Nite Cap UPDATE
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
CORPORATE ED REFORM
Ingraham's PTA vs PTO Vote (Fleshed Out)
I've gotten way behind on threads and I did want to flesh out the discussion leading to Ingraham High School's decision to leave PTA and have a Parent Teacher Organization.
By my count, there were about 60+ people at the meeting. It was a regular PTA meeting so they did their business meeting first. (They did their Golden Acorn awards and I really love hearing these stories about such hard-working and positive people.)
The PTA President, Keiki Kehoe, gave some background to the issue saying the PTA had felt increasingly
Brian Pick Gets It
Earlier today I had the great pleasure of a blog post that I wrote about the District of Columbia’s approach to the Common Core standards being published on Valerie Strauss’s “The Answer Sheet.” And just a couple of hours ago I had the great honor of speaking with Brian Pick—the man in charge of revamping [...]
A Bully's Brain - Part 1
We've examined bullying from all angles, except the one organ which is responsible for so many of our human functions. The Brain. What does a bully's brain look like?. Kindergarteners and First Graders at a Chicago Public School explore the neural underpinnings of bullying.
Learning To Fly (Reminding Ourselves That Students Are People)
Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure
Confession: I had the best time yesterday hanging with my students at Six Flags Great Adventure for their senior trip.
From discovering that Adventure Time is my new favorite show (and I ain’t even know it) to testing out my intestinal fortitude (just fine for now, thank you very much), I got to see a side of my students I rarely get to see. The heights of the Kingda Ka and twists of Batman The Ride shook their false bravado and nonchalance they put on at school. In one instance, a couple of my more nervous girls went immediately to the Kingda Ka while most of my boys stayed behind.
Right then, I wish we had this roller coaster all along.
Having a rapport with students often demands that we pull back our actual selves, focusing instead on our roles as “warm demanders.” Perhaps I’m reading too much into this, but every so often, we need spaces where we can interact aside from academics. In no way do I advocate for lower expectations for students. Rather, I’m suggesting that I’m still trying to find the balance between high expectations for them as students and high
What is a Great Teacher?: From the Mouth of My Babes!
Their assignment: In two or three sentences, tell me what a great teacher is. So, we shared a Google document, and they added their thoughts. Of course I got "the teacher lets me go out for extra recess". I also got some the "teacher doesn't give a lot of tests or homework". But below are a few that made me smile and/or touched my heart. From my babies: a teacher who takes their time to
Parents get a win at Trumball. The future of the WPA murals remains a question.
Late this afternoon, after a flood of media attention, CPS announced that they would agree to Trumball parents’ requests to delay the removal of the two WPA lunettes that are over the doors in front of the auditorium until after the end of the school year.
Parents expressed concern that the student’s graduation ceremonies would be made even more difficult if the murals, which have always been placed above the auditorium doors, were removed today as planned.
Graduation will be difficult enough since the school is on the Mayor’s closing list.
With a hat tip to artist Ellen Gradman, here is the CPS statement that was issued this afternoon:
Subject: CPS Statement on MuralsFrom: “Office of Communications, CPS”To: CPS Office of CommunicationsCC:“CPS is not removing any murals from any school until the end of the school year. When they are removed, the murals will be placed in protective storage to ensure they are preserved and secure until we determine a new public location for them, most likely in CPS schools.”Becky CarrollChief Communications OfficerChicago Public SchoolsJune 6,
University, School District Cooperation Suggested to Produce Better Principals
Winthrop University
In order to produce more effective principals, universities and school districts should form relationships in which both can serve each other’s needs.
That was one of the key points made during a webinar Thursday titled “Preparing Principals: Lessons for Higher Education and Partner Districts.” The webinar was hosted by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and meant to highlight a $75 million five-year grant program designed by The Wallace Foundation to improve the principal pipeline.
As a case in point, Mary Martin, Associate Professor within the College of Education at Winthrop University in South Carolina, detailed a selective principal preparation program developed through the grant in part by her college in conjunction with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina.
“We feel like we’re producing people that they are supporting and that they want to see lead in the coming
Here’s What I Do To Help My Students Combat The “Summer Slide”
We’re all familiar with the “summer slide” — the academic losses that many young people, especially in low-income communities, experience during the time they’re out of school. And you can read more about it at The Best Resources On The “Summer Slide.”
I help many of my students, particularly English Language Learners (who tend to be a little more intrinsically motivated than some of my mainstream students who face different challenges), register for “virtual classrooms” at various sites that they can use and where I can receive regular reports on their progress.
I make arrangements with their teacher next year to give them extra credit for their summer work, and regularly
Chief Sealth Principal Leaving
Chief Sealth Principal Leaving
Chris Kinsey, Principal at Chief Sealth Int'l High School, has let parents know he won't be returning next year. He says:
I can assure you that I will remain committed to Sealth and will work diligently with Carmela Dellino, Executive Director of Schools for West Seattle, to ensure a successful transition for your next Principal. Ms. Dellino will be working with the staff and community to gather feedback and input into the qualities and characteristics for
I can assure you that I will remain committed to Sealth and will work diligently with Carmela Dellino, Executive Director of Schools for West Seattle, to ensure a successful transition for your next Principal. Ms. Dellino will be working with the staff and community to gather feedback and input into the qualities and characteristics for
June 06, 2013
Making sure that students get enough fresh air in their classrooms could keep kids from missing school due to illness, researchers from the at Lawrence
Departing teachers speak out – Our Colorado News | Lone Tree Voice
by Jane Reuter – Some teachers trace it back to the 2009 election of four Republican Party-backed current school board members — which they say began a sea change in Douglas County School District operations; others to the failed summer 2012 negotiations between the district and teachers’ union. But all departing teachers who spoke about ...read more
The post Departing teachers speak out – Our Colorado News | Lone Tree Voice appeared first on NPE News Briefs.
The post Departing teachers speak out – Our Colorado News | Lone Tree Voice appeared first on NPE News Briefs.
Engaging Parents In School…
“Populr.me” Is A Nice Website-Creating Tool Now That There’s No Limit On Number Of Free Pages
I discovered Populr.me awhile ago, and liked how easy it let you create websites. However, at that time, they had a very strict, and small, limit on the number of pages you could publish.
They’ve just removed that limit, so I’m adding it to The Best Ways For Students Or Teachers To Create A Website.
House Republican Introduces Education Bill
The legislation, which eliminates 70 programs, is intended to reduce “the federal footprint,” said its sponsor, Representative John Kline.
Update On New NCLB Reauthorization Legislation
Here are two new additions to The Best Posts & Articles On The New NCLB Reauthorization Bill:
House Republican Introduces Education Bill is from The New York Times.
ELL Accountability Could Widen Under Harkin NCLB Bill is from Education Week.
Great New Maps Of U.S. Regional Dialects
22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other is a fun and informative sampling from an extensive new series of visualizations that have just been published.
And if that sample isn’t enough for you, then you can find all the rest of them here.
I’m adding them to The Best “Language Maps.”
U.S. Education Secretary to Visit New York to Tour Aviation High School and Deliver Hostos Community College Commencement Address
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will travel to New York on Friday, June 7, to visit Aviation High School and hold a roundtable with students and business leaders, and to deliver the commencement address to Hostos Community College graduates. On the school visit, which begins at 12:30 p.m., Duncan will be joined by Brenda Dann-Messier, the U.S.