New No Child Left Behind e-Learning Tool Offers Teachers Free, On-Demand Professional Development
“The e-Learning workshops are a response to teachers who told us they needed access to in-depth, quality learning options that fit their busy schedules so they can earn and maintain their teaching credentials,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. “The coursesâ€”which are offered free of charge and may be taken for creditâ€”will be especially helpful to rural and other high-need areas as they seek to place highly qualified teachers in every classroom over the next two years, per the No Child Left Behind law.”
The project was presented today at three different sitesâ€”in Maine, California and Ohioâ€”to showcase how teachers, schools and school districts can tailor the program to meet their unique needs to help students learn to high standards. Designed for elementary and secondary school teachers and offered either online or via satellite TV, the workshops are taught by teachers who have had success in particular areas and cover a variety of subject areas from reading instruction to science and mathematics.
The e-Learning program is part of the Bush Administration’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative to help educators share best practices for putting research to work in the classroom to help students learn to high standards. The initiative includes regional workshops, a national summit, roundtable discussions with teachers about the support they need to meet the academic needs of their students, a teacher toolkit, and electronic “e-byte” updates to provide useful information to teachers.
The No Child Left Behind Act is the bipartisan landmark education reform law designed to change the culture of America’s schools by closing the achievement gap among groups of students, offering more flexibility to states, giving parents more options and teaching students based on what works. Under the law’s strong accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those with disabilities, achieve academically.
More information about the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, workshops, and No Child Left Behind is available at http://www.ed.gov/index.html.