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November 4, 2009

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News for the Education Profession

Eye on Curriculum

California charter proposes Arabic-language immersion program
Officials at a California charter school focused on serving immigrants from the Middle East and South Asia are proposing a K-12 dual-language Arabic immersion program -- the first of its kind in the U.S. If approved by the county school board, the new program would be launched in fall 2010 with a class of kindergartners and would add one class each year. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (11/3)

Should Oregon be doing more to help low-income students?
Oregon schools are performing well overall but lack opportunities for low-income students, according to a report by the Schott Foundation for Public Education that is being discussed this week at a summit in Washington, D.C. The "Lost Opportunity" report studied standardized test results and found that poor students in Oregon are not getting the same opportunity to attend the best schools. An Oregonian education writer asks readers if the state is doing enough to help poor families. The Oregonian (Portland) (11/3)

Other News

Tennessee schools perform better than expected in school rankings
WPLN-FM (Nashville, Tenn.) (11/3)

Linking Quality Assessment and Grading is the focus of Assessment Training Institute's Sound Grading Practices Conference. Register here and join Ken O'Connor, author of A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades, Rick Stiggins, and other nationally known presenters in Portland, Or. Dec. 10-11, 2009.

Professional Leadership

Gates study of teacher quality enrolls close to 100 NYC schools
A two-year, $2.6 million research project on teacher quality is close to reaching its goal of enrolling 100 New York City schools, most of them high schools. Supported by the New York City Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers, the Measures of Effective Teaching study will look at ways to determine teacher quality aside from student test scores. The study is being paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and will use video, surveys and test scores to measure effectiveness. GothamSchools.org (New York) (11/3)

Opinion: Educators need to study teaching methods to be effective
An effort by Indiana schools Superintendent Tony Bennett's to de-emphasize the study of education methods in favor of more subject-area expertise in teacher training would reduce the overall professionalism of teachers and would likely put underqualified teachers in Indiana classrooms, argues this newspaper editorial. Teachers need to not only know the subject they are teaching, but also how best to teach it, the editorial board writes. The Herald Bulletin (Anderson, Ind.) (11/4)

Indiana schools chief defends proposed teacher-licensing changes: Speaking before an education advisory group, Indiana schools Superintendent Tony Bennett defended his proposal to change state teacher-licensing standards to reduce the number of required courses in pedagogy, or how to teach, in favor of more subject-based courses. Bennett dismissed criticism levied by teachers' colleges that his proposal is being pushed through without adequate research, saying the colleges are protecting their own interests. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)/The Associated Press (11/3)

Help your struggling intermediate readers with Small Group Intervention by Linda Dorn & Carla Soffos. This DVD/CD program models explicit instruction on word-solving strategies and how students can transfer their knowledge about words to reading and writing. PowerPoint with embedded video makes inservice workshop prep easy. Click here for details!

Technology Solutions

Former Apple executive is named educational technology head
Karen Cator, a former educator and Apple executive, has been appointed to lead educational-technology initiatives for the Department of Education. Cator said her immediate goals include updating the National Education Technology Plan and capitalizing on federal funding available for technology initiatives. She will also oversee the Enhancing Education through Technology grant program, which promotes digital learning and best practices in educational technology. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (11/3)

Teachers are using laptops, netbooks as classroom tools
Teachers in some Pennsylvania schools say they are using technology such as laptop computers and netbooks to improve teaching and learning. Some schools are doing one-to-one initiatives -- providing a computer for every student. The technology creates an environment where students send assignments to a virtual drop box and use laptops to research in-class assignments and access Internet textbooks. "A computer is a thinking tool," an education consultant said. "You wouldn't send a student to school without a pen and paper." The Philadelphia Inquirer (11/3)

RTI Special Report Available Free By Request
Making RTI Work is a groundbreaking new guide created under advisement from recognized Response to Intervention experts Matthew K. Burns, Edward S. Shapiro, James Ysseldyke, Joseph F. Kovaleski, and others. Click here for your free copy.

SmartBlogs

Envisioning schools where teacher assessment is tied to test scores
Diane Ravitch, a leading education expert, takes a critical look in this blog post at the nationwide push to tie teacher evaluations to student test scores. When Ravitch envisions what schools might be like under such policies, she sees teachers of math and reading -- which are regularly assessed -- being forced out at regular intervals only to be replaced by newer, untested teachers. Education Week/Bridging Differences blog (11/3)

Policy Watch

Obama to highlight education-reform efforts on election anniversary
At a speech today in Wisconsin marking the first anniversary of his election, President Barack Obama is expected to highlight steps some states are taking to become eligible for federal funding under the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program. With the money expected to be disbursed in January, a number of states have already adopted reforms, including changing laws to allow teacher evaluations to be linked to student test scores and removing caps on charter schools. Wisconsin's legislature is close to signing off on the use of test scores in teacher evaluations. The Washington Post (11/3) , USA TODAY (11/4)

Other News

Officials: Massachusetts did not violate stimulus-funding rules
Google/The Associated Press (11/3)

The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)

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Need your master's degree for professional certification? Consider the Excelsior College Liberal Studies Advantage. Our master's in liberal studies may be your best choice for professional certification. Choose from several track options such as Educational Leadership or Community Building and Conflict Resolution. Visit malt4.excelsior.edu for more information.

What distinguishes classrooms that achieve success in reading from those where struggling readers are left behind? The 3 Habits of Highly Successful Reading Teachers explores the importance of believing that every student can learn to read; daily practice with high-frequency words, letter sounds, and word-solving strategies; and formative assessment. Preview the entire book!

Interested in learning more about advertising in ASCD SmartBrief? Contact Joe Riddle at (202) 737-5500 x228 or jriddle@smartbrief.com.

In the Field

Survey finds stress among children
A survey of 1,206 children ages 8 to 17 found that 36% were more worried this past summer than the summer before, and 30% were concerned about their family's financial problems. This was the first year the American Psychological Association included children in its annual Stress in America survey. Doing well in school was a worry for 44% of children, but only 34% of parents thought their children worried about school. USA TODAY (11/2)

Other News

Research: 49% of U.S. children are on food stamps at some point
Google/The Associated Press (11/2)

Association News

November Digital Edition of Educational Leadership Is Now Available
The brand-new November digital edition of Educational Leadership, which focuses on multiple measures, is available. The issue includes an article by Gerald Bracey on the purposes of the "big tests" (NAEP, PISA and TIMMS) and whether they're being misused. Other articles address performance pay, value-added tests and grading. Take advantage of the digital edition's unique features by sharing articles with friends and social networks, watching videos and more.
- Access the November digital edition.

Conference Daily Keeps You Up to Date
This past weekend, educators from around the globe gathered to discuss Leading & Learning in the 21st Century, the theme for this year's Fall Conference. And ASCD's Conference Daily staff was there to cover it all. Visit the Conference Daily Web site to read the news stories, blog posts and tweets. Paige Johnson's general-session presentation on 21st-century skills is also available for viewing.
- Visit the Conference Daily Web site.

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