I hope you all had an enriching summer full of new experiences.
My summer ended with an invitation to the 2010 National Forum on Education Policy in Portland, Oregon. The forum was put on by the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and it was because of the NEA that the Teachers of the Year were invited to take part in these discussions.
I just returned from this forum, and I came away with many new interesting ideas. Just to be able to have a teacher's voice at a policy forum like this, where governors, state congressional members, and other key state and national policy makers were present, was a step in the right direction. Teachers need to be part of these discussions so that policy makers know if their ideas will actually work in the schools and what teachers think about these ideas. So for us to be at this forum was a success.
There was a lot of discussion on the Common Core standards and how they are progressing with implementation, what 21st Century learning is and why it's important, what "college and career readiness" actually means, expanded-time schools, improving teacher preparation and teacher effectiveness, and overall, how to improve the education system in the U.S.
One of the most interesting speakers was Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules, about the importance of being active in getting the most retention out of the brain. He is a very respected molecular biologist and really presented some excellent research on the brain and how it works.
The success of the forum was the teacher's voice that these policy makers got to hear. Hopefully it will stay with them as they go back to their organizations, states, and universities and push forward education policy.
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I am glad to hear the teachers had a voice. I want to hear state representatives talk more of 21st Century learning and further teacher development.
ReplyDeleteWhat is 21st Century Learning, and how do we implement its many strands into an already full schedule for kids - JB
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