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Association & Related News
CCSSO and Pearson Foundation Welcome International Delegates To Explore Effective Practices for Supporting and Engaging Top-Quality Teachers
Register Now for 2009 CCSSO Annual Policy Forum and Business Meeting
Wallace Foundation Releases Document Intended to Help States Meet Race to the Top Objectives
Association & Related News
"State Education Chief Supports Cultural Learning" (AK)
"Florida Launches iTunes Education Site" (FL)
"Indiana Leaders: Work Force Needs Better Education" (IN)
"Education Secretary Veronica C. Garcia to Address National Latino Education Conference" (NM)
"Federal Teaching Grants Announced Through Partnership Program"
"Continuity of Learning"
Association & Related News
CCSSO and Pearson Foundation Welcome International Delegates To Explore Effective Practices for Supporting and Engaging Top-Quality Teachers By Paul Ferrari
Against the backdrop of the increasing need for quality teachers and school leaders around the world, CCSSO and the Pearson Foundation welcomed more than 40 international education leaders to the second annual Pearson Foundation/CCSSO International Conference on Education. Focused specifically on international best practices for identifying, training, and supporting great teachers, the conference was in Helsinki, Finland. The goal of this year’s conference was to learn from Finland’s preparation of K-12 and university educators to meet the demands of an increasingly inter-connected and technologically advanced workforce.
Ministry-level officials from countries including Finland, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe joined a delegation of chiefs and other education leaders from the United States. The conference’s three-day agenda included addresses by Finland’s minister of education, Henna Virkkunen, and by Andreas Schleicher, head of the indicators and analysis division (directorate for education), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Participants had the opportunity to explore the educational and cultural drivers that influence Finland’s educational success, while taking part in site visits to local schools.
“We convened this second International Conference on Education in Helsinki in the hope that this worldwide delegation could learn from Helsinki’s success,” said CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit in an address that opened the proceedings. “We believe we each have much to learn from Finland’s approach to developing and maintaining world-class professional supports for its teachers and educators. Every country represented has just as much to learn as the conferences’ other delegates, each of whom is similarly hoping to attract, retain, and support great teachers.”
Again this year, the goal of the conference series is to gather international perspectives in relation to a key, common educational issue, and then to share the results of this investigation in a group report shared with educators world-wide. For more information about the second annual Pearson Foundation/CCSSO International Conference on Education, contact Lois Adams-Rodgers at loisar@ccsso.org.
International education leaders pictured above gather at the second annual Pearson Foundation/CCSSO International Conference on Education.
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Register Now for 2009 CCSSO Annual Policy Forum and Business Meeting
By Paul Ferrari
Registration is open for CCSSO’s 2009 Annual Policy Forum (APF) and Business Meeting, November 19–22, 2009, at the Naples Grande Resort and Club in Naples, Florida. The APF is designed to bring chiefs, deputies, and federal liaisons together to conduct the annual business of the Council. The forum will focus on the following:
- to review the chiefs’ four strategic priorities and call upon members to engage in a collective theory of action around those priorities;
- to discuss the policy effects of the chiefs’ strategic initiatives, the implications for collective state action, and their intersection with current federal opportunities; and
- to prepare the organization and the states to collectively act on the chiefs’ strategic priorities with a variety of key education policymakers in the coming year.
The deadline for registration is close of business Friday, October 30, 2009. For questions about the program or registration, please contact Bevin Kennedy at bevink@ccsso.org or 202-336-7014.
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Wallace Foundation Releases Document Intended to Help States Meet Race to the Top Objectives
By Paul Ferrari
The Wallace Foundation has developed a document, Research Findings to Support Effective Educational Policymaking: Evidence & Action Steps for State, District & Local Policymakers, which synthesizes lessons and findings that have been critical to the success of educational reforms at the local, district, and state levels. The document is intended to inform states, school districts, cities, and school improvement organizations and their work to develop plans to address crucial federal education priorities.
The document draws heavily from Wallace-funded research and policy initiatives in the areas of school leadership, out-of-school time learning, and arts education. The information provided here is intended to help states, cities, districts and education reform groups bolster their planning and casemaking to meet federal Race to the Top objectives and to advance other efforts to collaborate and improve learning opportunities for children.
To access the document, please click here. If you have any questions about the document or Wallace-funded research, contact Lois Adams-Rodgers at loisar@ccsso.org.
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Education Newsbriefs
State Education Chief Supports Cultural Learning
Juneau Empire (10/08/09) Martin, Mary Catharine
At the recent 97th annual Grand Camp Convention of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood, State Education Commissioner Larry LeDoux called for a unification of cultural and academic education. He said the State Department of Education is preparing to hire a director of rural education to work with communities, organizations, and schools to bolster rural and Alaska Native students' academic performance. Additionally, LeDoux said the department is seeking funds to provide cultural training to new teachers, given that 70 percent are from other states. "We can prepare kids to engage in any career they have a dream for and still be conversant in their language and their culture," remarked LeDoux.
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Florida Launches iTunes Education Site
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (10/07/09) Travis, Scott
The Florida Department of Education recently unveiled the iTunes U Web site to provide students, teachers, parents, and administrators with multimedia resources. Materials submitted for review are examined by a committee of participating school districts and agencies. Education Commissioner Eric Smith says, "Through the iTunes U launch, Florida teachers are able to bring enriching educational experiences in multimedia formats to students and approach the learning process in new and exciting ways." Check out iTunes U here.
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Indiana Leaders: Work Force Needs Better Education
South Bend Tribune (IN) (10/07/09) Dits, Josephs
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett told attendees of an Oct. 6 summit hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County that a "structural change" in the state's education system is necessary for the state to become a leader in high-tech, high-growth jobs. He calls for increased competition among schools and districts, pointing to the removal of caps on developing charter schools in the state. Bennett pointed out that nearly two dozen schools face state takeover or other consequences for failing to meet state ISTEP test standards. "Your (school) boards should be very aggressive about making sure they do something. We can't blame the fact that kids come from poor households. We can't blame the fact that kids come from single-parent families," Bennett said. While he supports preschool, he said other solutions are necessary to bolster K-12 education.
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Education Secretary Veronica C. Garcia to Address National Latino Education Conference
New Mexico Publlic Education Department (10/06/09)
On Oct. 6, New Mexico Education Secretary Veronica Garcia spoke at a national conference on Latino youth and education at the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. She took part in a panel discussion entitled, "The Federal Front: How Will Policy Makers Address Latino Issues?" "The Latino-Hispanic achievement gap is a serious issue with tremendous impact for both New Mexico and the nation. I'm honored to have been invited to provide my perspective in shaping future federal policies. It is my belief that we need to genuinely include Latino-Hispanic parents and communities as true partners in addressing the problem. The achievement gap and Latino-Hispanic student proficiency and graduation rates must be tackled with bold policies," Garcia said.
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Federal Teaching Grants Announced Through Partnership Program
The Daily Tell (10/08/2009) Krowiak, Peter
As part of its Teacher Quality Partnership, the U.S. Department of Education has handed out $43 million in grants to 28 recipients to start teacher residency programs, teacher preparation programs, or both. According to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, "The Teacher Quality Partnership grants will improve student academic achievement by strengthening teacher preparation, training and effectiveness and help school districts attract potential educators from a wide-range of professional backgrounds into the teaching profession." For a list of recipients, click here.
Continuity of Learning
International Association for K-12 Online Learning (10/05/2009)
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) says virtual schools and online learning can be used by school districts to prevent a disruption of learning during pandemics and natural disasters that cause schools to close. There are three things school districts must take into consideration to provide continuity of learning through online solutions: technology, people, and curriculum/materials. They must have phone- and Web-conferencing solutions available for meetings and teacher training, and they must have a Learning Management System to provide a forum for teachers and students to meet and allow students to access the syllabus, complete assignments, chat with other students in real time, and view grades and assignments. Training must be provided to teachers, students, and parents, and online tutoring also should be made available. Schools with only hard copies of textbooks must prepare in advance, and they would be wise to invest in digital content and instructional materials that can be delivered over the Internet.
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