Ajarn Donald's Blog

Presented By: BestCollegesOnline.com Chicago  public-school teachers have  suspended  their seven-day strike and look set to approve the compromise reached by their union and the city. So, who won? The best way to approach the question is to look at the main points of contention, one by one. -- Money. The agreement calls for raises totaling 7 percent over three years, with an option for another 3 percent in year four. This is vastly short of the 30 percent over four years the Chicago Teachers Union had initially asked for, and even less than the 16 percent over that period Mayor Rahm Emanuel  says he had previous offered. While this may look like a victory for the city, Chicago teachers will still make more than most peers in other big cities, and the prospect of a potential $300 million in extra spending over four years during hard economic times isn't anything for Emanuel to celebrate. Plus, employees will continue to receive seniority-based bonuses (as o...

Image via CrunchBase March 12, 2012 | By Bill Gates   Bill discusses great teachers he’s had and why ones like them are the key to ensuring an excellent education for every child.   I had a lot of good teachers when I was growing up. Through the sixth grade , I attended public school, where a lot of the teachers would find me additional books to read on subjects that interested me. They encouraged me to spend time in the library. My handwriting wasn’t good, it was a little bit sloppy, but my elementary teachers encouraged me to improve. (It's still not anything a penmanship teacher would be too proud of.) When I went on to Lakeside School , the teachers encouraged me in math and physics especially. They also allowed me to go and work in the room that had the computer, which some of them found a little daunting. This combination of good luck and good timing would change my life forever. Today, a lot of research has shown that teacher effectiveness is one of the most import...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife By  LAURA MCMULLEN President Barack Obama announced last week that 10 states will be exempt from the requirements of the  highly-criticized No Child Left Behind legislation . In exchange, those states will have to agree to a series of reforms. But some experts say the law should be scrapped completely for models that don't rely on standardized tests . "It behooves us to take a careful look at the policies at the heart of NCLB , because they have not worked, [and] if they are not working, we need to change them," said Monty Neill, chair of the  Forum on Educational Accountability  (FEA), at the FEA House Briefing on Assessment last Thursday. Related articles Four Years After 'No Child Left Behind,' Rick Santorum Called It 'Historic' And 'Important' (abcnews.go.com) 10 States Freed From 'No Child Left Behind' Requirements (brandtstandard.com) Editorial: NCLB waiver not a reprieve but a call to ...

Image via Wikipedia I love walking into a classroom that looks just a bit different than the way we see them depicted on TV or in the movies—straight rows just make better camera shots—I guess. I understand the face front approach, although I only used it out of necessity for mandatory standardized-test seating. Today’s technology educators are looking at classrooms in a different way. I was actually privy to a  Dell BETT Think Tank  discussion recently where educators tossed out the idea that classrooms should be more like airport lounges. A friend invited me into an airport lounge once, but I was more interested in the food and drinks, although I still remember kicking back, comfortably checking e-mail, and keying a few notes. I do get what these educators meant by more like an airport lounge. Think about your own work. Where do you feel most comfortable, and get the most done? I may start out working at a different spot, but quickly discover that I’m just more product...