NCTAF News Digest May 10, 2013
To get your education news and updates from NCTAF, read our current News Digest & Commentary! If you have thoughts about the News Digest, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment on this post. Do you want to get our Digest? Subscribe Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Pin it share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post
read moreAuthentic Teacher Appreciation Must Advance Educator Development
NCTAF joins individuals and organizations in praising our nation’s teachers, as we recognize Teacher Appreciation Week. It is during this week that many of us remember with kind words, poignant stories, and special gifts, the educators whose work is so integral to the success of our children’s futures. However, one week of recognition is not enough when it comes to a strong commitment to our nation’s educators. At NCTAF we believe that every child deserves a quality teacher in schools organized for success. And quality teachers...
read moreNCTAF News Digest April 19, 2013
To get your education news and updates from NCTAF, read our current News Digest & Commentary! If you have thoughts about the News Digest, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment on this post. Do you want to get our Digest? Subscribe Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Pin it share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post
read moreTeachers Need Systemic Support, Ample Time for Collaboration
In last week’s Washington Post Answer Sheet column, NCTAF Board of Directors member Linda Darling-Hammond highlights a critical issue for the teaching profession: the need for reform efforts to address educators’ need for time to collaborate with colleagues. Darling-Hammond was responding to a new survey by the National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE) which found that collaboration is the most valued form of professional learning among educators. Unfortunately, the survey also found that schools lack the structure to support such...
read moreTeachers Love Their Jobs – But Not The Workplace
Teacher job satisfaction is high when compared to other professions, but they are second only to physicians when it comes to stress – says data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. As reported by Motoko Rich in the New York Times, when teachers were asked “‘Does your supervisor always create an environment that is trusting and open, or not?’ teachers answered ‘yes’ less frequently than respondents in any other profession, including workers in sales, construction and mining, and service occupations.” These...
read moreTom Carroll Discusses the Future of Teacher Preparation on Alliance for Excellent Education Webinar
On March 20, the Alliance for Excellent Education held a second webinar in the series “Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Preparation in the Digital Age.” Alliance President Bob Wise moderated the webinar with NCTAF President Tom Carroll, AACTE President and CEO Sharon Robinson, and Cofounder/Partner of Teacher Preparation Analytics Charles Coble. The panelists discussed both the challenges and opportunities associated with remodeling teacher education. The webinar provided a thought-provoking discussion on what lies ahead as...
read moreNew Grants from the Next Generation Learning Challenges
Looking for funding for redesigned, scale-able models that combine traditional classroom instruction (within grades 6-12) with online or blended learning? Take a look at the newly announced funds available from Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) grants: “This wave of grants will identify, support, and connect secondary school leaders who are reimagining the educational experience literally from the ground-up.” said Next Generation Learning Challenges deputy director Andrew Calkins. The initial application deadlines are April 22...
read moreNCTAF News Digest March 19, 2013
To get your education news and updates from NCTAF, read our current News Digest & Commentary! If you have thoughts about the News Digest, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment on this post. Do you want to get our Digest? Subscribe Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Pin it share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post
read moreBreaking Down the Four-Walls of the Classroom with STEM Learning Studios at Central Middle School
The Central Middle School 7th Grade Learning Studio is creating opportunities for students to use their own school environment as a lab space. The team, consisting of Deborah Holloway (Math), Kristy Fidyk (Social Studies), Jeremy Marcus-Wenger & Peggy Sieber (Science), and Susan Ellis (Language Arts) encourage their students to look at their every-day surroundings through a STEM lens. Over the last year and a half, this teacher team has collaborated with Workforce Partners from the U.S. Naval Academy, The National Institute of...
read moreTom Carroll on Collaborative Learning Teams at the Literacy in Learning Exchange
In a guest blog for the National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE)’s Literacy in Learning Exchange, NCTAF President Tom Carroll outlines how teamwork can help address the pressing issues that impact teachers at any stage of their career. Tom writes: “Today we recognize that preparing every child for college, careers, and life in a global innovation economy is a demanding challenge that goes far beyond the capacity and resources of even the best artisans working alone. Schools don’t become great places to learn until good teachers...
read moreNCTAF News Digest February 22, 2013
To get your education news and updates from NCTAF, read our current News Digest & Commentary! If you have thoughts about the News Digest, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment on this post. Do you want to get our Digest? Subscribe Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Pin it share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post
read moreEquity and Excellence for Low-Income Children
The Congressionally chartered Equity and Excellence Commission report For Each and Every Child for the U.S. Department of Education paints a grim picture of the future for students who are consigned to schools with run-down facilities, high concentrations of inexperienced teachers, and inadequate technology. The Commission, co-chaired by NCTAF founder Linda Darling-Hammond, found that more than 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education we still have a two-tiered education system, with some schools spending $18,000 per pupil and others...
read moreAn Update from Anne Arundel County – Going Green with Learning Studios
In late January Learning Studios from three middle schools in Anne Arundel County met for a NCTAF-facilitated Design Session. Continuing a planning process that began several months ago, teams of 4-6 teachers collaborated with representatives from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and The National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop authentic, student-voiced learning opportunities for their students. The teachers were also provided professional development on the use of EdModo as a collaborative tool, as well...
read moreThe Challenges for School Leadership
Today’s MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, The Challenges for School Leadership, paints a stark picture of the difficulties facing today’s teachers and principals. At some point we have to wonder why they all don’t just throw up their hands a walk out the door! In the wake of years of teacher bashing, principal and teacher job satisfaction has plummeted to a twenty-seven year low. A majority of teachers report that they feel significant stress several days a week, and three quarters of all principals report that their job has...
read moreNew Hampshire students innovate and collaborate in Learning Studios
How will students access information in schools of the future? How can daily tasks, like washing and drying clothes, become environmentally sustainable? Solutions to these 21st Century are not being developed by large real-world organizations, but by high school students at Nashua’s Academy for Science and Design, a charter school in Nashua, New Hampshire. As part of NCTAF’s Learning Studios program, junior and senior students investigate modern-day problems that confront their community. In the coming months students and teachers...
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