Educational Resources, Learning and Professional Development

Ronald Court | 02/03/2012

When an opera critic hailed her as, ‘perhaps the greatest black opera singer of all time,’ famous soprano Leontyne Price responded with, “What’s black got to do with it?” Exactly. Her fierce dedication, discipline, training and hard work – in a word, character – not color, defined her. Yet, news editors around the country are likely rummaging through archives to recycle columns today in commemoration of Black History Month. Read More...

Relevant Tags: black history month, character education, Martin Luther King, Booker T Washington Society

JOSH POWE | 11/27/2011

With new technology taking education by storm, a recent survey of principals in the Southeast shows that data is becoming the most important decision-making factor in schools, not only for accountability, but also for curriculum and instructional uses. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Technology, data, student, instructional, technology, assessment, product, teachers, education, data driven, student achievement, using data, ongoing assessment, improve student, survey principals

CURTIS LINTON | 11/27/2011

(Editor’s Note: This is Part One of a three-part series on Common Core State Standards.) How does educational inequity impact individual students? A college preparedness study analyzed which California high school students went on to receive four-year college degrees (“Removing The Roadblocks: Fair College Opportunities For All California Students.” To access this report online, please visit http://ucla-idea.org ). Despite evidence that most all students and their families initially desired a college education, Asian and white students went on to graduate from college at two to three times the rate of their African American, Latino, and Nati... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Curriculum Choices, common, core, standards, college, students, education, school, career, grade, common core, college career, career readiness, core standards, high school, core state

RICHARD YEAGLEY | 11/27/2011

Earlier this year, Bart A. Aslin, chief executive officer, SME Education Foundation happened to see Mike Rowe, host of “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel featured in a new documentary, “The Tradesmen: Making an Art of Work.” He decided to contact the director Richard Yeagley, and share perspectives on education and work. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Technical Career Options for Students, education, work, technical, learning, students, making art, sme education, education foundation, college degrees, richard yeagley, educational institutions

OLIVIA SELLKE | 11/27/2011

Not long ago when people spoke about technical careers it was inclusive of anything from an electrician to a mechanic. Today, technical careers are evolving to include a wide variety of careers that are not only technical but technology-based. As technology continues to advance the question becomes, how do we prepare students for that next generation of technology-based careers? There is an ongoing need for training to adapt to new technology, and a qualified workforce is always in demand to install these new technologies. As early technology becomes mature, a new technology trend emerges creating a demand. Consider the advances in the past 1... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Technical Career Options for Students, careers, students, systems, espa, technology, career, technical, electronic, education, technical careers, espa certification, 21st century, technology based, entry level, systems industry, certification exam

DR. RICHARD H. HARDING, MD | 11/27/2011

Adolescence is a difficult time for many teens, but how does a teacher know the difference between typical teen issues and behavior that might signal a more serious problem? Mental health problems in teens are real, painful and, left untreated, can have serious consequences. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Adolescent Mental Health, disorder, school, signs, disorders, behavior, mental health, health problems, warning signs, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders

STEPHEN MURPHY | 11/27/2011

School buses provide the safest way to transport students — each day there are 480,000 school buses on the road in the United States, transporting 26 million children to and from school. Unfortunately transportation budgets for schools are severely underfunded and this lack of funds often results in a significant number of older, environmentally unfriendly school buses remaining in service for longer than they should. Read More...

Relevant Tags: School Transportation, school, buses, propane, bus, transportation, fuel, education, diesel, school districts, propane powered, natural gas, blue bird, alternative fuel

DAN ROBERTS | 11/27/2011

School districts across the country are facing tough budget times. Transportation as a related service is often considered for budget reductions to avoid direct classroom cuts. There are almost always savings in transportation, but the savings may be politically difficult to achieve, which is why adhering to a process is critical. The key to successful change is to understand that no one likes it, and that you must take extra precautions to minimize its impact. If you are allowed to pick or suggest cost saving changes, where do you start? Collect Data Unless you know where your department stands, you cannot determine the effectiveness of pot... Read More...

Relevant Tags: School Transportation, school, budget, transportation, savings, education, buses, budget times, tough budget, school transportation, budget reductions, bell times

Doug Savde and Kate Blosveren | 08/09/2011

During the 2014-15 school year, schools across the nation will be giving a new set of K-12 tests in a new era of standardized testing. These “next-generation” assessments — developed collaboratively by the state-led Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) — will move beyond the tests that currently drive our education system and provide K-12 educators, postsecondary faculty, students and parents with the information and tools they need to improve teaching and learning across the U.S., and ensure all students graduate ready for college and careers. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Student Testing, parcc, assessments, assessment, education, states, system, testing, assessment system, parcc assessments, standardized testing, common core, college career, status quo, parcc states, high school

Vicki Cerda and Michael Williams | 08/09/2011

According to the NCREL Synthesis of New Research on K-12 Online Learning, online learning is rapidly growing, expands educational options and provides equal opportunities for all learners. But just as important, the study proves that online learning is effective and that online learning can actually improve teaching. (“On average, students seem to perform equally well or better academically in online learning.”) Read More...

Relevant Tags: Online Learning, learning, online, children, teacher, education, example, courses, online learning, subject areas, teachers learning, learning courses

Daniel R. Venables | 08/09/2011

(Adapted from “The Practice of Authentic PLCs: A Guide to Effective Teacher Teams,” Corwin Press, 2011) In the early 1980s, as a third-year teacher, I was asked to teach math in a rigorous summer program at one of the nation’s leading private schools in Connecticut. There, I was struck by many things, not the least of which was the prevalence of visits by colleagues to my classroom. Nary a day went by in which someone wasn’t observing my teaching. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Professional Development, teachers, plc, plcs, peer observations, authentic plcs, professional development, observe classes, school year, effective teacher

Debra Rose Howell | 08/09/2011

What a relief! Another strong finish to the school year! Again our kids’ test scores climbed. Yes, lesson study work IS continuing to make a positive difference in student achievement. The administration once again will be pleased. We have cross-grade-level professional discussions happening. People are getting along better than ever. Read More...

Relevant Tags:

Katy Farber | 08/09/2011

How much time have you spent on interview committees? Time when you could have been grading papers, contacting parents, or preparing for your next class? If you have been teaching for more than a few years, you’ve undoubtedly sat in on countless interview committees. That’s because too many of your most talented colleagues have quit teaching — some suddenly — many for preventable reasons. It’s likely that many of them were outstanding teachers, and our schools spend tens of thousands of dollars hiring new ones, only to repeat this cycle in a few short years. It’s a waste of money, time, and resources (all which we know are increasingly scarce... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education Career Path, teachers, school, teaching, teachers quit, might stop, great teachers, stop exodus

Stephen Murphy | 08/09/2011

SEEN Magazine interviewed Debbie Baldwin Pearson, Director of Sales for Kelly Educational Staffing (KES), Kelly Services. The Kelly Educational Staffing ® program was rolled out in 1997 in Gulfport, Miss. From 1997 to 1999, they piloted their program in the Gulfport school district and then, in 1999, rolled it out nationally to all of their staffing services’ markets. SEEN Magazine: You’ve been working on educational staffing for almost 15 years — what are some of the major shifts in education that you’ve seen over that time? Pearson: There have been several. From an educational standpoint, we are seeing a major shift in teacher performance ... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education Career Path, education, teachers, kelly, staffing, schools, substitute, educational staffing, kelly educational, substitute teachers, professional development, school districts, private sector, substitute teacher, full time

Jean Blaydes | 08/09/2011

How do we motivate the unmotivated learner? Can we increase academic performance? Can we give every child every advantage to learn? The answers to these questions may lie in the neuroscience that supports the link of movement to learning. As educators, learning is our business. We must understand the basic functions of the brain as it applies to learning. How does the brain work? How does the brain remember and why do we forget? How does the brain develop? Where in the brain do we pay attention? When educators understand these concepts we can better teach our children. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Physical Education, brain, learning, education, students, exercise, physical, punctuation mark, physical activity, physical education, academic performance, high school, advantage learn