05/09/03 ED Review
What's inside...
NCLB Update
Moment of Remembrance
Serving Students With Disabilities
Recognition Programs
Race-Neutral Alternatives
From the Interagency Staff...
Quote to Note
Upcoming Events
NCLB Update
The Department is inviting applications under a couple of Teacher Quality Enhancement grant programs: partnership grants and state grants. Partnership Grants (deadline for pre-applications is June 2) are designed to promote improvements in teacher education by strengthening the role of K-12 educators in the design and implementation of effective teacher education programs and by increasing collaboration among educators and institutions of higher education. These partnerships must include: an institution of higher education with an eligible teacher preparation program, a school of arts and sciences, and a high-need local educational agency. Grants are for up to five years and require an increasing non-federal match. State Grants (deadline for applications is June 16) are designed to improve the quality of a state's teaching force by supporting the implementation of comprehensive statewide reform activities in areas such as teacher licensing and certification, accountability for high-quality teacher preparation, and recruitment. As the title implies, the governor or applicable state agency must apply. Grants are for up to three years and require a 50 percent non-federal match. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/heatqp/index.html.
On May 1, during the White House We the People Forum on American History, Civics, and Service, Secretary Paige announced the availability of nearly $100 million for Teaching American History grants. The three-year grants support projects to improve teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for American history through intensive, ongoing professional development. Projects must be in partnerships with organizations that have extensive knowledge of American history, including libraries, museums, non-profit history or humanities groups, and higher education institutions. School districts and independent charter schools are eligible to apply. Districts with enrollments under 300,000 students are eligible for grants of $350,000 to $1 million, while larger districts are eligible for grants of $500,000 to $2 million. Currently, nearly 175 school districts in 45 states and the District of Columbia receive funding. Applications are due July 7. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/index.html. (Program abstracts are available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/
teachinghistory/history.html.)
Top
Moment of Remembrance
In a recent letter, Secretary Paige asked the nation's educators for their support in reclaiming Memorial Day for its intended purpose: honoring those who died in service of the country (http://www.ed.gov/News/Letters/030501.html). On May 26, at 3:00 p.m. local time, Americans are asked to stop what they are doing and think for a minute about the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. Those who are driving are asked to turn on their vehicle's headlights. The idea of a moment of remembrance was born in May 1996 when children touring Washington, D.C., were asked what Memorial Day meant to them. They responded, "That's the day the pools open!" The White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance was formally established by an act of Congress on December 28, 2000. The time was chosen because it is a time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO http://www.remember.gov/.
Top
Serving Students With Disabilities
The next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast (May 20, 8:00-9:00 ET) addresses what parents, teachers, and staff can do to ensure children with disabilities have the best possible education. The statistics for children and adults with disabilities are startling: young people with disabilities drop out of high school at twice the rate of their peers; one in five adults with disabilities has not graduated from high school, compared to one of ten adults without disabilities; the postsecondary enrollment rate of students with disabilities is 50 percent lower than that of the general population; and the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities hovers around 70 percent. But many schools and communities around the country are now working to turn these stats around by applying the principles of the No Child Left Behind Act, from accountability for results to scientifically based programs and teaching. For more information, please go to http://registerevent.ed.gov/
downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=167. (You can watch live and archived webcasts of each show by going to http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.)
Note: Last week, Secretary Paige issued a statement on House passage of H.R. 1350—the body's reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "This bill significantly conforms the IDEA with the important principles of the No Child Left Behind Act...." the Secretary said. "I also believe that this bill will help reduce the misidentification of students...and relieve the paperwork burden on teachers, allowing them to spend more time doing what they do best: teaching our children." The Senate is still drafting its version of the reauthorization. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/04-2003/04302003c.html.
Top
Recognition Programs
During a First Lady's Garden ceremony with President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and Secretary Paige, Betsy Rogers, a first- and second-grade teacher at Leeds (Alabama) Elementary School, was named National Teacher of the Year—the 53rd recipient of the nation's top teaching honor. The National Teacher of the Year program, sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic, designates an outstanding representative of the country's teachers from among 56 State Teachers of the Year (representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense, and four territories—see http://www.ccsso.org/projects/national_teacher_of_the_year/
National_Teachers/). Rogers was selected by a panel representing the 15 leading national education organizations. For more information, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/
releases/2003/04/20030430-1.html.
Secretary Paige recently announced the selection of 2003 Presidential Scholars. The Presidential Scholars program, established in 1964 by Executive Order, honors some of the nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. (In 1979, it was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts.) Each year, 137 students are named, including at least one young man and woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. families living abroad. Another 15 scholars are chosen at-large, and 16 awardees are scholars in the arts. The 32-member Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by the president, makes the final selection from a field of 2,600 candidates. Also, each scholar is asked to invite the teacher who had the greatest impact on his or her academic success to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the ceremony and receive a certificate of excellence. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/index.html.
Top
Race-Neutral Alternatives
On April 28 and 29, Secretary Paige joined dozens of the nation's education leaders at a Department-sponsored conference in Miami titled "Race-Neutral Alternatives in Postsecondary Education: Innovative Approaches to Diversity." Event presentations spanned from class rank strategies and Advanced Placement initiatives to preferences based on socioeconomic status and innovative approaches for graduate and professional programs. In March, the Department presented a catalog of race-neutral "methods" colleges might consider to build diversity. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/04-2003/04282003a.html.
Top
From the Interagency Staff...
The Department of Energy's National Science Bowl (http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/) is a highly publicized academic competition among teams of high school students who answer questions in astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics, and physics. This year, over 13,000 students from over 1,800 high schools participated in 66 regional tournaments nationwide, and the winning team from each regional competition received an all-expenses covered trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the finals (which concluded May 5). The question that gave Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology the championship? "Given that Planck's Constant is 6.63 x 10 to the negative 34th power Joule-seconds, what is the energy—in Joules and in proper scientific notation—of a photon of light at a wavelength of 663 nanometers?" Why, 3.00 x 10 to the negative 19th power Joules. In addition, six high school teams competed in the first annual Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Challenge.
Top
Quote to Note
"Our National Teacher of the Year is an example of the highest professional standards and the finest personal qualities.... She is an accomplished teacher with 22 years in the profession, who could have her pick of any school. Yet, she chooses to teach in a school in an underprivileged rural area because she believes that devoted teachers and principals can make a difference in the lives of students from every background. Teaching is a tradition in Betsy's family. Her grandmother was a teacher. Her mother taught Sunday school for 50 years. In her own career, Betsy is known for a commitment to students that goes beyond school hours. She provides before-school tutoring for students who need extra help learning to read, and volunteers on school committees after hours.... Betsy also encourages her students to help each other. As she puts it, 'No matter what your circumstances in life, you can always give.'"
—President George W. Bush (4/30/03)
Top
Upcoming Events
May 25 is National Missing Children's Day in both the U.S. and Canada. First recognized in 1980, exactly one year after six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared off the streets of New York City, the day seeks to raise the level of public awareness about the issue of child safety and missing children. (On April 30, President Bush signed the "Amber" bill, creating a network of broadcast emergency response plans across the country.) For more information, please go to http://www.missingkids.com/.
Top
Credits
Please feel free to contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with any questions:
Deputy Assistant Secretary—Terri Rayburn, (202) 401-0404, Terri.Rayburn@ed.gov
Program Analyst—Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!), please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/OIA/edreview/.
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NCLB Update
Moment of Remembrance
Serving Students With Disabilities
Recognition Programs
Race-Neutral Alternatives
From the Interagency Staff...
Quote to Note
Upcoming Events
NCLB Update
The Department is inviting applications under a couple of Teacher Quality Enhancement grant programs: partnership grants and state grants. Partnership Grants (deadline for pre-applications is June 2) are designed to promote improvements in teacher education by strengthening the role of K-12 educators in the design and implementation of effective teacher education programs and by increasing collaboration among educators and institutions of higher education. These partnerships must include: an institution of higher education with an eligible teacher preparation program, a school of arts and sciences, and a high-need local educational agency. Grants are for up to five years and require an increasing non-federal match. State Grants (deadline for applications is June 16) are designed to improve the quality of a state's teaching force by supporting the implementation of comprehensive statewide reform activities in areas such as teacher licensing and certification, accountability for high-quality teacher preparation, and recruitment. As the title implies, the governor or applicable state agency must apply. Grants are for up to three years and require a 50 percent non-federal match. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/heatqp/index.html.
On May 1, during the White House We the People Forum on American History, Civics, and Service, Secretary Paige announced the availability of nearly $100 million for Teaching American History grants. The three-year grants support projects to improve teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for American history through intensive, ongoing professional development. Projects must be in partnerships with organizations that have extensive knowledge of American history, including libraries, museums, non-profit history or humanities groups, and higher education institutions. School districts and independent charter schools are eligible to apply. Districts with enrollments under 300,000 students are eligible for grants of $350,000 to $1 million, while larger districts are eligible for grants of $500,000 to $2 million. Currently, nearly 175 school districts in 45 states and the District of Columbia receive funding. Applications are due July 7. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/index.html. (Program abstracts are available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/
teachinghistory/history.html.)
Moment of Remembrance
In a recent letter, Secretary Paige asked the nation's educators for their support in reclaiming Memorial Day for its intended purpose: honoring those who died in service of the country (http://www.ed.gov/News/Letters/030501.html). On May 26, at 3:00 p.m. local time, Americans are asked to stop what they are doing and think for a minute about the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. Those who are driving are asked to turn on their vehicle's headlights. The idea of a moment of remembrance was born in May 1996 when children touring Washington, D.C., were asked what Memorial Day meant to them. They responded, "That's the day the pools open!" The White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance was formally established by an act of Congress on December 28, 2000. The time was chosen because it is a time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO http://www.remember.gov/.
Serving Students With Disabilities
The next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast (May 20, 8:00-9:00 ET) addresses what parents, teachers, and staff can do to ensure children with disabilities have the best possible education. The statistics for children and adults with disabilities are startling: young people with disabilities drop out of high school at twice the rate of their peers; one in five adults with disabilities has not graduated from high school, compared to one of ten adults without disabilities; the postsecondary enrollment rate of students with disabilities is 50 percent lower than that of the general population; and the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities hovers around 70 percent. But many schools and communities around the country are now working to turn these stats around by applying the principles of the No Child Left Behind Act, from accountability for results to scientifically based programs and teaching. For more information, please go to http://registerevent.ed.gov/
downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=167. (You can watch live and archived webcasts of each show by going to http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.)
Note: Last week, Secretary Paige issued a statement on House passage of H.R. 1350—the body's reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "This bill significantly conforms the IDEA with the important principles of the No Child Left Behind Act...." the Secretary said. "I also believe that this bill will help reduce the misidentification of students...and relieve the paperwork burden on teachers, allowing them to spend more time doing what they do best: teaching our children." The Senate is still drafting its version of the reauthorization. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/04-2003/04302003c.html.
Recognition Programs
During a First Lady's Garden ceremony with President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and Secretary Paige, Betsy Rogers, a first- and second-grade teacher at Leeds (Alabama) Elementary School, was named National Teacher of the Year—the 53rd recipient of the nation's top teaching honor. The National Teacher of the Year program, sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic, designates an outstanding representative of the country's teachers from among 56 State Teachers of the Year (representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense, and four territories—see http://www.ccsso.org/projects/national_teacher_of_the_year/
National_Teachers/). Rogers was selected by a panel representing the 15 leading national education organizations. For more information, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/
releases/2003/04/20030430-1.html.
Secretary Paige recently announced the selection of 2003 Presidential Scholars. The Presidential Scholars program, established in 1964 by Executive Order, honors some of the nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. (In 1979, it was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts.) Each year, 137 students are named, including at least one young man and woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. families living abroad. Another 15 scholars are chosen at-large, and 16 awardees are scholars in the arts. The 32-member Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by the president, makes the final selection from a field of 2,600 candidates. Also, each scholar is asked to invite the teacher who had the greatest impact on his or her academic success to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the ceremony and receive a certificate of excellence. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/index.html.
Race-Neutral Alternatives
On April 28 and 29, Secretary Paige joined dozens of the nation's education leaders at a Department-sponsored conference in Miami titled "Race-Neutral Alternatives in Postsecondary Education: Innovative Approaches to Diversity." Event presentations spanned from class rank strategies and Advanced Placement initiatives to preferences based on socioeconomic status and innovative approaches for graduate and professional programs. In March, the Department presented a catalog of race-neutral "methods" colleges might consider to build diversity. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/04-2003/04282003a.html.
From the Interagency Staff...
The Department of Energy's National Science Bowl (http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/) is a highly publicized academic competition among teams of high school students who answer questions in astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics, and physics. This year, over 13,000 students from over 1,800 high schools participated in 66 regional tournaments nationwide, and the winning team from each regional competition received an all-expenses covered trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the finals (which concluded May 5). The question that gave Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology the championship? "Given that Planck's Constant is 6.63 x 10 to the negative 34th power Joule-seconds, what is the energy—in Joules and in proper scientific notation—of a photon of light at a wavelength of 663 nanometers?" Why, 3.00 x 10 to the negative 19th power Joules. In addition, six high school teams competed in the first annual Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Challenge.
Quote to Note
"Our National Teacher of the Year is an example of the highest professional standards and the finest personal qualities.... She is an accomplished teacher with 22 years in the profession, who could have her pick of any school. Yet, she chooses to teach in a school in an underprivileged rural area because she believes that devoted teachers and principals can make a difference in the lives of students from every background. Teaching is a tradition in Betsy's family. Her grandmother was a teacher. Her mother taught Sunday school for 50 years. In her own career, Betsy is known for a commitment to students that goes beyond school hours. She provides before-school tutoring for students who need extra help learning to read, and volunteers on school committees after hours.... Betsy also encourages her students to help each other. As she puts it, 'No matter what your circumstances in life, you can always give.'"
—President George W. Bush (4/30/03)
Upcoming Events
May 25 is National Missing Children's Day in both the U.S. and Canada. First recognized in 1980, exactly one year after six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared off the streets of New York City, the day seeks to raise the level of public awareness about the issue of child safety and missing children. (On April 30, President Bush signed the "Amber" bill, creating a network of broadcast emergency response plans across the country.) For more information, please go to http://www.missingkids.com/.
Credits
Please feel free to contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with any questions:
Deputy Assistant Secretary—Terri Rayburn, (202) 401-0404, Terri.Rayburn@ed.gov
Program Analyst—Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!), please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/OIA/edreview/.
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Last Modified: 02/27/2007
