Hello AP/IB Boosters!
Contents
Henry M. Jackson HS Scholarship Fundraiser
The Jackson HS PTSA has a program for members of the community to purchase flowers and a share of the proceeds goes towards scholarships. The following link has the details.
http://www.apibboosters.org/events/jhsflowers.pdf
UW Math Day for High School Students
Several students from Cascade HS and Jackson HS will attend the UW Math Day for High School Students on Monday, March 21, 2005.
"Plenary Address
The Mathematics of Internet Security
Sandor Kovacs, Associate Professor, Mathematics
Have you ever wondered why it is safe to send sensitive information over the Internet? In this talk we will discuss the basic problems of communicating through open channels, and some ways to solve these problems. In particular, we will talk about the perhaps most ubiquitous application of any kind of advanced mathematics: the RSA cryptosystem."
http://www.outreach.washington.edu/k12/mathday.asp
Helping Students with Misconceptions About American Politics, March 29, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (EST). College Board Online Event.
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
"This online event will model teaching strategies that address student misconceptions about American politics. Teachers will learn how to present the foundations, key issues, and processes of American politics. The session will examine common student misconceptions about the Supreme Court, the U.S. Constitution, the federal budget, reapportionment, and voting alignments, and how to correct misconceptions in the course of classroom instruction."
Getting Ready for the Exam: AP U.S. History with Sue Reeder, March 30, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST). College Board Online Event.
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
"Sue Reeder will address the types of multiple-choice questions on the exam and discuss ways of helping students prepare to answer the questions. She will also conduct a review of the various types of essay questions (including the DBQ), and will suggest strategies for responding to the essays. The session will include a selection of appropriate resources and strategies for class reviews."
Getting Ready for the Exam: AP Calculus with Caren Diefenderfer April 5, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST). College Board Online Event.
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
"Caren Diefenderfer will present strategies for familiarizing students with exam instructions and format. She will also discuss the use of calculators, the free-response commentary, and conduct a practice session with selected multiple-choice and free-response questions."
More AP Courses Coming to Everett School District High Schools for the 2005/2006 School Year.
The Everett School District high schools are continuing to offer more Advanced Placement (AP) courses this fall. For instance, at Jackson HS, the following AP courses were listed in the recent pre-registration course catalog:
AP Art History
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB
AP Chemistry
AP Computer Science A
AP English Language & Composition
AP English Literature & Composition
AP Government & Politics: United States
AP Government & Politics: Comparative
AP Physics B
AP Spanish
AP Statistics
AP Studio Art
AP U.S. History
AP World History
Community Service
We appreciate the comments we have received on the Community Service idea for students. Please continue to send in suggestions. We are in the process of updating our proposal. We also have an open letter to each one of the Everett School District PTA/PTSAs to make suggestions on this issue. We will then present our proposal to the Everett School District School Board.
http://www.apibboosters.org/CommunityService.html
No Boy Left Behind, Laura Bush Puts Spotlight on Helping Boys Succeed
Last month, the University of California, San Diego, had an article on an issue that we would like to see addressed in the Everett School District.
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/thisweek/2005/feb/02_14_gender.asp
Teacher Turnover Rate Not So Bad, Study Says
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2002211523_teacher18m.html
The Bellevue School District is highlighted in this report.
An excerpt from the article:
"Judy Bushnell, president of the Bellevue School Board, said the district also has a rigorous probation for novice teachers. She estimated that contracts aren't renewed after the probation period for 15 percent of teachers at the elementary level, and even more are let go at the secondary level."
"Our expectations are very high, and that makes for an excellent professional staff," Bushnell said.
Levine vs. the Ed Schools
Excerpt from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
"03/17/05—This week, Arthur Levine, president of Columbia University's Teachers College, released a new report, called ‘Educating School Leaders,’ that looks at leadership training programs for principals and superintendents. Levine blasts ed schools for engaging in a ‘race to the bottom’ to shovel degrees out the door, the better to satisfy school districts that award raises and bonuses for graduate credit, no matter the quality of the program or its applicability to what a principal or superintendent actually does. In short, they're a mess. Research Director Justin Torres laments Levine’s decision to not identify (and excoriate) specific programs, but argues that Levine has done a ‘tremendous service to the education leadership debate by telling the truth.’ Read this and more in this week’s Education Gadfly."
http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/global/index.cfm
We (AP/IB Boosters) have discussed this issue of encouraging teachers to obtain advanced degrees. Too often, the "advanced" degree teachers earn is in education (pedagogy) and not in subject matter or content. This is often next to worthless as Arthur Levine describes. We would like to see an effort (with rewards) in the Everett School District to encourage teachers to obtain higher level degrees in the subject matter that they are teaching.