NCLB and the waiver

It is too bad that Maine didn't make a run for the NCLB waiver. Maybe, the Maine DOE understands that the whole mandate is doomed anyway, why bother with all the tricks to get out of it sooner.
I am happy though that at least several states got out of it, and have looked again at ways to measure progress or performance of schools and students.
This post provides some insights into what's happening in MN and Doug Johnson's thoughts about the measure.

Courage in the Classroom comes to King Middle School, Portland

by Olga LaPlante

Some common sense observations were noted during the round table discussion. Common sense doesn't discount the value of the observations, though, because common sense is not all that common.

There may be hope after all for the DOE, if they stick with their valuable observations. Read more here.

One simple trick to better school culture is looping. Why is it so rare? I find it the best strategy. Kids know the teacher, the teacher knows the kids, they have lots of shared experiences by the second year, it doesn't cost any money, as Duncan pointed out; teachers are accountable by default, students are accountable and more aware of their behavior, parents are no strangers; trust is established. Why would you not do it?

Back-to-School Resources

I've always loved August. There is fullness to it that I don't feel any other time of year. There's always that native harvest of vegetables of every sort. But especially delightful is nature's orchestra of sound all around as I spend some time in the yard. Heady stuff.

For teachers, August also means preparation for new beginnings, an opportunity to reorganize and rethink approaches and methods. There's the anticipation of that very first meeting with new classes. Here are some online resources that might be helpful:

Back-to-School Resources
Classroom Environment Resources
Free & Inexpensive Software
New Teacher Resources