Curriculum and Instruction

Robert Ketchum, lecturer in Coeur d’Alene in the career and technical education program, wrote an editorial for the North Idaho Business Journal called “Resolving the ‘skills gap.’ ”

Alex Hollingshead, assistant professor of special education, and John Cannon, assistant professor of career and technical education, were selected to develop national standards in their curriculum areas.

Margaret Vaughn, assistant professor of literacy, is teaching Literature Circles with pre-service teachers in Moscow elementary schools.

Anne Adams, assistant professor of math education, is continuing her work with the Making Mathematics Reasoning Explicit grant throughout the Inland Northwest.

Anne Kern, associate professor of science education, is continuing to work with the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane tribes as part of her National Science Foundation Back to Earth grant.

Raymond Dixon, assistant professor of career and technical education, received a $70,000-plus contract from the Clearwater Economic Development Association through the Rural Business Opportunity Grants Program. The project is to identify the five most critical occupations needed in the Northwest Intermountain Metal Manufacturing Supercluster and work with industry leaders to systematically identify the duties, tasks, general knowledge, skills and attitudes, tools and trends in those occupations and develop a strategy for implementing training programs to address the skills gap.

Through support from the Idaho State Board of Education and the Idaho State Department of Education, Julie Amador has received $650,000 in grants to create Regional Math Academies. Each of these academies in five cities throughout the state offers math teachers new classroom approaches. Each academy serves about 120 K-12 teachers. Amador also has been facilitating a book club surrounding “What’s Math Got to Do With It?” by Jo Boaler. The group of 35 meets every three weeks and includes students ranging from first-year through student teachers, as well as practicing teachers and five math coaches.

Ingrid Spence, lecturer and Community Partnership coordinator, received the Moscow Education Association’s Friend of Education Award. It is the group’s highest honor bestowed upon any individual or group each year. This award recognizes and pays tribute to recipients who have gone considerably beyond the normal expectations to support public education. Spence was nominated by Natalie Stone, Moscow Middle School counselor, who said “Ingrid has always done things behind the scenes to support education, and Moscow’s education system, in particular. … She thoroughly embodies an advocate of education.”