Educators and their supporters from across the country are calling members of Congress demanding they take immediate action to prevent the loss of some 300,000 educator jobs nationwide today. This effort, being organized by numerous education organizations including our friends at ASCD who seeks to rally educators at the state and district levels and encourage them to make their voices heard as Congress begins work on an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to be voted on in the coming weeks. You can do your part to protect our children from increased class sizes, reduced school hours and days, and eliminated programs and services by following these four simple steps.
Step 1: Call 1-866-608-6355 to contact your members of Congress.
Please continue reading to help support our nation's educators.
Catherine and Count Basie Middle School 72 is offering a financial training series for all parents! Learn how to become your own financial planner, the different types of investments as well as improving your credit! Come join the following companies and experts while they give financial advice for the future.
ING Direct and ING Sharebuilders
Registration is required.
Please Click Here to review the flyer and learn more about these empowering events sponsored by MS 72 in Queens, NY!
Another week has gone by, ushering in the month of March! We at CSEE are busy with exciting new projects, such as ongoing professional development, school climate assessment projects, and the planning of our 13th Annual Summer Institute. Here are some interesting links we've been passing around the office:
As before, I encourage you to share your knowledge and wisdom — leave a comment, start a dialogue, and ask questions. If you are so inclined, you might want to join CSEE's Facebook Pages and Twitter feeds. Until next week!
Mark your calendars — February 25 is a packed day for informative, practical webinars about school climate and social emotional learning:
How Does Improving School Climate Support Student Achievement?
Thursday, February 25, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Many schools and districts have entered into the conversation about school safety and bullying, but that conversation is really 
much broader — taking into consideration the many factors that constitute school climate, and the fact that research now shows that school climate is directly associated with student achievement.
Join the Education Alliance for a one-hour, online briefing about school climate as they explore the question, "Which factors, among the many that constitute school climate, are more likely to support increased student achievement?" Specific examples of urban, rural, and suburban district efforts to improve school climate and their outcomes will be provided.
The Education Alliance at Brown University, through its Equity and Diversity Division and the New England Equity Assistance Center, is a recognized leader in technical assistance and professional development related to this topic.
Click here to register for The Education Alliance's webinar. (Space is limited!)
Click here to learn more about the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI).
Social and Emotional Learning: Making a Case in an NCLB World
Thursday, February 25, 2010, at 7 p.m. (Eastern)
Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important -- there's no doubt of that. But it takes more than those basic academic skills for students to grow into happy, successful adults. As educators know well, children also need to learn self-esteem, self-discipline, and strong communication skills in order to succeed in school and life. But it's easy for those essential lessons to get lost in the race to raise standardized test scores.
In this session provided by Edutopia, two pioneering educators and a national education leader explain why social and emotional skills deserve time and attention -- SEL has been shown to raise test scores -- and how they provide it effectively in their schools.
Click here to register for the webinar.
This month's Whole Child podcast is one you will not want to miss:
School Climate: Developing the Quality and Character of School Life
Thursday, February 4th: Stream or Download the Podcast Here
Dr. Jonathan Cohen, president of the Center for Social and Emotional Education and cochair of the National School Climate Council, and Marvin Kreps, director of Curriculum and Instruction at Rhinebeck Central (N.Y.) School District, will discuss how school climate standards can help educators and communities improve the quality and character of school life.
Learn more about the podcast here at Whole Child, and stay tuned to their blog to learn more about providing rich, safe and supportive learning environments for your children.