“COE Bear Tracks”
March 5, 2021
Volume 1, Number 2
Important Announcements
Legislative Update from Ryan DeBoef
The university’s government relations team is tracking House Bill 439 sponsored by Rep. Bishop Davidson. This bill would allow school districts to issue a “teaching permit” to an individual that does not hold a teaching certificate issued by the State Board of Education. The bill requires districts to develop a policy listing qualifications to receive such a permit. The qualifications must include, at a minimum, an associate’s degree and background check. The number of teachers issued a permit must not exceed 25% of the total number of teachers employed in a district. The teaching permit allows the holder to teach only in the issuing school district.
The House Emerging Issues Committee held a hearing on the bill last week. Ryan DeBoef represented Missouri State University at the hearing and testified in opposition to the bill. The Missouri Retired Teachers Association, Missouri State Teachers Association, Missouri National Education Association, Public School Retirement System, and several individuals also testified in opposition to the bill.
The next step is for the House Emerging Issues Committee to decide whether to vote “do pass” on the bill and move it to the next stage of the House’s legislative process. The university’s lobbying team will remain engaged with members of the committee and the bill sponsor.
Link to news stories about other K-12 related legislation from Missouri Net:
https://www.missourinet.com/category/legislature/
Dean’s Fellow for Outreach
Dr. Cathy Pearman, Professor in Reading, Foundations, and Technology, has been appointed as the Dean’s Fellow for Outreach. Cathy will work with COE administration to facilitate partnerships with K-12 schools and DESE.
COE Job Placements
Amanda Byrd in Professional Education Services will be the point person for collecting COE job placement information. Students are encouraged to complete the Career Center’s undergraduate outcomes survey through handshake. However, if you are aware that a graduating student has accepted a new position, please email Amanda (AmandaByrd@MissouriState.edu) with the placement information.
March 10, 2021 – Students from the CFD and ECE programs will participate.
Bear with Us – February 2021 Bear POWER Newsletter
COE Faculty and Staff News
Dr. Elizabeth King, Assistant Professor in Childhood Education and Family Studies, was on KSMU radio, talking about “Validating Children’s Emotions.”
Dr. Kewman Lee, Assistant Professor in Reading, Foundations, and Technology, was selected to receive the “Best Paper Award” from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG) in International Studies. This SIG is one of the largest in AERA.
Dr. Nicole West, Assistant Professor in Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education, was selected by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) to receive their inaugural “Excellence in Teaching Award”. She will be recognized during the upcoming NASPA Virtual Conference on March 19.
Dr. Bonni Behrend and Dr. Kelly Wynne, Assistant Professors in Counseling, Leadership and Special Education, recorded a session for teachers focused on self-care. The Agency for Teaching, Leaders, and Learning (ATLL) has shared this resource with area schools who are seeking to help teachers manage stress and anxiety related to the pandemic.
Dr. Megan Boyle, Associate Professor in Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education, was featured in Mind’s Eye. See: “Improving the Lives of Kids with Autism.”
Dr. Ching-Wen Chang, Professor, and Annice McLean, Senior Instructor, in Reading, Foundations and Technology, produced a video, “Technology Safety for Kids” for the Springfield-Greene County Libraries.
Debra Price, Instructor, Childhood Education and Family Studies, was notified that she was selected to rece4ive the 2021 Missouri Association for Career and Technical Education (MoACTE) Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year Award.
Student Highlights
Teachers of Tomorrow – Two current students in the Blind and Low Vision program, Kelsey Bink and Anne Chambers, were selected for the 2021 Teachers of Tomorrow program sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind.
Jessica Curtman is participating in the Internship Academy at Wanda Gray Elementary School. She is a fourth-grade intern in Mr. Davidson’s classroom, and Cathy Barrett is her Teacher in Residence. During her second semester in the Internship Academy, Mrs. Curtman had the opportunity to substitute for four weeks Mr. Sike’s classroom. While substituting, she made a great impact with the classroom teacher, students, colleagues, and parents. One parent reached out to express that Mrs. Curtman noticed her child having some issues with test anxiety. By reading the child’s body language, Mrs. Curtman realized the student was having difficulty and provided some strategies to help. The strategies worked, and the student ended up doing well on the test. This parent said it meant a lot that Mrs. Curtman noticed her child and recognized and addressed her child’s needs.
In addition to this, Mr. Sikes took time to report about the exemplary job Mrs. Curtman did with record keeping, differentiation, engaging instruction, relationship building, management, and communication. “Mrs. Curtman utilized a lot of reteaching and allowed students multiple opportunities to master skills. For example, with place value, Jessica retaught three times to ensure that all students mastered this priority MLS for fourth graders because she realized most of fourth grade math builds on this skill.” He also said, “Jessica went above and beyond in both data collection and leaving copies for me, so I knew exactly where students were and what progress they had made during my time away. In addition, her grading was accurate and detailed. She gave students feedback as quickly as possible… Jessica did a fantastic job for me and I am excited to see someone of her caliber joining the teaching profession, thanks for allowing her to fill in for me and the extra support you have given her. The Internship program continues to prepare outstanding educators.”
Alumni Spotlight
Read about an alum of our special education program: Mark Simmonds: From Paraprofessional to Principal of a Springfield School
ATLL Workshops
The ATLL continues to provide training…
Meetings/Events
MSU Women’s History Month Events
MACTE Spring 2021 Conference – March 8, 9
We have an institutional registration for the conference. Any faculty or staff at MSU can attend. Go to conference preferences form to select sessions.
Continuous Improvement Seminars
(All will be held via Zoom)
- Fri, Mach 12 – 10-12 pm
- Fri, April 23 – 10-12 pm
- Fri, May 7 – 10-12 pm
Spring Break
(No classes, Offices Open)
- Mar 15 – Mar 19, 2021
University Virtual Town Hall
- April 9, 2021- 3-5 pm
COE Alumni Initiative
Click the picture below to learn more: