The Teaching Now blog explored the latest news on the teaching profession, from practical classroom tips to raging policy debates. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: teaching, teaching profession, and curriculum.
School & District Management
TEDx Talk: Make Schools Relevant
Will Richardson, the teacher-turned-tech-expert who was featured in our previous Teacher PD Sourcebook, recently gave a presentation for TEDxNYEd, a spinoff of the renowned yearly TED Talk conferences.
Teaching Profession
Experts Weigh in on Raising the Status of Teachers
In The New York Times' Room for Debate feature, education experts address a hot-button question that many policymakers believe speaks to the major difference between the U.S. and countries with higher performing education systems (in fact, it's the very question I asked Education Secretary Arne Duncan at the International Summit on the Teaching Profession): How do we raise the status of teachers in the U.S.?
School Climate & Safety
Is Class-Size Reduction Holding Schools Back?
In a Washington Post op-ed this morning, Eva Moskowitz, the founder and chief executive of the Success Charter Network, argues that class-size reduction efforts take away from schools' capacity for innovation and teacher support:
Professional Development
Why Isn't the U.S. Proud of Its Teachers?
Stanford professor Linda Darling-Hammond, who also attended the International Summit on Teaching in New York last week, has posted a blog post highlighting positive rhetoric used by the foreign guests in reference to teachers.
Professional Development
Study: Stipends for NBCTs Don't Pay Off
An incentive program aimed at bringing National Board certified teachers to high-poverty schools in Washington state is not working as intended, according to a new report from the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education. The finding comes on the heels of Gov. Christine Gregoire's proposal to suspend the bonuses paid to NBCTs—including the $5,000 they receive for having the certification and the additional $5,000 awarded to NBCTs who teach in "challenging" schools. She projects the cuts would save the state nearly $100 million in the next two years.
School & District Management
Lessons for Sale
Here's your business news of the day: TeachersPayTeachers, the website that lets teachers sell their lesson plans and materials, reportedly paid out $1 million dollars to teachers last year. To cite another measure, the company is generating $2 million in gross sales. According to Business Wire, one unnamed teacher makes as much money selling her stuff on the site as she does—well—teaching. (But then, maybe that's not saying all that much, right?)
School & District Management
Is There a 'Recipe for Good Teaching'?
In a post on the Harvard Business Review's Innovations in Education blog, a Harvard-trained social entrepeneur discusses an initiative his company created to improve teacher quality in India by developing a "recipe for good teaching." Part of this involved creating a 'micro-process' for teaching that essentially anatomizes the instructional protocals for different concepts. As he describes the finished product (in a sentence that kind of boggles the mind):
School Climate & Safety
Cyberbullying Prevention: Kids Can Help
Live from the Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference in New York
Curriculum
Teacher Book Club Author Packs the Room
Live from the Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference in New York
Education
Psychologist: Boys Need Close Friendships
Live from the Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference in New York
Education
Turnaround School Principal Says Efforts Are 'Replicable'
Live from the Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference in New York
Curriculum
Prolific Author and 8th Grader Team Up on a Novel
Live from the Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference in New York
College & Workforce Readiness
Dropout Discussion Heats Up Teacher Town Hall
Live from the Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference in New York
Federal
What's New in International Comparisons?
Two reports released in conjunction with the International Summit on the Teaching Profession in New York highlight the lessons the United States can take from other countries' reform efforts.