Today’s Headlines:
- Public School Teachers Are Not Underpaid, and There’s Probably Too Many of Them
- Staples Helps Collect School Supplies for Neediest Kids
- Survey: D.C. students say school is ‘too easy’
- Teachers must take the lead in collaborative leadership
Public School Teachers Are Not Underpaid, and There’s Probably Too Many of Them
“Teachers are underpaid.” I hear this comment frequently from people in various circles when discussing education reform. “It’s the most important job a person can have and we need to pay them accordingly,” is another statement I hear frequently. We hear it in Washington, DC and from special interest groups as well as Teresa Shumay points out at The Foundry
Staples Helps Collect School Supplies for Neediest Kids
Neediest Kids helps students in Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Loudoun County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Frederick County, Washington, D.C.’s public and charter schools, as well as the Archdiocese.
Survey: D.C. students say school is ‘too easy’
D.C. schools: Easy as Sunday morning? Sure, if you believe the system’s students: 39 percent of D.C. fourth-graders and 34 percent of eighth-graders said their math lessons were often or always “too easy” on a survey by the Center for American Progress. In fact, District eighth-grade students were more likely to say their math work was mindnumbing than their counterparts in Maryland or Virginia, of whom 31 and 32 percent said the same, respectively.
Teachers must take the lead in collaborative leadership
Teachers seeking to foster collaborative leadership with their administrators always should bring solutions, instead of simply complaining about problems, Nancy Flanagan writes in this blog post. Acknowledging accomplishments and supporting administrators, even when they make unpopular decisions, also can help teachers showcase their leadership skills. “If school leaders and teachers can’t get past hierarchies, roles and adversarial thinking to work together, they won’t be able to re-shape our national approach to public education,” Flanagan writes.
