Iowa ASCD held its summer retreat July 27, 2011, under the leadership of President Leslie Moore, AEA 8 Consultant.  Key work identified for 2011-2012 include the following:

• The monthly newsletter is being replaced with a twice-monthly update, The Source, and occasional focused issues around key issues (e.g., RTI, Meeting the Needs of Novice Teachers, Parent Engagement.) If you would like specific information, topics addressed, or have a question you would like addressed in The Source, please contact Lou Howell or Tom Ahart. 
• Four institutes will be provided addressing the theme of "Effective Core Instruction and Supports to Increase Learning of All Kids."   The Fall Institute will be October 20 with Dr. Doug Fisher.  The Curriculum Leadership Academy will feature in April "schools on the move" with initiatives that impact student learning, especially RTI.  Dates and focus of the summer institutes will be shared soon in The Source. (Note:  If you have schools "on the move" with learning, please contact Lou Howell or Sue Wood.   
• A new web site will be unveiled this fall with sources available to members only.
• An emphasis on advocacy and influence will feature training by ASCD's David Griffith for interested Iowa ASCD members.  Our goal will be to share our voice and stories with those whose decisions impact our students' learning and success. If you have a special interest in this area, please contact Susan Pecinovsky or Pam Armstrong-Vogel.  
• Members will have the opportunity to participate on planning teams for the institutes as well as other Iowa ASCD initiatives, including membership and technology.  If you would like to get more involved in a specific area, contact Lou Howell. 
• Iowa ASCD is partnering with SAI to support the mentoring of those responsible for curriculum in school districts.  Whether you are a novice or an expert, Iowa ASCD requests your involvement in this area.  We all have much to learn and share.  Please contact Lou Howell. 
• We will be working with several universities in meeting the needs of their pre-service teachers as well as providing tools and supports for first- and second-year teachers.  Contact Julie Davies if this is a special interest of yours. 

Mike Schmoker (author of Focus, Results, and Results Now) recently shared the following three levers for learning:

1) The consistent delivery of reasonably well-structured lessons. They need not be perfect, but they must embody the simple elements almost all of us agree on: a crystal clear purpose; multiple opportunities during the lesson to practice and apply the new learning; high engagement by all students; and multiple, ongoing checks for understanding to ensure that students demonstrate understanding of each phase of a lesson before we move on to the next phase. We know these elements, but have we ensured that all educators know that the influence of such lessons, if delivered consistently, would be jaw-dropping?

2) A decent, coherent curriculum, rich in content, that is actually taught by teachers of the same course. According to Robert Marzano, E. D. Hirsch, and a legion of experts, this may be the largest lever of all, with the greatest effect on learning within the school walls.

3) Lots-loads-of reading, writing, and discussion of content and ideas students are reading and learning about. The largest possible amount of this should be done in the argumentative mode (e.g., through purposeful analysis, evaluation, interpretation, compare and contrast). Students should be doing four to six times as much of these activities as is now the case. About two hours of every six-period school day should be spent on close, analytic reading and writing every day, across the curriculum. The potential effect of such authentic literacy activities could be as much as all the other levers put together.

How are you using the levers to get the learning you want in your school?    Share with us your thoughts and actions, please, as we seek to build the capacity of our entire membership in this area. 

ASCD members (i.e., Select, Premium, Institutional Plus) should watch your mailboxes for Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap by Pedro Noguera and A. Wade Boykin.

Two of Nogurera's previous books are Unfinished Business: Closing the Achievement Gap in Our Nation's Schools (Josey Bass, 2006) and The Trouble With Black Boys...and Other Reflections on Race, Equity and the Future of Public Education (Wiley and Sons, 2008). A summary of Unfinished Business is available on the Iowa ASCD web site. 

Dr. Boykin's work has focused on "educating the whole child."  He promotes the Talent Development Model, an educational model based on the philosophy that "students are not inherently at risk but rather are placed at risk of educational failure by many adverse practices and situations."