ACET, Inc. Blog

The Big Read, a program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and managed by Arts Midwest, is accepting applications from 501(c)(3) organizations, public libraries, and divisions of tribal, state, and local governments, as well as museums, literary festivals, colleges, and historical societies, to develop reading programs to run between September 2013 and June 2014. These grants range in size between $2,500 and $20,000, and include promotional materials and online training resources. Across the country, approximately 75 organizations in various communities are expected to be selected. Big Read activities center on a book or poet from the Big Read Library, and may include panel discussions, film, dance, or musical events, lectures, art exhibitions, or other programming that relates to the reading choice. Previous grantees may apply again, but must select a different reading choice than before. Grants require 1:1 matching with non-federal funds, and may be used for speaker fees, travel, salaries, and other such expenses.

For complete information, application materials, and other information, please see the NEA’s web page. The deadline for applications is February 5, 2013.

The General Mills Foundation (In partnership with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation) has announced 50 awards of $10,000 to community groups such as schools, tribal agencies, and health departments to adopt creative solutions to improve youth physical fitness and nutrition habits through its Champions for Health Kids program. Project periods may take place during a school year or summer session, but a registered dietitian must be directly involved or on board as an adviser to the program to ensure that accurate, scientific nutrition information is used. Applications are due December 3 and recipients will be announced in May of 2013. For a list of past grantees and to apply, please visit the General Mills Foundation website.

Our governor, Mark Dayton, has declared March “Reading Month” in Minnesota. The official proclamation lists three specific reasons for the declaration:

“The citizens of Minnesota stand firmly committed to promoting reading as the catalyst for our students’ future academic success, their preparation for America’s jobs of the future and their ability to compete in the global economy”

“Minnesota have provided significant leadership in the area of community involvement in the education of our youth, grounded in the principle that educational investment is key to the community’s well being and long-term quality of life”

“NEA’s ‘Read Across America,’ a national celebration of Dr. Seuss’s 107^th birthday on March 2, 2011, and the acknowledgement of the month of March as ‘National Reading Month’, to promote reading and adult involvement in the education of our community’s students.”

How does one go about building reading skills to students? One way is to engage students not only in the classroom, but also at home with parents. If you are a parent or want to teach parents how to engage their children in learning, Dr. Peter Afflerbach of the University of Maryland’s Literacy Research Center has eight tips for parents to ensure reading success for students:

1. Find ways to create enthusiasm for reading.
2. Encourage children to read different types of texts (books, newspapers, internet content).
3. Ask children questions about what they read.
4. Help children find materials that match their interests and achievement levels.
5. Talk with children about the importance of reading.
6. Try not to communicate any anxiety related to your children’s reading.
7. Ask your child to recommend a book for you.
8. Engage your children in writing.

Here is a link to the full proclamation: http://mn.gov/governor/images/Reading-Month-and-Read-Across-America-Day.pdf

Joseph

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton recently released his “7-Point Plan for Achieving Excellence” in education. The seven points in the plan focuses on three main areas: improve state education funding; focus more resources and raise the profile of Early Childhood Education; and narrow the achievement gap.

Dayton spoke about the plan on his website, stating, “Education was key to our State’s past prosperity, and it will be key to our future prosperity. An excellent public education system will be the driving force behind job creation in Minnesota. We must prepare today’s students for the jobs and the industries of the future, and thus we must make important innovations in our public school system. With this plan, we will take what is good with Minnesota’s K-12 education and make it even better, to ensure every student full opportunity to succeed in this ever more competitive global economy.” (http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=9625)

Specifically, the seven points are as follows:

1. Funding education for the future – including investing in early childhood and kindergarten and maintaining efforts to close the achievement gap. Part of this mandate calls for establishing a Governor’s Commission on Better School Funding.

2. Better early childhood education – by targeting all-day kindergarten, expanding the K-12 system to a pre-K-12 system, and implementing school readiness standards.

3. Close the gap – through setting accountability targets to close achievement gaps and establishing a Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education and Governor’s Achievement Gap Innovation Fund.

4. Reading well by third grade – by launching a statewide literacy campaign, molding accountability standards to meet this goal, and adopting literacy standards for pre-K-3.

5. Support teaching for better schools –  setting alternative pathways to teacher licensure, establishing a statewide teacher performance evaluation, development system, and support networks, and supporting early childhood teacher observation and development.

6. Better testing for better results – including developing assessments for learning (i.e., formative assessments: see our former post on formative assessment), establishing a Test Reduction Task Force, and including growth as an accountability measure.

7. A department of education that provides educational leadership and support – by repositioning the Minnesota Department of Education to support teachers, schools, and districts; reauthorizing the Statewide Early Childhood Advisory Council and reestablishing the Children’s Cabinet; and charging the Commissioner of Education with leadership of early childhood initiatives.

To read the full press release, follow this link: http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=9625

For an outline of the seven-point plan, follow this link: http://mn.gov/governor/images/Better-Schools-For-A-Better-Minnesota.pdf

Joseph

Summer may have the reputation of being lazy and relaxing, but between kids, beach parties, and vacations, everyone knows that summer is a crazy time! As fall arrives, we at ACET wanted to share a few highlights from our sunny and warm-filled summer.

Kirsten: Like most summers, my husband (Zack) and I were very busy! We had another family wedding this summer up on the North Shore (near Gooseberry Falls). We started driving in the heat of a lazy August afternoon (after visiting two more of Minnesota’s excellent vineyards!) but by the time we got to Duluth, we were driving through fog. Zack thought it was excellent – the cool fog reminded him of Britain! In July, we adopted a dog from a local rescue group. Casey is a one-year-old Siberian Husky/Border Collie mix. Casey’s been a great addition to the family – he loves the other dogs in the family and adores going up to the cabin to swim in the lake. And, if that weren’t enough, we’ve recently started some painting projects at home!

Joseph: My summer was spent catching up on some projects I have been dying to complete, as well as enjoying the outdoors. I was able to polish off a few books I was reading (I’m always in the middle of several books!) as well as spend some time listening to podcast lectures from UC-Berkeley to supplement some of my more challenging reading material. I also worked on some writing projects: a screenplay, a bit of a standup routine, and some film character analysis. And, as always, my dog Zelda demanded my attention; luckily Minnesota has a plethora of dog-friendly trails. We discovered a brand new one where dogs and horses can cross paths – that was an adventure!

Cassie: I work two jobs, so I spent a good portion of my summer indoors, unfortunately. However, I did give myself a few necessary diversions! In May, my partner, Doug, and I went on vacation in California. Although it was unseasonably cool, we spent a week enjoying the ocean, visiting old friends, and experiencing the culture of the San Francisco bay area. In July, I also spent a long weekend with Doug in Winona, MN. If you’ve ever in town, definitely check out Bloedow’s Bakery for some tasty (and addictive!) treats. Lastly, I picked up a new summer pastime – tossing Frisbee!

Stella: My husband, Jason, and I like to spend our summers on Lake Minnetonka. Our favorite places to frequent on the lake are Maynards and Lord Fletchers. We also spent a lot of time this summer working on our lawn and going to Home Depot – we’ve been having difficulty getting grass to grow in certain spots in our front yard! Although I’m sad that summer ended so quickly, I’m looking forward to catching up on my reading over the fall and winter.

How did you spend your “lazy” summer days? We’d love to hear all about it!

An article from the Philanthropy News Digest recently highlighted a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT project. Recent studies have found that there is a correlation between students who are proficient in reading by the end of the third grade and a “child’s success in school, life-long earning potential, and ability to contribute to the nation’s economy.”

The article specifically highlights the data regarding disparities in reading proficiency rates in low-income families for varying ethnic groups. The report states that “two-thirds of fourth-graders overall and four out of five fourth-graders from low-income families are not proficient in reading…disparities in reading achievement persist across economic, racial, and ethnic groups.” The article goes on to discuss thoughts and recommendations on the report.

Click here to read the article and full report: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=295200017

Cassie