(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today were joined by Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck to highlight the progress made under the landmark education reform package of 2013.

"Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I are pleased with the progress being made to restore Iowa's leadership position in education following the landmark reform package signed last year, but we know all parties - our administration, the Legislature and local school districts - must be held accountable to maximize our success," said Branstad. "We have a shared responsibility to give our children the best education in the nation.  Iowa's schools are transforming.  As they transform, the state stands ready to assist districts with further implementation to ensure success while we prepare our students for college or career training after high school."

Branstad, Reynolds and Buck highlighted and provided updates for the following portions of education reform:

1) Teacher leadership and compensation system

More than 100 school districts have begun the application process to enter the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System, which aims to transform learning in schools by better utilizing the expertise of top teachers to strengthen the teaching around them.

More than one-third of the school districts in Iowa are expected to submit a plan prior to the deadline on Jan. 31.

The Iowa Department of Education is working closely with the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation to develop an equitable selection process.  The goal is to ensure a rigorous selection bar for districts that receive funding and enter the system in the first year and also to ensure that the districts entering in year one reflect the diversity of the size and geography of Iowa's schools.  All school districts will have the option of entering the system over the next three years.

2) Update on taskforces

The Council on Educator Development was created to recommend statewide systems for evaluating teachers and school administrators. The council has met three times and will reconvene on Feb. 13. To date, the council has engaged in conversations that define the legislative language in HF 215 as it pertains to the council's primary task, has examined data around current evaluation practices in Iowa districts, and has reviewed the Iowa Teaching Standards in comparison to national standards known as the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium Standards.

Iowa schools are still required by law to administer the Iowa Assessments for accountability purposes; however, the Legislature created the Assessment Task Force to study testing options for the future. This task force has met three times and is on track to make a recommendation as early as this fall. So far, the task force has defined the scope of its work based on requirements in House File 215, completed a request for information from all major test vendors in Iowa and nationally to identify assessments that would meet those legislative requirements, and is building a mechanism to rate those potential assessments.

3) Year-long student teaching pilot

Five higher education institutions applied for the student teaching pilot project, which will provide students in participating teacher preparation programs with a one-year student teaching experience. Student teachers in Iowa currently train typically for 14 consecutive weeks.

All three regents universities and two privates colleges, Morningside College and Dordt College, applied for the project. The awards went to the University of Northern Iowa and Dordt College.

The Iowa Department of Education is now developing the award documents in order to disburse the money and establish the reporting, communication and accountability procedures.

4) TeachIowa.gov job postings

All 346 public school districts and nine area education agencies have access to TeachIowa.gov, a new statewide education job posting system. There are 23 nonpublic schools or school systems using TeachIowa.gov.  Each Catholic Diocese and five higher education institutions are posting jobs or are set up to post jobs.

By the numbers:

•             More than 2,000 jobs have been posted since the system was launched.

•             There are currently 1,486 jobs posted to TeachIowa.gov.

•             There are 3,500 applications in the TeachIowa.gov system.

5) Iowa Learning Online

The education reform package includes an expansion of Iowa Learning Online, a state-run system that has provided high-quality courses online and through the Iowa Communications Network since 2004. The goal is to provide a full array of course options, including language arts, social studies, math, science, health, physical education, fine arts, foreign language, and vocational education online.  The Iowa Department of Education should have most of these options available in the fall.

Lt. Gov. Reynolds took the opportunity to highlight the Teach Iowa Scholar Program, which was also part of the education reform package of 2013. The program is designed to provide tuition reimbursement to top students who commit to teach in Iowa schools for five years.

"Governor Branstad and I believe the key to a quality education is having an excellent teacher in every classroom. In Iowa, we're fortunate to have excellent teachers in every corner of the state," said Reynolds. "The Teach Iowa Scholar Program aims to attract more top students into the teaching profession and into hard-to-fill positions - such as math, science and special education. This program will benefit K-12 students, school districts and the teaching profession as a whole."

Starting with the Class of 2014, subject to an appropriation, selected teachers will receive $4,000 a year for up to five years - $20,000 total - for teaching in Iowa schools.

Reynolds concluded, "We have high expectations given the recent reforms adopted and the collaborative work under way by the Iowa Department of Education, area education agencies, school districts, the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, and higher education institutions to reach the goal of giving Iowa children a world-class education. Iowans know we must chart a path that makes steady progress possible on every measure."

###

Jordan Catholic School

"Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service"

Sunday--- January 26, 2014- Communities of Parish Faith

• 8^th graders are invited to visit Alleman High School for an Open House from 12:00-2:00

• Jordan students will participate at a Sunday mass in each of our supporting parishes.

Monday---January 27, 2014-Our Heritage

• Students in Grades 6, 7, & 8 are invited to Alleman High School for Mass at 9:40

• Former Jordan students will be invited to visit classes during the day to share their school experiences with the students.

• Students may wear "Comfy/Cozy" clothes of sweatpants and sweatshirts

Tuesday----January 28, 2014-Community of Service

• Living Rosary in gym at 8:30 for all grades

• Each grade level will donate items to community organizations and facilities, such as the animal shelter, homeless and battered women shelters. In addition, all students will bring cans of food for the St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry.

• Home and School Book Fair- 2:45-3:45pm

Wednesday-----January 29, 2014-Community of School Faith

• Dress up day- Students will dress in "Colors of the Faith"- Gr. PS, K, &1- yellow (for God's perfect light), Gr. 2 & 3- white (for purity), Gr. 4- green (for new life in Jesus), Gr. 5 & 6- blue (for baptism into God's family), Gr. 7 & 8- red (for the blood Jesus shed)

• 1:30 Mass with Fr. Freehill at St. Pius Church. Parishioners are invited.

• Home and School Book Fair-1:00-3:00pm

Thursday-----January 30, 2014- Community of Knowledge

• Open House for parents and prospective families from 10:00-11:00

• Parents may take their children to lunch from 11:00-12:15

• Parents invited to classrooms to speak on their careers

• Gr. 6, 7, & 8 will have speakers on religious life and career topics from 1:15-3:00

• Open House for parents of preschoolers 4 Yr.-AM & PM- 5 day & 3 Yr. AM & PM-10:00 and 2:00

• Home and School Book Fair

Friday-------January 31, 2014- Community of Believers

• Open House for parents of preschoolers 4 Yr. AM- 3 day-10:00

• Movie afternoon- Each teacher or grade level will select a movie to share with their class. Treats will be provided by the teachers.

• Students may wear jeans and non-uniform shirts

• Home and School Book Fair-8:30-1:30 and 2:30-3:30pm

Saturday---February 1, 2014

• Home and School Basket Raffle will be held this evening from 5:00-9:00pm at Farrell Hall. Basket Raffle drawing begins at 7:30pm.

NORTHFIELD, MN (01/17/2014)(readMedia)-- Marci Sortor, Dean and Provost of St. Olaf College, has named Joseph Dickens from Bettendorf to the St. Olaf College Dean's list for the Fall 2013 semester. Dickens is a Mathematics major. He is a graduate of Bettendorf High School and the son of Dan Dickens and Jayne Rose.

The Dean's list recognizes students with a semester grade point average of 3.75 or higher on a 4-point scale. Dean Sortor stated, "These students have distinguished themselves among a talented and highly qualified student body. We celebrate their success in gaining recognition for academic excellence."

St. Olaf College

As one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges, St. Olaf College offers an academically rigorous education with a vibrant faith tradition as a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. St. Olaf prepares students to become responsible citizens of the world by fostering the development of mind, body, and spirit. Widely known for its programs in mathematics, the natural sciences, and music, St. Olaf also provides dynamic opportunities for interdisciplinary study. Committed to global education, more than three-quarters of St. Olaf students participate in off-campus study programs. Over the years, St. Olaf College has been a national leader among liberal arts colleges in producing Rhodes Scholars, Fulbright Fellows, and Peace Corps volunteers.

Players step off the ice and into the classroom to encourage students to excel

Davenport, IA - The entire Mallards' team is volunteering at five schools in the Rock Island/Milan and Davenport School districts to encourage grade-level students to play a more active role in their education. There are 18 volunteers in total, including the front office staff.

Each school has one team of volunteers who started visiting them in December and will continue to volunteer once a month for one hour. The schools they are visiting are Hayes, Monroe and Eisenhower in Davenport and Frances Willard and the Rock Island Center for Math & Science in Rock Island.

The volunteers spend one-on-one time with a group of students and discuss the importance of education and reading.

"We're grateful to the Mallards organization and the players for undertaking this meaningful volunteer opportunity," said United Way president Scott Crane. "Approximately 75% of the team's players have gone to college, so they are excellent role models for local students. We look forward to coordinating more volunteer opportunities in the community like this one that are making real impact in the Quad Cities."

"We are very thankful we have this chance to work together with the United Way to provide a positive message for the students at each of these schools through our players' experiences and example," said Mallards president Bob McNamara. "Work ethic, goal-setting and responsibility are some of the key elements that have enabled our players to succeed both in becoming professional hockey players and during their days in the classroom and they look forward to sharing what they've learned about the value of those attributes with students."

You're invited to see the volunteer opportunity in action.

When: Tuesday, January 21 at 1:30pm

Locations:

Frances Willard - 2503 9th St., Rock Island, IL

Rock Island Center for Math & Science - 2101-6th Ave., Rock Island, IL

Eisenhower Elementary School - 2827 Jersey Ridge Rd, Davenport, IA

About the Quad City Mallards

A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards in the midst of their seventeenth season and their fourth in the Central Hockey League.  One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League in 2009-10.  The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record.  In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched.  The iWireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club.  For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.com.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/quadcitymallards.