McRel Rural E-News, No. 48, October 2005

1. In Iowa, some superintendents serve two masters Education Week (requires free registration)
When the high school in Ackley, Iowa, hosted a football game against the team from a neighboring
district last month, Superintendent Bob Lehman made sure that he wore neutral colors to the event. That’s because, like 18 other district chiefs in Iowa, he’s the superintendent of both districts.

2. Alaskans ask, 'What's best for rural education?' Anchorage Daily News
Regional boarding schools may be the key to success for rural teenagers, the best way to educate them for competitive futures — or they may hasten the demise of Native customs and languages and traumatize children by yanking them from their families. This complicated conversation is engaging
parents and policymakers across the state, reopening a debate that seemed closed 30 years ago.

3. Rural districts facing teacher crunch The Arizona Republic
Arizona districts are facing a teacher shortage, a situation that will only get worse in the next five years as teacher retirements increase. The shortage is most acute in rural areas as many rural teachers are lured to metro areas. James Mosley, superintendent in rural Gila Bend, said filling his two high school science vacancies was the hardest thing he's ever done, forcing him to extend his search all the way to South America.

4. Programs try to boost Indians' English skills Billings (Mont.) Gazette
Native American students are among the least likely sub-group in rural America to be proficient at letter recognition upon entering kindergarten. “The average Indian child starts school with a vocabulary of about 3,000 words," said Joe Lamson of the Montana Office of Public Instruction. “The average white student starts with a vocabulary of 15,000 words.” Poverty is a key reason Indian children struggle with English skills, experts say.

5. Rural schools seek additional AP courses Seattle Times
More than 30 rural school districts from across Washington attended a conference to discuss ways to get more AP courses into their high schools and middle schools. They also came to learn about a new federal grant designed to help rural districts train teachers and set up AP courses.

6. McREL Technology Solutions Coordinator’s Training February 15-17, 2006
McREL Technology Solutions (MTS) is a three-year, research-based professional development program that develops the capacity of teachers to use technology to improve student learning. McREL offers this site coordinator’s training session for schools that have a staff member with sufficient knowledge and skills to coordinate the program. During this three-day training session, participants receive a MTS Site Coordinator's Manual and guidance that will help them coordinate this comprehensive, intensive program in their school or district.

7. Participate in a field test for NASA’s Dawn mission
Are you interested in participating in a field-test study for NASA’s Dawn mission? In Spring 2006, the Dawn Education and Public Outreach group will conduct a field-test study of the Find a Meteorite activity developed by the University of New Mexico and McREL. McREL is also seeking interested physics teachers to field test the ion propulsion module. For more details and to sign up, visit the link above.

8. Send your name to the asteroid belt
Have you always wanted to fly through the solar system’s asteroid belt? Now you can virtually journey aboard the Dawn spacecraft and send your name to the asteroid belt. Your name will be recorded onto a microchip that will be placed aboard the spacecraft accompanying it on its mission to the asteroid belt. Go to the link above. Once you have entered your name, a certificate will appear. Remember to hit the “Print” button, as this is your only opportunity to print your “name onboard” verification.

9. Student achievement & the distribution of human & financial resources in Mississippi school districts Rural School and Community Trust
A new report from the Rural School and Community Trust suggests that the current distributions of both school funding and qualified teachers are primary forces behind Mississippi's achievement gaps. The new analysis finds that districts with students facing the most severe challenges to high academic achievement are also the districts that have the most limited resources with which to address those challenges. Conversely, districts with students facing the fewest challenges are also the ones with the most resources.

10. School trust lands cause controversy out West Organizations Concerned with Rural Education (OCRE)
A little-known source of funding for education, the school trust lands located in some Western states, is becoming a source of controversy as developers, real estate builders, and local communities now want to put these school trust lands to new uses. Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming still have significant trust lands. Four states, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming, have trust funds in excess of one billion dollars each. Further information about the trust land issues can be found on the Web sites of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Children’s Land Alliance Supporting Schools.

11. Preparing for an Uncertain Future McREL
What are the trends that will shape the world in which we will live and work a decade, or two decades, from now? And how should leaders anticipate and prepare their organizations for a future shaped by the potential convergence of these trends? McREL's latest policy brief provides an overview of McREL's own application of the scenario planning process, and offers information on ways in which policymakers and educators might begin thinking about the future of education in their states and nationally. In addition, after analyzing key demographic, economic, cultural, global, political, and technological trends in the United States, McREL has written 16 scenarios that describe how these trends may converge to create different futures for schooling in America.

RESOURCES & GRANTS

12. 2006 CiviConnections Grants for Service-Learning Projects Deadline: February 26, 2006
CiviConnections is a grant program funded by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service and National Council for the Social Studies. CiviConnections helps 3rd-12th grade students nationwide link local history inquiry with community service-learning activities. A team of three teachers
can apply for a $7,500 grant to cover their costs for attending a summer workshop, implementing the program during the 2006 - 2007 school year, and attending the 2006 NCSS Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

13. The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program Deadline: February 15, 2006
This summer mentoring program for high school students sponsored by the American Fisheries Society aims to stimulate interest in careers in fisheries science and management among groups underrepresented in the fisheries professions, including minorities and women. Application to the program is open to all sophomore, junior, and senior high school students with preference given to women and minorities. Students selected for the program are awarded $3,000 scholarships and matched with a professional mentor in their area for a summerlong, hands-on experience in a marine or freshwater
setting.

13. State Farm Charitable Contributions to Teacher Excellence Programs
Deadline: January 15, 2006
The State Farm Companies Foundation makes charitable contributions to teacher excellence programs that improve teacher quality, servicelearning programs that integrate core classroom curriculum with service to the community, and programs that incorporate the Baldrige criteria into education systems to improve overall effectiveness.