School

By the Numbers

Posted Thu, 11/26/2009 - 18:13 by Dave Barry

Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today (see Education Trends above) revealed the attitudes and motivations of K-12 teachers from across the country. Based on individual characteristics and attitudes about the profession, teachers fell into three broad categories:
 

  1. Disheartened - 40%. More than half of this group teach in low-income schools. Teachers are more likely to voice high levels of frustration about the school administration, disorder in the classroom, and an undue focus on testing.
  2. Contented - 37%. Most teachers in this group said their schools are "orderly, safe, and respectful," are satisfied with their administrators, and agree that they have sufficient time to craft lesson plans. These teachers tend to be veterans - 94% have been in the classroom for more than 10 years. About two-thirds are teaching in middle-income or affluent schools.
  3. Idealists - 23%. These teachers voiced the strongest sense of mission about teaching. Nearly nine in 10 Idealists believe that "good teachers can lead all students to learn, even those from poor families or who have uninvolved parents." More than half are 32 or younger and teach in elementary schools. 
The percentages of teachers in the three groups who strongly agree that all their students, with the right support, can go to college are as follows:
 
  • Disheartened - 39%
  • Contented - 30%
  • Idealists - 54%

Shedding Light on New Treatment for Down Syndrome

Posted Thu, 11/26/2009 - 18:12 by Dave Barry

 
Increasing the levels of a message-carrying chemical in the brains of people with Down syndrome may help prevent memory deficits that hinder learning and make it hard for individuals to develop normally, according to research findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences needed for normal cognitive development.
 
In the study, the researchers found that the mice with Down syndrome-like dysfunction had lower amounts of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (which nerve cells use to communicate) in the brain than normal mice. The mice injected with drugs to boost the levels of norepinephrine showed improvements in their thinking ability by building nests on par with those of normal mice. Researchers were surprised to see the drug work so fast, but also noted that the effects did not last long. Some drugs already on the market for depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder target norepinephrine levels. Salehi said he hopes the findings will lead to new research on these drugs in people with Down syndrome.
 

Sure, Give Us Incentive Pay - But It's Not the Best School Improvement Strategy

Posted Thu, 11/26/2009 - 18:11 by Dave Barry

 
The majority (71%) of generation Y teachers (born between the late 1970s and the late 1980s) are open to incentive pay, but only 10% rate standardized testing as an "excellent" measure of student success, according to the report, Supporting Teacher Talent: The View From Generation Y. Despite openness to incentive pay, young educators say it's not their first choice as a strategy for improving teaching. The idea of tying teacher rewards to student performance ranked last among 12 proposals, including requiring new teachers to spend more time teaching in classrooms under the supervision of experienced teachers, requiring teachers to pass tough tests of their knowledge of the subjects they are teaching, and ensuring that the latest technology is available in each classroom to aid instruction.

The report, released by Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates, is based on six focus group interviews conducted throughout the country and a national random-sample survey of 890 public school teachers conducted in spring and summer 2009 that included an oversample of 241 teachers aged 32 and under. The work was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Joyce Foundation.
 

Virtual Books Replace School Library's Print Collection

Posted Thu, 11/26/2009 - 18:10 by Dave Barry

 
Students at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts still check out books at the school library, but instead of getting a heavy load of hardcovers, the librarian hands over one of 65 Kindle™ handheld electronic book readers with the requested text downloaded. The co-ed boarding school for high school and postgraduate students recently removed most of its 20,000 library books.
 
While Cushing likely is the first school in the country to fully digitize its library collection, other schools are becoming more interested in the e-book concept. St. Elizabeth's Catholic School in Chicago, for instance, is integrating the use of portable e-book readers for its 45 4th grade students. The program, funded by a Title III technology grant, provides the two classes with a set of Rocket eBooks to share. The school is training the two teachers and the administrators on how to use and adapt available content. Broward County Public Schools in Florida is considering a virtual-book pilot program at one of it's magnet schools. "We've seen the future and we think it is in virtual books," school board member Robert Parks said. "Right now, we are exploring the idea further."
 

iPhone Goes Young

Posted Fri, 11/20/2009 - 15:58 by Dave Barry

iPhone Goes Young
By ADARIO STRANGE
Updated 5:15 PM PST, Tue, Nov 17, 2009
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Japan-based Mobile Art Lab has taken iPhone innovation in a new, more kid-friendly direction with the introduction of the PhoneBook.
The software and book-like construct combination offers a child and parent the opportunity to read interactive stories or learn simple math lessons together.
The user simply loads the iPhone software up, slides the iPhone into the book holder slot and the interactive learning can begin. You can check out video of the PhoneBook in action here.