James+O'Toole+2011-12

__ **Links from James O'Toole** __

TODAY'S HEADLINES

HEAD OF THE CLASS * Khan Academy's latest venture teaches computer science ELEARNING * What you need to know about using iPads in the classroom * 5 popular iPad apps SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT * Texas schools turn to online program to help meet progress goals MANAGING BUDGETS * District switches to new online meal-payment service * School purchases 360 iPads ahead of new school year SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL MEDIA * Who is participating in Connected Educator Month? * Iowa students connect with governor through "Skype Your School!" program LAST BYTE * Video of teacher flash mob goes viral

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. @http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/dOwWCNoQuMeIiIbQfDcXhQfCAfKM

 New Spotlights From //Education Week// <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Education Week //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Spotlights contain essential news and commentary on the big issues. These Spotlights provide the information you need to understand the most talked-about topics.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Professional Development **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: Gain insights on effective professional development, including integrating online and face-to-face professional development and applying coaching strategies in the classroom.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Implementing Common Standards **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: Discover the curriculum, professional development, and online resources available to help districts prepare for the common core.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Common Core Assessment and Curriculum **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: Learn how the common standards will impact curriculum development and the crafting of common assessments.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Social Media in the Classroom **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: Explore how educators are using social media tools to create virtual book clubs, connect with schools abroad, and build online science communities.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Personalized Learning **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: Rethink instruction in the 21st century with competency-based learning strategies and individualized learning plans.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Math Instruction **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: Learn how the common standards, new technologies, and the latest cognitive studies are reshaping math instruction.


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Looking for other topics? Check out //Education Week//'s full series of more than 50 Spotlights. **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 16pt;">Online Learning ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">An early adopter of distance learning, English professor Al Filreis will teach a free poetry course on the Coursera platform this fall. ( <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**Video** <span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**Read more**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**Common-Core Writers Issue Math Publishers' Criteria** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 8.5pt;">Education Week ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The lead writers of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics have finalized a set of guidelines for curricular materials that seek to promote "faithful" implementation of the new standards at grades K-8. The 24-page document, to be published online, is intended to guide the work of educational publishers in developing textbooks and other instructional materials, as well as states and school districts as they evaluate and select

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**Scoop.it Finds Many Followers** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Scoop.it is an easy way for school leaders to have access to up-to-date content in an electronic newsletter format. Scoop.it curator, NASSP Associate Director Mel Riddile, has six active newsletters and more than 40,000 viewers. Riddile follows hundreds of experts and reviews thousands of articles and blog posts before selecting only the most timely and relevant posts that are of specific interest to school leaders. According to Riddile, "I find the articles, read them, filter them, and then post them for school leaders." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**MORE**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">I hope you are having a good summer and are at the beach or in a cooler climate during this heat wave. While you are at the beach using your I-Pads :-), I thought you would be interested in the attached articles. I found them very interesting and am just sharing. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Enjoy your time off. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Best, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Just an interesting article on an alternative way to teach all subjects using technology. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Hope your summer is progressing well. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What is included in a 21st-century education? **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A 21st-century education requires the development of cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, according to a recent report that seeks to define what is meant by buzzwords such as "deeper learning" and "21st-century skills." Among those skills, researchers say, the most difficult to teach and to assess is the transfer of learning from one discipline to a new concept or idea. The report was released by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science in Washington. Education Week/Inside School Research blog <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (7/10)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> § **<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Calif. gears up for changes brought by common core **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">California will be fundamentally changing the way the state's students are taught and tested as it implements Common Core State Standards starting in the fall. The changes will include an increased emphasis on project-based learning and development of students' critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Technology will be evident both in the classroom and in assessment options. "We need to make sure our students are ready to compete in a world economy and a world job market," said Lori Freiermuth, a high-school teacher in Chula Vista. San Diego Union-Tribune <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (5/21)

Leaders, Just released..draft of the new science standards. Your input sought. Check out: @http://nextgenscience.org/ Good luck. Jim

Leaders Some excellent articles on methods to teach younger students algebra and an article on how to handle students with behavioral problems from the May/June Harvard Education Letter.

Enjoy, Jim



<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 30px; text-align: left;">Short Hills resident launches Bedtime Math

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Good leaders engage workers with their hearts as well as their heads -- especially when it's time for tough conversations, writes Mary Jo Asmus. Empathy and openness can sometimes matter more than cold, rational argument when it comes to broaching difficult topics, Asmus explains. "Open your heart, and try to see yourself from the other person's vantage point," she writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (5/16)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Have you got the heart for leadership? **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Educators across the country say they are seeing a trend toward mixed-ability classes that require them to prepare multiple lessons in core subject areas every day. Proponents say such differentiated instruction eliminates the danger of tracking students along racial lines and improves the performance of all students. Opponents question whether teachers really can meet the needs of all students -- average students, students with disabilities, honors students, students learning English as a second language and others -- in a single classroom. The Washington Post <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (5/15)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Can differentiated instruction reach all students? **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For several years, a North Carolina elementary school has been operating the Forest Hills Global Broadcasting Network, in which fourth- and fifth-grade students air morning news programs. Students operate the equipment and air the video broadcasts, which include the day's lunch menu and a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The morning show also includes a running scroll of students who were recognized for good behavior. Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.) <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (5/13)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">N.C. students learn to produce morning news show **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Just some items on topics I know you struggle with including how to keep your innovative, young teachers. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Best, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Jim <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 22px; text-align: left;">Supporting Beginning Teachers

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">You will find some interesting **<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">free **<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> items on these sites on topics I know you have offered PD on. Just sharing with you. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The Best Classroom Management Advice You'll Ever Get <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Ideas for Managing and Motivating Students <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Learn the Best Practices for Increasing Student Achievement

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Just thought this would interest you. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Read Whole Story

===<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Harvard, MIT announce online learning project === <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">May 2, 2012 11:26 AM EST | <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.921569); color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; text-align: center;">

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have joined forces to offer free online courses to anyone with an Internet connection.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Harvard President Drew Faust and MIT President Susan Hockfield announced the new initiative Wednesday in Cambridge, Mass.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;"> St Malachy has launched a new school newspaper entitled the //Healthy Informer//. All the DL schools are proud of this achievement, and we are sharing the good works. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Jim <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;">

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;"> I just thought you would enjoy the positive article on St Dominic which is a cohort 1 DL school. Their success reflects positively on all archdiocese schools. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Jim <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Model school <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">— St. Dominic is among the institutions of learning that's continuing to do what it does best in trying times. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; text-align: start;">Following link <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;">@http://www.bsmphilly.com/northeast-times/5051-model-school.html <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; text-align: start;">was sent to you by <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;">jotoole@gse.upenn.edu

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;"> In our visits to various team meetings, conversation has taken place about what Penn could offer the students at our DL schools. Many Universities have on-line courses, etc. that up until now Penn did not have. Well the times they are a changing. Attached is an article that indicates that Penn is joining the free on-line community so students can gain the college knowledge. Enjoy and share. I hope you encourage students to make use of this opportunity. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Best, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: start;">Jim

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Education Update: It's Complicated: It's Complicated <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Learn more about ASCD at <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">www.ascd.org <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">ASCD’s Whole Child Initiative supports the development of children who are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.


 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;">There's no single mold for a successful leader **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Most people might envision a man when they think of a business leader, but many traits commonly associated with women -- consensus building, collaboration and emotional intelligence -- are also characteristics of strong leaders. Jim Muzyka, an executive and general manager of Xerox Services in Toronto, says sometimes the stereotype is in the position and not the gender. For example, many people associate the CEO or chief operating officer to be male. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">(4/13)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Is group work an effective approach in the writing classroom? ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The effectiveness of group work in the classroom may depend largely on the dynamic of the individual groups, and may be more effective when students first work alone then come together to share ideas, writes former high-school writing teacher Greg Graham, a teacher consultant with the National Writing Project. Graham writes that teachers should dedicate classroom time to solitary writing, during which students develop personal awareness, critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (4/11)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Develop leadership presence by striving to inspire ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Leadership presence is hard to define but an increasingly valuable quality to possess, Kristi Hedges writes. It's neither natural charisma nor a set of public-speaking tricks but exuding a sense of authenticity, honesty and instilling confidence all around. Focus on your intent, using natural body language and imagining your audience's reaction in advance, Hedges writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (3/29)



<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> I know all of you are working on improving secondary cultures in your schools. As an ex-high school educator/principal, I know this is an ongoing task. I have attached an article you will find interesting. The article also includes a culture survey. At the very least, it gets faculty reflecting and thinking on the mission. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Jim


 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How are NYC educators using the common core in the classroom? **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Educators involved in a pilot of the Common Core State Standards in some New York City schools gathered Monday to discuss how the standards are being used to shape instruction. Elementary teacher Nekia Wise said the standards' focus on "inquiry-based learning" builds on an approach she has long used in the classroom that favors hands-on experiences over rote learning. Others cautioned that teachers will need time and support to create new standards-aligned lessons. GothamSchools.org (New York) <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (3/21)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">uthor and former Education Department official Ze'ev Wurman and W. Stephen Wilson, an author and Johns Hopkins University mathematics professor, consider in this interview the new Common Core State Standards for mathematics. The two take both positive and negative positions toward certain elements of the standards, which Wilson argues are an improvement to requirements currently in place in about 30 states. Education Next <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (Summer 2012)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Discussing the new standards for mathematics **


 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Closing_the_Achievement_Gap_ASCD_Mar_2012.pdf **


 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Prepare_Students_for_College_ASCD_Mar_2012.pdf **


 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">6 ways for CEOs to show their softer side **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Bosses don't have to be tough guys, arrogant or mean to succeed, writes CEO Gary Burnison of Korn/Ferry International. It's often better to take a gentler, humbler and more compassionate approach to leadership, persuading and charming people rather than steamrollering them. "Leadership is all about how you make other people feel," Burnison writes. "Your achievement as a leader is measured in the success of others." Fast Company online/FC Expert Blog <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (3/13)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> new program in Baltimore is aimed at connecting students, teachers and technology specialists to improve teaching and learning for all three groups. The Digital Harbor Foundation's EdTech Link program will have volunteer technology experts training teachers who will work with students in after-school programs. The students then will take their knowledge to other schools to help train teachers. With funding and other support from the community, organizers say the program has potential as a national model. KQED.org/Mind/Shift blog <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (3/8)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Program brings together students, teachers and tech experts **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> As school leaders in the DL program, you are on the cutting edge of school leadership reform research and the effects of leadership with your principal. Education is in a mode of accountability and change. Principal leadership has been shown to be the second most important factor, after the educator in the classroom, in improving student achievement. You are working closely with the principal on a team to make the necessary changes. In order to help you with this and, in case some of you might aspire to someday be a principal, I have attached the recent Wallace Report entitled "The School Principal as Leader-Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning." The research lists 5 important leadership characteristics that are expanded on, if you read the article. It states:

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: SabonLTStd-Roman,serif; font-size: 10pt;">This shift brings with it dramatic changes in what public education needs from principals. They <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: SabonLTStd-Roman,serif; font-size: 10pt;">can no longer function simply as building managers, tasked with adhering to district rules, carrying <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: SabonLTStd-Roman,serif; font-size: 10pt;">out regulations and avoiding mistakes. They have to be (or become) leaders of learning <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: SabonLTStd-Roman,serif; font-size: 10pt;">who can develop a team delivering effective instruction. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: SabonLTStd-Roman,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Wallace’s work since 2000 suggests that this entails five key responsibilities: <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #00089a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ƒ **//<span style="color: #00089a; font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. //****//<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Shaping a vision of academic success for all students //****<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">, one based on high standards. ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #00089a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ƒ **//<span style="color: #00089a; font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. //****//<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Creating a climate hospitable to education //****<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">in order that safety, a cooperative spirit and ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">other foundations of fruitful interaction prevail. ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #00089a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ƒ **//<span style="color: #00089a; font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. //****//<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Cultivating leadership in others //****<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">so that teachers and other adults assume their part in ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">realizing the school vision. ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #00089a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ƒ **//<span style="color: #00089a; font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. //****//<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Improving instruction //****<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">to enable teachers to teach at their best and students to learn at ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">their utmost. ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #00089a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ƒ **//<span style="color: #00089a; font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. //****//<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-BoldItalic,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Managing people, data and processes //****<span style="font-family: SabonLTStd-Bold,serif; font-size: 10pt;">to foster school improvement. ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">//<span style="color: #006eff; font-family: SabonLTStd-Italic,serif; font-size: 18pt;">The principal remains the // <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">//<span style="color: #006eff; font-family: SabonLTStd-Italic,serif; font-size: 18pt;">central source of leadership // <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">//<span style="color: #006eff; font-family: SabonLTStd-Italic,serif; font-size: 18pt;">influence. //

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">//<span style="color: #006eff; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can see that these match up closely with what you are learning in DL. // <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">//<span style="color: #006eff; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy, // <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">//<span style="color: #006eff; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jim //

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A growing number of states have relaxed their requirements on "seat time," allowing schools or districts to award credits to students who demonstrate proficiency in a particular subject. The revised policies are meant to assist struggling students working to catch up, students who are gifted working to get ahead, and others who face geographical and scheduling challenges. They also are seen by some as a way to boost graduation rates through online or alternative courses. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (3/7)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">More states are revising policies over "seat time" in schools **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">High-school math teacher and middle-school instructional coach Darren Burris in this opinion article expresses support for the new Common Core State Standards, which he argues are not meant to promote a common curriculum, as some have suggested. To counter this claim, Burris enumerates the ways in which teachers can address a single math standard in the classroom, and suggests the new standards will offer an opportunity for educators to collaborate and share their individual classroom strategies. The Hechinger Report <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (3/6)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Educator: Common core gives teachers more reasons to collaborate **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Through a new iTunes U channel, ASCD has made available a wealth of multimedia offerings free of charge. A recent press release outlines the different types of professional-development content that educators can now access through iTunes -- from webinars to expert interviews. Learn more <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Making mistakes is a natural part of leadership, but it's important to respond to them correctly, Art Petty writes. You should acknowledge when you have made a mistake and avoid making excuses. "Blaming the weather, competitors, the market, sunspots, lack of resources or anyone else on your team is only going to exponentially compound the damage to your leadership credibility," he explains. ArtPetty.com/Management Excellence blog <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (3/5)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #293d72; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Free ASCD content now available on iTunes **
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">A damage-control plan for those inevitable leadership lapses **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Some people feel drawn to leadership, and they would want to do it even if the financial benefits involved went away, Dave Logan writes. "Leaders lead because they can do no other." One way to determine if you are one of these people is to re-examine your e-mails and other writings for signs, he writes. CBS MoneyWatch <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">(2/29)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">4 signs there's leadership in your blood **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> § **<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Computer-science program in NYC could be replicated elsewhere ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A teacher-created program at one top New York City high school is the only rigorous computer-science program in the school district and one of few nationwide. Now, the approach, created by teacher Mike Zamansky, is being expanded to a new high school that will focus on software engineering and will be open to students of all levels. GothamSchools.org (New York) <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (3/1)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Passing along some appropriate research and validity to your DL program. When you link below make sure you link on the word "paper" which will take you to a research article entitled "The Missing Link in School Reform." There you will see the research on social capital, its effect on mathematics scores and administrative social capital. Leaders working in teams with each other, as you do in DL, is research based and produces positive student results. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Enjoy and have a good weekend. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How does teacher collaboration affect student achievement? ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">tudents improve academically when their teachers are engaged in frequent and meaningful collaboration, according to a recent paper in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The paper's author, Carrie R. Leana, a professor of organizations and management at the University of Pittsburgh, found that a school's social capital is "a significant predictor of student achievement gains above and beyond teacher experience or ability in the classroom." Education Week Teacher (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (3/1)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Getting Creative About Literacy: Strategies in the FREE Teacher PD Sourcebook

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Just food for discussion to address the middle states visitation team concern with standardized test scores and number on the honor roll. This is from your Marshall Memo # 410. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim

=<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Times,serif; font-size: 14pt;">3. A Minnesota High School Reforms Its Grading Policies = <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">(Originally titled “How Grading Reform Changed Our School”) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">In this helpful //Educational Leadership// article, Jeffrey Erickson, assistant principal of a suburban 2,900-student high school, describes the journey he and his colleagues undertook to address problems they had identified with their grading system: inconsistency from class to class; blending attendance, behavior, effort, extra credit, class participation, returning permission slips, contributing canned food to the food drive, and achievement; grading on the curve; and parent pressure for more transparency. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">The school’s first move was to articulate a guiding principle: //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Grades should reflect only what a student knows and is able to do //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">. As the faculty studied the issue and engaged in professional sharing and explanations to parents, resistance faded away and policies were changed: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• Grades were split into two categories: formative (which would count for no more than 15 percent) and summative (not less than 85 percent). <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• Summative grades were based on at least four common assessments for each course, one of which had to be a performance task. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• Teachers articulated clear learning targets that students could understand and attain. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• Formative assessments informed students of their progress in mastering material that was eventually contained in summative assessments. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• After each summative assessment, teachers did an item analysis, and if a significant number of students missed an item, the teacher omitted it from students’ grades, retaught the concept, and gave another assessment. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• Instead of grading homework on completion, which sometimes produced disparities between homework grades and summative mastery, teachers started giving in-class quizzes on homework content. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• The previous policy on re-takes – //Teach, test, and move on// – was replaced by //Teach, test, and now what?// “The essential question that each teacher should ask after every assessment is, //Now what do I do for the students who didn’t get it?//” says Erickson. “When the answer is to provide a retake, the most important step is what happens between the first and second test. The purpose of retakes is never for the student to simply show up and hope for the best. Corrective instruction must occur between the test and retest.”

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• Behavior, attendance, effort, and attitude were reported to parents in regular report-card conferences. Unexcused absences were dealt with by intervention and consequences within 36 hours, not lowering grades. These changes have produced a 55 percent reduction in unexcused absences, a 66 percent reduction in disciplinary referrals, and a 37 percent reduction in suspensions. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">• “We decided that the consequence for not doing the work should be – doing the work,” says Erickson. This takes place during lunch or before school. Teachers phone the parents of struggling students every three weeks. The result has been a 63 percent reduction in //F//s and a 32 percent drop in //D//s. “When an entire faculty implements this consequence and moves away from practices that deflate grades – and hope – an entire culture can be transformed,” he says. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">How did this affect student achievement? Erickson reports that ACT composite scores rose from 24.1 to 25.7, the number of students taking AP exams rose from 505 to 661, the number of students participating in the AP Scholars program rose from 160 to 258, and the 10th-grade Minnesota Comprehensive Reading Exam passing rate increased from 85.5 percent to 92.3 percent. In addition, there’s much less stress and uncertainty about grades. The new policies are clear and transparent, and everyone is more relaxed.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">“How Grading Reform Changed Our School” by Jeffrey Erickson in //Educational Leadership//, November 2011 (Vol. 69, #3, p. 66-), <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">http://www.ascd.org <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">; Erickson can be reached at <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">jeffrey.erickson@minnetonka.k12.mn.us <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> Just when we think we have all the world's worries on our own shoulders, we read what others have overcome and say: "Thank you Lord" <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">JIm

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Laptop initiative is part of school-rebuilding effort in Joplin, Mo. ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A one-to-one laptop initiative has been part of the efforts to rebuild the school system in Joplin, Mo., which was struck by a devastating tornado in May 2011. When the district's 2,200 high-school students returned to school in August, they all received Apple MacBook computers as part of a plan to "keep families in Joplin and give them something to look forward to," C.J. Huff, district superintendent, said. Digital Directions (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (2/8)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">7 behaviors displayed by the best leaders ** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">What leadership skills separate the leaders from the rest? Some of the most important characteristics include integrity, the ability to listen and a commitment to following through on promises, Dianna Booher writes. "People want to see the real you -- the integrity behind your face, the actions behind your promises. In today's economic landscape, trust trumps both price and track record." CNN <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (2/7)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> I know many of you are working on this, and I thought the attached might interest you and your professional learning communities. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Best, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> Since one goal of Distributed Leadership is to make additional leaders in your school, I thought this might interest you. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Leaders should reach out and touch someone **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">To persuade people to embrace your leadership vision, it's important to appeal to them on an implicit, instinctive level as well as an explicit, rational level, writes Eileen N. Sinett. It takes a human connection to win commitment, even from people who essentially agree with what you're saying. "People want to follow you and your ideas," she writes. "They trust you because you have touched them with your unique and genuine self." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (1/30)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Studies: Students' behavior can predict future leadership ability **

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Researchers involved in four studies say they can predict which students may be leaders as adults based on the behaviors and experiences of their youth. Factors found to be predictive of future leadership included the tendency to engage in response to a new situation and an inner motivation to try new things and gain skills. The studies suggest teachers encourage leadership skills in students by allowing them to pursue mastery and success through real-life experiences, rather than relying on rewards such as test scores and classroom prizes. Harvard Education Letter <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (January/February 2012)

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Just an article on recent research on learning to write. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Enjoy and have a good weekend. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Jim

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Just an interesting article on how to manage stress. It is something all experience and learning coping techniques are important. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Enjoy, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Jim <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Leaders, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> When I attended your team meeting, there was discussion on how to increase students' literacy skills in study hall. I read this article on using News Literacy and though of you. Use it as a point of information in your search for a solution. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Best, <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Jim

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Two groups of states working to design tests that students will take under the Common Core State Standards favor using computers to assess students' understanding. Preliminary plans call for an overhaul of testing nationwide, though the proposal could change before the standards are implemented in 2014-15. "This stuff is a very big deal, and it's a huge departure from the kinds of tests most kids currently take," said Chuck Pack, an adviser for the new assessments. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (1/11)
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Computers could figure prominently in new common assessments **



<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Leaders, <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Just passing along an interesting article on helping secondary leaders identify potential at risk students. Some might consider this as an action plan in the DL program. <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Enjoy, <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Jim __ **** __

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Roughly 55% of public-school districts in the U.S. report having students enrolled in some form of distance-learning courses, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. However, about 75% of respondents said the distance-learning programs in use were organized by outside groups, independent of the districts themselves, the NCES report found. T.H.E. Journal <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (12/1)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Majority of school districts have students enrolled in distance learning **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Educators at an Ohio high school are seeing success this year with a new Bring Your Own Technology program. Under the pilot program, students' Wi-Fi-enabled devices are being incorporated into classroom lessons and educators say students are more engaged and willing to help train teachers in the new technology. "It's become the surefire way to getting 100 percent participation," school-technology coach Josh Tate said. Times News (Lehighton, Pa.) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (11/27)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ohio high school sees success with BYOT pilot program **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000cc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">**States struggle with gap between new standards and tests; ASCD plans summits** Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog (11/29)

Leaders, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> Just an example of how a leader demonstrates good leadership. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jim <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000cc; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">**3 leadership guidelines from Coach K** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #666666; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> (EblinGroup.com/Next Level Blog)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**Ten Ways to Change the Minds of Tech-Reluctant Staff** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">**<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 8.5pt;">eSchool News (free registration required) ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We often hear about tech-savvy educators and administrators who have an array of best practices and whose love for technology is evident. But as anyone who's ever been part of a school or district knows, not all teachers and administrators are as comfortable or familiar with technology. Our readers offer their top 10 suggestions for how to bring on board even the most disinterested or out-of-touch educator. **MORE**

Leaders, John shared an excellent article with me that I have attached. If you get time, review it as it says a lot about the teaching profession and how we train/develop educators. Many of us can agree with numerous of these findings. In the **Key Findings**, I was pleased to see how many of these are addressed in the Distributed Leadership program. I have placed these in this email. You all are on the right track. Thanks for joining this program Jim

**Common Core State Standards for Math: A Positive Step** ** The Principal Difference Blog ** Carefully researched and well-constructed, the new Common Core State Standards for mathematics leave much of the current math program unchanged. But the document offers far more than merely a rehash of old ideas. It outlines a program that could profoundly improve the instruction of mathematics if properly implemented, says Teacher Leader Stuart Singer. However, a major concern with the new standards is the expectation that more information can be processed without increasing class time. **MORE** ** Professional Learning Communities and Common Standards: Must-Read Spotlights from Education Week **

//Education Week// Spotlights contain essential articles, commentaries, and content on the big issues. These Spotlights provide the information you need to know about the most talked-about topics in education.

** Revised content frameworks for common standards released ** The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers released its final content frameworks meant to reflect key ideas in the new common standards to help provide guidance to teachers, curriculum and test developers. In response to feedback from educators, the consortium also said it will develop K-2 frameworks that are aligned with those for grade 3 and higher. Other changes include more guidance for schools on creating high-school math courses. Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog (11/10)


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Tips for teaching persuasive writing through the common core: **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> In this blog, teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron writes in support of the Common Core State Standards' inclusion of persuasive writing across the curriculum but notes language-arts teachers likely will have to train teachers in other disciplines how to implement the lessons. Wolpert-Gawron offers three mini-lessons for teachers, in which she describes the thesis, evidence and commentary that comprise persuasive writing. Edutopia.org/Heather Wolpert-Gawron's blog <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #666666; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (11/1)

** Researchers say common core is aligned with top standards ** The new Common Core State Standards in English/language arts and mathematics are, in general, on par with the standards of leading states, as well as those of the International Baccalaureate and others used to assess college readiness, but they may be more demanding in some areas, according to a new report by the Educational Policy Improvement Center. Researchers said the new standards require more complex thinking, particularly for certain reading and writing skills, plus geometry. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (10/26)

Leaders, AB Day school was a DL school in our Annenberg DL initiative. They are always kind enough to share their good works with is. I am passing this along so that it can generate some ideas with our Archdiocese colleagues.



Here is an interesting article on data use and school cultures. 10/18 Author Robert Rothman, a senior fellow at the Alliance for Excellent Education, in this opinion piece notes five common misconceptions by educators surrounding the Common Core State Standards. For example, the standards do not represent a national curriculum, but offer a framework of what students should know or be able to do by the end of each school year. In addition, the standards represent a state-led initiative and are not a federal program, though they have received support from the Obama administration, Rothman writes. Harvard Education Letter (September/October 2011) Technical knowledge and other concrete skills are useful for executives, but the most important trait for leaders is an ability to communicate with and inspire others, writes Daniel Goleman. "[Y]ou can hire people with great technical skills, but then you've got to motivate, guide and inspire them," Goleman writes. Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (10/14) Teachers in New York City received training Wednesday on how to implement the Common Core State Standards in the classroom. The standards were tested in 100 schools last year, and are being rolled out citywide this year. Schools were provided with resources and training materials, but principals were able to develop their own training for teachers. Most states are implementing the standards. GothamSchools.org (New York) (9/7) Edutopia research analyst Vanessa Vega suggests several websites where educators can collaborate and share curriculum resources. Sites such as Curriki.org and Digital Is allow teachers to network and share materials with their peers, while others such as The Ohio Resource Center for Mathematics, Science, & Reading and the Ohio Social Studies Resource Center offer free resources that are aligned with state and national curriculum standards. Edutopia.org/Vanessa Vega's blog (8/30) The new common core standards in math and English/language arts reflect the skills students need for college courses in various disciplines, a new study from the Educational Policy Improvement Center suggests. Nearly 2,000 college educators were surveyed and indicated the standards help define the knowledge and skills needed for success in many entry-level college classes, offering validation of a key goal of the standards' developers and proponents. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) __ **Fla. increases rigor in kindergarten under common core** (The Palm Beach Post (Fla.)) __ __ ** Effectively measure how your students are meeting common core standards ** __. Start with these free reproducibles from //Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading// by Dr. Robert J. Marzano, and you’ll see why assessment should occur throughout instruction, rather than at the end of it. One of the two groups of states designing test for the common standards issues draft. __ @http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2011/08/many_have_noted_that_there.html © 2007 Editorial Projects in Education__ __ ** Draft Content Frameworks Released for Common Standards ** August 04, 2011 **by Catherine Gewertz** __ __** Bridging common core and assessment **__ Do you have ideas for how best to align the Common Core State Standards with assessments? Frameworks intended to bridge the new standards and assessment were publicly released last week and are now open for your review and feedback. Learn more in a recent ASCD Inservice blog post and don't miss the Aug. 17 deadline to take part in this important process. Read on School-technology consultant Ben Johnson discusses the pros and cons of different approaches to putting students in groups. Heterogeneous groups, which mix students of varying abilities, can help struggling students to improve but also prevent some gifted students from excelling. Homogeneous groups allow more advanced students to take on challenging work, but students also must learn to work with those who aren't their peers, writes Johnson, who supports a blend of both methods. Edutopia.org/Ben Johnson's blog **Group unveils guidelines for incorporating technology into common core standards** T.H.E. Journal (8/2) The education system is starting to adapt to the increased presence of grandparents, who are taking on more responsibility in the education and care of their grandchildren. About 10% of children now live with grandparents, and the number of children living with grandparents instead of parents has doubled in the past 20 years, statistics show. Grandparents, however, often struggle with laws making it harder for them to enroll their grandchildren or review their academic records. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) Students' basic math skills in numbers, counting and low-level arithmetic by first grade predict their success in math by the time they reach fifth grade, a new study finds. Researchers from the University of Missouri encourage educators to ensure that young students understand numerals and quantities, and give them plenty of practice with basic arithmetic. "This study reinforces the idea that math knowledge is incremental, and without a good foundation, a student won't do well because the math gets more complex," researcher David Geary said. eSchool News (free registration) ** Study: Teachers in early grades have a long-lasting impact ** Having a quality teacher in early grades can lead to higher rates of student achievement in later grades, according to a recent Michigan State University study. Researchers also found that having a good elementary teacher has the same effect as smaller class sizes. "... [I]f you have to prioritize resources, perhaps the earlier school years make the most sense because this is where students receive most of the basic skills for reading and math," said associate education professor Spyros Konstantopoulos. MLive.com (Michigan) (free registration)
 * Common misconceptions about the common core **
 * Why interpersonal skills are a leadership essential **
 * ffectively measure how your students are meeting common core standards ** . Start with these free reproducibles from //Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading// by Dr. Robert J. Marzano, and you’ll see why assessment should occur throughout instruction, rather than at the end of it.
 * Teachers in NYC receive training in common core standards **
 * Sites for sharing curriculum materials **
 * Study shows common standards help prepare students for college **
 * What are the right strategies for group learning? **
 * More grandparents are playing a role in education **
 * Why early learning in math is key to students' later success **