International Competition

Three Washington State students, all from Kalama High School, will compete in an international competition later this month. Juniors Morgan VanRiper and James Willman, and Sophomore Brady Harmon each took first place at a national competition for students in the Microsoft IT Academy.  Find out more here.

State’s Trainers of Teachers Criticize New National Rankings

A national advocacy group released a report Tuesday that harshly criticized the nation’s higher-education teacher-preparation programs, but Washington educators called the report flawed. Read more here

REACH Summer Institute

Building Capacity for Educational Equity 
& Organizational Change:Renewal, Resiliency and Resistance

Summer Institute June 26, 27 and 28, 2013 Western Washington University Bellingham, Washington Credit Option Available Save $50 with Early Registration www.acadweb.wwu.edu/eesp/template/ceed.shtml Who Should Attend? P-20 Educators interested in educational equity and social justice, including: Teachers Professors Administrators Staff Teacher candidates Student Affairs Professionals Early Learning Professionals

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Sonia Nieto
Dr. Wayne Au
Dr. Karen Dade 

      

Career Fair - Kent School District - Monday, June 3rd!

KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT – SEATTLE METROPOLITAN AREA

Career Fair Monday, June 3, 2013, 4:00 -5:30 pm

Administration Center, 12033 SE 25^th Street, Kent WA 98030 (No appointment necessary.)

KSD’s is interested in administrators, teachers and support staff that can address the needs of their diverse student population and be able to support an inclusive learning environment for the special education and English Language Learner (ELL) students.

Below are links for more information:

·         To find out more about our district, please visit www.kent.K12.wa.us . You will also use this link to apply for a position. Simply click on KSD Careers and follow the links.

·         To check out our community, visit www.ci.kent.wa.us

For information on applying for your Washington state certificate, visit the Office of Public Instruction http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/ESAMain.aspx

TED Talk

Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles crucial for the human mind to flourish -- and how current education culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the educational "death valley" we now face, and how to nurture our youngest generations with a climate of possibility. Watch it here. 

Sen. Patty Murray proposes preschool bill

U.S. Senator Patty Murray has introduced legislation aimed at encouraging states to do more to prepare children for kindergarten. Called the Ready to Learn Act, the bill would establish a competitive grant program for states to create or expand school-readiness programs for four-year-olds. Find out more here 

NweLearn 2013 Conference

Registration and call for proposals (CFP) are open for the 2013 NWeLearn Conference Oct. 10 & 11 in Spokane, WA!  Join your colleagues and peers for an exciting, cost-effective, information packed conference. 

The keynote speaker is Chris Haskell of Boise State University.  Chris has been a popular presenter at previous NWeLearn conferences and webinars.

The CFP closes on May 30.  They hope to have the schedule available mid-late June.

Find out more info here

Free Webinar: Web tools for K-12 Teachers

Check out these Free Webinar's for Teachers!

Nominate Your Favorite WA Teacher for Kidd Valley Teacher of the Year

Kidd Valley's Teacher of the year will receive $1,000 Gift Certificate for class supplies in recognition of the 10th annual contest.  The student who nominated them will win a Kidd Valley Burger Party and an admission ticket to Imagine Children's Museum for their class.  Open to WA State students 14 and younger.  Nominate your teacher here.

A Nation at Risk: Where Are We Now?

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the release of A Nation at Risk by the National Commission on Excellence in Education formed by U.S. Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell. The landmark report declared that "the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people." Pointing to what it said were flagging test scores, diluted curricula, and weak teacher-preparation programs, among other issues, A Nation at Risk argued that an "incoherent, outdated patchwork quilt" of instruction was creating a culture of passive learning in which students could advance with minimum effort.  Find out more here

E. Wash. teacher captures national honor

An Eastern Washington science teacher who has built a rigorous curriculum at his small high school is the 2013 National Teacher of the Year.

Call for Proposals! Mark your Calendars!

Please consider being a presenter at this exciting regional conference:

2013 NW eLearning Conference - October 10-11, 2013, Spokane WA

Where teaching, learning & tech converge.

Join us in Spokane WA for the 8th annual Northwest eLearning Conference. This year's conference is hosted by Eastern Washington University, and will be held at the Red Lion at the Park in beautiful downtown Spokane.

The call for proposals is now open!  Topic Strands:

• Collaboration of Faculty, Staff and Administration
• Best Practices in eLearning
• Retention/Student Engagement
• Emerging Trends in eLearning

Submit a Proposal Now.  (Due by: May 30, 2013)

NW eLearning Conference is a unique, cost-effective opportunity for faculty, administrators and instructional designers to come together to discuss best practices, collaborations and ideas in integrating technology in learning.

Mark the date and register for NW eLearning 2013 today!

2 Head Start programs to close after losing federal funding

Seattle’s First AME Child Development Center and United Indians of All Tribes Foundation have forfeited their ongoing federal Head Start grants after failing to meet performance benchmarks.  Find out more here

Qualified Math Teachers Elusive for Struggling Students, Studies Find

Struggling students face longest odds

In many schools in the United States, students struggling the most in mathematics at the start of high school have the worst odds of getting a qualified teacher in the subject, new research finds. Find out more here

Obama Budget Would Invest in Pre-K, High School Overhaul

President Barack Obama's budget unveiled today proposes new money for a big expansion of prekindergarten programs, a new competitive-grant program for high school improvement, a new Race to the Top competition focused on higher education—and level funding for the two formula grants school districts depend on most: Title I grants for disadvantaged students and special education. Read more here 

The State's Education Funding Dilema

The Washington Constitution says the state must make "ample provision" for the education of all children, but a recent lawsuit claimed the state has been shirking that duty. The Washington Supreme Court agreed last year, ruling the state must rely less on local levies for K-12 schools and start paying for programs it doesn't fully fund. Finding that extra money is one of the top issues facing lawmakers this legislative session.

For more information and information graphics click here.

UW to offer first all-online degree-completion program

The University of Washington will start an all-online degree program in early-childhood education this fall.

The University of Washington will begin offering its first all-online degree program this fall, allowing about 100 students to earn a bachelor’s degree in early-childhood education without having to attend classes in person.  Click here for the full article.....

Design Your Dream Teaching Job

According to the recently released MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, more than half of teachers are at least somewhat interested in taking on hybrid roles that combine classroom teaching and other responsibilities in their school or district, with 23 percent saying they are "extremely" or "very" interested in this option.  Meanwhile, 51 percent of teachers currently hold leadership positions in their schools, such as "department chair, instructional resource, teacher mentor, or leadership team member."  Find out more here 

Free Webinar this Saturday at 9 am by MomsRising.org

Best Practices for Using Screen Media with Young Children!
Meeting Description:
Screens!   From cell phones to tablets, television to computers, we are surrounded by screens and so are our kids.

Ever wonder what and when children learn from screens?  Looking for some tips or some best practices for screen use?

Here's the event for you!  You dont even have to leave the house (or find parking) to attend - you can even listen in your PJ's.  All you need is a  phone and an internet connection.

Join us, this Saturday at 9:00 am for an exclusive (and free) webinar with the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) where we'll explore child development and screen time and learn some practical tips.

Click here to register

Online classes may worsen educational achievement gap, study shows

A study of online courses at Washington Community Colleges shows that students who are already struggling do worse in those courses than in courses taught in classrooms.  But Washington schools are working to try to change the numbers.  Find out more here.