Schools Across U.S. Grapple With Closures

In one of the largest school closures ever seen in the U.S., the Kansas City, Mo., school board approved a plan Wednesday that will shutter 26 of the district's 61 schools. Kansas City's action may have been drastic, but it's not unique. All over the country, many school districts are facing declines in both revenue and enrollment. As a result, the number of districts considering school closures this year has doubled — and is expected to double again next year.

Centers Stir High Hopes

Educators in several communities south of Boston are helping to launch a new statewide initiative they hope will bring sharpened teaching skills to local classrooms. The Patrick administration last fall selected six regional partnerships to create so-called Readiness Centers, collaborative hubs that will work to enhance the quality of instruction from early childhood through higher education.

Report: Nevada Pre-Kindergarten Teachers Among Best Trained in U.S.

Nevada is among the states that require the most education and training for pre-kindergarten teachers, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew Institute. The report advocates more uniform training to improve early childhood education, raising salaries for pre-K educators and consequently improving teacher retention.

Libraries Reach Out

A child is never too young to visit the library. To hear Thom Barthelmess tell it, you should stop off on the way home from the maternity ward. "I believe that library visits can begin right away. And by right away I mean as soon as the child has arrived in the world," said Barthelmess, president of the Association for Library Service to Children, a 4,000-member division of the American Library Association. "One of the biggest areas of public library development is programming for babies."

Draft Common Standards Elicit Kudos and Criticism

The first public draft of grade-by-grade common standards, released this morning, is being greeted with a mix of praise and skepticism, illustrating both the mounting consensus that the country needs to set higher expectations for all students and the many problems that complicate their adoption. In 62 pages, the English/language arts standards aim to "lay out a vision of what it means to be a literate person in the 21st century," able to tackle complex works of literature and nonfiction, sift critically through the masses of information available online, and marshal evidence to build compelling arguments. The draft document describes how the standards break down into skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and language usage. It also details specific literacy skills students need to help them understand coursework in science and in history/social studies.

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New Book - Nonfiction Mentor Text

Since I had to go into the city yesterday to work at an Early Childhood conference, I had the opportunity to read the newly released Nonfiction Mentor Texts by Lynne Dorfman and Rose Capelli. Riding the train and ferry gave me ample time to peruse the text. In the same fashion as their first book - Mentor Text, this book is chock full of great ideas, and titles of text to use. I love the resource at the end that listed every text mentioned throughout the book by chapter for ease in finding. This is a must have resource for all who are trying to incorporate more nonfiction reading and writing into their day. The On Your Own section at the end of each chapter gives you a nice starting point for implementing lessons. I can't wait to share the ideas with the teachers in my building. If you have read it let me know your thoughts.

Laura

Nonfiction Mentor Texts is available from Stenhouse publishing.

National Board Certification

Recently Barack Obama discussed the value of National Board Certified Teachers. I am happy to see that he is supporting excellence in teaching. Having gone through the process of National Board certification I can attest to the impact it had on me. National Board certification is an intense and personal journey that many teachers have decided to embark upon. Those that achieve it feel empowered to better meet the needs of their students. So, just what is National Board certification anyway? Here are two links I suggest you visit to get further information on National Board certification -

National Board Council of New York
http://www.teachercenter.org/nbcnys

National Board website
http://www.nbpts.org

I would like to offer support to you as you work toward your certification. I am available to answer questions you may have about the process. I also would love to network with other NBPTS teachers and candidates.

Bike Ride to Support Multiple Sclerosis

Every year my brother George rides with more than 1,000 other people to raise money to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This year the society hope to raise $1.6M. George hopes to raise $1,000. He will ride on September 13th and 14th, 100 miles each day in support of those that can't. As you know all the resources available on my website are free of charge. If you find it a helpful resource I ask that you consider making a donation to this worthy cause. No donation is too small and all are tax deductables. This disease has impacted our family and close friends. Thank you so much for your continued support.

For information, and to make a donation using your debit or credit card go to -

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/georgehess

Have a great day!

Laura

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