Looking for that perfect last-minute Christmas gift for dear ol’ Eduflack?  Please take Educommunicators’ survey on effective communications and 2009 priorities for this new online community for marketing communications professionals in the education sector.

As many know, back in the fall, I launched a new online social community to bring together marketing communications professionals in the education sector.  With hundreds of members from across the country, Educommunicators (www.educommunicators.com) is now getting its sea legs under it, preparing for some real activities in 2009.

A moment of self indulgence, if you please.  As many know, two weeks ago today, we brought Edudaughter home from Guatemala for the first time.  She is now 13 months and one week old, and has immediately become ingrained as the central figure of the edufamily.  Again, we have lucked out with a perfect child, a smiling, laughing, happy little girl who sleeps through the night and takes great interest in anything her big brother or parents seem to be involved in.

 

Earlier today, I wrote on the new Reading First evaluation study released late last week by the U.S. Department of Education.  (http://blog.eduflack.com/2008/10/13/the-neverending-saga-of-rf-data.aspx)  As I noted, this was an Abt Associates study, released by ED, and a follow-up to a 2006 study the Department conducted on RF effectiveness.

Friends of Eduflack know that the Eduwife and I have spent the past year filling out every form, dealing with every interview, participating in every process, handling every setback, and jumping through every regulatory and legal hoop to bring our baby daughter home from Guatemala.  Anna Patricia is now a year and two weeks old.  Last evening, the Eduflack family got the phone call we’ve been waiting for for nearly eight months.  Next week, mama, dada, and Anna need to show up at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City to get Anna’s visa.  By this time next week, the three of us will be on a plane home, with Anna firmly implanted as the little princess of our little family.

Over at Educommunicators, today we are starting a series on the emails, listserves, blogs, and websites that are central for an education communications pro’s success.  Check out today’s entry on daily emails and listserve distributions …

Eduflack’s thoughts are with Senator Ted Kennedy and his family as the Senate HELP Chairman is under the watchful eye of Beantown’s best doctors today.  I just can’t imagine anyone else at the helm of the Senate Education Committee, particularly as we prepare for a new Congress and a new President in eight months.

Senator Kennedy is actually the first politician to spark Eduflack’s interest in American government, and he deserves some credit for inspiring my years of service as a Senate and House staffer.  As a young child growing up in Massachusetts, I was fortunate enough to be there for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston (my father was dean of the University of Massachusetts at Boston at the time, and helped with the creation of the library).  After visiting it for the first time, I wrote to Senator Kennedy, telling him how much I enjoyed the library and learning about his brother.  Even included a drawing of the library for him. 

A few weeks later, I got a letter of appreciation back from Kennedy.  It was signed in a powerful blue ink, and even included a PS noting that his son was named Patrick too.  I treasured (and still treasure) that letter.  Even had it framed and hanging on the wall of many a bedroom over the decades.  It is still in my box of prized mementos.

After working on Capitol Hill (and learning of the wonders of the autopen), I am still certain that Kennedy hand-signed my letter himself.  It meant too much to me to believe otherwise.  I though to ask him about it when I was working for a member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation back in the mid-1990s, but never wanted to bother him with something so trivial or silly.

But I digress.  Our thoughts and well wishes are with the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts.  We look forward to having him back at the gavel, and getting NCLB 2.5 passed into law.

The cyclone that hit southeast Asia this past weekend was truly a tragedy.  But it does provide us both a teaching moment and a learning concern.

Every year, we hear how poorly U.S. students perform when it comes to geography.  Many are lucky to find Canada on the map, forget southeast Asia.  We tell ourselves geography isn’t so important any more.  Our kids have more important things to do than to study maps and memorize capital cities.

So when an event like the cyclone hits, and it dominates the news, it provides us a real teaching moment.  It lets us bring out the maps and find the affected country.  It lets students study the region, and learn about its geography, its history, and its government.  It allows us to use breaking news as a hook for learning.

But that’s where we start getting into trouble here.  Pick up most major newspapers — including The Washington Post and USA Today (both of which are delivered to the Eduhouse) — and we read about the cyclone that hit Burma.  Listen to TV news or read some of the coverage on the Internet, and the people of Myanmar were hit by a cyclone Saturday.  It’s enough to confuse even the most well-intentioned of student.

We don’t expect all media outlets to use the same style guidelines.  Back in the 1980s, there was massive disagreement on the spelling of the dictator of Libya.  Just a few years ago, we had multiple spellings for bin Laden’s first name.  And let’s not even touch those classroom globes that still have Czechoslovakia printed on them.

Social studies and geography teachers, help me out here.  How do we teach children the nations of the world if we can’t even agree on the names on their “Welcome to …” signs?

Next week, Ed in ’08 will be hosting an education bloggers summit.  It is shaping up to be a very interesting day, both for the professionals and the amateurs (with Eduflack firmly in the latter).

As part of the summit, Ed in ’08 will award its 2008 Ed in ’08 Blog Award.  The finalists list is now out, and <INSERT SHAMELESS PLUG HERE>, Eduflack is on the list.  I know, I have no idea how I possibly made the cut either, particularly when I see who else is on the list.  But those folks at Ed in ’08 must know what they are doing.

Voting is open all week.  Readers can cast their ballots at http://edin08.com/bloggersummit/bloggerpoll.aspx.

With all of those great blogs on the list, I propose you think of Eduflack as your compromise candidate.  If you can’t choose between X, Y, and Z because they are all on your must-reads, go ahead and choose Eduflack.  I’m definitely better than “None of the Above,” and a vote for me won’t result in a brokered convention.

Vote early, vote often!