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Quantitative studies of school effects have generally supported the notion that the problems of U.S. education lie outside of the school. Yet such studies neglect the primary venue through which students learn, the classroom. The current study explores the link between classroom practices and student academic performance by applying multilevel modeling to the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress in mathematics. The study finds that the effects of classroom practices, when added to those of other teacher characteristics, are comparable in size to those of student background, suggesting that teachers can contribute as much to student learning as the students themselves.

"Initial thoughts on "Focus in High School Mathematics: Reasoning and Sense Making" The book study begins!" Book study post on the new NCTM Series "Focus in High School Mathematics: Reasoning and Sense Making"

One of a growing number of quiz apps that are available. Easy to use, but a litte rudimentary in that it only allows you to take a quiz and does not have a study mode. You can review your results and analyze how you are doing which is very cool. Easy to create new quizzes and share, which is good, and you can add images to your quizzes, which is key.  I still think I prefer gflash+ for it's flexibility in the study mode but it might be a nice combination of apps for some online quizzing using MC questions. 

Walter Pauk's book in which he outlines the cornell Note-taking system as well as other skills for being successful in studying. He indicates these are essential skills for success in college yet, I don't see high school intentionally supporting these kinds of curricula and skills. 

The North Atlantic Ocean has spawned more hurricanes and tropical storms over the last decade than it has since a similarly stormy period 1,000 years ago, according to a new study.

A website for teachers that explores comprehension and content reading strategies and when to use them in social studies.">

I living history of PEI. I love Prince Edward Island to begin with, and I thought this was a great site for social studies teachers. I like the inclusion of primary source material and the great way the material was organized.

Study vocabulary or almost anything Create your own flashcards - sign up free Share flashcards with your friends View the quick guide or watch the video tour

American Studies from UVA. 

Great starting point for a research project on the civil war. Start here, then introduce different states' declarations of cause. Great way of laying a foundation for the cause of the war before studying all of the generals, battles, and treaties. 

Interesting Mathematics Partnership site that has some tested examples from lesson study groups. Also, some information on CBAM. 

Created by Angela Cunningham for the enrichment of Social Studies instruction using technology. Great set of resources and conceptual approaches to embedding technology into instruction. 

Reading recommendations based on age and genre that will help keep your child or student busy and engaged throughout the summer.

What mathematical competencies must a teacher have to teach the subject well? This has proven difficult to investigate (1). A current view is that teachers' knowledge of mathematics "remains inert in the classroom unless accompanied by a rich repertoire of mathematical knowledge and skills relating directly to the curriculum, instruction, and student learning" (2). Unfortunately, there is no consensus on which "knowledge and skills" might activate teachers' inert knowledge. Two perspectives prevail, neither with a research base that enables strong claims about practice. The majority of current studies focus on explicit knowledge of curriculum content and instructional strategies. Such knowledge might be assessed directly through observation, interview, or written test (2), with a parallel research emphasis on the formal contents of teacher education programs [e.g., (3)]. A second school of thought, presented here, is that the most important competencies tend to be tacit, like skills involved in playing concert piano, learned but not necessarily available to consciousness.

Another description of the Cornell System for Note-Taking. I see so many schools having students take notes, but I don't see a systemic approach to note-taking and the development of the skills necessary in being successful studying using notes. Why don't we set our students up for success more often with these kinds of systems? 

Lapham's Quarterly, A Magazine of history and ideas. Great social studies source. I like the Friends, Lovers, and Family story/chart that shows the relationships between different artists across time. Always looking for ways to show how what one person does impacts others and not just in art! 

Aggregation of poll data. Great way of exploring data with lots of social studies/current events connections. Time rates this as one of the fifty best sites this year. Worth a few minutes of exploration.