Heartland AEA to Host Eight Days of Instructional Coach Training Through New Teacher Center

Heartland AEA will be hosting eight days of instructional coach training through the New Teacher Center beginning Oct. 29 and 30. The remaining six days are spread throughout the year. Grant Wood AEA opened two cohorts over the summer, and they filled both of them. The state has asked Heartland AEA to host a cohort for the west side of the state due to inquiries from other districts around the state. 

The cost for this training is reduced due to a state appropriation given to the AEAs. The cost of the training is $1,000 per participant and is open to coaches from districts that did not receive the TLC grant. 

This flyer has additional information. It would be helpful if participants would register by Sept. 26 since the New Teacher Center has to have 40 participants to hold the training.

Heartland AEA Provided News Clips

Each morning, the Heartland AEA Communications Department provides links to local and national education news headlines. We call this service "news clips." If you would like to receive the news clips via email, please email the Heartland AEA Communications Department at comms@heartlandaea.org with the subject line of "Add Me to News Clips." 

Some media sources require digital access subscriptions. News clips receivers are responsible for setting up their own digital access for these media sources. Heartland AEA is unable to provide this digital access for our news clips receivers. We thank you for your understanding.

Branstad, Reynolds, Buck Unveil Financial Literacy Work Team Recommendations

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck announced the recommendations of the Financial Literacy Work Team on Sept. 15. Buck convened the 13-member work team in January 2014 to ensure Iowa students are learning the financial literacy skills needed for success. 

The work team included representatives from public and nonpublic schools, financial services, higher education and the Iowa Department of Education. The group’s recommendations included the following: 

1. Take a close look at our financial literacy requirement for K-12 schools. This is included in the 21st century skills portion of Iowa’s statewide academic standards. The work team’s idea is to make sure the financial literacy component is clear and age appropriate. 
2. More support for schools around putting the financial literacy component of the standards into practice. More support would include providing better, more centralized resources to teachers. 
3. Tap into external stakeholder groups with expertise in financial literacy to assist in professional development trainings for teachers. 
4. Review how school districts approach financial literacy education. 
5. Improve communication statewide to keep a focus on this important issue. 

“We must do more to help students understand the power of financial literacy. And given that there’s this groundswell of support among stakeholders to be part of the solution, it made great sense to form the Financial Literacy Work Team,” said Buck. “At the Iowa Department of Education, we have moved forward by designating a staff member to the issue of financial literacy and we’ll work to provide leadership around professional development activities and a central online location for high-quality resources for teachers.” 

The full report, including the Financial Literacy Work Team’s recommendations, can be found here.