97-10-30 College of Education Forges Partnership with USA Today

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION FORGES PARTNERSHIP WITH USA TODAY

     COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University and USA TODAY have
teamed up to work on enhancing teaching and learning.

     USA TODAY, a national newspaper with an average daily
circulation of 2.2 million worldwide, has been involved in
innovative education endeavors through its Classline education
program for 13 years.  Ohio State, a comprehensive research and
teaching university, has a College of Education consistently
ranked near the top nationwide for its excellence in teaching and
learning programs.

     Initially, the partnership will have a research focus, as
together the two groups disseminate research findings applicable
to the classroom and explore ways that use of the newspaper in
the classroom contributes to the educational process.

     Through the pages of Classline Today, USA TODAY’s daily
satellite-transmitted lesson plan for teachers, Ohio State’s
College of Education will bring tips based on research to the
attention of teachers.  The research tips will be published in
Classline Today and appear on a monthly basis.

     “We believe our partnership will have an immediate impact on
children’s and teachers’ understanding as they read about
significant research into how and what they learn,” said Robin
Porter, program development curriculum manager of education
partnerships at USA TODAY.  “The research tips we publish from
Ohio State can make a difference to the thousands of educators
who use USA TODAY in their classrooms.”

     Action research on the use of USA TODAY in the classroom was
undertaken by the staff and students of four Columbus Public
Schools (Beck, Parkmoor and Gables elementaries and Everett
Middle) and Central College Elementary in the suburban
Westerville Public Schools.  These schools, along with others,
have a Professional Development School (PDS) relationship with
the college for a cooperative focus on examining education with
an eye toward improvement.  One role of the newspaper to be
explored is in enhancing education’s school-to-work emphasis.

     “Much is known that needs to be further plumbed about how
children and adults learn, and how to best teach academic
subjects in a real-world context,” said Sandra Pritz, Ohio State
research specialist and project manager of school-to-work
initiatives.

     The partners recognize each others’ strengths.

     “Building deep awareness of the world is a profound aim of
teaching,” said Nancy Zimpher, dean of Ohio State’s College of
Education.  “It is hard to imagine a more appropriate forum for
this work than the pages of Classline Today, both for publishing
results and examining the impact of news and research on
learning.  USA TODAY is such a significant source of information
and insight for our nation that we are honored to work alongside
the paper in so important an enterprise.”

     “It is our privilege to work with such a prestigious
university as Ohio State,” said Denise Restauri, vice president,
national circulation sales at USA TODAY.  “Our Classline program
has produced innovative education programs and partnerships for
educators for 13 years.  The partnership with Ohio State’s
College of Education extends our long-standing commitment to
schools and to the children of this country.”

                            #

Contact:   Sandra Pritz, research specialist in Ohio State’s
         College of Education, (614) 688-8148, pritz.1@osu.edu
           Carol Dooling, manager, special programs, USA TODAY,
         (703) 276-6370, cdooling@usatoday.com


[Submitted by: Von Vargas  (vargas.12@osu.edu)
               
Thu, 30 Oct 1997 11:47:16 -0500 (EST)]
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