TEACH Campaign Supporting the Teachers of Tomorrow

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education launched the TEACH campaign. In an effort to inspire and empower Americans to become teachers, they are providing job postings, teacher prep, financial aid, and testimonials from current teachers. To encourage discussion around the teaching profession, they also have plans to set up TEACH Town Hall events in communities and on college campuses.

Read more about the TEACH campaign

What do you think about this idea to create a specific online path to teaching for those interested in the profession?

Will there be more qualified and prepared teachers entering the classroom as a result?

Philadelphia School Fighting Against the Foods Affecting Student Achievement

20 percent of children in the United States are obese. With everyone from Michelle Obama to the parents in urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods working to lower the percentage, how are they doing it?

In Philadelphia, William D. Kelley School is fighting against obesity by expelling soda and sweet snacks from their school, while gym teacher, Beverly Griffin, teaches healthy eating using a toy model of the federal food pyramid and rewritten children’s songs.

Amelia Brown, the principal of the kindergarten through eighth grade school, said that deplorable diets caused headaches and stomachaches that undermine academic achievement, and that older students showed a steady progression of flab.

Beyond the efforts at the school itself, Ms. Brown called on parents to help the cause by standing outside corner stores near the school and discouraging students from purchasing their typical sugary snacks.

Read the full article at The New York Times

Increasing Student Learning through the Power of Music

We’ve all heard of new and creative ways of improving student learning, but how many of them include students having their own guitar, strings, capo, pick, songbook, and CD? Well, the six-week session program “Guitars in the Classroom” includes all of these things. Students at Lee Elementary School in Pittsfield, MA are experiencing music integration in their curriculum as educators seek another method for reaching every student in their classrooms.

Lynn Webster, a kindergarten teacher at the Monterey School (another school in South County, MA using music in the classroom) reaffirms, “We have all kinds of students and I think music sometimes reaches through to kids who otherwise wouldn't be reached."

To learn more Click Here

Will Increases in High School Graduates Lead to a Higher Percentage of College Grads?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of high schools that graduated 60% or fewer of their students in four years decreased by 112 between 2008 and 2009. 15.5% of the decline of low performing schools was in rural districts. Although the decline is a step in the right direction, 1,600 schools in the U.S. are still graduating less than 60%.

These statistics were released Tuesday as part of report to coincide with the Grad Nation summit in Washington. Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the administration’s goal to increase the proportion of college graduates to the largest in the world by 2020.
"Right now about 40% of our young adults have a college degree," Biden said. "In order to meet that goal by 2020 of being number one in the world, we have to raise that to 60% of young adults having completed a college degree. That's a significant task."

To read the full article Click Here

iPad Technology Improving Education for Special Needs Students in Marin County

It’s no secret that technology is changing the ins and outs of education. Recently, the Technology Resource Center of Marin County has discovered how the iPad can be used as a valuable resource in speech and language therapy. As opposed to the technology currently in use, purpose-built devices that cost up to $7,000, iPads could make it possible for thousands more students to take advantage of such effective technology.

Now what? The Technology Resource Center of Marin County is undertaking the task of supplying iPads to 4,000 special needs students in the area.
To learn more Click Here

Students Making a Difference for Japanese Victims

Ever since tragedy hit the land and people of Japan disaster relief efforts have been in full swing. While some have made large and small donations, not everyone is able to reach into their pockets to help the Japanese citizens. Students in the Boston, MA area are doing everything from making paper cranes to hosting their own Japanese Awareness Days to show their concern and support.
Although the trials facing Japan may seem a world away, this tragedy is an opportunity to show students how to be aware of global events and learn how they can do something to help.

To learn more, read the entire article at The Boston Globe

Technology Brings Personalized Learning to the Classroom

Technology at their fingertips, students all over the world have the ability to instantly access the information most interesting to them. With this abundance of data readily available, how are these same students supposed to focus in a classroom with one-size-fits-all lessons?

In schools across the country, technology is providing a solution as an avenue for personalization in learning. While the time and effort necessary to accommodate such a vast number of students has hindered the process of personalized learning in the past, technology may just be the answer educators are looking for. Although technology could be seen as a replacement for teachers, Julie Young, the president and chief executive office of the 97,000-student Florida Virtual School, based in Orlando, explains, “This does not mean a teacherless environment. On the contrary, it means you need an even more talented teacher who can think creatively and guide students.”

Learn more about personalized learning through technology at Education Week