NECC Website Snapshots, November 2009
Index
1. FYI
Regional Stakeholders Confer with the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education on Reform Opportunities
With unprecedented federal funding available for education reform, education leaders, advocates, and stakeholders in the six New England states met with Tony Miller, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, and Jessica McKinney of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, on November 10 in Bedford, New Hampshire to discuss how the new federal grants can be used effectively to improve outcomes for the region's students. At the invitation of the New England Comprehensive Center and other regional organizations, Miller and McKinney presented a vision centered on the reform priorities articulated in the grant proposals—high-quality standards and assessments, effective teachers and education leaders, data systems that inform decision-making, and intensive support for struggling schools. During the afternoon session, attendees engaged in a dialogue with the USED representatives and experts from the federal Content Comprehensive Centers focused on the four federal reform priorities.
Invited stakeholders included governors, legislators, and representatives from state education agencies, districts and schools, education associations, and parent and community organizations. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who was unable to attend in person due to a scheduling conflict, sent an inspiring video message that is available on the NECC website.
Six USED-funded technical assistance and research centers co-sponsored the event: The Center on Instruction, The Region I (New England) Equity Assistance Center, The New England Comprehensive Center, The Northeast and Islands Regional Education Laboratory, The Northeast Regional Resource Center, and The Region I Parent Technical Assistance Center.
Audio, video, PowerPoints, and breakout session notes from this event are available on the NECC website.
2. RESOURCE POINTER:
Archived Margaret Heritage Webinar: "What Does Formative Assessment Mean to a State Department of Education?"
At the request of the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), NECC collaborated with the Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center (AACC) to offer a webinar on Formative Assessment. Featuring national expert Margaret Heritage, the webinar was intended as an initial step in developing a common language around the topic. Peers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire departments of education joined representatives from Rhode Island. Heritage distinguished between actual formative assessments and assessments advertised as "formative" that are really more "benchmark" and outlined the pedagogical skills required to set clear learning goals and understand their place on the pathways to proficiency in a discipline. More information, an archive of the conversation, and accompanying PowerPoint slides are available on the NECC website.
IES Practice Guide: Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices
This Institute of Education Sciences (IES) guide presents practical strategies that classroom teachers and specialists can use to help students in grades 4 to 12 refine and build upon their reading skills. The recommendations outlined in the guide can be integrated into classroom instruction to help students gain more from their reading tasks, motivate and engage them in the learning process, and assist struggling readers who may need intensive and individualized attention. The recommendations, and examples of what they look like in action, will be discussed in an upcoming free webinar on December 1 (see ACTION ITEMS below).
3. ACTION ITEMS
Register for Upcoming Webinar on "Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices"
WHAT: Free Webinar Presentation and Panel Discussion
TITLE: Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices
DATE: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
TIME: 12:00–2:00 p.m. Eastern Time
FOCUS: Connecting Applied Education Research to the Work of Field Practitioners
PRESENTERS: Michael L. Kamil, Professor, Stanford University and Chairperson of the Panel Responsible for the Guide; New England Literacy Leaders representing state, district, and school-level perspectives
Nationally recognized literacy expert Michael Kamil will present the five recommendations reached in Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices, a practice guide from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). A professor of Education at Stanford University, Dr. Kamil served on the National Reading Panel and chaired the panel that wrote the adolescent literacy guide. His current research concerns the effect of recreational reading on reading achievement and instruction for English language learners and the effects of technology on literacy and literacy instruction.
Dr. Kamil's presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring New England state literacy leaders who will discuss their work on adolescent literacy, respond to the IES guide's recommendations, and take part in a Q&A session with Dr. Kamil and the audience.
NOTE: This webinar is hosted by NECC in partnership with the Northeast and Islands Regional Education Laboratory (REL-NEI). It will be facilitated by Naomi Hupert, Senior Researcher, EDC Center for Children and Technology. It supports the work of the NECC Advancing Student Literacy and Numeracy (ASLAN) initiative.