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November 22, 2009

Contributor

Bess Keller

is an assistant editor for Education Week. She covers teachers (including professional issues, unions, teacher education, and professional development), and the states of Michigan and Vermont.
Send an email to Bess Keller.

‘Book Study’ Helps Teachers Hone Skills

On media-center couches and at conference-room tables, downing Cokes and sipping coffee together, teachers around the country are cracking open books to get better at what they do—and, often, relishing the experience.

Districts Experiment With Cutting Down on Teacher Absence

Expert advice on ways to reduce unnecessary leave far outstrips what education leaders have so far ventured to do about the problem.

Mass. Urban Teachers Being Groomed to Help Sway Policy

The Teaching Policy Fellowship aims to promote ways to retain teachers who have made it successfully through the first years of teaching but may not stay a lifetime.

Leagues Revive Debate in City Schools

Teacher Qualifications

Failing Schools Showed Progress With Most of the Same Teachers

Test Students to Enrich High School Teaching, Brief Urges

Schools Seek to Channel Parent Involvement

National Certification Board Awards 5-Year Contract to Pearson

Studies Link Teacher Absences to Lower Student Scores

Performance-Pay Setup in Texas Shows Promise

Less Improvement Seen in Secondary Schools Using TAP

In Final Months, Ed. Dept. Seeks Teachers’ Advice

Teacher Coaches Find a Growing Role

Survey Reveals Fla. Teachers Don’t Understand Pay Plan

Top Two Officials at AFTWon’t Run for Re-Election

Few Teacher Pacts in Largest Districts Seen as Overly Flexible or Restrictive

Governors Urged to Push Pay Strategies

Houston, Denver Move Into Next Stage of Pay Plans

Election Year Hints at Shifts for Unions

College and Charter Groups Team Up to Train Teachers

Districts Discharge Unwanted Faculty Through ‘Buyouts’

Drive On to Improve Evaluation Systems for Teachers

Data Yield Clues to Effectiveness

Teacher Advocate Dies

Retired Chicago Teachers Protest Pension Payments

Bible-Based Science Education Degree Awaits Texas Higher Ed. Board Action

Lewis C. Solmon, Leader of Teacher Advancement Program, Dies

New Teachers Outdo Peers of Last Decade on Academic Scales

Tiered Licensing Systems Being Used by States to Help Teacher Quality

Coaching Teachers to Help Students Learn

NBPTS Cites Record Jump in Awards of Its Credential

Michigan Fiscal Woes, Minimal Funding Hike May Pressure Schools

Teachers Seen as Making Difference in World's Top Schools

Genocide Claiming a Larger Place in Middle and High School Lessons

Teacher Bargaining

New York Shifts Strategy on Mentoring New Teachers

Teacher Quality

Chicago Launches Anti-Violence Effort

Draft Proposal Seeks to Equalize School Resources

Teacher Certification

Experts Warn of PBL Pitfalls

No Easy Project

Housing Project Razed

Draft Retains Quality Rules for Teachers

Houston Board to Vote on Changes to Teacher Performance-Bonus

The National Board: Challenged by Success?

NBPTS Certification Too Popular?

Coalition Spells Out ’Essentials’ of Plans for Performance Pay

Teacher-Quality Groups Lay Out Compensation ‘Essentials’

Teacher-Policy Review Grades the States

City Schools Hire Teachers With Stronger Credentials

Paying for Performance

Interview: Mike Antonucci on the NEA Convention

Presidential Hopefuls Tell NEA Delegates What They Want to Hear

NEA President Uses Economic Competitiveness to Strike at NCLB

Group Offers Broad, Critical Review of State Policy on Teacher Quality

Vermont Lawmakers Approve Cost-Containment Measure

Teacher Incentive Fund Awards Its Last Grants for Fiscal Year

Oft-Cited Statistic Likely Inaccurate

Gone After Five Years? Think Again

Ed. Dept. Announces New Grants Under Teacher Incentive Fund

'Highly Qualified' Discontent

NCLB Rules on ‘Quality’ Fall Short

New School Funding Formula Approved by N.D. Legislators

Calif. Walkout Ends in Draw

Teachers’ Unions Taking Professional Development Online

For Start-Up Teacher, Jam-Packed Routine

Cultures of Commitment

Teacher Panel Calls for Overhaul of Pay Across Profession

Teacher Panel Calls for Overhaul of Pay

Donors Underwriting National-Board Fees

Impact of NCLB in Mich. Examined

Student Council Project Aims to Encourage Civic Activism

Union and Anti-Union Group Wage Billboard Campaigns in Newark

Senators Seek ‘Highly Qualified’ Refinements

Teachers at Mich. Charter Vote to Quit Their Union

U.S. Students Shown to Be on Par With Others on Amount of Homework

Debate Over Earnings of Teachers Renewed

County Executive in Michigan Calls for Mandarin for All

Mich. Charter Awaits Vote on Union

Michigan Governor Pushing Scholarship Expansion

Program Expanding Teachers’ Role Linked To Gains

Program That Expands Teachers’ Roles Linked to Higher Student Achievement

More Minority Teachers Earn National Certification

Teachers in Fla. Charter Schools Vote to Join Local Union Affiliate

NEA Drives Home Policy Point With Dropout Issue

Teacher-Pay Clearinghouse Launched on Internet

NEA Wants Role in School Improvement Agenda

Analysis Questions Inflexibility of Contracts

Technology High Schools, Property-Tax Cuts Envisioned

Rethinking Teachers’ Contracts, Report Argues, Would Free Up Funding Flexibility

Event Provides Entree Into Bargaining Talks

NEA Members, Budget Up; Workers Down

Classroom Gets Makeover

Economy Shadows Mich. Aid Increase

Project to Seek High-Poverty Schools’ Best Practices

Teacher-Incentive Plans Geared to Bonuses for Individuals

NCATE Accredits Its First Online Teacher-Training Program

Parent Measures in NCLB Examined

Unions and Charters

More Teacher-Incentive Grants Trickle Out

Schools Seen to Neglect Parent-Related Measures in NCLB

Productive Coexistence Recommended for Teachers’ Unions and Charter Schools

Unions Provide Money and Personnel for Key Races

Teacher Pipeline Part of Operation to Lift a School

‘Residencies’ Set Up to Train Urban Teachers at School Sites

Stanford Education School to Offer Loan Forgiveness

NEA: Earn a Diploma or Stay in School Until Age 21

Florida Union Challenges Teacher-Bonus Program

N.C. University Faculty Bail Out High School in Math, Science Class

Views Differ Over NCLB Rules on Involving Parents

Mich. Could Require Vaccine for Sexually Transmitted Virus

Ed. Dept. Won’t Force HOUSSE Closure Now

Lawmakers Study State’s ‘Brain Drain’

ABCTE Picks Up State, Adds Former Member of National Board

Site Launched for Teachers to Sell Their Lesson Plans

In Every Core Class, A Qualified Teacher. . .

Most States Pass Federal Review on Highly Qualified Teachers

AFT Increases Dues to Boost Recruiting, Political Organizing

States' Standards, Tests Are a Mismatch, Study Finds

AFT Hikes Dues to Pay for Recruitment, Political Efforts

Teacher-Education Accrediting Group’s Numbers Up to 20

Teachers Recruited to Find Solutions to Vexing Policy Issues

Denver Teacher Wins $100,000 Kinder Prize

Denver Kindergarten Teacher Wins $100,000 Achievement Award

NBPTS Upgrades Profession, Most Agree, Despite Test-Score Letdown

Math, Science Graduates Sign On to Teach

D.C. Teachers Approve Contract With Flexibility for 10 Schools

‘Condition of Education’: U.S. Has Stiff Competition Abroad

Under Pressure, NBPTS Releases Full Study

Longtime Union President Ousted in Minneapolis

No State Meeting Teacher Provision of ‘No Child’ Law

Study for NBPTS Raises Questions About Credential

Fla. Urges Comparable Teacher-Compensation Reporting

Policymakers Urged to Heed Middle Grades

New Mentoring Program Found Helpful for Novice Teachers in N.Y.C.

National Board Teachers No Better Than Other Educators, Long-Awaited Study Finds

Payne’s Pursuit

Phila. Launches Campaign to Diversify Staffs

Web Site Provides ‘Road Map’ for Teacher-Related Issues

States Still Ironing Out ‘Highly Qualified’ Kinks

Regional Accrediting Agencies Serving 30 States Approve Merger

Report: NCLB Law Hasn’t Superseded Contracts

Group Signs Off With Progress Report on Teacher Quality

Wis. Court Sides With Virtual Schools

Path to Classroom Not Linked to Teachers’ Success

Labor Accord Signals Shift in NEA View

Teaching Commission Started by IBM Chief Will Close Its Doors

Merger Makes a Difference

Charging the Gap

Educator Condemns Lack of Respect for Teacher Prep

New Union Elections Sought

Education Officials Revamp Database of Sex Offenders

Race and Michigan Schools

Fla. Ready to Demand Bonuses Based on Test Scores

School ‘Segregation’ Examined in Michigan

Mich. Pupils Could Face Online Rule

College Scholarships Remain on Agenda

Teachers to Conduct Peer Reviews in Chicago

Teacher Training

Education Taxes Targeted in Vermont Address

Test-Tied Bonuses to Take Effect in Houston

Federal Report Surveys Teachers on Professional-Development Issues

Union Filings Give In-Depth Look at Spending Patterns

St. Paul Schools Target Classroom Appliances

Per-Pupil Aid Increase is First in Three Years

Actual Measure of ‘Highly Qualified’ Teachers Just Beginning to Come to Light Across Nation

Teacher-Certification Organization Shakes Up Board of Directors

Settlement in D.C. Union Case Calls for Recouping Money

Teacher-Evaluation System Likely to Be Replaced in Miami District

Volunteers Get Taste of Ingredients to Be an Effective Teacher

GAO: Districts Show Progress on Teacher Qualifications

Director of Teaching Commission Dies

Districts Show Progress on Teacher Qualifications

Center Changes Name

SEC Wants Teachers to Learn Their Retirement Needs

40-District Event in Pa. Draws 8,000 for Staff Training

Denver Voters Pave Way for Incentive Pay

N.Y.C. Teachers Approve Contract Giving Total of 15 Percent Raises

Denver Voters Approve Tax Hike to Underwrite Incentive-Based Teacher Pay

States Given Extra Year on Teachers

TEACHERS: New and Old, Judged Chiefly on Same Standards

New Teachers in Arizona Must Prove Skills Via Videotape

Fate of Denver’s Pay Plan Rests With Voters

U.S. Education Department Gives States Reprieve in Meeting ‘Highly Qualified’ Teacher Requirement

Upheaval Hits Teacher-Credentialing Board

Displaced TFA Corps to Work in Louisiana Relief Centers

Tentative N.Y.C. Accord Would Support Raises, Curb Seniority Rights

Vermont School Aid Case Returned to Lower Court

Michigan Schools to Start Later

AFT Salary Survey Finds Teacher Pay Below Inflation Rate

Detroit Teachers Accept Freeze for Second Straight Year

Michigan Chooses ACT as High School Exam

Teachers Ponder Job Prospects as Districts Come Recruiting

Death of Feldman, AFT’s Former President, Mourned

AFT Revokes Affiliate Status of Puerto Rico Teachers’ Union

President of Alternative-Certification Group Resigns

Former AFT Leader Dies of Cancer

Teachers and Technology

Missing Information

Survey: Teachers Use Technology Mostly for Administrative Tasks

Miami’s Board-Certified Teachers Advance Agenda

N.C. Teachers Offer Ways to Draw NBPTS Teachers Into Poor Schools

Michigan Groups Launch Petition Drive

Some Florida Districts Opting Not to Pay Out Performance Bonuses

‘Disney’ Teachers Cite Factors to Stimulate Student Achievement

Foundation Gives More Money to Promote Denver Pay Plan

Education Ministry to Provide Guns for Thai Teachers

Lawmakers Debate Preschool Programs

Former Miami Teacher Is Charged in Alleged Course-Credit Scheme

Next Up for Developing Nations: Secondary Schooling

Teachers Flocking to Online Sources to Advance and Acquire Knowledge

Head of L.A. Local Can’t Get Delegates Pumped for ‘Union’

Weaver Calls on Delegates to Make Covenant With Nation

NEA President Says Achievement Gap to Go at Top of Union's Priority List

NEA Grows More Strategic About Membership

Ed. Dept. Extends Date for Aides to be ‘Qualified’

Virginia Student’s Discovery Prompts Recall of Calculators

Michigan Board Backs Granholm’s Pick for Chief

Panel Urges New Testing for Teachers

Effect of Unions Hard to Gauge, Scholars Agree

Va. to Provide Bonuses for Middle-Grades Math Teachers

Facilities Inequities

Administration Now Promoting Incentive Fund for Teachers

Teacher Quality Seen Rooted in Academics

Michigan Adjusts Marks

Denver Teachers Vote to Approve New Contract

Re-Up Time Is Here for Board-Certified Teachers

Mich. Power Shift Sought

Once Bitterly Divided, N.J. District Achieves Accord

Court Frees Affiliates From Fiscal Disclosure

Companies Provide Forums for Teachers’ Wish Lists

Union, States Wage Frontal Attack on NCLB

NEA Files 'No Child Left Behind' Lawsuit

England’s Teacher Unions Fight Blair’s ‘Academies’

Denver Union Unrest May Cloud Future of Pay Plan

Teachers Settle Two-Month Strike in Crosby-Ironton, Minn.

Defeated L.A. Union Officials Seek to Disqualify Winners

Poll Finds Support for Changes in Teacher Pay

Child Well-Being

Professional Development

College Aid Restored

Conferees Mull Best Uses of NBPTS Teachers

AIDS Infects Education Systems in Africa

Factors Influencing Retention Analyzed

Michigan Scholarship on Chopping Block

Circling ‘The Scourge’

Elections Give No Easy Fix on Union Course

Los Angeles Teachers Oust Incumbent Union President

Minn. District Holds Some Classes as Teachers’ Strike Continues

Ban on Affirmative Action Gets Closer to Mich. Ballot

N.D., Utah Dispute Federal Findings on Teacher Quality

Michigan to Use ACT or SAT in New High School Exam

Company Matches Foreign Teachers and U.S. Schools

‘Qualified’ Teachers: A Victory on Paper?

Union Helps With Homework

Slightly Higher Teacher Shortages Reported in 2003-04

Tight Budgets Prompt More Talk Than Action on Teacher-Pay Plans

Pa. Outlines Teacher-Test Alternatives

Phila. Activists Cite Lost Opportunity on Teachers’ Pact

NCLB Imperils Minority Hiring, Group Asserts

Teacher Education

NCLB Presents Middle School Complications

Freshman Enrollment

Michigan Governor Opposes Measure to Restrict Gaming

Portland Teachers, Board Settle on New Contract

Spending Increases Restore Earlier Cuts

Phila. Principals Gain Say in Hiring Under New Pact

Miami Teachers’ Union Sues Former Executives Over Finances

Teachers’ Aides Stump for Kerry Via Postal Route

Teacher Tax Credit

Teacher Steps Down

Banker Donates $22 Million to Va. Teacher-Prep School

West Virginia Sends Advisory On Infectious Skin Bacteria

Gathering Place

Teacher-Workshop Information Available on Ed. Dept. Site

Tax Bill Restores Teacher Deduction

Few Teachers’ Strikes Mark U.S. Landscape

Thousands ‘Party’ Down to Promote Public Schools

Party of Two Forced Into Consolidation

Ohio District Holds Walkout Record

Wash. Strike Pushes Classes Into July

Software to Mimic Evolution Being Developed for Classroom

Teacher Prep Becomes Fodder for U.S. News College Guide

Chicago Wants TFA to Commit Longer

Model Districts Embed Professional-Development Schools in Systems

Denver Substitute Teachers Slam Proposal to Cut Pay by Two-Thirds

Under New Leaders, Changes Anticipated for Chicago’s Union

Unions Turn Cold Shoulder on Charters

Making Dreams of College Come True

Schools Seen as Out of Sync With Teens

Stanford Professor Created A New Breed of Professional

Rejection and Rage Increasingly Turn Into Violence

A Time and Place for Teenagers