Tuesday, March 31, 2009

I've Got a Golden Ticket!

Reforms May Pay Off For Schools
By John Ingold - Denver Post

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers unveiled a slate of dramatic education proposals Monday with the goal of bolstering Colorado's school-reform credentials enough to win a $1 billion prize.

Only about 10 states will be selected to win what Sen. Chris Romer called "the golden ticket," an approximately $500 million grant from the federal government's new Race to the Top program that will go to the states making the biggest strides in education reform. Romer and other lawmakers said private foundations are expected to match the federal prize, leading to a one-time windfall that has the potential to remake the Colorado education landscape.

"There's too much money at stake to stand still," said Romer, D-Denver.

The proposed golden-ticket bid comes in two waves. The first hit Monday, when lawmakers introduced the annual school finance act.

Contained within the bill are proposals to tie funding for at-risk students to classroom performance, study creating a charter boarding school for disadvantaged students and requiring freshmen fill out a College in Colorado form, to give them an academic and financial road map for reaching college.

Another proposal in the bill would lift the cap on school district mill levy rates the legislature imposed. (Districts would still need voter approval, though, to raise their mill levies.)

The second wave is expected to hit in the coming weeks, when Romer and Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, introduce a bill creating a Colorado version of Race to the Top. That bill would build a pile of money — contingent upon winning the federal Race to the Top — to give to school districts that hit reform and performance targets.

Details of the bill are still being worked out, but one idea involves a college-readiness exam for students. Those who pass would be eligible for free or subsidized in-state college tuition.

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Monday, March 16, 2009

Flunked at the Burbank International Film Festival!


DOCUMENTARY FLUNKED TO SCREEN AT THE BURBANK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Flunked makes the grade in Los Angeles, featuring real education reform!

Olympia, WA— EFF Productions is pleased to announce that Flunked, narrated by award-winning actor Joe Mantegna, has been selected to screen in the Burbank International Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA.

Friday, March 27th, 2009
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Burbank International Film Festival
Woodbury University: Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium
7500 Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91510

Flunked takes a realistic view of our failing education system, offering a disturbing look at America’s shameful decline in comparison to other nations. However, instead of complaining and doing nothing, Flunked showcases schools and teachers who have figured out a way to make things better . . . right now.

Flunked highlights the common threads of successful education: strong leadership, high standards, excellent teachers, and solid curricula. By focusing on schools that are successfully applying these principles, Flunked sends a message loud and clear: Parents, students, principals, and teachers do not have to settle for mediocrity in their own schools!

Flunked has won the award for Best Educational Documentary at the Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the San Fernando Valley International Film Festival.

For more information go to http://www.burbankfilmfestival.org/, or www.flunkedthemovie.com

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Flunked on YouTube.com

Be sure to check out all the great videos Flunked has at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/FlunkedTheMovie

Featured are "All-Stars" Ben Chavis and Bill Proser along with Howard Fuller, and more!