28 Apr 2015

Branstad highlights success of new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System

By Office of the Governor of the State of Iowa

(PLEASANT HILL, Iowa) - Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad today highlighted the success of the innovative new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System (TLC) at Southeast Polk Junior High School during his weekly press conference. The press conference occurred following the last of three visits with school districts this month to learn how they are using TLC to raise student achievement and raise the status of the teaching profession. The TLC discussion at Southeast Polk followed visits to the Benton and Rock Valley school districts. Southeast Polk is one of the 39 school districts across the state launching the first year of the TLC program.

"As we visit with school districts engaged in the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System, which is the centerpiece of Iowa's landmark 2013 education reform package, we're hearing that better utilizing teacher expertise and creating more time for collaboration is transforming instruction," said Branstad. "Though much work lies ahead, we know that teacher leadership will drive the other reforms needed to give Iowa students a world-class education and revitalize the teaching profession."

Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who participated in the roundtables in both Rock Valley and Benton school districts, was unable to attend the Southeast Polk roundtable discussion because she is leading a trade mission to Brazil.

"We have more people in leadership positions, which creates more time to get things done," said Rock Valley Community School Superintendent Chad Janzen about why TLC is helping to transform instruction in his district of 840 students.

The TLC system was launched with 39 school districts that enroll about one-third of Iowa's students. Seventy-six additional school districts, representing another third of Iowa student enrollment, will join the program next school year (2015-2016). All 338 school districts will have the option of joining the TLC system by the 2016-2017 school year. When fully phased in, the program will cost about $150 million annually, and much of the funding will be used to increase teacher leaders' salaries and attract more individuals to the teaching profession by offering more competitive starting salaries.

"I'm optimistic that within a few years every school district in Iowa will be part of TLC, which is the most comprehensive teacher leadership system in the country," said Iowa Department of Education Deputy Director Ryan Wise, who oversees the TLC system for the state. "This exciting work is about supporting teachers to do their best work so that our students can do their best work."

Branstad concluded by saying, "Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I believe that every Iowa child deserves a globally competitive education, and we know that starts with great teaching in every classroom. The Teacher Leadership and Compensation System is working to ensure we're attracting the best and brightest to the classroom."

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24 Apr 2015

Local Residents Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

By Hannah Breaux

BATON ROUGE, LA (04/23/2015)(readMedia)-- The following local residents recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Kaitlyn Dvorak of Bettendorf (52722) initiated at Iowa State University

Marvin Smith of Muscatine (52761) initiated at Iowa State University

Mia Kavensky of Rock Island (61201) initiated at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Amy Meyer of Eldridge (52748) initiated at University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Stacy Clark of Riverdale (52722) initiated at University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Karen Newlon of Hampton (61256) initiated at University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Thao Tran of Davenport (52806) initiated at Western Illinois University

Bridget Osborn of Blue Grass (52726) initiated at Western Illinois University

Alessandra Faggionato of Davenport (52801) initiated at Western Illinois University

Corey James of Davenport (52806) initiated at Western Illinois University

Casey Stone of DeWitt (52742) initiated at Western Illinois University

Caitlen O'Day of Eldridge (52748) initiated at Western Illinois University

Ashton Driscoll of Coal Valley (61240) initiated at Western Illinois University

Ju Huang of Moline (61265) initiated at Western Illinois University

Noelle Ebert of Moline (61265) initiated at Western Illinois University

Joseph McKinney of Rock Island (61201) initiated at Western Illinois University

These residents are among approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine and headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society. The Society has chapters on more than 300 college and university campuses in North America and the Philippines. Its mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."

More About Phi Kappa Phi

Since its founding, more than 1.25 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist David Baldacci and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. The Society has awarded approximately $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, more than $1 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org.

24 Apr 2015

Local students participate in alternative spring break trip

By Anne Bassett

Madeline LaPage of Eldridge (52748) Atlanta, Ga., as part of the trip "Degrees of Separation: Public Health in Atlanta - Addressing Public Health and Community Development Issues" sponsored in part by the UI Food For Thought Theme Semester.

Alexander McCammant of Eldridge (52748) Dallas, Texas, as part of the trip "Bridging the Cultural Divide between Health and Care - Addressing Public Health Issues."

Donte Nesbitt of Rock Island (61201) Dallas, Texas, as part of the trip "Bridging the Cultural Divide between Health and Care - Addressing Public Health Issues."

Bailey Carroll of Bettendorf (52722) Dallas, Texas, as part of the trip "Bridging the Cultural Divide between Health and Care - Addressing Public Health Issues."

Anthony Yang of Bettendorf (52722) Kansas City, Mo., as part of the Presidential Scholars Program sponsored by Honors at Iowa.

Ellen Reeder of Davenport (52801) Memphis, Tenn., as part of the trip "Mindsets behind Movements - Addressing Social Determinants of Health" sponsored by UI Dance Marathon.

Emily Braught of Bettendorf (52722) Pittsburg, Pa., as part of the trip "Creativity in Curriculum: The Importance of Art in Education" sponsored by UI Residence Education.

Gina Chieffo of Bettendorf (52722) Pittsburg, Pa., as part of the trip "Creativity in Curriculum: The Importance of Art in Education" sponsored by UI Residence Education.

Ethan Duong of Davenport (52801) Pittsburg, Pa., as part of the trip "Creativity in Curriculum: The Importance of Art in Education" sponsored by UI Residence Education.

Alison Moss of Muscatine (52761) Pittsburg, Pa., as part of the trip "Creativity in Curriculum: The Importance of Art in Education" sponsored by UI Residence Education.

Janita Pegram of Davenport (52801) Pittsburg, Pa., as part of the trip "Creativity in Curriculum: The Importance of Art in Education" sponsored by UI Residence Education.

Ismenia Castelan of Muscatine (52761) St. Louis, Mo., as part of the trip "Learn today. Lead Tomorrow: Exploring Educational Equity" sponsored by the UI Center for Diversity & Enrichment & TRiO Student Support Services programs.

Addison DeMarr of Davenport (52801) St. Louis, Mo., as part of the trip "Learn today. Lead Tomorrow: Exploring Educational Equity" sponsored by the UI Center for Diversity & Enrichment & TRiO Student Support Services programs.

A total of nine Hawkeye Service Teams (approximately 130 students) headed out across the country on trips promoting service learning, social justice, and community building.

The Alternative Spring Break Program is supported and coordinated by the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL). The UI is one of only a few alternative break programs in the country to also require students to participate in a common academic course as part of the experience.

23 Apr 2015

Iowa State Education Association delivers more than 2,000 messages to the Capitol

By Jean Hessburg

Education groups hold "off-site" lobby day to demonstrate public support for increased education funding

DES MOINES, IA (04/22/2015)(readMedia)-- The Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) delivered more than 2,000 email messages today to Governor Branstad and House Republican Leaders from educators, parents, and community members in support of increased education funding.

In a special "off-site" lobbying effort, the ISEA joined with education coalition partners in calling for messages to be delivered through Wednesday, April 22, from wherever people could manage. Whether at home, work, or going to the Capitol, messages to legislators need to be heard.

The ISEA received email messages to a special LobbyDay@isea.org site set up to receive them. The messages were printed and hand delivered to Governor Branstad, House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, and Representative Chuck Soderberg.

Education Coalition partners -- including Iowa Association of School Boards, School Administrators of Iowa, Area Education Agencies, Urban Education Network of Iowa, and Rural School Advocates -- all held a lobby day today. Messages from members of those organizations will be delivered to Governor Branstad and legislative leaders as well.

"The tremendous amount of communication the ISEA received from our members and from other citizens across the state in support of increased education funding sends a very clear message to those legislators who are withholding funding. They need to listen to the people," said ISEA president Tammy Wawro. "So many messages written on behalf of students and our schools means there is an overwhelming amount of support for increased funding for public education. House Republicans need to stop playing politics and remember who they work for - the people of Iowa," added Wawro.

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The ISEA is a private, professional organization made up of over 34,000 educators who are dedicated to promoting and preserving public education for all Iowa students.

23 Apr 2015

Education Task Force and Commission members deliver letter to Governor Branstad and Legislature

By Jean Hessburg

Teacher Leadership and Compensation funds being counted in grand total for basic school services

DES MOINES, IA (04/22/2015)(readMedia)-- Members of the Task Force on Teacher Leadership and Compensation and the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation delivered a letter to Governor Terry Branstad and Members of the Iowa Legislature reminding them of the parameters of the Teacher Leadership and Compensation funding.

It has become clear through the long debate over Supplemental State Aid (SSA) this legislative session that the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System (TLC) funds are being counted in a grand total for basic school services. This accounting implies a greater level of budget support for basic funding than actually exists. TLC funds are not to be used for anything other than the TLC program and to count them toward a general fund is irresponsible and misleading.

"House Republicans have declared their education budget total at $100 million which actually includes $50 million from the TLC program. So, in reality, only $50 million of that total goes to basic general funding in our schools. That was not the intent of the TLC dollars, nor is it honest accounting," said Mary Jane Cobb, ISEA Executive Director, and a member of both the Task Force on Teacher Leadership and Compensation and the Commission on Educator Leadership.

"The Teacher Leadership funding is allocated only to schools that have been approved in the application process for very specific uses--and not all districts receive these funds. TLC is a special initiative, and should not detract from the resources provided to schools to meet the basic services to our students," said Lisa Bartusek, Executive Director of the Iowa Association of School Boards and Member of the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation.

"We have fully supported the TLC program every step along the way, but never envisioned that funding this initiative would sacrifice basic school funding. Our schools are a worthy investment of taxpayer dollars, to keep up with the basic costs of doing school business and to improve instruction," added Lew Finch, Executive Director, of the Urban Education Network of Iowa.

Thirty members of both the Task Force on Teacher Leadership and Compensation and the Commission on Educator Leadership signed the letter to Governor Branstad and the Legislature. The letter makes clear that the funds going into the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System (TLC), a three-year phase-in program aimed at elevating positions in schools to meaningful and well-designed leadership and collaborative opportunities by cultivating and utilizing the expertise of educators, are kept separate and apart from the general education funds.

Members of the task force and the commission include members from the Iowa Public Education Coalition, a group of the state's largest education organizations, which includes the Iowa State Education Association, Iowa Association of School Boards, the School Administrators of Iowa, the Iowa Area Education Agencies, the Urban Education Network of Iowa and the Rural Schools Advocates of Iowa.

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View Online: http://readme.readmedia.com/Education-Task-Force-and-Commission-members-deliver-letter-to-Governor-Branstad-and-Legislature/10816315

Attachments

22 Apr 2015

Nicholas Jansen has received the Dean's Award from Northern Illinois University

By Brad Hoey

DEKALB, IL (04/21/2015)(readMedia)-- Nicholas Jansen of East Moline, Illinois has received the Dean's Award from the Northern Illinois University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Jansen is a Senior Meteorology major earning a B.S. degree.

The Dean's Award (a separate honor from the Dean's List) was designed to recognize Seniors who have made significant contributions to their academic departments. To qualify for this award, Jansen was required to have completed at least 90 semester hours, have a minimum 3.0 grade point average, and receive a nomination from a faculty member based on service to the department.

Chartered in 1895, NIU first opened its doors as the Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1899 as a teachers college. The university has grown since into a world-class, research-focused public institution that attracts students from across Illinois, the country and the world.

22 Apr 2015

Smiddy Sponsors Bills Granting Tuition Waiver for Children of Wounded Veterans

By Paul Ferrero
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Continuing his effort to support veterans, service members and their families, state Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, is cosponsoring legislation that exempts the children of wounded veterans from paying portions of tuition at Illinois public universities.
"Illinois sends thousands of brave men and women to serve in the military, and each year too many return with wounds that will continue to affect their lives," Smiddy said. "Illinois should be certain that we stand behind the families that defend our nation."
Smiddy is sponsoring House Bill 3476 to grant a tuition waiver at public universities in Illinois for the sons or daughters of wounded veterans. The percent of tuition waived is based on the severity of injuries, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs' determination of disability. The tuition waiver is valid for 124 credit hours as long as the student remains in good academic standing at the state institution.
"Too often, veterans return from their service with injuries that can have a negative financial impact for their family, and these restrictions can reduce their ability to put their children through school," Smiddy said. "This bill will help honor the sacrifice of Illinois' veterans by helping them give their children the education they deserve."
House Bill 3476 passed the Illinois House with bipartisan support and now awaits consideration in the Senate.
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22 Apr 2015

Brittany Uitermarkt inducted into Eta Sigma Delta at Iowa State University

By Carole Custer

AMES, IA (04/21/2015)(readMedia)-- Brittany Uitermarkt was inducted into Eta Sigma Delta on Thursday, April 2, in a ceremony following dinner held in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom, in MacKay Hall. Uitermarkt, from Long Grove, Iowa, is a junior studying event management at Iowa State University in the College of Human Sciences.

Eta Sigma Delta is an international honor society that recognizes exceptional academic achievement among event and hospitality students. Undergraduate students who hold a 3.0 minimum grade point average or are in the top 20% of their class are eligible for this distinction. Uitermarkt was one of twenty-one undergraduates inducted this spring.

22 Apr 2015

Kaitlin Clevenger elected to executive office in the Iowa State University Event Management Club

By Carole Custer

AMES, IA (04/21/2015)(readMedia)-- Kaitlin Clevenger has been elected to serve as secretary in the Iowa State University Event Management Club during the 2015-2016 academic year. Clevenger, of Davenport, Iowa (52803), is a junior studying event management in the College of Human Sciences and the apparel, events, and hospitality management department.

The Event Management Club is a student-run organization committed to professional and personal development for students interested in the events industry.

21 Apr 2015

4 Ways Parents Can Promote Positive Behavior In School

By Ginny Grimsley
Black Students Are Often Punished Disproportionately, But There Are Steps For Addressing That,
School Psychologist Says It's the kind of moment that causes a parent to cringe - or even panic.

Word arrives from school that the parent's child is in trouble. Maybe it was a minor offense and the student simply faced a trip to the office. But maybe a suspension or expulsion is in the near future, leaving the parents wondering whether they could have done something before the situation became so dire.

Before parents beat themselves up too much, though, they should remember that student discipline isn't always a clear-cut thing, says Renae Azziz, founder and director of Virtuoso Education Consulting (www.virtuosoed.com), which provides professional development training to teachers and school district leaders.

"The reasons students are sent to the office are not always well defined," says Azziz, a school psychologist. "So-called problem behaviors are often too subjective, which leads to different teachers having different perceptions and definitions of what a problem behavior is."

The situation can be especially frustrating for the parents of these students. Numerous studies have shown that African-American students are more likely than their white peers to be severely punished for their transgressions.

Cultural misunderstandings between teachers and students often are at the core of those disproportionate punishments, Azziz says. When there is a mismatch between what the teacher sees as acceptable behavior and the student's view, problems can surface.

Teachers can learn to account for those cultural differences through explicit and ongoing training focused on culture. But there are also steps all parents can take that will go a long way in helping their children understand the school's expectations, Azziz says.

She offers these tips:

•  Educate yourself. Parents should read the school's discipline handbook and become familiar with the expectations for behavior in their child's school. That way parents will have a clearer understanding of the rules and can discuss them with the child. Handbooks lay out all kinds of information, such as what constitutes bullying or how unexcused absences affect participation in extracurricular activities. "Knowing and talking about the rules can help you head off problems," Azziz says.

•  Positive reinforcement at home. Parents can set up positive ways to acknowledge their student for doing the right thing at home that connect to the behavior expectations at school. Children usually respond better to positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement, so praise at home for correct behavior can translate into good behavior in the classroom.

•  Learn the rules face to face. Early in the school year, parents should meet with their child's teacher and principal to define and clarify behavior expectations and discuss how you will communicate with each other. Often, email is a good way to communicate with teachers because they can read and respond to the correspondence after class is over for the day. But find out what the teacher prefers. Good communication can help the parent and the teacher work together to make sure behavior expectations are understood and followed.

•  Championing the child. A parent should be the child's advocate. "After all, if you aren't in your child's corner, who is?" she asks. But that doesn't mean taking the attitude: My child is always right. "You will need to be fair and balanced," Azziz says.

About Renae Azziz

Renae Azziz is the Founder and Director of Virtuoso Education Consulting (www.virtuosoed.com). She and her team of consultants support educators nationally in the areas of Response-to-Intervention, Data-Based Decision Making, Assessment, Positive Behavior Support, and Culturally Responsive Practices. Before starting Virtuoso Education Consulting, Renae practiced as a school psychologist in Indiana. Renae also worked on grants funded by the Indiana Department of Education supporting Indiana's Initiatives on Response to Intervention, Culturally Responsive PBIS, and Minority Disproportionality in Special Education. She was appointed by former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to the Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services. Renae's degrees include an Ed.S. in School Psychology, an M.S. in Educational Psychology, and a B.A. with honors in Psychology, all from Indiana University. She is working towards completion of her Doctorate in Education at The Johns Hopkins University

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