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December 11, 2007

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News for the Education Profession

Editor's Viewpoint

Looking back at 2007


Susan Rush, ASCD SmartBrief Lead Editor

Over the course of 2007, I have been pleased to deliver to you the news that matters to your school and district. Part I of this ASCD SmartBrief special year-end report rounds up the most important trends, stories and events of the past year. Part II, which will hit your inbox on Thursday, will provide a glimpse into what's in store for 2008 and answers to our poll questions.

This year was once again a busy one for our profession, with educators, administrators and lawmakers addressing myriad subjects and the possible reauthorization of No Child Left Behind generating many ideas and much debate. The achievement gap, standardized testing, high school reform, early childhood education, the whole child and student interventions are just a few of the topics that influenced learning, teaching and leadership this year.

This year's conferences took ASCD members to Anaheim, Calif., for Valuing the Whole Child: Embracing a Global Vision, to Sydney, Australia, for New Imagery for Schools and Schooling: Challenging, Creating and Connecting, and to Atlanta for the Conference on Teaching and Learning. The 2007 conference schedule tackled education issues head-on and presented educators with an array of teaching tools and tactics, as well as fostered networking opportunities.

See the "Best of 2007" section below, to see what was most important to YOU in 2007.

Best of 2007

Teacher's songs help second-graders learn math (10/23)

Study: Oral reading tests may result in inappropriate placements (11/25)

Column: Newsweek's top schools offer rigorous education (5/22)

Report: Focus on children, not testing (3/26)

Study: Too much reading, math in elementary classrooms (3/29)

Drug-resistant staph infections hit some U.S. schools (10/18)

Studies: Homework value uncertain; little change in dropout rate (3/19)

The challenge of educating young adolescents (1/6)

Study: Elementary school a better fit for sixth graders (2/27)

Study: Some top states set standards low (6/8)

Your Favorite SmartQuotes

Here are the quotes you shared with colleagues most often during 2007:

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

--Winston Churchill,
British prime minister

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worthwhile."

--Herm Albright,
writer

When you step into a turnaround situation, you can safely assume four things: morale is low; fear is high; the good people are halfway out the door; and the slackers are hiding."

--Nina Disesa,
as chairwoman of McCann-Erickson Worldwide

If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it?"

--Steven Wright,
comedian, actor

The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense."

--Thomas Edison,
inventor and businessman

One of the hardest tasks of leadership is understanding that you are not what you are, but what you're perceived to be by others."

--Edward L. Flom,
CEO of Florida Steel

Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

--Eleanor Roosevelt,
former first lady and American political leader

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're OK, then it's you."

--Rita Mae Brown,
writer and activist

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone."

--Audrey Hepburn,
Academy Award-winning actress, humanitarian

Rule No. 1: Use your own good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules."

--Bruce, Jim and John Nordstrom,
co-presidents of Nordstrom department store, in the employee handbook

Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual ASCD endorsements. The news reported in SmartBrief does not necessarily reflect the official position of ASCD.

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