CATALyST

CATALyST Staff Attend Unveiling of STAR Curriculum

Linda Ramsey and Cathi Cox, Director and Program Coordinator for CATALyST, attended the launch of Louisiana's STAR (Students Teaching and Reaching) Curriculum on April 8, 2005. "A Celebration of Teachers and Teaching" was the theme of a full day of activities at Northwestern University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, that focused on the STAR curriculum. All Louisiana post-secondary institutions offering educational programs of study were invited to host a booth or exhibit to showcase their school's curriculum. High school students who attended had the opportunity to shop the programs to help them decide where to attend college.

Designed to offer an overview of the teaching profession to high school students, STAR provides students with means and guidance for self-assessment, learning about others and diversity within Louisiana classrooms. These students will also gain knowledge of the history of education and receive field experiences with an emphasis in the critical shortage areas of mathematics, science and special education.

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved the noted curriculum that was developed to encourage high school students to examine teaching as a career. In addition, STAR will assist in recruiting Louisiana students as teachers while addressing critical shortage areas. The Louisiana Department of Education funded the project and contracted with NSU to create a curriculum customized to Louisiana's needs. STAR was developed through collaboration with the CERT, the Board of Regents, the Governor's Office of the Workforce Commission and educators from higher education and high school.

"I am proud that we have developed a program that will engage today's students in the field of education," said State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard. "These are the teachers of the future, who will see a rewarding career field in its reality, and make informed decisions about their career choice. The STAR curriculum will assist in ensuring that sufficient numbers of quality educators will be in our classrooms in coming years."

"Louisiana can't hope to reach its social and economic potential until every child in every classroom in the state has a caring and competent teacher. If we're going to realize that goal, we need to encourage our young people to choose teaching as a career," said Dr. E. Joseph Savoie, Commissioner of Higher Education. "STAR is designed to help accomplish this goal."