Teacher Education

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | June 23, 2009
. . . delivered to your inbox so you can enjoy up-to-date news on colleges of education, teaching and the classroom, legislation, STEM teacher issues, grants, and upcoming events. Please click on linked headlines for full story.

AACTE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Revisit 2009 Day on the Hill Online
Materials from AACTE's 5th annual Day on the Hill are available online. Download our new publication on innovation and reform in teacher preparation, read presenters' remarks, and browse photos from the congressional reception and briefing.

FREE Access to Archived Webinar on Closing the Achievement Gap for Children in Foster Care
Access this free AACTE webinar anytime through June 30! “Tutor Connection: Closing the Educational Achievement Gap for Children in Foster Care” is sponsored by the Casey Family Programs. Tutor Connection has provided 1,240 student teachers from California State University-San Marcos to work directly with children in foster care to improve academic performance. Hear about the results for over 1,500 foster care youth who have participated in this program and learn more about the roles that Departments of Education can play in positively impacting this unique and often invisible population.

NATIONAL NEWS

Raising the Bar on Teacher Ed
From Inside Higher Ed
Teacher education programs are now required to meet higher standards or increase their emphasis on classroom training in order to achieve accreditation, according to new guidelines announced today by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in a briefing at the National Press Club. The majority of NCATE's 632 accredited colleges of education do not currently meet the new "target" level of achievement, according to Cibulka. They have until 2012 to either raise their curriculum to that level or develop a new training or research program.

Unions Seek Bigger Role in Charter Schools
From the Associated Press
As the Obama administration pushes for more charter schools, a teachers' union is pushing for a bigger role in them. Education Secretary Arne Duncan made a point of talking about unions in a speech Monday in Washington to a national charter school conference. Charters usually operate free from restrictions like tenure and other rules found in union contracts. Duncan is pushing aggressively to expand the number of charter schools. He has threatened to withhold millions of stimulus dollars from states that put limitations on charter schools.

Court Affirms Reimbursement for Special Education
From the New York Times
In a decision that could help disabled students obtain needed services and cost school districts millions of dollars, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that parents of special-education students may seek government reimbursement for private school tuition, even if they have never received special-education services in public school.

The Schoolhouse Flunks: Education Dept. Takes Symbolic Step to Reconstitute No Child Left Behind
From the Washington Post
Seven years ago, a rally at the Department of Education promoted one of then-President George W. Bush's most significant domestic achievements -- the No Child Left Behind law. The backdrop: a red schoolhouse. But now that symbol has been ripped down. The Obama administration has made clear that it is putting its own stamp on education reform. That will mean a new name and image for a law that has grown unpopular with many teachers and suburban parents, even though it was enacted with bipartisan support in Congress.

Obama's Education Budget Sees Some Pushback on Capitol Hill
From U.S. News & World Report
Congressmen are challenging some of the biggest programs in the fiscal 2010 education budget request that Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently outlined to Senate and House appropriations subcommittees. President Obama's budget proposal asks for $46.7 billion in discretionary funding, or $1.3 billion more than the 2009 level.

NCLB Found to Raise Scores Across Spectrum
From Education Week (LOGIN REQUIRED)
Since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted, critics have questioned whether the law's mandate to bring students to "proficiency" has resulted in schools ignoring the needs of the nation's highest- and lowest-achieving students. A new study from the Center on Education Policy suggests those fears have not become reality. The 50-state analysis found that test scores for both "advanced" and "basic" students rose in nearly three-quarters of assessments studied across states and grade levels, a level of progress only slightly lower than that of students reaching proficiency.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Asian Universities Join Hands to Improve Education of Teachers
From the Jakarta Post
Presidents and representatives of 40 universities in Asia, including many universities of education (teacher colleges), pledged to collaborate to improve the education of teachers and promote educational research and development. At the inaugural Asian Roundtable of Presidents of Universities of Education hosted by the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) on May 22, HKIEd President Professor Anthony B. L. Cheung underlined that universities, schools and teachers are facing unprecedented challenges arising from globalization and the knowledge economy.

Funding Deal Puts Teacher Training at Risk
From the TES
The quality of science and maths teaching will be severely compromised by sharp cuts in funding for university education departments, senior academics have warned in a letter seen by The TES. The cuts have also placed the Institute of Education in London in significant financial difficulty. And universities around the country could choose to close their expensive teacher training programmes. Heads of 13 high-profile education departments have written to Brian Follett, chair of the Training and Development Agency for Schools, to draw his attention to “the adverse consequences for children and young people, quality teacher training and public policy” of the recent funding settlement.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grade Teacher?
From the Indianapolis Business Journal
For Indiana students to meet realities of 21st century global competition, state schools chief Tony Bennett says it's critical to fill the ranks of elementary teachers with the highest academic achievers. But students going into and out of Indiana's teacher education programs tend to score below average on standardized test scores. And national data indicate the gap is entirely attributable to those headed into elementary education.

Texas Not Sold on Education Standards
From the San Antonio Express
Texas has always been known for its independent streak. Now the state is one of four that is sitting out an effort to create voluntary national standards for what students are expected to learn in school. Texas just updated its standards and textbooks and doesn't need to start over, said Commissioner of Education Robert Scott.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Join the UTRU Residency for Residencies Program
Application Deadline: June 30
Urban Teacher Residency United (UTRU) is seeking participants for its Residency for Residencies Program (RRP), a 2-year-long program of development and support for school districts, not-for-profit organizations, and universities that are developing residency-based teacher preparation programs. The RRP combines an intensive series of learning institutes and site-based, individualized support services. Through the RRP, UTRU provides training and support to emerging residency programs in their design year and in the first year of program operation, leveraging the learning from the three founding residency programs in Boston, Chicago, and Denver. For application information, contact Anissa Listak at alistak@teacherresidencies.org.

U.S. Issues Guidance for Reporting Use of Stimulus Funds
On June 22, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published Implementing Guidance for the Reports on Use of Funds Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("Recovery Act"). This guidance implements the reporting requirements included in Section 1512 of the Recovery Act for recipients of grants, loans, and other forms of assistance. A nationwide data collection system at www.FederalReporting.gov will reduce information reporting burden on recipients by simplifying reporting instructions and providing a user-friendly mechanism for submitting required data.

Help Accredit the Accreditors
The U.S. Secretary of Education invites nominations for six positions on the restructured National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, the panel charged with oversight of U.S. accrediting bodies. Another 12 members will be appointed by the House and Senate. Nominations for the six at-large seats are due July 22.

K-12 Education Blogs That Are Worth Your Time
From the Center for University, School, and Community Partnerships at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Here at CUSP, being in earshot of the latest research, news, opinion and policy in K-12 education is a top priority. There is not nearly enough time in our day to read all of the education blogs, and we assume that's true for you too. To make things easier, we have compiled a short list of blogs we believe are worth our time and yours.

REMINDER: Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Letters Due June 26
The U.S. Department of Education has opened this year's Teacher Quality Partnership grant competition. Interested applicants must file a letter of intent by June 26. Final applications are due July 23. To read the notice in the Federal Register, click here. For the application package and other information, click here.

Report Looks at Learning Disabilities in Context of Education Reform
The National Center for Learning Disabilities has released a comprehensive report on the status of individuals with learning disabilities in the United States. The report also offers a data-based perspective on what learning disabilities look like in the context of education reform.



Kristin K. McCabe, Editor
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
1307 New York Ave., NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
(207) 899-1309
kmccabe@aacte.org