Education Newswatch April 2006

Last year's winner Susan Soler, a K/1 teacher at The Melser Charette School in New York City, puts some of her new ETA/Cuisenaire materials to use.

Happy Birthday, Beverly!
April 12, 2006, is the 90th birthday of Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary and the official date for National "Drop Everything and Read" (D.E.A.R.) Day. The National Education Association (NEA), National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) (a division of the American Library Association), Reading Rockets and HarperCollins Children's Books are sponsoring this initiative, and Cleary's character Ramona Quimby is the program's official "spokesperson." (The concept of D.E.A.R. is referenced in the second chapter of Ramona Quimby, Age 8). Families are encouraged to take at least 30 minutes to enjoy books together this (and every) day. Schools, libraries and bookstores are planning to host D.E.A.R. events for families on April 12; further ideas and resources for celebrating National D.E.A.R. Day are available at www.dropeverythingandread.com You can also request printed materials, which include a poster, reproducible handouts and a dvd from dear@harpercollins.com.

Magnificent Classroom Contest
ETA/Cuisenaire is sponsoring a Magnificent Classroom Makeover Contest for K-6 teachers. The grand prize includes $10,000 worth of books and manipulatives, plus a full day of district-wide professional development led by renowned author and literacy expert Miriam P. Trehearne (author of the "Comprehensive Literacy Resource" series). Two runners-up will also receive prizes. Visit www.etacuisenaire.com/makeover to download an entry form and contest rules. The deadline to enter is July 15, 2006, and winners will be announced August 31, 2006.

Founding Father Resource
As the nation celebrates Ben Franklin's 300th birthday, the volume of information available on the web about one of our most influential citizens can be daunting to sift through. The software developer Vivisimo has created a Ben Franklin web portal, www.ben.clusty.com, a free, one-stop site for searching Franklin's own writings and a selectively curated collection of tens of thousands of web pages related solely to him. Supported by the National Science Foundation, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Libraries, the Carnegie Science Center and Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, the Ben Franklin web portal is designed to help teachers, students and the general public navigate information related to Benjamin Franklin. Specific to teachers is the "Educator Resources" tab, which offers resources designed to help teachers plan science, history and civics lessons for students at every grade level.

Changes Recommended for Middle School Standards
The National Middle School Association (NMSA) has called for state licensure agencies and educational institutions to raise the bar in preparing and licensing middle-level grade teachers. "One of the best ways to improve the education of our young adolescents is to improve the professional readiness of those who educate them," said Sue Swaim, executive director of NMSA, in a newly released statement. NMSA is calling for licensure that is specific to the middle grades, not overlapping with elementary or senior high grade levels.

In the position statement, NMSA lists six components that are essential for effective middle level teacher preparation programs. Among these are:

• Expertise in the development and needs of young adolescents, which forms the foundation for classroom strategies from curriculum to assessment and beyond
• A solid grounding in the philosophy and organization of middle level schools and programs
• Broad and integrative knowledge of subject matter, with an emphasis on understanding the interrelationships among subject areas taught at the middle level

The paper also highlights the importance to middle level education of collaboration. It states that educators who work with this age group "must be competent in successfully collaborating with multiple audiences – colleagues, families and communities." NMSA has identified specific steps for supporting these initiatives at the national, state and local levels. These recommendations and the full text of the statement, can be found at www.nmsa.org

Everyday Poetry
The International Library of Poetry is encouraging all poets, published or not, to enter the International Open Amateur Poetry Contest. Poets are invited to submit their original work for consideration in this ongoing contest. Every month through December 2006, a semifinalist will be chosen and awarded $1,000. The contest culminates on January 15, 2007, when the grand prize of $10,000 will be granted for the winning poem. For contest rules and to enter, visit www.poetry.com Also on this site are haiku and "poetry in motion" contests, with daily prizes for each, as well as a rhyming dictionary, hundreds of poems to peruse and articles about poetic techniques.