NEW!
3/29/2008

MAKE YOUR LESSON PLANS MAKE MONEY FOR YOUR CLASSROOMS
To obtain state-of-the-art supplies and equipment for your classroom, learn how to apply for grants, writes LaVerne Hamlin for Teachers.net Gazette. Hamlin began working in a public school system that allocated only $200 to its science department. Under these constraints, her students lacked the ability to understand basic scientific concepts because the school could not afford the necessary supplies. Hamlin knew that she had to find another source of support to satisfy her students' needs. So, she decided to tap into the market of grant writing and, as of today, she has won over $1 million in classroom grants and awards. In her article, Hamlin goes on to explain key aspects of successful grant writing, and essentially provides a dissertation on how to turn a lesson plan into an award-winning grant. As school budgets continue to shrink (especially in the area of arts education), Andrea Mulder-Slater writes in Education World (second link) that some of the neatest works of art are made with recycled or inexpensive materials. For example, using simple materials such as pie plates, poster board, scrap wood pieces and a few basic classroom supplies, students can create amazing Pie Plate Fish. The article includes several other examples of how best to fund exciting and engaging art projects.

http://teachers.net/gazette/MAR08/hamlin/
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson104.shtml

Energizing Your Career

The Spring 2008 issue of the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook is now online! This issue explores how teachers can grow and feel greater satisfaction and effectiveness in their careers. It features interviews with veteran educators and articles on promising initiatives.

NEW!
3/4/2008

NEW RESOURCE HIGHLIGHTS COMMUNITY’S ROLE IN EDUCATING ALL CHILDREN
Across America, front-line educators are working with their communities to shape a fresh vision for the future of public schools. Publicschoolinsights.org, launched this week, shows how teachers, administrators, parents and others are finding common ground and crafting innovative, 21st-century solutions to help all students succeed. The site has a wealth of real stories that reveal an emerging vision for public schools in the 21st century. Additional features include a wide variety of success stories about U.S. schools and districts that have adopted successful strategies for addressing key challenges in education. The site’s ultimate goal: to build a sense of community among those who are working at the local level to strengthen their public schools, while showcasing proven strategies. The initial launch included a story (second link) about the Mobile County (Ala.) School District’s reform efforts, which centered on intensive public engagement conducted by the district and Public Education Network member, the Mobile Area Education Foundation. These efforts resulted in the school district making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in 2007 with 85 of 100 schools meeting AYP targets, amounting to a 215 percent jump.
http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/
http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/stories/?storyId=10656

"Doing What Works is a website dedicated to helping educators identify and make use of effective teaching practices. Doing What Works contains practice guides developed by the Department¹s Institute for Education Sciences that evaluate research on the effectiveness of teaching practices described in
the guides. The website also contains examples of possible ways this
research may be used, but not necessarily the only ways to implement these teaching practices."

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