Each state has different standards for every discipline at each grade level. But not for long. The new Common Core State Standards won’t mean every English class in the country will read The Scarlet Letter, but the new standards have implications in every classroom. Continue reading
True or False? The Common Core State Standards, or CCSS, cover just math and English Language Arts.
False. The English Language Arts standards also apply to history and science.
School districts are scrambling to revise their curriculum to address the new learning targets outlined in the standards. Are you lining up your curriculum committees to unpack and align the ELA standards as they apply to history and science as well as English Language Arts?
When the new Common Core State Standards are discussed during staff meetings, all of the teachers and administrators are thinking the same thing: Mr. Anderson never going to change. He’s been using the same lesson plans for years. If he’s … Continue reading
Too many of our students complete school and are ill-prepared to be successful in their futures. Educators are preparing students for obsolete futures. We must ensure that we reduce learning gaps and increase the achievement options for more students – thus enhancing the future for everyone.
Continue reading
The new teacher down the hall is very young, very nice, very qualified and the students and principal approve of her. You’ve welcomed her with open arms and you think someday she’ll make a great educator. But you know the route to someday is a tough one. You know she’s going to need help, and you want to reach out to her without stepping on her toes. You want to be the kind of teaching neighbor you wish you’d had when you had your first classroom, but you don’t want to smother her, either. Continue reading
A 3-part series to help teachers understand the complexities of ADHD and LDs, how to engage these students, and how to create a system of support so they can succeed in your classroom and beyond. Continue reading
Brain Compatible Learning is the foundation for acquiring attention, focus and differentiating instruction based on the neuroscience of the brain. When educators understand “how” a student acquires, manipulates and retrieves information, we are able to build on his or her strengths and interests based on the experiences we provide in the classroom.
Continue reading
Senior Research Analyst for the Congressional Black Caucus, Ivory Toldson, Ph.D. presents a two-part professional series that reviews research-based methods to help black males achieve academic success and educators understand and eliminate school violence. Continue reading
The declining graduation rate of black males is a national problem and getting worse. The current high school graduation rate for black males hovers around the 50% mark according to the Open Society Institute’s Campaign for Black Male Achievement. This trend can be reversed with the commitment of educators who can influence these young men and encourage them to succeed. Continue reading
Currently, more than one third of all students from 5th-12th grade report gang activity at their schools. Breaking Barriers: Reducing Gang Violence, Improving Security and Creating a Culture of Learning in Schools will highlight original analyses of nearly 4,600 students who completed the National Crime Victimization Study – School Crime Supplement. From that study educators will learn ways to guide students away from gang violence and towards academic success. Continue reading
If you’ve been in the education field for a few years, you get the idea that educational strategies come in and out fashion. Some are good, like Differentiated Instruction. Some aren’t so good, like open-concept classrooms. Even if you’re on board with the Next Big Thing in education, your teachers might not be. Some of your faculty look at your Next Big Thing as a passing fad that will create more work, confuse students, and just change in another couple of years.
Dan is a veteran math teacher who has been on your school’s staff since before the building existed. He’s well educated, a great teacher, and the students love him. Dan’s been teaching math since before you were born and counts half the school board among his former students.
Student cheating. It’s one of the most vexing and pressing problems facing K-12 teachers during an era of intense external pressure. High-stakes standardized and college admissions tests have students chewing their #2 pencils to the nub. Students are willing to do almost anything to appear as if they are performing at or above the level expected of them – from copying homework, to plagiarizing papers, to texting answers to each other during tests. Continue reading
The pressure to succeed academically has never been higher. And with the deterioration of students’ ethics and new and clever technologies cheating never seemed so wide-spread. Cheating Part II: Addressing Cheating in the Classroom will share strategies for preventing and responding to cheating so that teachers can focus on what they do best – teach students. Continue reading
Teachers sometimes think that if you assign it, you have to grade it. This is not true. Some assignments should be for practice and others are for evaluating progress. The 20- Minute Trainer Check It or Correct It: What Do I Have to Grade? will review specific ways to monitor homework and grade papers and tests without spending hours alone with a red pen and a pile of papers. Continue reading
Classroom Management Tips addresses classroom management concerns and gives you dozens of strategies to improve lessons and eliminate disruption that you can apply to your classroom situation immediately. Continue reading
Some people outside education might think school is simply teachers teaching and students learning. Shame on them. We know that today’s learning experience involves much more than that. To truly excel in academics, students need empowered administrators, active community members, and supportive parents.
The student-teacher relationship is just one component of student success. We need to bring the other two on board.
Continue reading
The students who stop to talk to you in the halls are more likely to perform well academically than those who wouldn’t be caught dead talking to a teacher. Of course, chatting with students isn’t a miracle cure for poor grades. However, students who connect with their teachers are more willing to learn.
Continue reading
Too many educators are ignoring technology and hoping that it goes away. It is apparent that technology is only going to become more important in education and in our society in general.
Educators are met with a choice.
Teachers are using different types of technology in the classroom everyday. Some teachers chose to use technology because they see the value and some are getting a push from administrators. Which ever reason a teacher is using technology doesn’t matter. What matters is that they use it correctly and efficiently.
Cyberbullying is not a trend that is going to disappear any time soon. As personal computers, cell phones, and the Internet become more popular, the opportunity for teens and preteens to pick on each other via these channels increases. It’s important to understand why students cyberbully each other and know how to respond when you find about these situations going on among your students. And it’s essential to know how to approach this subject with your students and help prevent cyberbullying from occurring in the first place. Continue reading
Teachers have taken courses in classroom management, but they are often unprepared for the “parent management” part of their jobs. As parents become more demanding, teachers become more stressed, even to the point of leaving the profession. Clear and frequent communication with parents before problems arise is key, and developing a skill set to work with parents can help teachers feel more confident and competent in dealing with this growing aspect of their jobs. Continue reading
While there are many discipline programs principals can implement, there are general strategies that she can adopt to ensure that the disciplinary action is fair and a learning experience for both the student and the teacher. Dealing with Student Discipline focuses on specific strategies to deal with students, teachers and parents. Continue reading
Every teacher has experienced it at one time or another, most likely on a daily basis. When you ask students an open-ended question that requires critical thinking the students aren’t waving their hands in the air or blurting out answers. Instead, they’re looking at you with blank stares. The more you encourage your students to think, the more confused the students become and their stare just intensifies.
You are not alone dealing with the blank stare. It’s not something new either; students have been giving teachers that empty look since teachers began asking them to think for themselves. Continue reading
It’s discouraging when students are constantly off-task, disruptive, and problematic in the classroom.
We want to teach, and students don’t always make it that easy to do so. We all know that feeling.
According to Dr. Allen Mendler, author and expert on student discipline, students really do want to learn. It’s just a matter of tapping into their desire to learn and encouraging them to stay on task.
Continue reading
The amount of electronic data generated from one school day could put a whole team of accountants to work for a week. With computer hackers out there attempting to steal this data, the question is: “How do I protect my students, colleagues, family and personal information when handling electronic data?” Continue reading
Three New Jersey high school students changed grades in their school’s computer system after hacking it from their homes and even from within the school.
These examples are recent, real and unfortunately not that uncommon. Inside the School is presenting an online seminar to show administrators how to prevent cyber crime from impacting the computers and data that educators and students use.
Continue reading
Students who are successful in school are more likely to hear a parent say I’m proud of you than they are to hear, turn off the TV. Not surprisingly, students with good grades are also more likely have parents who visit the school, help with homework and who routinely tell their children they care about them.
Continue reading
The upcoming seminar Flexibility as the Cornerstone to School Management will take an in-depth and straight forward look at the difference between managing and leading. The seminar will help you distribute leadership roles to staff members, improve team work, build trust between you and your staff, and hold positive meetings.
College is an important life step. And it becomes more important each year as the knowledge economy gets more and more competitive. At the same time, demographic trends are making college admissions more and more competitive. For some students, choosing and getting accepted to their college of choice is easy. Some may go to the school their parents went to. Some may choose a school because they grew up cheering for its athletic teams. Continue reading
A new school year brings a new crop of students, new rules and laws to implement, maybe new technology to introduce and probably the most important new commodity you will have – a new teacher. You were just so relieved to find a qualified candidate you forgot that was only the first step in the new hire’s long journey.
You want this teacher to feel welcome, exceed your expectations and become a long-term member of your academic community. Research suggests that up to 50% of new teachers leave the profession during the first five years. Teachers who are hired, and then supported in their jobs through induction programs not only provide better teaching, but also may stay in the profession longer.
Continue reading
When adolescent girls are socially aggressive, they may use gossip, rumor spreading, peer manipulation, and eye rolling as a means of damaging another girl’s self-esteem and/or her relationship with others. Being victimized is associated with a number of outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Continue reading
After a 45-minute period that’s packed with objectives and activities, you don’t always know if your students mastered the objectives or not. Inside the School’s 20 minute trainer How can I end a lesson so that I know whether my students “got it” offers you practical teaching techniques on lesson plan closure that can help your students retain the information from one day to the next. Continue reading
When the bell rings to start class, are your students in their seats and working or are they chatting with friends while you take roll, hand back papers, and manage students returning from an absence?
If your lessons emerge out of chaos, it’s time to think about capturing your students’ attention for learning during those crucial first minutes of class. Continue reading
How to Keep Students’ Attention when Switching Activities includes quick hints, productive steps to take when switching activities and a big picture view to keep your lesson plan on time and your students focused. This 20-Minute Trainer will not only help you complete your objectives but will give the students a great lesson in understanding the importance of staying on task. Continue reading
You have a 45-minute class period and three activities planned for your students. But every day it’s the same story: you have more activities than you have time. It’s a struggle to settle students in groups and start them working. Continue reading
Presenter Nathan Eklund, M.Ed. will help you clearly define the professional roles that you’re able to fulfill and isolate the roles that are burdening you. You will be able to shape your day and work experiences around the positive teaching segments that make you feel successful and in control. Eklund will discuss how to find a solid balance between the “actual” work of teaching with the “other” work of teaching that can build up and negatively impact teachers’ performance and mind-set. Continue reading
All of us depersonalize our students when we’re at the ends of our ropes and we find that those ends are frayed. Depersonalization happens for many reasons like dealing with high expectations, unmotivated students or lack of appreciation. Inside the School’s 20-Minute Trainer; How Can I Prevent Depersonalizing my Students? will guide you to positive attitudes and behaviors towards students, parents and colleagues. Having positive relationships with these groups is critical to maintaining good personal health and organizational effectiveness. Continue reading
Teacher emotional exhaustion is when teachers feel that they can no longer give of themselves to students as they did earlier in their careers. Inside the School’s 20-Minute Trainer How Can I Prevent Emotional Exhaustion? will help you reconnect with your passion that originally drew you to the profession. Presenter Nathan Eklund, M.Ed. uses his experiences as a high school teacher and coach to explain ways to overcome this sense of exhaustion by identifying areas that are “energy- giving” rather than “energy-taking.” Continue reading
Sometimes they stand awkwardly at the doorway and don’t do anything. Some can help a student like Sam focus on a lesson and stop bothering the girls. Some can be very loud and bossy. Others can make sure the back of the line is just as well behaved as the front of the line. Some can be tattle-tales. I’m not referring to students . . . I’m talking about classroom volunteers. Continue reading
Comedian Fred Allen once joked a committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but as a group decide that nothing can be done.
Joking aside, an organization that effectively uses strong committees understands the power they can have. The trouble is that forming a strong and influential group is easier said then done. Inside the School’s 20-Minute Trainer: How Can School Committees Be More Effective? identifies how to select a committee, how to establish a time frame for meetings, how to choose committee leadership, how to set the goals and how to dissolve the committee.
Continue reading
Maybe the worst part of a bad attitude is that often it’s contagious and spreads through a faculty like a virus. Many people have experienced a cold, unfriendly and negative climate. Fortunately, most people have worked in an atmosphere that is warm, welcoming and positive. Everybody prefers the latter. Continue reading
All employees deserve honest and candid feedback so they can improve job performance. Delivering candid feedback is not fun and usually not someone’s strong suit. Yet, it is an important part of being a manager. The 20-Minute Trainer: Giving News No One Wants to Hear will walk you through the necessary steps to give clear and succinct feedback. Continue reading
There’s no stopping progress. There was a time when math teachers forbid calculator use in the classroom; now students need graphing calculators to complete their work. When computers still had a green or amber monitor and floppy disk drives, you’d find them on a cart shuttled between classrooms, not standard issue on every teacher’s desk. Remember chalk? It’s hard to recall the chalk dust and the dirty erasers because we’ve become so accustomed to dry erase boards and even interactive whiteboards. Continue reading
Parents are often cited as a reason why teachers leave the profession. Teachers cringe when they hear the phone ring because they fear an irate parent might be on the other end of the line. Veteran teachers reminisce about the good ol’ days, when parents never called the school, never questioned teachers, and encouraged teachers to paddle their kids.
Continue reading
Middle school students can present a challenge in terms of attention and behavior. Teachers often struggle to keep students in line and on task. In order for teachers to have control of their classroom, they must understand what issues their students face at this time in their lives and use techniques to get them involved in classroom learning and activities. Continue reading
Teaching is a two-way process. No matter how great a teacher you are, it doesn’t matter unless your students are actually showing up for class and being engaged in the material. You can’t help a student who’s not there. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges facing teachers is getting students motivated about school. Motivated students show up for school consistently and don’t have as high of a risk of dropping out all together. Continue reading
Just like teachers have different styles of teaching, parents have many different styles of parenting. And depending on a parent’s style, that can be a good or a bad thing for educators. Because when it comes to a parent’s child – it can be no holds barred. Parents can be so overbearing and irrational, they are often cited as the reason teachers leave the profession. Continue reading
The new Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act became law in late December 2010 and its changes take effect next fall. To receive the law’s school lunch reimbursement increase, school nutrition programs need to implement the changes. Miss out on these changes and your lunch program could miss out on the per student school lunch reimbursement increase, too. Continue reading
H1N1 virus, Gulf Coast hurricanes, earthquakes, winter blizzards, West Coast fires, tsunamis, and SARs are just some of the unpredictable events that have disrupted learning around the nation. No one knows when a natural disaster or a disease outbreak will happen. The only thing we can do is to prepare for the worst and help our students learn with the best options we can find. Continue reading
When students enter the classroom, it’s the teacher who is in control. The teacher selects the learning objective, the teacher chooses the materials, and the teacher develops learning activities to match the objectives.
Students sit in rows, fill out worksheets, and take standardized tests. Or they resist and at best become disengaged, or at worst cause others to become disengaged.
As you know, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, ensures that student data will be kept confidential. Student records are more than just the last quiz grade; they deal with students on the free or reduced-price lunch program, the students’ address, and the number of siblings a student has.
No matter how trivial the data and regardless of whether it’s electronic or hand-written, student records are protected by law. Continue reading
Inside the School’s seminar on CD Show Me the Numbers: Realities and Myths about Educating Black Children reviews data that dispels common myths. The seminar challenges conventional wisdom about educating black children. Seminar presenter Dr. Ivory Toldson is a researcher who has analyzed tens of thousands of students. In his presentation Dr. Toldson examines evidence for and against school of choice and zero tolerance, while giving a nonpartisan analysis of major educational reform efforts such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. Continue reading
The Whorf-Sapir Hypothesis says that large differences in language lead to large differences in experience and thought. It goes on to say that each language embodies a worldview, with different languages embodying different views, so that speakers of different languages think about the world in different ways.
You know special education is an issue for every teacher. Your regular ed teachers are part of the team, too, and it’s impossible to comply with the law if they’re not performing their roles effectively. Do they know all they should? Do they have a solid grounding in the principles, practices and laws relating to special ed students? Are they able to act in the best interests of students, families, your school and your school district? Continue reading
Administrators and teachers have most likely taken courses in child development, psychology, understanding emotional needs and motivating students. But let’s face it – there is little or no training in the teacher hiring process. Strategies to Improve Teacher Hiring changes that. This online seminar will help you sort through the stack of candidates and select the right person.
Strategies to Improve Teacher Hiring will help you decide what skills a successful teaching candidate should have, develop the right questions to ask, understand how to evaluate answers, find the right applicants and much more.
Out-of-school suspensions continue to be the most widely used form of school discipline in the United States, contrary to mounting evidence that suspensions are ineffective at correcting behavior. Is sending a student home the most reliable form of correcting behavior? Students today are commonly given written referrals and warnings for their behavior, despite research that shows these disciplinary actions are not working.
Supervision, evaluation and observation carry negative connotations. Sometimes teacher’s cynical feelings toward evaluation are deserved and sometimes they’re unjust, but one thing is for sure – teacher evaluations will happen regardless. Evaluation can be a positive and learning experience.
When teachers attempt to bring up new content, they can be met with groans, excuses, pointless requests, requests to go to the bathroom, and so on. Inside the School’s online seminar Teaching Content Outrageously will review strategies and ideas teachers can apply to their lesson plans that will put a stop to the time wasting and non-engagement.
Continue reading
Your classes are full of students with different needs and interests. You have the Aspberger’s student who is an amazing guitar player. One of your ADHD students is the star of the soccer team. The chatty girl who sits in the third row is an artist and her friend is applying to an Ivy League school. Sitting toward the back of the room are students who look like they’ve given up on the school scene. They’re angry and defensive when you ask about their dirt bike race or garage band. Continue reading
You know Alex didn’t log off the computer correctly like you had asked him to, even though he said he did. You just watched Brittney copy her classmate’s homework, but she still denied it – vehemently. You’re positive Tyrell was late for class because he was joking with friends in the hallway, even though he claims another teacher kept him late. Continue reading
All new teachers need support. The first year of teaching can be described as a “trial by fire.” Educators in their second year are trying new approaches, but mostly, still learning their craft. Statistics show that 50% of educators leave the profession by their fifth year, so there are definitely strong challenges in the third and fourth years. Continue reading
The Broadband Data Improvement Act of 2008 was written to improve the collection of data on broadband availability throughout the country and to provide funding to support increased high-speed Internet access in schools. As educators, we might say, “That’s nice, but how does it impact me?” Continue reading
Social networking sites are now mainstream for students and many educators are not willing to make the adjustments to connect with students at the digital level. Do not fight the new world of social networking, but use it as an opportunity to reach out and connect with current and future students. Inside the School’s seminar will show you ways to use the many new and exciting educational technologies. Continue reading
According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, 15 percent of teens who own cell phones, ages 12 – 17, say they have received sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of someone they know via text messaging. An MTV/Associated Press study shows one in ten people, ages 14 – 24, shared a naked photo of oneself electronically. This practice is known as “sexting.” It is safe to assume that sexting among teenagers will continue to be a problem. Continue reading
Motivation – or lack-there-of – is very often the difference between a student passing or failing. Smart students can fall flat on their faces because they aren’t motivated to study or complete assignments. On the other side of the coin, students who aren’t academically gifted can excel because of their willingness and determination to learn. So how can educators motivate students to dig deep and reach their full potential? Continue reading
Stop me if you’ve heard these before. The vice principal said I didn’t have to! Why do I have to take my hat off? That rule’s stupid! If I’m late for class, I will get in more trouble than if I get caught running in the hallway! Why can’t I run to my car to get my book? Everybody’s doing it! When I pick up my son, I don’t want to have to go to the office to sign a form, I just want him to meet me in the parking lot. Are all the teachers enforcing this rule? John did something much worse than me and got less of a punishment? You can’t prove it! Continue reading
The quality of schools as a workplace, the individual job satisfaction and the personal health of every staff member are central to the success of schools and students. However, the experience adults are having at school is mostly overlooked and marginalized. Inside the School’s seminar, Ways to Improve Staff Culture to Benefit Teaching and Learning puts the focus on educators and administrators and discusses strategies to increase teacher satisfaction. Continue reading
School districts receive hundreds of applications for a limited number of job openings. Yet, retaining quality teachers is a top priority for administrators who want to build a quality faculty. Administrators face constant criticism over teacher retention and hiring. Parents are vocal if teacher turnover is high. And hiring new teachers isn’t cheap. New teachers need training in the school district’s curriculum and mentoring new hires takes time from everyone’s schedule.
Continue reading
Secretaries, bus drivers, aides, custodians, volunteers, security officers and cafeteria workers deal with frustrated parents all of the time. Probably even more than most teachers or administrators. The noninstructional staff members man the front line against disgruntled family members, but these staff members have no training to do so. Continue reading
