[YL] YouthLearn Newsletter, Issue 140

Tue Sep 16 22:17:21 EDT 2008

YouthLearn
Newsletter, Issue 140 - September 16, 2008

The YouthLearn Newsletter compiles the latest entries to the YouthLearn News Blog. This innovative service to the YouthLearn community highlights youth, education, and technology news, tools, and resources. We hope this assists you in your important work. Please feel free to share this resource with friends and colleagues, and visit the News Blog often! http://news.youthlearn.org <http://news.youthlearn.org/> 

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News 

Report: Retool instruction, or U.S. will fail
"Creating a 21st-century education system that prepares students, workers, and citizens to triumph in the global skills race is the central economic competitiveness issue currently facing the United States, according to a new report from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). The report provides a sobering wake-up call for the nation's civic and education leaders. The report, called '21st Century Skills, Education, and Competitiveness,' argues that for the United States to be globally competitive--and for states to attract growth industries and create jobs--the nation requires a fresh approach to education that recognizes the critical role 21st-century skills play in the workplace."
URL: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=55173 <http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=55173> 

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Funding 

National Education Association Foundation Accepting Grant Applications
"The NEA Foundation supports a variety of efforts by teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to improve student learning in America's public schools, colleges, and universities. The foundation is accepting applications for the following programs: Learning & Leadership Grants provide opportunities for teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and lead their colleagues in professional growth. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study. Student Achievement Grants provide grants of $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection." Deadlines: October 15; February 1; June 1.
URL: http://www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm <http://www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm> 
Referred by: Foundation Center

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Resources 

Geoffrey Canada: 'Whatever It Takes' To Teach Kids
"The Harlem Children's Zone, writes New York Times reporter Paul Tough, is 'the first and so far the only organization in the country that pulls together ... integrated social and educational services for thousands of children' - all under one umbrella, all in one place, all at one time. It's the brainchild of education and social-services reformer Geoffrey Canada, and it's nothing less than an audacious poverty-eradication effort that, as Publishers Weekly explains, is 'predicated upon changing everything' in the New York City neighborhoods it targets, 'creating an interlocking web of services targeted at the poorest and least likely-to-succeed children.'" An interview with Geoffrey Canada and Paul Tough just aired on the NPR program Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94576366 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94576366> 

Strengthening Out-of-School Time Organizations
"Modestly funded and often stretched to their limits, the organizations that provide out-of-school time (OST) programming face mounting demands to deliver higher quality services to more children. The Wallace Foundation recently asked several experts in the OST field to identify what they think are the key organizational, administrative and management obstacles impeding OST providers from lifting the quality of their programs and discuss how those might be overcome." Download the white papers for free at the Wallace Foundation website: "Strengthening Out-of-School Time Nonprofits: The Role of Foundations in Building Organizational Capacity," by Heather B. Weiss and Priscilla D. Little of the Harvard Family Research Project; "A New Day for Youth: Creating Sustainable Quality in Out of School Time," by Harvard researcher Gil G. Noam; "A View from the Field: Helping Community Organizations Meet Capacity Challenges," by Lucy N. Friedman, president of The After-School Corporation, a New York City-based nonprofit.
URL: http://www.wallacefoundation.org/KnowledgeCenter/KnowledgeTopics/CurrentAreasofFocus/Out-Of-SchoolLearning/StrengtheningOutofSchoolTimeOrganizationsThreeViews.htm <http://www.wallacefoundation.org/KnowledgeCenter/KnowledgeTopics/CurrentAreasofFocus/Out-Of-SchoolLearning/StrengtheningOutofSchoolTimeOrganizationsThreeViews.htm> 

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Activities 

I³: Invention, Innovation, Inquiry
Through challenges and questions posed in thematic units, I3: Invention, Innovation, Inquiry gives young people the opportunity to experience the excitement of invention and innovation, and to learn how technology is integral to their everyday lives. It is one of the resources highlighted in the recently launched Technology Curriculum Database, developed by YouthLearn for the U.S. Department of Education-funded National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at SEDL. I3 thematic units, 10 in all, consist of teaching and learning resources designed to enhance technology literacy in grades 5-6. They are based on technological and science literacy standards. This project is supported in part by the National Science Foundation and implemented by the International Technology Education Association and California University of Pennsylvania. 
URL: http://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/afterschool/technology.cgi?resource=9 <http://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/afterschool/technology.cgi?resource=9> 

Starfall
Looking for online literacy activities? Starfall, a bright, colorful portal that features reading materials and interactives, comes highly recommended by teachers and other educators. It's designed for first graders, but offers age-appropriate activities and games for preschool through second grade levels. The four main sections of the website serve pre-readers up to independent readers: ABCs - Let's get ready to read; Learn to Read; It's Fun to Read; and I'm Reading.
URL: http://www.starfall.com <http://www.starfall.com/> 

We welcome your feedback!

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YouthLearn
http://www.youthlearn.org <http://www.youthlearn.org/> 

This newsletter is produced by the YouthLearn Initiative at EDC especially for
members of the YouthLearn discussion group. Every two weeks, the newsletter is
compiled from the entries in the YouthLearn News Blog <http://news.youthlearn.org/> , including summaries
from various sources that YouthLearn staff periodically review.

Past newsletters are archived at http://www.youthlearn.org/resources/newsletter/index.html <http://www.youthlearn.org/resources/newsletter/index.html> . 

YouthLearn is a project of the nonprofit Education Development Center, Inc. <http://www.edc.org/> 
Designed for youth development professionals, teachers, educators, and other
caring adults, YouthLearn provides resources and tools for developing effective
learning programs enhanced with technology, particularly in out-of-school settings.

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