TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2007

FEBRUARY 28, 2008 - Teachers' Biweekly Messages

The Teacher Working Conditions Survey has become an important tool for school improvement efforts that can improve your working conditions and the learning conditions for your students. I encourage you to take the time to participate in the survey this year. Having a high percentage of teacher participants allows your school to have reportable results. Please take a careful look at the fourth item as a reminder of how you and your colleagues can participate when the survey opens on March 17.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. State Board Meets Next Week
2. 2008 Teacher Working Conditions Survey
3. February NCLB Newsletter Online
4. Email Group Focuses on High School Redesign
5. 33rd Annual North Carolina Middle School Conference
6. Teachers Can Earn Their Stripes as Online Teachers
7. LEARN NC Opportunities
8. World View Offers Two New Seminars
9. Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
10. NCCEE Announces Elementary and Middle School Student Contests

State Board Meets Next Week

The State Board of Education will meet next week, March 4-6, in the Education Building, Raleigh. Agenda items include action on the impact of possible revision of the K-5 Mathematics Standard Course of Study, the policy on eligibility for state Teacher of the Year, and program approval exemption requests under the Innovative Education Initiatives Act as well as school-based calendar waivers for educational purposes. Discussion items include adoption of a Praxis II test for licensure in Latin and deletion of expired testing requirements, and the addition of elementary level (K-6) licensure areas in reading, English-as-a-Second language, and special education: cross-categorical. For those who can't attend, the Board's committee meetings and full-board meeting are audio streamed. To listen to the sessions, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings and scroll to the Live Audio Stream links. The full board agenda will be posted online by Friday afternoon at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings.

2008 Teacher Working Conditions Survey

The 2008 Teachers Working Conditions Survey will be available March 17-April 21. It is important that all teachers take the time and respond to this survey. Survey feedback is used to shape local and statewide education policy in regard to teacher working conditions. As with the 2004 and 2006 surveys, anonymous codes for teachers and administrators to respond to the survey will be mailed on March 8 to schools via the NCAE association representative. The Teacher Working Conditions Help Desk staff (877.628.9208) will be available from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. to provide assistance to those who are taking the survey or have issues with access codes. Also, thanks to the NC Business Committee for Education and corporate sponsors, the Governor's office will hold weekly drawings and a grand prize drawing for faculty in schools that reach 100 percent response rates. The sooner a school reaches the 100 percent response rate, the better the chances are for someone at that school to win the drawing.

February NCLB Newsletter Online

The latest edition of North Carolina's No Child Left Behind newsletter is now available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/news. The February 2008 edition features news about new NCDPI support efforts beginning across the state and how two pilot districts are working to improve student achievement in their districts. Other features include Blue Ribbon Commission findings, how the AYP growth model helps some schools in North Carolina, and a look at the two new NC schools to receive national Title I recognition.

Email Group Focuses on High School Redesign

Teachers interested in reading more about North Carolina high school redesign efforts as well as success stories from across the nation may want to subscribe to the INNOVATOR. The INNOVATOR is a bi-monthly report on NC 21st Century High Schools produced by the NC 21st Century High Schools Initiative and the NC New Schools Project. It is designed to regularly inform practitioners, policymakers, and friends of public education about high school redesign in North Carolina. To subscribe, send an email to innovator@newschoolsproject.org. To view past issues, please go online to http://www.newschoolsproject.org/resource.html.

33rd Annual North Carolina Middle School Conference

The 33rd Annual North Carolina Middle School Association's Conference, "Roundin' Up Good Middle Schools," will be held March 16-18 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center/Sheraton Greensboro Hotel, Greensboro. Besides the keynote addresses, there are over 150 concurrent sessions as well as over 100 exhibitors. Conference information, including a description of concurrent sessions and registration, is available online at www.ncmsa.net.

Teachers Can Earn Their Stripes as Online Teachers

LEARN NC's Carolina Online Teacher Program (COLT) prepares teachers for the unique challenges of the online classroom. Two COLT courses slated for March - "Assessment and Evaluation in Your Online Course" and "Facilitating Online Collaboration" still have space available. Interested teachers shouldn't miss this opportunity to take their teaching career online. Please visit www.learnnc.org/courses for full course descriptions or to register.

LEARN NC Opportunities

Crossing Cultures: An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Understanding - Gain the tools to interact appropriately and effectively with persons from different cultural backgrounds. This online course is ideal for teachers whose students hail from a variety of cultural backgrounds, as well as those in multicultural work environments. The course begins March 4, but space is limited.

Earn your literacy CEUs online! Adolescent Literacy: Science Comprehension Strategies will provide teachers with language literacy tactics to strengthen students' achievement in science as well as reading. This online course begins April 1.

For more information on these LEARN NC courses or to enroll, please visit www.learnnc.org/courses.

World View Offers Two New Seminars

World View's "Latin America and North Carolina Seminar" will be held March 25-26 at The Friday Center, Chapel Hill. Co-sponsored by The Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University, this seminar offers insights into Latin America and support for K-12 and community college educators facing the challenges and opportunities of the state's growing Latino student population.

World View's "Understanding Contemporary Africa Seminar" will be held March 26-27 at The Friday Center, Chapel Hill. Co-sponsored by the African Studies Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, this seminar offers lectures, small group sessions, and classroom application sessions on the history, culture, and contemporary challenges of African nations.

Both programs are appropriate for all educators and offer 1.5 Continuing Education Units. Please call 919.962.9264 for more information, or register online at http://www.unc.edu/world/regform.shtml. The registration fee for each is $150 per person, or $500 for a team of four.

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

Just a quick reminder that nominations for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching must be SUBMITTED BY MARCH 1. If you know a K-6 grades level mathematics or science teacher who deserves recognition at both the state and national level for their excellence in teaching, please complete the online nomination form available at www.paemst.org. If you have any questions, please contact Carmella Fair, mathematics coordinator, 919.807.3840/cfair@dpi.state.nc.us, or Lisa Mackey, science coordinator, 919.807.3843/lmackey@dpi.state.nc.us.

NCCEE Announces Elementary and Middle School Student Contests

The North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE) is pleased to announce its annual Calendar Poster Contest for elementary students. In this competition, teachers will teach one of 12 economic concepts to their students who will then create a drawing that illustrates comprehension of the concept. Artwork will be sent in for judging by an independent panel. Winning students will receive a $50 gift card and their artwork will be included in a 16-month economic concepts calendar that will be printed by the Federal Reserve Bank. Winning students, their teachers and parents also will be invited to attend the NCCEE's annual awards banquet. The deadline for entries is March 15. Entry forms, information and last year's winners are available online at www.nccee.org.

The NCCEE also is pleased to announce its 2nd annual statewide County Marketing Contest for middle school students. Students will compete with their peers across the state by creating PowerPoint presentations that persuade businesses to relocate or expand to a given county. Teachers may choose to use this multidisciplinary competition as a classroom project for a grade or for extra credit. Winning students and their teachers will win cash prizes and have their presentations posted to the NCCEE Web site. Winners also will be invited to attend the NCCEE's annual awards banquets. The deadline for entries is March 16. Additional information, last year's winners, and entry forms are all available at www.nccee.org.

If you'd like to review past Teachers' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/teachersarchive/.