And, even though every – yes every – valid study of driver education has demonstrated that this standard has failed time and time again to reduce “accidents” (we prefer the term, collisions; because it’s never really an accident) they continue to push the same lesson plans – even in a present day drivers education program.

During the mid 90’s the Texas legislature was facing the question of whether or not to allow Texas parent taught drivers education as a substitute or alternative to a public or a commercial Texas driving school; during the time, many public school teachers and driving school owners said that parents were by far the worst choice; they claimed that parents were terrible drivers and would pass on their bad habits to their teens. Despite being pretty insulting, they seem to forget that since drivers education is now in its third generation, who do you think taught those “parents” how to drive? You guessed it, their detractors!

Today, parents are given a choice whether or not to use parent taught drivers education. And from the statistics and data collected so far, it’s clear that the traditional form of Texas driving school is failing miserably in comparison. A 2005 study of the driving records of the graduates of the parent-taught driver education course, Driver Ed in a Box®, shows that while 16 year old drivers in the State of Texas have a collision rate of 11.4%, 16 year old drivers using Driver Ed in a Box® have a collision rate of only 1.4%.

Despite all the data and studies proving it works, you still have to face facts; most parents don’t want to teach their kids how to drive; that’s the reason they send them to school. But here’s another fact for you, most teens are already receiving parent taught drivers ed. Whether they realize it or not, most young ones will already look to you and your driving before they even begin to learn.

But while you might be inadvertently teaching your teen to drive, you might be wonder, “What am I teaching them?” Well the reality is that you’ve been driving for years, and you don’t think about how to drive, you just do it. Most driving is done this way, when something goes wrong, you’re alerted to the situation and pay more attention.

So now that you know you’re already teaching your teen to drive, you need to ask yourself an important question, are you going to be a part of the solution? Or part of the problem? It’s your choice to undertake parent taught drivers education, it’s a sometimes difficult but incredibly rewarding experience.

Here are some tips for finding and choosing the appropriate type of driver safety course that best meets your needs as a driver:

Driver’s Education

Generally offered to beginning drivers, Driver’s Education courses prepares a new driver for their driver’s license. It requires both classroom or online instruction as well as several hours behind the wheel with an instructor in the passenger seat. Topics covered include traffic laws and how to operate a vehicle in a variety of driving conditions.

Defensive Driving

A driving course which provides tips for driving defensively to avoid accidents and dangers of the road. Most insurance companies provide as much as 10% off car insurance premiums for several years after participating in a defensive driving course.

One-on-One Driving Instruction Courses

While you can take “online driving” courses, it’s not the same as being behind the wheel on the road. One-on-one driving instruction is available through driving instruction schools.

Not all drivers safety courses will teach you the same thing and you shouldn’t make your selection based on price alone. If you’re looking for a car insurance discount, contact your car insurance company for qualified programs.

Texas Drivers Education Program

Texas Online Drivers Permit Tests

The first millennium and the few centuries preceding it saw the flourishing of higher education at Nalanda, Takshila, Ujjain, & Vikramshila Universities. Art, Architecture, Painting, Logic, Grammar, Philosophy, Astronomy, Literature, Buddhism, Hinduism, Arthashastra (Economics & Politics), Law, and Medicine were among the subjects taught and each university specialized in a particular field of study. Takshila specialized in the study of medicine, while Ujjain laid emphasis on astronomy. Nalanda, being the biggest centre, handled all branches of knowledge, and housed up to 10,000 students at its peak.

Education under British Rule

British records show that indigenous education was widespread in the 18th century, with a school for every temple, mosque or village in most regions of the country. The subjects taught included Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Theology, Law, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Medical Science and Religion. The schools were attended by students representative of all classes of society.

The current system of education, with its western style and content, was introduced & funded by the British in the 20th century, following recommendations by Macaulay. Traditional structures were not recognized by the British govt and have been on the decline since. Gandhi is said to have described the traditional educational system as a beautiful tree that was destroyed during the British rule.

After Independence

After independence, education became the responsibility of the states. The Central Government’s only obligation was to co-ordinate in technical and higher education and specify standards. This continued till 1976, when the education became a joint responsibility of the state and the Centre.

After 1976

In 1976, education was made a joint responsibility of the states and the Centre, through a consititutional amendment. The center is represented by Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Deparment of Education and together with the states, it is jointly responsible for the formulation of education policy and planning.

NPE 1986 and revised PoA 1992 envisioned that free and compulsory education should be provided for all children up to 14 years of age before the commencement of 21st century. Government of India made a commitment that by 2000, 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be spent on education, out of which half would be spent on the Primary education.

In November 1998, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced setting up of Vidya Vahini Network to link up universities, UGC and CSIR.

Education in India – Recent Developments

The Indian Education System is generally marks-based. However, some experiments have been made to do away with the marks-based system which has lead to cases of depression and suicides among students. In 2005, the Kerala government introduced a grades-based system in the hope that it will help students to move away from the cut-throat competition and rote-learning and will be able to focus on creative aspects and personality development as well.

Development of education in India regards that free and compulsory education should be provided to all children up to fourteen years of age before the commencement of 21st century. Moreover, the 86th Amendment of the Indian constitution makes education a fundamental right for all children aged 6-14 years. Education travelled a long way and thus Indian education system introduced certain advantageous system such as Online education In India. Online education is a system of education training which is delivered primarily via the Internet to students at remote locations. The Online courses may not be delivered in a synchronous manner. Online education enables the students to opt for many online degrees or online courses from various online universities. Thus online education encompasses various degrees and courses. This course has various advantages, as pursuing an online course can be done simultaneously with one`s present occupation. Moreover, an online degree assists in increasing the career prospects

Non-formal education in India has become part of the international discourse on education policy in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Non formal education refers to the learning process throughout life. In addition to that non-formal education is about acknowledging the importance of education, learning and training which takes place outside recognized educational institutions. There are four characteristics associated with non formal education system. This system is a proof for the Development of education in India as this system helps to focus on clearly defined purposes

Indian education has different phases. Students are provided with extensive scope and courses to choose from. One enjoys the opportunity of selecting the required field. The system of Distant Education in India is becoming increasingly popular. The students choosing distance learning process are benefited with the modern pattern followed. The availability of distance learning courses has assured that a person can pursue education from any state or university accordingly. Development of education in India ensures that all Indian citizens will receive education in spite of financial constrains or unavailability of colleges and schools.

University Education

This massive system of higher education in India constitutes of 342 universities (211 State, 18 Central, 95 deemed universities) 13 institutes of national importance, 17,000 colleges and 887 polytechnics. University Grant Commission (UGC), a national body, coordinates and looks after the maintenance of standard of university education in India. The university education in India starts with undergraduate courses. Depending upon the nature of course pursued its duration may vary from three to five and a half years.

Medical Courses

This course at undergraduate level is known as MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery). It is of four and a half year’s duration plus one year of obligatory internship. Various medical colleges conduct entrance examination for admission to this course. An all India level examination is also conducted by CBSE for admission to colleges all over India based over 15% reserved seats. The important medical colleges of India are:

All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi
Air Force Medical College (AFMC), Pune
Christian Medical College (CMC), Ludhiana
Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore
Grants Medical College, Mumbai
Institute of Medical Science (BHU), Varanasi
Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry
Maulan Azad Medical College (MAMC), Delhi
Lady Harding Medical College (LHMC), Delhi (for girls only)
Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Science , Wardha

Engineering Course
The bachelor of Engineering (BE) or bachelor of Technology (B Tech) is a four-year course. It has wide range of options. Some of them are:

Aeronautical and Aerospace engineering
Agriculture engineering
Computer engineering
Electronic and electrical engineering
Industrial engineering
Marine engineering
Mining engineering

The best engineering colleges of India are:

Delhi college of Engineering, Delhi
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Indian Institute of Technology, KANPUR
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Institute of Technology, BHU
NIT Karnataka, Surathkal
National Institute of Technology, Warangal

Management Course
In India education in management is one of the most sort out courses. The institutes, which impart education in management, are known as “Business Schools”. In India management education is given at two levels, undergraduate and post-graduate. Undergraduate degree courses include BBA, BBS, BBM. Postgraduate degree course is known as MBA (Masters of Business Administration). Some of the important Business schools of India are:

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata
Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
Indian Institute of Management, Indore
Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi
Symbiosis, Pune
JBIMS, Mumbai
XLRI, Jamshedpur

The other professional courses offered by Indian universities include, Architecture, Dental, Fashion Designing, Travel and Tourism.

Some important facts about Indian education:

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to the world and ‘charaka’ is known as the father of Ayurveda. He developed this system some 2500 years back.
Takshila was the first university of world established in 700 B.C.
Nalanda University, built in 4 AD, was considered to be the honor of ancient Indian system of education as it was one of the best Universities of its time in the subcontinent.
Indian language Sanskrit is considered to be the mother of many modern languages of world.
Place value system was developed in India in 100 B.C.
India was the country, which invented number system.
Aryabhatta, the Indian scientist, invented digit zero.
Trigonometry, algebra and calculus studies were originated in India.

More Education Articles

Texas Drivers Education Program

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Barbara A. Thompson, M.S.

PhD Student in Educational Leadership

College of Education

Prairie View A&M University

Administrative Assistant

College of Engineering Graduate Affairs and Research

William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.

Professor and Faculty Mentor

PhD Program in Educational Leadership

Prairie View A&M University

Member of the Texas A&M University System

Visiting Lecturer (2005)

Oxford Round Table

University of Oxford, Oxford England

Distinguished Alumnus (2004)

Central Washington University

College of Education and Professional 

ABSTRACT

 Most of the legal disputes arise out of the employment of public school personnel.  Laws that affect the employment relationship, the constitutional concept of due process of law, different employment arrangements available to public schools in Texas, the hiring and firing process, and the legal issues that arise in these contexts are examined.

Introduction

The United States (U.S.) Constitution applies to the public employment relationship (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  This fact distinguishes public employment from private employment.  The due process of the Fourteenth Amendment is not invoked in the private sector and it is not a guarantee against incorrect or poor advisement.  According to the U.S. Constitutional requirement of the due process clause, states must afford certain procedures before depriving individuals of certain interests.   Laws and legal proceedings must be fair.  When a person is treated unfairly by the government, including the courts, he is said to have been deprived of or denied due process.  (The Lectric Law Library’s Lexicon on Due Process, n.d.).  The focus is on deprivation of liberty or property.  Certain procedures are considered due process and certain interests are life, liberty, or property.  The Supreme Court requires individuals to show that the interest in question is either their life, their liberty, or their property.  If the interests are not in either of these categories, life, liberty or property, no matter how important it is, it doesn’t qualify for constitutional protection.  The U.S. Constitution only restricts governmental action.

Rights can be regulated or taken away altogether if due process of law is provided (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  The due process clause serves to the use of fair procedures, more accurate results that would prevent the wrongful deprivation of interests.  Due process provides individuals the opportunity to be heard from their point of view.  This allows the individual to feel that the government has treated them fairly.  The due process clause is essentially a guarantee of basic fairness by giving proper notice, providing an opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time in a meaningful way or a decision supported by substantial evidence.  The more important the individual right in question is, the more process that must be afforded (Exploring Constitutional Conflicts, 2009).

The Purpose of the Article

The purpose of this article is to focus on the constitutional concept of due process of law, different employment arrangements available to public schools in Texas, the hiring and firing process and the legal issues that arise in these areas.

The Constitutional Concept of Due Process

            In any personnel decision, the question is whether the employee was deprived of any property or liberty with the constitutional guarantee of due process of law.  The 1972 U.S. Supreme Court case of Board of Regents v. Roth, ruled that teachers are protected under the 14th amendment property right of continued employment if the state law gives them a legitimate claim of entitlement to it (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  Before any process is due, there must be state action and a significant, more sudden and dramatic deprivation of life, liberty or property.  For example,

            The federal court is not the appropriate forum in which to review the multitude of

personnel decisions that are made daily by public agencies.  We must accept the harsh fact that numerous individual mistakes are inevitable in the day to day administration of our affairs.  The United States Constitution cannot feasibly be construed to require federal judicial review for every such error.  In the absence of any claim that the public employer was motivated by a desire to curtail or to penalize the exercise of an employee’s constitutionally protected rights we presume that official action was regular and, if erroneous, can best be corrected in other ways.  The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is not a guarantee against incorrect or ill-advised personnel decisions.  (Russell v. El Paso I.S.D., 1976, p. 565.)

When the government deprives an individual of life, liberty or property, the due process clause is invoked.  A property right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment may not be taken away without providing a person with due process (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  Governmental action is restricted by the U.S. Constitution.  In the private section, the due process clause is not invoked.  Due process is not an absolute.  It varies according to the deprivation of property.

            When a person accepts a position with a school district on an at-will basis, he or she has no property right in the job (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  There is an at-will employee contract that incorporates an at-will relationship.  If the at-will employee points to the employee’s policies and procedures manual as reasons not to be fired, no process is due.  The at-will employee has a contact where the at-will relationship is stated and each party is free to end the employment relationship without notice, hearing or good cause (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  There is no property right in the job, therefore no process is due.  If the employee’s contract is not renewed and the contract has run its full course, there is no process due.  If the contract is not renewed and there is another year on the contract, then due process is invoked.  The employee who has a contract is entitled to due process.  

Due process for a terminated employee includes giving timely notice of why the termination is occurring, a fair hearing so that the employee can defend himself, names and the nature of the testimony of witnesses against the employee must be available, and sufficient evidence to establish a good cause for dismissal must be presented (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  The employee can be on the job for thirty years or the employee can be a one year probationary teacher.  If the contract was terminated before the stated expiration date, the property right of the individual is in question and due process is invoked.  Texas employees are allowed an independent hearing.  Any decision to terminate a contract comes back to the school Board before it is final.  The employee must produce clear evidence if they charge the Board with partiality.

            The liberty right of the individual addressed in the Fourteenth Amendment suggests that the parent has a right to select a non-public school, the right to privacy and the right to a good reputation.  In the 1972 Supreme Court case Wisconsin v. Constantineau (p.437), the employee stated the government put his name, honor and reputation at state, therefore a notice and an opportunity to be heard was essential.  Stigmatizing statements create a right to a name clearing hearing only if they arise in conjunction with termination or non-renewal of employment as in the Siegert v. Gilley, 1991 court case.  If the employee publicized the defamatory remarks, due process is not invoked.  There is no right to a name clearing hearing.  In Burris v. Willis I.S.D., 1983, a teacher claimed that when a board official read a letter about him at an open board meeting and in so doing, it violated his constitutional rights by depriving him of a liberty right to a good reputation.  The teacher’s claim was rejected because the file was kept confidential. 

Employment Arrangements, Contracts and Legal Recourse

            There are six types of employees within the public school (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  They are at-will employees, non-chapter 21 contract employees, probationary contract employees, term contract employees, continuing contract employees and third-party independent contract employees.  Legal issues arise within each area when the relationship is ended. 

At Will Contracts

The at-will employee has a contact where the at-will relationship is stated and each party is free to end the employment relationship without notice, hearing or good cause.  This employee can be terminated for good reasons, bad reasons, or ‘no reason at all’.  ‘No reason at all’ refers to a reason based on a bad reason that violates state or federal law.  If the decision is a wrongful discharge and the employer violated state or federal law, the employee can sue (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  The at-will relationship is the norm in the private sector.  For example, an employee in at at-will relationship in the private sector can be described as an employee working for 30 years and quit his or her job tomorrow.  Also, an employee can go into work the next day and be fired (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).   The terminated at-will employee can file suit alleging his discharge was due to retaliation for his exercise of his constitutional rights when he or she blew the whistle on wrongdoing.  The terminated employee can also file discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, national origin, or disability if it can be proven.

Chapter 21 and Non Chapter 21 Contracts

Teachers certified under chapter 21 of the Education code must have a contract.  Chapter 21 employees include the classroom teacher, librarian, nurse or counselor, which means a probationary, term or continuing contract.  Section 21:201 describes a teacher under term contract law as a supervisor, classroom teacher, counselor or other full-time professional who must be certified under Subchapter B or a nurse.  Non-chapter 21 employees do not need a contract and do not require certification.  They are not subject to an independent hearing system or statutory non-renewal process.  Positions such as business manager, director of transportation, director of construction and facilities or director of maintenance do not require certification.   If there is a written employment contract, and the employee alleges the district violated the contract and meant him monetary harm, the employee can appeal to the commissioner pursuant to TEC § 7.107.

Probationary Contracts

            Probationary contracts are for those teachers who have never taught before or who have not been employed for two consecutive years subsequent to August 28, 1967. (TEC § 21.102.  The probationary period can be as long as 3 years except for experienced educators with previous employment in public school for 5 of the 8 preceding years.  The probationary teacher will serve under a 3 consecutive one-year probationary contracts.  Probationary periods can be for a semester when the school year falls in the middle of the year.  A probationary teacher can resign without penalty up to forty-five days before the first day of instruction.  If school starts in mid-August, the teacher must resign before July 1 or suffer sanctions imposed by the State Board of Educator Certification.  A probationary contract can be non-renewed by the board even if the superintendent recommended that it be renewed (Berry v. Kemp I.S.D.).

Term Contracts

            After the probationary period, the teacher must receive either a continuing or a term contract (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  The length of the contract and the process for renewal, nonrenewal, or termination determines which contract to offer.   A classroom teacher, superintendent, principal, supervisor, counselor or other full-time professional employee who holds a certification or a nurse may be offered a term contract.  A term contract has a beginning date and an end date and is any probationary Chapter 21 contract for a fixed term that can be as long as 5 school years.  As the end date approaches, some action must be taken.  The resignation date for a term employee is 45 days prior to the first day of instruction which is the same for probationary employees (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  A term teacher contract can be renewed by the school, non-renewed or terminated.  Termination refers to the action of the district to end the contract prior to its normal expiration date.  The teacher is deprived of property interest and good cause, thus due process is required. 

A non-renewal of contract refers to the school district letting the contract expire.  The employee is permitted to fulfill the terms of the contract and no new contract is offered.  If there is a multi-year contract, the district extends the contract each year or if the contract is not extended in the 2nd year, it is still valid for that year.  The contract is non-renewed.  A term contract teacher is entitled to a hearing prior to nonrenewal.  Once the teacher receives notice, a hearing can be scheduled within 15 days with the board or an independent hearing system that is closed to the public, unless the teacher requests an open hearing.  A term contract teacher can be suspended, but not beyond the school year, without pay for good cause as determined by the school board.  The teacher is entitled to request an independent hearing or the district can suspend the teacher with pay and non-renew the contract at the end of its term.  The district must give notice of a proposed non-renewal to the teacher 45 calendar days before the last day of instruction.  If the 45 days are not adhered to, the contract is automatically renewed.  Complaints of procedural irregularities in the appraisal process cannot be resurrected at the contract non-renewal process (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).

When the superintendent contract is up for non-renewal, reasonable notice of the reason for the proposed non-renewal must be given before the 30th day of the last day of the contract term.   In contrast, the teacher term contract does not require reasonable notice of the reason for the proposed non-renewal.

Continuing Contracts

            A continuing contract is issued to a classroom teacher, superintendent, principal, supervisor, counselor or other full-time professional employee who was eligible for a continuing contract.  The contract rolls over form one year to the next year without the necessity of board action.  Non-renewal does not apply to continuing contracts.  A former administrator, who moves into a teaching position and teaches children, can be issued a continuing contract.  There is no specific length of time for continuing contract.  The contract remains in effect until the teacher resigns, retires, is terminated, or is returned to probationary status.   The continuing contract teacher can be terminated according to the independent hearing system, at any time for good cause (failure to meet the standards of conduct for the profession as generally recognized and applied in similarly situated school districts in the state) as determined by the board of trustees (TEC §21.156).   Instead of discharge, a school can suspend a continuing teacher contract with notice, entitlement to an independent hearing, and without pay for a period of time not to exceed the current school year.  The continuing teacher contract can return to a probationary status, provided the teacher consents to the move (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).

Third-Party Independent Contracts

            Full vested educators in the Texas Teacher Retirement system (TRS) could retire, begin drawing benefits, and them go to work at a salary equivalent to or better than what they had been making.  School Boards could begin hiring teachers and not be burdened with having to treat them as employees.   The teachers would keep their benefits under TRS (Att’y Gen. Op. GA-0018, 2003).  If a school principal was dissatisfied with a teacher, he would call and ask for a different teacher.  The school district did not employ the teacher and there was no contract and no legal requirements to end the relationship.

The Hiring and Firing Process

            In 1992, the legislature created State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), a 14 member board, as the key entity to oversee and regulate all aspects of the certification, continuing education, and standards of conduct of public school educators.   SBEC has power to adopt rules for out of state educators, certification, requirements for renewal of certificates, and disciplinary procedures for suspension and revoking a certificate as well as approval and continuing accountability of such programs (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).  The board must annually review the accreditation status of each educator preparation program.  An advisory committee has to be appointed by SBEC for each class of educator certificates.  These rules must be submitted and reviewed by the State Board of Education and can be rejected by SBOE by a 2/3 vote.  A public school district can hire certified and licensed employees.  Certified employees are teachers, teacher interns, teacher trainees, librarians, educational aids, administrators, and counselors.  Licensed employees are audiologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physicians, nurses, school psychologists, associate school psychologists, social workers, and speech pathologists (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005).

            Texas public school districts are governed by the same laws that prohibit discrimination laws based on race, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual harassment, and disabilities.  Nondiscrimination laws apply to all employees regardless of the contract and have implications for the hiring process.  Those involved in the hiring process need specific training (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2005). 

            School districts are not required to advertise or post vacancies in their school.  Advertising is a choice the school makes so that they can defend themselves against discrimination.  The school board adopts policies regarding the employment and duties of personnel.  The superintendent has sole authority to make recommendations to the board regarding the selection of all personnel and must be in the loop in hiring people.  The principal does not hire staff, but must approve each teacher, reassignment, or staff appointment to the principal’s campus except for necessary teacher transfers due to enrollment shifts (11.202; Att’y Gen. Op. DM-27, 1991).  In this regard, the superintendent has final placement authority for a teacher.   SBEC must obtain criminal history on all certified educators.  Background checks are not required by each school district except on contracted bus drivers of transportation services.  If the bus driver has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, the bus drive may drive the bus only with the school’s permission.  If an applicant lies on an application about the felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, the applicant must be terminated (TEC 22.085).  “Moral turpitude is a legal concept in the United States that refers to “conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty or good morals” (Moral turpitude, 2009).  If an applicant has a clean record when hired, and is convicted of an offense while working for the district, a report must be made within seven calendar days by the superintendent or chief executive (19 TAC 249.14)

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, school districts employ many people and must comply with many federal and state mandates.  The relationship between employees in the public schools is determined by constitutional restrictions and statutory provisions in the Education Code and other legislation.  Regardless of the type of contract used by a school district, contract with teachers must be in writing.  Verbal commitments from school administrators may not be legally binding.  Terms of the contract must be approved by the school board.  According to Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis (2008), the knowledge of the basics of the law should move from the central office to each campus.   The director of personnel for the district should be an expert and have full of the United States constitutional requirements of due process applied to the public employment relationship of school personnel in Texas.

References

Att’y Gen Op DM-27, 1991

Berry v Kemp I.S.D., Dkt. No. 103-R10-600 Comm’r Educ. 2001):  158-159

Burris v Willis I.S.D., 713 F.2d 1087 (5th Cir. 1983):  131, 236

Linder, D. (2009).  Exploring constitutional conflicts.  Retrieved November 1, 2009 from

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/home.html

19 TAC 249.14

Russell v El Pas I.S.D., 539 F.2d 563 (5th Cir. 1976):  128

Siegert v Gilley, 500 U.S. 226 (1991):  131

TEC 21:201

TEC 7.107

TEC 21.102

TEC 11.202

TEC 22.085

The Letric Law (2009).  Moral turpitude.  Retrieved November 18, 2009 from

http://www.lectlaw.com/def/d080.htm

Walsh, J, Kemerer, F., & Maniotis, L. (2008).  The educator’s guide to Texas school law. 

6th ed.  University of Texas Press:  Austin, Texas.

Wisconsin v Constantineau, 400 U.S. 433 (1971):  130, 327

Parents with Teens Learning How to Drive a Car “More Teens Die in Car Crashes Than From Anything Else…Including Drugs, Violence & Illness – Combined! 99% of Those Crashes Are Completely Avoidable! Driver error is a factor in almost all crashes. Teen drivers are the most at risk because they have the least experience in driving a car. Most Driver’s Ed courses provide only 8 hours (or less) of actual driving practice and that’s not nearly enough for a teen to learn how to drive a car safely! Driver’s Ed (or a good professional driving course) is the best start you can give your teen when they learn to drive. But experts agree teens need at least 100 hours of actual driving practice to build their safe driving skills and learn the more advanced ones of driving a car safely. To help your teen develop good habits and safe driving skills, your role as a parent is to schedule structured practice lessons. Sitting in the passenger seat isn’t enough. Each session needs to be planned so the location is safe and appropriate for the specific skills and maneuvers your teen will practice. You need to coach your teen through each session of driving a car. The Teens Learn to Drive (TL2D) Program has been developed to provide you an easy step-by-step guide as you take on the role of driving coach and mentor. Research done by the CDC and others prove that parents are the key to buiding their teen’s safe driving habits. The TL2D program includes a workbook with 300 letter-sized pages. The …
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The hard part for a parent is recognizing that you’ve done your job and you must trust that you did it well. That means trusting your children.

According to well-known family therapist Daniel Gottlieb, best known for his award-winning radio talk show Voices in the Family on WHYY, and his most recent book, Learning from the Heart, the most important thing parents can do is have faith in their children. “Have faith in your children’s resilience, their capacity to heal, their creativity to solve problems, their intellect, kindness and their ability to grow into the adult they were meant to be,” he explains.

How do you that? Dr. Gottlieb says that to have faith means to take less action. “I think most harm done to our children is due to parental anxiety,” he insists. “For example, we hear phrases like ‘stranger danger.’ What’s the message there? I’m worried about you, my child, and you have to worry about the world. The fact of the matter is there are no more kidnappings and child abductions than there were in 1960 and 95% of them are done by family members. That’s what I mean by parental anxiety. By and large, our kids are fine, yet parents feel stress about everything their children do, and they pass that stress down to the kids.”

Parenting isn’t easy and many of us wish we could just live our kids’ lives for them in order to keep them safe. With our experiences, we know what’s best. Yet, we must give them our faith and trust to do the right thing. Of course they will make mistakes along the way – that’s how we all learn. We make a mistake, figure out where things went wrong, and are able to do better the next time. Give your children the opportunities to make a few mistakes along the way, and remember that you taught them well. They are likely to follow the example you set.

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As a favor to me, a guy by the name of Eric Marcy, who is a friend of mine in Chicago, mentors some of the younger sales representatives at my firm. The other day, we read a blog from a sales consulting company discussing how anybody can learn sales. I don’t blame this company, well, then again I do. On the first hand, they are trying to make money, on second hand, they are misleading the organizations whom they are consulting for. Quickly, we agreed; sales is not for everybody. You can’t force sales. You can’t teach sales. Yes, you can teach somebody to ask questions to uncover needs, though aside from being in the boardroom with them, what are you supposed to do? These firms are about 25 years late to the dance as sales is taught when you are younger.

Not only is it the way someone is raised and the values they are brought up with, being effective at business development has to do with education as well. Let’s begin with the upbringing aspect. Children mimic their parent’s behavior. Therefore, if their parents show them that being rude is acceptable, than they will grow up, mostly as there are exceptions, thinking this is the correct way to handle things and treat people. Also, I’ll never forget and am quite grateful that one day, while driving in the car with my mother and my best friend from grade school, my mother reprimanded me for using the word “good” as an adverb. My household was not in the least bit strict, however speaking like an educated, sophisticated person was a hard rule.

Additionally, children are taught at an early age the two most important words that a sales representative has in their inventory, “thank you.” People who are taught to appreciate the actions of others are miles ahead of the game. Those who are not, yes, can skate their way through sales for a bit. However, once a client puts a ,000,000 into their product, the purchasing company is in for quite a good ride as to getting that person to do any sort of account management. I try to teach this to my vendors and the only way I know how is to be upfront with them about my expectations and the subsequent ramifications if they are not meant.

Now, there are many consulting firms who have statistics about the rise in sales after they go help a company. I have two theories as to why this is. The first is that these employees are not top sales representatives or they are made aware as to how much the company just spent on these lessons and begin to move their you know what. Also, when you go in and train a Fortune 500 company, there are too many variables to truly tell who made a difference. I’m not saying that sales consulting does nothing, but it is the personality of the person which counts and a person’s personality is mostly shaped by his or her family. Don’t mistake that I am saying that the salesman with the most “best friends” wins. It is the salesman who understands that his or her clients are paying a lot of money for the service which their company provides and they should be treated with respect and appreciation.

Therefore, all the sales people who are reading this and my presumption is that if you’ve made it the whole way through, you have some agreements with me, should thank their parents and their friends for making them the sales professional which they are today.

Written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips, a hit for Elvis Presley, here is the Chet Atkins version of “Mystery Train” taught by fingerstyle legend Pat Kirtley. This is the first of three parts. From the 2 DVD set “Pickin’ Like Chet.” More info at guitarvideos.com

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In pursurance to the nnouncement of 100 days agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon’ble Human Recourses  development Minister ,New Policy on Distance LearningIn Higher Education Sector was drafted

BACKGROUND

In  terms  of  Entry  66  of  List  1  of  the  Seventh  Schedule  to  the  Constitution  of  India,Parliament  is  competent  to  make  laws for  the  coordination and  determination  of  standards  ininstitutions  for  higher  education  for  research,  and  scientific  and  technical  institutions.Parliament has enacted laws  for  discharging this responsibility  through  : the University GrantsCommission  (UGC)  for  general  Higher Education, the  All  India Council  for  Technical  Education(AICTE)  for  Technical  Education  ; and  other  Statutory  bodies  for  other  disciplines.   As regards higher  education,  through  the  distance  mode,  Indira  Gandhi  National  Open  University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was  enacted with the following two prime objectives, among others:

(a)to  provide  opportunities  for  higher  education  to  a  large  segment  of  population,especially  disadvantaged  groups  living  in  remote  and  rural  areas,  adults,  housewivesand working people; and

(b)to  encourage  Open  University  and  Distance  Education  Systems  in  the  educational

pattern of the country  and  to  coordinate and determine the standards in  such systems.

2.  The  history  of  distance  learning  or  education  through  distance  mode  in  India,  goes

way back when the universities  started offering  education through distance  mode  in the name

of  Correspondence  Courses  through  their  Directorate/School  of  Correspondence  Education.

In  those  days,  the  courses  in  humanities  and/or  in  commerce  were  offered  through

correspondence  and  taken  by  those,  who,   owing  to  various  reasons,  including  limited number  of  seats  in  regular  courses,  employability,  problems  of  access  to  the  institutions  of

higher  learning  etc.,  could  not  get  themselves  enrolled  in  the  conventional   `face-to-face’

mode `in-class’ programmes.

3.  In  the  recent  past,  the  demand  for  higher  education  has  increased  enormously

throughout  the  country  because  of  awareness  about  the  significance  of  higher  education,

whereas the system  of higher education  could not accommodate this ever  increasing demand.

4.  Under  the  circumstances,  a  number  of  institutions  including  deemed  universities,

private  universities,  public  (Government)  universities  and  even  other  institutions,  which  are

not  empowered  to  award  degrees,  have  started  cashing  on  the  situation  by  offering  distance

education  programmes  in  a  large  number  of  disciplines,  ranging  from  humanities  to

engineering  and  management  etc.,  and  at  different  levels  (certificate  to  under-graduate  and

post-graduate degrees).  There  is always a danger that some of  these  institutions  may  become

`degree  mills’  offering  sub- standard/poor  quality  education,  consequently  eroding  the

credibility  of  degrees  and  other  qualifications  awarded through  the  distance  mode.  This  calls

for  a  far  higher  degree  of  coordination  among  the  concerned  statutory  authorities,  primarily,

UGC,  AICTE and IGNOU and its authority – the   Distance Education Council (DEC).

5.  Government  of  India  had  clarified  its  position  in  respect  of  recognition  of  degrees,

earned  through  the  distance  mode,  for employment  under  it  vide  Gazette  Notification No.  44

dated 1.3.1995.

6.         Despite  the  risks  referred  to in  para  4  above,  the  significance  of  distance  education  in

providing  quality  education and  training  cannot  be  ignored.  Distance  Mode  of  education  has

an important role for :

(i)providing  opportunity  of  learning  to  those,  who  do  not  have  direct  access  to

face to face  teaching, working persons, house-wives  etc.

(ii)providing  opportunity  to  working  professionals  to  update  their  knowledge,

enabling them  to switchover to  new  disciplines and professions and   enhancing

their qualifications for career advancement.

(iii)exploiting the potential of  Information and Communication  Technology (ICT) in

the teaching and learning process; and

(iv)achieving the target of 15%  of  GER  by the   end of 11th  Plan and  20% by the end

of 12th five year Plan.

7.  In  order  to  discharge  the  Constitutional  responsibility  of  determination  and

maintenance  of  the  standards  in  Higher  Education,  by  ensuring  coordination  among  various

statutory  regulatory  authorities  as  also  to  ensure  the  promotion  of  open  and  distance

education  system  in  the  country  to  meet  the  aspirations  of  all  cross-sections  of  people  for

higher education,  the  following policy in  respect  of distance learning is laid  down:-

(a)  In  order  to  ensure  proper  coordination in  regulation  of  standards  of  higher education

in different disciplines through various  modes  [i.e. face  to face and  distance] as  also to  ensure

credibility  of  degrees/diploma  and  certificates  awarded  by  Indian  Universities  and  other

Education  Institutes,  an  apex  body,  namely,  National  Commission  for  Higher  Education  and

Research  shall  be  established  in  line  with  the  recommendations  of  Prof.  Yash  Pal

Committee/National  Knowledge  Commission.  A  Standing  Committee  on  Open  and  Distance

Education  of  the said Commission,  shall undertake the  job of coordination, determination  and

maintenance of  standards  of education through the distance mode.   Pending establishment of

this  body:

(i)  Only  those programmes,  which  do  not  involve  extensive  practical  course  work,

shall  be permissible  through the distance mode.

(ii) Universities  /  institutions  shall  frame  ordinances  /  regulations  /  rules,  as  the

case  may  be,   spelling  out  the  outline  of  the  programmes  to  be  offered

through  the  distance  mode  indicating  the  number  of  required  credits,  list  of

courses  with  assigned  credits,  reading  references  in  addition  to  self  learning

material,   hours  of  study,  contact  classes  at  study  centres,  assignments,

examination  and  evaluation process, grading etc.

(iii) DEC  of  IGNOU shall  only  assess  the  competence  of  university/institute  in

respect  of  conducting  distance  education  programmes by  a  team  of  experts,

whose report shall be placed before the Council of DEC for consideration.

(iv) The  approval  shall  be  given  only  after  consideration  by  Council  of  DEC  and not

by  Chairperson,  DEC.  For  the  purpose,  minimum  number  of  mandatory

meetings of  DEC may be prescribed.

(v) AICTE  would  be  directed  under  section  20  (1)  of  AICTE  Act  1987  to  ensure

accreditation  of  the  programmes  in  Computer  Sciences,  Information

Technology  and  Management  purposed   to  be  offered  by  an

institute/university  through  the  distance  mode,  by  National  Board  of

Accreditation (NBA).

(vi) UGC  and  AICTE would  be  directed  under  section 20  (1)  of  their  respective Acts

to  frame  detailed  regulations  prescribing  standards  for  various

programmes/courses,  offered  through  the  distance mode under  their  mandate,

(vii) No  university/institute,  except  the  universities  established  by  or  under  an  Act

of  Parliament/State  Legislature  before  1985,  shall  offer  any  programme

through  the  distance  mode,  henceforth,  without  approval  from  DEC  and

accreditation  by  NBA.  However,  the  universities/institutions  already  offering

programmes  in  Humanities,  Commerce/Business/Social  Sciences/Computer

Sciences  and  Information  Technology  and  Management,  may  be  allowed  to

continue,  subject  to  the  condition  to  obtain  fresh  approval  from  DEC  and

accreditation  from  NBA  within  one  year,  failing  which  they  shall  have  to

discontinue  the  programme  and  the  entire  onus  with  respect  to  the  academic

career and  financial  losses of the  students  enrolled  with them, shall  be  on  such

institutions/universities.

(viii) In  light  of  observation  of  Apex  Court,  ex-post-facto  approval  granted  by  any

authority  for  distance  education  shall  not  be  honoured  and  granted

henceforth.  However,  the  universities  established  by  or  under  an  Act  of

education  programmes  in  the  streams  of  Humanities/Commerce/Social

Sciences before the year 1991 shall be excluded from this policy.

(ix) The  students  who  have  been  awarded  degrees  through  distance  mode  by  the

universities  without  taking  prior  approval  of  DEC  and  other  statutory  bodies,

shall  be  given  one  chance,  provided  they  fulfil  the  requirement  of  minimum

standards  as  prescribed  by  the  UGC,  AICTE  or  any  other  relevant  Statutory

Authority  through  Regulation,  to  appear  in  examinations  in  such  papers  as

decided  by  the  university  designated  to  conduct  the  examination.  If  these

students  qualify  in  this  examination,  the  university  concerned  shall  issue  a

certificate.  The  degree  along  with  the  said  qualifying  certificate  may  be

recognised  for  the  purpose  of  employment/promotion  under  Central Government.

(x) A  clarification  shall  be  issued  with  reference  to  Gazette  Notification  No.  44

dated  1.3.1995  that  it  shall  not  be  applicable  on  to  the  degrees/diplomas

awarded  by  the  universities  established  by  or  under  an  Act  of  Parliament  or

State  Legislature  before  1985,  in  the  streams  of  Humanities/Commerce  and

Social Sciences.

(xi) The  policy  initiatives  spelt  out  in  succeeding  paragraphs  shall  be  equally

applicable  to  institutions  offering  distance  education/intending  to  offer

distance education.

(b)  All  universities  and  institutions  offering  programmes  through  the  distance mode shall

need  to have prior recognition/approval  for  offering such  programmes  and accreditation from

designated  competent  authority, mandatorily  in  respect  of  the  programmes  offered  by  them.

The  violators  of  this  shall  be  liable  for  appropriate  penalty  as  prescribed  by  law.  The

universities/institutions  offering  education  through  distance  mode  and  found  involved  in

cheating  of  students/people  by  giving  wrong/false  information  or  wilfully  suppressing  the

information shall also be dealt  with strictly  under the penal provisions  of  law.

(c)  The  universities  /  institutes  shall  have  their  own  study  centres  for  face  to  face

counselling  and  removal  of  difficulties  as  also  to  seek  other  academic  and  administrative

assistance.  Franchising  of  distance education  by  any  university,  institutions  whether  public  or

private shall not  be  allowed.

(d )  The  universities /institutions shall  only  offer  such programmes  through  distance  mode

which  are  on  offer  on  their  campuses  through  conventional  mode.   In  case  of  open

universities,  they  shall  necessarily  have  the  required  departments  and  faculties  prior  to

offering relevant  programmes through distance mode.

(e)  It  would  be mandatory for  all universities and  education  institutions offering  distance

education  to  use  Information  and  Communication  Technology  (ICT)  in  delivery  of  their

programmes,  management  of  the  student  and  university  affairs  through  a  web  portal  or  any

other  such  platform.  The  said  platform  shall  invariably,  display  in  public  domain,  the

information  about  the  statutory  and  other  approvals  along  with  other  necessary  information

about  the  programmes  on  offer  through  distance  mode,  their  accreditation  and  students

enrolled,  year- wise,  etc.  This  may  be  linked  to  a  national  database,  as  and  when  created,  to

facilitate  the stakeholders  to take a view  on  the recognition  of  the degrees for the  purpose  of

academic pursuit or  employment  with/under  them.

(f)    All  universities/education institutions shall  make  optimal use of e-learning  contents  for

delivery/offering  their  programmes  through  distance  mode.  They  shall  also  be

encouraged/required  to  adopt  e-surveillance  technology  for  conduct  of  clean,  fair  and

transparent examinations.

(g)  The focus of distance education  shall  be  to provide opportunity  of education to people

at  educationally  disadvantaged  situations  such as  living  in  remote  and  rural  areas, adults with

no or  limited  access  to  education of their choice etc.

(h)  In  order  to  promote  flexible and need based learning,  choice-based credit system  shall

be  promoted  and  all  ODE  institutions  shall  be  encouraged  to  adopt  this  system  and  evolve  a mechanism  for  acceptance  and  transfer  of  credits  of  the  courses  successfully  completed  by

students  in  face-to-face  or  distance  mode.  For  the  purpose,  establishment  of  a  credit  bank

may  be  considered.  Similarly,  conventional  universities,  offering  face  to  face  mode

programmes  shall  be  encouraged  to  accept  the  credits  earned  by  the  students  through

distance mode.  A switch over from annual to semester system shall be essential.

(i)  Convergence  of  the  face-to-face  mode  teaching  departments  of  conventional

universities  with  their  distance  education directorates/correspondence  course wings  as  also

with  open  universities/institutions  offering  distance  education,  shall  be  impressed  upon  to

bridge the gap  in distance and conventional face-to-face mode of education.

(j)  Reputed  Foreign  education  providers  well  established,  recognized  and  accredited  by

competent  authority in their  country and  willing  to  offer  their education programmes  in  India

shall be allowed, subject to the fulfilment of the legal requirement of the country.

(k)  A  National  Information  and  Communication  Technology  infrastructure  for  networking

of ODE institutions shall  be  created under National  Mission on Education  through  Information

and Communication Technology.

(l)  Efforts  would  be  made  to  create  favourable  environment  for  research  in  Open  and Distance Education (ODE) system by setting up  infrastructure like e- libraries, digital  data-base,

online journals, holding regular workshops, seminars etc.

(m)  Training  and  orientation  programmes  for  educators  and  administrators  in  ODE  system

with  focus on  use of ICT and self-learning practice, shall be encouraged.

(n)  ODE  institutions  shall  be  encouraged  to  take  care  the  educational  needs  of  learners

with  disabilities and senior citizens.

(o)  An  official  notification  clarifying  the  issue  of  recognition  of  academic  qualification,

earned through distance mode,  for  the  purpose of employment, shall be issued.

(p)   A  mechanism  shall be  set  up  for  evaluation  of  degrees  of  foreign  universities  for  the

purpose  of  academic  pursuit  as  well  as  for  employment  under  the  Central  Government.  This

may include  the  assessment  of  the  credentials  of  the  university  concerned  as  also  to  test  the

competence of the degree holder,  if  needed.

Videoclip: Eric Prydz vs. Floyd – Proper Education Label: www.ministryofsound.de

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The main advantage of online driver education is it’s convenience. Especially if we are talking about teenagers. Anyone understands that the last thing a teenager wants is to spend more time in a classroom. All of driver’s ed online are committed to providing top-quality driver education to California teens.

Taking education online your children will never have to spend the weekends sitting in a classroom for California Driver Education. They can complete their course from any location with internet access. Not only that, they will be able to do so at their pace! Thanks to automated system one can start right where he left off each time one logins to the course.

To choose an appropriate resource for yourself rather for your child you should concentrate your attention on some basic features, a good program must have. First of all the course must be fully reviewed and accepted by the California DMV. The good education program should be 100% online from registration to certification. The site should provide students with practice tests. Usually you may take the tests as many times as you need to for no additional charge. If the program asks additional paying for every other test – stop and think if you’ve chosen a good program.

Choose the best teen driving course for your children straight from your PC!

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Collaborative Consensus Proposal

April 21, 2010

Groundwork Committees

General Education: Peggy Anderson, Matt Azano, Adam Mulcahy, Elizabeth Mulcahy, Beth White

Special Education: Suzanne Fladd, Rick Roderick, John Ratcliffe, Cindy Frazer, Robyn Crusselle, Jason Collier, Pete Keyser, Sandy Keyser, Phil Gahring, Brian Wilson, Kip Chatterson, Sarah McGuire, Ed Pierce

Building Administration: Dave Francis, Greg Domecq, Bobbi Hughes, Tim Driver

Central Office: Kevin Kirst, Jamie Endahl

Guidance: Amy Wright, Heather Lindsay, Shelby Poole, Bob Jahrsdoerfer, Frank McCurdy, Erin Rittenhouse

Steering Committee

General Education:  Beth White

Special Education:     Rick Roderick, Suzanne Fladd

Building Admin:         Greg Domecq

Central Office:           Kevin Kirst

Guidance:                   Amy Wright

1)      What should the goal of collaboration in our school be?

a)      The goal of collaboration should be to afford all students the opportunity to understand the curriculum pursuant to their needs.  Instruction should account for the reading levels of the students with the purpose of improving the literacy for all students in all subject areas. 

2)      What should our model look like?

a)      Overall

i)        To help improve literacy, class sizes need to be small, and at least one of the collaborating teachers must be looking through the literacy lens while lesson planning and teaching. General Education and Special Education teachers should seek professional training in developing literacy-rich lessons, and classes should reflect this training. To maintain literacy skills all year, reading and writing should be an integral part of every class.

ii)       Common planning is a priority in order to develop literacy-rich exercises.

iii)     Recognition that Special Education teachers often build trusting relationships with students outside of class, enhancing the classroom climate.

iv)     To maintain year-long support for students who are eligible for Resource and Core Plus, we suggest that these two periods be held on an alternating (A/B) schedule for the entire year. Core Plus may also be offered as a semester course as determined by student schedule needs.

b)      Professionals in the Room

i)        Two professional teachers with experience in both content and teaching strategies should be partnered together for multiple classes and multiple years whenever possible.

ii)       The addition of teaching associates should be a collaborative discussion/decision, whenever possible.

c)      Process

i)        Preparation Prior to the school year

(1)   General Education and Special Education teachers should be matched by the administration and department chairs according to the strengths of each in both areas: content and working with students. Administration should attempt, as much as possible, to pair teachers who share a philosophical approach to teaching.

(2)   Whenever possible, Special Education teachers should be assigned to only one subject area with no more than two different subject areas and two different teachers.

(3)   Future Special Education teachers should have a firm background in their assigned content area. An endorsement in the subject area is desirable.

(4)   Classroom teachers should plan the curriculum and pace, and they should seek common ground regarding classroom procedures and management expectations.

(5)   Classroom teachers should learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses with respect to curriculum, teaching strategies, and experiences in collaboration.

(6)   Teachers new to collaboration, or those wishing to improve, should be encouraged to attend training in collaboration or work closely with collaboration

     mentors.

ii)      During the School Year

(1)   Classroom Teacher Relationship

(a)    Classroom teachers should be in constant conversation about the students’ understanding of the material, teaching strategies, and assessments, with a focus on literacy and numeracy.

(b)   Classroom teachers should have common planning in order to best prepare individual lessons, adjust the pace, discuss student needs, and prepare formative and summative assessments including modifications for students.

(c)    Classroom teachers should initially evaluate assessments together with the goal of appropriately sharing the “grading” and to ensure that they are communicating the same message to the students.

(d)   Classroom teachers should share the role of intervention during CARE and other times.

(e)    Any disagreements or other problems between the professionals in the room should be handled privately and immediately in a non-confrontational and respectful manner.  Collaborative professionalism should involve being up front and honest in addressing concerns directly with each other. Other resources for resolving conflict could be the collaboration mentors, department chairs, or administration.

(f)     Teachers should work together to balance the responsibilities of the collaborative classroom, recognizing that demands from other professional responsibilities will at times require more attention.  The collaborative classroom should not suffer at these times; rather, teachers should plan thoroughly so that neither teacher feels overburdened, and so that the work is shared fairly over the course of the year.

(2)   What should the instruction look like?

(a)    Instruction should include a variety of classroom activities that keep students thinking and engaged.

(b)   Our goal should be that reading at the student’s independent level and writing become a part of the curriculum in every discipline.  

(c)    Classroom teachers should continue to discuss how to share teaching and grading responsibilities.

(d)   Collecting materials at the various reading levels should be a shared responsibility; this should also be part of PLC activities.

(e)    Classroom instruction based upon experience and class should reflect the Marilyn Friend strategies:

(i)      Whole class instruction

(ii)    Station teaching

(iii)   Parallel teaching

(iv)  Alternative teaching

(v)    One teach-one assist/teaming/tag team teaching

                        (f)  Differentiation and accommodations are necessary, but they should                                            complement rather than replace literacy instruction.

(3)   Grading

(a)    Time for classroom teachers to work on common planning and common grading is essential.

                  (4)  Schoolwide Communication

                        (a)  Resource, Launch, Avid, and Core Plus teachers or designees should

                              initiate regular contact with classroom teachers regarding student concerns

                              and progress.

(b)   Faculty will respond to these queries within 48 hours, according to school policy.

.                       (c)  Classroom teachers should discuss the responsibility of parent contacts.

                        (d)  Both classroom teachers should be aware of accommodations.

3)      What classes should be collaborated? (Priorities)

a)      The goal is to staff standard classes in the following order:

Level I              English 9, 10, 11, 12; Skills (Pre-Alg); Algebra I, Part I; Algebra I, Part II; Algebra I; AFDA; Geometry

Level II           Earth Science, Biology, World History I, US History

Level III           Algebra II, Government, World History II

Level IV         Chemistry, Ecology

4)      What should the “make-up” of our classes be?

a)      Maximum of 25 in standard classes; smaller whenever possible to allow for more small-group literacy work (reading groups, vocabulary development, etc).

b)      No more than 8 designated Collaboration Mandated Special Education students in a class.

c)      No more than 14 Special Education students in classes that are not collaborated with a Special Education teacher. These classes should be assisted with an aide.

d)      Functional English and Math sections with only IEP diploma students should be offered at the time that benefits the most students; a Special Education teacher that is highly qualified in English/Reading or Math will be scheduled to teach the related area.

e)      Core Plus should continue to be offered for those students who are enrolled in a standard class but need more support in basic literacy and numeracy skills. Listed below are salient points that provide the basis of the class:

Students may be placed in Core Plus by IEP or a panel of teachers consisting of a general ed, special ed, administrator, and guidance counselor. The student may be an IEP or general education student. 
These students should be those who often “fall through the cracks” in the standard/practical class, but are included because of the many benefits Core Plus presents. These students may have difficulty demonstrating functional skills in reading, writing, and numeracy.
The class will focus on literacy and numeracy skills. The curriculum, developed by the teacher, should address reading, writing, math skills. Progress monitoring is an expectation (Kevin Kirst is a great resource in this area.)
The goal will be to keep this class to 10 or less and a teacher aide if possible.
A,B,C,D,F grades will be assigned.
The class must be taught by a special educator who does not necessarily have to have the highly qualified label on his/her certification.

5)      What should administration and central office do to support the program?

a)      Continue to support a WAHS literacy council comprised of teachers from every department, instructional coaches, and representatives from administration and guidance.  Seek funding to provide these teachers and staff members with a stipend to ensure that school-based literacy professional development continues, and that teachers who teach our below-grade-level students learn and implement strategies/activities to make learning a reality for their students.

b)      Continue to provide funding for collaboration.

c)      Include teacher input in the process of pairing teachers.

d)      Continue to offer school-based literacy professional development and encourage collaborating teams to attend together.

e)      Encourage celebration of student success in literacy, even when it does not mean that the student will pass or has passed the SOL.

f)        Offer and encourage opportunities to showcase student work at the standard level.

g)      Include both teachers’ names on student schedules and report cards. This should mean the following:

i)        Both teachers have equal access to records.

ii)       Both teachers get a substitute when absent, whenever possible.

h)      The “teacher of record” will be the General Education teacher for all collaborative classes and this will be indicated on official records.

i)        Provide time for collaborative work:

i)        Support PLC’s comprised of collaborative teams.

ii)       Pay collaborative teams for summer planning (8 hours per teacher).

iii)     Award professional development points for after-hours planning.

iv)     Pay for one day per nine weeks for planning if collaborative teams do not have common planning.

v)      Give collaborative teams large blocks of time during pre-school week to prepare.

vi)     Protect common planning by avoiding study hall assignments that compete with  collaborative planning time.

viii) Reserve one CARE period per week for Special Education collaborative teachers to         

      meet with their caseload.

6)      What should collaborative professional development look like?

a)      Experienced collaborative teams should mentor new and existing teams throughout the year, as needed.

b)      Collaboration mentors should lead a pre-service week presentation on collaboration for teachers.

c)      Teams should be encouraged to use a collaboration planning worksheet, provided by the collaboration mentors.

d)      Classroom teachers will participate in end-of-the-year reflections and team self-evaluations.

e)      Special Education teachers should be offered opportunities to become highly qualified in specific subject areas.

f)        Classroom teachers should have opportunities to observe other collaborative teams in their subject area, even at other schools.

g)      Teachers interested in enriching the collaborative experience should be able to attend conferences that directly address collaboration, both during the school year and over the summer.

h)      Special Education teachers should be encouraged to attend the Reading First Academy for Special Educators to provide a strong literacy background. Information on this opportunity may be found at http://www.readingfirst.virginia.edu.

i)        PLC time should be set aside quarterly to have both regular ed. and special ed. individually address the model and practice.

7)      How should the program be evaluated?

a)      Surveys from students, parents, and teachers (not just collaborating teachers).

b)      Assessments that reflect growth in literacy (DRP, DSA, Oral Fluency)

c)      Report card grades.

d)      Literacy profile data and anecdotal evidence used to monitor literacy progress.

e)      Growth in literacy indicated by an increase in SOL scores (not just pass rates) for standard level students. 

f)        Discussion groups with just General Education teachers, just Special Education teachers, and combinations (teams meeting together).  

g)      Discussions between teacher and administrator during Teacher Performance Appraisals and other evaluations.

h)      The use of an outside consultant to review progress and compare our program to similar programs throughout the state.

i)        Journal entries from each of the first three grading periods will be submitted to the administrator overseeing the program. These weekly entries should address what is going well, what needs attention, and what teachers plan to do next.

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The first issue with military self defense as it is often taught is the fact that it focuses on speed and strength above all else. Once again, military personnel are exceptional in both departments, trying to teach an average Joe these maneuvers that are based on you being as strong as your opponent is foolish. Generally speaking, if you are being attacked randomly there is a very good chance that your assailant will be physically stronger than you. Thugs generally don’t go around picking on strong guys because they are cowards at heart and want a confidence boosting exercise which involves beating up weaker people.

Some teachers decide to teach you how to use weapons which is definitely a good idea. However, they overemphasize their importance. Rather than focusing on the person who is the real problem, they keep their eyes firmly on the weapon, seeing it as the be all and end all of the confrontation. If someone attacks you with a knife, obviously your first goal should be to avoid their initial attack and find a way to get that weapon out of their hands. There are several martial arts techniques that can help you with this. Yet once you succeed in disarming them, they are still there, ready and willing to hurt you in some other way. The focus should always on defeating the attacker, not their weapon.

There are many military self defense techniques that can have lethal consequences. Sometimes situations occur when fatalities happen. If a thug attacks you with a gun or knife or a group of people come after you, the ferocity of your defense could accidentally kill someone. While that is more the fault of the legal system, the fierceness of this training presents trainees with another problem. Knowledge of the effectiveness of military techniques could actually cause you to hold back which results in you getting badly hurt. It is necessary to find an instructor who can teach you how to defend effectively without getting in legal trouble.

If you are learning martial arts techniques fused with the expertise of military training, be careful if you ever get involved in a confrontation. Being too fierce or holding back could spell danger whilst focusing on things like strength and the opponent’s weapon should be discarded in favor of learning solid technique.

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