Standardized testing misses the mark when it comes to student’s cognitive competency George Popham Usually, when the case is made that other countries are somehow doing a better job than the US in education, the argument is based on test scores, but it is unclear what exactly is being evaluated when we compare these scores. Read more>> Field guide: How to recruit millennials Sponsored by Frontline Education How do you find millennials in their natural habitat? Do you recruit in a Starbucks? If you set up WiFi, will they come? Despite Gen Y taking over the workforce by 2020, few of them are interested in teaching jobs. This guide covers key characteristics of millennials and how to best recruit them to your district. Read more>> Why teachers need their freedom The Atlantic Teacher engagement and autonomy aren’t a cure-all. But does a top-down trickle of scripts and mandates detached from students’ day-to-day lives really improve a teacher’s effectiveness? It could have the reverse effect, forcing educators who might otherwise gain a real knack for teaching to rely on others to make decisions for them. Read more>> Cultivating a growth mindset Sponsored by Matific A growth mindset is the belief that we can overcome any obstacle if we are willing to work hard. Using simple techniques, educators can cultivate a growth mindset in students helping to close achievement gaps. Read more>> School lunch without shame The New York Times Missing meals and experiencing hunger impede a child’s ability to learn and achieve. Yet a new survey of 50 large school districts by the Food Research and Action Center, a national nonprofit group, shows that many school meal policies are quite retrograde on this front. Read more>> Students gained 23 percent growth in one math semester Sponsored by Voyager Sopris Learning It’s clear when you help students master the challenges of algebra, they can succeed. Students in Alamance-Burlington School System saw significant growth in just one semester with the help of TransMath, a math intervention that prepares students for algebra. Read more>> Beware the cost of teacher benefits U.S. News & World Report Districts are spending so much on pensions and health care that there's no room for bigger salaries. They can take steps to limit the growing burden of benefits, but none of them are easy. Options include moving away from pensions toward more sustainable options and minimizing health care costs. Or they can follow Chicago's example and raise taxes. Read more>> Standing desks don’t get in the way of learning Sponsored by Ergotron Teachers too commonly report that daily lesson plans are restricted and dictated by classroom furniture that is not flexible enough to meet the needs of students and teachers. See how schools and teachers are using LearnFit mobile and adjustable standing desks to give their students the best opportunities to learn. Read more>> What school principals can learn from CEOs Marketplace Thinking of principals as CEOs is part of a trend in education some teachers and public school advocates find worrying. There’s growing concern about the privatization of public education. But some of those business skills include delivering bad news, communicating in a crisis and doing what’s called a "stakeholder analysis" before making a big change. Read more>> | 