September 17, 2015 | Sign up to receive The Teachers Edition.
In This Issue
 Student body president introduces Obama at Back-to-School town hall.
Video Worth Watching
Watch this inspiring video as student body
president (North High School, Des
Moines, IA) Russhaun Johnson introduces President Obama at a town hall with
high school juniors, seniors, and their parents to discuss college access and
affordability. Johnson, the son of a recovering drug addicted mother who was
incarcerated for more than four years, said “education means the world to me
because I no longer feel lost.”
The President joined Secretary Arne Duncan’s sixth annual Back-to-School bus tour where
he announced a new initiative to allow students and families to apply
for financial aid earlier – starting in October as the college application
process gets underway – rather than in January. Learn more about the new College Scorecard and other ways to make better college choices.
Teacher Leadership
Building Leaders
 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).
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The Teaching Profession
Students and Teachers Deserve More
We've
always rolled our eyes at the suggestion that cutting education funding won't have
an impact. Isabel V. Sawhill (Brookings) backs us up, citing
recent research showing that in fact increased school spending leads to
improved student outcomes, particularly for low-income students.
Why and How to Connect
David Milligan
 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.
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Good Habits for Keeping Our Cool
New studies are showing that teachers who take care of themselves
do a better job of taking care of their students. Educators who participated in
an eight-week mindfulness program at the University of Vermont reported
being more
self-aware and better able to manage classroom behaviors.
Meanwhile, Edutopia author Rebecca
Alber shares some
tips for how to stay calm in class. “If we stay calm when teaching -- giving
instructions, addressing individuals or the whole class -- it's amazing to see
that this, too, happens with them. Whether we want the responsibility or not,
we are constantly modeling for the children we teach ways to be out in the
world. We want them to see that kindness, flexibility, and a tranquil approach
to others are vital skills to develop.” she says.

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).
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Everyone Deserves a Shot at College
Quote to Note
"...no kid should be priced out of a college education. No hardworking young person should be denied a shot at success just because of where they started out in life."
(President Obama, Training America's Workers, Macomb Community College, Warren, Michigan)
Education Policy
Resources for Educators
Online Podcasts
Thirty Different Languages
In Manzanita Community School (Oakland, Calif.) educators
have seen remarkable improvement in academic achievement among English learner
students by providing them the right blend of technology, emotional support and
encouragement (Lynch, EdWeek).
Early Childhood Education
Early Interventions Pay Off. Economist James Heckman has co-authored a new report on how health benefits persist decades later for participants in FPG’s Abecedarian Project and the Perry Preschool Project (Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute).
 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)
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