Education

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | November 12, 2008___________

. . . delivered to your inbox so you can enjoy up-to-date news on Colleges of Education, Teaching and the Classroom, Campaigns, Legislation, STEM Teacher Issues, International Teacher Issues, Grants, and Upcoming Events. Please click on linked headlines for full story.





AACTE IN THE NEWS



Obama's Possible Candidates for Education Secretary

From the Chronicle of Higher Education

Barack Obama’s nominee will be the ninth U.S. secretary of education, and nearly all of the previous eight were known more for their backgrounds at the elementary and secondary levels. The suggested names include campaign advisers, current and former governors and state education officials, policy-research professionals, and people Mr. Obama knows through personal friendships or home-state ties.




AACTE ANNOUNCEMENTS


AACTE Board Elections
All AACTE Institutional Representatives are eligible to vote for new members of the AACTE Board of Directors, one of the most important benefits of AACTE membership. Please take advantage of this privilege and make your voice heard. For more information please click here.



AACTE Web Conference

AACTE presents "Building an Accreditation Learning Community," a Web Conference for Deans and NCATE Coordinators. From December 2, 2008 through December 4, 2008 participate from the comfort of your own office in this multi– day web event that includes a mix of pre -recorded and live sessions, online chats, and resource sharing on topics such as Assessment Rubrics, Creating the Electronic Exhibit Room, Writing An Institutional Report and preparing for the Visit. For more information about fees and registration, please click here.





NATIONAL NEWS



Obama Gets to Work on Transition

From Education Week

President-elect Barack Obama and his team started work this week on a transition that includes searching for the people who will bring to life his agenda of expanding preschool, improving the quality of teachers, and fixing the major federal law in K-12 education.



Teaching at the Precipice

From Education Week

With nearly half of all new teachers leaving their classrooms within five years and as many as a third of the nation’s teaching force readying for retirement, some education and political leaders seem to believe that education can solve its human-resource challenge by becoming more like the military: sign individuals up for short-term enlistments, prepare them in intensive boot-camp experiences, and then send them to the front lines.



No Child Left Behind Policies to Get Renewed Scrutiny

From the Washington Post

Reshaping the federal role in America's classrooms won't be the first priority for a new leader faced with economic crisis and war. But President-elect Barack Obama has vowed to fix "the broken promises of No Child Left Behind."



Want better schools? Hire better teachers

From Boston.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama has declared that "now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation - to provide every child a world-class education." But how? Mindless increases in school spending will be an expensive fiasco that will generate more disillusionment than human capital. The clearest result from decades of education research is the importance of teacher quality.



State-Level Races Shape Education Landscape

From Education Week

In pivotal state races that will affect education, voters in Tuesday’s elections legalized slot machines in Maryland in exchange for more school funding, flipped the Missouri governor’s office from Republican to Democrat, and defeated ballot measures in Oregon that would have limited English-language learners’ programs and tied teacher raises to classroom performance.



University Group Backs Major Push to Train Science and Math Teachers

From the Chronicle of Higher Education *login required

About 80 public universities have pledged to train substantially more high-quality mathematics and science teachers under a project that has the official backing of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, a panel announced on Sunday.



An Addition to the Classroom

From the Washington Post

It might be difficult to remember a time when this question would give you pause: Which number is greater, 43 or 23? But a first-grade class at McNair Elementary School in Herndon one fall morning was batting about .500.



How the Bad Economy Could Produce Better Teachers

From Education Week

If there’s a silver lining to the cloud that has settled over Wall Street, it may be this: Some of those economics majors seen in September, the ones who were thinking about becoming investment bankers, might be reconsidering. But many college students think teaching is a low-status job, and for many at elite colleges and universities, it often is. Part of the remarkable growth of Teach For America, for example, has occurred because such students view it more as social-justice work than teaching, and know that it’s very selective.






NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY



Urban teacher residencies show promise in teacher retention

From the National School Boards Association

Urban school board leaders who are looking for ways to recruit better-qualified teachers to struggling schools -- and ensure that they stay on the job longer -- might want to consider urban teacher residencies (UTRs).



PTS Announces Professional Teaching Development Centers in California

From National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

As part of a statewide effort to provide a quality education for every child in California, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) announced that four local universities and one county office of education have been selected as “Professional Teaching Development Centers” that will strengthen California’s support for National Board Certification, the highest credential in the teaching profession.



$1.6 Million Grant Awarded to University of Oregon to Help Lead Special Education Technical Assistance Center

From the U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Office of Special Education Programs today announced a $1.6 million grant to the University of Oregon to lead a joint effort to continue the work of a technical assistance center aimed at helping address the needs of behavior-challenged students with disabilities.



New grant at UHV puts more teachers in classrooms

From Victoria Advocate

The University of Houston-Victoria is now offering a grant program that will help provide teachers needed in certain subjects. UHV awarded its first Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education grants this semester. The grants provide up to $4,000 a year for students who agree that after they graduate, they will teach in high-need fields in schools that serve children from low-income families.



Education-Related Ballot Items Reflect Fiscal, Policy Concerns

From Education Week

Maryland is getting slot machines in exchange for about $660 million for education. Oregon’s schools can continue to teach English-language learners in their native language for as long as they want. And Nebraska universities and school programs won’t be able to use race as a factor in admissions. Far down on state ballots across the country, those and at least a dozen other measures affecting education and hot-button social issues were decided last week by voters.





Other Announcements


AERA Grants and Fellowship Programs

AERA Grants and Fellowship Programs provide funding to help graduate students and early career scholars develop research skills and conduct studies in education and related fields. Application deadlines for the 2009 competitions are fast approaching! Please follow the links below for more information.



AERA-AIR (A²) Fellows Program
Application deadline: December 15, 2008.

AERA-ETS Fellowship Program in Measurement
Application deadline: December 15, 2008.
· Minority Fellowship Program in Education Research
Application deadline: December 15, 2008.

· AERA Grants Program
The next application deadlines are August 29, 2008; January 7, 2009; and March 6, 2009.

From the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is accepting applications to serve on committees responsible for reviewing and revising standards in two areas: English as a New Language and Social Studies-History. To access the online application click here. The application will be available through December 12, 2008, 5:00pm EST.



For assistance or additional information please contact NBPTS at nominations@nbpts.org.





AACTE 61st ANNUAL MEETING & EXHIBITS

February 6 - 9, 2009
Hyatt Regency Chicago - Virtual Tour
Chicago, IL





REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Click Here to register for the 61st Annual Meeting & Exhibits. This will lead you through creating an account which you can use for future meetings. If you registered for the Accountability, Accreditation, and Quality Conference, Click Here to use the account you set up when registering for that meeting.



Alyssa J. Mangino

Communications Manager

AACTE

1307 New York Ave., NW Suite 300

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 478-4596 -Direct

(202) 457-8095 -Fax

amangino@aacte.org