Community School Partnerships

New! Healthy Start Veteran
Watch: YouTube Interview with
Barbara Penny James – Principal

Ford International MicroSociety Elementary School “Moving from a Healthy Start Planning Grant to Operational”

Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Decries Proposed New Cuts to Public Education Governor's May Budget Revision Cuts Billions from Public Schools (K-12)

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued the following statement in response to the release of Governor Schwarzenegger's May Revision:

"The two budget proposals the Governor released today offer a choice between devastating and horrific cuts to public schools. I am heartsick at the prospect that public schools in California are being asked to absorb between $800 million and $1.4 billion in the final month of the traditional school year, and then an additional $1.6 billion to $3.3* billion in the next school year. If approved, these proposed cuts would be added to the $11.6 billion in cuts to schools approved last February.

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HOW CAN YOU STAY INFORMED AND BE INVOLVED?
In the Revision of the Health Framework for California Public Schools

What is a Framework and How to Be Involved in Its Revision?
The California Department of Education (CDE) and the State Board of Education (SBE) are revising the current Health Framework for California Public Schools (Health Framework) to incorporate and support the state-adopted content standards for health education. The revised Health Framework will provide guidance to teachers and administrators on the implementation of effective standards-based health instruction, as well as to developers of instructional materials to help them create standard-based instructional materials.

The participation of teachers, administrators, health educators, health professionals, school nurses, parents/guardians, and community members in the revision process is essential.

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New! Healthy Start Video Clip

Retiring Principal – Alan Withers
“Reflections On Healthy Start Hallmarks”

Mather Heights Elementary School
Folsom Cordova Unified School District

The Educational Testing Service Policy Information Report "Parsing the Achievement Gap II"

"Syntheses of many research studies establish that 16 factors related to life experiences and conditions are correlated with cognitive development and academic achievement. This report asks whether there are differences in these 16 ‘correlates of achievement' among different population groups that mirror the large and persistent gaps that are found in school achievement. The answer is yes, there are differences in these correlates of achievement among racial/ethnic and income groups, and those differences do mirror the achievement gaps."

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Ed Week Chat, Featuring Martin Blank--October 15th at 2pm EST

This Week's Live Chat
Improving Academic Performance through Partnerships When: Wednesday, October 15, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern time.
Where: http://www.edweek-chat.org

*A link to the live chat will be posted at www.edweek-chat.org at 1:55 p.m. Eastern time.*

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Grant Opportunities:

The Sprint Foundation  --  Youth Development Grants: The Sprint Foundation's Youth Development Grants focus on mentoring programs, leadership initiatives, and at-risk youth development. The Sprint Foundation also selectively supports regional initiatives that significantly impact the infrastructure and health of key Sprint employee communities.

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California Falls Far Short of Federal Guidelines for Nurse-to-Student Ratios in Schools

Federal guidelines call for one school nurse to be available for every 750 healthy pupils. In California, the ratio is one school nurse for every 2,230 students -- including those defined as medically fragile.

In a California Healthline Special Report, lawmakers and school and nursing officials discussed the shortage. The Special Report includes comments from:

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Newly Revised 2008 Edition!

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Complementary Learning: Emerging Strategies, Evolving Ideas

Suzanne Bouffard, Claire Goss Brown, Heather Weiss

This paper distills insights and lessons learned from Harvard Family Research Project's fall 2007 professional development institute, Closing the Achievement Gap: Linking Families, Schools, and Communities Through Complementary Learning. Inspired by the innovation and collaboration we witnessed at the institute, the paper shares insights and lessons learned from presenters, participants, and representatives from four case study communities.

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New Research:

Qualities That Attract Urban Youth to After-School Settings and Promote Continued Participation
by Karen Strobel, Ben Kirshner, Jennifer O'Donoghue & Milbrey Wallin McLaughlin — 2008

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CalServe Listserv- Sign-Up!

Join the CalServe Listserv to share ideas and ask for advice about service-learning.

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Children's Budget Act Update

Senator Robert Menendez recently introduced S. 3277, the "Children's Budget Act," which is a very simple piece of legislation that would require any future Administration, when it submits its budget, to gather all the different sources of federal funding for children's programs and show how the federal budget is impacting children's programs overall.

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New Article: New Vision for Schools Proposes Broad Role

New Vision for Schools Proposes Broad Role: The heir apparent for the American Federation of Teachers (Union President) is a champion for community schools. See the NY Times article below.

By SAM DILLON
Published: New York Times- July 15, 2008

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Policy News:

On June 26, 2008, in a 92 to 6 vote, the U. S. Senate approved the War Supplemental Appropriations bill that included moratoria until April 2009 on six Medicaid regulations. The Senate approved the language that the House passed last Friday. The President is expected to sign the bill into law, probably in the coming week.

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Funding Opportunities:

Richard Riley Award:10,000 for schools that are community-learning centers

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Responsive Grants Program

The Responsive Grants Program is Sierra Health Foundation's newest program, launched in June 2008. We have committed $2.4 million in funding over the next two years for nonprofit organizations and public agencies in our 26-county funding region.

The goal of our Responsive Grants Program is to promote health and well-being in our communities. We are asking nonprofit organizations and agencies to tell us what their community needs and concerns are, and how a grant from Sierra Health Foundation can help address them.

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