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Six University Teachers And Professors Partnered In NCLE Inquiry Project

12Dr. Dixie Keyes and Dr. Ryan Kelly from Arkansas State University, Dr. Kay Walter from UA Monticello, Sunny Styles-Foster and Dr. Jeff Whittingham from UCA, Dr. Janine Chitty from UA Fort Smith, and Cindy Green (College of Education graduate) from Virtual Arkansas presented a session at the National Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference in Minneapolis during November of 2015.

The session was entitled “State Affiliate Inquiry Teams and Building Capacity on the Literacy and Learning Exchange” and it allowed these six university professors and teachers to partner in sharing a collaborative inquiry project housed on the National Center for Literacy Education’s (NCLE) “Literacy and Learning Exchange.”

This forum is available and free to educators and provides valuable resources and help to teacher or organization teams who want to develop an inquiry to enhance capacity building for their groups.

All of these educators are executive board members of the Arkansas Council of Teachers of ELA (ACTELA), a key literacy/teacher organization in the state and a state affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

The ACTELA CIT (collaborative inquiry team) began in 2012 and is currently featured in an NCLE “Portrait of Change,” written by Keyes and narrated by Keyes, ACTELA’s president and Cindy Green, ACTELA’s vice-president.

The link to this “Portrait of Change” can be found at: http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/vignette/finding-the-time-and-space .

Arkansas We The People Announces New Resources to Train Teachers in Civics

Arkansas We The People is pleased to announce that funds will be available Arkansas to provide professional development for middle and high school teachers in civics and government focusing upon the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The initiative, entitled the James Madison Legacy Project, is part of a nationwide professional development program directed by the Center for Civic Education, a nonprofit educational organization that was recently awarded a federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education’s Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program.

Arkansas We The People is one of the organizations participating in the 46-state James Madison Legacy Project partnership. The funding we receive will be used to increase the number of highly effective teachers of high-need and other students through professional development and the implementation of an exemplary curricular program for students. The teacher institutes and workshops will focus on the research-validated We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program, a nationally acclaimed curriculum that teaches upper elementary, middle and high school students about the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution.

The James Madison Legacy Project will use an existing professional development model that is enhanced with online resources as well as a new blended-learning variation of the traditional model that will involve the use of new online resources to be developed by the Center. These resources will provide teachers rich academic content and a mastery of teaching methods useful in helping students develop the capacity and inclination to become competent and responsible participants in the civic life of their communities and the nation.

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in civics revealed that only about 25% of students performed at or above the “proficient” level. All the other students scored at “basic” or “below basic” levels that leave them ill-equipped to participate effectively in civic life. This clearly indicates the need for the James Madison Legacy Project to improve civic education.

“In order to help students become effective and engaged members of ‘We the People’ and further the goal of a nation that is supposed to be of, by, and for the people, it is critical that teachers have a sound background in civics and government and develop the skills required to bring the subject to life for their students,” said (name of state coordinator).

For more information contact Dr. Jeff Whittingham, Arkansas We The People Coordinator, University of Central Arkansas, 501-450-5445, jeffw@uca.edu

UCA Professors’ Book Recognized by National Civility Center

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Dr. Patty Kohler-Evans and Dr. Candice Dowd Barnes’ recent book “Civility, Compassion and Courage in Schools Today: Implementing Strategies for K-12 Classrooms” was recently recognized by the National Civility Center as a key resources in their Civility in Schools Toolkit.

They were also included on the Center’s Speakers Bureau.

Leadership Studies Students Attended HDC Conference

Six students from the Leadership Studies program attended the Human Development and Capabilities Association conference, which was held at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. from September 10 through September 13, 2015.

The conference theme this year was “Capabilities On The Move: Mobility and Aspirations.”

Five of the students presented their current field-based research projects on health and well-being in the Arkansas Delta. Each student presented an individual paper within the study’s context that focused on health disparities, generational poverty, food security, functional literacy and youth development.

Two students presented their respective dissertation work on girls’ education in Niger and environmental leadership in Rwanda.

All of the students and attending faculty were able to see some of their academic and research idols present new ideas as well as debate current theory, as well as attend a multitude of paper sessions from international researchers who look to improve well-being and human agency around the world. They particularly enjoyed plenary sessions with Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, founders of the Capability Approach, and James Heckman and Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureates in Economics.

When students and faculty have opportunities to attend conferences, such as HDCA, they acquire a deeper appreciation for their classroom knowledge and field-based research. They begin to realize that becoming a scholar and leading through research and service can be life-fulfilling.

New College of Education Dean At UCA Featured by THV11

Thank you to THV11 for a great article on the new College of Education Dean at UCA!

New College of Education Dean at UCA