Eye on Curriculum

• Study: Children left behind before school starts
  Four major factors driving students' standardized test performance aren't even within schools' control, according to a new Educational Testing Service study. Simply by knowing the percentage of students who were often absent, raised by a single parent, not read to daily or watched five or more hours of TV daily, researchers were able to predict each state's results on a federal test with "impressive accuracy," The New York Times reports. The states that scored lowest tended to be those that had the highest percentages of children who met each of the four criteria. NYTimes.com (12/9)

• Poverty plays greater role in determining U.S. test scores: U.S. students' test scores are significantly more likely to be negatively affected when their parents are struggling financially compared with their peers in other countries who scored better in the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment. An estimated 18% of variation in U.S. teens' science scores was tied to the students' socioeconomic status, more than twice that of high-performing Finland and Canada. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (12/7)

• Program helps parents find time to read before school
  A Colorado elementary school is piloting a program that encourages busy parents to read to their children before school. Scheduling a designated time and providing a place for such interactions helps parents get involved and shows children the importance of reading, said principal Amy Smith. Fort Collins Coloradoan (Colo.) (12/8)

• Other News

• Florida charter school helps preserve Seminole language
  The Palm Beach Post (Fla.) (12/9)

How you talk impacts how children learn. "The Power of Our Words should be a required resource for all K-6 teachers regardless of the number of years they have taught." (Principal, CT) A new book from Responsive Classroom. Click here for details.

Professional Leadership

• School founder aims to help children find path out of poverty
  When he was a teenager, Jack Perry feared he would become merely another statistic in the Brooklyn housing project where he lived. Instead, Perry is now about to open an all-boys charter middle school in Wilmington, Del., that prepares inner-city minorities for college with strict discipline and high expectations. The News Journal (Del.) (12/10)

• Report: Some Pennsylvania educators unaware of tracking models
  Even though statistical models that allow educators to track student progress are available to every school in Pennsylvania, they're rarely used and some teachers aren't even aware the data exists, according to a report presented at the Pennsylvania State Education Association convention in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (12/8)

Right the writing wrongs in your secondary classroom! In Teaching Adolescent Writers Kelly Gallagher shares instructional strategies that focus on six key needs: ample practice, teacher modeling, reading great writers, topic choice, authentic purposes, and meaningful feedback. Click here to read Chapter 1 online!

Hot Topics

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

• U.S. News ranks 100 best U.S. high schools (The Washington Post)

• Several countries outperform U.S. in math, science (Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org))

• Several NYC schools to be closed for poor grades (NYTimes.com)

• Study: Teacher experience tied to student success (SeattlePI.com)

• Report: Struggling Maryland schools have yet to find key to success (The Washington Post)

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

This book will change the way you teach reading! A Declaration of Readers' Rights presents a research-based "rights" framework that addresses ten key rights for improving literacy development among adolescents, while outlining a step-by-step plan that offers very specific recommendations and implementation strategies for secondary teachers.

Technology Solutions

• Software allows students to review lectures
  At least two companies are now helping college professors capture their lectures digitally so students can download and search them by keyword. "I can't stress enough how much it helped me prepare for exams," Medical College of Georgia graduate student Limor Raz said. "There's a tremendous difference between viewing the lecture once and seeing it again." NYTimes.com (12/9)

• Mini-quizzes aim to help Indiana educators assess student progress
  A new program may soon give Indiana educators instant snapshots of student progress toward passing standardized tests via short computer-based quizzes administered throughout the school year. The tests target students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)/Associated Press (12/8)

Build model classrooms With the speed, power and affordability of Z Corp. 3D Printers, every student can turn digital designs into real 3D prototypes. Learn how with Z Corp.'s FREE tip sheet, 3 Secrets to Building Model Students, a quick guide to engaging student interest and advancing their educational opportunities.

Policy Watch

• U.S. Education Department expands NCLB growth model pilot
  Education Secretary Margaret Spellings on Friday offered states new flexibility in measuring student progress via growth models, which have already been implemented by eight states as part of a pilot program. Additional states interested in switching to such a model will now be able submit their plans to the Education Department, which will review the proposals and decide whether to grant approval. USA TODAY/Associated Press (12/7)

• Opinion: NCLB lowers standards
  When Congress reauthorizes NCLB, it should include a provision that allows states to ignore it, writes conservative columnist George F. Will. The law has done little else but lower standards, he says. The Washington Post (12/9)

• Other News

• Column: "Factory-model" schools burn out teachers, dishearten students
  The Providence Journal (R.I.) (free registration) (12/9)

	The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Achieve your professional development goals right in your own school this fall—with SDE's eSEMINARs! With a wide variety of topics presented by some of the nation's leading experts, you'll find sessions that meet your staff's needs. Topics include Differentiated Instruction, Literacy, Readiness, Response to Intervention, Singapore Math, and Writing. Learn more about eSEMINARs or call 1-877-388-2054! Does your induction program feature a revolving door? Just ASK Publications & Professional Development's Mentoring in the 21st Century™ Resource Kit, including teaching outlines, handouts, visuals, and our new Collegial Conversations DVD, can help you keep the great new teachers you hire. Click here for more information. Interested in learning more about advertising in ASCD SmartBrief? Contact Joe Riddle at (202) 407-7857 or jriddle@smartbrief.com.

In the Field

• Texas may overhaul college-prep standards to ensure readiness
  A Texas higher-education board is considering revamping standards for what college-bound students must know in an attempt to reduce the numbers of university students in remedial classes. "Being college-eligible doesn't mean you're college-ready," said Paula Roe, a scholarship-programs coordinator for a Houston nonprofit. Houston Chronicle/Associated Press (12/10)

• Other News

• Snow doesn't stop elementary students' race training
  The Indianapolis Star (12/7)

• Other News

• Australian children grow, cook vegetables to encourage healthy eating
  The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (12/9)

Association News

• Reinventing Schools: Courageous Leadership for Positive Change
  ASCD's annual conference allows participants to choose from more than 550 sessions including such topics as NCLB, math and reading, differentiated instruction, school improvement and closing achievement gaps. ASCD's 2008 Annual Conference & Exhibit Show, Reinventing Schools: Courageous Leadership for Positive Change, will be held March 15 to 17, 2008, in New Orleans, La. Volunteers save up to 69% on the cost of conference registration. Find out more.

Elementary/Secondary Principals Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte, NC Lecturer, Assistant, Associate or Full Professor - Special Education CUNY City College New York, NY Online Adjunct Faculty Wilkes University Online Position Lecturer, Asst, Assoc or Full Professor - Educational Foundations CUNY City College New York, NY Chief Academic Officer St. Louis Public Schools St. Louis, Missouri Lecturer - Secondary Science Education CUNY City College New York, NY Director Of Elementary Education Fairfield Public Schools/Fairfield, Connecticut Central Office/Fairfield Public Schools Principal National Heritage Academies Cincinnati, Oh; Metro-Detroit, MI; Denver, Co; Washington D.C.; Raleigh, NC; Cincinnati, OH System Administrator Friendship Public Charter Schools District Office Technology Support Specialist Friendship Public Charter School District Office Exceptional Education Teacher Lee County Schools Sanford, North Carolina Principal for Middle School Lee County Schools Sanford, North Carolina Assistant Superintendent of Schools School District of Clayton Clayton, Missouri High School Principal Propel Charter School Munhall PA

SmartQuote

Compassion is the basis of all morality." --Arnold Schopenhauer, German philosopher