| News about teaching and education excellence |  |
- Steps any teacher can take to improve
 There are several steps that teachers can take to quickly improve their teaching, writes author and speaker Annette Breaux. In this blog post, she writes that teachers should greet students each morning and say goodbye to them when they leave to help develop a positive classroom environment. Breaux also suggests teachers model happiness and enthusiasm for students, remind students about rules and classroom procedures, make lessons meaningful and include games in academic lessons. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
(11/28)     
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The cure for shallow classroom discussions. Academic Conversations gives you the structures you need to foster quality conversations in language arts, social studies, science, and other subjects. Students will develop critical skills for exploring an important question, idea, or topic. Preview the entire book! |
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- Teachers broaden students' classroom experiences with Skype
Skype in the Classroom has grown since its 2011 launch to include 43,000 teachers and 2,400 suggested lesson plans that use the free, Internet video-chatting program. Teachers interviewed say they recently used Skype to communicate with students stuck at home during the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and to conduct virtual chats worldwide. "You're able to give an experience to a student that you could never possibly provide otherwise," said Allison Holland, an eLearning coach in Indiana's Plymouth Community Schools, where students have chatted on Skype with Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson and basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. Time.com/Techland blog
(11/28)
 | To learn well, children need to move!
Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, K-6 offers playful, 2- to 3-minute activities that keep children ready to learn. Includes active energizers, relaxers, songs, chants and silent energizers, with tips for weaving energizers into your school day. Read samples and view video clips. |
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| Schools Today |  |  |
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- Librarians express concerns about school Web filters
A survey conducted by the American Association of School Librarians finds that while librarians believe school Web-filtering programs have helped to cut back on technology-driven distractions in schools, they also have limited students' ability to conduct research and benefit from the social aspects of learning. All survey respondents said their schools use some type of Internet-filtering program, with the most popular being URL-based (70%), keyword-based (60%) and those based on blacklists (47%). eSchool News (free registration)
(11/27)
| Education Cartoon | | |
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| Developing Leaders | | |
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- No more excuses: Why educators should use Twitter
Educators should be using Twitter to collaborate with fellow educators and develop their professional learning networks, writes Tom Whitby, an adjunct professor of education at St. Joseph's College in New York. "It might be the quickest and best method to acquire and maintain the relevance necessary to be an effective educator," Whitby writes in this blog post. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
(11/28)
| Policy News | | |
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- Ala. adopts new fitness assessments for students
Alabama has adopted a new system for evaluating physical fitness among students that officials hope will help improve student health and fitness. Under the Alabama Physical Fitness Assessment, which replaces the President's Challenge Fitness Test, students are assessed twice each year in the areas of flexibility, aerobic cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and abdominal strength and endurance. The Dothan Eagle (Ala.)
(11/27)
- Duncan to focus on teacher quality during second term as secretary
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will push policies to improve educator quality over the next four years, education reporter Michele McNeil writes in this blog post. Duncan told attendees of the two-day conference of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, run by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, about the need to improve teacher-education programs as well as create a system that matches the best teachers and principals with the neediest students. Education Week/Politics K-12 blog
(11/28)
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Duncan directs states on graduation-rate standards: While some have criticized the U.S. Department of Education's No Child Left Behind waivers, saying they have relaxed graduation-rate accountability, Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Monday issued a letter saying that is not the case. In the letter, Duncan advises state schools chiefs that they must calculate graduation rates in a uniform way and that the data should factor significantly into school accountability. Education Week/Politics K-12 blog
(11/28)
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100 Minutes shows teachers how to fit balanced literacy into a daily 100-minute literacy block using a framework of whole-class & guided small-group instruction, writing sessions, and independent work. You'll get strategies for using exemplars, providing effective feedback, integrating technology, and thinking critically about all kinds of texts. Preview the entire book!
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| NBPTS Update | | |
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Do you have an interesting or inspiring story to tell?
Are you an NBCT? We'd love to hear about your journey to board certification. Do you know an NBCT who's making a difference in their local area? We'd love to hear about the impact of NBCTs in your school and community. Tell us your story!
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Promoting quality teaching
Approximately one-third of all new teachers in the United States leave the profession within five years, and veteran teachers are leaving at ever higher rates. Among the factors behind this high turnover are outdated teacher compensation systems and narrow career options for professional growth, according to a new report by Accomplished California Teachers (ACT), a teacher-leadership network based at Stanford. Read the full report.
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