| News for the Education Profession |  |
- Study: Children play less but with more imagination
A recent analysis of 23 years of studies on children's play has found that although children have less time for play today than they did 25 years ago, their play is more imaginative than ever. Highly imaginative children show more creativity and better coping and problem-solving skills than other children, said study co-author Sandra W. Russ. "Children are resilient," Russ said. "It's possible they are playing more than we think they are, that they’re squeezing it in somewhere during the day, at night, when they’re not being taken to sports or dancing class." Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org)
(6/26)      
- Differentiated instruction leads to reading success
Four first-grade teachers at Siebert Elementary School in Midland, Mich., for the past two years have been using team-based differentiated instruction to teach reading. Faced with an increased range of student abilities and budget cuts that eliminated reading specialists, the teachers developed the "Walk to Differentiated Instruction" program in which students are split into four reading groups according to their results on standardized tests. Three days a week, students "walk" to their groups, where they get a half hour of instruction based on individual needs. Midland Daily News (Mich.)
(6/25)
 | This fall, step up to the cutting edge of learning.
Authorspeak is a three-day event where educators from all disciplines, from any part of the world, gather to engage with Solution Tree authors, with each other, and with this year's exceptional keynoter, Sir Ken Robinson. Join us in Indianapolis, October 30-November 1. Register today!
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| School Leadership |  |  |
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- Five essential strategies for modern education leaders
Modern leaders must be able to create a teaching and learning culture that will provide students with essential 21st-century skills, New Jersey high-school principal Eric Sheninger writes in this blog post. He offers five leadership strategies for effecting change in the face of budget cuts and diminished morale, including modeling a vision for excellence, replacing traditional professional development with professional learning communities and connecting with other educators. "Change begins with a 'no-excuse' mentality," Sheninger writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
(6/26)
- Fla. teachers help create standardized tests for non-core subjects
Half of a Florida teacher's evaluation must be based on students' scores on standardized tests. What about teachers of subjects for which there are no standardized tests? In some districts, teachers are working with psychometricians -- test developers -- to create the tests in subjects such as art, music or physical education. Teachers say developing the tests gives them a deeper understanding of the subjects they teach and they like being involved in creating the tools to be used to evaluate them. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.)
(6/25)
| Technology in the Classroom | | |
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- Is the future bright for online testing?
An effort is under way to improve the quality of online tests, which could lead most students to take standardized tests online within three years. Supporters say the online exams allow teachers to administer tests more frequently and use the data to inform instruction. However, in states that already have rolled out online exams, there have been some issues, including technical glitches. The Hechinger Report
(6/26)
- How teachers can use Learnist in the classroom
Grockit, an online test-preparation company, has started a social media website for teachers called Learnist -- referred to as the "Pinterest for educators." Teachers can use the site to build lesson plans and access resources. The site allows users to gather digital resources online and pin them to "learn boards." "Users can incorporate videos, ebooks, slides, web content, audio clips, and more into boards to make learning more engaging and interesting," said Farb Nivi, Grockit's founder and chief product officer. T.H.E. Journal
(6/21)
| Managing Budgets | | |
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- Texas charters sue state over funding
The Texas Charter Schools Association, a group representing most charter schools in the state, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming the state has violated students' constitutional right to an equitable education by failing to provide charters with public funds for facilities and by placing a limit on the number of charter schools allowed statewide. The lawsuit claims that charters must spend nearly 10% of their per pupil funding on facilities, resulting in lower teacher salaries, larger class sizes and a shortage of instructional resources. Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
(6/26)
- How school district's donation from Facebook has paid off
 The Newark, N.J., school district is using a $100 million donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg -- plus anticipated matching funds that the city is raising -- to help fund professional development for teachers that has begun to pay off, writes Greg Taylor, president of the Foundation for Newark's Future, the group administering the funds. Through the Teacher Innovation Fund, the grant has so far funded the creation of professional learning communities and teacher-led initiatives, such as work to help implement the Common Core State Standards, Taylor writes in this blog post. NJ.com (Hackensack, N.J.)/NJ Voices blog
(6/22)
| Policy Watch | | |
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- N.J. bill makes teacher tenure harder to achieve
The New Jersey legislature on Monday passed a teacher tenure bill that will require teachers to work for four years and receive consistently high evaluations before being considered for tenure. The evaluations, which could use student test scores to determine teacher effectiveness, will be more rigorous than the current pass-fail system. Under the bill, tenured teachers with poor reviews would be required to follow a teacher-improvement plan or face firing. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org)
(6/26)
| Faculty Lounge | | |
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- Recommended summer reading for middle- and high-school students
For young, newly fluent readers, any reading is good reading, middle-school reading-enrichment teacher Claire Needell Hollander writes in this opinion article. The books that middle- and high-school students read, however, should require them to increase both their verbal skills and their world knowledge. Reading serious nonfiction in the summer is an immersion in the world of necessary ideas, Hollander writes, that leaves students excited by current events and history, as well as literature. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(6/23)
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
How can multiple-choice math tests lead to effective instruction? Beyond the Bubble, Grades 4-5 dissects 30 sample problems spanning five major strands, showing teachers how to prompt conversations that reveal strengths and weaknesses not apparent from the initial response. Preview 10 of the sample problems online!
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| ASCD News | | |
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Students who challenge us
Have you been following Educational Leadership's Tell Me About column? Here is your chance to contribute a story. Through July 15, we are collecting short submissions -- 200 words or less -- for the October column all about working with challenging students. Tell us about a time when a student whom you considered "challenging" taught you something important. And if you're looking for additional opportunities to write for EL, consider submitting a manuscript for an upcoming issue. We will be covering creativity, technology-rich learning, and the principalship. Submit your Tell Me About story.
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Research a Topic: English language learners
What literature on supporting students who have not yet acquired proficiency in English can positively impact your practice? Find interesting reads and resources that can be used to support your work with English language learners on ASCD's ELL Research a Topic page. This free resource roundup features books, articles, as well as research reports that can help you identify strategies for success. Start your research here.
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| Position Title | Company Name | Location |
| K-12 School Teacher | The International Educator | Multiple Locations, International |
| Teach in San Francisco Public Schools - Upcoming Candidate Webinar! | San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) | San Francisco, CA |
| Head of School- Principal | Riverhead Charter School | Calverton, NY |
| Overseas Educators | International Schools Services | Multiple Locations, International |
| Senior Project Director – Education | ICF International | Fairfax, VA |
| Associate Director - Pacific Center for Changing the Odds | McREL | Honolulu, HI |
| Senior Turnaround Consultant | American Institutes for Research | Multiple Locations, United States |
| Chief Program Officer | McREL | Denver, CO |
| Administrators | Green Dot Public Schools | Los Angeles, CA |
| Cluster Director/Area Superintendent | Green Dot Public Schools | Los Angeles, CA |
| Administrator, Middle Schools | Baltimore County Public Schools | Towson, MD |
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| Click here to view more job listings. |
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| SmartQuote | | |
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 | The illiterate of the future are not those who can't read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."
--Alvin Toffler,
American writer and futurist
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