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ASCD Association News


What Research Says About Collaborative Inquiry

ASCD SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009

Teachers can make better use of data when they work together than when they go it alone. But creating the conditions for such collaboration is a tall order. An article in the latest Educational Leadership examines how teachers can work together to build collaborative inquiry and highlights relevant research findings.


Solving for X in Primary Grades

ASCD SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009

Oregon's Lebanon Schools District is pushing algebra content as early as 1st grade, and the approach is yielding positive results. An ASCD blog post highlights last week's most-clicked SmartBrief article, "Lebanon schools turn algebra into child's play," where students are encouraged to write their own equations, discuss their mathematical reasoning at length, and work with hands-on models of math concepts. View the post.


ASCD Offers Online Membership to Reach Gen X, Global Educators

ASCD SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009

Technology is rapidly changing how people access information and educators are no exception. Teachers and administrators throughout the world are increasing their use of electronic media not only to deliver the most effective learning for their students but also for their own professional development. To respond to these needs, ASCD has launched ASCD Express, a membership category that delivers all ASCD benefits electronically. Find out more


Education and Class

ASCD SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009

An ASCD blog post profiles Education and Class, a blog written by education professor Jane Van Galen, co-author of Late to Class: Social Class and Schooling in the New Economy. Van Galen brings not only an academic background and passion for the issue of education and class, but also a willingness to share personal stories to illustrate her points. View the post


Linking Professional Development to Improvement in Student Learning

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008

What types of professional learning experiences work best? How can we ensure professional development makes a difference in the practices of educators and, ultimately, in the performance of students? ASCD offers a two-day institute, Linking Professional Development to Improvement in Student Learning, which explores these questions and introduces the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of professional development experiences. The institute will be Jan. 22 to 23 in San Diego. Find out more


Riding Home in an Advertisement with Wheels

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008

The tough economy is causing people to do things they normally wouldn't, and an ASCD blog post makes the point that education is not immune. In New Jersey, three bills have asked for advertising to be allowed on school buses to help raise funds for struggling school districts. In California, high-school teacher Tom Farber began selling ad space on his exams to cover the costs of printing them after the school's budget was cut. The post asks readers whether they think advertising on buses and exams is an appropriate way to deal with the economic strains on schools. View the post


Bookmark This!: Fireside Chats to YouTube

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008

Jay Mathews's recent column in The Washington Post, "Most Textbooks Should Just Stay on the Shelf," concludes that "like the newspapers that have been my life, textbooks are creeping slowly toward obsolescence," with a variety of new media such as podcasts and electronic books gaining prominence. An ASCD blog post points out that there is good news for educators looking to introduce engaging documents and media into instruction due to the flood of free and fascinating material being made available online. The post also asks readers if they think online documents engage students. View the post


All About Assessment/Anchoring Down the Data

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008

Today's educators, inundated by a profusion of students' test scores, face a data overload. An article in Educational Leadership examines how, despite repeated calls for educators to get more instructional mileage out of the assessment data they have on hand, two deterrents typically stand in the way of most educators' effective use of test data. First, there's a missing realization, and second, there's a missing skill. Read more


ASCD's 2009 Annual Conference Theme is "Learning Beyond Boundaries"

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 29, 2008

ASCD's annual conference allows participants to choose from more than 550 sessions on such topics as NCLB, math and reading, differentiated instruction, school improvement, professional learning communities, and closing achievement gaps. ASCD's 2009 Annual Conference & Exhibit Show, Learning Beyond Boundaries, will be held March 13 to 16, 2009, in Orlando, Fla. Find out more


Achilles Heel

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 26, 2008

Since the police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos earlier this month, Greece has been tormented by rioting and protests that have threatened the government and the stability of the nation. An ASCD blog post discusses how some have blamed the turmoil on the country's less-than-stellar education system. The post also asks readers if they think fully funding the education system in Greece could prevent a situation like this from happening in the future, and if a better education system in the first place would have led to a better economic situation, thus avoiding the unrest. View the post


ASCD Provides Many Opportunities for Educators

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 26, 2008

With more than 175,000 members and a commitment to excellence in education-encompassing all grade levels and subjects-ASCD stands out as a leading source for information, ideas, and professional development opportunities that are guiding the world's most successful schools. Join other ASCD members in getting access to the best new ideas in education. Find out more about ASCD membership on ASCD's Web site.


Fixing the Nation's Most Important Education Law

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 24, 2008

President-elect Obama's administration and the new Congress are ready to take charge, and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB) is looming. ASCD's most recent Infobrief explains why we must closely analyze the nation's most important education law and make adjustments that will greatly enhance educators' capacity to increase student achievement. The Infobrief provides ASCD's recommendations for improving the legislation by creating accountability measures that are fair for all students; providing teachers, school leaders, and education agencies with the flexibility and resources they need to meet the law's requirements; and giving teachers and school leaders the ability to choose the most appropriate teaching methods, assessment tools, and school intervention strategies to meet their students' needs. Infobrief


Poverty Changes Children's Brains

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 24, 2008

A new study out of the University of California-Berkeley claims that the difference between the brains of 9- and 10-year-old children living in poverty and those of their wealthy peers is almost equivalent to comparing brains that have suffered strokes with brains that are healthy. An ASCD blog post highlights this study, which finds key functions of the prefrontal cortex, such as language development and the ability to plan, remember details and pay attention, to be severely compromised in the brains of children living in poverty. The post also looks at whether these effects are reversible. View the post.


Professor-Blogger Sherman Dorn

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 23, 2008

With an eye toward the history and politics of education, Sherman Dorn provides intelligent commentary on current events, policy, and other topics that pique interest. An ASCD blog post highlights his recent posts including an evenhanded take on the Obama-Ayers controversy, an analysis of how the media covers educational research, and a discussion about the reauthorization of NCLB. View the post


Student-Driven Research

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 23, 2008

The Crawford High School Educational Complex in San Diego, Calif., is the home of four autonomous small schools. At one of these small schools, a student co-research team recently conducted a qualitative research study on teachers' grading policies and classroom syllabi. The student co-research projects are designed and run by the Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment, and Teaching Excellence at the University of California, San Diego. An article in the latest Educational Leadership examines how everyone learns something when students gather and analyze data about their school. Educational Leadership


Five Dollar Shoes

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 22, 2008

Prices may change, but some things stay the same. An ASCD blog post looks back at an Educational Leadership article from 1948 in which Cincinnati principal Elizabeth Guilfoile wrote of the importance of human relationships to school climate. In this decades-old article, an outline of today's full-service community schools begins to emerge. The article also serves as a reminder of the power of educators to influence students' lives, even in the face of dwindling budgets. View the post


Express Calls for Submissions: Literacy 2.0

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 19, 2008

ASCD Express is looking for 600- to 1,000-word essays on the theme of "Literacy 2.0." Students are more plugged in to technology than ever before -- through smartphones, iPods, laptops, social networks and electronic games. This issue will explore the role of literacy in our ever-evolving digital environment. Please consider the following questions when writing your essay: How can we help students learn and transfer traditional literacy skills? What new literacy skills are called for, and how can students guide teachers in acquiring these key skills? How can we teach students to judge the reliability, accuracy and quality of information? Articles can include how wikis, blogs, RSS feeds and portals of streaming media have affected how students read, write, speak, think and work. Send us your submissions by Jan. 5, 2009. See the guidelines for submissions at Write for ASCD Express.


Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind: 16 Essential Characteristics for Success

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 19, 2008

There are 16 essential characteristics that will predict students' success, and determine whether they go on to college, whether they take a job and whether they become active in their community. This list was derived from studies of what successful, "intelligent" people do when they are confronted with problems to solve, decisions to make, creative ideas to generate and ambiguities to clarify. Bringing together all four books in the ASCD Habits of Mind series, this volume presents why it's more relevant than ever to align the missions of schools and classrooms to teaching students how to think and behave intelligently when they encounter problems and challenges in learning and in life. Drawing on their research and experience in applying the habits of mind in all kinds of schools, the authors guide you through every step of making intelligent behavior a practical outcome in any school. See sample chapters.


Here's Your Pink Slip ... Now, Go Become a Teacher

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 18, 2008

Can the worsening economy actually cause an increase in educators? An ASCD blog post examines how budget cuts are forcing major belt-tightening in most states, and how the unemployed in Kansas might be dusting off unused teaching licenses. The post also asks readers if they think the ripple effects of this recession will mean more people, not just in Kansas but around the world, will turn to teaching as their career choice. View the post


Education Secretary Announced

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 17, 2008

After more than a month of speculation and debate, President-elect Barack Obama announced yesterday that Arne Duncan will be Secretary of Education in his administration. An ASCD blog post examines Duncan's education background and asks readers whether they think Arne Duncan was a good pick for education secretary. View the post


Teacher's Top 10 Tips for Getting Organized

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 17, 2008

In a December most-clicked SmartBrief story, a teacher shares her top 10 strategies for staying organized in the classroom. An ASCD blog post highlights some of these strategies and provides readers the opportunity to share their own tips. View the post


Brain-Based Ed. Debate Rages in '84

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 16, 2008

Translating scientific research into practice is controversial business. Proponents of brain-based education are at the intersection of biology and educational practice, and they have frequently navigated this tricky terrain with a strong focus on extrapolating reliable teaching methods from sometimes esoteric scientific findings. An ASCD blog post looks back at a fascinating exchange between education specialist Richard McQueen and biophysics professor Herman Epstein over brain growth, in the February 1984 issue of Educational Leadership. The post also asks readers if they think the McQueen-Epstein exchange has any relevance today and what they think are the new controversies in the field. View the post


The New Stupid

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 16, 2008

A decade ago, it was disconcertingly easy to find education leaders who dismissed student achievement data and systematic research as having only limited utility when it came to improving schools or school systems. Today, we have come full circle. It is hard to attend an education conference or read an education magazine without encountering broad claims for data-based decision making and research-based practice. An article in the latest Educational Leadership examines what it means to use data or research to inform decisions and how we have pivoted from the "old stupid" to the "new stupid" with a reflexive and unsophisticated reliance on a few simple metrics -- namely, graduation rates, expenditures, and the reading and math test scores of students in grades 3 through 8. Educational Leadership


Is Technology the Answer to Rising College Costs?

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 15, 2008

According to a recent report, college tuition and fees have increased 439% in the past 25 years, while median household incomes only increased 147%. An ASCD blog post highlights a recent Education Sector forum in which panelists discussed some of the major problems driving the high cost of college education and whether instructional technology offers some relief. View the post


Education and the Obama Administration

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 12, 2008

Former Sen. Tom Daschle and the Obama transition team are addressing health care issues by gathering feedback from the public through traditional forums and through the use of online technology such as blogs and other social-networking tools. Although we're still waiting for the nomination of the next Secretary of Education, can the public look forward to similar opportunities to share their thoughts on education with the Obama administration?

Two ASCD blog posts, "We want to hear from your students" and "Education Reform from the Roots Up?", seek feedback from students and educators about the changes they think President-elect Barack Obama should make to help students succeed in school. Comments submitted before Tuesday may be featured in January's whole child podcast or an ASCD column.


"Discipline with Dignity, 3rd Edition: New Challenges, New Solutions"

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 12, 2008

Since 1988, the ASCD book "Discipline with Dignity" has given thousands of teachers advice on not only how to prevent and solve discipline problems but also how to teach discipline as an affirming approach that promotes respect for self and others. Now this expanded 20th Anniversary Edition extends the authors' wisdom to new principles for coping with newer challenges, such as dealing with special-needs students in mainstream classrooms, working with difficult parents, and helping students in high-poverty urban areas. View sample chapters


Jamaica Joins ASCD Connected Communities

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 11, 2008

ASCD is proud to announce Jamaica's commencement as an ASCD Connected Community. ASCD connected communities bring together groups of individuals concerned with improving teaching and learning that wish to align with ASCD. Visit ASCD's Web site to find out more about connected communities or affiliates in your area.


Odetta and the Music Connection

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 11, 2008

We recently mourned the passing of folk singer Odetta, remembered in The New York Times as a musician "whose deep voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement." An ASCD blog post highlights the Times' article and the September 2008 issue of Educational Leadership in which a fifth-grade teacher describes how she successfully engaged students in American history through music in the article "The Music Connection." View the post.


Ed. Jobs & Broomsticks

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 10, 2008

Even though Obama's transition team seems to be moving quickly in filling his key Cabinet positions, he's taking his time choosing the next secretary of Education. Aside from who he'll choose, an ASCD blog post is examining what kind of education leader we need. Some are calling for the selection to be a so-called education reformer. The post asks readers if they think U.S. education would benefit more from the hawkish leadership of a "reformer" such as New York City Public Schools Superintendent Joel Klein or Ted Mitchell, CEO of New Schools Venture Fund, or whether someone like Linda Darling-Hammond, who's worked extensively on school redesign and urban education, but is regarded more as working within the system, would be the best fit for an ailing education system. View the post


Administrator Perceptions of School Improvement Policies in a High-Impact Policy Setting

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 10, 2008

In the last two decades, the political climate has altered the policy emphasis from one based on ensuring adequate resources to one based on outcomes and accountability. There is a need to more fully understand the effect policy initiatives are having on principals and their schools in high-impact policy environments. The latest IJEPL examines a study that investigated school administrators' perceptions of school improvement policies in a high-impact policy environment by measuring the impact of accountability, site-based management, professional development and scheduling reform. IJEPL


Bail Out Our Classrooms, Says Carvalho

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 09, 2008

Maybe instead of private jets, the heads of the country's largest school districts could pile into school buses, set their routes to swing by Washington, and join the lunch line at the federal bailout trough? An ASCD blog post highlight a Miami Herald article in which Miami-Dade Schools chief Alberto Carvalho suggests using federal bailout dollars to invest in education. The post highlights challenges to this bailout proposition, and asks readers if education should be eligible for federal rescue similar to those afforded to private industries and if they think state or district education system failures have no effect on the U.S. economy. View the post


Developing Students' Creative Skills for 21st Century Success

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 09, 2008

Creativity, ingenuity and innovation are the keys to success in the evolving global economy. According to a guide by The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, many of the fastest-growing jobs and emerging industries rely on workers' creative capacity -- the ability to think unconventionally, question the herd, imagine new scenarios, and produce astonishing work. The latest Education Update provides examples of how educators can develop creativity in their students by being a role model -- children develop creativity not when you tell them to, but when you show them. Education Update


Death of the Novel in the Classroom?

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 08, 2008

Most can remember the slew of novels that were required reading during high school -- Wuthering Heights, A Brave New World and All Quiet on the Western Front are just a few commonly assigned titles. An ASCD blog post examines the question "With standardized assessments and NCLB, are novels on their way out of the classroom?" The post highlights a Nov. 20 forum on standardized assessments hosted by the Center on Education Policy, and asks readers if they think that assigning short passages instead of full-length novels will affect students, and if assessments have killed the novel in the classroom. View the post


The Spectrum of Education Research

ASCD SmartBrief | Dec 08, 2008

Among the apple pie issues in U.S. education is the notion that good policy should be based on the best and latest research. In recent years, there has been renewed emphasis on the imperative to ensure that policy choices are scientifically based. No Child Left Behind mentions "research" 216 times, with more than half of those references specifically indicating that such research should be "scientifically based." An article in the latest Educational Leadership examines the uses and abuses of evidence claims for charter schools as an example, and describes why no single research study can ever provide the kind of definitive and universal answers that policymakers and citizens seem to yearn for. Educational Leadership




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