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The following is from a NEA commission report released a week ago. It was completed by a select group of teachers who formed a panel independent of the NEA. The article summarizes the report which includes some radical ideas and suggestions on how to reform education, like a one-year residencyand a performance assessment prior to being hired as a professional teacher.

From the article, “The NEA’s ‘New Professionalism:’”

In the system laid out by the commission, teachers would enter the classroom as novices and, as their skills and accomplishments accumulated, they’d become professional teachers and eventually master teachers. Teachers’ professional advancement through these steps and salary increases would not be determined by “time in service nor by graduate degrees,” as is done now in most places, but rather, by demonstrating their effectiveness. Evaluations would be locally bargained and based on observations by peers and supervisors; “work products” such as lessons and unit plans; contributions to the profession; participation in study groups or action-research; surveys of colleagues, parents, and students; and, finally, student learning outcomes as “measured by classroom, school, district or state assessments.” There’s much more in the report, and it’s worth reading the entire document.

ClassroomWindow’s founder, Kirby Salerno, was interviewed by Kyle Alspach, a writer for the Boston Business Journal yesterday. Here is some of their conversation:

Teachers are the users of classroom products in U.S. K-12 schools, but others in the schools actually choose the products, such as textbooks and technology. It’s a dysfunctional market, according to ClassroomWindow — a brand-new web startup in Needham that wants to upend the market with a Yelp-style, crowdsourced approach.

The ClassroomWindow tagline: “Where the best solutions win.”

The crowd that will make it happen is the teachers who know which products and services work well in their schools, and which don’t, said ClassroomWindow founder Kirby Salerno.

It’s feedback that can be crucial to improving educational outcomes; but it rarely reaches the actual buyers (and corporate producers) of the products, Salerno said.

Along with reviews, the site will also include publicly-available research and student test scores to enable the best possible buying decisions in schools, he said.

“There is currently no centralized place where that data is captured and shared to help schools make smarter decisions,” Salerno said.

Click here to read the article in its entirety: “A web startup that could impact every U.S. school (and a $20B market)“

Ah, here we go. It’s the holidays and all the holiday television specials that you enjoyed as a child are coming out of the proverbial TV tube. Grab some Christmas Cookies, some hot cocoa with marshmallows, a blanket to wrap around yourself (and throw over your head when the scary parts – there are always scary parts – appear), and curl up on the couch for the evening. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is on the television tonight; sure to bring wonder, toys, and bullies to the small screen. Hold on. Bullies?! It’s true. The majority of the the television special is fraught with Rudolph and his sidekicks being bullied by not only Rudolph’s father, but also Santa Claus. Teachers take note: this is the perfect time to discuss bullies in the classroom. Read more…

Recently, we tweeted an article about Japan’s Kosen school (Institute of National Colleges of Technology). Kosen’s president, Yujiro Hayashi feels that the United States spends too much time focusing on theoretical development associated with Liberal Arts schools. What schools need is to develop a sustainable curriculum where students learn engineering and design in a hands-on environment.

Kosen develops its curriculum based on the needs of local industry. The students then attend classes focussed on industry using STEM rather than liberal arts to complete their educational experience. Hayashi claims that every graduate of the Kosen school is offered at least 20 jobs upon finishing coursework.

Since the United States and other countries need to focus more on STEM, below are some resources to help integrate STEM exposure in the classroom:

STEM Resources

• eGFI: This is an great resource for creating lessons and ideas. The website has a nice layout that lets students explore engineering-related occupations. Teachers can find interesting lessons grouped by grade.
• PhET: Free, interactive simulations from the University of Colorado. This is a great way for students to explore the outcome when they change a variable in an equation. Teacher-created resources are also available.
• Catch the Science Bug: Fun, engaging STEM projects. Go to the Science Files area and explore!
• Nasa Talk: All about STEM with great content. Articles, images, and interesting videos are included.
• HP Catalyst Initiative: HP’s network of leading educators and institutions in selected countries to explore innovative approaches to STEM education.
• Project Lead the Way: Provides comprehensive curriculum around STEM.

We are interested to know if you think any STEM ideas and/or resources can be integrated into Language Arts/English and Social Studies/History courses. If so, how? Have you done it? Let us know!

Change is a big word in education. It is a word heard every few minutes when discussing education reform and education policy reform. Just how do we go about making positive outcomes in education? Well, one suggestion to keep up with the times is to adjust a school’s curriculum to include the latest theories and bring in tested materials that keep students engaged and improve learning outcomes. The easiest way to do this is to incorporate technology into the schools and classrooms. Students are engaged in technology outside of school with gaming systems, computers, smartphones, etc. It is logical that bringing technology tools and resources will engage the students in the classroom.

Jesse Langley has written a blog post on edudemic.com about the benefits and role of technology in education. Below is a snippet from the post:

“Introducing online engagement with educational materials can become a tactic in a teacher’s toolkit.  When I was teaching, one of the things I struggled with most revolved around finding ways to tailor information in a fashion that would result in student engagement.

When students are engaged, education happens.”

Using technology effectively in the classroom in a blended learning or instructor guided setting will help schools achieve greater success for students and the teachers. It will create a hands-on, collaborative, and cooperative environment for students and teachers, thus creating educational success for both educators and students.