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Education and Training

Final Report

This report provides a summary of the activities from the November 7, 2003 showcase event that highlighted education resources and funding sources, as well as links to the resources presented there.

View the list of programs and resources, by agency

View the list of program and resources, by topic

Showcase Helps Educators Find and Use Education Resources

Signed into law by President Bush on January 8, 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act is based on the belief that every child can learn and that there must be accountability for the educational opportunities made available to students K-12. The initiative also recognizes that many schools will need additional resources and support to meet these goals.

On November 7, 2003, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Federal Interagency Committee on Education sponsored the Federal Showcase of K-12 Education Resources at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky.

The purposes of this showcase were two-fold: to assist educators, particularly rural educators in Appalachia, in gaining access to the wide range of education resources produced or made available by federal agencies; and to assist them in taking full advantage of available support.

By bringing together representatives of ten federal agencies and a number of their public and private partners, the Appalachian Regional Commission hopes to generate a significant increase in the number of rural school districts taking advantage of these resources to aid their students, teachers, and parents throughout the Region.

Federal and Non-Federal Agencies Contributed to the Showcase

In addition to plenary addresses by US Department of Education, Morehead State University, and Appalachian Regional Commission officials, the showcase included an exhibit area, to which 11 federal and six non-federal agencies contributed displays, and 14 interactive sessions, each offered two times.

Eighteen organizations, including nine federal and six non-federal agencies, gave presentations on 22 different programs that offer financial and non-financial resources. The Department of Justice and the Institute for Museum and Library Services were two of the agencies that presented information on grants. Among the non-financial resources presented were teacher training opportunities from the Department of Energy, instructional materials and activities from the Department of Defense, and curricula from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Many of these resources are available online; others are delivered onsite or at a central location. Technical assistance is available to accompany many of these resources. All of the non-financial resources are available to schools and other organizations at no or minimal cost. A complete listing of all presentations and descriptions of the presentations is included below.

Participants Ranged from School Administrators to State Departments of Education

Though open to the public, the showcase primarily targeted those who write and direct the writing of grant proposals and select educational resources for K-12 education programs in areas designated as economically distressed by the Commission. While teachers were welcome to attend, we focused more on administrators at the school and district/system level as well as state departments of education and state, federal and other resource or intermediate agencies.

We also targeted administrators from local and regional museums and libraries. The lines between "formal" and "informal" education have been gradually blurring over the past several years. Today, schools regularly collaborate with museums and libraries. Relationships that used to be limited to once-a-year field trips are now ongoing throughout an entire unit of instruction, a semester and even a year. By bringing the various groups together at a single venue, we hoped to further the collaboration between the different organizations.

Participants Came from 12 States, Many from ARC's Distressed Counties

Over 160 participants from 12 states attended this conference. Two-thirds (98) of the participants were from ARC designated economically distressed counties, 38 were from other ARC counties and the remaining participants were from outside the region or did not provide that information.

By far, the majority of the participants were K-12 school administrators, 27 of them having the title of "Superintendent" or "Assistant Superintendent". Nine identified themselves as grant proposal writers, 55 as curriculum supervisors or departments heads, and three as a principals or school head. Eight identified themselves as librarians or museum administrators, and ten participants indicated that they were classroom teachers.

Feedback from the Conference was Positive

Thirty-five participants, representing 20 percent of the total number in attendance, returned a conference evaluation sheet. Of the fourteen different program sessions offered, thirteen were rated by one to 18 individuals. Nine of the thirteen rated sessions received an average rating of 3.5 or better on a 1-4 Likert-type scale, with four (4) being the highest rating. A rating of 3.5 or higher on this type of scale is generally considered to be "excellent". The other four rated sessions received an average rating of between 2.5 and 3.4 or "good". Overall, the Showcase was rated 3.4. Comments on the forms supported the overall high ratings.

Comments included:

"Great idea, we need more of these opportunities in eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia."
"Loved the info tables [in the exhibit]."
"[I suggest] shorter sessions in order to attend more of them."
"Really enjoyed showcase – loved location!! Very informative and interesting!"
"Thank you for including all of the states represented by ARC. The one-day format was great."

Based on participant requests and suggestions for follow-up activities written on the evaluation sheets, the Commission is planning further activities in coordination with US Department of Education funded regional education laboratories and other organizations. In addition to the resources available on this site, the Commission is considering other means of disseminating some of the content.

The follow-up activities will focus on two areas:

Detailed information on education resources available and how to access them.
General guidance and information on how to design programs, select appropriate resources and write funding proposals.

Information on follow-up activities will be posted in this section of the ARC web site as it becomes available.

ARC gratefully acknowledges the commitment and involvement of the federal agencies and their public and private partners in education. All of the participating federal agencies have made strong commitments to improving education through long-standing support for educators. The Commission also recognizes the generosity of Morehead State University for making its facilities available for the event at no charge.

Agencies and organizations that presented at the showcase

The following agencies supported and participated in the showcase. All of the agencies set up displays and distributed materials. Those in bold type gave presentations. (Each organization is linked to the program and resources presented during the showcase.)

Federal Agencies

U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Interior
U.S. Department of Justice
GLOBE
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
U.S. Mint Word document

Other Organizations

Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies
Challenger Learning Centers of Kentucky and Wheeling Jesuit University (WV)
Marco Polo Educational Foundation
National Lewis and Clark ReDiscovery Project
National Science Center
National Science Teachers Association