success are too low, and that elected officials are not doing enough to make the situation better.

Arizona has ranked near the bottom in terms of student achievement and student investment, most recently scoring a C- on the latest Quality Counts 2010 report, an annual analysis of the state of education across the country. Overall, the report ranked Arizona 46^th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

"As business leaders, we view a high quality education system as the key to an economically prosperous Arizona," commented Phil Francis, President and CEO of PetSmart. "Our ability to grow and diversify business across our state as well as attract new high-wage jobs depends on a better educated workforce," he added.

Public awareness materials such as social media buttons, door hangers, posters, flyers and campaign signs touting "Are They 4 Education?" and "Vote 4 Education" are being displayed alongside election campaign signs statewide. In addition, a special voter section on ExpectMoreArizona.org serves as the central portal to information about the election year.

"As key policy and budget decisions continue to be made at a state level that impact education, it is more important than ever before to make education a key factor in every vote," said Michael Bidwill, President of the Arizona Cardinals. "Arizona's economic future depends on a quality education system and we must elect leaders who will make it their priority," he concluded.

Although Expect More Arizona will not endorse candidates for office through its "Vote 4 Education" effort, it will urge Arizonans to ask 4 key questions when selecting candidates:

1. Is education one of their top two priorities?
2. Do they have a clear plan with specific strategies for how they will address the biggest issues affecting education in our state?
3. Are they willing to invest resources in education to support Arizona's long-term success?
4. How will they challenge Arizonans to expect more and do more for education?

Expect More Arizona is a public-private partnership dedicated to creating a statewide movement of Arizonans who value education as the state's top priority. A volunteer Oversight Board comprised of representatives from organizations investing $100,000 or more annually provides strategic direction and fiscal oversight to the Expect More Arizona effort. Helios Education Foundation is one of a number of funders supporting Expect More Arizona.

Increasing the Number of Certified Early Childhood Educators in Rural Arizona

Enhancing professional development opportunities for early childhood educators and creating opportunities for them to teach in programs that are in their own communities not only helps preserve language and culture, but it promotes economic stability.

And, a new partnership between Prescott College and Helios Education Foundation endorses that approach by making early childhood education programs more accessible to students of the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona and the Tohono O’Odham Nation in Pima County.

Helios is investing $608,000 over the next four years into Prescott College’s Accessible Teacher Preparation for Rural Arizona Early Childhood Education Program. This initiative enables low- income students and students of color in rural Arizona to attain a bachelor's degree and early childhood education teacher certification.

“The grant gives Prescott College the opportunity to redouble its commitment to serving individuals who are teaching or interested in teaching on the reservations and in rural Arizona,” said Dr. Vicky Young, Prescott College’s Coordinator for Native American Students. “The first cohort of 15 students is scheduled to enroll in fall 2010 in the College’s Adult Degree Program, a low-residency model,” Dr. Young added.

Student scholarships are an integral part of Helios’ investment. The low-residency program allows students to complete their degree or certification programs from their home communities, while working and maintaining a family life. The scholarships are also coupled with other financial aid to help students cover the costs associated with obtaining a college education.

“Making programs such as this one accessible in rural communities provides the means for early childhood teachers to continue working while completing their degree, “said Karen Ortiz, Vice President and Director of Early Childhood Education for Helios Education Foundation.“The goal is to improve the skills and knowledge of teachers and practitioners by increasing the integration of literacy and language acquisition curriculum into early childhood education,” she continued. “This better prepares them for work in an early childhood environment.”

Prescott College expects to recruit 15 students each year for the first three years and provide scholarships and academic advising aimed at literacy support and the incorporation of indigenous language and culture for 15-25 students per year.

“Word about this amazing scholarship and degree program is out in the rural and reservation communities,” Dr. Young added. “This spring has been extremely busy with the work and excitement generated from Helios Education Foundation’s generosity.”

Prescott College has been offering a teacher certification program for more than 40 years. Each year, approximately 100 students obtain Arizona state certification through the college’s state-approved teacher education programs. In 2008, Prescott College was the first school of higher education in Arizona to receive certification in Early Childhood Teacher Education from the Arizona Department of Education.

How STEM-Related Career Academies Are Exciting Tampa Bay Students

Career academies have been making an impact in school systems across the country for the past 35 years. With a focus on turning large high schools into smaller more focused learning environments, these academies have built a bridge for students transitioning from high school to postsecondary education or vocational careers.

Building on that success, Helios Education Foundation is working with the Hillsborough Education Foundation and the Hillsborough County Public School system in Tampa Bay to help make students college ready and to prepare them for a career in a highly-technical field.

“Taking the career academies model and building a relevant, interconnected program between middle school and high school will increase students’ understanding of how their classroom learning is connected to and can be applied in the real world,” said Helios Education Foundation Vice President and Program Director for Florida, Stacy Carlson. “We are hopeful that this model will be successful in raising students’ academic achievement as well as their engagement in STEM education and careers.”

Sometimes referred to as “a school within a school,” career academies are organized around themes such as technology, food services, business and finance and others. Students take classes together, are often paired with the same group of teachers over time, follow an academic and career-oriented curriculum and they participate in internships and other career-related experiences outside of the classroom.

In Tampa Bay, the Hillsborough Education Foundation and Hillsborough County Public School system are implementing the Transitional Success through STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Academies project in conjunction with a $431,400 investment from Helios. The initiative is preparing students for success during the critical transition years from middle school to high school.

“Thanks to Helios we can now create a clear ‘line of sight’ for middle and high school students in STEM,” says Bill Hoffman, President of the Hillsborough Education Foundation. “This will help prepare them for the critical technical jobs which our business partners tell us they need talent for.”

The program is expected to benefit 15,000 students ages 11 through 18 enrolled at five middle school STEM institutes — Buchanan, Greco, Marshall, Shields and Walker — which all feed career academies at Strawberry Crest, Gaither, King, Lennard and Sickles high schools in Hillsborough County.

The initiative will be implemented over 30 months and includes a series of new curricula that will engage and challenge students as they transition through the STEM institutes. This process includes developing comprehensive curricula guides and providing professional development training to teachers.

Partners in the project want to increase the awareness of students and their families about STEM institutes and career academies. By participating in activities such as student keystone projects, student professional memberships, student regional meetings and competitions and purchasing specialized tools and course materials, the program will better prepare students for postsecondary education.

At the same time, district teachers will have professional development opportunities through “train the trainer” components of the program and they will participate in or have access to teacher and administrator teams at the middle school and high school sites.

Helios’ investment is also supporting Hillsborough Education Foundation’s newest program, the SUCCESS Fund. This program assists students with the financial obstacles associated with enrollment in career academies, such as specialized tools, regional competitions and student professional groups.

Approximately 47 percent of students enrolled in the academies have financial need, making it difficult for them to afford the additional expenses of their education.

The Transitional Success through STEM Academies program is building a bridge in Hillsborough County for middle school and high school students. This partnership is promoting strategies that increase curriculum rigor and relevance and emphasize STEM education. But, this initiative is ultimately creating a pipeline of highly-skilled, highly-trained students who will be ready for a successful future.

The Race to the Top: Phase Two

With phase one of the U.S. Department of Education’s (U.S. DOE) Race to the Top program underway, earmarking $100 million for Delaware and $500 million for Tennessee, other states now have their eyes on the $3.4 billion still left in the program.

U.S. DOE expects to make awards ranging from $20 million to $700 million in phase two of Race to the Top, and Florida and Arizona are among those states working to meet the June 1, 2010, deadline. Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced his Race to the Top working group to vet Florida’s application. The group includes Miami-Dade superintendent Alberto Carvahlo, Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Mark Wilson, Florida Education Association’s Andy Ford, Florida Disabilities Council Executive Director Debra Dowds, and eight other people.

The stakes are high in education’s race to the top, and U.S. DOE says it’s looking for bold, innovative education reform plans that are comprehensive and collaborative.

“We set a very high bar for the first phase," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (pictured above). “With $3.4 billion still available, we're providing plenty of opportunity for all other states to develop plans and aggressively pursue reform."

The U.S. DOE made one change to the rules for phase two, requiring states’ budgets to be within the ranges suggested in the original notice. Officials say that state applications will not be considered if budget requests exceed the maximum range, and that states should develop a budget that is consistent with its plans. DOE has outlined five budget categories:

Category 1—$350 million-$700 million:
California, Texas, New York and Florida.

Category 2—$200 million-$400 million:
Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and New Jersey.

Category 3—$150 million-$250 million:
Virginia, Arizona, Indiana, Washington, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Missouri, Maryland and Wisconsin.

Category 4—$60 million-$175 million:
Minnesota, Colorado, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon, Connecticut, Utah, Mississippi, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas and Nevada.

Category 5—$20 million-$75 million:
New Mexico, Nebraska, Idaho, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Maine, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

The U.S. DOE held a technical assistance workshop for potential phase two applicants in Minneapolis, Minnesota in late April. States could also participate by phone. Representatives from Delaware and Tennessee discussed their plans and laws and their approaches to building a statewide collaboration. Education officials also discussed Race to the Top selection criteria, requirements, and priorities, and answered technical questions about the program.

Florida, which had asked for $1 billion during phase one, was widely considered a leading contender but ultimately finished in fourth place.

“I remain encouraged and excited about the opportunities still ahead of us and I am supremely thankful for the support from our parents, business leaders, legislators, and other education stakeholders who made our initial effort so formidable,” said Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith.

The $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund is an unprecedented federal investment in reform. The program includes $4 billion for statewide grants and $350 million to support states working together to improve the quality of their assessments. Race to the Top is designed to reward states that are leading the way in reform across four key areas:

1. Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace;
2. Building data systems that measure student growth and success and inform teachers and principals how to improve instruction;
3. Recruiting, developing, rewarding and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
4. Turning around their lowest-performing schools.

For more information on the Race to the Top program, visit http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop.

Close to 2,500 School Districts Interested in I3 Funding

Some 2,445 school districts from across the country notified the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) that they intended to apply for funding through the $650 million Investing in Innovation (I3) grant program. The application deadline was May 12, 2010.

The I3 program, which is part of the historic $5 billion investment in school reform in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will support local efforts to start or expand research-based innovative programs that help close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for students, including decreasing dropout rates, increasing high school graduation rates and improving teacher and school leader effectiveness.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says the I3 program will provide seed money for fresh ideas, help grow promising programs with a good track record and scale up programs with proven results. Individual school districts or groups of districts can apply, and entrepreneurial nonprofits can join with school districts to submit applications. Colleges and universities, companies and other stakeholders can be supporters of the projects.

Applicants must show previous success in closing achievement gaps, improving student progress toward proficiency, increasing graduation rates, or recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and principals.

Grants will be awarded in three categories:

Scale-up Grants: This is the largest possible grant category and it’s focused on programs and practices with the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of students. Applicants must have a strong base of evidence that their program has had a significant effect on improving student achievement.

Validation Grants: Existing, promising programs that have good evidence of their impact and are ready to improve their evidence base while expanding in their own and other communities.

Development Grants: This smallest grant level is designed to support new and high-potential practices whose impact should be studied further.

The I3 grant program is a companion to the larger, more widely publicized $3.5 billion Race to the Top competition. With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress, both programs are meant to encourage school improvement across the nation. But the I3 program sets aside $650 million just for school districts, groups of schools, and their nonprofit partners to pursue and scale up innovative reform strategies. Grant recipients must show they have a public or private match for these federal funds, and their initiatives must be sustainable beyond the completion of their federal grants.

Florida Education Bills Spur Statewide Debate

A number of education bills made their way through the Florida House and Senate during the 2010 session of the Florida Legislature and on to Governor Charlie Crist’s desk for signature. One was vetoed; one now requires harder math and science classes in order for students to earn high school diplomas and another would require middle school students to take civics classes.

Senate Bill 4 – Increased Graduation Requirements
Governor Crist signed Senate Bill 4 into law which incrementally raises graduation requirements in Florida, better preparing students for postsecondary education and the workforce. Starting next year, the class of 2014 will be required to take geometry to graduate, and each year after that, students will be required to take Biology I, then Algebra II and finally chemistry or physics will be required for students in the class of 2017.

Advocates say the bill also increases rigor by replacing portions of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) with end-of-course exams. Every high school will be required to offer advanced math, science, history and English courses using Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) or dual enrollment. School districts can use Florida Virtual School to meet this requirement and save costs.

Some say the law puts Florida in the midst of a national push for better education in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math. Florida Education Commissioner Eric smith said the law "will make sure that students who graduate from our high schools have a meaningful diploma, a diploma to someplace, not a diploma to nowhere."

But others worry that these changes will hurt students already struggling to make it to graduation. There are also questions about how the state can afford the new math-science push and how it will find enough teachers.

Senate Bill 6 – Teacher Merit Pay
Governor Crist vetoed Senate Bill 6 which would have made it easier to fire teachers and link their pay to student test scores. Crist said the bill had deeply and negatively affected the morale of teachers, parents and students.

The measure was a priority for Republican Party leaders who, some say, pushed the legislation through committees and floor debates as public outcry grew. Under the bill, half of a teacher's evaluation would depend on students' learning gains. Good gains would equal positive evaluations and pay raises. But teachers argued that the bill failed to factor the work that doesn't show up on tests and ignores other forces that affect kids.

Advanced degrees could have been considered in teacher evaluations but neither that factor nor experience could be used to set pay scales. The evaluations also would help determine if a teacher should be recertified. Teachers hired after July 1 would be unable to get more than a one year contract, and tenure would have been out of the question for new teachers.

Opponents of the bill rallied statewide, protested on street corners and flooded the Governor’s office with phone calls, emails and faxes. Nearly 120,000 email messages were sent to the Governor about the bill, and although 51,000 were still unread, almost 65,000 of the logged messages opposed the bill.

Crist echoed many of these concerns in vetoing the bill, but said he agrees with finding a way to measure student gains and build a performance-based pay system. The issue is expected to be rekindled next legislative session.

House Bill 105 – Civics Education
The Florida Legislature has sent House Bill 105 to Governor Charlie Crist for signature. The bill would require middle school students to take a civics class and pass an end-of-course test. Lawmakers who voted unanimously for the bill say the requirement is needed because many citizens don't know the difference between a state legislator and member of Congress or even who is President.

Senate Bill 2 – Class Size
The passage of Senate Bill 2 puts the class size issue back in the hands of voters in November. This time the amendment calls for class size averages with a cap as opposed to classroom counts. The amendment has to pass by 60 percent in order to take effect.

Education News

Vol. 2, Issue 1

President's Message

As we move forward in this new decade, we find ourselves in a precarious position. Statewide planning spurred by the Race to the Top application process has inspired cross-sector collaboration and visionary thinking to improve our educational systems, and ultimately, the success of our students. However, in the midst of building our roadmaps for progress, our ambitions are often tempered by the limitations imposed by our continuing economic conditions.

Personally, I think it is important to recognize the realities of our current environment, but we cannot allow it to halt our collective efforts to improve education. So, as Arizona and Florida wait to hear if they will be awarded federal stimulus dollars in the first round of Race to the Top, those of us focused on education continue to plod along, knowing that opportunity does in fact exist in the here and now.

In looking at the work of Helios Education Foundation and its partners as well as the activity happening in other parts of the two states we serve, there is great passion, commitment and energy around increasing quality and student achievement. Efforts to create common standards, improve teacher quality, increase math and science rigor and the college- and career-readiness of students all point to an interest to raise the bar in education.

Helios is dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals to succeed in postsecondary education. Our intent to instill a college-going culture begins early in the education continuum and focuses on building a common vision amongst educators, parents, students and community that all students can pursue a postsecondary degree. And in the time that we have been investing in education, we have learned that one of the greatest barriers to individuals, especially those in underserved populations, going on to postsecondary education is access to information about pathways, financing and other support systems. By simply getting the right information into the hands of students and parents, while surrounding them with a “yes, you can” culture, you open their minds to the many possibilities that exist even under the toughest circumstances.

The economic challenges of 2009 and now 2010 have caused many of us to re-evaluate what is most important and to take a hard look at what we can do to ensure a prosperous future. With projected budget shortfalls of $1.4 billion in Arizona and $2.6 billion in Florida, the road ahead continues to be filled with difficult choices. It’s important to remember, however, that many of the issues and opportunities we grapple with today in education would be the same ones confronting us in a more robust economy. Our hope, at a time when much local and national attention is focused on education, is that we challenge our communities to not lower expectations to match our current conditions, but instead raise them higher.

Paul Luna
President and CEO

In the Spotlight

In support of teacher professional development among early childhood educators, Helios launched a Request for Proposals designed to strengthen the literacy and language acquisition knowledge and education of early childhood teachers, professionals and other providers working with children ages birth to five.

The application deadline has now passed. The Foundation is currently reviewing the proposals and the successful applicants will be notified in July.Thank you to all of the organizations that responded to our Request for Proposals.

A Review of our Quarterly Investments

Helios Education Foundation is pleased to announce the following community investments that were approved during the last quarter. More information about these and all of our investments is available on our website at www.helios.org under Investment History.

Arizona ACT Pilot (Year Two) - $355,000
Year two of this project will continue district-wide administration of the ACT college entrance exam. The purpose of this pilot program is to evaluate the college readiness of Arizona high school juniors compared to their peers outside Arizona.

Center for the Future of Arizona - $300,000
The goal of this Pathways to Postsecondary initiative is to create systemic change in education by creating multiple educational options, starting as early as middle school, that enable students to pursue one or more pathways to a postsecondary education. The Center is especially focused on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math areas as part of this project.

Expect More Arizona - $1,000,000
Expect More Arizona is a statewide public-private partnership dedicated to making education Arizona's top priority. The partnership is creating a movement of Arizonans who value education and are actively engaged in strengthening the entire continuum - from birth through career. More than a public awareness effort, Expect More Arizona presents the community with opportunities to get actively engaged in volunteering, voting, investing and being a vocal champion for education.

Hillsborough Educational Foundation - $431,400
The Hillsborough Educational Foundation and the Hillsborough County Public Schools are working together to implement a seamless articulation between middle school Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) institutes and STEM career academies.

MDRC and Pima Community College Foundation - $1,807,000
This project at Pima Community College in Arizona will work to improve access to financial aid, improve full-time enrollment and improve persistence, educational performance and degree attainment among Hispanic males.

MDRC and Hillsborough Community College Pilot - $197,904
This performance-based scholarship pilot program at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida will help inform the design of a potential demonstration that addresses the barriers presented by remedial math courses.

Prescott College, Inc. - $608,852
This Accessible Teacher Preparation initiative at Prescott College in Arizona will help low-income students of color living in rural parts of the state attain a bachelor's degree and early childhood education teacher certification. The proposal emphasizes the recruitment of Native American participants and focuses on advanced writing skills, integrating theory to practice, developing community literacy and language skills, anchoring course objectives with state certification requirements and working with adjunct faculty and mentors from the community who are experts.

Studying Bio-Tech in Middle School Classrooms

Working in partnership with the University of Arizona (UA), Helios Education Foundation is helping connect middle school science teachers with the resources and training they need to lead hands-on, inquiry-based science activities in the classroom.

The Foundation awarded the university a $750,000 grant for the Jr. BIOTECH program which provides professional development workshops for teachers, classroom visits for modeling hands-on biotechnology activities and extensive materials to help teachers conduct biotechnology experiments independently.

"American teenagers currently rank 25th in math and 21st in science relative to their international peers," said Dr. Fernando D. Martinez, director of the BIO5 Institute. "Jr. BIOTECH is an investment in building the highly skilled workforce Arizona needs to compete globally and to expand the state's biotech industry."

Jr. BIOTECH is being introduced at middle schools in Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff with the ultimate goal of offering the program statewide. The three-year pilot project, operated by the UA's BIO5 Institute, is an expansion of the highly successful BIOTECH program currently offered at Arizona high schools.

Research shows that engaging middle school students in science-related activities increases the likelihood of them pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math, known as the STEM fields.

"Creating opportunities for students to achieve postsecondary education success starts early and it's tied to supporting programs that help increase curriculum rigor and relevance in middle school classrooms," said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna. "Helios' $750,000 investment in Jr. BIOTECH will help teachers increase their skills and knowledge in the science, technology, engineering and math areas and in return, help motivate students to explore opportunities in those fields."

The BIO5 Institute was designed to capitalize on the UA's history of interdisciplinary collaborative research. This emphasis on collaboration is an integral part of BIO5's education outreach programs as well. Collaborative partnerships with Jr. BIOTECH include Tucson Unified School District's Regional Science Center; Northern Arizona University's Center of Science Teaching and Learning; Arizona Science Teacher Advancement and Research Training (AZ-START); the Crane School District; and UA Cooperative Extension.

Supporting Middle School Students' Transition to High School

More than 650 teachers, staff members and others from the Polk County School District came together in early January for a training session as part of implementing a new $1.3 million partnership funded by Helios Education Foundation.

The Polk County Transition Years Project is aimed at providing 25 middle schools and high schools in the district with the resources they need to help support students in their transition from eighth grade to ninth grade. Helios Education Foundation has invested $1.3 million into the initiative whose partners include the school district as well as the Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA), Successful Practices Network and the International Center for Leadership in Education.

"Helios Education Foundation's investment in this initiative helps provide middle schools and high schools with the resources they need to prepare for and support struggling students, but it also helps those students build relationships with adults through smaller learning environments and study groups," said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna. "We're excited to be a part of this and we're looking forward to the future success of this program."

The successful transition between middle and high school is one of the most critical times during a young student's development and is often related to how successful that student is in high school and whether that student will continue on to postsecondary education. The goal of this program is to increase student readiness for high school and to increase graduation rates. The project uses proven strategies for secondary school redesign and transition support.

This approach has been developed through the work of the Florida Secondary School Redesign Initiative (SSRI), which has served 45 schools and 20 districts in Florida. Trainers will work with school leadership teams on rigor and relevance in instruction and on building personal relationships that support learning. They'll assess students' needs and use collaboration and discussion to explore solutions. They will also use professional development, support and coaching as part of the training as well.

Former Florida Department of Education Chancellor and current FASA executive director Jim Warford said Polk County School District's commitment to implementing new programs that create opportunities and success for students made the district an effective candidate for the Transition Years Project.

Race to the Top Round 1 Underway

Arizona and Florida are among the 40 states and the District of Columbia that have submitted applications in the first round of the Obama Administration's Race to the Top challenge. Applications were due in mid-January for the $4.35 billion fund to dramatically re-shape America's educational system into better engaging and preparing our students for success in a competitive 21st century economy and workplace.

"We want to challenge everyone -- parents, teachers, school administrators -- to raise standards, by having the best teachers and principals, by tying student achievement to assessments of teachers, by making sure that there's a focus on low-performing schools, by making sure our students are prepared for success in a competitive 21st century economy and workplace," said President Obama.

Race to the Top emphasizes the following reform areas:

Designing and implementing rigorous standards and high-quality assessments, by encouraging states to work jointly toward a system of common academic standards that builds toward college and career readiness, and that includes improved assessments designed to measure critical knowledge and higher-order thinking skills.

Attracting and keeping great teachers and leaders in America's classrooms, by expanding effective support to teachers and principals; reforming and improving teacher preparation; revising teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention policies to encourage and reward effectiveness and increase the number of effective teachers in our schools; and ensuring that our most talented teachers are placed in the schools and subjects where they are needed the most.

Using data to inform decisions and improve instruction, by fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system, training and supporting educators to use data to improve instruction, and making information more accessible to parents, teachers and other key stakeholders.

Using innovation and effective approaches to turn-around struggling schools, by asking states to prioritize and transform persistently low-performing schools.

Demonstrating and sustaining education reform, by promoting collaborations among business leaders, educators, and other stakeholders to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps, and by expanding support for high-performing public charter schools, reinvigorating math and science education, and promoting other conditions favorable to innovation and reform.

Awards for the first round of applications are expected to be announced this spring. A second round of applications from states will be due in June 2010, with winners expected to be announced in September. States that apply, but do not win in Phase 1, may reapply for Phase 2. For more information, click here.

Helios-TGen Scholar Earns Tuition Waiver at Arizona State University

Helios Education Foundation invested over $6.5 million in the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) to create and support the Helios Scholars Program, an internship program at TGen, for the next 25 years. Each summer, 45 high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students come to participate in a hands-on internship at TGen where they are introduced to high-tech bioscience research.

One recent Helios TGen Scholar, Sarah Albinda (pictured at right), has been named to the 2010 Coca-Cola All-State Academic Team, earning a two-year tuition waiver that will enable her to complete her science education at Arizona State University. Without the award, Albinda said, she would not have enough money to seek her bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences after graduating this spring with an Associate in Science Degree from Phoenix College.

The academic competition is sponsored by Arizona Phi Theta Kappa, the American Association of Community Colleges, USA TODAY and Coca-Cola, and recognizes outstanding community college students for their commitment to academic achievement, leadership and community service.

"There is no way I could have won without participating in the Helios Scholars program at TGen. Here, I have so many resources available, and that gave me a significant advantage, including competitive hands-on experience and access to amazing people," said Albinda, who works in the laboratory of Dr. Heather Cunliffe, Head of TGen's Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research Unit.

Albinda said she did not have the money to continue her education without taking out a loan and putting undue financial pressure on her family. Winning the award solved that problem.

"When I heard about this scholarship, I thought, ‘Wow, this is my dream.' Personally, it means a lot to be able to pay for my own education. My goal is to be able to graduate without ever having to take out a loan for tuition," Albinda said. Albinda plans to become a medical doctor, using what she has learned at TGen to help cancer patients.

Albinda's mentor, TGen Research Associate Catherine Mancini said Albinda's success is a credit to the Helios program and the high-caliber research opportunities provided by TGen.

"Helios provides a whole new level of opportunity for students. It is a diverse program and this is a diverse job,'' Mancini said. "We were excited to work with Sarah because of her interdisciplinary skills which we needed for her position as a biospecimen technician in our laboratory. Because of her abilities, she was able to continue her internship and extend her skills at TGen. She has definitely exceeded our expectations."

TGen is on the cutting edge of translational research where investigators are able to unravel the genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Helios Scholars Program Applications Now Available
The Helios Scholars Program at TGen is an eight week paid internship where students work under the mentorship of an experienced investigator and their scientific teams. Interns conduct authentic research, receive training in biosafety, ethics, career choices and science communication, give an oral presentation to their peers on their research, and create and present a scientific poster.

The application for the upcoming summer internship is now available.

Students participating in the internship will work to elucidate the mysteries and mechanisms of genetic diseases such as Alzheimer's, ALS, autism, breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma and diabetes, as well as infectious diseases such as influenza.

The program capstone includes participation in a formal symposium where interns communicate the findings of their research and reflect on what they have learned and accomplished throughout their tenure at TGen.

Past interns boast an array of impressive accomplishments - publishing scientific abstracts and articles, and gaining acceptance into medical and graduate schools.

For more information and to access the application, click here.

What Are Your Expectations?

Promoting the importance of education and encouraging Arizonans to get involved is the focus of two currently funded programs and partnerships of Helios Education Foundation. Expect More Arizona and Stand for Children, although with distinct roles in moving Arizonans to support education, share a common vision for making Arizona's education system stronger and more relevant to the needs of students and the 21st century global economy.

Expect More Arizona, a statewide public-private partnership dedicated to increasing public awareness about the importance of making education Arizona's top priority, is chaired by Helios' president and CEO, Paul Luna. Now in its second year as an independent, nonpolitical partnership, Expect More Arizona seeks to increase the awareness of Arizonans about the issues affecting Arizona education and their impact on the local economy and individual quality of life. Most importantly, Expect More Arizona is working to create a movement of Arizonans who are actively involved in strengthening the entire education continuum - from birth through career.

"Expect More Arizona's role is to help more Arizonans understand that the bar must be raised with respect to the quality of our education system, the performance of our students and the involvement of communities," comments Mr. Luna. "However, in order to achieve a higher standard, we must present people with ways to get personally involved including voting, volunteering, advocating and investing in education."

Stand for Children recently arrived in Arizona as a result of an ACCIO grant, a unique partnership between Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona Community Foundation. Stand for Children is a grassroots action organization which empowers parents, students, educators and concerned citizens to use their collective voice and influence to ensure students receive an excellent education and the support they need to thrive academically. In Arizona, Stand for Children seeks to:

Ensure every student has an excellent teacher every year, and that great teachers and principals are supported to do their best work.
Set the bar higher and keep better track of student and school performance.
Achieve a stable, fair level of funding and invest state and community resources in programs proven to work for students and schools.

"We are excited to be in Arizona and see significant opportunity to make children and their education a higher political priority by rallying Arizonans in their support," said Jonah Edelman, co-founder and chief executive officer of Stand for Children. Stand for Children is focusing its initial efforts in Arizona within Maricopa County and the Alhambra, Kyrene and Phoenix Union School Districts.

Helios Education Foundation's commitment to increasing postsecondary opportunities for all students aligns with the work of both Expect More Arizona and Stand for Children. In order for our children to enter school ready to succeed, graduate prepared for postsecondary education and enter the workforce equipped with the skills and knowledge to compete in a global economy, it will take every Arizonan understanding the issues, raising expectations and getting actively engaged in education.

One of best ways to stay informed about what's happening in Arizona education and to learn more about ways to get involved is to join the Expect More Arizona movement.