Tips on Giving

Most of these articles were published in December 2010 with holiday giving in mind, but the information in them can be used all year long.

The Best Gifts that Give to Charity
This article from smartmoney.com helps you look for gifts with a charitable tie-in while trying to dodge those that only say they do good.  This advice also applies to your own charitable giving.

Why Its Best to Give Close to Home

smartmoney.com on why you might get more mileage from your contribution by giving to smaller, local organizations, rather than to the big, brand-name charities.

How to Maximize Charitable Giving
Covers how to maximize your giving even if you aren't Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.  From smartmoney.com

How to Avoid Mistakes When Giving Money to Charity
Wall Street Journal  on the top 10 mistakes people make when giving to charity


Buying Gifts That Give Back 
Article from CNN with some good links to buying gifts with a cause.  I personally prefer gifts from a fair trade source rather than traditional gifts that are donating to causes.  Has links to both.

Local Weekly Non-profit Highlights

We are fortunate to not only live in a place as beautiful as Santa Barbara, but to live where there is a deep commitment to community and where so many non-profits are doing such great work.  Thanks to Noozhawk.com for doing a wonderful job covering non-profits.  This is just a sample of what stood out to me.  Check out their site for more complete coverage.

Rotary Clubs, Direct Relief Step Up for Southern Sudan
from  noozhawk.com
Direct Relief International (DRI) is one of my favorite non-profits in Santa Barbara.  It is the largest international aid organization in California and for those of you that thought they were just disaster relief, you have another thing coming to you.  Check out their website to learn how much more they really do.

Direct Relief International Receives 100% Efficiency Rating 
 from Noozhawk.com
I just stated above how much I like DRI and this is just more proof of what a great organization they are.


Efforts to Close Achievement Gap Begin with Three Local Schools
from noozhawk.com
Education reform is one of my top issues.  I believe, thanks to the leadership of some amazing people in this town, that Santa Barbara County is one of the leading counties in the nation addressing education issues.  You will see much more on what we are doing locally to address this issue.


Impact Grants Awarded by Santa Barbara Foundation
from EdHat.com
Another thing that makes Santa Barbara great is the Santa Barbara Foundation.  The positive impact this community foundation makes is astounding.  Be sure to check out their new website!


Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation Community Leaders Luncheon
from Noozhawk.com
The best part of having your own blog is you get to promote the organizations you think the mostly highly of.  The Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation is one of those organizations.  I was lucky enough to attend this luncheon and was very impressed with the student speaker.  I only wish my 12 year old could have heard Marissa's story of how much resilience and perseverance it took for her to make her way to college.  Read her story here.

Barbara Ben-Horin New SBMA Director of Development
from The Independent
Lastly, I include this article because I know Ms. Ben Horin and for my numerous friends involved with SmArt Families, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art is fortunate to have such an accomplished and sophisticated development director.

This Week in Education Reform

I can't help, but be drawn to any article on education reform.  If you aren't already familiar with the topic, a few of the key players to watch are Arne Duncan, Geoffrey Canada,  Michelle Rhee, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

A Former School Chief Shapes Her Comeback
"Ms. Rhee, one of the best recognized, and most polarizing, figures in public education."  After resigning as Chancellor of Washington, D. C. schools, the nation was waiting for her next move.  Read about it at NYTimes.com.

What I've Learned by Michelle Rhee 
For those of you who want more on Michelle Rhee and her thoughts about education reform, read this Newsweek cover article.

New Challenges for Obama's Education Agenda in the Face of a G.O.P. Led House
NYTimes.com covers how the administration is having to recalibrate its goals for working with Congress

Teach Your Children...Better 
This interview with Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, appeared in Nov in the WSJ.  Here is my favorite part of the interview and the reason why I believe so strongly in the long term impact of Early Childhood Education.  

MS. BLUMENSTEIN: President Obama has a goal of increasing college graduation rates. I believe the U.S. has now sunk to No. 9 in the world and he wants to make us No. 1 by 2020. How is he going to do that, given the state of public education?

MR. DUNCAN: We're putting a huge emphasis on early-childhood education, which is a long-term play. We've talked a lot about K-to-12 reform.

We've also put a huge amount of money to make college more affordable, have increased Pell grants, lots of money behind community colleges. And so with a comprehensive—we call it cradle to career—continuum of change, we basically need about another eight million young people to graduate. 

 Many Officials Willing to Replace Half of Staff to Turn School Around 
In the much talked about film, Waiting for Superman, there was a lot of blame placed on a system with the inability to replace low performing teachers.  This article from the Washington Post addresses the Obama's administration attempt to tackle this issue.

Geoffrey Canada Said to Have Rejected Chancellor Job 
We might not live in NYC, but Geoffrey Canada is such a leader in education reform that anything about him is worth reading.  Read at NYTimes.com

What Works in the Classroom...Ask the Students 
  This NYTimes.com article covers a two year project sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Part of this project was research that shows preliminary findings that students views of their teachers are quite useful.

 Growth in Test Scores is a Sign of a Good Teacher
Another article on the two year project from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  This one, in the Washington Post, discusses the effectiveness of using test scores to measure teaching ability.