Opportunities for Teachers 

Below are opportunities for DCPS teachers.

GeoPlunge Tournament for 5th and 6th Graders

The GeoPlunge Challenge Tournament is based on the award winning geography card game GeoPlunge. The tournament is on November 20, 2009 at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and is limited to 80 teams. Each school is invited to send up to two teams, each comprised of three students. The spots are available on a first come first served basis.

Links

• Learn more event details
• Register your 5th and 6th grade teams

School-Based Personnel: IMPACT Information Sessions

September 18, 2009: Come ask questions and give your feedback on the new Effectiveness Assessment System for School-Based Personnel. View session dates/times.

Independent Evaluation of ICSIC Evidence-Based Programs

This is a 5-year evaluation of the implementation of programs supported by the DC Interagency Collaboration and Services Integration Commission (ICSIC). 

The programs include: Second Step, LifeSkills Training, DC START, Primary Project, and School Resource Officers training. Development Service Group, Inc. (DSG) is the independent evaluator for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) which oversees the ICSIC. 

The information being collected from teachers is solely for the purpose of documenting the implementation of the programs and for generating recommendations for improvement. 

Brief 1-2 page surveys (approximately 5-7 minutes) are being distributed either in hard copy or as a web-based survey for those teachers who attended LifeSkills Training and/or Second Step training. 

The data collection period will extend from May through August annually and will be repeated at the end of each school year for four additional years. 

The number of teachers and schools surveyed is determined by the number of teachers attending Second Step and LifeSkills Training each year, which is provided by the DME. 

For further information contact Marcia Cohen, Project Director, DSG, at mcohen@dsgonline.com or call 301-951-0056, or Jenna Grant, DME, at jenna.grant@dc.gov, at 202-727-0953.

Assessing Educational Resources and Support for Pediatric Cancer Survivors in the District of Columbia

This study is being conducted by Rebecca Selove, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Oncology at Children’s National Medical Center. Dr. Selove and Samira Assani, a research assistant, will be interviewing school administrators and teachers this Fall to learn about their experiences with students who have been diagnosed with cancer, and their recommendations for improving access to appropriate educational services for those students.

Dr. Selove would like to obtain representation from at least one elementary, middle, and high school in each of the District’s wards. She can be contacted at 202-476-2243 or rselove@cnmc.org.

Study of Secondary Math Teachers from Highly Selective Routes to Alternative Certification

Commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., the purpose of this national study is to examine the effectiveness of secondary math teachers from Teach For America and the Teaching Fellows program. 

Data collection from teachers will consist of a voluntary, 30-minute online survey for secondary math teachers participating in the study.

The one-time survey will take place in Spring 2010. The survey sample will include approximately 40 teachers from 10 schools. 

For further information contact Kevin Booker, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., (202) 484-4838.