Wyoming Education Association’s Electronic Newsletter                                                                       

August 19, 2005

The WEA produces this electronic newsletter in an effort to share timely information with our members. Please forward this newsletter to members you believe would like to receive it. If you are not an original recipient of this e-mail, please consider subscribing by clicking here.  Please send feedback regarding this e-newsletter to Kathy Scheurman, WEA Communications Director, at: kscheurman@nea.org.  This newsletter can also be viewed online at: www.wyoea.org.

ENEWS ARCHIVE

WEA Website:

http://wyoea.org/

NEA Website:  http://www.nea.org

Wyoming Education Portal:

http://www.k12.wy.us

Inside this issue:

Gov. Names New State Superintendent

Dr. Jim McBride was sworn in as the new State Superintendent of Public Instruction on Thurs., Aug. 18. 

"I hope to bring a fresh view, new leadership, open lines of communication and a new focus to the Department of Education," McBride said Thurs. "I intend to push authority and responsibility down to the levels where it actually belongs. “My focus will be on three things: what's best for the students and education in Wyoming, what's best for professional educators and what's best for the Department of Education,” McBride said. “Every decision that we make, every problem that we encounter, if we use those as priorities, we should be fine."

WEA President Gary McDowell says he is supportive and positive about the Governor’s choice.  “Education is not a partisan issue.  Hopefully, Dr. McBride will bring people together and engage all education-related groups to work toward the best education possible for kids.”

Mark Your Calendars Now--PACE Council Meeting!

Local Presidents, please mark your calendars now for the September PACE Council Meeting scheduled for Casper on Saturday, Sept. 10.  More details will be forthcoming—see the next issue of wEa NEWS.

Opportunities to Host Foreign Educators at Your School

  1. The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program is accepting applications from U.S. schools to host a representative from a select group of educational administrators visiting the United States from Jordan. The local hosting program will take place between Wed., Sept. 21 (travel day from Washington, DC) and Wed., Sept. 28 (return travel to Washington, DC).  The visitors are interested in interacting with school staff and students, learning about teaching and administration in U.S. schools at all levels, and studying processes in U.S. schools that help both teachers and administrators achieve their goals and develop their interests.  They also look forward to observing the use of technology and media in U.S. education. DEADLINE:  AUGUST 25, 2005.
  2. The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program is accepting applications from U.S. secondary schools to host school principals from Brazil. Award-winning secondary school principals from 27 Brazilian states will visit the United States in November/December 2005 to share best practices in school leadership and administration, teacher development, and community involvement.  DEADLINE:  OCTOBER 1, 2005.  

Specific details about these programs and the hosting applications can be found at:  http://www.fulbrightexchanges.org/View/ViewOtherOpps.asp

Higher [NCLB] Bar Tripping Schools

“More U.S. schools than ever are expected to be labeled as inadequate performers this year under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

“More public schools are winding up on the trouble list not because their performance got worse, but because the bar has been raised in most states….

“Parents and teachers are being notified this month which schools in their state have been put on the "needs improvement" list. Already, nearly a dozen states—Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming—have reported an increase in the number of failing schools.”  [Stateline.org]

http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=48297

But Here’s the Good News about American Education!

In its recent report, "Do You Know the Latest Good News About American Education?", the Center on Education Policy looks at positive trends and outlines 24 indicators of success in five main categories: school participation and course-taking, student achievement, school climate and public support, teachers, and higher education. It also points to areas where more work needs to be done to ensure that all students receive a quality education, says the Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast.  http://www.cep-dc.org/pubs/LatestGoodNews/LatestGoodNewsAug05.pdf

Free “Banking Basics” Tutorial

No matter what grade you teach, your students can benefit from learning how to become smart money managers.  A fantastic new resource for teachers, students, and parents is the “Hands on Banking” tutorial from Wells Fargo Banks…and the best part about it—it’s free!  Designed especially for use by educators, the lessons in Hands on Banking meet national standards for math, literacy, and economics.  Companion Teacher Guides are also part of the program.  Absolutely no advertising or product promotions appear on the tutorial, so you are assured that it is intended for pure learning.  Plus, the material is presented in both English and Spanish.  Access the Hands on Banking program online at www.handsonbanking.com or order the CD by calling toll free 1-866-650-6228.  Hands on Banking runs on Windows-compatible and Macintosh computers.