snips from Public Ed Newsblast



CONTROL YOURSELF: IT WILL HELP YOU DO BETTER IN SCHOOL
Research, from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning tabbed for release in early 2008, suggests that a less rigorous focus on curriculum may help student achievement, reports Debra Viadero in Education Week. The key is to take time out of the curriculum to teach students to manage their emotions and practice empathy, caring and cooperation, and, as a by-product, achievement could improve. These findings and similar results from other research-based fields (like brain science) seem to be converging on the benefits of such instruction, and programs based on the concept have experienced a growing presence in schools. Illinois, for instance, has adopted standards for the social and emotional skills that K-12 students should be taught. When researchers investigated Illinois’ programs, they found that students were better behaved, more positive and less anxious than students not participating in the programs. In addition, program students earned better grades and had higher tests scores. According to Roger Weissberg, professor of psychology and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, "the impact here is almost twice that of studies on class-size improvements."
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LEVINE, FOUNDATIONS TRY TO BRING LAW TO EDUCATION’S DODGE CITY
The provider of the most memorable sound-bite on teacher preparation programs, Art Levine, is spearheading a new movement to overhaul teacher education and encourage more college graduates to work and stay in high-needs schools. As part of the initiative, Levine and his organization, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, launched a state-level teaching fellowship program beginning in Indiana, in which participants receive a $30,000 stipend to complete a year-long master’s program with the requirement that they teach three years of math or science in a high-needs Indiana school. Ohio and other states are expected to launch the program beginning next year. In addition to the state initiative, the foundation is creating a national "Rhodes Scholarship" for teaching, funded by the Annenberg Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, which provides a $30,000 stipend and a year of graduate education at one of the nation’s top teacher-education programs (Stanford University and the universities of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington). To be admitted to the program, candidates must agree to teach for three years in low-income schools. The dual initiatives aim to: transform teacher education for both the fellows and the preparatory universities; get strong teachers into high-needs schools; attract the very best candidates to teaching; and, cut attrition rates for top teachers through clinical preparation and ongoing in-school mentoring. Just a few years ago, Levine called teacher education schools "the Dodge City of the education world...like the fabled Wild West town, it is unruly and chaotic" (second link). Hopefully teacher education is finally nearing the right path as this initiative pairs with others around the country, including the Boston Plan for Excellence Teacher Residency program that trains aspiring teachers under the supervision of experienced mentors.
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SCOTTISH BREAKTHROUGH IN ENDING PUPIL ILLITERACY
The West Dunbartonshire council in Scotland recently announced that it had virtually eradicated illiteracy among school-leavers, an achievement believed to be unique in the United Kingdom, reports Severin Carrell in the Guardian. The startling results are credited to a program that began in 1997 after the council found that more than a fifth of its students remained functionally illiterate after completing secondary school. The turnaround program is based on "synthetic phonics," which teach children to read by sounding out letters and words along with hand gestures and body movements. The council implemented the new reading instruction with the help of 18 early intervention teachers that worked across the council’s primary and nursery schools. It is hard to argue with the results, as the number of children leaving school with significant reading difficulties is now less than 6 percent. Apparently, this isn't the only instance that suggests gesturing can help increase understanding -- University of Chicago psychologists have found that gesturing can help kids accumulate new problem-solving strategies and that gesturing kids are more likely to succeed on future math problems.
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Find the science that shows why laughter and play is important for learning to...
Research shows that learning with laughter and play helps avoid burn out. ... importance of laughter and play to avoid teenage depression
The original language of children in their role-playing and storytelling. Children are constantly deciding who they want to be, who they want others to be, what the world will look like and how best to get others to participate and listen to their point of view while maintaining their make-believe personas.


TO BE A GOOD TEACHER, LEARN TO BE A GOOD MOTIVATOR
Features How to Motivate K-12 Students K-12 Interdisciplinary Curriculum
MOTIVATION: Learn the secret to Motivate Students from ... THE UNKNOWN CULTURE MAKER. MOTIVATE CHILDREN THROUGH RESPECT
The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) has released a new research brief that focuses on the complex nature of learning. The paper asserts that learning as a process must be redefined and that today’s educational practices require a superior understanding of the role motivation plays in learning. Broadly, the paper addresses the challenges educators face when working with students that are disinterested, reluctant or particularly resistant to certain tasks. ACEI concludes that learning relies on a range of key motivational strategies, which include student- and task-specific rewards. In addition to focusing on the importance of motivation in promoting learning, the brief provides research-based recommendations to help teachers improve their ability to reach students and help them learn.
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NEW GRANT AND FUNDING INFORMATION

"American Music Education Initiative"
The American Music Education Initiative from the National Music Foundation is designed to identify, recognize and support the creative educational accomplishments of teachers who use American music in the classroom. Maximum Award: $1,000. Eligibility: teachers K-12. Deadline: December 29, 2007.
http://www.usamusic.org/amei.html

"Grants for In-School Music Projects"
The Mockingbird Foundation is offering grants for in-school music projects that promote creative expression through music. Applications are encouraged to be diverse or to include unusual musical styles, genres, forms and philosophies. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations, including public schools. Deadline: February 1, 2008.
http://www.mockingbirdfoundation.org/funding/guidelines.html

"Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award"
The United States-Japan Foundation Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese. The award is presented annually to two pre-college teachers in two categories, humanities and Japanese language. Maximum Award: $7,500 ($2,500 monetary award, $5000 in project funds). Eligibility: current full-time K-12 classroom teachers of any relevant subject in the United States who have been teaching for at least five years. Deadline: February 1, 2008.
http://www.us-jf.org/elginHeinz.html

"2008 Horace Mann Abraham Lincoln Fellowship"
Horace Mann and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) are offering fellowships to study the life and legacy of the United States’ 16th president. Maximum Award: $1,000 fellowship, featuring a five-day institute in June and July 2008 at the ALPLM in Springfield, Illinois. Eligibility: full-time K-12 teachers at a public or private school in the United States. Deadline: February 15, 2008.
http://www.horacemann.com/educator-resources/abraham-lincoln-fellowship.html

"Staples Foundation for Learning Grants"
The Staples Foundation for Learning provides funding to programs that support or provide job skills and/or education for all people, with an emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: March 14, 2008
http://www.staplesfoundation.org/foundapplication.html

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