Lesley University M.Ed. in ECE - Deadline Quickly Approaching

Lesley University is currently accepting applications for the Tacoma, WA Master's degree program in Early Childhood Education. The program will start May 2, 2011 with the first face to face weekend scheduled for May 7, 8, and June 4, 5, 2011. All classes will meet at Tacoma Community College. Deadline for applying is March 5th.

This non-licensure Master's degree program provides a developmentally-appropriate educational perspective on young children and their learning environments.For more program information or a list of information sessions in your area visit www.lesley.edu/washington.

Tuition for the 2010 - 2011 academic year is $520 per semester credit. Financial aid in the form of loans is available. Programs are 33 semester credits delivered over 22 months.  Face to face classes are held once a month Saturday/Sunday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm with the exception of two courses that will be delivered fully online.

Lesley University is a regionally accredited institution and authorized to offer Master's degrees in Washington. For more information call Carla Borovicka at 1-866-600-3245 or email cborovic@lesley.edu

Applying the QM Rubric Workshop - Pierce College

Pierce College is offering another Applying the QM Rubric Workshop, free and open to anyone from the WACTC/SBCTC system.

They are actually offering it on a Saturday to accommodate people who aren’t able to commit to 6 hours during the school week.

What:  Applying the QM Rubric Workshop

When:  Saturday Feb 19 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Where:  Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, Rainier Building 261

Cost:  FREE!

More Info & Online Registration:  www.tinyurl.com/QMPierce

Online Registration is Now Open - Assessment, Teaching and Learning Conference

Online Registration is Now Open

(click here)

2011 Assessment, Teaching and Learning Conference

  

Join your colleagues from 2-year, 4-year, private and public institutions of higher education on

May 11-13, at the Spokane Convention Center

Conference fee - $150

Pre-conference workshops - $40

Visit the conference website

for registration, lodging, and other details.

Duncan Agrees with Kline on ESEA Issues

On January 24, Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke to education advocates during the Department of Education's Educational Stakeholders Forum. The secretary took the opportunity to highlight his support for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization and noted his meeting in Minnesota with Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, which oversees ESEA.

Secretary Duncan expects a bipartisan effort on the reauthorization of the bill and commented that there are several areas where he and Rep. Kline agree, including interest in a smaller Washington footprint and more flexibility at the local level. The secretary said that the new ESEA should keep competitiveness and international benchmarks at its core, and mentioned that both he and Rep. Kline support a well-rounded education, something he noted the current ESEA does not do well. The secretary also announced that the department will provide double funding for parental engagement, one of the first specifics we have heard about what might be included in the president's budget. Recent remarks from the president indicate the Obama Administration supports an investment in education, but the current budget environment will be challenging.

In response to a specific question about school turnaround issues, the secretary said there is a need for better ESEA targeting on the issue. He blamed the media for being "dead quiet" on reporting the 700 schools that have focused on school improvement strategies, especially in rural areas, and announced that the department is launching a new Web site on School Improvement Grants. Officials also unveiled during the meeting a new Education Dashboard, which Secretary Duncan said will use "relevant, reliable and consistent national and state level data to help reach national goals."

Kudos to Edmonds

A recent issue of Community College Week includes a special report on Teacher Education.  If you get to page six of the article regarding ECE and community colleges, you'll see a photo of Connie Schatz/Edmonds CC. Check it out here

  

Community College and Career Training Grant Application Now Available

On January 20, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced the availability of applications under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program. Applications are due on April 21.

The Department of Labor will award $2 billion in grants over the next four years ($500 million per year) to eligible institutions, which include institutions of higher education as defined in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002) that offer programs that can be completed in two years or less. These institutions include community and technical colleges, proprietary institutions and postsecondary vocational institutions.

Grants must be used by institutions "to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less, are suited for workers who are eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program, and prepare program participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations."

Individual grants will range from $2.5 million to $5 million for single institutions, and $2.5 million to $20 million for consortium applications. Each state is guaranteed to have winners that receive at least $2.5 million each year.

When asked what the program would achieve, Secretary Solis answered, "It's simple. We're looking to help American workers gain the skills and knowledge they need to compete for good jobs. The program also underscores President Obama's commitment to help every American have at least one year of postsecondary education, and it furthers his efforts to ensure that by 2020 the United States -- once again -- has the highest proportion of college graduates in the world."

More details are available on a Conference Call Audio, in the Federal Register, and in the Department of Labor's "Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants."

Well endowed: Teach For America scores $100 million

Teach For America, the education organization that has placed recent college graduates in low-income public schools, is getting $100 million to launch its first-ever endowment in hopes of making the grass-roots organization a permanent fixture in education.


Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41293826/ns/us_news-giving/

Teaching Equity - Registration Now Open

Registration for the Teaching Equity Conference is now open. To register please visit:
http://www.careersined.org/training_events/future-teachers-conference.shtm

For additional questions: 253-833-9111 ext. 4360 or careersined@greenriver.edu