The Star Spangled Banner

Just in time for Memorial Day!

The Smithsonian has a great exhibit of the flag that inspired our National Anthem. Even if you can't get to DC , you and your students can participate via the internet. Check out Star Spangled Banner and submit stories and pictures about the American flag and what it means to you.

Lesson plans linked to national standards and organized by grade level can be found at Star Spangled Banner Educational Resources.

Maybe Texting Isn't so Evil

Maybe texting isn't so evil. Check out the article below to read how teachers are using texting in the classroom.

Teaching By Texting Starts to Take Hold

Teens and Texting

This article from CNN.com contains some interesting statistics about teens and texting. Yes, they are texting in school!

Many Teens Send 100-Plus Texts a Day.

Administration Unveils ESEA Renewal Blueprint

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has released has released broad principles for renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Read more about those principles here.

State Firm on School Quality: Will Reject US Standards if They Don’t Measure Up

Massachusetts may reject national Common Core Standards.

Read Boston Globe article

Former 'No Child Left Behind' Advocate Turns Critic

From NPR:

In 2005, former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch wrote, " We should thank President George W. Bush and Congress for passing the No Child Left Behind Act...All this attention and focus is paying off for younger students, who are reading and solving mathematics problems better than their parents' generation."

Four years later, Ravitch has changed her mind.

"I was known as a conservative advocate of many of these policies," Ravitch says, "But I've looked at the evidence and I've concluded they're wrong. They've put us on the wrong track. I feel passionately about the improvement of public education and I don't think any of this is going to improve public education.

Read more

Panel Proposes Single Standard for All Schools

You might be interested in this NY Times article about the proposed National Common Core Standards.

Common Core Standards article


You can find the Common Core Standards by clicking here.

No Child Left Behind Changes?

Below is a link to a story on CNN.com about the Obama administration's plans for No Child Left Behind.

No Child Left Behind