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HARTFORD — The State Department of Education on Wednesday announced the following effort to help Sandy Hook elementary school teachers rebuild their classrooms:

Hartford, CT—A coalition of education leaders joined in the announcement of the creation of a donation website, DonorsChoose.org/Newtown, dedicated to supporting the classroom efforts of teachers in Newtown, Connecticut.

Contributions received through DonorsChoose.org/Newtown will give Newtown teachers the ability to design and fund classroom-specific projects and to buy needed materials.  Projects could include, for example, books and shelves for a reading nook, art supplies for a mosaic, seeds and soil for a memorial garden, or other teacher-generated projects.

The goal of this effort is to enable Connecticut residents – and individuals throughout the United States – to offer a gift of any size to the teachers of Newtown and, through them, to the district’s students.

Donors can give any amount towards classroom funding credits or a specific teacher-developed project that most inspires them.  The community site will be live for six months, through June 30, 2013. However, any individually developed project can remain on the site for up to five months from the date on which it was created.

The money raised by DonorsChoose.org will be divided equally among teachers in Newtown. Each teacher may use his or her allocated funds to purchase classroom materials, fund a classroom-specific project, or use the funds as an opportunity to demonstrate the act of giving by donating portions of their funds to other classroom projects throughout Connecticut and/or nationwide.

“DonorsChoose.org is a wonderful way to support the teachers of Newtown,” said Melodie Peters, president of AFT Connecticut. “By donating on this website people can help our teachers meet their students’ needs during this difficult time.”

Commissioner Stefan Pryor said teachers of Newtown know the needs of their students best. “We hope that efforts such as this will aid Newtown educators—modestly but meaningfully — as they return to and restart their classrooms,” Pryor said.

Newtown Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson called the  outpouring of support bestowed on the Newtown community over the past week “overwhelming ” and is grateful for donations that will be directed straight into the classroom.

Tom Kuroski, president of the Newtown Federation of Teachers, said, “ by virtue of their courage and deep love for teaching our students, they are returning to the classrooms after unspeakable horrors unfolded in one of our schools.  As we grieve and continue the work of supporting one another during this difficult time, we are grateful for these contributions that will help our teachers create the learning, enriching and caring environments for their students that they seek to provide.”

DonorsChoose.org vets every classroom project request, purchases the materials and ships them directly to the classroom, provides photos of the project-taking place, and supplies a cost report showing how every dollar was spent.  As a 501(c) 3 charity, donations through DonorsChoose.org are tax-deductible. DonorsChoose.org, was founded in 2000 and, to date, has funded over 328,000 projects proposed by over 137,000 teachers in over 46,000 schools nationwide.

To visit the website: http://www.donorschoose.org/newtown

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STORRS — The University of Connecticut’s Sandy Hook School Memorial Scholarship Fund honoring those who died in the tragic shooting in Newtown has received donations and pledges totaling more than $475,000, with contributions still coming in, university officials announced on Monday.

 According to a statement released by the university, more than 3,000 people from the U.S. and Canada have made donations to the fund to support college costs for siblings of those killed in the assault, the dependents of the adults who also lost their lives, and students currently enrolled at the elementary school, who are accepted to attend the University.

 “The response has been incredibly heartwarming,” says UConn President Susan Herbst.  “It shows that people’s natural response to such a terrible tragedy is to find some way to help, and the transformational gift of higher education is a meaningful and respectful way to accomplish that.”

 Hundreds of donors have used the UConn Foundation’s text-to-give option, which lets contributors make $10 gifts with a simple text message over their cell phones. More than 2,200 people – students, parents, alumni, and others – have used the Foundation’s online giving site to make donations as large as $5,000, while others have collected contributions at holiday parties. One UConn alum donated $25,000, while more than $110,000 has been contributed by Hartford-area corporations.

How to Give:

Via text: Donors may contribute to the fund by texting 50555 with uconn newtown. University alumni should also add their name and graduation year. For example: uconn newtown John Smith 88. $10.00 donation to support the University of Connecticut Foundation through the mGive Foundation. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 50555 to STOP. Text HELP to 50555 for HELP. Full Terms and Privacy Policy: s.uconn.edu/txt.

Online giving page: You may make a gift on the secure online giving site, (http://www.friends.uconn.edu/sandyhook)

By mail: Mail your check to the UConn Foundation at 2390 Alumni Drive Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269-3206. Please note on your check that the gift is for the “Sandy Hook School Memorial Scholarship Fund.”

 For more information, please go to www.foundation.uconn.edu/sandyhook.

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BRIDGEPORT — The district’s new safe-corridors program isn’t working half as well as organizers would like because not enough volunteers are stepping forward to be the eyes and ears of the district.

A number of residents say it’s because parents, like their children, are afraid of retribution if they report a crime.

“You’re going to get somebody killed,” said Clyde Nicholson, a local resident.

School board member Sauda Baraka echoed the sentiment, saying the program is putting citizens in a precarious situation and could turn them into targets.

Shively Willingham, in charge of security for the school district, said the program — instituted in response to a string of deadly shootings in the city this year and long before last week’s tragic school shooting in Newtown — is better than nothing and needs a chance to work.

“We are trying to make the path to school safer,” said Willingham. “We have to do something … If it doesn’t work we will re-examine it.”

Until he arrived last January, Willingham said the district had no organized way to make sure students had safe routes to school through some very tough neighborhoods.

The safe corridors program began this fall to provide students a path to walk to school that is supposed to be monitored by security cameras, school security, city police and volunteers who wear vests and carry walkie-talkies.

So far, the program has attracted only 30 volunteers for the district’s 30 schools. Not nearly enough, Willingham conceded.

He called the effort a work in progress and said it is too soon to determine its effectiveness.

But Maria Pereira, chairwoman of the safety committee, said she worried about the liability to the city if one of the volunteers gets hurt. Others expressed concern about the cameras that have been installed around the perimeter of the corridors. What some see as protection, Teresa Wilson sees as potential spying.

Several high school students at the meeting didn’t seem to share that concern. They said things are safer in and around their schools than they used to be, but could be better.

Tia Woods, 15, a sophomore at Bassick, said from what she can tell, there is not constant monitoring of the cameras by security.

Amalia Nieves, 17, a Harding senior said the corridors idea is a good one. Walking through metal detectors in the morning is a hassle, but she felt safer.

William Durham, 17, was able to name all three police officers that patrol the exterior of his school and he said security inside worked better when there were hall monitors as well as guards.

Willingham said shortly after he arrived in the district, an audit of school safety measures and procedures was done. He found cameras that didn’t work, school doors regularly propped open, and no standardized way to know who was in a building. He pledged that within 30 days, all security cameras in the schools would be working.

In the meantime, Pereira said her committee will work on a plan to make sure all schools regularly conduct lock-down drills and have a crisis management plan in each school. That plan will go to the board’s policy committee.

Willingham said he also wants to see everyone at schools to wear identification and for all visitors to sign in.

Others suggested the district should focus its resources on the drug and gang problems facing students.

“You need to get at the root of the problem,” said Dave Gordon, who was the district’s only drug counselor until he was laid off two years ago.

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HARTFORD —  Nivea Torres has been appointed Interim Superintendent of the Connecticut Technical High School System, state officials announced on Thursday.

Torres was recommended jointly by the Connecticut Technical High School System’s Governing Board and Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor.  Her appointment was unanimously approved by the Connecticut State Board of Education.

Torres, who has served as the technical system’s Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction since August of 2010, will assume her new role on January 1, 2013. She replaces Patricia Ciccone, who resently stepped down to become superintendent of schools in Westbrook.

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University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst and others have signed onto a position statement that calls on meaningful action and a balanced approach in light of the Newtown school shooting.

 They don’t want to see schools turned into fortresses.

 The position paper was developed by nine school violence prevention researchers and practitioners nationwide, including George Sugai of UConn’s Neag School of Education.

The two-page statement – found in its entirety here – updates the School Shootings Position Statement that was disseminated nationally following the school-related shootings of 2006.

In addition to Herbst, Neag School of Education Dean Thomas DeFranco, and a number of UConn faculty the statement has been endorsed by more than 100 professional organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers, multiple divisions of the American Psychological Association, Child Welfare League of America, Council for Exceptional Children, National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), National Education Association, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, and Mental Health America.

According to a UConn press release, the position statement is intended to communicate scientifically informed principles and recommendations for practitioners, policymakers, and the public at large, and to help build consensus on a course of meaningful action.

Here is an excerpt from the statement:

 ”It is too soon to draw conclusions about this case, but in every mass shooting we must consider two keys to prevention: (1) the presence of severe mental illness and/or (2) an intense interpersonal conflict that the person could not resolve or tolerate.

Inclinations to intensify security in schools should be reconsidered. We cannot and should not turn our schools into fortresses. Effective prevention cannot wait until there is a gunman in a school parking lot. We need resources such as mental health supports and threat assessment teams in every school and community so that people can seek assistance when they recognize that someone is troubled and requires help. For communities, this speaks to a need for increased access to well integrated service structures across mental health, law enforcement, and related agencies. We must encourage people to seek help when they see that someone is embroiled in an intense, persistent conflict or is deeply troubled. If we can recognize and ameliorate these kinds of situations, then we will be more able to prevent violence.

These issues require attention at the school and community levels. We believe that research supports a thoughtful approach to safer schools, guided by four key elements: Balance, Communication, Connectedness, and Support, along with strengthened attention to mental health needs in the community, structured threat assessment approaches, revised policies on youth exposure to violent media, and increased efforts to limit inappropriate access to guns and especially, assault type weapons.”

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BRIDGEPORT — As many as 5,000 tickets to a Sound Tiger’s Game on Wednesday, Dec. 19, are up for grabs in the office of the superintendent of schools.

Word of the free tickets came Monday afternoon from city school officials and the mayor’s office, along with a press release that read:

In light of these tragic events, the Mayor would like to provide Sound Tiger tickets to the parents and caretakers and encourage them to spend the evening at the sporting event with their children on Wednesday, December 19, 2012.  Tickets must be picked up in person and will be handed out on a first come first served basis.

The superintendent’s office is located on the second floor of City Hall, 45 Lyon Terrace.

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BRIDGEPORT — The following message appeared today on the Bridgeport Public Schools web site:

Greetings,

In light of the tragedy in Newtown, I am writing to share some updates on extra precautions that will be in place in our school district next week. Police will be providing extra patrols and presence at all schools during school times. Additionally, we will be providing access to a crisis hotline during the day on Monday where any teacher, parent or staff member can request grief or counseling services if needed. Finally, we will be reaching out to all administrators to pass along some standard safety and security reminders being compiled by the Bridgeport Police Department on our behalf.

As mentioned previously, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and victims and our neighbors in Newtown. Please be safe, be vigilant, and be aware of your surroundings always.

Sincerely,

Lissette Colon
Chief of Staff
Bridgeport Public Schools

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BRIDGEPORT — A short time ago, the U.S. Department of Education announced both Bridgeport and Hartford were still in the running for Race To the Top District funds when the list was pared down to 62 applications. Well, the winners were announced today by the White House and US Department of Education and guess who is not on it? That’s right. No Bridgeport. No Hartford.
Here is the release. No explanation given for who didn’t make the final cut.

Sandra Kase, chief administrative officer for the district, said the district fell just six points short in the scoring of applications. Bridgeport’s score was a 190.33 (Higher than Hartford’s 171.67) The Lindsay Unified School District in California won a grant with a score of 196.33

Here is a link to Bridgeport’s score card:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-district/2012/finalists/bridgeportpublicschoolsct.pdf

Here is the announcement from US Department of Education:

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES 16 WINNERS OF RACE TO THE TOP-DISTRICT COMPETITION

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that 16 applicants – representing 55 school districts across 11 states and D.C. – have won the 2012 Race to the Top-District competition. These districts will share nearly $400 million to support locally developed plans to personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student to succeed in college and their careers.

“Districts have been hungry to drive reform at the local level, and now these winners can empower their school leaders to pursue innovative ideas where they have the greatest impact: in the classroom,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The Race to the Top-District grantees have shown tremendous leadership though developing plans that will transform the learning environment and enable students to receive a personalized, world-class education.”

The 2012 Race to the Top-District grantees will receive four-year awards that range from $10 million to $40 million, depending on the number of students served through the plan. The winning applicants were the top scorers among the 372 applications the Department received in November, which were evaluated and scored by independent peer reviewers. Grantees represent a diverse set of districts, including applicants from both states that received a Race to the Top state grant as well as those that have not received Race to the Top state funding. Among the winners is a rural-area consortium representing 24 rural districts, which comprise 44 percent of the total number of districts that will benefit from the 2012 competition.

The Race to the Top-District competition builds on the success of the Race to the Top state grant program by supporting classroom-level reform efforts that encourage transformative change within schools. Applicants from all districts were invited to demonstrate how they can personalize education for all students and provide school leaders and teachers with tools that help them best meet their students’ needs. In developing their plans, districts collaborated with educators, parents, and both public and private organizational leaders to ensure their vision was supported by key community stakeholders.

“Since the day he took office, President Obama has been laser-focused on the goal of ensuring that every child has access to a quality education,” said Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Muñoz. “Race to the Top exemplifies this commitment and marks an historic moment in American education, raising the bar and improving outcomes for schools across the United States.”

Race to the Top, which launched in 2009, has inspired dramatic education reform nationwide, leading 45 states and the District of Columbia to pursue higher college- and career-ready standards, data-driven decision making, greater support for teachers and leaders, and turnaround interventions in low-performing schools. These 16 grantees will build on those principles at the classroom level to support localized plans that will directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness.

“Race to the Top sparked as much reform in some states that didn’t receive funds as in those that did – a trend we want to see continued with the Race to the Top-District competition, where the number of strong district applicants was greater than the funding we had available,” Duncan said. “We want districts to keep moving on these blueprints for reform to transform the learning environment and ultimately prepare every student for college and their career.”

Race to the Top-District plans are tailored to meet the needs of local communities and feature a variety of strategies, including: using technology to personalize learning for each student; giving students opportunities to learn beyond the traditional school day and environment; supporting students’ transitions throughout their education, including from high school to college and careers; expanding partnerships with community organizations to provide students with targeted social services like crisis intervention, individual counseling and life enrichment opportunities; and providing professional development and coursework options to deepen learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

For more information about the Race to the Top-District program, including a list of winners, requested award amounts and additional materials, visit the Department’s website: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-district/index.html. The grantees are also listed below:

*indicates consortium

Carson City School District, Nevada
Charleston County School District, South Carolina
Galt Joint Union School District, California
*Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, Kentucky, consortium leader (consortium members: Adair County Schools, Campbellsville Independent Schools, Carroll County Schools, Caverna Independent Schools, Cloverport Independent Schools, Daviess County Schools, Green County Schools, Hart County Schools, Henry County Schools, Logan County Schools, Metcalfe County Schools, Monroe County Schools, Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, Owen County Schools, Owensboro Independent Schools, Russell County Schools, Shelby County Schools, Simpson County Schools, Spencer County Schools, Taylor County Schools, Trimble County Schools, Union County Schools, West Point Independent Schools)
Guilford County Schools, North Carolina
*Harmony Science Academy (Harmony Public Schools), Texas, consortium leader (consortium members: Harmony School of Excellence, Harmony School of Science-Houston, Harmony Science Academy-Austin, Harmony Science Academy-Brownsville, Harmony Science Academy-El Paso, Harmony Science Academy-Fort Worth, Harmony Science Academy-Lubbock, Harmony Science Academy-San Antonio, Harmony Science Academy-Waco)
IDEA Public Schools, Texas
Iredell-Statesville Schools, North Carolina
KIPP DC, Washington, D.C.
Lindsay Unified School District, California
Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, Indiana
Middletown City School District, New York
New Haven Unified School District, California
*Puget Sound Educational Service District, Washington, consortium leader (consortium members: Auburn School District, Federal Way Public Schools, Highline Public Schools, Kent School District, Renton School District, Seattle Public Schools, Tukwila School District)
School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida
St. Vrain Valley Schools, Colorado