District Administration - December 2008 - (Page 12)

BRIEFINGS NewsUpdate A Push for Sustainable Teacher Learning TODAY’S YOUNG STUDENTS ARE getting a little help from some national technology leaders—in particular, a push for more ongoing and relevant professional development for their present and future teachers. e State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA)—the main association for state technology directors and staﬀ members, which provides professional development and leadership for the eﬀective use of education technology—released its fourth of ﬁve reports in November as part of its Class of 2020: Action Plan for Education project. e report, Empowering Teachers: A Professional and Collaborative Approach, lays out ﬁve key recommendations: making sustainable professional development available to all teachers, providing new teachers with integrated pedagogy, ensuring administrators have access to training and support, and conducting research investigating the eﬃcacy of comprehensive professional development models. Mary Ann Wolf, SETDA’s executive director, says professional development approaches must shift from “one-time, stand-alone workshops” to ongoing learning for teachers and administrators. “Our action plan highlights the strengths of some district programs and Empowering Te achers: A Profe ssional and Collaborat ive Approach November 2008 encourages all states and districts to incorporate proven examples into existing professional models to maximize potential for student achievement,” says Christine Fox, SETDA’s director of professional development and research. Examples of ongoing professional development could include the use of online portals, online learning communities and coaches. Fox says that a district might conduct in-person training, followed by an online discussion via a blog or wiki and then conduct a videoconference for teachers to followup. “ is type of multilevel approach can make a real impact on instruction,” Fox says. Further, portals and online learning communities are oﬀered anytime anywhere, which eliminates the issue of teacher leave time and substitute costs. And blogs and wikis can be set up very inexpensively so teachers can work collaboratively without greatly impinging on school budgets, Fox says. Many districts have content area resource teachers, who can model, coach and train others as a cost-eﬀective way to allocate resources, she says. e report includes more than 20 examples from states and districts using innovative educator development programs, including coaching and education portals. It points out key components of eﬀective professional development, including sustainability, leadership to guide continuous instructional improvement, knowledge or deep understanding of a subject, collaboration within the learning communities, evaluation or using data to improve instruction and teacher eﬀectiveness, and ongoing professional development programs. For more information on this report and other SETDA reports in the series, go to www.setda.org/web/guest/2020. —Angela Pascopella Government Law Gives New Impetus for Kids to Buckle Up SMALLER SCHOOL BUSES WILL HAVE TO BE EQUIPPED WITH lap-and-shoulder seat belts for the ﬁrst time under a new government rule drafted after the deaths of four Alabama students on a bus that nose-dived oﬀ an overpass. Larger buses will also have higher seat backs under the policy. Both requirements will take eﬀect in 2011, and the seat belt rule will only apply to new buses weighing 5 tons or less. ese smaller school buses are already required to have lap belts, but not the safer, harness-style belts. For the larger buses, the seat back height will increase from 20 inches to 24 inches, and transportation secretary Mary Peters says the higher backs will help keep taller, heavier children from being thrown over seats in a crash. 12 December 2008 District Administration http://www.setda.org/web/guest/2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - December 2008

District Administration - December 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
News Update
College Preparatory
Security
Technology
District Profile
Administrator Profile
DA Web Seminars
Desperately Seeking Special Ed Teachers
Special Education’s Challenges
Building the Best Auditorium
Leading the Way
Righting the Writing Process
Sharpening a District’s Leadership Model
TCEA
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solution
Professional Opinion
Research Center
Calendar of Events
Online Edge

District Administration - December 2008