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When You Visit ED.gov, What Do You Hope to Accomplish? When you visit ED.gov, why do you come -- what do you hope to accomplish? We are trying to identify the most important or popular tasks that people hope to accomplish at ED.gov, the main website of the U.S. Department of Education. Please help! Simply select the 5 tasks that are most important to you when you visit ED.gov. Technical Assistance Center for Minority Institutions ED announced the award of a $1.5 million grant to the University of Illinois at Chicago for a national center to help minority institutions seek funding opportunities for projects that serve students with disabilities, especially in personnel development. Grants for Critical Foreign Language Instruction ED announced the award of more than $2.2 million in grants to school districts in seven states to help increase the number of Americans learning foreign languages critical to national security and commerce. The five-year grants were awarded to local educational agencies to work in partnership with one or more institutions of higher education. Golf Great Phil Mickelson Stresses Value of Math, Science Phil Mickelson, the No. 2-ranked pro golfer in the world, visited the ED to emphasize the value of math and science by showing students from Quantico, Fort Belvoir and Washington, D.C., how those subjects influence golf. Secretary Spellings' Remarks at Summit on Higher Education Secretary Spellings spoke at the 2008 Higher Education Summit, "A Test of Leadership," in Chicago. Reading First Data Show Gains New data from states show improvement in nearly every grade and subgroup, including English language learners and students with disabilities. Teaching Resources: Independence Day, Science Videos and More Independence Day, U.S. history, poetry, letter writing, energy and rock cycles, polar regions, plant genomes, nearly 100 science videos and webcasts, and teaching English language learners to read are topics of new resources at FREE, the website that makes teaching resources from federal agencies easier to find. Calculator-Controlled Robots Is a guide book for using calculator-controlled robots with students in Grades 6-9 over the course of one semester. Missions are built sequentially on the knowledge of previous activities. The first missions have step-by-step programming instructions; in later missions, students create their own programs. Students use math and science concepts to direct their robots through various challenges. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) New Grant Opportunities Notices inviting applications have been issued recently under ED programs that include the following: Centers on Research and Capacity Building to Improve Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities from Traditionally Underserved Racial and Ethnic Populations, High-Quality Supplemental Educational Services and After-School Partnerships Demonstration, Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers for Individuals with Disabilities Living in Rural Areas, and Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers. We want your feedback! Please let us know what you think of this news feed.
New AFT Leader Vows to Take Down NCLB Randi Weingarten tells union delegates she wants new federal legislation based on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Hawaii’s Drug Testing for Teachers in Limbo A stalemate over who will pay for the random drug tests has prevented the program from getting started. Districts Compare Notes on Data The most successful systems were found to be those that focused on how to use the information to improve instruction. Math Experts Question Wisdom of Calif. Algebra Rule Many educators and administrators, as well as some members of a national advisory group, wonder how the state will succeed in mandating that 8th graders be tested in Algebra 1, given students’ persistent struggles in that subject and the potential demand it will generate for more math teachers. Stanford Opens Access to All Its Education Studies The move to provide free online access to faculty research is believed to be a first among U.S. schools of education.
Camp Leads a Drumbeat for a Marching Band?s Style Florida A&M University?s renowned band spreads its ecstatic style in a summer program that attracts hundreds of students from across the country. News Analysis: Care Needed in Lending to Students As New York?s governor promised to pursue a low-cost student loan program, it remained unclear how to set it up to ensure that it does not encourage unnecessary borrowing. With No Frills or Tuition, a College Draws Notice Berea College, which charges no tuition and only accepts applicants from low-income families, provides an unusual perspective on how universities should handle endowments. Paterson Set to Embrace Student Loan Plan Gov. David A. Paterson will seek a low-cost loan program to make New York more competitive with other states. Skelos Presses for Tax Cap at First Leaders? Meeting The new Senate majority leader, Dean G. Skelos, said the Senate would pass the governor?s proposal to impose a ceiling on school property taxes within the next month.
Unique Videoconference Planned for Parents of Students with Hearing Loss TransWorldNews Greg Livadas reports on an innovative parent outreach tool for minority parents of children with hearing loss in the Boston and Atlanta metropolitan areas. The Rochester Institute of Technology will be hosting a videoconference for parents whose children will be beginning the eighth, ninth or tenth grades in the fall. The sessions aim to prepare parents financially and emotionally for the transition to college, and are targeted at African American, Hispanic, and Native American families, groups typically underrepresented in higher education. The videoconference will use several communication methods in order to reach out to parents, including spoken English and Spanish, closed captioning, and sign language. (... Read the article.) Promoting English Teaching to Enhance Jobs - A Presidential Initiative Daily News (Sri Lanka) The Daily News reports that Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has recently announced the initiative "English as a Life Skill." The initiative aims to boost English teaching and learning as part of ongoing training for employment in IT and call centers. In the short term, the project aims to train 50,000 people within three years. Training will focus on the communicative skills required for employment in the targeted sectors. Funding will operate on a public-private partnership model, with the government matching funds from the private sector to provide the training. (... Read the article.) French Legion of Honour for Auckland Woman Stuff.co.nz Michael Field reports that Auckland teacher Nadine Plet, who created the first French-English bilingual education program in New Zealand, has been awarded the French Legion of Honor. Plet created the bilingual playgroup Les Petits Lascars in 1992, and in 1996 was instrumental in opening the bilingual French-English program at Richmond Road Primary School. Plet credits Maori bilingual educators in New Zealand as a strong influence. "The Maori people knew all about implementing bilingualism, and the struggle to keep one's culture and identity. For me they were the example to follow and I did." (... Read the article.) Migrant Ed Program Helps Fight Heat Danger The Fresno Bee (California) Robert Rodriguez reports on a new safety education campaign designed to protect farm workers from heat illness. The program involves reaching out to migrant farm workers through children enrolled in public schools. "The California Department of Education is dedicated to sharing information with migrant families through our migrant education program, parent advisory councils and summer school programs. No job is worth ill health or worse, a life. It's important workers are aware of the danger signs so they know when to seek relief," said State Superintendent of Public Education, Jack O'Connell. Fresno County provides services to the largest population of migrant students in the state of California, working with approximately 26,000 migrant students per year. "We have huge parent involvement that allows us to get the word out," said Ruben Castillo, Fresno's director of migrant education. (... Read the article.) Local Cartoons to Boost Kids' Command of English Malaysia Star The Malaysia Star reports on a new initiative in Terengganu, a north-eastern peninsular Malaysian state. A partnership between a local animation team and a Hollywood producer will result in the production of locally produced English language animation for use in schools. "This will be a home-grown software in which a series of popular cartoons will help enhance the command of English among the young," said Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman, state executive councillor in charge of education. The state government is also providing computers to preschools and primary schools to assist in teaching English. (... Read the article.)
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