Lazy Days of Summer NOT!

by Jim Paterson

Student activity advisers make the most of summer by using the time "off" to plan ahead, work with student leaders, and rekindle their enthusiasm. more...

Get Real

by David Peins

Every teacher I have ever met knows-and hates-the phrase, "Those who can, do, and those who can't, teach." It's not true: Teachers can do. And our students need to know that. Kids are uneducated, but they are not dumb. They need a reason to learn-especially those who aren't academically motivated and just want to get on with their lives. more...

High-stakes testing, homework, and gaming the system

by Etta Kralovec

Readers of the Los Angeles Times were recently shocked by published findings of the Harvard University Civil Rights Project concerning California school dropout rates. According to the study (presented March 24, 2005, at the Harvard conference, "Dropouts in California: Confronting the Graduation Rate Crisis"), only 60 percent of Latino students and 56.6 percent of African American students graduate at all from California schools, and only 47 percent of African American and 39 percent of Latino students graduate on time. What is worse still, this record has been largely hidden. more...

Student management: Teacher interns wrestling with assumptions

by Stephanie Huffman

This study sought to determine (1) if teacher interns' assumptions regarding student management changed during the internship and (2) if the changes, if any, in interns' assumptions were influenced by their cooperating teachers' assumptions. 444 preservice teachers and 444 corresponding cooperating teachers from 10 NCATE programs in Arkansas completed Views About Students Survey . Three findings emerged: more...

The not-so-lazy days of summer

by Tim Green

Here come those relaxing summer months. It's time for your students to unwind and forget about the past school year. Stop a minute. Think about that - do you really want your students to forget the past school year? Frequently, it seems students' skills and productive habits are lost by the end of summer. Is there anything we can do to help students retain skills from one year to the next? more...