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Should schools be responsible for kids' health?
The Atlantic
There's a section in the new Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll out this week that hasn't gotten much attention: what parents think about schools and student health. Interestingly, the percentage of parents who said they "strongly agreed" their child's school "does things to help him or her be healthier" has declined since 2012, to 20 percent from 33 percent, according to the new poll. While keeping in mind that correlation is not causation, the steepness of that dip took me by surprise. The role of schools in keeping kids healthy has been in an intense spotlight for the past four years, both with the push to improve federal school nutrition requirements and the intensity of first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign.
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Wi-Fi in schools: Security vs. accessibility
eSchool News
Wi-Fi has been adopted with great enthusiasm by schools around the country; the opportunities it presents for learning are vast. So, recent news that the Federal Communications Commission will spend $2 billion to boost wireless internet connectivity in U.S. schools and libraries during the next two years is a great step forward. While FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has called it a "watershed moment" to give wireless access to an estimated 10 million students, privacy experts are raising a collective eyebrow.
Common Core in action: Examining 2 texts in the social studies classroom
Edutopia
Engaging students across the content areas while addressing the Common Core State Standards can be a daunting task for middle school teachers. One way to keep students excited and interested in a topic is by using an iPad as both a tool for both content creation and content consumption. You can find multimedia informational text for students or ask them to locate their own. Then they can connect with and reflect on their readings using a variety of iPad apps.
5 tips for keeping students on task while using technology
Edudemic (commentary)
Katie Lepi, a contributor for Edudemic, writes: "One of the things I hear most often from teachers who are reluctant to put technology into the hands of their students is that they have visions of students goofing off constantly behind their screen instead of focusing on their work. Playing games, chatting with their friends, and browsing the internet are all likely suspects drawing your students' attention away from whatever the task at hand happens to be, but just because students have access to technology doesn't mean you have to transform into device police and forget about teaching. Even if your students would much rather be watching videos on YouTube than learning about the Roman Empire, you still have the upper hand: they want to be using the device. Period."
7 resources for student collaboration
eSchool News
Collaboration is increasingly emerging as one of today's top skills. Part of the 4Cs, it is needed in K-12 classrooms, in higher education, and in the workforce. Students who leverage technology to build collaboration skills are building strong college- and career-ready skills.
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Connect to the Common Core with resources students commonly turn to for learning
Tech&Learning (commentary)
Students today have access to the internet, which has democratized the ability to access, evaluate, organize, and make meaning of what is found. With all this information however, comes a new issue: sorting through infinite content. Let's look at two big resources students turn to when they want to learn or know more about something—and one fairly new site that combines elements of both.
Computer tutors that can read students' emotions
The Hechinger Report
Human tutors — teachers who work closely with students, one on one — are unrivaled in their ability to promote deep and lasting learning. Education researchers have known this for more than 30 years, but until recently they haven't paid much attention to one important reason why tutoring is so effective: the management of emotion. Studies show that tutors spend about half their time dealing with pupils' feelings about what and how they're learning.
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American public: Make teachers apprentice for a year
THE Journal
The American public has some very specific opinions about how teachers can become better at their jobs in helping K-12 students learn. Six out of 10 people believe teaching colleges should be more rigorous about whom they accept. Eight out of 10 would like to see teachers pass board certification in addition to earning their degrees. And seven out of 10 would push for at least a year of apprenticeship under a certified teacher before a new teacher is given his or her own class.
Fear of failure from a young age affects attitude to learning
Medical News Today
An early established fear of failure at school can influence students' motivation to learn and negatively affect their attitude to learning. This is the finding of a study by Dr. Michou, (Bilkent University, Turkey), Dr. Vansteenkiste (Ghent University, Belgium), Dr. Mouratidis (Hacettepe University, Turkey) and Dr. Lens (University of Leuven, Belgium) that will be published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology.
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Want an easy way to add technology to hands-on STEM lessons? Ward’s Single Probes is the solution. The only modular probeware designed for elementary and middle school users, Ward’s Single Probes makes probeware easy, flexible and affordable, with nine interchangeable probes, universal connectivity to any device, and optional Wi-Fi. Learn More at wardsci.com/singleprobes
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Rx for bullying: Positive behavior programs that build trust and support
School Transportation News
Though headlines have blared about violence on the yellow bus just weeks into the new school year, school officials affirm that anti-bullying programs are making a difference for students across the nation. School districts in Minnesota reported seeing positive results from PRIDE and Olweus bullying prevention programs that were implemented within the prior school year, and last spring the state passed a new anti-bullying law that calls on public schools to follow suit.
Education researchers don't check for errors — dearth of replication studies
The Hechinger Report
Education theories come and go. Experts seem to advocate for polar opposites, from student discovery to direct teacher instruction, from typing to cursive hand-writing, and from memorizing times tables to using calculators. Who can blame a school system for not knowing what works? One big problem is that education scholars don't bother to replicate each other's studies. And you can't figure out which teaching methods are most effective unless the method can be reproduced in more than one setting and produce the same results.
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
Lessening school assessment stress
District Administration Magazine
When Danville Independent Schools in Kentucky overhauled its curriculum in 2009 to focus on 21st century skills, district leaders quickly realized they faced an assessment challenge: How would teachers objectively and systematically measure the development of skills such as teamwork, initiative and perseverance? Because such complex thinking skills can't be measured by traditional standardized tests, educators nationwide are turning to new ideas like "stealth assessments" hidden in video games and student roundtables that work like college dissertation defenses.
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Key strategies for tablet success
eSchool News
It seems tablets are in more classrooms, in more districts, each day. But as experience shows, simply purchasing and distributing tablets doesn't mean students will be more engaged with their learning, and it doesn't guarantee teachers will embrace tech-enabled instruction.
Teachers who leave the classroom seem to be a lot happier at their new jobs
The Huffington Post
Over half of teachers who recently left the classroom reported better working conditions and more autonomy at their new jobs, according to a survey. The National Center for Education Statistics survey looked at how many teachers were getting out of the classroom and why. It found that after the 2011-2012 school year, about 8 percent of them went on to various other education- and non-education-related positions.
10 tips for delivering awesome professional development
Edutopia (commentary)
Elena Aguilar, a transformational leadership coach from Oakland, California, writes: "I frequently meet teacher leaders and coaches who ask for tips on giving professional development. Their expansive job descriptions include delivering professional development, and yet they feel unsure of how to do this. I respond by validating these feelings: Facilitating adult learning is different than working with children and very few of us have ever had explicit training in this area."
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New federal legislation introduced to reduce mandated tests
Education Week
Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., is the latest member of Congress to introduce a bill that would significantly shrink the federal footprint on standardized testing. The Tackling Excessive Standardized Testing Act, introduced with the backing of the American Federation of Teachers, would allow states to choose an alternative testing regimen for students in grades 3 through 8.
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Child care, research bills make congressional short list
Education Week
As the curtain begins to close on the 113th Congress, lawmakers showcased a brief burst of bipartisanship to push forward on two education measures that had been languishing in the legislative pipeline, one that underwrites child care for low-income families and another that directs federal education research. Though neither bill is a blockbuster — and one got snared in wrangling over a single provision — the fact that they made the short list of actionable items last week just before the pre-election recess was impressive given the number of high-profile competing interests.
A school without principals? Yes, really
U.S. News & World Report
A group of teachers and union representatives gathered on a mid-summer morning in the small town of Forestville to discuss the details of opening a new school in Prince George's County, Maryland. The five educators discussed budgeting, facilities, community engagement and curriculum, tucked away at the teachers' union headquarters. There were no representatives from the state education department or local school board to get involved in the planning of staffing, transportation and food services, and notably, no principal — because there won't be one.
Principal PD provider opportunity: RFP now open
NAESP
With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Mathematica Policy Research has issued a request for proposals inviting principal professional development providers to participate in a large-scale impact study. The goal of the evaluation is to determine whether a specific principal professional development program is effective when implemented with fidelity in a large number of districts and elementary schools. The RFP is now open and is due Oct. 14.
3 ways to celebrate the principalship in October
NAESP
This October, NAESP salutes top-notch principals across the nation for National Principals Month. The festivities will culminate with the National Distinguished Principals program, which recognizes outstanding school leaders from around the country. October is also the third annual Connected Educator Month, an initiative to stimulate and support tech innovation for educators. Here are three ways to participate in these events.
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Before the Bell is a benefit of your membership in the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). For information about other member benefits, visit www.naesp.org or contact us at naesp@naesp.org.
Before the Bell is a digest of the most important news selected for NAESP from thousands of sources by the editors of MultiBriefs, an independent organization that also manages and sells advertising. The presence of such advertising does not endorse, or imply endorsement of, any products or services by NAESP. Neither NAESP nor Multiview is liable for the use of or reliance on any information contained in this briefing.
Feedback about an article? Contact NAESP Liaison Meredith Barnett at MBarnett@naesp.org.
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