Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Educational Partnerships and Family Involvement

Feb 10, 2003

Educational Partnerships and Family Involvement
February 10, 2003

NEWS

PRESIDENT'S REQUEST FOR ED THE LARGEST DOLLAR INCREASE OF ANY DOMESTIC
AGENCY. President Bush's budget request for 2004 provides $53.1
billion for
the U.S. Department of Education, an increase of $2.8 billion or 5.6
percent
above his 2003 spending plan and the largest dollar increase of any
domestic
agency. www.ed.gov/PressReleases/02-2003/02032003.html


PRESIDENT'S BUDGET EXPANDS OPTIONS FOR PARENTS. President Bush's 2004
budget again will demonstrate his administration's commitment to
expanding
education options for parents by including an estimated $756 million to
help
insure America's parents have more choices for their children.
www.ed.gov/PressReleases/01-2003/01312003.html

MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE INITIATIVE. On February 6, 2003, at the
Secretary's
Mathematics Summit in Washington, D.C., the Department launched its
Mathematics and Science Initiative. Its aim is to achieve three
interdependent goals: Engage the public in recognizing the need for
better
mathematics and science education for every child in our nation's
schools;
initiate a campaign to recruit, prepare, train, and retain teachers
with
strong backgrounds in mathematics and science; and develop an academic
research base to improve our knowledge of what boosts student learning
in
mathematics and science. www.ed.gov/inits/mathscience/index.html

WHAT WORKS



EDUCATION NEWS PARENTS CAN USE. The next "Education News Parents Can
Use"
broadcast, on helping children become good citizens, is scheduled for
February 18. For more information, please go to
http://registerevent.ed.gov/downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=164

.


WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES The
White
House, together with the Departments of Health & Human Services,
Housing &
Urban Development, Labor, Education, and Justice, has scheduled a
series of
conferences to help faith-based and community organizations learn more
about
President Bush's initiative. The next free, day-long conference will be
held
on February 18th in San Diego, California, followed by a conference in
Chicago, Illinois on March 14th. To register, please visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/conferences.html



FUNDING

BUSH ANNOUNCES NEW $300 MILLION MENTORING PROGRAM FOR DISADVANTAGED
CHILDREN. U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige joined President Bush
to
celebrate the first anniversary of the USA Freedom Corps and unveil a
new,
$300 million mentoring program for the Education Department to help
match
disadvantaged children with caring mentors who can help them find hope
and
opportunity. For more information, visit http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov
.


TITLE I GRANTS. To aid in some key calculations, the Department has
published Fiscal Year 2002 Title I allocations by school district. For
more
information, please go to
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/TitleILEAs/FY02allocations/
.


TIPS FOR READING TUTORS

How Tutoring Helps the Learner:

* Creates a more favorable atmosphere for learning (particularly
through the use of one-on-one instruction).
* Provides more time on task, increased opportunities to read and
immediate feedback.
* Allows for immediate, positive and corrective feedback to help the
learner stay on track and not repeat errors.
* Can increase reading performance.
* Can improve motivation and decrease frustration.
* Enhances interpersonal skills as a bond is established with the
tutor.
* Allows for individual monitoring of progress to ensure that learning
is taking place.

*Taken from Tips For Reading Tutors. The publication will be
available soon online.


FOR MORE INFORMATION

To contact the Educational Partnerships and Family Involvement Unit,
Office
of Intergovernmental Affairs, call (202) 401-0056. To be added or
removed
from the distribution list, visit
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/partner_listserv.html