Stimulus Dollars & Summer School

Against the advice from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, some states are shutting down their summer school programs in efforts to decrease state budget deficits. Florida, Washington, North Carolina, Delaware, and California are just a few states to participate in these budget cuts.

Many state officials say after receiving federal stimulus money, they still had to make serious cuts to school budgets, but Duncan continues to urge states to use part of the federal stimulus money to keep summer school programs open. State officials in Florida and California have ignored Duncan’s urges completely and have used the federal stimulus dollars elsewhere.

Many other states officials feel that summer school programs aren’t making a huge impact in closing the achievement gap amongst students despite research showing it can narrow the achievement gap between poor and wealthy students. But, there are many other school districts who have used federal stimulus money for summer school programs.  Larger school districts in Seattle, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Boston and Minneapolis have yet to do away with summer school and have used part of their federal stimulus funds for summer school programs.

Other school districts in Montgomery County, MD and Cincinnati, Ohio have used some of their federal stimulus money to revitalize their summer school programs. They have used about $1.5 million of their stimulus funds to provide full-day summer school. The classes are being held at their 13-lowest performing elementary schools which has doubled enrollment to nearly 1,700 pupils.

The on-going struggle still continues for state officials, as they try to figure out the best way to minimize education budget deficits, hopefully keeping students in mind as they make these  important decisions.

Adoption of Education Tech. Is Slow

According to a survey by the Software and Information Industry Association, the wide adoption of institutions using Education technology to improve student learning and instruction has been occurring but, it has been slow in recent years.  The Vision K-20 pilot survey was implemented to benchmark the progress of different education institutions to see if they are meeting the Vision K-20 goals and measures.

Sixty-one percent of those represented in the survey are from k-12 institutions; while the remaining percentage of those represented in the survey are from post-secondary institutions. The results concluded that on average institutions are only 61% on their way to having institution leaders use technology tools for planning, budgeting, and decision making, and having students have access to courseware and technology based curriculum. The survey also shows that only 53% of  interactive adaptive, multimedia courseware and simulations (also known as 21st Century Tools)  are used in teaching and learning.

Despite the slow use of Education Technology, the survey concludes that institutions have made the most progress in the areas of 21st Century tools and Enterprise Support.  Eighty-Six percent of institutions have high-speed broad band access available for robust communication, administrative and educational needs and 85% of educators have access to the level of technology resources, training and support common to other professionals.

So all in all, institutions have the capability to utilize Education Technology within their institutions but many K-12 institutions still haven’t made the progress they hoped they would. According to the survey, K-12 institutions are lacking in their efforts to achieve the Seven Vision Goals compared to Post-Secondary institutions who seem to be doing much better in their efforts. The results showed that the  K-12 institutions that were surveyed are only 63% on their way to enabling students to learn from any place at anytime compared to Post-Secondary institutions who are 76% capable of enabling their students to learn at anytime or any place.

The other six goals of the Seven Vision Goals include:

1. Help Schools meet the needs of all students

2. Support accountability and inform instruction

3.  Deepen learning and motivate students

4. Facilitate communication, connectivity and collaboration

5. Manage the education enterprise effectively and economically and

6. Nurture creativity and self-expression

MDRC Releases New Reading First Report

The MDRC recently released a new policy brief about Reading First and its effectiveness in education.  The findings suggest that Reading First has been effective in some cases. The Institute of Education Sciences at the Department of Education published research about Reading First in 2008. Many interpreted the findings from the IES to mean that Reading First didn’t work but the MDRC’s analysis reveals that Reading First produced improvement in schools that tended to be in higher-poverty areas and Reading First also produced improvement in schools where it created larger amounts in instructional practice.

 The findings also show that Reading First increased professional development for teachers, and offered reading coaches for those who are struggling to read. MDRC’s analysis also concluded that Reading First influenced teaching practice, matching it up with scientifically based research. IES findings concluded that many teachers who are not funded by Reading First still spent their class time focusing on similar scientifically based  reading instruction.

Read more: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/518/overview.html

California’s Education Budget Cuts

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Board of Education gave the “ok” to cut $1.6 billion from the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) budget for the next three years. The budget cuts will affect many and may include the total elimination of full-day kindergarten. Lay-offs will also occur for about 2,200 of the districts teachers and up to 2,000 other school employees.

LAUSD officials have already made about $700 million in cuts of the districts operating budget. This year’s books, summer school programs and art education were some of the first cuts to occur. The summer programs have been reduced in order to save money for the district. In addition to the summer programs, most summer school classes were canceled this year as well and by implementing this, the district saved about $34 million.

District officials estimate that more cuts will be made once the federal stimulus money runs out. They estimate the stimulus funds will run out by the 2011-2012 school year. This means that when the stimulus money does run out, officials will have to make almost $844 million in cuts. Distressing news for some to hear, but others say that the cuts are necessary.

A Symbolic Change to NCLB

The words “No Child Left Behind” seems to have a negative connotation these days or at least that’s what some people are saying.  Near the U.S. Department of Education stands a red school house structure imprinted with the words No Child Left Behind right above its’ doors.

For the past seven years, this little school house stood as a key symbol for education reform in the Bush administration. Not surprisingly, the school house was ripped down and taken apart this past Saturday in efforts to show that the Obama administration is serious about changing education reform.

They have even taken it one step further by taking down logos on the Education Department elevators. What will replace these No Child Left Behind signs?  The plan is to create an exhibit–displaying photos of  pre-school to college-aged students playing basketball, reading, and participating in science class.  All of the photos will be easily visible to the entire  public from the Department of Education’s 44 ground floor windows.

Many are now referring to NCLB by its’ original name, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In this new day of education reform, it is clear that the Obama Administration wants to make a lasting impression on the way the world views education reform.

2009 AEP Educational Summit

June 10-12 marked the completion of the Association of Education Publishers’ (AEP) 2009 Publishing in the World of Free Summit. AEP had their annual Education Summit and NSSEA partnered up with AEP to host their Capitol Hill Event: Competing Globally: Beyond Stale Debates to Learning Solutions. The event was held in the Gold Room in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Guest panelists included staff from the House of Representatives and the Senate. Attendees and guest speakers had plenty to say regarding President Obama’s reform ideas for education. One of the hot topics at this year’s Capitol Hill event was the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) re-authorization. The three-day summit included seminars that discussed a wide range of Educational publishing issues.

Some sessions focused on technology in Educational Publishing for example; 75 Ways to Use Social Networking Sites in Education Publishing was a popular session in which participants learned how to utilize social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and etc. to increase business in the educational publishing industry.  Studies show that there has been a 27% increase of social media  site users from February 2005 to December 2008. Like it or not, social media is the future of marketing.

The guest speakers at this seminar included: Doug Kolmar from Beginner’s Mind, Andrew Pass from Pass-Ed and Lisa Schmucki from edWeb LLC . The presenters voiced that social media improves performance by enhancing knowledge, authenticity, and relevance to your product.  They also mentioned that 47% of teachers are likely to use social media sites within the next year.   Social media sites like Facebook can help those in the industry because they increase product sales, retention rates and can possibly close the gap between educators and industry partners. The presenters also suggested that companies and organizations who jump on board now, will have the clear advantage over their competitors.

Another popular session was The Economic Forecast for the Education Market. Chief Economist from the National Education Association (NEA), Dr. Richard Sims led the Q & A session; discussing the fiscal challenges confronting a 21^st century economy for example; balancing taxes, school funding, and economic growth.  Dr. Sims made it clear that the ability to be able to pay for educational materials is going to be difficult in the years to come. He also pointed out that an economy can not grow unless it has a good education system and an education system needs a working and thriving economy.  The two work hand in hand. Education is the driver of any economy. Nations and states that have the best schools and those that spend the most money on education, will have the best economy.

For information about next year’s AEP 2010 Summit please visit http://www.aepweb.org/.

“Busy Season?”

By Jeff Pett, Fleetwood Group

What a difference a couple of months can make. Actually, just a couple of weeks. Is everyone in the educational supply/manufacturing community feeling the same June slow down that we are? Our shipments are actually up to last year same quarter, and through May our incoming orders were holding their own with no major year-over-year aberrations. However, this June has been a pretty unusual month for us.

Historically June is by far our biggest month of the year for incoming orders. And each June of the past three years has been better than the previous one. This June we are on track to see the lowest dollar amount for incoming orders of the past four. But, interestingly, we have been busier than normal this month quoting new work. So what’s up?!

I spent most of the past couple of weeks on the road in different regions of the country visiting schools and our dealers. What I am hearing is echoed by my sales team in all parts of the country. And that is that two primary things seem to be making a big difference THIS year as opposed to any previous year anyone can remember:

1. The economy is bad most everywhere (no big news there); and

2. Schools are VERY uncertain about where their funds are coming from for next year.

It seems that budgets for the new fiscal year, for many schools starting on July 1, are more in doubt this year than most due to the economy in general and their state funding in particular. The prospect of federal money being available cuts two ways: it is good to know the feds may help supply much needed funding, but the limitations, strings, and paperwork are very daunting to many school administrators and school boards. The result is that many school administrators have a white-knuckled grip on money with limited spending until budgets are fully approved and direction for school district spending has been set.

Will we see an overall down year in educational sales, or are we going to see a late rush of orders in July and August that get our sales volume back up but that create their own set of challenges? I am sure you, like me, are hoping for the latter.

What are you hearing?

Social Media Takes Over Education: Details at Twitter Every Few Minutes

By Rebecca Haden

A Plus Educational, Harrison, AR

Social media has hit the classroom with a bang. It makes sense; here’s a chance to use those classroom computers without any special skills or training, the kids love it, and it’s free. What’s not to like?

Retailers may not be happy. We lay in a good stock of software for back to school, since we all know that classroom technology is the coming thing, and then we hear that our teachers are spending the summer learning how to tweet, wiki, and Squidoo.

There’s an upside: now that the teachers are on Twitter, we can meet them there and let them know what exciting things are going on in our stores. Free is good, right?

Here are some of the favorite social media opportunities, and how you might like to use them for marketing to and networking with your customers:

• Facebook is a friendly place, and the most popular social media site around. Chances are, at least one of your staff is already on Facebook. You can set up a special page for your business, ask your customers to become fans, and keep in touch easily in spare moments during the day.
• Twitter is right behind Facebook in popularity. You can just drop in a couple of times a day and make a quick announcement – “I can’t believe how cute the new animal print borders are!” or “The store is quiet right now – run on in and do your shopping before the crowds hit!” Be sure to mix those things up with links to useful information, conversations with other Tweeters, and the occasional remark about the weather to keep it looking natural.
• Squidoo is more trouble, but the rewards can be greater, too. At Squidoo you can make “lenses” with ideas, links to your catalog pages, pictures, and lots more. Teachers are posting lesson plans there, so you should be there, too.
• Ning in Education is a specialized social media spot, a lot like Facebook but only for teachers. Here you can upload pictures of new products with suggestions for their use, announce upcoming events, and lots more.
• Blog. If you’ve already got a blog, set it up to announce automatically at Twitter and Facebook, set up a feed at Squidoo, and post your best stuff at Ning. It’s an easy way to spread the word.

In order to use these methods successfully to get in touch and keep in touch with your customers, you need to follow a few simple rules:

• Don’t think of it as advertising. It’s inbound marketing – that is, it gets people to come to you. If your tweets, lenses, and posts look like ads, they’ll be ignored.
• Don’t give in to the temptation to spam. Talk to other people, for sure, and even suggest a product if it’s just what they need, but don’t let every comment you make be about your business and your products. You know how popular you’d be at Chamber meetings if you did that in conversation? Same thing.
• Give it time. Take a few minutes a day, or designate someone to do it for you, and give it a while to bear fruit. This is much more effective than trying to rush it with a barrage of posts – and then giving up when it doesn’t seem to be working right away. Do it right, and over time your investment will show a good return.

Green Business

By Emily Raij, Maupin House

America’s Greenest Campus is a nationwide contest where colleges compete to see who can reduce their carbon footprint by the greatest amount. There are 450 colleges participating to win up to $20,000 in cash prizes, and the contest, which launched March 31, has already achieved the following environment-saving successes:

• $1.5 million saved
• 5.9 million pounds of CO₂ avoided, the equivalent of taking 500 passenger vehicles off the road or the annual energy use of 250 homes
• 1.6 million kWh of energy reduced
• 5.2 million gallons of water saved
• 39,000 gallons of gasoline saved

The contest is a partnership between SmartPower, a clean energy and energy efficiency marketing organization, Climate Culture, an online carbon measurement and reduction utility, and the U.S. Department of Energy. It runs through October 5, 2009, with winners announced on October 12, 2009. For more information, visit www.smartpower.org, www.letsgetenergysmart.com, and www.climateculture.com, or access the Climate Culture Facebook Application at apps.facebook.com/climate_culture.

As NSSEA members, we’re always interested in how we can make a difference when it comes to education. What about the environment? Maybe your company has already taken steps to “green” its office or its products. If not, here are some suggestions you can try, from baby steps to a deeper commitment:

1. Start a recycling program in your office. This can be as basic as putting out bins for recyclables that someone volunteers to take care of each week or starting an official pick-up program with your county/city.
2. Make use of waste paper. Try shredding some of the paper to use as packaging material, use blank sides as scratch paper, print on both sides, and recycle what you don’t use.
3. Print and copy less. Do you need to print or copy every email, contract, manuscript, quote and proposal? Then don’t! You’ll limit the clutter on your desk and the planet. Consider adding a signature to your email that asks recipients to consider the environment before printing.
4. Stop using plastic water bottles. There’s no reason why a reusable bottle won’t quench your thirst at the office all day. And you can replace paper and plastic bags with reusable ones as well.
5. Carpool, walk, or ride your bike to work. This is an oldie but a goodie—even if you go car-less for one day per week, you’ll be making a huge difference over the course of a year
6. Opt for recycled materials for your print and manufacturing jobs. Catalogs, books, plastic and metal parts, and much more can be created from recycled materials. Soy-based inks are become more common as well. There are more options than ever before, and you don’t have to sacrifice quality for conscience. You can even let customers know about your green efforts by putting an FSC Mixed Sources label on your catalog or books.
7. Partner with a local environmental organization, chamber of commerce or school. Try starting your own city-wide contest or sponsoring a charity benefit for an environmental cause. If you work in higher education, maybe you can get involved with America’s Greenest Campus!

If you have other green business tips, please post them to the blog!

Homeschooling Shifts To Wealthy

Homeschooling demographics have changed over the past few decades. Back in the day, parents who homeschooled their children were considered hippies or radicals who did not want to conform to the traditional public school model. Today, however, homeschoolers are increasingly becoming well-educated and wealthy according to new figures from the U.S. Department of Education.

As of spring 2007, an estimated 1.5 million, or 2.9 percent of all school-age children in the U.S., were homeschooled, which has doubled since 1999. What’s more interesting is that in 1999 63.6 percent of homeschooling families earned less than $50,000 per year. Today, 60 percent earn more than $50,000. Many parents who homeschool their children cite “religious and moral” reasons for doing so.

I have a close friend who decided to homeschool her 9-year-old daughter after she began falling behind academically and acting up in class. By mid-year, her daughter’s behavior changed drastically, her reading jumped by a few grade levels, and she began to score higher on tests. In Maryland, where my friend lives, her daughter was still able to participate in extracurricular activities and sports at a local school. My friend confessed that although educating her child was one of the hardest tasks she has ever had, the freedom of homeschooling allowed them to visit museums and other educational and cultural places that many public schools do not have the time or financing to offer.

Although my friend may not consider herself to be wealthy, her husband’s occupation and salary allow them the freedom to offer their children an alternative teaching experience that low-income families—who rely on two incomes—are unable to provide.

In a USA Today article, Henry Cato—a blogger, who homeschools his two daughters with his wife—said that well-educated and wealthy parents are more likely to be comfortable with taking risks when it comes to educating their children since many of these parents have taken risks in their careers.