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I blinked and the school year is over...and what a year it was!
I had the privilege of joining for a number of college and career signing days or "decision day" events this month across the state. I love seeing all of the energy and excitement these students have as they enter this next chapter of their lives.
You've all done so many great things this year and your work is deeply appreciated. I look forward to continuing to work with and support you in this important and impactful work in the future. Take care, be safe and have a great Summer!
Sincerely,
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An additional 17 Iowa school districts (listed below) were awarded $830,000 in competitive grants through the Credentials to Careers funding opportunity to focus on aligning secondary career and technical education programs with student attainment of industry-recognized credentials (IRCs). This brings the total number of award recipients to 37 for over $2.5 million in funds. The Credentials to Careers grant awards will support high school students earning credentials with labor market value.
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- Ankeny
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- Burlington
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- Carroll
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- Cedar Falls
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- Danville
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- Davis County
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- Denver
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- Diagonal
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- Fort Madison
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- Iowa City
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- Manson Northwest Webster
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- Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn
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- North Union
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- Riverside
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- South Winneshiek
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- Southeast Polk
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- Westwood
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IRCs are certifications, credentials or licenses vetted by employers and endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization in a particular industry. Credentials are available across many career pathways, including health sciences, information technology, construction, manufacturing, child development, culinary and business.
The Iowa Department of Education recently awarded nearly $6 million in competitive grants to 67 Iowa schools to create, expand and sustain high-quality before-and-after school programs that support families and advance student achievement in partnership with community organizations.
“By expanding access to before- and after-school programs grounded in evidence-based best practices, Learning Beyond the Bell grants will support improved student achievement, strong attendance and positive behaviors,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow.
The Iowa Department of Education was proud to honor Iowa’s more than 38,000 teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, observed May 6-10. Director McKenzie Snow and staff across the Iowa Department of Education recognized the invaluable contributions of amazing teachers across the state, and shared the impact of important teachers in their lives.
Please consider taking a minute ROAR for WBL - Recognize the great work of new or existing work-based learning programs or initiatives; Offer exciting news, updates or plans; Acknowledge others with notes of appreciation or kudos; and brag a little about Rewards or awards earned for Iowa's amazing work-based learning programs, coordinators, educators, counselors, employers and other partners or support staff.
Below are a few great examples of submissions received of Iowans doing amazing work at both state and national levels! Please consider submitting your ROARs anonymously through the basic Google Form at the link below. Submissions may also be sent directly to me at joe.collins@iowa.gov.
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- Congratulations to Andrew Dong from Iowa City West High School and Sarah Park from Ames High School for being selected as 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars by the U.S. Department of Education. Recognizing outstanding accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education, the U.S. Presidential Scholars program honors up to 161 students around the country each year, and is one of the highest honors a student can achieve.
- Congratulations to John Daniels, a 16-year secondary education teacher at Belle Plaine Community School District, for receiving the coveted Golden Owl Award at the 2024 Iowa FFA Convention in front of a crowd of over 6,500 student members, advisers and agricultural partners. Through the award, Daniels was officially recognized as Iowa’s top agriculture educator of the year and received a $3,000 grand prize.
- Shout out to Council Bluffs for a record-breaking 117 high school students graduating from Iowa Western Community College with either associates degrees, a diploma or certificate! These awards were obtained through the district's Diploma Plus One program as they earned their high school diplomas. The Diploma Plus One program includes the Early College Academy, college credit acceleration, various career and academic pathways and the TradeWorks Academy at Iowa Western as options for earning college experience.
- Congratulations to the sixth-grade class at Norway Intermediate School in the Benton Community School District for completing a housing project with Collins Aerospace through the Build Iowa’s Future design challenge! Students worked in groups to build model homes out of materials like cardboard and glue that included sliding doors, a garage and renewable energy sources. The students worked with their teachers and volunteer from Collins Aerospace each week since October to learn about engineering and work on their houses.
Did you know the Iowa Department of Education has a large collection of pictures on our Flickr page? Head through the link below to view over 7,000 pictures dating back as far as 2010, many from WBL experiences and events throughout the years, including the Iowa STEM Council's Iowa Classrooms+Workplaces Summit and Build My Future events this month. Spot anyone you know???
Share the Work-Based Learning Coordinator newsletter with your colleagues. Invite them to sign up to receive it in their mailbox using the following button.
Joe Collins
Work-Based Learning Consultant
Bureau of Community College and Postsecondary Readiness
Division of Higher Education
Iowa Department of Education
515-419-5190
joe.collins@iowa.gov
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