Chron.com reports that in a statement made on Friday, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that the federal government will send the state of Texas $830 million in education funding that has been in limbo over the eight month budget battle waged in Congress over the 2010-11 budget. Although Duncan aimed for the move to be quiet by announcing the allocation late in the day before the holiday weekend, the move was heralded as a victory by both state and Congressional Republicans.

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State lawmakers are considering legalizing casinos in Texas as a way to bring in additional revenue. The estimates are projecting an additional 1.2 billion that could be collected if adopted. All or even a slice of this money would help ease the budget shortfalls for education, higher education, and for state agencies.

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The looming shortfalls that are currently in the news seems to cast a shadow on teacher hiring for the 2011-2012 school year. You must keep in mind however that the initial budget numbers (15% cut) presented in February are a worst case scenario that was adopted at the beginning of the legislative session.

The lawmakers in Texas will have several resources available to help supplement a large portion of their shrinking school budgets. These include accessing part of the rainy day fund, accounting maneuvering, and bringing in additional state revenue.

It will be several months before the final budget numbers will be presented to the school districts. By that time, many school districts that have been on a hiring freeze for the spring or were forced to do targeted teacher layoffs will open up job postings to fill vacancies for the upcoming school year.

Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst has expressed this week that he believes additional funds can be located to help resolve the budget crisis. He explained that the education budget can be maintained or even increased in the two year budget currently being worked on in the legislative session.

To accomplish this, Dewhurst has formed a special committee to find “non-tax” revenue to help ease the budgetary deficit. The committee will be looking at several options that include selling land, reducing certain expenses, and raising revenue through additional state fees.

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Higher oil prices could be a potential windfall for increasing the amount of revenue the state takes in this year. This additional revenue could be used to help offset the current budgetary problems facing education, higher education, and state agencies.

Initial estimates have forecasted an additional 2-3 billion dollars of revenue that could be collected from the increased oil prices. A percentage of the price from every barrel of oil and cubic foot of natural gas produced in the state goes into the rainy-day fund. This fund can be tapped to help ease funding shortages.

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The house and senate in Texas are both working on opposing plans to help ease the budgetary deficit. The senate finance committee has just approved a budget that would substantially increase funding for schools, as compared to the initial budget numbers adopted in February.

The initial budget numbers adopted in February called for a 15% reduction in school funding. The new version adopted by the senate finance committee calls for allocating an additional 6 billion toward public education funding. Instead of a 15% cut, school districts would be looking at a 3% - 8% cut.

Legislators are still looking at different avenues to bridge the education funding gap. This could include tapping the rainy day fund or may include using special accounting maneuvers that could save billions over the next two years.

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High school teacher ($46,000 salary) -- from Math teacher ($42,000) to Spanish teacher ($52,000)

Over the next ten years, according to BLS, 1.3 million new teachers will be needed for public schools. Within that favorable outlook, job opportunities will vary by subject taught and, naturally, geographic area. For public school teachers, one big advantage is job security, given that the teachers' union is strong, and many states have tenure laws keeping teachers from being fired without due process. Public school teachers must be licensed, which typically requires a bachelor's degree and completion of an approved teacher education program. Given the competition for good teachers in the coming years, highly qualified teachers are likely to bring in larger bonuses and increased salaries. Obtain your Texas Teacher Certification through etools4Education 100% online program, WCACP. Get more information

Teaching candidates applying for the Web-Centric Alternative Certification Program (WCACP) will have the option to begin at a time of your convenience. Continuous enrollment will allow candidates to begin the program once they have been accepted without waiting for a designated class date.

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Distance learning allows teachers to continue their lesson long after the bell rings. Teachers utilizing online modules and email can facilitate online discussion, post grades and assignments, as well as keep parents informed of the progress of their child’s education. The Internet allows teachers to teach courses more creatively and dynamically.

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When a proper diversity training program is initiated within a school district, several benefits often emerge for the organization and its employees. First, successful diversity programs help administrators delegate job assignments to subordinates and saves time in properly evaluating employees. Consequently, employees become more active in brainstorming and participating in projects, allowing for better teaching to occur. Secondly, diversity training benefits employees by increasing their motivation in regard to their work assignments. Diversity initiatives enacted by the organization help to optimize the money spent on employee salaries, benefits, recruitment and training.

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Nearly all states now have some type of alternative to going back to college and majoring in education to become a certified teacher. The biggest change that has occurred in alternative certification programs in the Houston area is not the sheer proliferation of programs, but the consensus of definition of what counts as an alternative route. Web-Centric is approved by the state of Texas as a licensed alternative certification program. This program has passed rigorous standards and qualifications to offer you a new online based teacher certification in the Houston area.

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There is a demand for qualified and committed teachers. As of 1998, nearly half of the nation’s teachers were over 45, which suggest that approximately two million teachers will be needed in the next decade. This growing teacher shortage is a real problem that is facing our education system, and it is of growing importance that our lawmakers and officials take measures to attract brighter, motivated people to the teaching profession. Teacher retention is also a problem that contributes to the growing teacher shortage.

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On January 8th, 2002, President Bush signed into law the much anticipated No Child Left Behind bill. The law passed through the House and Senate with unprecedented bipartisan support. No Child Left Behind helps to increase the accountability standards within schools and helps to increase funding for various educational programs that will affect millions of k-12 students around the country. The No Child Left Behind law helped to ensure the legacy of Brown v. Board decision by creating an educational system that is more responsive and accountable.

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The first instructional strategies would be creating the right classroom climate. This is to assure that your students feel safe, secure and are engaged with their own learning. Learning decreases when students feel threatened or unchallenged (Marzano, et al, 1992). Have discussions with your students on how to maintain the right climate for your classroom. Have them help formulate the way they want the classroom to run and they will help your enforce everyone’s expectations.

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