Message from Dr. Tom Lane to Superintendents

Greetings to all,

The holiday season is fast approaching and it is important we all reach out to our legislators now. Their calendars will fill up very quickly, so I’d ask you touch base before Christmas and invite them to our Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. We’ll host in West Des Moines at the Learning Resource Center from 7:00-8:30 a.m. We’ll serve our typical breakfast fare.

Please contact your legislators soon.

On another matter, I’ll be representing our group again this year in gathering contract information. Jim Moore has been brought back by IASB and will be leading our group. IASB has a team developing new tools to assist in our work and they will be presenting to us at either our January or February AEA meeting. This team includes Jackie Black, Lee Tack, Jim Moore and Tony Vander Zyl. I think we’ll all be very appreciative of the work they are doing.

I probably won't see most of you prior to break, so have a great holiday season.

Dr. Tom Lane
Carlisle Community Schools

Use and Storage of Video/Audio/Photography of Eligible Students

Flip Video camcorders are becoming more popular and are an easy, efficient tool to capture student behavior. Some of our special education staff are using Flip Video camcorders for intervention work (e.g., video self-modeling) with students in special education. We wanted to inform you of the legal requirements for using and storing video/audio/photography with eligible students. This information has been summarized and shared with AEA special education staff and Partnership Directors. To view the memo and flowchart, please click here.

If you have any questions about the contents of the memo or flowchart, please see your Partnership Director.

Additional Information: ARRA-Funded Opportunities for Special Education Teachers

Last week, we informed you of the ARRA-funded professional development opportunities aimed specifically for special education teachers. Please be reminded that substitute costs will be reimbursed to allow teachers to attend. Click here to download an updated list and summary of sessions along with activity numbers. Teachers can register through the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog. If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Risen at crisen@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Iowa Core Teaching Videos Online

Help bring clarity to the Iowa Core by viewing any of the 44 short videos on collaboration, assessment, universal constructs, characteristics of effective instruction, teaching for understanding, rigorous and relevant instruction, math instruction, social studies instruction, etc. Just like YouTube, the videos are keyword searchable can be viewed full-screen. View the videos here.

Transitional Life Skills Training Coming in April

Sign up now to attend the "Transitional Life Skills: Educating Beyond Basics" training to be held April 7, 2011 in the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). The session will focus on functional programming in the area of transition planning for students with disabilities. Information will be presented about resources, curriculum and units of study to help successfully incorporate transition activities to enhance post-secondary living, learning and working. Learn more by clicking here.

NOTE: Heartland AEA will reimburse schools the substitution pay for teachers to attend.

Keeping Students & Teachers Up-to-Date on Copyright Laws

Violation of copyright law is an ongoing and serious issue with Internet usage – especially with music and images. Click here to download Copyright BRIEFnotes for Students and here to download Copyright Condensed which is aimed toward teachers and administrators. These documents will provide staff and students will the proper guidance around copyright issues. They are always available on the Heartland website under the Educators tab>Library & Online Catalog. If you ever have any questions about copyright issues, contact Susan Schrader, Resource & Publications Supervisor, at sscrader@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Reminder: Doing What Works Implementation Awards Request for Proposals

As was communicated in last week’s Administrator Connection, Doing What Works (DWW), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, is seeking proposals for Implementation Awards designed to strengthen implementation of research-based practices through DWW. Awards will be used to integrate DWW resources into professional learning or school improvement support processes that support integration of evidence-based education resources into their daily work.

Access the RFP and download the required forms from the awards webpage at www.wested.org/dww. Proposals are due next Friday, December 17, 2010. For additional information, email dww@wested.org or call Kacey O’Kelly at (415) 615-3111.