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March 10, 2008
Top Texas teachers put heads together in Austin forum
AUSTIN – About 50 of the state’s top teachers gathered in Austin today for the 2008 Texas Teachers Forum, where they will discuss best practices in teaching and ways to enhance teacher preparation programs.
Attending the event at Austin’s Crowne Plaza Hotel are the state’s 20 Elementary Teachers of the Year, 20 Secondary Teachers of the Year, and the four educators who were honored as 2007 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winners. Each of the elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year represents one of the state’s 20 Regional Education Service Centers.
At the forum, the teachers will discuss such issues as teacher retention, quality instruction, teacher preparation, creativity in the classroom and ways to develop internal and external communities for learning.
A highlight of the three-day event will be a panel discussion by Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, chair of the Senate Education Committee, and Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, chair of the House Public Education Committee. The panel is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. today in Salon D/E.
The forum is sponsored by the Department of State Initiatives and the Office of Educator Initiatives and Performance at the Texas Education Agency.
Contact:
Division of Communications
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78757
Phone: (512) 463-9000
E-mail: teainfo@tea.state.tx.us