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Monday, August 30, 2010
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To view the ABEC newsletter using your web browser, click here. | ||
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Monday, August 30, 2010 | ||
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“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.” – Ivy Baker Priest
Dear Friends of ABEC,
 Beginnings… The beginning of a new school year… The beginning of early voting… The beginning of a new legislative session… Beginnings can be filled with eager anticipation or dreaded foreboding. Each beginning is loaded with opportunity – so let’s see what we can do with them! ABEC is beginning our upcoming year with four new officers and many brand new board members. Each will bring energy and enthusiasm to ABEC’s work. All our board meetings are open to our members, so come join us! This service on the ABEC board will be the beginning of new relationships; relationships that can influence change. Join us at our annual golf tournament on Saturday, November 6, to BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS with each other OR EXTEND ABEC RELATIONSHIPS to your colleagues. The 2011 legislative session will begin in January with many new legislators. Each will bring to the work a heart full of expectations and hopes for their first legislative experience. We’ll have the opportunity to meet them and share about the work of ABEC and our member organizations and encourage them to work with us; to use us as resources for information. Our legislative connections event is on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. Mark it now in your calendar and be part of this meaningful event. And as the legislative session winds on, we may all need to begin to think about doing more with less. We’ll ALL begin to identify who else out there needs to think with us about innovations in schooling and help us build common ground on a new vision. And finally, the ABEC annual conference is scheduled for Monday, June 6, 2011 at the Desert Willow Conference Center, owned and operated by Sodexo. Come and find willing and enthusiastic colleagues ready to explore new and innovative beginnings. Sincerely,
Additional Information:
 In 2004, ABEC advocated to the state legislature to create the Performance Based Compensation (PBC) System Task Force, with assistance from State Senator Linda Gray. Prop. 301, the proposition that brought the business and education leaders together to work toward its passage, has as an element, some funding set aside for performance based compensation in school districts. There was interest in this issue among those business leaders that worked to pass Prop. 301 – but there had been no examination of effective PBC plans. ABEC members – including representatives from the Arizona Education Association (AEA), the Arizona School Administrators Association (ASA), the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA), Wells Fargo, Motorola, and Intel – came together to brainstorm how best to make that assessment and examination happen. The resulting legislation put the PBC Task Force in place to examine performance based compensation plans statewide and ultimately recommend to policy makers what makes a good PBC plan. Several ABEC members were appointed to serve on that task force.
Recently, the Arizona State Board of Education met to review the work of the PBC Task Force. Ms. Moira Volk, chair of the Task Force, presented their final report which included what they identified as the following elements in a good PBC plan:
Joe Thomas, Vice-President of AEA, informed the State Board of Education that AEA’s resolutions are in-line with the Task Force’s recommendations. The work of the Task Force is now complete and “best practices” have been identified for performance based compensation for Arizona schools. The question now is, “What are the next steps with this important work?”
 On November 2, Arizona voters will choose between John Huppenthal (R) and Penny Kotterman (D) for the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Both candidates have greatly influenced Arizona’s public education system in some form for the past two decades.
Huppenthal attended high school in Tucson, earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from NAU, and a master's degree in Business Administration from ASU. He has served 17 consecutive years on the State House and State Senate education committees, is the current Senate education committee chairman, and has authored many bills that have shaped the education policy that currently exists. He is endorsed by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, among many others.
Kotterman is a lifelong educator with over 30 years of teaching and classroom experience. She moved to Arizona in 1984 and has been active in Arizona’s public education system ever since. Besides being in the classroom, she has served six years as the president of the Arizona Education Association, where she helped craft education policies that are central to education in Arizona today. She is supported by the Arizona Education Association, among many others.
As a 501(c)3 organization, ABEC remains non-partisan and does not endorse any candidates. However, ABEC does encourage you to learn more about the candidates and to cast your vote in the General Election on November 2.
For other official results of the 2010 primary election, go to THE CLASS OF 2014  Time to stroll down memory lane … since 1998, Beloit College (WI) has released the Beloit College Mindset List which provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. Originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, it quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. Most students entering college for the first time this fall — the Class of 2014 — were born in 1992. They are a post-email generation for whom the digital world is routine and technology is just too slow. This class, like previous classes, reminds us that a generation comes and goes, which are like the rest of us, getting older and older. For example:
For the complete Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2014, go to http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2014.php.
2010-2011 ABEC OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 ABEC is governed by a board of directors that is composed of an equal number of educators and business leaders. ABEC strives to have equal balance of business and education representation in all of its work. Members of ABEC are directly and actively involved in the committees of the board of directors as well as participating in each of the major initiatives of ABEC. Congratulations to the newly elected 2010-2011 ABEC Officers and Board of Directors!
ABEC BOARD OFFICERS: Paul Winslow
Partner, Orcutt|Winslow Partnership ABEC Board President Dave Howell
Director State Government Relations, Wells Fargo Bank ABEC Board Past President Cathleen Barton
US/Southwest Education Manager, Intel Corporation ABEC Board Vice President, Business Panfilo Contreras
Executive Director, Arizona School Boards Association ABEC Board Vice President, Education Frank Davidson
Superintendent, Casa Grande Elementary School District ABEC Board Secretary Vicki Balentine Superintendent, Amphitheater Public Schools ABEC Board Treasurer For a complete list of the ABEC board of directors, go to:
http://www.azbec.org/leadership.cfm Report: Fewer in county graduating ready for college – East Valley Tribune, 08/23/10
In terms of preparedness for college reading and math courses, a growing percentage of Maricopa County graduates are not ready for those rigors when they move up to Maricopa County community colleges or Arizona universities… More> Education-finance formulas ripe for overhaul – The Arizona Daily Star, 08/20/10
The Arizona Legislature is death on taxes, except when it isn't. In its most recent session, the Republicans who control both houses refused to consider any tax increase, despite a gaping deficit in the state budget that forced closure of state parks and interstate rest rooms and threatened to gut Arizona's educational institutions. More> ACT Scores Dip, But More Students College-Ready – The Washington Post, 08/18/10
Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam inched downward this year, yet slightly more students who took the test met specific benchmarks meant to measure college readiness. More> Arizona to change how it evaluates schools – The Arizona Republic, 08/16/10
A plan to switch how Arizona schools are evaluated by starting to use familiar letter grades is likely to give many schools report-card shock. More> New chief of county schools a top teacher – AZDailySun.com, 08/13/10
The next Coconino County Superintendent of Schools is coming right out of the classroom. Robert Kelty … More> Arizona, Tucson at Odds Over Ethnic Studies – Education Week, 08/10/10
Arizona education department officials and administrators for the Tucson Unified School District are set to do battle over whether the school district should continue to offer its ethnic studies, particularly Mexican-American studies, in light of a new state law tightly restricting such classes. More> Obama Signs Bill Aimed at Saving Teachers' Jobs – Education Week, 08/10/10
President Barack Obama has signed a long-stalled measure aimed at keeping more than 160,000 teachers on the job. More> Tucson Principal Helping to Turn School Around – Education Week, 08/10/10
Ray Chavez had finished his course work at Harvard three years ago and was a written dissertation away from a doctorate in education administration. Then the longtime Tucson educator… More> Student Loan Debt Surpasses Credit Cards – The Wall Street Journal, 08/09/10 Consumers now owe more on their student loans than their credit cards; new data shows that Americans owe some $826.5 billion in revolving credit but owe nearly $829.8 billion in federal and private student loans. More> New law requires common course-numbering system for Arizona colleges – The Arizona Republic, 08/08/10
A new law, passed by the state Legislature in April, requires Arizona's three universities and 21 community colleges to develop a common course-numbering system over the next five months. The biggest challenge, school administrators say, will be getting it done with no additional funds. More> Mesa students to experience big changes come 1st day of classes – The Arizona Republic, 08/06/10
After a summer of destruction, renovation and construction, Mesa Public Schools students and parents will experience some of the biggest changes in the district's history on the first day of classes Wednesday. More> Area schools show progress in state scores – YumaSun.com, 07/31/10
The Arizona Department of Education recently released Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) evaluations for the 2009-2010 school year based on AIMS testing scores, as well as numerous other factors such as attendance and the percent of students tested. More> First Arts Education Census Shows Arizona Schools Delivering Arts Education Programs with Few Dedicated Resources – Arizona Commission on the Arts, 07/29/10
Results from the statewide Arizona Arts Education Census show that nearly 90 percent of Arizona students have access to at least one arts education program, but that half of the schools reported no budget for curricular support in arts education and almost 8 out of 10 schools spent less than half-a-penny a day on arts education. More> Moving Arizona ahead demands college degrees – Arizona Capitol Times, 07/27/10 According to a prominent new study, Arizona is winning a race, not to the top but to the bottom: We are about to lead the nation in jobs for high school dropouts. More> Once a Leader, U.S. Lags in College Degrees – The New York Times, 7/23/10
Adding to a drumbeat of concern about the nation’s dismal college-completion rates, the College Board warned Thursday that the growing gap between the United States and other countries threatens to undermine American economic competitiveness. More>  Arizona: The Condition of College & Career Readiness, Class of 2010 – ACT, Inc. (pdf link)Using ACT test scores and the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, this report provides a snapshot of the college readiness of the graduating seniors of the class of 2009 who took the ACT in high school for Arizona. Beyond the Rhetoric: Improving College Readiness Through Coherent State Policy – National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (pdf link)
This report outlines steps for state legislators with the aim of improving college preparedness by better linking high school and postsecondary curricula. Engaging Students, Supporting Schools, Accessing Arts Education: Highlights from the Arizona Arts Education Census Project (pdf link)
Quadrant Arts Education Research, on behalf of the Arizona Arts Education Research Institute, studied the level of arts education in Arizona public schools. Changing the Odds for Student Success: What Matters Most - McCREL
The report examines thousands of studies of education and calls out those practices that demonstrate the largest effects on student achievement. The Productivity Push: System-Wide Reform Allows Arizona To Serve More Students - Lumina Foundation’s magazine Focus. The entire magazine is dedicated to Arizona’s efforts to reform higher education to serve more students at a lower cost. It details the system-wide change underway in Arizona and provides personal stories of students benefiting from partnerships between Arizona’s community colleges and universities. Focusing Your E-Recruitment Efforts to Meet the Expectations of College-Bound Students – Noel-Levitz et al. (2010) (pdf link)
A study of how prospective students are using colleges' websites, based on more than 1,000 responses from college-bound seniors. How America Pays for College 2010: A national study by Sallie Mae and Gallup
The report notes that the mix of sources families use to pay for college remains unchanged since the previous two years, but families are drawing larger amounts from each source. Trends in College Spending 1998-2008 – The Delta Cost Project (pdf link)
This report examines national college spending and resource trends in the years leading up to the current recession. US News & World Report: 2011 Rankings
US News & World Report has released its 2011 "Best Colleges" rankings. The 2010 KIDS COUNT Data Book – The Annie E. Casey Foundation & Children’s Action Alliance
Annual comparison of conditions for children … Arizona ranked 39th in the nation this year, compared to 40th last year and 39th in 2008. The data in this book is from 2007 and 2008, so it does not yet reflect the impact the budget cuts and recession have had on the children of Arizona. Kids' Share 2010: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children Through 2009 – Urban Institute-Brookings Institution
This report examines the federal spending trends and tax policies that support and affect children and families. Children's Budget 2010 – First Focus
A comprehensive guide to all federal spending on children and an invaluable resource for all those seeking to improve the lives of America’s youth. |
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The Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC) is a 501(c)3 organization providing a balanced forum for business and education leaders to collaborate and improve K-12 education policy, with linkages to pre-kindergarten and postsecondary education. Guiding principles include: increasing public awareness about the relationship between Arizona’s future workforce and the quality of the K-12 system; actively and effectively influencing education policy; and sharing responsibility for the growth of student achievement in Arizona. For more information, visit www.azbec.org. You are receiving this e-mail because you are a member of ABEC, have signed up to receive our eNewsletter, attended an ABEC or ABEC-related event, or have made direct contact with ABEC.
Copyright 2010. Arizona Business & Education Coalition. All Rights Reserved. |
Although one of 19 finalists in Round Two for the “Race To the Top” (RTT) federal funds, Arizona lost out again. This time, Arizona’s application ranked 12 out of 35 states that had applied. In Round One, Arizona’s application ranked next to last. Winning for Arizona would have meant $250 million for state education reform efforts. The only state west of the Mississippi that won was Hawaii; the other winning states were Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island. The District of Columbia also won. These winners of Round Two will split $3.4 billion to fuel bold education reform efforts.
