| Education News from Around the World |  |
| Learning and Teaching |  |  |
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- Educator in Canada advocates inclusion of students with disabilities
The inclusion of students with disabilities in neighbourhood schools should be the norm, says educator Gordon Porter, director of Inclusive Education Initiatives in Canada. More training and support is needed for general-subject teachers working with students who have disabilities, and teacher assistants should spend more time as co-teachers in the classroom, he said. "We have to stop just talking about whether inclusion is a good idea and actually work on making it happen," Porter said. The Western Star (Corner Brook, Newfoundland)
(13 Apr.)      
| Professional Leadership | | |
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- Google announces institutes for teachers in Europe
 Google will host two institutes for teachers this summer in Europe: one in Ireland and the other in England. The two-day Google Geo Teachers Institutes are intended to help teachers utilise Google's geographical search tools, including Google Earth, Google Maps and Google Sketchup, in which users can create 3D models. WebProNews (Lexington, Ky.)
(16 Apr.)
- Teachers in Canadian province are asked to produce report cards
Officials in British Columbia are at odds with teachers over the release of students' report cards. Teachers say they are entitled to additional pay if they are required to produce report cards for periods during which they were on strike. Officials, however, have insisted teachers prepare the report cards immediately. "There is no evidence that things cannot happen for students and parents in the absence of a report card," said Carmela Allevato, an attorney for the teachers union. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
(16 Apr.)
- Classroom assistants will be cut in Toronto schools
Hundreds of education assistants, many of whom work with students who have special needs, are expected to lose their jobs in Toronto schools next fall as part of a plan to cut costs and hire new staff for full-day kindergarten. "The teachers will suffer, but the kids will suffer the most," education assistant Rosemary Phillips said. "If there's not an [education assistant] in the classroom, the teacher cannot spend more time with the kids who need extra help, and those children just won't learn." The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
(11 Apr.)
| Regional Spotlight: United Kingdom | | |
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ASCD Worldwide Edition SmartBrief highlights education practices and policies in specific regions to give readers more in-depth insight into that country or region's education system. This edition focuses on Northern Ireland.
- Education Cloud provides Wi-Fi access to Northern Ireland schools
Europe's first Education Cloud will provide Wi-Fi at Northern Ireland's 1,200 primary schools, allowing students and staff to have secure access to online resources from Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including smartphones, iPads and tablet computers. "The new service has been designed to [recognise] the educational requirements of schools in Northern Ireland, deliver technology-driven learning environments, and incorporate the very latest innovations in technology," said Jimmy Stewart, director of Classroom 2000. T.H.E. Journal
(12 Apr.)
- China opens Confucius Institute in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland's first Confucius Institute opened Friday at the University of Ulster with part of its mission to improve the educational exchange between China and Northern Ireland. China's State Councilor Liu Yandong said she hopes Chinese universities and those in Northern Ireland can exchange teachers, students and resources. Xinhuanet.com (China)
(14 Apr.)
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| Reform and Research | | |
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- Adviser recommends crackdown on truancy in England
Following last year's youth-related riots in England, the government's adviser on behaviour recommends head teachers have the authority to raise fines for truancy and be able to deduct the fines from child benefit payments if they are not paid after about one month. Charlie Taylor recommended the fines be increased from £50 to £60 for parents who take students out of school without a valid reason, with fines remaining unpaid after 28 days doubled to £120. The Telegraph (London)
(15 Apr.)
- Dadaab girls leaving school for marriage, labour
Only about 38% of the quarter-million children in the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya attend school, a disproportionately small number of whom are girls. Practises including child labour, as well early and forced marriage, hold down numbers of girls in classes to about a third among those between 5 and 13 years old, and only a fifth among those between 14 and 17. IRINNews.org
(11 Apr.)
| ASCD News | | |
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Free Whole Child Virtual Conference for educators kicks off 3 May
Every child has the right to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. And to raise global awareness of a whole child approach to education that can help us reach that goal, ASCD will host a Whole Child Virtual Conference from 3 May to 11 May. This year's theme is "Moving from Implementation to Sustainability to Culture," and featured speakers include educator and ASCD author of "The Well-Balanced Teacher" Mike Anderson; David Rawnsley, principal of this year's Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award-winning school in British Columbia; as well as FitLit advocate and educator Michael F. Opitz. Twenty-four sessions will be broadcast live over seven days between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EDT, and two international sessions will also run for Australasian and European time zones. Learn more.
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When teaching gets tough ... go fish!
The employees of Pike Place Market -- a popular fish market in Seattle -- live four attitudes that make their workplace enjoyable, not only for their customers, but for themselves: choose your attitude, play, make their day, and be present. "These same attitudes are at the core of successful and satisfied teachers," writes school psychologist and ASCD author Allen Mendler in his new book, "When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game." An excerpt from chapter one that delves into each of the four attitudes has been reprinted in the Inservice blog. Read on, and click through to access the full first chapter of Mendler's book.
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."
--Robert Louis Stevenson,
Scottish novelist, poet and essayist
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The writer of this blog provides resources to help teachers include this summer's Olympic Games in London in classroom lessons. 
The writer of this blog suggests that to control the population in Africa, a greater focus should be given to requiring secondary school for girls. She writes that girls who are enroled in school longer are less likely to marry early and start families, a particular issue in some parts of Africa. Sex education and information about family planning also are more likely to be offered in secondary school. 
