Teacher Leaders Network

Those Who Teach, Don't Need to Talk

Heather Wolpert-Gawron explains how losing your voice can make you a better teacher. (November 4, 2009)

Web Watch

Separate and Unequal?

Some schools have noted that grouping students by ability has had the unintended consequence of proliferating the minority achievement gap. (November 6, 2009)

Wisc. Legislature Lifts Ban on Evaluating Teachers by Test Results

The state Assembly passed a bill that removes a ban on using student test results to evaluate teachers in order to be eligible for nearly $4.5 billion in federal stimulus money. (November 6, 2009, AP)

Policies Target Teacher-Student Cyber Talk

Addressing an issue facing schools nationwide, Louisiana is requiring educators to document certain types of electronic contact with students. (November 4, 2009)

Merit-Pay Study Finds Minimal Impact on Achievement

$300 million spent on teacher merit pay in Texas resulted in few gains by students, a new study concludes. (November 4, 2009, AP)

Race to the Top Forcing School Change

President Barack Obama is coaxing states across the country to rewrite education laws and cut deals with unions to become eligible for his $5 billion Race to the Top project. (November 4, 2009, AP)

Teacher PD Sourcebook

Creating Learning Organizations

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, a former teacher and education-technology consultant, says today’s professional development needs to immerse educators in experiences that promote reflection and relationship-building. (October 1, 2009)

Hip-Hop Enters School as Teaching Tool

Teachers have begun implementing hip-hop in the classroom as an educational tool. (November 3, 2009, MCT)

News & Notes

Giving Teachers the Reins

To attract high-quality teachers to disadvantaged schools, administrators must provide educators with the freedom to exercise their skills and knowledge, an award-winning teacher said on Capitol Hill last week.

Teacher PD Sourcebook

Collaboration and Insight: Online Teacher Learning In Action

A group of educators in North Carolina find connection and support in an online PD project. (October 1, 2009)

Commentary

When Teachers Are the Experts

Professional development by lecture is doomed, writes Ross Hunefeld, and should be replaced by teacher-led learning communities. (November 4, 2009)

First Lady Debuts Mentoring Program

First lady Michelle Obama launched a mentoring program Monday to give local high school girls access to women at the White House. (November 3, 2009, AP)

Hawaii Looks to Reopen Schools

Parents and teachers urged Hawaii lawmakers to do whatever it takes to reopen public schools on scheduled furlough days this school year.

Anguish Over Calif. Teen Suicides Spur Action

Parents and school administrators search for answers as four students in the past six months committed suicide by stepping in front of trains in Palo Alto, Calif. (November 2, 2009, AP)

Technology Increases Students' Temptation To Cheat

A recent survey by the Josephson Institute suggests that cheating in high schools has become “rampant, and it’s getting worse,” and computers have only made cheating easier for students. (November 2, 2009, MCT)

An Ala. High School Makes Literacy a Schoolwide Job

As concern over teenagers' reading and writing skills mounts, an Alabama high school shows how to teach literacy in every subject. (November 4, 2009)

Trend Tracker

Study: Kids Feeling School Pressure

Students feel significant levels of stress about schoolwork as early as elementary school, a new survey from Highlights magazine reveals. (October 20, 2009)

Teacher PD Sourcebook

Teachers Take to Twitter

Some educators are finding that helpful ideas and advice can come in 140 characters or fewer.

Sizer's Legacy

The long career of Theodore R. Sizer, who died two weeks ago, included books that helped inspire a movement for more personalized schooling.