TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2004

SEPTEMBER 23, 2004

The State Board of Education’s Teacher Retention Task Force meets this week, on Sept. 23, and the focus of its meeting will be on impediments to teacher recruitment and retention as well as strategies for increasing recruitment and retention. Teacher quality is an issue that impacts everything we are trying to accomplish in public education - from closing achievement gaps to reaching our goals for high school graduation. We will keep you informed about the progress of this group’s work, which will be reported to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee this winter. Many of you are dealing with the destruction and tragedy of recent storms. Please let me know how we can help with your recovery.

Regards,
Tricia Willoughby

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. Congressman Price Honors Former State Superintendent
2. “Learn and Earn” Program Announced
3. Student-to-Student Initiative Targets Zimbabwe
4. 2004 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Named
5. Current Events Lesson Plans Needed
6. North Carolina Stock Market Simulation
7. Holocaust Workshops for Teachers Scheduled
8. World View Schedules Annual Fall Symposium
9. Register Now for the 54th Annual Conference on Exceptional Children
10. Learning Differences: Ensuring Success for Every Mind
11. North Carolina Theatre Conference Fall Theatre Gathering Scheduled
12. Professional Development Needs Survey
13. Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program

Congressman Price Honors Former State Superintendent

Last Wednesday, Congressman David Price formally recognized former State Superintendent Mike Ward before the House of Representatives for his contributions as North Carolina’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. Price said Ward left the state’s schools “stronger, its teachers better equipped and its students better trained than they were when they started.” Price said Ward used the challenges of NCLB as “opportunities to raise student achievement, while advocating for improvements in the federal law so that its purposes might be more fully achieved.”

“Learn and Earn” Program Announced

Gov. Mike Easley recently announced a new program called “Learn and Earn,” which will provide students with “the option of a five-year high school program that enables them to earn a high school diploma and a community college associate degree while gaining necessary skills to pursue a career in the new economy.” Learn and Earn will have 15 initial pilots, five of which are currently in operation (Buncombe, Catawba, Durham, Guilford and Nash counties) with 10 additional sites admitting students next school year (Anson, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Edgecombe, Iredell, New Hanover, Robeson, Rutherford and Sampson counties). The Governor plans to expand the program statewide.

Student-to-Student Initiative Targets Zimbabwe

The AIDS pandemic on the continent of Africa is the most devastating health crisis to ever face our world. The disease has orphaned millions of children, and school is one of the few places where they can be assured of a meal and the chance to learn academic and survival skills. Just as we did in Afghanistan a couple of years ago, the DPI is launching the Student-to-Student project to provide help - this time to children in Zimbabwe. This is a terrific service opportunity for our students. To learn more, go to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/zimbabwe/

2004 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Named

Congratulations to administrators, teachers and students at Claxton Elementary and Isaac Dickson Elementary, Asheville City Schools; Claxton Elementary and Shadybrook Elementary, Guilford County Schools; North Hills Elementary, Winston-Salem-Forsyth Schools; Pisgah Forest Elementary, Transylvania County Schools; and Sunny View Elementary, Polk County Schools for being named 2004 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Rod Paige. These elementary schools are among 205 public and 50 private schools to achieve this honor. School representatives will be honored during a National Recognition Ceremony scheduled for Nov. 4-5 in Washington, DC. For additional information regarding the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, please contact Debora Sydnor, School Support Services, NC DPI, 919.807.3925, or by email, dsydnor@dpi.state.nc.us.

Current Events Lesson Plans Needed

The NC DPI Character Education office will be publishing a “how to” guide on recommended practices for teaching current events as part of a larger document. Programs such as Newspapers in Education and Kids Voting will provide sample lessons, but the guide needs lessons from K-12 teachers. Teachers interested in submitting lesson plans are asked to include their name, school name, grade level(s), instructional goals and objectives (NC Standard Course of Study, any subject), time required, materials needed, activities or procedures, assessment and follow-up. Lesson plans should be emailed to the attention of Sandy Cook at sandynie@unc.edu or mailed to Sandra Cook, NCPF/NIE, CB #3365, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3365. Questions may be directed to Sandy Cook at 919.843.5648. Lesson plans must be received by Oct. 1

North Carolina Stock Market Simulation

The North Carolina Stock Market Simulation, sponsored by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education, provides “the most realistic, educational and reliable stock market simulation available to both teachers and students while teaching the fundamentals of investing, as well as how our overall economy works.” Teachers and students in the fourth through 12th grades are encouraged to register to participate. The registration deadline is Sept. 27. For more information, please go online to http://www.nccee.org and click on the appropriate link.

Holocaust Workshops for Teachers Scheduled

A series of Holocaust Workshops for middle and high school language arts and social studies teachers has been scheduled beginning in October. These one-day, multi-county workshops for public school teachers are particularly useful for World History, World Cultures, American History and Eastern European history teachers. Participants will receive a copy of “The Holocaust: a North Carolina Teacher's Resource,” a guide for teaching about the Holocaust at the middle and high school levels. Substitute pay is provided for teachers attending, but space is limited. Dates and locations for the workshops are as follows: Oct. 18, Charlotte (already full); Oct. 22, Jacksonville; Oct. 25, Lincolnton; Nov. 10, Roxboro; Nov. 15, Hertford; Feb. 21, Fayetteville; and March 21, Louisburg. For additional information, including registration, please contact Linda Scher, Holocaust Teacher Workshop Coordinator at Brisket234@aol.com

World View Schedules Annual Fall Symposium

Register now for World View's annual fall symposium scheduled for Oct. 25-26. This year's program will address, "Global Education: Infusing Global Themes into Every Classroom" and will be held at The Friday Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. For program information, hotel information, and online registration visit http://www.unc.edu/world, call 919.962.9264, or email Robert Phay at worldview@unc..edu. The individual registration is $135. Discounted rates are offered for teams of four or more. (1.5 CEUs offered.)

Register Now for the 54th Annual Conference on Exceptional Children

"Making the Promise a Reality" is the theme of the 54th Conference on Exceptional Children scheduled for Nov. 1-3 at the Koury Convention Center/Sheraton Hotel, Greensboro. Sessions related to IEP development, state alternate assessments, AYP for students with disabilities, behavior, literacy, math, writing, and many other pertinent topics will be featured. In addition, Dr. Scott Penland, a school psychologist in Houston, TX and a leading authority on violence in schools, will present a half-day workshop, “Preventing and Responding to the Tragic Death of Children.” Detailed information regarding all conference events, including registration, is available on DPI's Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ec or by contacting David Mills, Exceptional Children Division, via email at dmills@dpi.state.nc.us.

Learning Differences: Ensuring Success for Every Mind

The North Carolina Medical Society Alliance in conjunction with NC DPI is sponsoring “Learning Differences: Ensuring Success for Every Mind,” on Nov. 9, from 1 - 4 p.m., at the McKimmon Center, Gorman St. and Western Blvd., Raleigh. The featured speaker is Dr. Mel Levine, who will discuss ways parents, educators and clinicians can understand how brain functions affect learning, identify learning difficulties without labels, and bring optimism to the process of addressing children’s challenges. The registration fee is $45. Concurrent morning sessions also are being held and will focus on “Child Abuse Prevention: The Educator’s Perspective;” and “The Value of Sportsmanship: Building Strong Character.” There is a $15 registration fee to attend either session. The registration deadline is Nov. 4. To guarantee lunch ($10), payment must be received by Nov. 2. For more information, including registration, please go online to http://www.ncmsalliance.org and click on the Symposium 2004 Learning Differences link.

North Carolina Theatre Conference Fall Theatre Gathering Scheduled

The NCTC Fall Theatre Gathering, “Theatre Educates! Exploring the Educational Mission of North Carolina's Professional, Academic and Community Theatres,” will take place Nov. 4-6 at Catawba College, Salisbury. This year the State High School Play Festival will be held in conjunction with the Gathering, bringing hundreds of high school students and teachers together with theatre professionals and college/university representatives for three days of performances, admissions and scholarship auditions, workshops and networking meetings. CEU credits are available in performance, technical and literary aspects of theatre. For more information, please visit http://www.nctc.org and click on Programs, Projects and Events or call 919.832.9171.

Professional Development Needs Survey

The Center for Psychology in Schools and Education, the American Psychological Association's primary focus in K-12 education issues, is conducting an online survey to examine teachers' needs for professional development that could be provided by organized psychology. The survey will gather information about teachers' perceptions of professional development in several areas, including classroom management, instructional practices, classroom diversity, family and community outreach, and other teaching skills and knowledge informed by psychological science. The survey will be used to help form APA professional development courses. Teachers may want to consider completing the 20-minute online survey, which is located at http://surveys.apa.org/ed/teacherneeds and is completely anonymous. The deadline for completion of the survey is Dec. 31. If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Sickler at hsickler@apa.org.

Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program

The Fulbright Memorial Fund (FMF) Teacher Program, administered by the Japanese-United States Exchange Commission and the Institute of International Education, offers teachers and administrators of grades 1-12 an opportunity for a fully funded, three-week professional development opportunity in Japan. FMF participants travel with other outstanding educators, learn about Japanese culture and education, and return home to implement a self-designed plan to share their knowledge and experience with their students, colleagues, and community. The 2005 FMF study visits will take place in June, October and November. The application deadline is Dec. 10. Interested individuals may apply online at http://www.iie.org/fmf or request further information by calling the Institute of International Education at 888.527.2636.