Tchong's blog

Join us on August 8-9 in Washington DC for a conference titled Meeting the Challenge: Building & Sustaining Capacity to Improve Conditions for Learning.

The conference, organized by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students, will explore five prevailing and emerging issues that influence conditions for learning:

• school discipline
• gender-based violence
• behavioral health
• bullying 
• school safety

The event will provide a unique opportunity for participants to provide feedback to federal, nonprofit, and philanthropic agencies to help shape future work in these areas. To learn more and to register, click here.

On July 10, the Department of Education hosted a Teacher Summer Seminar titled, "What Teachers Need to Know about Personalized Learning." The seminar provided perspectives on the meaning, purpose, and future of personalized learning from Department of Education staff; teachers from Maryland and Virginia also shared how they use real-time data to individualize instruction and engage students with varied abilities.

The archived seminar and PowerPoint presentations used in the seminar are all available online at the Summer Seminar webpage.

The U.S. Department of Education announced today the final application period for the $285 million Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) 2012 competition. This round of TIF includes a new focus on supporting district-wide evaluation systems that reward success, offer greater professional opportunities, and drive decision-making on recruitment, development, and retention of effective teachers and principals.

The next round of funding will also invite applications for a separate competition that centers on improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instruction.

Districts may apply for a share of funds either individually or in partnership with one or more districts. States and non-profits are also invited to apply in conjunction with one or more districts.

For more information on the 2012 application process, read the press release or visit the TIF program website at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/applicant.html.

This entry is cross-posted from the ED.gov blog.

Providing the tools and flexibility to bolster successful education reforms at the community level has been the goal of the Obama Administration. From Race to the Top to NCLB flexibility, the Department of Education knows that one-size-fits-all policies don’t meet the needs of every school, student, teacher and parents.

This same approach is taken in a new pilot program announced this week by Secretary Duncan. The new program, “State-Tribal Education Partnership,” or STEP, will award $1.9 million in competitive grants to tribal education agencies to perform some state-level functions for certain federal grant programs.

When announcing the pilot program, Secretary Duncan noted that, “tribal leaders, teachers, and parents, are best-suited to identify and address the needs of their children.”

The STEP pilot program application is available at www.grants.gov (search for CFDA number 84.415) and will be due on July 13, 2012.

Click here for more information, and watch Secretary Duncan announce the pilot program:

The latest issue of the Superintendent Update is now online. This issue provides a recap of the recently held Superintendent Call and provides information the publication of proposed criteria for next Race to the Top district-level competition.

The Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center (SSSTA), supported by the Office of Safe and Healthy Students in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, announces its next Implementation Webinar Series event, “Implementing New Programs—The Impact of Current Practice.” It will be offered twice to accommodate schedules:

• Session 1: Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 4:00 pm − 5:30 pm Eastern Time
• Session 2: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 11:00 am − 12:30 pm Eastern Time

Please join us for the next Education Stakeholders Forum, which will focus on the progress of the School Improvement Grant as grantees work to turn around low-performing schools across the country.  

Building on the momentum the Obama administration started more than a year ago to stop bullying in schools and communities, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius  unveiled a revitalized Stop Bullying website – www.stopbullying.gov – on March 30, 2012 to encourage children, parents, educators, and communities to take action to stop and prevent bullying.

The website provides a map with detailed information on state laws and policies, interactive webisodes and videos for young people, practical strategies for schools and communities to ensure safe environments, and suggestions on how parents can talk about this sensitive subject with their children. The site also explores the dangers of cyberbullying and steps youngsters and parents can take to fight it.

“We’ve come a long way in the past year in educating the public about the health and educational impacts that bullying can have on students. But simply being aware of the problem is not enough,” said Secretary Duncan. “Everyone has a role to play, and StopBullying.gov features ways we can all take action against bullying.”

Four Nationally Board Certified Teachers discuss the challenges and rewards of teaching in rural America.

The latest issue of OESE's Superintendent Update is now available! The issue includes the latest on ESEA flexibility, information on recent guidance and studies put out by ED, and some resources for rural educators and administrators.