What Teachers Are Talking About This Week

January 26, 2017  |  Sign up to receive The Teachers Edition.

Going the Extra Mile for Teachers

Extra Yard for Teachers is the College Football Playoff Foundation’s primary cause brand. The mission of Extra Yard for Teachers is to elevate the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering quality teachers. The CFP Foundation is supporting the teaching profession through many avenues. Get to know this great organization and submit your I Teach Project to share what motivates you to stay in the classroom. 

NOAA Launches Contest for K-12 and College Students The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is launching a new student contest for content for the Science On a Sphere® program (SOS). With public installations around the world at more than 130 institutions, SOS supports NOAA’s mission of understanding and predicting changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, sharing that knowledge and information with others, and conserving and managing coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. Students are invited to create new maps, visualizations, and stories for Science On a Sphere that help share NOAA’s mission in creative and innovative ways. Winners will receive a $250 gift certificate to be used on educational products, and submissions are due March 17, 2017.

Ellen Show Recognizes 2nd Grade Teacher In this clip from the Ellen Show, Ellen DeGeneres recognizes the creative and impactful work of Mr. Michael Bonner at South Greenville Elementary School. He uses music, movement and technology to help his students learn lessons. He explains that his students struggle with homelessness and hunger, but are still able to achieve academically when met with strategies that fit their needs. Watch the clip to learn more about this amazing teacher!

Efforts to Increase Students of Color in AP Classes

New York City will dedicate $1.6 million to increasing the number of black and Hispanic students into Advanced Placement courses in 24 public schools, often dominated by white and Asian students. The effort is in partnership with nonprofit Equal Opportunity Schools and may be expanded in 2019 depending on investment results (Chapman, NYDailyNews.com).

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

This year marks the 4th annual Multicultural Children's Book Day, (MCBD) and the program continues to grow with last year, generating more than 96 million social media share impressions over three days. This year, the organization has enlisted more than 400 bloggers/book reviewers, who will each post book reviews of diverse reads on January 27th. In addition, MCBD will host a live Twitter Party @MCChildsBookDay on 1/27 at (9 p.m -10 p.m. EST) that will inspire a meaningful conversation around diverse reads, provide book recommendations for parents, and offer free book giveaways every 6 minutes. Teachers can sign up for a free diversity book for their classroom or library.

Get Your Students Outside

The San Francisco’s 49ers are setting the example for other community organizations on how to use enrichment opportunities for students to connect their in-school learning to real-life experiences. Through their STEAM program, students are able to learn about a myriad of different subjects – physics, environmental sustainability, and more.  They provide opportunities for students to access experiences that they have not had the privilege of experiencing yet, and build excitement for content through different environments (Lovejoy, EDExcellence.net).  

#School Choice Week National School Choice Week is held every January. If you are participating, you'll need to learn the dance moves that go along with this annual tradition.  Learn the moves and upload your dance video with the hashtag #schoolchoice in the title so you can get in on the fun with the school choice community.

The Path to Shared School Leadership What does it take to move a good school to a great school? Some would argue empowering teachers and students is the key to the puzzle. When Boston Public School, Phineas Bates, moved to a shared leadership style the school saw significant improvement. Third grade teacher, Michael Macchi, reveals how a school can get started down this empowering path (Huffington Post).

Supporting Social and Emotional Learning

We know that teachers are responsible for teaching content, but they also provide stability and reassurance when things are going awry at school and home, they provide families with resources, and they take action to ensure that their students have basic needs met. There are several resources that educators may find helpful to their work in these areas, including the Social-Emotional Toolkit for children birth to age 5,  and the School Climate Improvement Resource Package that provides research-based strategies for schools. The impact and dedication of our nation’s teachers cannot be underestimated – thank you. 

Resources to Use

•  The USA Science & Engineering Festival’s X-STEM Symposium.  X-STEM is a unique conference for kids held in Washington, D.C. where some of our nation’s most respected professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will speak to middle through high school students in a “TED-style” format. Advance Registration is required!  
• Teacher to Teacher Webinar Series. Join Katy Kibbey on February 3, 2017, at 11:00am EST to learn how to build relationships with family based on her experiences as a family literacy teacher.  

What We Heard from Educators This Week

This week we asked educators to share successes from their classrooms and buildings. 5. "Growth mindset is our motto and we also believe that failure is a teaching tool!" Teacher, Iowa 4. "Teacher commitment is authentic and the momentum of real results in student achievement is undeniable and exciting." Instructional coach, California 3. "Igniting of student and teacher agency around important issues." Teacher, New York 2. "We are focusing more on how kids are rather than what kids are." Teacher, Washington 1. "Laughing at Shakespeare's jokes without prompting." Teacher, Montana

U.S. Department of Education

THE TEACHERS EDITION - ED Teacher Newsletter

The Teachers Edition contains links to other websites and news articles. These links represent just a few examples of the numerous education reference materials currently available to teachers and the public. The opinions expressed in any articles or web pages do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. The inclusion of resources should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any private organization or business listed herein.