Teacher Leaders Network

Teaching Secrets: Tips for New English Teachers

Award-winning English teacher Renee Moore offers four enduring lessons that contributed to her own success in the classroom. (September 1, 2010)

Teaching Now

Getting Serious About 21st-Century Skills

Is the 21st-century skills movement destined to be a mere fad? Plus: Neutralizing Students' Internalized Stereotypes (August 31, 2010)

Colo. A.G.: School Officials Can't Divulge Teachers' Crimes

The Colorado Attorney General's Office informed the state board of education that breaching the controversial shroud of secrecy that drapes teacher arrest records maintained by the state constitutes a crime. (September 2, 2010, MCT)

Two State Groups Win Federal Grants for Common Tests

A third state consortium that applied for a smaller Race to the Top grant to build high school exams failed to garner an award. (September 2, 2010)

Wash. Suspends Teaching Certificate of Convicted Teacher

Washington state's schools chief suspended the teaching certificate of a teacher who was convicted of inappropriately touching girls and then was brought back into the classroom after a short suspension.

Commentary

Teacher Tess in Testing Land

Lewis Carroll could have had a ball with today's topsy-turvey, test-dominated place called school, writes Nel Noddings. Nothing there is as it seems. (September 1, 2010)

Commentary

Merit Pay or Team Accountability?

Kim Marshall argues that, rather than rewarding individual teachers for good test scores, we create incentives for teachers to work together to improve learning. (September 1, 2010)

NYC Study Gives K-8 an Edge Over Middle Schools

In a study released today, researchers found that middle school students lost more academic ground than they might have had they stayed in elementary school longer. (September 1, 2010)

19 States Piloting Teacher Prelicensing Exam

Nineteen states have joined forces on the assessment, which would be used to judge teacher-candidates’ classroom effectiveness. (September 1, 2010)

Students Head Back to Globe-Trotting Classrooms

A North Carolina county has made it a focus to push their curriculums towards a more global education, with students fully immersed in a foreign language by kindergarten. (August 30, 2010, AP)

Pa. Cyber Schools Going Viral

In the decade since cyber charter schools first opened to Pennsylvania students, turning on a computer instead of hopping on the bus has just ..clicked. (August 30, 2010, AP)

'Superman' Documentary Draws Praise, Controversy

The buzz is growing around a soon-to-be-released documentary on schools by the director of "An Inconvenient Truth." (September 1, 2010)

Politics K-12 Blog

N.J. Schools Chief Fired Over Race to Top Gaffe

Gov. Chris Christie has fired Bret Schundler for the mistake that cost the state $400 million on its Race to the Top application.

How Colorado Lost Race to the Top

A closer look at the reviewers' scores suggests Colorado's bid for $175 million in federal funding was hampered by fears that union opposition would prevent the spread of reform.

Ala. Has Complete 180 on View of Edujobs Bill

The federal jobs bill that most of Alabama's congressional delegation opposed is now viewed as a lifeline by state education officials who are contemplating the possibility of another year of budget cuts. (August 27, 2010, AP)

Puerto Rican Teachers Strike Over Staff, Funding

Teachers walked off their jobs Thursday in a one-day strike over staff and funding levels in Puerto Rican schools, giving students an unplanned day off barely three weeks into the new academic year. (August 27, 2010, AP)

Duncan: Schools Should Disclose More on Teachers

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged schools across the country to disclose more data on student achievement and teacher effectiveness, saying too much information is being kept out of public view. (August 26, 2010, AP)

Senate Report Hints at Future Direction for ESEA

Language buried in a report on a Senate appropriations bill may provide a glimpse of the bar Congress will set for judging the effectiveness of school improvement interventions. (August 26, 2010)

Race to Top Winners Rejoice, Losers Parse Scores

The nine states and the District of Columbia will share $3.4 billion in Round Two of the federal competition, a cash infusion intended to fuel bold education reforms. (August 24, 2010)