Attracting Career Changers - Sep 17, 2008

Two recently released reports find that career changers who might consider teaching want reasonable pay, good working conditions and quality preparation programs that offer classroom experience, deeper content and pedagogical knowledge, and ongoing support once they enter teaching. You can find Teaching as a Second Career and Encore Performances on the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation website.  Read more

2008 PDK/Gallup Poll - Aug 25, 2008

The 40th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll on education has been released. The poll tracks American public opinion about public schools. The 2008 questions focus on election year politics and policies; school quality; global educational comparisons; national standards; transition to college; student testing; teacher quality; and NCLB.  Read more and download the report.

Measuring What Matters - Jul 31, 2008

Many studies have examined the impact of National Board Certification for teachers. This new report released by the Center for Teaching Quality and written by a team of NBCT teachers looks at and comments on that research. Who better to understand the impact than teachers who have completed the NBC process themselves.  Read the report!

Put Understanding First - Jul 29, 2008

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, developers of the Backward Design model for lesson or curriculum development had a short article that caught my eye called "Put Understanding First" in the May issue of ASCD. While not specifically about physics, I think that the ideas will resonate with many in our community. Read the Article

Making a Difference? - Jun 17, 2008

A new study from the Urban Institute looks at Teach for America (TFA) secondary teachers. The findings show that TFA teachers are effective as measured by student performance. The positive TFA results are robust across subject areas, but are particularly strong for math and science classes.  
Read about and access the study.

Induction of Novice STEM Teachers - Jun 13, 2008

The idea of Learning Communities has developed quickly in the literature over the last decade. More recently the concept has been applied to teacher induction in mathematics and science. At a conference hosted by NCTAF, Ted Britton from WestEd gave a good overview paper on the role of these communities in supporting novice teachers.  Read the paper.

The Condition of Education 2008 - May 30, 2008

The NCES has released the congressionally mandated report,  "The Condition of Education 2008." This year's report covers all aspects of education, from early childhood through postsecondary education and from student achievement to school environment and resources. The full text of report can be found here:

Building a 21st Century U.S. Education System - Apr 30, 2008

Last year, nearly a decade after the report, "What Matters Most" the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future published a book called, "Building a 21st Century U.S. Education System." The book can be read online by individual chapters or downloaded in its entirety. The chapter by Barbara Kelley speaks to Teacher Recruitment, Preparation, Induction, Retention, and Distribution.  Table of Contents

A Nation at Risk” Twenty-Five Years Later - Apr 9, 2008

An essay by Richard Rothstein calls into question the data which has served as the basis of school reform efforts including NCLB.

"Over the last few decades, wages of college graduates overall have increased, but some college graduates –managers, executives, white-collar sales workers -- have commandeered disproportionate shares, with little left over for scientists, engineers, teachers, computer programmers, and others with high levels of skill."

Read the essay

State of Science in America - Mar 24, 2008

Nearly half of Americans couldn't name Einstein, Hawking or any other current scientist as a science role model for today's youth, according to a new study on "The State of Science in America," by Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, conducted by Harris Interactive®. The survey gives new look at the current opinions and thoughts of Americans on the critical topic of science.  Download the Survey