Central Iowa Area Health Education Center (CI AHEC) recruits and retains health professionals in under-served areas. Each center teaches children about health care careers, offers clinical training sites for health profession students and supports health care practitioners with continuing education programs. Programming targets three population groups throughout Iowa. - First, AHEC activities foster kindergarten through undergraduate student interest in the pursuit of health care careers.
- Second, health care profession students are provided greater opportunities for clinical experiences in under-served areas.
- Finally, practicing health professionals are provided continuing education opportunities addressing the unique challenges of serving the under-served.
The CI AHEC is conducting a community needs assessment within their catchment area and have a survey for K-12 professionals regarding what programs currently exist and what programs would be beneficial. The CI AHEC would be greatly appreciative if school professionals from the counties of Boone, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie, Jasper, Polk and Story would fill out the pdf form, found by clicking here, and e-mail it to Jill Whitson, Executive Director of the Central Iowa AHEC, at jwhitson@broadlawns.org or mail it to her at the following:
Jill Whitson, Executive Director
Central Iowa AHEC
1801 Hickman Road
Des Moines, IA 50314
Questions about the Community Forum and/or the survey can be directed to Jill Whitson at 515-282-5721 or jwhitson@broadlawns.org.
If your school has summer programs or professional development activities and you would like instructional materials delivered to individual buildings twice a week, contact Sherise Ahlers, sahlers@aea11.k12.ia.us to request summer delivery. Heartland will automatically deliver to each administration building and to extended-year schools twice a week. Summer routes begin June 10, 2009. We will contact the district to arrange for separate, special delivery of large printing orders during the summer.
The Iowa Professional Development Model (IPDM) Technical Guide is now available for use. The Technical Guide replaces the original IPDM Training Manual and the IPDM Administrator’s Guide. The new version of the IPDM Guide includes information on the Student Achievement and Teacher Quality Act (2007) and connections to the Iowa Core Curriculum. Input from Iowa practitioners was used to make the document more concise and useful to district leadership teams.
The Iowa Department of Education (DE) recommends that local education agency (LEA) administrators, district and school leadership teams, Teacher Quality Committees, area education agency (AEA) administrators and AEA Leadership teams study the IPDM guide and use it as a tool for guiding professional development planning and decision making.
The guide will be very beneficial for developing the Iowa Core Curriculum Implementation Plan. This plan includes the outcome, ―Educators engage in professional development focused on implementing Characteristics of Effective Instruction and demonstrate understanding of Essential Concepts and Skill Sets.
This guide may be reprinted and posted on Web sites for use in Iowa education programs. The document is also available on the DE's Web site at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232&Itemid=1286#pddocuments.
The Iowa Department of Education is again committing funds to support the Math-in-CTE initiative for the 2009-2010 year. The goal of the MATH-in-CTE professional development is to provide career and technical education (CTE) teachers with a means of enhancing the mathematics already present in their occupational curriculum. The eight days of professional development will guide teachers in developing real-world applications of mathematics instruction in authentic contexts.
Funding will be available for up to three secondary schools in the Heartland region to cover the costs of a school’s team (designated CTE teacher and a mathematics teacher) for summer stipends, cost of substitutes and travel expenses. If more than three Heartland region schools register, we will form a selection committee to work with the DE for possible selection criteria and/or additional funding. Informational brochures can be downloaded here and here, and the registration form can be downloaded here.
For questions or more information, contact Kim Thuente at (800) 255–0405, ext. 14372 or kthuente@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Information about the 2009-2010 Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) application process is now on the Iowa Department of Education's Web site. The application deadline is June 15, 2009. You can access this information on the Department’s AIW Web page at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1767&Itemid=2544.
In January of 2008, the administrative rule concerning articulated, sequential K-12 school counseling programs was enacted. To help with the K-12 program district-wide, the Heartland Counselor Academy was created. Teams of K-12 counselors come together with direction to audit, refine and develop their programs. There have been three such academies over the past two years, and for the 09-10 school year, districts have two remaining options: one will meet in Coon Rapids, the other in Johnston. After the 09-10 school year, this particular academy will not exist. The Counselor Academy II and III will also be offered during the 09-10 school year.
Because much of this is new territory for administrators, Sue Schirmer developed a District Self-Analysis tool for districts to see where they are with regards to the Iowa Code (minimum standards) and the American School Counseling Association's National Model (best practice-research based).
For more information about the academies or to download the district self-analysis, please go to the Heartland School Counseling Web pages at http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/prodev/counseling/ or contact Sue Schirmer at sschirmer@aea11.k12.ia.us.
The Learning Activity Posters (LAP) will now be available on demand throughout the year. The cost will remain the same at $.30 each. All orders may be sent to Teri Hazen at thazen@aea11.k12.ia.us. Questions can be directed to Teri at (515) 270-9030 ext. 14465.
