Teach Washington 
Issue: SpringApril 2011
About this newsletter
Produced quarterly by the Center of Excellence for Careers in Education, this newsletter is intended for sharing education related news, information and resources.  A quality education demands quality educators.  Washington's community and technical colleges play an important role in preparing the education workforce of tomorrow.

 

News
Test anxietyHighline's pre-cohort cohort

Before entering a university teacher preparation program in Washington, students must first pass the WEST-B.  Recently, several colleges have shared concerns over student frustrations about the WEST-B, especially colleges with higher populations of non-native speakers.  At Highline Community College, faculty member Patricia McDonald decided that this was the year try something in response to what she was hearing from students.  She decided to establish a pre-cohort, co-hort for her education transfer students using WEST-B prep as the basis.  They met several times per quarter to talk about transfer issues and test preparation (her materials are shared here).  McDonald reports that student participation has been consistently strong for this free, non-credit "out of the class" experience. "I have heard fantastic feedback from students that came to the sessions and passed the WEST-B. Each one has said how useful the session was for them."  Participation has been so strong, it's even made her consider resurrecting the former Teachers of Tomorrow club, using WEST-B prep as a participation catalyst.

     
More WEST-B

This year the PESB offered a grant to several university faculty to develop test preparation modules that would become available to anyone at no cost.  Dr. Gina Petrie, Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Letters & Education at Eastern Washington University, is one of the project leaders.  As of  March 28th they began piloting the modules on their campus:pre-test, writing, math, reading and post-test.  By this summer, Dr. Petrie has indicated her willingness to share results and more information with external parties.  If you are interested in attending a group meeting with Dr. Petrie this summer to learn more about her team's work, please let us know.  

PESB
New Database Tool at PESB

Perhaps you've wondered "what endorsements are in demand?" or "how did the economic downturn affect the hiring of new teachers?"  Those questions and more can be answered using the PESB's new interactive database.  The database, launched last year, has categorical information to explore like hiring, demographics and certificates issued.  Check it out at http://data.pesb.wa.gov/ 

Olympic ECE 
Olympic College's Calendar Project

Each year, the Workforce Education Council sets aside Perkins funding (up to 5K) for Non-Trad (gender) projects around the system.  When Gayle Dilling, ECE faculty at Olympic College, noticed an unusually high number of men in their Early Childhood program, she had an idea: "why not create a calendar focusing on men working in early childhood?"  With support from her workforce development team, Olympic secured the project funding and Gayle's team got to work.  The initial vision was to create something that would help break down the idea that working with young children isn't a career for men.It features not only students, but also male adjunct faculty and the college's male child care director.  The calendar has also become an excellent recruiting tool since the students featured have all since found employment in the field.  What's the reaction been?  "People giggle at first" said Dilling, imaging "firefighter" and other "men in" type calendars.  The calendar images are "beautiful black and white photographs of men working with children."And since the calendar is without dates (you add your own), it's something the department can use and share for years.

 

For more information on Perkins Non-Trad and Perkins Innovation funding, click here (or speak with your Workforce Dean).  

Events
Teaching Equity - Keynote

On April 30th at Highline Community College, Dr.Jeffrey Michael Reies Duncan-Andrade

from San Francisco State University will keynote the third annual Teaching Equity Conference. His talk is entitled:  Note to Educators: Hope Required when Growing Roses in Concrete.You can find Dr. Duncan-Andrade on youtube.com

If you have news or information to share, let us know.  We will do our best to include it in our next publication.

 

Sincerely,

 


Erik Tingelstad
Center of Excellence for Careers in Education
Upcoming Events
ECTP Urban Retreat
Teaching Equity
ECE Diversity Conf.
June 4th at Green River

Trainings
Grant Links

Student Washington Education Association

(SWEA)

Do you advise education students?  SWEA has free resources for you: information on student teaching insurance, the WEA "Handbook for New Teachers" or NEA's "Tomorrow's Teachers" booklet.  SWEA contacts are Eddie Westerman and Linda Woo 




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