Welcome to Dimensions On-Line, the electronic edition of Dimensions. Dimensions On-Line is e-mailed to all members. It contains news of interest to Florida ASCD members and Florida educators. This newsletter is a benefit of your membership in Florida ASCD.

Florida ASCD Announcements

Annual Conference A Huge Success

Our annual conference was held on December 1-2, 2006 at the Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel. We had around 100 attendees from across the state of Florida who enjoyed the lively and enriching speakers who entertained us throughout the conference on reading and the brain. Our attendees were treated to lively and engaging presentations by local and nationally known speakers including: Deb Estes, Marcus Conyers, Marcy Kysilka, Larry Holt, Jennifer Reeves, Brian Dorman, Susan Jones, Nancy Lewis, Lary Bedenbaugh, Origin Call, Eddie Lee, Becky Powell, & Donna Tidwell.

At our annual conference Florida ASCD recognized some special individuals for their contributions to education. We recognized Senator Daniel Webster  with the Florida ASCD Outstanding Legislator Award for his accomplishments in Tallahassee for our children in public schools. Additionally, we recognized Dr. Elaine Meils, principal of Lealman Avenue Elementary in Pinellas County, with our Florida ASCD Innovators in Education Award. She received a $500 check from Florida ASCD to help her fund the unique parent trainings she conducts at her school. Know someone who deserves one of these awards? See our Events and Awards page for information on submitting an application for one of these awards for our next conference!

See our conference page for more pictures from our conference as well as information about our 2007 conference as details become available!

New Members

Florida ASCD would like to recognize and welcome all of the new members who have recently joined our organization.

Members in the News

Have you had a recent event to share with others in Florida ASCD (like a job change, promotion, retirement, award or recognition received, unique travel experience, etc.)?  We would like to include your information in the next Electronic Dimensions. Send it to us: fascd@fascd.org

return to top

Florida ASCD Events

Board Meeting

Our last board meeting was held in conjunction with our annual conference on December 1, 2006. At this meeting we approved our minutes from our October meeting. Additionally, we briefly discussed the status of the conference which prompted a discussion of the 2007 conference. We also had the pleasure of meeting and bringing on two new board members Alina McLennan Davis and Catherine J. Weitman who will assume board roles at our next board meeting on February 24, 2007.

return to top

Grants

Champions for Healthy Kids

To encourage innovative programs that improve the eating and physical activity patterns of young people, within a specific target audience between the ages of 2-20 (such as pre-kindergartners, elementary aged students, middle schoolers, etc.) Not-for-profit organizations with 501 (c) (3) or 509 (a) status are eligible. 50 grants of $10,000 each will be awarded. Application link: http://foundationgrants.generalmills.com/ Application Info:
http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/commitment/cbg_bgd_overview_rational.aspx Due Date: Februrary 1, 2007

Learning & Leadership Grants
Grant sponsored by NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE). The purpose if this grant is to support public school teachers, education support professionals with funding for the recipients to participate in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research. Applicants must be practicing U.S. public school teachers in grades K–12 or public school education support professionals, preference will be given to members of the National Education Association. The grant amount is up to $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study. Grant funds may be used for resource materials, supplies, equipment, transportation, software, or scholars-in-residence. Although some funds may be used to support the professional development necessary to implement the innovative idea, the majority of grant funds must be spent on materials or educational experiences for students. Preference will be given to applicants who serve economically disadvantaged students. Website: http://www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm Application guidelines: http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/Guidelines Learning&Leadership.htm Due Date: Applications may be submitted at any time. Applicants are encouraged to plan ahead, as applications are only reviewed two times per year.

Lowe’s Toolbox for Education

The purpose of this grant is for school improvement projects that encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit. Any nonprofit K-12 school or parent group (associated with a nonprofit K-12 school) that has a group tax ID # and official 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Grant Award is up to $5,000 per school. Website: http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/   Due Date:  February 15, 2007 ( Lowe's will be accepting only 1,500 applications per grant period . Dependent upon the number of applications received, deadlines may end earlier than anticipated.) 

return to top

Awards

Florida ASCD

Florida ASCD gives out three awards at their annual conference. One award is the Innovators in Education Award that awards up to two $500 cash grants to person(s) or school(s) who develop a special project supporting creative or innovative instructional practices designed to improve the educational performance of students. Florida ASCD also gives out the FASCD Excellence Award to recognize someone in the educational profession who has made outstanding contributions to quality educational practices that enhance the growth and development of all educators and students. The last award that Florida ASCD gives out annually is the FASCD Outstanding Legislator Award which recognizes a Florida (state or federal) elected official for the highest meritorious contribution to the improvement, promotion, development, and or progression of legislative programs for education in the state of Florida. If you know someone who is deserving of any of these awards, check out our website for application!

ASCD-Outstanding Young Educator Award

The ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award seeks a nominee that is an education professional, 40 years of age or younger, who demonstrates exemplary commitment and exceptional contribution to the profession. Next application cycle due April 15, 2007. See ASCD's Outstanding Young Educator Award page for more information.

Inspired Teacher Scholarship Awards
This award is sponsored by Inspiration Software. The purpose is to support educators with their ongoing professional development, and to advocate the integration of visual learning into the curriculum. Funds may be used to defray costs of workshops, conferences, or graduate courses that focus on visual learning and technology in education. Educators in a K-12 school who have at least one full year of active service as an educator are eligible to apply. There are 5 categories in which to enter: Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning, Rookie Awards for Visual Learning, Best Inspiration® Project, Best Kidspiration® Project, & Best InspireData™ Project. 22 Educators across the U.S. will each receive an award of $750. Website: http://www.inspiration.com/prodev/index.cfm?fuseaction=scholarship Application link: http://www.inspiration.com/prodev/index.cfm?fuseaction=guidelines Due date: January 11, 2007.
 

return to top

News Briefs

Commission Pushes for Overhaul of School System

A high-profile commission warned Thursday that U.S. workers will lose more jobs overseas and will see their standard of living drop unless dramatic steps are taken to improve how kids are educated. In a report, the panel called U.S. schools outdated and said they were failing to prepare students to compete in a global economy. The group is proposing that high school end at 10th grade for many students and that teacher pension plans be scrapped for other benefits such as higher pay and 401(k)s. The proposals, which likely will be viewed as radical by some, were presented by a decidedly establishment group that includes two dozen ex-Cabinet secretaries, school officials and business executives, along with top government leaders from the major political parties. The panel is called the new Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. It was organized by people who launched a group by the same name about 16 years ago. That first commission made a series of recommendations, several of which were enacted. http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/12/14/school.reform.ap/index.html

The Consequences of a "Narrowing" K-12 Curriculum

Doubling the time that schools devote to math and reading in response to state and federal testing requirements won't truly prepare young Americans for life in the 21^st century. It probably won't even boost reading and math scores long term, concluded a conference of policymakers, business leaders, and educators today. "Narrowing the K-12 curriculum isn't just a problem that arrived with No Child Left Behind," said Fordham president Chester E. Finn, Jr. "Since the dawn of standards-based education reform, some states and schools have reacted to pressure for better basic skills by squeezing out history, civics, literature and the arts. This is wrong. Our kids need both to walk and chew gum and our schools must prepare them accordingly, ensuring that they're adept in the basic skills while also acquiring a broad liberal arts education." http://www.ednews.org/articles/5551/1/The-Consequences-of-a-Narrowing-K-12-Curriculum/Page1.html

How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century

There's a dark little joke exchanged by educators with a dissident streak: Rip Van Winkle awakens in the 21st century after a hundred-year snooze and is, of course, utterly bewildered by what he sees. Men and women dash about, talking to small metal devices pinned to their ears. Young people sit at home on sofas, moving miniature athletes around on electronic screens. Older folk defy death and disability with metronomes in their chests and with hips made of metal and plastic. Airports, hospitals, shopping malls--every place Rip goes just baffles him. But when he finally walks into a schoolroom, the old man knows exactly where he is. "This is a school," he declares. "We used to have these back in 1906. Only now the blackboards are green." American schools aren't exactly frozen in time, but considering the pace of change in other areas of life, our public schools tend to feel like throwbacks. Kids spend much of the day as their great-grandparents once did: sitting in rows, listening to teachers lecture, scribbling notes by hand, reading from textbooks that are out of date by the time they are printed. A yawning chasm (with an emphasis on yawning) separates the world inside the schoolhouse from the world outside. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00..html

School Safety A Top Priority
Acts of violence on campuses across the country in the past year-including the deaths of the Amish students in Pennsylvania-have heightened alertness among parents and families everywhere, according to a recent study. The concern over school safety parallels the results of a Harris Poll conducted in the past month. Local concerns rose in November when an intruder attempted to abduct a kindergartner at Ruediger Elementary School in Tallahassee. http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/NEWS01/612260321/1010

French Researchers Identify Gene Linked to Autism
French researchers have discovered a new gene linked to autism, a mental disability which prevents sufferers from communicating and forming relationships normally and whose causes are unknown. The study, published Sunday online by Nature Genetics journal, found that all of five autistic children studied had anomalies in the SHANK3 gene, responsible for making the connections in the brain necessary for language development. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061217/hl_afp/francehealthdisabled_061217194321

return to top

ASCD Connections

Action Center News--Update on Status of Educational Funding

Congress Leaves Schools and Educators Wondering, "What's Next?" Just before leaving the nation's capital for the campaign trail, U.S. Senators and Representatives cleared a continuing resolution that will keep funding at 2006 levels until November 17. With an extra $5 billion already added to the Defense spending bill, many are concerned that few resources will be left for education when Congress returns to work on that bill after the election. By passing a continuing resolution, federal lawmakers have effectively deferred decisions on tough issues like education funding until after the election. Both the House and Senate have passed bills that would either reduce funding for education or level fund, still leaving schools with less money than in 2005. These cuts have come at a time when our schools are struggling with funding shortfalls and increasing costs associated with No Child Left Behind. Join ASCD's Educator Advocates to keep yourself updated on current legislative actions that you should be aware of! You will receive emails from ASCD on new legislation that could affect you, your job, and the children of the future.

Annual Conference

ASCD's annual conference, Valuing the Whole Child: Embracing a Global Vision, will be held on March 17-19, 2007 in Anaheim, California. Check out ASCD's annual conference page for more information.

return to top

Contact Us

Florida ASCD Electronic Dimensions is published as the newsletter of Florida ASCD, publishing announcements, coming events, awards, short articles and items of interest for and about Florida ASCD members.  Items for publication should be sent to Florida ASCD headquarters at the address below. Views expressed are not necessarily the official position of Florida ASCD. Any product announcements appearing in Florida ASCD Electronic Dimensions are paid advertisements. They do not reflect an endorsement by Florida ASCD.

Please send comments, articles, announcements, and suggestions for future topics to the Editor:

Ralph Barrett, President Florida ASCD

11225 Kapok Grand Circle

Madeira Beach, FL 33708

727-871-1112

fascd@fascd.org

www.fascd.org

return to top