sept07 - National Catholic Educational Association

Dear Catholic Secondary School Educator:
This is the September 2007 edition of E-News. This newsletter is a monthly update of information designed to support the ministry of the Catholic high school, a service provided for you by the Secondary Schools Department of the National Catholic Educational Association. This newsletter highlights programs and events focusing on and supporting administrators, educators and students. We hope you find this information helpful as the new school year begins.

Creating Schools That Learn: Instructional Leadership Conference

3rd Annual Conference on Instructional Leadership in partnership with
Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, November 15-17, 2007

This conference invites instructional leaders from Catholic schools throughout the United States to consider together the process of turning good schools into great learning communities.

Key factors to be examined will be: Fundamental agreement and focus on great teaching and the curriculum for each student in a 21st century environment; The need for challenging goals and the use of data on student learning that monitors progress and informs instruction; Parental and community involvement enhanced with digital tools; Safe and orderly schools that engage a child's positive emotions; Collegiality and professionalism enhanced with strong leadership

To register or learn more, click here.

Sustaining and Seeking Leadership: A Conversation with Current and Emerging Catholic High School Leadership.
San Antonio, TX, February 20-22, 2008.

This conference is dedicated to fostering new and emerging leaders in our Catholic high schools. Fr. James Heft, SM, President of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, will lead the discussion. For more information and to be put on the mailing list for this or any upcoming Secondary Schools Department conference contact Mike Conroy (mconroy@ncea.org).

Regional Meetings
Every Fall the Secondary Schools Department hosts a series of Regional Meetings in various cities across the country (Click here for dates and locations). Sr. Mary Frances Taymans, SND, the Executive Director of the Department, will be present at each of these 16 meetings to discuss issues of regional and national interest.

Each school is strongly encouraged to consider bringing a member your Religion faculty or Campus Ministry to the Regional Meeting. This year many of the meetings will include a parallel meeting for campus ministers and religion teachers to discuss and distribute (gratis) a new resource on Global Solidarity and Catholic Social Teaching that has been developed by NCEA and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Check with your Regional Representative for more details.

Membership Renewals
You should have received your membership renewal packet in the mail. There are two types of membership in the Secondary Schools Department – Regular and Premier. If you are not a Premier Member now, please consider renewing this fall at that level. Among the benefits of Premier Membership: your school will have five more subscriptions to all NCEA and Secondary Schools Department publications (like this ENews!). If you have any questions about your membership or have not received your membership renewal packet, please contact the Member Services Department at 202-337-6232 or via email: member@ncea.org. Most important – thanks to ALL of our members for your support and involvement!

2007 Seton Awards Gala
Five St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Awards and one President’s Award will be presented to outstanding supporters of Catholic education during the National Catholic Educational Association’s (NCEA) 17th annual awards dinner and ceremony. The event will be held at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. on Monday, October 1, 2007.

The Seton Award is NCEA’s highest honor, given in recognition of significant philanthropic or leadership contributions to Catholic education. The award is named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), who is regarded by many as the founder of the U.S. Catholic school network. The NCEA President’s Award recognizes a teacher who has challenged and transformed educators to reach a higher level of professionalism. Congratulations to this year’s Award Recipients

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

Empowering the Beginning Teacher of Mathematics
This on-line resource is especially designed for the first or second year Math teacher, but is also a nice refresher for veteran teachers as well – especially those serving as mentors to our beginning teachers. http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=6344

Social Justice Education Resources:
The following websites have extensive resources available to assist religion teachers and campus ministers in their attempts to make the principles of Catholic Social Teaching student-friendly:

The 2008 Inspiration Awards & The Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing

The College Board is now accepting applications for two (2) prestigious Awards: The 2008 Inspiration Awards and The Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing.

The Inspiration Awards celebrate America’s most improved high schools, awarding the three winning schools $25,000 each. Winning schools demonstrate how they improve the academic environment and help students achieve the promise of a higher education, initiate unique programs and create partnerships among teachers, parents, community organizations and local businesses to help more students attend college. The Inspiration Awards are open to all secondary schools (public and nonpublic) in which 40 percent or more of the students receive free or reduced-price lunches. Application deadline is November 16, 2007.

The Bob Costas Grants recognize six exceptional teachers of grades 6 through 12 for the innovative methods they use to develop their students’ writing skills. Grants of $3,000 will be awarded to each winner. Winning teachers are awarded grants to enhance successful projects currently under way. Projects can be carried out in school (public or nonpublic), through an after-school writing workshop, or during a summer program. Teachers from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, as the grants are designed to support not only literature and language arts teachers but also teachers who include writing instruction in the teaching of the sciences, math, history and the arts. Application deadline is November 16, 2007.

For additional information or to download a Bob Costas Grants application, go to www.collegeboard.com/costasgrants or call 212 713-8052. Grant winners will be announced January 2008.

Adolescent Literacy Predoctoral Fellowship
The Adolescent Literacy Predoctoral Fellowship program supports doctoral research aimed at improving literacy outcomes for middle and secondary school students. Fellows will also participate in ongoing training activities to interact with and learn from leading researchers in the field of adolescent literacy and in activities that promote building a community of scholars. Applicants should be a candidate for the doctoral degree at a graduate school within the United States; and have demonstrated an interest in and acquired knowledge of adolescent literacy through coursework, participation in research, teaching, and/or other substantive undertakings; relevant coursework includes, for example, courses in literacy development, literacy disorders, secondary school literacy, adolescent literature, etc...
Go to http://naeducation.org/Adolescent_Literacy_Pre-Doctoral_Fellowship.html#TopOfPage for a list of qualifications and guidelines.

Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship
Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program supports early career scholars working in critical areas of education research. This nonresidential postdoctoral fellowship funds proposals that make significant scholarly contributions to the field of education. The program also develops the careers of its recipients through professional development activities involving National Academy of Education members.
Go to http://www.naeducation.org/1NAEd_Spencer_Postdoctoral_Fellowship.html#TopOfPage for a list of qualifications and guidelines.

Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) Grants for Science and Math Projects
Enhancing Your Curriculum Could Be a Lot Easier Than You Thought! TAF makes more than $500,000 in grant monies for teachers available each school year, and the program has already awarded educators more than $8.1 million since its inception. Grants are given to math and science teachers to help them design all kinds of projects to make their classrooms exciting places to learn.

Learn more about the program and how to apply for a grant by visiting www.taf.toshiba.com or by calling 212-596-0667 for more information.

Classroom-Based Research Grants for Grades K–12 Math Teachers
Supported by the Edward G. Begle Fund and NCTM.
The purpose of this grant is support and encourage classroom-based research in precollege mathematics education in collaboration with college or university mathematics educators. For 2008–2009, grants with a maximum of $8,000 each will be awarded to full-time teachers currently teaching mathematics at the grades K–12 level. http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=1330

Guidelines: This year’s theme, “Put away your sword,” draws from the Gospel of John (18:1-11) when Peter tried to defend Jesus when the soldiers tried to arrest Jesus. Student essays should describe a situation in the world today or in their own lives in which Jesus would say, “Put away your sword.” The student may explain what he or she would do to follow Jesus’ command to promote peace instead of violence.

Rules: Essays must be 500 to 750 words in length and written in English. Students in grades 6 to 8 (Division 1) and grades 9 to 12 (Division 2) may qualify. Only one entry per student. Children of Maryknoll employees, Associates and Affiliates are not eligible. Deadline: Entries postmarked by Friday, November 30, 2007 Prizes: Up to $3,000 in scholarship money and coverage in Maryknoll magazineEssays should be mailed to: 2007 Student Essay Contest P.O. Box 308 Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308. For more information and the required cover sheet please check Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers website.

The William Randolph Hearst Foundation is sponsoring the 46th annual United States Senate Youth Program. Two student leaders from each state and the District of Columbia will spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government in action. The Foundation will pay for all expenses for students chosen to participant in the program March 1 - 8, 2008 in Washington, DC. Each participant also receives a $5,000 scholarship. Deadlines vary by state. See www.ussenateyouth.org for more information

FREE SAT AND ACT PREPARATION RESOURCE
eKnowledge LLC announced that it will continue the donation of its $200 SAT and ACT Test Preparation programs to all Catholic high school students for a second year. Last year, eKnowledge and a group of NFL Players donated more than $10 Million worth of their $200.00 SAT and ACT Test Preparation programs to every Catholic high school student nationwide. Click here for more information about these interactive video CD/DVD programs and information on how to request one of the donated programs.

Because of the rise of eBay and other re-selling venues, eKnowledge & VSG have agreed to not allow bulk shipments of these programs to schools or areas. They ask that any parent or individual student that desires the program, to simply request it online or by phone. The student only need pay shipping and handling ($9.95). This link takes users directly to the Web page with the donation code already encoded. Please distribute this information to your students and parents as you see fit.

Sr. Mary Frances Taymans, SND, Executive Director
Sr. Mary E. Tracy, SNJM, Associate Executive Director
Mr. Gary Meyerl, Assistant Executive Director
Ms. Christiane Connors, Director of Special Projects
Mr. Michael Conroy, Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Kelly Endreola, Administrative Assistant