ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS (CALIFORNIA FOCUS)
(1) New Organization Created: The California Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (CAMTE)
URL: http://www.csufresno.edu/mathed/b9.html
Are you a faculty member at a CSU, UC, or California Community College campus who is involved in the preparation of K-12 teachers of mathematics? Are you an educational leader who is actively involved in the professional development of K-12 mathematics teachers? If so, the California Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (CAMTE) was created for you and invites you to become a member! Membership dues are only $20. Everyone who joins during 2004 will have the distinction of being designated a Charter Member of CAMTE. The membership form is available for download at http://www.csufresno.edu/mathed/CAMTE_Membership_Form.pdf
* CAMTE’s Founding: On Saturday, 6 November 2004, CAMTE was officially established at a meeting held during the California Mathematics Council’s conference in Palm Springs. (See http://www.cmc-math.org/pscamte for titles and descriptions of all CAMTE-sponsored sessions at CMC-S). At the organizational meeting, draft versions of the CAMTE Constitution and bylaws were discussed, modified, and ratified by those in attendance (see http://www.csufresno.edu/mathed/CAMTE_new_members_picture.jpg). Following this meeting, a luncheon for new members was held, with Judith Jacobs (Cal Poly, Pomona) providing a luncheon address entitled, “Mathematics Teacher Educators: Who Are We And What Is Our Role?”
* CAMTE’s Mission and Goals: [From the Constitution] “CAMTE’s mission is to promote the improvement of mathematics teacher education in all its aspects in the State of California. Specifically, its goals are to:
A. Provide for the professional development of mathematics teacher educators at all levels.
B. Facilitate communication and networking among mathematics teacher educators at the PreK-12, community college, and college/university levels. Methods to achieve this goal include the following:
1. Serve as a clearinghouse for ideas and resources in mathematics teacher education.
2. Organize programs and meetings focusing on issues related to the preparation and professional development of mathematics teachers.
3. Work collaboratively with California and national government agencies and policy-setting groups on issues related to mathematics teacher education.
4. Coordinate activities and work collaboratively with other associations and organizations concerned with the preparation and professional development of teachers of mathematics.
C. Encourage, promote, and support research related to mathematics teacher education.
D. Recognize outstanding mathematics teacher educators in California.”
At the luncheon meeting, members unanimously approved motions for CAMTE to seek Affiliate status in the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE: http://amte.sdsu.edu/) and in the California Mathematics Council (CMC: http://www.cmc-math.org/).
* CAMTE’s Officers: At the organizational meeting, the following individuals were elected to the CAMTE Board of Directors:
– President: Carol Fry Bohlin (California State University, Fresno)
– President-Elect: Nadine Bezuk (San Diego State University)
– Secretary: Kathy Morris (Sonoma State University)
– Treasurer: Shuhua An (California State University, Long Beach)
– At-Large Members:
– Joanie Commons (University of California, San Diego; San Diego County Office of Education)
– Mike Lutz (California State University, Bakersfield)
– Dale Oliver (Humboldt State University)
* Future Meetings: CAMTE’s Annual Meetings will be coordinated with CMC conferences–CMC-N in odd-numbered years and CMC-S in even-numbered years. There will be a special CAMTE session during the CMC-N conference next month for anyone who could not attend the CAMTE organizational meeting in Palm Springs. This session will be held in the Nautilus West meeting room at Asilomar on Saturday, December 4, at 4:00 p.m. (See http://www.cmc-math.org/AsilReg600 for more details.)
* CAMTE Logo: We invite you to develop and submit a new logo for CAMTE. You may build upon AMTE’s logo or develop a new concept. All submissions will be considered by members of the CAMTE Board of Directors, who will then select a winner. The winning logo will appear on CAMTE’s stationery and Web site (which is in the planning stages). Submit your idea(s) to Carol Fry Bohlin at carolb@csufresno.edu or fax to 559-438-6284 by December 15, 2004.
For more information about CAMTE, please contact Carol Fry Bohlin at carolb@csufresno.edu or any of the other CAMTE officers. We welcome your ideas as we work to develop this exciting new organization!
(2) Mathematics Framework Draft: Additional Opportunities for Input
Source: Donald Kairott, Curriculum Frameworks Unit, California Department of Education
URL (Draft Framework): http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/
URL (Public Meetings): http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/cd/publicmtgs.asp
The on-line evaluation survey portion of the Mathematics Framework field review process closed on November 9, 2004. Additional public input opportunities will be provided during Curriculum Commission meetings in December 2004 and January 2005 and during the State Board of Education meeting in March 2005. (Refer to the Public Meetings Web site for the 2004-05 Curriculum Commission meeting schedule.)
Additional correspondence to the Curriculum Commission regarding the draft Mathematics Framework can be e-mailed to math@cde.ca.gov, or faxed to 916-319-0172. The sooner comments are received, the more likely it is that these comments will be considered by the Mathematics Subject Matter Committee.
ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS (NATIONAL FOCUS)
(1) NCTM Announces the Results of the 2004 Election for the NCTM Board of Directors
Source: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Francis “Skip” Fennell of Westminster, Maryland, has been elected to the position of NCTM president-elect. His one-year term of service as president-elect will begin at the end of the annual meeting in April 2005. He will serve a two-year term as NCTM president beginning at the end of the annual meeting in April 2006.
The following individuals have been elected to serve a three-year term on the NCTM Board of Directors. Their term of service (2005-2008) will begin at the end of the annual meeting in April 2005.
Ruth M. Casey–Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Shelley Kim Ferguson–San Diego, California
Audrey L. Jackson–Ballwin, Missouri
Nora G. Ramirez–Tempe, Arizona
(2) U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige’s Resignation Letter
URL: http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/paige-resignation.html
November 5, 2004
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
This letter comes to advise you of my desire to resign from the position of United States Secretary of Education effective at the end of your first Presidential term. It comes also to express my deepest appreciation to you for the opportunity to serve you and the nation in such an important position.
I am very proud of the many accomplishments achieved by the talented and committed men and women of the United States Department of Education. Because of your strong and clear leadership, our work has been a labor of love. Of the many important accomplishments achieved by the Department during this short and intense four-year period, I believe the following are illustrative:
* …The No Child Left Behind Act’s (NCLB) reform initiatives have been well launched. Despite highly financed and organized opposition, a penchant for waiver requests, and other types of delays, all fifty states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have approved accountability plans, and all states are working vigorously to gain and maintain compliance with NCLB law and regulations. This is a sharp contrast with State compliance with the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA) of 1994. When you assumed the Presidency in January 2001, only 11 states were in compliance with the IASA’s accountability requirements.
* The Department has held the line on Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) compliance issues, and has, for the first time in the Department’s history, exercised its authority to withhold administrative funds from States for clear failure to comply with the substance of the ESEA.
* The national education culture is changing. All across the nation, the educational dialogue is now about results, and less about inputs.
* The Department’s web site has been transformed from a confusing, unattractive site, to one of the best in the federal government. In September 2004, the Center for Public Policy at Brown University ranked the ED web site third overall among 60 federal government sites and first among cabinet agencies.
* The Student Financial Aid National Cohort Default Rate is at a historic low.
* The Department’s research office, the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in 2001, has been reformed and reauthorized as the Institute of Education Sciences, which sharpens the Department’s research focus to better inform instructional practices.
* The stubborn, and I believe unacceptable, academic achievement gap between minority students and their white peers, essentially stagnant throughout the period between 1992 and 2000, has begun to close.
* Hispanic and African American test scores, especially in the big urban centers of our nation, are beginning to rise. The percentage of African American and Hispanic fourth graders who know their reading and math basics increased substantially more between 2000 and 2003 than in the previous eight years combined.
Although the aforementioned accomplishments represent but a sample of the achievements of the talented and committed members of your U.S. Department of Education, I believe they represent a solid foundation from which to launch new and invigorated leadership for the Department. I believe also that this is an appropriate time for me to return to Texas where I can devote attention to a personal project, which I began planning prior to assuming my present responsibilities.
Although my desire is to leave the office at the completion of your first Presidential term, if my successor has not been confirmed by that time, I would be pleased to continue until such time as my successor is confirmed, if you so wish.
Sincerely,
Rod Paige
(3) “A Guide to Education and No Child Left Behind“
Source: U.S. Department of Education – October, 2004 (1-800-USA-LEARN)
URL: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/guide/index.html
URL: http://www.ed.gov/print/nclb/overview/intro/guide/guide.html
This new guide seeks to “be a useful resource for understanding the No Child Left Behind Act” (Rod Paige, in the Foreword to the Guide). The Guide is available for download and as html format.
Topics include the following:
…3. Education and the Economy
4. Education by the Numbers
5. National Expenditures and Achievement
6. The History of No Child Left Behind
7. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
– Improving the Academic Achievement of the Economically Disadvantaged
– Preparing, Training, and Recruiting Highly Qualified Teachers and Principals
– Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students
– Giving Parents Choices and Creating Innovative Education Programs
– Making the Education System Accountable
– Making the System Responsive to Local Needs
– Helping All Children Learn to Read
– Helping Children With Disabilities
– Terms To Know
(4) PDK is Now Accepting Session Proposals for 2005 Conference
Source: Erin Young, Phi Delta Kappa, 800-766-1156 (ext. 2252)
URL: http://www.pdkintl.org/whatis/pdkdir.htm
Phi Delta Kappa International is now accepting session proposals for its 2005 Conference and Exhibit in New Orleans. The theme of the conference, which will be held November 10-13, is Doing What Matters: Education, Democracy, and the Future. The conference will have three strands: Practices That Improve Teaching and Learning; Classrooms of Tomorrow; and Keeping the Public in Public Education.
The deadline to submit a proposal is Jan. 15, 2005. To download a proposal form, go to http://www.pdkintl.org/pdkconf05/callprop05.pdf
Proposals are being accepted for sessions of all types, including lecture/discussion, interactive, panel and roundtable. Proposals should speak to practical concerns and draw on cutting-edge research. The aim is to produce lively debates around current hot topics in education. Especially encouraged are sessions that explore PDK chapter programs, deal with the ramifications of the No Child Left Behind Act, report important new research, and address issues related to Title I and Title II federal legislation. The conference will offer a varied program that will allow teachers, principals, central office administrators, parents, professors, policy makers and community members to learn and be heard.
Phi Delta Kappa, a leading professional association of educators, is dedicated to promoting high-quality schooling through its mission of leadership, research, and service in education.