Moving Teachers, Revamping Teacher Prep, and Test Anxiety (New and Notable)

Getting NBC Teachers Where They're Needed: News out of GA this week about how to make sure that NBC teachers are in the schools and classrooms where they are most needed (they aren’t), and what to do about it if they’re not: House OKs certification reward bill (AJC), Maintain top teachers' incentives (AJC).

The issue of "salary differentials" for NBC teachers is particularly vivid because NBC teachers are considered to be experts in their jobs and get extra money for their achievement: Sharing the wealth: NBC teachers and the students who need them most (SRI ), Opportunity and responsibility for NBC teachers (PPI).

Finding, Keeping, and Assigning Teachers: Similar concerns about regular classroom teachers (and a variety of initiatives to address the problem) are popping up around the country, it seems this week: Lures added for teachers at poorest schools (St. Petersburg Times), Fewer schools available for teacher transfers (Charlotte Observer), The Effect of New Teacher Induction Programs (ASCD), The costs of classroom churn (Oregon Live), Hunt on for 1,500 teachers (AJC), Long Commutes Seen Influencing Teacher Job Choices (EW), Opinion: Poor Children, Poorer Teachers (WPost), For better schools, empower the teachers (Charlotte Observer).

Don't forget the tough question at the heart of all this: Is it ethical for teachers to refuse to teach in high-poverty schools?

According to the Gadfly, the solution to all our woes might be merit pay: Governor revs up ballot drives (Sacramento Bee), Let the duels begin (Long Beach Press-Telegram), Field Poll: Most initiatives urged by governor have slim leads (Sacramento Bee ).

What About Teacher Prep? There's another bunch of interesting articles focused on teacher preparation: Selecting and Preparing Urban Teachers (Education News), Teachers’ Ability to Perceive Student Learning Preferences (TC Record ), A History of Flawed Teaching (LA Times), Book Spells Out ‘Core Curriculum’ for Teacher Training (EW), and A Class Education (EW). Last but not least: Is the Math Teacher or the Math Program the Problem? Or Both? (Valley Patriot)

Tests and Innate Ability: Meanwhile, Time magazine focuses on women in science, and Scientific American reports on how fears and stereotypes can affect academic performance: The Iceland Exception (Time), Steering Girls into Science (Time), and Performance without Anxiety (Scientific American).

Best of the Rest:

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