How some school leaders curb teacher absences
School leaders use strategies such as incentives, policy tweaks and improvements in workplace culture to help reduce teacher absences. Principal Brian Lile says regular attendance helps model "appropriate behaviors for our students."
Full Story: District Administration magazine online
How do brain breaks benefit learning?
Recent research supports the use of breaks during the school day to help students prepare for learning. Benefits, researchers say, include improvements in focus, mood and motivation. Full Story: Edutopia online
Report questions college-admissions testing trend
Some states have replaced state standardized tests with college-admissions tests such as the SAT or ACT. A recent report questions this practice, noting it may not be an accurate measure of student mastery of state academic standards.
Full Story: Education Week (tiered subscription model)
Teacher uses music to boost math learning
Music can help students remember math concepts, according to research. Middle-school math teacher Jami Jorgensen puts research into practice in her classroom, where she says music has helped boost students' test scores, engagement and classroom climate.
Full Story: EdSource
"3D Community" model helps serve at-risk students
School leaders in a Michigan district have adopted a "3D Community" model to help close the achievement gap for at-risk students. In this commentary, administrators Rose Aldubaily and Glenn Maleyko describe the model and how it has helped improve student outcomes.
Full Story: District Administration magazine online
Teresa Donnellan is an editorial assistant at SmartBrief.
____________________________________
This "most read" feature reflects the most read items in ASCD SmartBrief from the previous week. Sign up for ASCD SmartBrief to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief’s education newsletters, covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.
