[ECP] K12 Newsletters = Free Resources + Ed Review
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- To: K12NewsLetters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:49:21 -0500
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[ECP] Educational CyberPlayGround K-12 Newsletter
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Howdy,
Visit the Educational CyberPlayGround
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Wow, just learned that babies cry in the language of their mother. Well, it is
described that way, even though it is pre linguistic. Gotta read about it for
yourself.
"LANGUAGE IS MUSIC & MUSIC IS LANGUAGE" ~ KAREN ELLIS
Story 2009 - Crying is a language itself. They produce this pattern when they
cry. It is pre - linguistic. Babies' cries imitate their mother tongue as early
as three days old seeding language development and bonding.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/NCFR/NCFR2.html
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Free Resources
Census in Schools
offers lesson plans, fact sheets, and activities for learning about the 2010
census. How are census data used? Why is the wording of questions important?
What are the various ways of representing data? How has the census affected
history? What predictions can you make about the future based on census data?
These and other topics are the focus of lessons for Grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12
that help develop knowledge and skills in math, maps and geography, civics,
reading, and writing. (U.S. Census Bureau)
http://www.census.gov/schools/
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site
offers lessons on initial battles of the U.S.-Mexican War. Topics include key
individuals in the war, regular soldiers and volunteers, uniforms, war
medicine, "debating the boundary," the price of expansion, and the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo. The lessons are designed for elementary and middle school
students. (National Park Service)
http://www.nps.gov/paal/forteachers/curriculummaterials.htm
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Science
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Estuaries.gov
features "Estuaries 101 Curriculum" -- three modules for Grades 9-12 that focus
on life science, earth science, and physical science. Students use historic
and real time data and hands on activities to investigate estuaries -- the thin
zone along a coastlines where freshwater systems and rivers meet and mix with
the ocean. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
http://estuaries.gov/estuaries101/Teachers/Home.aspx
NASA Images
provides photos and video related to space exploration, aeronautics, and
astronomy. Topics include the universe, solar system, earth, and astronauts.
A space flight interactive timeline shows images and video from the 1959 launch
of Explorer 1, the first spacecraft successfully launched by the U.S., to the
Mars Rovers and International Space Station. (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration)
http://www.nasaimages.org/
NOAA Environmental Visualization Lab
provides dozens of animations and images about topics such as coral reefs,
ocean acidification, humans' impact on the ocean, the dead zone, hurricanes,
African droughts, and more. Images of data are included. These resources draw
on NOAA data sources, satellite images, and computer models. (National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration)
http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/
Science Nation
is an online magazine that each week looks at discoveries and researchers that
will change our lives: an artificial retina that can help the blind to see, new
materials for building things stronger and lighter, what we're learning from
organisms in hot volcanic vents, and ice core secrets that could reveal answers
to global warming. (National Science Foundation)
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp
Tides of Change Video Series
explores oceans and how they affect earth?s climate. Videos focus on six
topics: the water cycle, carbon cycle, sea level changes, ocean salinity,
remote sensing, and phytoplankton (the tiny marine plants responsible for half
of the photosynthesis that occurs on earth). (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration)
http://climate.nasa.gov/esw/videoseries/
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ED REVIEW
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ED REVIEW October 30, 2009
ELEVATING THE TEACHING PROFESSION
http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10222009.html
At Columbia University?s Teachers College on October 22, capping a month of
events focused on the teaching profession -- on October 9, speaking to
prospective teachers in the University of Virginia?s Curry School of Education
(http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10092009.html), and, on October 20,
hosting a virtual town hall meeting with current teachers
(http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/10/a-great-teacher-in-front-of-every-child/)
-- Secretary Duncan called for America?s colleges of education to dramatically
change how they prepare the next generation of teachers, so they are ready to
prepare their future students for success in college and careers. ?By almost
any standard, many if not most of the nation?s 1,450 schools, colleges, and
departments of education are doing a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the
realities of the 21st century classroom,? he said. ?America?s university-based
teacher preparation programs need revolutionary change, not evolutionary
thinking. However, I am optimistic that, despite the obstacles to reform, the
seeds of real change have been planted.? More than half of the nation?s new
teachers (220,000 annually) graduate from a school of education. High-quality
alternative certification and teacher residency programs have emerged, but
those programs produce fewer than 10,000 new teachers annually. Therefore, the
task of ?recruiting and preparing an army of great new teachers depends heavily
on our nation?s colleges of education.? What needs to change? ?I don?t think
the ingredients of a good teacher preparation are much of a mystery anymore,?
the Secretary explained. ?Our best programs are coherent, up-to-date,
research-based, and provide students with subject mastery. They boast a strong
and substantial field-based program, in local public schools, that drives much
of the course work in classroom management and student learning and prepares
students to teach diverse pupils in high-needs settings. And, they have a
shared vision of what constitutes good teaching and best practices -- including
a single-minded focus on improving student learning and using data to inform
instruction.? The Secretary used the remainder of his address to highlight
rising efforts to improve teacher education. ?I cite all these examples to
point out that, with courage and commitment, our teacher preparation programs
absolutely can provide dynamic and effective teacher preparation for the 21st
century?. In place of the uncertain profession, I want to see teacher
preparation programs one day rival those of other professions.? FOR MORE
ARRA OUTREACH (ASSESSMENT)
http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment/
The Department has announced public meetings in Boston, Atlanta, and Denver to
listen and learn from assessment experts and practitioners. The goals of these
meetings are two-fold: to gather technical input to inform development of a
Race to the Top Assessment Competition and to enable states -- who will be the
grant applicants -- and the public to participate in and learn from these
events. Secretary Duncan has pledged to reserve up to $350 million (of the
$4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund) to support consortia of states that are
working to create new assessments tied to a common set of standards. The
grants would be distributed through a competitive process next year.
Over six days of meetings in the three cities throughout November and December,
Department staff will solicit a range of input about effective and innovative
approaches to the development of the next generation of assessments. In each
city, there will be a full-day focused on general assessment issues and
half-days concentrating on specific topics, such as technology, high school
assessment, assessment of students with disabilities, and assessment of English
language learners.
All the meetings are open to the public. The official notice, along with
information on how to RSVP for the meetings, can be found online. The
Department also encourages the submission of written input (see instructions on
the submission process online), and plans to post transcripts of every meeting
session and all written input submitted to the agency.
ARRA OUTREACH (REPORTING)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/DPC_Education_Report.pdf
Final state reports on education jobs created or saved under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be published on Recovery.gov later
today, but, according to a preliminary report issued on October 19, at least
250,000 education positions across the nation were directly credited to the
ARRA. ARRA funding has enabled states to restore nearly all of their projected
education shortfalls for both Fiscal Year 2009 and Fiscal Year 2010. Filling
these budget gaps has allowed states to avert layoffs of educators in school
districts and colleges and universities while helping districts make progress
on reforms that will improve teaching and learning in classrooms.
For example, in 2008, the St. Louis Public Schools faced a significant budget
deficit due to the economy. Using ARRA funding, the district was able to
address critical needs, including saving the jobs of 85 teaching and learning
facilitators. A new Department video tells the story of three of those
facilitators. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWlPgU4WiT4
Looking forward, to assist grantees and subgrantees in managing ARRA grants,
the Department will hold web conferences on Cost Allocations/Indirect Costs
(November 2, 2-3:30 p.m. ET) and Internal Controls (November 16, 2-3:30 p.m.
ET). http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/web-conferences.html
STEM EDUCATION
On October 23, Secretary Duncan discussed Department activities and plans
concerning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in a
live webcast from the National Academy of Sciences. ?Our Administration is
committed to raising standards, upgrading curriculum, and forging partnerships
to improve the use and understanding of science and technology in our
classrooms,? he said. ?We are calling on states to enhance teacher preparation
and training and to attract qualified math and science teachers to better
engage students and reinvigorate those subjects in our schools. We support
initiatives to pay more teachers in high-need subjects like math and science
and rewarding excellence by paying teachers and principals who do a great job
in the classroom.? The event was being sponsored by the President?s Council of
Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), in response to the President?s
agenda to focus on general science and technology literacy to help the U.S.
workforce become more competitive internationally and to grow the number of
Americans who are interested in pursuing science and engineering careers. FOR
MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10232009.html. (Note: An archive of
the video webcast is available at
http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/pcast/091022/, while the White House posted
an event blog entry at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/science-math-get-honors-in-the-classroom/
ODDS AND ENDS
According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES),
within the Institute of Education Sciences, states vary widely in where they
set their student proficiency standards for fourth- and eighth-grade reading
and mathematics. Specifically, using National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) achievement levels as a reference point for understanding the
stringency of state standards, most were in the NAEP basic achievement level
range, except in fourth-grade reading, where most fell below NAEP?s basic
level. Overall, only two states set standards within NAEP?s proficient
achievement level. ?This study confirms what we?ve known for a long time:
states are setting the bar too low,? the Secretary said. ?We?re lying to our
children when we tell them they?re proficient, but they?re not achieving at a
level that will prepare them for success once they graduate.?
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2010456.asp(Note:
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/10/10292009.html
?Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data,? another
NCES study, presents the number of high school graduates, the Averaged Freshman
Graduation Rate (AFGR), and dropout data for grades 9-12 for public schools
during the 2006-07 school year. Among the findings: 2,892,351 public school
students received a high school diploma in 2006-07, resulting in an AFGR of
73.9%; 16 states had an AFGR above 80%, while 12 states had an AFGR below 70%;
and there were nearly 618,000 dropouts from high school among 48 states,
resulting in a dropout rate of 4.4%.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010313
In an October 21 letter to Chief State School Officers and State Directors of
Special Education (http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/091021.html),
the Secretary urged states to maintain high standards and not compromise the
Section 616 determination process under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA).
In an October 26 letter to college presidents
(http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/guid/secletter/091026.html), the Secretary
urged institutions of higher education to become Direct Loan-ready for the
2010-11 school year. While a majority of institutions continued to use the
Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program delivery process last year, over
500 others responded to the fiscal uncertainty by switching to the Direct Loan
Program. These colleges? move to direct lending happened in an effective and
efficient manner, without interruption of service to students, and the number
of Direct Loans increased by nearly two-thirds compared to the previous year.
The President has proposed lawmakers make the loan system more reliable by
moving to a 100% Direct Loan delivery system.
The College Board has released its annual studies on trends in college pricing
and trends in student aid, as well as the benefits of postsecondary education.
http://www.collegeboard.com/trends/
The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, is accepting
applications from non-profit organizations to conduct month-long,
community-wide reads between September 2010 and June 2011. Roughly 75
organizations will be selected to participate, receiving a grant ranging from
$2,500 to $20,000, educational and promotional materials, and access to online
training resources. Organizations will select from 31 reading choices.
http://neabigread.org/guidelines.php (Note: The deadline for all applications
is February 2, 2010.)
Through December 18, elementary and secondary students, teachers,
administrators, and parents from across the nation have the opportunity to
share their ideas and opinions on how technology should be used in the
education process, through Project Tomorrow?s latest annual Speak Up survey.
Results are shared with participating schools, so that they can use the data
for planning and community discussions. Results are also used by government
agencies and other organizations to inform programs and policies.
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