Welcome to Our
"Of Particular Interest" Archives!

THE TROUBLE WITH RUBRICS
Rubrics have become pervasive classroom assessment tools in the past decade. But is the routine use of these minimum-performance descriptors really good educational practice? Are we, in the words of one critic, "rubricizing the creativity and initiative right out of our kids"? Two articles in the Spring 2009 issue of Educational Horizons consider this question. In the first, Berry College professors Valerie Chapman and Duane Inman say that while rubrics CAN be written in ways that encourage creativity and initiative, they seldom are. In a review of exemplar rubrics used in 30 teacher ed courses, "almost every rubric, along with samples of student work, pointed to a bland sameness." In a commentary inspired by the Chapman-Inman article, educator Wade A. Carpenter points to increased regimentation of instruction as a chief culprit.

TEACHING SECRETS: THE FINAL WEEKS OF SCHOOL
In our last newsletter, we mentioned a blog post by teacher and resource maven Larry Ferlazzo, offering his suggestions for making the very last day at school meaningful. This week's resource comes from California teacher Elena Aguilar, who has lots of ideas for avoiding burnout and the post-testing blues during the last WEEKS of school. BTW: Ferlazzo expanded his last-day ideas for a Teacher Magazine article you can read here. (PS: If you've finished up the 08-09 school year, relax! Save these ideas for NEXT year.)

ADVICE FOR NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
The first few weeks in the life of a beginning middle level principal can be pretty challenging. The best piece of survival advice Jan Walker received as a newbie was to develop an "entry plan" and follow it during those critical weeks before the school year begins. The plan provides structure and direction "while alleviating some of that initial sense of uncertainty working in a new district." One of her suggestions: Invite faculty in for "semi-structured" conversations during the summer. She also recommends (sigh) a thorough document review.

THE DIGITAL GENERATION PROJECT
If you find yourself pleading with reluctant teachers as you attempt to champion technology-infused teaching, perhaps the compelling videos offered at Edutopia's new Digital Generation Project website will help you win the day. The resource-rich site includes profiles of 10 students aged 9-18, revealing how their fascination with digital tools has accelerated their learning. Their stories also offer evidence of the importance of inquiry-based teaching -- and of letting students teach one another (and us). The website also features innovative Georgia teacher Vicki Davis in a five-minute video, during which she highlights  techniques from her own classroom "using every kind of technology."

GOAL-SETTING MAY IMPROVE MS ACHIEVEMENT
In a message aimed at parents (but important to educators), Harvard researchers report that homework help is less important to a middle-school student's future than goal-setting. After analyzing 50 studies involved 50,000 students, the researchers conclude that adolescence is "an especially effective time" to tap into students' emerging skills around planning and decision-making, perhaps overcoming students' decreasing interest in school. This Science Daily story was the #1 most-clicked in the ASCD SmartBrief newsletter last week. ASCD also has a blog post about it, recommending a book that can help.

QUICK RESOURCE: 10 WAYS TO GET PAST POWERPOINT
Wearing out your new digital projector (and your student engagement) with all those Powerpoint slides? Technology & Learning magazine came up with this "sampling of some creative ways to use your projector in any curriculum." No-cost software suggestions are included.

WRITTEN-LANGUAGE DISORDER
A learning disability less recognized than ADD and dyslexia may strike a significant number of children, according to a recent research report in Pediatrics magazine. It's described as "written-language disorder" or the inability to write properly. In a cohort of school-aged children studied by researchers, it was "at least as frequent as reading disabilities and significantly more frequent among boys than girls." No word on whether the National Writing Project may be part of the cure (smile). This link leds to a summary of the study. Also see this news story at the Forbes website.

AMSER - GENERAL MATH & SCIENCE RESOURCE
We often share resources snatched from the venerable e-newsletter Internet Scout Report. We've recently discovered the Scout's sister website, AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository, and we suspect this NSF-sponsored project could be useful to many science and math teachers. It's aimed at community and technical college faculty and students, but available to everyone. Take a couple of hours this summer to explore it for yourself!

NEW TOOL HELPS STUDENTS WITH ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
Education Week is reporting (5/13/09) on a new program that can help middle grades students who struggle to understand textbook lessons containing difficult language. Created by the Strategic Education Research Partnership and available at no cost, "Word Generation" consists of short, engaging vocabulary-boosting lessons that are taught each day by different teachers across the middle school curriculum. "A rigorous evaluation of the program has yet to be done," says Ed Week, "but preliminary studies point to promising results." It's said to be especially effective with ELL students. This link leads to the SERP website. Once there, read the EW story by clicking in right margin.

KEEP STUDENTS FOCUSED AT YEAR'S END
Here's a timely item from CA teacher Larry Ferlazzo -- his ideas about what to do when the testing's done, Spring has sprung, and your students are gazing out the windows or eyeing the door. And Larry doesn't forget about the teacher's wanderlust either in his blog post "What Do You Do To Keep Students (& You!) Focused Near The End Of The School Year?" His ideas "aren't particularly original or earth-shattering," he admits -- and the Big Field Trip may not be possible in this tight budget year -- but you'll find some good ideas from Larry and commenters. Add your favorite!

TALK LIVE WITH NOVA'S SCIENCE/NOW HOST
We got a note from PBS publicist Karen Laverty about an upcoming webcast just for MS and HS science teachers. It's a chance to interact with Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and host of PBS's NOVA scienceNOW. "We would like to get as many science teachers as we can to be a part of this," she says. The live event -- scheduled for 6-7 PM Eastern on Wednesday, May 27 -- will give you a sneak peek at the coming season, info about free media resources for your classroom, and sample hands-on activities. Follow the link above for all the details.

AH, HOMEWORK
When a young middle school teacher asked her Teacher Leaders Network colleagues: "What's your feeling about students who won't or don't do work outside of school?" she triggered quite a conversation. It's still going on at the Teacher Magazine website, where you can add your own views about homework to the chat (requires free registration - worth doing because we frequently cite TM resources here). Also read about a new report by the Canadian Council on Learning which examined 18 studies and concluded that homework is of little benefit in elementary, but can be useful for older students if it's not simply rote learning. http://sn.im/ccl-homework-study

WHY SHOULD MIDDLE SCHOOLERS BLOG?
Popular edublogger Wesley Fryer shares his well-supported answer to this question at The Speed of Creativity. He includes "the importance of helping students take proactive control over their /digital footprints' and "the importance of teaching digital citizenship at school." Be sure to read the thoughtful comments that follow Fryer's brief but on-target explication.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH GAPS
A recent study of middle schoolers' conceptual grasp of algebraic equations revealed two main gaps. They lacked a "robust understanding" of the operation of multiplication, and they demonstrated difficulty combining multiple mathematical relationships into coherent stories. The study by the Wisconsin Center for Education Research involved 257 sixth- and seventh-grade students, who were asked to solve one set of algebraic equations and to generate story problems corresponding with another set of equations. Read the abstract and download the working paper at the link above.

TAKE A MEASURE OF FACULTY SELF-EFFICACY
The May 2009 issue of NSDC's newsletter "The Learning Principal" includes a survey tool that school leaders can use to gain more insight into faculty-wide feelings of efficacy in three areas: student engagement, classroom management and instructional strategies. A companion article describes why and how some principals are concentrating on this important leadership issue. Thanks to MetLife Foundation, the newsletter is publicly available.

SCHOOL TUBE: BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER
Back in April 2008 we expressed admiration for a new venture called SchoolTube -- a place where schools share student-created multimedia projects and other products. In the past year the site has really grown and strengthened, so we thought it was time to mention it again. We've subscribed to the Video of the Day email, which keeps SchoolTube on our busy minds. One of our favorite videos this week is a very brief HS student documentary on the "lunch ladies" (linked above). This is a great, safe place to show off the work of middle schoolers engaged in their own learning.

NEW RESEARCH ON SELF-ESTEEM
A new study suggests that confidence-building writing exercises could improve the performance of struggling middle schoolers. Researcher Geoffrey L. Cohen reported that the improvements in 7th graders' achievement, which came after writing about personal values, persisted through eighth grade. The study, reported in Science magazine and the New York Times recently, has not been without controversy. Critics of the "softer" side of teaching once again have the opportunity to get snarky about self-esteem, says Nancy Flanagan, a long-time middle grades music teacher who blogs at Teacher in a Strange Land.

NO-COST MATH AND SCIENCE PD WEBINARS
The National Middle School Association is teaming up with the NSF-funded Middle School Portal to offer online learning programs that will be appreciated in economically challenging times. The no-cost webinars are live events but can also be viewed as archived recordings from school or home. All you need is a computer with Internet access and sound. We've mentioned the excellent MSP resources here many times -- these online sessions represent the Portal's new foray into collaborative learning activities. Each webinar will have a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) theme and be presented by experts in their fields. Visit the link above for info on upcoming live events and a list of archived presentations, including "Getting to the Good Stuff: Online Resources for Middle School Math and Science."

HELPING STUDENTS FIND THEIR "INNER READER"
In this archive of an Education Week "Live Chat," middle grades teacher Donalyn Miller talks about her new book "The Book Whisperer" and offers her suggestions for overcoming the difficult challenge of keeping students interested in independent reading after elementary school. You can also join a discussion at Teacher Magazine where teachers are exploring related topics.

SPEAKING OF HISTORY
A twitter-crazed teacher recently asked her vast network of similarly obsessed colleagues to name their favorite history teacher-blogger. Most said: Eric Langhorst at Speaking of History. Langhorst is known in edu-web circles for his use of classroom podcasting but -- as a visit to his blog reveals -- he has plenty of other digital and non-digital ideas to share. A recent post tells How to Use Twitter as a Teacher and Educator. Another points to clips of author James Swanson talking about the Lincoln Assassination. Eric and his students have also created simple "Common Craft" styled videos explaining history terms. He loves to use  Google Maps in history lessons, and recently he staged a history class debate, using the Donner Party as the subject matter. Eric, who was Missouri's 2008 teacher of the year, was also a recent guest host at the PBS blog "Media Infusion," discussing the American Experience series "We Shall Remain." A history guy well worth aggregating!

SAFE YOU-TUBE VIDEOS
The Awesome Stories site for students and teachers has gone to the trouble of loading 650 YouTube videos (and counting) on their server, so your students won't be exposed to anything inappropriate at the YouTube site. This link leads to the expanding list of  education-oriented material in these current categories ("channels"): Disaster, Famous Trials, Flicks, History, Inspiration, Religion and Sports. If IT blocks YouTube (as many do), ask them to OK Awesome Stories (as many do).

TOO MUCH SOLO TEACHING & LEARNING
 "Many teachers avoid cooperative group work -- perhaps because they worry about off-task behavior, aren't sure about how to grade individual students who work together, or are reluctant to change from their familiar methodologies," writes educator Hal Portner in this recent Teachers.Net Gazette article. Researchers tell us that middle school students "spend far too much classroom time either listening to the teacher or working alone, when what works best for most students is talking together." Collaboration around problem-solving will be an important work and life skill in the decades to come, Portner notes. It's time for teachers to build new skills of their own as as facilitators, coaches and resource experts.

MIDDLE SCHOOL & GRADE CONFIGURATION
Here's a perennial debate unlikely to ever be resolved: What's the best grade setup for students in the early adolescent years? K-8, 6-8, 7-8, or some other variation? We mentioned this resource as a "side link" in a post about the K-8 controversy, but it deserves a headline of its own. It's a 2008 policy statement on Grade Configuration by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform that includes a summary of all the major research to date. The Forums' conclusion? "(W)hat is most important for the education of young adolescent learners is what takes place inside each middle-grades school, not grade configuration per se."

DIGITAL LIBRARIES ARE TEACHING TREASURES
In every subject, says writer Jennifer Hillner, "virtual libraries can be a teacher's greatest aid. They're convenient and current, they open the door to more resources than are locally available, and they appeal to tech-savvy kids. "Students today are very comfortable with navigating online information," she notes. "And the technology keeps them interested, with graphics and interactive capabilities." Hillner has some out-of-the-ordinary suggestions. And check the comments below the article for ideas from others. Leave one of your own!

ORGANIZING HIGH-NEEDS SCHOOLS FOR SUCCESS
A new report by the group Research for Action examines organizational practices of 17 higher performing Philadelphia middle and high schools that serve substantial numbers of low-income students (many of whom have additional "risk factors"). The report won't keep you up late at night, but the effective practices identified in the report are important to school and teacher leaders who have yet to solve the puzzle of high performance in high needs schools. The report highlights both broad strategies and specific practices and considers the obstacles schools confront when trying to implement these strategies. Two case studies show how the practices can work coherently in schools.

GENERAL RESOURCE: THE AMAZING LARRY FERLAZZO
How to describe Larry Ferlazzo? He's a resource nut. We've mentioned Ferlazzo's massive collection of ELL/ESL resources in the past but wanted to highlight new features at his blogging and website enterprise. Larry's a CA secondary teacher but takes a K-12 approach to his daily posts on the latest web-based teaching ideas he's come across. Many of the resources he identifies have 'all-student' applications. Larry's an English/LA teacher, but he's a cross-curricular kind of guy, offering ESL and non-ESL resources of interest to teachers in many different content areas (including Bests of the Month and Year). You can also click on tagged categories like "My Favorite Posts" and "My 'Best of' Series." So visit. Explore. Subscribe to his blog feed!

STILL READY TO ROCK AND ROLL
In a recent post at her Teacher Magazine blog A Place at the Table, middle school teacher Susan Graham highlights a new report urging America not to waste the advanced skills and knowledge of veteran teachers. Her post is appropriately titled "Not Ready for the Rocking Chair" and it perfectly captures the feelings of so many 50- and 60-something teachers whose spirit is strong even if their stamina is faltering a bit. Our favorite quote: "My own children are grown, my personal life is in order, my professional network is strong, my knowledge is current, and my skills are refined by practice. I'm not ready to quit. I'm ready to do more." More includes hybrid roles that could involve mentoring, coaching and helping advise on policy matters.

ART EDUCATION: SMART HISTORY
Smarthistory.org is built around a multi-media webbook designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional art history textbook. It's a great resource for art teachers and others who pull art history into their lessons. At present, 220 representative artworks and 160 instructive videos are available for viewing. The resources are sorted by time, style, artist and themes. Sponsored by the Kress Foundation, the site is a finalist for the 2009 Webby Award in education.

MOVING BEYOND THE 21ST CENTURY SKILLS FUSS
"The mere mention of 21st-century skills always seems to elicit lively debate among people who are either for the concept or against it," writes educator Bob Lenz at Edutopia's Spiral Notebook blog. "The conversation about it is a good one to have, but we should move beyond this particular debate and toward an inclusive discussion that helps students win on all sides." The argument that there's "nothing new" about the skill sets and teaching strategies being promoted by groups like the Partnership for 21st Century Skills seems increasingly pedantic to us. After spending time in hundreds of classrooms across the US, we can report that "21st century" teaching strategies, at least, are far from ubiquitous. Lenz challenges all educators to act on the knowledge that the greatest motivator for today's students "is the opportunity for them to creatively express their understanding through interpretive work for a real audience outside the classroom."

STUDENTS LEARNING TO HATE SCIENCE?
So says Bruce Alberts, editor of the journal Science and former president of the National Academies of Science, who is calling for a "revolution" in science education, away from recitation of facts and towards inquiry-based learning and assessments. Some policymakers in Texas are beginning to pay attention, according to this Houston Chronicle story. Savvy science teachers, of course, have been saying this for years. It brings to mind another article by middle grades science coach Anthony Cody, previously featured here. It's called "Students in the Driver's Seat."

TEACHING WITH INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS
If you don't yet have an interactive whiteboard in your classroom, the impending shower of Stimulus dollars may soon change that. So how can teachers maximize the learning potential of a new SmartBoard, ActivBoard or other brand -- and not just use it as a glorified (and power-consuming) version of the wipeboard? Thanks to Heather, a CA middle school teacher, we recently learned about the Interactive Whiteboard Revolution, a NING-based educator community that's emerged around a discussion of the book of the same title. But it's not primarily a book promotion -- lots of teachers are involved in a genuine exploration of the rise of the IWB. Check it all out and see if it's helpful to you. And read Heather's post about Robert Marzano's research on interactive whiteboards.

REMOVING THE TARNISH FROM TEACHER PD
Hayes Mizell is the godfather of MiddleWeb. His support during his days as a foundation officer nearly 15 years ago made our first Web efforts possible. Hayes will soon be retiring from his post as the Distinguished Senior Fellow at the National Staff Development Council, where he continues to produce on-target commentaries about what it will take to making lasting positive changes in schools. In a new article for the Journal of Staff Development, he considers how teacher professional development has become a "tarnished brand" in the public eye and among many educators as well. A more vocal advocacy on several fronts can restore professional learning's image, Mizell says, and assure sufficient funding and support for the very best PD.

THE RIGHT WAY TO ASK CLASSROOM QUESTIONS
In a recent article at Edutopia, education consultant Ben Johnson wondered: "What does a teacher asking questions to a class expect the class to learn from the questioning process?" In less than week, Johnson's frank discussion has drawn more than 50 comments, mostly from classroom teachers. A great think piece exploring Johnson's contention that teachers ask far too many "useless" questions of students.

USING TWITTER FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Are you starting to notice the Twitter craze? "Twitter has become THE most important digital tool in my learning," sixth grade teacher and Web 2.0 advocate Bill Ferriter told us recently. "The messages there are short, so I can scan them quickly rather than get lost in hours of reading." The key, he says, is to "follow" other Twitterers who share your professional interests, like to suggest resources, and jump in with ideas when you pose a teaching question to your Twitter network. "Building a network -- like building a reputation anywhere -- takes time," Bill says. One good place to start is Twitter for Teachers (link above). OTHER TWITTER RESOURCES: 9 Reasons Why Teachers Should Tweet; Collaborate Using Twitter; 21 Classroom Uses of Twitter.

CLASSROOM MATH ASSESSMENT
The creative folks at the Ohio State-based Middle School Portal have received funding to expand their offerings for middle school math and science teachers, adding new content, pertinent blogs, and participatory communities to the mix. An early outcome of the new MSP approach is this resource on middle grades Math Assessment, created in the wiki of the National Science Digital Library. Assessment, the introduction notes, has become the "big stick" in public schools. Here you'll find background info, opportunities for teacher-to-teacher discussion, and instructional modules linked to resources for building effective classroom assessments.

HAS THE WEB DOOMED MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARIANS?
Not if they're thinking like the librarians described in this February 2009 story from the New York Times. The key to survival today is to become a "Digital" or "21st Century" librarian who can fend off budget-cutting central office bureaucrats by displaying their skills as "multi-faceted information specialists who guide students through the flood of digital information that confronts them on a daily basis." If you're a school librarian or an educator who believes librarians still play a critical role in school quality, be sure to read this piece.

STUDENT GUIDANCE:  FIND A LIFE THEME
"In middle school, you'll spend countless hours reading stories and analyzing their themes. But what may surprise you is that your own life is a story waiting to be written and analyzed." So begins a student advice column by middle grades teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron, published in Imagine, a magazine for gifted secondary students. Gawron describes how she discovered her own life "theme" in her middle school years. "Recognizing your theme -- finding that motto that describes your way of thinking -- is an important process in growing as a student and as a lifelong learner." Learn more about Imagine magazine here.

MEDIA LITERACY AND SOCIAL STUDIES
Who in your school has responsibility for helping students become "media literate"? The National Council for the Social Studies agrees with web-based learning expert Howard Rheingold that "In the twenty-first century, participatory media education and civic education are inextricable." This new NCSS position statement on Media Literacy is not the stale commentary so often associated with official pronouncements. It lays out the rationale for media literacy instruction and defines terms -- but it also addresses the critical question of "what is required to teach media literacy," offers examples of classroom activities, and recommends 10 websites where you can find further lessons and resources.

SCIENCE NEWS FOR TWEENS
Many middle school science teachers expect their students to keep up with science news and trends. If you're looking for a news source aimed at early adolescents, check out TweenTribune, which uses a blog tool to share fresh science news each week. This link leads directly to the science-tagged stories on the site. TweenTribune also provides national and world news, entertainment, and a growing list of book reviews written for tweens.

MIDDLE LEADERS: LEARNING FROM THE PAST
NASSP has proclaimed March as Middle Level Education Month and declared this year's theme to be "Celebrating Our Past, Looking to the Future." The celebration is less about festivities than "significant lessons learned." And who better to deliver such lessons than these Voices of Wisdom from the middle grades reform movement of the past four decades: Gayle Davis Andrews (Turning Points 2000), Don and Sally Clark, Nancy Doda, Paul George, John Lounsbury, Ken McEwin, Hayes Mizell and Sue Swaim. Listen as they podcast their responses to the question: "What do you see as significant lessons from the past that today's middle level leaders must not forget as we move into the future?" ALSO, if you find yourself preoccupied with the present gritty reality, check out NASSP's current Middle Level Leader newsletter. The theme: PREPARING FOR THE TEST.

TEACH WITH PICTURE BOOKS
Teacher Keith Schoch contends that middle schoolers are not too old for picture books. In fact, he says, you can TEACH important skills and encourage creative and imaginative thinking with both fiction and non-fiction illustrated books. This link leads directly to Keith's 13-point "rationale" so you can decide for yourself. If you continue to be intrigued, explore Keith's resource-oriented blog for picture book summaries, guiding questions, and cross-curricular extensions, "with the upper primary and middle school teacher in mind." For ease of searching, he's tagged books using both universal themes and 21st Century skills.

TEST PREP MAGIC
Ten-year teaching veteran Heather Wolpert-Gawron is no great fan of standardized testing, but the middle grades ELA teacher figures: if you gotta do it, don't be a bubblehead -- do the prep! In this article at the Teacher Magazine website, the former California regional teacher of the year shares several ways in which teachers can help students develop self-defense skills that will protect them (and you) in the testing wars. 

THE GLOBAL LIBRARY
The vast Internet Archive, a global library that provides "universal access to human knowledge," continues to grow at a rapid pace. It includes not only text, but moving images, audio and live music. The Archive currently houses nearly 1.25 million texts (85 billion pages), nearly 160,000 movies, close to 60,000 concerts, and more than 300,000 recordings. It's all copyright-free and open to the general public. The link above leads to the Archive itself where you can, for example, sample nearly 500 youth media products http://sn.im/ia-youthmedia. If you're intrigued by the "mass mind" of the Internet, here's a recent news story telling how the Recaptcha anti-spamming software doubles as a human translator for the library.

LOW-COST DROPOUT PREVENTION
In these difficult economic times, what school system can afford to bypass a proven, low-cost method of lowering the dropout rate? In this article for the Dallas Morning News, middle grades teacher Bill Betzen describes the evolution of the School Archive Project, an initiative that -- unlike daytimes curfews, truancy fines and other coercive stay-in-school approaches -- seeks "to focus students on their own futures in as concrete and physical a way as possible." All for pennies a day.

10 STEPS TO BETTER STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
The ideas offered in this Edutopia magazine article by teacher-coach Tristan de Frondeville could provide some savory food for thought at your next professional brainstorming session (or conversation with yourself in the mirror). Underlying these seemingly simple suggestions are profound statements about what makes for effective teaching. Take suggestion #6, "Create a culture of explanation instead of a culture of the right answer." You'll know you've created "a rich learning event," de Frondeville says, "when all students are engaged in arguing about the best approach to the assignment." If school is just too crazy to think these big thoughts right now, print them out and save them for summer. Sooner or later, we have to admit: It all begins with engagement.

RAPTORING IN THE CONTENT AREA
We've written before about teacher Deborah Mathies and her annual effort to promote Raptors in the City -- a project that engages students in the life cycle of peregrine falcons who nest in a Cleveland Ohio skyscraper. We heard from Deborah recently about a video that tells how a middle school reading teacher has used the falcon "focus" to draw reluctant readers into content area reading in science and social studies. The link above leads you to that video. Also visit Deborah's website and be sure to subscribe to the e-newsletter Falcon Flash, which provides weekly updates during the falcon mating season. "It's a wonderful subject because there are so many cross curricular activities," Deborah says, including math, writing and technology integration.

BUILDING FOUNDATIONS FOR ALGEBRA
The 2008 report Critical Foundations for Algebra from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel is distilled into three component parts (Essential Concepts, Recommended Practices, and Planning Templates) at this federal Doing What Works website. Developed by WestEd's Innovation Studies program, the site offers videos and diagrams to further the panel's arguments and recommendations. For more perspective on the report itself, see this critique by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

TROUBLED TIMES – HELPING TEENS & PARENTS
This timely resource created by the National Association of School Psychologists and adapted by the Teachers and Families web community, recognizes that for students "tough economic times can be as distant as a television news story or as close as an unemployed parent or leaving the home they know." Included are methods for spotting signs of stress, ideas about easing children's fears, and, in particular, "What teachers and schools can do." One important piece of academic advice: All schools should strive to help students "build a better understanding of real world economics and financial basics so that similar financial crises can be averted in the future and our students can be better stewards of the world economy."