Building School Capacity to Achieve Health and Learning
The State Planning Committee for Health Education in Ohio (SPCHEO) is proud to be hosting the Coordinated School Health Conference, now in its 20th year. This premier event provides high quality professional development and a forum for school faculty and staff, administrators, and community partners to assess, discuss and respond to health issues that impact a student’s ability to achieve academically.
June 15-17: Salt Fork Resort and Conference Center, Cambridge, Ohio
June 23-25: Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center, Mt. Sterling, Ohio
The conference sessions include:
The School Environment and Adolescent Well-Being: Beyond Academics
Comprehensive System of Learning Supports for School Success
Building School Capacity to Achieve Health and Learning Outcomes
Creating a Climate for Learning
Skills-based Instruction for Health Promotion
Intervention Strategies for At-Risk Issues Impacting School Success
Charting the Course: How Do You Evaluate School Health Success?
The application deadline is Friday, May 1, 2009 by the close of business. Completed application forms should be submitted via e-mail to craig.wethington@ode.state.oh.us.
Visit the SPCHEO web site for further information and to download application forms.
Contact Us
Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools
33 N. Third Street,
Suite 600
Office: (614) 744-2266
Fax: (614) 744-2255 www.oapcs.org
Life Comes At Your Fast: Important Quick Hits From OAPCS President
Not to make light of challenging times but in the past month, as a leader in Ohio’s charter school movement, I’ve felt a little bit like I was in high surf at one of our family’s favorite Rhode Island beaches getting knocked over by one wave and, smashed by another before I can get my bearings. But the analogy breaks down because we at the Alliance have our bearings, and we are ahead of the curve in spite of the fact that things are moving fast. Here are four quick hits that you should know about.
1. GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE BUDGET – As of this publication, the governor’s proposed budget has not been put into the form of a legislative bill. Therefore, we don’t have the detail yet that will allow us to communicate the full impact of his financial proposals as they relate to charter schools. We do know, broadly speaking, that the governor wants to make significant cuts to the funding of charter schools (between 20 and 22%) and that he wants to separate charter school funding from district school funding. The funding cuts alone would jeopardize all charters in the state, probably leading to their demise within a year’s time. For more information about the governor’s budget and how it may impact charter schools, review the OAPCS one-pager fact sheet. For what the Alliance is doing about these attacks, see quick hit 3.
2. FEDERAL STIMULUS BILL: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Tuesday, February 17, 2009. Over $100 billion was appropriated for education programs including $53.6 billion for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (to help states restore budget cuts due to our nation's recession).
Title I received $14 billion in new funding, IDEA received $12.2 billion, the teacher Incentive Fund received $200 million and the effort to support the development of statewide longitudinal data systems received $250 million. While there are still clarifications that need to be made about funding opportunities for schools through "Incentive Grants" and "Innovation Funds," and what the application mechanisms will be, there are opportunities for charter schools in this stimulus package. The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools will keep its members informed so that they can be ready to take action. Between the threats to charter schools coming from the Governor’s budget, the current state of the economy, and this federal stimulus package, there are important reasons to stay tuned to our legislative “updates” and “alerts.” Review the OAPCS one-pager fact sheet and the OAPCS outline on the ARRA for the quick overviews that you need to understand these important pieces of information and how you and your school may benefit.
3. OAPCS ADVOCACY – The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools is working diligently to represent charter school interests among lawmakers at the capitol in Columbus. There are many new lawmakers who need to be educated to better the charter school issues that are at stake. The OAPCS has a well-organized advocacy and grassroots campaign underway to engage lawmakers and mobilize school leaders and parents to tell their stories and communicate with their representatives. OAPCS members should look for a “Legislative Update” this week that details the elements of this campaign and addresses the “calls to action.” I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you as school leaders to become proactive in this campaign. This is not the time to let “others” do the work. If we can overcome these obstacles, in this biennium, I believe that the charter school movement will see a much clearer and less encumbered path into the future. It is my sincere feeling that if we don’t work together and answer the calls to action, community charter schools in Ohio could suffer irreparable and catastrophic consequences.
4. MARCH 11, 2009 EVENT – Mark your calendars
On March 11th, we will be sponsoring jointly with the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, Democrats for Education Reform, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools a symposium at the Statehouse Atrium in Columbus on Governor Strickland’s 21st Century Education Goals. Guests will include Senator Peter Groff, President of the Colorado Senate - the highest ranking African American elected official in Colorado history, and Joe Williams, President of New York based Democrats for Education Reform. The session will be moderated by Fredrick L. Ransier III, Partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. Please join us. You can RSVP to Melissa Cartier at 614-744-2266, ext. 220
Governor Strickland's biennial budget proposal includes devastating cuts in charter school funding. It's essential that we unite and aggressively respond to this attack.
Nothing is more compelling than a child's story. With your help, OAPCS will send charter school students' stories to Ohio's legislators every week as a constant reminder of who these potentially devastating cuts will impact most: your students.
OAPCS recently sent the story of Octavia, a student at Citizens' Academy in Cleveland, to all members of the Ohio General Assembly. Please take a few minutes to review Octavia's story and use the outline below to share your students' stories. All OAPCS member student stories that are shared will be posted on the OAPCS Web site.
Submissions should include the following information (ideally formatted as a one-page Word document) and be sent via email to cwest@oapcs.org:
Student photo
250-500 words focused on:
Why they chose their charter school
Their social/academic experience in their charter school
Their unique circumstances/needs
Their future plans
Thanks in advance for your support of our efforts on behalf of Ohio's charter school students.
There are numerous reasons why you want your students to be involved in the Concept Science & Engineering Fair. It
builds students’ self-confidence through independently-created projects
allows for individualized attention and the expression of individual differences
offers opportunities for struggling students to shine outside of the classroom
naturally develops students’ reading, writing and communication skills
allows students to apply important math concepts to real-world situations using the following skills:
estimating
measuring
using algebraic and analytical methods
solving problems
predicting results
collecting, organizing, and analyzing data using statistical methods.
improves students’ understanding of scientific inquiry and technological design through the following processes:
investigating questions
conducting experiments
examining the interconnections between life sciences, physical sciences, and earth sciences
exploring the relationship between science, technology and society
provides a great opportunity for parents’ involvement in their student’s work.
brings a large number of family and community members together
shows the greater community tangible and real products created by students and related to science, math, and technology
supports the burgeoning charter school movement in the Midwest.
Research is the process by which people create new knowledge about themselves or the world in which they live in order to answer a question or solve a problem. When choosing your topic, give careful thought to how your research might enhance the world and its inhabitants. Questioning is probably the most important part of scientific creativity and is often followed by an “if...then” statement. Questioning usually leads to experiments or observations. Good scientists, both young and old, use a process to study what they see in the world.
Students should learn to be skeptical of all research results, especially their own. A good experiment may or may not answer the questions asked, but usually leads to fresh questions requiring new experiments or observations. The experimental hypothesis is often developed after one has run a number of preliminary experiments, analyzed a body of results, and reached a tentative conclusion for your experiment.
According to the Governor's office: "This web site is an interactive portal for entities to submit expressions of interest in federal stimulus dollars and to view general information about the federal stimulus. Stimulus grant and loan funds will ultimately be distributed to governments, business and other organizations, and not directly to individuals."
If your organization is hoping to access funds from the federal stimulus plan this is the ONLY way to do so. Care Team Collaborative, an OAPCS associate member, has been meeting with state and regional leaders and learned important information about this process. Please review the information below and keep it in mind as you go through the proposal process.
1. A substantial amount of funding will go to "shovel ready" infrastructure projects.
2. Education/Youth Development will be able to access some funding because education is a state priority. Care Team Collaborative recommends communities work together to package smaller initiatives together within larger organizational structure such as Family and Children First Councils. This ensures that multiple agencies are working together to enhance services to children and families. It also providers better data for the state regarding how many jobs will be saved/created as a result of these funds.
3. Once you submit your document, you will receive an email confirmation. Please send a copy of your proposal to your state legislators and share with them the importance of your work. The Governor's office is expected to confer with state legislators (probably starting early next week if it hasn't already started) regarding recommendations. If your legislators don't know about your proposal, it is not likely to be funded.
