1)  127th General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate are scheduled
to hold sessions and committee hearings this week.

*The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by
Representative Hottinger, reported out favorably on March 6, 2008
HB496 (Hottinger), which makes reappropriations for the biennium
ending June 30, 2010, and makes certain other capital appropriations.
This bill includes reappropriations of $5.85 billion to continue work
on capital projects, such as the Veterans' Home Improvement Fund,
Clean Ohio Trail fund, Parks and Recreation Fund, Adult and Juvenile
Correctional Building Fund, etc.  The largest amount, $3.6 billion,
is allocated for the School Building Program Assistance through the
School Facilities Commission.  The bill also includes $144.5 million
in new capital funds for the Public Works Commission.

*The Senate Finance and Financial Institution Committee, chaired by
Senator Carey, reported out favorably SB273 (Niehaus) Classroom
Facilities.  This bills amends section 3318.032 and enacts section
3318.033 of the Revised Code.  It calculates an alternate equity list
for fiscal year 2008 to determine school district eligibility for
assistance under the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program and the
local share in fiscal year 2009; calculates an alternative equity
list for fiscal year 2009 funding under the Classroom Facilities
Assistance Program and the Exceptional Needs School Facilities
Assistance Program for certain school districts with large one-year
reductions in valuation; recalculates the local share of a current
classroom facilities project for certain school districts that had a
net gain in interdistrict open enrollment students when they became
eligible for state facilities assistance; specifies the local share
of new projects for certain school districts that previously received
assistance; and increases the percentage of classroom facilities
appropriations that may be used for joint vocational school districts
in fiscal year 2008.

2) March 4, 2008 Election Results:  According to the ODE website,
voters approved 46.06 percent of the 165 school district tax issues
on the March 4, 2008 ballot.  This is a lower rate of approval than
previous primary elections.  The five year average rate of approval
for school tax issues for a primary election is 51.80 percent.  For
all elections the five year average rate of approval is 49.37
percent.  Over the past five years there have been 2447 tax issues
for schools on the ballot (including operating, capital, and
combined), and 1208 have been approved.

3)  This Week at the Statehouse:

The Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee, chaired by
Senator Carey, will meet on March 11, 2008 at 2:30 PM and March 12,
2008 at 9:30 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room.  The Committee
will hear testimony on HB 496 (Hottinger), Capital Reappropriations
for the biennium ending June 30, 2010, pending referral.

The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Padgett, will meet
on March 11, 2008 at 4:00 PM in the North Hearing Room.  The
Committee will hear testimony on SB264 (Carey), which prohibits
classroom teachers employed by boards of education from striking, and
instead requires binding arbitration to settle their unresolved
collective bargaining disputes, and makes an appropriation; and SB270
(Cates), school employee misconduct.

4)  Update on Federal Initiatives:
*The U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a hearing on Tuesday,
March 11, 2008 on "After School Programs: How the Bush
Administration's Budget Impacts Children and Families". For more
information please visit,
http://edlabordemocrats.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?mailaction=clickthru&gpiv=1999909942.11222.215&gen=1&mailing_linkid=9372

*The U.S. House and Senate Budget Committees approved last week
resolutions in support of a $3.1 trillion budget package for FY09.
The resolutions have been placed on the House and Senate calendars.

The U.S. Senate Budget Committee, chaired by Senator Kent Conrad
chair, approved SCR 70 on March 6, 2008.  This resolution includes
over $64 billion for education in discretionary spending, an increase
of $5 billion over President Bush's FY09 recommendations when
adjusted for inflation.  The resolution reinstates the 48 programs
eliminated in the President's proposed FY09 budget; provides
additional funding for Head State, NCLB, IDEA, Pell Grants, and job
training compared to the President's version; and includes $2.5
billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant in 2009. This is
$406 million above the 2008 level adjusted for inflation, and $441
million more than the President's request.  The resolution also
provides a deficit-neutral reserve fund for up to $50 billion to
expand coverage for the estimated six million children eligible but
not enrolled in either SCHIP or Medicaid, and maintains coverage for
all currently-enrolled children.  Also included in the resolution are
a deficit-neutral reserve fund to facilitate legislation to rebuild
crumbling schools, and an expansion of education-related tax credits
and deductions.

The U.S. House Budget Committee, chaired by Representative Spratt,
approved HCR 312 on March 6, 2008.  This resolution provides a $7.1
billion increase for the education budget and reinstates 47 education
programs eliminated in President Bush's proposed FY09 budget.  This
resolution also provides an increase of up to $50 billion to expand
the children's health insurance program, subject to the pay-as-you-go
rule.

5)  State Board of Education to Meet:  The State Board of Education
(SBE), Jennifer Sheets president, will meet on March 10-11, 2008 in
Columbus, Ohio.  The State Board of Education's Quality Middle and
High Schools and School Funding subcommittees were scheduled to meet
on March 9, 2008 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, but were
canceled due to the snow emergency.

The State Board of Education will hold its meetings on March 10-11,
2008 at the Ohio School for the Deaf, 500 Morse Road, Columbus, OH.
On March 10, 2008 the Achievement Committee, Michael Cochran and Ann
Womer Benjamin co-chairs, and the Capacity Committee, Rob Hovis and
Jane Sonenshein co-chairs, will meet at 8:00 AM.

The Capacity Committee will discuss Ohio Administrative Code (OAC)
Rule 3301-71-01, Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid; Rule 3301-23-41,
12-hour Temporary Teacher Permit; Rule 3301-24-15, Provisional
Educator License for STEM; the Legislative Recommendations for
Performance Standards for Dropout Recovery Schools; the Educator Code
of Conduct; Safe Schools Recommendations; Community School Fiscal
Officer Requirements; and the work of the Entry-year Advisory
Committee.

The Achievement Committee will discuss Administrative Code Rule
3301-51-11, Pre-School Special Education Requirements; the Perkins IV
Five-Year Plan; and improving student achievement at the middle
grades in literacy and mathematics.

At 10:15 AM representatives from the Ohio Attorney General's Office
will conduct a training session on the Ohio Public Records Act and
Open Meetings Act.  The recipients of the Milken Award will be
recognized at 11:45 AM, and then the Board will break for lunch.

After lunch at 1:15 PM the Achievement Committee and the Capacity
Committee will present their reports followed by the Legislative
Report, presented by Board members John Bender and Carl Wick.  Both
the Achievement and Capacity Committees will hold working sessions on
legislative and budget recommendations at 2:30 PM. The Board will
review written reports, discuss items for a vote on the business
agenda, and hear reports from Board members at 3:30 PM.  At 4:00 PM
the Board will hold a Chapter 119 Hearing on the following rules:

Chapter 119 Hearing
-Adopt OAC Rules 3301-17-01 to 09, Accurate Reporting of Data.
-Amend OAC Rules 3301-102-02 to 06, Community School Sponsorship
-Amend OAC Rule 3301-104-02, E-School Expenditure

The Board will adjourn following the hearing.  The State Board of
Education's Subcommittee for Education in the New Global Economy
(EDGE) will meet from 5:00 - 6:30 PM.

On February 12, 2008 the State Board of Education's Coordination
Committee will meet with the full Board starting at 8:30 AM and
discuss legislative and budget recommendations.  The Board will
convene its business meeting at 10:45 AM and immediately proceed into
executive session.  Following lunch at 1:15 PM the Board will
continue its business meeting starting with the report of the
Superintendent of Public Instruction and public participation on
agenda items.  The Board will then take action on four personnel
items and the resolutions included below.  The Board will then accept
public participation on non-agenda items and adjourn.  The next
meeting of the State Board of Education is April 7-8, 2008.

AGENDA ITEMS

-Approve a Resolution of Intent to Rescind and Adopt Rule 3310-26-01,
Examinations for pre-Kindergarten Associate Certification, Classroom
Teacher Certification, and Educational Personnel Certification
-Approve a Resolution to Refile Proposed New Rule 3301-51-11,
Preschool Special Education Requirements
-Approve an Intent to Rescind and Adopt New Rule 3310-71-01, Poverty
Based Assistance
-Approve a Resolution to Amend Rules 3301-35-05 and 06, Operating
Standards for Ohio Schools
-Approve a Resolution to Amend Rule 3301-44-09, Participation by
Nonpublic Schools in Post Secondary Enrollment Options
-Approve a Resolution to Rescind and Adopt New OAC Rules 3301-51-01,
to 09, Operating Standards for Ohio's Schools Serving Children with
Disabilities
-Approve a Resolution to Amend Rule 3301-51-15, Operating Standards
for Identifying and Serving Gifted Students
-Approve a Resolution to Amend Rule 3301-52-01, Screening and
Assessment Information
-Approve a Resolution to Rescind Rules 3301-69-11 and 12, Title IV-A,
Head Start, and Title IV-A, Head Start Plus
-Approve a Resolution to Confirm the Chardon Local School District
Board of Education's determination that it is impractical to
transport students to the Phillips-Osborne School
-Approve a Resolution to Revoke the Charter of the Marva Collins
Preparatory School
-Approve a Resolution to Adopt the Ohio Five Year Plan for the
administration of Career Technical Education effective July 1, 2008
through June 30, 2013
-Approve legislative recommendations regarding performance standards
for dropout recovery schools required by 126-Am. Sub. HB 79
-Approve a Resolution Regarding the Code of Professional Conduct for
Ohio Educators

6)  BOR Announces Choose Ohio:  The Ohio Board of Regents announced
on March 7, 2008 the recipients of the Choose Ohio First Scholarship
Program. This program was created by the Ohio General Assembly as
part of the Ohio Innovative Partnership Program to provide
scholarships to strengthen Ohio students in science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, medicine, and STEM education.  28 proposals
were submitted.  $22. 7 million will be distributed to 21 Ohio public
and private colleges and universities in this first round.  Another
$27.3 million will be awarded later.  Universities and colleges are
also contributing approximately $38 million in funds and support
services to implement these programs.  For more information please
visit http://universitysystem.ohio.gov/chooseohio1st. The following
programs will be awarded funding during this first round:

*STEM Undergraduate Engagement in an Engineering Environment.  The
University of Akron (lead institution) will share $6.5 million with
partners.
*Ohio Consortium for Bioinformatics. Ohio University (lead
institution) will share $4.475 million with partners.
*Student Success in Mathematics.  Cleveland State University (lead
institution) will share $4.5 million with partners.  The high schools
involved include those in the following school districts:  Cleveland
Metropolitan School District, Aurora City Schools, Hudson City
Schools, Crestwood Local Schools, New Philadelphia Schools, Waterloo
Local Schools, Akron Public Schools, Summit County Educational
Service Center, Chaney High School in Youngstown, East High School in
Youngstown, Girard High School, Warren G. Harding High School in
Warren, and Youngstown Early College.
*Coming out of the Pipeline: The UC Interdisciplinary Pathway to STEM
Professionals.  The University of Cincinnati, in partnership with
more than 760 Ohio businesses, will share $4.5 million.
*Building the Nursing Workforce in Northeastern Ohio.  Case Western
Reserve University (lead institution) will share $676,800 with
partners.
*Pharmacy Scholarships. Ursuline College (lead institution) will
share $364,000 with partners.
*Diversifying Ohio in STEM (DO-STEM). Central State University (lead
institution) will share $3.1
million with partners.

7)  Colorado Report on Successful Schools:  The Colorado Department
of Education released a report on February 26, 2008 called "Profiles
of Success: Eight Colorado Schools that are Closing the Achievement
Gap".   The report includes the findings of research conducted on
several school districts in which economically-disadvantages students
performed better than the state average on the Colorado Student
Assessment Program in at least two subjects for at least three
consecutive years.  The Donnell-Kay Foundation and Augenblick,
Palaich & Associates (APA) conducted the research.  The report is
available at http://www.apaconsulting.net/uploads/reports/11.pdf.

Overall the researchers found that, "....no two schools allocated
their resources in the same way. For example, when we compared the
number of personnel per pupil across schools (in total and by
sub-groups like instruction, counseling, and administration) we found
considerable variance. Some schools invested heavily in instruction
while others invested in administration. Yet all the schools were
successful at closing the achievement gap. Since the schools studied
showed such variance in how resources were invested, APA did not
believe any single resource model could be recommended. Instead, what
appears to be more important to the success of the eight schools we
visited was the fact that many of the school leaders were given the
flexibility and authority to decide how to direct resources to the
areas of greatest need within their schools."

According to researchers the successful schools exhibited the
following common characteristics:
*A culture of high expectations and accountability for all students.
*Targeted assessments and intensive use of data to guide instruction.
*Individualized support for struggling students.
*Active engagement of teachers in school leadership and decision-making.
*Substantial time for collaborative planning and options for
professional development.
*Commitment to core academics and standards but not at the expense of
other important learning in the arts and humanities. "A common
complaint about schools today is too much "teaching to the test" and
not enough opportunity for kids to learn through the arts and
humanities. While it is evident that each of these schools takes the
CSAPs very seriously, and focuses considerable time and attention to
ensure that kids are prepared for such tests, they also noted the
importance of other types of learning. For example, in a time when
more and more schools are cutting out music, all the schools we
visited maintain instrumental music programs. Furthermore, most
offered foreign language courses, creative and performing arts, and
other programs, especially in the secondary years, designed to
broaden students' knowledge and experience bases (e.g., philosophy,
engineering, graphic design, etc.)."
*Stable and consistent leadership.
*Small learning communities.
*Flexibility to use resources to support student needs and reinforce
school culture.  "When asked how they might use an extra $100,000 per
year, school priorities tended to include: (a) support extended day
programming (academic and electives), including transportation
associated with ensuring that all kids could participate in the
extended day; (b) hire more "specials" teachers (e.g., P.E., Art,
foreign language, etc.).; and (c) add teacher days for professional
development and planning. A couple of schools lost their extended day
programs this year due to district budget cuts and worried about the
academic implications this was going to have on their students."
* Economically integrated student-bodies.

8)  March is Arts Education Month:  The March 2008 issue of The
School Administrator is entitled "The Arts at K-12's Center Stage,
Finding ways to increase student access to creative learning."  The
issue features several articles that describe the latest research on
arts education and its role in school reform, preparing students for
future careers in the arts, and preparing students for success in the
global economy.  For example, the article written by Lois Hetland, a
research associate with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School
of Education, describes how struggling schools are using the arts to
"...motivate thinking, speaking, reading and writing and, beyond
motivation, to make students' learning visible so teachers can better
target instruction to individual needs."  This article also includes
seven recommendations for superintendents who want to improve their
arts education program to promote rigorous thinking and expand the
arts throughout the curriculum.

The article written by Dick Deasy, director of the Arts Education
Partnership, describes certain capacities that students learn through
the arts.  These include imagination; innovation and creativity;
engagement and achievement motivation; conditional reasoning;
symbolic understanding; critical thinking; and collaborative learning
and action.  He writes, "These capacities demanded by the arts are
the same skills that business and corporate leaders tell us are
essential for American success in the global economy."

For more information about the issue please visit
http://www.aasa.org/.  The following is a list of the articles and
their authors included in the issue:

"Why the Arts Deserve Center State", by Richard Deasy
"Basically, Arts are Basic" by Harvard's Project Zero's Lois Hetland
"Art Education Resources" by Marian Kisch
"Bucking Trends:  Expanding the Arts" by Kathi Levin
"Creating a Brighter Workforce with the Arts" by Robert Lynch
"Collecting Arts Data Under No Child Left Behind" by Narric Rome
"The Arts in Contemporary Education" by John Eger
"Why the Arts Change the Learning Experience" by John Eger
"Creating a Whole New World" by Paul Houston
"Bringing the Arts Front and Center" by Sarah Jerome

9)  Bills Introduced:

*HB495 (Fessler) Prohibits state institutions of higher education
from requiring a student to purchase the institution's health
insurance plan.
*HB496 (Hottinger) Makes capital reappropriations for the biennium
ending June 30, 2010, and certain capital appropriations.
*HR142 (Foley) A resolution to urge the 2008 presidential candidates
to hold a debate on their views on science and technology.