adhd relief no advantage to single- gender education

april 2014 • asbj.com 15

dashboard

Trends

Brain training can bring ADHD reliefdrugs such as ritalin or adderall are the usual way children with atten-tion-span problems are treated. Howev-er, a new study is showing that another form of treatment is on the horizon: neurofeedback.

Published in the journal Pediatrics, the study of 104 Boston elementary school students diagnosed with ADHD reported that neurofeedback not only helped them extend their attention spans, it also reduced hyperactive behaviors.

Some children were on medication and some were not. They were random-ly assigned to have neurofeedback or cognitive computer training at school three times a week for fi ve months. A control group had no therapy at all, the Boston Globe reported.

The cognitive training helped with attention spans but not the hyperactiv-ity. The study authors are hoping that additional research will duplicate their fi ndings. If so, study author Dr. Naomi Steiner told the Globe that she hopes schools will one day off er this kind of feedback as part of their special educa-tion services.

No advantage to single-gender education put all the girls in a classroom where they can collaborate and work quietly. Get the boys in another room where they can compete with each other and move around a lot. That, in a nutshell, is the philosophy behind the practice of single-gender classrooms.

It turns out this classroom segrega-tion doesn’t help students learn better than those in co-ed rooms, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

Lead researcher Janet Shibley Hyde said that, while single-sex classroom and school proponents say the practice increases student achievement, “our comprehensive analysis of the data shows that these advantages are trivial and, in many cases, nonexistent.”

Researchers analyzed 184 studies of more than 1.6 million students from around the world. They also did a sep-arate analysis of just U.S. schools, with the same results.

56,000 The number of laminated cards with “A School Board Vision for Public Education” and the set of “Guiding

Principles” distributed since November 2013 by state school boards associations and NSBA. To get cards for you and your board, contact Linda Embrey at [email protected].

ILLU

StrA

tIo

N: C

hrI

S G

ASh

Copyright 2014 Nati onal School Boards Associati on. All rights reserved. This arti cle may be printed out and photocopied for individual or noncommercial educati onal use (50 copy limit), but may not be electronically re-created, stored, or distributed; or otherwise modifi ed, reproduced, transmitt ed, republished, displayed or distributed. By granti ng this limited license, NSBA does not waive any of the rights or remedies otherwise available at law or in equity. By granti ng permission to use of our materials, NSBA does not intend to endorse any company or its products and services.

16 asbj.com • april 2014

dashboard

Chicago schools reduce suspension ratea change in chicago Public Schools' student code of conduct has resulted in a 36 percent drop in suspensions over the past two years.

The new code of con-duct, put into place in 2012, encourages school officials to avoid using suspensions as a disci-plinary tool and instead come up with other ways to deal with student mis-conduct. Alternatives in-clude conflict resolution techniques, anger coping therapy, and intervention programs.

Suspensions and expulsions have been in the spotlight nationally,

after research by the U.S. Department of Education showed that minority students face harsher discipline than their white peers. Suspensions and expulsions also are linked to a higher risk of dropping out.

“We believe this is a work in progress and there’s still more work to do,” Aarti Dhupelia, CPS’ chief of college and career success, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “We still have a large number of suspensions.”

Trends

Tracking bus riders made easywondering if your students got on their buses in the morning? There’s an app for that.

Students at an Illinois high school use a computerized bus pass system to scan their ID cards getting on and off the bus. Parents can access that information by computer—or, if they prefer, they can get it by text message or through an app for Apple or Android devices.

Jim Conrey, a spokesman for Ste-

venson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill., said the technology gives “parents the option to have certainty that their stu-dents was picked up or dropped off,” the Daily Herald reported.

The system only is available for bus riders currently; students don’t scan their cards when they enter school or individual classrooms. Conrey said the company was looking to expand the system to be able to tell parents and students how far a bus is from an individual bus stop.

Kiwis? Yes, please!this winter’s cold weather and storminess have some schools that serve fresh fruits and vegetables for their lunch program changing their menus.

The Green Bay, Wis., school district bought kiwi fruit for a special program. However, frigid temperatures caused schools to close for three days in January, and the food service staff served the fruit to the students before it went bad.

“We had a lot of students say, ‘We really like kiwi, can we have this every day?’” Kathy Walker, food services director for the Green Bay district, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “So you never know.”

Using fresh fruits and vegetables, as required by the federal Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, make planning trickier for districts during weather-related school clos-ings. The longer schools are closed, the more potential for waste.

ETA10min

Copyright 2014 National School Boards Association. All rights reserved. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or noncommercial educational use (50 copy limit), but may not be electronically re-created, stored, or distributed; or otherwise modified, reproduced, transmitted, republished, displayed or distributed. By granting this limited license, NSBA does not waive any of the rights or remedies otherwise available at law or in equity. By granting permission to use of our materials, NSBA does not intend to endorse any company or its products and services.

april 2014 • asbj.com 17

44 school shootings since Newtown

My children have told me on a few occasions that they've had teachers joke with them that they better do their jobs because I can get them fired. So I think the biggest misperception is that, as a board member, I wield this amazing power to move mountains in the district. It doesn't work that way! It's that delicate balancing act of working with other board members on solutions because I am only one vote. It's also that constant struggle to inform folks that my duties as a board member are limited to policy, budget, and superintendent performance.

Kathy Korte school board member

New Mexico

misperceptions

You do what?members of the public say the funniest things. And they often have little clue about what school board members actually do.

We asked our Reader Panel members to name the biggest misperception that the public has about school board work.

The biggest misperception is that a single board member can make changes alone. The second biggest is that a board member can take over the superintendent's role.

Nancy Hartmanschool board member

Missouri

What common misperceptions have you heard about board service? Send one to [email protected] and we may run it in an upcoming issue.

dashboard

a school shooting has occurred every 10 days since the December 2012 shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn., according to a February report on K-12 and college campuses.

Compiled by two groups—Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America—the report counted 13 shootings in the first six weeks of 2014.

The groups found that 70 percent of shootings after New-town were done by minors, and three-quarters involved guns brought from home, according to the New York Daily News. The incidents included assaults, ho-micides, suicides, and uninten-tional shootings.

“ Schools now routinely have

lockdown drills reminiscent of Cold War air raid drills,” Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said in a press statement.

Phot

o: J

oh

N M

oo

re

Families remember their lost children during a ceremony on the first anni-versary of the New-town shootings.

“ Parents in communities across the country live in fear. An estimated 90 percent of school districts have tightened security since Newtown—installing metal detectors, surveillance cameras, and bullet-proof glass.”

Shannon Watts



For more adult education stories from readers, or to join ASBJ’s Reader Panel, go to www.asbj.com/readerpanel.

dashboard

Trends

reader panel

Adult education worksIn this issue, we asked readers to tell us their adult and community education success stories.

“ Our program is very

old and run by a citizen

group. They are a fixture

in our high school and

remain a shining light of

community spirit.”James Butt

school board member Pennsylvania

“ It is always very exciting and satisfying to hand diplomas to adults. Their heart-warming stories of interrupted education, and final graduation—sometimes at the same time as their own children—are inspiring and moving!”

Gail Monohon, school board member, California

“ An over 80-year-old mom who completed her GED said it best:

‘ We are never too old to learn something new, and it is never too late to accomplish a task that is worth accomplishing.’”

Bob Gragg semi-retired

superintendent and consultant

oklahoma

“ Billings’ Adult Basic Education programs have resulted in projects and services in credit recovery, alternative learning centers, and shared technology which have increased our graduation rates.”

Kathleen Aragon school board member

Montana

If You Purchased Municipal Derivative Transactions from January 1, 1992 to August 18, 2011

You Could Get a Payment for a Class Action Settlement.A proposed Settlement has been reached with Bank of America, N.A. (“Bank of America”), in a class action lawsuit that alleges price-fixing in the sale of municipal derivatives transactions by Bank of America and other companies. The case, In re Municipal Derivatives Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1950, No. 08-02516, is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Who Is Included in the Settlement?This Settlement includes all state, local and municipal government entities, independent government agencies, quasi-government, non-profit and private entities that purchased:

(1) Municipal derivative transactions through negotiation, competitive bidding or auction, from any Alleged Provider Defendant or Co-Conspirator or brokered by any Alleged Broker Defendant or Co-Conspirator,

(2) Any time from January 1, 1992 through August 18, 2011 in the United States and its territories or for delivery in the United States and its territories.

The Defendants and Co-Conspirators are listed in the detailed notice available on the Settlement website.

What Does the Settlement Provide?Bank of America agreed to a settlement amount of $20 million (plus any funds remaining in the State AG Escrow Fund that, as of the date this Notice is issued, Bank of America has access to pursuant to the terms of the State AG Settlement – this potential additional amount could be between $0 and $1 million) to be paid as follows: $10 million has already been paid into an escrow account and the balance will be paid later. This Settlement is only a partial settlement of the lawsuit because it only affects the claims against Bank of America. The lawsuit is continuing against other Defendants. Morgan Stanley, Wachovia/Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan have already settled. Bank of America will provide reasonable cooperation, including discovery cooperation, to Class Plaintiffs’ Counsel in the litigation that will continue against the other Defendants.

What Do I Do Now?• Remain in the Settlement. To remain in the Settlement

Class and participate in the Settlement, you do not have to do anything now. If the Court approves the Settlement, you give up the right to sue Bank of America for the claims and issues in this case. The Settlement Agreement, specifically Paragraph 1(cc), which is available at www.MunicipalDerivativesSettlement.com, describes in more detail the legal claims that you give up if you stay in the Class. If you remain in the Settlement Class, you still have the right to exclude yourself from any other settlements with other defendants reached in this lawsuit. Claim forms are not

For more information: 1-877-310-0512 www.MunicipalDerivativesSettlement.com

available now. Register on the Settlement website to receive a claim form when it becomes available.

• Exclude yourself from the Settlement. If you do not want to remain in the Settlement Class, you must exclude yourself. You must send a written request for exclusion by first-class mail, postmarked no later than May 6, 2014 to the Settlement Administrator. The detailed notice available on the Settlement website describes the information you are required to include in your request for exclusion. If you exclude yourself, you cannot participate in the Settlement, but you retain your right to sue Bank of America on your own for the claims in this lawsuit.

NOTE: You may receive similar notices regarding proposed settlements with other Defendants (i.e., GE Funding Capital Market Services, Inc., Trinity Funding Co., LLC and Trinity Plus Funding Co., LLC). However, if you wish to exclude yourself from the Bank of America settlement, you must send a separate and specific notice with regard to the Bank of America settlement.

• Object or Comment on the Settlement. If you remain in the Settlement Class and want to object to or comment on the Bank of America Settlement or any part of it, you must file an objection with the Court and deliver a copy to Class Counsel and Bank of America no later than May 6, 2014.

When Will the Court Decide Whether to

Approve the Settlement?The Court has scheduled a hearing on June 6, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, to consider whether to finally approve the Bank of America Settlement as fair, reasonable and adequate, whether to approve Class Counsel’s request for reimbursement of litigation expenses, and to consider any objections.

The Court has appointed the law firms of Hausfeld LLP; Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP; and Susman Godfrey L.L.P. to serve as Class Counsel and represent all Class Members. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense. You or your lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the hearing but are not required to. If you want to be heard by the Court, you must file a written notice of your intention to appear with the Court and deliver a copy to the Class Counsel and Bank of America no later than May 6, 2014. The Court may change the time and date of the hearing. Any change will be posted on the Settlement website.

Get More InformationFor more information on this lawsuit, your rights, or to obtain a list of defendants, call or visit the Settlement website listed below or write to Municipal Derivatives Settlement, c/o Rust Consulting, Inc., P.O. Box 2500, Faribault, MN 55021-9500.

Legal Notice



dashboard

Trends

with the goal of 99percent of U.S. students having access to high-speed Internet within fi ve years, President Obama has pledged $2 billion in federal govern-ment support to schools.

“In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coff ee, we should demand it in our schools,” Obama told a crowd of people outside a school in suburban Washington, D.C., ac-cording to the Washing-ton Post.

The president’s February announcement came during his post-State of the Union tour. The ConnectEd program, according to the White House, will be a “break-through investment in schools.”

Currently, Internet speeds at 70 percent of the nation's schools are too slow for students to take advantage of rich digital content and have the opportunity to connect and collaborate online.

Are you connected yet?

College does pay

off THINK A COLLEGE

EDUCATION IS EXPENSIVE? TRY NOT GOING TO

COLLEGE

A survey by the Pew Research Center found that college graduates from ages

25 to 32—so-called Millen-nials—who are working full

time earn $17,500 more annually than employed

young adults holding only a high school diploma.

College graduates in that age group also say that the costs of a college education

were worth it—that it has paid off or will pay off in the

future.

About 22 percent of Millen-nials with only a high school diploma were living in pover-ty, in contrast to 6 percent of Millennial college graduates.

Adding to the benefi ts, college-educated Millennials

are more likely than their peers with high school

diplomas to be employed full time, and are much less

likely to be unemployed—3.8 percent for the college ed-ucated vs. 12.2 percent for

high school grads.

" In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coff ee, we should demand it in our schools.”

Phot

o: C

hIP

So

Mo

DeVI

LLA

iris, retina, and palm scanners; Voicerecognition; fi ngerprint readers—all part of biometrics, the practice of using physical char-acteristics for student identifi cation—are being used in a small-scale way in schools.

However, the practice is getting scrutiny from Florida lawmakers, who introduced a bill that would limit or outright ban the use of biometric data collecting in state schools. The concern was student data security.

School board members who wanted the fl exibility to make their own policies were not happy about the move from the legislature.

“Biometrics is coming,” Miami-Dade School Board member Raquel Regalado told the Miami Herald. “It exists in the market. It will exist in our schools. It may end up being a viable way to ensure there isn’t fraud.”

Some districts are using palm and fi nger-print scanners in cafeterias and buses.

Biometrics gets thumbs down in Florida

Together we can nourish and prepare students for success now and in the future.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHARTWELLS:

Call: 1-877-586-9631

Visit: www.eatlearnlive.com

E-mail: [email protected]

EAT. LEARN. LIVE.IS WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO.



get connected

Your National Connection

National Connection: A partnership service of state school boards associations and NSBA.

A resource for board leadershipnational connection’s school board leadership resource center collects

“how we did it” examples and stories from districts across the country, provid-ing practical ideas and resources to help you put the principles of good gover-nance into action.

As the Resource Center grows, you’ll fi nd examples of vision statements, continuous improvement plans, and more. In-depth case studies of success-ful boards and districts will profi le the

practices they used to create success and overcome challenges. The Resource Center also features selected content from NSBA’s two primary resources for school boards, Becoming a Better Board Member and The Key Work of School Boards, for easy access to background on the topics.

Major updates of new featured content will be done quarterly, and boards are encouraged to share their stories and submit examples to add to the Resource Center.

SHARE YOUR SUCCESS: National Connection links school boards, state associations, and NSBA together to share best practices. Share

your examples and stories by emailing [email protected].

Accountability dashboards and annual reportsOne important element of school board and district accountability is reporting on student learning and achievement in ways that keep data front and center for your staff , and in ways parents and the community can read and understand. Get ideas to adapt for your district from this compilation of best practice dash-boards, scorecards, assessment reports, and annual reports from across the country.

You’ll fi nd links to district websites, with highlights to off ering tips on key elements of best practices. The Resource Center off ers board members an easy way to understand what’s possible, and district staff a strong resource bank to gather ideas. You’ll fi nd examples from districts of diff erent sizes from all across the nation to put into practice in your district.

DISTRICT DASHBOARDS and score-cards are designed to

highlight and monitor import-ant district indicators. You’ll fi nd examples of dashboards that cover a variety of district success indicators, including student performance, fi scal health, demographic chang-es, and culture.

ASSESSMENT REPORTS come from the state. The Resource Cen-ter showcases

districts that have gone beyond the state report card to illustrate student performance on state tests that are more “user-friend-ly” for parents and commu-nity members.

A++++

ANNUAL REPORTS cover a range of district informa-tion including academic, fi scal,

and operational perfor-mance. You’ll fi nd district examples that illustrate how an annual report can be strengthened with the use of graphs and charts.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND PROGRESS REPORTS

focus on illus-trating progress toward student achievement goals,

growth, and improvement. You’ll fi nd districts that have designed reports to simply and transparently communi-cate accountability data.

THE KEY WORK OF SCHOOL BOARDS

NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION1680 DUKE STREET ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22314-3493703.838.NSBA703.683.7590 (FAX)WWW.NSBA.ORG

G U I D E B O O K

KATHERYN W. GEMBERLING CARL W. SMITH JOSEPH S. VILLANI

If You Purchased Municipal Derivative Transactions from January 1, 1992 to August 18, 2011

You Could Get a Payment for a Class Action Settlement.

A proposed Settlement has been reached with GE Funding Capital Market Services, Inc., Trinity Funding Co., LLC and Trinity Plus Funding Co., LLC (collectively, “GE”), in a class action lawsuit that alleges price-fixing in the sale of municipal derivatives transactions by GE and other companies. The case, In re Municipal Derivatives Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1950, No. 08-02516, is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Who Is Included in the Settlement?This Settlement includes all state, local and municipal government entities, independent government agencies, quasi-government, non-profit and private entities that purchased:

(1) Municipal derivative transactions through negotiation, competitive bidding or auction, from any Alleged Provider Defendant or brokered by any Alleged Broker Defendant,

(2) Any time from January 1, 1992 through August 18, 2011 in the United States and its territories or for delivery in the United States and its territories.

The Defendants and Co-Conspirators are listed in the detailed notice available on the Settlement website.

What Does the Settlement Provide?GE agreed to a settlement amount of $18.25 million. This Settlement is only a partial settlement of the lawsuit because it only affects the claims against GE. The lawsuit is continuing against other Defendants. Morgan Stanley, Wachovia/Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan have already settled. GE will provide reasonable cooperation, including discovery cooperation, to Class Plaintiffs’ Counsel in the litigation that will continue against the other Defendants.

What Do I Do Now?• Remain in the Settlement. To remain in the Settlement

Class and participate in the Settlement, you do not have to do anything now. If the Court approves the Settlement, you give up the right to sue GE for the claims and issues in this case. The Settlement Agreement, specifically Paragraph 1(bb), which is available at www.MunicipalDerivativesSettlement.com, describes in more detail the legal claims that you give up if you stay in the Class. If you remain in the Settlement Class, you still have the right to exclude yourself from any other settlements with other defendants reached in this lawsuit. Claim forms are not available now. Register on the Settlement website to receive a claim form when it becomes available.

For more information: 1-877-310-0512 www.MunicipalDerivativesSettlement.com

• Exclude yourself from the Settlement. If you do not want to remain in the Settlement Class, you must exclude yourself. You must send a written request for exclusion by first-class mail, postmarked no later than May 6, 2014 to the Settlement Administrator. The detailed notice available on the Settlement website describes the information you are required to include in your request for exclusion. If you exclude yourself, you cannot participate in the Settlement, but you retain your right to sue GE on your own for the claims in this lawsuit.

NOTE: You may receive similar notices regarding proposed settlements with other Defendants (i.e., Bank of America). However, if you wish to exclude yourself from the GE settlement, you must send a separate and specific notice with regard to the GE settlement.

• Object or Comment on the Settlement. If you remain in the Settlement Class and want to object to or comment on the GE Settlement or any part of it, you must file an objection with the Court and deliver a copy to Class Counsel and GE no later than May 6, 2014.

When Will the Court Decide Whether to Approve the Settlement?

The Court has scheduled a hearing on June 6, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, to consider whether to finally approve the GE Settlement as fair, reasonable and adequate, whether to approve Class Counsel’s request for reimbursement of litigation expenses, and to consider any objections.

The Court has appointed the law firms of Hausfeld LLP; Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP; and Susman Godfrey L.L.P. to serve as Class Counsel and represent all Class Members. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense. You or your lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the hearing but are not required to. If you want to be heard by the Court, you must file a written notice of your intention to appear with the Court and deliver a copy to the Class Counsel and GE no later than May 6, 2014. The Court may change the time and date of the hearing. Any change will be posted on the Settlement website.

Get More InformationFor more information on this lawsuit, your rights, or to obtain a list of defendants, call or visit the Settlement website listed below or write to Municipal Derivatives Settlement, c/o Rust Consulting, Inc., P.O. Box 2500, Faribault, MN 55021-9500.

Legal Notice


adhd relief no advantage to single- gender education

Documents