Eye on Curriculum

• Business world opening to younger students
  While programs that teach students about the business world have been around for years, new crops of finance education, led by big-name companies, are growing and are being made available to even younger students. At San Francisco's Jean Parker Elementary School, fifth-graders "start" businesses in hopes of earning faux currency, an experience that proponents say gets students thinking beyond childhood dream jobs. Houston Chronicle/Associated Press (2/24)

• Boulder schools try to close gap with lunch
  Officials in Colorado's Boulder Valley School District are trying to attack their achievement gap by having all schools enroll a 20% Free and Reduced Lunch population. The idea, according to Dr. Chris King, the district's deputy superintendent, is that schools would then reflect the community and not have some schools with 80% of students on the Free and Reduced program. 9News.com (Colorado) (2/25)

• Smaller is better for some, others have issues
  High schools across the U.S. have spent about $700 million in federal money to create the "school-within-a-school" model, and students say the small-school model caters to their needs and wishes. One success is a 2002 Chicago performing arts grad who now stars on Broadway, but some students don't succeed; half the students who started at one Chicago-based school did not conclude the program. Chicago Tribune (2/25)

One course can make A World of Difference with Teachers. "By putting the practices into use, it's like I have a new class. Productivity has increased, but better yet the atmosphere is 100% better," states Sabine Gousse. "This course has taught me more in two months than I learned in four years of college," says Rachel Conti. Click here to learn more.

Professional Leadership

• Here's my card
  Continuing the trend of turning schools toward the business world, more teachers are starting to tote business cards. School officials say the trend is about accountability and getting information to parents, but for others, it's a way to promote speaking engagements and other businesslike attempts. The Washington Post (2/26)

• Pay raises divide Baltimore board
  Some school board members in Baltimore County, Md., want to give a raise to the system's lowest-paid workers, those who receive less than $10 an hour, but disagreement among board members over the proposal has caused a delay in its approval of an operating budget for the coming school year. The Sun (Baltimore) (2/25)

Word work is about more than just spelling or vocabulary. Fifth-grade teacher Max Brand shows how to help students search for, study, and celebrate words in the two-part video series A Day of Words. Your staff will see how students can be constantly focused on the specifics of language across the curriculum. DVD or VHS. Click here for details!

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by ASCD SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Opinion: Character education could help bridge achievement gap (Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.))

• NCLB reauthorization debate continues (San Francisco Chronicle)

• Study: Despite hard courses, high schoolers learn less (Los Angeles Times)

• Did Reading First officials overreach? (Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org))

• Online classes gaining in popularity (The Boston Globe)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Two industry leaders team up to help struggling readers Read Now with Power Up! combines the books and instructional materials of Steck-Vaughn with the progress-monitoring assessment technology of Renaissance Learning. For more information click here.

Technology Solutions

• Grammar podcast growing in popularity
  A 39-year-old technical writer now makes her living as Grammar Girl, a character created for a grammar-infused podcast that is growing in popularity. Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl's alter ego, addresses such topics such as the difference between lay and lie. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (2/26)

Talk About It-The anonymous online messaging service that bridges the gap between students and school officials. Simple to use, it gives students a voice they're comfortable using. Help students communicate serious issues before tragedy strikes. Visit talkaboutit.ancomm.com to learn more.

Policy Watch

• Congress, districts review school day timetable
  In Massachusetts, 10 schools are piloting a $6.5 million project to extend the school day to eight hours. The trend is slowly being mirrored across the country, with lawmakers in Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Washington, D.C., considering instituting a longer school day. CNN/Associated Press (2/25)

• Arizona bill would require state to pay for adopted children's tutors
  An Arizona lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require the state to pay for tutoring for students who are adopted and having academic difficulty. The lawmaker said his own adopted children were behind in school after being bounced around the child welfare system. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (2/25)

	The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Simple steps. Revolutionary results! Coming to Boston July 30-August 2, 2007—SDE's Singapore Math for US Train-the-Trainer Institute for Grades 1-6. Be among the first to bring to your school the innovative teaching strategies credited with rocketing Singapore's students to the top in math achievement worldwide. Space is limited to 150 participants! Learn more. Intervention Strategies for Early Reading Success Do you know how ongoing, dynamic assessment and targeted intervention can dramatically improve students' reading success? Respected educator Dr. Marcia Davidson walks you through the latest research showing proven early literacy and intervention strategies. Join our complimentary, live webinar on March 15. Register now. Now is the time to be planning your induction program for 2007-2008. Provide Why Didn't I Learn This in College? for each of your new teachers and The 21st Century Mentor's Handbook for each of your mentors. These two cross-referenced resources, focused on the high achievement of all students, will provide a strong foundation for your induction program. More information. Improve Reading Comprehension with Making ConnectionsTM! Create strategic, purposeful and active readers. Find out how Making Connections fits into your curriculum and request a FREE student 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

• Parents launch large-scale fundraisers
  Parents who are frustrated with dwindling budgets for their children's schools are launching large-scale, online fundraising campaigns, some bolstered by education foundations. In one sale, the Sharon High School PTSO in Massachusetts used an Internet auction firm to bring in $32,000. The Boston Globe (2/25)

• Schools for homeless targeted for change
  A plan to convert Arizona's Thomas J. Pappas schools for the homeless into resource centers or to restructure them is already being met with criticism. Those who support the closing say that while the schools excel in offering social services, students post poorer test scores when compared to homeless students that are enrolled in public schools. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (2/23)

Association News

• Debating the "Brain Glitch" Theory
  

  Neurologist turned classroom teacher, Judy Willis, warns readers not to be "fooled by policymakers or program developers who use the term brain-based learning in ways that many medical and teaching professionals consider irresponsible." An ASCD blog post examines Willis's concern that problematic research is guiding federal policy-makers and advancing a narrow approach to reading instruction, and requests feedback from readers on effective ways to teach struggling readers. View the blog.

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Master Teacher/Specialist UTeach Natural Sciences/UT Austin University of Texas at Austin Secondary Educational Consultant National Urban Alliance National Upper School Spanish Collegiate School Richmond, VA Coordinator of Mathematics Instruction Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School in Los Angeles, California 90077 Mathematics Education Grove City College Grove City, PA 16127 Principal The Preparatory Charter HS Philadelphia, PA Early Childhood Elementary Teachers The UFT Elementary Charter School Brooklyn, New York Chief Academic Officer Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools Los Angeles, CA Chief Academic Officer Los Angeles Unified School District Office of the Superintendent Health and Physical Education Department Chair Collegiate School Richmond, VA

SmartQuote

There is no use worrying about things over which you have no control, and if you have control, you can do something about them instead of worrying." --Stanley C. Allyn, former CEO of National Cash Register Co.