| News about teaching and education excellence |  |
- NBCT reflects on benefits of credential
A National Board Certified Teacher in Rochester, N.Y., recently launched an optics program at his high school and is hoping his students soon will be able to make eyeglasses for children in the district. "It really came down to me sort of pushing myself to the next level," Logan Newman said of becoming one of 47 city teachers to earn National Board Certification. "Some people are asking me if it makes me a better teacher. What the National Board does is make me more reflective of what I'm doing with my students and why I'm doing it." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (N.Y.)
(12/26)     
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Poetry Mentor Texts shows you how to leverage students' natural love of poetry to strengthen reading as well as writing. Each chapter features 5 mentor poems that focus on student-friendly forms such as the list poem, acrostic poem, and poem for two voices. Student samples and mini-lessons help translate the ideas into your classroom. Click here now to preview the entire book! |
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| Focus on Practice |  |  |
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- 5 ways to connect with hard-to-reach students
 Some students are hard to reach and difficult to connect with, writes Richard Curwin, director of the graduate program in behavior disorder at David Yellin College. Curwin recounts in this blog post his own experience with a teenager who was hostile. Curwin suggests that teachers stop using rewards, encourage effort more than achievement, give students multiple chances and increase opportunities for them to learn. Another suggestion is to encourage students to keep trying by saying "You haven't done it yet," rather than telling such students they have failed. Edutopia.org/Dr. Richard Curwin's blog
(12/26)
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- Does Maine have an excess of school superintendents?
Maine has too many school superintendents, according to Gov. Paul LePage -- 127 administrators for 186,000 students. Efforts initiated in 2009 to consolidate small school districts -- theoretically requiring fewer superintendents -- appear to have slowed, and LePage says the state now has the worst superintendent-to-student ratio in the country. Recent bids to withdraw from some consolidated districts could mean the addition of even more superintendents in coming years. Bangor Daily News (Maine) (free registration)
(12/25)
| Education Cartoon | | |
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| Developing Leaders | | |
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- How school leaders can pay it forward
There are three things that good school leaders can do to help develop other leaders, writes Joe Mazza, lead learner at Knapp Elementary School in suburban Philadelphia. He suggests in this blog post that they invest in a healthy school culture, which fosters trust and respect among all teachers. He also recommends that leaders invest in personal relationships and an "outside the box" lens. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
(12/27)
| Policy News | | |
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- More school resource officers sought by administrators in Pa.
Officials in a Pennsylvania district are working with police to place school resource officers in all buildings. The move comes after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and also follows what turned out to be an unsubstantiated rumor that a violent incident would take place at a local high school. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
(12/26)
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Ariz. proposal would allow arming of a staff member in each school: Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne introduced a proposal Wednesday that would allow each school principal or another staff member to be trained to use a firearm and have access to a weapon on campus. Horne said ideally there would be an armed officer in each school in the state, but that budget constraints have led to statewide cuts to funding for school resource officers. He called the plan to designate an armed staff member "the next best solution." FoxNews.com
(12/27)
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
All teachers of algebra should have The Xs and Whys of Algebra at their fingertips during planning and instruction. This handy 84-page flipchart cuts through the confusion to help you prevent common misconceptions. 30 modules focus on key standards with instructional strategies, activities, and reproducibles. Click here for details!
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| NBPTS Update | | |
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Fishman Prize application open
The Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice is an annual award for exceptionally effective teachers working in high-poverty public schools. No more than five teachers are awarded the prize each year. The prize is named for Shira Fishman, a TNTP-trained math teacher currently teaching at McKinley Technology High School in Washington, D.C. Read on.
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The future of teacher preparation in the digital age
Watch the webinar recording of Ron Thorpe, president and CEO of NBPTS, Barnett Berry, president of Center for Teaching Quality, and Lynne Schrum, dean of WVU, for a discussion on the "Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Preparation in the Digital Age." Watch now.
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 | People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind."
--William Butler Yeats,
Irish poet and playwright
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