Spring enrollment is ON at Bellevue College

Affordable, convenient classes provide education to help launch careers

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Bellevue College (BC), the third largest educational institution in Washington State, is currently enrolling students for spring quarter classes that begin April 4, 2016. As a leader in workforce development, BC offers an affordable path to degrees that help residents of the Eastside and the Puget Sound region launch careers in health sciences, information technology, business, criminal justice and many other high-demand fields.

Chevron’s 2015 Fuel Your School Program Benefits 83,104 King County Students

Chevron U.S.A. Inc. recently announced that its 2015 Fuel Your School program generated $600,000 to help fund 736 classroom projects, including 306 focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), to help connect real world experiences to classroom learning for 83,104 students at 226 King County public schools.

Two Spaces Still Available for YouTube Marketing for Business Workshop on Tuesday

YouTube Marketing for Business Workshop Almost Full

There has been a lot of interest in Stacia Loo's free YouTube Marketing for Business workshop tomorrow night.  But the good news is that there are still a couple of seats left.  If you are interested in attending YouTube Marketing for Business you should RSVP asap.

If you are looking for better, less expensive marketing for your business, you cannot afford to miss the YouTube Marketing for Business workshop.  Don't let this opportunity slip to learn from an expert online marketer slip away.

 

Stacia Loo to Hold Free YouTube Marketing Event in Bellevue

Bellevue-based Social media professional Stacia Loo, who has successful clients near and far, is holding a free class on YouTube Marketing in Bellevue on June 2nd, 2015.  The event will be held at the Parkplace Boardroom on the 2nd floor at the Bellevue Hyatt from 6-8pm.  Complimentary parking is available courtesy of The Bellevue Collection.

Some of what you will learn from Ms. Loo:

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  How to brand and optimize your YouTube channel to attract leads

  
  


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  How to develop video topics that are most relevant to your audience

  
  


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  How to pick keywords and titles to attract targeted leads

  
  


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  Suggestions on the best and low cost tools to produce videos

  
  


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  Using cards, annotations, and playlists to increase engagement

  
  


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  Plus Creative ideas that will have even a novice doing videos like a pro!

  
  


• and my favorite:  Why it is important for your business to have a constant and fresh presence on YouTube (including the relationship between Google and YouTube and why your business cannot afford to ignore it.

To reserve your seat, make sure to register for YouTube Marketing For Business at Eventbrite.

 

AWB Institute Celebrates First Leadership Washington Graduates

The first-ever class of Leadership Washington, AWB Institute’s (AWBI) premiere program  to cultivate and educate the next generation of Washington industry leaders graduated recently. A ceremony was held at AWB’s annual Spring Meeting in Spokane.

Kicked off at AWB’s Policy Summit last September and sponsored by Battelle, the class of nine Leadership Washington members met six times over nine months at different locations across the state. At each session, participants were exposed to diverse industry sectors, including agriculture, energy, health care, high-tech, military and manufacturing.

“The mission of Leadership Washington is to develop articulate, thoughtful and well-informed leaders who can guide Washington state industry in a globally-competitive economy,” said AWBI Director Amy Anderson. “Based on what we saw from this group, Washington’s future looks bright. Going into the program, these were all smart, motivated young professionals. Thanks to their experiences in Leadership Washington, they now have a deeper knowledge of Washington’s diverse economy. They also gained valuable connections that should serve them well in the coming years.”

Timing for the program could not be better. The oldest of the baby boomers turned 65 in 2011 and each day an estimated 10,000 additional members reach retirement age. Equipping the generation to fill that employment gap is critical.

“Dubbed the ‘silver tsunami,’ baby boomers are leaving the workforce in large numbers, many of whom are vacating top leadership positions,” said Kris Johnson, president of the Association of Washington Business. “That’s why it was so important for AWBI to put in place a top notch program that helps employers identify and prepare tomorrow’s leaders today.”

Members of Leadership Washington’s inaugural class are:

• Paige Davis, Lane Powell PC, Seattle


• Ben Doornink, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, Spokane


• Emily Fleury, Inland Northwest Health Services, Spokane


• Annette Herup, SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, Moses Lake


• David Howell, Avista, Spokane


• Valerie Langston, State Farm, Tacoma


• Gordon Matlock, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, Richland


• Philip Schafer, State Farm, Tacoma


• Tonia Sorrell-Neal, Washington State Conference of Mason Contractors, Kirkland

The Institute is currently recruiting for the second class that will hold its first meeting at the AWB Policy Summit Sept. 15-17. For more information and how to apply to the program, contact Amy Anderson at360.943.1600 or AmyA@awb.org.

 

About the Association of Washington Business

Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 7,900 members representing 700,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.

Grad Nation Report Says U.S. on Track to Reach 90 Percent High School Graduation Rate by 2020

For the third year in a row, the country remains on pace to achieve the national goal of a 90 percent on-time high school graduation rate by 2020, according to the 2015 Building a Grad Nation report released today by America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center, and the Alliance for Excellent Education.

The GradNation campaign’s sixth annual update on the progress and challenges in increasing high school graduation rates shows that the country hit a record high of 81.4 percent in 2013, based on the most recent comprehensive data available from the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education.

As a result of progress made over the last decade, 1.8 million additional students have graduated from high school. To reach 90 percent, the graduating class of 2020 will need to have 310,000 more graduates than the Class of 2013.

“We are making progress in increasing graduation rates not because of broad demographic and economic trends, but because the leaders of schools, districts, communities and states are working hard to drive change,” said Robert Balfanz, research scientist and co-director of the Everyone Graduates Center at the John Hopkins School of Education. “Now in the third quarter of our 20-year campaign, we are seeing that big progress is possible, even in challenged districts and states.”

At the state level, progress was driven by significant gains in some of the 10 largest states, including California, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. But future gains are threatened by declining or stagnating graduation rates in New York, Illinois, Washington and Arizona, which together educate 15 percent of the nation’s high school students.

New analysis of district-level data shows that some districts are making tremendous progress while others are lagging or even going backwards. Much of the recent gain has been driven by one-quarter of the nation’s 500 largest school districts (districts that educate 15,000 or more students) which have been able to rapidly improve their graduation rates. Between 2011 and 2013, 124 of the 500 largest districts saw improvement of more than three times the national average. The majority of the students in these districts were students of color and low-income.

Low-income students. New data and analysis in the report show that the national graduation rate for middle/high-income students is at 88.2 percent, almost 15 percentage points higher than the rate for low income students. The half of the student population that is middle or high income is very close to reaching the 90 percent goal, while the half that is low-income is still far away. In 16 states, 90 percent of middle/high-income students already graduate; in 11 states less than 70 percent of low-income students graduate.

Some states and districts have been able to close or almost eliminate the “opportunity gap” - a term that

describes large disparities in access to resources, services, and experiences for low-income children. Kentucky stands out as a beacon to all other states. Its graduation rate for low-income students is 85 percent, nearly identical to its graduation rate for middle/high-income students and well above the national average for all students. Connecticut, which led the nation in closing the opportunity gap between 2011 and 2013 with a 6-point decline, shows that rapid improvement is possible, through concentrated effort. The gap between graduation rates for low-income and middle/high-income students narrowed in 28 states, but got larger in 18, with North Dakota seeing the largest increase of 7.6 percentage points.

“In America, education has always been seen as the pathway out of poverty, but the research in this report shows that that is not yet true enough in all locales,” said Alma J. Powell, chair of America’s Promise Alliance. “We have to make it true. We have to do everything possible – inside and outside of our schools – to make the promise of America real for every child.”

Students of Color. Nationally, Hispanic/Latino and African American students are starting to close the graduation gap with their white peers. Hispanic/Latino students—the fastest growing population of students—have made the greatest gains in the Adjusted Cohort Graduating Rate* reporting data, improving 4.2 percentage points to 75.2 percent in 2013. African American students have risen 3.7 percentage points, from 67 percent in 2011 to 70.7 percent in 2013.

Seven states – Michigan, New York, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, California and Illinois – educate about 40 percent of the nation’s African American students. All of these states either have graduation rates in the 60s for African American students, or have recently experienced significant declines. Unless these states start to experience significant improvements, the recent progress made in raising African American graduation rates will stall.

One reason for the national improvement in graduation rates among students of color is there are now fewer high schools with low graduation rates, often referred to as “dropout factories.” While there were 2,000 such schools in 2002, there were fewer than 1,200 of these schools nationwide and 1.5 million fewer students attending them in 2013. The most recent data indicates an acceleration in this improvement. Between 2012 and 2013 the number of low-graduation-rate high schools declined by more than 200.

Roadblocks to graduation for students of color include: “toxic stress” from living in high-poverty neighborhoods; a rise in exclusionary discipline practices, particularly in secondary schools; disparities in academic opportunities, such as access to challenging classes and coursework that will help to prepare students for college and career; as well as lack of support for English Language Learners.

Students with disabilities. Students with disabilities graduating on time reached 61.9 percent in 2012-13, compared to the 84.1 percent national graduation rate for general population students. This is an increase of 2.9 percentage points since 2010-11, but almost 20 points behind the national average. Estimates show that the graduation rate gap between students with disabilities and students in the general population ranges widely across states from 3.3 percentage points to 58.8 points. State variations of ACGR data, coupled with variation in state allowances for special education guidelines, contribute to the disparities keeping special education students from reaching their full potential.

Recommendations. The report includes recommendations for how federal, state and district policymakers can help more students graduate from high school, such as:

• Eradicate zero-tolerance discipline policies. The number of secondary school students suspended or expelled from school has increased by 40 percent, rising from one in 13 in 1972-73 to one in nine in 2009-10. Often these offenses are non-violent crimes such as truancy, dress code violations, or acting out in class. These students have increasingly been students of color or special education students. Students who are expelled or suspended become far more likely to not graduate on-time.

• Expand the use of early-warning indicators so educators can intervene at the earliest and most critical times to help students succeed. Train educators to gather, interpret and use data to improve student outcomes.

• Make state funding more equitable so low-income students have the same opportunities as their more affluent peers.

• Limit alternative exit options for special education students. States should establish a standard diploma that is available to all students, and limit exit options that prematurely take students with disabilities off track to graduating on time with a standard diploma.

• Increase use of consistent and comparable data to hold states accountable. As noted in the coalition letter sent to Congress earlier this year by the leaders of the GradNation campaign, holding states accountable for graduation rates remains an important and necessary measurement tool for determining where the challenges exist.

Authors and funders. The 2015 Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic report is co-authored by John Bridgeland, Jennifer DePaoli and Erin Ingram of Civic Enterprises and Robert Balfanz, Joanna Hornig Fox and Mary Maushard at the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Education in partnership with John Gomperts and his team at America’s Promise and Bob Wise and his team at the Alliance for Excellent Education. The 2015 report is presented by lead sponsor AT&T, with supporting sponsorship from Target.

Full report. A copy of the 2015 report, including state and subgroup numbers, as well as graphics from the report are available online at: www.GradNation.org/GradReport. The GradNation campaign, led by America’s Promise, seeks to raise the national on-time graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020 and increase postsecondary enrollment and completion.

*The ACGR or Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate is a newer metric now used by all states and school districts for tracking a group (or cohort) of students who enter high school together, as first-time ninth graders (or tenth graders) and graduate on-time with a regular diploma.

America’s Promise leads an alliance of organizations, communities and individuals dedicated to making the promise of America real for every child. As its signature effort, the GradNation campaign mobilizes Americans to increase the on-time high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020 and prepare young people for postsecondary enrollment and the 21st century workforce. www.AmericasPromise.org
Civic Enterprises is a public policy and strategy firm that helps corporations, nonprofits, foundations, universities and governments develop and spearhead innovative public policies to strengthen our communities and country. Created to enlist the private, public and nonprofit sectors to help address our Nation’s toughest problems, Civic Enterprises fashions new initiatives and strategies that achieve measurable results in the fields of education, civic engagement, economic mobility, and many other domestic policy issues. www.civicenterprises.net

The Everyone Graduates Center at the Center for Social Organization of Schools at the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University seeks to identify the barriers to high school graduation, develop strategic solutions to overcoming these barriers and build local capacity to implement and sustain the solutions so that all students graduate prepared for adult success. www.every1graduates.org

The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC-based national policy and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those who are traditionally underserved, graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship. www.all4ed.org

FORD/AAA Student Auto Skills State Competition Creates Opportunities for Automotive Technicians at Bellevue High School

Top high school automotive technicians will challenge their technical skills and stretch their innovative minds at the Washington Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills State competition on Tuesday, April 28. Twenty high school students from across Washington, including two students from Bellevue High School, will compete for thousands of dollars’ worth of scholarships and a chance to advance to the National Finals. The state competition will be held at Renton Technical College, 3000 NE Fourth Ave., Automotive Quad (building K), from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28. Awards ceremony directly following.

The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition is targeted to support students looking to jumpstart a career as an automotive service technician. A total of 21 schools and 364 students took the online exam in Washington state this year. Of those, only 20 students qualified to advance to the state finals, representing the top five percent of all students who took the test. On a national scale, a total of 13,753 students registered for the online state qualifying exam.

Each two-student team in the State Finals will compete against each other and the clock to diagnose and repair a deliberately “bugged” 2015 Ford Fiesta SE vehicle. Top ranked schools that qualified to compete in this year’s Washington state finals include:

• Bellevue High School - Pete Mccue, Automotive Instructor


• Clark County Skills Center - Justin Flick, Automotive Instructor


• Decatur High School - Tim Kelly, Automotive Instructor


• Kentridge High School - George Sichting, Automotive Instructor


• Marysville-Pilchuck High School - Chuck Nichols, Automotive Instructor


• New Market Vocational Skills Center - Mark Emmons, Automotive Instructor


• North Thurston High School - Brian Stretch, Automotive Instructor


• Puyallup Senior High School - Larry Turner, Automotive Instructor


• Sno-Isle Technology Skills Center - Gary Holboy, Automotive Instructor


• Tri-Tech Skills Center - Larry Brookes, Automotive Instructor

Qualifying teams were selected based on their scores in the online exam which tests overall automotive knowledge. The team with the highest combined score from the hands-on competition and written exam will win the state competition.

The winning two-student team will advance to represent Washington state at the national finals at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., June 7-9, 2015. At the national finals, champions from each state will vie for millions of dollars in scholarships, automotive equipment and a trip to the Wood Brothers Racing facility where the students and instructor will work on race cars and learn from top automotive engineers.

Both the national and the state-wide competitions have been organized with the support of AAA and Ford personnel, local automotive instructors and the AAA Approved Auto Repair program, a free public service AAA performs to identify quality repair facilities throughout the country. For additional details on 2015 State Hands-On Competition locations and dates, visit AutoSkills.AAA.com.

 

About Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills

The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills is a nationwide automotive technology competition that offers millions of dollars in scholarships and prizes to high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing careers as automotive service technicians. Nearly 13,000 students from across the U.S. compete for the chance to represent their school and state in the National Finals. The competition tests students’ automotive knowledge, workmanship and problem-solving abilities. For additional information on the competition, visithttp://autoskills.aaa.com/

High School Exchange Students Reach Record Numbers in 2015

International Experience - USA (iE-USA), a high school student exchange organization, announced that they plan to welcome a record number of students to U.S. communities in the fall of 2015, mirroring a national trend. According to CSIET (Council on Standards for International Education Travel), 200,000+ exchange students are expected in 2015.

As the leading English-speaking host country of foreign exchange students, our nation as a whole has seen an increase in high school exchange participants of about 13% in the past decade (CSIET 2013; 2014). This upward trend is expected to continue as a growing number of international students seek both English fluency and cultural competency to prepare for the increasingly global marketplace.

When U.S. communities engage with a growing number of international students, local schools and families benefit from the cultural interactions they inherently provide.

"Every year our state plays host to many talented, top-of-their-class students with the lifelong dream of studying in America," says Emily Rolin, iE-USA's Regional Director, “and our communities reap the rewards.” Rolin, who boasts 10 years of work in student exchange, says that each student who visits her community brings with them a unique perspective. “We have the opportunity to see through their eyes: to explore another culture not through travel, but through relationships.”

Though many high schools once viewed exchange participants as “extra” students requiring the attention of teachers and staff, the popular opinion among administrators is shifting to favorexchange student enrollment as a natural way to integrate differing worldviews into the classroom. The U.S. Department of Education has stressed the importance of building the global competencies of U.S. students to make them internationally competitive, and many believe that welcoming exchange students into the high school setting can help toward that end.

“As a principal, I truly appreciate the opportunity to host foreign exchange students on a yearly basis,” says Principal Kevin O’Neill of Vicksburg, Michigan.  “The infusion of a variety of cultures into our high school has been an invaluable experience for our students.”

Families who host an exchange student often benefit on a more personal level, forming family ties that last far beyond the boundaries of the exchange. Hosting an international student offers these local families a realistic way to explore a new culture right at home. “My wife and I wanted to travel the world, but we both worked full time, so we brought the world to us!” remembers Dave Long, a retired Vietnam veteran who has been hosting exchange students since 1982.

“Our family has been blessed in so many ways by student exchange,” says Sara Lee, whose family has hosted 3 iE-USA students in the past 5 years. “We consider our students to be a part of our extended ‘international’ family!” The Lees recently returned from Colombia, where they visited their previous exchange students’ families and toured the local countryside.

iE-USA’s exchange student participants are between the ages of 15-18 and come from many countries including Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, Montenegro, and Argentina. Each student undergoes an extensive application process and is responsible for his/her own spending money and health insurance coverage. A list of current students can be found online athttp://usa.international-experience.net/.

Host families (traditional families, singles, empty nesters, etc.) provide a supportive home base for their student for a semester or full academic year. Visiting students participate as active members of the family, integrating into their daily routines and traditions just like any other family member.

iE-USA is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting education and understanding through intercultural and academic exchange. iE-USA is certified by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) and strictly adheres to all U.S. Department of State Student Exchange Program regulations and guidelines.

To learn more about how you can experience and support cultural exchange in your own home, contact iE-USA representative, Dawn Green at d.green@international-experience.net, (208) 447-8118.​​

Bellevue College VP Dr. Gayle Colston Barge named one of the nation’s top 25 Women in Higher Ed

Dr. Gayle Colston Barge, Bellevue College Vice President for Institutional Advancement, has been named one of the nation’s Top 25 Women in Higher Education by Diverse Issues in Higher Education in their annual special issue for Women’s History Month.

Barge is recognized as an expert on African-American women and work-life balance.  This fall she will present at the Oxford Women’s Leadership Symposium in Oxford, England. She has more than 30 years’ experience in marketing, communications and public affairs positions.  At Bellevue College she provides leadership and supervision for all fundraising, marketing and communications outreach, including the college’s 50^th anniversary celebration in 2016.

The Top 25 Women in Higher Education issue includes several college and university presidents and executives of educational organizations and associations. The women featured have made a difference in the world by tackling some of higher education’s toughest challenges and exhibiting extraordinary leadership skills. The issue’s cover features trailblazing leader Dr. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, who was selected as the 2015 Dr. John Hope Franklin Award winner.  To learn more about this year’s Top 25 Women in Higher Education, please visit: http://diverseeducation.com/W-H-M/Top-25-Women-2015.pdf

About Bellevue College: With an annual average enrollment of over 33,000, Bellevue College is one of the largest educational institutions in Washington State. BC offers associate degree programs covering the first two years of a college education as well as four-year bachelor’s degrees, certificates and continuing education programs in more than 90 professional and technical fields, such as information technology, telecommunications, business, education, health and public safety. Visit and learn more at www.bellevuecollege.edu

Bellevue Teacher Catherine Guilford Honored as Elementary Teacher of the Week!

On Thursday, March 19^th, 2015 at 10:00am, STAR 101.5 SURPRISED Spiritridge Elementary teacher, Mrs. Catherine Guilford, and presented her with the STAR 101.5 Elementary Teacher of the Week award.  In a local contest conducted by STAR 101.5 radio, Catherine Guilford, a 5^th grade teacher, was nominated by her student, Luke Sanders.  STAR 101.5’s Afternoon Show Host, Corine McKenzie, made a SURPRISE visit to Mrs. Guilford’s Spiritridge Elementary classroom in Bellevue, (16401 SE 24^th Street,Bellevue, WA 98008).

Each student received a goody bag full of prizes from McDonald’s, Dairy Farmers of Washington, KOMO 4, and STAR 101.5!  Catherine Guilford received a personalized plaque from Trophies2Go and a $100 check.  Plus, Mrs. Guilford got a makeover courtesy of Blanc N’ Schwartz Salon in Kent.

STAR 101.5’s “Elementary Teacher of the Week” is a program that allows students to recognize local, deserving teachers for their commitment to the quality education of children.  To nominate a teacher go to STAR1015.com.

New program to help parents teach teenagers safe driving habits

The Department of Licensing has partnered with Safe Roads Alliance to launch a new program sponsored by State Farm^® that provides parents and guardians with a simple, easy-to-follow plan designed to help teens develop safe driving habits.

“Young drivers in Washington State, between the ages of 16 and 19 years old, are more than twice as likely to crash as drivers in other age groups due to inexperience,” said Pat Kohler, DOL Director. “Parents play a critical role in their children’s education and this guide encourages parents to expose teenagers to a variety of enhanced supervised driving experiences to help them become knowledgeable and safe drivers.”

The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program guide is packed with information and lessons on driving basics, parental pointers, and licensing qualifications that are helpful to parents of new drivers. The program is supplemented by the RoadReady^® mobile app, which can easily and accurately track the required supervised driving time of 50 hours, including 10 hours of night driving. Last year, 76,500 Washington teens sought instruction (learner’s) permits, and the Department wanted to provide parents with a resource geared toward skill development and expanding the conditions and time teens drive with their parents prior to driving independently.

The program focuses on the role of the parent in the teen driver education process and encourages parents and teens to drive together in a variety of weather conditions and unfamiliar settings, city and heavy traffic routes, and various times of day.  According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm study, Driving Through the Eyes of Teens, teen drivers whose parents are highly involved in the teen driver education process were half as likely to get in a car crash, 71 percent less likely to drive intoxicated, 30 percent less likely to use a cell phone while driving, and twice as likely to wear seatbelts.

“Getting a driver’s license is such a special moment in a teen’s life, but it often causes increased anxiety for parents,” said Ed Gold, State Farm Marketing Director. “Research tells us the single most important thing parents can do to help their teens stay safe on the road is to allow as much supervised practice behind the wheel as possible. Driving with a parent builds a new driver’s confidence and we hope this new resource will help parents and teens make the most of this time together.”

The free program guide is available at driver licensing offices around the state. It is also available on the DOL website at: http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/docs/parentguide.pdf  The RoadReady mobile app is available at the App Store.

The Lean IT Association Launches with Mission to Set a Global Standard for Lean IT Education and Certification

The Lean IT Association - a consortium of global leaders in the IT Training and Certification Industry -  today announced its formation and revealed its newly developed Lean IT Certification Scheme. The Certification Scheme sets out an important reference for professionals in several degrees of knowledge and competence.

The Lean IT Association (LITA) is led by a Board comprised of Senior Directors of its founding members, including Nick Houlton (APMG), Bernd Taselaar (EXIN), Byron Nicolaides (PEOPLECERT), David Ratcliffe (Pink Elephant), Maurice Boon (Quint) and Sukhbir Jasuja (ITpreneurs). According the Association’s Manifesto, the Consortium was founded to set a global standard for Lean IT education and certification.

Lean is about making the organization more efficient and to effectively respond to external demand. Incremental and radical change methods such as Agile Scrum can be used to transition the organization to Lean principles in production and management. IT Service Management can get a huge benefit out of Lean IT, by removing waste and optimizing the value of the IT services. Nick Houlton,  Chief Operating Officer at APMG states: “Lean principles have been used in a variety of industries for some years now. The IT industry has embraced these principles using the term “Lean IT”, but while there have been some fragmented initiatives for education & certification in Lean IT, there is no universally accepted program or thought leadership. The Lean IT Association is aiming to remedy that”.

The Lean IT Certification Scheme consists of 4 distinct certifications for various levels. Starting at an entry level with Lean IT Foundation and moving into Lean IT Kaizen Lead, climbing further up the ladder to Lean IT Leader or Coach. Each level introduces more knowledge and skills, eventually leading up to competences that enable a professional to support corporate introduction or further development of Lean IT initiatives.

Training providers can apply for accreditation by one of the Exam Institutes liaised to LITA,  through the Lean IT Association website. The quality of their training program, materials and trainers will be assessed against and accredited according to LITA standards.

About the Lean IT Association
Lean IT Association (LITA) is a non-profit organization founded by three Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) - ITpreneurs, Pink Elephant, Quint and three Examination Institutes (EIs) - APMG, EXIN, PEOPLECERT International Ltd.
To realize its broader purpose LITA aims to provide:

●an industry-standard set of Lean IT reference materials and other resources for practitioner organizations to use;
●a clear understanding of the value and positioning of Lean IT relative to other bodies of knowledge, frameworks and standards;
●a certification scheme aimed at practitioner organizations looking to adopt Lean IT principles in the IT Service development and operations department as well as professionals that want to be certified in Lean IT on various levels.

Covenant Shores' Jim Brockmeyer Receives $1,000 Scholarship from LeadingAge Washington

Recently, Covenant Shores Fitness Coordinator/Director of Wellness Jim Brockmeyer of Bothell was one of nine to receive the LeadingAge Washington’s 2014 Scholarship Award.

Established in 2006, the senior living industry scholarship program recognizes and encourages long term care workers to continue their education, and gain knowledge and the experience necessary to improve the quality of care and life of seniors in residential communities. The scholarship is awarded to professionals who serve seniors in various fields including nursing, mental health, social services, dining, administrative and fitness.

“I am grateful and honored to be selected as one of the LeadingAge Washington scholarship winners,” states Brockmeyer. “With this scholarship, I’ll be able to continue my education, and help affect change in preventive health care and health maintenance programs for current and future senior populations.”

“Jim is very passionate and dedicated to assisting area seniors maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. We are fortunate to have him part of our Covenant Shores family,” says Bruce Erickson, executive director at Covenant Shores. “We are all excited for him, and look forward to assisting him further with his professional development and education.”

As the Fitness Coordinator/Director of Wellness at Covenant Shores, a faith-based, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community administered by Covenant Retirement Communities, Brockmeyer is responsible for comprehensive health and fitness screening, programming and education for residents in all levels of care as well as employee health and fitness. He is a graduate of Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. and University of Washington in Seattle.

Brockmeyer is currently enrolled in the Healthcare Management, Gerontology option master’s program at Marylhurst University in Marylhurst, Ore. He is a certified Health Fitness Specialist and Health Fitness Director with the American College of Sports Medicine. Brockmeyer also holds a certificate in Gerontology from the University of Washington.

About Covenant Shores

Covenant Shores, a faith-based, not-for-profit, continuing care retirement community, is located at 9150 Fortuna Drive, Mercer Island, Wash. It is administered by Covenant Retirement Communities, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit senior services providers. Covenant Retirement Communities serves 5,000 residents at 15 retirement communities nationwide and is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. For more information on Covenant Shores, call 877–385-8613 or visit

www.covenantshores.org.

St. Thomas School Helps Shape Microsoft’s OneNote Class Notebook Creator

St. Thomas School in Medina, WA has a long history of incorporating laptop programs for students in the third through eighth grades so they can produce videos, compose music, take online math tests, and author book reviews and essays. This year the school expanded the program to include a program for first through second grade students and chose the Surface Pro as the school's standard device.

St. Thomas School worked closely with Microsoft through the development and testing of the OneNote Class Notebook Creator, a new app that allows teachers to create a personal workspace for every student.

St. Thomas School participated in beta testing of the product and the teachers and students were able to provide valuable insight and feedback
to the Microsoft team.

"St. Thomas School provided us with invaluable real-world feedback as we developed the OneNote Class Notebook Creator,” said Kristin Rhodes,
general manager for education at Microsoft.  “We wanted to create an app that was immediately useful for teachers and helps them quickly and easily set up class notebooks for collaborating and sharing content.  Working with teachers and students at St. Thomas School through early product testing and programs like the Surface Advisory Council helps us to create innovative learning environments for students.”

By working with the Microsoft Surface team, St. Thomas School has taken a leadership position in the integration between education and technology. To further the collaboration between St. Thomas School and Microsoft, Kimberly Mecham, the school’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, has accepted an invitation to join the Microsoft Surface Advisory Council.

About St. Thomas School
Founded in 1951, St. Thomas School is an independent, non-sectarian, early childhood, elementary and middle school. STS gives students the
intellectual capacity, rigorous critical thinking skills, and strength of character to lead, innovate and collaborate. We serve 300 students on a
55,000 sq. ft. LEED Gold® certified campus on the east side of Lake Washington in Medina. St. Thomas School is one of five schools in the U.S.
selected to be a part of the Microsoft Innovative Schools World Tour. For more information, please see http://www.stthomasschool.org, find them on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @stsfalcons.

Peter Diamandis Launches Global Learning X-Prize!

I just got an e-newsletter from Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Planetary Resources, Peter Diamandis and feel the need to share it with our readers:

I'm writing to tell you about the boldest XPRIZE I've ever launched.

...and I want you involved.



There are nearly one billion illiterate people on Earth.

Two-thirds of them are women.

250 million of them are children.

These are kids who can't read, write or do basic math.

And there is a HUGE cost to society here: 250 million minds are going to waste.

We know from hard research that educated populations have lower growth rates, are more peaceful and add to the global economy.

The best way to create a more peaceful and prosperous world is to educate these kids.

But how?

To meet the demand of 250 million illiterate children would requiretraining over 1.6 million new teachers by 2015.

There is NO WAY to teach enough teachers and build enough schools.

The old way just doesn't scale.

It's time to stop thinking linearly...

So here's a solution. It's the MOST important XPRIZE we may ever launch.

It's called the $15M Global Learning XPRIZE.

We are challenging hundreds (perhaps thousands) of teams around the world to build a piece of software that can take a child fromilliteracy to reading, writing and numeracy in just 18 months.

Imagine such software preloaded onto every phone and every tablet.

Imagine software that incorporates A.I. as the facilitator -- providing on-demand, personalized knowledge and learning when and where it is needed.

This isn't designed to replace teachers. It's to create an educational solution where little or none exists.

If there was one tool to create a more peaceful and vibrant world, one tool to empower humanity, this would be it.

I want to URGE you to check out this XPRIZE and get involved.

Do you have kids? Nieces, nephews, younger siblings?

Would you like access to the most powerful learning software ever created for your local elementary school?

If you do, then get involved and get access. Please check it out here.

This may be the most important and bold issue I've ever attempted to tackle.

Join XPRIZE in this mission. Let's Change the World!

All the best,
Peter

SBA Awards Grants to Resource Partners to Sustain Entrepreneurship Training for Transitioning Service Members

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has entered into a cooperative agreement with America’s Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, and the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) to provide a combined $1.12 million of funding to sustain and expand the resource partners’ participation in SBA’s Boots to Business program. The program provides training to transitioning service members and their spouses pursuing business ownership as a post-military service career.

Funding for the agreement will reimburse SBA resource partners for the two-day “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” courses delivered on military installations worldwide as part of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Transition Assistance Program (TAP).  The course helps prepare transitioning service members for business ownership and connects them to SBA resources in their local communities.

“Veterans make some of our country’s best entrepreneurs, and we are investing in them by ensuring our partners are funded to maximize the training and support they provide to service members embarking on their post-service careers,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet. “We owe so much to those who have served in our Armed Forces and sacrificed so much.  Our veterans deserve opportunities, and the SBA and our network of small business experts are ready to help them start their next chapter.”

Boots to Business is the entrepreneurship training track within the DoD’s TAP program  designed to support service members as they transition to civilian life.  Boots to Business began as a pilot in 2012, expanded nationally in 2013, and was appropriated $7 million in the fiscal year 2014 federal budget for expansion and sustainment.  Since January 2013, over 16,000 transitioning service members have participated in the two-day “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” class on 165 military installations worldwide.

Each year, more than 250,000 service members transition out of the military.  These veterans are natural entrepreneurs who possess the skills, experience and leadership to start businesses and create jobs.

Veterans make up a large number of successful small business owners.  Nine percent of small businesses are veteran-owned.  These 2.45 million veteran-owned businesses employ more than five million individuals and generate more than one trillion dollars of receipts each year.  In the private sector workforce, veterans are more likely than those with no active-duty military experience to be self-employed.

Each year, SBA helps more than 200,000 veterans, service-disabled veterans and reservists start and grow their small businesses.  To learn more about additional opportunities for veterans available through the SBA, visit www.sba.gov/vets.

NFL Tackles a Tough Issue: Domestic Violence

In a bold move, Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League, informed team owners that the NFL will increase its penalties for player’s involved in domestic violence cases.
“We need respected leaders and coaches to be role models,” states Barbara Langdon, LifeWire Executive Director. “Millions of viewers watch NFL Games every season. We applaud Roger Goodell for taking this opportunity to lead with tougher sanctions, hold players accountable and send a powerful message to the nation that domestic violence and sexual assault will not be tolerated. Domestic violence devastates the lives of too many women, men, youth and children. By enforcing these penalties the NFL can make a profound difference by being a role model in the fight to end domestic violence.”
The league’s policy concerning domestic violence could be a game-changing hit to San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald who was arrested early Sunday morning on felony domestic violence charges, according to the San Jose Police Department. McDonald, Height 6-3 Weight 290, was taken into custody after officers responded to reports of a violent altercation. The alleged victim, with visible injuries, is pregnant.
LifeWire’s mission is to end domestic violence. Regardless of your socio-economic status; race or background, domestic violence goes across all barriers. One in every four women and one in every seven men have experienced severe physical violence by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend.* If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call LifeWire’s 24- Hour Helpline at 425-746-1940 or 1-800-827-8840. To learn more about domestic violence, visit LifeWire at www.lifewire.org
Prevention is key. “With the support of the Verizon Foundation, LifeWire is implementing the Coaching Boys into Men Program in local schools and the community,” explains Ward Urion, LifeWire Social Change Manager. “In this innovative program we work with coaches and athletic directors to deliver a powerful message about healthy relationships while working to change cultural norms that support domestic violence.”
“We are working to end domestic violence in our community. If you are in a position of power to send a message to end violence in our nation, be a leader and speak up,” states Urion. “The NFL has an exceptional opportunity to be a role model and effect social change at the national level.”
In a KNBR radio interview, 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh reiterated his zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence. “If someone physically abuses a woman and/or physically or mentally abuses or hurts a child, then there's no understanding," he said, "there's no tolerance for that.”
LifeWire is the largest provider of comprehensive domestic violence services and confidential shelter in Washington State, and is a nationally recognized leader in the field. Since 1982, LifeWire has been a lifeline for more than 124,000 victims and their children, offering safety, shelter, support, education and prevention services. LifeWire assists people with meeting their needs for safety, critical human services, advocacy, shelter, homelessness prevention and housing stability helping them become self-sufficient.

Back to School: 10 Ways to Keep Students, Pedestrians and Motorists Safe

As the new school year begins, AAA Washington urges drivers to be aware and extra cautious when traveling in school zones, backing out of driveways and navigating through parking lots and neighborhoods. More than 1.1 million students in Washington state are preparing for back to school, which welcomes an increase in child pedestrian activity in and around roadways, especially during morning and afternoon hours.

According to the NHTSA, nearly 500 school-age children (ages 5-18) are killed each year during school travel while occupants of passenger vehicles, in addition to the 75 school-age pedestrians that are killed each year while traveling to and from school*.

Top 10 Back-to-School Safety Tips from AAA:

1.      Slow down. Obey Washington’s 20 M.P.H. speed limit in school zones. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a pedestrian is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed when struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 M.P.H. compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 30 M.P.H.

2.      Keep your eyes on the road. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles the chance of being involved in a crash.

3.      Come to a complete stop. More than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop before proceeding.

4.      Reverse responsibly. Check for children on the sidewalk, in driveways and around your vehicle before slowly backing up.

5.      Respect crossing zones: More than 22,000 students in Washington state volunteer as AAA School Safety Patrollers to protect their fellow classmates during school travel. Be mindful near crossing zones and make eye contact with patrollers to ensure maximum safety.

6.      Watch for bicycles. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and a bicyclist. Expert advice, videos and safety tips at ShareTheRoad.AAA.com.

7.      Eliminate distractions: Eliminate dangerous distractions that can increase your risk of being involved in a crash. For example, store cell phones out of reach to limit texting, calling or emailing while driving.

8.      Talk to your teen: According to the NHTSA, 74 percent of fatalities during school travel hours are crashes involving teen drivers.

9.      Plan for extra time. Drive slowly and choose alternate routes to avoid school zones if possible, or plan ahead and allow for extra travel time if needed.

10.      Practice: Knowledge and practice of safe walking and biking around traffic is essential. Choose safe walking and bicycling routes and demonstrate the rules of the road with your children before school starts.
School zone safety tips can be found on AAA’s “School’s Open - Drive Carefully” page at exchange.aaa.com.

“Parents have a great influence on their child’s safe walking, biking and driving behaviors,” said Jennifer Cook, AAA Washington. “As families prepare for the upcoming school year, we encourage parents to talk about the importance of school zone safety with their children and teen drivers.”

* Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s specific criteria used to define school travel include: 1. Month of year: September 1-June 15; 2. Days of week: Monday- Friday; 3. Hours of day: 6 a.m. - 8:59 a.m. and 2 p.m. - 4:59 p.m.

AAA Washington has been serving members and the traveling public since 1904.  The organization provides a variety of exclusive benefits, including roadside assistance, discounts, maps and personalized trip planning, to its 1,080,000 members. In addition, its full-service travel and insurance agencies provide products and services for members and the public. Additional information is available through the company’s stores  in Washington and northern Idaho, at AAA.com, or by calling 1-800-562-2582.