Free Classroom Joke - "A Moral Lesson"

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kenny 5, and Tom 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. 'If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.' Kenny turned to his younger brother and said,' Tom, you be Jesus !'

Urban School Superintendents Hard to Keep

St. Louis is looking for its eighth school superintendent since 2003. Kansas City is on its 25th superintendent in 39 years.

Despite good salaries and plenty of perks, a recent study found that the average urban superintendent nationwide stays on the job only about three years — which educators say isn't enough time to enact meaningful, long-lasting reform.

"Would you buy Coca-Cola if they changed CEOs every year?" asked Diana Bourisaw, who left as St. Louis superintendent in July after two years in the top job. "The answer is no. I wouldn't."

On Friday, Kelvin Adams signed a three-year contract with the St. Louis district worth $225,000 annually plus bonus incentives, a day after his hiring was approved by a state-appointed board that oversees the district.

Academic accountability is the new national mantra in public education, and low-performing districts are placing high salaries and higher demands on their superintendents—who find themselves caught between factions of publicly elected school boards, teachers' unions and parent groups.

To view the complete article, click here.
(USA TODAY 09.28.08)

Successful. Healthy. Regularly. Water.

Drink fresh water and as much water as you can.

Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.

Successful people eat healthy and exercise regularly.

3M MMM655YW Post It Notes on Clearance at 65% Off

Original Notes, 3 x 5, Canary Yellow, 12 100-Sheet Pads per pack MSRP $27.24 Now $9.99 - That's only $0.84 per pack!

Buy online at SchooDoodle

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "Intelligent Soul"

Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a soul?

Quote by: John Keats

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If our lawmakers can make corrective decisions to solve the financial mess of institutions, let's hope that our children will look back on this time in history to remember that the decisions made were necessary and proper. Let's pray that the United States has an honest soul.

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Great weekend everybody! Go out and make decisions of your own that are rewarding and healthy! If you are near your computer, please see the new supplies we've added this week. Schoodoodle.com is a great place to shop whether you are a teacher, parent, or business. Enjoy!

Orphan Works Act Has Potential to Lessen Copyright Infringement Penalties

With the proliferation of YouTube, file sharing, and teacher lesson plans on Websites, publishers are worried about copyright infringement and how to enforce current laws.

However, the Internet has also opened access to thousands of files where the copyright holder cannot easily be found—in fact, the works may be public domain, but there is no supporting documentation.

Now, there are two bills before Congress to address the issue of "orphan works," and at least one coalition of organizations feels that the pair of bills will impact artists' legal options if someone uses their material without permission.

Orphan works, as defined by the U.S. Copyright Office, is a situation in which the owner of a copyrighted work cannot be identified and located by someone who wishes to make use of the work in a manner that requires the owner's permission.

In 2005, under direction from Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Register of Copyrights studied the orphan works issue in detail and found that users were afraid to use orphan works for fear of future reprisals.

The current proposed laws stem from the Register's recommendation that users who perform a documented search with due diligence not be unduly punished if the copyright holder claims ownership at a later date.

Although the first legislation in 2006 failed to move out of committee, both current bills, H.R. 5889 and S. 2913, appear to be moving quickly.

The main opponent of the legislation is the Orphan Works Opposition, a loose coalition of associations mostly related to illustrators, photographers, and other visual artists, who have signed a petition opposing the bill.

They do not appear to oppose the intent of the two laws; the main objection is that they believe the language is too ambiguous, specifically related to the phrase "due diligence" regarding a search, and that the bill would strip away current copyright protections for non-orphan works.

In addition, the group feels that the act puts the burden on the copyright holder to make sure she is easily identified. Finally, they believe that the bill will allow an infringer to create—and copyright—a derivative work even if the copyright holder of the original work objects.

Questions remain, though, as to whether or not this act will have the dramatic effect the coalition predicts. If you have any comments regarding orphan works, the legislation, or online piracy in general, please contact Stacey Pusey, AEP Content Manager, at spusey@AEPweb.org.

Resources/Links:
Report on Orphan Works: A Report of the Register of Copyrights, January 2006http://www.copyright.gov/orphan/orphan-report.pdf

Orphan Works web pages, Copyright Officehttp://www.copyright.gov/orphan/

Orphan Works Opposition Headquartershttp://owoh.org/

For the legislationhttp://thomas.loc.gov
(Type the phrase "orphan works" into the search box.)

New Parent Book Release: Are You Tired of Nagging?Get Your Kids to Cooperate:How to Raise Well-Behaved Children

ANNOUNCING: The New Are You Tired of Nagging? Get Kids to Cooperate Home Study Program: How To Raise Respectful and Responsible Kids that You Can be Proud Of

If you’ve been frustrated and worried because your child is not chipping in around the house, is a ‘gimme-gimme’ kid, doesn’t take no for an answer and every interaction with you is a power struggle, then here’s how to turn this around…

Funds Available under Title I More Than Doubled from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) released its sixth report on annual allocations to states and school districts under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The report, Title I Funds – Who’s Gaining and Who’s Losing: School Year 2008-09 Update, finds that about $1 billion will be available for the 2008-09 school year to assist schools identified for improvement under No Child Left Behind.

This is more than double the $434 million available during the 2007-08 school year.

The report also finds that funding continues to fluctuate because of annual census estimates of the numbers of low-income children in each school district, with one state estimating an increase in low-income children of more than 30 percent last year and a decrease of 9 percent this year.

Changes in the Title I formula made in 2002, meant to target more funds to the highest-poverty districts, have only provided somewhat more funds to these districts, the report also finds.

To view the entire report, click here.
Source: The Center on Education Policy

Interesting Facts For Teachers - "Worms, Berries, Bears and Birds"

Earthworms have five hearts
The Himalayan gogi berry contains, weight for weight, more iron than steak, more beta carotene than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges.
Fingerprints of koalas are similar (in pattern, shape and size) to the fingerprints of humans
Urban birds have developed a short, fast "rap style" of singing, different from their rural counterparts.

FREE TEACHER JOKE - "Stand Up"

A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses.

She started her class, "Everyone who thinks you're ugly, stand up!"
After a few seconds, Tom stood up.

The teacher said, "Do you think you're ugly, Tom?"
"No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!"

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Have a great weekend! Remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Hopefully you will have nice weather to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! As football season is upon us, route for your favorite team! If you're indoors, please visit our website for school supplies! Our website is a link here, Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Love, Dad" - Grades K-3rd

Comprehension

Children find it thrilling to receive a special note from Dad (or Mom). Write a short letter to your child and put it somewhere where she will find it (on her pillow, taped to the bathroom mirror, in her lunch box, etc.). It can be a very simple note, such as, "Dear Katie, I hope you have a wonderful day today. I'll be thinking about you. Shall we play cards tonight? Love, Dad." Even though new readers may need you to interpret the notes, they will still enjoy them just as much.

Periodic letters add up to meaningful and treasured memories for your child, whether they are received every morning or just when Mom or Dad goes on a business trip.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Reading Activities to do with your Child, Grade K-3rd, Ages 5-9. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Anticipation Games" - 3-12 Months

Listening Skills, Language Skills, Memory Skills

Anticipation Actions: Babies enjoy and quickly learn to anticipate certain actions when you are playing with them. Tell your child what you are about to do, and then do it. "I'm going to kiss your nose!" "I'm going to kiss your foot!" etc. Soon she will eagerly anticipate the kiss. You can also pretend that you are about to sneeze and then bury your face in her tummy and the final "Achoo!"

Anticipation Rhymes: Certain rhymes lend themselves to a playful and much anticipated action. "Pop Goes the Weasel" calls for a gentle bounce on your knee. For "This Little Piggy Went to Market," you can run your fingers up your baby for the last little piggy who says, "Wee, wee, wee all the way home." Try making up your own silly rhymes!

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Baby Activities to do with your Child, Age 0-12 Months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Research Supports the Use of Educational Games

Studies show that the use of educational games effectively increases motivation, participation and retention among students, and can be especially beneficial in differentiated classrooms and among underserved and struggling learners (McAllister & Bothman, 2005).

Games have advantages and effectiveness on learning that is hard to achieve in other ways. In “Creative Games for the Language Class,” Lee Su Kim writes of the many positives of using games in the classroom:

• Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the class.
• They are motivating and challenging.
• Games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning.
• Games provide language practice in the various skills—speaking, writing, listening and reading.
• They encourage students to interact and communicate.
• They create a meaningful context for language use.
• The social value of games is also important. Playing games fosters a community atmosphere and encourages teamwork (Holt, 1996).

When choosing games for the classroom, one should keep the following in mind (Mei & Yu-jing, 2000):

1. A game should be more than fun
2. A game should involve “friendly” competition.
3. A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.
4. A game should encourage students to focus on the content involved.
5. A game should give students a chance to learn, practice or review.
   
   
   McAllister, D.A., Bothman, S.M. (2005). Culminating Experience Action Research Projects, 5. p. 286-295.
   
   Kim, L. S. (1995, March). Creative Games for the Language Class. Forum, 33 (1), 35.
   
   Holt, C.A. (1996). Classroom games: Trading in a pit market. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10 (1), 193-203.
   
   Mei, Y.Y., & Yu-jing, J. (2000, Fall). Using games in an EFL class for children. Daejin Univeristy ELT Research Paper.
   
   Huyen, N.T., and Nga, K.T.T. (2003, December). Learning Vocabulary Through Games. Asian EFL Journal, p. 38.
   
   Wright, A., Betteridege, D., & Buckby, M. (1984). Games for Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.
   
   de Freitas, S. (2006, December). Using Games and Simulations for Supporting Learning. Learning, Media & Technology, 31 (4), p. 343-358.
   
   White, J. (2007, April). Banishing Boredom in the Middle School Math Class. National Middle School Association, Middle Ground, 10 (4), p. 38-39.

Find a large selection of educational games and school supplies at SchooDoodle.com

One-in-Five and Growing Fast: A Profile of Hispanic Public School Students

The number of Hispanic students in the nation's public schools nearly doubled from 1990 to 2006, accounting for 60% of the total growth in public school enrollments over that period.

There are now approximately 10 million Hispanic students in the nation's public kindergartens and its elementary and high schools; they make up about one-in-five public school students in the United States. In 1990, just one-in-eight public school students were Hispanic.

Strong growth in Hispanic enrollment is expected to continue for decades, according to a recently released U.S. Census Bureau population projection.

The bureau projects that the Hispanic school-age population will increase by 166% by 2050 (to 28 million from 11 million in 2006), while the non-Hispanic school-age population will grow by just 4% (to 45 million from 43 million) over this same period.

In 2050, there will be more school-age Hispanic children than school-age non-Hispanic white children.

To view the entire report, click here.

U.S. States Hire Foreign Teachers to Ease Shortages

The school system in coastal Baldwin County — 60 miles by 25 miles (97 kilometers by 40 kilometers) of Alabama farmland framed on two sides by waterfront towns — was short on teachers, especially in courses such as math and science.

So short, in fact, that district officials went around the world last year, with expenses paid by a teacher recruiting firm, and brought back Michel Olalo of Manila and 11 other Filipinos to teach along the shores of the Gulf Coast and Mobile Bay and in the communities in between.

That raised some eyebrows in Baldwin County, where nine out of 10 people are white, just one in 50 is foreign-born and, as the county's teacher recruiter Tom Sisk noted recently, "Many of our children will never travel outside the United States."

Yet school administrators throughout the U.S. are plucking from an abundance of skilled international teachers, a burgeoning import that critics call shortsighted but educators here and abroad say meets the needs of students and qualified candidates.

To view the complete article, click here.
(Education Week/AP 09.15.08)

Fourteen States Plan to Link End-of Course Exams to High School Graduation by 2015

In its seventh annual report on high school exit exams, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) finds that exit exams continue to have a significant impact on American education.

By 2012, 74 percent of the nation’s public school students in 26 states will be required to pass an exit exam to graduate, according to the report.

In a shift from recent testing policy, however, more of these students will be required to take end-of-course exams as states move away from comprehensive and minimum competency tests, the report adds.

The report, State High School Exit Exams: A Move Toward End-of-Course Exams, found that only one state (Washington) has added a state-mandated exit exam since 2007 and three more states (Arkansas, Maryland, and Oklahoma) will do so by 2012.

The impact of exit exams is most striking for students of color. Today, 75 percent of students of color attend public schools in states that require exit exams to graduate; that percentage will rise to 84 percent by 2012.

The report also documents a growing trend by states to move toward end-of-course exams, which usually are standards-based and assess mastery of specific course content. In 2002, only two states used end-of-course exams.

That number rose to four states in 2007-08. By 2015, 11 states will rely on end-of-course exams and three more will implement dual testing systems that include end-of-course exams.

By contrast, minimum-competency tests, which generally focus on basic skills below the high school level, are becoming less common and will be phased out in all 26 states with exit exams by 2015.

The 14 states that will use end-of-course exams by 2015 are: Arkansas, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

In surveys and interviews conducted for the report, state education officials reported many reasons for adopting end-of-course exams. Almost all states that have adopted or are moving toward end-of-course exams reported that they are doing so to improve overall accountability, increase academic rigor, and to achieve alignment between state standards and curriculum.

All of the 23 states that currently have state-mandated exit exams offer alternative measures for students with disabilities, but only three offer such measures specifically for English language learners.

When asked for the percentages of students completing high school using alternative measures, only about half of the states reported they track and collect this data, making it difficult to know how many students are actually affected by alternative measures.

Source: Center on Education Policy

Philly School Rekindles Same-Sex Education Debate

Calling all ninth-grade boys! Raise your hand if this school sounds like fun: wearing jackets and ties every day, staying until 5 p.m., learning Latin and — to top it all off — no girls. Who's in?

Turns out, about 270 boys. And 100 more are on a waiting list. Boys' Latin of Philadelphia, one of the city's newer charter schools, began its second year on Wednesday, aiming to be an educational beacon in the financially and academically troubled district.

Because it's a single-sex public school — one of four in the city — Boys' Latin faced huge opposition and almost didn't exist. Critics contend it's unfair for taxpayers to fund a prep school curriculum for boys only.

New rules implemented by the U.S. Education Department in 2006 allow same-sex education whenever schools think it will expand the diversity of courses, improve students' achievement or meet their individual needs.

To view the complete article, click here.
(USA Today/AP 09.07.08)

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "Enthusiasm"

I studied the lives of great men and famous women,

and I found that the men and women who got to the top

were those who did the jobs they had in hand,

with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm.

Quote by: Henry Truman

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Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Whatever you do, do it with as much energy and enthusiasm as you can muster. If you are on-line and need supplies for your classroom, please remember to visit our on-line catalog, SchooDoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Five Clues" - Ages 7+

Bonus question: Why are detectives sometimes called "gumshoes?"

Write down clues (one at a time) about the identity of a famous person, place, or object. Encourage your child to guess the secret identity within five clues.

Start out with a very broad clue, making each follow-up clue more detailed (if necessary).

Examples:

1. I am a well known place.

2. I am on the East Coast of the United States.

3. I am part of the United States, but I am not a state.

4. You can visit the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial here.

5. The President of the United States lives here.

Your child can guess the answer at any point: "Washington, DC!"

Now let your child provide clues to his own mystery person, place, or thing.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Thinking Activities to do with your Child, Ages 7 and Up. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Parent Involvement Activity - "Color Can" - Age 2

Color Recognition, Sorting, Motor Skills

Gather three empty cans and cover the lip of each with masking tape to protect against sharp edges. Cover the outside of each can with a different color of construction paer, such as yellow, red, and blue.

Now let your child sort his small toys such as colorful plastic building blocks into the three cans - blue blocks into the blue can, red blocks into the red can, etc. Or, create your own sorting items by cutting assorted shapes from red, yellow, and blue construction paper.

CAUTION! Monitor your child closely during this activity. Small items can pose a choking hazard.

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Source: Bright and Beyond, Smart & Simple Age 2 Activities to do with your Child, 24-36 months. Available at Schoodoodle.com.

Free Teacher Motivational Quote - "Big Step"

Don't be afraid to take a big step

if one is indicated.

You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.

Quote by: Lloyd George