Send the entire BOE to Washington

Perhaps the timing of that trip to Washington DC is worth it.

How's this for pressure... the only way the trip to DC by the two BOE members will be worth it, is if they can prove instrumental in securing for Illinois (and Peoria) a win in the Race to the Top competition. This, of course, would require networking their arses off and making a heck of a impression on the powers that be during the week on June 12 - 17.

Illinois Races to the Top
Illinois has been named a finalist in a Department of Education nationwide competition.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin said Illinois is among nine finalists in the Race to the Top competition, which encourages bold education innovation and reform.

"Maintaining the status quo in our schools is simply not acceptable," said Durbin. "We need to elevate the quality of our schools, improve instruction and boost college graduation rates. We owe it to our children to give them stronger skills to compete in the global economy."

In addition to Illinois, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina all are eligible to compete for the $200 million prize.

As a part of the application process, Illinois was asked to document past successes in education reform as well as outline plans of continuing improvements for school districts.

Durbin says Illinois is eligible to receive up to $50 million in funding through the Race to the Top education reform competition. Source

Do we need a quicker route to teaching careers?

With Detroit, Michigan currently undergoing the largest public school district overhaul of its kind, the Michigan Department of Education is concerned about teacher shortages in math, science and career education. Are we really facing a shortage of qualified teachers? Do we really need a quicker route to teaching careers?

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A quicker route to a high school teaching career was recently laid out for the Michigan state board of education scrutiny, but the idea got a cold reception from the state's teacher colleges.

In discussion at the May state board of education meeting, Jennifer Haberling, a secondary education teacher in Hudsonville, said that career-changers who move into high school teaching jobs could partner with current classroom teachers to the benefit of each. Current teachers would have new opportunities for mentoring and coaching, and also gain expertise by working with someone who has on-the-job experience in a given subject.

Michigan Department of Education staff told the board they developed the Michigan Nontraditional Route to Teacher Certification to address predicted teacher shortages in math, science and career education, and also to tap into the talent pool of out-of-work scientists and engineers.

But representatives from the public and private universities that currently train most of Michigan's teachers said they aren't sure a shortage exists. They also questioned whether an expedited program would turn out quality teachers.

As proposed, alternate certification routes would be available to people who already have a bachelor's degree with a major in the content area in which they want to teach. Candidates would have to complete 15 credit hours of coursework and supervised student teaching, among other requirements. The plan would allow schools to hire an individual for a teaching position under a limited permit while that person completes the certification requirements.

No program should take longer than 15 months. The program would be limited to people who want to teach sixth through 12th grade, driven by the new state requirement that all secondary students successfully complete four years of math and three of science. However, the state also anticipates needing teachers in career education, bilingual education and for English-language learning programs.

The Professional Standards Commission for Teachers, a committee appointed by the state board, which already is studying teacher preparation in Michigan, has concerns. The Michigan Association of Colleges for Teacher Education also opposes the plan, stating "Numbers are not the issue here. Teacher quality is," calling the proposal an "effort to lower the bar."

MDE-Teacher Certification