At the annual convention of the American Association of School Administrators, held recently in New Orleans, Charles M. AChuck@ Achilles (with Jean Krieger,  J.  D. Finn  and  Mark Sharp) presented ASchool Improvement Should Rely on Reliable, Scientific Evidence.  Why Did >No Child Left Behind= Leave Class Size Behind?@  Achilles chaired the session at which this paper was presented.

Ron Williamson (with Michael McElrath, Jamestown, NY) presented AReshaping Middle School: Engaging Parents and Community in the Work.@

Jim Berry was present for governance activities of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration.  Berry, Jerry Robbins, and Susan Rink were part of an EMU delegation that hosted an alumni and friends reception for those at the convention and in the New Orleans area.  Robbins performed with the ASinging Superintendents@ at the final convention session.

Jeff Armstrong (with J. M. Scott Smedley) published AEffects of a Home-Based Yoga Exercise Program on Flexibility in Older Women@ in the Spring issue of Clinical Kinesiology.

Ron Williamson presented at the Long ConferenceBa group of middle school researchers and practitioners--ALeadership for High Performing Middle Schools.@  At the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference, also held in San Diego, Williamson (with J. Howard Johnston, U of South FL) presented AConfronting Middle Schools= Most Contentious Issues: Lessons in Leadership.@

John Tonkovich presented AAphasia Interventions that Facilitate Participation@ at the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention in Arlington Heights.

Bill Shelton recently chaired the NCAA Peer Review team for San Jose State University.

Ella Burton facilitated the second day of Comer SDP training for Gelpen Elementary School in Denver, CO.

Suzanne Hobson presided over the Michigan Counseling Association Assembly meeting in Lansing.

Shel Levine, Jeff Armstrong, and Steve McGregor attended the Michigan American College of Sports Medicine conference in Gaylord last month.

EMU faculty members represented on Michigan Department of Education committees addressing the response to the ANo Child Left Behind Act@ include Betsy Morgan (FLABS) and Kathlyn Parker, communication/collaboration; Don Staub, data management and reporting; Cathy Day (FLABS), research and evaluation; and Nelson Maylone, standards, assessment, and accountability.

Provost Paul Schollaert has approved a sabbatical leave for Fall semester for Valerie Polakow.

Wendy Burke and Eboni Zamani were each named as a recipient of a 2003 Josephine Nevins Keal Professional Development Fellowship.

Nelson Maylone was featured in a recent issue of the Ann Arbor News under the heading of AWhat do MEAPs really measure?  Which kids are rich, which are poor.@  Letters to the editor by Maylone were published recently in both Education Week and the Detroit News.

Donald Staub and Joe Bishop were recently in Ontario, meeting with representatives from the Greater Essex County District school board, concerning possible partnerships between EMU and that Canadian district. 

Sheila Bentrum presented AThe Life Participation Approach to Aphasia and Techniques to Improve Communication with a Person with Aphasia@ to an Occupational Therapy 418 class last month.

Eboni Zamani facilitated AYou=re Beautiful: Media Portrayals, Self Esteem, and the College Student,@ sponsored by Residence Life and held at Downing Hall.  Zamani also spoke and participated in activities for Black History Month at McIntyre Elementary, Southfield.      

Last month the Educational Leadership program faculty hosted the annual doctoral student drive-in conference.  Fifty-nine doctoral students, faculty members, and Graduate School staff members attended the day long conference, held in the Porter Building. 

The following COE personnel will be honored during the March 26 Employee Recognition Program for years of service to EMU: Michael Bretting, Jenny Clark, Pat Sullivan, 10 years; Carole Gorenflo, Peggy Moore-Hart, Ron Hoodin, Rebecca Martusewicz, Maureen McCormack, Steve Moyer, Karen Paciorek,  Sharon Pendleton, Jeanne Pietig, Pat Pokay, Valerie Polakow, Jerry Ricciardo, Carole Zakrzewski, 15 years; Claudia Galli, 25 years; Irene Allen, Erik Pedersen, 35 years; Jack Sheard, 40 years.

Faculty members whose accomplishments were noted recently in Focus EMU include Nelson Maylone, Ellen Hoffman, Suzanne Hobson, Shawn Quilter, and Valerie Polakow.

Theo Hamilton >55, >62, >67, who recently turned 80 and who remains a full-time employee of EMU=s Career Services, was pictured in a recent issue of Focus EMU.

Thomas Fleming >68, >93 was featured in a recent issue of Focus EMU, particularly in connection with his service on the President=s Commission on Excellence in Special Education.  Fleming was the 1992 National Teacher of the Year.

Frank J. Fedel >86 lives in Royal Oak, where he does sports and recreation product consultation and design, exercise physiology research, and related activities.  An avid competitive athlete, he has completed more than 100 triathlons/duathlons, 60 inline skate races, 50 running races, weight lifting competitions, and many others.

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Florence E. Graichen >43, age 83, died recently.  She had taught in Melvindale early in her career and she retired from the Willow Run schools.

Charles N. Roberts, age 72, died recently.  He retired from the Ann Arbor school district as an automotive instructor.

Lillian L. Nissly >64, age 97, died recently.  She taught art in the Ypsilanti schools for 20 years.

Scott Reding, a graduate student in the community counseling program, has been awarded a University Fellowship for the Winter semester.  This award for academic distinction is given for academic performance and meritorious efforts.  Reding is a second year student and graduate assistant in the program.  He plans to work as a therapist with adolescents and their families.  He is also a golf instructor for the Huron Hills Golf course.

Erika Anstett, 20, of Redford, a prospective elementary teacher, was killed in a car accident last week on her way to an EMU class.  An avid musician, she was a member of the Ypsilanti Community Band. 

The following graduate students recently presented at the Michigan American College of Sports Medicine conference in Gaylord: Pat Johnson, Paul Rivera, Victor Nembhard, and Jennifer Paczas.  The following undergraduate students attended the conference: Susan Seabright, Cate Lewis, Kym Peacock, Chris McGrew, Christine Layman, Christina Gratz, Mike Mageli, Kim Bellisario, and Shannon Siegwald.

Pi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi will create Care Kits for the homeless shelter in Ypsilanti as part of the National Day of Service.  Plans are underway for the chapter=s observance of AReading is Fun@ week.  On April 22, the chapter will hold the Free Book Open House.

The advising listserv for initial teacher certification is at http://list.emich.edu/mailman/listinfo/coeadvising.  Post-baccalaureate students should register with the advising listserv at http://list.emich.edu/mailman/listinfo/postbac.

Application materials for the $1000 Michigan Association of Colleges for Teacher Education scholarship competition are available in the COE Office of Academic Services.  Minimum requirements include a 3.5 overall GPA, formal admission to the EMU teacher education program, and expectation of completion of the program by June 2003.

As of February 19, COE credit hours for Winter were 9.18% ahead of final figures for last Winter semester.  For the fiscal year to date (Summer + Fall + Winter), COE credit hours are 8.42% ahead of the same time last year.  Fiscal-year-to-date stats include a 9.9% increase for Teacher Education, a 9.5% increase for Leadership and Counseling, an 8.6% increase for HPERD, a 7.0% increase for Special Education, and a 5.2% increase for Student Teaching.  COE credit hours for the year are expected to break an all-time record.

More than 160 teachers and administrators attended the COE=s annual Winter Conference on February 6.  Jerry Robbins provided the address for the opening session, delivering an impassioned defense of the nation=s public education system. 

A panel consisting of John Austin, member Michigan State Board of Education; William Miller, superintendent, Washtenaw ISD, and David Plank, co-director of the Education Policy Center at MSU, with Julie McDaniel, Oakland Schools as moderator, discussed AEducation YES!@ and the ANo Child Left Behind Act.@

Nel Noddings, current holder of the John W. Porter Chair in Urban Education, provided the keynote address at lunch, ACaring and Social Policy.@

Afternoon workshops were led by Jim Reese, Livingston ESA; Paul Bielawski, MI Department of Education; and Mary Jo Rasmussen, Michigan North Central Association.  These groups addressed student assessment data, accreditation, testing, and related issues.

Tony Townsend, an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, will lecture on March 19 at EMU.  At 11:00 a.m., he will speak on AGlobalizing the Curriculum.@  At 1:00 p.m., the topic will be AImproving School Effectiveness.@  Both sessions will be held in Room 301B Porter.  The public is invited.

Townsend has worked with educators in more than 20 countries, primarily in the areas of strategic planning, accountability, leadership, and community relations.  He has published extensively, is a recent president of the International Congress for School Improvement and Effectiveness, and serves on the editorial boards of two international journals. 

EMU has been notified of unconditional approval of all initial teacher preparation programs in special education by the Council for Exceptional Children.  Such approval is a prerequisite for NCATE approval.

EMU=s new program in Alanguage arts@ has been approved by the Michigan Department of Education, a recognition that contributes to EMU=s state Periodic Review/Program Approval process.  For other NCATE-related approvals and status reports, see http://www.emich.edu/coe/ncate/2003/Docs/G-10/index.html

The COE International Education meeting, regularly scheduled for the 2^nd Monday and Tuesday of every month, will be held this month on March 17 and 18 instead.  The location is Porter 301B, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The fifth annual Graduate Research Fair will be held in McKenny Union, 1:00-5:30 p.m. on March 24.  The public is invited.

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education has issued the call for papers for the 2004 annual meeting.  Proposals are due by June 2.  AACTE has also issued a call for reviewers.  Volunteers will be accepted until May 16.  For information, contact AACTE Reviews, 1307 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20005-4701.

Including the results of the January 2003 administration of the Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification, the 16-quarter EMU cumulative pass rates in all three Basic Skills areas (reading, mathematics, writing) are the same as the calculated state cumulative pass rates for each test. 

EMU maintains high 16-administration pass rates (at/above 95%) in nine subject fields, with dozens of persons tested in most, as reported by National Evaluation Systems (including Anon-corrected@ pass rates prior to October 2001 and Acorrected@ pass rates for October 2001 and later).  These are:

EMU has relatively low 16-administration pass rates (at/below 75%) in twelve subject fields with (usually) dozens (or hundreds) of students tested in most.   These are:

*Now being tested and reported as Asecondary mathematics@ and Aelementary mathematics.@

EMU=s collective pass rate, all subject fields, most recent 16 administrations, is approximately 84.53%, more than two percentage points above our calculations of the statewide collective pass rate. 

For the most recent 16 administrations, the EMU pass rate in the following teaching fields is appreciably higher than the state pass rate in the same field:  Computer science, Economics, Spanish, Secondary mathematics, French, and Marketing education.

The College of Education Council met on February 26 with Martha Kinney-Sedgwick, chair, presiding.

The Council, upon recommendation of the Basic Programs Committee, endorsed the proposed new program in visual arts education (LQ), an extended group major that doesn=t require a minor, as a replacement for the current art education major and minor.  According to state requirements, no students are to be admitted to the current art education major or minor after this academic year.

Upon recommendation of the Professional and Affiliated Programs Committee, the Council endorsed proposed new courses AAS 242/PLSC 242 Black Women: Politics and Racism and AAS 362/PLSC 362/WMST 362 Black Women: Religion and Sexism.  The proposed IHHS 260 Aging to Infancy: A Life Course Retrospective was tabled, pending further review by several COE departments.

The Council endorsed three new graduate certificate programs in E-Business, Entrepreneurship, and Supply Chain Management.

Various reports were received, including updates in NCATE and state preparation matters.  Following the dean=s report, there were questions and answers related to the university=s financial situation for this and next year.  The next meeting will be on March 12.

The cover stories for the February 25 issue of Focus EMU were about two COE laboratories.  The Center for Adaptive Technology Education (CATE) lab was the focus of one story and the COE distance learning lab was the focus of the other.  Photos from both labs were included with the stories.  The entire issue had a technology theme.

Fund-raising is under way to endow the new Theophilus E. Hamilton Endowed Scholarship.  This scholarship will support returning, older students who are seeking careers in teaching.  After serving in World War II, Hamilton spent many years acquiring his three EMU degrees.  He has indicated interest in helping persons similarly situated.  Hamilton, 80, a former teacher and administrator, is a full-time employee in EMU=s Career Services, assigned to the satellite office in the Porter Building.  Appreciation is expressed to J. Michael Erwin, the director of EMU=s Career Services, for the initiative for this scholarship.  For information or to make a donation, please contact Susan Rink at 734.487.5125.

Telephone solicitation of alumni and friends of the COE will begin in earnest on March 10.  Calls to 5% of the pool have already yielded $10,700 in cash and pledges.  Unless otherwise specified by the donor, net proceeds from this annual activity will go to the COE Development Account for general purpose use in the COE.

(For a complete list, see http://www.emich.edu/coe/newhome/opportunities.html)

March 4B Satellite/Web CATALISE conference, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., on use of technology.  For information, contact Brian Filipiak.

March 10BPhi Delta Kappa meeting, Carolyn Carter on AThe Missing Ingredient in Reading Competence.@   EMU Livonia Center.

March 11BKappa Delta Pi member meeting, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall School.

March 12BCOE Council meeting, 2:00 p.m.

March 13BMSU=s Campus Sustainability-Connected Learning Across Campus(es) conference, MSU, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  For information, www.ecofoot.msu.edu.

(For a complete list, see http://www.emich.edu/coe/newhome/proposals.html)

March 3Bproposals due for National Conference on the Adult Learner.  For information, www.rcce.sc.edu/adl.

March 7Bproposals due for presentations at Kappa Delta Pi biennial convocation.  For information, www.kdp.org.

March 7Bapplications due for the 13^th annual Teaching Excellence Awards of the EMU Alumni Association.  For information, see the EMU Alumni Relations website.

March 14BLetters of intent due for Research Excellence Fund proposals.  For information, www.gradord.emich.edu/downloads/ord_files/ref_guide.pdf.

March 15Bdeadline for Kappa Delta Pi Record articles on teacher professionalism.

March 15Bdeadline for applications for Council on International Educational Exchange one- to two-week seminars.  For information, www.ciee.org/seminars.

Caring professional educators for a diverse and democratic society. (CPED²S) (Initial program)

Inquiry, advocacy, and leadership in education for a diverse and democratic society. (Advanced programs)

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