Advocates

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama’s effort to help educate millions of adolescent girls in developing countries has picked up support from Pakistan.In conjunction with a White House meeting Thursday between President Barack Obama and Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif, the first lady’s office announced that the Pakistani government has committed to double spending on education at home, from 2 percent to 4 percent of GDP by 2018. 

Adult literacy is often overlooked, but it’s a social issue that helps to explain issues of intergenerational poverty, outcomes for youth, and the global divide between rich and poor.

M ark Claypool, President and CEO of ChanceLight Behavioral Health and Education, took time to discuss his efforts to improve public-private partnerships (PPP) in the education sector. Claypool recently co-authored We’re In This Together: Public-Private Partnerships in Special and At-Risk-Education. A social worker and education administrator, Claypool grew frustrated by decreasing resources for children with learning differences, so in 1999 he founded ChanceLight™ Behavioral Health & Education, formerly known as Educational Services of America (ESA). Under his leadership, the company has grown from a start-up to nearly $130 million in annual revenue, and today, ChanceLight is the nation’s leading provider of behavior therapy and alternative and special education programs for children and young adults. Claypool, along with nearly 900 participants, including some 250 global education companies was in New York for the BMO Capital Markets 15th Annual Back to School Education Conference. Dr. Berger, in collaboration with MindRocket Media Group and edCircuit captured views from business leaders to investors taking a look behind the scenes of investment in education and technology.

Photo credit: Christopher Webbby The Takeaway’s T.J. RaphaelA dozen parents and community activists in Chicago are on hunger strike over by a proposal from Chicago’s public schools to turn their community high school into an arts magnet. Read and listen to the story at WBEZ.org.

by Debbie Cafazzo and Melissa SantosA week after the state Supreme Court declared Washington’s charter schools unconstitutional, the outlook for salvaging the voter-approved system of privately run, publicly funded schools is unclear.Read the rest of the story at The News Tribune.

by Sara GilgoreThe World Privacy Forum, a public-interest research group focused on privacy protection, has launched a campaign urging parents to “opt out” of allowing schools to release “directory” information—student data the organization says schools could otherwise disclose to third-parties who request access.Read the rest of the story at Education Week.

Dr. Cheryl Sattler has 20 years’ experience in federal education policy and practice, specializing in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Sattler penned Let’s Talk Title I: Everything You Need to Know and Do as an Administrator to assist school-based leadership navigate Title I.Dr. Sattler and Dr. John H. Lockwood founded ETHICA, providing educational consulting services specializing in federal programs and evaluation.

Join us for a conversation with child protection advocate Francey Hakes, who will talks about rules to establish safety regarding kids and smartphones, including what constitutes a “friend,” and the topic of cyberbullying. Hakes was the first-ever National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney specializing in technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation.

When I was growing up in Minnesota in the 1960s, “after school activities” for me meant walking out my family’s back door to play with the other kids who lived on my street. In the summer, we played kickball or we explored the nearby woods; in the winter, we built snowmen or stayed inside to play board games. My mom and the other neighborhood moms never had to worry about organizing activities for us; they just had to call us for dinner in a couple hours.