First Syracuse teacher achieves national certification

The third time was the charm for Syracuse ESL teacher Jackie Schneider-Revette. Schneider-Revette is the first member of the Syracuse Teachers Association to earn National Board Certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Most candidates say the process is not an easy one. Schneider-Revette took three tries to successfully complete the entire process. "I didn't meet standards in all of the assessments the first time. I improved on the second try but didn't quite make it," Schneider-Revette told the Syracuse TA Open Line. Her journey has inspired other Syracuse colleagues to reapply and complete the process. Schneider-Revette will receive an annual $1,000 stipend for the life of her certificate.

— STA Open Line

Wallkill educators make charity a math lesson

Kindergarten students in Wallkill put their counting skills to good use. In celebration of the 100th day of school, the students aimed to collect 100 items for the Wallkill Reformed Church Food Pantry. Kindergarten eduators Teresa Barbato, Monica Carfora and MaryBeth Egan, members of the Wallkill TA, used the students' charity as a math lesson.

Students sorted the items by cans, boxes and bags. The kindergarteners then made rows of 10 items to add up to 100.

— WTA Impact

Educators share concerns with the Regents

A small group of educators from western New York met recently with Regents Chancellor Robert Bennett to share their concerns about the disconnect among the Regents, the state Education Department and the classroom.

Teachers from Kenmore, Williamsville, Buffalo and Niagara County shared the following observations:

• There is inconsistent training for new teachers coming out of teacher education programs.

• Most districts do not have the resources or state support for implementing effective mentoring programs.

• Turnaround times make statewide testing useless for classroom relevance.

• SED needs to be fully funded so the staff can meet school district needs.

— KTAnnouncer

April is National Library Month

Take time out this month to recognize the contributions of your school library media specialists.

Jamestown hosts education forum

Education took center stage at a recent Chautauqua County forum.

Educators, administrators, school board members and politicians attended the Chautauqua County Education Coalition ''Public Education: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?'' event.

Discussions included early childhood education, teacher prep programs, standards, assessments and curriculum.

Panelist David Eggert, director of NYSUT's Southwest Regional Office, told those in attendance that all children should have access to a ''top-notch'' preschool program taught by highly qualified teachers.

''There isn't any better investment than pre-kindergarten education,'' Eggert said.

— The ( Jamestown) Post-Journal

Brooklyn UUP member researches Nobel snub

When a former professor of medicine and biophysics at Brooklyn Health Science Center was passed over by the Nobel prize committee, his colleagues decided to prove he deserved the honor.

Raymond Damadian, recognized by many as a pioneer in magnetic resonance imaging research, produced the world's first MRI in 1977.

However, he was not included for consideration for the 2003 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. The snub so bothered UUP member Richard Macchia, a distinguished teaching professor and chairman of the Brooklyn HSC Medical School's department of urology, that he wrote a research paper to prove that Damadian was as deserving of the prize as the two men who won it.

For research details, visit http://www.uupinfo.org/.

— The Voice

SUNY Cortland hosts summer institute in character ed

The Center for the 4th and 5th Rs and the Institute for Excellence & Ethics are sponsoring the 14th summer institute in character education at SUNY Cortland June 30-July 2. Registration deadline is June 16.

Themed "Smart & Good Schools: Helping your students do their best work and do the right thing," the event features character ed leaders Thomas Lickona, Matt Davidson, Usha Balamore and Hal Urban.

Visit http://www.cortland.edu/character/institutes.asp for details.

Rush Henrietta local on right track

Led by President David Rose, the Rush Henrietta Education Association has a unique idea to make sure members are familiar with their collective bargaining agreement. The March/April newsletter features a contract scavenger hunt.

The first RHEA member to e-mail the correct answer to a contract-related question wins a prize.

Kudos to the Rush Henrietta EA for keeping members informed.

— http://www.rhteachers.org/