NATIONAL NEWS
Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s Legacy as Chicago Schools Chief Questioned
From The Washington Post
Soon after Arne Duncan left his job as schools chief here to become one of the most powerful U.S. education secretaries ever, his former students sat for federal achievement tests. This month, the mathematics report card was delivered: Chicago trailed several cities in performance and progress made over six years.
Making ‘Teacher Identifiers’ Work
From Education Week (LOGIN REQUIRED)
The “teacher identifier” – a unique number that links pertinent data to individual teachers – is either a key to unlocking the mysteries of successful classrooms, or just another way to pummel an already beleaguered teaching corps. It all depends on your point of view.
Gauging the Dedication of Teacher Corps Grads
From The New York Times
A new study finds those who fulfilled their two-year Teach for America commitment showed lower rates of civic involvement afterward than those who declined to join or dropped out.
Education Leadership: Skills to Fix Failing Schools
From The New York Times
Fixing failing schools has become a national focus. This means new education leadership jobs: running charter schools, directing turnarounds of troubled schools and founding nonprofits with creative answers to education challenges. Such work demands educators who are more M.B.A./policy-wonk than Mr. Chips, which is why universities are unveiling degree programs that pull professors from schools of education, business and public policy.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
Conn. Makes Significant Changes in Support Program for New Teachers
From The Housatonic Times (CT)
The state of Connecticut, which since the late 1980s has had one of the top-rated teacher evaluation programs in the country, has recently eliminated a longstanding component that featured portfolios for new teachers, instead implementing a new initiative in which beginning teachers spend more time reviewing materials and strategies with their mentors.
Michigan Teaching School Tries Something New
From National Public Radio
At the University of Michigan School of Education, Dean Deborah Ball and her faculty have taken apart their training program and reassembled it, trying to figure out what skills teachers really need. The program overhaul – an ongoing process that began five years ago – will cut the number of classes students must take, and it will turn time in the classroom into an experience that is tightly focused on problem solving.
R.I. Is Ready for Change in Education
From The Providence Journal
The sense of urgency that Deborah A. Gist brought to her job as the state’s top education leader six months ago has only intensified since then, with the new commissioner and her staff at the state Department of Education rolling out a dizzying array of reforms. In early January, Gist will launch the state’s ambitious bid to capture millions of dollars in federal grants in the competitive Race to the Top grant program, which rewards dramatic changes.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS / REPORTS
Latino Education and Advocacy Day
“A Day of Courageous Conversations,” March 29, 2010
The College of Education at California State University-San Bernardino is pleased to announce a free one-day summit on Latino education and advocacy. Keynote speakers include Juan Sepulveda, director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans; Dolores Huerta, cofounder of United Farm Workers; and Sylvia Mendez, civil rights activist. The LEAD summit also will be webcast to participating universities throughout the country. The summit is cosponsored by AACTE.
NCATE Announces Blue-Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education today announced the formation of the NCATE Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation, Partnerships, and Improved Student Learning. Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York System, and Dwight Jones, commissioner of education in Colorado, will cochair the panel, which is expected to issue recommendations for restructuring the preparation of teachers to reflect teaching as a practice-based profession akin to medicine, nursing, or clinical psychology.
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).
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