Teacher Education

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | February 3, 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



SEE YOU IN CHICAGO!

AACTE 61st ANNUAL MEETING & EXHIBITS

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



Click here for more information on the 61st Annual Meeting & Exhibits.



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.



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



Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education

From the New York Times

The economic stimulus plan that Congress has scheduled for a vote on Wednesday would shower the nation’s school districts, child care centers and university campuses with $150 billion in new federal spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the Department of Education’s current budget.



Duncan details $150 billion education stimulus

From CNN

Education Secretary Arne Duncan talks to CNN's Campbell Brown about the President's $150 billion increase in federal money for education.



States Anxious to Get Details About Stimulus

From the New York Times

The economic stimulus plan that Congress has scheduled for a vote on Wednesday would shower the nation’s school districts, child care centers and university campuses with $150 billion in new federal spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the Department of Education’s current budget.



Secretary Duncan Announces Assistant Secretaries for the Department of Education

From the U.S. Department of Education

Secretary Arne Duncan praised President Barack Obama's intent to nominate the following individuals as Assistant Secretaries for the Department of Education: Carmel Martin, Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development; and Peter Cunningham, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach.



First Lady Visits Department of Education

From the Washington Post

In the first stop of a planned series of visits to federal agencies, first lady Michelle Obama went to the Department of Education today to energize workers by announcing: "I am a product of your work."



Education Aid in Stimulus Raises Eyebrows

From Education Week

With the Senate set to take up the more-than-$800 billion economic-stimulus bill this week, lawmakers will grapple with whether some $120 billion in proposed education funding increases would set unreasonable expectations for future spending.



States Found to Hinder Teacher Effectiveness

From Education Week

A push in national circles for states to align their human-capital management systems strategically with goals for recruiting and retaining effective teachers hasn’t yet trickled down to the states, an analysis of state teacher policies reveals.



Idea of the Day: Invest in Data, Assessment, and Teacher Evaluation Systems

From the Center for American Progress

States and districts need the capacity to collect and use high-quality data to make accurate and fair determinations about teacher effectiveness. This capacity requires strong infrastructure, such as data systems that track students and teachers, high-quality student assessment systems, and rigorous teacher evaluation systems. The federal government should be investing heavily, now, to put these prerequisites into place.



Best Minds Sought for Central Office, Startups

From Education Week

The central office isn’t being overlooked in the movement to find and develop top talent for school districts. Although ways to recruit, groom, and keep top teachers and strong principals tend to dominate discussions of “human capital” needs in education, a handful of nonprofit organizations and foundations also see providing smart managers as essential.



From Qualifications to Results: Promoting Teacher Effectiveness Through Federal Policy

From the Center for American Progress

Michelle Rhee captures a widely held view: Federal law should stop focusing on “quality,” as measured by front-end qualifications, and start focusing on “effectiveness,” as measured by whether teachers have actually helped students learn. Research now shows that most qualifications only weakly predict whether teachers will succeed in the classroom, and one of the best predictors of future performance is past performance. This means that increasing the share of teachers who are high performers will be a straighter path to improving student achievement than focusing on credentials.



Changing education

From the Chicago Tribune

Studies by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future indicate nearly half of new teachers depart within five years. "In a vicious cycle, teacher turnover lowers student achievement, and lower student achievement leads to teacher turnover," the commission concluded.





NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY



How we prepare students is critical

The Tennessean

Universities need to take a hard look at the role that they must play in the education of our children. Partnerships involving university scientists and public school districts have proved to have a dramatic impact on teacher preparation and student achievement.



ASU, Augusta Technical College and Paine College Partner with ADP

From Augusta State University

Augusta State University, Augusta Technical College, and Paine College today announced a three-year partnership with Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP), one of the world’s largest providers of business outsourcing solutions, to increase the number of graduates in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).



MU College of Education joins students on Facebook

From the Missourian

On Facebook, you can be a fan of the boy band of the month.You can join an earth-friendly cause or follow a celebrity’s career. And now, you can become a “fan” of the MU College of Education. The college created the Facebook page about a year and a half ago to recruit and connect with students. The college has accumulated 173 fans to date on the site.



UNT College of Education receives $1 million endowment to fund scholarships for students pursuing superintendent certification

From North Texas E-News

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.



Despite Ohio's Tough Economy, Governor Has Plan for Schools

From Education Week

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is drawing a warm initial response to his proposed overhaul of the state’s public education system, including a revamped school funding formula, a higher bar for teacher tenure, and replacing the high school exit exam with the act college-entrance test.



W&M education dean to set state policy for K-12 education

From the DailyPress.com

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has appointed the dean of William and Mary's School of Education Virginia L. McLaughlin to serve on the state Board of Education.





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