ASCD SmartBrief

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Help your staff foster literacy independence in primary
classrooms with the new DVD The Daily Five Alive!
Learn how to launch The Daily Five literacy tasks and
observe detailed sample lessons in 85 minutes of video.
The Viewing Guide provides PD workshop suggestions,
focus questions, and handouts.
Click here or go to www.stenhouse.com for details!

February 22, 2007

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News for the Education Profession

Eye on Curriculum

Opinion: Character education could help bridge achievement gap
Columnist Katherine Kersten examines the achievement gap and asserts that schools such as those run by the Knowledge Is Power Program that put an emphasis on attitude as well as ability, are achieving results. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (2/21)

Editorial: Bipartisanship needed in NCLB reauthorization
The Christian Science Monitor believes the definition of proficiency is "dumbed down" where standardized tests are concerned and asserts more emphasis should be placed on ensuring minimum standards are being met by high school seniors. The publication would like to see Congress reauthorize NCLB before the 2008 election year. The Christian Science Monitor (2/22)

Connect and collaborate at a website just for you!
Looking for ongoing support to advance your professional learning community? Your search ends here. Join fellow PLC practitioners online at www.allthingsplc.info, an interactive website where you can exchange ideas, post success stories, and locate schools and districts similar to your own. All information, no commerce. Visit today!

Professional Leadership

NYC principals may get control of art money
New York City principals may get more control over $67.5 million in Project Arts money, under a new city education department plan. The funding pays for things such as art supplies, artists in residency and teacher salaries, but under the new plan, principals would have the discretion to shift money to other priorities. NYTimes.com (2/22)

Hempfield teachers avoid strike, for now
The 480 teachers in the Hempfield Area Education Association in Pennsylvania will not strike for at least 40 days, now that they've reached a tentative pact with school officials. An independent mediator will now step in to try and help forge an agreement. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2/22)

Spend less time with individual diagnostics, know each child's emerging literacy needs, and spend more time teaching with MAP for Primary Grades. Developed specifically for early learners, these computer adaptive tests provide highly accurate information about what individual students are ready to learn. Click here to learn about MAP for Primary Grades.

Learning and Teaching

Bilingual teachers recruited
More than 700,000 students in Texas are classified as English-language learners, and that means school districts have been forced to cross the border to keep up with the demand for bilingual teachers. At one recent job fair, recruiters hired 162 Mexican professionals. Houston Chronicle (2/21)

Students taught about healthier food options
Each day, middle schoolers in Pennsylvania's Hampton School District receive a healthy eating tip as part of a statewide regulation that requires schools to create wellness programs. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (2/22)

Kids don't care that Success for All Reading is proven in gold-standard studies. They just love it! (more on SFA)

Technology Solutions

Video game teaches children about unhealthy lifestyles
With around 17% of American children labeled as obese, a new video game is aiming to teach better eating habits. "Body Mechanics" does not get students active, but teaches them to battle imaginary villains, such as Col Estorol and Betes II. Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)/Associated Press (2/21)

Senteo^TM clicks in the classroom. SMART's new Senteo interactive response system makes learning fun. Teachers can instantly gauge student understanding and develop creative questions that go beyond the surface to tell them what their students really know. Senteo starts shipping in June, and you can be among the first to place an order. Learn more.

Policy Watch

Court: Antidiscrimination law protects gay students
New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled this week that school leaders must protect bullied gay students, in accordance with a state antidiscrimination law. The opinion found that districts must take actions "reasonably calculated" to end such student-on-student harassment. NYTimes.com (2/22)

The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)

Learn from some of the biggest names in Differentiated Instruction this summer at SDE's National Conference on Differentiated Instruction in Las Vegas! Choose from 246 unique opportunities to connect with today's leading experts and award-winning authors. FREE tuition for administrators with the paid registration of any staff member. Plus, special sessions by conference sponsor National Geographic School Publishing. Learn more.

Partner with a proven leader in education. Walden University is ranked the No. 1 largest online graduate school for education by U.S. News & World Report's Special Annual E-Learning Guide. Enhance your leadership skills and achieve your career goals with a Ph.D., Ed.D., or M.S. in Education from Walden. Learn more today.

Proven Strategies for Early Reading Success
LeapFrog SchoolHouse has partnered with respected educator Dr. Marcia Davidson to provide you with current, research-based early literacy assessment and intervention strategies to optimize your early literacy program. Join us and learn what's new and what's working in early reading. Register now.

Taking Differentiated Instruction from Theory to Practice. Differentiated Instruction can mean many things. But ultimately, it's about helping all students learn. Call us at (800) 822-4MAT to learn how to train your staff to differentiate instruction. And request our Free Guide: Using Student Learning Styles to Help Differentiate Instruction. Or sign up for our webinar on February 27. About Learning, Inc. www.aboutlearning.com

Interested in learning more about advertising in ASCD SmartBrief? Contact Joe Riddle at (202) 407-7857 or jriddle@smartbrief.com.

In the Field

U.S. lags in child welfare
A U.N. survey of child welfare in 21 affluent countries has ranked the U.S. and Britain 20th and 21st, respectively. The survey findings, released in a report by UNICEF last week, looked at health and safety, family relationships, education and young people's sense of well-being, among other factors. San Diego Union-Tribune/Associated Press (2/14)

ELL increase demands more funding
In Arizona's Mesa Public Schools, the number of students classified as English-language learners has increased 213% in last eight years. The district receives about $400 for every student classified as such via state tests, but Mesa teachers are frustrated that supplemental funds earmarked for these students have not yet reached the schools. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (2/21)

Association News

ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award
ASCD, in its ongoing search for what works in schools, has decided to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of young educators who achieve excellence and equity in teaching and learning. The ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award candidate is an education professional, 40 years of age or younger, who demonstrates exemplary commitment and exceptional contribution to the profession. Nominate a colleague today.
- ASCD Community: Find out more.

Learn more about ASCD ->


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
Director	Hope Academy -- The Recovery High School at Fairbanks	Indianapolis
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