This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
| | LATEST NEWS FOR PRINCIPALS |
PBS Newshour
President Donald Trump's budget proposal would boost spending for defense, border security and law enforcement while making major cuts from a number of domestic government programs, including the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency — a plan that reflects promises from the campaign and early in his presidency to make the government cheaper and more efficient. The proposal asks Congress for a $54 billion increase for the Pentagon — 10 percent more than its budget last fiscal year — and a 6 percent boost for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes $2.6 billion for Trump's promised wall along the Mexican border, a signature campaign promise.
READ MORE
The Christian Science Monitor
The early days of the Trump administration have made clear that strong disagreements over school choice probably won't be resolved anytime soon. But when it comes to setting an agenda for what public education should do to prepare the rising generation for the future, there are some broad areas of consensus. The agreements don't always extend to how to tackle that challenge, however. As experimentation continues and communities debate priorities, that how can get very contentious. That's at least partly because many Americans are passionate about education and the change it can bring in children's lives.
READ MORE
By: Erick Herrmann (commentary)
 Who are our gifted and talented students? What makes a student gifted? How are gifted and talented students identified? These questions are important in education as we attempt to best meet the needs of each of our students. When it comes to meeting the needs of English learners, these questions can seem more complicated. What are some ways that we can better identify gifted and talented English learners? While there are no simple solutions, there are some strategies and tools that may be helpful.
READ MORE
 |
|
UltraKey® Online is the latest generation of the teacher’s favorite typing tutor with all-new interfacing, the delightful new Game Zone™ with challenging language activities, voice-supported instruction, and a powerful management system perfect for small, medium and large districts. For your live preview, call 1-800-465-6428 or visit: www.bytesoflearning.com
|
|
MindShift
Educators often look for classroom inspiration from instructional strategies that "work," focusing on how many students improved based on a given strategy. While that's important and helpful, focusing only on how a strategy works, without examining why it didn't work for some learners, is a missed opportunity. Examining the conditions when a strategy is ineffective or unintentionally misleads students doesn't necessarily mean teachers should abandon that strategy altogether, but it does help them plan ahead for how it might backfire.
READ MORE
EdTech Magazine
Online education has long been a staple of colleges and universities to expand access to education. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe is hoping to unlock this potential for K–12 schools in the state. Earlier this year, McAuliffe proposed a bill that, if approved, would require that schools offer the option of a full-time online education for students, Education Week reports.
READ MORE
By: Sheilamary Koch (commentary)
 The excitement surrounding NASA's recent discovery of the Trappist-1 solar system speaks to the allure that space still holds for modern humans. Despite the exploration that's taken place in the last 80 years, the universe is full of mystery, as it was for ancient civilizations. The significance of this intrigue struck home last week when, as part of the space project underway in my middle school classroom, one student excitedly relayed the Trappist-1 announcement to the group.
READ MORE
Edutopia
Show-and-tell, as we know, is an age-old activity in elementary school classrooms. Kids bring in a pet, or a parent, or a certificate they won in dance class, or a trophy from peewee baseball. But why stop with the younger grades? What about older students? Sharing a meaningful memento with classmates is valuable at any age — and can serve several purposes.
READ MORE
 |
|
Benchmark Advance and Adelante build K-6 literary and content-area knowledge through close reading and collaborative conversations. Foundational skills, writing to sources, and use of text evidence are seamlessly integrated, as are resources for ELs that amplify meaning without simplifying language. Fully equitable Spanish edition also available. FREE sampler.
|
|
District Administration Magazine
Hattiesburg School District designs technology training to empower teachers to take charge of their own professional development by letting them decide what they want to learn, when they want to learn it and how. The Mississippi district provides basic technology training through a series of self-paced, online modules. Teachers can then register for in-person workshops, request customized trainings and even schedule private coaching sessions — all through an online scheduling program.
READ MORE
The Washington Post
When school districts decide to stay open during inclement weather, many parents assume that it relates to the roads. But there's another reason schools are reluctant to grant snow days: Their students may have little to eat at home. According to the Agriculture Department, 20 million students receive free lunch, and 11.7 million receive free breakfast, at school.
READ MORE
The Conversation
Here's a math problem even the brightest school districts struggle to solve: getting hordes of elementary, middle and high school students onto buses and to school on time every day. Transporting all of these pupils presents a large and complex problem. Some school districts use existing software systems to develop their bus routes. Others still develop these routes manually.
READ MORE
| | FEDERAL ADVOCACY AND POLICY |
Education Week
Under the last two presidents, the U.S. Department of Education was a mighty — and mighty well-funded — agency. But, all signs point to it being much sleepier under President Donald Trump. For one thing, the department's bottom line may be about to plummet. Trump has proposed a 13 percent cut in funding for the agency, to $59 billion for the coming fiscal year. That could mean serious reductions to the department's current workforce of about 4,000 employees.
READ MORE
 |
|
Scrap the sticky notes and shred the spreadsheets. Create fair, first-class classes with Class Composer. Where does it hurt? When it comes to assigning elementary school students to their classes, it’s the knees, the back and the head. Why?
Read more: http://www.classcomposer.com/news
|
|
The Huffington Post (commentary)
President Donald Trump released his "skinny budget" proposal, calling for wide-ranging cuts in the Every Student Succeeds Act, including the complete elimination of funding for Title II, Part A, the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program. This is the section of the law that supports educator learning and development. To put this move in context, domestic spending generally was put on a path leading to famine, while defense spending received a truckload of donuts (a $54 billion increase, balanced off by comparable cuts in non-defense dollars).
READ MORE
CNN
One of Michelle Obama's signature accomplishments as first lady may be in jeopardy under the Trump administration. A key lobbying group, the School Nutrition Association, released recommendations earlier this month to scale back federal nutrition standards she championed and were set under the Obama administration. The group is a national nonprofit professional organization representing over 57,000 members in the school food service industry, per its website.
READ MORE
[Istation]
Educators share eight ways to save time and reduce testing fatigue. Learn how to get a clear picture of student progress with a FREE e-book that explores the benefits of data-driven instruction.
READ MORE
The Washington Post
Every weekday, 700 children from some of the poorest parts of the Atlanta area stay after school for three hours with Wings for Kids, a program that aims to bolster not only academic performance, but also social skills, relationships with caring adults and a sense of belonging at school. The kids get a safe and enriching place to spend the afternoon and early evening, and their working parents get child care. But now, Wings for Kids and thousands of programs like it are on the chopping block, threatened by President Donald Trump's proposal to eliminate $1.2 billion in grants for after-school and summer programs.
READ MORE
U.S. News & World Report (commentary)
The presidential budget request is always a mash up of policy, politics, signaling and negotiation. Yet even with the caveat that any budget request is best taken seriously but not literally, President Donald Trump's first budget stands out as an exceptional missed opportunity in education and across a range of federal agencies. Ignore the theatrics about Trump's new battle with Big Bird, he won't win that one. And remember that some of the programs the president is putting on the chopping block are ones that President Obama sought to cut, too. Instead, what's most tragic about this budget is how profoundly unimaginative it is at a time the country needs big ideas.
READ MORE
eSchool News
Under President Donald Trump's proposed FY 2018 education budget, school choice would receive a massive $1.4 billion while the Education Department undergoes a $9 billion, or 13 percent, cut. Overall, the proposed education budget cuts the Education Department's budget from $68 million to $59 billion. Within the proposed $1.4 billion school choice investment, charter schools get a $168 million boost, and $250 million is allocated toward a new private school choice program. Title I funds would receive a $1 billion increase, but the funds would follow individual students should they decide to change schools.
READ MORE
NPR
A couple of months ago, Shan'Taya Cowan got into Harvard. "I just froze," she remembers. The first word she read was, "Congratulations." "And I didn't know what to do because, it was never really an option for me." Cowan is one of the successes of a decades-old school busing program in Jefferson County, Kentucky. For the past four years, she's gotten up early to take a bus to Louisville's Fairdale High School, 15 miles from her home. She says she got a better education because of it.
READ MORE
WRAL-TV
Cameras on school buses catch cars blowing past stopped buses at an alarming rate across North Carolina, and state lawmakers are looking to give school districts a way to crack down on violators. Senate Bill 55, which is one step away from a floor vote, would allow counties to adopt ordinances imposing civil penalties for passing a stopped school bus when the violation isn't criminally prosecuted.
READ MORE
|
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
|
|
Don't be left behind. Click here to see what else you missed.
|
Deseret News
Utah's state and local policymakers "should be alarmed at the high numbers of teachers leaving the state teaching core, particularly in the first few years," recent public policy reports caution. More than half — 56 percent — of the public school educators who started teaching in 2008 left the profession by 2015, according to a recent report by the Utah Education Policy Center at the University of Utah.
READ MORE
CBS Miami/News Service of Florida
Florida elementary schools would have to provide at least 20 minutes of unstructured recess time each school day under a bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Miami Sen. Anitere Flores said some Florida schools now provide recess, while others don't. Flores said her bill would mandate at least 20 minutes a day, or 100 minutes per week, for children enrolled in kindergarten through fifth-grade classes in all 67 school districts.
READ MORE
NAESP
The NAESP 2017 Vice President Election will open on March 29. This year, eligible voters will receive an email on March 29 with a customized embedded link to cast their vote. No username or password will be required. Please add noreply@directvote.net to your email contacts as an approved sender and make sure your email address is current with NAESP. Visit our election page on the website for more details.
READ MORE
NAESP
The growing ubiquity of Internet access and pervasive use of online information has changed the learning landscape forever. Students continue to benefit from enhanced connectivity throughout the formal school day, thanks to a $1.5 billion increase in E-rate funding in late 2014. However, demand and expectations for learning outside of the school day are on the rise, and there are still many students struggling to complete homework online, causing a challenging homework gap.
READ MORE
|
|
|
 |
|
Designed for kids ages 5 to 12, Smart Play: Venti packs 20 exciting activities into its compact size.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
