Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Educational Partnerships and Family Involvement

Jan 27, 2003

Educational Partnerships and Family Involvement
January 27, 2003





NEWS

?· NEW GUIDANCE ON PARENT OPTIONS. The U.S. Department of Education recently issued guidance on the choice provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which give options to parents of children who attend schools needing improvement. While school districts implement required plans to turn such schools around, students attending schools that need improvement must be given the opportunity to transfer to a better-performing public school in the school district. www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SASA/schoolchoiceguid.doc


?· PRESIDENT BUSH CELEBRATES ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. In combination with the President's budget, the No Child Left Behind Act enables America's public schools to receive record levels of funding from the federal government, and creates unprecedented levels of accountability to ensure that those funds are producing real results to help every child in America receive a quality education. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/01-2003/01082003a.html



?· U.S. SECRETARY ROD PAIGE REMARKS ON THE FIRST YEAR OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. "We've embraced the hopeful vision of a great president, President Bush, who feels that education is a sacred civil right, and it is our duty as a nation to ensure that every child in our public schools get a good education, which sets them on the right path, not only educationally but also for life." http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/01-2003/01082003.html



?· WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES The White House, together with the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and 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. http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/conferences.html







WHAT WORKS



?· FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 recognizes that the vast network of parents and community members involved in faith-based and community activities are quiet heroes who bring hope and opportunity to people's lives in ways that are beyond the federal government's ability. www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SASA/suppsvcsguid.doc







FUNDING



?· EARLY READING FIRST. Early Reading First (ERF) is a bold new initiative designed to transform existing early education programs into centers of excellence that provide high-quality, early education to young children, especially those from low-income families. The overall purpose of the Early Reading First Program is to prepare young children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school success. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/earlyreading/index.html





READING HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS


?· Have your child read aloud to you every night.

?· Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, for your child to do his nightly reading assignments.

?· As your child reads, point out spelling and sound patterns such as cat, pat, hat.

?· When your child reads aloud to you and makes a mistake, point out the words she has missed and help her to read the word correctly.

?· After your child has stopped to correct a word he has read, have him go back and reread the entire sentence from the beginning to make sure he understands what the sentence is saying.



*Taken from Homework Tips for Parents. For the full document, visit http://www.nclb.gov/parents/homework/.





FOR MORE INFORMATION


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