Education News in Alabama

May 30, 2006 (archive)

2006 ALABAMA STATE TEACHER OF THE YEAR

At its May meeting, the State Board of Education recognized Cameron S. McKinley as both the 2006 Teacher of the Year and Elementary Teacher of the Year for the State of Alabama. Ms. McKinley is an integrated technology teacher in the Hoover City School System. She teaches at her home school, Riverchase Elementary, as well at three additional elementary schools in Hoover. A National Board Certified Teacher, she has presented to teachers throughout the state and works to develop tools and training to assist teachers in using technology in the classroom. Ms. McKinley worked at IBM for ten years before becoming a teacher. In her application and interview, Ms. McKinley stressed the need to help teachers integrate technology into all subject areas so that students are adequately prepared for the world of tomorrow and become problem-solvers, collaborators, effective communicators, and life-long learners.

The State Board of Education also recognized Mr. Stoney Beavers as both Alternate Alabama Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year. He has been a teacher for twelve years, of which the last ten have been at Cleveland High School in Blount County for grades 10 - 12 in English/Language Arts and Spanish. Mr. Beavers has received National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification and was a recipient of the 2005 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award. Mr. Beavers works tirelessly to ensure an equitable opportunity to education for his students regardless of the disadvantages faced by schools in rural areas. In his application, Mr. Beavers emphasized the importance of student engagement and motivation, teaching students not only the skills for academic success, but also an appreciation of their role in their own success in life.

2006 TORCHBEARER SCHOOLS

The SDE honored the excellence of seventeen schools throughout Alabama as 2006 Torchbearer Schools. With at least 70% of their student population on free or reduced meals, these schools were recognized for achieving at least 66% of the student population scoring at Level 3 or 4 on the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test and above-average achievement in reading and math on the Stanford Achievement Test. Each school has also made Adequate Yearly Progress for the last two years. While Torchbearer Schools are noted for their student achievement, they are also commended for the diligence exhibited by educators in these schools for their commitment to ensuring the success of every student.

The 2006 Torchbearer Schools are: Athens Elementary (Athens City), Councill Elementary (Birmingham City), Fruithurst Elementary (Cleburne County), Jones Chapel Elementary (Cullman County), Heard Elementary (Dothan City), Cloverdale Elementary (Dothan City), Huxford Elementary (Escambia County), Western Heights Elementary (Eufaula City), Bluff City Elementary (Eufaula City), Walnut Park Elementary (Gadsden City), Dutton Elementary (Jackson County), West Jasper Elementary (Jasper City), Peter F. Alba Elementary (Mobile County), Calcedeaver Elementary (Mobile County), McDavid-Jones Elementary (Mobile County), W. C. Griggs Elementary (Mobile County), Saint Elmo Elementary (Mobile County), J. E. Turner Elementary (Mobile County), Highland Avenue Elementary (Montgomery County), Westview Elementary (Phenix City), Childersburg Elementary (Talladega County), and Townley Junior High (Walker County).

POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS QUARTERLY MEETING

On April 26, 2006, sixty-six schools and one hundred and eighty-four educators attended the Quarterly Meeting of the Powerful Conversations Network, which featured Joellen Killion of the National Staff Development Council. The theme for the meeting was "Powerful Designs for Professional Development." Participants were led through a series of activities designed to lead to a greater understanding of effective professional learning that is standards-based, results-driven, and conducted largely during the school day. Through small group activities and discussions, participants examined methods for designing professional development and ensuring that it is primarily organized around the goal of student achievement. The meeting ended with participants reflecting on what they learned and making plans for "next steps" to be taken.

YEAR 1: ABPC'S 21st CENTURY LEARNING INITIATIVE

One year ago, The Alabama Best Practices Center began its work in the area of 21st Century Learning. This work is funded by a grant from the Microsoft Corporation and exposes participating schools to what it means to educate students in a knowledge-based digital age. This work is more than simply using technology. It is about engaging students who are 'digital natives' and preparing them to be successful in a world that will require technical knowledge, expert decision-making, complex communications, creativity, leadership, and habits of building personal capacity.

This work is being conducted in phases. In the past year, ten 21st Century Fellows were selected and have been immersed in 21st Century learning theory. They have assisted the project managers in designing and conducting the training for the twenty schools that were selected as 21st Century Schools. Each school designated teams of five teachers and/or administrators to participate in four two-hour online curriculum sessions. The culminating session was an online "Learning Fair" at which participating schools demonstrated what they had learned, including use of blogs, wikis, and podcasts. To see highlights from the 21st Century Learning Fair, go to a this website created by the Alabama Best Practices Center: http://del.icio.us/abpcjohn

IN OTHER NEWS

Kentucky Requires All Students to Take the ACT

The Kentucky General Assembly recently passed a bill requiring all students to take the ACT in 11th grade. This test will give the state a benchmark for assessing student academic levels and will provide information about areas of weakness where students might need remedial work before beginning college. Students can also opt to take the WorkKeys test in place of the ACT. Recognizing that not all high school students are college bound, the WorkKeys test assesses student skills and knowledge for entry into the workplace. The state budget passed by the Assembly includes $1.4 million to finance the testing.

Transforming Teaching Quality

The Teaching Commission has released a new report, "Teaching At Risk: Progress and Potholes," that emphasizes the need to transform the teaching profession as it exists today. The report finds that teacher compensation, preparation programs, licensing and certification, and leadership are key focus areas in improving the education system. The full report can be downloaded at: http://www.theteachingcommission.org .

Working Toward Excellence

The most recent issue of the "Working Toward Excellence" journal was recently distributed to every educator in the state. This Spring 2006 issue of WTE is entitled "Educating the Digital Generation." 21st Century Learning consultants John Norton and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach take an in-depth look at "what it means to be literate" in today's society - skills that include problem-solving, effective communication, self-direction, and global awareness. The Spring Issue also includes articles on the ABPC's 21st Century Learning Initiative and Alabama's new distance learning program, ACCESS. "Working Toward Excellence" is a quarterly publication of the Alabama Best Practices Center. The publication can be found on the ABPC website: http://www.bestpracticescenter.org/publ/wteindex.html

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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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