National Commission on the Whole Child
Parents, teachers, and the community believe schools should focus on developing students who are not only academically proficient but also physically and emotionally healthy, responsible, and caring. They want graduates who contribute to the community and who are productive at work and at home.
To examine and make recommendations about how to recast the current focus of schools, ASCD is convening a commission of leading thinkers, researchers, and practitioners from a wide variety of sectors. The commission will share its recommendations with national leaders and ASCD constituents.
Education Leaders Speak Out
- Engage and equip leaders to advance ASCD positions;
- Develop emerging and diverse leaders for influence;
- Strengthen ASCD's voice for influencing policy and practice; and
- Enhance understanding and a sense of ASCD community.
“Our goal is to use the Institute as one means of bridging the divide between education policy and education practice,” said ASCD executive director Gene R. Carter. The four-day Institute includes content and skill-building sessions that focus on ASCD's whole child framework and the Association's adopted positions on high-stakes testing and closing the achievement gap. The Institute also offers participants opportunities to meet with government officials on Capitol Hill and attend a meeting of the ASCD Leadership Council, the Association's advocacy group.
New First Amendment Schools
Five school communities have been selected from a national pool of candidates to become First Amendment Project Schools and receive a $10,000 stipend from the First Amendment Schools initiative. This multiyear reform effort, cosponsored by ASCD and the First Amendment Center, is designed to transform how schools practice and teach the rights and responsibilities of the First Amendment. The new project schools will join a national network of nearly 90 project and affiliate elementary, middle, and high schools serving urban, suburban, and rural communities.
“All of the First Amendment schools are committed to upholding the democratic and public mission of schooling in the United States, to providing their students with an apprenticeship in freedom and responsibility,” said Gene R. Carter, executive director of ASCD.
The new First Amendment Project Schools are Bronx Preparatory School, Bronx, New York; Red Mesa High School, Teec Nos Pos, Arizona; Goodyear Middle School, Akron, Ohio; Price Laboratory School, Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Northport-East Northport Pathway, Northport, New York.
For further information about the First Amendment Schools project, contact Molly McCloskey at ASCD (703-575-5475; mmccloskey@ascd.org) or Sam Chaltain at the First Amendment Center (703-284-2808; schaltain@freedomforum.org).
Restoring the Balance
ASCD has joined with the American Youth Policy Forum to release Restoring the Balance Between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools. The report investigates the preoccupation in the United States with raising academic performance, a focus that has all but overpowered a task of equally vital importance: educating our young people to become engaged members of their communities. The report offers steps for fostering students' civic engagement and academic achievement. Primary funding came from a W. K. Kellogg Foundation grant. The publication is available atwww.aypf.org/pdf/Restoring%20the%20Balance%20Report.pdf.
Resources for “The Whole Child”
- The First Amendment in Schools. (2003). By Charles C. Haynes, Sam Chaltain, John E. Ferguson Jr., David L. Hudson Jr., and Oliver Thomas. Stock No. 103054. Price: $21.95 (member); $26.95 (nonmember).
- Arts with the Brain in Mind. (2001). By Eric Jensen. Stock No. 101011. Price: $18.95 (member); $22.95 (nonmember).
- Connecting with Students. (2001). By Allen N. Mendler. Stock No. 101236. Price: $11.95 (member); $13.95 (nonmember).
- The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Compassion, and Character at School. (2000). By Rachael Kessler. Stock No. 100045. Price: $19.95 (member); $23.95 (nonmember).
- A Visit to a Freshman Advisory Program. (2004). One 26-minute video or DVD, with a Viewer's Guide. Stock No. 404479 (video); Stock No. 604479 (DVD). Price: $145 (member); $170 (nonmember).
- Emotional Intelligence Professional Inquiry Kit. (1997). By Pam Robbins and Jane Scott. Eight activity folders and a videotape. Stock No. 997146. Price: $189 (member); $220 (nonmember).
- Supporting Student Health and Achievement. By Eva Marx and Kathy Checkley. A seven-lesson, interactive multimedia course that includes activities, supplemental reading materials, and access to a learner forum. Price: $89.95 (members and nonmembers).
Essential Leadership for ASCD
The 2005 General Membership Election
Find your 2005 ballot in the September issue of Education Update. Beginning this year, you must sign and date your ballot for compliance with Virginia code. Mail your completed ballot in the postage-paid envelope provided by November 15, 2005.
To assist voters in making a more informed decision, video and audio clips from ASCD's first-ever Meet the President-Elect Candidates Forum are available atwww.ascd.org/candidatesforum.
The 2006 General Membership Nominations
In 2006, the General Membership election will fill positions for President-Elect (one position), Board of Directors (two positions), and Leadership Council members-at-large (six positions). The Nominations Committee will also seek candidates from the Leadership Council to fill three positions on the Board of Directors, to be elected by Leadership Council members. According to 2005–2006 Nominations Committee chair Joann Mychals, “A strong and vital slate of candidates will provide essential leadership for ASCD.”
ASCD members can self-select or nominate qualified individuals for these strategic leadership positions within the organization. Nomination forms are available online atwww.ascd.org/governance. Print versions are available from either Joann Mychals, Washington State ASCD, 17225 N. Linkletter Ln., Surprise, AZ 85374, 623-975-9755; or from Becky DeRigge, bderigge@ascd.org, 800-933-2723. The application deadline is January 31, 2006.
