Teacher: 50 is the new zero

Alexis Tamony, a high-school math teacher in California, says setting 50 -- rather than zero -- as the floor for students' grades allows letter grades to better reflect what students know. In this article, Tamony shares the mathematical reasoning that helped her reframe the concept of a zero. Full Story: Edutopia (10/6)

How to include structure for students' passion projects

Passion-based learning -- which can help motivate students to learn because they choose their own topics -- still requires structure from teachers, according to education innovation specialist and former teacher Andi McNair, who offers a guide using P's: passion, pitch, plan, project, product and presentation. Another approach is offered by former teacher Laura Randazzo, who says teachers can serve as models by doing their own project along with students.

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The "I" and "We" Skills Needed for Collective Student Efficacy

We know good leaders work to develop collective teacher efficacy because it is a powerful way to increase student learning (effect size of 1.27). So, we wondered: what would happen if we applied what we know to developing collective student efficacy? Read the skills, John Hattie, Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Shirley Clarke identifed as "I" and "We" skills that teachers need to develop to make student collaboration powerful and valuable.

How are schools fixing the digital equity conundrum?

Efforts are underway to measure access and equity to digital tools at the state, district, school and classroom levels. For example, Casey Rimmer, director of innovation and edtech, said his North Carolina district first ensured all students had access to devices and the internet, and now "the next question is really analyzing who's engaging with the content, how are they engaging, how often, and what type of engagements are happening.

How Poverty and Stress Influence Students' Behavior

In the new issue of Educational Leadership, Horacio Sanchez, an expert in applying neuroscience findings to education, describes actual changes in the brain, in areas tied to complex thinking, behavior control, and empathy, that research shows accompany growing up in poverty. Learn how these findings should influence your discipline practices. ASCD Read more here.

leadership is not one-size-fits-all

Leadership is a series of context-specific skills for succeeding in one-on-one situations, with teams or in broader contexts, writes Susan Fowler. "Lacking awareness of the context you're leading and not having the skills to lead in it can be dangerous -- to you, those you lead and the organization," she writes.

Steps to build a diverse teaching force

There are several steps that school leaders can take to create a diverse teaching workforce, education experts say. Officials suggest developing build-your-own-educator programs, which look within the district for ethnically and racially diverse teachers, and partnering with outside organizations that promote diversity and equity.