Starr Points
It's Not What You Say … It's How You Say It!
As conference time once again approaches, many teachers are faced with the prospect of revealing to hopeful -- and sometimes hostile -- parents unwelcome truths about their cherished offspring. The most experienced teachers know, however, that sometimes the truth is best presented with a little subtlety and a lot of tact. Education World editor Linda Starr offers 20 of her favorite phrases from the Dictionary of Education Euphemisms.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/starr/starr225.shtml

NCLB Updates
Wondering what's going on with the No Child Left Behind Act? Peruse our list of news stories about the federal law.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/NCLBupdates.shtml

Read About It
What Are State and Local District Report Cards?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/readit/readit018.shtml

News for Kids
Farmers Use Falcons to Protect Berries
Falcons are an eco-friendly alternative to chemicals and other methods of protecting crops.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/newsforyou.shtml

Green Schools Principals Raising Green Awareness The group Principals for Change is working to promote the "greening" of U.S. schools. Inspiring Teachers How Good Teachers Connect Teachers who make learning interactive, tell stories about their own youth, or proudly display children's work tend to quickly win over students, a top special education teacher says. NCLB Spellings: Keep NCLB in the Forefront As the two major presidential candidates distance themselves from the No Child Left Behind Act, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is urging greater support for the law's underlying principles. See more education news headlines in our EDscoops Archive.

Administrator's Desk Article
Discipline with Dignity Stresses Positive Motivation
Threats and rewards may seem to change a student's behavior, but do they last once the punishment and rewards are gone? Discipline with Dignity teaches educators to create positive motivators for kids so they take responsibility for their own behavior.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin534.shtml

Carlton Ashby: The Power Is In You
Making Connections Is Key
At our school, we spend a great deal of time "speaking life" to our children by expressing life's possibilities through positive thoughts, words, and relationships. We strive every day to create an environment that enables students to think big and dream big.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ashby/ashby002.shtml

No Educator Left Behind
How Are District Report Cards Compiled
And What Kind of Information Do They Provide?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/NELB/NELB045.shtml

Teaming Up To Achieve
Plunging Into Reading, Math
A second grade class wastes no time jumping into reading and math, mindful of what the state will be testing in third grade.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/teamingup/teamingup002b.shtml

School Issues Spotlights
Issues Spotlight 1 Teaching Boys
Issues Spotlight 2 Minority Teachers
Issues Spotlight 3 Parent Conferences
Issues Spotlight 4 Single-Sex Education
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/b.shtml#boys http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/m.shtml#minority http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/p.shtml#conferences http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/s.shtml#single

School Doodle
Meeting the Tree That Grew the Apple
http://www.educationworld.com
/a_issues/school_doodles/school_doodles16.shtml

Each week, we ask readers to cast their votes in The Weekly Survey. Cast your vote in this week's question of interest to all educators.

This Week's Survey Question
Should states grant teachers immunity from lawsuits for taking action to maintain order, such as restraining a student during a fight?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey185.shtml

Last Week's Survey Results
Has the high cost of fuel led to cutbacks in your school?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey184.shtml

Study: Many 8th Graders Not Ready for Algebra
A new study indicates that many of the nation's lowest-performing middle schoolers are taking algebra and other advanced math courses before they’ve even mastered multiplication, division, fractions, and other basic skills.
Source:USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-09-21-algebra_N.htm

Educators Rally for Limits on Tobacco Ads
The American School Health Association (ASHA), National School Boards Association (NSBA), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) are urging the U.S. Senate to pass a bill that would help protect children from tobacco advertising.
Source: NASSP
http://p8.hostingprod.com/@www.principalspolicyblog.org/blog/2008/09/
major_associations_band_together_to_urge_senate_majority_leader_harry.html

Magazine Names Healthiest U.S. Schools
Health magazine recently named the healthiest schools in the U.S. To select the winners, the magazine asked education officials in every state for school nominations based on food and nutrition, fitness and activity, health education, and healthy building materials and practices.
Source: CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/09/24/healthy.schools/index.html

Isn't It Time for Financial-Literacy Lessons?
Why isn't teaching personal finance basics considered more important than trigonometry, which few of us will ever use again, asks financial-literacy expert Braun Mincher. A solid grounding in financial basics would help young people make better fiscal decisions, Mincher maintains.
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0923/p09s01-coop.html

Schools' Chief: Find Those Dropouts
In a new effort to re-enroll dropouts, Baltimore’s school chief Andres Alonso has directed the city’s high schools to track down the 925 students who have dropped out since January and urge them to return to school. In addition to making phone calls to each dropout, school administrators must make home visits by the end of the month.
Source: The Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/k12/bal-dropout0918,0,4455392.story

Report Questions Effectiveness of Reading Coaches
While a new report from the Rand Corporation shows middle school reading coaches in Florida help teachers and boost student motivation to read, the study offers no clear data on coaches' overall effectiveness in raising student test scores.
Source: The Rand Corporation
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG762.pdf

Male First-Grade Teacher Shares Love of Baseball, Books
Illinois first-grade teacher Jeremy Melick, the son of two educators and husband to another, is the only male teacher most of his students will have until they reach the seventh grade. He's also an outstanding teacher, according to his principal.
Source: Peoria Journal-Star
http://www.pjstar.com/features/x859557618/Teacher-a-hit-with-first-graders

Parent: Extracurriculars Need to Be More Inclusive
Special-education students in the Lowell, Massachusetts, public schools are being short-changed when it comes to having the opportunity to participate in after-school activities, a parent complained to the local school board.
Source: The Sun
http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_10496944

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