Teachers at Kreitner Elementary School (Tacoma, Wash.) are using this short upbeat video in their building, getting staff on board and following their Teach-to-Lead journey. 

"We are thrilled to be a part of this program," they said.  

Last year for Intel.  Schools that inspire students to enter STEM fields often looked to the Intel Science Talent search as a great motivator. After more than 15 years, Intel is discontinuing its sponsorship, and the Science Talent Search is looking for someone new to take over. Google Science Fair, however, still runs strong.

Let them sleep!  A group of scientists suggests that high school should start at 10 a.m. to avoid impairing children's health; meanwhile, students at five out of six U.S. middle and high schools were sitting in first period by 8:30 this morning (Blad, EdWeek). 

Carrots, not sticks. The author of a new book about a San Francisco high school concluded that "supporting teachers, instead of cracking down on them" leads to teacher retention, higher teacher morale, and better academic results (Rizga, Los Angeles Times).

Editor's note: The following is part of a series reporting on excellent African American educators. Educators were selected by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

David Milligan is a 7th Grade Language Arts Teacher at IB Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was recognized as the 2010 Central Learning Community Teacher of the Year and 2012 Middle School Coach of the Year. He was also a 2010 NBCT member of the Teaching Fellows Institute of Charlotte.

 Why and how did you decide upon a career in education? 

As a youth, I was fortunate to have many influential role models that served as examples for the type of person that I desired to be. The attributes of hard-work, dependability and perseverance were demonstrated and shown to me early on in life, therefore I felt a responsibility to pay it forward and teach the qualities of what I feel are necessary for a person to become successful.

 What is the one thing you most celebrate about your students? 

The thing I celebrate the most about my students is the individual uniqueness each and every one of them brings to the table. On a daily basis I work to celebrate the diverse attributes and talents of my students in order for them to gain confidence, self-worth and pride. I strive to make each student feel like a valued member to the classroom while developing their special qualities and talents.

 In what ways do you encourage parents, family members, and other caring adults to support the learning and development of African American students?

As a successful coach in football, basketball and track, as well as a mentor and role model in my learning community, I am able to connect with students, parents, family members and other caring adults on multiple levels. This connection gives me the unique ability to help teach and model best practices on the field, off the field and in the classroom. I send home weekly emails to the families of my sports teams and to the families of all of my language arts students.  In addition to the weekly updates, I provide them with ideas, resources and contacts that will help them in the pursuit of their students’ overall success. This is what I have believed in for all 17 years of my teaching career.

Meet the TAFs and PAFs

• New Teaching and Principal Ambassador Fellows. Meet the nine teachers who have been selected to be the new Teaching Ambassador Fellows for the 2015-2016 school year. Three of the teachers will serve as full-time employees at ED's headquarters in Washington, D.C., while six will remain in their classrooms and participate on a part-time basis. 

Also learn more about four new Principal Ambassador Fellows for the 2015-2016 school year.

Lillian Mongeau's feature Atlantic story reports that high turnover among educators as well as declining interest among college students majoring in education is causing teacher shortages across the country. 

Elmhurst Community Prep in Oakland (Calif.) goes under the microscope as an example of a broader national trend. 

ED estimates that enrollment in teacher preparation programs declined 10% nationally from 2004 to 2012. In California, the decline was even sharper (55% between 2009 and 2013).  

Gains Are SIGnificant. Recent studies show that School Improvement Grants (SIG) are helping turnaround struggling schools, improving student achievement in both math and reading. Carmel Martin, executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress, and former assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development at ED cites positive news from a recent study of 31 Massachusetts schools; points to another 2012 study about success in California by the National Bureau of Economic Research; and mentions the 2015 Council of the Great City Schools report that found schools receiving grants “nationwide show greater improvement in reading and math achievement than other schools” (US News and World Reports). 

A new series of documentaries about innovations in education from American Radioworks covers a wide range of topics in education and higher education. Some of the ones teachers will like include:  

The Living Legacy: Black Colleges in the 21st Century. Hear from HBCU students, learn about the history of HBCUs, and explore an HBCU in the process of reinventing itself.  

Teaching Teachers. Hear from researchers exploring teacher improvement and learn from U.S. schools testing new approaches to teacher training.  

 Beyond the Blackboard: Building Character in Public Schools. This documentary explores the “Expeditionary Learning” approach, which takes students out of the classroom to learn important “non-cognitive” skills such as courage, persistence and teamwork.

• Infusing Music into the Classroom. GITC (or “git-see” for short) provides free music integration classes for educators and school staff working with children of all ages in educational settings. They empower teachers with skills for how to lead music for learning and how to write songs with students. Watch the short film about bringing music into classrooms, and check out downloads to help lead Songs for Learning in your classroom.

• Inspire Lifelong Voters. Educators can order the free classroom documentary Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot – which recounts the role of students in the voting rights struggle of the 1960s – also provides educators with a tool to demonstrate the importance of voting. 

Wisdom from educators heard by ED

5. Reflecting improvements to teacher professional learning: "My parents were teachers. They did their professional development at the dinner table.'” (Teacher, Boston, Mass.)

4. "Students don't open up and trust you often if you don't look and sound like them." (Middle School Teacher, Texas)

3. On improving the teaching profession and recruiting the next generation of teachers:  "I think talking about professionalism is where it's at. It's about innovation, having the freedom to be creative and innovative." (Elementary Teacher, Texas)

2. "I want to impact those young people who don't think of themselves as students and who never did." (Teacher, North Carolina)

1. "My students inside [the prison] are many times more engaged in classroom discussions than my students outside [in community college]." (Teacher of Incarcerated Youth and Community College Teacher, Washington)