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Community Colleges
Adult Education and Literacy
Secondary, Career, and Technical Education
Center for Rural Education
Other Department News
Community Colleges
Community College Improves Teacher Education Program
Over the past several years, the teacher education program at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) in Anne Arundel County, MD, has been making significant strides in improving its collaboration with local high schools and increasing the number of students in its program. This program is part of OVAE’s Community College Transitions Initiative (CCTI)—an initiative designed to strengthen the role of the community and technical colleges in easing student transitions between secondary and postsecondary education and into employment and to improve academic performance at both levels.
AACC has initiated a number of strategies to facilitate the transition from high school to college for those students who express an interest in the teacher education field. Through its Education and Child Care (TEACH) Institute, and working with its CCTI partners, AACC has instituted a program with the Anne Arundel County Public Schools and parents. A part-time Anne Arundel County Public Schools resource teacher provides outreach to high school students enrolled in the Introduction to Teaching and Childhood Development course, making students aware of career opportunities in teaching and the steps required for entry into college.
In addition, the TEACH Institute retains a recruitment and advisement coordinator who is the pivotal connection from AACC to the high school guidance counselors, college advisors, and education department staff at four-year colleges and universities. Colleen Eisenbeiser, Director of TEACH, says that “working with our CCTI partners has prompted us to look at strategies for retaining students, including ways to reduce the need for students to take remedial college courses,” one of the primary barriers students face in making a successful transition from high school to college.
AACC also supports parental involvement by offering an annual parent information session. This session provides information on CCTI, placement exams, the TEACH Institute, and financial aid. “CCTI has prompted the college and partnership to think and do things differently,” says Kathleen Beauman, Director of Business Education Partnerships for AACC. These differences have yielded results such as tripling the number of high schools in the program and increasing the number of students in their program by 20% over a 3-year period. In addition to easing the transition into the 2-year community college program, AACC supports students in moving into a 4-year program to complete the baccalaureate degree required for a teaching certificate.
For more information on the Anne Arundel Community College’s TEACH program contact Colleen Eisenbeiser at ckeisenbeiser@aacc.edu or Kathleen Beauman at kmbauman@aacc.edu.
CCTI is an OVAE- funded project administered by the League for Innovation in the Community College consortium in cooperation with several nationally recognized partner organizations. For more information on CCTI, contact Larry Warford at warford@league.org or go to http://www.league.org/league/projects/ccti/index.html.
Adult Education and Literacy
Adult Numeracy Initiative
To address the issue of adult numeracy skills, OVAE has launched an Adult Numeracy Initiative. This initiative will provide some baseline data about the adults enrolled in adult numeracy programs and the practices that have been found to be effective. Among the goals of the initiative are developing a thorough understanding of the current state of the field in adult numeracy, identifying effective instructional strategies for adult learners, and examining the effectiveness of current assessment instruments in adequately measuring adult quantitative skill acquisition.
The December 2005 study released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) found that 55% of American adults scored in the lowest 2 levels of quantitative literacy. As an example, at these levels adults were able to “add two amounts on a bank deposit”—the Below Basic Level—and “compare ticket prices”—the Basic Level. They were not able to handle questions at the Intermediate Level—for example those that asked them to “calculate the total cost of ordering specific office supplies from a catalog.” Furthermore, on the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, adults in other countries such as Switzerland and Norway outperformed American adults in quantitative literacy. Clearly, American adults who lack basic numeracy skills are at a disadvantage in the United States workforce, as well as in the global marketplace.
Addressing the problem of poor adult numeracy skills is a complicated task. For one thing, education programs that seek to enhance the quantitative literacy of adults are quite diverse, including adult basic education programs, General Educational Development (GED) programs, family literacy programs, welfare-to-work programs, vocational programs, and correctional programs. And, the adults who attend these programs are as diverse as the programs themselves, with a wide range of skills and backgrounds and practical experiences. It is hoped that the Adult Numeracy Initiative will be a starting point for finding a solution to this problem.
For more information on OVAE’s Adult Numeracy Initiative, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html
Secondary, Career, and Technical Education
Eight New States Chosen For State Scholars Initiative
Eight new states have been chosen for participation in the State Scholars Initiative, a national business/education partnership effort designed to increase the number of students who take a rigorous curriculum in high school. The Scholars Core Course of Study includes:
- Four years of English;
- Three years of math (algebra I and II and geometry);
- Three years of science (biology, chemistry and physics);
- Three and a half years of social studies (U.S. history, world history, geography, economics or government); and
- Two years of a language other than English.
The eight new states are: Colorado, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. These states join 14 previously-funded and currently-operational states: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington.
“Rigorous academic coursework in high school is the critical foundation students need whether they plan to attend college or enter the workforce,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. “In today’s global economy, we must encourage students to pursue more challenging courses of study in high school to better prepare them and put them on a path towards future success.”
Under the State Scholars Initiative, each state will receive up to $300,000 during a two-year period to implement scholars programs in at least four school districts. Local business-education partnerships will work with students in those districts, encouraging them to take a rigorous course of study, one that will give them a boost whether they go to college after they graduate or straight to work.
With funding through OVAE, this initiative is overseen by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Boulder, CO.
For more information on the State Scholars Initiative, see the program’s Web site at www.wiche.edu/statescholars
OVAE and the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) held a jointly sponsored annual spring meeting for the state directors of career and technical education (CTE) in Washington, DC, on April 10-12, 2006. The conference was well attended by state directors and their staff members, as well as national association staff members.
The overall themes pertained to increasing academic rigor in CTE and the role of CTE in high school reform—two themes critical to preparing students to meet the needs of the 21st Century workforce. Speakers included OVAE’s Acting Assistant Secretary Beto Gonzalez, Congressional staff, and many experienced researchers and educators. Presentations from the meeting have been posted at: www.careertech.org/show/spring_meeting_2006.
Upcoming Regional Data Quality Institutes
OVAE will be providing technical assistance to states directors of career and technical education and their accountability staff members during two upcoming Perkins Regional Data Quality Institutes. The first session will be held in Phoenix, AZ, on June 14-16, 2006, and the second in Atlanta, GA, on June 21- 23, 2006. The draft agenda for the Arizona session is available at the Web site below. The Atlanta agenda will be similar.
The primary objectives of the regional DQI sessions will be to finalize a set of agreed-upon standard definitions and measures for the Perkins core indicators of performance and provide technical assistance to help states prepare to implement them. At present, and consistent with the current Perkins III legislation, each state sets their own definitions and measures. However, states are increasingly interested in standardizing their definitions and measures so that more valid and reliable data may be available for career and technical education nationally.
For further information and to register, please visit: www.edcountability.net.
Center for Rural Education
NCES Revises Urban-Centric Locale Codes
Perhaps the greatest challenge to the field of rural education is defining “what’s rural.” The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has revised its eight-category locale code classification system to incorporate changes in the Office of Management and Budget's definition of "rural." The resulting 12-category system continues to use the same standard geographic concepts found in the original eight locale codes, but now prioritizes an urban approach that combines both population size and distance from an urbanized area.
The new system has four basic groups—city, suburb, town, or rural—each of which is divided into three subcategories. Cities and suburbs are classified as large, midsize, or small on the basis of their population size. Towns and rural areas are described as being in the fringe, distant, or remote in relation to the closest urbanized area. Until the new locale codes are fully adopted at federal, state, and local levels, NCES' Common Core of Data (CCD) survey system will continue to publish both the traditional and new locale codes for public schools and local education agencies beginning with the 2003-04 school year and continuing through the 2006-07 school year.
To download, view and print the new local code and documentation files, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006332
NCES Updates Rural Education Web Page
The National Center for Education Services (NCES) has updated its rural education Web page entitled, Navigating Resources for Rural Schools. The updated Web page is part of NCES’ ongoing efforts to provide current information about educational changes taking place in rural America, as well as the latest data collected by NCES and selected contractors and grantees of the department
To view this Web page, please go to: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled
Other Department News
President Establishes National Mathematics Advisory Panel
On April 18, 2006, President Bush issued an Executive Order creating a National Mathematics Advisory Panel to advise him and Secretary Spellings on the best use of scientifically-based research for teaching and learning math. Building on the National Reading Panel, the math advisory panel will convene experts to evaluate the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching math and, in so doing, create a research base to improve instructional methods for teachers.
The group's interim report is scheduled to be submitted to the President and Secretary by January 31, 2007, with specific recommendations on a range of topics related to math education, based on the best available scientific evidence. Among the topics will be the skills needed for students to learn algebra and be ready for higher levels of mathematics, the appropriate design of “systems” for delivering math instruction (combining elements of learning, curricula, instruction, teacher training, standards, assessments, and accountability), and further research needed in support of math education.
"We look forward to receiving the panel's recommendations, and we hope it will form a blueprint on how to promote excellence in mathematics education," Secretary Spellings said. "As I've said before, it is more important than ever that our students receive solid math instruction in the early grades to prepare them to take and pass algebra and other challenging courses in middle and high school."
The National Mathematics Advisory Panel is part of the President's plan to strengthen math education so that America's students receive the tools and skills necessary for success in the 21st century.
For more information on the President's National Mathematics Advisory Panel, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/news/opeds/factsheets/index.html?src=gu
U.S. Department of Education To Hold Regional Workshops for Teachers to Learn Best Practices
On April 17, 2006, Secretary Spellings announced plans to convene 14 Teacher-to-Teacher regional workshops for teachers to learn from fellow educators who have had success in raising student achievement. Among the topics of the sessions will be enhancing teaching skills in math, science and critical foreign languages—subjects central to President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative. The American Competitiveness Initiative is designed to strengthen education as a gateway to opportunity and the key to a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.
"Teachers have given us a lot of positive feedback from the workshops we held over the past two summers," Spellings said. "This summer we're more than doubling the number of workshops so that many more teachers will have the opportunity to learn new practices that work in the classroom - practices that will help us close the achievement gap and get every child to grade level in reading and math by 2014."
Workshops will be held across the country from June to August. Four will cover the full range of subjects taught in elementary and secondary schools; three will be co-sponsored by the National Park Service and be dedicated to math, science, and history; four will be co-sponsored by TechNet Partners and will be geared solely to math and science; two will focus on the teaching of foreign languages; and one will focus exclusively on teaching reading and English as a Second Language.
"Educating our children is a shared responsibility, and we are delighted to have the support of the National Park Service and four TechNet Partners-Microsoft, Cisco, National Semiconductor, and EMC-in sponsoring this year's summer workshops," Spellings said. "With their help, the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative will reach teachers of more than a million students this coming year."
The workshops are part of the Department's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, which is designed to support teachers, keep them informed of the latest strategies, and disseminate research that helps their students meet high standards.
For further information on the Teacher-to-Teacher, please visit:www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative. For information and to register for this summer’s workshops, please visit: www.t2tweb.us/Workshops/Registration.asp.
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