Education-Related Websites: 2/13/2013
http://gelessons.com ~ As the site explains, this is a free public resource that "provides teachers with the tools needed to enhance their instruction using Google Earth, the free program that brings the world to the classroom." www.arkive.org ~ This site lets...
Education Facts: 2/12/2013
According to an ASCD survey, 32.34% of teacher would like additional taxpayer dollars to support a reduction in class size, and 8.56% want an increase in teacher pay. Only 2.64% want to see an increase in school security. According to a Gallup Student Poll, almost 80%...
Quotable Education Quotes: 2/11/2013
"Imagine a profession whose influence on individual lives is more significant than that of nearly any other occupation, whose role in society is universally acknowledged to be among the most critical to the future, and whose practitioners are often described as...
Quotable Education-Related Quotes” 2/4/2013
"What gets tested is what gets taught." ~ anonymous "When I grew up (a baby boomer), our social life was outside. We hung out. The next generation spent time at the mall. This generation spends time at home--connected. Kids have to be social. It's all part of the...
School Choice: Is it All That It’s Cracked Up to Be?
The movement started in Minnesota with the opening of City Academy back on September 7, 1992. Today, more than 2 million students attend some 5,600 charter schools scattered across 41 states. We’ve come a long way since those early start-up days and, right now, folks...
Education New Update: 1/31/2013
In a Forward Institute report, among low-income schools, traditional public school students have higher achievement scores than those at charters, and, at public schools serving mostly low-income students, "the effects on achievement were less damaging in traditional...
Education Websites: 1/30/2013
www.discoveryeducation.com ~ This site "supports teachers in accelerating student achievement, bringing the world of Discovery into classrooms to ignite students' natural curiosity." http://quizhub.com ~ This site offers educational quiz games, K-12, in everything...
It’s an Education Fact: 1/29/2013
Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee will add at least 300 hours of learning time in some of their schools. Just over 1,000 schools across the country already have expanded schedules, 53% more than in 2009. The National Association for College...
Binge Drinking: Alluring, Intoxicating, and Risky
As we’re all aware, it’s legal to drink in the U.S. at 21, with thanks to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. But that’s not stopping the younger set from imbibing—and often to excess. As college student Brandie,explained, “Everybody’s aim is to get drunk...
Quotable Education Quotes: 1/28/2013
"Unless we're willing to make the [school] environment as conducive to learning as possible--all the studies and tests and educational theories might as well be thought exercises. Because sometimes it just comes down to the bricks and mortar." ~ Patrick Welsh,...
Educational News Update: 1/24/2013
The federal government has denied Pennsylvania's request to evaluate charter school achievement using more lenient criteria, so they must now be assessed by the same standards as traditional public schools. Pennsylvania's Education Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis...
Websites to Visit: 1/23/2013
http://kids/yahoo.com ~ This site offers games and movies, along with homework help, science lessons, and more. http://spoonful.com/crafts.recycable-projects ~ This site offers a wide variety of crafts made from recyclable materials with something for every occasion....
It’s an Education Fact: 1/22/2013
In 24 California districts, only 20% of the students who repeated algebra in grade 9 achieved proficiency afterward. Nationwide, about 275,000 K-12 students attend school online. The 10 largest for-profit operators of online schools have spent about $94.4 million on...
Quotable Education-Related Quotes: 1/21/2013
The critical determinant of growth in achievement is not how smart you are but how motivated you are and how you study . . . Finding ways to motivate students and teaching them study skills may be a critical way to help them progress in math and other subjects." ~ Kou...
Educational News Update: 1/17/2013
The Common Core Standards have been adopted by 46 states and D.C. and will be in place by 2014. They will require that nonfiction texts represent 50% of elementary reading assignments and 70% by grade 12--much to the concern of many English teachers who must replace...
Websites to Visit: 1/16/2013
www.vocabulary.com ~ Says it's the "quickest, most intelligent way to improve your vocabulary, regardless of education level or age." www.scholastic.com/studentreasures ~ A great writing motivator, this site helps students become published authors....
It’s a Fact: 1/15/2013
The federal government spends about $750 million a year to educate English-language learners who now account for 10% of all our students. On the TIMSS, nearly 50% of 8th graders in South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan scored at the advanced level in math vs. 7% of...
Quotable Education-Related Quotes: 1/14/2013
"The Common Core Standards are much better than the state standards they replace because they focus on analysis, understanding, concepts, and skills more than specific content. A great deal of thought has gone into formulating them. They are championed by business...
Education in the News: 1/11/2013
372 districts applied, 61 were chosen as finalists, and now 16 have been named winners of the latest, open-to-districts Race to the Top competition (RTTT); each will receive between $5 million and $40 million. In this latest RTTT district competition, as little as one...
Giving Teachers a Shout Out
Yes, Teacher Appreciation Week is months away--May 6 to the 10th, to be exact—but what better time than right now as the new year unfolds to thank and support our teachers? These under-appreciated folks show up every day to work with our kids and then grade their...
