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Member News -- February 7, 2017
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Professional Learning for Teacher Leaders
NNSTOY's Teachers Leading Modules
NNSTOY is pleased to share with members that we are making steady progress creating a series of seven deep-dive professional learning modules for teacher leaders.
The modules, created by State Teachers of the Year and Finalists, use the latest research and adult teaching methods to build the essential skills emphasized in the
Teacher Leader Model Standards.
While two of the modules (IV and VII) are still in in development, NNSTOY has presented the completed modules to more than 500 educators, including those at the Department of Defense Education Activity, Effingham (Illinois) School District, Colorado Education Association, Mount St. Mary's College and Connecticut Department of Education.
If you are interested in learning more about the Teachers Leading Professional Learning Modules, including how they may be used to advance teacher leadership in your area, please reach out to Katherine Bassett (katherine@nnstoy.org) or Peggy Stewart (peggy@nnstoy.org).
Shout out to the NNSTOY members who have contributed to the modules (including those slated to do so): Megan Allen (Florida 2010), Katherine Bassett (New Jersey 2000), Nate Bowling (Washington 2016), Jemelleh Coes (Georgia 2014), Stacey Donaldson (Mississippi 2010), Pamela Harman (Alabama 2008), Alex Kajitani (California 2009), Daniele Massey (DoDEA 2013), Josh Parker (Maryland 2012), Katy Smith (Minnesota 2012), Lee-Ann Stephens (Minnesota 2007), Peggy Stewart (New Jersey 2005) and Chris Todd (Connecticut Finalist 2014).
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New Ways to Engage
Plug into teacher leadership outside of your school.
National Board Scholarships.
To the
2015 STOYS who have not already taken advantage of scholarship funding to pursue National Board Certification -- there is still time! The registration and payment deadline for the 2016-17 assessment year was recently extended to February 28, 2017. Find more information, including next steps for STOYs.
NNSTOY moves forward with the new administration.
Read the
letter to members from NNSTOY President and CEO Katherine Bassett about how NNSTOY will act once a new U.S. Secretary of Education is confirmed.
Join the policy conversation.
Join us on a call with NNSTOY members about how NNSTOY can provide leadership on education issues with the new administration. We will hold a webinar call Tuesday, February 21 at 8:30 PM ET. Watch for the invitation and link to sign up.
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Building Our Professional Association
Board Update
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Dyane Smokorowski
(Kansas 2013) and Marguerite Izzo (New York 2007)
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For three days, board members and staff discussed a range of important topics, including
measuring the impact of our work, engaging members more deeply, and continuing to work toward our strategic goals.
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Washington Policy Update
Jane West
Congress Moves to Repeal ESSA Accountability and Teacher Prep Regs.
The House and Senate are moving to repeal a range of Obama Administration education regulations. On Wednesday, Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN) introduced House Joint Resolution 57 targeting the ESSA accountability regulations. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) introduced House Joint Resolution 58, which would rescind the teacher preparation regulations.
Both resolutions are likely to move quickly in the House, possibly as early as today. While Democrats will likely oppose the overturning of the Obama regulations, Republicans will support the resolutions bringing probable swift passage since only a simple majority is required.
Thoughts on the Future of Special Education.
Written by the parent of a young man with autism, this article in the Atlantic offers interesting reflections on the future of special education in the Trump administration.
Read Jane West's
complete Washington Update, posted on our website weekly when Congress is in session. This week she takes a deeper dive into the nomination of Betsy DeVos and offers a summary of new hires at the U.S. Department of Education.
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What We Are Reading
Interesting and emerging ideas about education from around the country
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New & Noteworthy
Tools and opportunities to support #TeachersLeading
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Kudos, Shout-Outs & Accolades*
News from the NNSTOY community
A big
THANK YOU to our Friends of NNSTOY, including all who contributed during our Annual Giving Campaign. Even though NNSTOY eliminated member dues, you helped us to
triple our contributions! Everyone who gave (even monthly contributors) are named on the
Friends of NNSTOY page. (If you gave recently, look to see your name in a little over a week.)
Anna Baldwin's (Montana 2014) article "Believe in Your Power" was published on the U.S. Department of Education's Homeroom blog.
Baldwin calls on educators to "articulate our value and share with policymakers and our communities the important, progressive work we are doing in our classrooms. Otherwise, those policymakers and the public will not ever see us as more than sacrificial, invisible worker bees. We have to begin by appreciating ourselves, calling out the positives we see around us, and lifting up each other."
Congratulations to Beth Oswald (Wisconsin 2008), who e
arned her doctoral degree in
Teacher Leadership from Walden University in January! Thank you, Walden!
Tammy Ranger's (Maine 2017) article
"Stuffed Neurons and Growth Mindset" was published on the National Board blog. This insightful piece describes how Ranger helped her students to have a growth mindset and persevere when learning to read challenging material.
Take a look at this short video clip of Dr. Elizabeth Primas (2000 D.C.) describing how a new ESSA initiative is having a positive effect on minorities and students of color.
James E. Ford's (North Carolina 2015) article "Relationships Are Everything" was published in EdWeek and on the NNSTOY blog. Ford argues, "
The relational part of teaching may very well be its most underrated aspect," and urges educators to prioritize Maslow's hierarchy of needs before they focus on moving students up Bloom's taxonomy of the cognitive domain.
Maryann Woods-Murphy
(New Jersey 2010) was featured in an article about educators who oppose the nomination of Betsy DeVos, "Nutley educator joins Menendez in opposing DeVos confirmation." Earlier, Woods-Murphy had participated in a call with five other teachers and New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez about the confirmation. She said that the nation's Secretary of Education "needs a deep expertise in complex and delicate issues," someone who "supports resources to improve the equity of public schools, cares about labor and management collaboration, and understands teacher leadership." Prior to the call, Wood-Murphy solicited the advise of STOYs and Finalists in the NNSTOY Facebook Group.
Sandra Hall's (Delaware 2016) commentary "Nothing Standardized About It," was published in U.S. News. Hall offers insights into teaching her fourth grade class and argues that the Common Core State Standards help to fuel her creativity.
"While some have questioned the impact of our higher standards," Reed writes, "I am a firm believer that these standards can transform teaching and learning for those teachers who set higher standards for their students."
In a Facebook post, Justin Minkel (Arkansas 2007) describes what motivated him to write his latest EdWeek column, "Guided Reading: How to Make Kids Hate (or Love) to Read." He says, "I wrote this column about the chasm between the cozy, loving reading time we create in our homes for our own sons and daughters and the worksheets/multiple choice mania that can invade reading at school."
*Send us your scoop!
If you have professional information to share in
Member News,
please connect with laurie@nnstoy.org.
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