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This excerpt from an interview with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, PLP founder, captures critical points for PD online. "Will and I agreed that we would only work with teams of school-based educators because the research made it clear that it was collaborative teams within in a school, working together, that really brought about sustainable improvement. That would give us what we needed to anchor the virtual experience in a local context. We also wanted participants to experience a global community of practice-to be able to have conversations with people very different than themselves, with fresh perspectives. Our thinking was that if we put teams of educators who had different ideologies, different geography, different purposes and challenges, all together in the same space, then they could each bring what they did well to the table and people could learn from that. Ultimately that would mean public, private, Catholic, and other kinds of schools; educators teaching well-to-do, middle-class, and poor kids; educators in different states and nations, at different grade levels, and in different content areas and roles. What ultimately grew out of our brainstorming was a three-pronged model of professional development that emphasizes (1) local learning communities at the school/district level; (2) an online community of practice that's both global and deep; and (3) a third prong that is more personal-the idea of a personal learning network that each educator develops as a mega-resource for ideas and information about their particular interests and areas of practice. (These three prongs are described in depth in a new book, The Connected Educator, where PLP community leader Lani Ritter Hall and I tell the story of the evolution of our model and the very solid research base behind it.)

Formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, ASCD is an international educational leadership organization. Members are professional educators from all levels and subject areas--superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education, and school board members. Two key publications include: SmartBriefs, a free subscription with daily information on top stories in K-12 education and Educational Leadership, a monthly publication for ASCD members.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) was created in 1980 by combining offices from several federal agencies. As a whole it is dedicated to: - Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds. - Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research. - Focusing national attention on key educational issues. - Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.

By Kevin Carey in Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, Issue #15, Winter 2010. In this editorial, Carey (policy director of think tank Education Sector) argues that colleges are not fulfilling their mission to students: costs are rising and students are not learning (or even graduating). He argues for transparency and studies of the effectiveness of teaching and learning, and warns of the education-related lobbies that keep the rest of us in the dark about higher education.

The Gates Foundation has a global reach, with focuses on global health, poverty & development, education & information and special projects. In the U.S., they work in both "college-ready" education and post-secondary education.

Very interesting stats on education--check out Education 2.0, how technology enhanced learning, etc. Socrato! website

When is the right time to move to a new social media tool? Seems like there has to be a critical mass before making the switch? For those already active on Twitter, for example, it seems rather daunting to try to recreate that network on Google Plus. I'll speak for myself here: I follow a lot of educators on Twitter; I have a lot of educator followers. I've tried to find folks on Google Plus and add them to my "ed-techies" circle, but that's easier said than done. I've also been added to Circles by educators I don't yet follow on Twitter, and then I feel like I should add them there too. For the time being, it feels as though I need to cover my bases and work with both networks, but I'm not sure if that's sustainable.

A membership organization that provides programs for K-12 and higher education institutions, and a path to college opportunities, including financial support and scholarships, for students. Serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, schools and colleges.

From Oregon's state website, an outline of Governor Kitzhaber's recent plan to establish the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB), where there were previously 2 separate bodies (one for k-12 and one for postsecondary). This focus on a "zero-to-20 system," intends to help the Governor meet his goal of "all Oregonians earn[ing] a high school diploma...prepared for college and work, and...80% of students achieve at least two years of post-secondary education or training."

In innovative urban schools, educators work together to find solutions to the perennial problem of getting struggling students to do homework.

"The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board provides leadership and coordination for the Texas higher education system." Agency reports are available to download from the site.

Educator Madeline Hunter developed the Instructional Theory into Practice, or ITIP model for teaching. This web page, from the education department of Hope College (MI) outlines the model.

Very good infographic on the growth in digital education and need for students, teachers and professors at all levels to be prepared to play on this field. How does or should this trend affect ePD? How does or should this trend affect high school student learning and pedagogy in the classroom whether online, blended, or face to face?

Website from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. "...the social organization of the research enterprise is badly broken and a very different alternative is needed. " Part of a series on "networked improvement community" that "creates the purposeful collective action needed to solve complex educational problems."

Alexander Russo's This Week in Education, June 22, 2011 chart on College Haves and Have-Nots with great graphics showing the people-side of the data.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the administrative unit for primary and secondary public education. Agency responsibilities include: managing the textbook adoption process; overseeing development of the statewide curriculum; administering the statewide assessment program; administering a data collection system on public school students, staff, and finances; rating school districts under the statewide accountability system; operating research and information programs; monitoring for compliance with federal guidelines; and serving as a fiscal agent for the distribution of state and federal funds.

Southern Regional Board works with 16 member states to improve public pre-K-12 and higher education. The organization works directly with state leaders, schools and educators to improve teaching, learning and student achievement.

The Education Trust promotes high academic achievement for all students, from pre-K through college, with a focus on the underserved. The organization is involved at all levels, from working alongside students, parents, educators and local community leaders throughout the country, through participating in national policy debates.

Published by the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, this magazine (and website) look at "cross-sector solutions to global problems." A free weekly newsletter is available. While SSIR seems to have a special focus on charter schools, they also write on education (and innovation in education) more generally.

This is a Diigo group that looks at Diigo as an educational tool, and also at larger issues pertaining to education and technology.