Current Events Archives: Articles Posted over Past 12 Months
NCTE Institute for 21st Century Literacies, July 20-23, 2008
Whether you’re a committed preK–12 literacy educator, college/university-level faculty member, participant on a school or departmental team, or a district- or state-level leader, this hands-on Institute will help you develop and design literacy curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment practices to prepare students for success in the 21st century.
Critical Reflections: Honoring and Nurturing the Whole Child
"Critical Reflections: Honoring and Nurturing the Whole Child" will be held in Tucson, Arizona, July 17-20, 2008. We invite participants to critically reflect on educational contexts today in light of their own efforts to put the needs of children first. We encourage proposals that focus on classroom practices that attend to students’ diverse perspectives, cultural lives, and ways of meaning making. Proposal submission deadline is December 18, 2007.
More information
Schools and School Divisions Recognized for Raising Achievement of Economically Disadvantaged Students,
VDOE April 30, 2008
Thirteen public school divisions and 118 schools are being honored by the Virginia Board of Education for raising the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students. The awards are based on student achievement on state assessments during 2006-2007 and the previous school year.
Two Virginia poets share prize--Virginia Tech's Bob Hicok, U.Va.'s Charles Wright will get awards [April 28] in D.C.
A pair of Virginia poets will share the 2008 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry.
Bob Hicok, an assistant professor of English at Virginia Tech, and Charles Wright, the Souder Family Professor of English at the University of Virginia, will receive the award and read selections of their work Monday in Washington at the Library of Congress. The program, which will take place at the James Madison Building, is free and open to the public.
Virginia Eighth Graders Score Higher than Nation in Writing
For Immediate Release Contact: Charles Pyle
April 3, 2008 Director of Communications
(804) 371-2420
Julie C. Grimes
Communications Manager
(804) 225-2775
Virginia students outperformed students nationwide on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing test. The commonwealth’s eighth graders achieved an average score of 157, three points higher than the national average of 154. Virginia students scored significantly higher than students in 20 other states. Test takers in only seven states achieved significantly higher average scores.
While Virginia students outperformed their peers nationwide in writing for a third consecutive time, their average score was unchanged from 2002, and there was little change in proficiency levels. Ninety percent of Virginia students demonstrated at least basic writing skills on the 2007 test, and 31 percent met or exceeded the rigorous NAEP standard for full proficiency.
“Young people who communicate clearly and effectively stand out – especially in this era of text messaging and electronic chatter,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday Jr. “While Virginia’s public schools produce some of the nation’s strongest writers, we must do more to equip students with the communications skills they need to compete in the global economy of the 21st century.”
Grade-8 NAEP Writing 1998-2007: Average Scores
| 1998 | 2002 | 2007 | |
| Virginia | 153 | 157 | 157 |
| Nation | 148 | 152 | 154 |
Grade-8 NAEP Writing: 2007 Proficiency Levels
| Below Basic | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient | Advanced | |
| Virginia | 10% | 90% | 31% | 1% |
| Nation | 13% | 87% | 31% | 2% |
The NAEP is the only nationally representative assessment of what American students know and can do in various subject areas. The writing assessment measures students’ narrative, informative and persuasive writing skills. Each student performs two of the 17 writing tasks included in the assessment and has 25 minutes to complete each task. Writing skills are categorized as “Below Basic,” “Basic,” “Proficient” or “Advanced.”
The 2007 writing assessment included samples of eighth graders representative of the nation and each of the 45 participating states. The eighth-grade sample for Virginia included 2,631 students in 108 schools.
In addition, a nationwide sample of twelfth graders was tested as part of the 2007 NAEP writing assessment. The average score of the nation’s seniors rose five points to 153, compared with 2002’s average of 148. State-level results are not reported for grade 12.
African-American eighth graders in Virginia achieved an average score of 142, compared with the national average of 140. Eighty-four percent of black students in the commonwealth demonstrated at least basic proficiency in writing, and 14 percent performed at the proficient level or better.
Grade-8 NAEP Writing 1998-2007: Average Scores--African-American Students
| 1998 | 2002 | 2007 | |
| Virginia | 140 | 140 | 142 |
| Nation | 130 | 134 | 140 |
Grade-8 NAEP Writing: 2007 Proficiency Levels--African-American Students
| Below Basic | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient | Advanced | |
| Virginia | 16% | 84% | 14% | <1% |
| Nation | 20% | 80% | 15% | <1% |
Hispanic students achieved an average score of 145 compared with the national average of 141. Eighty-two percent of Hispanic students tested at the basic level or better, and 18 percent performed at the proficient level or above. While the average score of Hispanic students in Virginia has declined since 1998, the changes are not considered significant because of the small numbers of students assessed.
Grade-8 NAEP Writing 1998-2007: Average Scores--Hispanic Students
| 1998 | 2002 | 2007 | |
| Virginia | 151 | 146 | 145 |
| Nation | 130 | 135 | 141 |
Grade-8 NAEP Writing: 2007 Proficiency Levels--Hispanic Students
| Below Basic | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient | Advanced | |
| Virginia | 18% | 82% | 18% | <1% |
| Nation | 21% | 79% | 17% | <1% |
Writing assessments in grades 5, 8 and 11 have been part of Virginia’s accountability program since Standards of Learning (SOL) testing began in 1998. Since then, the average score of Virginia eighth graders on the NAEP writing test has risen by a statistically significant four points. The NAEP standard for proficiency denotes competency over challenging subject matter. In contrast, passing scores on Virginia Standards of Learning tests and similar tests in other states are set to represent a minimum level of acceptable achievement for accountability purposes.
University of Virginia piloting adolescent reading attitudes survey, April 2008
The University of Virginia is currently piloting an adolescent reading attitudes survey in the state of Virginia. They are hoping to find middle and high school teachers who are willing to administer the survey to their students.
Middle and high school English teachers are needed to help uncover adolescent readers' attitudes about reading. Willing teachers will be asked to administer a 10 minute survey to their students and to fill out a brief cover sheet for the surveys. All participants' names and contact information will be kept confidential, and a prepaid, self-addressed envelope will be provided to return the completed surveys.
As a thank you for participating in the study, teachers will receive a brief report of their students' responses. Please email Dr. Michael McKenna, at adolescentreadingattitudes@virginia.edu if you are interested in participating
VATE Representatives Speak Out on NCTE Advocacy Day
By Jan Suppa-Friedman
NCTE prepared us for our scheduled visits to legislative offices. VATE board members Shelah Novak, Middle School Member-at-Large; Yvonne Maisel, Newsletter Editor; and I, NCTE Liaison, collaborated on our cogent focus for when we would meet our congressmen. We were taken aback somewhat when we went to Frank Wolf, VA 10th District’s, office. He was on his way over to the Capitol to vote and had three minutes to get there. So, he told us to run with him over to the Capitol. He set off at a very brisk pace with his Legislative Aide, Yvonne, Shelah, and me in tow. Scampering along beside him, Shelah and Yvonne tried to talk about the platforms upon which we had agreed. Finally, halfway up the steps of the Capitol, he left us behind with his aide.
White House announces new reforms for No Child Left Behind
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced that among the proposed changes being made to the No Child Left Behind law is a new requirement that by the 2012-13 school year, all states would have to calculate their graduation rates in a uniform way.
Let Your Voice Be Heard! NCTE Celebrates Literacy Education Advocacy Month in April 2008
Join us for NCTE’s Literacy Education Advocacy Day on Thursday, April 17, in Washington, DC
This event, free to all NCTE members, will allow participants to:
- learn how educational policies affecting English language arts teachers are shaped;
- hear key educational policymakers discuss English language arts legislation issues and participate in question and answer sessions;
- gain a deeper understanding of trends in federal legislation;
- receive a briefing from NCTE legislative counsel; and
- learn how to schedule meetings with Congressional representatives and staff
National African American Read-In Chain Links Students, Schools, and Communities to Black Literature
At more than 594 sites across the country and in Canada, Germany, and the Virgin Islands, over 179,443 students, teachers, and community members participated this month in the 19th Annual African American Read-In, sponsored by the Black Caucus of NCTE and by NCTE.
Name That Centennial -- We Need Your Ideas
NCTE will soon celebrate its 100th birthday, and we need a short, communicative, snappy slogan for the event. "Then and Now" is a current contender, as is "100 Years of Literacy Leadership." We want your ideas! Fire up your creativity and send us your slogan suggestion. The Centennial Task Force will select the top five slogans and publish them in an April INBOX.
Mail to: inbox@ncte.org
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations for its 2008 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Each year, ten winners across the U.S. and Canada each receive $2,000 to support their service work or higher education. Nomination deadline is April 30. For more information and to nominate, visit http://www.barronprize.org/
Additionally, the Barron Prize is excited to offer educators a comprehensive set of heroes materials, including a brand new documentary film, Dream Big, and a corresponding Young Heroes Activity Guide. For more information, visit http://www.tabarron.com
State board, teachers clash on English curriculum, Star-Telegram, Mar 22, 2008
The group of teachers whose revisions to the state's [Texas] public school curriculum for English and language arts were rejected now objects to the standards that the State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on next week.
Members of the group said they oppose the inclusion of a reading list or suggested titles within the curriculum. They also disagree with the organization of the curriculum, also called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, particularly the instruction of grammar in its own section.
CCCC Call for Nominations: March 7 Is Deadline
The 2008 CCCC Nominating Committee invites nominations (including self-nominations) for the posts of Assistant Chair, Executive Committee members, and 2009 Nominating Committee members. March 7 is the deadline for sending nominations, with biographical information, to the committee prior to the CCCC Annual Convention in New Orleans. Nominations will also be accepted during the committee's open meeting during the CCCC Convention (see the CCCC Convention Program for details).
Cultivating New Voices Among Scholars of Color: Deadline March 10, 2008
The NCTE Research Foundation Cultivating New Voices program is designed to provide support, mentoring, and networking opportunities for early career scholars of color. The program aims to work with graduate students and early career scholars of color to cultivate their ability to draw from their own cultural/linguistic perspectives as they conceptualize, plan, conduct, and write their research. The deadline for program proposal submissions is March 10.
Indiana University's East Asian Studies Center’s 2008 Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School Workshop
Indiana University's East Asian Studies Center’s 2008 Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School Workshop application deadline is March 8, 2008.
The East Asian Studies Center’s 2008 Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School workshop application is now available online at http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/lit_workshop/index.htm. Please visit the website for information about the workshop, schedules, reading lists, and lesson plans from previous years’ workshops, and to download a PDF application. The workshop will take place July 13-19, 2008 in Bloomington, Indiana and is generously funded by the Freeman Foundation.
This weeklong workshop provides a broad overview of East Asian literature to high school English and world literature teachers. Participants are responsible for a $60 registration fee (if accepted), two meals a day during the workshop, and travel to and from Bloomington. All other costs will be covered. Two days each will be devoted to Chinese and Japanese literature and a day and a half to Korean literature. Faculty literature specialists will lead lectures and discussions on the texts that the participants will have read beforehand, and history experts will present on the historical and cultural contexts of the texts. We will also have a curriculum consultant—a high school teacher with many years of experience teaching East Asian literature—discuss practical ways to bring these texts to the classroom.
At the end of the workshop, participants will complete lesson plans based on one of the works studied. With the completion and acceptance of their lesson plans, their school will receive a $300 book-buying grant. Participants may also take the workshop for three graduate credit hours through Indiana University, offered at the in-state tuition rate.
The application deadline is March 8, 2008, and admission is rolling.
Katie Venit
Assistant Outreach Coordinator
East Asian Studies Center
Indiana University
Memorial Hall West
1021 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47405-7005
Tel: 812-856-6850
Fax: 812-855-7762
kvenit@indiana.edu
Virginia Students Now Third in the Nation in Advanced Placement Achievement, February 13, 2008
College Board Credits Rigorous Academic Standards and Innovative Programs
Virginia now boasts the nation’s third-highest percentage of high school seniors earning a grade of 3 or better on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, the College Board said today in its fourth annual Advanced Placement Report to the Nation. Virginia ranked fourth in the previous College Board report.
During 2007, 21.5 percent of the commonwealth’s public high school seniors earned a grade of 3 or more on at least one AP examination, compared with 20.7 in 2006 and 16.9 percent in 2002. Only two states, New York and Maryland, had higher percentages of seniors earning grades of 3 or better on AP tests during 2007.
“The journey from competence to excellence begins when schools challenge all students to reach higher,” said Governor Timothy M. Kaine. “These latest Advanced Placement results reflect the commitment of the commonwealth to broadening access to opportunities once reserved for the most elite students.”
“Students who master the content of the Standards of Learning are ready for the rigors of college-level courses,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday Jr. “And as demonstrated by their performance on AP examinations, Virginia students are among the best prepared in the nation.”
The number of Virginia public high school students who took at least one AP test increased by 11.3 percent in 2007, to 49,834 from 44,778 in 2006. These students took a total of 90,198 AP examinations, an increase of 11.7 percent over 2006. The number of examinations earning a score of 3 or above, generally qualifying for college credit, taken by public school students in Virginia increased by 12.3 percent in 2007, to 53,920.
“Outstanding high schools and an accountability system that includes incentives for schools to exceed minimum benchmarks have made Virginia a national leader in AP participation and achievement,” said Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge.
Virginia promotes AP participation through the Early College Scholars initiative and the Virtual Virginia distance learning program. Early College Scholars participants commit to earning a semester of college credit through AP and other college-level courses while completing the requirements for an Advanced Studies Diploma. Virtual Virginia provides AP courses online and ensures that students in all of the commonwealth’s high schools have access to a variety of AP courses. Students may also substitute AP examinations for end-of-course Standards of Learning tests.
The Nineteenth National African American Read-In
Sponsored by the Black Caucus of NCTE and by NCTE
Join over a million readers in the Nineteenth National African American Read-In
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008, for schools
Schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations, and interested citizens are urged to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating Read-Ins in their communities. Hosting a Read-In can be as simple as bringing together friends to share a book, or as elaborate as arranging public readings and media presentations that feature professional African American writers.
Toward a Definition of 21st-Century Literacies, Approved February 15, 2008
Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the twenty-first century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies—from reading online newspapers to participating in virtual classrooms—are multiple, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life possibilities and social trajectories of individuals and groups. Twenty-first century readers and writers need to
- Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
- Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally
- Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes
- Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information
- Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts
- Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments
The End of Literacy? Don't Stop Reading, The Washington Post, Sunday, February 17, 2008
By Howard Gardner
What will happen to reading and writing in our time?
Could the doomsayers be right? Computers, they maintain, are destroying literacy. The signs -- students' declining reading scores, the drop in leisure reading to just minutes a week, the fact that half the adult population reads no books in a year -- are all pointing to the day when a literate American culture becomes a distant memory. By contract, optimists foresee the Internet ushering in a new, vibrant participatory culture of words. Will they carry the day?
Handley Regional Library reveals 2007 checkouts, The Winchester Star, Feb 23, 2008
By F.C. Lowe
The Handley Regional Library System hit an all-time high in 2007 with 54,181 card holders, including 5,237 new ones, said Sara Holloway, technical services division head for the library system.
"We add 300-plus patrons nearly every month," [Sara] Holloway said. "Handley Regional Library is alive and well."
The top checked-out item was a graphic novel leaving the library shelves 818 times — "Fruits Basket" by Takaya Natsuki. This is a series about Handa Tooru who wants to fit in somewhere.
"Graphic novels for teens have been at the top of the list ever since I started compiling the list three years ago," Holloway said. "They are read by 9 to 10 year olds, all the way to adults."
She thinks these novels will continue to grow in popularity. "It helps that there is often a tie-in with shows on the (TV) Cartoon Network."
In the adult fiction category, Lee Smith’s "On Agate Hill" topped the list with 226 checkouts. This was the One Book One Community selection for 2007.
Model Reader, NCTE Inbox, Wednesday, February 20, 2008
I became a better teacher yesterday when I attended Doug Fisher’s Web Seminar “All Teachers Are Not Teachers of Reading, but....” (You can order an archived copy of the session if you missed it.) Most of my teaching has been done in a college English classroom, where students presumably come in the door with basic reading skills already mastered. I never really spend much time on the matter of reading instruction.
During Fisher’s seminar yesterday, however, I realized why class discussion and students’ writing were often less successful when I assigned complex or unfamiliar texts—I never showed students how to read them. I simply expected them to already know how.
Young readers hit the books, Winchester Star, Feb 18, 2008
By Ed Farrell
Winchester — Hundreds of young, and not so young, readers packed the Apple Blossom Mall on Saturday as part of the Read Across America Book Blast.
How to Make Great Teachers, Time, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008
By CLAUDIA WALLIS
Across the country, hundreds of school districts are experimenting with new ways to attract, reward and keep good teachers. Many of these efforts borrow ideas from business. They include signing bonuses for hard-to-fill jobs like teaching high school chemistry, housing allowances ($15,000 in New York City) and what might be called combat pay for teachers who commit to working in the most distressed schools. But the idea gaining the most momentum—and controversy—is merit pay, which attempts to measure the quality of teachers' work and pay teachers accordingly.
GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES AWARDS FOR HIGH-PERFORMING VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
~ Eighty-Nine Schools Earn Awards for Excellence; Board of Education Recognizes Additional Schools and School Divisions ~
RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that 89 Virginia public schools have met the rigorous criteria required to earn the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. The award is the highest honor under a new incentive program for schools and school divisions created by the Board of Education to advance Governor Kaine’s “competence to excellence” agenda.
“Students in these schools are soaring far beyond the minimum requirements of the Standards of Learning and No Child Left Behind,” said Governor Kaine. “It speaks to the strength of public education in the Commonwealth that the 89 schools that have earned this distinction include schools in rural, suburban and urban communities and schools in every part of the state.”
The Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) program awards points to schools and divisions based on the percentage of students achieving at the advanced level on Standards of Learning assessments and progress made toward educational goals advocated by Governor Kaine and adopted by the Board as part of its comprehensive plan for further strengthening public education in the Commonwealth.
To qualify for the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence, schools and school divisions must meet all state and federal achievement benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and meet Governor Kaine’s goals for achievement in elementary reading; enrollment in Algebra I by grade 8; enrollment in college-level courses; attainment of advanced diplomas and career and industry certifications; and participation, if eligible, in the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Schools and school divisions also earn bonus points for other performance measures, including the Governor’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Scorecard.
The 89 schools earning the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence will each receive a display banner and a signed resolution of commendation from Governor Kaine.
Nineteen school divisions and 475 schools earned the Board of Education’s VIP Excellence Award, the second-tier honor in the VIP program. These schools and divisions also have met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and have made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunity set by Governor Kaine and the Board of Education.
Twenty-five school divisions and 322 schools earned the Board of Education’s VIP Competence to Excellence Award. This award recognizes schools and districts that have met all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and are making progress toward VIP objectives reflecting the goals of Governor Kaine and the Board.
“The criteria for all of these awards are rigorous,” said Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge. “That so many schools and school divisions qualified reflects the commitment of educators across the Commonwealth to excellence and high standards.”
Schools and divisions earning the Board of Education’s Excellence Award and Competence to Excellence Award will each receive a resolution of commendation from the Board.
The Board of Education approved the Virginia Index of Performance in July 2007 in response to Governor Kaine’s call for a formal system to recognize schools and school divisions that exceed minimum state and federal accountability standards. The multi-tiered VIP program provides incentives for improved performance and opportunities for recognition regardless of where a school or school division happens to be on the journey from competence to excellence.
“Minimum standards are not enough to prepare young people for the competition that awaits them in a global economy,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday Jr. “The VIP program provides incentives for schools to challenge students to ever-higher levels of learning and achievement.”
A fourth VIP award, the Board of Education’s Rising Star Award, will be added next fall to recognize schools and school divisions for improved performance with student achievement during 2007-2008 as the baseline from which progress is measured.
The 89 schools earning the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence are
- Albemarle County — Virginia L. Murray Elementary and Western Albemarle High
- Amherst County — Elon Elementary and Pleasant View Elementary
- Appomattox County — Appomattox Elementary
- Arlington County — Arlington Traditional Elementary, Jamestown Elementary, McKinley Elementary and Nottingham Elementary
- Buchanan County — J.M. Bevins Elementary
- Charlottesville — Greenbrier Elementary
- Chesterfield County — Grange Hall Elementary, Midlothian Middle, Swift Creek Elementary and W.W. Gordon Elementary
- Danville — Forest Hills Elementary and Woodrow Wilson Elementary
- Fairfax County — Carson Middle, Chesterbrook Elementary, Churchill Road Elementary, Colvin Run Elementary, Cooper Middle, Franklin Middle, Great Falls Elementary, Haycock Elementary, Hunt Valley Elementary, Longfellow Middle, Louise Archer Elementary, Madison High, Oak Hill Elementary, Oakton High, Thoreau Middle, West Springfield Elementary, Westfield High and Woodson High
- Falls Church — Thomas Jefferson Elementary
- Franklin County — Boones Mill Elementary and Glade Hill Elementary
- Henrico County — Glen Allen Elementary, Nuckols Farm Elementary, Pemberton Elementary, Rivers Edge Elementary, Shady Grove Elementary, Short Pump Elementary, Springfield Park Elementary and Twin Hickory Elementary
- Lee County — Ewing Elementary and St. Charles Elementary
- Loudoun County — Belmont Ridge Middle, Broad Run High, Farmwell Station Middle, Hillsboro Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Loudoun Valley High, Stone Bridge High and Waterford Elementary
- Newport News — Hilton Elementary
- Norfolk — School of International Studies at Meadowbrook
- Patrick County — Stuart Elementary
- Pittsylvania County — John L. Hurt Elementary
- Portsmouth — Churchland Elementary and Hodges Manor Elementary
- Prince William County — A. Henderson Elementary, Mountain View Elementary and Westridge Elementary
- Richmond — A.V. Norrell Elementary, Fairfield Court Elementary, George Mason Elementary and Mary Munford Elementary
- Roanoke — Grandin Court Elementary
- Roanoke County — Back Creek Elementary, Clearbrook Elementary, Hidden Valley High and Mountain View Elementary
- Salem — Salem High
- Scott County — Hilton Elementary, Nickelsville Elementary, Rye Cove Intermediate and Weber City Elementary
- Tazewell County — Abb’s Valley-Boissevain Elementary
- Virginia Beach — Creeds Elementary, Kemps Landing Magnet, King’s Grant Elementary, Old Donation Center and Princess Anne High
- Washington County — Valley Institute Elementary and Watauga Elementary
- Wythe County — Speedwell Elementary
- York County — Seaford Elementary
To view a list of the 19 school divisions and 475 schools earning the Board of Education’s VIP Excellence Award, visit the Virginia Department of Education Web site: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/information_centers/newsroom/news_releases/2008/jan10a.shtml.
For a list of the 25 school divisions and 322 schools earning the Board of Education’s VIP Competence to Excellence Award, go to http://www.doe.virginia.gov/information_centers/newsroom/news_releases/2008/jan10b.shtml
African American History in Prince George's, Washington Post, Jan 31, 2008
Harmony Hall unveils "Yours, Mine and Ours: Shared Visions of African American History in Prince George's County" during its opening ceremonies for Black History Month. The exhibition features prints, etchings, photographs and artifacts from the 18th century through the late 1960s.
University Educator Chosen to Lead National Writing Project Dec 9, 2007
A nationwide search has led to the selection of Dr. Sharon J. Washington to serve as Executive Director of the National Writing Project (NWP), a prestigious teacher professional development organization dedicated to improving writing and learning in the nation's schools. Located on nearly 200 university and college campuses across the country, and working in partnership with K-12 schools, local writing project sites provide high-quality, sustained professional development for teachers that lead to improved student achievement in writing.
Call for Nominations for the Donald Murray Prize: Deadline Jan 15, 2008
Call for Nominations for the Donald Murray Prize: The Special Interest Group on Creative Nonfiction (a subsidiary group of the Conference on College Composition and Communication) solicits nominations for the Donald Murray Prize. This prize will go to the author of the best essay/work of creative nonfiction on the subjects of teaching and/or writing published during the year. The Donald Murray Prize is generously sponsored by Thomson/Wadsworth Publishing, who will provide an honorarium of $500 to the winner. The judge this year will be Robert L. Root, Jr.
Authors, editors, and readers are asked to nominate essays/creative nonfiction on writing and/or teaching that were published between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007. Send two copies of each work to The Donald Murray Prize, University Writing Program, One Shields Avenue, UC Davis, Davis CA 95616. Also provide publication information, including the date of publication.
The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2008. The winner will be announced in April 2008, at the CCCC Convention in New Orleans
Nomination for the CEL Exemplary Leadership Award--Deadline Feb 1, 2008
The CEL Award for Exemplary Leadership is given annually to an NCTE member who is an outstanding English Language Arts educator and leader. CEL members nominate an exceptional leader who has had an impact on the profession through one or more of the following:
- work that has focused on exceptional teaching and/or leadership practices (e.g., building effective department, grade level, or building teams;
- developing curriculum or processes for practicing ELA educators; or mentoring)
- contributions to the profession through involvement at both the local and national levels publications that have had a major impact
2008 Promising Researcher Award: Deadline March 1, 2008
The 2008 NCTE Promising Researcher Award Competition is open to individuals who have completed dissertations, theses, or initial, independent studies post-dissertation between December 1, 2005, and January 31, 2008. March 1 is the submission deadline.
Text messages may be classroom conduit, The Columbus Dispatch, Dec 10, 2007
"Shouldn't we be preparing kids for the literacy lives they're going to be leading for the next 50 to 60 years?" asked Kist, author of New Literacies in Action: Teaching and Learning in Multiple Media.
Too much school testing, panel says Raleigh News Observer, Nov 21, 2007
By T. Keung Hui, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - A state commission agreed today on a draft report saying “there is too much time spent on testing” and that several exams should be eliminated or no longer counted in the state’s testing program.
Author Ted Gup Earns Orwell Award for Honest and Clear Language--November 2007
Ted Gup, author of Nation of Secrets: The Threat to Democracy and the American Way of Life, is the winner of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) 2007 George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the critical analysis of public discourse.
Send NCTE Your Proposal for the 2008 Annual Convention by January 10, 2008
The shifts we currently face -- technological, political, social, and cultural -- have profound effects on the teaching we must do today to prepare our students for tomorrow. Join NCTE members and educators next fall for "Because Shift Happens: Teaching in the Twenty-First Century," the 2008 NCTE Annual Convention in San Antonio, November 20-25. Download the proposal form and join the discussion! Mailed proposals must be postmarked by January 10.
VATE Website wins NCTE Award
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has given its 2007 Affiliate Website award to the Virginia Association of Teachers of English (www.vate.org), edited by Linda MacCleave of Midlothian, Virginia.
The Affiliate Website award will be presented on November 17, 2007 at the NCTE Annual Convention in New York City, by the NCTE Standing Committee on Affiliates during the Affiliate Roundtable Breakfast.
Education Online: Bit by bit, computers alter how we read
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
By Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Even as academics applaud what the Internet and digitization have done for research and classroom learning, some also express concern that the technology has changed the way students read.
With search engines able to scan millions of print sources for a single passage, a generation with an already short attention span is being encouraged to behave like literary "hunters," snatching up nuggets for classroom credit without necessarily benefiting from the rhythm and the flow of the entire written work.
Often, say some professors, students are unable to distinguish between what's credible and what's bogus as information needed for an assignment piles onto their screens.
The very way online information is accessed -- by jumping from one Web site to the next -- does little to encourage linear thought as is used when reading a book.
"Students over the years, I think, are losing a sense of tone," said David Miller, chairman of the English department at Allegheny College. "When you read text, one of the most important things you need to intuit is the tone of the writer's voice and the continuousness of things."
Blurring Lines Among Both Students and Subjects
By Jay Mathews
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 15, 2007; Page B01
In three classrooms along a short corridor at Blue Ridge Middle School in Loudoun County, there were several scenes last week of educational convention turned upside down. Lemmert and colleagues Alisa Gladstone and Amy Wood decided last year to experiment with placing honors, regular and special education students in the same rooms, offering a course that unified social studies and English, and encouraging every child to reach higher than before.
Such innovations are uncommon in U.S. public schools, given the old pressure to conform to tradition and the new one to raise standardized test scores. But plenty of teachers still find that if they are seized by an idea, as Lemmert, Wood and Gladstone were, and can convey that passion to supervisors, they have a chance to see what happens when they go in a different direction.
Bush pushes Congress on 'No Child' law
By Deb Riechmann, Associated Press Writer | October 10, 2007
WASHINGTON --President Bush said that he's open to new ideas for changing the "No Child Left Behind" education law but will not accept watered-down standards or rollbacks in accountability.
The president and lawmakers in both parties want changes to the five-year-old law -- a key piece of his domestic policy legacy, which faces a tough renewal fight in Congress.
Defining Reading for the 21st Century
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Traci Gardner explains why our understanding of reading in the 21st century matters
The literacy demands that students face today have changed greatly from those which students met even five or ten years ago. 21st-century students read texts that include alphabetic- and character-based print, still images, video, and sound. They listen to podcasts, play Second Life, and analyze YouTube videos. Whether we like it or not, they read Wikipedia, MySpace, and Facebook.
Reading for them is no longer just about words on a page. It’s a complex, multidimensional act that includes skills such as interpreting visual design, recognizing nonlinear organizational structures, and identifying video and oral storytelling techniques. It’s an evolving ability to understand the many ways that humans communicate and how the media affects the message. Last week, President Bush said he was open to changes. What he needs to realize is that in the 21st century, reading is “open to change.”
Testimony before the House Education and Labor Committee on the Re-Authorization of No Child Left Behind
Linda Darling-Hammond September 10, 2007
Congressman Miller, Congressman McKeon and members of the Committee. Thank you for this opportunity to testify on the draft bill to re-authorize No Child Left Behind. I am Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute and the School Redesign Network. I was also the founding Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, and have spent many years studying policies and practices in the U.S. and around the world that support stronger curriculum, assessment, teaching and learning.
I want also to thank the Committee for its openness and commitment to the democratic process in having shared a public draft of the re-authorization bill prior to finalizing the bill. This move shows a respect and consideration for the public that is appreciated by those who care deeply about our nation’s education system.
While the very complex NCLB legislation has many elements that deserve attention and ongoing revision, I am sure you will hear about those from many others. I want to focus my testimony this morning on three key elements of the law:
1. The provisions to encourage multiple measures of assessment and multiple indicators of school progress, which I believe are essential to
raise standards and strengthen educational quality in ways that are internationally competitive;
2. The provisions to improve the quality and distribution of the teaching force, which are also essential to our ability to reach the high goals this
Congress would like to establish for our nation’s schools, and
3. The means for measuring school progress from year to year, which I believe need to become more publicly comprehensible and more closely
focused on evaluating continuing progress for students and schools.
Board of Education Seeks Student Advisory Committee Nominees--Sept 12, 2007
-Deadline for Applications is October 31-
The Virginia Board of Education is seeking applications for its Student Advisory Committee for the 2007-2008 school year. The committee will consist of one high school student from each of the commonwealth's eight educational regions and four middle school students selected at-large. The Student Advisory Committee will meet in Richmond at least three times during the 2007-2008 school year and will make presentations to the Board.
Each public high school, middle school, and statewide student organization may submit one nomination. Nominees should:
* Demonstrate solid academic performance;
* Possess strong communication and leadership skills;
* Have evidence of involvement in a variety of co-curricular and/or extra-curricular activities;
* Show an interest in learning about and contributing to state policies affected by the Virginia Board of Education; and
* Have access to e-mail and the Internet, either through their home or at school.
A student interested in serving on the Student Advisory Committee should talk with his or her school counselor for application information. The application is on the Virginia Department of Education Web site at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/VA_Board/sac. Completed nomination packets will be accepted by mail or fax. Applications must be postmarked by October 31 and mailed to Margaret N. Roberts, executive assistant to the Board of Education, Virginia Department of Education, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA 23218-2120. Faxed applications must be received by 5 p.m. on October 31. The fax number is (804) 225-2524.
A selection committee consisting of members of the Board of Education will review the applications. Students applying to serve on the Student Advisory Committee will be notified of the selection committee's decisions by November 21.
15 years after birth, book's not closed on texting--USA TODAY, September 4, 2007
By Tracey Wong Briggs
OMG! TXT MSG turns 15! Cellphone-accessorized teens may think that's just GR8. But as the lexicon spawned by a 160-character message limit starts to spill off the cellphone screen into written work, some of their English teachers aren't exactly ROFL. Nor does seeing text abbreviations crop up in essays bring a smiley face to college admission officers.
TeachersCount works to create a permanent culture of teacher appreciation
TeachersCount is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to raise the status of the teaching profession and provide resources to the education community. Using a national PSA campaign and related initiatives, TeachersCount is working to create a permanent culture of teacher appreciation in the United States.
TeachersCount serves teachers and prospective teachers directly and provides multiple ways for the public to support the teaching profession:
Promoting the Teaching Profession
“Behind Every Famous Person Is a Fabulous Teacher” Campaign
In partnership with Time Inc., TeachersCount runs the “Behind Every Famous Person Is a Fabulous Teacher” PSA Campaign, which appears in the Time Inc. family of magazines. In October, 2006, First Lady Laura Bush, who appears alongside her teacher in one of the ads, spoke at the official launch of the campaign. Other famous faces in the campaign include actors Edie Falco, America Ferrera, Virginia Madsen, Jeremy Piven, Tony Shalhoub, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and Bradley Whitford; CEO Kenneth Chenault; TV personalities Dayna Devon and Al Roker; rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges; athletes Will Shields and Michelle Snow; and others. Time Inc., which has donated millions of dollars worth of ad space, and Jones New York In The Classroom, which underwrites the production costs of the ads, are the campaign’s biggest supporters.
TeachersCount is currently developing initiatives to put free posters of the PSAs in schools and to create a broadcast version of the campaign.
NFL Teacher of the Year
At the 2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl in Honolulu, TeachersCount helped honor the NFL Teacher of the Year by producing an ad featuring the teacher and the player who nominated her and by participating in the pre-game ceremony that honored her.
Super Hero Teacher of the Year Contest
In partnership with Marvel Entertainment, TeachersCount presents the Super Hero Teacher of the Year Contest, which turns outstanding teachers—and the middle school students who nominate them—into real comic book characters in a free special-edition comic book featuring teachers as Super Heroes.
Partnership with Google
Teachers were honored when Google outfitted its logo for National Teacher Day, 2005—at the request of TeachersCount. TeachersCount is also the recipient of a Google AdWords grant.
Public Support of Teachers
Teacher Appreciation e-Cards
The general public is encouraged to let teachers know their impact by sending a free e-card or using a teacher-friendly idea from the Hallmark and TeachersCount Teacher Appreciation Program.
StudentStories
Individuals can add a posting to StudentStories, a free, searchable collection of inspirational stories about teachers.
TeachersPet
Individuals can honor a teacher by making a donation to TeachersCount in the name of a specific teacher who is then added to the eye-catching virtual Honor Roll.
Resources for Teachers
Professional Development
Current teachers can download free lesson plans, access listings for grants and conferences, read features by education experts, and participate in online polls about education.
Teachers DisCount
Additionally, teachers can take advantage of TeachersDisCount, a free retail savings program for teachers.
Recruitment
Prospective teachers can find detailed information on how and why to enter the teaching profession.
For more information, visit www.teacherscount.org.
Online seminar, Holocaust and Human Behavior, coming this fall
Once again this coming fall, Facing History and Ourselves will be offering our 8-week facilitated online seminar (formerly "online course"), "Holocaust and Human Behavior." Fall seminar dates:
--September 20, 2007 - November 15, 2007, or,
--October 4, 2007 - December 5, 2007.
Information and application: http://www.facinghistory.org/OnlineSeminar
The seminar--which includes a conference call with a survivor of the Holocaust--has proven to be a powerful learning experience for hundreds of middle and high school educators around the world.
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TRANSFORM YOUR CLASSROOM!
Renew your commitment to growing and learning; bring content, methodology, and a powerful approach to examining the Holocaust, into your classroom that will engage and transform your students; enjoy the flexible professional development opportunity afforded by taking an online seminar.
Take Facing History and Ourselves’ online seminar, "Holocaust and Human Behavior,"and gain full access to our in-depth professional development services, curricular resources, and ongoing support to educators in the areas of history, social studies, and English language arts.
By using the Holocaust as a case study, we raise profound moral questions about the consequences of our actions and our beliefs, and we help our students make connections between history and the moral choices they make every day. While the Holocaust was a unique event in human history, the questions remain universal.
Learn key strategies, such as how to:
*Create a safe environment in your classroom based on trust and respect for different views and opinions;
*Facilitate discussions around controversial topics;
*Take an interdisciplinary approach to teaching this difficult history.
Information and application: http://www.facinghistory.org/OnlineSeminar
Questions? Contact Beth Healey at beth_healey@facing.org
What did you read this summer? Broadcast: Midmorning, 08/29/2007
As summer ends, many teenagers are furiously trying to finish assigned summer reading. But some are just as likely to be reading Harry Potter as "The Scarlet Letter." Midmorning looks at the changing nature of the high school summer reading list.