AUGUST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER
AUGUST 2002 PD
THEME : SUMMER READING
The August issue of the Professional Development Newsletter highlights key online periodicals and Web sites that are excellent sources of professional information for teachers and administrators.
1. Education Week and Teacher Magazine
2. Phi Delta Kappan Magazine
3. NSDC Periodicals
4. Educational Leadership
5. REL Network<?xml:namespace prefix = o />
6. U.S. Department of Education
7. California Department of Education
8. Cross-Site Indexing Web Site
9. NewsLink
CURRENT EVENTS
10. “Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge”
11. Responses to USDE Report
12. Report on Class Size Reduction
13. Report on National Board Certification
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1. EDUCATION WEEK AND TEACHER MAGAZINE
"Education Week on the Web" is an electronic version of the comprehensive weekly magazine. It includes a wide variety of articles on subjects of interest to educators including special reports, news,hot topics, current events, and archived past issues. http://www.edweek.org/
"Teacher Magazine," a publication of "Education Week," publishes current articles, reports on teaching, book reviews, and commentaries. http://www.teachermagazine.org/
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2. PHI DELTA KAPPAN MAGAZINE
Phi Delta Kappa provides online access to selected articles from its monthly “Kappan” publication. Readers can access full-length articles, columns, and abstracts from October 1995 through the present. http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/karticle.htm
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3. NSDC PERIODICALS
The National Staff Development Council’s (NSDC) periodicals provide current information on professional development issues. There are three periodicals available online. "Tools for Schools" is a newsletter that supports staff and student learning through school improvement; the "Journal of Staff Development" focuses on leadership and learning; and "Results" promotes high levels of learning for all staff and students. http://www.nsdc.org/educatorindex.htm
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4. EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development publishes an online version of its monthly magazine “Educational Leadership.” Selected articles from 1992 to the present are available. http://www.ascd.org/frameedlead.html
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5. REL NETWORK
The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Network publishes up-to-date “Headline News” reports from around the country. The Web site also offers a searchable database that allows readers to access “the best available information from research and practice.” http://www.relnetwork.org/
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6. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The U. S. Department of Education Web site provides information about Federal programs and initiatives, including “No Child Left Behind.” These Web pages also connect readers to current legislation, research, news, grants, and other education-related resources. http://ed.gov/index.jsp
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7. CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The California Department of Education (CDE) provides up-to-the-minute information regarding California’s schools. Find information about statewide assessment and accountability systems, pending and current legislation, school directories, teaching strategies, and news from CDE on this Web site. http://www.cde.ca.gov/
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8. CROSS-SITE INDEXING WEB SITE
The U. S. Department of Education has a “Cross-Site Indexing Project” that allows visitors to access all of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) collection. Readers can obtain documents and reports from the Federally-funded ERIC Clearinghouses, Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouses, Affiliated ERIC Clearinghouse, and ERIC publications through this searchable database. http://search.ed.gov/csi/eric.html
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9. NEWSLINK
The “NewsLink” Web site connects readers to news publications throughout the world. Links to newspapers, magazines and journals, college newspapers, along with radio and television stations and networks are all available on this Web site. http://newslink.org/
CURRENT EVENTS
10. MEETING THE HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS CHALLENGE”
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) recently released “Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge” (June, 2002), the first annual report on teacher quality nationwide. The report contends that data “suggest that schools of education and formal teacher training programs are failing to produce the types of highly qualified teachers that the ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ demands.” The report also states that “states and universities may well have to transform their preparation and certification systems, by basing their programs on rigorous academic content, eliminating cumbersome requirements not based on scientific evidence and doing more to attract highly qualified candidates from a variety of fields.” http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/News/teacherprep/index.html
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11. RESPONSES TO USDE REPORT
“Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge” has provoked discussion and debate from educators and teacher educators. The Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) agrees that teacher quality is of critical importance, but states that “the report fails to recognize the importance of pedagogy in producing student learning, and consequently makes policy recommendations for teacher education that are not supported by research." ASCD also contends that “we have a teacher shortage primarily because of low salaries and poor working conditions – not because of preservice and certification requirements.” http://www.ascd.org/educationnews/speech/StatementonTeacherQualityReport.html
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Lelia Christenbury, President of the National Council of Teachers of English responded to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige’s concerns. In her editorial “Knowing How To Teach” (June 18, 2002), Ms. Christenbury makes a case that expertise in both subject matter and pedagogy are critical in producing quality teachers. http://www.ncte.org/action/op-ed/quality.shtml
Arthur Wise, President of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) also issued a statement critical of the report. “Our view is that . . . data support a different conclusion” states Wise, pointing out that teacher education institutions are graduating teachers who meet the licensing requirements set by states. http://www.ncate.org/newsbrfs/hqt_602.htm
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12. REPORT ON CLASS SIZE REDUCTION
“Class Size Reduction, Teacher Quality, and Academic Achievement in California Public Elementary schools” (2002), a new report from the Public Policy Institute of California, discusses unintended consequences of California's 1996 Class Size Reduction (CSR) initiative. According to the report, many experienced teachers in high-poverty schools left to take new positions in suburban schools, and fourth and fifth grade teachers moved into primary grades. While scores improved for primary classes with a seasoned teacher and small class size, declines took place in some upper elementary classes, particularly those with a higher percentage of minority students. Overall, CSR has had mixed results; while benefiting some students, it may also have exacerbated staffing problems in schools that serve economically poor and minority students. http://www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC161/ppic161fulltext.pdf
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13. REPORT ON NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION
The report “California Teachers’ Perceptions of National Board Certification” (2002) presents teacher perspectives of the value of certification. Published by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, the report states that the National Board Certification program “meets, even exceeds the hopes and expectations that the teachers bring with them for their own professional growth . . . however, certification does not appear to lead to more contributions by teacher-leaders to their communities outside their classrooms.” http://www.cftl.org/documents/Beldenreport2002.pdf
This electronic newsletter is sponsored by the Region 11 California Professional Development Consortium (CPDC) administered by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. For more information about the CPDC call 562-922-6404 or send a fax to 562-922-6291.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter, email Smith_Anita@lacoe.edu, or send a fax to 562-922-6291.
If you wish to receive our free electronic High School Newsletter or Middle School Newsletter, email Smith_Anita@lacoe.edu,
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