Teacher Leaders Network

Helping Students Get Proactive About Bullying

Middle school language arts teacher Kathie Marshall says one way to address bullying is to get students involved in creating solutions. (July 28, 2010)

Teaching Now

Teaching to the Test Watch

Maryland has put an end to its policy of allowing teachers to examine standardized test booklets up to two weeks before administering the exams, amid concerns of teachers abusing the privilege. Plus: Teacher Sexual Misconduct: Grappling with the Gray Areas (July 30, 2010)

Teacher Beat

Report: States Must Strengthen Teacher-Preparation Accountability

States should overhaul the accountability mechanisms for teacher-preparation programs so that they focus on the effectiveness of graduates in classrooms, a recent analysis concludes. (July 29, 2010)

Alaska Teacher Reflects on Teaching At-Risk Students

A former teacher from a youth detention facility discusses the specialized, highly-individualized instruction that his once-troubled students needed in order to succeed. (July 30, 2010, AP)

Reviews Find ELL Programs Lacking in Four Districts

In their defense, educators say more federal guidance is needed on how to apply civil rights laws to programs for English-language learners. (July 30, 2010)

Politics K-12

Obama Trumpets Value of Race to the Top

The president told members of the National Urban League that his signature education initiative holds promise for poor and minority students in low-performing schools.

Chicago Asks Teachers to Take Unpaid Holidays, Wage Freeze

Chicago Public Schools officials have suggested a list of concessions from its teachers to close a $370 million budget hole, including unpaid holidays, frozen wages, and unpaid school recesses. (July 29, 2010, MCT)

Does Japan Still Need Teacher Exchange Program?

Faced with stagnant growth and a massive public debt, Japanese lawmakers are wondering whether they need to continue importing American English teachers. (July 29, 2010, AP)

Least-Disruptive Model for Turnaround Proving Popular

Educators in a number of states are opting for "transformation" in deciding how to use their federal School Improvement Grant money. (July 29, 2010)

Superintendent's Facebook Posts Could Spell Trouble

A newly hired Connecticut superintendent could be in hot water after posting several comments about his job on Facebook. (July 28, 2010, MCT)

Teacher Beat

Teaching Assignment Linked to TFA Retention

Teach For America teachers who are assigned to teach more than one grade, subject, or out-of-field are more likely to leave their schools—or the profession altogether, a new analysis concludes. (July 28, 2010)

Commentary

Starting a Science Education

Five science education advocates argue that the country can no longer afford to ignore that the period from kindergarten through 4th grade is "a peak window of opportunity for teaching basic science concepts." (July 27, 2010)

Civil Rights Groups Call for New U.S. Education Agenda

Seven leading civil rights groups are urging U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to dismantle core pieces of his education plan, including Race to the Top. (July 26, 2010)

Four-Day School Week May Have Failed Test

In a Louisiana district, a comparison of test scores before and after shortened four-day school weeks show student achievement could be suffering. (July 26, 2010, AP)

Commentary

What Counts, or What Is Counted?

Michael K. Stone, a leader in the green-schooling movement, argues that in education as in life, less easily quantifiable qualities (such as community, respect, and affection) may be those most critical to the future. (July 22, 2010)

Idaho Officials Offer Teachers A Second Chance

Idaho education officials say teachers convicted of crimes can sometimes redeem themselves and make it back into the classroom. (July 26, 2010, AP)

Calif. Considers Adopting National Standards

On Aug. 2, the state Board of Education will consider a major shift in how California's public schools teach reading when it votes on a controversial set of national Common Core Standards. (July 26, 2010, MCT)

Study: Effective Principals Embrace Collective Leadership

The wide-ranging study linked high student achievement to those principals who involved teachers, parents, and others in school decisions. (July 23, 2010)