Previous issues of Monday Report are available at http://www.emich.edu/coe/monday. Send items and comments to jerry.robbins@emich.edu.
PILOBOLUS IN RESIDENCY
The world-famous Pilobolus dance company was in residency at EMU this past week. Activities included classes for community dancers, a master class held on January 9, and auditions for local dancers to participate in choreographing a group dance under the guidance of a Pilobolus dance company member. The dance will premiere as part of the dance concert on March 8-10.
Pilobolus, which began in 1971 as a three-man group, is now one of the world's most well known companies. The company is also known for its unique creative process in which every dancer is directly involved in the creation of the choreography.
FACULTY/STAFF NOTES
Valerie Polakow's chapter on "Single Mothers, Welfare Policy and Post-Secondary Education" has been accepted for the forthcoming Welfare, Work, and Politics in the Wake of Reform (University of Oregon Press).
Sylvia Jones published "Reflective Practice and the Content of Diversity in College Teaching" in the Journal of the American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
Jon Margerum-Leys (with Kevin Karr, Principal, Northside Elementary) will present "Effective Communication of School Data: Livening the Unleavened" at the MACUL conference. At the same conference, Ellen Hoffman (with Deborah Dunbar, Gratiot-Isabella RESD, and Susan King, MI Department of Education) will present "Improving Your Technology Plan: MDE Resources for Planners." Hoffman will also present "Best Practices in Michigan Classrooms: 'In Time' Videos."
At the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters convention, Martha Baiyee will present "The Paradox of Assessment: A Bridge to Educational Equity"; Toni Stokes Jones will present "Bringing Together Academic Service-Learning and Educational Technology"; Deborah Harmon will present "Effective Strategies for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students"; and Elizabeth Johnson (with Dawn Clark) will present "Lessons Taught-Lessons Lost: Christ and the Training of the Twelve." Johnson and Baiyee are co-chairs of the Education section.
Thomas Fleming has been appointed by President Bush to the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education. The Commission is charged with collecting information and studying issues related to federal, state, and local special education programs with the goal of recommending policies for improving the educational performance of students with disabilities.
Jerry Robbins attended the annual AACTE Dean's Institute, held this year in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the conclusion of the Institute, he participated in a meeting of the AACTE Board of Directors, of which he is a member.
Michael Bretting represented EMU at a meeting of The Renaissance Group leadership which was held at Stanford University in California.
Ron Williamson participated in a Middle Grades Advisory Board meeting for the Galef Institute, held in Los Angeles, CA.
David Anderson served as a marshal of students at the December Commencement exercises.
Elizabeth Broughton is serving on one of the teams assisting with the implementation of the Banner Project (university software systems).
Nancy Dahl recently published poetry in a West Virginia poetry journal.
SPONSORED PROJECTS
Georgea Langer, with Pat Pokay as codirector and Alane Starko as administrator, has been awarded $173,095 by Western Kentucky University for "Improving Teacher Quality Through Partnerships That Connect Teacher Performance to Student Learning-Year 3."
Ten Renaissance Group institutions, including their K-12 partner schools, will improve the quality of teachers they produce by shifting the focus of programs from inputs in the teaching process to teacher performance that results in student learning. Over five years, institutions will gather and report data on the impact of student teachers and graduates on the K-12 students they teach, in the process changing teacher preparation programs to empower candidates/graduates to facilitate learning at high levels for all children. This is a subcontract from the prime U.S. Department of Education contractor, WKU.
During the first half of the fiscal year, College of Education faculty members received $1,610,811 in sponsored project awards. Activity included the submission of 22 proposals (up from eight at the same time last year), $1.8 million in requested funds (up from $1.6 million at the same time last year), and receipt of 16 awards (up from 10 at the same time last year). Last year was the COE's all-time high in sponsored project activities.
GOLDEN APPLE AWARDS
In previous issues of Monday Report, 11 schools have been identified that won this year's Golden Apple award ($50,000) for high or greatly improved test scores and that were led by EMU alums. Two additional such schools, bringing the total to 13, are:
Clark Elementary School in Detroit, Zeffie L. Speed '68, principal.
Healy International Academy in Detroit, Patricia Franklin '88, principal.
ALUMNI NOTES
Judith Nixon Wervey '63 owns and operates The Kids Club child care facility in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
Margaret Roberts Hankins '68, age 56, died recently in Detroit. She was a longtime kindergarten teacher and dean of the Lower School of the Herlong Cathedral School in Detroit.
Casey Bell '96 is the sole teacher at the Kipper School, one of Michigan's few remaining one-room schools. The Kipper School is located out from Bad Axe. There are several other one-room schools in the area.
STUDENT NOTES
Cory Annett, a senior in the sports medicine/exercise science program and a member of the EMU football team, was named to the Verizon/CoSIDA Football Academic All-America Second Team. He is the first in EMU history to receive this recognition. Annett plans to attend medical school following graduation.
Coleen Cook has been named as the 2001-2002 Physical Education Major of the Year. Cook will attend the AAHPERD convention in San Diego in April for additional recognitions.
Trevar Pettway, a quadriplegic student who is a client of the CATE lab, carried the Olympic torch during its travels through Detroit recently. A special "torch holder" was attached to his wheelchair.
Two hundred thirty-four COE students received graduate degrees during the December Commencement ceremonies.
SHORT NOTES
Deborah Harmon will moderate the FCIE workshop on "Project MARS: Minority Student Achievement and Retention in Teacher Education," to be held on Thursday, January 17, noon-1:30 p.m. in Room 302, Halle Library.
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has reinstated the Christa McAuliffe Award for Exemplary Programs in Teacher Education this year. Pre-proposals for consideration for the award are due on February 15. Copies of the application materials are in all COE administrative offices. EMU has been the recipient of this award four times in the past.
Graduate Research Fair nominations are due by January 18. Information is available in each department office or at www.gradord.emich.edu.
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) has initiated an e-mail bulletin service designed to alert the professional education community to media coverage of teacher education and school leadership, new reports, and AACTE's analysis of the issues. This free service is available to EMU faculty and staff members through our institutional membership in AACTE. To subscribe, go to www.edpolicy.org/member-bulletin.htm.
CREDIT HOURS
COE COUNCIL MEETINGAs of January 5, COE credit hours were within 0.43% (148) of final credit hour figures for last Winter. This includes a 3.34% increase in Student Teaching, a 1.34% increase in HPERD, and a 0.95% increase in Teacher Education.
For the fiscal year to date, COE credit hours are 6.13% ahead of final figures for the summer, fall, and winter of last year, including an 8% increase for Teacher Education, a 7% increase for Student Teaching, and a very small increase for HPERD.
The COE Council met on January 9 with Martha Kinney-Sedgwick, chair, presiding. A presentation was made by visitors from the College of Technology concerning the proposed program and courses in Aviation Flight Technology. Later in the meeting, the COE Council endorsed the proposal, which had been tabled at the last meeting.
Upon recommendation of the Professional and Affiliated Programs Committee, the COE Council approved revisions in the M.A. in English with a concentration in written communication; proposed revisions in the undergraduate program in actuarial science and economics; proposed changes in the professional chemistry and professional biochemistry programs; the major and minor in philosophy; and the undergraduate program in public safety administration. However, the COE Council tabled 19 proposed new courses to support the Ph.D. in Technology until there could be further discussions concerning perceived duplication and overlap between several of the proposed courses and existing COE courses.
Various reports were received, including one from the dean on the status of NCATE/State review preparations.
OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
(For a complete list, see http://www.emich.edu/coe/newhome/opportunities.html)
January 14-ORD's "Introduction to the World of Grants," 1:00-1:45 p.m. To register, contact donna.noffsinger@emich.edu
January 15-Advanced Programs Committee, 3:30-5:00 p.m., Porter 301 B/C.
January 16-ORD's "Identifying Funding Sources," 2:00-2:45 p.m. To register, contact donna.noffsinger@emich.edu
January 16-Briefing session for programs that have national materials to submit in the near future as part of the NCATE/State review process; 8:30-10:00 a.m., Room 301 B/C, Porter Building.
January 17-Briefing session for programs that have national materials to submit in the near future as part of the NCATE/State review process; 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Room 301 B/C, Porter Building. (This session is identical to the January 16 session.)
January 21-Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Convocation Center.
January 23--COE Council, 2:00 p.m., Porter 301 B/C.
January 24-Coffee with the Dean, Porter 3rd floor Faculty/Staff Lounge, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
January 24-Basic Programs Committee, 3:30-5:00 p.m., Porter 301 B/C.
January 24-ORD's "Introduction to the World of Grants," 1:30-2:15 p.m. To register, contact donna.noffsinger@emich.edu
January 29--ORD's "Developing the Budget," 10:30-11:15 a.m. To register, contact donna.noffsinger@emich.edu
January 29-Title II Accountability Reporting Workshop, Lansing, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
CALLS FOR PAPERS/PROPOSALS
(For a complete list, see http://www.emich.edu/coe/newhome/proposals.html)
A special issue of Teacher Education and Practice on "Inquiry as Stance" is seeking manuscripts. For additional information, contact Pjenlink@sfasu.edu.
January 15-Articles due on theme of "pathways to postsecondary opportunities" for Principal Leadership. For information, plmag@principals.org.
Deadline for papers for international conference on "Learner-Centered Universities for the New Millennium: Education Reform and Teacher Training" at Vilnius Pedagogical University in Lithuania. For information, see http://www.iutconference.org. Deadline for articles for next issue of the Michigan and Ohio Journal of Teacher Education. For information, contact bradwest@msu.edu.
January 18-nomination forms and supporting materials due to appropriate department heads for EMU Distinguished Faculty Awards.
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