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Dear Colleagues,
Happy American Education Week! This week, we have been celebrating the work of schools and educators on behalf of children. It is also School Psychology Awareness Week honoring the work that school psychologists do to help students succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. Thank you all for everything you do!
Last month, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) was proud to announce that more than 2.4 million students and children statewide participated in the 2018 summer reading program, an increase of approximately 230,000 participants over last year's program. In addition, we announced results from our partnership with the myON e-book platform, which offered free access to thousands of enhanced digital books to children from birth to 8th grade and their families over the summer: 192,711 books were opened/browsed, 113,517 books were read, and 1,496,384 minutes of reading were logged within the myON platform.
This year's summer reading slogan was "Libraries Rock!" and the 756 public libraries and 311 neighborhood branches across the state offered many creative programs. Thanks to the efforts of educators, librarians, and parents, more children participated in summer reading this year than ever. Whether a child borrowed books to read at home with family, read e-books through our myON partnership, or participated in an educational program at their library, we are proud of each child's summer reading achievement this year. I encourage schools, libraries, and community organizations to work in partnership to promote the importance of reading year-round. By collaborating with other educational and community organizations, we can increase participation and improve children's reading skills.
The 2019 summer reading slogan will be "A Universe of Stories" - an outer space theme - and planning is already underway for many exciting collaborations, programs, and events. Our goal is for 2.5 million children to participate in summer reading by 2021!
This edition of News and Notes includes updates related to the following:
Sincerely,
MaryEllen Elia
Commissioner
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 Annual Professional Performance Review Announcement
Last week, Chancellor Betty A. Rosa, on behalf of the Board of Regents, directed Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and NYSED to present a proposed regulation to extend the moratorium delinking student assessments from teacher evaluations for one year through 2019-20. NYSED will continue its work to gain feedback from teachers, educators, parents, and other stakeholders as it looks to reform the evaluation system.
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NYSED Awards $160,000 in Child Abduction Prevention Education Grants
NYSED awarded $160,000 in Child Abduction Prevention Education (CAPE) grants to four school districts and three consortia of school districts and BOCES, Commissioner Elia announced last week. The funds will be used to develop or adopt curriculum and training programs designed for K-8 students, parents, teachers, school librarians, and support staff to aid in the prevention of child abduction.
Plans submitted include strategies to address a wide range of issues impacting students and families including cyberbullying, social media harassment, child trafficking, and predatory behavior.
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Rochester Distinguished Educator Report
The Rochester City School District Distinguished Educator's Report details 106 findings and 84 recommendations necessary to support and advance district improvements for the board of education and school district to provide equitable access to high-quality education for all students. The report is a culmination of meetings with stakeholders, input from focus groups, and a comprehensive review of the district's instructional systems and operations. Now the board and district will work with Distinguished Educator Dr. Jaime Aquino to develop an action plan to address the report's recommendations.
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Dr. Denise Lowe Appointed as Second Monitor for the East Ramapo Central School District
Last week, Commissioner Elia appointed Dr. Denise Lowe as a State Monitor for the East Ramapo Central School District. Dr. Lowe will coordinate efforts with Mr. Charles Szuberla, a State Monitor in the District since August 2016, to propose actions for improvement to ensure students have access to high-quality instruction, programs, and services and will oversee District operations.
The appointment of a second monitor in East Ramapo continues the cooperation among the state, district, and community to advance progress already made by the monitor team.
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State Museum, Library and Archives Celebrate New York State History Month in November
The New York State Museum, State Library, and State Archives are celebrating New York State History Month in November with a variety of free public programs for children, families, and adults. A model of the first statue in New York City's Central Park that honors and depicts women is on display in the State Museum's West Corridor, and two temporary exhibitions exploring New York's history are now open: Enterprising Waters: New York's Erie Canal; and The Historic Woodstock Art Colony: The Arthur A. Anderson Collection.
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State Museum Opens Exhibition Featuring Artwork of The Historic Woodstock Art Colony
The New York State Museum opened "The Historic Woodstock Art Colony: The Arthur A. Anderson Collection" on November 10. On display through December 31, 2019, the exhibition features over 100 artworks - including paintings, lithographs, sculpture, and works on paper - from the major collection of artwork of the historic Woodstock Art Colony that collector Arthur A. Anderson donated to the State Museum in 2017. This exhibition introduces to the public for the first time just a sample of the highlights of this extraordinary collection, which represents a body of work that together shaped art and culture in New York.
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Taste of NY Holiday Market
Visitors can shop at 30 "made in New York" food and beverage vendors at the New York State Museum's Taste NY Holiday Market on Sunday, December 2 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Vendors will offer samples and sales of chocolates; cheese; maple products; hand-crafted beer, wine, spirits, and cider; and other edible gifts. All participating vendors produce their products in New York State. There will also be cooking demonstrations, educational activities, and a chocolate fountain station courtesy of We Do Fondue and Price Chopper/Market 32. For more information, including a list of vendors, visit the Museum's website.
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