News Update

Yolanda Mendoza knows exactly how much it costs to enroll in the Principles of Accounting class at Des Moines Area Community College. It’s $771. Mendoza, who owns a small insurance business, wanted to pursue the accounting class to strengthen her business management and bookkeeping skills, and she ended up enrolli…

The number of students who received the state’s Seal of Biliteracy, which is an award given to students who have attained proficiency in two or more languages, grew by a whopping 59 percent since its inception during the 2018-19 school year. In the last school year, 916 students earned the seal, compared to 575 st…

The Iowa Department of Education is seeking content experts who are licensed Iowa educators to support the development of online units for the Iowa e-Learning Central (ILC).  The ILC is a new resource that provides access to courses and tools to support educators as they navigate virtual learning environments a…

Charter school applications and guidance are now available on the Iowa Department of Education website. The guidance and applications are in response to a new law passed during last year’s legislative season enabling the expansion of charter schools in the state. For those wanting to launch a charter school dur…

Larbila "Bank" Bankangou In the classrooms at Hawkeye Community College, student Larbila Bankangou was affectionately nicknamed Bank. The shortened version of his last name not only helped this Togo-native to break down language barriers with his instructors and fellow students, it also perfectly described …

Chloe McIntosh Growing up as a nurse’s daughter, 21-year-old Chloe McIntosh seemed destined for a career in nursing. As such, it isn’t too surprising to learn that McIntosh recently became certified as a nursing assistant through a short-term program at Iowa Western Community College. What is surpris…

Ornament design created by Johnston High School senior Hailey Draman. Eleven students in grades 9-12 from Johnston High School in Johnston contributed original designs for ornaments adorning Iowa’s tree in President’s Park in Washington D.C. Students volunteered for the opportunity and created design…

Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District is not only ready for change, they’re excited for it. So when new requirements for computer science education in Iowa were issued last year, the home of the Mustangs readily pushed forward, looking to make an impact. Established in House File 2629, Iowa public school …

Teacher Julie Elliott works with her students Walking into Julie Elliott’s second-grade class, an untrained eye might see chaos. But it’s actually quite different. What you are seeing is unbridled enthusiasm in their work. Their lesson today? Computer coding. Second graders??? Yep. Perry Elementar…

Registration is under way for the 7th Emerging Educators Academy at Drake University on Jan. 22. The conference, sponsored by the Outstanding Educators’ Academy of the Iowa Department of Education, along with the Iowa State Education Association and Drake University's School of Education, is for all pre-service an…