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Resources & Opportunities
Looking for resources on instruction of English language learners? REL Mid-Atlantic offers a webinar on "Effective Instruction of English Learners" on Nov. 12 from 3-5 p.m. EST. The webinar will offer a research overview, variables that shape reading ability, and strategies to improve instruction. Register at this link.
Curious about ways to build an effective data-using culture? REL Northeast & Islands plans a webinar Oct. 8 from 3:00-4:15 pm ET on "How to Facilitate the Culture of Data Use." It will offer guidance for organizing a workshop on this topic, including 5 essential elements of data-use practice. Register at this link.
In search of information about reporting and sharing data to improve teacher preparation programs? REL Central is conducting a webinar Oct. 13 at 2-3:30 CT on "Reporting on Teacher Preparation Program Performance: A Look at State Approaches," which will consider how Kentucky and Missouri have collected and reported teacher preparation outcome data. Register at this link.
Wondering how to help teachers create an effective, personalized, learner-centered environment?
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Editor: Kimberly Hambrick
Kimberly.Hambrick@icfi.com
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The Arc of the ARCC: Reflecting on Three Years of Technical Assistance
By Caitlin Howley, Director, the ARCC
Autumn seems to be an especially poignant time of year. Students return to school, the days turn crisp and cool, leaves burst into color, and we begin to reflect on what came before and what lies ahead. As the ARCC begins a new year of service this autumn, our team too is thinking about the work that Appalachian state education agencies (SEAs) are leading. Some of these efforts address important issues of equity, including plans for ensuring the equitable distribution of teachers, the improvement of struggling schools, and the college and career readiness of diverse student populations. Other endeavors center on balancing high new standards with the support that educators need to integrate them into instruction. Concerted state efforts to find, develop, and keep great educators; strengthen early childhood education; use technology meaningfully; and improve accountability systems are additional focus areas across the region. MORE
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Spotlight: An Interview with Kathy D'Antoni on West Virginia's Simulated Workplace
We inaugurate our new Spotlight series with Dr. Kathy D'Antoni, West Virginia's State Chief Officer for Career Technical Education, interviewed earlier this month by Dr. Kimberly Hambrick, the ARCC's Associate Director. The purpose of Spotlight is to explore innovative practices as seen through the eyes of state leaders. The topic of this first Spotlight is West Virginia's Simulated Workplace, which creates workplace environments in classrooms that operate like real companies in actual industries, run by students.
Beginning in 2016-2017, every career and technical education (CTE) classroom in West Virginia will operate as a simulated workplace. "Next year, it's the way CTE in West Virginia does business," Dr. Antoni emphasized. "We have the data now . . . . If you do this with fidelity, you see huge changes. And the main changes you see are in the actual behavior, actions, and engagement of students." MORE
For the June 25 webinar on Simulated Workplace: Changing CTE in West Virginia, and related tools, go to this link.
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Tennessee Reshapes Work-Based Learning
Join the ARCC on Thursday, October 15, from 2-3 p.m. ET, to learn how Tennessee is reshaping work-based learning to create a rigorous and relevant experience for all students that reinforces academic, technical, and social skills through collaborative activities with industry. Recognizing that our increasingly complex global economy requires all students to learn about the world of work, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDE) in 2013 saw work-based learning as a way to bridge the gap between high school and beyond. With a clearly articulated vision as its North Star, TDE embarked on a two-year process to transform work-based learning from policy to practice, including piloting the new program in five school districts. As the 2015-2016 school year begins, statewide rollout is in full swing, promoting new policies, trainings, regional professional development, and curriculum to support quality and safe experiences for students. This webinar will explore how Tennessee has developed and implemented the program statewide, complete with professional learning communities to provide support to local practitioners and accountability metrics. The webinar will be co-hosted with the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. Please register at this link.
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White House Gives a Shout Out to Kentucky
Kentucky's statewide youth apprenticeship program received recognition earlier this month in the White House announcement of $175 million in American Apprenticeship Grants to train and hire new apprentices in high-growth and high-tech industries like health care, IT, and advanced manufacturing and to scale up proven programs in construction, transportation, and energy. The Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (KY FAME) was cited in the September 9 White House press release as an example of state and local government action to expand apprenticeship. KY FAME is a partnership of manufacturers who established an apprentice-style program designed to create a highly skilled workforce through simultaneous community college classwork and employment with a sponsoring employer, leading to an associate degree in applied sciences.
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Profile: The Center for Standards and Assessments Implementation
 The Center for Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) provides state education agencies and regional comprehensive centers (RCCs), including the ARCC, with research support, technical assistance, tools, and other resources to help inform decisions about standards, assessment, and accountability. A core feature of CSAI's research is its continual monitoring of state policies and activities to support the implementation of their college and career readiness standards and assessments. CSAI is committed to four major elements of work: (1) improve state policies, practices, and supports to districts for the implementation of rigorous college and career readiness standards and assessments; (2) increase the capacity of the RCCs to meet the technical assistance and implementation needs of states around standards, assessment, and accountability; (3) capitalize on technology and media to promote engagement, effectiveness, and efficiency in the application of research and resources to expand CSAI's reach; and (4) continuously improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of CSAI to support the long-term sustainability of educational reform efforts across states and districts.
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