The New Obama Administration and Education

Prior to his election to President of the United States, Barack Obama said he will reform the No Child Left Behind, invest in early childhood education: implement a comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan to provide support to young children and their parents, and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.

Obama and Biden also said they will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 in exchange for community service, covering two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university. They also said they would make community college tuition completely free for most students.

As many of you know, my website http://www.roccobasile.net/, shares news and the statistics on the state of education in the country - so any new improvements to our ailing education system is music to my ears.

At his inaugural speech at the U.S. Capitol President Obama mentioned that, "our schools fail too many." Now that they are settled into their new posts, President Barack Obama and the new Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have set a tone of bipartisan cooperation on challenges that are facing our country's schools.

Despite the prospect of cutbacks in school budgets nationwide, the education community in Washington is optimistic about the future according to Jack Jennings, the president of the Center for Education Policy, an advocacy organization.

President Obama believes that giving money to education will stimulate the economy but his opponents believe that he is trying to increase long term funding to schools. He has proposed doubling federal funding for charter schools, who can apply for up to $600,000 in start up money from the federal government.

As a Board member for programs like the Joe DiMaggio Awards Committee at Xaverian High School, (my alma mater), we have long known how financial assistance helps the quality of education that the school can provides its students. Xaverian offers the very best in secondary education by serving young men from disadvantaged backgrounds, including learning disabilities and students in financial need. In fact, if it were not for the generosity of alumni, parents and friends, many of these students would not be able to afford the quality, college-preparatory education our school offers.

In fact, the Joe DiMaggio Award Gala is the major fundraiser for Xaverian, and since the inception of the program in 1994 more than 100 young men have graduated from this special initiative and all have gone on to four-year colleges. Every year the DiMaggio Award outdoes the previous in money raised and national media attention.

-- Rocco Basile

Politics and Education

As we near the election, it seems that politics are at the top of the mind in everything we do and think about. Public education has always played an important part in politics in this country, but it also has been subject to continual political scrutiny. As are some of the educational organizations that are in various communities, who are simply trying to help, including groups like Children of the City. I support a number of educational charities, which you can read about at www.roccobasile.org. In any case, I am intriegued with the progress of educational trends and politics in this country...

Local politics and education are inseparable, as every city’s local school system is an organization with a political culture. It is a very competitive environment in which various groups from both within the system, and outside, compete for power, and typically, very limited budgetary resources. Yet our local school systems are devoted to children and tax dollars -- two of our most important resources.

It is nothing new that limited resources create varying degrees of funding ability for most local school systems, which in turn creates a lot of competition for existing resources. That’s why special interest groups compete, and funding priorities become the object of political debate at all levels – local, state and national.

In general, education is often a major part of both national political party platforms as well as local community discussions. We have seen that focus in the recent news about the current elections.

In case we have forgotten -- our country’s Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution delegated authority over education to the states, and each state varies from highly decentralized local education systems to more centralized state systems like Hawaii. But the most recent trend has been movement toward increased state standards and accountability systems.

Federal Interest in Education has long been part of our culture. In 2001, under direction of President Bush, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was renewed and renamed No Child Left Behind Act (2001). It was a critical step in bettering our country’s public education – the objective being - to increase accountability by identifying schools that were in need of improvement. It also called for “highly qualified” teachers in every classroom. Many believed that it empowered knowledgeable parents with the ability to wage war against school administrators who were not responsive to parental concerns.

Of all the localized special interest groups – from football supporters, planning and zoning committees, business, boards and various other local agencies, there is also the idea that diverse communities can become divided on school issues in areas of socio-economics. And as always, religion and political affiliation can also play a role in the politics of local education, and public education advocates and privatization groups often differ on local policies. Even community business groups can also be divided regarding the money required for facility improvement projects such as stadiums. the passing of school bond issues to finance school facilities can become very politically charged. That is why effective local school leadership lies in balancing these diverse special interest groups.

The reality is that politics are part of every local school system. Effective local school leaders must therefore learn to work within the unique political reality of their local system to accomplish organizational objectives. This is something that one of the charities that I work with called ChildrenoftheCity is quite good at, and I know they follow these guidelines for the betterment of the community as a whole. They try to clearly understand and empathize with varying points of view; they are honest about divergent positions; they try to include all stakeholders in the decision making process; they collaborate within the community, and Children of the City builds partnerships for overcoming future challenges. It works.

-- Rocco Basile

Leaving Behind - No Child Left Behind?

The domestic law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) took effect in 2002 with bipartisan support, with the goal moving from a desire for all children to attend school to all students in school achieving proficiency. By requiring that English and math scores be reported by categories such as income and race, it was intended to spotlight gaps in achievement.

The problem has been how to best measure proficiency, so closing the gaps has been pretty challenging -- so much so that they've delayed the act's re-authorization. Now any changes to the law maybe even its name are going to have to be left behind, or at least wait until after the country has a new president and Congress. Although there have been dozens of proposals for changes to NCLB, about the only thing anyone agrees with is the fact that it is important to find ways to help students and schools that have fallen behind.

The NCLB program has been able to identify the schools that are low-performing, but there are many improvements needed to meet the original mission of the law. Apparently about one-third of Americans see NCLB favorably, another one-third see it unfavorably, and the rest just don’t know, according to an annual poll by Gallup and Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK), an education association in Bloomington, Ind.

The National Education Association (NEA), which is the largest teachers' union in the United States, has asked that states be allowed to use growth models for federal accountability. It also would like multiple measures of student achievement, not just standardized tests. Thus far Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has allowed 10 states to test growth models.

But here’s what I find most interesting. While all this is taking place, and we are soon to find out if NCLB will be left behind next year, there are communities with programs that are already flourishing – as you can see on my educational trends website http://www.rcooccobasile.org/. And, as a Board member of ChildrenoftheCity.org. (http://www.childrenofthecity.org/) I see children and families living in Brooklyn New York taking advantage of a number of amazing programs that have been benefiting students and their learning.

And, in Texas, another town is showing what can happen when an entire community commits to student progress. In the Brownsville Independent School District, where nearly all students come from low-income Hispanic families, and four in ten are not native English speakers, they have made huge strides in closing the achievement gap with whites and higher-income students. This program earned this community the Broad Prize for Urban Education, which comes with $1 million in college scholarships for high school seniors who show academic progress and financial need.

Brownsville Superintendent Hector Gonzales said, “All children can learn …"We brought in a lot of staff development for every teacher to be able to look at the students' strengths and weaknesses and take those students to the next level.... Teachers truly believe that the students can be very successful."

Here’s how their program worked. Their review board of education experts chose five Broad Prize finalists from among the 100 of the largest US school districts serving sizable numbers of low-income/minority students. It considered factors like reduction of achievement gaps, performance on state tests, graduation rates, college entrance exams, as well as accountability measures in the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

Later, a consultant visited the finalist districts to conduct interviews, and later a jury of business, government, and public-service leaders chose the winner. This jury praised Brownsville for directing 85 percent of funding directly to instruction, which is much more than the 65 percent required in their state of Texas.

Brownsville doesn't narrowly focus on raising standardized test scores. It offers a program for gifted students, music, art, sports, and enrichment, including a competitive chess club. But test scores have improved, partly because teachers are trained to track student progress and target individual needs.

Nationally, Hispanic students have made gains on national assessments since enactment of NCLB, but overall progress has been slight. In the Texas program, the parents played an important role as well. Each school has a center where parents can learn English, computer literacy, and the skills required so they could help their children. What’s more, across the US, teachers in many districts have little access to professional development, textbooks, and assessments to meet the needs of students who don't speak English upon entering school.

--Rocco Basile

Are we Pushing Kids too Hard in School?

In many states, schools are back in session after the summer break. We’ve been seeing the new trends for earlier educational trends for kids, such as academic tutoring programs for three year olds, and middle school students taking algebra courses. Educating our kids is starting earlier and earlier.

These trends are being driven by parental anxiety about the fact that many schools that have failed to challenge our children, boost achievement for disadvantaged students, as well as tougher college entrance exams. Are we pushing our kids to move ahead too quickly? Or is America losing its ground in education of our youth globally?

Futurist James Canton believes this might be the case. In his book"The Extreme Future" he said, "Quality public education, in crisis today, will either propel or crash the future aspirations of the American workforce."

The deputy superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Lynn Spampinato, believes that schools are simply trying to adjust to the realities of the 21st century.

"We don't want education to be the way it was in 1920," she said. "There's more for children to learn today, more exposure to all kinds of information at younger ages. Education doesn't set the values and the pace of society, but it's our job is to prepare students for the world they're going to live in."

One example is a trend toward introducing concepts of math and science in middle school. This used to be called an acceleration class, but now the expectation in the state standards is that all students need to be learning it. The reason for this change is a survey called the "Trends in International Math and Science Studies" done in 1995. The results showed American students were ahead in fourth-grade math but dropped to the bottom in 12th.

Educators seem to agree that the younger the child, the more controversial it becomes to push down academic curricula. Most agree that young children learn best in rich play environments that stimulate the senses in age-appropriate ways. I have been collecting research like this on my website http://www.roccobasile.org/ for about a year now, and one of the programs that I am very heavily involved with which backs this up are the youth programs at Children of the City, a non-profit that reaches at-risk inner-city children and youth with hope, guidance and resources to positively affect their lives and communities.

Children of the City programs include FutureSafe, a collaborative monthly event that is attended by an average of 500 children. It is designed to deter children from drug abuse, delinquency, gangs and even teen pregnancy. It is often a first step for children when it comes to engaging in structured afterschool activities. Click here to learn more.

Learning Disabilities

For people who have a learning disability, it doesn't mean that they can't learn, and it's not uncommon either. Usually a learning disability happens due to the way we process information in our brains. It is why people learn differently, and that is why everyone first has to figure out how they learn best.

Parents, teachers and other learning specialists such as a school psychologist can help figure out what a child's learning problem is - and then come up with ideas for how to improve it.
Learning disabilities are not contagious, but they can be genetic, meaning that they can be passed down in families through the genes. There may even be some other family members who have had some learning troubles as well.

One common learning disability is known as "dyslexia," which is a learning disability that means a child has a lot of trouble reading and writing. Kids who have trouble with math may have a learning disability called "dyscalculia," while people who have trouble forming letters when they write may have what is know as "dysgraphia."

Other kids may have language disorders, meaning they have trouble understanding language and understanding what they read. It can be confusing, though. What qualifies as "trouble" enough to be diagnosed with a learning disability? Reading, doing math, and writing letters may be tough for lots of kids at first. But when those early troubles don't disappear, and there is little or no progress, it's possible the child has a learning disability.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is also sometimes misdiagnosed as a learning disability. Children with ADHD can learn in school without special assistance, even though they may be easily distracted. ADHD itself isn't a learning disability, researchers believe kids with ADHD may be more likely to have learning disabilities.

How do you know if your child has a learning disability? Maybe he or she read a chapter of one of their school books and then can't remember anything. Or in class, maybe everyone else seems to follow along easily, but your child gets stuck and doesn't know what page everyone else is on. here are some other questions to determine possible learning disorders:
Does your child struggle in school?
Do you think he or she should be doing better in school?
Is reading harder for your child than you think it should be?
Is your child's handwriting slow?
Does your child make spelling errors?
Are they having difficulty with math?
Is it hard for your child to stay organized? Do they lose things or forget them?

But even if you said "yes" to these questions, you won't know for sure until you have gone to a psychologist or learning specialist. They will give your child tests to determine any learning problems, and they should also be able to identify what your child's strengths are. Once a psychologist or learning specialist figures out what the learning problem is, you and your child can both work towards solving the problem.

-- Rocco Basile

No Child left Behind Educational Growth Models

On June 10, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the approval of two high-quality growth models, which follow the bright-line principles of No Child Left Behind. It seems that once the states had developed the framework so they could measure student skills each year, as the law requires, all eligible states were then invited by Spellings to demonstrate progress over time and adapt a more sophisticated measurement system, also known as the growth model or value-added approach.

As I was reading the press release posted on the government's U.S. Department of Education website about the latest growth models on the No Child Left Behind program, and realized an interesting parallel to Children of the City. As you know I support them via my research website at http://www.toccobasile.org/, and via being on their Board. The reality is that it is all about accountability and results for individual students.

One example is Jonathan who before attending the Children of the City Create Success after school program only liked the subject of gym. Now he is up for the challenge of solving any math problem because with a little extra help from his Create Success tutor, he discovered that he loved to learn. “It’s fun here. We have discussions and they help me get all my homework done.”

When Jonathan's homework is finished you can find him searching the bookshelves in search of non-fiction, and he is also reading every book he can find about reptiles.

Spelling said that the states of Michigan and Missouri proposed program models that will support educational innovation while continuing to hold schools accountable for the goal of each student performing at or above grade level by 2014.

The Department will gather data to measure student improvement while holding the schools accountable for results. Following are the bright-line principles for these high-quality growth models:

Ensure that all students are proficient by 2014 and set annual state goals to ensure that the achievement gap is closing for all groups of students;
- Set expectations for annual achievement based upon meeting grade-level proficiency and not upon student background or school characteristics;
- Hold schools accountable for student achievement in reading/language arts and mathematics;
- Ensure that all students in tested grades are included in the assessment and accountability system, hold schools and districts accountable for the performance of each student subgroup and include all schools and districts;
- Include assessments, in each of grades 3 through 8 and high school, in both reading/language arts and mathematics that have been operational for more than one year and have received approval through the NCLB standards and assessment review process for the 2005-06 school year. The assessment system must also produce comparable results from grade to grade and year to year;
- Track student progress as part of the state data system; and
Include student participation rates and student achievement as separate academic indicators in the state accountability system.

The peer reviewers, who represent academia, private organizations and state and local education agencies, reviewed each state's proposal based on the Peer Review Guidance (http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/growthmodelguidance.doc) issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

Why Kids Still Cannot Read

If you want our children to do better in school, then it is important to begin to understand the reasons why they are not. In researching the various trends and strategies in education, everyone, including educators and parents alike, can communicate more effectively about the issues.

One issue I read about is the fact that during the couple of decades new views of reading instruction emerged and morphed in school districts nationwide. The issue now isn't whether phonics or whole language methods are better for beginning readers, but how to blend these reading programs tailored each individual child.

It was known as "the reading wars," waged during the 1980s and '90s. It was around 1987 when apparently, personal journals became one of the latest classroom tactics for teaching kids to read. Defined as whole language, it was an instructional philosophy emphasizing that children focus on meaning, which contrasts with phonics based methods of teaching reading and writing - with an emphasis in instruction for reading and spelling.

At that time, many people believe that children were poor readers because the old skills-based approach that emphasized phonics. The fact that memorization ended up turning reading into a chore, thus alienating them from reading at all.

But ultimately whole language proved to be a disaster when applied to real kids and teachers. Eight years after whole language first appeared in California grade schools, by the mid-90s, fourth-grader reading scores had plummeted to near the bottom nationally, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress(NAEP).

It was in 1997 when Congress formed the National Reading Panel to evaluate the research on teaching practices to determine what really works. Thereafter, the federal No Child Left Behind Act required that school districts use scientifically proven instructional methods as they strive to make all children proficient in math and reading by 2014.

Today there is a trend towards balanced or comprehensive literacy. Most educators agree that there is no one program that fits all children for learning to read.

This makes sense insofar as what I have experienced with our Children of the City programs such as Create Success, an after school and summer program with a high priority on individual students and their academic success with intense tutoring to improve each child's reading and math levels. I think that if more communities in the United States had programs like this, our kids would learn to read much faster.

One student that has been helped tremendously through this program, is a second grade boy named Weixum. His favorite topic is about dinosaurs, and he now reads books that are way above the standard reading level of a second grader, and he does fine interpreting the text. Why? He sounds out the harder Latin based words. You would never guess that Weixum does not speak English at home. His teacher initially referred him to Children of the City’s Create Success for help with his homework and reading.

To learn more about my involvement in this and other charities, please go to my charity website known as http://www.roccobasile.org/ where I continue to list facts, trends and success stories.

What is poverty and how does it hurt our children?

The word "poverty" typically suggests a family with no food, clothing, or shelter. In the year 2005, a Poverty Pulse poll was taken by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). It asked the public this question: "How would you describe being poor in the United States?" A major portion of the responses focused on homelessness, hunger or not being able to eat properly. In addition not being able to meet basic needs was a factor.

The Census Bureau's latest annual report on poverty in the U.S. says that there were 37 million poor individuals living in this country in 2005. That number has not changed much in recent years -- as the report states 12.6 percent of Americans were poor in 2005. This number has been averaging between 11.3 percent to 15.1 percent of during the last 20 years or so.

I know for a fact that in Brooklyn, New York, there is a poverty problem, and one of the reasons why I am so involved in charitable organizations like Children of the City. But to understand poverty in this country, I believe that it is critical to take a look behind these kinds of numbers that are lingering in the Census Bureau's reports —to look at the actual living conditions of the individuals that our government claims are poor. You can find other statistics and informaiotn at my own website http://www.roccobasile.org/.

The real truth is that the poor are generally well nourished, but some poor families do experience temporary food shortages. 89 percent of the poor report their families have enough food, while only 2 percent say they often don't have enough to eat. Forty-three percent of what the government calls "poor" households actually own their own homes, and a car.

Perhaps what is even more important, according to Author Robert E. Rector, in his article entitled, "How Poor Are America's Poor? Examining the Plague of Poverty in America," is that poverty in the U.S. can be reduced further, particularly poverty among children. There are two main reasons that American children are poor: Their parents don't work much, and fathers are absent from the home.

He sites that the typical poor family with children is supported by only 800 hours of work during a year, which is only 16 hours of work per week. If work in each family were raised to 2,000 hours per year—the equivalent of one adult working 40 hours per week throughout the year— nearly 75 percent of poor children would be lifted out of official poverty.

This makes sense. Children of the City's website features an audio presentation that sites the fact that there are 17 thousand cases of child abuse or neglect every year, a 48 percent high school drop out rate and the fact that one in three families is living below the poverty line. It is all happening in our own back yard. These individuals needed hope and help to keep their kids off of drugs, and out of crime.

This is why Children of the City's prevention outreach services have evolved to include trauma intervention, counseling, after-school programs, social work, courtroom and legal advocacy, financial counseling, youth mentoring, and other services that are helping families and their children achieve success socially, at school and at home. Parents can get help financially and with their careers.

One of the charity's programs is called Future Safe -- a monthly event attended by about 500 children with a preventative element designed to deter children from drug abuse, delinquency, gang involvement and teen pregnancy. It is often a first step for children from poor families with no place to turn, and the program helps them engage in structured after school activities.

In the end I believe that with more programs like Children of the City, our communities could beat what our government continues to call "poverty in America."

Reading First Program for Low Income Children Did Not Work

News just out yesterday from the Department of Education on the latest report issued by its Institute of Education Sciences -- President Bush’s $1 billion a year initiative to teach reading to low-income children has not helped improve their reading comprehension. The report entitled, "Reading First Impact Study: Interim Report" was mandated by Congress.

Bush's "Reading First" program was reportedly based on some of his educational experiences as Texas governor. But the report states that so far this program did not improve the students' reading comprehension. President Bush and Secretary Margaret Spellings have continued to tout the program's success, however last year the Congressional Democrats did reduce the financing of this project from $1 billion down to $400 million for this year of 2008.

This news is not good. And all the more reason to take a look at non-profit organizations that can assist our youth with their educational concerns. As you know, my own education website has information about education at http://www.roccobasile.org/, and specifically about the Children of the City programs that are helping kids by personally fostering strong relationships. The group teaches, informs and counsels on various life issues and skills through programs such as: Strong Minds and Strong Homes: a volunteer effort that meets children and families in Southwest Brooklyn and connects them with the services they may not know about. Plus the Create Success After School and Summer Program places a high priority on intense tutoring and daily personal homework help. We have already seen dramatic increases in student’s reading and math levels, healthy study habits, communications, improved peer relationships, and more. Click here to learn more about this program.

Meanwhile, the Reading First study analyzed the student's performance from 12 states in the first to third grades during the 2004-5 and 2005-6 school years. The final report will follow early in 2009 and will analyze additional follow-up data.The report is available at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/index.html

Directly from the report: "The ability to read and comprehend text well is at the heart of educational attainment and, as such, is central to all children’s elementary school success. Unfortunately, success in elementary school (and beyond) disproportionately eludes many minority and economically disadvantaged children. Large numbers of minority children, often in high-poverty schools, are not developing the reading skills needed for success in school. Results from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Assessment indicate that 54 percent of fourth-grade students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches read at a Below Basic level compared to only 23 percent of fourth-graders not eligible for free or reduced-price lunches who perform at that level.8 Although these results are disappointing, these findings are an improvement over the 2000 NAEP results where 62 percent of students eligible free or reduced price lunches scored at the Below Basic level (U.S. Department of Education, 2005)."

Are teachers appreciated by their students?

I came across a really cool education website called TeAch-nology.com which provides free, easy-to-use resources for teachers dedicated to improving the education of our students. The site gives free access to more than 20,000 lesson plans, 6,700 free printable worksheets, pre-formatted rubrics, printable generators, teaching tips and themes, games, webquests, downloads, and access to more than 257,000 reviewed sites.

Members get access to lesson plans, background sites, web quests, teacher workbooks, rubrics, themes, web tools, tutorials, teaching ideas, worksheets, downloads, and games that we have available. Feel free to use and distribute these worksheets for educational purposes, so long as the copyright and footer information are left intact.

They also have a weekly Teacher Poll. One question and the results is listed below.

TeAch-nology.com's Teacher Poll of the Week
Teachers: Do you feel appreciated by your students?
Yes
60.0%
No
40.0%
Total Votes: 435

I find it pretty interesting that only 60 percent of the 435 teachers believed they are appreciated by their students. Perhaps it is because so many of our students today have a bad attitude about the classroom. As a board member of several educational charities like Children of the City, for example, it seems clear that once an outside group gets involved in a child’s life, there is a much greater appreciation for school, education and teachers as well.

Our dedicated team includes many certified professionals, along with 50 highly committed and trained volunteers who visit close to one thousand children every single month Kaylen: Children of the City Rocks!

One little girl named Kaylen was very shy when she first came to Children of the City. Now she is getting close to people because of the organization’s Create Success program. Failing grades had depleted her confidence and her social skills were suffering so she had started to isolate herself from her friends and classmates.

Create Success is an after school and summertime program that works to help a student’s academic success with intense tutoring and help with their daily homework. We have already seen dramatic increases in student’s reading and math levels, healthy study habits, communications, improved peer relationships, and more. Click here to learn more about this program.

When Kaylen entered Create Success, she was math phobic. “We do a lot of math. I was just so-so,” she said as she handed over a folder full of 90+ grades.

She has now become an expert at word problems thanks to the strategies she learned from her tutor, Melissa.

Her comments now -- “Children of the City Rocks!”

Kaylen is just one of the many kids who are being helped by this outreach program. If you want to learn more about it please visit my website Rocco Basile.org.

New Educational Pilot Program for Under Performing Schools

Today U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced she is going to take steps to ensure that all states use the same formula to calculate how many students graduate from high school on time, and how many drop out. Apparently the data wills be made public so thatPublish Post people can compare how students of every race, background, and income level are performing nationwide.

In another recent educational trend in the news, a March press release talks about the new NCLB Differentiated Accountability Pilot program on the U.S. Department of Education website. This is a pilot program to help states differentiate between under performing schools that are in need of dramatic interventions, and part of fulfilling the "No Child Left Behind" goals.

The press release outlines a speech made by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings who said, "Thanks to No Child Left Behind, we have collected a wealth of information about where schools are falling short, where students' needs are not being met, and where more rigor is needed. We've built an appetite for change, and we've done a good job of framing the problem. The next step is to use this knowledge to customize our efforts to improve."

There is also a background Fact Sheet that provides the basics on Spellings' Building On Results Blueprint -- a blueprint for strengthening the "No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)" designed to provide additional resources and flexibility to our schools and educators to help achieve NCLB’s goal of every student reading and doing math at or above grade level by 2014. The Department called for differentiated accountability as part of this blueprint - to allow states to distinguish between those schools in improvement that are just missing the mark and those that need significant reform.

Once the states had developed the framework to capture the student skills each year, as required by law, they combined those stats to demonstrate progress over time. This method proved viable, and then all eligible states were invited to adopt the more sophisticated measurement system. Specifically states were helped in developing better ways to measure progress for students with disabilities and limited English skills

Damatic action is needed to help states improve underperforming schools, and Spellings believes this new "differentiated accountability" program will help -- then 10 states will be invited to create more nuanced ways of distinguishing between schools in need of dramatic intervention, and those that are closer to meeting goals. Spellings feels confident that this process will help educators nationwide learn more about helping the children acquire grade-level knowledge.

I am all for this kind of intervention. My website http://www.roccobasile.org/ talks about all my charities focusing on education and assisting kids in need, including Children of the City and Xaverian, where I went to school. Aside from working with my family at the Basile Builders Group, I spend time working on organizing The Joe DiMaggio Award Gala, a major fundraiser for Xaverian.

The funds raised at our last gala in January honoring Tiki Barber will go towards programs for Xaverian students with learning disabilities, and young men from disadvantaged backgrounds who are in financial need. If it were not for the generosity of alumni, parents and friends, many of these students would not be able to afford a quality, college-preparatory education.