1. Wisconsin Promise Schools of Recognition
State Superintendent Tony Evers named 138 Wisconsin Promise Schools of Recognition.
These are schools that help disadvantaged students make academic progress.
The schools will receive award plaques at an Oct. 20 ceremony at the State Capitol and $2,000 for use by the school. Twenty-two of this year's honored schools have received the award for five or more consecutive years.
Details on the criteria used for this award, along with a complete list of honored schools, can be found in the news release.
“While each of these schools is unique, they share some common traits that contribute to students’ academic success,” Evers said. “These schools know that educating children is a partnership that requires commitment by teachers, parents, administrators, other staff members, and the community to create an environment that supports every student. Through this partnership, these schools work to ensure every child graduates with the tools to be productive citizens ready for the workforce or further education.”
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2. AP Grows in Wisconsin
Preliminary data on the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) program showed continued growth in Wisconsin and a narrowing of the achievement gap in AP participation.
The number of students taking AP exams (27,269) and the number of exams students take (43,830) both went up. Overall student participation was up 2.5 percent, with participation for students of color up almost 10 percent.
The passing rate also went up to 68.4 percent, up 1.2 percentage points from last year.
AP exams test student’s college-level subject knowledge. They are administered in spring and generally relate to AP coursework taken during high school.
The College Board’s “Advanced Placement Report to the Nation,” typically released in February, will provide a more extensive analysis of AP results.
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3. Funding for Pre-engineering Curriculum
Subscriber Submission!
The Kern Family Foundation is making available up to $2,000,000 in multi-year, competitive grants for high schools or middle schools in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota to implement the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pre-engineering program. Implementation may begin in fall 2010 or fall 2011. The foundation anticipates funding 60 schools in this grant cycle.
Applications are due November 6, 2009.
Project Lead the Way is a non-profit organization focused on preparing the future technical and engineering workforce in America. PLTW’s project-based curriculum integrates national math, science, and technology standards and is widely recognized as a best practice STEM initiative. PLTW courses also incorporate national exams that are recognized through articulation agreement by hundreds of two and four year post secondary institutions around the country. In eleven years, PLTW has grown from a few schools in upstate New York to more than 3,000 schools in 50 states.
This article was suggested by a DPI-ConnectEd subscriber. We are looking for your news of exciting programs, promising practices, initiatives that could benefit from publicity, or your questions about working with Wisconsin students. E-mail just a sentence or two to benson.gardner@dpi.wi.gov, with "Story Idea" in the subject line.
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4. Technological Tools Highlighted
The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition explores six emerging technologies deemed likely to have an impact on education.
Each technology is explained, with examples given of how it has been, or can be, used in education. For example:
- Teen Second Life was used to help students in New York City and Chicago collaborate with researchers in the program I Dig Tanzania, and to educate them about paleontology and Tanzanian culture.
- Frank Porter Graham Elementary School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, plans to save money by utilizing "cloud computing," whereby multiple workstations can be created using multiple monitors and keyboards but only one computer.
- A local history scavenger hunt could make use of objects with "smart tags" (electronic components linking them to the Internet). Through the virtual world, these objects could offer clues or introduce historical events that took place nearby.
Also examined are Collaborative Environments (like wikis), Online Communication Tools, Mobiles (such as cell phones and iPods), and The Personal Web (a set of tools for personalizing one's web-based environment).
The Horizon Report is a project of the not-for-profit New Media Consortium (NMC) of learning-focused organizations.
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5. Higher Ed Day, Northwoods Book Fest, and More Events
September 14 is the deadline to submit a session proposal for Careers Conference 2010, organized by The Center on Education and Work at UW-Madison. The conference is scheduled for Jan. 25-27, 2010, in Madison.
The Northwoods Children’s Book Conference, held at Telemark Resort, has expanded its program this year with tracks specifically designed for librarians, educators, and writers. Formerly the Northwest Wisconsin Children’s Book Conference, it is scheduled for September 24-25. The conference reports that librarians, educators, and authors have praised the quality of its presenters and presentations.
Higher Education Day in Wisconsin has been set for Wednesday, September 30, by Governor Jim Doyle, Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton, State Superintendent Tony Evers, and State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass. The day raises awareness among all citizens that higher education in Wisconsin is accessible and to inspire students of all ages to reach for post-secondary education as a goal.
The Midwest Environmental Education Conference will be held at Champaign, Illinois, October 14-17, with conference strands of Sustainability, Natural History, Administration, and Interpretation.
More education events can be found on the Wisconsin Education Calendar.
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