Welcome to NEWSWIRE. This monthly e-newsletter has been designed to bring K-12 teacher education and early childhood program faculty in Arizona important news, facts, dates and information that can be shared with students and used to enhance any education environment. NCTE is proud to offer this newsletter as a resource, and values your feedback, input and suggestions. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at ncte@domail.maricopa.edu.
Beyond Access: How the First Semester Matters for Community College Students’ Aspirations and Persistence, by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), provides evidence that the first semester in community college is a pivotal point in students’ academic careers. Students whose first academic experience in college is positive and successful are more likely to remain in school, and to sustain their aspiration to transfer to a four-year college. This analysis suggests that a focus on access is necessary, but it is not sufficient to achieve the goal of a more educated population and workforce. To realize the goal of extending higher education to a larger proportion of the next generation, policy makers must also focus on the factors that foster student persistence in college.
A new College Board report, Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society, asserts that college graduates can expect significantly higher wages over their lifetime than their counterparts, backing up the claim that higher education is not only a good private investment, but a good public one as well. In addition to growing monetary benefits, the study asserts that college graduates are more engaged citizens and make healthier decisions than those who don't earn a diploma. Thus, the report argues, a more educated work force means greater tax revenue and a stronger democracy.
Education Commission of the States (ECS) has developed a database containing research on state Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) definitions; High, Objective, Uniform State Standards of Evaluation (HOUSSE) options; Title I paraprofessional requirements; and much more. ECS will track revisions of individual state plans to have highly qualified teachers in every classroom, and subsequent changes to HQT and HOUSSE definitions and policies, as the information is made available. As a supplement, the HQT Tool assists states in the revision process by streamlining access to the nine accepted state plans and providing reviewer comments.
Diversified Teacher Compensation Systems
With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act and its emphasis on establishing a minimum standard for highly qualified teachers and accountability for student performance, policymakers throughout the nation are attempting to improve teacher quality by changing the way in which teachers are compensated. Education Commission of the States (ECS), with the support of the Joyce Foundation, has created resources to provide policymakers and leaders with information on redesigned compensation systems. The resources include a series of four issue papers addressing various aspects of diversified teacher compensation systems.
According to a recent poll, approximately 40% of high school graduates indicated key gaps in their preparation for college. A recent report assessing the knowledge and skills employers view as crucial to success in the workplace identified critical thinking/ problem solving, information technology application, teamwork/collaboration, creativity/innovation, diversity, and leadership as priorities. In response, ASCD argues for the development of key cognitive skills in high school in order to avoid preparation gaps and fulfill the needs of employers. According to the author, equipping every graduate’s ‘cognitive backpack’ with interpretation, instrumentation, interaction and inner direction, schools will enhance the odds that students will be ready for their career journeys—skillfully deploying their insights, strengths, values, and affinities as they stay on course for self-realization.
A handful of states have created or are considering adding endorsements to their state licensing systems that would formally recognize teachers who have taken on leadership roles outside their own classrooms. The actual requirements for the endorsements, which recognize a specific area of expertise on top of the basic license required to become a teacher, vary across states. Advocates claim that these endorsements recognize teachers who have already assumed leadership functions in their schools, make the principal’s job easier by encouraging other teachers to take on leadership tasks, create options for individuals who want to pursue leadership roles but are not interested in becoming principals, and can serve as a pathway for future school leaders.
The purpose of this guide isto explain "how to" strategies that the Parent Information Resource Centers (PIRCs) use to improve or expand their parental involvement programs in public schools. Conclusions include:
Assess the needs of your constituents. This means understanding the range of communication and training needs of parents in the schools and districts being served, as well as understanding how different education agencies need to evolve if they are effectively to include parents as partners.
Be creative in efforts to engage all parents, including those who are considered hard-to reach because, for example, they live in remote areas, do not speak English, are homeless, or have developed a mistrust of schools due to their own education experience.
Prepare parents and educators alike for partnership by ensuring that both parties are familiar with NCLB parent involvement requirements, understand why these requirements are important, and are adequately trained to work together.
Build greater organizational capacity and avoid duplicative or conflicting efforts by promoting networks and other cross-collaboration efforts among multiple organizations that have similar goals, including parent involvement organizations, education agencies, and a range of community-based organizations.
Campus Spotlight Guidelines Showcase your K-12 teacher education or early childhood program activities and accomplishments in the Newswire by submitting the following to ncte@domail.maricopa.edu by the 10th of the month for the following month’s issue.
100-150 word ARTICLE about your program, activity, practice, policy, partnership, resource, etc.; include contact information and a web address if applicable
UPCOMING EVENT title, date, time, place, target audience, cost, sponsoring campus/program(s), partners, etc.
Disclaimer
The information on this Web site is intended to provide information currently affecting or related to the teaching community and community college teacher education programs. Links to other Web sites are provided merely for your convenience and do not constitute or imply endorsement by the National Center for Teacher Education (NCTE). Such external sites contain information created, published, maintained or otherwise posted by organizations independent of NCTE, and NCTE cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information on such sites. NCTE shall not be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, direct, indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential damages, that result in any way from your use or reliance on information provided on this site.
