WARProfessional Development
Praxis help and information
Check out NEA Foundation grants
DSEA training and workshops available
RTI (Response to Intervention) Symposium cancelled for Feb. 6 and moved to May 8, Dover Downs
If you were signed up for the Feb. 6 RtI Symposium, you received an email and phone call about letting us know if you'd like a spot on May 8.Yes, all the presenters are able to reschedule, as is Dover Downs.
If you didn't sign up for February 6, but would like to attend May 8, click here to register online.
To see the agenda, click here. Three sessions will not be offered: Staff Alignment and INterventions; Early Childhood Math and Science Strategies; and Nurturing Leadership: the role of leaders in implementing RtI.
Attention specialists: Don't let your professional license expire
Many specialists are licensed by both the Dept. of Education and their
professional boards (such as school nurses), but some are not licensed by DoE.
They are only licensed by their professional organizations. These include speech
language pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists,
and ROTC instructors.
DSEA recently learned of several situations in which members employed as
these types of specialists mistakenly believed that they did not have to keep
their license/certification current with their professional board if their practice
is limited to school settings.
This is not the case! You must maintain your license/certificate in these
areas in Delaware in order to practice in a public school district.
DSEA has assisted several members who found themselves in front of their
professional licensing board through the process to secure or maintain their
license but they still face investigation and possibly criminal charges for
the unauthorized practice of their profession.
"Hopefully the investigators will reach the same conclusion as the
licensure board that the individuals did not intentionally ignore the licensure
requirements" states DSEA General Counsel Jeff Taschner. "The clear
lesson that needs to be taken from these situations," he adds, "is
that every individual is charged with the responsibility of knowing and complying
with the state licensure requirements."
Please spread the word so that this does not happen again.
NEA offers PRAXIS Study Guide
As part of its commitment to seeing highly-qualified teachers placed in
every classroom, NEA has developed an online tutorial for Praxis II Principles
of Learning and Teaching, one of several licensure exams required in many
states.
Delaware does not require that new educators pass the standardized Principals
of Learning and Teaching test before they can become licensed, but many states
do. Check
it out .
For more information, contact Kimberly
Anderson , NEA Student Program, (202) 822-7163.
Educational Testing Service, creators of Praxis I, II and ParaPro certification tests
Praxis Prep Info, an information site for soon-to-be teachers looking for help with the Praxis exams required for certification to teach in Delaware and most other states. This site, administered by the Graduate Education Information Service (GEIS), offers tips, a complete Praxis I practice test and hundreds of Praxis II questions.
Teaching Science in the 21st Century: Part 6 in a series from NSTA Reports
The sixth installment in NSTA Reports series is titled Virtual Professional
Development: The Good, the Bad, and the Future.
Written by Karen J. Charles and Jane E. Griffin, the piece begins Improving
science programs for students means improving professional development for their
teachers."
As curriculum materials and instructional programs evolve, educators need to
know how to use new textbooks and materials based on inquiry and on cognitive
research. They also need to know how to establish collaborative learning environments
in which teachers can learn and grow while studying these new materials (Nelson
2006). What does this mean for professional development? What are the new tools
and strategies that can meet the demands of a new workforce, one raised on 24/7
access to technology, to information, and to peers? Most of us are familiar
with the term online professional development, but we would say that our experiences
with it have been less than satisfactory.
This series offers opinion pieces by many of the leaders in science education
today.
To read the sixth installment in the series,
click here.
Think Big !
The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) now offers certain grants on an ongoing, year-round basis.
Over 300 small grants of $1,000 to $3,000 are awarded each year to fund your BIG ideas. The NEA Foundation's grants fund classroom innovations or professional development for improved practice in public schools and higher education institutions.
Apply today. Get an application here or call 202-822-7840.
The NEA Foundation and NEA Teacher Quality Department announce grants of up to $100,000 for partnerships inclusive of a state affiliate and at least one local affiliate and school district.
Act quickly to take advantage of this opportunity to develop bold new ideas and incentives to attract and retain accomplished teachers in hard-to-staff schools establish innovative policies and practices, and feature the leadership of National Board Certified and other accomplished teachers.
To apply, go to The NEA Foundation web site and submit a completed application as an email attachment to rgamen@nea.org at the NEA Foundation. You will also find the grant guidelines on the web site. No paper involved!DSEA offers Training and Professional Development tailored to your needs
Talk to anyone who has attended DSEA training, and they'll tell you how beneficial - and fun - it was. Training comes in all shapes and sizes, depending on need. Requests come to DSEA staff through local leaders , local Instruction and Professional Development committees, and, of course, directly from you.
Many times our training is tailored for a particular situation.
- To fit your team or building needs. Contact your DSEA UniServ Director for more information.
- "I Can Do It!" workshops for the newer teachers in your building. Contact Debbie Stevens for more information.
- Information, training and networking for teachers interested in pursuing National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, also through a partnership with the Delaware Department of Education. Contact Debbie Stevens for more information.
Also available -
The Law and You
Dealing with Difficult People
Conflict Resolution
Mediation techniques
Managing StressInterested? Contact your DSEA UniServ Director.
