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Accountability: Just One Piece of the School Reform Puzzle

School reform can no longer rely mostly on inputs—that is, giving schools more resources and more support. In order for schools to really help the students on hand, the past must play a role and so must the individual needs of the school. Do standards and accountability work? Time has shown that inputs have no real impact on student performance. Federal edicts, such as NCLB, have enforced protocols based on standards, testing, and accountability. Standards emphasize performance objectives and require high levels of accountability from educators. Required reform and accountability, particularly those which impose sanctions similar to those imposed by …

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Teaching Kids about Standing up for the Underdog

By Annie Fox **Editor’s note – These tips are applicable to teachers too, as educators face the challenges of teaching kindness in K-12 classrooms** Kids and teens can view of themselves as powerless in a world where adults call all the shots. But that’s not the whole story. Kids have power. And every day, your children and mine get opportunities to use that power to do good or to do harm. Sometimes, turning a blind eye and choosing to do nothing results in more harm. If we truly value kindness and appreciate it when it comes our way, we can’t …

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10 online tools for better student research

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.** A guest column by Antonio Tooley The biggest responsibility of any teacher is to equip students with the tools that they can use in everyday life. The content is of course important, but with information so easily accessible, it is more helpful to them in the end if they have critical thinking, analytic ability, and …

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Using EdTech to assess small group instruction

A panel discussion with the teachers of Richardson ISD in Richardson, Texas PANELISTS: Caroline Canessa, Merriman Park Elementary, 5th Grade Reading-Language Arts Leah Janoe, Dover Elementary, 5th Grade Math Ashley Scott, White Rock Elementary, 3rd Grade Jennifer Looney, Wallace Elementary, 3rd Grade Alyson Hollon, Dover Elementary, 6th Grade Science   For those who may not know, can you elaborate on what your state standards ask teachers to assess in terms of small group discussions? Jennifer Looney: According to our third grade standards, students should be involved in teacher-led and student-led discussions. Leah Janoe: Students should participate in small-group discussions by …

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4 Ways to Find (and Keep) the Best Teachers

When it comes to school reform, we often think of getting rid of bad teachers. However, an issue that is possibly more pressing is hiring, training the best teachers. School districts continuously engage in the complementary processes of recruiting and retaining teachers. The strain on school budgets impacts the ability of school districts to hire and sometimes to retain high quality teachers. There are steps that every school and district can take, however, to strengthen its staff no matter what the financial situation. We will soon discuss a few ways to do this, but first, let’s look at why teachers …

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6 Ways Teachers can Foster Cultural Awareness in the Classroom

A multicultural society is best served by a culturally responsive curriculum.  Schools that acknowledge the diversity of their student population understand the importance of promoting cultural awareness.  Teachers who are interested in fostering a cultural awareness in their classroom should actively demonstrate to their students that they genuinely care about their cultural, emotional, and intellectual needs.  To this end, there are several strategies that you can use to build trusting relationships with diverse students. To incorporate cultural awareness into your classroom curriculum, you should: 1.  Express interest in the ethnic background of your students.  Encourage your students to research and …

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Teachers: How to Use Google Drive

By Catlin Tucker For teachers who are just getting started with Google, Google Drive can be intimidating! In preparation for a Google training, I’ve put together a short explanation of Google Drive and its basic features. Although an increasing number of people have a Gmail account, I run into teachers all the time who are not sure what Google Drive is or how it works. Google Drive is like a big virtual bucket! It’s where everything you create with Google apps–documents, forms, sheets, slides, drawing–are stored. And unlike a traditional word processing document, you never need to click “Save”…EVER.  Your work …

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