NEW APPROACH TOUTED AS SUPERIOR TO DIRECT INSTRUCTION

Francesca Duffy discusses a new concept which one educator claims is best suited to providing students “with the skills needed to engage in problem-solving and to work collaboratively.”
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2012/04/is_discovery_learning_the_way_to_go.html

CHANGES REQUIRED FOR PROPER IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMON CORE STANDARDS

Catherine Gewertz reports that a leading champion of the common core curriculum has said that teachers and principals must improve their skill sets in order to ‘deliver’ on the ‘promise’ of the new standards:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/04/call_to_states_revolutionize_t.html

NEW BENCHMARKS FOR ASSESSING QUALITY OF SCHOOL SYSTEMS

The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard has developed a set of new indicators for appraising school performances as it relates to college-going.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/college_bound/2012/04/researchers_propose_new_indicators_for_school_performance.html

STUDY USING MULTIPLE MEASURES REVEALS MUCH CURRENT TEACHER PERFORMANCE

The Measures of Effective Teaching Project’s study of 3000 classrooms illustrates the possible benefits of a “nuanced” approach to assessing teacher effectiveness.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2012/04/the_most_and_least_effective.html

DIFFERING VIEWS ON EFFECTIVENESS OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN CIVIC EDUCATION

Justin Reich reviews the argument over whether digital media only provides amplification, or is genuinely transformative. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2012/04/digital_media_and_civic_ed_amplification_or_transformation_bjfr.html

THE CALIFORNIA CONTINUATION EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (CCEA) CONFERENCE-IT’S ALMOST HERE!

The event takes place April 27-29, at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn,

4222 Vineland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 91602

So please come visit Elaine and me at the table decorated with the Authors & Editors’ banner anytime from 10AM – 7PM, Friday the 27^th, or 7:30AM to 4:45PM, Saturday the 28^th.

EDUCATOR EXPRESSES ANGER OVER EFFECTS OF HIGH-STAKES TESTING ON TEACHER MORALE

Teacher Rog Lucido writes of a meeting with an ex-student who had become a teacher, and how it triggered his “righteous indignation” at high-stakes testing.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/04/rog_lucido_what_do_we_tell_the.html

“ON-DEMAND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT”

In this piece, educator Peter DeWitt discusses the new opportunities for professional development provided by the Internet and social media. He writes:

This on-site professional development changes the way leaders lead and the way teachers teach. It's closing the gap between educators and their students who used to think they were twenty years behind. Educators are actually using the 21st century skills they preach about in the classroom!

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2012/04/virtual_conferences_and_plcs.html

INTEL OFFERS NEW TABLET– THE INTEL STUDYBOOK

The studybook is a less expensive alternative to the i-Pad:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2012/04/intel_unveils_new_200_tablet_f.html

AUTOMATED ESSAY-SCORING AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

Eric Robelen reports a recent study suggesting that software designed for scoring essays is accurate, reliable and cost-effective.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/04/computer_v_human_who_wins_the.html

NEW “UNDERSTANDING LANGUAGE” WEBSITE LAUNCHED

Journalist Lesli A. Maxwell reports that Professor Kenji Hakuta of Stanford University and a team of experts have crafted online materials designed to help teachers understand language as it relates to the new standards, as well as the steps to teach it.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2012/04/stanford_project_on_common_sta.html

INCREASING THE POTENTIAL OF OER (OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES)

Justin Reich envisions a situation “where students, teachers, curriculum designers, and technology developers can come together to shape learning opportunities drawing upon a rich wealth of existing resources and emerging media production platforms.”

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2012/04/when_teachers_demand_to_be_co-creators_not_consumers.html

PEARSON EXECUTIVE DICUSSES HIS COMPANY’S MATERIALS AND COMMON CORE

Peter Cohen, the CEO of the publishing-and-services company’s K-12 division, says that its materials are ‘coherent with’ the new standards: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/04/publisher_addresses_common-cor.html

BROOKINGS INSTITUTE STUDY FOCUSES ON IMPORTANCE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The white paper asserts “that instructional materials affect student achievement as much as any key factor, including effective teaching, and yet the research base is weak or nonexistent for most of the materials used in classrooms. That, they argue, must be remedied by changes in policy.” http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/04/a_call_for_research_on_effecti.html

ACHIEVING PERFECT PRONUNCIATION UNLIKELY OUTCOME FOR ADULT LEARNERS, EXPERTS SAY

According to writer Leslie Maxwell, many language acquisition specialists believe that older learners shouldn’t focus on perfect pronunciation:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2012/04/perfect_accents_not_realistic.html

COMPANY ENABLING OPEN EDUCATION CONTENT FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS SUED FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

The outcome of this suit against Boundless Learning, a company headquartered in Boston, could have far-reaching implications.

Read the full story here: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2012/04/higher_ed_open_textbook_provider_sued_by_publishers_k-12_implications.html

LATINOS AND COLLEGE COMPLETION – RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS OF NEW STUDY

Journalist Caralee Adams reports: “About 20 percent of Latino adults have a postsecondary degree compared with more than 35 percent of all adults in the United States, but attainment varies by state. And new research out today shows just where the most strides are being made.”

Read the whole story here:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/college_bound/2012/04/new_report_chronicles_latino_college_completion_by_state.html

HIGH SCHOOL GIRL FEELS HER TIME SPENT IN ESL CLASSES WAS A WASTE

In this piece, the writer, an 11^th grader who came to this country in 2006, maintains that “the ESL program not only defeats it original purpose, it also delays the opportunity for foreign students to catch up with their English-speaking classmates.”

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=5590183474129543177&gid=1824973&type=member&item=103664001&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gainesville.com%2Farticle%2F20120326%2FOPINION03%2F120329859%2F1109%2Fsports&urlhash=-WMD&goback=.gde_1824973_member_103664001

CALIFORNIA CONTINUATION EDUCATION ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE, APRIL 27-30.

Elaine and I will be attending the California Continuation Education Association Conference, which takes place April 27-30, at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn,

4222 Vineland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 91602

. Come visit us at the table decorated with the Authors & Editors’ banner to receive your free teaching/learning resource.