Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve
the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.
Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success
A great education includes knowing how to make smart, responsible financial decisions. As part of a statewide effort to improve students’ financial literacy skills, Gov. Terry E. Branstad, Lt. Gov. Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education today announced they will host an Iowa Financial Literacy Summit this spring and encouraged Iowans to get involved. The summit will be held on May 5 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.
The summit is open to all Iowans, including middle and high school students, parents, and educators. The event will include speeches from Branstad, Reynolds, and Jack Kosakowski, chief executive officer of Junior Achievement, an organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
Further details about the summit will be announced later this month. Tickets are available through April 21. To register, go to the Iowa Department of Education's website.
The summit will be paid for with funding from the Iowa Department of Education, registration fees and generous support from the private sector. Registration for the day is $50, with room for about 500 attendees.
Thousands of talented Iowa educators lead and inspire their students, but only one is chosen annually as the state’s top teacher. The deadline to nominate the 2016 Iowa Teacher of the Year is April 25.
The award is an opportunity to recognize an exceptional Iowa teacher who is helping to redefine education. Nominations will be accepted from anyone, including students, parents, school administrators, colleagues, college faculty members and associations.
Nomination forms can be found on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.
The Iowa Teacher of the Year award was established in 1958. The annual program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature.
The Teacher of the Year serves as an ambassador to education and as a liaison to primary and secondary schools, higher education and organizations across the state.
Clemencia Spizzirri, a middle-school Spanish teacher from the Des Moines Public Schools, was named the 2015 Teacher of the Year.
The 2016 Teacher of the Year will be announced this fall.
In the fall of 2015, districts will be required to upload their district’s Lau Plans along with their district’s C-Plans once again. Based on last year’s initial upload when all Lau Plans were reviewed for the first time, the need for clear guidance emerged. In order to support district requests in preparing a Lau Plan for ELL services well in advance of the fall upload, professional development will be provided regarding the writing of this federally mandated document.
Participating district teams will leave this workshop with a clear understanding, based on a DE-approved K-12 Lau Plan for Serving ELLs template, and the recently developed Lau Plan checklist, of the requirements for a successful district Lau Plan that will earn the rating “APPROVED” when submitted in the fall.
Who should attend?
District teams, including District and Building Administrators of ELLs, ESL Teachers, Counselors and Classroom/Content teachers who are Lau Plan Team members
Lau Plan Writing Workshop
Date: May 11, 2015
Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Location: Johnston REC, Room 107 A & B
Activity Number: ES009092111501
Course registration is extended until April 3 for two ELL professional development opportunities to be held in Johnston at the Stoney Creek Inn:
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for School and District Administrators
Date: April 22, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Pioneer Room
Activity Number: ES008799991501
This workshop is focused specifically on the needs of administrators with opportunities to network with other district leaders.
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for Teachers and Teacher Leaders
Dates: April 23-24, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Northwoods Conference Room
Activity Number: ES008899991501
License renewal credit will be awarded the April 23-24 workshop for full participation. Title III funds will be available to cover the cost of substitute teachers, with reimbursement claim forms available at the event.
The workshops will be grounded in Diane Staehr Fenner’s book Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators. A copy will be purchased for each participant.
See revised agendas for more information!
Presenter Bios
Diane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D. is the President of DSF Consulting, LLC, a woman-owned small business that provides expertise to support the achievement of English learners (ELs) based on research, best practice, and standards for P-12 students and educators. She has provided professional development on implementing the Common Core for English learners in several states and districts.
Teddi Predaris is a Senior Consultant at DSF Consulting and leverages over 35 years of experience in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), bilingual education and Two-Way Immersion programs.
