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Insights on Writing: A Core Skill
Writing powerfully is a skill that teachers know every student needs to develop if he or she is to have the best chances in life. Yet, paradoxically, it's one of the skills that students most often resist practicing. The April 2014 issue of Educational Leadership examines the many ways to help students grow as writers. Articles in this issue look at some of the central skills involved in the compl
APR 02
What Do You Think We Need from Education?
As we continue our discussions on "Choosing Your Tomorrow Today" and "The Future of Schooling" as part of ASCD's Whole Child Symposium, let's add another question to ponder: What do you think we need from education? In the United States, historically, the purpose of education has evolved according to the needs of society. Education's primary purpose has ranged from instructin
High-Morale Schools: Readying Students to Take on the World
Post written by Lora M. Hodges for Northeast Foundation for Children/Responsive Classroom, a whole child partner organization. Morale can be hard to define, but you know it when you see it. When you walk into a school and everything immediately feels calm, safe, respectful, rich with learning, you know you're standing in a school with high morale. That's exactly how you'd feel if you were to walk
APR 01
Throughout April: Getting Back to the Real Basics
Each day, as educators, we make decisions that make a difference in the lives of our learners, propelling them into the world as beacons of success and hope. All students deserve engaging and focused experiences that amplify their brains and hearts. Preparing learners to be creative, critically minded, and compassionate is our moral imperative. In this era of school reform, turn around, and educat
Building Bridges to El Salvador: A Model Global Curriculum
Post written by Kerry Dunne and AnitaCristina Calcaterra We are so proud of the Arlington, Massachusetts, global education unit of study on our sister city of Teosinte, El Salvador! But before you read about it from us, please let three of our 4th graders tell you what they have learned about Teosinte: Arlington is a densely populated urban/suburban town bordering Cambridge, Mass. We house a
Building Bridges to El Salvador: A Model Global Curriculum
Post written by Kerry Dunne and AnitaCristina Calcaterra We are so proud of the Arlington, Massachusetts, global education unit of study on our sister city of Teosinte, El Salvador! But before you read about it from us, please let three of our 4th graders tell you what they have learned about Teosinte: Arlington is a densely populated urban/suburban town bordering Cambridge, Mass. We house a
MAR 31
Lines of Thinking From the 2014 ASCD Conference
Post written by Jeffrey Benson and originally published on his blog. The ASCD Annual Conference took place in Los Angeles from March 14–17. It was consistently thrilling to be among a diverse group of 9,000 educators. Everyone had stories to tell, aspirations to share, and good work to do. You just had to sit down next to anyone and say, "Where are you from? What do you do?" and an hour
Building Support for Teacher Leaders
Teachers are increasingly embracing leadership roles that allow them to use their skills and expertise outside of the classroom. Yet many schools are facing challenges in implementing distributed leadership models that empower teachers to become influencers and decision makers. ASCD's latest Policy Priorities examines teacher leadership and the obstacles practitioners face from the classroom to th
MAR 28
Engage Students with Motivation 3.0
In this video, Daniel Pink talks to the Patterson Foundation about the need to upgrade our approach to motivation in schools. He uses the metaphor of an outdated computer operating system to characterize motivational practices that rely on punishments and rewards to elicit desired behavior. Although "carrots and sticks" motivation works well when the outcomes are simple tasks, this is no