"Hats Off" is a new feature where we will showcase someone or something positive in our school community. So, without further adieu...
Hats off to the Pleasantdale School Board of Education for allowing the Pleasant Dale Park District to move their "Extra Innings" before and after school care program to the elementary school for the 2009-2010 school year. We think this is a great idea and will directly benefit the families and students that take part in this program.
Hats off to Kim Freislinger and the Middle School SEL Committee for inviting motivational and anti-bullying speaker, Jim Jordan of Reportbullying.com to come and speak to students and parents on September 14. The event for parents will take place on Monday, September 14 in the middle school gym from 6:30-7:30 p.m. It's not to be missed!
Hats off to PTA committee chair, Lisa Uckerman for the outstanding job she did on the teacher and staff back-to-school luncheon which was held on the first day of school. Lisa was assisted by her mom, Jan Crnkovich and Pdale alumni, Linda Petrasek in this endeavour. Hats off to you all!
If you have someone or something that deserves recognition, please email us at pleasantdaleschoolblog@gmail.com.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Testing hurts teaching, poll finds
Award winners say reliance on results harmful to learning
August 19, 2009
BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA
Some of the area's best teachers -- most of them from public schools -- say increased focus on standardized testing has negatively impacted the way they teach, the way students learn and education overall, a study released Tuesday said.
In a survey of winners of its prestigious excellence in teaching award, the Golden Apple organization found 72 percent of respondents believe so-called high-stakes testing has hurt education.
"One thing remains constant with standardized testing. It is a way to categorize students. It is not about students learning. It is not about teachers teaching," said one winner, Griselle Diaz Gemmati, a teacher at Norwood Park Elementary. "It is about allocating or refusing or denying funding."
Like Diaz Gemmati, 55 percent of the top teachers said the reliance on test results in the controversial No Child Left Behind Act has hurt teaching and learning.
According to 80 percent or more, it's more important to teach their students the skills of critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration and creativity and innovation and flexibility and adaptability.
Our comments:
At Pleasantdale, kids are not taught to own knowledge. They are merely taught to rent it. The focus is on test prep. The students are taught how to take tests and how to choose the correct answer. They do this over and over and over again.
Why is it that students at Pleasantdale take so many standardized tests? They take the ITBS not once, but twice every year. They take the DIBELS three times each year. They take the GATES-MacGinitie test. They take the CogAT. They take the SSIS test. They take the EXPLORE test. They take the ISAT which is the only mandated test.
All these test require preparation; all this preparation takes away from actual learning.
Our district pays Dr. John Wick, a statistician, approx. $25,000 per year to teach teachers and administrators how to prep students for tests. He then analyzes the data and tweaks his instruction so the students will do even better the next time.
"It is a way to categorize students. It is not about students learning. It is not about teachers teaching." This statement epitomizes exactly what is being done in our schools. It is why students at Pleasantdale can get a perfect Explore score but never make the honor roll.
August 19, 2009
BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA
Some of the area's best teachers -- most of them from public schools -- say increased focus on standardized testing has negatively impacted the way they teach, the way students learn and education overall, a study released Tuesday said.
In a survey of winners of its prestigious excellence in teaching award, the Golden Apple organization found 72 percent of respondents believe so-called high-stakes testing has hurt education.
"One thing remains constant with standardized testing. It is a way to categorize students. It is not about students learning. It is not about teachers teaching," said one winner, Griselle Diaz Gemmati, a teacher at Norwood Park Elementary. "It is about allocating or refusing or denying funding."
Like Diaz Gemmati, 55 percent of the top teachers said the reliance on test results in the controversial No Child Left Behind Act has hurt teaching and learning.
According to 80 percent or more, it's more important to teach their students the skills of critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration and creativity and innovation and flexibility and adaptability.
Our comments:
At Pleasantdale, kids are not taught to own knowledge. They are merely taught to rent it. The focus is on test prep. The students are taught how to take tests and how to choose the correct answer. They do this over and over and over again.
Why is it that students at Pleasantdale take so many standardized tests? They take the ITBS not once, but twice every year. They take the DIBELS three times each year. They take the GATES-MacGinitie test. They take the CogAT. They take the SSIS test. They take the EXPLORE test. They take the ISAT which is the only mandated test.
All these test require preparation; all this preparation takes away from actual learning.
Our district pays Dr. John Wick, a statistician, approx. $25,000 per year to teach teachers and administrators how to prep students for tests. He then analyzes the data and tweaks his instruction so the students will do even better the next time.
"It is a way to categorize students. It is not about students learning. It is not about teachers teaching." This statement epitomizes exactly what is being done in our schools. It is why students at Pleasantdale can get a perfect Explore score but never make the honor roll.
Desplaines Valley News
Willow Springs to add more sidewalks for children’s safety
By James Pluta
A former public works director in Willow Springs is being credited with helping convince state and federal officials of the need for sidewalk improvement surrounding and leading to and from the many schools where village children attend.
James Chevalier, who was replaced by Mayor Alan Nowaczyk earlier this summer, was one of two people — including administrative assistant Gina Scaletta-Nelson — responsible for the $399,530 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, a federal grant administered by the state.
The Illinois Safe Routes to School grant program, which urges and enables students to walk and bicycle to and from school, will impact families whose children attend Willow Springs Elementary School on Archer Road, Trinity Lutheran School on German Church Road and Pleasant Dale ElementarySchool on Wolf Road.
Students from the Sterling Estates Mobile Home Park on Frontage Road east of La Grange Road near Justice, have to be bused to and from school because highways separate them from their school at Nolton Avenue and Archer.
In addition, students from nearby Indian Head Park attend Pleasantdale.
The grant funds will be directed to the construction of concrete sidewalk salong German Church Road, School Street, Archer Road and Nolton Avenue, as well as flashing beacon lights and more signs in school zones on NoltonAvenue and German Church and Archer roads.
A new reflective striped crosswalk with safety signs is also being installed on German Church Road.
Village officials and those in School Districts 107 and 108 hope the sidewalks will save money by cutting down on the need for so many bus routes and also improve air quality as a result.
The state program awarded $13.1 million in federal funds statewide to encourage walking to school.
By James Pluta
A former public works director in Willow Springs is being credited with helping convince state and federal officials of the need for sidewalk improvement surrounding and leading to and from the many schools where village children attend.
James Chevalier, who was replaced by Mayor Alan Nowaczyk earlier this summer, was one of two people — including administrative assistant Gina Scaletta-Nelson — responsible for the $399,530 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, a federal grant administered by the state.
The Illinois Safe Routes to School grant program, which urges and enables students to walk and bicycle to and from school, will impact families whose children attend Willow Springs Elementary School on Archer Road, Trinity Lutheran School on German Church Road and Pleasant Dale ElementarySchool on Wolf Road.
Students from the Sterling Estates Mobile Home Park on Frontage Road east of La Grange Road near Justice, have to be bused to and from school because highways separate them from their school at Nolton Avenue and Archer.
In addition, students from nearby Indian Head Park attend Pleasantdale.
The grant funds will be directed to the construction of concrete sidewalk salong German Church Road, School Street, Archer Road and Nolton Avenue, as well as flashing beacon lights and more signs in school zones on NoltonAvenue and German Church and Archer roads.
A new reflective striped crosswalk with safety signs is also being installed on German Church Road.
Village officials and those in School Districts 107 and 108 hope the sidewalks will save money by cutting down on the need for so many bus routes and also improve air quality as a result.
The state program awarded $13.1 million in federal funds statewide to encourage walking to school.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Roadway, lot changes at Highlands Elementary to ease traffic
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/lagrange/news/x772306078/Roadway-lot-changes-at-Highlands-Elementary-to-ease-traffic
The changes at Highlands Elementary, 5850 Laurel Ave., are intended to make it safer for pedestrians coming to or going home from school for the upcoming year.
The overall goal of the plan is to increase student and motorist safety, provide safer walking or biking access, decrease auto trips by encouraging walking or biking to school, establish a new mindset regarding drop off and pick up locations and to create less obtrusive stacking of cars in the rear of school.
The changes at Highlands Elementary, 5850 Laurel Ave., are intended to make it safer for pedestrians coming to or going home from school for the upcoming year.
The overall goal of the plan is to increase student and motorist safety, provide safer walking or biking access, decrease auto trips by encouraging walking or biking to school, establish a new mindset regarding drop off and pick up locations and to create less obtrusive stacking of cars in the rear of school.
At least they see the importance of making things safer, decreasing traffic and encouraging fitness. Way to go LaGrange Highlands School District 106!
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Oh, in case you were wondering, yes, they did apply for and received funds in the SRTS grant program.
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LA GRANGE HIGHLANDS ELEM SCHOOL, HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
District 106 Phase I - Host International Walk to School Day or other special event
$3,690
District 106 Phase I - Host International Walk to School Day or other special event
$3,690
Quotes for the day...
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
~Martin Luther King Jr.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
~Martin Luther King Jr.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Open Forum Comments to Pleasantdale School Board
Last spring I was on the communication committee with board members Mark and Karen and several other teachers and parents. One of the things we discussed was the lack of communication between the school district and the community.
Over the last two weeks I have seen that the lack of communication in our district has not changed and probably will not change.
On August 5th, the village of Willow Springs was awarded $400,000 to build sidewalks to our schools. Not just sidewalks, but a paved and striped crosswalk and a school zone with flashing lights and signs.This grant, called the Safe Routes to School grant, will help our district and the kids in our community in many ways. It will enable children that live close to the school to walk or bike ride to school. This in turn will promote health, fitness and combat childhood obesity. With more kids walking, there will be fewer cars on the road. This will mean cleaner air and less traffic. We will be on our way to a greener community. It will also, in the long run, help the district to eliminate some bus routes which in turn will save the school district and its taxpayers thousands of dollars every year.
Look at the schools in LaGrange School Districts 102 and 105, Western Springs 101 and Highlands 106. Almost every kid in these districts walks or bikes to school. I realize that our district is spread out and many kids here can’t walk or bike. But there are many who would if given the opportunity.
On August 5, an email was sent to everyone on the Safe Routes to School team including Mr. Vandercar. I telephoned Mr. Vandercar that day and left a voice mail but never received a phone call back. How’s that for communication?
When I spoke to Jennifer Zimmerman of the Doings, she told me she contacted Mr. Vandercar about this grant and he said he knew very little about it, that a couple of parents worked on it and he just that he signed off on it. He directed her to contact Dr. Fredisdorf for more information. So she did. She left 5 messages and did not receive a single call back. How’s that for communication?
Last Thursday, the village of Willow Springs discussed this grant at their monthly meeting. They were asked if they had received any type of communication from the schools involved and they said that only school district 108 in Willow Springs sent a letter of thanks and congratulations. They had not heard Pleasantdale. How’s that for communication?
Last week, a resident emailed Dr. Fredisdorf to ask about this grant and he got no answer to his question. The resident also contacted school board president Leandra Sedlack to discuss this grant and the fact that no one from the school has reached out to Willow Springs and she told him she didn’t know much about the grant to answer any questions. How’s that for communication?
Why didn’t Dr. Fredisdorf inform the school board members about this grant? Why isn’t this posted on the school website? Why hasn’t the school district reached out to the Village of Willow Springs?
Where is the communication in our school district?
Isn’t this grant money something you want to celebrate or isn’t Pleasantdale interested in making the route to school safer for our kids?
Over the last two weeks I have seen that the lack of communication in our district has not changed and probably will not change.
On August 5th, the village of Willow Springs was awarded $400,000 to build sidewalks to our schools. Not just sidewalks, but a paved and striped crosswalk and a school zone with flashing lights and signs.This grant, called the Safe Routes to School grant, will help our district and the kids in our community in many ways. It will enable children that live close to the school to walk or bike ride to school. This in turn will promote health, fitness and combat childhood obesity. With more kids walking, there will be fewer cars on the road. This will mean cleaner air and less traffic. We will be on our way to a greener community. It will also, in the long run, help the district to eliminate some bus routes which in turn will save the school district and its taxpayers thousands of dollars every year.
Look at the schools in LaGrange School Districts 102 and 105, Western Springs 101 and Highlands 106. Almost every kid in these districts walks or bikes to school. I realize that our district is spread out and many kids here can’t walk or bike. But there are many who would if given the opportunity.
On August 5, an email was sent to everyone on the Safe Routes to School team including Mr. Vandercar. I telephoned Mr. Vandercar that day and left a voice mail but never received a phone call back. How’s that for communication?
When I spoke to Jennifer Zimmerman of the Doings, she told me she contacted Mr. Vandercar about this grant and he said he knew very little about it, that a couple of parents worked on it and he just that he signed off on it. He directed her to contact Dr. Fredisdorf for more information. So she did. She left 5 messages and did not receive a single call back. How’s that for communication?
Last Thursday, the village of Willow Springs discussed this grant at their monthly meeting. They were asked if they had received any type of communication from the schools involved and they said that only school district 108 in Willow Springs sent a letter of thanks and congratulations. They had not heard Pleasantdale. How’s that for communication?
Last week, a resident emailed Dr. Fredisdorf to ask about this grant and he got no answer to his question. The resident also contacted school board president Leandra Sedlack to discuss this grant and the fact that no one from the school has reached out to Willow Springs and she told him she didn’t know much about the grant to answer any questions. How’s that for communication?
Why didn’t Dr. Fredisdorf inform the school board members about this grant? Why isn’t this posted on the school website? Why hasn’t the school district reached out to the Village of Willow Springs?
Where is the communication in our school district?
Isn’t this grant money something you want to celebrate or isn’t Pleasantdale interested in making the route to school safer for our kids?
Kindergarten Cram
The Way We Live Now
By PEGGY ORENSTEIN
Published: April 29, 2009
About a year ago, I made the circuit of kindergartens in my town. At each stop, after the pitch by the principal and the obligatory exhibit of art projects only a mother (the student’s own) could love, I asked the same question: “What is your policy on homework?”And always, whether from the apple-cheeked teacher in the public school or the earnest administrator of the “child centered” private one, I was met with an eager nod. Oh, yes, each would explain: kindergartners are assigned homework every day.
Bzzzzzzt. Wrong answer.
When I was a child, in the increasingly olden days, kindergarten was a place to play. We danced the hokeypokey, swooned in suspense over Duck, Duck, Gray Duck (that’s what Minnesotans stubbornly call Duck, Duck, Goose) and napped on our mats until the Wake-Up Fairy set us free.
No more. Instead of digging in sandboxes, today’s kindergartners prepare for a life of multiple-choice boxes by plowing through standardized tests with cuddly names like Dibels (pronounced “dibbles”), a series of early-literacy measures administered to millions of kids; or toiling over reading curricula like Open Court — which features assessments every six weeks.
According to “Crisis in the Kindergarten,” a report recently released by the Alliance for Childhood, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, all that testing is wasted: it neither predicts nor improves young children’s educational outcomes. More disturbing, along with other academic demands, like assigning homework to 5-year-olds, it is crowding out the one thing that truly is vital to their future success: play.
A survey of 254 teachers in New York and Los Angeles the group commissioned found that kindergartners spent two to three hours a day being instructed and tested in reading and math. They spent less than 30 minutes playing. “Play at age 5 is of great importance not just to intellectual but emotional, psychological social and spiritual development,” says Edward Miller, the report’s co-author. Play — especially the let’s-pretend, dramatic sort — is how kids develop higher-level thinking, hone their language and social skills, cultivate empathy. It also reduces stress, and that’s a word that should not have to be used in the same sentence as “kindergartner” in the first place.
I came late to motherhood, so I had plenty of time to ponder friends’ mania for souped-up childhood learning. How was it that the same couples who piously proclaimed that 3½-year-old Junior was not “developmentally ready” to use the potty were drilling him on flashcards? What was the rush? Did that better prepare kids to learn? How did 5 become the new 7, anyway?
There’s no single reason. The No Child Left Behind Act, with its insistence that what cannot be quantified cannot be improved, plays a role. But so do parents who want to build a better child. There is also what marketers refer to as KGOY — Kids Getting Older Younger — their explanation for why 3-year-olds now play with toys that were initially intended for middle-schoolers. (Since adults are staying younger older — 50 is the new 30! — our children may soon surpass us in age.)
Regardless of the cause, Miller says, accelerating kindergarten is unnecessary: any early advantage fades by fourth grade. “It makes a parent proud to see a child learn to read at age 4, but in terms of what’s really best for the kid, it makes no difference.” For at-risk kids, pushing too soon may backfire. The longitudinal High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison Study followed 68 such children, who were divided between instruction- and play-based classrooms. While everyone’s I.Q. scores initially rose, by age 15, the former group’s academic achievement plummeted. They were more likely to exhibit emotional problems and spent more time in special education. “Drill and kill,” indeed.
Thinkers like Daniel Pink have proposed that this country’s continued viability hinges on what is known as the “imagination economy”: qualities like versatility, creativity, vision — and playfulness — that cannot be outsourced. It’s a compelling argument to apply here, though a bit disheartening too: must we append the word “economy” to everything to legitimize it? Isn’t cultivating imagination an inherent good? I would hate to see children’s creativity subject to the same parental anxiety that has stoked the sales of Baby Einstein DVDs.
Jean Piaget famously referred to “the American question,” which arose when he lectured in this country: how, his audiences wanted to know, could a child’s development be sped up? The better question may be: Why are we so hellbent on doing so?
Maybe the current economic retrenchment will trigger a new perspective on early education, something similar to the movement toward local, sustainable, organic food. Call it Slow Schools. After all, part of what got us into this mess was valuing achievement, speed and results over ethics, thoughtfulness and responsibility. Then again, parents may glean the opposite lesson, believing their kids need to be pushed even harder in order to stay competitive in a shrinking job market.
I wonder how far I’m willing to go in my commitment to the cause: would I embrace the example of Finland — whose students consistently come out on top in international assessments — and delay formal reading instruction until age 7? Could I stick with that position when other second graders were gobbling up “War and Peace” — or at least the third Harry Potter book?
In the end, the school I found for my daughter holds off on homework until fourth grade.
(Though a flotilla of research shows homework confers no benefit — enhancing neither retention nor study habits — until middle school.) It’s a start. A few days ago, though, I caught her concocting a pretend math worksheet. “All the other kids have homework,” she complained with a sigh. “I wish I could have some, too.”
Peggy Orenstein, a contributing writer, is the author of “Waiting for Daisy,” a memoir.
By PEGGY ORENSTEIN
Published: April 29, 2009
About a year ago, I made the circuit of kindergartens in my town. At each stop, after the pitch by the principal and the obligatory exhibit of art projects only a mother (the student’s own) could love, I asked the same question: “What is your policy on homework?”And always, whether from the apple-cheeked teacher in the public school or the earnest administrator of the “child centered” private one, I was met with an eager nod. Oh, yes, each would explain: kindergartners are assigned homework every day.
Bzzzzzzt. Wrong answer.
When I was a child, in the increasingly olden days, kindergarten was a place to play. We danced the hokeypokey, swooned in suspense over Duck, Duck, Gray Duck (that’s what Minnesotans stubbornly call Duck, Duck, Goose) and napped on our mats until the Wake-Up Fairy set us free.
No more. Instead of digging in sandboxes, today’s kindergartners prepare for a life of multiple-choice boxes by plowing through standardized tests with cuddly names like Dibels (pronounced “dibbles”), a series of early-literacy measures administered to millions of kids; or toiling over reading curricula like Open Court — which features assessments every six weeks.
According to “Crisis in the Kindergarten,” a report recently released by the Alliance for Childhood, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, all that testing is wasted: it neither predicts nor improves young children’s educational outcomes. More disturbing, along with other academic demands, like assigning homework to 5-year-olds, it is crowding out the one thing that truly is vital to their future success: play.
A survey of 254 teachers in New York and Los Angeles the group commissioned found that kindergartners spent two to three hours a day being instructed and tested in reading and math. They spent less than 30 minutes playing. “Play at age 5 is of great importance not just to intellectual but emotional, psychological social and spiritual development,” says Edward Miller, the report’s co-author. Play — especially the let’s-pretend, dramatic sort — is how kids develop higher-level thinking, hone their language and social skills, cultivate empathy. It also reduces stress, and that’s a word that should not have to be used in the same sentence as “kindergartner” in the first place.
I came late to motherhood, so I had plenty of time to ponder friends’ mania for souped-up childhood learning. How was it that the same couples who piously proclaimed that 3½-year-old Junior was not “developmentally ready” to use the potty were drilling him on flashcards? What was the rush? Did that better prepare kids to learn? How did 5 become the new 7, anyway?
There’s no single reason. The No Child Left Behind Act, with its insistence that what cannot be quantified cannot be improved, plays a role. But so do parents who want to build a better child. There is also what marketers refer to as KGOY — Kids Getting Older Younger — their explanation for why 3-year-olds now play with toys that were initially intended for middle-schoolers. (Since adults are staying younger older — 50 is the new 30! — our children may soon surpass us in age.)
Regardless of the cause, Miller says, accelerating kindergarten is unnecessary: any early advantage fades by fourth grade. “It makes a parent proud to see a child learn to read at age 4, but in terms of what’s really best for the kid, it makes no difference.” For at-risk kids, pushing too soon may backfire. The longitudinal High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison Study followed 68 such children, who were divided between instruction- and play-based classrooms. While everyone’s I.Q. scores initially rose, by age 15, the former group’s academic achievement plummeted. They were more likely to exhibit emotional problems and spent more time in special education. “Drill and kill,” indeed.
Thinkers like Daniel Pink have proposed that this country’s continued viability hinges on what is known as the “imagination economy”: qualities like versatility, creativity, vision — and playfulness — that cannot be outsourced. It’s a compelling argument to apply here, though a bit disheartening too: must we append the word “economy” to everything to legitimize it? Isn’t cultivating imagination an inherent good? I would hate to see children’s creativity subject to the same parental anxiety that has stoked the sales of Baby Einstein DVDs.
Jean Piaget famously referred to “the American question,” which arose when he lectured in this country: how, his audiences wanted to know, could a child’s development be sped up? The better question may be: Why are we so hellbent on doing so?
Maybe the current economic retrenchment will trigger a new perspective on early education, something similar to the movement toward local, sustainable, organic food. Call it Slow Schools. After all, part of what got us into this mess was valuing achievement, speed and results over ethics, thoughtfulness and responsibility. Then again, parents may glean the opposite lesson, believing their kids need to be pushed even harder in order to stay competitive in a shrinking job market.
I wonder how far I’m willing to go in my commitment to the cause: would I embrace the example of Finland — whose students consistently come out on top in international assessments — and delay formal reading instruction until age 7? Could I stick with that position when other second graders were gobbling up “War and Peace” — or at least the third Harry Potter book?
In the end, the school I found for my daughter holds off on homework until fourth grade.
(Though a flotilla of research shows homework confers no benefit — enhancing neither retention nor study habits — until middle school.) It’s a start. A few days ago, though, I caught her concocting a pretend math worksheet. “All the other kids have homework,” she complained with a sigh. “I wish I could have some, too.”
Peggy Orenstein, a contributing writer, is the author of “Waiting for Daisy,” a memoir.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Congratulations to the Gumdrop Girls!!
Blair Candy Contest - First Place $250 Gift Certificate!
”The Gum Drop Girls” from Willow Springs, IL. These sweet little girls dressed up for the part, made props, sang their hearts out and danced to the beat. Ranging from age 5 to 8, their mom told us they practiced many days for this.
Catherine, Sierra, Ceara and Caitlin congratulations, you can pick a lot of candy!
To see their video entry, click on the link below.
http://blog.blaircandy.com/2009/08/candy-contest-winners-announced-at-blair-candy-company/
Mr. Woltman would be proud!
”The Gum Drop Girls” from Willow Springs, IL. These sweet little girls dressed up for the part, made props, sang their hearts out and danced to the beat. Ranging from age 5 to 8, their mom told us they practiced many days for this.
Catherine, Sierra, Ceara and Caitlin congratulations, you can pick a lot of candy!
To see their video entry, click on the link below.
http://blog.blaircandy.com/2009/08/candy-contest-winners-announced-at-blair-candy-company/
Mr. Woltman would be proud!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Forest Grove School District v. T.A.
Facts of the Case:
In 2003, T.A., a former student in the Forest Grove School District, sought to be evaluated for suspected learning disabilities. In 2004, the Office of Administrative Hearings for the State of Oregon determined that T.A. was disabled and eligible for special education under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As T.A. was no longer enrolled in the Forest Grove School District, but attending private school, the hearing officer ordered the school district to reimburse T.A. for the private school tuition ($5,200 per month), determining it had failed to offer him a free and appropriate public education.
The school district appealed the order in an Oregon federal district court arguing that reimbursement was not appropriate because T.A. unilaterally withdrew from school, never received special education services while enrolled, and withdrew for reasons unrelated to his learning disability. The district court invalidated the order. On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court and upheld the order. It reasoned that IDEA provided the courts broad discretion in order to achieve "equitable relief" for disabled students, including reimbursement for private school tuition.
Question:
Under IDEA, can a federal district court order a school district to reimburse its former student for his tuition at a private school when the student unilaterally withdrew from school, never received special education services while enrolled, and withdrew for reasons unrelated to his learning disability?
Conclusion:
Yes. The Supreme Court held that IDEA authorizes reimbursement for private special-education services when a public school fails to provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) and the private school placement is appropriate, regardless of whether the child previously received special education services through the public school. With Justice John Paul Stevens writing for the majority and joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, and Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, and Samuel A. Alito, the Court relied on its decisions in Burlington v. Deptartment of Ed. of Mass. and Florence County School Dist. 4 v. Carter to reach its conclusion. There, the Court had found that courts had the power to reimburse parents for private school tuition when a school district fails to provide FAPE and a private school placement is appropriate.
Justice David H. Souter dissented and was joined by Justices Antonin G. Scalia and Clarence Thomas. He argued that the 1997 Congressional amendments to IDEA limited reimbursement for private school tuition when the public school had provided FAPE and the student's withdrawal was unilateral, and then criticized the majority for not recognizing such limitations.
In 2003, T.A., a former student in the Forest Grove School District, sought to be evaluated for suspected learning disabilities. In 2004, the Office of Administrative Hearings for the State of Oregon determined that T.A. was disabled and eligible for special education under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As T.A. was no longer enrolled in the Forest Grove School District, but attending private school, the hearing officer ordered the school district to reimburse T.A. for the private school tuition ($5,200 per month), determining it had failed to offer him a free and appropriate public education.
The school district appealed the order in an Oregon federal district court arguing that reimbursement was not appropriate because T.A. unilaterally withdrew from school, never received special education services while enrolled, and withdrew for reasons unrelated to his learning disability. The district court invalidated the order. On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court and upheld the order. It reasoned that IDEA provided the courts broad discretion in order to achieve "equitable relief" for disabled students, including reimbursement for private school tuition.
Question:
Under IDEA, can a federal district court order a school district to reimburse its former student for his tuition at a private school when the student unilaterally withdrew from school, never received special education services while enrolled, and withdrew for reasons unrelated to his learning disability?
Conclusion:
Yes. The Supreme Court held that IDEA authorizes reimbursement for private special-education services when a public school fails to provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) and the private school placement is appropriate, regardless of whether the child previously received special education services through the public school. With Justice John Paul Stevens writing for the majority and joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, and Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, and Samuel A. Alito, the Court relied on its decisions in Burlington v. Deptartment of Ed. of Mass. and Florence County School Dist. 4 v. Carter to reach its conclusion. There, the Court had found that courts had the power to reimburse parents for private school tuition when a school district fails to provide FAPE and a private school placement is appropriate.
Justice David H. Souter dissented and was joined by Justices Antonin G. Scalia and Clarence Thomas. He argued that the 1997 Congressional amendments to IDEA limited reimbursement for private school tuition when the public school had provided FAPE and the student's withdrawal was unilateral, and then criticized the majority for not recognizing such limitations.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Pleasantdale Grant Means Sidewalks for Students
THE DOINGS
August 17, 2009
By JENNIFER ZIMMERMAN
Following the work of two local residents, students walking to Pleasantdale Elementary School will soon have a safer route.
Recently the village of Willow Springs was awarded $399,530 from the Illinois Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program to enable and encourage local students to walk and bike to school.
Students from portions of Indian Head Park and Burr Ridge attend the school.
The grant money received will be used to construct sidewalks along German Church Road, School Street, Archer Avenue and Nolton Avenue. It will also be used to install flashing beacons and signs in school zones on German Church Road, Archer Avenue and Nolton as well as help construct a crosswalk on German Church Road with safety signs and reflective striping.
Former Willow Springs Public Works Director Jim Chevalier and Administrative Assistant Gina Scaletta-Nelson applied for the grants with the help of local officials and residents.
The recipients of their grant effort will be the children who attend Pleasantdale Elementary School in unincorporated La Grange and Willow Springs School in Willow Springs.
They hope the sidewalks will help Pleasantdale School District 107 eliminate bus routes and in turn save the district and local taxpayers thousands of dollars each year while improving air quality.
"We hope the community will rally around our efforts to keep kids safe while affording families the opportunity to walk to school. It's a win-win situation," Scaletta-Nelson said. "Less traffic will mean better air quality, families walking will mean better health and fitness and fewer bus routes will mean the money can be used in other areas."
The Illinois Safe Routes to School program provides schools and community groups with funding to build safer routes to schools and to provide programs helping students become safer walkers and cyclists. These improvements include engineering solutions, safety education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation programs.
The program awarded $13.1 million in federal fund statewide to encourage walking to school.
"With Illinois ranked fourth in the nation for childhood obesity rates, providing children with safe and secure means of walking to school is an important tool to improving the health of our children," said Gov. Pat Quinn.
August 17, 2009
By JENNIFER ZIMMERMAN
Following the work of two local residents, students walking to Pleasantdale Elementary School will soon have a safer route.
Recently the village of Willow Springs was awarded $399,530 from the Illinois Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program to enable and encourage local students to walk and bike to school.
Students from portions of Indian Head Park and Burr Ridge attend the school.
The grant money received will be used to construct sidewalks along German Church Road, School Street, Archer Avenue and Nolton Avenue. It will also be used to install flashing beacons and signs in school zones on German Church Road, Archer Avenue and Nolton as well as help construct a crosswalk on German Church Road with safety signs and reflective striping.
Former Willow Springs Public Works Director Jim Chevalier and Administrative Assistant Gina Scaletta-Nelson applied for the grants with the help of local officials and residents.
The recipients of their grant effort will be the children who attend Pleasantdale Elementary School in unincorporated La Grange and Willow Springs School in Willow Springs.
They hope the sidewalks will help Pleasantdale School District 107 eliminate bus routes and in turn save the district and local taxpayers thousands of dollars each year while improving air quality.
"We hope the community will rally around our efforts to keep kids safe while affording families the opportunity to walk to school. It's a win-win situation," Scaletta-Nelson said. "Less traffic will mean better air quality, families walking will mean better health and fitness and fewer bus routes will mean the money can be used in other areas."
The Illinois Safe Routes to School program provides schools and community groups with funding to build safer routes to schools and to provide programs helping students become safer walkers and cyclists. These improvements include engineering solutions, safety education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation programs.
The program awarded $13.1 million in federal fund statewide to encourage walking to school.
"With Illinois ranked fourth in the nation for childhood obesity rates, providing children with safe and secure means of walking to school is an important tool to improving the health of our children," said Gov. Pat Quinn.
Kindergarten Rx: More Play, Fewer Tests -- Politics Daily
Kindergarten Rx: More Play, Fewer Tests -- Politics Daily
by Linda Kulman
06/18/09
One morning a couple of years ago, when my child was newly installed in kindergarten, I dropped him off in the school cafeteria, hugged him goodbye, and started to leave as teachers filed out with their students in tow. That's when I heard the principal announce, "Parents, if your child is crying, you need to stay."
I turned around.
For the next month, each school day started with our then-5-year-old clinging to my husband or me, as we alternately tried to comfort him or pry him loose. It took concerted bribery -- M&M's, sticker charts, and trips to the toy store -- for the daily drama to end.
It wasn't that he suffered from sensory issues, had been mismatched with his teacher, or any other of the myriad possibilities we considered during those weeks of misery during which he talked of dropping out.
It's that kindergarten is a lot to adjust to. Too much so, according to a report called "Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need Play in School," recently released by the nonprofit research and advocacy group Alliance for Childhood. A survey commissioned by the group of 254 kindergarten teachers in Los Angeles and New York revealed that they spend two to three hours a day teaching and testing their young charges in reading and math, while play or "choice" time accounts for 30 minutes or less.
As playtime dwindles, what's being lost is the one component crucial to the development of creativity, emotional stability, and empathy. Young children "try on every aspect of life while they're playing," Joan Almon, a co-author of the report, said at a recent briefing before Congress. "They use play to discover themselves and the world around them." Roberta Gollinkoff, an educator and expert on how children acquire language, added: "It's not play or learning. And playful learning is how children learn best."
Far from being a waste of time, play, in fact, is essential to a child's development-physically, intellectually, and psychologically. Marguerite Kelly, co-author of The Mother's Almanac, who writes a parenting column in The Washington Post called "Family Almanac," says, "You want them to do as much play as they can. Rolling a ball into a hole in the ground or pitching a penny into a wastebasket. You want them to climb up and down, up and down. They're in the housekeeping corner working out relationships."
There's a long list of lessons that children were once expected to learn in kindergarten, notes Edward Miller, co-author of the "Crisis" report. "A lot of them had to do with being a good citizen, learning to consider other people, learning to get along, learning to give in sometimes, learning to take turns."
One reason for the increased emphasis on academics and testing at such a young age is the push by politicians and educators to close the gap between rich and poor, white and minority students. Along with the No Child Left Behind Act, and its call for greater accountability in the classroom, unprecedented emphasis is now being placed on early childhood education to bring at-risk kids up to speed. Barack Obama's 2010 budget seeks $1.78 billion for early childhood education, a 78 percent increase over 2009. Other programs such as Title I bring the overall total to approximately $2.1 billion. And billions more have been requested for Head Start.
Another reason academics are being accelerated is the U.S. phenomenon known to marketers as KGOY -- kids growing older younger -- driven in part, by moms and dads, who, as Peggy Orenstein points out in the New York Times Magazine, "want to build a better child." Why else would expectant parents wire the womb for Mozart?
But the problem, says Miller, is that expectations for young children have changed, but children themselves have not.
Among the factors that remain the same is that children younger than 8 are notoriously unreliable test takers, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. They might be able to recite the full alphabet one day and recognize only five letters the next. While anyone taking a test can be affected by external circumstances, the number and variety of things that may affect a young child on test day are "hugely larger" than what may affect an adult, Miller says. The result is a 50 percent chance of an erroneous outcome -- "the same," he adds "as flipping a coin."
The second problem with testing young kids is one of validity -- does the test actually measure what it's supposed to? Miller says the answer is no. The relationship between a child's ability to recognize a certain number of syllables, say, at age 5 and progress toward becoming a reader "is really, really tenuous."
Besides faults with the testing process, whatever advantage kids might accrue early on -- the kind that makes moms and dads crow over Junior's ability to whip through Harry Potter while still in Pull-Ups -- doesn't make them better readers in the long run, according to a study conducted by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.
In Germany, where education reform in the 1970s transformed traditional kindergartens into centers for cognitive achievement, researchers found that children in play-based classes were not only more advanced readers and mathematicians by age 10 but also excelled in creativity and their ability to express themselves orally. They were better adjusted socially and emotionally. As a result, Germany switched back to "old-school" kindergartens. And in Finland, which outscores other industrial countries, children begin first grade at age 7 after six years of play.
On the other hand, adults who put too much pressure on children before their natural love of learning has clicked in risk setting the kids back, even burning them out. "The child gets the idea that they're not actually good at it," Miller says. "If you're told that you're not good at something, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. People who are told that they're tone deaf have a very hard time after that learning to sing."
The trend of loading up on phonics, math, and standardized tests is slowly pushing downward to preschool, with unsettling consequences. Almon reported at the congressional briefing that the expulsion rate for preschoolers is growing, with 4.5 times more boys being expelled than girls. "For me, as an early childhood educator, it's a red flag that says 'Too much sedentary time.'"
"Enough," says Kelly. "Watch children play. Let them set the routine. That's what they should be doing. If a kid goes to school semi-regularly and has even mediocre teachers, he will learn how to read and write by the third grade."
by Linda Kulman
06/18/09
One morning a couple of years ago, when my child was newly installed in kindergarten, I dropped him off in the school cafeteria, hugged him goodbye, and started to leave as teachers filed out with their students in tow. That's when I heard the principal announce, "Parents, if your child is crying, you need to stay."
I turned around.
For the next month, each school day started with our then-5-year-old clinging to my husband or me, as we alternately tried to comfort him or pry him loose. It took concerted bribery -- M&M's, sticker charts, and trips to the toy store -- for the daily drama to end.
It wasn't that he suffered from sensory issues, had been mismatched with his teacher, or any other of the myriad possibilities we considered during those weeks of misery during which he talked of dropping out.
It's that kindergarten is a lot to adjust to. Too much so, according to a report called "Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need Play in School," recently released by the nonprofit research and advocacy group Alliance for Childhood. A survey commissioned by the group of 254 kindergarten teachers in Los Angeles and New York revealed that they spend two to three hours a day teaching and testing their young charges in reading and math, while play or "choice" time accounts for 30 minutes or less.
As playtime dwindles, what's being lost is the one component crucial to the development of creativity, emotional stability, and empathy. Young children "try on every aspect of life while they're playing," Joan Almon, a co-author of the report, said at a recent briefing before Congress. "They use play to discover themselves and the world around them." Roberta Gollinkoff, an educator and expert on how children acquire language, added: "It's not play or learning. And playful learning is how children learn best."
Far from being a waste of time, play, in fact, is essential to a child's development-physically, intellectually, and psychologically. Marguerite Kelly, co-author of The Mother's Almanac, who writes a parenting column in The Washington Post called "Family Almanac," says, "You want them to do as much play as they can. Rolling a ball into a hole in the ground or pitching a penny into a wastebasket. You want them to climb up and down, up and down. They're in the housekeeping corner working out relationships."
There's a long list of lessons that children were once expected to learn in kindergarten, notes Edward Miller, co-author of the "Crisis" report. "A lot of them had to do with being a good citizen, learning to consider other people, learning to get along, learning to give in sometimes, learning to take turns."
One reason for the increased emphasis on academics and testing at such a young age is the push by politicians and educators to close the gap between rich and poor, white and minority students. Along with the No Child Left Behind Act, and its call for greater accountability in the classroom, unprecedented emphasis is now being placed on early childhood education to bring at-risk kids up to speed. Barack Obama's 2010 budget seeks $1.78 billion for early childhood education, a 78 percent increase over 2009. Other programs such as Title I bring the overall total to approximately $2.1 billion. And billions more have been requested for Head Start.
Another reason academics are being accelerated is the U.S. phenomenon known to marketers as KGOY -- kids growing older younger -- driven in part, by moms and dads, who, as Peggy Orenstein points out in the New York Times Magazine, "want to build a better child." Why else would expectant parents wire the womb for Mozart?
But the problem, says Miller, is that expectations for young children have changed, but children themselves have not.
Among the factors that remain the same is that children younger than 8 are notoriously unreliable test takers, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. They might be able to recite the full alphabet one day and recognize only five letters the next. While anyone taking a test can be affected by external circumstances, the number and variety of things that may affect a young child on test day are "hugely larger" than what may affect an adult, Miller says. The result is a 50 percent chance of an erroneous outcome -- "the same," he adds "as flipping a coin."
The second problem with testing young kids is one of validity -- does the test actually measure what it's supposed to? Miller says the answer is no. The relationship between a child's ability to recognize a certain number of syllables, say, at age 5 and progress toward becoming a reader "is really, really tenuous."
Besides faults with the testing process, whatever advantage kids might accrue early on -- the kind that makes moms and dads crow over Junior's ability to whip through Harry Potter while still in Pull-Ups -- doesn't make them better readers in the long run, according to a study conducted by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.
In Germany, where education reform in the 1970s transformed traditional kindergartens into centers for cognitive achievement, researchers found that children in play-based classes were not only more advanced readers and mathematicians by age 10 but also excelled in creativity and their ability to express themselves orally. They were better adjusted socially and emotionally. As a result, Germany switched back to "old-school" kindergartens. And in Finland, which outscores other industrial countries, children begin first grade at age 7 after six years of play.
On the other hand, adults who put too much pressure on children before their natural love of learning has clicked in risk setting the kids back, even burning them out. "The child gets the idea that they're not actually good at it," Miller says. "If you're told that you're not good at something, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. People who are told that they're tone deaf have a very hard time after that learning to sing."
The trend of loading up on phonics, math, and standardized tests is slowly pushing downward to preschool, with unsettling consequences. Almon reported at the congressional briefing that the expulsion rate for preschoolers is growing, with 4.5 times more boys being expelled than girls. "For me, as an early childhood educator, it's a red flag that says 'Too much sedentary time.'"
"Enough," says Kelly. "Watch children play. Let them set the routine. That's what they should be doing. If a kid goes to school semi-regularly and has even mediocre teachers, he will learn how to read and write by the third grade."
Great News!
The Village of Willow Springs approved a contract last week for the grinding and re-surfacing of School Street. Work is expected to begin in the next month or so. Thank goodness because that street sure needs it! And thanks to all the residents who came out and supported this effort.
Additionally, village trustee Annette Kaptur announced at last week's meeting that the Village of Willow Springs wants to construct a second entrance to the school, it will be located north of the school and will be a one way street. Hmmm, do the residents on Howard, Bielby and 80th know this yet? There will be lots more traffic in their neck of the woods!
Not too sure how this is going to happen though. That area really isn't Willow Springs over there and doesn't the park district own that green space?
Finally, the mayor stated the village must conduct a "needs assessment" in regard to the money for infrastructure improvements awarded to them by the Safe Routes to School Grant. This will not begin until sometime next Spring. Guess the needs assessment that was submitted with the grant didn't really count, or maybe they never watched the slide presentation.
Infrastructure must be completed within 3 years of their notice to proceed (signed and executed agreement) with IDOT.
Contact the Village of Willow Springs at 467-3700 for details on the new entrance to the elementary school.
Finally, why didn't anyone (ie. Mark Fredisdorf, Matt Vandercar, the school board) from Pleasantdale contact the village in regard to being awarded this grant money like Willow Springs School District 108 did? Don't they think the safety of our students is something worth celebrating?
Oh yeah, that's right, it has nothing to do with test scores...
Additionally, village trustee Annette Kaptur announced at last week's meeting that the Village of Willow Springs wants to construct a second entrance to the school, it will be located north of the school and will be a one way street. Hmmm, do the residents on Howard, Bielby and 80th know this yet? There will be lots more traffic in their neck of the woods!
Not too sure how this is going to happen though. That area really isn't Willow Springs over there and doesn't the park district own that green space?
Finally, the mayor stated the village must conduct a "needs assessment" in regard to the money for infrastructure improvements awarded to them by the Safe Routes to School Grant. This will not begin until sometime next Spring. Guess the needs assessment that was submitted with the grant didn't really count, or maybe they never watched the slide presentation.
Infrastructure must be completed within 3 years of their notice to proceed (signed and executed agreement) with IDOT.
Contact the Village of Willow Springs at 467-3700 for details on the new entrance to the elementary school.
Finally, why didn't anyone (ie. Mark Fredisdorf, Matt Vandercar, the school board) from Pleasantdale contact the village in regard to being awarded this grant money like Willow Springs School District 108 did? Don't they think the safety of our students is something worth celebrating?
Oh yeah, that's right, it has nothing to do with test scores...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Safe Routes to School Video for Pleasantdale Elementary School
This is the video that was submitted for the Safe Routes to School grant for Pleasantdale Elementary School. The Village of Willow Springs was awarded $152,280 to make improvements for the kids that attend Pleasantdale.
Thanks to Abagail, Kenny and Isabel Carlson and Sierra and Aubri Nelson for their help in making this video.
Safe Routes to School Video for Willow Springs School District 108
This is the video entry that was submitted for the Safe Routes to School Grant.
The Village of Willow Springs was awarded $247,250 to make improvements on the routes to school for the kids that attend Willow Springs School.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Pleasantdale Elementary and Willow Springs School are Safe Routes to School Grant Winners!!
A year of hard work and countless hours by former Village of Willow Spring Public Works Director Jim Chevalier and Administrative Assistant Gina Scaletta-Nelson has finally paid off!
Pleasantdale Elementary School and Willow Springs School are the beneficiaries of over $399,530 in grant money to build sidewalks and safe crosswalks on the routes to schools.
The grant money for Pleasantdale Elementary School is to be used as follows:
Jim Chevalier, Gina Scaletta-Nelson, Matt Vandercar, Bob Mesec, Abagail Carlson, Brad Martin, Sharon Rak, Kenny Carlson, Linda Thorell, Karen O'Halloran, Roger Alexander, Isabel Carlson, Sierra Nelson, Aubrianna Nelson, Rosalyn Epting-Wendt, Karen Triezenberg, Frank Patrick, Stephanie VanWagner, Joan Jenkins, Alexandra Baczynski, Nick DeFronzo, Kaitlin Krzos, Katie Casper
Please contact the Village of Willow Springs at 708-467-3700 for a timeline on these construction projects.
Pleasantdale Elementary School and Willow Springs School are the beneficiaries of over $399,530 in grant money to build sidewalks and safe crosswalks on the routes to schools.
The grant money for Pleasantdale Elementary School is to be used as follows:
- Sidewalk construction is on the west side of School Street from German Church Road to the school and on the south side of German Church Road from Wolf Road to Willow West Drive.
- Flashing beacons/lights to slow traffic on German Church Road east and west of School Street.
- A striped crosswalk on German Church Road at School Street.
- Sidewalk construction on Nolton Ave. from Archer Ave. to Prospect.
- Sidewalk construction on the south side of Archer Ave. from Nolton to Willow Lane.
- Flashing beacons/lights on Archer Ave. in front of the school and on Nolton alongside the school.
Jim Chevalier, Gina Scaletta-Nelson, Matt Vandercar, Bob Mesec, Abagail Carlson, Brad Martin, Sharon Rak, Kenny Carlson, Linda Thorell, Karen O'Halloran, Roger Alexander, Isabel Carlson, Sierra Nelson, Aubrianna Nelson, Rosalyn Epting-Wendt, Karen Triezenberg, Frank Patrick, Stephanie VanWagner, Joan Jenkins, Alexandra Baczynski, Nick DeFronzo, Kaitlin Krzos, Katie Casper
Please contact the Village of Willow Springs at 708-467-3700 for a timeline on these construction projects.
Pleasantdale Elementary School To Get Sidewalk Up School Street and Along German Church Road!!!!
Gov. Quinn announces $13 million is awarded
to communities to create Safe Routes to School
Program is designed to promote a healthier, more active lifestyle for children in grades K-8
CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn today announced $13.1 million in Safe Routes to School grants to schools and communities across the state. This 100 percent federally funded program is designed to enable and encourage children to walk and bike to school.
"This innovative program reaches out to our youth, instilling in them the healthy habits of physical activity," said Governor Quinn. "With Illinois ranked fourth in the nation for childhood obesity rates, providing children with a safe and secure means of walking to school is an important tool to improve the health of our children."
The 171 funded projects include projects encompassing everything from sidewalk repair to safety training for students and equipment for police and crossing guards. Safe Routes to School encourages a holistic approach to make it safer and more practical for children to walk to school, using the Five E’s: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement and encouragement.
IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig stated that the agency received almost 200 applications adding up to $27.9 million in requests," Hannig said. "Safe Routes to School has become a part of many Illinois schools and communities, and we encourage anyone who is interested in implementing Safe Routes to contact the Department for information on how to bring Safe Routes to your community."
Safe Routes to School is a program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration. The program is designed to:
to communities to create Safe Routes to School
Program is designed to promote a healthier, more active lifestyle for children in grades K-8
CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn today announced $13.1 million in Safe Routes to School grants to schools and communities across the state. This 100 percent federally funded program is designed to enable and encourage children to walk and bike to school.
"This innovative program reaches out to our youth, instilling in them the healthy habits of physical activity," said Governor Quinn. "With Illinois ranked fourth in the nation for childhood obesity rates, providing children with a safe and secure means of walking to school is an important tool to improve the health of our children."
The 171 funded projects include projects encompassing everything from sidewalk repair to safety training for students and equipment for police and crossing guards. Safe Routes to School encourages a holistic approach to make it safer and more practical for children to walk to school, using the Five E’s: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement and encouragement.
IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig stated that the agency received almost 200 applications adding up to $27.9 million in requests," Hannig said. "Safe Routes to School has become a part of many Illinois schools and communities, and we encourage anyone who is interested in implementing Safe Routes to contact the Department for information on how to bring Safe Routes to your community."
Safe Routes to School is a program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration. The program is designed to:
- Enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;
- Make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation option, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and
more - Facilitate projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of primary and middle schools
(Grades K-8).
The complete list of grants in Illinois is available on the web at: www.dot.il.gov/saferoutes.
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