On January 23rd the CATESOL board discussed moving the state conference to the fall after some requests to do so. Click here to see the results of the discussion and read the pros and cons of moving the state conference, based on member feedback. Thank you to those who responded to the online survey on the topic and contributed to both sides of the discussion!
CATESOL now has its own travel website at www.catesoltravel.org. This new service is like having our own ExpediaŠ just for CATESOL members and friends. Everything you need is right here. You get access to the same airlines, hotels and rental car companies, cruises and vacation packages you find on all the other major travel websites, and, best of all, you get some of the lowest travel prices on the internet. In addition, when you book travel on CATESOL's website, CATESOL gets a whopping 40% of the commission. You get great travel rates and you help raise funds for the work of CATESOL.
CATESOL is home to many returned Peace Corps volunteers and teacher trainers, two groups that will be adversely affected by the USPS elimination of the use of M-bags (seamail) to ship books overseas. At the old M-bag rate, it was possible to ship books at $1.00 a lb.; the new rate via air more than triples the rate. You can sign an online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/zikomo/petition.html. Comments about how you have used M-Bag, and the impact these books have, are also welcome. The USPS manager in charge of Global policy is going to be checking the petition daily.
American Institutes for Research and WestEd: Five-year Study of Proposition 227 finds no conclusive evidence favoring one instructional approach for English learners
English Learners in U.S. Schools: An Overview of Research Findings by Fred Genesee, Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, William Saunders and Donna Christian, is now available.
What credentialing do I need to teach ELD in K-12? Here's the answer.
Resources for Indispensable Schools and Educators is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that builds a professional network of teachers, schools and businesses that provide career and economic support to keep high-quality teachers in K-12 public schools serving low-income communities. RISE provides quality teachers with access to jobs at prescreened public schools committed to teacher support and/or financial resources to increase their effectiveness and satisfaction. RISE works with over 200 Teachers and 30 schools nationally.
TESOL Statement on the Acquisition of Academic Proficiency in English
Community-Based English Tutor Project Descriptions, compiled by Kathy Hamilton, former CATESOL Adult Level Chair