Reflecting National Trends, Vast Majority of Iowans Say They Support a Higher Minimum Wage:

Nearly two-thirds of Iowans support raising the minimum wage from its current level of $7.25, according to a new Des Moines Register poll released yesterday.  Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is the Senate author of legislation that would increase the minimum wage over three steps to $10.10, then provide for automatic, annual increases linked to changes in the cost of living.  The bill, which is sponsored by Congressman George Miller (D-CA) in the U.S. House, would also gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers, which currently stands at just $2.13 an hour.  A similar bill is also under consideration by the Iowa Legislature.

"From now on, we want to change what's happening in America with low-wage workers.  No longer, in the future, will you work full-time...and still fall below the poverty line," said Harkin, who appeared on C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" program yesterday to discuss why raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do for millions of working families and the American economy.  "Studies show it's a pro-growth policy, that it will increase the gross domestic product.  We know that low-wage workers tend to spend every extra dollar they get, and they spend it locally and at local merchants. It has a great multiplier effect in our economy."  Watch Harkin's appearance on Newsmakers here.

The Des Moines Register poll showed broad support among Iowans for raising the minimum wage, with 89 percent of registered Democrats?along with 67 percent of registered independents?supportive of efforts to raise the current federal minimum wage of $7.25. Registered Republicans in Iowa are almost evenly split on the issue.  The Des Moines Register's poll is reflective of national polls showing strong backing for raising the minimum wage, with the paper citing a Gallup Poll showing 76 percent of American adults favored raising the minimum wage, and a Quinnipiac poll in January finding that 72 percent of Americans wanted a higher rate.

Working Iowa Families Unable to Make Ends Meet on Current Minimum Wage; Raising the Minimum Wage Would Benefit 300,000 Iowans:

The Register also reported on a recent study from the Iowa Policy Project showing that the current federal minimum wage of $7.25, which is also the minimum wage in Iowa, leaves working families in Iowa unable to cover "rock bottom" costs. Several key costs of living?including average food, housing costs, transportation, clothing, and household expenses in Iowa?have increased in recent years, while the minimum wage has remained stagnant for nearly five years.  An estimate from Progress Iowa shows that approximately 300,000 Iowans would benefit from Senator Harkin's bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10.

Fast Facts on the Minimum Wage:

The minimum wage today is at a historic low, and  has lost 32 percent of its buying power since its peak in 1968.  If the minimum wage had kept up with inflation since 1968, it would be worth roughly $10.71 per hour today.?

According to recent research conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, 28 million American workers would get a raise under the bill.  More than half of these are women, and 15 million women would get a raise.  The vast majority (88 percent) are adult workers, not teenagers.  Over 14 million children?19 percent of American children?have a parent who will get a raise.

The minimum wage today pays only $15,000 per year, which is more than $3,500 below the poverty level for a family of three.  The Harkin-Miller proposal will boost the yearly minimum wage salary to $21,000, lifting families above the poverty line.

Increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour will give $35 billion in raises to millions of workers over the course of three increases, and increase GDP by nearly $22 billion as workers spend their raises in their local businesses and communities.  This economic activity will generate 85,000 new jobs over the same timeframe.

In 2014, 21 states and the District of Columbia will have state minimum wages above the federal level.  Ten states already have indexing in place to ensure that minimum wage workers do not fall behind, and an eleventh will start in 2015.  Thirty-two states have already acted to increase their minimum wage for tipped workers above $2.13 an hour.

For more information on the Fair Minimum Wage Act, please contact Kate Cyrul Frischmann (Kate_Frischmann@harkin.senate.gov) or Allison Preiss (Allison_Preiss@help.senate.gov.)

The Board of Directors of Churches United of the Quad City Area announces the promotion of Anne Wachal, current Acting Executive Director and Program Manager to Executive Director of the 53 year old organization beginning March 1, 2014. The Board of Directors approved the promotion in a unanimous vote.

Ms. Wachal has been employed with Churches United since June of 1999 and has served as Program Manager and Associate Director for many years. Under her leadership, Churches United expanded their hunger programs, including meals sites and food pantries, as well as other ministries offered to the community. As Acting Director, Ms. Wachal has successfully led Churches United through a challenging time of transition. The Board of Directors recognized that Ms. Wachal's superior network of personal, corporate, and institutional/church contacts, as well as her ability to work with a wide range of people, perfectly matched the needs of the organization for its next phase of ministry.

Ms. Wachal holds a B.A. in Social Work from Kent State University and a Masters Degree in Applied Social Sciences/ Management from Case Western Reserve University. She has held middle management positions in other social service agencies throughout her career.

By 2016-17, all districts will have option to participate

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck today announced the first group of Iowa school districts selected to launch teacher leadership systems next school year.

Top teachers taking on leadership roles to improve instruction and raise student achievement is the centerpiece of Iowa's landmark 2013 education reform package. New teacher leadership systems across Iowa will allow teachers to work in greater collaboration with colleagues and learn from each other instead of operating largely in isolation in their classrooms. Teacher leadership systems will be phased in over three years, with the goal of all districts participating by 2016-17, although whether to do so is a local decision.

Based on the recommendations of the 19-member Commission on Teacher Leadership and Compensation, Director Buck selected 39 school districts out of 146 applicants from across the state. The districts - serving a mix of urban, suburban and rural communities - enroll about one-third of Iowa students. Two of the districts will share teacher leadership systems. Selected districts are listed at the end of this press release.

Teacher leadership systems promise to help students learn more by better meeting their individual needs. They also will attract and retain more effective teachers by enhancing career opportunities and paying stipends for taking on extra responsibilities. With higher expectations for students, it's no longer realistic for one principal to provide all the instructional leadership in a school. Teacher and principal leadership teams can support the more complex work required to prepare students for a knowledge-based economy.

Districts were selected for the first round based on the strength of their application as well as geographic and size diversity.

"Selection of this first group of school districts to launch teacher leadership systems is an important step forward as Iowans work to restore our schools to best in the nation," said Branstad. "Iowans are committed to giving students a world-class education. Better utilizing teacher leadership to leverage other reforms moves us in the right direction."

"We are pleased that 146 school districts applied to be in the first group," said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. "Great teaching is the most critical factor affecting learning inside schools, and the teacher leadership systems recognize that teacher collaboration can be a game-changer."

"This first group of school districts will help transform education across Iowa," said Buck. "The state's role is to provide leadership and support so they can implement their teacher leadership systems in a way that best meets local needs."

Districts that applied to start teacher leadership systems next fall were required to set a vision and goals for what they plan to accomplish. They also had to address "must-haves," such as setting a minimum teacher salary of $33,500, improved entry into the profession, including mentoring for new teachers, and a rigorous selection process for leadership roles.

Districts selected will receive about $309 per pupil next school year to implement their teacher leadership systems. The annual cost statewide is nearly $50 million in FY15, growing to about $150 million annually in the third year. After the initial year of district implementation, the teacher leadership funding rolls into the Iowa school finance formula.

The next step for school districts is selecting their teacher leaders. Branstad's FY15 budget recommendations include $4 million for the Iowa Department of Education, working with Area Education Agencies, to provide technical assistance and leadership development for the districts in the first group implementing teacher leadership systems in 2014-15.

The selected districts are:

Benton

Bettendorf

Burlington

Cedar Rapids

Colo-NESCO

Council Bluffs

Davenport

Delwood

Dubuque

Earlham

East Marshall

East Union

Gilbert

Greene County

Hudson

Humboldt (in collaboration with Twin Rivers)

Johnston

Le Mars

Linn-Mar

Marshalltown

Mount Pleasant

Muscatine

North Polk

Norwalk

Oelwein

Ottumwa

Panorama

Pella

Rock Valley

Roland-Story

Saydel

Sioux City

Southeast Polk

Twin Rivers (in collaboration with Humboldt)

Van Meter

Waterloo

West Des Moines

Western Dubuque

Winterset

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4 Ways to Come Up with Brilliant Ideas When the Pressure's On
National Ideas Month Shines a Light on Creativity

March is National Ideas Month.  Hey, whose bright idea was that?

Here's an intriguing idea from New York Times best-selling author and writing coach Michael Levin,: "Creativity is a muscle; use it or lose it."

Levin, whose new Books Are My Babies YouTube channel (www.BooksAreMyBabies.com) offers 160-plus free tutorials for writers, says anyone can grow their creativity, just like any other muscle.

"I define creativity as 'the ability to develop great ideas while under pressure,' " he says. "Pressure creates diamonds, so why shouldn't it also create great ideas?"

But sometimes, pressure paralyzes creativity.

"I've experienced it when writing under deadline pressure and writing under the pressure of my own high expectations," Levin says. "Over time, I've developed several tricks to stimulate my creative muscle and help me come up with great ideas for whatever challenge I face - whether it's writing or figuring out how to arrange a busy family weekend schedule so that everyone's needs are met."

Here are four of Levin's no-fail tips for generating creative ideas under pressure:

1. Ask yourself, "What's the most dangerous, expensive and illegal way to solve this problem?" We usually take the same approach to solving problems every time with the resources we have at hand. "This doesn't exactly translate into breathtaking creativity," Levin says.  So imagine that you have no limits ? legal, moral, financial, whatever. You can do literally anything to solve the problem. The way-out ideas you develop may not be practical, but they'll lead you to new ways of thinking about your problem. And then you can find a non-life-threatening, legal way to solve it!

2.  Hide. We live in a world of constant, thin-sliced demands. Unanswered texts and emails. People waiting for you to say something, do something, read something, decide something. Run and hide. Lock yourself in your car or hunker down in a bathroom stall. Slow down and get your brain back.

It's all but impossible for your creative brain to operate when you're responding to endless external stimuli. The best ideas often come when you run from your responsibilities.

3. Count to 20. Go somewhere where you can be undisturbed, bring a yellow pad and a pen, turn off your phone, and sit there until you come up with 20 ideas for solving your problem. This requires discipline, because most of us are so happy when we have one answer to a problem that we want to move to the next agenda item. Not every idea you invent will be a great one, but that's okay.  It may be idea number 17 that's truly brilliant, but you'd never get there if you ran back to your desk after you came up with one, two or even five ideas. If you do this daily, you'll develop 100 new ideas a week. Imagine how strong your idea muscle will be!

4. Give up. Cardiologists recommend to heart patients that they visit nature, go to a museum, or attend a classical concert. Why? It slows them down and allows them to appreciate beauty instead of seeing life as a constant battle.  Surrender your own siege mentality. Life isn't war, thank goodness. Take a major step away, even for a couple of hours, from whatever battles you're facing, contemplate the greatness of the human spirit or the wonder of nature, and reawaken the creative energy that our fight-minded world suppresses.

So there you have it, four ways to generate great ideas under pressure. Where's your next big idea coming from? From your mind at peace, that's where!

About Michael Levin

New York Times best-selling author Michael Levin runs the "Books Are My Babies" YouTube channel, www.BooksAreMyBabies.com, a free resource of tutorial videos for writers. Levin has written more than 100 books, including eight national best-sellers; five that have been optioned for film or TV by Steven Soderbergh/Paramount, HBO, Disney, ABC, and others; and one that became "Model Behavior," an ABC Sunday night Disney movie of the week.