Federal Update - December 1, 2008
Brought
to you by your voice at the national level,
the Association of American
Educators.
Report: What Happens When States Have Genuine Alternative Certification?
Blue Ribbon Honor Crowns "A Cinderella Year" for Conwell Middle School in Philadelphia
"Labor unions look to cash in with Dems"
Head of Teachers' Union Offers to Talk on Tenure and Merit Pay
"Using Technology to Personalize Education"
The Transition to Teaching Grant Program funds the development and expansion of alternative routes to full state teacher certification and the recruitment and retention of highly qualified mid-career professionals, recent college graduates who have not majored in education, and paraprofessionals to teach in high-need schools operated by high-need school districts. States, high-need districts, and partnerships of states, districts, and for- and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply. A notice of intent to apply is due December 15. Applications are due January 21, 2009.
See http://www.ed.gov/GrantApps/ for a list of all competitions that are currently underway, with links to electronic application packages, forms, and other information.
Report: What Happens When States Have Genuine Alternative Certification?
Education Next, a publication put out by the Hoover Institution, released a new report on alternative teacher certification:
"In states that had genuine alternative certification, test-score gains on the NAEP exceeded those in the other states by 4.8 points and 7.6 points in 4th- and 8th-grade math, respectively. In reading, the additional gains in the states with genuine alternative certification were 10.6 points and 3.9 points for the two grade levels, respectively. Among African Americans, test-score gains were also larger in the states with genuine alternative certification."
For more information:
http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/34564684.html
http://www.abcte.org/blog/2008/11/building-a-great-teaching-workforce
Blue Ribbon Honor Crowns "A Cinderella Year" for Conwell Middle School in Philadelphia
"This fall, Conwell-an inner-city [Philadelphia] magnet school that serves 871 students in grades 5-8-became one of 320 schools across the nation honored by the U.S. Department of Education as a No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School. Ranking in the top 10 percent of Pennsylvania public schools based on the state exam results, it was the only middle school in the state to receive the federal award this year."
For more information:
http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/achiever/2008/1108.html
"Labor unions look to cash in with Dems"
Politico has an article describing the upcoming battle in Congress over the Employee Free Choice Act:
"Unions are transforming their election-year ground troops into a national lobbying force that will push for the bill. Last week, the AFL-CIO's executive council decided to shift its 2008 field structure, with hundreds of staff in key states, from electoral politics to a card-check mobilization campaign."
"For its part, the business community plans to continue pouring resources into opposing the bill. The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, which ran ads opposing the bill before the elections, plans a major outreach drive to state and local industry associations and is considering running print ads next week."
For more information:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15709.html
Head of Teachers' Union Offers to Talk on Tenure and Merit Pay
"Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said Monday that given the economic crisis, her union would be willing to discuss new approaches to issues like teacher tenure and merit pay.
"Faced with declining tax revenues, state and local governments are cutting education budgets nationwide, Ms. Weingarten said in a speech to education policy makers in Washington."
For more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/education/18teach.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin
"Using Technology to Personalize Education"
The U.S. Secretary of Education's new white paper about technology, "Harnessing Innovation to Support Student Success: Using Technology to Personalize Education," gives the "lessons learned" from three roundtable discussions (held over the past 18 months) with representatives from across the education and technology landscape, from teachers to executives, and a roundtable discussion with students. Participants identified five key areas where federal, state, and local governments can better collaborate: (1) online learning and virtual schools, (2) transforming data into knowledge and action, (3) broadband connectivity, (4) research efficacy and impact, and (5) school leadership and professional preparation.
For more information:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/reports/roundtable.html