First Draft of Higher Education Report Released

Though the release of a draft document is certainly unusual, Chairman Miller decided to release the draft to the public. Surprisingly, the draft will be discussed in a closed session this Wednesday. I’m not sure what the strategy is for this, but the early draft of the report certainly provides a perspective on the commissions overall attitude toward higher education.

There is a link to the draft in an article in Inside Higher Education. Though there is not a clear path for commenting on the document, we need to be aware of how these discussions develop. My brief review of the document certainly sees language that is reminiscent of NCLB, with reliance on a variety of assessment instruments developed by testing companies. WorkKeys is the instrument suggested for assessing two-year college student’s progress. Using a single measure for assessment certainly flies in the face of all that we know about using multiple measure for valid assessment.

Check out NCTE's Grant Resources

While you are attempting to catch up on your reading, spend time with your families, or keep up with those summer classes, take a gander at the links NCTE has collected for grant applications. Go to http://www.ncte.org/about/grants/comp . You will find a list of grants and links to the details for applying.

A variety of experiences, research possibilities, curriculum development, and classroom enhancement are available for you. An NEH Summer Institute or a source of funding for that research you "always wanted to do but can't get funded locally" is a great professional pick-me-up!

School’s out – or is it?

My classes just finished on last Friday. We had a joyous graduation ceremony on the lawn in central campus, and we had our largest graduating class, 525. And now the summer stretches before me. The opportunity to recharge a bit is more than welcome, as is the time to catch up on my professional reading and writing. I’ve got syllabi to rework before the fall quarter, too. So the pace has slackened, but as you all know, summer provides a little time for more reflective work.

I’ll be working on an article to submit to TETYC. The draft is together, but I need to polish and rethink the presentation of ideas. Even if it is not accepted, I enjoy the chance to work on an idea in depth, and to find ways to share my classroom / theory convergence with others in two-year colleges.