Consultant/Technical Assistance Provider for the Mid-Atlantic Equity Assistance Center
POSITION DESCRIPTION
TITLE:
Consultant/Technical Assistance Provider for the Mid-Atlantic Equity Assistance Center (MAEC), a project of The George Washington University’s Center for Equity and Excellence in Education (GW-CEEE)
REPORTS TO:
Director, Mid-Atlantic Equity Center (MAEC)
ROLE:
Plan, coordinate, and provide technical assistance, training, and professional development on a variety of educational equity issues to educators/clients in West Virginia. Anticipated work level is 20%-40%.
Provide technical assistance and training to school districts, schools, state education agencies and other clients in on issues related to equity, access to high quality curriculum, and academic rigor.
Conduct needs assessments of districts, schools, and programs; develop technical assistance plans outlining goals, objectives, and strategies for technical assistance based on needs assessment; create training materials tailored to client needs.
Provide information, technical assistance, and training to clients based on current research.
Complete data tracking template and other administrative records detailing services provided.
Maintain contact with clients to provide follow-up assistance as needed.
Communicate and collaborate with the West Virginia State Department of Education about resources and services from the MAEC to LEAs in the state.
Collect data on the status of equity issues in West Virginia for MAEC needs assessment.
Share knowledge in areas of expertise with staff and clients as needed.
Present information on current equity issues and Center programs at state, regional, and national conferences.
Implement other related tasks as assigned by the project director.
Travel Requirements
Ability to travel by air and/or car for meetings, conferences, and client service delivery.
Qualifications
Demonstrated experience in assessing the educational needs of school districts and in providing technical assistance to administrators, educators, parents, and community members. Knowledge of educational equity issues and current research, including dropout prevention and reentry, the equitable distribution of highly qualified teachers, access to high quality curriculum for English language learners, and the disproportional representation of minorities in special education and gifted programs, school violence/harassment, and gender equity. Ability to assess educational issues within an equity framework. Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to work effectively with educators, administrators, parents, and community members; ability to work effectively with minimal supervision, and to work as an effective, collegial, and contributing member of the project team. Experience using basic software applications/procedures in a local area network and the Internet. Advanced degree in an appropriate discipline and experience working in K-12 education in West Virginia preferred.
Compensation
Based on educational qualifications and experience.
Note
Send resume, cover letter, references, and a writing sample to Alex Payne at apayne@ceee.gwu.edu.
GW-CEEE
The George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education
1555 Wilson Boulevard #515
Arlington, VA 22209
703-528-5973
The University is an EEO Employer
How to Effectively Discipline Your Students
July 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tips for Teachers
Whether you’re in an ESL setting or teaching in your own country,disciplining students is never a fun thing. However, the reality of the situation is that discipline is an inevitable part of being a teacher.
Read full story via examiner.com
New York taxi drivers teaching English - new film features top ESL destination
“Tales from America,” the third episode of The Learning English Video Project, has been released for free access on EnglishClub.com. With learners around the world expressing a desire to learn American English, UK filmmaker Daniel Emmerson felt it was important to take his project to New York City, one of the top destinations for ESL learners. Prior to heading to New York, Emmerson expressed his excitement about interviewing students who were willing to travel a long way to “really experience the language in its home setting.” The film is available with and without subtitles, along with online classroom materials, self-study exercises and behind-the-scenes commentary and footage.
In “The Making of the Project” Daniel Emmerson admits that he and his cameraman Joel Carr felt a bit “perplexed as to what [their] role was as filmmakers” as they too were experiencing their first taste of the Big Apple. During their stay in New York, the crew accepted tips from international students on how to get the full New York experience. They stayed in the metropolis near Wall Street and in an African community in Harlem. They also walked Central Park and visited famous sites including Coney Island, Madison Square Garden and the Statue of Liberty. The footage, shot both in and outside the classroom, depicts New York as a city that is optimal for learning English.
While the learners in “Tales from America” describe New York city as “big”, “unbelievable” and even “lonely” at times, Emmerson uses the words “busy”, “vibrant” and “very multicultural”. The film profiles a handful of learners from diverse backgrounds, including students from Argentina, Austria and South Korea. One of the main messages from the film is that learning English is becoming a necessity in many parts of the world. Interviewees agree that whether you are a translator, a computer engineer or a yoga instructor English is an international language that people “need” in today’s job market.
As in previous episodes, Emmerson asks learners to respond to a few key questions. In “Tales from America”, visitors to New York are asked why English is important, what problems learners typically have, and how being in New York helps learners improve. Interviewees are then asked to share tips on how to learn English. In the final sequence, Argentinean engineer, Adrian Petrov, looks retrospectively at his own path and advises learners to get serious about their goals: “What I did in the past was to study English about two hours per week, and it wasn’t enough.”
“Tales from America” and the entire series is sponsored by EnglishClub.com for educational use. The third film runs 17 minutes, contributing to the total series length of 2 hours. The fourth film, “Studies in Spain” will be released next month, and pre-production for filming in China and Brazil is now underway. The many viewers who add their comments for each film are helping to shape future films in the series.
“Tales from America” and classroom materials:
http://www.englishclub.com/esl-videos/tales-from-america
Sagging economy boosts English class enrollment
June 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under ESL Classes, ESL News
The sinking economy has spurred demand for English classes, while at the same time cuts in education budgets have left some of the programs without classrooms, education officials say.
While there has always been a high demand for English classes, recently more students are calling and walking up to registration counters at local community colleges throughout the county, hoping to sign up for one of the hundreds of classes offered during summer sessions, according to education officials.
Read full story via OCRegister.com.
ESL Classroom Success Relies Heavily On Good Group Dynamics
The Helen Doron educational franchise helps children learn English by creating high quality innovative learning programs for children of all ages the world over. Audrey Serper is a key member of the Helen Doron pedagogic development team and a veteran Teacher Trainer. She comments on how group dynamics works in Helen Doron Early English classrooms. “Without positive group dynamics, no classroom will be successful, for either the students or the teacher. Our lessons are built for small groups of 4 - 8 children. Any less, and the energy level for a good group dynamics just isn’t there - that’s why Helen Doron lessons are more effective than private tutoring.”…
Read full story via ESL franchising.com
ESL graduates smile… in English
Some 55 adults representing 21 countries and 14 languages graduated from their English as a second language ESL classes on Thursday at the YMCA Adult Learning Center on Plympton Street. Many held back tears as they walked to the front of a cheering classroom to accept certificates of achievement from program coordinator Elaine Dougherty and the four ESL teachers who had instructed them.
Read full story via Woburn Advocate.
TEA gets no help in suit from lawmakers
Lawyers for the Texas Education Agency will step before the federal appeals court in New Orleans today armed with arguments against a ruling that says the state is failing 140,000 students with limited English-speaking skills.
They will not, however, have an armload of bills passed by the 81st Legislature to show that the state is addressing the problems that were highlighted by U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice in July.
Read full articel TEA gets no help in suit from lawmakers.
Immgrant Gunman Angry Over English Skills
Binghamton’s mayor and police chief say a man who killed 13 people inside an immigrant community center was depressed after recently losing a job and angry that he couldn’t speak English well.
Police Chief Joseph Zikuski tells NBC’s “Today” show that people “degraded and disrespected” the gunman over his poor English. Mayor Matthew Ryan tells ABC’s “Good Morning America” he was angry about his language issues and his lack of employment.
Read full story via tv3winchester.com.
Md. schools forbid illegals head count
The Maryland State Board of Education on Tuesday said Frederick County officials are prohibited by federal law from seeking a count of how many illegal immigrants are in the county school system.
In its seven-page unanimous decision, the state board said county officials haven’t shown sufficient reason to look into the legal status of all of the students in the school system and that asking immigration status might discourage some parents from enrolling their children in schools.
“As the head of the public education system in Maryland, we cannot risk nor abide such a request,” the board said in its ruling.
Read full article via Washington Times
Parents claim board bias , Halton group files claim, saying French schools have too many girls, few special needs students
The handful of Oakville schools that only offer French immersion are driving students out of their neighbourhood in search of an English program and are also leading to “segregation” based on gender and ability, a group of parents charge.
Despite voicing their concerns and making many presentations to the Halton District School Board, the parents say their worries have not been addressed, and earlier this month filed a claim of discrimination.
The French immersion schools typically have a higher population of girls and fewer special needs students.
“The French immersion program in (the board), as currently structured and housed, is having a significant and detrimental, discriminatory effect on students based on sex, ability and place of origin,” says the March 10 letter of complaint to the Halton board’s executive officer of human resources, signed by 20 parents and community members, most of them on school councils in Ward 4, north of the QEW around Third Line.