Teacher Education News

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | January 27, 2009_____________

. . . 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 ANNOUNCEMENTS



AACTE 61st ANNUAL MEETING & EXHIBITS

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





REGISTER NOW!

Click here for more information on the 61st Annual Meeting & Exhibits as well as direct links for registration, hotel reservations, and answers to frequently asked questions.



You Spoke…and AACTE Listened!

In a recent AACTE membership survey, an overwhelming majority of survey respondents indicated they prefer to receive AACTE news updates online. We will continue to bring you the latest news in our popular monthly Briefs newsletter, but beginning with the March 2009 issue, it will be available online only at www.aacte.org. Representatives will be notified by e-mail when each issue is posted. If you currently receive AACTE’s weekly NewsBriefs e-mails, you will receive Briefs information at the same address. To confirm or update your e-mail address, please contact membership@aacte.org. To view the current or archived issues of Briefs on the web, click here (member login required).



AACTE Announces Member News

Has your institution recently received a grant? Is a former student now recognized as a teacher of the year? Have you recently received a prestigious award? Well here is your chance to showcase your accomplishments! AACTE has developed a “Member News” section on our website where members are encouraged to submit news stories including the recognition of awards, grants, and other notable achievements. All submissions postings are subject to the discretion of AACTE staff. Please email your accomplishments to Alyssa Mangino at amangino@aacte.org.



AACTE Announces 2009 Annual Meeting Planner

Did you know that you can search an online database for ALL confirmed sessions as well as create your own customized itinerary for AACTE’s 61st Annual Meeting & Exhibits? You can do all that and more by using AACTE's exclusive Online Itinerary Planner!



Voting to Commence Soon on Proposed Changes to AACTE’s Bylaws and Resolutions

AACTE's Institutional Representatives will have one week, from February 9 through 16, 2009, to vote on changes to the Association's bylaws and resolutions for 2009 already approved by the Board. AACTE members will convene at the Chicago conference on Saturday, February 7, from 7:45 to 9:00 a.m. at the annual hearing of AACTE's Issues and Resolutions Committee to discuss the issues approved by the Board of Directors for this year's vote by the membership. Voting will be conducted online via electronic balloting.





NATIONAL NEWS



House to vote on stimulus package this week

From the Committee on Appropriations

Education for the 21st Century: To enable more children to learn in 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries to help our kids compete with any worker in the world, this package provides:

· $41 billion to local school districts through Title I ($13 billion), IDEA ($13 billion), a new School Modernization and Repair Program ($14 billion), and the Education Technology program ($1 billion).

· $79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks to key services, including $39 billion to local school districts and public colleges and universities distributed through existing state and federal formulas, $15 billion to states as bonus grants as a reward for meeting key performance measures, and $25 billion to states for other high priority needs such as public safety and other critical services, which may include education.

· $15.6 billion to increase the Pell grant by $500.

· $6 billion for higher education modernization.



Gates Gives $22 Million in Grants

From Education Week

As part of its recently revamped education agenda, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today rolled out $22 million in grants to build and strengthen student-data systems at the high school and postsecondary levels and to support new research on teacher effectiveness.



Stimulus school money could be hard to cut later

From the Associated Press

If the government spends billions on education to help jump-start the staggering economy, what happens when things improve and schools have grown used to the largesse? That is what Republicans are asking about President Barack Obama's recovery plan, the largest increase in federal money for schools.



A New Era for Teacher Policy?

From Education Week

Maybe it's a little early to read the tea leaves, but we here at Teacher Beat we think there might be a lot more attention at the federal level to teacher quality. Why? Well, the confirmation hearing for Arne Duncan focused nearly exclusively on teaching, while the economic-stimulus package has oodles of new funding for teachers.





NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY



U of M program recruits professionals for career switch to education

From commercialappeal.com

For three years, the University of Memphis has recruited several dozen teachers through a $1.2 million federal grant aimed at getting math and science experts into middle-school classrooms. Many have completed master's degrees in education through a loan forgiveness option that refunds their tuition if they teach in a high-need school for two years.



Economy has many applying to be teachers

From AZStarnet.com

Teaching is looking pretty good to a lot of people right now. The Tucson Unified School District for the first time in a decade has had to impose a hiring freeze on substitutes because there are so many applicants. Amphitheater Public Schools, too, has more substitutes than it knows what to do with. And it's getting easier to hire for the certified teaching pool, too, school officials say.



Zero to teacher in five weeks

From Medill Reports Chicago

Teach for America prepares young men and women nationwide for the urban classroom. Its ranks are filled with those who are willing to leave educational comfort zones to teach students in historically neglected schools. Its training consists of five weeks focused on breeding an aggressive team of reformers eager to close America’s educational achievement gap. Dr. Sharon Damore, a department assistant chair for teacher education at the DePaul University School of Education, acknowledged she was skeptical about the institute’s brevity. Teach for America core members spend five weeks training; graduate students at DePaul spend two years.



UNT College of Education Receives $1 Million Endowment to Fund Scholarships for Students Pursuing Su

From PRCanada.com

The University of North Texas College of Education has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dallas-based Southwest Securities, Inc., establishing a $1 million scholarship endowment to benefit students in the college's superintendent certification program. The Southwest Securities Superintendent Certification Scholarship will allow students to have approximately half of their tuition restored upon the successful completion of their coursework.





Other Announcements



AERA Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop

From AERA

Call for Applications

Deadline: February 20, 2009

The American Educational Research Association invites fellowship applications for an Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop to be held at the 2009 Annual Meeting in San Diego. This workshop is designed to build the talent pool of undergraduate students who plan to pursue doctorate degrees in education research or in disciplines and fields that examine education issues. Applicants are sought who have potential and interest in pursuing careers as education researchers, faculty members, or other professionals who contribute to the research field.



Free Live Webinar on Environmental Building in the Educational Sector

From Xtalks.com

Xtalks, a web-based news and information network, has produced a complimentary, live webinar on the topic, "Environmental Building in the Educational Sector," scheduled for March 5, 2009, 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST. Listeners will learn about the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) "green" building rating system for schools. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

Click here for more information and to register for the webinar.





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