TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2004

JANUARY 22, 2004

Why are the simplest sounding goals sometimes the hardest to meet? As educators in North Carolina and all other states work to help close achievement gaps and to improve learning for every child, we are tackling one of those simple sounding and yet very challenging goals. At no other time in our nation's history have we set an education goal as challenging as closing achievement gaps for all groups of students. There are very encouraging strategies underway in many schools across this state. As we remember the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. this week, I believe that such efforts will help to keep his dream alive.

Regards,
Mike Ward

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. DPI Receives Intel's Teach to the Future Grant
2. Students Invited to Participate in Challenge
3. Beef Safety
4. NC Wise Web Site Undergoes Redesign
5. AP Forum Scheduled
6. Register Now for Eighth Annual Closing the Gap Conference
7. "Balanced Curriculum" Session Available Online
8. Nominations' Deadline for Sixth Annual NCCEY Approaching

DPI Receives Intel's Teach to the Future Grant

DPI's Division of Instructional Technology has received a $50,000 continuation grant from the Intel Foundation to continue free, quality staff development to North Carolina teachers. Known across the state as the Intel Teach to the Future grant, this professional development program trains teachers to integrate technology across the curriculum and focuses on NCLB goals and objectives. Over the past two years, these funds have trained 233 master teachers and 1,250 participating teachers in 73 local school systems and charter schools across the state. For further information and/or applications to apply, contact Mary Lou Daily, Western Regional Instructional Technology Consultant, at 828.252.6626, or by email, mdaily@dpi.state.nc.us.

Students Invited to Participate in Challenge

To honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., public school students are invited to participate in the 2004 Do Something Kindness&Justice Challenge. For the two weeks following the King national holiday, students are asked to perform acts of kindness and acts of justice. Schools are encouraged to register to participate in the challenge at http://www.dosomething.org/ by clicking on the appropriate link. Upon registration, schools will receive a grade-appropriate curriculum to assist in teaching the values highlighted by the challenge.

Beef Safety

Under Secretary of Agriculture Eric Bost notified DPI's Child Nutrition Services that the USDA has complete confidence in the safety of beef supplied to schools through the USDA Commodity Program. The USDA purchased none of the implicated beef products for distribution to schools or any other food and nutrition program. Regular updates about the safety of foods served in school nutrition programs are available on the USDA Web site at http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/safety/bsehome.htm. For more information, please contact Lynn Hoggard, Child Nutrition Section Chief, at 919.807.3507 or lhoggard@dpi.state.nc.us

NC WISE Web Site Undergoes Redesign

The NC WISE Web site is currently being redesigned to improve access to documents, searchability and targeted distribution of information by user interest. While the "behind the scenes" changes are still a work in process, the Web site has a new look. We invite you to visit the site at http://www.ncwise.org and email us any feedback about the site's appearance or functional requests to ncwise@dpi.state.nc.us.

AP Forum Scheduled

DPI's Instructional Services' Division, in collaboration with the Southern Regional College Board, will sponsor an Advanced Placement Forum on Wednesday, March 10, at Duke University. The Forum will include interactive sessions on the following three strands: Administration - Strategies and resources for starting or expanding an AP or Pre-AP program; Mathematics - Content strategies and resources for the new or experienced AP Mathematics teachers; and English - Content strategies and resources for new or experienced English teachers. The $100 registration fee includes materials and lunch. Packets have been sent to middle and high school principals, local AP coordinators, and Directors of Instruction. The registration deadline is Feb. 13. For additional information, please contact Wandra Polk, Instructional Services, 919.807.3816, or by email, wpolk@dpi.state.nc.us.

Register Now for Eighth Annual Closing the Gap Conference

The Closing the Gap conference may be a little over two months away, but registrations have already surpassed the halfway point for conference capacity. School personnel interested in attending the Eighth Annual Closing the Gap Conference, scheduled for March 29-31, at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, may want to go ahead and submit their registration form. Pre-registration forms can be downloaded from the Closing the Achievement Gap Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/schoolimprovement/closingthegap/ by clicking on the appropriate link. For more information, please contact Marvin Pittman, Director of School Improvement, DPI, 919.807.3911 or by email, mpittman@dpi.state.nc.us.

"Balanced Curriculum" Session Available Online

A PowerPoint overview of "The Balanced Curriculum," which was presented during an Instructional Services Conference session last fall and focuses on the importance and value of delivering a well-rounded education encompassing all areas of the Standard Course of Study, is now available online. The overview and the accompanying document are available on the NCDPI Instructional Services' Web site at http://www.learnnc.org/ by clicking on the Conference link and then the link for the elementary school materials. The initial document, applicable for the elementary level, addresses the what, why, and how for implementing a balanced curriculum including: research-based philosophy, guiding principles, questions and answers, sample schedules and scenarios, recommendations and resources. A major part of this initiative involved surveying elementary level teachers and administrators to determine current issues and trends. The results of these surveys are included in the document. The document is available in PDF and HTML formats, and may be ordered in CD or hard-copy format through NCDPI Publications. Ordering information will be sent as soon as it is available. Similar documents will be developed for the middle and high school levels in the near future. For more information, please contact Christie Howell, Arts Education and Healthful Living, DPI, 919.807.3856, or by email, cmhowell@dpi.state.nc.us.

Nominations' Deadline for Sixth Annual NCCEY Approaching

Teachers are reminded that the deadline to submit a nomination for The Kenan Institute for Ethics' Sixth Annual North Carolina Character Education Year (NCCEY) Awards Program is Feb. 23. Since 1999, the NCCEY Awards have been given to recognize those K-12 educators in North Carolina who are integrating character development into their classroom instruction in innovative, exemplary, and replicable ways. Up to nine awards are given annually ranging from $1,000-$3,000. Applications for NCCEY 2004 must be for projects taught between January and December 2003. Educators must self-nominate. For details and an application form, please go to the Kenan Institute for Ethics Web site at http://kenan.ethics.duke.edu and click on "Grants and Awards." Please note that some eligibility requirements have changed for this year.