About Northwest Educational Resources Association
Northwest Educational Resources Association is a professional organization dedicated to supporting a partnership between educational resource providers and the districts they serve.
Whether a company provides curriculum, technology, furniture and equipment, or some other vital service for schools in WA, OR, AK, ID or MT, we provide valuable information including announcements of adoptions/RFPs, upcoming conferences and pertinent information from each states Department of Education. In addition, we strive to promote fellowship and goodwill among members and foster fair business relations in dealings with educators and each other.
Members of Northwest Education Resources Association promote and maintain a high standard of ethics among members and toward the school people of the Northwest.
What's Happening
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Summer Learning Loss
NBC's Brian Williams discusses how summer learning loss puts students at a disadvantage academically. For more information, go to gradelevelreading.net.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZolcNG3GVCs
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Seattle Falling Behind in Specialed Reforms
$11 MILLION AT RISK
As deadline looms, state says district’s plan lacks specifics
By LINDA SHAW
Seattle Times education reporter
To fix longstanding problems in Seattle Public Schools’ specialeducation programs, the district’s first step was to write a correction plan — and already it has stumbled.
The school district submitted a proposal to state officials by the June 30 deadline, but they have rejected it, saying it falls far short of what is required.
In April, the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction gave the district 18 months to fix its shortcomings or risk losing $11 million a year in federal support.
Read the rest of the article here.
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Education Investment is a Drop in the Bucket
Without new revenue, lawmakers will struggle to make the required investments in public schools that are required by the state constitution. As we pointed out in our 2013 Session Recap: Not a Path to Prosperity, investments in the next two years will make only a small dent towards meeting our full funding obligation.
The State Supreme Court, in its McCleary v State ruling, ordered the state to fully fund basic education by 2018, and stipulated that the legislature must in the meantime demonstrate steady progress towards making this $4.5 billion investment.
Read the rest of this article at BudgetAndPolicy.org.
Our Mission
Northwest Education Resources Association (NWERA) is a nonprofit organization of professionals comprised of representatives of materials that support the education community. NWERA's mission is to partner and work hand in hand with districts and Northwest Departments of Education to proivde teachers and administrators with quality educational materials and programs. We strive to provide solutions that contribute to the education of all. We have a vested interest in following good business practices; this allows us to partner effectively with districts and the Departments of Education for WA, OR, AK, ID and MT especially in these difficult budget times.
Department of Education
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We are now linked to ODE
To help your Oregon customers find us easier, NWERA website is now listed on the Oregon Department of Education website. We can be found on the Instructional Materials External Links and Resources Page. Check it out. http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1858
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Next Generation Science Standards First Public Review
See the first draft of the Next Generation Science Standards
About Us
Announce A ConferenceIf you are having a conference where you would like educational representatives to exhibit, please click here.
Adoptions/RFPsIf you would like educational representatives to send material to review, please click here.
JoinMembership Renewal and Application Membership is open to everyone who devotes his/her time to the promotion of educational materials in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, Idaho and Montana.
Find your Representative
Looking for educational materials for your school? Click Here to Find a Representative.
OER
Mathematics Vision Project (Travis Lemon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfr7Un88ik8
OER as a Full Curriculum (Hetav Sanghavi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3KPB9aV6sk
Finding, Using, and Modifying OER (Cable Green)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5wRUHl6ZVU
What's News
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L.A. students breach school iPads' security
It took exactly one week for nearly 300 students at Roosevelt High School to hack through security so they could surf the Web on their new school-issued iPads, raising new concerns about a plan to distribute the devices to all students in the district.
Similar problems emerged at two other high schools as well, although the hacking was not as widespread.
Officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District have immediately halted home use of the Apple tablets until further notice.
Read the rest of this article at The LA Times.
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ConnectED
The ConnectED initiative announced by the President on June 6, 2013 aims to connect 99% of students across the country to broadband in 5 years. The initiative consists of three main efforts:
- Upgraded Connectivity
- Trained Teachers
- Build on Private-Sector Innovations
Read the full details at the Office of Educational Technology.
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The Trouble With Testing Mania
Congress made a sensible decision a decade ago when it required the states to administer yearly tests to public school students in exchange for federal education aid. The theory behind the No Child Left Behind Act was that holding schools accountable for test scores would force them to improve instruction for groups of children whom they had historically shortchanged.
Testing did spur some progress in student performance. But it has become clear to us over time that testing was being overemphasized — and misused — in schools that were substituting test preparation for instruction. Even though test-driven reforms were helpful in the beginning, it is now clear that they will never bring this country’s schools up to par with those of the high-performing nations that have left us far behind in math, science and even literacy instruction.
Read the rest of the article at The New York Times.