Articles from 02/2019

The Iowa Department of Education has created a workshop to provide schools with an understanding of how to design, facilitate, and evaluate a building-level exercise in order to comply with the IAC 280.30 requirement for active shooter drills. Participants will leave with all of the materials necessary to meet this leg…

It’s Iowa History Month, a time in which we honor the state’s rich history. We have some resources for you. And to get the creative juices flowing, here’s a quick quiz (answers are at the bottom, but no peeking.) The competition for what city or town would be the final state capitol was fierce. Des Moine…

Gov. Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Gregg helped deliver awards DES MOINES – Eleven of the state’s top teachers were honored for their service during an annual luncheon in Des Moines. Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise was joined by Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg in hosting the Outstanding Iowa Teach…

Jean Listebarger Humphrey started teaching in Newton in 1951. Two years later, she started teaching in Ames, where she ended her career. Humphrey became Iowa’s first-ever Teacher of the Year in 1958, and went on to receive the National Teacher of the Year honor that same year. It’s interesting to note that ex…

To succeed in today’s increasingly knowledge-based, technology-driven economy, business and education experts agree students need to graduate from high school ready for postsecondary education and training. What many don’t realize is that career and technical education (CTE) programs are doing just that. High-qu…

Editor’s note: We had the pleasure of sitting down and meeting Mary Beth Tinker in 2016, where she recounted the odyssey that reaffirmed a student’s First Amendment Rights. Mary Beth Tinker’s suspension from school contributed to the landmark Supreme Court decision upholding a student’s right to free sp…

Registration is now open for spring 2019 courses through the Iowa College and Career Readiness Academy. The Academy was developed by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education and AEA Iowa, and has been endorsed by the Iowa School Counselor Association (ISCA). These Iow…

The 2019 Iowa Teacher of the Year Christopher Burke answers questions posed by mathematics consultant April Pforts about how he approaches the implementation of the mathematics standards in his teaching. Burke is an eighth grade teacher at Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School in Dubuque. He also is a teacher leader and serv…

Meigen Fink, Preschool Teacher, Kirkwood Elementary School, Iowa City Community School District Be safe. Be kind. Be your best! On the surface, seemingly simple, straightforward, behavioral expectations. And on the surface, Meigen Fink's preschool classroom at Kirkwood Elementary in Iowa City Community School D…

When people think of Presidents Day, they usually think of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. And while the roots indeed lie with Washington and Lincoln, the holiday has evolved over the years to include all presidents. So that opens up a lot of lesson-plan ideas. This year, Presidents Day is Monday, Feb. 18. …