The “Nation’s Report Card” is released by The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) every year where students are tested at ages 9, 13, and 17. In 2012, the testing results for readers at age 17 were abysmal, demonstrating only a 2% growth in reading scores over the past 41 years. I was bemoaning this statistic to a friend who […]
From the Front Lines
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Finding that New Education Position: 10 Tips for your Job Search
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Summer does not only mean school is out, it also means that schools are interviewing. This is the time to send out resumes and search for a new placement. Schools have […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Reading for Fun, Not Reading for Fun(ds)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2013 test reported that there was a 2% growth in reading scores over the past 41 years for students at age 17. NAEP also reported that students who claimed to read for fun scored higher on standardized tests with the obvious conclusion that the more time a student spent […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines
Professional Development: Teacher Leadership
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] In my last article I discussed the first steps teachers would benefit taking when in the process of designing a professional development activity. After those two steps, the project will take […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines
Reverberations of Injustice: Learning from Trayvon Martin's Death
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Late one night, a young black teenager walked home from the corner store. He was dressed in the clothes popular to teenagers at the time, and though he missed his mom […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher, From the Front Lines, Special Education, Uncategorized
Cyber School Chronicles: Why I Chose a Cyber Charter School to Educate My Children At Home
A few months ago, my husband and I started to seriously discuss homeschooling our youngest child. The one with Selective Mutism. The one that although has struggled since he entered preschool as a three year old, has made incredible progress with his social anxiety. His academic performance is within the normal range, he ended […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum
The Argument for Summer Vacation
A couple of mornings ago, I happened to be listening to the radio while a popular education pundit was being interviewed. After listening to him tout his own personal accolades and his ideas for educational reform, he said something that struck me. He claimed that at his school, he did things that were beneficial for the students, instead of the teachers in the building. He continued to brag that at his school, students attend during the summer and during the year they not only have extended day (every day of the week), but students come to school almost every Saturday for more content enrichment. As I listened I thought, “How can a […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Education Reformers Without Classroom Experience Lack Credibility
In these days of education reform, teachers want one of their own, someone who has been in the classroom, to make the important decisions that impact the policies they must implement. They want someone who has taught a lesson with content, assessed that lesson, retaught that lesson, reassessed that lesson, and evaluated that lesson for […]