| News for the Education Profession |  |
| ASCD Special Report: How Teachers Learn (Part II) |
| Successful teachers never stop learning. Effective training strategies -- such as professional learning communities -- can encourage teachers to improve their techniques, inspire educators and ultimately help students. This two-part ASCD SmartBrief Special Report, "How Teachers Learn," aims to help busy educators find ways to keep learning on their own and together with their colleagues through professional learning communities and other strategies. Below you will find Part II of this special report, which delves into successful practices schools use to help teachers learn, explores how school leaders can encourage teacher learning and examines how technology can also help teachers learn. Part I, published Tuesday, surveyed different perspectives on professional development, delved into best practices on teacher training and summarized research on teacher learning. If you don't receive ASCD SmartBrief on a daily basis and find our report on teacher learning useful, we urge you to sign up for our timely e-newsletter. ASCD SmartBrief delivers the stories making news in your profession directly to your inbox -- for FREE. |
| At a Glance |  |  |
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- How learning communities can change schools
To move beyond mere talk, effective learning communities need to block time out to work collaboratively toward specific tasks with the help of facilitators, write Debra Smith, Lesley University's director of program evaluation and research, and independent education researchers Bruce Wilson and Dick Corbett. Administrative support in the form of appreciation and collaborative planning are more important than mere cheerleading, they found. Educational Leadership
(2/2009)
    
- Iowa schools struggle to find time for training
Weekly professional development in some Iowa school districts is meant to improve teaching, but some parents fear the regular early releases or late starts rob children of valuable learning time. "What happens most often is, you steal that time, and you steal it from students. That wouldn't be schools' first choice. The reality is, that's the affordable choice," said David Wilkerson, superintendent of a district where efforts to add more professional development have stalled. The Des Moines Register (Iowa)
(2/1)
 | Replace those boring, time-consuming test-prep workbooks with a proven, 3-step approach that can be applied throughout the curriculum in a meaningful way. Better Answers helps you and your students adapt to high-stakes tests that require written responses. Click here for details! |
| Best Practices | | |
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- Book clubs may inspire teachers
Discussing educational books may remind teachers why they entered the profession and help spur real changes in classrooms, writes Thomas R. Hoerr, the head of St. Louis' New City School, where educators have been meeting to discuss books for more than 20 years. Good book groups must be teacher-led and voluntary, he writes. Educational Leadership
(2/2009)
- Entire elementary school seeks national certification
Every teacher at a California elementary school is working toward National Board Certification, and five out of 43 have earned the distinction. Student performance already has improved at Julius Corsini Elementary School, where test scores in 2008 met federal standards for the first time in five-plus years. "I think everyone who went through the process is a better teacher, whether they passed or not," said Edna Byers, who is now National Board Certified. The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.)
(2/13)
 | Build reflective, sustained professional development with the DVD Teacher Study Groups. See how literacy specialist Jennifer Allen facilitates a group focused on improving writing workshops. The viewing guide offers a summary of key elements, resources, and a list of PD book and video suggestions. Click here for details! |
| Policy and Leadership | | |
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- How principals can support professional learning communities
Principals can effectively support professional learning communities by showing confidence in teachers' expertise and their ability to work collaboratively, write author Shirley M. Hord, a scholar laureate with the National Staff Development Council, and author Stephanie A. Hirsh, executive director of the National Staff Development Council. Trusting learning communities to govern themselves but supporting them with relevant data and research as well as lessons in data analysis, dialogue and decision making, they write. Educational Leadership
(2/2009)
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Principal hopes to help teachers improve struggling school: When his superintendent asked Principal Steve Hall to move from his successful Charlotte, N.C., elementary school to one of the city's most distressed schools, he retained the struggling school's current staff and won them over during their first meeting. "People were coming up to him afterwards and saying, 'I'm really glad you're here,' " Area Superintendent Joel Ritchie said. The Charlotte Observer (N.C.)
(2/15)
- Top teachers can model effective techniques
Teachers can be powerful models for their colleagues, writes Douglas B. Reeves, founder of the Leadership and Learning Center. Effective teachers can provide examples of how theoretical methods can be applied in the classroom, help shape model lesson plans and bank effective teaching strategies, he writes. Educational Leadership
(2/2009)
- Rhee aims to reform D.C. professional development
Washington, D.C., schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee wants to overhaul teachers' professional development, according to her five-year plan. Rhee has already dropped district support for teachers seeking national certification and plans to replace workshop-based continuing education with mentorship and coaching. The Washington Post
(1/5)
 | A complete guide to making independent reading a key part of your literacy program. In Good Choice! Tony Stead shows you how to establish routines, organize your classroom library, help kids select books, encourage home reading, and provide authentic response options. Click here to preview the entire book online! |
| Technology Solutions | | |
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- Technology opens doors for collaborative learning
Blogs and wikis can help teachers work collaboratively even with those outside of their own school or district, writes sixth-grade teacher Bill Ferriter, who writes a blog and is a senior fellow in the Teacher Leaders Network. He offers tips to help educators get started and make the most of this professional-learning opportunity. Educational Leadership
(2/2009)
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| | Recent ASCD SmartBrief Issues:
- Wednesday, February 25, 2009
- Tuesday, February 24, 2009
- Monday, February 23, 2009
- Friday, February 20, 2009
- Thursday, February 19, 2009
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