Ed Roundup for 1-31-14 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Ed Roundup for 1-31-14 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):

Education Roundup for Week Ending January 31, 2014

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's Education Roundup of education-related announcements of public interest.

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges Public Input on Civic Learning

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced seven public meetings will be held across the state this spring to help shape civic education for California students.

"Today's students are the future of California, and if they grow up with strong civic learning, they grow up with an appreciation—and ability—for civic engagement," said Torlakson, who is encouraging the public to weigh in on the recommendations made by the Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning  on teaching civic education.

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye and Torlakson have partnered to establish aTask Force designed to allow parents, teachers, school administrators, school boards, labor, and business leaders to offer recommendations to improvecivic learning in California. The Task Force's goal is to develop a blueprint to address five key areas of civic learning: (1) curriculum and instructional practices, (2) resources, (3) professional learning, (4) student assessment and school accountability, and (5) community and business partnerships.

At the seven meetings, members of the Task Force will present their draft recommendations and solicit feedback from the public. People may also view the Task Force's Draft Recommendations for Regional Hearings  online. The dates and locations of the meetings are listed below. People can go to the Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning  Web site to fill out an online application form to attend.

• February 7, 2014 in Downey: Los Angeles County Office of Education, 9300 Imperial Highway, Room 281, Downey, CA 90242; 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
• March 8, 2014 in Los Angeles: Sheraton Hotel LAX, 6101 Century Boulevard, Grand Ballroom A, Los Angeles CA 90045; 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
• March 20, 2014 in Bakersfield: Larry E. Reider Education Center, 2000 K Street, Room 204, Bakersfield, CA 93301; 9–11 a.m.
• March 24, 2014 in San Diego: San Diego Central Library Auditorium, 330 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101; 1–3 p.m.
• March 25, 2014 in San Bernardino: Roy C. Hill Education Center, 601 North E Street, San Bernardino, CA 92410; 1–3 p.m.
• March 28, 2014 in Sacramento: State Capitol, 1315 10th Street, Sacramento, 1st Floor, Room 126, Sacramento, CA 95814, 9–11 a.m.
• April 1, 2014 in Oakland: Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Meeting Room 1, Oakland, CA 94612; 6:30–8:30 p.m.

The Task Force will create a link on its Web site following the first meeting in Downey where people can submit their comments electronically. Following the public meetings, the Task Force will finalize its blueprint and then present its recommendations to Cantil-Sakauye and Torlakson for their review and consideration.

California Career Pathways Trust Workshops

The CDE is holding a series of workshops around the state throughout the month of February to give potential applicants a thorough overview of the application process for California's Career Pathways Trust Grant. The program provides nearly $250 million in funding for competitive grants to create innovative programs and partnerships linking rigorous academic standards to career pathways in high-need and high-growth sectors of the economy.

There will be three Application Workshops and one Web conference to explain the application process. There will be an additional Web conference on how to apply online for the grant:

• February 5, 2014: Fresno County Office of Education, 1111 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA.
• February 6, 2014: Web conference.
• February 7, 2014: Health and Human Services Auditorium, 1500 Capital Avenue, Sacramento, CA.
• February 12, 2014: Los Angeles County Office of Education, Education Center Room 100, 9300 Imperial Highway, Downey, CA.
• February 19, 2014: Online Application Web conference.

For more information, visit the CDE's Application Workshops Web page.

2014 Teachers of the Year Honored at Gala Event

The CDE will honor the 2014 California Teachers of the Year Monday at a gala event at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento.

Torlakson will welcome the five honorees, who represent the profession's contributions to quality education. The honorees are:

• Timothy Smith, a ninth- through twelfth-grade Algebra I and AP Statistics teacher at Florin High School in Sacramento, Elk Grove Unified School District, Sacramento County. Torlakson also nominated Smith as California's representative for National Teacher of the Year recognition.
• Angelo "Ang" Bracco, a sixth- through eighth-grade special education teacher at Solano Middle School in Vallejo, Vallejo City Unified School District, Solano County.
• Michael Hayden, who teaches choral music and music appreciation to high school students at Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach Unified School District, Los Angeles County.
• Linda Horist, a second-grade teacher at Nohl Ranch Elementary School, Anaheim, Orange Unified School District, Orange County.
• Jessica Pack, a sixth-grade language arts, social studies, and technology teacher at James Workman Middle School, Cathedral City, Palm Springs Unified School District, Riverside County.

The Teachers of the Year finalists and semifinalists also will be recognized during a reception preceding the gala. For more information, see the announcement on the 2014 California Teachers of the Year.

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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100