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OPPORTUNITIES
1. Rural Science Teachers: Are You an Online Learner?
McREL, in partnership with Fort Hays State University, is interested in your
online professional development needs. We invite science teachers to take
this short survey to inform our future development efforts in the area of
online learning. To take the survey, please use Internet Explorer and go to
http://www.comtracker.com/survey/form6.asp?sID=1342&rID=54468700840872
2. McREL Summer Academy: School Leadership that Works
McREL's teaching and learning academies offer teachers, principals,
professional development coordinators, and other district personnel an
opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to create
more effective classrooms, schools, and districts. The Balanced Leadership:
School Leadership that Works, Basic Academy is targeted to district and
school administrators and leadership teams. In this two-day workshop offered
July 12-13, 2004, participants learn about pragmatic, useful strategies that
focus on overcoming traditional barriers to school improvement. Participants
will understand the relationship between the elements of the Balanced
Leadership framework and common problems of practice for improving schools.
Using findings from McREL's extensive research in leadership, participants
will learn how to tailor their leadership practices accordingly and explore
aspects of distributed leadership that contribute to improved student
achievement. To learn more about this workshop, go to
http://www.mcrel.org/topics/serviceDetail.asp?serviceID=38
3. Workshop: Place-Based Learning Assessment
On July 21-22, the Rural School and Community Trust will hold a two-day
training event at Hayward High School, Hayward, Wisconsin, entitled
"Introduction to Place-Based Learning Assessment." Experts from the Rural
Trust will take participants step-by-step through this innovative portfolio
assessment system for place-based, project-based, and service learning
designed by the Rural Trust in collaboration with the Education Testing
Service, a team from Harvard University, and nine design teams from across
the country. For more information about the workshop, go to
http://www.ruraledu.org/workshops/
4. Online Earth Systems Science Course for Middle
School Teachers
Sign up now for the fall session of the Earth System Science Course for
Middle School Teachers. The sixteen-week professional development course was
developed by the Center for Education Technologies (CET), and will be
facilitated by educators at Mid-continent Research for Education and
Learning. Successful participants will earn three semester hours of graduate
credit from the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). The cost of the course is
$215, which includes all of the materials. For more information about the
course, go to
http://www.mcrel.org/epo/essea.asp
5. Conference on Leadership for the Advancement of
Learning & Service
The inaugural Conference on Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and
Service will be held September 23-25, 2004, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Sponsored by Cardinal Stritch University and McREL, the conference is
designed to inform and support the development of leaders who are
value-centered, mindful and poised to transform their organizations and
communities through learning and service. For more information, go to
http://leadershipconference.stritch.edu/
6. Call for Session Proposals: American Council on
Rural Special Education
The American Council for Rural Special Education has issued a call for
session proposals for its 2005 conference, which will be held March 18-20,
2005, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The theme of the conference is Rural Diversity.
For more information, go to
http://extension.usu.edu/acres/conference/2005/call.html
RESEARCH & REPORTS
7. Analysis of NCLB's Highly Qualified Teacher
Flexibility Provisions
The Rural School and Community Trust has published an analysis of the Highly
Qualified Teachers flexibility provisions under the No Child Left Behind
Act. Their analysis finds that the new rules actually leave behind
three-quarters of the nation's 38,000 rural and small town schools. To
download a pdf version of the report, go to
http://www.ruraledu.org/issues/nclb/Rural_Students_Left_Behind.htm
8. Low American Indian Student Participation in
Accelerated Learning Opportunities
A study published by the Western Consortium for Accelerated Learning
Opportunities finds that American Indian students have limited access to
accelerated curriculum such as Advanced Placement courses. The author,
Suzanne Benally, also finds that American Indian communities are concerned
about larger educational issues beyond the participation of their children
in AP programs. These finding are based on interviews with students,
teachers, counselors, parents and community educators from 15 public high
schools in seven western states. To download a copy of "Serving American
Indian Students: Participation in Accelerated Learning Opportunities," go to
http://www.wiche.edu/policy/WCALO/Publications.htm
9. Evaluating K-12 Math Curricula
Evaluations of mathematics curricula provide important information for
educators, parents, students and curriculum developers, but those conducted
to date on 19 specific curricula fall short of the scientific standards
necessary to gauge overall effectiveness, says a new report from the
National Academies' Mathematical Sciences Education Board. The report
recommends a comprehensive, rigorous and scientifically valid evaluation
strategy to determine the effectiveness of K-12 mathematics curricula. To
view an online copy of, or purchase, "On Evaluating Curricular
Effectiveness: Judging the Quality of K-12 Mathematics Evaluations," go to
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/11008.html
PEOPLE, INFORMATION & RESOURCES
10. For Rural Teachers: NASA's Genesis Spacecraft on Final Lap Toward Home
NASA's Genesis spacecraft flew past Earth on Saturday, May 2, in a loop that
puts it on track for home - and a dramatic mid-air recovery in September.
Helicopter flight crews, navigators and mission engineers are preparing for
the return of the spacecraft. They will dispatch a sample return capsule
that will re-enter Earth's atmosphere for a planned mid-air capture at the
U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range on Sept. 8. To preserve the
delicate particles of the Sun, specially trained helicopter pilots will snag
the return capsule from mid-air using custom-designed hooks. The flight
crews for the two helicopters assigned for Genesis capture and return are
comprised of former military aviators and Hollywood stunt pilots. To learn
more, go to:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2004/118.cfm
11. For Rural Teachers: NASA's Dawn Mission Launches
Website and E-Newsletter
NASA's Dawn mission has launched a new website and electronic
newsletter that provide students, educators and the public with information
and hands-on learning activities about the mission. Dawn is a NASA Discovery
Program mission that will characterize the conditions and processes that
existed when the solar system was initially formed, and investigate in
detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining since their formations:
asteroids Ceres and Vesta. Dawn will address NASA's goal of understanding
the origin and evolution of the solar system. For more information about the
mission and to subscribe to the Dawn Mission Outreach E-News, go to
http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/
12. JRRE Going Online!
Since its inception in 1982, Journal of Research in Rural Education has
published the results of educational research that is of demonstrable
relevance to rural settings. With Volume 19, JRRE is converting to an
exclusively online and free journal. (Content and editorial policy will
remain the same.) To receive notifications of newly posted articles, send an
email to jrre-l@umit.maine.edu that reads: Subscribe JRRE, [your name]. The
first notification will occur by the end of summer 2004, when the conversion
to online format is planned. To learn more about JRRE, or download articles
from past issues, go to
http://www.umaine.edu/edhd/research/jrre/index.htm
13. Napolitano New President of SPERA
Anne Napolitano is the new president of the Society for the Provision of
Education in Rural Australia. She is currently principal at Dalwallinu
District High School, which is located in the Midlands Wheatbelt region of
Western Australia. Prior to 2003, Anne was Principal of Mt. Magnet District
High School an isolated, difficult to staff school in the Mid West district
of Western Australia. She replaces Ian McKay who is now Principal of
Blackheath and Thornburgh College in Charters Towers, Queensland. To learn
more about SPERA, go to
http://www.spera.edu.au/default.htm
14. For Rural Parents: Keeping Kids Healthy and
Learning During the Summer
On June 15, 2004, the U.S. Department of Education will air its monthly
broadcast of "Education News Parents Can Use." This month's program is
titled Keeping Kids Healthy, Physically Fit and Learning During the Summer
Months. "Education News Parents Can Use" focuses on schools, learning and
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Programs air live via satellite and
the Internet offering parents and anyone else with an interest in education
vital information about getting involved in children's learning. For more
information about the program, go to
http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html
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