1. Service-learning Boosts Academics, Citizenship
"Academic service-learning, and teaching strategies like it, can
re-engage students in their own education, serving as a powerful
tool for increasing academic achievement and preventing dropouts,"
writes State Superintendent Tony Evers in a recently released
editorial.
Additional excerpts:
- "Students involved in service-learning develop critical
thinking, problem solving, and communication skills; they practice
teamwork and action planning; and they explore creativity while
learning academic concepts through integrated projects. For
example, students in Milwaukee completed a detailed study of the
Kinnickinnic River, using math, science, social studies, and
reading skills to explore the ethical issues of pollution and ways
to protect their community from its effects. In Kenosha, high
school students shared what they learned about the Vietnam War
with the wider community through presentations and developed
digital content for the local museum....
"Giving education a tangible purpose is a dropout prevention
strategy that works....
"The challenge that lies before us is to systematically
increase the support for and use of academic service-learning in
schools throughout our state."
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2. Legislation for Chronically
Struggling Schools
State Superintendent Tony Evers is calling for passage of
legislation to raise student achievement at chronically low
performing schools. The bill would increase the state
superintendent’s ability to intervene and support schools
identified for improvement.
Federal law requires schools identified for improvement for five
consecutive years to restructure, and school districts identified
for improvement for four consecutive years to undergo corrective
action. The law lists a number of possible corrective actions the
state may take. However, Wisconsin state law currently limits the
state superintendent to one of those actions: withholding of
federal funds.
"Chronically struggling schools will not improve if our only
remedy is withholding funds," Evers said.
The bill would allow the state superintendent to require
- new curriculum or instructional design,
- professional development focused on student or school improvement,
- personnel changes consistent with collective bargaining agreements, or
- certain accountability measures.
Evers mentioned several examples of research-based changes that
improve student learning.
"My intent, and the intent of the proposed legislation, is to
focus only on those places that are struggling the most; places
where student achievement levels are simply unacceptable,"Evers
said. "We must do more for the students, parents, and educators at these
schools."
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3. Entrepreneurship Report, Contest, Events
Entrepreneurial traits are not just for business owners. Skills
like creativity, leadership, and inquisitiveness are crucial in
many walks of life.
The Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Education Task Force developed a
plan for infusing entrepreneurial skills in the curriculum. The
final report identifies three basic pieces: foundational skills
for entrepreneurship (such as financial literacy and
communication); entrepreneurial processes (like concept
development and actualization); and business functions (for
example, risk and operations management). An action plan offers
strategies like showcasing local entrepreneurs, encouraging
classroom businesses, and developing partnerships between
administration and industry. Finally, a self-assessment tool helps
districts and schools chart their progress toward a PK-12
curriculum infused with the entrepreneurial spirit.
Meanwhile, teachers can nominate student business-owners who have
mastered such competencies for the Wisconsin Young Entrepreneur of
the Year award (deadline: January 22). The top five students will
be asked to submit a CD or DVD for the final competition.
Winners will be celebrated during Entrepreneurship Week, February
20-27. For that week, the DPI and the Department of Commerce
invite schools and the community to organize events recognizing
entrepreneurial literacy as necessary for everyone--not just
business-owners. Send event information to Carol Dunn
for inclusion in an on-line calendar.
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4. American Indian Language Revitalization Grants
The current Wisconsin budget creates a new competitive grant
program supporting innovative, effective instruction in one or
more American Indian languages.
Grants will be awarded on a competitive, annual basis to public
schools or cooperative educational service agencies (CESAs) who
partner with a tribal government, or to a consortia of one or more
school districts and one or more tribal governments.
The language offering may be curricular or co-curricular. Funds
may be used for activities such as curriculum design, creation of
assessment instruments, professional development activities,
language-related activities for parents and community members,
instructional delivery, and program evaluation.
The application deadline is January 29.
A total of $247,500 is available. The DPI anticipates seven to ten
awards ranging from $25,000 to $35,000. Consortium applications
may exceed these projections.
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5. Special Education Disparities Addressed by CREATE
Wisconsin
Addressing racial disparities in special education is the purpose
of a DPI project being carried out in collaboration with
Wisconsin's cooperative educational service agencies (CESAs).
CREATE (Culturally Responsive Education for All: Training and
Enhancement) is the umbrella name for a number of related
initiatives.
The Consortium on Racial Equity in PK-12 Education in Wisconsin
focuses on inequities, preconceptions, and prejudices about race.
Participating districts form teams including teachers, school
psychologists, directors of special education, and others. After
spending a year taking a serious look at their own race and place
in society, and related privileges or challenges, they create a
local equity plan. To create a statewide equity plan, members of
the DPI went through this same rigorous process.
Another CREATE project, Culturally Responsive Classroom Practices,
offers professional development that provides specific,
classroom-level strategies for remedying inequities. Such
strategies have been elusive nationwide, says DPI
Disproportionality Consultant Donna Hart-Tervalon: "There is no
template, no lesson plan." Often, the key is for educators to
first develop awareness of race-related issues and then build good
relationships with students and simply do their jobs well. "Truly,
it just comes back to fundamental good teaching," Hart-Tervalon
says.
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6.
Events: Green Schools, Autism, Economic History, PI-34
Planning
The Green Schools National Conference has an early-bird
registration deadline of January 15. Hosted in Minneapolis by the
Green Charter Schools Network, the October 24-26 event will
convene people interested in schooling for sustainability and
developing environment-focused schools.
A free training session on the Stock Market Game, which teaches
students to invest without using real money, takes place February
1 in Franklin (Southeastern Wisconsin) by Economics Wisconsin and
Lakeland College. Register by January 18. Another Economics
Wisconsin training, February 12 in Racine, focuses on integrating
economics into history classrooms.
Green and Healthy Schools, a collaboration of the DPI and the
Department of Natural Resources, is holding a workshop, February
12 in Madison. The Web-based program increases students' knowledge
of natural resources and current environmental, health, and safety
concerns.
Educators and administrators can become professional development
plan (PDP) reviewers at a one-day training session in Milwaukee,
February 3. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of
Education-Outreach and DPI are offering the training.
Autism training from the DPI will be offered in Wausau--with a
basic session, January 27-28, and advanced training, March 9-10.
On-line webinars will cover functional behavior assessment and
management strategies (February 8) and mainstreaming students with
autism (April 12).
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