Teacher Education Update - STEM

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | March 17, 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 Applauds Obama Education Platform; Urges Reform in Teacher Preparation
On March 10, President Obama outlined his goals for education in a speech to the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. One of the pillars of his initiative is "recruiting, preparing and rewarding outstanding teachers" with incentives for a new generation of teachers and for new levels of excellence among all teachers. "President Obama has rightly targeted teacher quality as a centerpiece of his policy reforms. We are thrilled to see this focus and look forward to working with him and Secretary Duncan to make real progress," said Sharon P. Robinson, President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Study of Teacher Preparation Models Seriously Flawed
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), after reviewing analyses of several research experts, indicated today its disappointment with a recent study of models of teacher preparation.



AACTE Wants YOU!
Now is the perfect time to help lead your professional association!
AACTE invites you to consider these exciting ways to engage in leadership opportunities Share your expertise – Gain national visibility – Develop your network – Enhance the profession:

We are currently accepting applications for:
- Nominations to the AACTE's Board of Directors (by May 1st)
- Volunteers to serve on an AACTE Standing Committee (by May 1st)
- Session proposals for the 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibits (by May 1st)

We are also accepting in our Call for Comments:
- New or Amended Resolutions for 2010 (by May 15th)

Getting Ready: The Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Competition
The U.S. Department of Education intends to open a grant competition for the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants (Title II, Higher Education Opportunity Act) in the spring that could include up to $145 million in funds. Featuring presenters Richard Mellman and Kathy Price from the U.S. Department of Education, this webinar will closely review the legislative language that will provide the basis of the grant application so that participants become familiar with the many requirements of the grant. It will take place on Thursday, March 19 2009 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm. Click here to register for the webinar. This will lead you through creating an account which you can use for future meetings. Click here to use an existing account.

Help Identify Postsecondary Education Options for Students With Intellectual Disabilities
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts and TransCen, Inc. have received a federal grant to identify college programs or services that support students with intellectual disabilities. As an organizational member of the Executive Committee that guides this initiative's project activities, AACTE is asking its member institutions to fill out a short form on programs and services that your institution or others provide to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Click here to submit your information.

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 Briefsnewsletter, 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 click here. To view the current or archived issues of Briefs on the web, click here

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 .



NATIONAL NEWS

Remarks by the President to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on a Complete and Competitive American Education
From the White House
Read about the President's speech on education which was delivered last week.

Pushback on Mathematica Routes-to-Teaching Study
From Education Week
Some academics and policy folks are pushing back on the findings of this Mathematica study that used an experimental design to compare the student-achievement results of kids taught by graduates of several-alternate route programs with those coming from traditional teachers' colleges.

Education Department: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
From the United States Department of Education
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. It is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century.

Interest surges in leaving other jobs for teaching
From the Associated Press
Plenty of people dream of leaving their jobs to become teachers. Today, more people are actually doing it. Peter Vos ran an Internet startup. Now he teaches computer science to middle school kids in Maryland. Jaime McLaughlin used to do people's taxes. Now he teaches math to sixth graders in Chicago. Alisa Salvans was a makeup artist at Saks department store. Now she teaches high school chemistry in suburban Dallas.

In a Washington Minute: Arne Duncan's Big Week
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited Capitol Hill last week to tout President Obama's budget plan. Sara Hebel, The Chronicle's politics editor, and Kelly Field, its chief Washington reporter, discuss how Mr. Duncan was received by lawmakers. (2:00)

Secretary Duncan Announces Appointment of Jo Anderson Jr. as Senior Advisor
From the United States Department of Education
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the appointment of Jo Anderson Jr. as senior advisor to the department, where he will conduct outreach to teachers and teacher organizations.

Obama backs teacher merit pay, charter schools
From the Associated Press
President Barack Obama called for tying teachers' pay to students' performance and expanding innovative charter schools Tuesday, embracing ideas that have provoked hostility from members of teachers unions. He also suggested longer school days - and years - to help America's children compete in the world.

Obama Ed Budget Passes First Test
From Inside Higher Ed
The higher education agenda that President Obama outlined in his 2010 budget blueprint and a speech this week contained several proposals that, in normal times, might have started a war on Capitol Hill. Just ask his predecessors: Previous proposals to end the lender-based guaranteed student loan program bruised President Clinton; President Bush was repeatedly pummeled for daring to mess with the Perkins Loan Program; and many a president has taken a pounding for seeking to expand federal entitlements, as Obama has done by calling for making Spell Grant funding mandatory and ensuring annual increases tied to inflation.

Duncan: Schools must improve to get stimulus money
From the Associated Press
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says schools must make drastic changes to get money from a special $5 billion fund in the economic stimulus bill. "We're going to reward those states and those districts that are willing to challenge the status quo and get dramatically better," Duncan said Monday at the White House.



NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Vanderbilt Will Offer First Postsecondary Education Opportunity in Tennessee for Students With Intellectual Disabilities
From Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VC CEDED) has received a 3-year grant from the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities (Council) to develop and coordinate a Postsecondary Education Program for students with intellectual disabilities at Vanderbilt University. The program will be the first of its kind in the state of Tennessee. AACTE is an organizational member of the Executive Committee that guides this initiative's project activities.

New fed funding for ed tech nears $1 billion
From eschoolnews.com
Nearly $1 billion -- $920 million, to be more precise -- in new federal funding has been appropriated specifically for education technology since February. Via the Enhancing Education Through Technology (ETTA) program, ed-tech will receive nearly $270 million more for fiscal year 2009, thanks to the $410 billion omnibus spending measure signed by President Obama on March 11.

USCC Joins NASA In Tech-Education Partnership
From MSNBC
Two local colleges have joined forces with NASA in an effort to create a sustainable community that will allow for education and research at Moffet Field. The University of California-Santa Cruz and the Foothill-De Ana Community College announced that they have joined NASA Ames Research Center to create an educational opportunity on 75 acres of land in the NASA Research Park.



Other Announcements

EARA – ABS Graduate Student Education Research Workshop
The American Educational Research Association (EARA) and the Association of Black Sociologists (ABS) announce a joint professional development training workshop for advanced graduate students who are examining an education research topic from a sociological perspective. This workshop will provide advanced graduate students with mentoring and guidance on their dissertation and give them insight into publishing their work.

Dates: The workshop will be part of the 2009 ABS Conference, in New Orleans - June 17th- June 20th. All workshop activities will be held the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, June 17th.

Partnership for Global Learning Forum
From the Asia Society
In 2009, as new leadership comes to Washington D.C. The Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning is hosting its second annual national forum. Join teachers, leaders and policymakers from across K-16 education to share best practices, build partnerships, and advance policies to ensure that all students are prepared for work and citizenship in the global 21st century. The forum will take place from July 9-11, 2009 in Arlington, VA. Click here to register.

Great Teachers for our City Schools
The second annual Great Teachers for Our City Schools: A National Summit on Recruiting, Preparing and Retaining Quality Urban Teachers will begin at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 with a reception and dinner and end at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2009.

Early Bird Registration
Fee: $275
Deadline: Feb. 27, 2009
Regular Registration
Fee: $300
Deadline: March 27, 2009
To register, go to www.mscd.edu/~up

Blogwatch: Grading the Graders
NCQT started February off with a bang by declaring, in its 2008 State Teacher Policy Yearbook , that the vast majority of states are barely passing in their efforts to identify and retain effective teachers and "exit" their sub-par colleagues. Over at Advancing the Teaching Profession , Barnett Berry takes the NCQT graders to task for failing to fully measure the types of skills, assessment systems, and evaluation models that 21st century teachers need to make our students competitive in a global marketplace.

Funding Opportunities at NSF
Are you looking for math and science funding opportunities? The National Science Foundation (NFS) wants to see what teacher education has been working on with regard to the preparation of STEM teachers.

NSF has two partnership programs of interest. The Math and Science Partnership Program (MP Program) is run through NFS' Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE ) within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. This research and development effort seeks to build capacity and integrate the work of higher education with that of K-12 to strengthen and reform mathematics and science education. Partnerships need to consist of an HE, at least one high needs school districts, and a non-profit organization to develop evidence-based outcomes that contribute to the understanding of how students effectively learn mathematics and science.

NSF's Division for Research and Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DL ) within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, funds projects that: enhance content and pedagogical knowledge and practical teaching skills of pre-service STEM teachers, develop effective paths for induction into the STEM teaching profession by early career teachers, and develop engaging and effective strategies for continuing professional development of STEM teachers.



Alyssa DJ. 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