Articles from 10/2019

Miles to go before they sleep, literally. For students at Northstar Elementary School in the Knoxville Community School District, it’s all about participating in the Northstar Mileage Club. The club began last spring as a way to get kids moving at recess and encourage a lifelong love of running and walking. It turns …

DES MOINES -- Gov. Kim Reynolds issued the following statement in response to ACT’s national release of assessment results, which show Iowa’s average composite score tied for first in the country among states that tested more than half of students in the Class of 2019: “Iowa’s leading the nation in ACT score…

Unique program draws workers, high school students to high-paying jobs Students in the CEAM program learn from senior-level industry professionals and get hands-on experience using the same tools and equipment used on the job. CLARINDA – Business and education officials in southwest Iowa are taking …

New report: More school districts see progress in student achievement and teacher retention DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation system continues to strengthen teaching and learning, with more school districts reporting progress meeting their local student achi…

Work-based learning gives students hands-on learning Denise Hillman is an instructional coach and co-teacher of English language students at Muscatine High School. As an instructional coach, she has been involved with career and technical teachers throughout the school system. She has signed up for a project with …

Jake Welchans, the project manager of the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-based Learning, is well-suited to bring this initiative to fruition. After all, he's a former teacher. Prior to joining the Iowa Department of Education, Welchans spent 11 years with Des Moines Public Schools as a business and technology teacher, …

Brooke Axiotis, the president of the Iowa State Board of Education, has been named chair of the National Association for State Boards of Education. Axiotis, a Des Moines resident, joined the State Board in 2014. She works at Drake Law School as the director of academic success programs. She is a member of the Iowa B…

A teacher from the Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District has been named Iowa’s History Teacher of the Year. Kelly Steffen is a 19-year teaching veteran at the Vinton-Shellsburg district, spending the last 18 years teaching American history at Vinton-Shellsburg High School. Steffen ensures student engagement …

DES MOINES – Four Iowa educators have been named recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). The recipients are: Mathematics Deborah Little, Denver Community School District Maria “Gabby” Granadillo, Cedar Rapids Community School District Science …

Teaching a toddler to catch a ball is slow, careful business. Under-handed gentle tosses. Take the same child – 10 years later – and would you deploy the same methods when tossing the ball to her? Of course not. That’s because her skills have vastly improved over the last decade. So why would a teacher leaders…