Starlet Science, Teacher Beliefs (Teaching and Leading)

Can't get your kids to pay attention to all that boring biology stuff? Give starlet Cameron Diaz a chance: Eco-Lessons Taught in Surfer-Girl Patois (NYT). Education Week charts increased interest in science caused more by NCLB than MTV: As Test Date Looms, Educators Renewing Emphasis on Science.

What Teachers Believe Makes a Difference

Teachers' attitudes and beliefs about poor minority children are a key part of whether those children are going to succeed in school:

Drew vs. Damarcus Joanne Jacobs
The Effect of Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs on Math Instruction ASCD
Black parents tackle a gap Boston Globe
Positive Culture in Urban Schools Educational Leadership

Some of the tough questions being asked in these articles and elsewhere include: do teachers really believe that ALL poor minority children can succeed, or just a few? (Do their parents?) Do you think it can happen today, now -- or, a la Richard Rothstein, will it take more money, better teachers, and all the rest?

Best of the Rest

States Scrutinize Teacher Working Conditions EW
TEACHER TURNOVER MYTHS BUSTED BY STUDY
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
NBCT's And Equity EWonk
Credit Where It’s Due EW
Court rules district wrong to offer certain teachers bonuses
Kansas City Star via EIA
Teacher Panel Says No to Pact Los Angeles Times
Valued-Added Assessment of Teacher Quality
Educators Consumers Clearinghouse