http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jks1gIR1ig8&feature=youtu.be

Join us on June 14, 2012 from 5:00pm-6:30pm!  The University of Louisville, College of Education and Human Development, is hosting an Information Session on graduate degrees June 14, 2012 from 5:00pm – 6:30pm. This event is being held at the Shelby Campus, Founders Union building, room 201. Meet with faculty from the Teaching and Learning Department and learn more about graduate degrees, as well as extensions, endorsements, certifications, etc.  Go to this link for registration: http://louisville.edu/education/teachercareer or send email to Susan Hildebrand s.hildebrand@louisville.edu  

An effort to have a Kentucky state teacher "vanity" license plate created is presently underway. If you are interested in supporting this effort please take the below survey.

The survey is located at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5C5MQ9Q. Please take a moment to take the survey and pass this information on to a friend. Thank you!

When I started my career, teaching in a school across the street from a jail in Adelanto, California, I had the choice to pay $50 a month in union dues or not. Either way I was going to receive the same pay and benefits. So at 22 years old, right out of college, with several maxed-out credit cards, I couldn’t think of any way that I would be better off with 50 less dollars in my pocket. I declined to join.

Two years later, when I moved back to Ohio, I still wasn’t convinced that it was important to be a member of the teachers’ union. I joined because everybody else did, even though I really didn’t see the point.

Now, a dozen years later, I am the VP of my local association. I’m part of the negotiations team. I represent my local association at regional and state OEA events. I talk contractual rights with teachers most evenings and on weekends. As I mow the lawn, I think about new ways to serve my colleagues through the association and how to engage them in union matters.

What the heck happened to me?

It wasn’t electroshock treatment or a near-death experience. It wasn’t false allegations lodged against me that required union representation.

My involvement in my local has steadily increased over the past twelve years, and the more involved I have become, the more rewarding the experience has been.

Being active in my local association has been an empowering experience. Through my involvement, I have been “in the know” about a great deal of the inner-workings of the school district. I don’t mean that there is some spy ring of teachers, or that people sit around gossiping about district business. I mean that there are critical policy decisions going on all the time in my district, and the union is intricately involved. By being active and attending regular monthly union meetings, I find out all the things that are happening district-wide and how they could potentially affect me and my classroom.

My involvement is beneficial, not only because I am more aware of what’s happening in the district. It’s beneficial because it’s made me more aware and knowledgeable about my collectively bargained contract. So many teachers who are uninvolved with their local have no idea about their rights. They grumble under their breath about being treated unfairly or about unjust situations in their building. If these teachers were more involved in the local association, they would know all the avenues they have to help them satisfactorily resolve disputes with management. Often, when I face a situation that I consider unjust, I can talk comfortably with an administrator and explain that a situation needs to be changed, by citing a section of the contract and explaining past practice.

I work with students everyday and work to develop my skills in delivering meaningful instruction. My growth as an instructor is important, but my growth as a leader amongst my colleagues is also important to me. My union activity affords me many leadership opportunities. As a result, I feel confident speaking to my principal on a teacher’s behalf or representing and advocating for a teacher in a meeting. When I or my colleagues have concerns, I can bring them up at labor-management meetings, discussing important issues with the superintendent, treasurer and head of human resources. I can work with management to make changes that are beneficial to teachers, students and the district as a whole.

For example, I worked with the superintendent and head of computer services to assemble a group of teachers to meet monthly to create a “responsible usage” policy for the district, regarding teachers using Facebook and other social media. Another time, I voiced teacher concerns about our web filtering software, which wasn’t allowing teachers to access educational videos that they wanted to use during instruction. I worked with administration to figure out how to work within the parameters of our software and allow teachers to use the websites they wanted.

In Sylvania, 100% of our teachers are dues-paying members, which is great, but I also work to get teachers to do more than pay dues, to get involved and become leaders. That means working with other local association leaders to plan association-sponsored social events like a district-wide breakfast before our August teacher in-service and encouraging people to get their feet wet, by being building reps or delegates to OEA conferences. These efforts continue to keep our local association strong, and new leaders emerge. This year, three of our seven executive board members are new.

My perspective on the teacher’s union has changed drastically over the course of my fifteen years of teaching. Through the years, I have learned all the benefits of membership and the opportunities that the union provides. I’m thankful that I made the choice to get involved with my local, and I hope that others in the profession will get involved too, so they can take advantage of these same benefits and opportunities, in order to grow as educators. 

By Dan Greenberg, Sylvania Education Association

Dear Educator:

Because you currently work in the public education system in Kentucky, you have been invited to take part in a research study about parent/teacher conflict in the state. This study is being conducted by the Kentucky Center for School Safety. The primary goal of this research project is to conduct an exploratory analysis focusing on parental aggression towards educators. By doing this study, we hope to learn more about the behaviors educators believe constitute parental aggression, the forms of parental aggression that exist, the frequency and extent of these behaviors, the common issues around which such behavior occurs, current responses to the behavior, and possible recommendations for dealing with aggressive parents. We also will use results of this study for a comparative analysis with data collected as part of the parental aggression study conducted in 2005. All of the information will be used to produce a report containing results of the study and suggestions on how to provide safe and secure working environments in Kentucky schools.

Study procedures: If you choose to participate in this study, you will simply complete an online survey (by clicking the link at the bottom of this email). The survey is completely anonymous and should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete. If you are not currently employed in the public education system in the state of Kentucky, you should not participate in this study.

Statement of anonymity: Your participation in the survey and your responses to survey questions are completely anonymous. No names or identifying information are included in the study. The information you provide will be combined with information from other people taking part in the study. When we write up the study to share it with other researchers, we will report aggregate information. No one, not even members of the research team, will know that your responses came from you.

Benefits and Risks for study participants: The benefits of this study include increased knowledge concerning the extent and causes of parental aggression toward educators in Kentucky. This information may lead to important policy implications to reduce such parental aggression.

To the best of our knowledge, the questions you are being asked to answer involve no more risk of harm than you would experience in everyday life. You might experience some minor emotional distress if you recall unpleasant events related to your personal experiences with aggressive parents. The survey is voluntary, thus there are no ramifications for refusing to participate and no rewards for choosing to participate.

Subject’s right to withdraw: Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You are free to decline to participate, withdraw at any time or decline to answer any question that makes you uncomfortable.

If you have questions about the study itself, or if you have problems accessing the survey please contact Dr. Kristie R. Blevins at kcsssurvey@eku.edu or by phone at (859) 622-6869. If you have any questions about your rights as a research volunteer, contact the staff in the Division of Sponsored Programs at Eastern Kentucky University at 859-622-3636.

Thank you for your consideration to participate in this important study. If you are willing to participate, please visit the following website and complete the survey (you may click on the hotlink or copy and paste the link into the address bar of your web browser):

Link to the survey: http://www.research.net/s/WVY2SW7

Thank you very much,

Jon R. Akers, Executive Director
Kentucky Center for School Safety

Please click the below link to review the candidates' resumes.

Run-off Election Resumes

The below JCTA positions have been filled by the person who is listed next to the position.

JCTA President – Brent McKim
JCTA Vice President – Tammy Berlin
JCTA Secretary – Jeanine Niki Ross
JCTA Region 1 Director Secondary Seat B – Diane McKim
JCTA Region 2 Director Secondary Seat B – Karen Hall
JCTA Region 2 Director Elementary Seat B – Gwen Roland
JCTA Region 3 Director Elementary Seat B – Charles Bird
JCTA Region 3 Director Secondary Seat B – Danielle Malone
JCTA Region 4 Director Secondary Seat B – Doris Carter
JCTA Region 4 Director At Large Seat – Mary Thurman

The below listed JCTA and KEA positions will require a runoff election.

JCTA Treasurer
JCTA Region 1 Director – Elementary Seat B
JCTA Region 2 Director – At Large Seat
KEA Director - Seat C
KEA Director - Seat D
KEA Committee - KTRS Nominating Committee

The below JCTA position had no candidate run for the seat.

JCTA Region 4 Director – Elementary Seat B

JCTA President Brent McKim and Executive Director DeeAnn Flaherty recently met with US Representative John Yarmuth to discuss federal educational issues. Congressman Yarmuth has been a strong supporter of JCTA.

View this video link to learn about JCTA’s disaster relief effort to help teachers in Henryville, Indiana. http://ctv4.criticalmention.com/playerpage/player?shareid=26156&partnerToken=8a80834d361d84fb01363ce3dca81743&clientId=0

The KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION news advisory (FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Nominations are now open for the 2013 Kentucky Teacher Awards, sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Education and Ashland Inc.

Nominations may be submitted electronically by visiting the 2013 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Web site at kentuckytoy.com. The deadline for nominations is May 15.

Any full-time public school teacher in the state with at least three years of experience is eligible. Additional qualifications are cited on the application. Teachers may be nominated by students, parents, teaching peers, principals or superintendents or anyone from the community who has an interest in honoring an outstanding educator.

All nominated teachers are required to complete a formal application, which must be submitted by June 30. Judging will take place in August by a blue ribbon panel of education professionals from around the state, and up to 24 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Award winners will be announced in September. Following site visits with nine semifinalists in September and personal interviews with the top three candidates, the Kentucky Teacher of the Year will be announced in Frankfort. At that time, all 24 teachers will be honored with cash awards and other mementos. Teacher Achievement Award winners will receive a cash gift of $500; two of the three finalists will receive a cash gift of $3,000; and the Teacher of the Year will receive a cash prize of $10,000, along with an exciting professional development opportunity. The Kentucky Teacher of the Year then will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

The Kentucky Teacher Awards program combines the best elements of the Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards and the Kentucky Teacher of the Year programs. This is the 12th year for this innovative collaboration between private industry and public education.

The Spotlight Committee has selected the winners for their yearly awards and scholarships. The winners are as follows:

Ethel O’Brien Award – Monica Armstrong
June B. Lee Award – Gail DeVine
Apple From The Teacher Award – Michele H. Pullen
National Board Scholarship – Jackie Guthrie
JCTA Advancing Teacher Scholarship – Katlyn Raderstorf
Annual Spotlight Award 2011 – Letitia Usher

The winners and the people who nominated them will be honored at the March 19th PR meeting. There will be a nice dinner and cake, and they will receive their awards. Congratulations to all the winners.

President Brent McKim met with Arnie Duncan and others to discuss how Kentucky's NCLB waiver will affect teachers. Youtube video of the panel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVfheu1hCME.

Below are the resumes for the candidates running to serve as an NEA delegates. Online voting will commence on February the 3rd. Please review the candidates’ resumes so you will be prepared to vote for 37 of them on the 3rd.

NEA Delegate Resumes

In an op-ed published in the State Journal on January 29, 2012 Governor Beshear explained why he proposed a $15 million for preschool expansion. Four thousand more four year old Kentucky children will be able to attend preschool. Governor Beshear stated in the op-ed, “Even in the most wretched financial times, there are certain investments that we cannot ignore. But this is more than a financial argument. It's also a moral one. We owe all of our children - whether they live in our inner cities or our mountain hollows, our suburbs or our farms - a chance at a promising and productive life.”

Please visit http://www.state-journal.com/news/article/5151441 if you would like to read the entire op-ed piece.

The New Teacher Supply Warehouse will be held on Saturday, August 25, 2012 at the UAW Hall, 3000 Fern Valley Road from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Donations can be made by contacting Sandy Harris at Sandy.Harris@jcta.org or calling 454-3400. To learn more about the New Teacher Supply Warehouse please view this youtube video http://youtu.be/eL2yDSMVoGI.

KEA is preparing to deliver the second half of its NBPTS candidate support program called Home Stretch. KEA has a need for NBCTs to serve as “like-cert” facilitators for our candidates as they conduct a peer review of one portfolio entry. The facilitators will follow a protocol developed specifically for the training.

Accepted NBCTs will be paid $125 to work a whole day, and $75 if they conduct only one half day session. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided.

Please go to the NBCT Home Stretch Facilitator registration page via the below web link and register to be a facilitator if you are interested. THANKS!

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22EFSJHLFJQ
 

Teachers please find attached below the KY Teacher Effectiveness Framework PDF document.  The KY Teacher Effectiveness Framework was discussed by the President McKim in his address in the January 18th ACTION.

KY Teacher Effectiveness Framework

Governor Steve Beshear promoted the cause of public preschool programs and investment in early childhood development in the state of the Commonwealth address Wednesday evening.

PDF Version of the address

JCTA is seeking Cadre Trainers for JCTA Closing the Achievement Gaps Training Cadre. This cadre is a part of a national peer-to-peer training program for NEA members. It provides strategies on how to utilize best practices connected to culture, abilities, resilience and effort in their classrooms to close the achievement gaps from packages and tested curriculum to members at the local and state training events, seminars and conferences. We envision that trainers will span the spectrum of diversity in terms of race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age as well as NEA membership categories.

Cadre members serve a three-year term. Cadre members are not paid for their services. They are, however, provided association leave days and professional development credit when applicable.

If you are interested in becoming a CARE Cadre Trainer please click the below link to get and complete the application.

CARE Application Booklet

Rally your students’ parents, your family members and friends, local business owners and others in your social network to help support your efforts in the classroom. Register online with Adopt-A-Classroom, a program that matches donors with teachers so you can raise funds for classroom supplies and materials. All donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of donations are passed through to your account. To get started, visit www.teachade.com and click on the “adopt a classroom” tab.

Brought to you through a partnership of NEA Member Benefits, TeachAde, the online community for teachers, and Adopt-A-Classroom.

Community Foundation of Louisville announces a funding opportunity for teachers through a new partnership with DonorsChoose.org (http://www.DonorsChoose.org).

DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit that connects public school teachers with people who want to support classroom learning. It’s an easy way for public school teachers to submit project requests for the specific materials their students need to learn.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

1) Projects are submitted by full-time, front line employees in any public school in Jefferson County
(i.e. classroom teachers, school nurses, librarians, FRYSC’s, guidance
counselors, etc.)

2) Generous donors from across the country go to Donors Choose.org and browse these project requests and fund the ones they find most compelling.

3) When a request is funded, DonorsChoose.org orders the materials and ships them directly to the classroom.

4) Teachers and students send along their thanks to those generous donors

It’s that easy!

Children’s books, art supplies, furniture, science kits, computers, toys for dramatic play, listening center equipment … you can request all these and more through DonorsChoose.org.

Please help the Community Foundation of Louisville get the word out to public school teachers. Please share this information with any public school teacher you know. We don’t want any classrooms to miss out on this funding opportunity.

JCTA now offers NEA's Diversity Training. We will have various trainings offered at our office this year, but we also have the ability to send NEA-certified trainers to your building to train your entire staff. Click "Read Article" to read the descriptions for all the modules available. Click here to download the request forms.

If you have any ties you no longer want/need or know of anyone who has ties they are will to give to a worthy cause please contact Scott Whitenack a 4th grade teacher at Chenoweth Elementary. Scott’s email is scott.whitenack@jefferson.kyschools.us and the number at Chenoweth is 485-8227.

Teachers below are two PDF documents that provide critical voting information about how to register to vote, how to vote early, and how to absentee vote. 

How to Register to Vote in Kentucky

Absentee and Early Voting in Kentucky

ACT QualityCore® has been chosen to provide Kentucky’s end-of-course assessments for our high schools in the course areas of: Algebra II, Biology, English II, and U.S. History.

The below listed QualityCore Educational Resources will allow/guide teachers in customizing instruction to meet individual student needs.

Each link will direct you to the following course specific resources:
• Educator’s Guide (the same guide for all courses)
• Course Description and Syllabus
• Course Outline
• Course Objectives/Standards
• Rigor and Relevance Template
• Instructional Unit Plan
• Guidelines for Developing an Instructional Unit
• One Sample Instructional Unit
• End-Of-Course Test Blueprint

Below are the resource links for the four end-of-course assessments.

Algebra II QualityCore Educator Resources
http://www.act.org/qc/KYAlgebra2

Biology QualityCore Educator Resources
http://www.act.org/qc/KYBiology

English 10 QualityCore Educator Resources
http://www.act.org/qc/KYUSHistory

U.S. History QualityCore Educator Resources
http://www.act.org/qc/KYEnglish10

For additional information regarding QualityCore Educator Resources, visit: www.QualityCore.org http://www.qualitycore.org/.

Description of Teacher Materials for the End-of-Course Assessments

Note: The proprietary ACT QualityCore® resources are not to be directly or indirectly published, displayed or otherwise disclosed, including the QualityCore Educator Resources, to any party outside of the Kentucky contract.

KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
NEWS RELEASE
No. 11-060 August 1, 2011
MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Blessing
Office: (502) 564-2000 E-mail: rebecca.blessing@education.ky.gov 

NEW INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL AVAILABLE FOR TEACHERS

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Kentucky teachers will have a new 21st-century instructional tool when they return to the classroom for the 2011-12 school year. The Continuous Instructional Improvement Technology System (CIITS) is a searchable online database of Kentucky academic standards and student learning targets aligned and linked to high-quality instructional resources from Discovery Education.

The system is designed to help teachers as they implement the new Kentucky Core Academic Standards in mathematics and English/language arts (which also include literacy standards for science, social studies/history and technology classes in grades 6-12).

“Since Kentucky is the first in the nation to fully implement the new common core standards, Kentucky educators face a challenge in identifying high-quality, engaging instructional resources that support and reinforce the new standards,” said Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. “CIITS will put those resources at every teacher’s fingertips,” he said.

CIITS is free to all Kentucky public school teachers and is available 24/7 from any Internet-connected computer equipped with modern browsing software.

Holliday stressed that this is just the beginning for CIITS. Later this school year, the rest of Kentucky’s academic standards and thousands more aligned instructional resources from other leading content providers will be added to the system, along with lesson plans and instructional units developed by Kentucky’s Content Leadership Networks. Plans also call for formative assessments to be included in CIITS.

Once an identity management system is in place and access is secured, student data and assessment results will be added to CIITS. This will allow teachers to identify learning gaps and use the CIITS tools and resources to more easily design instructional experiences to meet individual student needs.

CIITS is a multi-phase, multi-year project. Later phases call for the addition of a module to support teacher and leader effectiveness and professional development, and a module to facilitate school and district improvement planning.

“We are designing CIITS to be a one-stop shop for improving instructional outcomes, teacher effectiveness and leadership in all Kentucky schools,” Holliday said.

Recently, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills recognized Kentucky for its ability to integrate 21st-century skills into policy, practice and professional development, in part, for its work on CIITS.

CIITS is a partnership between the Kentucky Department of Education, Schoolnet, KET and Discovery Education. Other partners will be added as instructional resources are expanded.

The system is designed specifically for Kentucky public school educators and is not open to the public. General information is available at

http://www.education.ky.gov/kde/instructional+resources/curriculum+documents+and+resources/continuous+instructional+improvement+technology+system+(ciits)+public.htm.

Request from Rep. Tom Riner to get the information on the film, Forks Over Knives to teachers.

A wonderful scholarship opportunity from State Farm Insurance for Jefferson County National Board candidates has been added to the scholarship listings on the NBPTS website! State Farm is offering a $750 scholarship on a first come, first served basis to JCPS candidates from ALL certification fields and age levels.
The State Farm scholarship money is in addition to the $1250 federal subsidy provided for all Kentucky candidates. You must apply first to be a candidate prior to applying for the scholarship. 

Directions for applying for the State Farm scholarship are as follows.

1) Go to the National Board website at www.nbpts.org.
2) Select the tab BECOME A CANDIDATE.
3) Click on FEES AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
4) Click on SCHOLARSHIPS.
5) Click on the link “Apply for scholarships here.”

There are a limited number of scholarships available, so do not delay in completing your application! Feel free to share this information with any other potential candidates.

If you want to view JCTA's We Teach commercials please click this link http://www.videobred.tv/11-DOG-139/.   

According to KRS 161.780 (1) “No teacher shall be permitted to terminate his or her contract within fifteen (15) days prior to the first instructional day of the school term…” The first instructional day for SY 2011-12 is August 15, 2011. Therefore, the last day a teacher can terminate their contract/resign their employment with JCPS will be JULY 31, 2011.

Please remember that next school year will be the first in which no teacher who has previously held a full-time Emergency Certificate may receive another such certificate. Districts should be planning for this new regulation and identifying those teachers within the district who are working on emergency certificates. If the district wishes to employ these teachers during 2011-12, plans must be made this spring to get them into an alternative certification program or add the additional area via the TC-HQ route. Information on this change in the regulation has been sent to superintendents and HR personnel since the regulation was passed in the spring of 2010; however, the implementation date for this provision was set for this June to allow districts to prepare for the change.