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ASCD Association News


Whole Child on Facebook!

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 23, 2008

Today marks the launch of ASCD's Whole Child Initiative page on Facebook. The page will help ASCD spread the word to parents, students, and the general public about the importance of ensuring each child is healthy, safe, engaged in learning, supported by caring adults, and academically challenged. It includes background information about the initiative, ASCD's whole child video, a wall where people can leave posts and other content, a discussion board, and feeds to both ASCD's Whole Child and Inservice blogs. Visit the page and take the first step in support of the whole child by becoming a fan today!


Professional Practices That Work

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 23, 2008

Whether it's unprepared students, unsuccessful policies, or ineffective practices, the obstacles to higher student achievement in school can be overcome. Tapping our network of hundreds of thousands of educators, ASCD has gathered leading experts on the practices that are helping schools and classrooms break through the barriers to higher achievement for its fall conference, "Professional Practices That Work." The conference will be held Oct. 24 to 26, 2008 in Los Angeles, Calif. Find out more

Also Available: Find out about other ASCD conferences


Senior Studies: Life Prep 101

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 22, 2008

Every year, 65 students at Evanston Township High School participate in a program called Senior Studies, a two-and-one-half-hour interdisciplinary elective for 12th graders that combines English, history, and service learning. The summer issue of Educational Leadership examines the program including the four components essential to the program's success. Read more


From Compromise to Collaboration: The Educational Leader's Role in Developing Effective Collaborative Teaching Teams

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 22, 2008

When educators need to make collaborative teaching teams succeed, they need to outfit their leadership repertoire with the knowledge, skills, and tools to do the job. ASCD is now offering a Web seminar that allows educators to learn what it takes to design and support collaborative teaching teams. Find out more


Former President of the National Urban League Calls for National Achievement Campaign

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 21, 2008

Countless books have been written about the best ways to improve our public education system, as well the importance of a strong school-family bond. But according to the former president and CEO of the National Urban League, Hugh Price, scant attention has been paid to the responsibility and role of the community in promoting literacy and academic achievement. An ASCD blog post highlights Price's new book, "Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed," which shares successful community-organizing efforts that have contributed to stronger cultures of achievement and improved student performance in school. The post solicits feedback from readers about whether they agree with Price that community engagement and involvement is essential to closing the achievement gap. View the post


Calling All Educators!

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 21, 2008

Do you know any young education leaders who exemplify excellence in teaching and learning, have a positive impact on student achievement, and ensure each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged? If so, nominate an educator today for ASCD's Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA) Program. OYEA winners will receive $10,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2009 ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla. In addition, OYEA winners and honorees are invited to share best practices and participate in leadership-building activities throughout the year. Nominations close in just two weeks (Aug. 1, 2008)! View a video that features the 2008 OYEA winner, Deirdra Grode. Find out more


Educating Everybody's Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 18, 2008

Since its first publication in 1995, hundreds of thousands of teachers in every grade and subject have benefited from the guide, "Educating Everybody's Children," which explains how to teach students from economically, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse groups. Recently, ASCD has expanded this guide to explain how universal teaching practices have withstood the test of time and become key factors in bridging achievement gaps. The guide also allows readers to explore more than 100 research-backed, teacher-tested strategies to teach diverse learners. See sample chapters


My Back Pages: Early Applications of Brain-Based Research

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 18, 2008

Over the last 15 years, ASCD has produced an assortment of resources on brain-based learning. An ASCD blog post looks back at an article from the first issue of Educational Leadership to tackle this subject. The article, "Understanding a Brain-Based Approach to Learning and Teaching," explores how early advances in brain research were used to inform the teaching process. Reviewing everything from conscious and unconscious learning processes to types of memory, the authors laid out 12 "brain principles" and examined the implications of each for educators. View the post


Merit Pay Poaching Classroom Teachers?

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 17, 2008

Master teachers in Eagle County, Colo., get significant pay bonuses and have fewer classes, freeing up their time to evaluate and mentor their peers. Some argue this career track created by merit pay is removing teachers from where they're most needed.

An ASCD blog post highlights this dilemma and describes how ASCD supports the option for teachers to move along a career path with the idea that master teachers don't have to leave the classroom to become an administrator or abandon the profession all together. View the post


Educators Speak Out for Effective Policies at ASCD's Advocacy Conference

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 17, 2008

Martin Luther King said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Legislative policies that are created in Washington, D.C., affect what local schools and educators are able to do. ASCD's annual Leadership for Effective Advocacy and Policy (LEAP) Institute will prepare educators to take their message to federal policymakers, continue policy discussions at the local and state levels, and use the tools and resources provided to advocate for policies that support what is best for students. LEAP will also feature exciting speakers, including political pollster and communicator Frank Luntz and political strategist and commentator Donna Brazile. The 2008 Institute will be held Sept. 14 to 16, in Arlington, Va. Find out more


Most-Clicked: Technology Has the Power to Transform Schools

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 16, 2008

In last week's most-clicked ASCD SmartBrief story, we learned about Boston's Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, which has no textbooks, one laptop per student, parent-teacher IM conferences, and online drop boxes for homework assignments. An ASCD blog post highlights the advances in technology the school has used to take it into the future, including the use of leveled software to differentiate learning experiences and built-in automatic assessments to help teachers pinpoint students' instructional needs. View the post


ASCD's Professional Development Products Receive Distinguished Achievement Awards from the AEP

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 16, 2008

Three ASCD professional development products recently won Distinguished Achievement Awards (DAA) from the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP). "Teaching Vocabulary Across the Content Areas: An ASCD Action Tool" won in the Teacher Resources, Books category; "Meaningful Mathematics: Leading Students Toward Understanding and Application" won in the Instructional, Audio/Video category; and "Leadership for Differentiating Instruction" won in the School/Class management, Audio/Video category. Find out more


ASCD Express Call for Submissions on Closing the Achievement Gap

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 15, 2008

The achievement gap, typically measured by test scores and grades, persists between whites and Asian Americans on one side and blacks and Hispanics on the other side. What strategies are educators using in classrooms, schools, and districts to close that gap? How can schools counter the adverse socioeconomic circumstances that contribute to the intractability of the gap? What impact is standards-based education having on closing the gap?

ASCD urges you to submit a brief article to the ASCD Express newsletter, on the theme of "Closing the Achievement Gap," by July 18.

Read more about writing for Express and view of future themes


Differentiating Math Through Expeditions

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 15, 2008

To help students think for themselves and pursue their own learning, teachers need to rethink class design, instructional design, and curriculum design -- and create structures that enable students to set their own pace for learning and assessment. The summer issue of Educational Leadership examines how teacher and author Brent Loken has successfully experimented with redesigning instruction and curriculum to help his students take more initiative using an approach he terms "conscious differentiation" and an organizing strategy he calls "expeditions." Read more


Partnership in Action

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 14, 2008

ASCD recently joined the Partnership for 21st Century Skills to add its voice to the discussion about preparing youth for future success in work and adult life. After identifying and defining the 21st century skills today's graduates need, the Partnership began collaborating with educators, businesses, and community and government leaders to inject those skills into K-12 education. The latest Education Update examines what these partners are doing to prepare students for tomorrow's workplace. Read more


ASCD Publications Receive National Awards

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 14, 2008

Two ASCD publications earned recognition from the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP) and the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP). ASCD's flagship publication, Educational Leadership (EL), won an award from SNAP for its December 2007/January 2008 issue on "Informative Assessment" in the category of single-topic issue magazines. ASCD's e-newsletter, ASCD Express, received the AEP's Distinguished Achievement Award for most improved e-newsletter. Find out more


Examining Student Work

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 11, 2008

"Examining Student Work" takes you behind the scenes of innovative schools to see how educators are using actual student work as a source of data to build a rich picture of student learning, to improve classroom instruction, to increase the rigor of teaching assignments, and to provide teachers with opportunities for ongoing, job-embedded professional development. This DVD shows scenes from actual classrooms and teacher work-sessions that reveal how to look at student work via a collaborative process. Find out more


The School Subject on the DL

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 11, 2008

More and more teens are experiencing violence within dating relationships -- studies show one out of every four teen relationships is abusive. Earlier this week, USA TODAY reported Rhode Island is passing a law named after Lindsey Ann Burke, who died at 23 because of relationship abuse. An ASCD blog post highlights this law, which mandates that students be taught about relationship abuse in grades seven through twelve. A group of California students also help provide the information -- since students don't always like to hear what a counselor has to say about their life, or for that matter, their "love life." View the post


ASCD Talks With an Author: Hugh B. Price

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 10, 2008

ASCD hosts a series of talks with authors of ASCD books. In these talks, the authors share insights about their work. Author Hugh Price learned many lessons while helping to mobilize communities to help students succeed, as former president of the National Urban League. In the latest talk with an author, he outlines tactics that schools and communities can tackle together to inspire and award academic achievement in even the most challenged school districts. View the interview


ASCD Seeks Outstanding Young Educators

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 10, 2008

Do you know any young education leaders who exemplify excellence in teaching and learning, demonstrate a positive impact on student achievement, and ensure each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged? If so, nominate an educator today for ASCD's Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA) Program. OYEA winners receive $10,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2009 ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla. In addition, OYEA winners and honorees are invited to share best practices and participate in leadership-building activities throughout the year. Nominations close on Aug. 1, 2008! View a video that features the 2008 OYEA winner Deirdra Grode. Find out more


Book by Hugh Price Calls on Parents, Community Leaders to Join National Achievement Campaign

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 09, 2008

A new book by Hugh Price, former president and CEO of the National Urban League and co-chair of ASCD's Whole Child Commission, calls on civic leaders, community activists, parents, and educators to join forces behind a national campaign to boost student achievement and improve struggling schools in the US. The book, "Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed," gives school leaders practical advice on how to implement a multifaceted strategy to engage their communities in schools, support teachers and empower students. Find out more


Thinking Skills NOW: Cognitive tools for student success

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 09, 2008

At a recent workshop for educators, participants pondered: What is the most important 21st-century skill to teach our students? In a world where teachers cannot teach every student what each will need, thinking skills landed near the top of the list for everyone. The summer online issue of Educational Leadership addresses thinking skills for the second time this publishing year. The ASCD Homepage highlights this issue and other resources that demonstrate how to improve students' ability to think deeply and well. View the ASCD Homepage


Most-Clicked: Six States Earn More Freedom in Schools

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 08, 2008

Last week's most-clicked SmartBrief article reported on six states designing new plans to fix struggling schools. The states submitted plans under a pilot program with the U.S. Department of Education. An ASCD blog post highlights some of their reform ideas and criticisms of this approach. The post also seeks feedback from readers on whether they think this new freedom will help schools reach their goals faster and if this flexibility will help students learn better. View the post


Thinking Skills NOW: Immersed in Inquiry

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 08, 2008

Genuine inquiry builds on natural curiosity. It draws on strategies that most good learners use in nonschool settings: experimenting, questioning, thinking, rethinking, and communicating. It's also the kind of learning that is largely swept aside in schools. The summer edition of Educational Leadership examines how a teacher incorporated the inquiry process into each day's curriculum from the time the kids arrived at school until the buses left each day. Read more


Trendspotting: Game Theory

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 07, 2008

News broke last week of a $1 million grant to the American Library Association from Verizon to study how games can be used to improve literacy and problem solving. An ASCD blog post describes how the grant will fund efforts by library gaming experts from around the country to monitor usage in the field and develop a tool kit that libraries can use to implement effective programs. The post also asks readers for their feedback on efforts to use video games in achieving positive academic and physical outcomes. View the post


The Public Speaks: Education Still Matters

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 03, 2008

The Public Education Network (PEN) recently released its 2008 National Civic Index Poll, which addresses the public's views on school progress and the strength of community commitment to helping improve education. An ASCD blog post highlights this poll, which shows that even though the public's concern for education has diminished a bit since 2006, Americans still greatly value education, and 60% feel that not enough focus is being placed on education in this year's election campaigns. View the post


The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 03, 2008

While there are lots of books with information on why and how to differentiate instruction, the authors of the book, "The Differentiated School" examine why some efforts to differentiate flop, while others lead to sweeping, positive results. This book includes the 15 common misconceptions about differentiation, eight nonnegotiables that are essential to the successful implementation of differentiated instruction, and 10 factors that contribute to failure to change classroom practice. View sample chapters

Related ASCD Resources: Differentiated Instruction


Call for Submissions: Closing the Gap

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 02, 2008

The achievement gap, typically measured by test scores and grades, persists between whites and Asian-Americans on one side and blacks and Hispanics on the other side. What strategies are you using in classrooms, schools, and districts to close that gap? How can schools counter the adverse socioeconomic circumstances that contribute to the intractability of the gap? What impact is standards-based education having on closing the gap?

ASCD urges you to submit a brief article to the ASCD Express newsletter on the theme of "Closing the Achievement Gap," by July 18. Read more about writing for Express.


Most-Clicked: Tough Words = Better Thinkers

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 02, 2008

This week's most-clicked SmartBrief article tracks the success of Phil Holmes, a renowned teacher who is blunt and honest with his students, questioning them "until their brains hurt," even calling one student's answer "mindless," all for the cause of shaping great, intelligent, deep-thinking minds. An ASCD blog post highlights this article and asks readers if teachers were tougher with students, would learning increase and how much should teachers push students. View the post


Editorial: Beyond High School Reform

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 01, 2008

The contrast between where U.S. high school education is and where it needs to be is clear. Although significant attention has been given to improving education in the elementary grades, national efforts have supported an antiquated system in high schools. The latest editorial by ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter examines how some high schools, however, have developed new models instead of "re-forming" what does not work in the current model. Read more


Beginning the DI Journey

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 01, 2008

Differentiation is responsive teaching, rather than one-size-fits-all teaching, according to summer conference presenter Carol Tomlinson. In her recent conference session on differentiated instruction, Tomlinson said getting students to understand should be the goal. In striving for understanding, educators recognize that they need to help those new to the content build their knowledge, while helping those more familiar with the content stretch to new levels of understanding. An ASCD blog post highlights this session and asks readers how they connect with their students. View the post


Understanding UbD

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 30, 2008

At Grant Wiggins's beginner's session on Understanding by Design (UbD) at ASCD's Summer Conference, Wiggins stated that the scenario that is all too prevalent today is "Teach, test, hope for the best." He then went on to explain the theory behind backward design. You first determine your goal-understanding. Then, you devise the assessment for it. Finally, you design your lesson or curriculum. An ASCD blog post shares highlights from the session and asks educators how, given their limited time, they bring their students to the level of understanding they want students to have. View the post


DI, UbD, & WWIS (Oh My!)

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 30, 2008

ASCD's Summer Conference kicked off on Friday and lasted through the weekend. Attendees gathered in Nashville, Tenn., to learn more about differentiated instruction, Understanding by Design, and What Works in Schools. An ASCD blog post highlights a panel session during which Carol Ann Tomlinson, Jay McTighe, Grant Wiggins, and Robert Marzano provided an overview on these topics. The presenters also discussed the elements that the frameworks have in common. View the post


Waist Not, Want Not?

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 27, 2008

An article in The New York Times highlights Japan's efforts to curb waistlines. An ASCD blog post highlights this article, which covers the effects of a new Japanese law mandating that local governments and companies measure the waistlines of citizens ages 40 through 74 annually. And if their measurements exceed thresholds established by the International Diabetes Federation, folks are to be steered to dietary education. View the post


New Teachers Start Here

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 26, 2008

With summer now upon us, Leader Talk recently discussed the types of questions asked during new teacher interviews. In an ASCD blog post, pre-service teacher Grace Norheim weighs in on some of the questions based on her experiences. The post also seeks feedback from readers on their answer to these questions and on what questions they would ask a new teacher. View the post


Teaching Essential Content: Addressing Students' Varied Learning Needs

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 26, 2008

Educators can learn to match their instructional approach to the needs and interests of every student. The ASCD Homepage highlights resources that demonstrate how to maximize each student's potential and meet the needs of every learner. View the ASCD Homepage


EdBlog Watch: Forum for Ed. & Democracy

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 25, 2008

A recent ASCD blog post highlights the Forum for Education and Democracy's group blog. Several ASCD authors and accomplished educators contribute to this unique forum focused on democracy and public education. Blog postings tackle tough issues, such as the achievement gap, NCLB, and presidential politics. The experts reference each other's work, toss around ideas, and share upcoming papers. View the post


ASCD Summer Conference on Differentiated Instruction, Understanding by Design, and What Works In Schools

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 24, 2008

Drawing from our 180,000 members and our international network of schools, ASCD has gathered experts on three research-based, classroom-proven approaches to learning and teaching for its summer conference on Differentiated Instruction, Understanding by Design, and What Works In Schools. Attendees will have an opportunity to explore all three approaches or delve more deeply into the one approach in which they are most interested. The conference will be held June 27 to 29, 2008, in Nashville, Tenn. Find out more 




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