Education News in Alabama

August 9, 2004 (archive)

IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR:
Reading, with more than 400 parents, educators and community leaders attending the Governor's Reading Summit at Shades Valley High School in Birmingham on July 28. Governor Bob Riley, who has made reading his top education priority, addressed those in attendance, as did State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton and Dr. Katherine Mitchell, director of the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Reading First Initiative. All three inspired the crowd with stories of reading success in schools and school systems across Alabama. Governor Riley urged all participants to thank policymakers for their investment in the ARI and to stress the importance of sustaining funding for this important initiative.

Dr. Morton and Dr. Mitchell's presentations at the Reading Summit can be found online at http://www.alsde.edu. Both offer insight and details on the successful Alabama Reading Initiative and its federal counterpart the Alabama Reading First Initiative.

For news coverage and opinion of the Reading Summit, please visit: http://snipurl.com/89ya http://snipurl.com/readingnews

CALLING ALL NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS!
On July 26, the Alabama National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) Network received approval from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. As an officially recognized network, the organization will unite Alabama's NBCTs and the support organizations that champion the leadership role of the National Board Certified teachers in our schools. The Alabama NBCT Network will join state networks across the country in an effort to meet the following goals:

1. To create a professional community of NBCTs
2. To provide service to the teaching profession
3. To contribute to the knowledge base of teaching

The kick-off celebrations for the Alabama NBCT Network will stand as the first meeting of the organization. A grant from State Farm Insurance will fund the event, and all Alabama NBCTs are invited.

Time/date: Saturday, September 25, 2004, 10 a.m. - 2 pm.
Place: Wynfrey Hotel, Riverchase Galleria, Birmingham
Speakers: Dr. Betsy Rogers, NBCT, 2003 National Teacher of the Year, Current member of NBPTS Board of Directors; Cathy Owens, NBCT, Teacher Outreach and Professional development, NBPTS Midwest Regional Office
Cost: No charge to attend the even. Membership dues to join the state network are $25. Checks will be accepted at sign-in. Lunch will be on your own.
Registration: Please e-mail your RSVP to ALNBCTS@aol.com by August 20, 2004.

IN THE NEWS
A study released by researchers at the Southeast Center for Teaching Quality (SECTQ) reveals that high-need schools in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee are struggling to implement the teaching quality requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

The report, "Unfulfilled Promise: Ensuring High Quality Teachers for Our Nation’s Students," offers evidence of the law’s potential and its current shortcomings in design and implementation, as described by those most familiar with its effects -- classroom teachers, school principals and district administrators. After speaking with more than 160 educators in four states, 12 districts and 24 high-need schools and surveying hundreds of teachers, SECTQ researchers recognize three primary findings most essential to address if the law is to help ensure not only a highly qualified teacher but high quality teaching in every classroom, every day:

"Highly Qualified" Does Not Ensure High Quality: Under NCLB, teachers are considered "highly qualified" if they meet specific requirements. These requirements, however, focus only on what teachers know, not what they are able to do. Educators consistently reported that successful teachers have both content knowledge and instructional skills, such as knowing how to address different students’ learning needs and skill levels in the classroom.

Hard-to-Staff Solutions Are Hard to Find: The current crisis in recruiting and retaining teachers relates less to overall supply and more to regional and local inequalities. While some districts appear well on their way to meeting the 100 percent highly qualified teacher requirements, these well-resourced communities sometimes obscure the pervasive recruitment and retention challenges faced by hard-to-staff schools and districts. Leaders in urban and rural districts struggled, even with additional funds, to compete in the teacher labor market.

Same Approaches Will Lead to the Same Results: SECTQ found that most of the schools and districts visited have not changed recruitment or professional development practices since NCLB was passed. "Business as usual" occurred for several reasons. Antiquated data systems and ever changing definitions of highly qualified teachers have consumed district personnel. Districts, particularly in smaller rural areas, lack the capacity to recruit and provide ongoing support to teachers. Models for successfully changing recruitment or professional development practices are limited, and even when examples of success are shared, the on the ground assistance to customize them to meet the specific needs of districts is not available.

To read the published report, as well as view more extensive findings and the complete set of SECTQ recommendations for the federal government, states and districts, please visit: http://www.teachingquality.org/Unfulfilled_Promise.htm.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The Libri Foundation
The Libri Foundation is offering books to rural libraries through grants. The foundation will work with a library's Friend of the Library or other local organization and will match money raised on a 2 to 1 ratio up to $1,050 in new children's books. To qualify, in general a library should serve under 10,000 (usually under 5,000), have a limited budget, be in a rural area, and have an active children's department. For more information and to apply visit http://www.librifoundation.org.

The Literacy Empowerment Foundation (LEF)
The Literacy Empowerment Foundation (LEF) a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supplies books to more than 14,000 schools, has updated its Matching Book Grant Program, Schools can now double their purchasing power on a larger quantity of books at the earliest reading levels. This is a limited time offer that requires no special screening or application.

Under the Matching Book Grant Program, there are Guided Reading and Independent Reading Collections available. Guided Reading Collections consist of 6 copies each of 18 different titles. Independent Reading Collections consist of one copy each of 108 titles. With each set of Guided Reading and/or Independent Reading Collections purchased at the regular price, an additional set of books will be included free of charge. The limit of the Matching Book Grant has been increased to $6,000 per school. A school can now order up to $12,000 worth of books and pay only $6,000. Any amount purchased (from $100 to $6,000) will be matched. Orders must be received by September 30, 2004.

Information and a Matching Book Grant Order Form are available at http://www.LEFbooks.org.

SPREAD THE WORD!
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Education News in Alabama is published bi-weekly by the A+ Education Partnership and is distributed to A+ board members, the media, and list serve subscribers. View archived newsletters.

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