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There has been much discussion during the past
week about statements by a particular education advocacy group
claiming credit and victory for the Senate Bill 7 education reforms.
It is frustrating and insulting to all who worked so hard on
collaboratively negotiating the reforms that this conversation is
even occurring. This type of gamesmanship has no place in education
policymaking and distracts all of our education stakeholders from
advancing the interests of the only victors who matter - our
Illinois students.
The reforms that we are now working so hard to implement are bigger
than any one actor. We need to remember that these reforms began,
not in the fall of 2010, but prior to the Federal Race to the Top
competition. Then, with Race to the Top, we at the State Board of
Education worked with the Governor as well as the teachers' unions,
sch ool management and Illinois advocacy groups to hone a powerful
education reform agenda - a roadmap for where, together, we wanted
to take the Illinois' education community in the coming decade. It
was hard work. There were disagreements. But what emerged was a
reform agenda shaped by all of us, supported by all of us - for
kids.
Meaningful reform in Illinois cannot, should not be, and was not
jammed down anyone's throat. The adults involved in working to
develop and implement education reform should never tout themselves
as winners, or others as being defeated. Again, the only winners I
care about, and the only winners I know the teachers in the
classroom and administrators in the building care about, are our
students. We are going to need to continue to work together with
students foremost in our minds to successfully implement these
reforms.
On another subject, applicants wer e notified last week about the
status of preschool grants. Staff and outside experts reviewed and
scored 554 proposals from agencies and districts outside Chicago and
approved 458 for funding in FY 2012. Previously, these grants were
awarded through a re-application process but for the first time in
20 years, the agency required competitive bids to ensure that
declining state resources serve children most at risk.
Reviewers took into consideration each program's performance on
previous grants and student demographics. In addition to the quality
of each program, consideration was given to low income rate,
percentage of Hispanic students, percentage of African American
students, the number of 3- and 4-year-old children whose families
are living at or below 185 percent of the poverty level, and the
number of Head Start funded slots.
You can access the list of downstate districts a warded funds under
the state's Early Childhood Block grant for pre-school programs in
2012 at
http://www.isbe.net/news/2011/pdf/12_PFA_3-5_RFP_Recommendations.pdf.
Finally, the window for the PSAE corrections period is now open.
Notice was sent out Friday with information on how to check your
data. You have until 4 p.m. July 26 to make data corrections. You
can reach the Student Assessment Division at (217) 782-4823 or the
Student Information Helpdesk at (217) 558-3600 if you have any
questions.
Have a great week!
Chris
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