This message brings with it some very important news, especially for teachers who were hoping to attend the 2011 Summer Institutes.
It is with deep regret that I inform you that I must cancel the 2011 NDEP/NCASE Summer Teacher Training Institute scheduled during the month of July. The uncertainty of federal funding makes planning and contractual obligations impossible. Needless to say, Nancy and I are extremely disappointed. I delayed in making my decision as long as I could in hopes that the U.S. Congress would pass the 2011 federal budget and NDEP funding would become available. Congress has not, and funding is not available. With the advice of NDEP leadership, I have no option but to cancel.
The Summer Institutes have been a very rewarding endeavor for CASE. They have enabled us to bring educators and STEM professionals from throughout the nation together in one location to learn from one another in a friendly and collegial environment.
Many of you who have attended our Institutes and on-site training continue to express the value you have gained from attending the Institutes. I believe that all of us have benefited from the experience. I am confident that each of you has grown in your approach to teaching. The experience of working with the DoD laboratory scientists, mathematicians and engineers provided you with an opportunity to gain valuable insight into the inquiry and design processes. More importantly, many of you reported that you have moved toward a student-centered classroom by implementing the inquiry and design skills you learned during your NDEP/CASE professional development experiences.
We are deeply indebted to the Department of Defense for its support, and we look forward to offering an NDEP/NCASE Summer Institute in the future. In the meantime, we will keep you apprised of upcoming training opportunities.
In fact, we will be offering a number of on-site programs across the country during the next three months. Check the right side of the CASE home page to view our schedule. Where we go and what we offer are at the discretion of the NDEP Points of Contact (POC). Therefore, stay close to your local POC and make your suggestions and interests known. In this way, you could have a voice in the professional development programs that may be offered in your area.
February found us in Vicksburg, Mississippi, providing an orientation for teachers and building principals about Tabula Digita’s DimensionU/M mathematics program. The session was arranged by POC, Rick Tillotson, at the request of school system administrators in his area. Hopefully, this meeting will lead to DU/M training for the area.
The month concluded in Massachusetts supporting POC, Donna Bulger’s, outreach program by offering professional development training on the MWM modules, Food Packaging and Nano-Light, at the Natick Laboratories. The teachers, scientists and engineers were fantastic.
Our March schedule is very full with programs scheduled for Pearl City, HI; Rome, NY; and Vicksburg/Madison, MS.
Remember, all of you are our heroes! As teachers, you hold the future of our country in your hands. What an awesome, but rewarding challenge.
Regards,
Steve
