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9-11-17 Education in the News

NJ Spotlight--Latest Teacher Evaluations Show Progress in ‘Effective’ Educators

AchieveNJ also notes that too many high ratings might mean missed opportunities for ‘coaching’ and ‘training’

Back in 2012, the overwhelming passage of New Jersey’s new teacher tenure law was, in part, based on the notion that the new system would do a better job of culling out the weakest teachers, helping the struggling ones, and rewarding the strongest educators.

Four years into the law, the latest data released by the Christie administration indicates some progress has been made — while steep challenges remain.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/09/10/latest-teacher-evaluations-shows-progress-in-effective-educators/

John Mooney | September 11, 2017

 

NJ Spotlight--State Hosts Suicide Prevention Conference to Reduce Stigma, Save Lives

Nonprofit organizations also at work on the ground in schools, camps, clubs

Once upon a time, not long ago, suicide was treated like a dirty word: something not to be mentioned in polite society, certainly not around children.

That attitude has started to change in recent years, as experts have recognized that friends and family members, healthcare providers, nursing-home operators, school staff, and others need to know the signs of suicidal thoughts to help save lives.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/09/10/state-hosts-suicide-prevention-conference-to-reduce-stigma-save-lives/

Lilo H. Stainton | September 11, 2017

 

Star Ledger--11 of the newest and newi-ish schools in New Jersey

The arrival of September brings a new school for students across New Jersey. While most students will be heading to schools that have been around for years, there are schools that have been renovated, rehabbed and ones that are new. 

According to the School Development Authority, the organization spent $230.4 million on five schools. 

In the state, four new schools opened for the first time this month, Also, two schools underwent major renovations and will reopen for the first time. Also, five charter schools opened their doors for the first time. Here are 11 schools that opened their doors for the first time.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/09/newest_schools_in_new_jersey.html#incart_river_index

Chris Franklin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Posted September 11, 2017 at 07:11 AM | Updated September 11, 2017 at 07:11 AM

 

The Atlantic-- Why Teachers Need Their Freedom

Educators must remain engaged and autonomous in order to do their jobs well and avoid burnout.

My co-teacher and I met in the parking lot before school and stared into my car trunk at the costumes and props we had gathered over the weekend. We were giddy with excitement and nervous because neither of us had tried anything like this before. We also taught in the kind of school where one wrong move in the classroom could lead to disastrous results because of our students’ intense behavioral and learning needs.

The co-teacher, Alice Gnau, had found a book called Teaching Content Outrageously by Stanley Pogrow, which explained how secondary classrooms can incorporate drama into any content to engage students in learning—incorporating the element of surprise, for example, or developing role-play or simulation experiences to teach content and standards. The book inspired us to change how we taught our seventh-grade language-arts students in a high-poverty school that struggled with test scores, especially reading and math.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/09/why-teachers-need-their-freedom/539151/

Ashley Lamb-Sinclair| Sep 10, 2017

Education Week--People Are Putting Less Faith in Four-Year College Degrees, Poll Finds

Americans are increasingly doubting the value of a four-year college degree, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday. 

The poll still tilts in favor of the bachelor's degree, but by the slimmest of margins: Only 49 percent of the 1,200 adults surveyed think that a four-year degree is worth the cost because it will lead to good jobs and higher lifetime earnings. Forty-seven percent doubt it will.

Skepticism about college degrees is particularly high among men, young adults, and people who live in rural parts of the country, according to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required). Majorities of those groups doubt that a bachelor's degree is worth the cost.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/high_school_and_beyond/2017/09/people_are_putting_less_faith_in_four-year_college_degrees_poll_finds.html

Catherine Gewertz on September 7, 2017 3:48 PM