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| | LATEST NEWS FOR PRINCIPALS |
USA Today
Nail biting, stress headaches, sleepless nights or all of the above. Standardized testing — and its side effects — has been part of the U.S. public education system for decades. But lately, the Common Core curriculum and revamped tests are coming under fire. Critics say the new tests put too much pressure on kids, waste instructional time and encourage educators to emphasize rote memorization — teaching to the test — in lieu of meaningful learning. The issue is proving political fodder during an election year, with both parties advocating for education reform. Critics of testing are picketing schools and urging parents to opt their children out of tests.
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HealthDay News
School buses are the safest way for students to get to and from school, according to the National Safety Council. Riding the bus is 13 times safer than riding in the family vehicle and 10 times safer than walking. That's because school buses are designed for safety, with flashing lights, large mirrors, high seat backs and bright yellow colors.
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THE Journal
The organization behind the Next Generation Science Standards has begun releasing sample "bundles" of standards to help people move away from thinking that the standards are supposed to be taught as a checklist. The bundles are intended to help teachers and curriculum developers understand how they might implement the science standards or student "performance expectations" in ways that can help learners see the connections between concepts and thereby optimize class time.
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MindShift
Getting out of the classroom can benefit everyone — both teachers and students. Fresh air and fresh perspectives combine to allow for new types of creativity, for play, and for a chance to connect learning to life. The best of these apps help harness what kids are learning outside so they can bring it back into the classroom for further study.
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Miami Herald
Hudson Dunn has always been an active boy. His daycare teachers called him "demanding" and "independent." In preschool, he preferred singing and daydreaming to learning the ABCs. By the time he was in kindergarten in Broward County, Hudson was banned from class field trips unless his mother came along to keep track of him. He often came home crying. "It created an environment in the classroom where he was labeled a bad kid," said his mom, Jenine Dunn.
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By: Debra Josephson Abrams
 "What's in the box?" is the title of a 1964 "Twilight Zone" episode. It's also the infamous question Brad Pitt's character, David Mills, asks his nemesis in the 1995 movie "Se7en," and the name of a Japanese game show that spurred an American spinoff on YouTube. A box of mystery is also at the core of "What's in the Box," the name I've given to this multipart, integrated skills game that draws on students' multiple intelligences and critical thinking and reflection.
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Edutopia (commentary)
Kristen Beckler, a contributor for Edutopia, writes: "'This is a teacher's worst nightmare.' I heard those words from a third-grade teacher over two years ago when my then eight-year-old daughter's friend Bella was diagnosed with leukemia. I've since watched this teacher go above and beyond her job and find beauty in helping every student feel educated and supported through a very difficult time. Through her leadership, I learned a few things about how to educate and academically support a child with a medical illness, as well as supporting the class in their education of childhood illnesses."
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Education DIVE
U.S. Secretary of Education John King's voice wavered slightly during the July 27 conference call, as he recounted his personal battles with poverty and homelessness. "I know schools can save lives, because schools saved mine," King said. "Public school teachers gave me a sense of hope, created an environment that was structured and supportive. I understand school can be the difference as a safe and supportive place for students facing homelessness."
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EdTech Magazine
The average U.S. student completes 112 mandatory standardized tests between pre-K and graduation, according to the Council of the Great City Schools, and last year, for the first time, a majority of those tests were given using technology. Now comes research suggesting that "device effects" may be hindering performance for some students. There is still much to learn about how digital and paper tests compare, but Government Technology magazine reports that students who took an electronic version of the Common Core State Standards exams scored lower than their peers who took a pencil-and-paper version.
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Las Cruces Sun-News
Jennifer Whiteley teaches at Hillrise Elementary. Each year, she estimates she spends between $1,000 and $1,500 on supplies for her classroom. "This includes (printer) ink, paper, crayons, laminating sheets, supplemental lessons to accommodate our standards, markers, storage supplies, glue sticks, scissors, math and literacy games, cleaning supplies and books," Whiteley said. Delilah Morales, another teacher at Hillrise, said she easily spends more than $500 each year.
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Education World
If there was any question about how important the role of a teacher in a child's life is, a new study has substantiated this further with some new evidence. Members of the Violence Research Centre at Cambridge's Institute of Criminology and colleagues from both ETH Zurich and the University of Toronto arrived at the conclusion that positive relationships with teachers for middle school aged students is likely to reduce aggressive behavior for four years through analysis of nearly a decade's worth of data.
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| | FEDERAL ADVOCACY AND POLICY |
Education World
After a year of investigation, the Government Accountability Office has issued a report that urges the Department of Education to evaluate and reflect on its past experiences with Flexibility Waivers to better support states as they begin to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act. The Flexibility initiative that the GAO is referring to was created in 2011 so that states could work around the long-expired provisions of No Child Left Behind; those waivers officially expired just days ago on Aug. 1, 2016. Nearly every state applied for a waiver after the initiative's introduction, with 43 states eventually being granted one.
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Education Week
The Every Student Succeeds Act cedes a lot of control over accountability systems to states. But under No Child Left Behind waivers, some states didn't do such a hot job of monitoring districts' progress on things like school improvement and implementation of college- and career-ready standards, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm. At least twelve states faced "multiple significant" challenges with waiver implementation, GAO found.
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The Hechinger Report
It is almost impossible to tell that Lamontae Smith and Justin Dutton, sitting side by side at summer school, both failed sixth-grade math this year. "I have a 95 average," said Justin, grinning and lifting his head up momentarily from a quiz on fractions. "I have a 97 average," responded Lamontae, with a hint of competitive pride. "If I get a 100 on this, I'm up to a 99." During the school year, neither boy had been able to maintain an average above 60.
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San Diego Union Tribune
With all the talk about bullying in schools, a new federal report shows a remarkably rosy picture — 60 percent of San Diego County school districts and charter organizations report zero harassment or intimidation on the basis of race, sex or disability. Encinitas Union Elementary School District? No incidents among its 5,400 students in the most recent report, for 2013-2014. Coronado schools? Zero. La Mesa-Spring Valley School District had no such bullying to report either. Officials at the U.S. Department of Education say the numbers are an accurate reflection of what school officials report to them, but some advocates say the data defies belief.
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NAESP
The National Association of Elementary School Principals is committed to preparing assistant principals to step into the principal role. We want to honor assistant principals who are doing a superb job in their roles. This program promotes educational excellence for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade (PreK-8) schooling and calls attention to the fundamental importance of the assistant principal.
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NAESP
This presentation will provide an overview of the new law and how it supports states and districts to improve principal quality, as well as the latest research and analysis that shows investing in principal preparation and development are evidence-based strategies. State policymakers and representatives from the State of Washington will share how they are working to reorient state efforts to take advantage of the opportunities to support principals and improve student and related outcomes. Attendees will gain knowledge around specific strategies that may be a part of any state's ESSA plan, and how to ensure that the new law's implementation will recognize, value and support the role of principals as the catalysts for reform. This webinar takes place Wednesday, Aug. 17, 4-5 p.m. EST.
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