HIGHLIGHTS

        Mirroring a successful California initiative and hoping for the same impressive results for students here, educators in Rhode Island and Connecticut are collaborating to create a new regional science resource center for teachers.
        Called the Connecticut Science Resources Collaborative (CSRC), the cooperative aims to help teachers and students improve learning outcomes, successfully conquer new Connecticut Science Curriculum Frameworks, meet new, tougher Science Grade Level Expectations, and prepare for the state’s first-ever Science Mastery Tests in March.
        The East Bay Educational Collaborative, an educational service agency in Warren, R.I., has joined EASTCONN and members of Connecticut’s RESC Alliance as they collaborate with the CSDE to create the new systemic science-initiative resource center.               
        The CSRC held its first informational meeting in mid-December at EASTCONN’s Central Office in Hampton. A second meeting will be held this month.
        At its first meeting, the CSRC drew educators from more than 30 Connecticut school districts. They heard the EBEC’s Ron DeFronzo and Anita Hennessey speak about the value of creating a systemic science resource center in combination with high-quality professional development for member school districts.
        The CSRC will be providing materials management and professional development using a model developed in the El Centro school district in southern California. The model is based on teachers having access to fully stocked, high-quality, inquiry-based science kits aligned with state and national standards, as well as kit-specific professional development.
        “Although there is tremendous value in teachers having these science kits readily available to them, the primary value, in terms of increased student achievement, is in the specially designed professional development,” said Mary Lou Smith, EASTCONN’s Science Cadre Staff Developer, who has taken a lead role in creating and managing the CSRC.
        “The professional development model also integrates literacy and math into hands-on inquiry science, as well as formative assessment,” said Jim Huggins, EASTCONN’s Director of Teaching, Learning and Technology, who added that he believes the CSRC initiative is doubly exciting because of its potential for broader academic application.
        Data from research conducted by Michael Klentschy, former superintendent of schools in El Centro, Calif., showed impressive improvements in student achievement in science, math, and language arts for each year students were taught using the collaborative resources model being adapted by CSRC.
        To view results and data from the El Centro schools, see a PowerPoint  presentation at  http://www.ebecri.org/media/Welcome.CT-2.ppt.
        For more information, contact EASTCONN’s Mary Lou Smith at 860-455-0707, or at msmith@eastconn.org.

State OKs $97,000 Grant for Arts-Based, After-School Program at Windham Heights

        The state has approved a $97,000 grant for Arts in the Afternoon, a new after-school program for Windham children and their families, EASTCONN officials have announced.
        Funded by the CSDE, Arts in the Afternoon will provide a high-quality arts enrichment and artists-in-residence program for 100 children, grades 3-10, and their families. The program, which will begin in early February, will be offered at the Windham Heights Community Learning Center in Windham.
        In the context of the arts, the program’s curriculum is designed to complement classroom instruction; improve student achievement in the arts, language arts, math and technology; improve parental engagement; enrich in-home learning activities; and promote youth development in a curriculum focusing on leadership, communication and team-building skills. 
        Artists-in-residence from both the WindhamARTS Collaborative and the Capitol Theater Arts Academy will help teach the program on a rotating basis. Arts in the Afternoon will also operate full-day summer sessions and a two-week intensive summer institute.
         EASTCONN’s partners in Arts in the Afternoon include the Lifelong Learning Corporation (a division of VESTA), the WindhamARTS Collaborative, the University of Connecticut Mentor Program, the Capitol Theater Arts Academy and Windham Public Schools.
                 To learn more, contact Arts in the Afternoon Manager Nancy Vitale at 860-455-0707, or at nvitale@eastconn.org.

Teachers Tackle Foldables® in Colorful, Busy Workshop
Innovative Classroom Strategy Can Improve Student Learning

       Under the enthusiastic direction of two EASTCONN staff developers, a roomful of eastern Connecticut teachers recently got hands-on experience creating Foldables, an increasingly popular, highly effective classroom strategy that boosts learning outcomes using a simple, but proven strategy.
        By cutting, folding, pasting and manipulating brightly colored pieces of construction paper, which students subsequently fill with notes and concepts, students are better able to learn and retain information.
        During a Foldables workshop in early January, teachers got a firsthand look at the seemingly endless possibilities offered by Foldables. EASTCONN’s Staff Developers Donna Drasch and Rebecca Pilver ran the Foldables workshop. In attendance were teachers from Region 19, Windham, Killingly, Tolland, Montville, Scotland, Plainfield and Colchester.
        Foldables are being used to help students grasp math, science, social studies and language arts concepts in ways that are far more kinesthetic and effective than regular worksheets, said  Drasch, who, along with Pilver has been trained as a Foldables Level I Dinah Zike Certified District Consultant.
        “There is increasing evidence that students who generate visual representations of a concept are better able to understand and recall the concept later on,” Pilver said.
        As one fifth-grade teacher from Plainfield, Shelley Shabenas, said as she was in the midst of cutting, gluing and folding another Foldables shape, “It’s about students taking ownership and being engaged.”
        “We’re so focused on getting ready for the Mastery Tests that we’re getting away from creative things in the classroom,” said Marie Simoneau, a special education fifth-grade co-teacher from Plainfield. “This is helping bring us back.”
         “It’s not about being artsy-craftsy or obtaining perfection,” Drasch said during a break in the workshop. “It’s really about helping kids understand concepts. Foldables offers a strategy for returning to the basics.
         “You can’t physically touch three-dimensional concepts on a computer,” continued  Drasch, “but Foldables can give kids the three-dimensional thinking and concepts they need. Then they can then apply those to the Web.”
        Foldables can be used for note-taking, journaling, cause-and-effect, comparing and contrasting, vocabulary development, sequencing, concept mapping, questioning activities, tables, charts, graphics, cumulative study aids, diagrams and as an alternative form of assessment. 
        To learn more about Foldables or to obtain information on how to get a customized Foldables training for your school or district, contact Donna Drasch (ddrasch@eastconn.org) or Rebecca Pilver (rpilver@eastconn.org) at 860-455-0707.
 
Future Foldables workshops are being planned.
Save the dates! Registration information to come.
• Using Foldables® for Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Development PreK through Grade 2, March 13, 2008
• Increasing Students’ Understanding, Engagement, and Motivation in All Content Areas with Foldables®, April 3, 2008 & repeated on August 13, 2008
• Using Foldables® in All Content Areas: Part II, August 14, 2008

New High School Option for Teens to Open at QVCC Next Fall
       
     An innovative educational option, combining high school and college classes for non-traditional learners in grades 10 through 12, will open its doors in August at Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson, officials have announced.
     The Connecticut State Department of Education has approved the operation plan for the new Quinebaug Valley Middle College High School, which will be financed by state funds and local tuition.
     “The overarching theme of the Quinebaug Valley Middle College High School is to offer the college experience to high school students who are non-traditional learners, yet who are ready for the freedoms and responsibilities of college,” said Maureen Crowley, EASTCONN’s Director of Planning and Development.
     In late August, the QVMCHS will welcome 30 students to the new school, but that number will grow to 125 once the program is fully enrolled, sometime in the next several years, Crowley said. In addition to earning college credits, students will graduate from QVMCHS with the same number of credits that the traditional high school requires, she said.
     EASTCONN will manage the program for a partnership that includes QVCC, Killingly, Plainfield, Putnam, Thompson, Windham and Woodstock.
     “This is an exciting partnership that will provide a new option for high school students in northeast Connecticut,” said QVCC President Dianne E. Williams. “We believe it will increase the probability that students will not only successfully complete high school, but continue on to college.”
In order to be eligible for the program, students must already attend high school in one of the partner towns. Each partner town will provide transportation to and from QVCC, officials said, adding that students will begin their day at 7:30 a.m. and end the day at about 2:30 p.m. Interested students should contact their guidance office.
     The QVMCHS will support students’ success with daily individual and group advisory meetings, according to Crowley. Students will be expected to meet rigorous standards, enabling them to achieve their personal educational and career goals. The classes themselves will blend literacy and technology, global studies, world languages, math, science and engineering, as well as electives. Each day will end with a community meeting and tutoring, as well as opportunities for optional independent study.
     Once students have demonstrated their academic abilities, they may take electives at QVCC in topics that include allied health, art, music and career pathways, among other subjects. The roster of course options will expand over time. Community service will be a main component of the program as students participate in real-world, hands-on projects intended to bolster student engagement, creativity and innovation, Crowley said.
     The program’s curriculum design is based on Stanford University’s High School Redesign principles, she said.
     The partnership is currently seeking staff, including a principal, for the program’s August start-up. Staff configurations will change as the program increases its enrollment, Crowley said.
For more information, contact EASTCONN’s Director of Student Services Thomas Cronin at 860-455-0707, or at tcronin@eastconn.org.

“Dark Skies” Optics Program Wins $27,000 OSAF Grant
 
        The Optical Society of America Foundation (OSAF) has awarded a three-year, $27,000 grant to support EASTCONN’s “Dark Skies” program, an optics and science education initiative intended to engage Connecticut middle-schoolers in studying the effects of light pollution on our world.
        OSAF funding will underwrite professional development for “Dark Skies,” which means teachers will be able to attend workshops for free. 
        “We’re very fortunate,” said Nancy Magnani, the “Dark Skies” coordinator and a member of the EASTCONN Science Cadre.
        [Editor’s Note: Please see “Starry Skies Tougher to See as Light Pollution Takes Toll” in October 2007 Connections.]
        Established in 2002, the OSAF is a charitable organization that focuses its efforts on funding programs that advance youth science education. 
        In early December, fifth-graders from Coventry, Vernon, and Stafford began studying “Dark Skies.” As part of an ongoing project, they prepared packages of lesson materials for student outreach partners at middle schools in Alaska, Romania and Wales. For the next few months, the fifth-graders will join their outreach student-partners in measuring and comparing the brightness of the nighttime sky in all four regions.
        Watch for EASTCONN’s spring 2008 Science Cadre brochure, which will list upcoming “Dark Skies” and “Optics in the Classroom!” professional development workshops. Space will be limited. 
        For more information, contact Nancy Magnani at 860-455-0707, or at nmagnani@eastconn.org.

ACT Teachers Garner Accolades
 
        Two writing teachers at ACT, EASTCONN’s arts magnet high school in Willimantic, are having authentic success in the writing field, beyond the doors of the Capitol Theater.

        Finishing Line Press recently published a chapbook, Talking to Trees, by Lisa C. Taylor, who is a poet and writing teacher at ACT. Talking to Trees has been nominated for an L.L. Winship/ PEN New England Award. Other poetry works by Taylor have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Taylor is widely published in numerous literary magazines and journals. She is currently working on a full-length collection of poetry and a memoir-style book.

 

        Barbara Pfister Greenbaum, who is a fiction-writing teacher at ACT, has won second place for her short story, “The Breaks,” in the 2006 Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association writing contest. Greenbaum is also an Interdistrict Grant coordinator for EASTCONN. Greenbaum is currently working on her first novel and a collection of short stories.
 
 

 
Upcoming ’08 Conferences
 
        Two national education conferences — both within easy driving distance of eastern Connecticut — will take place in March and July and highlight cutting-edge strategies, research and world-renowned guest speakers in the fields of science and education technology.
 
        The 56th National Science Teacher’s Association (NSTA) National Conference on Science Education will take place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center from March 27-30. NSTA conferences feature the latest in science content, teaching strategies, and research, in addition to hands-on workshops and guest speakers from around the country. EASTCONN is proud to announce that two of its staff developers and Science Cadre members, Mary Lou Smith and Grace Levin, will present a workshop titled “Improving Science Process Skills Through an Investigation of ‘Magic Water’ “ at the NSTA conference.
 
      The 2008 Building Learning Communities Conference will take place July 14-18 at the Boston Marriott in Newton, Mass. The BLC conference presents hands-on, pre-conference workshops, keynotes and more than 90 main session workshops. Also featured are pioneering thinkers and leaders in the fields of education and education technology from around the world. EASTCONN is happy to report that Donna Drasch and Rebecca Pilver, EASTCONN staff developers, have been invited to present the workshop, “The Best of 2 Worlds: An Environment for 21st-Century Learning,” at the BLC Conference.