Top Story

• Teacher transfers take their toll on educators, students
  Some teachers in Oregon who are certified in more than one subject area are teaching courses and grade levels in which they have no classroom experience. This comes after budget cuts led to the elimination of 344 positions. Some teachers and parents are concerned that the changes could affect student learning. "Seventh-grade math has 12 learning targets, and they are brand new to me," said Jessica Keskitalo, a former high-school history teacher. "How do you teach something you haven't been trained to teach?" The Oregonian (Portland) (11/11)     

	Poetry Mentor Texts shows you how to leverage students' natural love of poetry to strengthen reading as well as writing. Each chapter features 5 mentor poems that focus on student-friendly forms such as the list poem, acrostic poem, and poem for two voices. Student samples and mini-lessons help translate the ideas into your classroom. Click here now to preview the entire book!

Focus on Practice

• Hurricane demonstrates need for social-emotional learning
  In this blog post, Maurice Elias, a professor in the Rutgers University psychology department, writes about how the effects of Hurricane Sandy shine a light on the fact that some students face challenges, such as poverty and homelessness, on a daily basis. "Until and unless we recognize the social and emotional toll this takes on children, their parents and their teachers, we will never adequately address the inequities and 'gaps' in our educational system," he writes. Edutopia.org/Maurice Elias' blog (11/9)     

• More teens are reading, but is it time well spent?
  Teachers, librarians and others say that teen-friendly books, such as the "Harry Potter," "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" series, have helped make reading popular again. The most popular genre among teens continues to be supernatural/paranormal fiction. However, some parents suggest that today's young-adult books contain questionable content and are too superficial. Green Bay Press-Gazette (Wis.) (11/12)     

Schools Today

• School fitness club is seen as way to curb bullying
  A physical-education teacher in North Carolina coordinates an after-school program targeting male students in which they work toward running a 5K. Along the way, the elementary-school students learn about confidence and team building. The overall goals are to help combat childhood obesity and, as a result, to help control bullying. Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.) (11/11)     

• Fewer families are buying school photos
  Since 2001, the school portrait sales have fallen 2% -- a trend some attribute to the popularity of private photographers that allow students to express some individuality. That is bad news for schools that often depend on school photos for income. Some even hold photo days twice each year. USA Today (11/11)     

• Other News

• Chicago seeks to curb truancy in elementary schools
  Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model) (11/11)     

• Pa. expects more rigorous exams under the common core
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (11/11)     

Developing Leaders

• Why education conferences should go high-tech
  While educators increasingly are using technology in the classroom, education conferences may not be keeping up with the times, according to Tom Whitby, an adjunct professor of education. He writes in this blog post about a recent middle-grades conference, which he says largely relied on lengthy PowerPoint presentations to convey information -- the same approach used years ago. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (11/9)     

Policy News

• How are state legislatures changing what schools teach?
  In recent years, states have made sometimes-controversial decisions that have altered what is being taught in schools. This slide show reveals some of the more high-profile decisions, such as California's requirement to teach the historical achievements of gays and lesbians. The Huffington Post (11/12)     

• How should college- and career-ready be defined?
  While education leaders are focused on ensuring that students graduate from high school "college- and career-ready," officials in Kansas say the term has yet to be formally defined. Now, the state's Board of Education is considering a standard definition to guide educational decision-making. Lawrence Journal-World (Kansas) (11/10)     

	The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) The language you use in the classroom can change students' lives. In Opening Minds Peter Johnston (author of the groundbreaking Choice Words) shows how words can shape students' learning, their sense of self, and their social, emotional, and moral development. Preview the entire book online! Get a host of practical templates, games, and activities for infusing literacy into traditional kindergarten centers. Journey to Literacy includes tips for setting up centers to encourage educational play and developmental mileposts to guide teacher observations. Preview the entire book online! Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.

Most Read by Educators

Top five news stories selected by Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• 4 questions to ask during parent-teacher conferences (U.S. News & World Report)

• Creative approaches for improving classroom learning environments (Education Next)

• Best practices for one-to-one iPad classrooms (Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org))

• What teachers can do to plan for change (SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education)

• How teachers can organize students' writing projects (Teacher Leaders Network)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

NBPTS Update

• National Board wins coveted Investment in Innovation (i3) Grant
  The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has received top marks in its category for the U.S. Department of Education's i3 (Investing in Innovation) Development grant competition. The $3 million grant is designed to advance student achievement in high-need schools in grades 3 to 6 mathematics and science through improved teacher preparation and early-career teaching support. Read more.     

Position Title Company Name Location Teach Overseas! International Schools Services Multiple Locations, International CALIFORNIA TEACHERS WANTED for RATER POSITIONS - Part Time ETS (Educational Testing Service) Los Angeles, CA Various faculty openings for 2013-2014 Hong Kong International School Hong Kong, Hong Kong Director of Learning Innovation ePals Herndon, VA

Click here to view more job listings.

SmartQuote

I observe the physician with the same diligence as the disease." --John Donne, British poet, satirist, lawyer and cleric