Minnesota Educator October 2009 : Page 1
A publication for the members of Education Minnesota New program invites business people to walk Have you ever wished that someone from your community’s businesses could experience a day in your shoes so that leader would know what goes into your work to teach and support students? Education Minnesota is turning that wish into reality with an initiative rolling out this fall. “Education Minnesota’s K-12 Business Connection” will bring business leaders into schools to experience what it takes to be a good educator. The program also will help educators build relationships with business and the OCTOBER 2009 in our shoes ‘Connection’ gives chance for leaders to experience work in schools larger local community so others will support quality public education. “We believe that by the time business and community leaders have spent a day with an educator, they will have a greater understanding of what the real-life, real-time issues are in our schools and campuses,” Education Minnesota President Tom Dooher said. (See his column about the program on page 2.) The union’s staff has been working with local leaders to select 20 communities around the state where business people will be asked to work with teachers for a day. The program is to be expanded to other communities after this year’s rollout. Education Minnesota will work with local unions to help make the experience successful for both the visitor and the educators. Training and a “tool kit” will be provided to get the process going and guide it along. While having other adults observe in the classroom is fairly common, guiding them to function in the teaching role is what makes “Connection” uniquely valuable. Bynurturing understanding of what educators really do and the work it takes to engage and inspire student achievement, the business person can gain insight from experience. The goal of “Education Minnesota’s K-12 Business Connection” is larger, however. The thinking is that when the business person has worked a day as an “educator,” that day’s work can build lasting relationships with the “educator” and others to organize around advocacy for quality public schools as a cornerstone of community vitality. KEY CONNECTION POINTS into a school to “work’’ for a day as an educator. of what’s involved in helping students succeed. the visiting “educator.” advocacy for schools. in 20 locals. Upcoming U.S. Census provides timely teaching tools With preparations gearing up for the 2010 U.S. Census, educators have plenty of opportunities to use the count of American residents to teach civic engagement, geography, demographics, history, math and current events. Engaging with the census is more than academic exercise. While the Census Bureau provides a rich array of teaching tools, it also asks educators to convey to students how important it is for their families to be counted. Among the prime rewards of an accurate census is accurate distribution of federal money for schools, education funding and college grants and loans. Rep. Betty McCollum’s office estimates that for every 100 Minnesotans not counted next year, the state could lose as much as $1.2 million in federal funds. Every year, more than $300 billion in federal money is awarded to states and communities basedoncensus data. When people don’t get counted in the census data, many programs that are funded on number of people come up short of what the school district or other unit of government is due. There are longer-term consequences, too. Among them, planners use census information to help them decide where to build schools, roads, housing developments and other infrastructure. The count in next year’s census also will determine whether Minnesota keeps its eight U.S. House districts or gets squeezed down to seven. The number of seats is apportioned as closely as possible t o e q u a l population bases for all435 House seats nationally. R e c e n t CONFERENCE PREVIEW INSIDE It’s time to plan your visit to the Education Minnesota Professional Conference Oct. 15 and 16 at Saint Paul RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul. You’ll find the 2009 Conference Preview in the centerfold of this issue of the Minnesota Educator. This special pull-out section contains the conference schedule and a host of conference details, from speakers to how to get to Saint Paul RiverCentre Oct. 15 and 16. In addition, a comprehensive guide to conference workshops can be found at www.educationminnesota.org, Events & Programs. It includes workshop topics and descriptions, a printable conference planner, and information on sessions that may fulfill specific state requirements for license renewal. You’ll also find a printable version of the Conference Preview at www. educationminnesota.org. The full program book for the Professional Conference will be distributed only at RiverCentre on Oct. 15 and 16. On Oct. 15, look for the program tables at the west end of the Kellogg lobby and in the rotunda on the lower level. On Oct. 16, the table will be on the ballroom level. We hope to see you there! projections indicate that Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and North Carolina are all separated in population by about 3,000 residents for the 435th seat to be allocated after next year’s census. That means it is especially important to get as complete a count of Minnesotans as possible next year to reduce the risk of losing a seat in Congress. “Just as students learn about free speech, Congress and the Supreme Court, they need to learn about how our democracy works,” Census, see page 4 LOOK FOR IT Autumn leaves are showing their colors throughout Minnesota. Find this one hidden inside and be eligible to win a gift card in the drawing from correct entries. When you’ve found the hidden leaf, e-mail the page number where it appears along with your full name and mailing address to educator@ educationminnesota.org. The deadline is Oct. 9. Congratulations to Anne Linnell of St. Clair! She found the bee on page 7 of the September Educator and her entry was drawn from almost 200 entries last month. Thanks to everyone for playing.
K-12 BUSINESS CONNECTION : NEW PROGRAM INVITES BUSINESS PEOPLE TO WALK IN OUR SHOES
‘Connection’ gives chance for leaders to experience work in schools
Have you ever wished that someone from your community’s businesses could experience a day in your shoes so that leader would know what goes into your work to teach and support students?
Education Minnesota is turning that wish into reality with an initiative rolling out this fall.
“Education Minnesota’s K-12 Business Connection” will bring business leaders into schools to experience what it takes to be a good educator. The program also will help educators build relationships with business and the larger local community so others will support quality public education.
“We believe that by the time business and community leaders have spent a day with an educator, they will have a greater understanding of what the real-life, real-time issues are in our schools and campuses,” Education Minnesota President Tom Dooher said. (See his column about the program on page 2.)
The union’s staff has been working with local leaders to select 20 communities around the state where business people will be asked to work with teachers for a day. The program is to be expanded to other communities after this year’s rollout.
Education Minnesota will work with local unions to help make the experience successful for both the visitor and the educators. Training and a “tool kit” will be provided to get the process going and guide it along. While having other adults observe in the classroom is fairly common, guiding them to function in the teaching role is what makes “Connection” uniquely valuable.
By nurturing understanding of what educators really do and the work it takes to engage and inspire student achievement, the business person can gain insight from experience. The goal of “Education Minnesota’s K-12 Business Connection” is larger, however.
The thinking i s that when the business person has worked a day as an “educator,” that day’s work can build lasting relationships with the “educator” and others to organize around advocacy for quality public schools as a cornerstone of community vitality.
UPCOMING U.S. CENSUS PROVIDES TIMELY TEACHING TOOLS
With preparations gearing up for the 2010 U.S. Census, educators have plenty of opportunities to use the count of American residents to teach civic engagement, geography, demographics, history, math and current events.
Engaging with the census is more than academic exercise. While the Census Bureau provides a rich array of teaching tools, it also asks educators to convey to students how important it is for their families to be counted.
Among the prime rewards of an accurate census is accurate distribution of federal money for schools, education funding and college grants and loans. Rep. Betty McCollum’s office estimates that for every 100 Minnesotans not counted next year, the state could lose as much as $1.2 million in federal funds. Every year, more than $300 billion in federal money i s awarded to states and communities based on census data. When people don’t get counted in the census data, many programs that are funded on number of people come up short of what the school district or other unit of government is due.
There are longer-term consequences, too. Among them, planners use census information to help them decide where to build schools, roads, housing developments and other infrastructure. The count in next year’s census also will determine whether Minnesota keeps its eight U.S. House districts or gets squeezed down to seven. The number of seats is apportioned as closely as possible to equal population bases for all 435 House seats nationally. Recent projections indicate that Minnesota , Oregon , Washington and North Carolina are all separated in population by about 3,000 residents for the 435th seat to be allocated after next year’s census. That means it is especially important to get as complete a count of Minnesotans as possible next year to reduce the risk of losing a seat in Congress.
“Just as students learn about free speech, Congress and the Supreme Court, they need to learn about how our democracy works,”
Renee Jefferson-Copeland, chief of the Census in the Schools program, said. “The census is truly the cornerstone of American democracy—enshrined in the U. S. Constitution—to ensure that everyone has an equal say in our government.
“Through the Census in Schools program, educators in public, charter, private, parochial, tribal and home schools will have access to 2010 census lessons and materials that will teach students and their households about the role of the decennial census in U.S. history, current events and more. Additionally, students will learn census data can be used to determine funding for schools, Title I programs, special education, and college grant and loan programs.” Jefferson-Copeland said.
The Census Bureau is creating an expansive tool kit for elementary and secondary teachers to use in the classroom. A substantial amount of teaching material already is available at www. Census.gov. Click on For Teachers & Students in the Special Topics menu. You will find lesson plans, a free online newsletter, census history resources and other suggestions of material that can make the census meaningful for students. The Web site also has ageappropriate activity pages for students, ranging from memory games to data-set applications. Materials can be used, for instance, to teach about current events in the context of census information.
Look on the teachers pages for maps displaying population counts and other demographic information, event ideas and take-home kits to teach families about the census. Another feature is 15-minute lessons to encourage civic participation.
One of the bur eau’s main goals for its census curriculum materials is to make the census personal, helping students understand the count is about them and their families, not just about people elsewhere. The bureau says it depends on many community partnerships to help convey the importance of the census. Educators, the bureau says, are key because they are respected professionals in their communities and have established relationships with families of their students.
The Census in the Schools program also suggests ways to involve parent organizations in promoting the importance of filling out the short census form, which is to arrive in the mail during February and March. The bureau says the questionnaire is one of the briefest in history and answers are confidential.
No information that would identify individuals or a family is released for 72 years after it is recorded. Beginning in April, census workers will visit households that did not return the census questionnaire by mail.
Al though the Census Bureau gathers and publishes information continually, the count of all residents in the 50 states, U.S. territories and on tribal lands takes place only every 10 years. The U. S. Constitution requires a national census each decade.
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