(Radio Iowa) — The governor and the leader of the state Education Department say the program that allows veteran teachers to become mentors to their less-experienced colleagues is showing benefits. Department of Education director Ryan Wise says schools have been working on their teacher leadership plans in the last four to six years. “What we know is– that the longer schools emphasize teacher leadership and giving teachers a role and a voice in improving the quality of instruction — the greater impact that has on student learning,” Wise says.

He says the data shows it has helped schools keep teachers. “Eighty-nine percent of school districts mostly or fully met the goals that they set related to teacher attraction…and retention,” according to Wise. He says the program has done a lot to help share information among teachers. “We also see great results related to the frequency and quality of collaboration that teachers have with one another. I think that teacher leadership has really changed the nature of the teaching profession in Iowa for the better,” Wise says. “Teachers are much more likely to work together than they were before we had this system in place.”

Wise says it has also made an important difference for students. “The percentage of districts that are mostly or fully meeting the achievement goals they have set have gone up now for three years in a row. So, across a number of measures, teacher leadership in Iowa is having a positive impact,” Wise explains.  Last school year was the third with all districts participating, and 58 percent reported mostly or fully meeting local achievement goals, up from 56 percent in 2017-18 and 50 percent in 2016-17. The program comes with additional state money to pay more to the teacher leaders — and Wise says that is key. “Very important,” he says, “you know the state invests about 163 million dollars annually in teacher leadership. And that really gives schools the ability to create roles that have a clearly defined mission to them. And additional compensation as well.”

“That compensation really recognizes a teacher’s ability and impact and allows schools to do some creative things,” Wise says. The system is the centerpiece of an education reform package adopted by legislators in 2013 and was phased in over three years. The Department of Education says more than 10-thousand teachers in Iowa’s 327 school districts are in leadership roles through the program. The end-of-year report is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.

Four people were said to have been seriously injured during a collision between an SUV and a pickup, Sunday afternoon, near De Soto. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2012 Chevy Silverado was traveling south on Highway 169 at around 3-p.m., as a 2019 Toyota 4Runner was exiting I-80 and turning south.

The vehicles collided, causing the pickup to roll over and come to rest in the west ditch, on its top. The SUV came to rest on the southbound lane of Highway 169. Both drivers, 60-year old Scott E. Toland, of Winterset, and 70-year old Constantino A. Alverez, of Estherville, along with the passengers in his pickup: 63-year old Michael M. Bradshaw, and 41-year old Michael W. Mathine, both of Estherville, were injured in the crash.

Toland and Bradshaw were flown by helicopter to Mercy and Methodist Hospitals in Des Moines. Alvarez and Mathine were transported to those same hospitals, by Dallas County EMS. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, DeSoto PD, DeSoto Fire, Van Meter Fire, the IA DOT, Mercy 1 and LifeFlight.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Am Iowa woman has died after an explosion at a gender reveal party created debris that hit her. The Marion County Sheriff’s office says the explosion happened at a home in Knoxville, Iowa, around 4 p.m. Saturday. Deputies arrived to find a 56-year-old woman dead. Investigators determined that an explosion during the gender reveal announcement caused the woman’s death. The party was being held to announce the gender of a baby a couple is expecting.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A growing trend has emerged in the states that matter most in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary fight: Voters appear to be getting less certain of their choice as Election Day approaches. The escalating uncertainty is in part a reflection of the historically large number of candidates still in the race. But it also reflects a deepening sense of unease about the party’s top-tier candidates whose political liabilities are becoming more visible as Iowa’s Feb. 3 caucuses rapidly approach.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — An idle Iowa meat-processing plant that closed earlier this year after only a few months of operation has been sold. The Sioux City Journal reports that Lopez Foods paid $5.8 million for the plant in Cherokee, Iowa, and the company plans to restart operations there by early next year.

RUDD, Iowa (AP) — A 9-year-old boy died and four other people were hurt after a two-vehicle crash in northern Iowa over the weekend. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the crash happened in Rudd, Iowa, on Saturday morning. Royce Fisher died. Rudd is about 65 miles (104.6 kilometers) northwest of Waterloo, Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says a Ford Taurus driven by 29-year-old Jesse Blades went through a stop sign and struck the passenger side of a Ford Windstar minivan driven by 57-year-old Ronald Fisher.

An Iowa Western Community College community service project seeks to collect donations of canned food this week, in Atlantic. According to Leigh Ann Wolfe-Dawson, Communications Instructor at the IWCC Atlantic campus, students in the Monday-Wednesday & Friday Public Speaking class created a “Can the Cart” Food Drive to seek donations for the Atlantic Food Pantry. Their project was spurred by a visit to the Food Pantry, in September.

Each day this week (Monday thru Friday) a grocery cart will be in the entryway at the IWCC Cass County Center in Atlantic. A glass jar to collect spare change and monetary donations will be on the IWCC front counter to help Change Hunger too. On Wednesday, October 30th, from 2-until 3-p.m. canned food donations and monetary donations will be accepted in the IWCC parking lot, in Atlantic. Simply drive-up and donate your canned food and/or money, to benefit the Atlantic Food Pantry.

Wolfw-Dawson said their students don’t want anyone to be hungry and they want to do what they Can to help our community and local food pantry. Hy-Vee has graciously let the students borrow a grocery Cart. The goal is to fill that empty grocery cart with canned food and nonperishable items and donate those items and the monetary donations to the Atlantic Food Pantry.

The best Items to donate include: Canned Fruit, Canned Peas, Canned Pork and Beans, Canned Tomato Soup, Canned Chicken Noodle Soup, Canned Tuna, Canned Beef Ravioli, Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, Macaroni and Cheese, Hamburger Helper, Cereal, Sides of Pasta and Sauce, Peanut Butter, Toilet Paper, Liquid Laundry Detergent, and basically anything, including monetary donations.

The Iowa State Patrol says the pursuit of a Ford F-350 pickup that began Sunday morning in Mills County, ended with a crash and the injury of three teens in Montgomery County. Authorities say the pickup, driven by a 16-year old from Carter Lake, was being pursued at around 8:50-a.m. by Mills County Deputies and Glenwood Police, eastbound on Highway 34 from the Glenwood area. The chase entered Montgomery County on Highway 34. When the pickup approached Avenue A, the driver attempted to turn left, but the vehicle was traveling too fast.

The pickup went out of control and entered the north ditch off Highway 34, before striking a culvert and rolling over. The vehicle came to rest on its roof. Three passengers in the vehicle — a 17-year old and two 14-year olds — one of whom was not wearing a seat belt, were transported by Red Oak Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. Their names had not released as of Sunday afternoon.

COUNCIL BLUFFS– The Iowa Department of Corrections said Sunday (today), 21-year old Jesse Aron Shipley, who was convicted of Theft 1st Degree and other crimes in Pottawattamie County, failed to report back to the Council Bluffs Residential Facility as required this (Sunday) morning. Shipley is a white male, height 5’11”, and weighs 239 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on August 15, 2019.  Persons with information on Shipley’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Jesse Shipley