Oklahoma HSTW Updates

UPDATES

First 2008 BEST PRACTICES NEWSLETTER was announced by Dr. Gene Bottoms. ­Learn what school leaders, teachers and national experts say about improving school and classroom practices to prepare more students for college and careers. A series of on-line newsletters describe best practices about successful actions schools are taking to implement the Key Practices.

The first newsletter, Quality Career/Technical Programs Prepare Students to Succeed in a New, More Challenging Economy, is now available online. This newsletter covers assessing the quality and effectiveness of CT programs, preparing students to succeed in an increasingly demanding workplace, building effective career academies, and engaging students in CT studies through real-world applications.

Access the newsletter at: http://www.sreb.org/publications/2008/newsletters/08SummerConferenceNewsletter.asp. You can also find the newsletter at http://www.sreb.org/. Click on the High Schools That Work tab at the top of the page and then click on Publications and Materials in the side panel. When that page appears, click on the heading, "Newsletters of Best Practices from the 2008 HSTW Staff Development Conference."

As you and your staff review the newsletter, consider the following points for discussion:
- Are there any ideas in the newsletter that you would like to try in our school?
- Did you discover a best practice at another school that you would like to learn more about?
- Are you willing to contact that school and share the information with others?
- Are there outstanding practices in one or more of our career/technical programs that we can
share at the 2009 HSTW Summer Staff Development Conference?


CONGRATULATIONS

To Karen Dawson
The Oklahoma School Counselor Association (OSCA) announced the 2008-2009 Counselors of the Year at the Encyclo-Media Conference in September. Congratulations to Karen Dawson, East Central High School, Tulsa for being named The Counselor of the Year. A picture of each Counselor of the Year is available on the OSCA’s Web site, <http://www.okschoolcounselor.org%3e/. On the home page, scroll down and click on their names. Margaret Durham, President of OSCA, is shown congratulating each Counselor of the Year. Congratulations to all the Counselors of the Year!

STUDENT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Arlington Cemetery - Jeopardy Question
Use the following website and YouTube video as an inquiry based research for students in U.S. History. These type questions create an interest for student learning. For example, how many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why? Additional questions and information can be located at:
http://www.hwva.org/HWVA%20Website%20Info/Arlington%20National%20Cemetary.pdf YouTube video located at:
http://inchesawayfromsanity.blogspot.com/2008/08/arlington-cemetery-jeopardy-question.html


RESOURCES

Career And Academic Connections Website:
Check out Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education’s Career Clusters link. http://www.okcareertech.org/cac/Pages/Career_cluster/careerclusters.htm A few examples of what you will find there:
1) Powerpoint to introduce clusters(PowerPoint version)- a powerpoint you can download and adapt to use to introduce clusters. The slides also have notes on them so you have a script from which to work.
2) Career Cluster Pathway Sample Plans of Study Each pathway plan of study (71 plans) is now online in a Word format so you can take and adapt to your school offerings.
3) Revised Career Cluster Plans of Study will take you to the state's career cluster website and you will find the new and revised plans of study for the 16 clusters.
4) Archived Original Career Cluster Plans of Study these are the "original" format for the plans of study for the 16 clusters.
5) Career Cluster Crosswalk -chart that crosswalks the World of Work map (that Explore, Plan and ACT use) to the 16 career clusters.
6) Career Cluster Interest Inventory in both English and Spanish.


Free Spanish Language Publications
As you begin to see a change in your student demographics and need Spanish language publications, the following publications may be of value from ED Pubs (edpubs.ed.gov.)

Tips For Reading Tutors Tips For Reading Tutors/Consejos Para Los Tutores En Lectura
No Child Left Behind: Character Education No Child Left Behind: Character Education...Our Shared Responsibility/La educación moral ... Nuestra responsabilidad compartida
Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence/Cómo ayudar a su hijodurante los primeros años de la adolescencia


Middle-Schoolers Design Web Site with Career Resources

Three hundred middle school students from all over the country worked closely with developers to design a Web site called Funworks that links the interests and hobbies of young people, ages 11 to 15, to future careers. The site, created by the Gender, Diversity, and Technology Institute at Education Development Center, features information about careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as games, quizzes, and more. In addition, Funworks provides educational resources for guidance counselors, teachers, media specialists, and parents.http://www.thefunworks.org/

Other Websites:
The U.S. Department of Education recently unveiled http://www.college.gov/ a new web site that aims to motivate students with inspirational stories and information about planning, preparing and paying for college. It includes an interactive tool for students to create an "I'm going" personalized roadmap that details the steps to take to get to college. Content is also organized and presented in a way for students to easily find the answers to their higher education questions: Why Go? What to Do? and How to Pay?


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Gangs Workshop:
The Oklahoma Gang Investigators Association (OGIA) will be hosting a Gangs 101 presentation open to teachers, counselors and administrators. Date is Dec. 12, 9:00 - 5:00 at the Mid-Del Technology Center, registration is $25.00. If you are interested in attending this presentation you can log onto the website listed below for more information.
http://www.ogia.us/101_okc_2008.htm


CONTESTS FOR STUDENTS

Being an American: 2008-2009 Essay Contest – Dec 1, 2008 deadline
Source: The Bill of Rights Institute
The Question: What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American? Trace the enduring importance of this value throughout the American story by discussing: a Founding document that reflects this value; a figure from American history who embodies this value; and ways you can personally put this value into practice.
Both teachers and students can win cash and other prizes for submitting an essay. Listed below are the prizes that will be given out in each region during the 2008-2009 competition. To see which region you are in, click here.

Cash prizes for Students in the 2008-2009 Competition
First place - $5,000
Second place - $2,500
Third place - $1,250
Honorable Mentions (7 prizes awarded in each region) - $250

Cash prizes for Teachers in the 2008-2009 Competition
If you are the teacher-submitter of the essay, you will win an amount equal to what the student wins for First, Second, or Third place.
First place - $5,000
Second place - $2,500
Third place - $1,250

Win a trip to Washington, D.C. for an Awards Weekend!

The top three essays' writers and their teachers will win an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the 2008-2009 Essay Contest Awards Weekend and Gala! To see what last year's winners did on their weekend in Washington, D.C., please click here


Career Poster/Poetry Contest – December 5, 2008 deadline
Source: National Career Development Association/OK Dept. of Career and Technology Education
Students celebrate their favorite career by entering the K- Adult Career Poster and Poetry Contest. This year's theme is "Inspire Your Career, Develop Your Dreams." The contest is designed to bring attention to the importance of life-long career development and the personal empowerment of all people.

State winners win a monetary amount of $5, third place, $10, second place, and $15, first place. Send your school's top three winning entries for each category no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5th, 2008. The top three state winners for each category will be mailed to the national competition. Entry forms will are available at: http://www.okcareertech.org/cac/Pages/resources_products/Classroom/Career_Poster_Contest_2008.pdf
http://www.okcareertech.org/cac/Pages/resources_products/Classroom/Career_Poetry_Contest_2008.pdf

GRANTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Teaching of Writing Grant – November 21, 2008 deadline
Source: College Board
Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing
Each year the College Board recognizes exceptional teachers of grades 6 through 12 for the innovative methods they use to develop their students' writing skills. Grants of $3,000 each will be awarded to teachers who are doing an inspiring job of teaching their students to write and who will benefit most from a grant to enhance a successful project.


Grants for Manufacturing Camps – Dec 12, 2008 deadline
Source: FMA FOUNDATION and the Nuts, Bolts, & Thingamajigs Foundation
A demographic shift in the U.S. work force caused by retiring baby boomers is taking place, and the manufacturing sector is already feeling the impact. While improvements in technology have increased efficiency rates and reduced the amount of unskilled labor needed, there is an ever-increasing demand for highly skilled professionals such as engineers who can design, program, and operate technology being employed.

The purpose of manufacturing camp grants is to provide a positive, hands-on experience so young people will consider manufacturing as a future career option.

Suggested curriculum for a week of manufacturing camp might include a day or two of introduction to CAD software, a day or two in a fabrication shop or training facility, and a day of touring regional fabricating or tube & pipe facilities. If assistance is needed, the FMA Foundation is a resource for locating local manufacturers in the metal forming industry. Please see the application procedures before applying.

Grant funds may be used for the expenses related to curriculum development and instruction, as well as direct expenses such as housing, meals, transportation, and supplies. Expenses related to the purchase of software or other capital expenditures do not qualify.


Arts for Students with Disabilities – December 12, 2008 deadline
Source: VSA arts and MetLife Foundation
The goals of Arts Connect All are to:
- Enable more students with disabilities to experience social, cognitive, and cultural
development through arts learning alongside their peers without disabilities;
- Create educational access and inclusion in the arts for students with disabilities; and
- Document the contributions that arts organizations make to inclusive education in public
schools.


Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program – Dec 15, 2008 deadline
Source: U.S Dept. of Education
The AP Test Fee program awards grants to eligible State educational agencies (SEAs) to enable them to pay all or a portion of advanced placement test fees on behalf of eligible low-income students who (1) are enrolled in an advanced placement course and (2) plan to take an advanced placement exam. The program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who take advanced placement tests and receive scores for which college academic credit is awarded.

http://www.ed.gov/programs/apfee/index.html


GRANTS FOR TEACHERS

Teachers in Space Program - December 4, 2008 deadline
Every journey begins with a single step. The Pathfinder program is the first step in the journey toward our goal of putting a thousand astronaut teachers into American classrooms. Pathfinders will be the first astronaut teachers to fly in space and return to the classroom. These Pathfinders will not only fly in space, they will also help us design the three-week training course for the large number of teachers who follow. We hope that Pathfinders will also return each summer to help us teach the course. (Can you think of a more exciting summer job?)

We are currently accepting applications for the first two Pathfinders. (We aren't sure how many Pathfinders there will eventually be. This is the first time we've run a program such as this—in fact, the first time anyone has—so we're learning as we go.)

We're looking for one Pathfinder who is knowledgeable in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) subjects. Applicants for the STEM Pathfinder slot are asked to submit a proposal for an experiment that could be performed on a suborbital flight.

We're looking for another Pathfinder who has strong skills in lesson plan development. Applications are asked to submit a lesson plan or curriculum module based on any aspect of human spaceflight. Teachers from all subject areas, STEM and non-STEM, are encouraged to apply.