Partnership News
September 2017
In This Issue
 
Fall greetings! Summer 2017 was a delightfully busy time for the Partnership. You'll find details in the Partnership Update below.

We are excited to announce our Fall Math Institute: Enhancing Mathematical Reasoning with Visuals, Manipulatives, and Real-Life Experiences, November 4, 2017, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School, South Hadley, organized by the Western Massachusetts Math Partnership. To register or for more information, click here. Check out the other Opportunities for Educators listed below. 
 
As our world continues to face challenges, I am heartened by seeing the dedication of educators working both informally and formally in our communities, our schools, and our organizations to bring about positive change. Best wishes for a fall full of learning!
 
Marla Solomon
Partnership Update Update 
  • We're pleased to announce the Diverse Teacher Workforce Coalition, a new effort to identify barriers to classroom paraprofessionals becoming teachers. Comprised of 25 regional organizations, the Coalition seeks to transform the teacher pipeline and create an educational workforce more representative of students of diverse backgrounds. By offering a "career pathways" approach to meeting the needs of paraprofessionals, the Coalition will forge a model to change how new highly qualified teachers are developed.
  • Doors to the World received support from the Freeman Foundation and the National Council for Teaching about Asia in collaboration with the Five College Center for East Asian Studies, to offer the July 2017 summer institute, Doors to the World East Asia: Teaching China, Japan and Korea with Global Children's Literature. 18 teachers and librarians from across the U.S. learned about East Asian languages, histories, and cultures, and about how to integrate that knowledge into their teaching using critical multicultural analysis, the Whole Book Approach, and Visual Thinking Strategies. Several participants created mini-unit plans for the Doors to the World website, a resource for teachers who want to utilize more diverse books in their classrooms.
  • CSforAll: Engaging Districts to Plan, Implement and Assess Scalable Models for Computer Science for All continues through summer 2018. A UMass Amherst National Science Foundation-funded project on which we are partnering, 2017-18 work will focus on supporting teacher teams to develop units which integrate the new MA Digital Literacy and Computer Science Standards.

 

 

The Partnership welcomes your participation in or ideas for our work. Don't hesitate to contact the Partnership office.
Tribute to Antonio Nieves Martinez 
 
The Partnership Advisory Council recently lost a treasured former colleague, Antonio Nieves Martinez, who passed away on July 11, 2017. Antonio lived a life dedicated to showing that personal and community transformation are both necessary and possible. As an educator, Antonio addressed issues of equity and access in urban contexts for youth of color, through co-created spaces for teacher learning and youth participatory action research. As a scholar, Antonio studied why and showed how the concerns of students, families, community members, and critically conscious teachers should inform the type of education needed to transform dehumanizing social conditions.
 
Born and raised in San Francisco, Antonio received his Ph.D. in Urban Schooling from UCLA. Long involved in multiple community projects and coalitions of educators, activists, community members, and researchers working towards liberatory education, Antonio was a founding member of the educators' collective The People's Education Movement. He was also a council member of the   Association of Raza Educators and board member of the Education for Liberation Network (EdLib). Before moving back to the San Francisco Bay Area, Antonio and his wife Jerica were engaged in establishing equitable, restorative educational spaces in the Holyoke community.
 
Antonio was a vibrant member of the Council and gave generously of himself and his many talents to students, teachers, colleagues, and the communities of our region. Because of his deep engagement with those communities, he was instrumental in transforming the Partnership's Education Dialogue of 2016 into a cross-generational event, drawing and inspiring students from high school and college to join our usual mix of teachers, administrators, and higher education faculty members. We feel deeply grateful for having had the opportunity to work with Antonio even briefly. He has influenced so many by his own example to work toward a more just and loving world. 
Opportunities for EducatorsOpps
The Western Mass Writing Project will be hosting Teachers Teaching Teachers: Conversations, Connections, and Collaborations, an informal inquiry and discussion group for teachers to other teachers, workshop their curriculum, or discuss pedagogical strategies. Co-facilitated by Keisha L. Green, Ph.D.Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies at UMass Amherst, meetings are open to all Springfield area PK-12 teachers, including pre- and in-service teachers, teacher educators/education researchers, and graduate students. Meetings are held second Saturdays, 9-11 am, and third Thursdays, 4-6 pm, at the UMass Center @ Springfield, 1500 Main St, Springfield, MA 01103. Free admission and light refreshments provided, with discounted parking at Tower Square garage. RSVP for the series here.

The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) at the Program for Teaching East Asia, University of Colorado Boulder, invites applications from elementary and middle school teachers for a free fall 2017 online book group. Japan through Children's Literature: Kamakura, A Seaside Town will explore The Wakame Gatherers and Falling into the Dragon's Mouth-both by children's author Holly Thompson. Information about the course is available here. Online application closes September 25, 2017, or when book group is full.
 
Teach Western Mass is hiring a part-time Urban Educator Pathway Coordinator to recruit 35 undergraduate Scholars from the Five Colleges beginning in September. Position is less than 20 hours a week and pay is competitive. Read more about TWM and Smith College's  Urban Educator Scholar program.  
 
The Jandon Center for Community Engagement at Smith College is looking to fill a Campus Compact Southern New England Americorps VISTA position to focus on STEM education at the K-8 McMahon School in Holyoke from November 2017 to November 2018, with potential for renewal. With the guidance of the Smith College STEM Outreach Coordinator, the position will coordinate the efforts of school administrators, teachers, parents, and community organizations to build an innovative STEM delivery model. For full job description, member benefits, and how to apply, click here.
 
The History Institute is the UMass History Department's signature offering for teachers. This annual institute for local educators consists of a series of lectures and workshops with scholars and teacher trainers. Topic and schedule for the 2017-2018 History Institute will be announced in the fall; to receive event announcements, join the UMass Amherst History Department email list. 
 
Mass Poetry is hosting the Western MA  Student Day of Poetry Festival at UMass Amherst on Thursday, December 7. Teachers are invited to bring their middle or high school students to a day of reading, writing and performing poetry. Mass Poetry is also seeking volunteers to assist with the festival from 7:30 am - 12:30 pm-Five Colleges students are especially encouraged to join in. There will also be a Student Day of Poetry Festival (SDOP) at UMass Boston on Thursday, December 14. Mass Poetry also offers additional opportunities for educators and students, including the JFK Centennial Poetry Contest, as well as the Shakespeare to Hip Hop and  Poetry in Schools visiting poet and performer programs. Email sara@masspoetry.org for information, registration or to volunteer.  
 
The Yiddish Book Center is seeking volunteer docents to provide support to its Field Trip Program staff. Volunteers will assist in leading student groups on visits of the Center and will facilitate interactive activities and tours. See the full position description for more information and requirements.
 
Mass Humanities, in association with the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, is hosting the free public forum Rediscovering Jane Addams in a Time of Crisis on Saturday, November 11, 9am to 4pm at Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton MA. Jane Addams (1860-1935) was a pioneering feminist, suffragist, internationalist, peace activist, ethicist, co-founder of the NAACP, the ACLU, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom-yet today she has all but vanished from the pantheon of popular American history. This event is the first public gathering to revisit the life and legacies of Jane Addams and reflect on how her work is carried on today in the Pioneer Valley. Panelists will include Addams scholars, practitioners in fields she influenced, and representatives of vulnerable populations. General audience discussion will be encouraged. 

Collaborative for Educational Services helps districts, schools, and individuals improve educator and student performance with open enrollment Professional Development events. Upcoming courses include Social Emotional Learning and  Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) Endorsement. A complete list of workshops and events is available on the CES website.
 
Send relevant announcements of opportunities for educators for this newsletter to Marla Solomon.