Exercise Your Right to Vote
The recommendations and ballot on the proposed ASCD constitutional revisions are enclosed in your December issue of Education Update. Please use this opportunity to guide the future of ASCD by exercising your right to vote and returning the postcard ballot by the postmark date of Feb. 4, 2005. If you have any questions about the proposed constitutional changes, contact Governance Manager Becky DeRigge at 703-575-5601 or 800-933-2723, by fax at 703-575-5408, or through e-mail at bderigge@ascd.org.
Call for Nominations
ASCD's Nominations Committee invites all members to submit names of individuals who are interested in being nominated for strategic leadership positions within the organization. Members can also nominate themselves. In 2005, the General Membership election will fill positions for President-Elect, Board of Directors, a Review Council Member, and Leadership Council Members-at-Large. The Leadership Council election will fill positions on the Board of Directors from the Leadership Council.
For a set of candidacy forms, please contact Charles Patterson, chair of the 2003–2004 Nominations Committee, Killeen Independent School District, P.O. Box 967, 200 North W. S. Young Dr., Killeen, TX 76540-0967, charles.patterson@killeenisd.org; or Becky DeRigge, ASCD, bderigge@ascd.org, 800-933-2723 or 703-575-5601. Return the completed forms to the chair by Jan. 31, 2005. You can also find the forms on ASCD's Web site atwww.ascd.org/pdf/candidacyform.pdf.
Extended Hours
As part of its ongoing mission to better serve its members and constituents, ASCD is announcing extended hours of operation for its Service Center. Beginning Jan. 3, 2005, the ASCD Service Center and WebHelp staff will be available by phone and e-mail from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern standard time Monday through Friday. The ASCD Web site (www.ascd.org) and the ASCD Online Store (shop.ascd.org) will continue to serve constituents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Work Ahead
ASCD has adopted a new mission and vision to drive its work for the coming years. The new mission statement describes ASCD as “a community of educators, advocating sound policies and sharing best practices to achieve the success of each learner.” The new vision statement acknowledges ASCD asthe world's premier education organization. We are a vibrant and diverse community working together to ensure the success of each learner. We are a trusted voice influencing policy and practice. Our expertise and resources are indispensable for excellence in learning, teaching, and leadership.
- Build a more engaged and diverse community to improve learning and teaching for each student.
- Advocate policies and practices that positively influence learning, teaching, and leadership in education.
- Create research-based programs, products, and services that will lead educators to use best practices in learning, teaching, and leadership.
- Continuously improve its operational and fiduciary effectiveness to deliver value to its constituents.
The new strategic plan caps the Association's first full year under a new governance and organizational structure, consisting of the ASCD Board of Directors and the ASCD Leadership Council. The ASCD Board is responsible for implementing the Association's policies, programs, and services in a way that is consistent with the Association's values. The Leadership Council adopts positions that promote ASCD's influence and advocacy.
For more information about ASCD governance and its positions, visit the ASCD Web site (www.ascd.org) and click on “About ASCD.”
Study Guides on the Web
ASCD study guides can help readers of Educational Leadership or ASCD books to take a step beyond reading into collaborative thinking and action. The guides offer questions, prompts, and suggested activities to help readers relate an author's message to their own education experiences. They are useful for teacher education and graduate administration courses, school learning communities, study groups, book clubs, and individual reflection.
To find out which articles in Educational Leadership and which ASCD books are explored in these Web-based study guides, go to the Publications section of the ASCD Web site at www.ascd.org, click on the Books or Educational Leadership link, then click on Study Guides on the sidebar menu.
Resources
<BIBLIST><HEAD>Books</HEAD>Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, 2nd Edition. By Adrienne Herrell and Michael Jordan. (Merrill/Prentice-Hall, 2003). Stock No. 303383. Price: $28 (both members and nonmembers).Meeting the Needs of Second Language Learners: An Educator's Guide. By Judith Lessow-Hurley. (2003). Stock No. 102043. Price: $13.95 (member); $16.95 (nonmember).</BIBLIST>
<BIBLIST><HEAD>Videos</HEAD>A Visit to a Classroom of English Language Learners. (2004). One 45-minute videotape, with a comprehensive Viewer's Guide. Stock No. 404447. Price: $145 (member); $170 (nonmember).Maximizing Learning for English Language Learners Entire Series (Tapes 1–3). (2003). Three 35-minute videotapes with a Facilitator's Guide. Stock No. 403326. Price: $440 (member); $540 (nonmember).</BIBLIST>
<BIBLIST><HEAD>Multimedia</HEAD>Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices Books-in-Action Bundle (10 books and 1 videotape). By Belinda Williams. (2004). Stock No. 704422. Price: $229 (member); $279 (nonmember). Book and videotape are also available separately.</BIBLIST>
<BIBLIST> <HEAD>Networks</HEAD> <CITATION> Hispanic/Latino-American Critical Issues Network: Visit www.fascd.org/hcin/home.asp or contact network facilitators Eduardo Rivas (erivas@sbab.dade.k12.fl.us) or Carlos Viera (cviera@sbab.dade.k12.fl.us). </CITATION> <CITATION> Language Varieties (Pidgins, Creoles, and other stigmatized varieties) Network: Visit www.une.edu.au/langnet or contact network facilitators Ermile Hargrove (ekhargrove@aol.com) or Jeff Siegel (jsiegel@metz.une.edu.au). </CITATION> <CITATION> Overseas and International Schools Network: Contact network facilitator Diane Simmons-Tomczak (tomczakrd@aol.com). </CITATION> </BIBLIST>
Coming in February
- David J. Ferrero says that school communities need to become aware of the philosophies that underlie different models of school reform in order to choose the one that best matches their own fundamental beliefs and needs.
- Linda Lambert describes strategies that can help principals ensure that school improvement is sustained after they move on.
- Victoria L. Bernhardt provides guidance about obtaining the data analysis tools to use data effectively and raise student achievement.
- Stan Karp asserts that states need to support struggling school districts rather than just monitoring and sanctioning them.
- Allan Olson discusses a better way to determine Adequate Yearly Progress: computer adaptive testing that guides individual students' instruction over time.
