Philadelphia Superintendent Speaks To Principals, Denies Buyout Rumors

The Philadelphia Inquirer (8/19, Graham) reports that Philadelphia superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman met with Philadelphia's school principals this week, speaking about the challenges she has faced, and asking, "Is it a crime to stand up for children instead of stooping down into the political sandbox and selling our children for a politician's victory?" However, the article continues, "it has been widely rumored that Ackerman is on her way out as superintendent." Ackerman is denying rumors that she is in negotiations to buy out her contract.

Oklahoma University Graduates First Urban Teaching Academy Class

The Oklahoman (8/19, Rolland) reports that the University of Central Oklahoma's Urban Teacher Preparation Academy, which gives students real-world training by having them work as student teachers at area high schools, graduated its first class this year."

In Debate With Rhee, Ravitch Says Teachers Being Demoralized

The Washington Post (8/19, Layton) reports, "Michelle A. Rhee, the former D.C. schools chancellor whose take-no-prisoners stance shook up the city and transformed her into a leader of the school reform movement, parried with Diane Ravitch, an education historian whose criticisms of charter schools and high stakes testing has made her a hero to teachers' unions and many defenders of traditional public education. The Martha's Vineyard encounter was the pair's first faceoff in person." Ravitch, "a former assistant education secretary under President George H.W. Bush, maintained that teachers are being scapegoated. 'I have been seeing profound demoralization among teachers in America today,' Ravitch said. 'It is almost hard to convey. Teachers feel they are being held accountable for social conditions beyond their control.'"

National Punctuation Day

National Punctuation Day is September 24^th. This site is very cool. They're sponsoring a pretty challenging contest:

Here are the rules for contestants competing for a box of punctuation goodies: Write one paragraph, maximum of three sentences, using these 13 punctuation marks: apostrophe, brackets, colon, comma, dash, ellipsis, exclamation point, hyphen, parentheses, period, question mark, quotation mark and semicolon.

From: Teaching Tolerance

Seize the Teachable Moment
It might seem that discussions of race are outside your curriculum area. But when the opportunity to open a conversation appears, seize it, says blogger Pamela Cytrynbaum. "In many cases, for many reasons, we miss this teachable moment by ignoring it," Cytrynbaum writes. Talking about race may feel uncomfortable initially, she says, but it can get better. "For those of us who are comfortable tackling the topic, let's work harder to share strategies."

Looking Forward to a Record-Breaking Mix It Up Day
Teaching Tolerance's National Mix It Up at Lunch Day is Oct. 18. This will be the 10th year for Mix. As you head back to school this fall, plan to join us by speaking with your principal and getting the date on the school calendar. This day was developed to break down social barriers among students and help K-12 teachers create an inclusive school environment.

MLK National Memorial Dedication on Aug. 28
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will be dedicated on Sunday, Aug. 28 in Washington, D.C. A week of activities is planned around the dedication, including public viewings, concerts, a youth event, a musical tribute, interfaith prayers and a gala. The memorial, featuring a symbolic stone of hope and an inscription wall, was envisioned as a quiet—yet powerful and emotionally evocative—space on four acres. The memorial will become an important site for students learning about Dr. King's work on behalf of civil rights.

What's Ahead: New Teaching Tolerance Lessons
Prepare for the next four weeks:

• Aug. 15: Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice: Advertisements Promoting Activism (11 of 12)
  
• Aug. 22: Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice: Showcasing Your Understanding (12 of 12)
  
• Aug. 29: Everyone's a Helper (Grades PreK-5)
  
• Sept. 6: The Different Colors of Beauty (New series)

Illinois School Nurses Now Allowed To Administer EpiPens

The Chicago Tribune (8/17, Garcia) reports that Illinois governor signed a law Monday that gives school officials authority to administer "an epinephrine shot to any student suffering a severe allergic reaction." The measure follows the December death of a Chicago student who had an allergic reaction at a school function. Now, "a nurse could use an EpiPen or other device to administer the medication to any student believed to be having a life-threatening reaction, even if the child is not diagnosed with an allergy, without fear of legal recourse."

Philadelphia Schools Resume Layoff Plan

The Philadelphia Inquirer (8/17, Graham) reports that the Philadelphia School District has withdrawn attempts to exempt teachers at its turnaround schools, Promise Academies, from some of the 1,500 district layoffs. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers protested that these exemptions violated their union contract, "which calls for layoffs based only on seniority."

Alabama Enrollment Apparently Unaffected By Immigration Reform

The Associated Press (8/17) reports that despite tougher immigration laws, Hispanic students are still enrolling in Alabama schools. So far "officials say it appears the school year is beginning with about the same number of Hispanic children who were in class at the end of the last academic year," before the governor signed new immigration legislation. Last year roughly 4.5 % of Alabama's 741,043 K-12 students were Hispanic.

Pennsylvania Testing Irregularity Probe Continues

The Huffington Post (8/17, Resmovits) reports on the continuing investigation into irregularities on Pennsylvania standardized tests in 2009, noting that "On Monday, the state reported that it had received 83 percent of districts' internal probes into schools suspected of cheating. The Pennsylvania Department of Education is now conducting its own analysis of the data and earlier forensic reviews to assess which schools had teachers who were cheating." The piece notes that the state mandated the district-level investigations after "the release of a report that flagged 90 Pennsylvania schools for testing irregularities -- whether by statistically suspicious score gains or a high number of answers erased from wrong to right -- on 2009 exams." The piece notes that Education Secretary Arne Duncan has taken an interest in investigating such cheating cases.

Garret Keizer’s essay, “Getting Schooled: The Re-Education of an American Teacher”

I am sure this essay, published in the September 2011 edition of Harper's Magazine, will be making the rounds at staff meetings and the like as we begin another school year.

Keizer, a popular writer, had been a high school English teacher during the 1980s and 1990s. After fourteen years away from the classroom he decided to head back. After spending a year in the same rural school where he had originally taught, he reflects on the profession as well as the differences that have cropped up during his time away.

Click here to read Keizer's essay, "Getting Schooled: The Re-Education of an American Teacher"

Great ELL Items from Kenneth Beare

The Art of Teaching English One to One Teaching English well requires knowledge of many different factors including an understanding of multiple intelligences, the difference between teaching absolute and false beginners, how to teach English for varied learning objectives and more. If you are teaching classes, classroom management will be key to making sure things go smoothly.

Getting the Conversation Going: Asking Questions You'll need to ask questions to get a conversation started. Here are 50 basic English questions to get things going. You can also check appropriate responses to these basic questions with this question and response quiz. See More About: useful english phrases asking questions

Do some Review Don't forget to review basic grammar before you begin your new course. It will help you understand what you know and don't know. Here are review quizzes by level: beginner review, intermediate review, advanced review See More About: english grammar grammar quizzes advanced level english

Learning English for the Advanced Level - ESL EFL Advanced English Learning English for advanced level learners includes everything you or your student needs to continue refining English skills including grammar explanations, vocabulary building exercises, TOEFL and Cambridge Exam practice, writing materials, listening and reading comprehension, as well as other reference materials and free lesson plans.

Virginia, Other States Mandating Financial Literacy Courses

USA Today (8/15, McDermott) reports that in Virginia, high school freshmen this year will have to "take a one-credit course outlining the ABCs of economics and personal finance." Virginia and "a handful" of other states are mandating such courses, as "part of a nationwide push to keep Generation Y from making money mistakes that could haunt them long after they graduate from college." The piece notes that many teachers report feeling unqualified to teach the material, and details efforts to bring teachers up to speed.

Experts: Cutting Recess To Focus On Academics Counterproductive.

MSNBC (8/15, Pappas) reports on the difficulties that children-especially younger ones-face in spending the entire school day in class with little opportunity to engage in active play. "With schools under pressure to meet standardized testing goals, recess has been cut back and even eliminated in some school districts. The irony, experts say, is that schools may be shooting themselves in the foot by taking away playtime that's crucial to a child's growth."

Wisconsin Switching From Contracts To New Teacher "Handbooks."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (8/15, Richards) reports that some two thirds of Wisconsin districts, in the wake of the abolition of collective bargaining rights in the state, "are rushing to finalize employee handbooks" that reflect administrators' new-gained "ability to make sweeping changes to teachers' pay scales, hours and working conditions without having to negotiate them with unions. Some sacred cows are disappearing, such as teacher tenure, layoffs based on seniority and the guarantee of 10 years' worth of post-retirement health insurance." New pay scales and merit-pay plans are also on the table. The article notes that many teachers "are concerned about the changes being made unilaterally by management, said Christina Brey, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state's largest teachers union."

 

Wisconsin District Mulls Merit-Pay Plan.The La Crosse (WI) Tribune (8/15, Colson) reports that district officials in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, are "considering a merit-based pay system" for teachers "in light of the new state law changing contracts and benefits for public workers. ... The possible merit-based pay system comes amid districts across the state formulating new teacher and staff handbooks that will take the place of previous contracts."

Classroom Library Genre Stickers

Jessica, over at "Stories Told in Stick Figures" has posted another great teacher resource. She's created genre labels/stickers that can be downloaded in Word , printed, and then used in your classroom library.

Click here to link to her post. Her blog is always a great one, so bookmark it and check it out!