News Archives (2010)

December

Marcellus Shale Workforce Forum

The Marcellus Shale Education & Training Center is hosting the Second Annual Marcellus Shale Workforce Forum in the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, December 6-7, 2010. The goal of this two-day event is to focus on Marcellus Shale development and its impact on workforce and education. Educators from secondary schools, two-year technical schools, and four-year colleges and universities were joined by representatives from oil and gas exploration, production, and service companies. The Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center, a collaboration between the Pennsylvania College of Technology and Penn State Cooperative Extension.  For more information on the forum, click here.

October

2010 Marcellus Summit

Natural gas development is spreading in Pennsylvania and throughout the Appalachian Basin as development of the Marcellus Shale continues to increase. By addressing concerns and identifying common goals with key stakeholders in the process, collaborative partnerships can facilitate the safe, efficient, and environmentally sound recovery of the natural resource.

The 2010 Marcellus Summit (formerly the PA Natural Gas Summit) is scheduled for October 10–12, 2010, at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. The Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, Penn State Cooperative Extension, and Penn State Outreach are partnering to host the 2010 Marcellus Summit. For more information, click here.

New Carsey Institute Study: School Connectedness and Positive Youth Development

Students who feel positively about their education, have a sense of belonging in school, and maintain good relationships with students and staff generally feel connected to their schools, one of the most important factors in promoting socio-emotional well-being and positive youth development, according to authors of this new Carsey Institute brief, Nena Stracuzzi and Meghan Mills. Their research, using surveys of Coos County, New Hampshire students, shows that students who feel more connected to their schools usually get better grades, have higher self-esteem, use fewer substances, and engage in aggressive behaviors less frequently. Their brief also shows that Coos County students who feel their teachers are supportive of them are often more connected to their schools. To access the report, click here.

August

New Book on Rural Education and Communities

Penn State Press publishes Rural Education for the Twenty-First Century:Identity, Place, and Community in a Globalizing World, edited by Kai A. Schafft and Alecia Youngblood Jackson.  In addition to the editors, the contributors include Genevieve Brown, Rebecca Bustamante, Gretchen Butera, Thomas Butler, Michael Corbett, Lisa Humphreys Costello, Stephen Crump, Jacqueline Edmondson, Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue, Susan Faircloth, R. Evely Gildersleeve, Sarah Giroux, Susan Groenke, Aimee Howley, Craig Howley, Beverly Irby, Fatou Jah, Kieran Killeen, Patricia McDonough, John Morrissey, Jan Nespor, Paul Theobald, John Tippeconnic III, Kylie Twyford, and Kathy Wood. 

Ted Colodarci, former editor of the Journal of Research in Rural Education, writes, “Rural Education for the Twenty-First Century is a must-read for any serious student of rural education. Co-editors Schafft and Jackson have brought together some of the preeminent scholars on rural education, and the result doubtless will be embraced as a significant and long-lasting contribution to the essential literature in this discipline.”

Click here for more information.

July

National Rural Education Technology Summit

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough will convene a National Rural Education Technology Summit Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. They will be joined by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan and more than 100 rural education and technology experts from 24 states, discussing how technology can be used to overcome the challenges of distance and provide new opportunities in rural schools.  For more information click here.

March

CREC Announces Smethport Area School District Winner of Rural Education Award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Smethport Area School District is winner of the sixth annual Building Community through Rural Education Award, sponsored by Penn State’s Center on Rural Education and Communities (CREC) and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS).

The award recognizes a rural school or school district in Pennsylvania that has distinguished itself through innovative practices contributing to the educational experiences for the students it serves, while collaborating with the broader community for the benefit of all.

Smethport was chosen for its educational initiatives that explore local history. The school district used interactive Web technology to create, explore, and document local history and historical transformations of the Smethport area through constructivist, collaborative, and place-based education.

Two other school districts will receive honorable mention awards this year in recognition of their school-community initiatives: Ridgway Area School District for an innovative school-community arts partnership, and Chambersburg Area School District for its workforce development and energy conservation initiatives.

This year’s awards will be presented jointly by CREC and PARSS at the PARSS Annual Meeting April 30 in State College, Pa.