1.
Research Agenda to be Developed by New Council
A group of educators, researchers, and education advocates met recently in Madison to establish a statewide research agenda for prekindergarten through 12th-grade education in Wisconsin.
They are the State Superintendent’s Wisconsin Education Research Advisory Council (WERAC), newly appointed by Tony Evers.
The group will identify research projects for the next three to five years, foster collaboration among education stakeholders involved in research, serve an advisory role to the Department of Public Instruction, and support broad dissemination of research results that can be acted on in classrooms to improve student learning.
“By forming this advisory group and by working together, we can use research to shape policies and practices so they are more effective in providing educational experiences that will help all children be successful,” Evers said.
During the inaugural meeting, representatives from the Regional Education Laboratory Midwest and the Chicago Consortium on School Research reported on their work and the efforts of other states to collect and report data. Council members also heard about the status of the DPI’s data collection and reporting system.
WERAC's next meeting will be in early 2012.
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2. AP State Scholars
Wisconsin’s AP Scholars for 2011 are Rachel Soble from Brookfield Central High School and Nick Jensen from Madison’s LaFollette High School.
This is the 21st year that the College Board has granted State AP Scholar Awards. The distinction goes to one male and one female student from each state and the District of Columbia. Students are chosen for having grades of three or higher on the greatest number of AP exams and then the highest average score (at least 3.5) on all AP exams they have taken.
State Superintendent Tony Evers congratulated the two, crediting their hard work along with the support of their teachers and parents.
The AP program offers students the opportunity to take college-level courses while in high school and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the end-of-course AP exams. Scores of three, four, or five are considered worthy of credit at many universities.
During the 2010-11 school year, 31,415 Wisconsin students took 51,486 AP exams. More than 2 out of 3 earned passing grades, a rate that was 10-point higher than the national average.
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3. GEAR UP Grant
Wisconsin has won a competitive federal grant to help students from low-income families prepare for college.
The $5 million grant for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) will enroll approximately 2,700 middle and high school students in the Ashland, D.C. Everest, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, and Wausau school districts.
The grant also will fund college and career readiness outreach services for about 45,000 students, parents, and school district staff statewide. Pending approval of continued federal funding, the grant will be for six years, totaling $30 million.
“This program targets middle school students, most of whom will be the first in their families to attend college,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers.
The grant will support academic advising, assistance with college admission and financial applications, precollege summer opportunities, and college readiness workshops. Students will also receive help with education and career plans, and a scholarship upon graduation.
Wisconsin has been active in GEAR UP since its inception more than a decade ago. During the first five years of Wisconsin’s last grant, 85 percent of students who participated in GEAR UP programming went on to graduate from high school, and 89 percent of those applied to either a two- or four-year college.
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5. Charter School Visitation Days
Districts and organizations contemplating the idea of charter schools might want to take advantage of upcoming visitation days to model charter schools in Wisconsin.
These schools have demonstrated at least 4 years of successful innovation, with high achievement as well as very engaged students and communities. The schools invite interested teams to come during their visitation days and learn how their success has changed teaching and learning in their community.
Some federal dissemination grant funds are available to cover the cost of substitute teachers. The model schools can provide details to teams planning a visit.
These visits are critical for districts planning to submit a Charter School Planning Grant in April 2012.
To visit, teams should use the on-line Charter School Visitation Registration Form, which also lists the available dates for each school, via drop-down menus.
The host schools are:
Charter schools are one way to pursue the innovation demanded of educators, especially during challenging economic times.
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6. "Letters about Literature" Contest
A book is more than just a collection of words. A book can have a direct and concrete impact on a life. For children and youth, a book can help them transcend difficult situations—like bullying, peer pressure or prejudice—or help them cope with loss and disappointment.
Letters about Literature (LAL) is a writing contest for young readers in grades 4 through 12, sponsored by the Library of Congress and the Wisconsin Center for the
Book. Students write a letter to an author describing how the writer's work changed the students’ view of the world or themselves. Entries are judged at both the state and national levels and prizes are awarded for the best letter at various grade levels.
LAL awards thousands of dollars each year through state and national prizes, as well as LAL library grants.
Last year's winners from Wisconsin were Clare Honan, grade 6, Whitman Middle School, Wauwatosa; Maya Pechenov, grade 8, Templeton Middle School, Wauwatosa; and Erica Ysais, grade 12, Appleton East High School.
Deadline is January 6. Contact Mary Lou Santovec, Wisconsin coordinator, 920-674-5280, for more information.
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