According to Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter  (Wiseman and McKeown, 2010), some leaders create intelligence around them, while others diminish it. Reflect on the following scenarios: The New Teacher Project (2009) reports: Having a series of good teachers can multiply the impact. "Give high-need students three highly effective teachers in a row and they may outperform students taught by three ineffective teachers in a row by as much as 50 percentile points" (Weisberg,

iPrompts This app is like a simple schedule board. So when you come into school on Monday, there’s this schedule written out for what they’re going to do. It says, "We need to get our boots. We’re going to go to the van." It also has a timer on it. Say, for instance, you’re working with one of the kids on washing their hands. You can put a photo of somebody washing their hands on screen. Duration is a big issue. It’s important for them to be able to visualize and to be reassure

Invented nearly 50 years ago, Direct Instruction (DI) is a scripted, step-by-step approach to teaching that is among the most thoroughly tested and proven in the history of education. It works equally well for general education, gifted students, and the disabled, but surprisingly remains lttle used. DI was the clear winner in the federal government’s 10-year Follow Through project—the largest study in history to compare different approaches to instruction. In the 40 years since Follow Thr

An ACT study found that only one-third to one-half of the nation's 11th graders are proficient in the content and skills that the English/language arts and mathematics Common Core standards identify as necessary for good jobs or success in college courses. Within English/language arts, only 38 percent of 11th graders hit the proficient range in reading, and just over half reached it in writing and in language. Only three in 10 could fully comprehend complex texts, and little more demonstrate

A new report from the Center for American Progress analyzed state policies and requirements for principal preparation, approval, and certification in a sample of 16 states and found eight of them are "lagging" and eight are "leading" in their efforts to ensure that schools are led by effective leaders. The report found that a growing research base defines the dispositions, skills, and knowledge needed for effective school leadership today, but few educators are being measured against these c

Postsecondary options expanding When Andrew Van Cleave thought about what he wanted to do after high school, this son of two university graduates came up with the same answer many his age come up with: go to college. Until the past decade, though, college wasn't much of an option for students, including Mr. Van Cleave, who have significant intellectual impairments. This month, the 24-year-old, who has an intellectual disability and ADHD, became one of the first graduates of a two-year

THE BENEFITS WOULD BE HUGE! 32 million in increased earnings 24 million in increased spe ding 105 million in increased home sales 3 million in increased state tax revenue Source: Alliance for Excellent Education Read more HERE>

For all the ink that has been spilled regarding the issue of differentiated instruction, little has been said about differentiated assessment. There is no doubt that students come to school with a variety of backgrounds and learning needs, and Carol Ann Tomlinson (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006) and others (e.g., Stefanakis & Meier, 2010; Fogarty & Pete, 2010) have documented the importance of the issue and the potential success of the results. The devil, as always, is in the detai

  Teachers must be prepared to find and adapt new technologies to engage the digital generation, as well as work across traditional subject areas using project learning. They must be able to use data and evidence to inform their practice and know how to work in both virtual learning environments and brick-and-mortar schools. And they’ll need to collaborate with community-based organizations and work in schools that provide all kinds of other services for students and their families

As states raise the requirements for educational interpreters for deaf children in schools, some students are left without qualified translators in school. The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act for the first time defined the role of an educational interpreter, but allowed states to establish standards for interpreters in schools, says Brenda Schick, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. During the past seven years, 26 states have adopted the E