by Richard D. KahlenbergTeacher tenure rights, first established more than a century ago, are under unprecedented attack. Tenure—which was enacted to protect students’ education and those who provide it—is under assault from coast to coast, in state legislatures, in state courtrooms, and in the media.In June 2014, in the case of Vergara v. California, a state court judge struck down teacher tenure and seniority laws as a violation of the state’s constitution.* Former CNN and NBC journalist Campbell Brown has championed a copycat case, Wright v. New York, challenging the Empire State’s tenure law (which was consolidated with another New York case challenging tenure, Davids v. New York). Similar cases are reportedly in the works in several other states.Read the rest of the story at AFT.
Educators
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EducatorsK-12 TeachersHot Topics - controversialAround the Web
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Dr. Robyn Jackson, nationally accredited educator, ASCD author and CEO of Mindsteps discusses her experiences and how hard we should work in today’s educational landscape.
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Authors of the best-selling ASCD book Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success talk to Dr. Berger about why your effectiveness in the classroom is directly connected to your ability to self-reflect on your teaching practice and use the reflection process to get better at what you do. Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral discuss tools and strategies, from their latest book Teach, Reflect, Learn: Building Your Capacity for Success in the Classroom, to reveal deeper understandings of your practice and increase your power to make purposeful improvements. Their path forward includes:A short self-assessment to gauge your current self-reflective tendencies and provide a launching point for personal growth.Prompts and strategies to spur your development in the art and skill of self-reflection.Insights into the four stages that compose the continuum of self-reflection and how each stage contributes to your overall improvement.Goals and road maps for developing self-reflective tendencies, accuracy, and behavior.
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K-12 TeachersColumnistsHot Topics - controversialDavid GreeneEducators
The State of Education: A Conversation with Educator/Author David Greene
by David Greene0 minutes readAuthor and educator David Greene talks about the state of education in the U.S. Greene discusses several topics, including standardized testing, Common Core, the teaching profession and more. Greene is a program consultant for WISE Services, a former teacher and coach for 38 years, the author of “Doing the Right Thing: A Teacher Speaks” and treasurer of the organization “Save Our Schools.”
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Around the WebEducatorsK-12 TeachersCurriculum Models
From Phys.org: Probing question: Is art an essential school subject?
0 minutes readFor decades, “reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic” were considered the most fundamental subjects in American K-12 schools. These days, in order to boost our nation’s global competitiveness, many schools and colleges are emphasizing STEM subjects—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—over the liberal and fine arts. The White House has even announced the goal of increasing by one million the number of students who receive undergraduate degrees in STEM subjects over the next decade.Read the rest of the story at Phys.org
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Around the WebK-12 Teachers
From CNN: Super Bowl of robotics makes STEM subjects exciting
0 minutes readby Rachel Crane, CNN(CNN) – Forty-thousand fans were chanting, screaming and cheering on their teams. The enthusiastic spectators had painted faces, were donning costumes, and no one was actually sitting in their seats — all were standing to get a better look at the action happening in the pens.No, I’m not describing a boxing match. I’m describing a robotics competition — rather THE robotics competitionRead the rest of the story at CNN.
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K-12 TeachersCurriculum ModelsColumnistsEdu EntrepreneursInterviewsSocial Emotional Learning
Newsela Redefines the Student News Experience
5 minutes readStudent access to relevant information and news continues to expand with technology advancements. I had the opportunity to interview Matthew Gross, CEO and co-founder, of Newsela. The Newsela team brings students current events and news aligning with current standards expected in today’s classroom.
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K-12 TeachersedLeadersCurriculum ModelsEducators
A Conversation with NCSS President Michelle Herczog
0 minutes readedCircuit conducts a Skype interview with Michelle Herczog, president of the National Council for the Social Studies. Herczog talks about the importance of this subject area, the latest NAEP results in social studies, and the C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards.
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Hot Topics - controversialAround the WebEducatorsK-12 Teachers
From Huffington Post: To Baltimore Teachers: Thank You
1 minutes readby Jennifer GreenOver the last two weeks, teachers in Baltimore have worked tirelessly to support their students, their schools and their community. I have two words for them: thank you.Ashley Smith, a fourth grade teacher at Lakeland Elementary/Middle School in Southwest Baltimore, used her classroom as a safe harbor where her students could openly express their reactions to the Baltimore riots through their writing. “I knew the students would be coming into class… with a lot of questions about what had taken place,” she told ABC News. Ashley relied on her skills as an educator to encourage an open, healthy dialogue among her students. She not only gave them a space to share their feelings by writing essays, but also established an open communication channel between peers. It was through this channel that her students’ discussed the power of peaceful protests and the tragedies that often result from violent uprisings.Read the rest of the story on the Huffington Post.