SmartBrief > Education > ASCD SmartBrief > ASCD Association News

ASCD Association News


Free Recording from ASCD/ISTE Webinar

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 02, 2009

After selling out "School 2.0 and Understanding by Design," during NECC 2009, ISTE has provided a free recording of the webinar. The webinar explores ways to connect key Understanding by Design principles with the infusion of technology. It also engages viewers in a virtual showcasing of the School 2.0 Web site with more than 500 technology resources available to help transform a school's or district's strategic planning, including UbD classroom support. Donna Herold, an ASCD UbD faculty member, facilitated the session from a webcam with ISTE's Chris O'Neal leading the on-site session.


A Framework for Learning to Teach

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 02, 2009

Educational psychologist Lee Shulman illustrated the complexity of teaching by comparing the fields of teaching and medicine, and concluded that classroom teaching "is perhaps the most complex, most challenging, and most demanding, subtle, nuanced, and frightening activity that our species has ever invented." Most teachers would concur. No pre-service preparation program, regardless of its quality, can adequately prepare teachers for all they need to know. The complexity of the craft requires ongoing teacher learning. In the latest Educational Leadership, expert Charlotte Danielson shares her Framework for Teaching as a way to create the conditions for improved teaching and to structure professional learning.


Are You in a State of "Curriculum Anarchy"?

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 01, 2009

During his ASCD summer conference session "Distinguishing Between Learning Goals and Activities: Exploring the Critical Difference," Tim Westerberg discussed the necessity for educators to develop learning goals for their students, but he also warned that educators are inclined to forget to personalize the goals for each student. He explained that each unique student must understand the learning goals and be able to personalize what they learn and relate it to life. Applying these concepts, he said, will lead to successful learners. After asking the audience to discuss among themselves the effectiveness of how they set up their objectives, Westerberg brought up the topic of curriculum anarchy. He described it as one teacher in a school teaching and grading on his own scale while another educator teaches the same class doing the complete opposite and working on a different scale, which can hurt students' grades. Read the post.


ASCD Policy Briefing: Moving From Highly Qualified to Highly Effective Teachers

ASCD SmartBrief | Jul 01, 2009

ASCD is hosting a policy briefing on Capitol Hill to explore the policies and practices necessary to transform highly qualified teachers into highly effective teachers. The briefing will address the best strategies to develop, support and evaluate highly effective teachers and, most critically, ways to help struggling teachers improve. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 14 in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. Please join ASCD's panel of experts to discuss how policymakers and education leaders can foster and measure teacher effectiveness through federal policies and existing professional-development activities. Find out more.


Another Set of National Standards

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 30, 2009

One would have thought that recent legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate to update and expand a set of existing national standards for all schools would have generated greater fanfare. Alas, school-nutrition standards don't appear to create as much interest as academic standards. In the latest "Is It Good for the Kids?" editorial, ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter explains why the fate of this legislative proposal will have a more direct effect on student well-being and, in turn, perhaps as great an effect on academic achievement as the national academic standards currently being developed by a coalition of governors and state superintendents. The editorial stresses why it's in the best interests of educators, parents and students to have robust school-nutrition standards, and it addresses some of the controversies surrounding this issue, such as the costs to implement these standards. Find out more.


Fighting the Lake Effect, One District at a Time?

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 30, 2009

Recently, the Center for American Progress hosted a panel discussion/paper presentation on the inadequacies of teacher evaluations and tenure for recognizing effective teaching. An ASCD blog post highlights some of the findings and panelists' comments, including University of Connecticut professor and Project on the Next Generation of Teachers researcher Morgan Donaldson's paper expressing her view on effective teacher evaluations, ETS researcher Laura Goe's five-point definition of effective teaching in practice, and panelist Peter Kilmarx's discussion of charters such as Green Dot, whose evaluation model was created based on California's six standards of effective teaching. Read the post.


ASCD Express Calls for Submissions

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 29, 2009

ASCD Express is looking for 600- to 1,000-word essays on the theme "Establishing and Managing a Differentiated Classroom." Teachers who match their instructional approaches to meet the needs and interests of every student are engaging in the practice of differentiation. It's challenging but possible, says University of Virginia professor Carol Ann Tomlinson, who has written extensively on differentiated instruction. Submissions should consider the following questions: What are the essential principles that support the differentiated classroom, and how can educators overcome the initial challenges? What strategies and tools do teachers use to make this theory a reality? Send us your submissions by July 9. See the guidelines for submissions at Write for ASCD Express.


ASCD Talks With an Author

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 29, 2009

ASCD hosts a series of talks with authors of ASCD books. During the talks, the authors expand on the most provocative aspects of their books and share insights about their work. In the upcoming book "Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs," Cathy Vatterott examines the role homework has played in school culture over the years and asks whether homework is due for a change. In the latest talk, she addresses the fault lines of the decades-old homework debate and offers school leaders a new way to use homework and to embrace policies to really help students master content. Listen to the interview.


Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 26, 2009

In this expanded third edition of an ASCD best-seller book, author Thomas Armstrong provides updates on Howard Gardner's multiple-intelligences theory and its many applications in schools and classrooms. In addition to the author's proven strategies, the book includes two new chapters on how to address common criticisms of the multiple-intelligences model and the success of international applications of the MI theory. Plus, updates throughout the book supply information on new MI resources, tools and materials.


ASCD Responds to the U.S. Supreme Court's Student Strip Search Decision

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 26, 2009

Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the strip search of student Savana Redding was a violation of the Fourth Amendment is a clear affirmation of student rights and a stirring lesson about civics, law and students' constitutional protections. In an official response to the decision, ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter said, "We firmly believe this case highlights how intrusive student searches undermine the essential relationship between school personnel and students and their families, which should be built on mutual trust and understanding." The statement provides suggestions for how schools can balance student safety with a positive school climate that respects student rights.


Tracking "Makes You Feel Like You're Not Smart"

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 25, 2009

Most in the education community agree that academic tracking creates a caste system -- from who gets challenging course content and is expected to go to college to who your friends are and where you sit in the cafeteria. Historically, black and Latino students disproportionately populate "lower" tracks. Cloonan Middle School in Connecticut made last week's most-clicked ASCD SmartBrief news with the story of its transition from tracked to mixed-ability classrooms. An ASCD blog post reveals how the school hopes ending tracking will help close the achievement gap by broadening academic opportunities and raising expectations for all students. The post also applauds Cloonan's efforts and provides opportunities to explore this topic more deeply. Read the post.


Design Your Professional Development Survey: Where to Start

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 25, 2009

Effective professional development is directly focused on helping to achieve student learning goals and supporting student learning needs. It's also a collaborative endeavor in which teachers and administrators work together in planning and implementation. Meanwhile, the content of professional-development programs should be based on organizational needs. ASCD offers a professional-development-planning survey to help educators design a comprehensive professional-development program for their school or district. Find out more about the survey.


On the Growing ASCD Twitter Community

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 24, 2009

In the past couple of months, hundreds of Twitterers have chosen to follow ASCD. University education programs (University of Virginia's Curry School of Education) to influential bloggers (Joanne Jacobs) to ASCD authors (Robyn Jackson) are engaging in conversations and debates that range from venting about proposed national standards to describing the newest ed-tech gadgets. Alfie Kohn, author of the ASCD book "Beyond Discipline," is the latest big name to join the Twitter eduwonk community.


ITSE and ASCD Host Free Webinar on School 2.0 and UbD

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 24, 2009

Explore ways to connect key Understanding by Design principles with the infusion of technology in this free event July 1 from 10 to 11 a.m. EDT. Engage in a virtual showcasing of the School 2.0 Web site with more than 500 technology resources available to help transform a school or district's strategic planning, including how it can support a UbD classroom. Donna Herold, ASCD UbD faculty member, will facilitate the session with ISTE faculty. Registration is required. Sign up by June 25 or download the webinar recording after the event. Register for this event.


Literacy and Numeracy: Designing Instruction to Improve Student Performance in the K-6 Classroom

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 23, 2009

What does it mean to be literate? Is decoding enough? Are numbers involved? These questions will be answered at the ASCD Summer Academy on Literacy and Numeracy. During the academy, attendees will learn why literacy is about not only recognizing words and numbers but also understanding what the words and numbers mean. They will explore engaging instructional activities that help students build personal understanding, connect with texts and become literate in the field of numbers. Gain a tool box of research-based, proven practices, including eight strategies to help students learn and comprehend in any subject area. Find out more.


My Back Pages: Is the Socratic Method Dangerous?

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 23, 2009

Can the use of the Socratic method pose a danger to our students? Such is the premise of a September 1984 Educational Leadership article by education professor Louis Goldman. An ASCD blog post looks back at this article, asks readers whether they have used the Socratic method in their classrooms, and if so, whether they would recommend it. Read the post.


Summertime Jam: Read Whatever You Like

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 22, 2009

Last week marked the close of the school year, or a short break before summer intercession for a lot of schools. At E.L. Haynes Elementary in Washington, D.C., it also marked the accomplishment of a huge milestone. Collectively, students at E.L. Haynes have logged 5 million minutes of reading in the past year. As part of the schoolwide celebration, the teaching staff created and performed "Read Whatever You Like," a riff on T.I.'s hit song and roll call of some of the students' favorite young adult fiction. An ASCD blog post highlights the audio of the staff's performance, asks readers to post comments on their proud moments from the school year and provides suggestions for getting books to students to read over the summer. Read the post.


Brain-Friendly Learning for Teachers

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 22, 2009

During his four decades as an educator and educational consultant, author David Sousa has seen professional development delivered in many formats, including everything from "Choose three sessions from column A and two from column B" to programs individually designed for educators. Ostensibly, the goal of all these efforts was to offer teachers and administrators something new that would enhance their effectiveness. But enhancement happens only if participants actually learn something, which raises these questions: As teachers participate in learning activities, how do their brains determine what -- if anything -- to take away? And how can we use insights into the brain's workings to improve learning activities for teachers? An article in the latest online-only issue of Educational Leadership examines these questions and the four key factors that affect the intensity of a learner's intrinsic motivation.


Free Trial Available for ASCD's PD In Focus

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 19, 2009

The PD In Focus™ professional-development product is an interactive, Web-based professional learning platform that allows educators to meet on-demand professional-development needs. The platform's easy-to-use interface and adaptable implementation allow educators to meet their PD needs in their own time and on their own terms. PD In Focus provides searchable, streaming video content of research-based teaching practices in action. ASCD is now offering a free trial to explore this new, innovative resource at www.ascd.org/pdinfocus.


Protocols for Professional Learning

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 19, 2009

Once you understand the rationale for a Professional Learning Community and know the steps to setting one up, you still need some really good plans for how to use your PLC to explore topics and solve problems. ASCD has a new guide that provides 16 protocols for facilitating PLC conversations and activities. Each protocol includes everything you need to ensure results, whether the purpose of the PLC is to examine student work, explore instructional practice, address problems, or engage your colleagues in discussion.


Clearly Defining the Learning Desired

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 18, 2009

One of the busiest presenters at this year's Summer Conference will be education consultant Allison Zmuda. Zmuda will conduct three different sessions on topics that include designing essential questions for the classroom, troubleshooting student-learning challenges and the foundation of school improvement. An ASCD blog post highlights a video Speaker Spotlight in which Zmuda discusses ways to develop and answer essential questions, and getting a game plan together for students with learning difficulties. Visit the post to hear Zmuda's solutions to these everyday challenges.


Finding the Right Words in Parent-Teacher Conferences

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 18, 2009

An ASCD blog post examines an article on parent-teacher conferences from this summer's first free online issue of Educational Leadership. "But What Do I Say?" looks at how teachers can learn to conduct effective parent-teacher conferences. Too often, the authors say, teachers are unprepared for the variety of situations they'll encounter during conferences. The article highlights Syracuse University's Parent/Caregiver Conferencing Model program, which helps pre- and in-service teachers move beyond winging it to develop strong communication skills to connect school and home. The article presents a video of a simulated conference, information on what students and directors in the program learned about teacher-caregiver communication, and the guidelines they developed to improve this communication.


Schools + Communities = Success for the Whole Child

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 17, 2009

We know that children grow physically, socially, emotionally, ethically, expressively and intellectually within networks of families, schools, neighborhoods, communities and our larger society. And we know schools alone can't meet the needs of each child. In this month's "Whole Child Podcast: Changing the Conversation About Education," listeners will learn how schools and communities can partner to meet the needs of the whole child. The podcast features Jane Quinn, assistant executive director for community schools at the Children's Aid Society, who shares the work of the Society's 21 community schools in New York City and how the school and community partnerships have produced results for students, families and the community. The podcast also features Eileen Santiago, principal of Thomas Edison Elementary School in Port Chester, N.Y., who shares how partnering to address students' overall social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs has resulted in improved learning for thousands of Thomas Edison students.


Summer Educational Leadership: Revisiting Teacher Learning

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 17, 2009

In the first of two online-only issues this summer, Educational Leadership's Online June 2009 issue, "Revisiting Teacher Learning," expands on the February 2009 EL theme "How Teachers Learn." Well-known educators contributed to the issue, including David Sousa on "brain-compatible" professional development and Charlotte Danielson on her framework for teaching. Another article shows how simulated teacher-parent role-playing can affect real-life conferences and meetings. The issue also includes video and audio features. Read the issue.


ASCD Wins National Publishing and Design Awards

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 16, 2009

ASCD's 2007 Annual Report and blog, Inservice, recently earned recognition from the former Society of National Association Publications, now known as Association Media and Publishing. In addition, ASCD won five 2009 American Inhouse Design Awards from Graphic Design USA, a prominent professional design magazine. Read the news release.


The Asterisk on the Index?

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 16, 2009

Washington Post education reporter Jay Mathews is a big fan of college-level coursework in high school. An ASCD blog post focuses on his Challenge Index, which in some ways is a very high-profile platform for encouraging schools to increase and make more accessible opportunities for students to get involved with advanced curriculum. The post also highlights his lengthy explainer that accompanies this year's index, new features of the index such as the Equity and Excellence rating, Mathews' defense of the criteria behind calculating the index, and some of his critics' arguments. Read the post.


Leading and Learning in the 21st Century

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 15, 2009

What are the education practices that are helping schools aim higher and further? How can educators -- in a single classroom or systemwide -- ensure that students acquire the knowledge and skills for lifelong learning? ASCD's fall conference will give attendees the opportunity to explore and learn about the education practices that help students acquire and hone communication skills, thinking and problem-solving ability, interpersonal and self-direction skills, civic literacy, financial and economic literacy and more. The conference will be Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 in Washington, D.C. Find out more.


Project Natal Thinking Inside the Xbox

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 15, 2009

Think Facebook offers students endless ways to connect with each other? Just wait until you see Project Natal, which Microsoft unveiled at the E3 event recently. An ASCD blog post highlights this new technology, which is essentially hands-free and voice activated. Project Natal, which will be compatible with the Xbox 360 gaming system, allows users to play video games without controllers, connect with friends on live-video feeds on the Internet, and, well, the possibilities aren't even fully realized yet. Already there has been buzz on blogs about the possibilities for medical students using it to simulate surgeries. If the technology can be used by doctors, then why not educators? Read the post.


Taxonomy for Teacher Learning

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 12, 2009

Because teaching is incredibly complex, it cannot be described by a simplistic checklist of discrete behaviors. But teachers still want to know what to do differently in the classroom to improve instruction. That's where this model for developmental self-improvement from ASCD's book "The Inspired Teacher" comes in. Author Carol Frederick Steele describes how teachers -- regardless of their experience -- can gradually chart their growth professionally by using a four-level taxonomy as a guideline.


Looking Beyond the "Answer"

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 11, 2009

At this year's ASCD Summer Conference, Understanding by Design co-creator Jay McTighe will discuss how to overcome time constraints and daunting amounts of content to really engage students in learning beyond simply right and wrong answers. An ASCD blog post highlights a speaker-spotlight video of McTighe discussing his upcoming conference session, "Essential Questions: Doorway to Understanding," which offers advice on how to get students interested in close examination and deep inquiry about what they are learning in school. View the post.


2009 Meet the President-Elect Candidates Forum

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 11, 2009

Each fall, ASCD members elect a president-elect, who will serve a three-year term on the board of directors as an officer of the association. This year, ASCD held the Meet the President-Elect Candidates Forum at its Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla. The event allowed interested members to pose questions to each candidate and to get better acquainted with their credentials in order to make a more informed election decision.

  • View the video of that session, beginning with opening statements from both candidates, followed by their responses to each question. A transcript of the forum is also available.


Q-and-A: Disrupting Class: A Conversation with Michael Horn

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 10, 2009

In the book "Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns," authors Clayton Christensen, Curtis Johnson and Michael Horn argue that computers have the power to "disrupt" the current paradigm of standardization in education and open the door for customized, student-centered learning. In an Education Update interview, Horn speaks about "Disrupting Class" and explains that schools taking advantage of disruptive innovations such as technology and, in particular, online learning will be poised to better serve students by offering more customized services. In the interview, he talks about the use of technology in schools, examples of places where disruptive innovation is being used in the classroom, how disruptive innovation would look in the classroom, and the new role for teachers when disruptive innovations force the education system to change.


A Fast Start, But Where To?

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 10, 2009

Arne Duncan is maintaining a full-court press on states with charter-limiting or charter-prohibiting policies. States open to charters will get a fast start in the Secretary's Race to the Top, Duncan told reporters Monday. An ASCD blog post highlights a clip borrowed from Usable Knowledge, in which Kay Merseth, Harvard Graduate School of Education lecturer and author of "Inside Urban Charter Schools," wonders whether charters, while often great at providing structure for learning, may not necessarily teach for deep understanding. In essence, Merseth writes, what's the next step after competence? View the post.


Hypotheses: They're Not Just for Science Anymore

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 09, 2009

Dina Strasser is a middle-school English/language arts teacher in upstate New York and a blogger for The Line. She has been blogging a chapter-by-chapter series on Dr. Robert J. Marzano's book "The Art & Science of Teaching" for the ASCD blog. In her latest post in the series, Strasser provides a summary of Chapter 4 and her view on incorporating hypotheses into teaching. She also asks readers how critical inquiry might work in their curriculum, and, if they have tried it, whether it was a success. View the post.


Evaluating Higher-Education Policy in Turkey

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 09, 2009

The admission procedure to higher-education institutions in Turkey is based on the student's high-school grades and the Central University Entrance Examination score, with a much greater weight on the latter. Every year more than 1.5 million high-school graduates take the exam and less than one-third of them have the chance to enroll in a two-year or a four-year program.
The latest International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership examines a study that assesses the validity of the CUEE as a selection tool for design-based departments. Students are admitted to design-based university programs on the same basis as they are to programs in general. But while there is evidence that visual, spatial and perceptual abilities are desired for success in design-related education, the CUEE does not measure these abilities, which sets up thousands of students for unexpected failure in design-related university education.


ASCD Communications Tool Kit: Using Stimulus Dollars for Lasting Impact

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 08, 2009

ASCD has created a stimulus plan communications tool kit to help educators advocate for the best use of their stimulus funds, highlight the importance of capacity-building professional development, and communicate transparent messages about their fund allocations. This kit contains a variety of tools including backgrounders, key messages, a customizable op-ed and a PowerPoint presentation to help educators communicate with the media and public about how their local allocations of the stimulus funds will support student achievement. The tool kit aligns with ASCD's Planning the Possible report about the stimulus package and is free of charge.


Inside Baseball: The National Pastime

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 08, 2009

The LEAP Legislative Institute, Sept. 13 to 15, is the premier event for ASCD members interested in education policy and politics. Empowerment is the new buzzword in Washington, and our advocacy event will give attendees the opportunity to speak out in support of education policies that are best for students and schools to lawmakers on Capitol Hill and policymakers at the local and state levels when they return home. The conference offers sessions based on attendees' level of advocacy experience.

In addition to an orientation specifically designed for educators new to policy, there is an "inside baseball" session for veteran politicos who know that oftentimes the real legislative action isn't on the House or Senate floor, but in the cloakrooms, hallways and hideaways of the Capitol. This session will give you information and insights on the behind-the-scenes action where policy and politics collide.

Register for the conference or find out more information.


50 Instead of a Zero Misses the Point

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 05, 2009

Cathy Vatterott, author of the upcoming July ASCD member book "Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs," writes about unfair grading practices for the ASCD blog. In her post, Vatterott describes how grading practices that replace zeros with 50 points for incomplete or missing assignments are not helping student learning. "I think the goal is commendable -- to prevent struggling students from giving up -- but I also think the remedy is a band-aid approach for outdated and unfair grading practices. ... Zeros punish the vice of laziness, but is laziness the reason most students don't complete assignments, especially homework? I don't think so." Read the post


ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award

ASCD SmartBrief | Jun 05, 2009

ASCD, in its ongoing search for what works in schools, has decided to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of young educators who achieve excellence and equity in teaching and learning. ASCD's Outstanding Young Educator Award Program recognizes creative and committed teachers and administrators under the age of 40 who are making a difference in the lives of children. These educators are developing and using best practices to ensure all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged.




Sign up for ASCD SmartBrief



Designed specifically for professionals in K-12 education, ASCD SmartBrief is a FREE daily e-mail newsletter. It provides the latest education news and information you need to stay on top of issues that are important to you. Learn more

Latest Blog Postsview more


WEEKEND READING: July 4-5
This Week In Education


What's in a Name?
EdWeek.org Blogboard


." - John ThompsonNEWS: Big Stories Of The Day
This Week In Education


THOMPSON: Doing the Right Thing for the Right Reason
This Week In Education

Job Listingsview more