Team teaching finds success in Minn. school Three educators at the Pillsbury Community School in Minneapolis recently teamed up to teach a math lesson in multiple ways to reach students with various learning styles. This team-teaching approach is being credited for helping boost achievement at the school, where many students are English-language learners. It is also among the strategies being looked at by officials to improve achievement across the district, particularly among students who are from low-income and minority backgrounds. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (12/29)  | Empower Greater Teacher Effectiveness
Learn the five critical questions you must answer in order to unlock the power of students' data, implement the appropriate instructional strategies and empower teacher effectiveness. Download a free white paper. |
 | | Other News  |
The new DVD How Did You Solve That? takes you and your staff into two primary classrooms where small-group math meetings deepen student understanding and lead to more effective and efficient problem-solving strategies. Preview two video clips now! |
 | Proposal to suspend accountability testing in Calif. draws criticism State and national advocacy groups -- such as StudentsFirst, Teach Plus, The Education Trust-West, and the Alliance for a Better Community -- are speaking out against a plan in California to suspend most of the state's accountability testing for a year as schools transition to new exams aligned with the Common Core State Standards. In a letter sent to Education Secretary Arne Duncan last week, the groups criticized the plan, saying it is problematic to not explain to teachers and schools how their students performed on exams. Education Week/Politics K-12 blog (12/24) | STEM education grows steadily in S.C. From elementary schools to universities, students in South Carolina are getting more experience with science, technology, engineering and math education. For example, Clemson University's College of Engineering and Science experienced a nearly 54% growth in enrollment since 2007, and Greenville County Schools has developed STEM academies for the elementary, middle and high school levels. Asheville Citizen-Times (N.C.) (12/27) | N.C. reports it was "too aspirational" in Race to the Top While North Carolina has earned praise for its progress since receiving $400 million in federal Race to the Top funds, officials point out they have fallen short of their "aspirational" goals, achievement gaps have widened in some areas and data show fewer students are moving on to post-secondary programs. Officials say they have spent the bulk of the federal grants on new performance evaluations, classroom technology and professional development for teachers. The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) (12/30) | Earn credit hours Join NCTM for online professional development institutes focused on student learning and supporting schools and districts in the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics as well as implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Choose from several 12-week online courses and earn a professional development certificate or request optional university credit (for an additional fee paid to the University of San Diego). Spring 2014 online courses begin the week of January 20 and end April 20. Learn more.
| SmartBrief will not publish Wednesday In observance of New Year's Day, SmartBrief will not publish Wednesday. Publication will resume Thursday. |  | Never, never rest contented with any circle of ideas, but always be certain that a wider one is still possible." -- Richard Jefferies, British writer | | | | NCTM SmartBrief aggregates published news and editorial content from diverse sources. The content of NCTM SmartBrief does not necessarily reflect the positions of NCTM or the views of its leadership, and the viewpoints expressed or implied should not be interpreted as official NCTM positions. | Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions.
| Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | | |
