News Slices

2007 Just Read, Florida! K-12 Leadership Conference Draws Largest Crowd Ever
On Monday, August 6, more than 4,600 reading coaches, literacy experts, educators, school administrators and state and national leaders converged at the sixth annual Just Read, Florida! K-12 Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., to share the latest in reading instructional strategies and best practices. This year’s attendance marked the largest crowd ever for the event, surpassing last year’s total by more than 1,000 attendees. Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp, State Board of Education Chairman T. Willard Fair, Just Read, Florida! Executive Director Dr. Evan Lefsky and award winning author and educator, Sharon Draper kicked off the conference that included more than 300 sessions, led by principals, educators, professionals and reading coaches from across the state. To learn more about Just Read, Florida!, visit www.justreadflorida.com.

Teacher Barbara Morgan Begins Mission to the Space Station
Teacher Barbara Morgan lifted off at 6:36 p.m. EDT Wednesday, August 8 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the first flight for Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began 22 years ago when she was selected as the backup in the Teacher in Space Project. The seven-member crew is on its way to the International Space Station for an 11-day assembly mission.

The flight will include at least three spacewalks during which the astronauts will install a new gyroscope and external spare parts platform to the station. The mission is Endeavour's first flight in more than four years. The shuttle underwent extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis.

Endeavour's mission will debut a new system that enables docked space shuttles to draw electrical power from the station to extend visits to the outpost. If this system functions as expected, three additional days and a spacewalk will be added to the flight.

FCAT Assessment and Accountability Review Committee
The FCAT Assessment and Accountability Review Committee met on Aug. 8, 2007, in Orlando, Fla. Some of the issues discussed included school grades and AYP reporting for 2007, alternative school rules and the independent review process. For the latest information on the FCAT external advisory group, visit http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatadvisory.

Educator Recruitment Service Available For Florida K-12 School Districts and Charter Schools
A nationwide, Web-based, educator recruitment service designed to help school systems overcome the challenges of finding the most qualified education personnel in all subject areas and recruiting them to our schools is now available to all Florida school districts and charter schools. Teachers-Teachers.com offers district and charter school staff the ability to post unlimited job openings for all education personnel; conduct unlimited searches for candidates from a pool of more than 20,000 certified candidates interested in teaching in Florida; and send unlimited mass e-mails to targeted groups of candidates alerting them of job opportunities, incentive programs, and events.

The Florida Department of Education has purchased a full membership to this resource for all Florida public school districts and charter schools from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2010. Those not currently registered with Teachers-Teacher.com can do so now by visiting www.teachers-teachers.com/florida. After registration, Teachers-Teachers.com Florida Recruitment Coordinator Dave Pfisterer will contact districts to provide an overview of the service and training on its multiple uses.

If you need additional information concerning Teachers-Teachers.com services in Florida, contact Dave Pfisterer at dpfisterer@teachers-teachers.com or (877) 812-4071, ext. 78. If you have any questions concerning availability of membership with the Florida Department of Education, contact Ian Barker at ian.barker@fldoe.org or by phone at (850) 245-0435.

Florida Community College at Jacksonville Selected For Navy Pilot Program
Florida Community College at Jacksonville has been selected by the Navy as the designated degree-granting institution for a three-year pilot program called the Accelerate to Excellence program, which allows enlistees to obtain an associate degree as part of their initial rate training while in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP). Students are paid a monthly stipend by the Navy, eventually earning an associate degree prior to reporting to their first permanent-duty station. The pilot program is open to eligible applicants in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and is targeting 100 people the first year.

Eligible applicants (as determined by Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery score, high school or college GPA and other standard Navy eligibility requirements) can sign up for one of two degree programs: Industrial Management Technology and Industrial Management Technology with an emphasis on Electronic Engineering Technology. The future sailors are enlisted into DEP and select their job specialty (during the pilot limited to selected technical fields) and degree program.

For more information about the Accelerate to Excellence program e-mail military@fccj.edu or call (877) 633-5950.