DO YOU REMEMBER PENMANSHIP?
BLOCK SCHEDULING IN SCHOOLS MAKES THEM WORSE, NOT BETTER
RESEARCH HELP REQUESTED
SUMMER READING FOR ADULTS
THE CHALLENGES OF LEARNING TO TEACH READING
US SCHOOLS ADDRESS PLAGIARIZING CLAIMS - DISTRICTS OFTEN USE "BORROWED" PHRASES
FRUSTRATION IN THE CLASSROOM - LISTENING TO THE TEACHER
UNION MAY DISCIPLINE TEACHER FOR EXTRA EFFORT DURING WORK TO RULE
DO YOU REMEMBER PENMANSHIP?
"I frequently score essays for a company that processes the state assessment tests that are becoming so common all across the United States. One thing that I have noticed is that at all levels, most students have deplorable penmanship. . . Once (students) begin to develop a more mature script, they also begin to develop more confidence in their intellectual competence. . .Sloppy handwriting is just another symptom of a pervasive disregard in our educational system for matters of form. The same people who think penmanship doesn't matter will also usually argue that rules of grammar and usage should not count, as long as the reader can make out what the writer is trying to say."
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BLOCK SCHEDULING IN SCHOOLS MAKES THEM WORSE, NOT BETTER
"Has block scheduling reached your school? It is sweeping the county if not the country, and your district could be next. Blocking is just the latest in a long line of 'progressive' Band-aids slapped over education's gaping wounds. Prepare for the sales pitch, 'Mercer Island already has block schedules, and just look at their test scores!'"
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDY SAYS BLOCK SCHEDULING IN SCHOOLS MAY IMPACT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT/ACT SCORES
"Student achievement may be impaired by certain models of block scheduling, according to a new series of studies by Iowa State University and ACT."
RESEARCH HELP REQUESTED
The Lexington Institute is seeking to identify the "10 Best New State or Local Education Policy Ideas." They would welcome your suggestions of candidates for this list.
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SUMMER READING FOR ADULTS
"In an era when so many uninformed people act as if they know it all, it is refreshing to get requests from people who want to educate themselves on particular subjects or just to get the basic education that they feel they missed when they were in school or college. Many of these people are middle aged or older." Reading suggestions from Thomas Sowell.
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THE CHALLENGES OF LEARNING TO TEACH READING
"The most popular (reading) programs being used today are appropriately strong on literature, illustrations, cross-disciplinary thematic units, and motivational strategies for children, but very weak or simply wrong when it comes to the structure of English and how children actually learn to read the words on the page. A recent review of major classroom reading programs shows that they continue to lack the content necessary to teach basic reading systematically and explicitly.The most popular programs being used today are appropriately strong on literature, illustrations, cross-disciplinary thematic units, and motivational strategies for children, but very weak or simply wrong when it comes to the structure of English and how children actually learn to read the words on the page. A recent review of major classroom reading programs shows that they continue to lack the content necessary to teach basic reading systematically and explicitly.
"Teachers must understand the basic psychological processes in reading, how children develop reading skill, how good readers differ from poor readers, how the English language is structured in spoken and written form, and the validated principles of effective reading instruction. The ability to design and deliver lessons to academically diverse learners, to select validated instructional methods and materials, and use assessments to tailor instruction are all central to effective teaching."
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US SCHOOLS ADDRESS PLAGIARIZING CLAIMS - DISTRICTS OFTEN USE "BORROWED" PHRASES
"Although school officials say they are forced by time pressures and other constraints to use other people's words, a student in those districts probably would have been disciplined for doing the same thing on a term paper.
