Monday morning news roundup

A working group of education stakeholders is set to weigh other state’s teacher licensure systems during a daylong meeting at the Statehouse.

Licensure committee — Tiered Licensure Technical Advisory Committee Chairman Roger Quarles presides over the group’s October meeting.

The 13-member Tiered Licensure Advisory Committee is charged with implementing the licensure recommendation issued by Gov. Butch Otter’s Task Force for Improving Education.
The task force also issued a second recommendation to transform teacher pay by creating career ladder model that is tied to licensure.

During today’s meeting, members of the tiered licensure group are set to review and critique licensure models used in Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina.

During the licensure committee’s first meeting on Oct. 28, members discussed the background information and framework of potential licensure models.

Follow @IdahoEdNews on Twitter for live tweets from the meeting and check back at www.idahoednews.org late in the afternoon for a full recap from the meeting.

Eastern Idaho principal honored

Sugar-Salem High School Principal Jared Jenks was one of seven principals in the country to win a National Blue Ribbon Schools principal award last week.

Jenks earned the Terrell H. Bell Award for “fostering successful teaching and learning at their schools” and doing “whatever it takes to help their students meet high standards,” according to an announcement from the Idaho State Department of Education.

Jenks was the only Idaho principal to win the honor, and joined other award recipients from Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nevada and South Dakota.

Idaho students set for European cultural tour

Borah High School junior Jacie Wilde and 38 other students from Idaho and Oregon will travel to the United Kingdom next summer as part of a cultural tour.

The students will participate in the People to People Student Ambassador’s Celtic Cultural tour in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

During the 19-day tour, students will learn about history, political science, art and architecture.

CenturyLink grants available

Middle school leaders in several Idaho communities have until Saturday to apply for a $3,000 classroom grant.

CenturyLink is offering up to eight of the grants to junior high or middle schools located in Idaho or Oregon communities that are served by CenturyLink through the Middle School Philanthropy Program.

Eligible middle schools are in American Falls, Bancroft, Bellevue, Blackfoot, Bliss, Boise, Bruneau, Burley, Buhl, Caldwell, Castleford, Cottonwood, Craigmont, Culdesac, Declo, Downey, Dayton, Dietrich, Eagle, Eden, Emmett, Franklin, Firth, Gooding, Glenns Ferry, Grace, Grangeville, Grandview, Grasmere, Greenleaf, Hailey, Hagerman, Hammett, Hansen, Hazelton, Heyburn, Idaho City, Idaho Falls, Inkom, Jerome, Kamiah, Kimberly, Ketchum, Kooskia, Kuna, Lapwai, Lava Hot Springs, Lewisville, Leadore, Lewiston, Menan, McCammon, Middleton, Melba, Meridian, Murtaugh, Mountain Home, Montpelier, Murphy, Nampa, New Plymouth, Nez Perce, North Fork, Notus, Picabo, Payette, Placerville, Pocatello, Preston, Richfield, Riddle, Roberts, Rigby, Ririe, Riverside, Rexburg, Salmon, Soda Springs, Shelley, Shoshone, Star, Sugar City, Sun Valley, Thatcher, Twin Falls, Winchester, Weiser and Wendell.

Visit the Idaho Community Foundation’s website for more details or to apply by Saturday.