Follow with BoardBuzz for just a moment and picture the happenings with this story: Three groups of children are in three separate classrooms carrying on with regular daily activities. Two toys are introduced into two of these rooms in the morning, each of which is contaminated with a different “germ,” [...]
If your vocabulary doesn’t yet include “sexting,” add it now. The act of sexting—sending promiscuous or pornographic material via cellphone or portable devices—is beginning to have a real impact on schools. This week, the parents of an 18-year-old girl who committed suicide after her classmates passed around her nude [...]
According to Cal Heminway, Board Chairman of Granby School District in Connecticut, and president of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, strong communication skills, patience, and knowing when to ask for advice are at the top of the list. Listen as Cal shares his thoughts on board member skills [...]
As we celebrate World AIDS Day today, we should be reminded that, although great strides have been made in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, this disease is still spreading and is still very serious. HIV/AIDS can be debilitating to individuals and families, kill, and leave behind orphan kids [...]
Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow, December 1, at 2:00pm EST (1:00pm CST, 12:00pm MST, 11:00am PST) for an NSBA-hosted webcast to hear national experts and local policymakers discuss policy strategies to address childhood obesity. This event is free of charge, but registration is required. Please register by clicking [...]
BoardBuzz stumbled across Engineer Your Life this morning. This website acts as a guide to engineering careers for high school girls. In 2004, WGBH Educational Foundation and the National Academy of Engineering formed a coalition to encourage girls to enroll in engineering programs. The fact that women are underrepresented in fields of science and [...]
BoardBuzz recently wrote about whether engineering should have a place in the school curriculum. And, of course, we think it should. But as the National Academy of Engineering says, engineering is often the missing letter in STEM education. So BoardBuzz was pleasantly surprised to learn that Derby Public Schools [...]
In the news this week, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded several districts and entities grants–a total of $335 million–to explore ways to make teaching more effective. Three participants in NSBA’s Council of Urban School Boards—Pittsburgh, Memphis, Tenn., and Hillsborough County, Fla., received grants to experiment with [...]
BoardBuzz came across this Washington Post item asking for readers to help select the best education blogs of 2009. As the Post’s Jay Mathews writes:
I have put out a best education blogs list the last two years, but I wasn’t a blogger myself then, and really didn’t know what [...]
BoardBuzz readers have seen a lot of changes in tobacco use prevention this year — the Food and Drug Administration was finally granted oversight of the tobacco industry, and a report released in October from the Institute of Medicine underscored the link between exposure to secondhand [...]
When the Department of Education released the final application for more than $4 billion in Race to the Top Funds earlier this month, ”innovation” became the leading buzzword in education. To receive a share of these funds, states need to demonstrate innovative reforms that have raised student performance and [...]
As part of their “Kid Reporter” segment on NBC’s Today Show, students from around the country applied to be the next reporter on the popular morning show. For over a month, students between the ages of 8 and 12 who were chosen as finalists competed for the coveted spot as [...]
OK, so there was some serious news this week. The Obama administration released guidelines for the Race to the Top funding that weren’t as prescriptive as many groups (including NSBA) had feared. The Associated Press reports that the teacher shortage of many years has now officially turned into [...]
You know that healthy kids learn better. And you want to make sure that you give students in your district a chance to eat healthy foods and stay active so they can focus in the classroom, achieve academically, and reach their full potential. But what strategies can you, as a [...]
The U.S. Department of Education released the final requirements for applications on the Race to the Top funds. The 775-page document will be officially published in the Federal Register next Wednesday. For now, you can access it on ED’s website.
Although RTTT funds do not go directly to school districts, Secretary [...]
What do school boards do? According to Julia Bernath, board vice president of Fulton County Schools, GA, and President of the Georgia School Boards Association, they set the vision for a school district. Hear Julia’s thoughts on governance and how NCLB has impacted student achievement in her district in [...]
Before educational legend Gerald Bracey passed away last month, he had almost completed his annual “Bracey Report,” which has looked at public education in America annually for 18 years. Thanks to his wife and staff, the final report came out today, with some interesting comments (as usual) and observations on [...]
Bruised by the gubernatorial losses in New Jersey and Virginia, and embattled by the ongoing health care reform debate, President Obama turned his attentions to education reform this week. On Wednesday the POTUS highlighted reforms in 10 states—most notably, moves to allow student data to be tied to teacher [...]
The H1N1 virus is spreading more and more each day, and the seasonal flu may show up at any moment; yet we’re all facing the dilemma of not knowing where and how to go to get vaccinated since there is currently a shortage of both the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines. [...]
USA Today reports that Clarksville-Montgomery County school district in Tennessee decided to go mostly paperless with student report cards. The district now makes grades available to parents with secure online accounts. The same system, called Power School, is used by parents to access progress reports, attendance, and student lunch accounts.
NSBA’s own Ann [...]
We hear a lot about 21st century skills these days, but what does it really mean? Will teaching our kids critical thinking skills really help them to function better in the “real world?” NYU Education professor and former assistant secretary of education Diane Ravitch believes that without the knowledge behind [...]
AOL.com reports today that two high school sophomores in Indiana have sued their school for punishing them for “posting sexually suggestive photos on MySpace during their summer vacation.” The ACLU (no surprise here) is representing the girls and argues that the school violated the girls’ free speech rights when [...]
According to a recent Intel Corporation survey, parents are more comfortable talking about drug abuse than math and science with their children. Despite a perceived importance of math and science for success, and an overwhelming willingness to be involved, the survey results reveal that parents, particularly those of teenagers, often find [...]
As the holidays near, BoardBuzz likes to reflect on the “cornucopia” that is the American student population. Without a doubt, the cultural diversity of American students is a great asset. However, effectively accommodating the wide variety of social, religious, and cultural beliefs of students and their families in the school [...]
October is about to come to a close, and since it is National Cyber Security Awareness Month BoardBuzz thought we’d end the month by mentioning an excellent piece about teaching your child to be internet-savvy from the get-go.
Wired’s Geekdad has recently had a series of guest posts by Adam Rosenberg, [...]
BoardBuzz just checked out this post over at The Edifier about a report that was just released by the Department of Education that compared each state’s standard for proficiency on their state assessments. The report shows that what each state considers proficient varies from state to state. [...]
BoardBuzz loves to see students getting involved in their own education. And we have a real soft spot for student school board members. So we were really pleased with this video that NSBA put together after interviewing student school board leaders at the NSBA Conference in April. Check it out [...]
Yesterday’s Education Week online chat featuring Anne Bryant was full of really rich content. Bryant and her co-chatter, Carey Harris of A+ Schools touched on a number of really interesting topics.
Amy Hetzner: Here in Milwaukee, there is a debate over whether the mayor should be given the power to appoint [...]
BoardBuzz was saddened to hear about the passing of Gerry Bracey yesterday. The often gruff Bracey was, “one of the field’s best known and most vocal authors, advocates, and researchers,” according to Education Week’s Debbie Viadero. NSBA’s Executive Director Anne Bryant said, of Bracey,
“This is indeed sad news. Gerry [...]
Want to know what Congress is doing with the education spending bill? When your school will get money for technology? How your state can compete for stimulus funds? You can find the answers to these questions at a Webinar hosted by NSBA’s advocacy team next Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 11 am to 12 [...]
Whether it’s tweets, texts, BoardBuzz or pick-up-a-pen writing, it has never been more important to our communication and culture. October 20th was the first annual National Day on Writing, proclaimed by Congress and celebrated nationwide by the National Council of Teachers of English and other partners.
There is the argument that private school tuition tax credits save the state money; then there are the numbers to show otherwise. A recent analysis by the Arizona Republic showed that Arizona’s tuition tax credit program, depsite what propononts have claimed, has resulted in a net loss of $21 million in state budget, see [...]
BoardBuzz read this excellent article in Education Week on a nationwide study of teachers and their perspectives on the profession. The “Teaching for a Living” study by Public Agenda and Learning Point identified three categories of teachers – “Contented,” “Disheartened,” and “Idealists” – and describes the [...]
When you think of urban districts that are setting trends and getting the attention of other districts around the nation, you probably think of Chicago, Washington, D.C., and recent award winning districts like Atlanta and Aldine, Texas. Over the weekend the Wall Street Journal ran an article that discusses [...]
National School Lunch Week was celebrated last week and, according to the School Nutrition Association (SNA), the event was a success! This year’s theme, “All-Star School Lunch,” encouraged students to learn about the importance of healthy school meals and physical activity. School districts around the country celebrated the [...]
Have you ever stopped to assess what you’ve accomplished in your life? As we chronicle our lives via Facebook, blogs (ahem), Twitter, and other social media outlets, are we really doing anything, or are we just passing time? Sometimes it takes a special person who has accomplished a lot in [...]
The unraveling saga of the Colorado boy who – thankfully — wasn’t in the helium balloon floating high in the skies yesterday captivated TV and web viewers for hours. That certainly wasn’t the only wild and wacky story this week. On Monday, another 6-year-old, Zachary Christie, made national news [...]
In you haven’t heard, the latest NAEP math scores were released yesterday. Overall, results were not all that positive. Our nation’s eighth graders improved their performance from 2007 to 2009 but scores were flat for fourth graders. Most disappointing was the fact that achievement gaps between minority students and their white [...]
BoardBuzz wonders, have you ever considered running for your local school board? Many school board candidates are concerned parents who want to make a difference in their children’s classrooms. But before you throw your hat in the arena, or cast your vote for a candidate on November 3, consider the [...]
Three cheers for Atlanta! This past weekend Atlanta Public Schools won the CUBE Award for Urban School Board Governance. The district was recognized at the 2009 CUBE conference in Austin. This prestigious award honors urban school districts that demonstrate progress in educating children and act as role models for excellence [...]
BoardBuzz was excited to see that NSBA’s Executive Director Anne Bryant will be participating in an Education Week online chat next week. The chat, Are Local School Boards Obsolete?, will examine the relevance of school boards.
The chat is scheduled for Thursday, October 22 at 3:00 p.m. ET. To [...]
BoardBuzz keeps readers up-to-date on the harmful effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products, tobacco industry tactics and the importance of our schools being 100 percent tobacco-free. BoardBuzz readers even know all about the new law that allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products, which provides [...]
What do you do if a hungry child comes through the lunch line, but doesn’t have money to pay for their meal? That’s a problem more schools are facing this year, as budgets for schools and families are getting tighter, USA Today reports. Some districts are doing away [...]
The U.S. Department of Education has released details of how school districts and nonprofit organizations can tap into the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) which is part of the economic stimulus package.
Unlike the Race to the Top Fund and the School Improvement Grants, i3 funds will be distributed directly to school districts and [...]
Yeah, BoardBuzz knows it’s not even Halloween yet, but it never hurts to be ahead of the game (heck, the department stores already have their Christmas displays out). You can get a jump start on your Christmas shopping with this year’s list of the 20 Hottest Toys. Perhaps you’re [...]
BoardBuzz loves online learning and here’s just one more opportunity to get yours! STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – is at the forefront of discussions on global competition and 21st century skills. But what does it take to strengthen these subjects for your students? Get ideas and inspiration [...]
On Friday, more than 300 employees of the District of Columbia Public Schools, including 229 teachers were given notice that they will be placed on immediate 30-day administrative leave. According to D.C. Wire blog, principals were given clear instructions including:
“I regret to inform you that your employment with the District [...]
Katherine Shek, Barbara Moody, Kevin Scott, Joetta Sack, Daniela Espinosa, Andrew Paulson
