Education News in Alabama for May 17, 2010
- SCHOOL BOARD: Educator Effectiveness up for consideration
- Teacher of the year highlights fine arts;
- RESEARCH: Reading gains greatest with teacher coaching, study says;
- STEM: How to excite students;
- A+ gets grant for Dothan partnership;
- Ala. pre-K earns perfect 10 — again!
STATE SCHOOL BOARD HIGHLIGHTS:
Educator effectiveness up for consideration
At its May 13 meeting, the board considered 2 resolutions to improve student learning. One would connect multiple measures of student achievement with educator evaluation systems. (Download info)
The second would create Innovation School Systems with freedom from certain restrictions in exchange for greater accountability.(Download info)
The board delayed voting on the resolutions to allow time to understand the proposals more fully. It will revisit them May 27.
All members were present except the governor.
Teacher of the year highlights importance of fine arts
Phil Wilson, music teacher at Auburn’s Ogletree Elementary, is Alabama’s new teacher of the year. He is known for connecting his music lesson to students’ other subjects.
Research Finding:
Reading gains greatest with teacher coaching, study says
Reading coaches for teachers can help improve student reading by 32 percent over three years, suggests a new study from Stanford.
Reading coaches are an important part of the Alabama Reading Initiative.
From the blog:
STEM: How to excite students
Mobile schools are creating STEM (science technology engineering and math) curriculum for middle school grades.
A+ gets grant for Dothan partnership
The Wiregrass Foundation is giving $248,000 to help 2 Dothan high schools join A+ College Ready, our Advanced Placement initiative.
“Dothan City Schools get grant to improve AP program,” Dothan Eagle
Ala. pre-k earns perfect 10 – again!
Alabama’s state pre-K program once again met all 10 benchmarks for the National Institute for Early Education Research quality standards, one of only 2 states to do so, according to the annual survey of state-funded preschool programs released on May 4.
