Chicago Games in Education Forum - State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits

Sponsored by Chicago School Supply and Games for Educators

State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits

Saturday, November 22, 2008 Program

Teacher Golden Game Awards – sponsored by Games for Educators and Jax Games
Send your nominations for an educator using games in the classroom to mary@gamesforeducators.com. The winning educator will be announced at the Games in Education Forum and will win a box of games for their classroom. Deadline November 21st.


Games in Education Forum:
Saturday November 22nd, 1 pm – 6 pm – You are our Guest!

As an Approved State of Illinois CPDU Provider, this Forum will provide professional development seminars on how and why to use games in the curriculum. Professional educators, parent educators, administrators, and future educators are all invited to attend. Topics include but are not limited to:

· Why games are good for the brain
· How to evaluate games for their educational potential
· How others are integrating games into their educational programs
· How to differentiate instruction using games
· How games evolve to match developmental levels from early childhood to adulthood
· Practical exercise in evaluating and using games in the curriculum


SCHEDULE OF PRESENTERS

1:00 Michael Ockrim, Chicago School Supply, welcome and opening remarks

1:30 Games and Teachers - Ways to Use Games in the Classroom
Presented by Patrick Matthews, Publisher, GamesforEducation.com and Live Oak Games

2:00 Presentation of Golden Game Award sponsored by JAX Games
Games that help meet your curriculum goals
Presented by Barb Olson of JAX games

2:30 The Benefits of Block Play in K-12 Classrooms
Presented by Ben Takemori, Kapla Master Builder

3:00 Out of the Box – Games how to use games effectively in the classroom.
Presented by Pat Fuge of Gnome Games for Out of the Box Publishing

3:30 The Benefits of Chess on Academic Performance and Creative Thinking.
Presented by Jorge Barrera, the Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation

4:00 Feed Your Head. How the human brain actually develops from pre-natal to middle-age and beyond and the way in which board games stimulate neurological growth.
Presented by Graeme Thomson, Director, HL Games USA Ltd.

4:30 Peanut Butter and Jelly: Math in the Games
Presented by Kay Emerson, President & Founder of Zillio

Join the testing and curriculum evaluation team

Copernicus Educational Products, Inc. is seeking a few good educators!

At Copernicus, it is thier mission to better understand the needs of educators rightdown to the littlest detail. Every year Copernicus has the pleasure of working with teachers from all across North America, within a wide range of specialties.

Join the team!

Be a part ot their testing and curriculum evaluation team or simply provide feedback from time to time. Send an email to info@copernicused.com with your name, email address, mailing address and phone number. Be sure to include what you teach today or have taught in the past, as well as that you are a fan of SchooDoodle.com!

Members of the testing and evaluation team are compensated for their time and effort, so do not delay...join today!

Thank you!

To the current Copernicus team of educators, we thank you for all of your input, ideas and feedback, we wouldn't be here without you;

Carol Schenk, Wendy Fallis, Beth Leibovitz, Jessica Meacham, Eva Pacitti, Manon Lavigne, Pamela Vigna, Tiffany Stewary, Pauline Tetley, Deana Spencer, Stacy Cervone, Pina Hackman, Cheryl McCabe, Marilyn Acheson.

Professional Educators and Parents Invited to Attend 'Games in Education Forum' November 22, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2008

Contact:
Mike Ockrim
Chicago School Supply
mike@chicagoschoolsupply.com
(866) 648 2668

Professional Educators and Parents Invited to Attend 'Games in Education Forum' November 22, 2008

Free Educational Forum Co-Sponsored by Chicago School Supply and Games for Educators is a State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits Event.

Chicago- Parents, teachers and school administrators who want to learn how to incorporate games into the learning process are encouraged to attend the Games in Education Forum a free event taking place on Saturday November 22 from 1-6pm at Navy Pier's Festival Hall A. Participants in this educational event will attend professional development seminars on how and why to use games in the curriculum. Chicago School Supply CEO Mike Ockrim a presenter and is co-sponsoring this event with Games for Educators. "Creative play has always been an important teaching tool and I think this forum will help anyone interested in learning how to incorporate fun learning in their classrooms and homes" says Ockrim.

Other forum presenters include Ben Takemori, a Kapla Master Builder; Barbara Olsen of Jax Games; Pat Fuge of Out of the Box Publishing; representatives from Renaissance Knights Chess Organization; Graeme Thomson, a columnist for Games for Educators and Director of HL Games; and Patrick Matthews, Publisher of Games for Educators and President of Live Oak Games. Speakers will be presenting such topics as why games are good for the brain, how to evaluate games for their educational potential and demonstrate how some teachers are already integrating games into their educational programs.

"This event is not limited to teachers. We hope to see parents, school administrators and future educators benefit from this information" says Ockrim. Admission to the Games in Education Forum is free and open to the public but a reservation is required . To make a reservation, email mary@gamesforeducators.com or call 847-677-8277 with your name and your school to reserve your seat.

Chicago School Supply, http://www.chicagoschoolsupply.com/, serves public and private school administrators, principals, teachers and parents throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Their online retail store, http://www.schoodoodle.com/ and their weblog, http://www.schoodoodle.com/blog/ are resources for teachers and home schoolers seeking tips, free lesson plans, articles and educational materials.

Games for Educators is a Web site provided by the Chicago Toy & Game Fair and Live Oak Games to promote the use of games in education. Visit their site at http://www.gamesforeducators.com/ for more information.

Parents Pull Kids from Day Care as Money Tightens

The nation's economic troubles play out one family at a time at the New Horizons Learning Center in this struggling city two hours northwest of Chicago.

Some parents have been laid off and must pull their children out of the day care center until they can find a job. Others' employment hours have been cut, so they reduce their kids' attendance to a few days a week.

Financial strains prompt one mother to pay with a postdated check. Another chooses to work in the middle of the night—after putting her kids to bed—because of the extra dollar per hour that shift brings. And the stress shows on the faces of the children who can't understand why their friends, without explanation, stop coming.

Parents nationwide are telling day care providers they must scale back or abandon their services. Instead, they keep kids at home with grandparents or upend their work-life balance because gas and food prices have become prohibitive and average child care costs outpace rent and mortgage payments—even for those drawing salaries.

View the complete article.
(USA Today 11.08.08)

Chicago Toy and Game Fair - Games in Education Forum

Sponsored by Chicago School Supply and Games for Educators
State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits
Saturday, November 22, 2008 Program

Teacher Golden Game Awards – sponsored by Games for Educators and Jax Games
Send your nominations for an educator using games in the classroom to mary@gamesforeducators.com. The winning educator will be announced at the Games in Education Forum and will win a box of games for their classroom. Deadline November 17th.

Games in Education Forum - Saturday November 22nd, 1 pm – 6 pm – You are our Guest!As an Approved State of Illinois CPDU Provider, this Forum will provide professional development seminars on how and why to use games in the curriculum. Professional educators, parent educators, administrators, and future educators are all invited to attend. Topics include but are not limited to:

· Why games are good for the brain
· How to evaluate games for their educational potential
· How others are integrating games into their educational programs
· How to differentiate instruction using games
· How games evolve to match developmental levels from early childhood to adulthood
· Practical exercise in evaluating and using games in the curriculum

Presenters include Michael Ockrim of Chicago School Supply, Ben Takemori – Kapla Master Builder, Barbara Olsen of Jax Games, Pat Fuge for Out of the Box Publishing, Renaissance Knights Chess Organization, Graeme Thomson, columnist for Games for Educators and Director HL Games and Patrick Matthews, Publisher of Games for Educators and President of Live Oak Games.

Admission to the Forum and Chicago Toy and Game Fair (info below) is also complimentary (you are our guest and there is a $2 coupon on the website for friends and family), but a reservation is required for the Forum. Please email mary@gamesforeducators.com or call 847-677-8277 with your name and your school to reserve your seat.

Events For Students:

WorldBee on Stage Saturday November 22nd at 2 pm

Young Inventor Challenge – Registration Extended to November 17th
The winning inventor will be featured in Inventor’s Digest, receive a year’s subscription from Inventor’s Digest, a box of games and lunch for her/him and their family with Mike Hirtle, Head of Global Product Acquisition and Inventor Relations at Hasbro, Dave Okada, Vice President, Inventor Relations at Mattel and Chip Voigt, President of Fundex. What inventor wouldn't want such an opportunity! And they, as well as other industry executives, will be reviewing all toy and game inventions in the Challenge!

Chicago Toy and Game Fair, Chi-TAG
Preview, play and purchase the hottest new toys and games from around the world. Raffles, tournaments, prizes, live entertainment, NASCAR, Star Wars Character Breakfast, Dynamite Girls Fashion Doll Breakfast, Young Inventors' Challenge (great prizes), the 501st Legion, costumed characters, toy drive and events for all ages.

Visit the Chicago School Supply booth to play with the newest craze - Flubber! We will also have our large sandboxes full of MoonSand available to play in, as well as the popular InstaSnow!!

Navy Pier's Festival Hall A on Saturday and Sunday, November 22nd and 23rd, 10am-6pm. $10 per adult, $5 per child 13 and under, free for ages 3 and under, educators and Scouts in uniform. $10 off parking coupons available at event. For more information: www.chitag.com or 847-677-8277.

Students In Major Cities Perform Better Compared to International Peers

Students in six major U.S. cities are performing on par or better in mathematics than their peers in other countries in grades 4 and 8, according to a new study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR).

However, students from five other major cities are not faring as well, and overall, U.S. student performance in mathematics falls off from elementary to middle school grades — and remains behind many industrialized nations, particularly Asian nations.

The report, Counting on the Future: International Benchmarks in Mathematics for American School Districts, offers the first comparison between students from large U.S. cities and their international peers. The study compares U.S. 4th grade students with their counterparts in 24 countries and 8th grade students with peers in 45 countries.

“If you are a student today competing for jobs, the good jobs will not go to the best in your graduating class - they will go to the best in the world,” said Dr. Gary W. Phillips, a Chief Scientist with AIR and the lead author of the report.

Dr. Phillips presented his findings on Thursday, October, 23, 2008 at the annual fall conference of the Council of the Great City Schools in Houston, Texas. He served as the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education from 1999 – 2002, and is nationally known for his expertise in large-scale assessments and complex surveys.

The study found that students in grades 4 and 8 from Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Houston, New York and San Diego performed better or on par with their peers in other countries. Students from Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, the District of Columbia and Los Angeles performed below the international average.

When comparing students who are “proficient” on two math benchmarks, the United States places higher than the international average at grade 4 and grade 8. However, the nation’s performance overall was significantly lower than that for Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Japan and the Flemish portion of Belgium at grade 4; for grade 8, the nation’s students also had fallen behind the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands and Hungary.

“Large urban cities are intimately connected to the nations of the world,” said Dr. Phillips. “Large international corporations locate their businesses in our cities, foreign students attend our schools and our own businesses export goods and services to foreign nations. Large urban cities need to know how their students stack up against their peers in the nations with which we do business.”

To view the complete study, click here.
Source: The American Institutes for Research

Report Reveals High Parent Frustration with America's High Schools

Parents across America share high hopes for their children's academic success and many know their involvement is vital.

But parents with students in low-performing high schools say their schools don't give them the tools and information they need to be more effective in helping their students succeed, according to a national report released.

"One Dream, Two Realities: Perspectives of Parents on America's High Schools," by Civic Enterprises, and based on research conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, captures the views of parents of high school students in America's urban, suburban, and rural communities from diverse backgrounds and income levels.

The findings point to concrete steps that can improve parental engagement in schools and strengthen efforts to prepare all young people for success in college and the workplace. The report was commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"The critical role parents play in educating children is often a blind assumption or a target of attack," said John Bridgeland, president and CEO of Civic Enterprises and co-author of the report. "The findings of this report call for a halt to the blame game. This report disproves the prevailing myth that low-income parents are not interested in their children's academic success. The opposite is true. Parents, especially those with students trapped in low-income or low-performing schools, desperately want to be involved and want their students to succeed. What parents need is an access point—a way into schools—so they can become partners in helping students learn and achieve."

Many parents surveyed believe that schools should do a better job of reaching out to them or engaging them as partners, particularly parents of students in low-performing schools.

In fact, 80 percent of all parents surveyed, and 85 percent of parents of students in low-performing schools, believe parents should be involved as advocates for their children when it comes to picking courses and teachers.

The report reveals a stark contrast between the experiences of parents with students in low-performing schools and those with students in high-performing schools.

According to the survey:

-Only 15 percent of parents with students at low-performing schools feel that their school is doing a very good job challenging students, compared with 58 percent of parents with students in high-performing schools.

-Forty-seven percent of parents with students in low-performing schools said that their schools were doing a good job in encouraging parents to be involved compared to 85 percent of parents with students in high-performing schools.

-Twenty-five percent of parents with students in low-performing schools say that their school informed them about academic and disciplinary problems compared to more than half (53 percent) of parents with students in high-performing schools.

-Less than 20 percent of parents with students in low-performing schools believe schools do a very good job preparing their students across four categories: preparation for college; helping students develop confidence, maturity, and personal skills; developing a special talent; and preparing them for a good job. Half of parents with students in high-performing schools feel this way.

-Half of parents of students in low-performing schools said they felt welcomed in the schools compared to four out of five parents with students in high-performing schools.

Each year, more than one million students fail to graduate from high school on time. Research shows that when parents are involved, students perform better and are less likely to drop out.

Yet studies have shown that as students grow older, parents tend to become less involved with their children's academic lives due, in part, to unique barriers like difficulty in helping them with homework or lack of resources for parents of high school-aged students.

Source: Civic Enterprises, LLC

Science Evolves in Classroom

In the past six years, science has slipped as a priority in public schools while reading and mathematics have grown dominant.

But in coming years, experts say, the same federal law that elevated reading and math could spark a resurgence of science in the classroom.

The 2002 No Child Left Behind law required states to test students in science starting in the 2007-08 year, on top of reading and math assessments mandated from the start.

Virginia has given science tests since 1998, but the exams are new for Maryland and the District. (Separately, Maryland tests high school students in biology as a graduation requirement.)

To view the complete article, click here.

(The Washington Post 10.27.08)

Looking for FREE science fair resources? Visit ScienceFairSanity.com

TheApple.com joins forces with SchooDoodle.com

Exciting news for educators everywhere - TheApple.com has partnered with SchooDoodle.com to distribute free lesson plans for teachers and parents!

TheApple brings members of the education community together to support and advance the profession. TheApple provides resources to promote careers in education, while fostering a community with exclusive benefits where information about the education community is provided to the education community by the community itself.

SchooDoodle.com will be sharing new and innovative activities that can be used in the classroom. TheApple will help to spread the good news about these free classroom (and parent) activities by making them available in their Lesson Plan section.

Thank you for your continued support of SchooDoodle.com - we know that this new partnership will help to make your demanding profession a bit easier. Also, be sure to add our Lesson Plan widget located in the sidebar of our blog to your computer's desktop. The widget will automatically (and securely) upload free lesson plans to your CPU every time we add them to SchooDoodle!

Eco-friendly Schools Offer Students Fresh Lessons

On the outside, Great Seneca Creek Elementary School looks in Germantown, MD, much like any other. But inside, it is unmistakably green.

This was the first public school in Maryland to receive certification as "eco-friendly" — a concept catching on in schools around the nation.

Eco-friendly schools offer ways to save energy, improve air quality and educate students about the environment.

Great Seneca fifth-grader Eddie Graves explains it best. "It doesn't use as much water," he says, citing the waterless urinals and motion-activated faucets.

He's standing in the library, where a slanted ceiling helps light bounce off the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The U.S. Green Building Council, a private group, has certified or is considering certification for more than 1,000 schools around the country, most within the past few years, says the council's Taryn Holowka.

Other schools, such as Little Bennett Elementary in Clarksburg, MD have been built green but did not seek certification.

To view the complete article, click here.
(USA Today 10.19.08)

Free Lesson Plan for Teachers - The Story of Stuff

Are you looking to fill 20 minutes of class time with consumer information that is appropriate for both elementary and high school students, as well as applicable to science, economics, history, critical thinking and more?

Sounds too good to be true, right?

We recently watched the 20 minute video on The Story of Stuff website. Annie Leonard takes us from start to finish on where our stuff comes from, and more importantly, where it ends up.

The video is engaging, informative, and succinct. Annie unveils some startling facts about U.S. consumers and their relationships with the environment, other nations, and themselves.

Take 20 minutes and watch this fantastic video - it has over 4 million viewers and has won a SXSW Web Award! Then, find a way to share the video with your students. Your next class period will be choked full of heated discussion that engages each one of your students. They will surely have a thought on at least one of the facts presented.

Next, inspire your learners to explore the Story of Stuff website to identify ways that they can contribute less stuff to society!

States Act To Cushion Wall Street Meltdown

By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Cascading economic problems flowing from the crisis on Wall Street are forcing states to urgently redraw their financial blueprints for the rest of this year and next to cushion the impact of the credit squeeze, staggering paper losses for millions of ordinary Americans and soaring energy prices.

California, which just ended a record 85-day budget impasse, fears its newly-approved plan to balance its books is already $1 billion in the red.

Utah cut most state agency budgets by 3 percent in a Sept. 24 special session, and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) has rescinded a 3.2 percent pay raise for agency directors in his state.

In New York, the epicenter of the financial cataclysm, Gov. David Paterson (D) is laying the groundwork for a special legislative session to deal with conditions that he expects will add $1 billion to the state’s $6.4 billion deficit. New York, along with New Jersey and Connecticut, will be hard hit by the layoffs of thousands of financial industry employees – by some estimates, the financial sector accounts for as much as one-fifth of their revenues.

“The feeling in the states is that this is going to be a tough fiscal 2009, and 2010 is looking difficult,” said Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers.

The tidal wave of bad news comes on the heels of an already brutal budget year that forced states to dip into rainy day funds, implement hiring freezes and put off projects to collectively plug deficits of more than $40 billion in their fiscal 2009 budgets — triple the $13 billion shortfall they weathered the previous year.

Here’s a rundown of recent state action to deal with the financial emergency:

Florida: Lawmakers moved $672 million from reserves to chip away a projected $1.5 billion deficit for this year. That’s on top of the 4 percent cut Gov. Charlie Crist (R) imposed on all state agencies a day after he signed the new budget.

Hawaii: Gov. Linda Lingle (R) postponed selling $625 million in bonds, saying the state would get a better deal waiting. Some analysts expect the national downturn to lead to a recession in Hawaii as tourism has been hit hard.

Massachusetts: Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is mulling a special session and wants the Legislature to give him broader authority to make emergency budget cuts because tax collections are running $200 million less than a year ago.

Maryland: Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has directed state agencies to look for budget cuts of up to 5 percent to make a dent in a projected $1 billion deficit by 2010. The governor also is banking on voters Nov. 4 endorsing a ballot measure to legalize slots, a move that proponents say would bring the state $500 million.

Missouri: The turbulent credit market has prompted the state to drop its one-of-a-kind plan that would have combined the design and construction of 800 bridges into one contract.
Pennsylvania: Gov Ed Rendell (D) directed state agencies to reduce spending and eliminate out-of-state travel with the aim of cutting $200 million from this year’s budget.

Virginia: Facing an estimated $3 billion deficit over two years Gov. Tim Kaine (D) plans to start cutting next month and legislators will review the cuts in January.

To read Stateline.org's complete article, click here.
Stateline.org gave permission to reprint a portion of this article.

Financial Crisis Now Striking Home for School Districts

The crisis besetting U.S. and world financial markets is hitting school districts hard, as they struggle to float the bonds needed for capital projects, borrow money to ensure cash flow, and get access to investment funds locked up in troubled institutions.

In Cumberland County, NC, school officials froze plans to build a $20 million elementary school in the 53,000-student district after a neighboring county failed to find buyers for $454 million of its own construction bonds.

The state of Maine has delayed 12 major school construction projects totaling $348 million in 11 school districts. In other states, even districts able to borrow money are paying higher interest rates while bracing for yet another drop in property-tax revenue.

To view the complete article, click here.
(Education Week 10.10.08)

Healthy Halloween Alternatives

First and foremost, the picture of this boy breaks my heart. Shame on the parents for enabling their child to lead an unhealthy and inactive lifestyle. The formula for a high-quality life (from a physical standpoint) is easy - eat healthy and exercise regularly.

Give me a moment to step down from my soap box.

Halloween is around the corner. The boys and I are knee deep in selecting costumes (for them and my wife and me), planning our trick-or-treat route, and accepting party invitations.

Truth be told, Halloween is my least favorite holiday of the year. Thanksgiving - now there is a great holiday! Good food and no gifts. Then three days off to digest and relax!

This year, step out from the standard industrial sweets Halloween and offer the kids in the neighborhood a healthy alternative. NOTE: you must put some effort into this! If you throw something together last minute, you will surely have pumpkins smashed on your driveway in the morning!

Preparing goodies at home is a great way to involve your children in the excitement of Halloween in a more educational manner. Think of all of the math and reading skills you can incorporate by simply following a basic recipe together. There are also extension activities that can be added on throughout the weeks leading up to October 31st.

My son, Nathan, will be dressing us as Curious George this year. In preparation for a party this week, he and I made Monkey Bread for all of his friends (Banana Bread). It is an amazingly simple recipe that involves all sorts of pouring, cracking, mixing, and spraying. What a great way to burn 40 minutes! We were also able to substitute olive oil for butter to lower the saturated fat content and substituted soy milk so that his brother Nick could enjoy the bread without upsetting his milk allergies.

Remember, presentation can go a long way. Break out a few bunches of bananas for a centerpiece. Add monkey cutouts to windows and doors. Frame out the table with monkey trim. Give every child a monkey name tag. Have games and prizes featuring the Curious George books and DVDs. Tell stories with monkey puppets. Play monkey dominoes. Build a jungle scene with flying monkeys.

Need a few more Halloween tips? Checkout PBS Kids and Experience Life Magazine.

Have a safe and healthy Halloween!

Northern Illinois Educational Retailers Association (NIERA) Fall Meeting

Today I attended the fall meeting for the Northern Illinois Educational Retailers Association (NIERA). Our guest speaker was Mr. Gabriel Lopez, a lobbyist and government relations specialist for the State of Illinois.

What does that mean to teachers? Mr. Lopez's job is to impact public policy (read: increase funding for education). Mr. Lopez provided us with the dismal Sate of the State Address, as well as provided us with insight to the fiscal year 2010 budget proposals and a few silver linings.

For FY09, Illinois has roughly a $60B budget. Their $1.8B deficit (read: unpaid bills) is one of the highest in the U.S. FY09 is a No Growth Budget - no growth and no cuts - basically treading water for 12 months and hoping not to drown. Not too positive.

A potentially bright spot is for the fiscal year 2010. The State has approved a bill to lease out the Lottery. This is a new funding stream expected to generate $10B for capital construction projects (i.e. new school construction, school repairs and upgrades, road repair, etc.).

There are also talks of increasing the state's income tax in exchange for discounts given on property taxes. While there are process-slowing politics surrounding this bill (the Gubernatorial Election is in 2010), many see this as a positive revenue addition that will increase budgets in the coming years.

So what is the moral of the story? Buy more school supplies online at SchooDoodle.com! Kidding!! Plan your classroom and school needs around a budget equal to or less than this year's allocation. We will not see increased budgets for a few fiscal years to come.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Dictionary!

Surreptitiously. Surreptitiously tell the person next to you the name of someone you admire. Definition: adv. Secertly; Clandestinely.

Many of us might use the spell check or thesaurus functions on our computers instead of cracking open a print version of dictionary, but those tools are to be credited to Mr. Noah Webster.

He is often referred to as, " the Father of American Scholarship and Education." Over five generations of children across the United States learned spell and read using his Blue-Backed Speller books.

Celebrate Noah's birthday on October 16th by taking a moment to open a print dictionary and add a new word to your vocabulary.

Better yet, play an educational game that will make learning new words fun and bloviating! Checkout our selection of WordTeaser Games for Idioms and College Prep available on SchooDoodle.com.

We also have a large selection of student dictionaries and dictionary workbooks for parent and teacher use.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Dictionary!

Teacher Tax Deduction for School Supplies Passes Congress

On Friday, President Bush signed HR 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 after it passed the House by a vote of 263-171.

In addition to allowing the government to purchase mortgage assets from cash-strapped banks and guaranteeing money market investments, several other parts of the bill include items that directly affect education such as the 2-year extension of tax benefits relating to qualified tuition and expenses, out-of-pocket teacher expenses, Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs), computer contributions and donations of book inventories.

Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers

When PJ Haarsma wrote his first book, a science fiction novel for pre-teenagers, he didn’t think just about how to describe Orbis, the planetary system where the story takes place.

He also thought about how it should look and feel in a video game.

The online game that Haarsma designed not only extends the fictional world of the novel, it also allows readers to play in it.

At the same time, Haarsma very calculatedly gave gamers who might not otherwise pick up a book a clear incentive to read: one way that players advance is by answering questions with information from the novel.

Haarsma is not the only one using video games to spark an interest in books. Increasingly, authors, teachers, librarians and publishers are embracing this fast-paced, image-laden world in the hope that the games will draw children to reading.

Spurred by arguments that video games also may teach a kind of digital literacy that is becoming as important as proficiency in print, libraries are hosting gaming tournaments, while schools are exploring how to incorporate video games in the classroom.

To view the complete article, click here.
(The New York Times 10.05.08)

10 Free Scholarships for Minorities

Ron Brown Scholarships
http://www.ronbrown.org/home.aspx

FastWEB Scholarship Search
http://www.fastweb.com/

United Negro College Fund Scholarships
http://www.uncf.org/scholarships/uncfscholarship.asp

Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarships
http://jackierobinson.org/

Intel Science Talent Search
http://www.sciserv.org/sts

Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund
http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org/

FinAid: The Smart Students Guide to Financial Aid
http://wwwfinaid.org/scholarships/

United Negro College Fund
http://www.uncf.org/

Gates Millenium Scholarships
http:///www.gmsp.org/

McDonald's Scholarships
http://www.mcdonaldsnymetro.com/

Gender Gap in Teaching Grows: Only 24% of New Recruits are Men (EUROPE)

Teaching is becoming an increasingly female-dominated profession with men making up less than one in four new recruits, official figures revealed yesterday.

Despite a multimillion-pound campaign to attract more men into teaching, the latest statistics reveal a widening gap between the sexes among those gaining teaching qualifications from universities and teacher training colleges.

In 2006-07, less than a quarter (23.8 percent) of teaching qualifications were obtained by men, according to figures published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency—the lowest figure in five years.

This was a fall of 1.5 percent from the previous year.

To view the complete article, click here.
(The Independent 09.26.08)

Number of Schools in Restructuring under No Child Left Behind Increases by More than Half

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) released its most comprehensive report to date on how states and school districts implement school restructuring, the ultimate sanction for chronically low-performing schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The report finds that the number of Title I schools in restructuring during last school year, 2007-08, increased by 56 percent to an estimated 3,599 schools, or about 7 percent of all Title I schools in the nation.

This total is up from the 2,302 schools, or 4 percent in 2006-07.

The report, A Call to Restructure Restructuring: Lessons from the No Child Left Behind Act in Five States, is a culmination of CEP’s study of NCLB restructuring in California, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio, and reviews other state and national data.

These five states were chosen because they have relatively large numbers of schools in restructuring and well-established accountability systems, and represent a variety of geographic areas. To gather data for the study, CEP conducted interviews with state officials and district and school staff in 19 districts and 42 restructuring schools within these states.

The report finds that many schools have remained in restructuring for multiple years, with little guidance from the federal government on what to do about persistently struggling schools. In the five states studied, only 19 percent of the schools implementing restructuring made adequate yearly progress based on 2006-07 tests.

Most restructuring schools in the five states (86 to 96 percent) used the “any-other” restructuring option in the NCLB law, which allows schools and districts to take any major action, aside from the four more specific options, to change school governance.

However, state interpretations of this option varied widely. Michigan and Ohio encouraged schools to employ “turnaround” specialists, while Maryland has barred schools entering restructuring after 2006-07 from choosing a turnaround specialist.

Many schools that missed AYP targets solely because of the performance of student subgroups still directed considerable resources to all students. Principals and teachers at schools that have raised student achievement enough to exit restructuring remained concerned about maintaining progress, particularly as AYP targets will keep rising until they reach the ultimate goal of 100 percent proficiency.

Meanwhile, some principals at schools that replaced staff reported unintended negative consequences, such as being unable to fill positions with qualified teachers and having little time to plan for the new school year after spending the summer hiring.

To view the entire report, click here.
Source: The Center on Education Policy

Looking for Title I resources? Visit SchooDoodle.com

Urban School Superintendents Hard to Keep

St. Louis is looking for its eighth school superintendent since 2003. Kansas City is on its 25th superintendent in 39 years.

Despite good salaries and plenty of perks, a recent study found that the average urban superintendent nationwide stays on the job only about three years — which educators say isn't enough time to enact meaningful, long-lasting reform.

"Would you buy Coca-Cola if they changed CEOs every year?" asked Diana Bourisaw, who left as St. Louis superintendent in July after two years in the top job. "The answer is no. I wouldn't."

On Friday, Kelvin Adams signed a three-year contract with the St. Louis district worth $225,000 annually plus bonus incentives, a day after his hiring was approved by a state-appointed board that oversees the district.

Academic accountability is the new national mantra in public education, and low-performing districts are placing high salaries and higher demands on their superintendents—who find themselves caught between factions of publicly elected school boards, teachers' unions and parent groups.

To view the complete article, click here.
(USA TODAY 09.28.08)

Orphan Works Act Has Potential to Lessen Copyright Infringement Penalties

With the proliferation of YouTube, file sharing, and teacher lesson plans on Websites, publishers are worried about copyright infringement and how to enforce current laws.

However, the Internet has also opened access to thousands of files where the copyright holder cannot easily be found—in fact, the works may be public domain, but there is no supporting documentation.

Now, there are two bills before Congress to address the issue of "orphan works," and at least one coalition of organizations feels that the pair of bills will impact artists' legal options if someone uses their material without permission.

Orphan works, as defined by the U.S. Copyright Office, is a situation in which the owner of a copyrighted work cannot be identified and located by someone who wishes to make use of the work in a manner that requires the owner's permission.

In 2005, under direction from Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Register of Copyrights studied the orphan works issue in detail and found that users were afraid to use orphan works for fear of future reprisals.

The current proposed laws stem from the Register's recommendation that users who perform a documented search with due diligence not be unduly punished if the copyright holder claims ownership at a later date.

Although the first legislation in 2006 failed to move out of committee, both current bills, H.R. 5889 and S. 2913, appear to be moving quickly.

The main opponent of the legislation is the Orphan Works Opposition, a loose coalition of associations mostly related to illustrators, photographers, and other visual artists, who have signed a petition opposing the bill.

They do not appear to oppose the intent of the two laws; the main objection is that they believe the language is too ambiguous, specifically related to the phrase "due diligence" regarding a search, and that the bill would strip away current copyright protections for non-orphan works.

In addition, the group feels that the act puts the burden on the copyright holder to make sure she is easily identified. Finally, they believe that the bill will allow an infringer to create—and copyright—a derivative work even if the copyright holder of the original work objects.

Questions remain, though, as to whether or not this act will have the dramatic effect the coalition predicts. If you have any comments regarding orphan works, the legislation, or online piracy in general, please contact Stacey Pusey, AEP Content Manager, at spusey@AEPweb.org.

Resources/Links:
Report on Orphan Works: A Report of the Register of Copyrights, January 2006http://www.copyright.gov/orphan/orphan-report.pdf

Orphan Works web pages, Copyright Officehttp://www.copyright.gov/orphan/

Orphan Works Opposition Headquartershttp://owoh.org/

For the legislationhttp://thomas.loc.gov
(Type the phrase "orphan works" into the search box.)

Funds Available under Title I More Than Doubled from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) released its sixth report on annual allocations to states and school districts under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The report, Title I Funds – Who’s Gaining and Who’s Losing: School Year 2008-09 Update, finds that about $1 billion will be available for the 2008-09 school year to assist schools identified for improvement under No Child Left Behind.

This is more than double the $434 million available during the 2007-08 school year.

The report also finds that funding continues to fluctuate because of annual census estimates of the numbers of low-income children in each school district, with one state estimating an increase in low-income children of more than 30 percent last year and a decrease of 9 percent this year.

Changes in the Title I formula made in 2002, meant to target more funds to the highest-poverty districts, have only provided somewhat more funds to these districts, the report also finds.

To view the entire report, click here.
Source: The Center on Education Policy

Research Supports the Use of Educational Games

Studies show that the use of educational games effectively increases motivation, participation and retention among students, and can be especially beneficial in differentiated classrooms and among underserved and struggling learners (McAllister & Bothman, 2005).

Games have advantages and effectiveness on learning that is hard to achieve in other ways. In “Creative Games for the Language Class,” Lee Su Kim writes of the many positives of using games in the classroom:

• Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the class.
• They are motivating and challenging.
• Games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning.
• Games provide language practice in the various skills—speaking, writing, listening and reading.
• They encourage students to interact and communicate.
• They create a meaningful context for language use.
• The social value of games is also important. Playing games fosters a community atmosphere and encourages teamwork (Holt, 1996).

When choosing games for the classroom, one should keep the following in mind (Mei & Yu-jing, 2000):

1. A game should be more than fun
2. A game should involve “friendly” competition.
3. A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.
4. A game should encourage students to focus on the content involved.
5. A game should give students a chance to learn, practice or review.
   
   
   McAllister, D.A., Bothman, S.M. (2005). Culminating Experience Action Research Projects, 5. p. 286-295.
   
   Kim, L. S. (1995, March). Creative Games for the Language Class. Forum, 33 (1), 35.
   
   Holt, C.A. (1996). Classroom games: Trading in a pit market. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10 (1), 193-203.
   
   Mei, Y.Y., & Yu-jing, J. (2000, Fall). Using games in an EFL class for children. Daejin Univeristy ELT Research Paper.
   
   Huyen, N.T., and Nga, K.T.T. (2003, December). Learning Vocabulary Through Games. Asian EFL Journal, p. 38.
   
   Wright, A., Betteridege, D., & Buckby, M. (1984). Games for Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.
   
   de Freitas, S. (2006, December). Using Games and Simulations for Supporting Learning. Learning, Media & Technology, 31 (4), p. 343-358.
   
   White, J. (2007, April). Banishing Boredom in the Middle School Math Class. National Middle School Association, Middle Ground, 10 (4), p. 38-39.

Find a large selection of educational games and school supplies at SchooDoodle.com

One-in-Five and Growing Fast: A Profile of Hispanic Public School Students

The number of Hispanic students in the nation's public schools nearly doubled from 1990 to 2006, accounting for 60% of the total growth in public school enrollments over that period.

There are now approximately 10 million Hispanic students in the nation's public kindergartens and its elementary and high schools; they make up about one-in-five public school students in the United States. In 1990, just one-in-eight public school students were Hispanic.

Strong growth in Hispanic enrollment is expected to continue for decades, according to a recently released U.S. Census Bureau population projection.

The bureau projects that the Hispanic school-age population will increase by 166% by 2050 (to 28 million from 11 million in 2006), while the non-Hispanic school-age population will grow by just 4% (to 45 million from 43 million) over this same period.

In 2050, there will be more school-age Hispanic children than school-age non-Hispanic white children.

To view the entire report, click here.