From: “PICO National Network” <gwhitman@piconetwork.org>

Our good friend and teacher Charles Payne has not one but two new books out on education reform.

So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools (http://ga3.org/ct/I1_svVd164bT/) explores the persistence of failure in today’s urban schools. Payne’s central premise is that most education policy discussions are disconnected from the daily realities of urban schools, especially those in low-income neighborhoods. While Payne gives a thorough accounting of the failure of today’s schools, he also describes how, in the last decade, we have developed real insights into the roots of school failure, and looks at how some individual schools, and whole districts, have managed to improve.

Teach Freedom: Education for Liberation in the African-American Tradition, co-edited with Carol Strickland
(http://ga3.org/ct/Id_svVd164bH/) features articles by educator-activists exploring the history of attempts by African Americans to use education as a tool of collective liberation. Contributors discuss Citizenship Schools in the south, Ella Baker and the Harlem Y, Mississippi Freedom Schools, and Black Panther Liberation Schools. Contemporary models are covered as well, including efforts such as the Freedom Schools established by the Children’s Defense Fund.

Dr. Payne’s writing has had a great influence on how many of us in the world of education reform think about making public education work for all students. We encourage you to look at these books.

We are looking for individuals who plan on attending the PHENND CONFERENCE: “Crossing Boundaries Through Partnership,” to be held Friday, February 26, 2010 to research, design, and lead paper presentations and workshops. This gathering will be attended by 100-150 students, campus staff, faculty, and community organization staff who are active in community service, service-learning, and campus-community partnership work. While primarily targeting individuals who are part of the 35+ colleges and universities involved in PHENND, this event is also open nationally to practitioners of campus-community partnership. Over the course of one day, between 3 and 5 elective choices will be offered during each of three sessions. Therefore, we are looking for a total of roughly 10-15 workshops and/or paper presentations.

Proposals are due Friday, January 15, 2010.

Read more and download the Call for Workshops and Application here.

https://phennd.org/downloads/workshopproposal10.doc

They are available from http://comm-org.wisc.edu/papers.htm

The papers are:

* Keith Bartholomew and Mira Locher, People & Place: Humanities-based Pedagogy in Architecture and Planning

* Ginger Moored, Intergenerational Collaboration at Appalshop

* Ann Russo & Melissa Spatz, Communities Engaged in Resisting Violence

* Rhonda A. Waskiewicz, Vera Walline, and Matthew Bain, Exploring Area Health Education Centers’ Role in Assisting with CME Opportunities for Rural Physicians in Northeast Pennsylvania: A Community-Based Research Project

“People & Place” describes an attempt to turn a profession in a more community-based direction. “Intergenerational Collaboration at Appalshop” is a ground-level look at one of my favorite grass-roots
media organizations. “Communities Engaged in Resisting Violence” explores ground-level examples of community-based violence prevention. “Exploring Area Health Education…” shows another attempt at turning a profession in a more community-based direction.

As always, you are welcomed to discuss the issues raised by the papers on the list or off.

Randy Stoecker
moderator/editor, COMM-ORG
rstoecker@wisc.edu

http://www.sedl.org/pubs/fam95/

To find out how afterschool and extended learning programs can create a discipline policy while maintaining the fun and flexibility of afterschool, check out the November issue of AfterWords, the e-bulletin of SEDL’s National Center for Quality Afterschool is now available online.

http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/afterwords/nov2009/

Register for a Preconference Session

* Service-Learning REMIX
Presented by Julia Sewell, former NYLC Youth Advisory Council and State Farm Youth Advisory Board member, current member of America’s Promise Alliance’s Youth Partnership Team and Youth Noise’s Youth Council, and student at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minn.

* Inspiring Innovative Service-Learning Trainers
Presented by Youth Action Council Members, Richland School District 2, Columbia S.C.
Beverly Hiott, Lead Teacher for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, RSD2
Joan Liptrot, Institute for Global Education and Service-Learning, Levittown, Pa.

* Advancing Service-Learning – A Three-Part Event
Presented by Cathy Berger Kaye, CBK Associates, International Consultant and author, Los Angeles, Calif.

* The Spirituality of Service-Learning: Engaging Students in their Path to Peace
Presented by Kent Koth, Seattle University, Director, Center for Service and Community Engagement
Marshall Welch, St. Mary’s College of California, Director, Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action

* All-Day Off-Site Service-Learning Project

» Learn more about the preconference sessions.
http://www.nylc.org/newsletter_link.cfm?sent=558718&link=16636

The Foreclosure Crisis and Economic Human Rights: A Panel Discussion

Featuring Cheri Honkala, national organizer with the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign and an organizer with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, as well as three Philadelphians who have faced or are facing foreclosure and eviction from their homes. And We Can Do Something About It.

Sponsored by the Poor People’s Human Economic Rights Campaign, Penn Haven, and the Urban Studies Department

Food will be provided

Tuesday, December 1, 8:30-10:30 pm, Moderated by Andrew Lamas
Benjamin Franklin Room, Houston Hall (3417 Spruce Street)
For more information, contact Jimmy Tobias at jtc@sas.upenn.edu

COLOURS is seek a Prevention Specialist for its AMARI Project.

COLOURS is a culturally competent social service program committed to sexual and gender minority communities of color.

The person filling this position will ensure that proper procedures and protocols are implemented and evaluated and that clients are linked to appropriate medical care, substance abuse treatment, behavioral health services and other supportive services; provide individualized and group education presentations; conduct curriculum based interventions to the specific project target population; and actively recruit clients and encourage their participation.  To download the job description and find out how to apply, click here.

http://www.coloursorganization.org/sites/all/files/Prevention%20Specialist%20-%20AMARI.pdf

Caring People Alliance, a large multi-service Philadelphia nonprofit organization operating several Early Learning Centers in the city, is seeking an experienced Early Learning Center Director for a high quality Early Learning Center that includes Pre-K Counts classrooms.

The person filling this position is responsible for the supervision and management of program, including curriculum development, recruitment and retention of employees and participants, training, scheduling, licensing, accreditation, Keystone Stars and all administrative functions.  The position is also responsible for the supervision and management of the Pre-K Counts Program in the Early Learning Center site and possibly (depending on qualifications) coordination of the Pre-K Counts program at all of the agency’s participating Early Learning Center sites.

The successful applicant must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in ECE or a bachelor’s degree with ECE certification and a Pennsylvania Director’s Credential.

Email resume and cover letter to Jerry MacDonald at jmacdonald@caringpeoplealliance.org.

Applications and nominations are invited to fill the position of Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director of the Family Planning Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

This is an outstanding opportunity to lead an established and well-functioning organization dedicated to promoting the health of women, families and men in Philadelphia and its surrounding four counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

To view the job description and find out how to apply, click here.

http://www.familyplanning.org/jobopp03.shtml

The Police Athletic League of Philadelphia’s 24 Math Challenge is a fun and educational contest where school-age children (grades 5-8) compete to solve math problems.

Volunteers are needed to help keep score, judge answers, and generally help out. Some basic math skills would be helpful (knowing what numbers will add up to 24) but you do not need to be a math expert.

The events will  take place on Tuesday, December 1st from 5:30-8:00pm at the Tucker PAL Center, 4614 Woodland Avenue; on Wednesday, December 2nd from 5:30-8:00pm at the Wissinoming PAL Center, 4419 Comly Street; and on Thursday, December 3rd from 5:30-8:00pm at the Lenfest PAL, 3890 N. 10th Street.

To sign up, email Holly Warth at hwarth@phillypal.com or call 215-291-9000 x 119.  Include your daytime phone number and email address and specify which dates and times you can help.

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children has released its annual report on school readiness highlighting key indicators that illustrate the health, education and well-being of the state’s children.

The report shows steady growth in early education programs including pre-K and full-day kindergarten. Full-day kindergarten enrollment grew seven percent from 2008 to 2009 to its current level of 66 percent. And, expansion of pre-K is a strong sign of Pennsylvania’s continuing commitment to early education.

Yet, only 17 percent of all 3- and 4- year olds in the Commonwealth had access to publicly-funded pre-K in 2009. Also of interest, families are turning to public programs, such as Child Care Works, during these trying economic times. Unfortunately, funding for child care is failing to keep pace with demand.

“Pennsylvania has remained consistent in growing its investments in early education programs that make a difference in a child’s life,” said PPC’s Joan L. Benso. “But at the same time, more growth is needed to keep up with the demand for programs and services.”

For more information, click here.

http://www.papartnerships.org/sr2009/

Children born to low-income parents with savings above the median level are more likely to move up the income ladder as adults (71 percent do) than those whose parents are low-income and low-saving (only 50 percent move up from the bottom rung), according to a new report released by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project.

A Penny Saved is Mobility Earned: Advancing Economic Mobility through Savings similarly shows that within an individual’s lifetime, savings increases one’s chances of being upwardly mobile – 34 percent of the adults who had low-savings and were in the bottom income quartile from 1984-1989 had moved up from the bottom by 2003-2005, whereas 55 percent of those who had high-savings moved up by the same time period.

The report argued that federal policy can and should be better designed to ensure that it does not deter individuals from saving, and to enable more Americans to access the significant incentives the government currently makes available to people to save.

The report also found that states often apply differing eligibility rules for access to public assistance programs, such as Medicaid and food stamps. These conflicting standards can create powerful disincentives for low-income populations to save money.

The report’s authors suggest that by making asset limits across public assistance programs more consistent, many barriers to savings for low-income populations can be removed. Ultimately the report’s evidence suggests that with greater savings, low-income Americans will have an easier time moving beyond public assistance programs.

The federal government is estimated to spend $130 billion in fiscal year 2010 on tax incentives that encourage Americans to save for retirement, education, and health needs. These benefits flow largely to higher income households. For example, tax filers in the top income quintile in 2004 received 70 percent ($1,838 per tax filer) of the total federal tax benefits associated with 401(k)-like plans and IRAs, while those in the lowest income quintile received only 0.2 percent ($6 per tax filer) of the benefits.

“There are numerous options the government could explore to help those at the bottom of the income ladder begin a culture of savings, including creating savings incentives, simplifying tax rules and special accounts, and providing broader access to retirement plans. These adjustments could make a significant difference in the lives of those who need it most,” said Reid Cramer, Director of the Asset Building Program of the New America Foundation.

Click here for the full report.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=56172

The Campaign for Working Families helps people in the region make sure they get the full benefit of the Earned Income Tax Credit and other federal programs that encourage low-income people to save and build their assets.  For more information or to volunteer, click here.

http://phillyfreetaxes.org/

The Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations will present an online webinar on Bylaws: The “Constitution” of Nonprofits – The Art & Science of Making Them Work on Monday, December 7th from 1:30-3pm.

The webinar is offered in partnership with Nonprofit Issues.

Well-written and formulated bylaws help shape power relationships within a nonprofit organization; provide unambiguous procedures to prevent disputes; and reduce the risks of litigation. Bylaws should provide answers, not raise questions. Participants are asked to come with questions and candidness, and can expect to leave with clarity and confidence to draft or edit a workable document.

Donald Kramer, Esq., editor of Nonprofit Issues and chair of the Nonprofit Law Group at the Philadelphia law firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP, will lead the webinar.

The workshop costs $49 for PANO members and $69 for others.

For more information or to register, click here.

https://www.netforumondemand.com/eWeb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=PANO&WebCode=EventDetail&evt_key=99ce30b3-aed2-4afe-8b0b-f5d3fda1ed61

The Regional Foundation Center will present Internet Fundraising for Nonprofits: Obama Succeeded And You Can, Too at the Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Streets in Philadelphia on Tuesday, December 8th from 9:30-11am.

Every organization, large or small, has to raise money in the face of competition, economic challenges and exploding technology choices. The time and money devoted to Internet fundraising needs to be productive.

This highly interactive session will pose probing questions and deliver practical solutions, including three online fundraising lessons from the Obama organization that an organization of any size can use; what donors  really expect from you online; how to acquire new donors online – and how are the strategies, costs and results different; integrating direct mail and the Internet; and what you should do about Facebook and the social networks.

The workshop is free but registration is required.  Register here.

http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Event/116109-251/c

The Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, in partnership with the Department of Commerce, has announced a new grant program to support job creation in Philadelphia’s creative sector.

Grants will be available to nonprofit and for profit creative businesses for facility projects linked to job creation such as renovated office space, mixed-use facilities, artist workspace and creative industry incubators.

The total funding allocated for the program is $500,000, one-time funding provided through the federal stimulus program.

The City expects to make approximately 10 grants in the range of $20,000 -$100,000. The grants will support the development of facility projects linked to job creation, including permanent jobs, as well as temporary construction, installation, architectural and engineering jobs.

To view the Request for Proposals, visit the City’s eContractPhilly, click on New Contract Opportunities, and choose “Commerce Department” and “Housing and Economic Opportunity” on the drop-down menus.  The Opportunity Number is 21091112130103.

https://ework.phila.gov/econtractphilly/

Applicants will need to register on the site to submit a proposal.  Applications are due December 18th.

Philadelphia VIP/LawWorks, Pfizer and DLA Piper LLP are co-sponsoring a free seminar on managing personnel in hard economic times on December 3 from 10:30am to 3:30pm.

The seminar will discuss legally permissible ways to help conserve resources and avoid employee terminations.

For those organizations that must terminate staff, the laws regulating reductions in force will be explained. This seminar will also highlight other legal risks facing employers in hard times, including the misclassification of employees, wage and hour violations, and union organizing campaigns.

The panel includes experienced labor and employment law attorneys who have helped many organizations explore alternatives to reductions in force, implement reductions in force, and avoid hidden legal risks. The panel will also include a human resources manager who will share insights about how her organization implemented changes while maintaining morale and productivity.

This seminar is designed for executive directors, board members, and officers with financial, operations, and human resources responsibilities.

The seminar will take place at DLA Piper LLP, 1650 Market St, Suite 4900, in Center City Philadelphia.  You must RSVP to reserve your space by emailing registerphilly@dlapiper.com.  Lunch will be provided.

The LawWorks project of Philadelphia VIP refers eligible nonprofits, small businesses and homeowners to lawyers who provide free legal services.  For more information about LawWorks and to obtain an application for free legal services, click here.

http://www.phillyvip.org/

The Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library at 125 S. 52nd Street in West Philadelphia is offering a college preparatory services and coaching for teenagers thinking about college on Saturdays from 1-4pm.

The program will help teens prepare for the SAT, choose colleges, complete their college applications, and find scholarships and loans.

The program is free.  For more information, email Collegeprep@freelibrary.org or call 215-686-5372.

The Bilingual Domestic Violence Program at Lutheran Settlement House is again offering its 40 Hour Domestic Violence Volunteer Training to educate participants about domestic violence and to prepare participants to volunteer or work at a domestic violence agency in the Philadelphia area.

The training is also open to professionals who want to increase their knowledge about domestic violence and skill in working with domestic violence survivors, and who do not plan to volunteer or work at a domestic violence agency.

The training will be held January 5-12, 2010, 9am-5pm on the University of Pennsylvania campus.   The cost for professionals who do not plan to volunteer with the program is $225.  The training is free for volunteers. The registration deadline is December 14, 2009.

Those interested in attending in their capacity as a professional should email Susanna Gilbertson at sgilbertson@lutheransettlement.org or call 215-426-8610 x240;  if interested in volunteering with the program and are interested in attending the training, email Casey Sill at csill@lutheransettlement.org or call 215-426-8610 x231.

The Diversity and Outreach Committee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals will host The Color of Money Network Breakfast on Thursday, December 17th from 8-0:30am at the Philadelphia Foundation, 1234 Market Street in central Philadelphia.  The cost is free but registration is limited.

The event will feature a lively discussion with seasoned professionals of color about the different career paths one can take within the fundraising profession.  Panelists will share their insights about job accessibility, differences in financial compensation, job satisfaction and professional development.

Registration required by 10am on December 15th.  Click here to register.

https://secure.codewriters.com/eventreg/form2.cfm?id=2202

Cheyney University will hold an open house for people interested in its MA in Public Administration program on Monday, December 7th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Cheyney University Urban Center, 701 Market Street, 3rd Floor, in Center City Philadelphia.

Cheyney’s MPA program provides its graduates with the theoretical understanding, firsthand experience, and extended professional opportunities needed to help solve some of our region’s distinctive socio-economic issues.

University president Michelle Howard-Vital, provost and vice president Ivan Banks, and current Cheyney MPA students and faculty will discuss how the Urban Center contributes to the development of a healthy, sustainable and thriving Philadelphia. The interactive event will also offering the opportunity for input into the Center’s academic programming.

To RSVP, call 215-560-3891 or email cdevore@cheyney.edu.