From The Council President

Celebrating 40 years of Women in FFA!
One of my many wonderful opportunities last week as Council President was chairing the National FFA Foundation’s Impact FFA function where founders and guests of the women’s giving circle met with Robert Craig, 1969 FFA delegate and current Director at the Michigan Department of Agriculture. We shared stories about the successful motion to admit women, seconded by Bob Craig, discussed the increase in women’s leadership and identified current women leaders such as Cheryl Zimmerman, President of NASAE, Sally Shomo, President of NAAE; and Diane Amera, President of National FFA Alumni. The intent of Impact FFA is to collectively award gifts of $100,000 or more to FFA projects by having at least 100 members donate $1,000 annually. In its inaugural year, the group presented a check for $10,000 to the National FFA Organization to support national officer scholarships.  Your membership is welcomed as an individual or in groups of individuals to meet the $1,000 per year donation.

Nancy J. Trivette
Council President
nancy.trivette@ag.state.nj.us

From FFA

Opening Session National FFA Convention
Check out Mike Rowe's opening session keynote from the 82nd National FFA Convention.

2009 – 2010 National FFA Officer Team
President: Levy Randolph, California
Secretary: Bethany Bohnenblust, Kansas
Eastern Region VP: Alexandria Henry, Michigan
Central Region VP: Chase Ross, Montana
Southern Region VP: Chelsea Doss, Tennessee
Western Region VP: Randa Braune, Texas

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From NAAE

NAAE Convention - Host State Social
Come enjoy a “Tennessee Two-Steppin’ Good Time,” hosted by the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Educators (TAAE).  The host state social will be held on Thursday, November 19, at the Nashville Palace Honky Tonk, which is within easy walking distance of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. 

The fun will last from 6:30-9:30, and include a barbeque meal, live band and dancing.  Cash bar will be available.  Tickets are $30 per person. To purchase tickets in advance, follow this link. Check or purchase orders must be postmarked to NAAE by November 1, tickets can be purchased online until November 11. After that, all tickets must be purchased at convention before the social. No tickets will be sold at the door.

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From ACTE

Hotels Selling Out; Book Your Rooms Now 
The Gaylord Opryland and the Radisson Hotel at Opryland are sold out. Please check the Gaylord's housing information for last-minute cancellations and to be put on a wait list. ACTE has also secured a block of rooms at The Holiday Inn Opryland/Airport. To secure a room at The Holiday Inn, please call 1-866-871-1171 and use rate code AAC-Association for Career and Technical Education. 

You can also check out the room-share forum for available space.

Participate in the unConference
During your time in Nashville, take a break from the formal sessions and events and check out the unConference. The unConference will feature short, informal presentations and conversations. Located at booths 429 and 435, the unConference is for you if you have a passion for and knowledge about CTE that you want to share outside of the formal Convention session schedule, or if you like to learn and engage in an informal environment.

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From AgrowKnowledge

International Annual Meetings of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
From Sunday, November 1, 2009 to Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The International Annual Meetings of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) bring together 3500+people from 50+ countries representing academia, government and private industry, including a large contingent of undergraduate and graduate students.  For a program and registration details, visit their website:  https://www.acsmeetings.org

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From USDE

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Says Colleges of Education Must Improve for Reforms to Succeed
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called for America’s colleges of education to dramatically change how they prepare the next generation of teachers so that they are ready to prepare their future students for success in college and careers.
Noting that America’s schools will need to hire up to 200,000 first-time teachers annually for the next five years, Duncan said that those new teachers need the knowledge and skill to prepare students for success in the global economy.

“By almost any standard, many if not most of the nation’s 1,450 schools, colleges, and departments of education are doing a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the realities of the 21st century classroom,” Duncan said in a major speech at Teachers College, Columbia University. “America’s university-based teacher preparation programs need revolutionary change--not evolutionary tinkering.”

More than half of the nation’s teachers graduate from a school of education. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 220,000 students graduate from a teacher college every year. In recent years, several alternative certification programs such as High Tech High, The New Teacher Project, Teach for America, and teacher residency programs have emerged. But those programs produce fewer than 10,000 new teachers annually.

“To keep America competitive, and to make the American dream of equal educational opportunity a reality, we need to recruit, reward, train, learn from, and honor a new generation of talented teachers,” Duncan said. “But the bar must be raised for successful teacher preparation programs because we ask much more of teachers today than even a decade ago." Read the full press release

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