Position is now closed. Please keep an eye out for any future postings.

A project funded through the National Science Foundation, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program

Drs. Michele Stites and Chris Rakes seek a graduate research assistant for a multi-year grant project. The grant is housed in the Department of Education of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Science. This project will study the use of a professional development framework to guide teacher preparation programs and improve teacher candidates' classroom practice. The study will address both the systemic and individual challenges found in teacher preparation. The project's professional development is organized into four iterative phases: design, implementation, evaluation, & research. Structural supports of the project include network improvement communities, plan-do-study-act cycles, and coursework. This collaborative project involves partnerships with University of Maryland Baltimore County (lead), University of Central Florida, University of Kentucky, and Berea College. The four-year project aims to structure undergraduate mathematics teacher preparation programs at these four institutions and study the use of the Professional Development: Research, Implementation, and Evaluation framework (PrimeD) to improve teacher preparation programs and teacher candidates' professional practice. Using design-based research, the project will follow a multi-group treatment-only longitudinal, triangulation mixed methods design. The project aims to understand the following research objectives: (i) How well does PrimeD improve program development of undergraduate teacher candidate pedagogical content knowledge in ways that connect to their teaching? (ii) How well does PrimeD improve program development of undergraduate teacher candidates’ preparation to implement research-based teaching strategies? (iii) How well does PrimeD reposition stakeholders (e.g., classroom teachers, field experience supervisors, undergraduate teacher candidates, faculty) as partners, mentors, and co-learners in the program?

This position is full time (20 hours per week). Hours are flexible and will be adjusted to accommodate course schedules and any obligations that arise from working from home. Tuition and health benefits are included. Ph.D. students are preferred, but master’s degree students with a research background will be considered. A background/interest in math education is helpful but not a requirement of the position.

Job Duties include:

·       Assisting with grant implementation activities

·       Assisting with grant evaluation and research activities

·       Organizing and analyzing data

·       Taking meeting minutes

·       Collaborating with partner institutions and personnel

·       Providing support for secondary program and education department

·       Other duties as assigned

If interested, please send a resume and brief statement of interest to Dr. Stites at mailto:mstites@umbc.edu.

Original post can be found here: 

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/gsa/posts/102101

Utility Moratorium: The Public Service Commission has ordered a hold on all gas/electric service terminations until June 30, 2021 for the following two groups ONLY:

1)      Any customer with a signed medical certification on file with the utility.

2)      Any customer who has received or been qualified to receive Office of Home Energy assistance since February 15, 2017.

See the attachment for more details.

Utility Bill Payment Help:

- Check out a video on how to keep your power on even when you are facing high utility bills.

- All utilities are offering 12-month payment plans with no down payment required. Contact your utility for more information.

- The Office of People's Counsel has created an energy assistance toolkit to help Maryland households facing utility turn-off notices. This toolkit includes videos on how to fill out the Office of Home Energy Programs application, forms, and resource guides. 

For more resources, visit our website. 

Free Training on helping clients pay their energy bills: OPC offers free training on client utility issues and protections to government, nonprofit, and faith based agencies. Contact me if you are interested in free training for your agency.  

Utility Help for Baltimore City: Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Services, Probono Resource Center of MD and Office of People's Counsel have come together to provide remote Utility Clinics. Baltimore City residents can receive free legal advice from volunteer attorneys and from OPC staff regarding their water, gas, and/or electric bills. Attorneys will advise on issues such as unusually high or delinquent bills, bill disputes, shutoffs, and questions about financial assistance that may be available. Everything is done via phone, email, text, and mail. See the attached flyer for more information about how to connect clients to this free service. Please feel free to distribute. 

Eviction Information for Tenants: Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh has released “Residential Eviction in Maryland: Information for Tenants,” to help individuals and families who will be facing eviction, particularly due to nonpayment of rent during the COVID pandemic. The guidance issued by the Attorney General’s office is intended to help residential tenants understand their rights and where to look for legal help if an eviction lawsuit is filed against them.

Tax Credit: There have been changes to the Child Tax Credit that will help many families receive advance payments starting this summer. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 expands the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for tax year 2021 only.

For tax year 2021, eligible families claiming the CTC will receive up to $3,000 per qualifying child between the ages of 6 and 17 at the end of 2021. They will receive $3,600 per qualifying child under age 6 at the end of 2021.

Advance payments of the 2021 Child Tax Credit will be made regularly from July through December to eligible taxpayers.

For more information visit the IRS website.

Student Loans: Interest and monthly payments on federally held loans are suspended through September 30, 2021. You do not need to contact your student loan servicer or take any action on your federally held student loans. For more information visit Consumer Protection Financial Bureau.

MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND ARTS EDUCATION IN MARYLAND SCHOOLS HOSTS “NIKKI GIOVANNI SPEAKS”

Educators throughout Maryland Invited to Register for Free, Keynote Delivered by Renowned Poet Nikki Giovanni; Presentation Focuses on Social Justice, Equity and Antiracism

BALTIMORE, MD (June 2, 2021) - The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) are pleased to announce that Nikki Giovanni will engage with educators across the state on June 6, 2021 from 1 to 2 p.m. as part of a keynote presentation on equity titled Nikki Giovanni Speaks.  The virtual event is free and open to the Maryland education community. Space is limited and registration is required to receive a link for this event. Attendees can register at https://bit.ly/3yywTt6.

MSDE Division of Curriculum, Instructional Improvement, and Professional Learning offers diverse professional learning opportunities to educators every summer. Giovanni’s presentation is the pinnacle of ongoing professional development focused on educational equity and antiracism in the Department’s summer professional development program. 

Giovanni, one of America's foremost poets, will talk about the role of art and education in social justice and share reflections of the Black Arts Movement. Publishing more than 30 books, she is internationally known for her work as a poet, author, essayist, activist, and educator. The Tennessee native has also been named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, and Ebony Magazine, received more than 25 honorary degrees and Governor’s Awards from both Tennessee and Virginia. Furthermore, Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech and a recipient of Virginia Tech’s highest honor, the Alumni Outreach award.

In support of its mission of equity and excellence, the State Board approved COMAR 13A.01.06, Educational Equity in 2019. This heralded an intense focus on taking deliberate action to ensure that all Maryland students have equitable access to the “educational rigor, resources, and supports that are designed to maximize the student’s academic success and social/emotional wellbeing.”  

This opportunity is made available to all Maryland educators through the collaboration between AEMS and the MSDE Offices of Fine Arts, Professional Learning, Equity, and English/Language Arts.

Who are your Queer and Trancestors? 

To Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera 

To Gloria Anzaldúa and Alexa Negron Luciano 

To Tony McDade and Nina Pop 

To those who lived and loved in time past with the hopes of times to come.

The spirituality of queerness

A force field of 

unconditional love 

The first flower to bloom in 

A post-apocalyptic heart 

Our claim to liberation 

Is in deciphering 

shadows

Queerness is a dance 

A choreography between shame and pleasure

I have grown accustomed to their wandering eyes

The essence of my being tickles 

Their blushed cheeks 

I love unapologetically 

In the name of the ancestors who had to love in secret