WHAT STATES ARE DOING
HIGH SCHOOLS - The MASSACHUSETTS board of education has unanimously approved a recommended high school program of studies designed to ensure that students graduate college and career ready. The MassCore was developed in response to growing concerns by the state's colleges and university system that too many students require remedial help to catch up during their first year on campus.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN3701

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT - The KENTUCKY Parent Advisory Council has issued recommendations and a rubric focused on increasing parental involvement in education. In WEST VIRGINIA, the state board declared November as parental involvement month.


To see all 2007 STATE ACTION tracked through ECS' state policy database, click here.

http://www.ecs.org/00CN3700

GOOD READS
NCLB IMPLEMENTATION - A recently released two-volume report from the Institute for Education Science presents findings on the implementation and impact of Title I (NCLB). Volume I - which contains key findings on the implementation - has a number of useful 50-state charts and comparisons towards the end. Volume II presents a report on follow-up findings from Closing the Reading Gap, an evaluation of the impact of supplemental remedial reading programs on achievement of 3rd- and 5th-grade students. Also available is a handy summary of the key findings.


SCHOOL FOODS - The Center for Science in the Public Interest has released its 2007 report card on the progress that states have made in improving the nutritional quality of school foods. No state receives an A grade on the report card, though two states receive an A-. Fifteen states receive a B grade, 14 receive Cs or Ds and 20 receive Fs.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN3705

DROPOUT PREVENTION - A report from the National High School Center outlines steps that schools can take to identify at-risk students and provide the necessary support systems and relevant interventions to assist them in obtaining a high school diploma. The report discusses the use of early warning data systems to target interventions for groups and individual students, offers a variety of best practice approaches undertaken by higher-performing high schools and presents effective programs that are currently being implemented to stem the dropout problem.
http://www.ecs.org/00CN3706

NAMES IN THE NEWS
ECS is sad to announce the passing of two members of its extended family. Former ECS Chair and South Carolina Governor ROBERT MCNAIR, passed away on November 17. McNair served as ECS Chair from 1968-69, and as governor of South Carolina from 1965-71. MAXINE FROST, a former ECS Commissioner from California who served for 40 years as a Riverside Unified School District trustee, died Tuesday at her home.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
ALASKA IS SEEKING A COMMISSIONER of the Department of Education and Early Development. The application deadline is February 1, 2008. For information, contact Eric Fry at 904.465.2851 or eric.fry@alaska.gov, or see www.eed.state.ak.us after December 3rd.