This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
| | LATEST NEWS FOR PRINCIPALS |
By: Sheilamary Koch
 "Back to school" symbolizes new beginnings for most educators to a degree unmatched by Jan. 1. If, in the New Year's spirit, you were to create a list of resolutions focused on making this school year better than last, would having more balance between work and personal time be on your list? If so, take advantage of the beginning of a new cycle to anchor yourself in an activity just for you to help prevent burnout and promote a positive attitude.
READ MORE
Edutopia (commentary)
Elena Aguilar, a contributor for Edutopia, writes: "In most of the schools I worked at, at the end of every year, we'd lament the departure of a new teacher or two. What could we have done — we asked ourselves — to retain that teacher? Now, looking back, I see that there are many things we could have done to retain promising new teachers. Whether you're a teacher leader, an instructional coach, or an administrator, here are six things you can do to retain teachers who are new to your school or to the profession."
READ MORE
Education Week
It's always tough to be the new kid in the middle of the school year: to find new friends, adapt to new teachers and rules. But for more than 6.5 million students nationwide, being the new kid can be a frequent occurrence — and one that exacts a cost to their social and academic development and that of their classmates.
READ MORE
Education World
Recently, it was announced that eight states will be collaborating directly with the collaborative for academic, social and emotional learning to develop social emotional learning standards to guide students in state classrooms. The goal is to have a set of standards for public review as early as next spring. For those unfamiliar, social emotional learning is defined by CASEL as "the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions."
READ MORE
 |
|
Increase student’s movement and social interaction with colorful activity stencils by Fit & Fun Playscapes. From hopscotch to chess, yoga to four square, and so much more! Inexpensive, easy-to-implement fitness and wellness games that engage all kinds of kids! Just roll the full-size stencils out and paint.
Visit us at www.fitandfunplayscapes.com
|
|
By: Danielle Manley
 Parent involvement in a child's school life has proven successful, and the first (and easiest) step to boost involvement is through communication. With the first day of school approaching, you need to prepare a plan for parent-teacher communication. There's the obvious, like email and phone. But what about social media? Could an interactive mobile app be beneficial? Let's take a closer look at social media, and Facebook in particular.
READ MORE
MindShift
A group of recent studies on technology in education, across a wide range of real-world settings, have come up far short of a ringing endorsement. The studies include research on K-12 schools and higher ed, both blended learning and online, and show results ranging from mixed to negative. A deeper look into these reports gives a sense that, even as computers become ubiquitous in classrooms, there's a lot we still don't know — or at least that we're not doing to make them effective tools for learning.
READ MORE
ADDitude Magazine
Children with ADHD don't blurt out answers or talk over people to be purposely rude. Their impulse-control problems are neurological and tough for them to see. But with these tips (and lots of practice) they can learn to stop interrupting.
READ MORE
 |
|
Read the Book! Book the Training!
Improve instruction, improve student performance.
Book your staff development now - (832) 477-5323.
|
|
Education Week
A new survey of those involved in the assessment opt-out movement finds that typical participants are white, well educated and well off, and very worried about the use of standardized test scores in teacher evaluations. "Who Opts Out and Why? Results From a National Survey on Opting Out of Standardized Tests" was published earlier this week by Oren Pizmony-Levy, an assistant professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Teachers College research associate Nancy Green Saraisky.
READ MORE
Consumer Affairs
Most school-aged children would readily admit that their favorite part of the school day isn't math, science or English. Recess has always been a favorite for kids because it gives them a break from academics and allows them to expend pent-up energy in some playtime. However, research has shown that not all kids take advantage of this time to run around and be active, which may adversely affect their health in the long run. Luckily, a new study from the University of Missouri shows that zones that include specific games encourage even the most hesitant students to participate in healthy exercise.
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.
|
THE Journal
In two years on the job as deputy superintendent of educational services for the Santa Ana Unified School District, David Haglund has helped usher in a new era of "anytime, anywhere access to learning." The high-poverty district, in which more than 90 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, is embracing BYOD as it emphasizes competency-based, project-based and blended learning. The centerpiece is the Advanced Learning Academy, a dependent charter school for elementary and middle school students that opened last fall with a focus on a high-tech, project-based and STEM curriculum.
READ MORE
The Atlantic
At every stage, getting and keeping teachers in U.S. classrooms has become a challenge. Longtime teachers are retiring while mid-career and novice teachers are leaving for other pursuits. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 8 percent of the men and women teaching in public schools during the 2011-2012 school year left the profession the next year. And fewer young people are signing up to spend time in classrooms in the first place.
READ MORE
eSchool News
Now that the buzz about flipped learning is calming and the novelty is wearing off, the time has come to dig a little deeper into the natural outcomes of flipping. Specifically, flipping can change the type of work students complete and the way in which class time will be used; it can modify the nature of assessment, and it can alter the way in which teachers will report student work. First and foremost, we should define some terms. On the most basic level, flipped learning occurs when instructors make use of video lectures outside the class in order to bring what was being done in the homework space back into the classroom. In short: lecture at home, homework in class.
READ MORE
Chalkbeat New York
The wage gap between teachers and other professionals with similar education and experience reached an all-time high of 17 percent in 2015, according to a new study by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. In the mid-1990s, the gap was only 1.8 percent. While there are many reasons teachers stay in the profession or leave it, the report notes that other jobs might become more appealing to both potential and existing teachers as their salaries continue to lag behind.
READ MORE
| | FEDERAL ADVOCACY AND POLICY |
U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services issued guidance in the form of a Dear Colleague Letter to states to ensure students with disabilities attending public virtual schools are getting the special education and supports that they deserve and is their right. The guidance focuses on specific requirements in the Individual with Disabilities Education Act for public virtual schools. IDEA is the law that guarantees the right to a public education for America's nearly 6.7 million students with disabilities.
READ MORE
Disability Scoop
Frequent discipline may be a sign that kids with disabilities are not receiving a free appropriate public education, according to new federal guidance reminding schools of their obligations to provide behavior supports. In a 16-page letter sent this month just before classes begin in many school districts, the U.S. Department of Education signaled its concern over data that shows students with disabilities are disciplined far more often than their typically-developing peers.
READ MORE
Education Week
How should students' work in art class be assessed? New Hampshire, Florida, Michigan and a handful of other states are experimenting with new standardized tests in the arts, according to the Hechinger Report. It's a development that some hope will help reinforce the place of arts in public schools and illuminate how schools' programs compare. But it also comes with some challenges and concerns about whether and how to quantify the quality of kids' creative work.
READ MORE
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.
READ MORE
NAESP
As I found my seat for the closing session at the NAESP annual conference, my mind was spinning with all of the new knowledge I had gained and connections I had made over the past few days. I wasn't sure that I could take any more in. Then Pedro Noguera began to speak, and I could not type fast enough — I was trying to capture every inspirational word that was coming out of his mouth.
READ MORE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
