|
|
|
Welcome to the NC Ready Schools Learning
Community. This e-Newsletter has been
developed by The North Carolina Partnership for
Children, Inc. to keep you informed regarding the
Ready Schools Initiative in North Carolina and
across the country. Please feel free to forward it
to others or email kmccrimon@ncsmartstart.org to
subscribe. We welcome your input and
feedback. |
 |
Yancey County |
|
Yancey County, a Ready Schools grantee, held
the county's first English as a Second Language
(ESL) Kindergarten Orientation on May 19th.
It was reported that 80% of the parents
participated. Those who came received
information and shared in hands-on experiences
designed to teach fun and engaging ways families
could interact with their rising kindergartener
over the summer! Way to
go. |
|
Davidson County |
On June 1, Davidson County hosted a Ready
Schools Celebration. It was an opportunity
for principals, teachers and community leaders to
come together and celebrate their Ready Schools
accomplishment of the past year. That same
day, they also took an opportunity for
kindergarten teachers and principals to learn more
about the Power of K, the NC position statement on
kindergartens of the 21st Century. Dr.
Sharon Ritchie from Frank Porter Graham moderated
the
session. |
|
Issue Brief-Building a Solid
Foundation |
|
New America Foundation has just released a
new issue brief called,
"Building a Solid Foundation- How States and
School Districts can use
3. Why preK-3rd must be part of state and
school district stimulus
strategies.
4. How
states and school districts can use the ARRA Funds
to support
prek-3rd
reforms
|
|
Assistant Secretary of
Elementary and Secondary Education
nominated |
|
President Obama has nominated Thelma Melendez
de Santa Ana to serve as Assistant Secretary of
Elementary and Secondary Education. The nominee is
currently the superintendent of the Pomona Unified
School District in California. Over her career she
has served in various roles, including as a
bilingual teacher, elementary school
principal, and executive at the Stupski
Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to education
reform and innovation. Melendez de Santa Ana will
oversee a number of programs that intersect with
early
education. |
|
An Interview with Senator Ted
Kennedy on Education |
In Preschool Matters (April/May 2009), a
publication of NIEER (National Institute for Early
Education Research), Senator Ted Kennedy discusses
his opinions on the Federal role in early care and
education. http://nieer.org/psm/index.php?article=293 |
|
Peer Effects on Children's
Language |
University of Virginia researchers found
children's abilities to speak and understand words
developed faster when they were with classmates
with better language skills. Researchers
studied preschoolers in more than 450 pre-K
classrooms in 11 states, testing their skills in
receptive language and expressive language at the
start and end of pre-K. The authors stated that
while the positive effects from classmates were
small, there were strong implications in such
areas as the desired composition of children in
pre-K classrooms and how much emphasis language
curricula place on teacher-managed
instruction. The article appears in Child
Development, Volume 80, Issue 3. To read
more about the report, visit http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/05/20/32report-2.h28.html?r=448600184
|
|
New Findings
Regarding 3rd Grade "Fade-Out" |
Researchers have been studying why children
who acquire significant educational benefits from
preschool tend to lose that academic edge by 3rd
grade -- a phenomenon known as "fade-out."
Aleksandra Holod and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn of
Columbia University's Teacher's College recently
identified another piece of the puzzle. Fade-out
occurs more often in children served by an
elementary school that has a mostly poor
population. For the complete article from The
Earl Ed Watch Blog, visit, http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2009/new-findings-link-fade-out-phenomenon-high-poverty-schools-11749
|
|
Linking Ready Kids to Ready
Schools
Building
Policy on State and Community
Successes |
|
Linking Ready Kids to Ready
Schools |
Over the past year, a Governor's Forum Series
was held in states across the country,
bringing policy makers, community leaders,
educators, and early learning experts together to
discuss Ready Schools. To read the report on the
policy insights gleaned from the Governor's Forum
Series, visit http://www.readykidsreadyschools2009.org/report.html
|
|
Education Insights: Comments
from the Secretary |
Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan shared his views on the importance of
PK-3. To view the video visit http://www.readykidsreadyschools2009.org/Videos/arne_duncan.wmv
|
|
Community
Connections |
|
Moderator: Joan Lombardi, Director, The
Children's Project
Featuring:
Miami, Florida - Valtena Brown,
Assistant Superintendent for the Bureau of
Curriculum and Instruction, Miami-Dade County
Public Schools; Canton, Ohio - Chet Lenartowicz,
Principal, Youtz Elementary, Canton City Schools;
San Antonio, Texas - Elizabeth Garza,
Superintendent, Edgewood Independent School
District; Hilo, Hawaii - Shelby Nahalea, Director
of Ka Umeke Kaeo, a cultural immersion elementary
school
|
|
Linking Early Learning to
Early Grades |
|
|
Professional
Development/
Trainings/Conferences
|
|
National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Conference |
This summer the National
Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC) will be holding their summer professional
development institute in Charlotte, NC June
13-17th. The theme for this summer's
institute is "Play: Where Learning Begins". This
conference is designed for leaders who prepare and
mentor early childhood professionals. On
June 17th from 8:00am to 10:00am, Ready Schools
Consultants Dr. Carolyn Cobb and Dr. Sharon
Ritchie will be presenting a session called "A
state works together for PreK-3 education."
To learn more about the sessions being offered,
visit http://precis.preciscentral.com/utils/ip/FindPresentation.asp?EventId=94f6d7e0&bhcp=1
or http://www.naeyc.org/conferences/institute/pdf/09InPrel.pdf
|
|
Pre-K- K Building Blocks
Workshop |
Investigate appropriate mathematical
experiences for PreK-K students, discuss research
findings, and explore technology for 3-, 4- and
5-year olds at Meredith College's PreK-K Math
Institute July 28-29. These sessions will be
conducted by nationally recognized early childhood
researcher and author Doug Clements. This hands-on
workshop will provide opportunities for
participants to focus on supporting the
mathematical growth and development of young
learners. Bring your laptop if you have one
available!
|
|
| |
-
July 12-15, 2009 CAYL (Community Advocates
for Young Learners) Conference. This
conference is geared for elementary school
principals who have pre-k in their
schools. The principals will be exposed to
best practices in early childhood. The
Conference will be held in Cambridge, MA.
For more information visit http://cayl.org/?q=PrincipalConference2009
|
|
Are You on the
Map? |
It's time to update the Ready Schools
map. What ready schools activities are
happening in your community? Are there new
schools participating? Do you have a
community Ready Schools Team? Do you have a
conference or professional development opportunity
to share? If so, send your stories announcements
to kmccrimon@ncsmartstart.org.
Sincerely,
Kirsten McCrimon The North
Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc.
| |
| |
