OCTOBER MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2002 MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER<?xml:namespace prefix = o />
1. Month of the Young Adolescent
2. Supportive Relationships With Adolescents
3. What Does It Mean to Be Thirteen?
4. Middle Level Resources
5. CDE Web Site on “No Child Left Behind”
6. Final Report Issued On California Master Plan for Education
7. “Engaging The Public In Its Schools”
8. ASCD Advocacy Kit
9. Building Cultures That Support Professional Learning
10. Professional Development of Critical Importance
11. “Using Data to Improve Schools: What’s Working”
12. Research-Based Strategies to Achieve High Standards
13. Promoting Healthy Eating Habits
14. Ed-Flex Competition Deadline Extended
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1. MONTH OF THE YOUNG ADOLESCENT
Each October, the National Middle School Association (NMSA) sponsors "Month of the Young Adolescent," a national collaborative effort among education, health, and youth-oriented organizations which focuses on public understanding of the unique needs characteristics of adolescents, ages 10-15. NMSA promotes four key messages throughout the month: the importance of parents' knowledge of and active involvement in their adolescent’s life; the knowledge that a healthy body and mind equals a healthy adolescent; the realization that the educational experiences of the young adolescent determines the future of all citizens; and the awareness that every adolescent must have the opportunity to pursue his/her dreams, aspirations, and a postsecondary education. A press kit and other details are available. http://www.nmsa.org/moya/new2002/overview.html
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2. SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADOLESCENTS
Authors Megan Stuhlman, Bridget Hamre, and Robert Pianta discuss the importance of creating a caring school community that fosters close supportive relationships with youth. Their article, “Building Supportive Relationships with Adolescents" (Middle Matters, fall 2002) shares effective strategies to improve relationships between teachers and students. Examples of ways to build an “atmosphere of cordiality in student-teacher relationships” include: developing extracurricular activities for students and teachers to participate in together; encouraging teachers and students to eat lunch together; recognizing the importance and the power of one-to-one articulation with students; and developing and conveying a belief in student abilities.
http://www.naesp.org/comm/mmfall02.htm
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3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE THIRTEEN?
Writer Chris Stevenson discusses the importance of maintaining an open line of communication between interested adults and young adolescents. In his article, “What Does It Mean to be Thirteen?” (NMSA, fall 2002) Stevenson writes, “. . . every young person longs for adult relations built on genuine interest and mutual respect.” Using terms like authentic talk, credulous conversation, and skillful listening, the article encourages the reader to engage young adolescents in dialog that integrates students' questions and ideas into teachers’ goals and objectives. These dialogs build trust between adult and young adolescent and the trust leads to increased student achievement.http://www.nmsa.org/moya/new2002/pk_related_itmean.html
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4. MIDDLE LEVEL RESOURCES
The Educational Resources Information Center, Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE) Resources provides a wide range of services and materials related to middle level (6-8) education and the development of adolescents. The site includes resource guides with links to Web sites, publications, and other sources of information. http://ericeece.org/midlink.html
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5. CDE WEB SITE ON “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND”
The California Department of Education (CDE) has established a Web site designed to provide information on the “No Child Left Behind” Act. http://www.cde.ca.gov/pr/nclb/
The CDE is also issuing a periodic advisory that is posted on the Web site. http://www.cde.ca.gov/pr/nclb/updates082802.pdf
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6. FINAL REPORT ISSUED ON CALIFORNIA MASTER PLAN FOR EDUCATION
The Senate Education Committee has posted the final report on the California Master Plan for Education. This document has been developed after a series of intense meetings and public input sessions. When adopted, the Master Plan will help guide the legislative process in California. http://www.sen.ca.gov/masterplan/020909THEMASTERPLANLINKS.HTML
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7. “ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN ITS SCHOOLS”
The Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development has issued an Infobrief, “Engaging the Public in Its Schools” (July 2002), authored by Heather Voke. The Infobrief defines public engagement as “the willingness on the part of citizens to invest not only financial resources but also the time and energy necessary to support a system of quality public schools that are accessible to all students.” Voke highlights initiatives to improve public engagement and discusses lessons learned from these initiatives. http://www.ascd.org/frameinfobrief.html
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8. ASCD ADVOCACY KIT
The Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) is making a free “Advocacy ToolKit” available online to assist educators. The kit provides information about working with the media, the public, and with policy makers. http://www.ascd.org/advocacykit/
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9. BUILDING CULTURES THAT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
In the article "Keeping New Teachers in Mind" (Educational Leadership, March 2002), authors Johnson and Kardos discuss school cultures and implications for professional development. Many schools are veteran-oriented cultures that do not take strong steps to engage new teachers. Novice-oriented cultures are characterized by youth and enthusiasm, but may not effectively provide experienced professional guidance. What is needed, according to Johnson and Kardos, are integrated professional cultures and ongoing support. "Schools that gear professional development to both the ongoing induction of new teachers and the continual renewal of veteran teachers serve all educators well - thus enabling them to serve all their students well," state the authors. http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0203/johnson.html
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10. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE
"When Theory Hits Reality: Standards-Based Reform in Urban School Districts" presents the final narrative report on four-year grants given to seven urban school districts by the Pew Charitable Trusts. This report by Patrick Shields and Jane David of SRI International presents findings from all four years of the Pew Network grant cycle. Authors state in the conclusion: "We found that districts can have standards, assessments, and accountability in place, yet not improve the quality of curriculum and instruction in classrooms. In contrast, districts that communicate ambitious expectations for instruction,supported by a strong professional development system, are able
to make significant changes in classroom practices." Extended discussion of these and other findings can be found in the complete report. http://www.sri.com/policy/cep/pubs/pew/pewfinal.pdf
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11. “USING DATA TO IMPROVE SCHOOLS: WHAT’S WORKING”
The American Association of School Administrators reports that school districts and schools are moving away from simply reporting data such as standardized test scores and moving toward using a wide range of data to promote school reform. The recently released guide, “Using Data to Improve Schools: What’s Working,” examines this shift and encourages school leaders, parents, and community members to cultivate a culture of inquiry. http://www.aasa.org/cas/UsingDataToImproveSchools.pdf
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12. RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE HIGH STANDARDS
WestEd has published an online guide to assist schools in assessing
and planning for comprehensive school reform. This guide focuses on
the U.S. Department of Education’s Comprehensive School Reform
Demonstration Program. The guide contains specific tools to
determine readiness for reform, data sources, a matrix for helping
schools make data-driven decisions, and a template for developing
an action plan. http://www.wested.org/csrd/guidebook/toc.htm
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13. PROMOTING HEALTHY EATING HABITS
Schools can play a vital part in helping to eliminate the three leading causes of death in the United States: coronary heart disease, cancer, and stroke. By educating students about eating habits, schools can help establish healthy eating patterns that will help with both health and intellectual development. Author John Marlow's "Promoting Healthy Eating Habits," (Health in Education, 2002) describes ways in which schools can address healthy eating habits. http://webserver2.ascd.org/web/health_in_education/feature.cfm
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14. ED-FLEX COMPETITION DEADLINE EXTENDED
The U.S Department of Education announced that it is extending to December 6, 2002 the application deadline for districts wishing to compete for one of 80 slots available under the Local Flexibility Demonstration Program. Under the Local-Flex agreements, selected districts will be given flexibility to consolidate certain federal formula grant funds in order to assist them in meeting the state's definition of adequate yearly progress and the Local Education Agency's specific measurable goals for improving student achievement and narrowing achievement gaps. http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2002-3/091702a.pdf
* For those who could not open this link, copy the entire URL and paste it into your browser address window. This electronic newsletter is sponsored by the Region 8 California Professional Development Consortium (CPDC) administered by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter, or to subscribe to our other our free electronic Newsletters: we offer them for High Schools, and Professional Development, email, call or fax Christina Doyle: email - cdoyle@kern.org, phone (661) 636-4331 or fax (661) 636-4135. Interested in back issues? They are archived online at http://learning.kern.org/pdc.
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