Professional Learning Deserves Professional Pay

By Tim Walker The recently released 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a periodic review of test results among elementary and secondary students in the United States, contained an interesting nugget. It suggests that, contrary to most of the recent research, having a teacher with an advanced degree is associated with higher student achievement. [...]

Public Schools, Private Donations

Should parents be allowed to lavish donations on one public school, while a neighboring school in the same district gets little or nothing? A California school district is trying to balance parental donations with the need for equal education opportunities for all. Source: The Los Angeles Times

Virtual Schools are Multiplying, But Some Question their Educational Value

In the past two years, more than a dozen states have passed laws and removed obstacles to encourage virtual schools. And proponents have been making their case in statehouses around the country. But a rising chorus of critics is arguing that full-time virtual learning doesn’t effectively educate children. Source: The Washington Post

Bill of Rights Adoption Day – December 15

Bill of Rights Day commemorates the date in 1791 when the first ten amendments were offically added to the U.S. Constitution. Visit the Bill of Rights Institute for educational resources.

NEA and AEA Challenge Alabama’s Immigration Law

On Monday, November 21, the National Education Association, Alabama Education Association and the National School Boards Association filed an amicus brief challenging Alabama’s H.B. 56. By any measure, H.B. 56 is the country’s harshest immigration law and contains many onerous provisions, not the least of which is a requirement that educators and school staff verify the immigration status [...]

Your Choice for Substitute Educator for a Day? Matt Damon

By Christiana Campos Award-winning screenwriter, actor and philanthropist Matt Damon would make a great “substitute educator for a day,” according to an online poll conducted during American Education Week. Results from the National Education Association’s (NEA) fifth annual Substitute Educators Day online poll reveal that 84 percent of respondents would like to see Damon at [...]

National Day of Listening to Celebrate Teachers – Nov. 25

StoryCorps is asking everyone to take a few minutes to say thanks to a favorite teacher on the day after Thanksgiving. The 2011 National Day of Listening will send a powerful and necessary message to teachers across the nation: they matter, and we as a nation are grateful for the impact they have on our [...]

Collective Bargaining Being Used as Vehicle to Drive Student Achievement

Amid budget crises and legislative changes to bargaining, strong signs are appearing across the country that more school administrators and teachers’ unions are doing business together in a different way. Source: Education Week

Advertisements on Report Cards? Unfortunately, Yes

A school board in Colorado is so desperate for revenue that it is selling advertising space on the report cards that students at 91 elementary schools take home. Source: The Answer Sheet

“A National Crisis”: NEA Spotlights Urgent Need for School Modernization

By Cindy Long When it rains, water pours out of the ceiling into Christopher Meyer’s classroom. He places buckets around the room, pushes student desks out of the way, and puts a tarp over his own desk. Then he has to scramble to find a dry, safe room where he can continue his lessons. “At [...]

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