Most Clicked Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief Stories
1. Should teachers be allowed to sell lesson plans?
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
More districts are beginning to question whether teachers should be allowed to sell lesson plans online on sites like Teachers Pay Teachers and We Are Teachers. Some teachers say they use the money to buy classroom supplies, and others use the funds for personal expenses. "Teaching can be a thankless job," one teacher said. "I put my hard-earned time and effort into creating these things, and I just would like credit." New York Times (free registration), The (11/14)
2. Duncan: Proposal for D.C. teachers could be national model
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 19, 2009
A fight over layoffs has scuttled efforts by Washington, D.C., schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee to offer teachers higher salaries if they agree to give up tenure -- making them more vulnerable to being fired. The proposal was part of teacher contract negotiations that dissolved in September when Rhee laid off hundreds of educators, a move that sparked a lawsuit from the union. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has publicly called for an end to the fight. "There are a lot of good ideas on the table, and this agreement could be a national model," he said. Wall Street Journal, The (11/19)
3. Six-step process teaches students how to make good decisions
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Two Nebraska schools have weaved the art of careful decision-making into the curriculum. Decision education -- also called decision science -- includes six steps: framing the problem, understanding the consequences, considering alternatives, researching, being satisfied with the decision and following through. "The idea is to train them to make something other than split-second decisions, to look at various characteristics and pieces of what goes into making a good, quality decision," one school principal said. Edutopia magazine (12/2009)
4. High expectations are a key ingredient in closing achievement gap
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 20, 2009
Leroy Anderson Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., has been successful at closing the achievement gap between minority students and their white peers by having the same high expectations for all students, assessing them constantly and having a high level of family involvement. Successful schools are using data to influence instruction and creative teaching methods that include computer-based instruction, but Anderson's principal says the secret is "believing that kids can and will learn." New York Times (free registration), The (11/20)
5. "My Profile" -- Up to date?
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
"My Profile," a candidate's secure online NBPTS account, allows National Board Certification candidates and Take One! participants the ability to track their status throughout the assessment process, update their personal information, make payments and more. As the National Board prepares to release 2008-09 scores and certification decisions, candidates and participants should log in to www.nbpts.org/myprofile to verify the completeness and accuracy of the information in their accounts, paying close attention to the three pieces of information required to access their score reports. Read more.
6. Georgia lawmaker: State's NBCT bonuses should be "set in stone"
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
A Georgia lawmaker says he is committed to restoring stipends for National Board Certified Teachers that were cut this year. State Rep. Earl Ehrhart says restoring the NBCT bonuses is a "major priority" and he wants them to be "set in stone going forward." However, Ehrhart says, he is unsure when the state's budget will allow the program to be reinstated, and he called a lawsuit filed by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators "counterproductive." The organization says it wants the state "to do the right thing by our best educators." Forest-Blade (Swainsboro, Ga.), The (11/16)
7. NBPTS to release scores Friday
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Candidates pursuing National Board Certification during the 2008-09 school year and Take One! participants will have access to their scores by midmorning Friday. Scores may be accessed via a secured Web site. Read more.
8. Teacher says she's frustrated by unrealistic expectations
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
A teacher in a Kentucky district recently shared her frustrations with administrators and the school board, saying teachers are stressed and are being asked to do more with less, and officials were sympathetic. "While teachers inherently want what is best for their students, the data-driven mechanism we call education seems to take more time away from what essentially drew teachers to the field -- building relationships, sharing our passion about content, and personally meeting students needs by our mentoring," special-needs teacher Roseann McCafferty said. Cincinnati Enquirer, The (11/16)
9. NBPTS to release scores
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 20, 2009
Today, candidates pursuing National Board Certification during the 2008-09 school year and Take One! participants will have access to their scores. Scores may be accessed via a secured Web site. Read more.
10. Method encourages teachers to allow student control of learning
Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Teachers in an Ohio school say they are using the book "The Daily Five," by educators Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, to guide their teaching. The book instructs teachers to give students ownership over their learning by giving them five tasks to complete each day as teachers meet individually or in small groups with students. Those tasks include silent reading, reading aloud, listening to reading, writing and spelling work. Marion Star (Ohio), The (11/15)
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