California Educator

January / February 2017

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"Whether they pursue an agriculture career or not, they understand the industry's importance." Good Teaching Conference in San Jose. Some say the experience has prompted them to consider teaching as a profession. "I love it ," says junior Jaylynn Anderson. " The kids send us letters and drawings about how much they enjoy us coming into their classroom. It is so cool to see their faces light up with excitement." Magill, who oversees the FFA chapter, recently received the Honorary Amer- ican FFA Degree at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, bestowed upon FFA advisers and supporters who are outstanding in their field. "I love exposing students to new things," says Magill. "Whether they pur- sue an agriculture career or not, they understand the industry 's importance." Above, Rachel Aguilar works with Alexi McCartney, Taylor Carroll and Alani Renteria- Solano on a "food chain" lesson; below, Magill waters plants in the shade house. Innovation on a Bigger Scale Federal program funds local and broader initiatives The U.S. Department of Education recently announced the winners of its 2016 Investing in Innovation (i3) competition, including four California- based grantees: • The Fresno County Office of Education will receive $12 million over five years to foster students' college-readiness by expanding a successful high school expository reading and writing course for stu- dents in California and Washington. • The Riverside County Office of Education will receive $3 million over five years to foster students' college-readiness by developing a fourth-year high school math course focused on flexibility, trans- ferability and critical reasoning. • The Santa Ana Unified School District will receive $3 million over three years to enhance a positive school climate by developing interventions and supports, and expanding restorative practices. • The National Writing Project, based in Berkeley, will receive $20 mil- lion over five years to scale up its College-Ready Writers Program, working with 46 high-need rural partner local educational agencies in 16 states, including California, for students in grades 4-10. This is the final year of the i3 pro- gram, which was first created as part of the 2009 stimulus package. The Every Student Succeeds Act replaces i3 with a new Education Innovation and Research competition. The new program includes three tiers of grants (early-phase, mid-phase and expan- sion) and will provide support for rigorously evaluated local and state ini- tiatives. Applications are due April 13, 2017. See innovation.ed.gov for details. 29 January / February 2017

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