Web Watch
Teacher’s look at education news from around the Web. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: teaching profession.
Education
Certified Teachers Too Costly for D.C.
With only one percent of the D.C. teaching corps certified by the NBPTS, Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee believes that despite the prestige of the award, the money used for certification could be better spent.
Education
Improving Teaching: A Union's Leadership Speaks Out
An opinion piece from the United Teachers Los Angeles teachers' union's leadership lays out specifics on how to improve the teaching profession.
Education
Does Teach for America Create Burnout-itis?
A recent study of college graduates involved with Teach for America in some capacity revealed a surprising lack of interest in civic involvement, according to a recent article from The New York Times.
Education
Is Certification the Stamp for Good Teaching?
Does being certified guarantee good teaching? That's the question NPR asked recently, after examining the Halifax County School District in rural North Carolina where only six of 10 students graduate high school, despite 98 percent of the staff being certified.
Curriculum
20th-Century Skills
For all the emphasis on interactive technology and hyper-connectivity in schools today, some educators are finding it can still be beneficial—maybe even essential—to expose their students to slower and more time-honored modes of learning.
Education
Great Textpectations
A recent study of 3,001 children by the National Literacy Trust in the United Kingdom finds that children who engage with technology have stronger core literacy skills than their technologically unsound peers, according to BBC News.
Education
From the Battle Field to the Education Field
A bipartisan group in Congress hopes to expand the federally run Troops to Teachers program, which has helped nearly 12,000 former military members go from the armed forces to the classroom in the past 15 years, according to the New York Times.
Professional Development
Leveraging Online Tools for Teacher PD
More From NSDC, St. Louis-- Yesterday, my co-live bloggers Nancy Flanagan and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and I put ourselves in the spotlight and gave a presentation at the NSDC conference on "Leveraging Online Tools for Teacher Learning." I offered a short contextual intro (after figuring out how to work the microphone and realizing I shouldn't stand in front of the projector, that is), and then the pros took over. Nancy gave an excellent primer on the art of facilitating online training sessions, and Sheryl provided a stirring look at the transformational potential of new learning technologies (complete with a live Skyped-in visitor and contributions from her twitter followers).
Education
The Principal Story: Speaking of Rocket Science
Live From NSDC, St. Louis--
Scene from "The Principal Story," a film exploring the gritty reality of being a principal in a tough school:
Scene from "The Principal Story," a film exploring the gritty reality of being a principal in a tough school:
Education
Chatting About 'Hard Conversations'
Live From NSDC, St. Louis-- - Determined not to let lack of sleep, cold freezing rain, or flight delays keep me from St Louis or from attending the 41st NSDC Annual Conference, I dashed from the taxi, checked into the hotel and rushed to my room just in time to facilitate a couple of webinar sessions for a PLP cohort I am helping to lead. Anxiously, I finished up and was out the door to meet up with co-live bloggers Nancy Flanagan and Anthony Rebora.
Education
Instructional Leadership With a Soft Touch
Live From NSDC, St. Louis-- I didn't get to attend the Michael Fullan session yesterday, but a lot of people were talking about it, and I was interested to read Nancy's description of his emphasis on "broad goals" and cultural change as opposed to a fixation on detailed outcomes. Variations on this idea have popped up in several sessions I've attended--often enough that I think it could be designated as one theme of the conference.
Education
Leaders of the Pack
Live From NSDC, St. Louis-- At lunch, I sat next to three teachers from Iowa. Their school district has adopted a new formal peer coaching program, and they were attending a day-long session to learn about the model. Which is why, they said, the district popped for funding a national conference; they were very excited about the wealth of professional learning opportunities as well as the speakers and the exhibits. For the next few days, they're in the leadership club. They will be held accountable for bringing back and rolling out some specific skills and information. In the meantime, their perspectives have been honored and their ideas stretched.
Education
Educators Need to Keep Warm, Too
Live From NSDC, St. Louis-- So there's an impressive vendor hall here, with six long rows of booths (many decked out with impressive technology) from which education organizations of various stripes are working hard to promote their staff-development or instructional products and services. But here's the kind of amusing thing: The vendor who's getting by far the most traffic is--you guessed it--the "Scarf King," a guy who's selling cashmere scarves for $10. His stall is seriously mobbed; you can't even see the display table unless you maneuver your way in. There has to be lesson in this somewhere. ...
Education
We Play the Music
Live From NSDC, St. Louis-- Don't want to get on my high horse here, but bringing student groups in to entertain large education conference audiences is a mixed-message concept. At best.