Dear Catholic Secondary School Educator

Welcome to the March edition of E-News. The information supplied in this monthly newsletter aims to keep Catholic high school administrators, faculty, staff, and students up-to-date on professional development opportunities, new curriculum resources, and relevant news stories. As a service provided by the Secondary Schools Department at the National Catholic Educational Association, we strive to support our members throughout the school year and as always, we appreciate your feedback.

Please refer to the following headings:

NCEA News
Public Policy Announcements
Curriculum Resources & Development Opportunities
Global Classrooms
Awards

NCEA News

NCEA Convention Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 25 to Friday, 28, 2008:  Convention is just around the corner!  Highlights you do not want to miss include:

• The annual Convocation held on Tuesday, and Business Meeting Luncheon held on Thursday
• 2008 Religion Publishers Showcase on Tuesday evening
• Diane Lampitt, President of Harcourt Religion Publishers, hosts a facilitated conversation about future religious education resources.
• Visits to Roncalli and Cardinal Ritter High Schools in Indianapolis
• A wine and cheese reception hosted by our sponsor SMART TUITION.
• Presentation from the authors of The Care Team Approach

Download the Department's convention planner for the most up-to-date information.

Forthcoming publications:  The Secondary Schools Department is currently working on four publications for release spring 2008.  All publications will be on sale* and the authors will present at the Convention.  

• The Care Team Approach  By Mary C. Fitzgibbons, Ph.D., Michael Mahon, and Amy Maus
• Building Community through School Success Teams  By Mary McCullough, Ph.D., Victoria Graf, Ph.D., and others
• Creating a Successful Auction: Maximizing Revenue and Building Relationships  By Katie M. Thiemann
• Selected Legal Issues at Catholic High Schools, 2^nd ed  By Sr Mary Angela Shaunessy, SCN, J.D., Ph.D. *(Release date post-Convention.)

Birthday Blessings for Pope Benedict XVI:  In celebration of the Pope’s upcoming visit in April, NCEA has launched a campaign to allow students to pledge community service hours in the name of the Pope.  More information is available at http://ncea.catholic.org/.  

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Public Policy Announcements

Studies indicate that...

• "Senator Joseph McCarthy investigated people who protested the war in Vietnam, better known as the Second World War.  Fortunately, that war was over before Christopher Columbus sailed to America; otherwise, we might have never experienced the Renaissance" (Hess, Frederick. Still At Risk: What Students Don’t Know, Even Now.  Common Core, 2008).  According to a new survey, many American 17-year-olds are unable to identify the errors captured in that statement.  Although aimed at public schools, Catholic school educators can gain insight into curriculum effectiveness from this report available at www.commoncore.org. 

• There is a correlation between attitudes about homework and student achievement.  A MetLife Survey of teacher, parent, and student attitudes toward homework revealed that the majority of secondary school students value homework and regard it as one more step toward a brighter future.  While parents and teachers also value homework, there is a significant disconnect between their attitudes toward the quality of homework assignments.  Click here for a summary of the report’s findings. 

• Supplemental reading programs in high schools received a pat on the back from a recent Enhanced Reading Opportunities (ERO) study.  Supplemental reading programs have shown to improve students’ test scores in reading comprehension.  Click here for the full report. 

• There is a time when educators should be race-conscious and when they should be colorblind.  When is it appropriate to single out a student because of race?  When is it unacceptable?  Find out in Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School by Mica Pollock.

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Curriculum Resources & Development Opportunities *

National Environmental Education Week (EE Week):  The largest organized environmental education event in the United States will take place from April 13 to 19, 2008.  Encourage your school to increase the educational impact of Earth Day by hosting environmentally themed lessons and activities during EE Week.  Last year, nearly 1,500 schools, nature centers, zoos, and museums nationwide participated and served over 3.5 million students.  Log on to www.EEWeek.org to register.  Email Karen Schultz at EEWeek@neefusa.org or call (202) 261-6484 with any questions.  

Regional Summits on Innovations in Education The U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) will conduct two regional summits to highlight educational innovations throughout the eastern seaboard.  The summits will be held in Columbia, South Carolina on Tuesday, March 11, and Newark, New Jersey on Thursday, March 13.  These summits will showcase educational options at the local level and share information, ideas, and successful models that can be replicated elsewhere.  Schools in these areas are encouraged to attend.  If your school chooses to participate, please contact Christiane Connors, cconnors@ncea.org  

2008 Summer Workshop for Teachers on Teaching the Catholic Past:  Designed for secondary and college-level educators, this four-day workshop focuses on understanding and teaching the Catholic past with courage and integrity. Engage in topics within cultural contexts of Catholicism without "right" or "left" agendas, needless triumphalisms, or "chic" negativisms.  The workshop runs from July 7 to 11, 2008 at John Carroll University in Cleveland. Contact W.F. Ryan at 216.397.4780, or humanities@jcu.edu.

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Global Classrooms

The U.S. Departments of State and Education have encouraged Catholic schools to participate in foreign language curriculum development and teacher exchange programs.  Some opportunities to consider include:  

Host a Chinese or Arabic Teacher and Expand Your School’s Critical Foreign Language Programs: The Teachers of Critical Languages Program, operated by the American Councils for International Education, places English-speaking Chinese and Arabic teachers in US schools.  Applications are now available for schools to host a Chinese or Arabic exchange teacher in the 2008-2009 school year.  The program is dramatically expanding, and will have almost 40 teachers next year.  Interested schools should contact Ben Dunbar at 202.833.7522, Bdunbar@americancouncils.org.  

Send a Teacher to China this Summer: If your school already has a Chinese language instructor, he or she qualifies for the Intensive Summer Language Institute Program, which includes travel to China and language skills training during the summer.  This program operates out of the U.S. Department of State's Educational and Cultural Affairs Department.  Contact William Heaton at 202.453.8888, or HeatonWE@state.gov.  

iNet Student Online Conference, March 2008:  In part of NCEA's membership with the International Confederation of Principals (ICP), students at your school are invited to take part in the 2008 iNet student online conferences titled Whose World Is It Anyway? Using online message boards, students can discuss global issues with young people from around the world as well as share creative work exploring these issues.  Information is available at www.ssat-inet.net/haveyoursay.  Students may register online individually. Teachers can also register themselves and then pass information on to students. Contact Debra Brydon brydon@cybertext.net.au for more information.  

Join iEARN, the International Education and Resource Network:  As the world’s largest non-profit global network, iEARN enables teachers and youth to use the Internet and other technologies to collaborate on projects to enhance global learning.  Allow your students to research water from local rivers in their community and compare results with students in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.  Apply for grants so your class can participate in worldwide youth summits on topics ranging from natural disasters to global peace processes.  Join youth and teacher forums to share project ideas and collaborate with schools around the world.  If your school is considering joining this global network, learn more about potential collaborative projects at www.iearn.org.

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*The listed curriculum resources are for your consideration and do not represent any endorsement by NCEA.  

Awards  

Student Filmmaking Contest:  NCEA's partner, Education Justice, is sponsoring a filmmaking contest called "Visualizing Catholic Social Teaching."  Open to high school juniors and seniors, the contest requires submissions to creatively portray themes of Catholic Social Teaching in a short film.  The deadline is April 15, 2008.  More information is available from its brochure, or by contacting Sr. Katherine Feely, SND, at telephone 202.635.2757 ext. 125, or email efj@coc.org.  

National Recognition for Catholic School Teachers: Last year, the U.S. Department of Education recognized Ms. Martha Adams, a science teacher at St. Brendan High School in Miami, Florida as an American Star of Teaching.  Another Catholic school educator will be recognized nationwide this year IF names are submitted!  Every year, five private school teachers in addition to public school teachers across the country receive this prestigious recognition.  The deadline to nominate is March 31, 2008.  Nomination forms are available at http://www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/Nominate.asp.   

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