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September 18, 2009 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise News for the Education Profession   Eye on Curriculum    Research: Students can be motivated by tough math A study conducted by Rutgers University discovered that allowing students to grapple with difficult math problems had the potential to improve their achievement. Researchers -- working with minority and low-income students in Newark, N.J., for seven years -- found that a healthy amount of frustration in a supportive environment fostered student interest. Students "report feeling frustrated, but also satisfaction, pride and a willingness to work harder next time," a researcher said. Edutopia magazine (10/2009) Art and music are becoming endangered subjects at some schools Some educators say that decreased public funding and constraints on time are leading to a decline of music and arts programs in schools. "Even though the arts is part of the No Child Left Behind bill, since we don't test like we do for reading and math, it's not on our base radar screen," said a fine arts program director in a Tennessee school district. Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tenn.) (9/18) Other News Texas moves forward on new graduation standards, high-school curriculum Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) (9/17) "Morning Meeting is the quiet bulldozer of school reform." Through Morning Meeting we say this is a place where courtesy and warmth and safety reign — a place of respect for all. Comprehensive and user-friendly guidebook, K-8. Click to read sample chapters.   Professional Leadership    New York City schools are pressed to hire teachers from reserve pool New York City schools will lose funds set aside to hire teachers if they do not fill current vacancies from a pool of teachers who lost their permanent positions. The city has about 1,050 vacancies and 1,500 teachers on payroll without assignments; using teachers already in the system would save an estimated $75 million. "Limiting your hiring freedom goes against what I stand for, but because of the economic reality, we must control costs and protect our schools from deeper budget cuts," schools Chancellor Joel Klein wrote to principals. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (9/17) Chef discusses her school-lunch crusade Ann Cooper, a chef who famously improved school lunches in Berkeley, Calif., has partnered with Whole Foods on a program called Lunch Box, which provides resources that school officials and parents can use to make school lunches more healthful. "I hope that little by little, we can transform school food all across our nation from highly processed food that's making our kids sick to really good healthy food, mostly made from scratch and regionally sourced," she said. Chicago Tribune (9/16) What can elementary principals and other school leaders do to support new teachers? A Sense of Belonging will show you how to create structured opportunities for new teachers to collaborate, observe other teachers, make the most of student assessments, and plan curriculum. Click here to preview the entire book online!   Technology Solutions    The story behind the success of SMART Technologies Nearly one-third of K-12 classrooms in the U.S. are said to have a SMART Board. The interactive screens have supplanted more and more blackboards because of their versatility. The devices can connect to the Internet and computers, and information can be saved digitally and e-mailed. This article looks at the success story of the Canadian company SMART Technologies, which is credited with supplying about 63% of interactive whiteboards in the U.S. Forbes (10/5) Schools should investigate potential of online social networks Although the online safety of students will be an ongoing challenge for schools, the potential of online social networks for education should not be overlooked, writes Patricia Deubel, an educational technology expert. Social networking opens student access to new means of collaboration and sources of information. Deubel offers tips for educators and school administrators on best practices. T.H.E. Journal (9/16)   "Anyone can now learn anything from anyone at any time," says Curtis Bonk in The World Is Open. To apply his exciting examples of how technology affects learning inside and outside the classroom, order at 20% discount with free shipping.   SmartBlogs  Charter school becomes first in Massachusetts to unionize A Massachusetts charter school that is the first in the state to unionize will have the freedom to create its own pay system, according to this blog post. How teachers' salaries will be determined will be hashed out later. But pay at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston will not be based on test scores, a teachers union official said. Education Week/Teacher Beat blog (9/17)   Read more from the top education blogs here   Policy Watch  Global efforts to fix education can inspire U.S. educators Two Boston College education professors look at innovative approaches to education reform from around the world. Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley write that Finland has a creative and caring curriculum credited with boosting the country's economy, and Ontario, Canada, has used collaboration between schools and educators to reform special education. These and other success stories are offered as inspiration for America's educational reform, they write. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (9/16)   Nearly 90,000 Ohio students are eligible for private-school vouchers With 211 Ohio public schools consistently failing to meet performance standards, there are 88,700 students who are eligible for vouchers for private schools. An education official said the vouchers allow students access to better-performing schools as reform efforts continue. The vouchers have a value of up to $4,250 for elementary-school students and $5,000 and high-school students. The Cincinnati Enquirer (9/17) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) 3-Minute Motivators is a collection of over 100 simple, fun activities for any grade that will help you use "a little magic" to take a quick break, engage students, and refocus them on the task at hand. Click here to browse Chapter 1 online! Manage students' entire learning process – in and out of the classroom – in a secure virtual learning environment with Pinnacle Suite. Provide academic aid and enrichment within a complete learning system that integrates the Pinnacle gradebook, curriculum and assessment, SIS and data analysis tools with state-of-the-art online tutoring. Learn more… 4 Strategies for Technology-Driven Student Achievement Pull up a virtual chair and listen in as 4 state and district education leaders discuss how they've employed classroom technology to help their students (and teachers) reach new levels of achievement. Free On-Demand Webinar – View Now. Interested in learning more about advertising in ASCD SmartBrief? Contact Joe Riddle at (202) 407-7857 or jriddle@smartbrief.com.     In the Field  Experts fear schools aren't preparing for students with autism Special-education experts and autism advocates fear that schools are unprepared for the increasing number of autistic children in the U.S. About one in 150 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the country, and federal estimates say the disease could affect 4 million in the next decade. eSchool News (free registration) (9/18) Other News Virginia to ask middle-school students for college, career goals Daily Press (Newport News/Hampton, Va.)/The Associated Press (9/17)   Association News  Leading and Learning in the 21st Century What are the education practices that are helping schools aim higher? How can educators -- in a single classroom or system-wide -- ensure that students obtain the knowledge and skills for lifelong learning? ASCD's fall conference will give attendees the opportunity to explore and learn about the education practices that help students acquire and hone communication skills, thinking and problem-solving abilities, interpersonal and self-direction skills, civic literacy, financial and economic literacy and more. The conference will be from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 in Washington, D.C. Find out more. Whole Child Podcast Preps You for H1N1 In this month's Whole Child Podcast, Jerry Weast, superintendent of Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools, raises questions about the practical implications of school and district response to the H1N1 virus, from how to vaccinate thousands of students to how to quickly translate communications about H1N1 for parents into several languages. Weast is joined by registered nurse Linda Davis-Alldritt, president-elect of the National Association of School Nurses, and Theresa Lewallen, ASCD's managing director of constituent services and the association's liaison to the federal government agencies handling H1N1. Listen to the group's discussion about how to ensure the health and continuous learning of our students. Learn more about ASCD -> Home  |  Membership  |  ASCD EDge  |  Conferences  |  Shop  |  Press Room Faculty of Education Specialist Northwest Nazarene University, Department of Education Nampa, Idaho Head of Upper School Collegiate School Richmond, VA Mondo Publishing Project Manager/Professional Development Mondo Publishing NYC w/travel throughout US K - 12 Teachers and Administrators International Schools Services Worldwide Literacy Education, Assistant Professor, Tenure-Track Teachers College, Columbia University New York, New York Head of School American Education Group Western & Southwestern U.S. Teacher Education/Elementary Education Keene State College Keene, New Hampshire Director/CEO Dual Immersion Academy Salt Lake City Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education Moravian College Bethlehem, PA Director, Healthy School Communities ASCD Alexandria, VA Executive Director New England League of Middle Schools Topsfield, MA Principal Pacific Collegiate School 255 Swift St, Santa Cruz, CA Executive Director San Francisco School Alliance San Francisco, CA Dean / Assistant Principal National Heritage Academies Dayton, Ohio Assistant Principal - Buffalo United Charter School National Heritage Academies Buffalo, NY Sales Manager Educational Curriculum IRIS Media, Inc. Eugene, OR Coaching and Learning Program Director, Achievement Program National Heritage Academies Grand Rapids, Michigan Director of Career Technical Education Partnership Raritan Valley Community College North Branch, NJ   SmartQuote  Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before." --Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist and satirist     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Director, SmartBrief Education:  Joe Riddle (202) 407-7857 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Celia Rothschild (202) 470-1159   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Readers' Choice Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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