Dear Catholic Secondary School Educator:

This edition of E-News features:

NCEA Updates

• Improving Outcomes and Containing Costs, the 5th annual instructional leadership conference -  November 12-14, 2009
• Secondary School Department’s 2009 Publications

Public Policy Updates

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to launch approximately $9 billion in new grants to states and school districts
• Indiana enacts Scholarship Tax Credit legislation
• Federal Technology Funds Available
• Obama Administration holds strategy meeting on the potential return of H1N1 this fall
• Timely information from the Council for American Private Education

Curriculum Opportunities

• Posadas Project: Linking Faith, Justice and Immigration
• The latest MP3 version of FDIC’s Money Smart to educate high school students about finances
• Resources for U.S. history teachers made available by the National History Education Clearinghouse
• Get involved in this year’s Catechetical Sunday!
• Emc2library.com offers comprehensive Web-Based Integrated School Administration and Library Management applications

Grants and Contests

• Have you had a great travel experience? Write about it! Apply now for Student Youth Travel Association Scholarships
• 2010 CCHD Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest
• Toyota TAPESTRY science grant competition

In Other News

• Pursuing an Academic Edge at Home
• Should students be given Kindles?
• Education Week’s Weekly Online Chat
• Cell phones in the Classroom

NCEA Updates

Improving Outcomes and Containing Costs, the 5th annual instructional leadership conference - November 12 to 14, 2009, Chicago: The continued challenge for Catholic Schools is “to do more with less” while continuing to maintain excellent educational programs in the context of mission. Join K-12 Catholic Educators from around the country to explore ideas and strategies on how to “think outside the box” to achieve more learning with the same or fewer resources.  Teams of at least two people from a school are encouraged to register: presidents, principals, assistant principals, department chairs, lead teachers, superintendents and assistant superintendents. This year’s conference will be held in Chicago. This conference qualifies for federal funds.  Registration information available here.

Back-to-School 2009 Publications and Resources:  Get your copies today!

• Whatsoever You Do: Helping Students Think Deeply About Service Experiences. Ed. by Martin Connell, S.J. and Christiane Connors
• A Comprehensive Annual Fund Model for Secondary Schools: Ways to Increase Effectiveness. By Mimi Bishop
• A Complete Guide to Establishing a One-to-One Laptop Program.  By Dr. Joy Lopez (Click to listen to an interview with Dr. Joy Lopez about her book).
• Effective Athletic Administration for Catholic Schools and Parishes.  By Fr. Richard McGrath.  Bonus: download Fr. McGrath’s evaluations at no cost! Evaluations are available here.

To learn more about these titles and/or to purchase a copy for your school today, please call NCEA’s Member Services Department at 202.337.6232, or email at services@ncea.org   

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Public Policy Update

New funding available for school reform: On July 24, 2009, President Obama and Secretary Duncan of the Education Department announced funding available for school reform under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Nearly $9 billion dollars will be appropriated to various educational programs, including Race to the Top, a new fund that will provide competitive grants to reward states that are creating education innovation and reform. More information about education reform and the various educational programs that are supported under the ARRA can be found here.

Indiana enacts Scholarship Tax Credit legislation: This week, Indiana enacted legislation that will provide tax credits for contributions to nonprofit organizations that award scholarships to help students attend religious and independent schools. More information about the program is available here.

Federal Technology Funds Available: The U.S. Department of Education has released new guidelines for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (Ed Tech) program, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA is providing $650 million in addition to the $269 million that is regularly appropriated. This increase in funding will help ensure that all students have access to up-to-date technology and will be “technologically literate.” Under the program, states and school districts are required to ensure that children in religious and independent schools receive the same funding that is given to public school students. More information is available from the NCEA or Council for American Private Education or from the Department of Education. 

Obama Administration holds strategy meeting on the potential return of H1N1 this fall: President Obama advised that there is increased risk of the swine flu virus as students return to school in the fall and for which he warns schools to be prepared. Vaccination is advised, and it is suggested that appropriate treatment measures be taken, including social isolation when necessary. For guidelines about how to deal with the potential H1N1 virus this school year, click here.

In the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) Outlook this month:
•           Senate Committee Holds Hearing on DC Scholarship Program
•           Career Satisfaction High Among Private School Teachers

The monthly newsletter from the Council for American Private Education is available for download as a PDF document by clicking here or by entering the following URL in your browser: http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook346.pdf

For more information about NCEA and public policy matters, please contact Sr. Dale McDonald, Director of Public Policy and Research, at dmcdonald@ncea.org, or at 202.337.6232.

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Curriculum Opportunities

The following links and programs are for your consideration. Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement of any particular program or resource

Posadas Project: Linking Faith, Justice and Immigration: The Catholic Church has steadfastly continued its important legacy of moral and spiritual leadership in America. Posada, an award-winning film about young immigrants, and the Posadas Project are part of a new initiative for every Catholic high school, college and parish across the country to foster a compassionate understanding about immigrants. The Posadas Project focuses faith and justice through Las Posadas, the traditional Advent procession from Mexico, and through the stories of unaccompanied immigrant children, as told in the film Posada.  After featuring Posada at many high schools and gatherings, the positive reactions of students, teachers and religious educators prompted the creation of resources for schools and parishes. Thanks to support from Our Sunday Visitor and the Catholic Communication Campaign, every NCEA high school will receive a Posada DVD and other project resources. These are intended for teenage-young adult audiences and would go well with Religious Education, Social Studies, Spanish classes and community service experiences. Look for the resources in the mail and in the meantime, check out the website at www.posadas-project.com.

Money Smart! The FDIC has launched the latest version of their Money Smart curriculum: a portable audio (podcast) format that can be downloaded as an MP3 file to an iPod, another music player, or a computer. Money Smart is a curriculum that is designed to educate individuals outside of the financial mainstream about financial responsibility. This newest version is timely not only because of its use of a current popular technology, but also because it has been introduced at a time when financial education and money management skills are crucial to families and individuals going through economic hardships. The Money Smart program particularly benefits younger individuals who are transitioning to college because it provides them with knowledge about saving and credit that will help them reduce the debt they are likely to face after leaving school. The learning modules available for users include general financial information, checking and savings accounts, budgeting and saving, and credit. Instructors can also use these modules in the classroom to educate groups of students about financial responsibility. For more information and to download the files for FREE, click here.

Resources for U.S. history teachers made available by the National History Education Clearinghouse: The National History Education Clearinghouse (NHEC) is an exciting new project funded by the U.S. Department of Education and created by The Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University and the History Education Group at Stanford University. The NHEC is designed to help K-12 U.S. history teachers access resources and materials that will improve U.S. history education by providing history content, reliable resources, teaching strategies, and current research. In addition, the NHEC aims to connect the many communities involved in improving history education and professional development for history teachers, allowing practitioners, historians, administrators, and history educators to work together to improve history teaching in classrooms throughout the United States. The NHEC identifies and reviews history and education websites for classroom use and makes them easily searchable, provides a gateway to lesson plans and teaching guides, reviews museums and historic sites, provides information about field trips, and answers questions in the unique “Ask-a-Historian” section. The NHEC highlights professional development opportunities such as teacher workshops, lectures, conferences, and contains information on various grants and fellowships.  Furthermore, the National History Education Clearinghouse is a valuable resource for all teachers of American history who want to take advantage of the emerging field of digital humanities.  The website contains many guides that detail how to use new technologies from whiteboards to Twitter. Explore http://teachinghistory.org for more information.

Catechetical Sunday: This year, Catechetical Sunday, September 20, 2009, will focus on the theme, “Catechesis and the Proclamation of the Word.” Catechetical Sunday provides an opportunity for Catholics to reflect on the importance of being a witness to the Gospel, and it encourages church communities to join together to make a renewed commitment to share its faith. For more information and for promotional and teaching materials, click here. SPECIAL OFFER: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is offering copies of Prayers by Benedict XVI at 50% off regular price as a way to celebrate Catechetical Sunday. Offer expires September 14th. Click here to order your copy today.

Emc2Library.com: Emc2Library.com is a comprehensive Web-Based Integrated School Administration and Library Management application that allows schools to: manage databases of contacts and easily communicate with the school community; manage finances and e-mail tuition invoices, fees and donation pledges; create class schedules and post grades; run a library that has an easy check in/out system and that e-mails due date reminders, etc; and more! Emc2Library.com is housed on a fully secured Server, keeping data completely safe and secure. The database is backed up twice per day. The company is now offering a FREE 30-Day Trial! Check out Emc2Library.com for more information.

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Grants and Competitions

Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Youth Foundation Scholarships: The SYTA Youth Foundation is accepting applications for its Silver Lining Program and its Ripley Hunter World Is a Classroom Essay Contest. The Silver Lining Program is an opportunity for a class of juniors of seniors who demonstrate a desire to expand their awareness to win an all expense paid trip to Central Florida in 2010. The Ripley Hunter World Is A Classroom Essay Contest awards a $750 scholarship to a student who can relate what they have gained from a travel experience. Apply now! For more information about the scholarships and how to apply, visit: www.sytayouthfoundation.org

2010 Catholic Campaign for Human Development Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest: The Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest is an annual contest organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). It is designed as a tool for schools and parishes to engage Catholics in grades 7 through 12 in learning about the causes of poverty, Catholic social teaching, and CCHD. The 2010 contest theme is: “Empowering Communities, Uprooting Poverty.” Lesson plans and activities, contest information, and rules can be found here. Please note that all art forms are welcome! Entries are due by March 31, 2010. Please contact Jill Rauh, the CCHD Youth and Young Adult Coordinator, at jrauh@usccb.org for any questions about the contest.

Toyota TAPESTRY Program Now Accepting Entries for the 20th Annual Science Grant Competition: The Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program, one of the largest science teacher grant programs in the nation, is now accepting entries for the 2009-2010 competition. Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., and Inc. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the program offers grants of up to $10,000 to K-12 teachers for innovative science projects that enhance science education in their school and/or district over a one-year period. The 2009 – 2010 competition marks the 20th anniversary of the Toyota TAPESTRY program.  Fifty large grants and a minimum of 20 mini-grants totaling $550,000 will be awarded this year. Individual science teachers or a team of up to five teachers can submit proposals in one of three categories: physical science application; environmental science education; and integrating literacy and science. A judging panel convened by the NSTA will select the award-winning projects based on several criteria, including their innovative approach in teaching science and ability to create a stimulating and hands-on learning environment. Eligibility: Applicants must either be an elementary teacher who teaches science in the classroom or a middle or high school science teacher. Applicants must be residents of one of the 50 states or a resident of Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; or the U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information about the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program or to learn how to apply, visit http://www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry/. Applications must be submitted no later than January 18, 2010 to be considered.

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In Other News

Pursuing an Academic Edge at Home: Today’s parents are choosing to supplement their children’s education using online learning tools rather than expensive tutors. A range of programs are now available online to students grades K-12, which parents pay by subscription. Programs are usually created by teams of accredited teachers and reviewed by advisory boards. Different programs allow students to earn points by playing games or to interact with other students to get to an answer. Read the article here.

Should students be given Kindles? A recent proposal that calls for every student in America to be given a Kindle, an electronic reading device, has sparked controversy among education experts. Proponents of the proposal argue that it would significantly decrease the costs of textbooks and that these funds could eventually be reallocated to other categories like teacher pay. Opponents argue that Kindles are not as practical as books because students can not write in or highlight them, and are additionally concerned with the possibility of theft and the cost of replacing Kindles that go missing. For more information about the proposal, click here.

Education Week’s weekly online chat: Every week, Education Week hosts online chats on a range of issues with leading experts in education research, instruction, reform, and more! Check out past discussions and sign up today at: http://www.edweek-chat.org

Cell phones in the classroom: Some schools are beginning to use cell phones and PDAs in the classroom as academic tools. New technologies and applications, including tools to help students write essays and math and reading flash cards, can be easily downloaded to a phone or PDA for use at home or in the classroom. While some parents and teachers are concerned that having phones in class will distract students, others argue that students can benefit from the technology because it will not only teach them the curriculum, but help them to be computer literate in an increasingly technological world. Read the article here.

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