Educators

Photo credit: Mosborne01by Annette BreauxMaster teachers—those who have figured out how to get students to do and be their best, how to simplify the complex, how to look forward to their jobs each day, and how to create lasting memories in the hearts and minds of students—once struggled as new teachers, too. The following 10 practices not only helped master teachers over the initial hump of inexperience but also sustained their ongoing success.Read the rest of the story from ASCD.

Photo credit: KitAyby Paul FainWASHINGTON — The Association of American Colleges and Universities has worked to make its voice heard in discussions about competency-based education, MOOCs and other trendy alternatives to traditional higher education.Read the rest of the story at Inside Higher Ed.

by Motoko RichROHNERT PARK, Calif. — In a stark about-face from just a few years ago, school districts have gone from handing out pink slips to scrambling to hire teachers.Read the rest of the story at The New York Times.

Margaret Searle, ASCD author and educator, spent time with Dr. Berger to discuss the field of education and the value the profession of teaching can bring to those young people looking for their career path to emerge.Searle specializes in consulting with districts and schools in the areas of curriculum alignment, differentiated instruction, inclusive education, leadership team development, and training teams to implement Response to Intervention (RTI). She is also as an adjunct professor for Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.Her teaching experience covers every grade from preschool through 8th in both a general and special education capacity. Her administrative experience has been as a K–12 supervisor in Dayton City Schools as well as a middle school principal in Springfield, Ohio, and an elementary school principal in Toledo, Ohio. She served as an adviser to President George H. W. Bush on elementary and secondary education issues.Searle has also contributed her expertise as an author with the following books:Teacher Teamwork: How do we make it work? (2015)Causes and Cures in the Classroom: Getting to the Root of Academic and Behavior Problems (2013)What Every School Leader Needs to Know About RTI (2010) 

C omedy Central comedians Key and Peele recently did a sketch that has gone viral, especially among my educator colleagues. It’s a parody of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that begs the question, “What if we treated teachers like star athletes?”In the video, “TeachingCenter” comes on the air with the kind of intense graphics fans see on SportsCenter. But instead of coverage of LeBron’s latest performance or the Mets’ winning streak, the action focuses on “star teachers.” The opening segment tells us about star English teacher Ruby Ruhf, who’s taking her talents “back to New York City” for an $80 million contract, with $40 million in bonuses based on students’ test scores . (Ouch, that last part hits a nerve. But that’s an article for another day.)While SAT and ACT outcomes scroll across the bottom of the screen like they are college football final scores, fast forward to the next segment, the “Teacher Draft.”The highly-coveted first pick is Mike Yoast, a Calculus teacher out of Tulsa Teachers College. “Just like that, you’re a millionaire,” quips Teaching Center anchor Perry Schmidt (a.k.a. Jordan Peele).You can watch the video here on Comedy Central’s website.I’m both a sports fan and a comedy fan, and this video is really funny. I’d rate it as comic genius, in fact.What’s sad, though, is that it’s funny because it’s so far from reality.But I’m not here to complain about low pay, long hours and lack of respect, all facts of life for many in the teaching profession.I’m here to take “Teaching Center” a step further.What if teachers were not only drafted and paid millions, but what if they were truly idolized like athletes? What if students wore jerseys with star teachers’ names on them and had giant posters of their teaching idols on their bedroom walls?What if students stood in long lines before class just to get a teacher’s autograph?What if fantasy sports fans held drafts for their favorite teachers and watched with interest to see what their picks did every week?What if the person most responsible for teaching you to read, arguably the single most important skill of your life, was treated with the same reverence as your favorite forward who sinks a 3-point shot at the buzzer?That in itself could redefine the term “game changer.” And when you think about it, if we worship athletes for their physical abilities, why shouldn’t teachers be revered for their knowledge and for “performing” as the true heroes that many are? Don’t teachers deserve more credit for the long-term impact they have on the lives of others?Maybe elevating the status of teachers to hero-worship levels is not an unreasonable premise.The reality, though, is that as valuable as they are, good teachers are likely to shun the spotlight. Unlike the star athlete who thrives on individual glory, the star teacher revels in his or her students’ success. Only when the student “wins” does the teacher get to spike the ball or do a victory dance, figuratively speaking.Educators score their greatest achievements by empowering someone else. How many other professions can say that?Maybe the disconnect that’s at the core of “Teaching Center” is that even if society revered teachers for their profound contributions, these teachers probably wouldn’t take much of the credit. They wouldn’t call press conferences and star in car commercials. They’d continue to focus on “their kids” and tell the public what a great group of students they have.The reverence? Sure, we educators will take it. The credit? Star teachers I know would probably shine the spotlight on the students whose lives they help to improve forever, something immeasurable in terms of recognition or celebrity.And as for the $80 million? Well, let’s talk…The opinions expressed here are solely those of Donna Krache.

Photo Credit: Walter Limby Mark ThomaAn issue that’s likely to arise in the debates leading up to the next presidential election is preschool education. Among the questions involved: Should preschool programs be available to all children no matter their socioeconomic status? Should America invest in programs such as Head Start or Perry Preschool so that all children can attend? Does any evidence show these programs work?Read the rest of the story at CBS MoneyWatch.

Allison Rodman took time to discuss the personalization of PD for teachers with Dr. Berger.

Photo credit: David Hawgoodby Dr. Francis CollinsWhen children enter the first grade, their brains are primed for learning experiences, significantly more so, in fact, than adult brains. For instance, scientists have documented that musical training during grade school produces a signature set of benefits for the brain and for behavior—benefits that can last a lifetime, whether or not people continue to play music.Now, researchers at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, have some good news for teenagers who missed out on learning to play musical instruments as young kids. Even when musical training isn’t started until high school, it produces meaningful changes in how the brain processes sound. And those changes have positive benefits not only for a teen’s musical abilities, but also for skills related to reading and writing.Read the rest of the story on the National Institutes of Health Director’s Blog.

Photo Credit: S B F Ryanby Tara E. BuckSouthern New Hampshire University president argues true disruption comes in the form of online, competency-based providers who deftly meet modern students’ — and industry’s — needs.Read the rest of the story on EdTech.