Learning and Teaching

• Va. educators search for root of racial achievement gap
  Educators in several Virginia school districts are taking steps to address the disproportionate number of black students who are dropping out of school. Among the reasons cited for the disparity are differences in socioeconomic status, higher school suspensions and the need for schools to better identify students who are at risk. Some educators also are considering whether it would help minority students to have more minority teachers in the classroom. Richmond Times-Dispatch (Va.) (1/14)     

• Fla. educators develop their own common core lesson plans
  The lack of Common Core State Standards textbooks hasn't stopped educators from getting ready. In Florida, teachers are working to create thousands of lesson plans available online at cpalms.org, the website of CPALMS, Florida's platform for educators to "Collaborate, Plan, Align, Learn, Motivate, Share." The site is funded by a Race to the Top grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Miami Herald (free registration) (1/12)     

• Other News

• Tenn. schools find inspiring STEM lessons in Lego robots
  Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tenn.) (1/12)     

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School Leadership

• Going for quality over quantity on Twitter
  Twitter can help you create a professional learning network, but it's important to focus on the quality of the educators you follow, not the quantity, writes Tom Whitby, an adjunct professor at St. Joseph's College in New York. Try separating your most useful contacts from the main list of people you follow on Twitter, he suggests. "I have a list of what I call my 'Stalwart List.' It is made up of all of the people I most frequently get information from," he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (1/11)     

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Technology in the Classroom

• How can schools improve computer education?
  Recognizing the need to bolster the number of highly skilled workers to support the technology industry, Steve Vinter, engineering director at Google and chairman of the Tech Hub Collaborative's talent working group, is working alongside teachers and other industry leaders in Massachusetts to address computer science jobs and education. He suggests schools take steps such as adopting computer science standards and new requirements for teachers. BostInno (Boston) (1/9)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by ASCD SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Improving the school experience for boys (Education Week)

• How to help students take ownership at school (Education Week Teacher (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org))

• Common core guide: Students should read more of everything (Education Week)

• Improving students' work by showcasing it (Edutopia.org)

• College-readiness math test is in the works (Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org))

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

Policy Watch

• Schools in 5 states test longer school years
  Supporter of longer school years, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and year-round school models say most students tend to lose some of what they have learned during the school year over summer vacation. Now, schools in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee are adding 300 instructional hours to the school year as part of a three-year pilot program. However, critics say students need the mental reprieve of summer break and cite other benefits to the vacation. National Public Radio/The Associated Press (1/13)     

• Ohio school board votes to arm school custodians
  The school board in a small Ohio district has voted to allow janitors to carry weapons at school in an effort to improve security. While the move, which includes a two-day training course for the custodians, drew support from some who said such measures should be implemented in districts nationwide, others said they preferred having police officers patrolling in schools. The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) (1/13)     

• Other News

• Neb. considers a subject-matter test for teacher candidates
  Omaha World-Herald (Neb.) (1/13)     

Faculty Lounge

• More Iowa students receive access to STEM education
  The Iowa STEM Advisory Council -- a partnership of various stakeholders from private businesses to schools -- has expanded science, technology, engineering and math education to approximately 40,000 students around the state as part of the Scale-Up initiative. The primary goal of the council is to boost the level of STEM participation, especially in traditionally underserved areas. The result is a boom of STEM-related activities, including robotics clubs and family STEM nights. The Des Moines Register (Iowa) (1/9)     

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ASCD News

• 25 signs you might be a 21st century teacher
  Do you text coworkers during meetings or use Twitter as a primary news source? Do you spend more on iPad peripherals than on pens and pencils? According to ASCD EDge community member Terry Heick, you just might be a 21st century teacher. Heick's full list of telltale signs is available in a recent blog post. Read on.     

• Strength-based learning strategies for special needs students
  "As students learn their letters and sounds, have them form letters in clay or with pipe cleaners, draw them on pavement with chalk, trace them in sandpaper, or manipulate them using colored blocks or tiles," recommends author of Neurodiversity in the Classroom Thomas Armstrong. In a recent ASCD Express article, Armstrong shares this and many other multisensory strategies that teachers can use with students who have special needs. Read on.
  
  • Learn more about Armstrong's book.
      

Position Title Company Name Location K-12 School Teachers Needed for International Schools The International Educator Multiple Locations, International Teach Overseas! International Schools Services Multiple Locations, International Opportunities for Former Administrators and Teachers Learning Sciences International Nationwide, United States Education Consultant - CONTRACT Confidential Dallas, TX ASST SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP & EQUITY BOULDER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT Boulder, CO New Start-up School Principal & Assistant Principal Global Village Academy Colorado Springs/Ft. Collins, CO Independent Sales Representative USATestprep, Inc. Multiple Locations, United States CALIFORNIA TEACHERS WANTED for RATER POSITIONS - Part Time ETS (Educational Testing Service) Los Angeles, CA Curriculum, High School Placement, and Culture Managers VOICE Charter School New York City, NY Dean of the College of Education Temple University Philadelphia, PA Director, Illinois Center for School Improvement American Institutes for Research Chicago, IL

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SmartQuote

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." --Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, French novelist and performer