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Film On The Global Crisis
In Educational Areas |
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PBS and Wide Angle Productions are
producing a multi-part film about
the global crisis in access to
education. They are following seven
children in seven countries who are
struggling it through grade school..
Filming began in their first year
and will continue through 2015, the
year they should graduate. The
completed parts of this film are
available on a DVD structure for
educational use, so it can be played
straight through or story-by-story.
Educators nationally have used the
films as a starting point to build a
curriculum around the international
educational crisis. I would
encourage you to review this
powerful work. Teachers can download
educational materials at:
http://www.pbs.org/wideagnle/. |
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MEFA Website for Families |
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The Massachusetts Education
Financing Authority has established
a website to guide Massachusetts
families in navigating the entire
college financial aid process while
avoiding the risk of internet scams
and unnecessary fees. For easy
access, go to
www.mefacounselor.org. Student
and parents are encouraged to
carefully review the financial aid
opportunities that MEFA has to
offer. |
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U Funding Investing Plan |
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Cost is one of the biggest barriers
to continuing education beyond high
school, but if parents plan ahead
they can save a significant amount
of money by the time their children
are ready for college. The MEFA's
529 Plan, known as the U.Fund, is
one way to do that. By saving in a
529 Plan, parents have a simple,
tax-advantaged way to help prepare
financially for the future cost of a
higher education. Unfortunately many
families are unaware of this option
until it is too late. I would
encourage you to raise awareness of
this opportunity by contacting MEFA
and getting materials to distribute
in your school. If you have any
questions about the U.Fund, please
call MEFA at (617) 261-9760. |
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Coming Soon! Summer 2007
Professional Development Institutes
Brochure |
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The Department of Education is
pleased to announce that we will be
offering Professional Development
Institutes for summer 2007, an
enhancement of our successful
Content Institute Program of prior
years. This year's Institutes will
focus on effective standards-based
teaching skills and strengthening
teachers' content knowledge in
mathematics, science,
technology/engineering, reading, and
writing.
In its 12 year, this statewide
program will sponsor more than 20
institutes during the summer.
Follow-up sessions will be held in
the fall and winter to support
educators as they implement content
instruction in the classroom. All
institutes will offer professional
development points (PDPs) and
optional graduate credit that can be
applied toward educator
re-licensure. A list of all
institutes and information about
many other professional development
experiences being offered this
summer will be posted by mid-April
at:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/cinstitute/. |
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Conference For High-Ability
Learners |
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Policies, Strategies and Programs
for High-Ability Learners conference
will be held on Thursday, April
26th, 2007, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
the Delaney House in Holyoke. Lunch
will be provided. The conference
will feature Jeanne Purcell, lead
author/editor of Designing Services
& Programs for High-Ability
learners: A Guidebook for Gifted
Education. She and her team will
discuss policies and practices and
work with conference participants on
concrete strategies and programs for
use with this population. There is
no fee to attend this conference.
Districts should send 3-person teams
including a superintendent/designee,
a curriculum director/coordinator,
and an interested principal or
teacher.
If you have any questions, contact
Andy Churchill, project assistant,
at
achurchill@educ.umass.edu or
413-545-0958. You may also contact
Deborah Smith-Pressley, MADOE Gifted
and Talented State Coordinator, at
Dsmith-pressley@doe.mass.edu or
781-338-3360.
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