PLEASE REVIEW…
F.A.C.E. to FACE
F.A.C.E. BULLETIN
6/5/06
How FCAT Inhibits Learning, By Lincoln J. Tamayo.
Fliers aim to boost name recognition for governor hopeful Smith, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau. "Rod Smith led the fight to defeat the right-wing Republican attempts to drain taxpayers funding of the public schools through an unconstitutional private school voucher program," the flier reads.
Iowa enacts new scholarship tax credit program, Bipartisan support marks a growing trend among the states.
ALERT
Thousands of New Scholarships Available for Low-Income K-12 Students
(More scholarships available! See bottom of Newsletter!)
Thank you for Stepping Up For Students,
Michael A. Benjamin
Executive Director, F.A.C.E.
Florida Alliance for Choices in Education
How FCAT Inhibits Learning
Published: May 30, 2006
As a father of three public schoolchildren and as a private school educator, I believe strongly in the need to test all students in order to ensure they acquire the core knowledge of a well-educated person. The tests should be standardized, for we should never judge the quality and breadth of any child's education by merely reviewing a report card.
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is a valid test to reflect the state's grade-by-grade standards, and it should be an important part of our public school landscape.
But where we have gone terribly wrong is by allowing politicians and education bureaucrats - many of whom haven't the slightest idea of what constitutes well-rounded learning - to make the FCAT virtually the sole arbiter of our children's and schools' progress.
What results from this myopic dictate is not pretty.
Our teachers are becoming widget-makers - and our students the widgets.
Public schools are under enormous pressure to get good "grades," as reflected almost entirely by FCAT scores - with the attendant embarrassment or retribution for lower scores. So is it surprising that they are becoming dull factories, where students are constantly drilled on how to succeed on FCAT? How can teachers instruct creatively when they are forced to prepare for FCAT as if it were the invasion of Normandy?
Art, music, drama, foreign language and physical education are relegated to afterthoughts, especially in our elementary schools. It is common for children to get, at most, one 45-minute class of art and two 30-minute classes of music and physical education classes a week. Forget about drama and foreign language. How dull and lifeless do we want our schools to become?
Children and parents spend inordinate amounts of time worrying about the test. How sad to learn from a smart neighborhood child that he needed to go home to take FCAT practice tests on his computer - on a beautiful Saturday afternoon!
For the next few weeks, we'll hear politicians and education bureaucrats fall all over themselves explaining what the increase or decrease of a few FCAT points means for the state of education.
But the education of children goes well beyond transforming them into proficient testing machines. How can teachers inspire students when they're constantly told that one test evaluates everything they do?
We should not be mollified by what we're told about education "progress," and we should never allow the beauty of a well-rounded education to be sacrificed at the altar of the FCAT god.
Lincoln Tamayo is a father of two sons and a daughter attending public elementary and middle schools in Hillsborough County.
Fliers aim to boost name recognition for governor hopeful Smith
Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Saturday, June 03, 2006
TALLAHASSEE — As Rod Smith and Jim Davis duke it out over union endorsements in their quest to become the Democratic nominee for governor, Smith's campaign got a head start in the form of an introductory mailer sent out this week.
"Rod Smith led the fight to defeat the right-wing Republican attempts to drain taxpayers funding of the public schools through an unconstitutional private school voucher program," the flier reads. It goes on to praise Smith's efforts to defeat a watering-down of the voter-approved class-size amendment. Smith is a state senator who represents Gainesville.
Michael Spellman, a longtime family friend of Smith's and one of his campaign's fund-raisers, and his group, Floridians for Responsible Government Inc., sent the glossy 6-by-11-inch mailers to Democrats this week. Spellman says he wants to familiarize voters with Smith, who is largely unknown outside his North Florida district.
Spellman, who served as former Gov. Buddy McKay's finance director in his losing effort to beat Gov. Jeb Bush in 1998, would not reveal how many households received the mailer but said it is the first of a concerted effort to elevate Smith's name recognition.
"There aren't many voters, quite frankly, paying attention to what's going on in the gubernatorial race right now," Spellman, an Orlando developer, said Friday. "What I wanted to do was lay down a foundation that would enhance our chances in the primary and then, hopefully, in the general."
Spellman's support highlights a Democratic schism in support of the candidates.
McKay, Spellman's mentor, has endorsed Smith's opponent, Davis, a U.S. congressman from Tampa.
Endorsing Smith are state Attorney General Bob Butterworth and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a black lawmaker who was behind the class size amendment, who are lesser-known but still formidable with Democrats.
Davis turned up the heat on Smith this week with a string of press releases sniping at the former prosecutor's loyalty to union causes in the hopes of gleaning an endorsement this weekend from AFSCME, the union that represents 110,000 public workers.
Depending on the size of the mailing, which Spellman would not identify citing campaign strategy, the mailers could have cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000, said Democratic campaign consultant Gayle Andrews, a Davis supporter.
"Nobody knows the guy," Andrews said. "I'm sure they decided they had to make people know this guy can handle the Republicans. That's an obvious strategy."
Iowa enacts new scholarship tax credit program
Bipartisan support marks a growing trend among the states
INDIANAPOLIS—Today, Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-IA) signed the Educational Opportunities Act (EOA), a law that will allow thousands of Iowa students the chance to receive scholarships to attend a school of their parents choice. The bill, which reached the governor’s desk after getting overwhelming support from both sides of the political aisle, is the second time this year that a democrat governor has signed a school choice law.
"This is a great day for all Iowa families," said Sara Eide, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference. "While the Catholic Conference has been working on this issue for nearly twenty years, it took the combined efforts of parents, educators, community leaders, organizations such as the Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education, and our national allies to make policymakers understand that expanded school options is a critical need in the state."
The program establishes a 65 percent tax credit for individuals who make contributions to approved school tuition organizations (STOs), which then distribute scholarships to families to be used at a school of their choice. To qualify, families must have an income that is at 300 percent or below of the federal poverty level. STOs must spend 90% of funds raised on scholarships, and scholarships may not exceed tuition at the child’s private school. In addition, while the program will be capped at $2.5 million for 2006, the cap will rise to $5 million for subsequent years.
Following a growing trend occurring around the country, the EOA received overwhelming bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats alike. In the Senate, which is evenly split between the two parties, the bill passed 49-1: and in the House, where Republicans hold only a one vote majority, the bill passed by a vote of 75-19.
"We are so thankful for the strong bi-partisan support for expanded educational options in Iowa, including the leadership in both houses and educational opportunity champions like Representative Carmine Boal and Senator Joe Seng," said Eide.
In 2006, school choice has seen growth in the number of Democrats who back educational freedom. Earlier this year, Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona became the first Democrat governor to sign a new school choice bill into law. Gov. Vilsack becomes the second governor to do so. Democrat Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin signed a bill expanding the cap of the Milwaukee school choice program by nearly 7,000 students. Also, the Democrat leaders of the Missouri Black Caucus were among the top proponents of a school choice bill before its legislature.
"We’re seeing an important shift in the support for school choice," said Robert C. Enlow, executive director of the Friedman Foundation. "More and more legislators, parents and opinion makers from all sides of the political spectrum are realizing that the ability to choose a school is a fundamental freedom and that there are immense moral implications that come from denying families educational choice."
8,000 New Scholarships Available for Low-Income K-12 Students
Florida P.R.I.D.E. and Children First Florida, Florida Corporate Tax Credit scholarship funding organizations, will award approximately 8,000 new scholarships for the 2006-2007 school year to Kindergarten through 12th grade students who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. Applicants must be currently enrolled in a public school, unless they are entering kindergarten or first grade. Those who qualify may receive up to a $3,750 scholarship for tuition at an eligible private school of their choice or a scholarship for up to $500 for travel expenses to an out-of-district public school. The scholarships provide a fresh start for students who are not succeeding in their current school setting.
This year, $70 million in scholarships will be awarded to qualifying Florida students until funding is exhausted so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Income limits for scholarship recipients are determined by household size. For example, a family of four can earn no more than $37,000 to qualify. To apply, log on to www.floridapride.org or call (813) 258-2700 for Florida Pride and www.scholarshipfunding.org or call (904) 247-6033 or (407) 702-2607 for a Children First Florida application.
The Florida Corporate Income Tax Credit scholarship program provides K-12 scholarships that currently allow over 14,000 low-income Florida students to attend an eligible private school or out-of-district public school. One hundred percent of corporate contributions go directly to funding scholarships – not a single penny can be used for administrative costs.
Children First Florida - Serving Orlando, Central Florida, Jacksonville and PanhandleHYPERLINK "http://www.childrenfirstcf.org/" \t "_blank"
P.O. Box 49099
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32240
(904) 247-6033 or (407) 702-2607
cforster@scholarshipfunding.org
Florida P.R.I.D.E. - Serving Tampa Bay, South Florida and Marion County
P.O. Box 1670
Tampa, Florida 33606
(800) 782-9140
info@floridapride.org
School Year 06 - 07 Income Eligibility Guidelines
Persons in Household
Annual Household Income
2
$24,420
3
$30,710
4
$37,000
5
$43,290
6
$49,580
7
$55,870
8
$62,160
9
$68,450
10
$74,740
11
$81,030
12
$87,320
13
$93,610
For each additional person, add
$6,290
Effective from June 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007
Florida Alliance for Choices in Education (F.A.C.E)
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