1. The Philadelphia School District’s “School Redesign Initiative” is inviting teachers, principals, university and community organizations to propose turnaround designs instead of just going with more charters. As many as 10 schools could be transformed in September, 2015.
2. The Philadelphia School District has announced 342 layoffs–most of them noontime aides and special ed classroom aides, plus 8 assistant principals, 3 conflict-resolution specialists, and 15 Head Start classroom assistants.
3. A growing number of districts are banning e-cigarettes, though they’re said to be far safer than tobacco ones.
4. A Narberth, Pennsylvania teacher, Kathy Morris, has developed the CYA iPhone app to document classroom activities and keep track of the Danielson Framework teacher evaluation components.