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K-16 Collaboration Committee
Report from the Secondary Education Committee 2002
27 September 2002
The Secondary Education Committee is looking forward to an exciting and productive year. A number of projects are already underway, and we anticipate a lively, creative meeting at the convention in Houston at which new ideas will come forth, new connections will be made, and new friendships will be forged.
The Committee is currently working in several areas that foster American Studies scholarship in both the secondary schools and in higher education, and the Association is providing support in all of these areas. Discussion is ongoing as to expanding the role the Crossroads site as a resource in support of high school American Studies programs. Earlier this year, the Council supported the special request of the Secondary Committee to expand its membership in recognition of the growing interest of ASA members in secondary school issues and of increased responsibilities taken on by Committee members due to more and stronger connections among various constituencies in ASA. The Committee is also working on an update to the excellent Secondary Schools Model Programs resource guide. Regional chapters of ASA continue to provide resources and networking for Secondary Committee work.
The Houston convention will continue the ASA’s tradition of devoting an entire day to “Focus on Teaching” (FOTD) in the scheduling of sessions that highlight American Studies curriculum and instruction at both the high school and university level. Committee members have sponsored sessions and are participating as presenters. Scheduling FOTD on Saturday and offering a special one-day registration fee encourage attendance by area secondary educators. Secondary Ed Committee members work with local contact persons to provide target mailings and invitations for local teachers and other interested groups. The Office of the Executive Director is also assisting the Committee in securing Continuing Professional Education (CPE) units for Texas educators who attend the convention. The FOTD luncheon is always a highlight of the day. This year’s program, hosted by the Secondary Ed Committee, will include a panel of high school and university colleagues discussing the impact that state and federal K-12 standards have on interdisciplinary programs. The luncheon is also a great opportunity for convention attendees to meet and network with one another in the context of the Association’s larger gathering. We invite all members to participate!
In addition to FOTD, the Houston gathering will be the site of several interesting committee work collaborations. In addition to co-sponsoring two sessions (one with the Women’s Committee and one with the Graduate Students’ Committee), the Secondary Ed Committee is hosting two new meetings. One will be the workshop at which Secondary Ed and Graduate Student colleagues will be finalizing plans for an annual American Studies Association writing contest for high school students. The other is an “afternoon tea” immediately following the Secondary Education Committee meeting on Friday to which we invite all ASA members. There is a growing interest in the work of our committee. For example, we will be discussing the Graduate Students’ Committee report advising that the ASA use its status as a professional organization to make positive change on the issue of teacher certification for interdisciplinary majors in order to expand employment opportunities. This discussion, among other topics, will be continued during our “tea” for anyone interested in joining us.
For the above-mentioned and future projects, the Committee will be taking a close look at possible funding opportunities via the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) or sometimes referred to as the “No Child Left Behind” Act (NCLB). Significant amounts of federal funds are earmarked for programs designed to improve teacher quality (defined in the legislation as content experts with full state certification), to provide quality professional development programs for new and experienced teachers, to align curriculum with national standards, and to improve instructional practice.
Proposals for such funding would have to include descriptions of how partnerships (i.e. university and K-12 schools) are working to enact and support programs. These partnerships are historic (and by now second-nature) to the ASA. Providing multiple pathways to learning and serving diverse students, key goals of the ESEA, are perfectly aligned with the diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary scholarship of American Studies. Exploring these possible, additional resources for all of our programs promises to be an exciting element of Secondary Ed Committee work for the coming year.
Respectfully submitted by Deb Schmalholz, Chair
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