Sepember 12, 2011

One Year After High School Graduation, Class of 2010 Shares Lessons Learned About College Readiness


An interesting study was just released by the College Board.  “One Year Out” explored how the class of 2010 assess their high school experience and its role in preparing them for life after graduation.

“With a year of formative new experiences behind them, the majority of 2010 high school graduates looks back positively on their time in high school, expressing satisfaction both with the collective experience and on a variety of specific measures. Still, while these recent graduates have a generally favorable view of their time in high school, almost all of them admit there is at least one thing they would change or do differently.”

Results of this national survey aren’t much different from what we hear from our own graduates . . .


One Year After High School Graduation, Class of 2010 Shares Lessons Learned About College Readiness

The 12 Most Important Things Children Want From Their Teachers

My selection this week comes from the blog, The 12 Most.  As I read this entry, I was not only reminded of Hattie's research regarding Teacher-Student Relationships, but more importantly, I was reminded why we are all so passionate about our careers.  This is best summed up by the opening line of the blog post: "Whether you are a teacher, parent, relative, boss, or fellow community member, each of us has a chance to make a positive and impactful difference in a child's life" (Maiers, 2011).

The 12 Most Important Things Children Want From Their Teachers

Let Me Learn My Own Way

All learners have preferences for the manner in which they process new information.  These preferences produce cognitive styles crucial to the learning process (Kise, 2007; Lawrence, 2009).  A recent ASCD article entitled “Let Me Learn My Own Way” explores four distinct ways of learning.  Author Jane Kise challenges readers to use the learning styles to design intervention sessions.  As building data teams implement the RTI model across Hilliard City Schools, this article could serve as a powerful discussion tool for teacher teams.   

Let Me Learn My Own Way

West Virginia learns Finland’s ‘most honorable profession’: Teacher

Three policy measures that are currently receiving attention in the United States don’t exist in Finland:, charter schools, removing tenure protections, and tying teacher pay and evaluation to test scores.  In fact, these movements are directly opposite to what is happening in Finland, yet, Finland ranks at the top of international test rankings for elementary through high schools. Why?  Finland honors the teaching profession and is committed to preparing and developing high quality teachers.  “In Finland, it is a tremendous honor to be a teacher, and teachers are afforded a status comparable to what doctors, lawyers, and other highly regarded professionals enjoy in the U.S.”, said West Virginia State Superintendent Dr. Steven Paine, who is using the Finland system as a model for educational reform in his state.  “In Finland, they attract the very best and brightest into the profession and it has nothing to do with money.  It has everything  to do with the respect that is given to the profession.”

Among the other interesting points made in the article: Finland’s teachers spend half their school time planning with colleagues, working with parents, and taking part in high-level professional development.  An integral part of Finland’s education system is Project Based Learning.  One “project” is used as a starting point and then multiple contents are integrated in to this unit.  Sounds interesting?  Read about Finland’s education system and then be sure to register for the iGeneration Seminar.  We will view the movie entitled “The Finland Phenomenon on December 1st as part of our series. 

West Virginia Learns Finland's 'Most Honorable Profession': Teacher