International Conference
The Dutch National Institute for Curriculum Development and the Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe (CIDREE) are hosting an international conference, "Emerging Democracies, Citizenship and Human Rights Education." The conference, to be held in Enschede, the Netherlands, on June 18–21, 2000, will focus on this question: In which way and under which conditions can the school contribute effectively to improved participation in a democratic constitutional state? Topics include citizenship education, democracy, human rights, and children's rights. For more information, please contact Jeroen Bron, P.O. Box 2041, 7500 CA Enschede, the Netherlands (e-mail: j.bron@slo.nl). Or visit the Web site at www.slo.nl.
Religious-Liberty Guidelines for Public Schools
This past December, ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter joined President Bill Clinton and the Freedom Forum for a White House event announcing a mailing of religious-liberty guidelines to all public schools. The announcement was made during a Presidential radio address to the nation.
The mailing includes a document on the religious-liberty rights of students; teachers' and parents' guides on religion in the curriculum and on student's rights; information on how schools and faith communities can work together; and examples showing effective and constitutional partnerships between religious communities and public schools. The full text of the guidelines is available at the U.S. Department of Education's Web site (http://www.ed.gov).
ASCD Resources on "Healthy Bodies, Minds, and Buildings"
The following is a partial list of ASCD resources on this topic. For a more complete listing, visit ASCD's Web site or call the ASCD Service Center.
- Armstrong, A. (2000). ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom. Price: $9.95 (member); $11.95 (nonmember). Stock no. 199273.
- Meek, A. (1995). Designing Places for Learning. Price: $21.95 (member); $25.95 (nonmember). Stock no. 195082.
- Beers, D. Time, Stress, and Wellness Strategies for Educational Leaders. (1999). Price: $11.95 (member); $14.95 (nonmember). Stock no. 299057.
- A Safe Place to Learn. (1996). Price $328 (member); $398 (nonmember). Stock no. 496062.
ASCD Health in Education Initiative
In September 1998, ASCD received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a four-year Health in Education Initiative. The objective is to promote awareness of public health issues among middle and high school students through programs and publications, as well as through 10 grants. These one-year $20,000 grants (renewable for a second year) are for schools or school districts that partner with a community-based public health organization to educate students about the health field. ASCD accepted proposals from schools through November 1999 and announced awards in February 2000. Visit the ASCD Web site (www.ascd.org) to read about the grant winners.
Staying Centered
ASCD recently partnered with Cable in the Classroom and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to create a professional development video for teachers. Connected Teaching, a 25-minute, broadcast-quality videotape, includes segments from commercial-free cable programming. Classroom examples feature four teachers using the programming in science, social studies, and language arts classrooms.
The video and accompanying lesson plans, to be previewed this month in the ASCD Center at Annual Conference in New Orleans, are available to ASCD members for $8 to cover shipping and handling. Visit the ASCD Web site (www.ascd.org) for more information.
Brief Takes
For information about ASCD's Health in Education Network, contact the network chairs: Valerie Ubbes, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056 (e-mail: ubbesva@muohio.edu); and Deborah S. Haber, School Health Specialist, Education Development Center, 55 Chapel St., Newton, MA 02158-1060 (e-mail: dhaber@edc.org).
ASCD has joined the Policymaker Partnership, a coalition of education organizations and other stakeholders to help policy-makers act as change agents to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities. For more information, call (877) IDEA-INFO or visit the Partnership's Web site at www.ideapolicy.org.
For Your Calendar
- 2000: New Orleans, March 25–27
- 2001: Boston, March 17–19
- 2002: San Antonio, March 9–11
- Increasing Parental Involvement, Pittsburgh, PA: April 27–28, 2000
- The Resilient Learner, Pittsburgh, PA: April 27–28, 2000
- Visual Tools and Technologies for Constructing Knowledge, Pittsburgh, PA: April 27–28, 2000
