Parent Trigger Proposal Defeated In Florida
I’ve previously posted about the parent trigger proposal in the Florida legislature. Happily, the trigger continues its descent into irrelevancy since the Florida bill was defeated today. Here are a few articles about its defeat: Why Florida’s parent trigger bill failed in state Senate is by Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post. Tense fight over [...]
“‘Parent Unions’ Seek to Join Policy Debates”
‘Parent Unions’ Seek to Join Policy Debates is the headline of an article today in Education Week. It gives a pretty fair overview of different types of parent groups around the United States and, despite its headline, does not focus exclusively on “parent unions.” Most of these new “unions” tend to be “astroturf” (as opposed [...]
“Minority administrators, school personnel key to engaging immigrant parents”
Minority administrators, school personnel key to engaging immigrant parents is the title of a report on an intriguing new study. I’m not going to try to summarize the article here — it seems a bit nuanced, so I’m going to suggest you check it out directly. It’s very short.
“Duncan Tells PTA of Plans to Double Parent-Engagement Aid”
Education Week has a short article about Education Secretary Duncan telling a PTA National Conference that the administration asking Congress to double parent engagement funds next year. I wonder, though, where all this fits in with their eliminating funding for the PIRC’s — the Parent Information and Resource Centers… Does anybody know?
What The “MetLife Survey of the American Teacher” Learned About Parent Engagement
The annual “MetLife Survey of the American Teacher” was released today. You can read all about it at my main blog, but I thought I’d share an excerpt from their summary that relates to parent involvement/engagement: And levels of parent engagement have increased: Levels of engagement between parents and schools have seen marked improvement over [...]
“Title 1 And Parent Involvement”
Title 1 And Parent Involvement: Lessons From The Past, Recommendations For The Future is a new report from The Center For American Progress, and is written by Karen Mapp. If it’s written by Karen Mapp, then you know it’s worth reading! She, along with Anne Henderson, are the two top researchers in the field.
“Parent trigger: School tests California law that allows takeover via petition”
Parent trigger: School tests California law that allows takeover via petition is an article in today’s Washington Post. You might also be interested in The Best Resources For Learning Why The Parent Trigger Isn’t Good For Parents, Kids Or Schools.
Louisiana Legislator Wants Law To Grade Parents
A Louisiana legislator is proposing a law, similar to the failed effort in Florida, that would give parents grades based on their level of school involvement. Here’s an excerpt from the article: Harrison’s House Bill 808 lists six things parents would need to do to receive an “A” rating: - Help students with homework. - [...]
Very Interesting Articles On Parent Trigger Proposal In Florida
Here are three very interesting articles on the parent trigger debate in Florida: Parent trigger bill faces uncertain future is from The Tampa Bay Times. Education overhaul: ‘Parent trigger’ legislation clears hurdle, ready for Senate vote is from The Sun Sentinel. Fla. Senate panel clears parental ‘trigger’ bill is from The Herald Tribune.
All Of My “The Best…” Lists On Parent Engagement
Just a reminder that I have all of my “The Best….” lists related to parent engagement together at: A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Parent Engagement — 2011 You can also find a link to it at my left sidebar, and in my blog’s list of categories.
This Week’s Parent Teacher Chat On Twitter
Guest Post by Joe Mazza: Upcoming #PTchat on Twitter – 3/7/12 at 9PM EST/6PST Recently, England’s Education Secretary Michael Gove gave schools the go ahead to reduce the amount of homework they set for pupils after complaints from parents that studies are cutting in to family time. Alfie Kohn has been one of the leading researchers on the [...]
Upcoming Parent Engagement Webinar
Late last year, the National Education Association released an important report on parent engagement (you can see my previous post on it — Important Report On Parent Engagement Released Today). On Thursday, March 29th, Anne Henderson, the author of the report and the top researcher on parent engagement in the U.S., will be leading a [...]
“Community schools recognize the vital role of full-service partnerships”
Community schools recognize the vital role of full-service partnerships is a recent post from Thoughts On Public Education, and give a pretty good report on recent developments in developing community schools. I’ve previously posted that I wish more community schools included parents in their idea of “partnerships” (see Parent Leadership Is Often “Missing Link” In [...]
Parents Organize In Charlotte
Parents worked with teachers and others to stop an insane new testing regimen in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read about it in The Washington Post at A rare break from testing madness.
Great Parent Engagement Idea — Not So Good Execution
I think it’s great that the California PTA wants to be a political leader in getting more funds for schools. In California, they’re a major backer of a tax initiative that’s hoping to be on November ballot. Unfortunately, they are competing with two other efforts — one led by Governor Jerry Brown (with support from [...]
“California’s flawed ‘parent trigger’ “
California’s flawed ‘parent trigger’ is a fairly decent editorial from The Los Angeles Times. Even though the best parent trigger is no parent trigger at all, if it’s going to be kept The Times’ suggestions could only help.
Engaging English Language Learner Families
I just participated in an excellent #ELLchat on Twitter about engaging ELL families. Lot of great ideas and resources were shared. I’ve embedded highlights from the conversation below using Storify. I’m adding it to The Best Sources Of Parent Engagement Advice For Teachers. [View the story "Parent Engagement With/For English Language Learners" on Storify]
“Obama Administration Announces Together for Tomorrow”
Obama Administration Announces Together for Tomorrow is the headline of a press release just issued by the U.S. Department of Education. I’m including some excerpts from the press release at the end of this post. After reading it, I still don’t really have a clue what they’re talking about — except that it has to [...]
More Resources On The History Of Technology
Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The History Of Technology: Here’s a 1980 commercial for a mobile phone: The Associated Press has an interactive showing the history of the Kodak company. The History Of … Continue reading →
The Best Resources On The One Year Anniversay Of Japan’s Earthquake & Tsunami
It’s been one year since the tragic Japanese earthquake and tsunami. You might also be interested in the “The Best…” lists I compiled at the time the natural disaster occurred: The Best Sites For Learning About The Japan Earthquake & … Continue reading →
New Research On Self-Control
There have been a number of recent studies and articles on self-control and willpower. They’re interesting enough to post here, but not useful enough, I think to add to My Best Posts About Helping Students Develop Their Capacity For Self-Control: … Continue reading →
And If You Need Even More Evidence That Relationship-Building Is Important In The Classroom….
One of the most important ingredients of success in teaching (and in community organizing) — if not the most important one — is building relationships. I harp on that in all my books, I repeat it constantly on this blog, … Continue reading →
The Best Sites For Learning About Solar Storms
The earth is being bombarded today by a huge solar storm. Here are some resources to learn more about these kinds of storms: How solar storms work – interactive comes from The Guardian. What will happen when the solar storm … Continue reading →
“Making Faces”
Making Faces is a cool interactive that teaches “feeling” vocabulary by having users create models of faces reflecting those emotions. It can be a little tricky sometimes, but it also provides hints. I posted about the site a few years … Continue reading →
Tell CNN What Videos Would Be Helpful To Your Class
I’ve previously highlighted CNN’s great series of “Explain It To Me” videos at The Best Online “Explainer” Tools For Current Events. They’re two-to-three minute video clips on current news topics, like this one on addiction: Lauren Ready, the producer of … Continue reading →
“A Lesson in Teaching to the Test, From E.B. White”
A Lesson in Teaching to the Test, From E.B. White is a must-read commentary over at The New York Times. In it, Anne Stone shares a great excerpt from E.B. White’s “The Trumpet of the Swan” and relates it to … Continue reading →
“What Do Principals Look For In A Prospective Teacher?”
What Do Principals Look For In A Prospective Teacher? is the new “question of the week” for my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to share your responses there or at this post….
Here’s Another Reasons Why Lectures Are Not The Best Instructional Strategy
Here’s today’s Zits comic strip: Here’s today’s Zits comic strip:
“MetLife Survey of the American Teacher” Released Today
The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents and the Economy, the 28th in an annual series commissioned by MetLife and conducted by Harris Interactive, was released today. You can read the press release summarizing its findings here, and … Continue reading →
ZooWhiz Looks Like A Good Site For Math & English
ZooWhiz is a good — and free — Australian site with tons of interactive games and exercises for pre-school, elementary, and middle school (and for English Language Learners who are even older). Users have to register for the site, and … Continue reading →
The Best Resources For World Read Aloud Day
March 7th is World Read Aloud Day this year, and here are a number of useful resources: World Read Aloud Day Activities World Read Aloud Day Blog Tools and Tips for World Read-Aloud Day is from The New York Times … Continue reading →
How To Find The Most Popular Smithsonian Magazine Articles
I periodically post “most popular” lists of websites (and books) that I think educators might find useful. Of course, there are a number of ways to gauge “popularity.” I just view these lists as opportunities to check-out some new sites, … Continue reading →
My New Ed Week Post “Thoughts On The Meaning Of ‘Rigor’”
My new Education Week Teacher column is titled “Thoughts On The Meaning of ‘Rigor’” and includes responses from Barbara Blackburn, Cris Tovani, Ira Socol, Nancy Flanagan and Paul Thomas. And I’ve included a “bonus” chart created by me! I think … Continue reading →
Looking For A Folktale Showing A Person Trying To Help, But Only Makes Things Worse
I’m looking for a folktale or fable that gives an example of someone trying to help, but their help only ends up making things worse for the person they’re trying to help (that sentence seems a little weird, but does … Continue reading →
Focusing On Neighborhood Assets — One Of My Favorite Lessons!
We’re in the middle of one of my favorite units — where we focus on our neighborhood’s assets instead of its deficits. I explain it more in detail at A Lesson Highlighting Community Assets — Not Deficits, and have a … Continue reading →
Thinking “Inside Out” — How Could I Use This In A Lesson?
Robert Krulwich had another thought-provoking column at NPR yesterday — Inside-Out Your Mind. He shares a number of excellent examples, including the video I’ve embedded below, that encourage people to be creative by thinking the opposite — “inside-out.” I always … Continue reading →
Speedy Robot
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency just announced their robot just set a speed record for a legged-robot — 18 mph. You can read more about it here at the BBC, and you can see it in action in … Continue reading →
Great Resource For Civil War Photographs
The Atlantic recently published three collections of Civil War photographs. I’m adding them to The Best Sites For Learning About The American Civil War. The Civil War, Part 1: The Places The Civil War, Part 2: The People The Civil … Continue reading →