- Are you worried that you'll miss the ACT exam if you attend the national FFA convention? Never fear! You can schedule a time to take the ACT while you're in Indianapolis.
- This year we'll celebrate the 75th anniversary of the New Farmers of America (NFA) at the national FFA convention. Check back in September for more information!
- Construction Update: Due to the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center and the building of a new downtown hotel complex, there will be several lane closures. For complete construction updates, visit the Indianapolis Downtown, Inc website.
- You won't believe who we've booked for this year's convention concerts! Tickets available in August for convention attendees only.
- Want to know who's speaking at the 2010 convention sessions? Information is now available!
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From NAAE
Professional State Association Awards
Applications now available - Due Sept 1.
State Leaders - apply to have your state association recognized by NAAE. Go>>
Running for NAAE office?
If you want to run for NAAE Regional Vice president or Regional Secretary, you must submit a completed Memorandum of Understanding to NAAE by September 15th. Download a MOU>>
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From ACTE
Convention Update -- Pre-Convention Workshops
Arrive a day early for the 2010 ACTE Annual Convention to increase your learning by attending one of the pre-Convention workshops. You have the choice between How to Be Enrollment & Retention Rich With Millenials or Designing High-quality Career & Technical Courses. It's easy to register for your workshop choice when you register for the Convention.
Podcast on CTE in Botswana
On the latest Career Tech Talk, Carol Dvorak, an ACTE member and award winner, and Cara DiMattina, a former ACTE staff member, discuss their recent trip to Botswana in which they toured Gaborone Technical College, met with the Botswana Training Authority, explored the workforce situation in the country and even went on safari.
Write for Techniques Magazine
Techniques magazine has just completed another successful year of publishing. We will be back in September with more in-depth coverage of best practices, innovation and other news in CTE, and will be working on the magazine over the summer, so get a head start on your ideas now. If you would like to write for Techniques, please go online to review the submission guidelines and editorial calendar.
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From NASDCTEc
NASDCTEc is excited to offer our Fall Meeting based on the theme Leading to Transform: Taking Us to Where We Should Be. State Directors have asked for more professional development, and this meeting will provide activities geared to enrich and strengthen the leadership skills State Directors need to ensure effectiveness at work. The Fall Meeting offers great opportunities for networking with colleagues and partners in the economic development, workforce development and education improvement communities.
October 25—October 27, 2010
Westin BWI Airport
1110 Old Elkridge Landing Road
Linthicum, MD 21090
(443) 577-2300
Meeting starts: 6 p.m., October 25 with an opening session dinner and meeting.
Meeting ends: October 27, with closing luncheon ending at 1 p.m.
$120 per night plus applicable taxes
Reservations
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From the U.S. Department of Education
Teaching Partnership Draws Parents into the Profession
HAMBURG, Ark.—In this small town Tonya Higginbotham is a student, a teacher—and a role model. It’s not her job to also mow the grass outside the elementary school, but she does it anyway. A single mother, she wants the best for her two sons, her school, the community she serves, and the school district that paid her way to college.
As in many rural areas, Hamburg’s schools are the center of community life, and partnerships with the education system benefit the entire community.
Hamburg has teamed up with the University of Arkansas-Monticello to train engaged parents like Ms. Higginbotham to become early childhood teachers, creating a pipeline of talented, passionate and motivated teachers with a personal stake in the success of their schools.
Working together, parents, schools and the university are preparing Hamburg’s children to be successful from the moment they enter elementary school. They are attempting to create better outcomes for students as they progress through secondary school and enter college and the career of their choice.
Secretary Duncan toured Hamburg’s Pre-Kindergarten program on Thursday afternoon.
Click here for an accessible version of the video.
With approximately a million teachers expected to retire over the next five years, our nation needs to nurture more ways to recruit and develop the next generation of great teachers. Our economy, our national security, and our standing in the world depend on it.
Small rural communities, like Hamburg, are showing how partnerships and an investment in their community can empower parents and career-changers, and set an example for students to follow. They are meeting their immediate need for quality early-learning programs and planting the seed for students to follow into a career in teaching, where they will have the power to positively influence the lives of children.
Case in point: Ms. Higginbotham’s son Blake attended Hamburg’s preschool program as a boy and is now in his third year at UA-Monticello’s education school. A former Americorps volunteer, he wants to return to his old grade school to teach.
“I want to be here,” he says. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Hamburg’s schools are giving families a reason to stay here, and are using a partnership with higher education as a way to strengthen their schools and their community’s future.
Joint Agreement for New Orleans Recovery
Secretary Duncan and other Obama administration officials announced a $1.8 billion agreement to help renovate and rebuild schools in New Orleans. READ MORE 
CAST Friday Notes
Click here for the most current issue of CAST Friday Notes, provided by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology thanks to the generous support of Winfield Solutions, LLC
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