Association of Alaska School Boards
E-NEWS
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A weekly digest
of education news for Alaska's School Board Members.
Association of
Alaska School Boards, 1111 West 9th St., Juneau, AK 99801. Tel.
907-586-1083,
Fax 907-586-2995. Carl Rose, Executive Director,
crose@aasb.org: John Greely, Editor, jgreely@aasb.org. Review past issues of
the E-News on
the AASB Website at <http://www.aasb.org>. To unsubscribe send an email
stating the same to jgreely@aasb.org.
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Sponsored by
Alaska Public Entity Insurance Co. <http://www.akpei.com>
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AASB E-News
September 27,
2007
--ALASKA STUDENT SCORES INCREASE ON NATIONAL ASSESSMENT
--NEEDY STUDENTS GIVEN FOOD FOR WEEKEND
--IMMIGRANTS GET A LEG UP IN ASD PROGRAM
--NEW COMPANY GETS ASD BUS CONTRACT
--COMMITTEE PASSES ONLINE PROTECTION FOR CHILDREN
--ALASKA STUDENTS WILL BENEFIT FROM EXPANDED MENTORING
ALASKA STUDENT SCORES
INCREASE ON NATIONAL ASSESSMENT
AlaskaÕs grade 4 reading scores and grade 8 mathematics
scores increased on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
compared to the 2005 NAEP. The score for grade 8 mathematics was also above the
national average. The U.S. Department of EducationÕs National Center for
Education Statistics this week released the national and state results for 2007
for what it calls the nationÕs report card. See full news release here:
http://www.eed.state.ak.us/news/releases/2007/naep2007.pdf
The U.S. Department of
Education report is available here:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
The Center for Public Education
has a good breakdown of what the NAEP reveals here:
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NEEDY STUDENTS GIVEN FOOD
FOR WEEKEND
Every Friday, more than 50,000 children are taking backpacks
full of food home from school in programs that have quietly swept the nation.
The goal is to keep needy kids and their families from going hungry on
weekends. See full story here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-13-backpack_N.htm?csp=34&POE=click-refer
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IMMIGRANTS GET LEG UP IN ASD
PROGRAM
Students who move to America from abroad face serious
challenges: a new country, a new school and a new language. The Anchorage
School District now has a program to smooth that transition. See full story
here:
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=7113326
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NEW COMPANY GETS ASD BUS
CONTRACT
Kids in the Anchorage School District will be riding in the
same big yellow school buses, but with a new name on the side. The Anchorage
School Board approved a recommendation by their transportation department to
give Forsythe Transportation the contract to take kids to and from class. See
full story here:
http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=7123265
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COMMITTEE
PASSES ONLINE PROTECTION FOR CHILDREN
The Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee today (Thursday) approved the Protecting Children in
the 21st Century Act (S. 1965) sponsored by Senator Ted Stevens. The
legislation would bring parents, industry, law enforcement and educators
together to address comprehensive online protections. See full news release
here:
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ALASKA
STUDENTS WILL BENEFIT FROM EXPANDED MENTORING
Two nonprofit organizations
are teaming up to expand adult mentoring for young students in four Alaska
school districts, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of EducationÕs
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. The $237,000 grant enables the
Association of Alaska School Boards and Big Brothers Big Sisters to address the
academic and social needs of children in 4th through 8th
grades in the Alaska Gateway, Ketchikan Gateway, Delta-Greely and Dillingham
school districts.
ÒThis is an exciting
opportunity to boost the academic and social success of students with the
greatest need,Ó said Carl Rose, executive director of AASB. ÒWe know that when
adults take an active and positive interest in kids, they improve in school and
in their relationships with peers, teachers and family members.Ó
Big Brothers Big Sisters
served more than 740 students in school-based mentoring programs in Alaska last
year. The one-to-one program matched caring adults and high school volunteers
with youth in grades K-8, usually once a week during the school year, in 30
different communities.
ÒWe know from national
research that volunteers can make a lasting impact on children matched in our
school-based programs,Ó said Peggy Owens, chief executive officer of Big
Brothers Big Sisters. ÒBut the demand for volunteers is always greater than the
supply of kids who need us.
Hopefully, this grant will enable more adults to get involved in the
lives of children in their community.Ó
Under the new grant, BBBS
will partner with the four school districts to obtain parental permission for
the students to participate, recruit and screen all mentors and provide
on-going supervision. AASB will
serve as the lead administrative agency and be responsible for training mentors
in an asset-based curriculum.
AASB, a statewide non-profit
organization funded in part by dues from 53 Alaska school districts, expanded
its vision in 2001 with the creation of the Alaska Initiative for Community
Engagement (Alaska ICE). That federally funded program has enabled AASB to help
local communities build the support network that children need to succeed in
school and life.
The grant will also fund an
independent study of the effectiveness of mentoring relationships in the four
districts. The grant will be funded for one year with an option for two
additional years.
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Alaska School Boards
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Association of
Alaska School Boards
1111 West 9th
Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801-1510 Tel. 907-586-1083
Fax 907-586-2995 Email: aasb@aasb.org
Website: http://www.aasb.org