Highlights

Majority of School Districts in Iowa Continue to See Enrollment Declines

This fall, 249 or 69 percent of the Iowa’s 362 school districts reported a decrease in certified enrollment, according to the official report released today by the Iowa Department of Education ( DE ). Certified enrollment is used in the formula that determines state funding for public school districts.

Iowa Teachers Earn National Board Certification

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ( NBPTS ) reports that 64 Iowa teachers earned National Board Certification in 2008. According to NBPTS, Iowa ranks 18th in the total number of teachers who achieved certification over time. The state’s top five school districts in terms of the cumulative total of NBCTs are: Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Des Moines Independent, Dubuque, and Fairfield.

64 Iowa Teachers Earn National Board Certification

Governor, Jeffrey and National Experts Discuss Education in Iowa

Iowa Department of Education Director Judy Jeffrey and Iowa Governor Chet Culver along with national and state education experts joined more than 1,000 educators from across Iowa on in December for the 5th Annual High School Summit in Des Moines. The summit focused on Iowa’s current efforts to redesign high schools to ensure delivery of a world-class education to all students in the state.

Jeffrey to Help Provide Recommendations to Next U.S. Secretary of Education

Director Judy Jeffrey has been selected to serve on a task force that will develop education-related recommendations to the next U.S. Secretary of Education appointed by president-elect Barack Obama.

Iowa School Districts Help Reduce Achievement Gap

Six school districts were honored by the State Board of Education yesterday for improving gaps in student achievement. Davenport, Fort Dodge, Keokuk, Marshalltown, Norwalk and Waterloo community school districts each received a Breaking Barriers to Learning and Teaching Award, which was created by the State Board of Education to recognize successful efforts to eliminate achievement gaps by improving instruction, curriculum and programs, and professional development opportunities for school staff.

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