Minnesota Educator February 2010 : Page 1
A publication for the members of Education Minnesota FEBRUA RY 2010 Education Minnesota fights to protect funds for schools Legislative priorities include initiative to target student achievement gaps and support teacher quality The 2010 Legislature is opening this month to face difficult decisions on a budget gap that turned into a $1.2 billion canyon. Education Minnesota’s legislative priorities emphasize that the state cannot afford more cuts, payment shifts and unallotments of public education money. Legislature, see page 4 Top national honor ‘incredible’ experience, winners say Would you like first-class professional development for free? How about the opportunity to offer Washington policymakers your expert perspectives on improving mathematics and science education? Would you like to challenge yourself to create a better learning experience for your students? How about the chance for your alma mater to celebrate your success on billboards? Or how about the opportunity to introduce the president of the United States to your colleagues meeting him at the White House? Two Minnesota elementary teachers have embraced these Stoflet, a mathematics teacher at Gatewood Elementary School in Minnetonka, were among only 86 teachers to be recognized last month in Washington. Kari Dombrovski-Dresow opportunities as recipients of Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Kari Barbara Stoflet Dombrovski-Dresow, a second-grade science teacher at Talahi Elementary School in St. Cloud, and Barbara Stoflet and Dombrovski- Dresow encourage other seasoned math and science teachers to apply for the program. It measures skills rigorously, provides four intense days of professional development through the National Science Foundation and opens doors to advising Congress and the administration on how to improve education. And, yes, there’s an honorarium with the national award INSIDE THIS ISSUE… To achieve what’s good for students and what’s fair for teachers, we must act together, President Tom Dooher writes. Page 2 Labor will stand up for political leadership that rebuilds the middle class, national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says. Page 2 New television ads feature Education Minnesota members telling their stories. Page 3 Hard-fought teacher contract negotiations produce lean settlements. Page 5 Education Minnesota chooses not to sign on to bureaucracy-heavy Race to the Top application for federal money. Page 6 Minnesota adds 16 National Board Certified Teachers. Page 7 Education Minnesota candidate statements. Pages 8-9 Find workshops and seminars for educators. Opportunities. Page 12 The Educator’s online! Copies of the current and back issues are available at www. educationminnesota.org. Look for the Educator icon on the home page and click through to the digital editions, complete with hot links plus plenty of recognition back home. Stoflet introduced President Barack Obama on Jan. 6 at the White House event honoring the award winners. At that event, Obama announced a national initiative to increase the number of mathematics and science teachers. St. Cloud State University, Dombrovski-Dresow’s alma mater, is featuring her in its splashy billboard campaign. The St. Cloud Proud campaign highlights accomplished alumni. She is a longtime leader in science education at the local and Awards, see page 7 FIND THE GROUNDHOG Find the groundhog hidden in this issue of the Educator to be eligible to win a gift card in the drawing from correct entries. When you have found the sunshine-fearing groundhog just like the one here, e-mail the inside page number where it appears along with your full name and mailing address to educator@ educationminnesota.org. The deadline is Feb. 8 for entries to be eligible for the drawing. You must be a member of Education Minnesota to win. Congratulations to Nancy Byrne of Preston! Her correct entry to the January contest was drawn to win a gift card. Thanks to everyone who played. Try again and good luck!
Top national honor ‘incredible’ experience, winners say
Would you like first-class professional development for free? How about the
opportunity to offer Washington policymakers your expert perspectives on improving mathematics and science education?
Would you like to challenge yourself to create a better learning experience for your students? How about the chance for your alma mater to celebrate your success on billboards? Or how about the opportunity to introduce the president of the United States to your colleagues meeting him at the White House?
Two Minnesota elementary teachers have embraced these opportunities as recipients of Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Kari Dombrovski-Dresow, a second-grade science teacher at Talahi Elementary School in St. Cloud, and Barbara Stoflet, a mathematics teacher at Gatewood Elementary School in Minnetonka, were among only 86 teachers to be recognized last month in Washington.
Stoflet and Dombrovski- Dresow encourage other seasoned math and science teachers to apply for the program. It measures skills rigorously, provides four intense days of professional development through the National Science Foundation and opens doors to advising Congress and the administration on how to improve education. And, yes, there’s an honorarium with the national award plus plenty of recognition back home.
Stoflet introduced President Barack Obama on Jan. 6 at the White House event honoring the award winners. At that event, Obama announced a national initiative to increase the number of mathematics and science teachers.
St. Cloud State University, Dombrovski-Dresow’s alma mater, is featuring her in its splashy billboard campaign. The St. Cloud Proud campaign highlights accomplished alumni. She is a longtime leader in science education at the local and state levels and serves on the board of the Minnesota Science Teacher Association.
“The recognition is very humbling; i t has be e n wonderful,” Dombrovski- Dr e sow s a id. But for both teachers, it was the professional challenge, the reach to improve their practice that motivated them through the process.
She called the demonstration lesson and other components of applying “an unbelievable experience.
Taking something risky and new was a great point in my representation of what I teach.” “I firmly believe it is a valuable learning experience to pursue one’s life passion, to go further,” the veteran science educator said.
Stoflet said , “ T h e application is worth looking for and it is definitely worth looking [among teacher coll eagues ] for people to apply.” Stoflet, who is a former Minnesota Teacher of the Year, said several National Board Certified Teachers told her the application process of the presidential award is comparable to the national board certification requirements.
She described the presidential awards ’ professional development component as an incredible experience, especially at this tight budget time when it is difficult for teachers to receive any support to upgrade their skills.
Recipients spent four days training with National Science Foundation experts.
The teachers also got time to teach.
Meeting with members of Congress and their staffs gave teachers a rare platform to provide expert insight into how government policy can translate into classroom effectiveness, Stoflet said.
She called this an awesome opportuni t y. “S en. Al Franken’s office [staff] spent an hour and a half with me,” Stoflet said. “They listened intensely to what our concerns are in a midsized district,” said Stoflet, who works in the Hopkins School District.
“The message from our lawmakers is this is a pivotal time for education. It is important for us [teachers] to stay informed and involved and give our feedback,” she said.
“We met with people from the [Obama] administration about their agenda on science and math education,” Dombrovski-Dresow said.
“They were very positive.
They said they are working toward more professional development and putting science and math education at the forefront. They wanted to hear what we had to say.” The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching receives ongoing funding and professional support from the National Science Foundation. The award is the nation’s highest for pre-college science and math teachers. Up to 100 are recognized each year, alternating between elementary teachers and secondary teachers. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators after an initial selection process done at the state level.
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