Seventy-three Wisconsin teachers achieve nation’s highest certification

With the announcement recently that 73 more Wisconsin teachers have achieved National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification, Wisconsin’s great schools now house more than 400 teachers who have attained the profession’s highest accreditation.

“National certification is rigorous,” WEAC President Stan Johnson said. “Teachers dedicate countless hours of their own time to improve their skills and knowledge to help their students in the classroom.”

National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession.

A teacher-driven, voluntary process established by NBPTS, certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete and measures what the most accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.

As part of the process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes, a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching, and an assessment of their knowledge of the subjects they teach.

“Great schools depend on great teachers and staff, and these results once again show us how Wisconsin teachers improve their performance in our state’s classrooms,” Johnson said.

“The single most important school-related factor in raising student achievement is the quality of the teacher in the classroom,” said former Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes, chair of the NBPTS board of directors. “These teachers are living proof that this process works to generate some of the most highly accomplished teachers in the field.”

WEAC supports members pursuing certification with grants for workshop sessions, costs associated with those sessions, and/or stipends for facilitators of the sessions.

For more information about National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, visit the OnWEAC resource page at http://www.weac.org/resource/nbpts.htm.

World’s only minority graduate resource encourages under represented groups to seek degrees

Chester, Pennsylvania--Minority students unaware of the graduate opportunities available to them now have a place to go for help and information.

GradPortal.org, a directory of graduate programs originally started through a FIPSE grant and now run by Educational Directories Unlimited, the leading online provider of higher education information, is the first website to offer advice for minority graduate students by minority graduate students. This GradPortal.org Mentoring Channel is available at http://www.gradportal.org/mentoring-channel.

Current graduate students are using the site to detail their experiences as part of a graduate program and an under-represented group via an interactive Web log, or blog. The goal is to show others in similar situations that completing a graduate degree is possible, and that they can and should attempt it.

“The most recent statistic from the U.S. Department of Education states that only 17% of all graduate degrees are awarded to minority students,” says Mark Shay, CEO of Educational Directories Unlimited.

“The main reason for this is because under-represented students are unaware of the opportunities, both academically and financially, that are available to them, and don't have a positive force urging them forward.”

GradPortal.org aims to enlighten these students and show them that they are not only capable of getting into a great graduate program, but that they can receive financial aid, fellowships and scholarships to help them afford it.

The students on the mentoring channel will share their stories with future students in an attempt to inspire them to pursue a degree.

The first two GradPortal.org bloggers are Jason Rivera, a Ph.D. candidate and McNair Scholar in Social Psychology at Claremont Graduate University, and Cathryn Blue, a Ph.D. candidate in Experimental Psychology at St. Louis University.

As a resident assistant, Rivera has experience offering advice to graduate students. He also had a hard time deciding whether to attend graduate school at all, and looks forward to sharing his story with others going through the same process.

“When I first considered graduate school, I had a hard time making the appropriate decisions,” he says. “I hope this blog will give future students a resource to make their process easier than mine.”

He goes on to say, “As a resident assistant, I learned that it was never helpful to simply give the answers, but far better to give students the ability to understand their options so that they could make the choice themselves, while modeling the behavior all along the way.” He plans to use this method in his blog, letting readers learn from him instead of just telling them what to do.

GradPortal.org offers the only directory of graduate school programs and funding options focused on under-represented groups. Anyone can use the site for free, and anyone can respond to the two bloggers to ask them questions or give them advice.

CHS Foundation expands two-year college scholarship program

St. Paul, Minnesota--First-year agricultural students at two-year colleges are invited to apply for 50 $750 scholarships from the CHS Foundation, which recently expanded its two-year College Scholarship Program to provide greater financial assistance to more students. The CHS Foundation is the major giving entity of CHS Inc., a leading energy and grain-based foods company with a stewardship focus on building vibrant communities.

“Many leaders in agribusiness, cooperatives and production agriculture receive excellent early training from our nation's fine two-year educational institutions,” says William J. Nelson, CHS Foundation president. “We’re proud to expand this scholarship program and help plant seeds for a strong future.”

For 2007, scholarships will be awarded to agricultural students from--or attending two-year colleges in--the following states: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. New in 2007, all accredited two-year institutions in the designated states are eligible to participate.

Scholarship amounts have been increased to $750. Students must apply before March 1 during their first year of study; funds will go toward to their second-year costs. An independent, external committee will select scholarship recipients based on essays, transcripts and reference letters. Students should visit www.chsfoundation.org for application forms and full details.

Also new this year, the CHS Foundation is increasing its efforts to connect scholarship winners with valuable opportunities such as internships, professional or leadership development programs, career openings and international experiences.

“Promising young people who are eager to accelerate their career skills deserve every bit of help we can provide,” says Nelson. “By expanding the CHS Foundation’s networking program, we’re giving our country’s most successful cooperatives access to a tremendous resource: the enthusiastic and creative minds of tomorrow’s rural leaders.”

New camp offered for children with ADHD

Easter Seals Wisconsin is proud to introduce a new program for children ages 7-13 with ADHD. The weekend program will be held at Easter Seals Camp Wawbeek in Wisconsin Dells, February 16-18, 2007.

A child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has a hard time controlling their behavior and/or pay attention. The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control estimates 4.4 million youth ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD by a healthcare professional, and as of 2003, 2.5 million youth ages 4-17 are currently receiving medication treatment for the disorder. In 2003, 7.8% of school-aged children were reported to have an ADHD diagnosis by their parent.

Easter Seals experienced staff will focus on the unique social and emotional needs of this population. The ADHD weekend will be filled with activities that promote positive social interactions, increase independence and improve self-esteem.

The low camper to staff ratio 2:1 ensures the camper’s well being while they are busy and on the go. Activities will range from sledding, to swimming, a low ropes course, games which focus on teamwork, hands on programs and activities that emphasize teamwork and self-awareness.

The ADHD weekend will be held February 16-18 at Easter Seals Camp Wawbeek in Wisconsin Dells, WI. To find out more information or to register for the ADHD weekend, please visit www.Easter-SealsWisconsin.com <http://www.eastersealswisconsin.com/> or call 1-800-422-2324.