MCCCD’s Third Annual Future Teachers Conference, held on Friday, November 4th 2005 at Paradise Valley Community College, was attended by 165 MCCCD students, as well as district faculty and administrators.  The keynote address, “It’s All About Class”, was given by Dr. Karen Gasket, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources for Paradise Valley Unified School District.  The conference, sponsored by MCCCD, NCTE, ASU College of Education and Leadership at the West campus, and the Teacher Development Center at PVCC, offered 18 workshops on such subjects as brain research, classroom management, parent partnerships, standards based teaching and special education.  Conference evaluations were very positive, with attendees praising workshop presentations with such comments as: “I loved all of the sessions.”; “(The sessions were) very helpful to me because they gave real life examples of how to solve problems.”; and, “great methods and activities were presented”.

Congratulations to Paradise Valley Community College and the conference committee for facilitating such a well organized and well received event for the benefit of all MCCCD Teacher Education Program students.


ARIZONA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CERTIFICATION AND ENDORSEMENT

Please click the above link for the Arizona Department of Education’s summary of the new Arizona Early Childhood Education Certificate and Endorsement requirements.  If you know of educators, early childhood faculty/practitioners, teacher education/early childhood program students, or community agency representatives who should see this critical information, please pass it along.  It has come to the attention of NCTE that many within the state are not yet fully aware of the implementation of these requirements, and we feel it is our duty to help inform the community of changes and issues as they occur.  Thank you for helping us with this endeavor.


ARIZONA MINORITY STUDENT REPORT 2005

Arizona Minority Education Policy Analysis Center (AMEPAC) has released the second edition of the Arizona Minority Success Report.  The report is a “snapshot” of minority student educational achievement in Arizona, from kindergarten through college.  The report describes the facts; the data, however, is open to interpretation.  Contents include Arizona demographics, and K-12 and post-secondary statistics.  AMEPAC encourages organizations and individuals to read and analyze the report in terms of what it means for them, their organizations, Arizona students, communities and the state.


FOSTERING FAMILY-SCHOOL CONNECTIONS

Contrary to the assumption of many educators, research on family and community connections with schools has revealed that parents are interested in their children’s academic success regardless of ethnicity, culture or economic status, although they may not know how to help their children or may feel incapable of assisting them.  Reaching Out to Diverse Populations: What Can Schools Do to Foster Family-School Connections?, a strategy brief from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, outlines six strategies for broadening and deepening family involvement in schools.


TO FINISH HIGH SCHOOL, TEENS START COLLEGE

A limited number of students across the nation are participating in a school reform effort that enrolls students in college courses while still in high school.  Early college high schools, as they’re known, increase academic rigor while boosting support to help teens succeed.  Usually set at community colleges, they expect students to take at least some, and often two years’ worth, of regular college classes.  Contrary to recruiting the brightest students, the schools enroll disengaged and unprepared students, almost all of who are from high-poverty, minority-heavy districts.  Early college high schools are founded on the principles of higher expectations and increased levels of student support.