Summer School is almost here! Practice Path™ can kick off your success
This self-guided, online skill building program is perfect for summer school! We set your students up, so they can begin working right away. Each student follows a unique path through the state-specific content and gets the extra time on task needed for improvement. Practice Path™ is a terrific complement to any summer school curriculum.

To take advantage of reduced summer pricing and customized training, call 1-800-822-1080.

Common Core Standards
The first official public draft of the K–12 standards was released in March and should be finalized within the next few weeks. The goal is for all participating states to adopt a common set of standards by August 2, 2010.

Common Core Standards Implementation
CCSSO estimates that the cost of implementation will be $4–5 billion and take at least three years. NGA estimates that 30 states will have new governors, which will result in the current number of probable adopting states (48) to decline to 30–35 states.

• If states pool their resources through consortia, the cost of implementation could be reduced to $3–4 billion.

In order for states to participate, they must adopt all (100%) of the "common core standards" and can add up to 15% additional standards of their own.
Adoption is not implementation

• A state will have adopted when the standards authorizing body within the state has taken formal action to adopt AND implement the common core. Therefore, while adoption is to occur within 3 years, implementation could take longer.

Common Core Standards and Race to the Top
The key elements of the Race to the Top program–granting awards in two phases, incenting states to create laws conducive to education reform, and comprehensively addressing all the education reform "pillars" –proved extremely effective at changing behaviors and engaging the states in broad and deep conversations about education.

• First-round winners are Delaware and Tennessee–round 2 applicants have until June 1 to apply, and winners will be announced on September 1. The Department of Education will obligate all Race to the Top funds by September 30, 2010.

Common Core Standards and ESEA Reauthorization
President Obama recently released his new "Blueprint" for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), calling for the transformation of American K–12 education into a "world-class" system that will "ensure that every student graduates from high school well prepared for college and a career." The public anticipates ESEA reauthorization in 2010 (tentatively).

The Blueprint outlines:

• several means for achieving college and career readiness
• the narrowing of the achievement gap
• the fostering of new programs to improve student outcomes

Beginning in 2015, formula funds will be available only to states that are implementing assessments based on college- and career-ready standards that are common to a significant number of states.

• The program will also support competitive grants to consortia of states, and to other entities working in partnership with states, for research on, or development and improvement of, additional high-quality assessments to be used by multiple states in such areas as science, history, or foreign languages.

School Turnaround Grants (formerly School Improvement Grant)
States must identify their lowest-performing 5% of schools and districts in economically challenged communities. These will be called Challenge states, schools, and districts. They must transform those schools using one of the four following intervention models:

• Turnaround model: Replace the principal and rehire no more than 50% of the staff, and grant the principal sufficient operational flexibility (including in staffing, calendars/time, and budgeting) to fully implement a comprehensive approach to substantially improve student outcomes.
• Restart model: Convert a school or close and reopen it under a charter school operator, a charter management organization, or an education management organization that has been selected through a rigorous review process.
• School closure: Close a school and enroll the students who attended that school in other schools in the district that are higher achieving.
• Transformation model: Implement each of the following strategies: (1) replace the principal and take steps to increase teacher and school leader effectiveness; (2) institute comprehensive instructional reforms; (3) increase learning time and create community-oriented schools; and (4) provide operational flexibility and sustained support.

A Complete Education
States will be required to develop comprehensive, evidence-based, pre-K–12 literacy plans and to align federal, state, and local funds to provide high-quality literacy instruction.

• Priority will be given to states that have adopted common, state-developed, college- and career-ready standards.

States will be required to develop comprehensive, evidence-based plans and to align federal, state, and local funds to provide high-quality STEM instruction.

• Priority will be given to states that have adopted common, state-developed, college- and career-ready standards.

Provide competitive grants to states, high-need districts, and nonprofit partners to strengthen the teaching and learning of arts, foreign languages, history and civics, financial literacy, environmental education, and other subjects.

• Priority will be given to applicants proposing to integrate teaching and learning across academic subjects; to use technology to address student learning challenges; and at the high school level, to work with colleges or universities to ensure that coursework is truly aligned with those institutions’ expectations.

Investing in Innovation (I3) Fund
A three-tiered evidence framework will be established and the most funding will go to grant proposals or programs with the strongest evidence.

• Priority will be given to innovations for specific needs, i.e., STEM, ELLs, early learning
• Inducement prizes to drive breakthrough inventions in education