Unintended Con$equence$

Twin Falls (ID) School District Superintendent Wiley Dobbs reacting to the idea of adopting a merit pay system for his teachers.

"You might discourage teachers from working with other teachers if they're competing for dollars. If I'm in competition with a teacher across the hall, I‘m not as likely to share strategies. That wouldn't be a good model." --

Hmm...

Lawmakers Stealing from Kids

Teachers sue state lawmakers for sweeping funds earmarked for education.

ASU to Revamp Teacher Ed

It's a press release, which should not be confused with objective journalism. Here is a taste:

Through this partnership, ASU will adapt TFA's most successful tools in order to attract, prepare, support and retain more highly-effective teachers.

I assume TFA will focus on the 31% of their program which stays in education .

Teacher Facebooked By Student

A seventh-grader at a suburban Syracuse middle school has been suspended for setting up a Facebook page that officials say hosted a barrage of libelous, obscene and inappropriate postings about a teacher.

One parent disagrees with the district punishing his daughter for joining the "group".

For him to think he has the authority to step in and discipline my child over something that has nothing to do with school is overstepping his bounds.

Video

Dumbing Down Teaching

ASU's Statepress debunk's Governor Brewer's State of the State remarks regarding Bill Gates not being "qualified" to teach in an Arizona classroom.

Lisa Flesher, an undergraduate adviser for the College of Teacher Education and Leadership, said someone like Gates would not have taken the classes on teacher instruction required by the Arizona Department of Education.

The teacher education school works alongside the Arizona Department of Education to ensure its students complete the certification process and develop the skills necessary to teach elementary, secondary and special education, Flesher said.

“You can take some of the most intelligent people and throw them in a classroom, and they would struggle,” she said.

It's really not as easy as a good teacher makes it look.

Arizona Teacher Named Best

The National Rural Education Association named Amy McBroom their small school educator of the year. She teachers art in Grand Canyon Unified.

A very interesting article. GCU is the only high school located in a national park. The students are the children of the rangers and other employees who work in and around the park.

Teacher Rights?

Do school employees have Constitutional rights like free speech?

Not if you work at a charter school.

Online Courses

Tom Horne has decided that all schools (traditional and charter) can now offer any and all online courses they choose.

The Arizona Daily Star calls for caution:

Online courses do have a place in the panoply of educational options. They can be highly useful and effective — or they can be a waste of time. Newfangled should not be seen as synonymous with quality.

[you may need to fill out the free registration to access the Star]