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Grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research; Grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment.

Could be a nice additional source of funding to support existing projects.

Great resource. Teachers at Harwood Union Middle High School applied for a Learning & Leadership Grant to explore iPad apps in a fairly informal PLC-type setting and received $5,000 to support their work. It helps that the application for the grant was fairly easy to complete.

Many American students may say that they would like to go overseas. But according to the Institute of International Education, only 1 percent of U.S. students study abroad during any academic year.

Really interesting Jill. Thanks!

"The model, now in practice or under consideration in states including Louisiana, Michigan, Arizona and Utah, allows students to build a custom curriculum by selecting from hundreds of classes offered by public institutions and private vendors. A teenager in Louisiana, for instance, might study algebra online with a private tutor, business in a local entrepreneur's living room, literature at a community college and test prep with the national firm Princeton Review - with taxpayers picking up the tab for it all."

With little to no oversight this would be a disaster. But, what if...

What if there were a regional "school" that oversaw these External Learning Opportunities and Diplomas with Certificates of Focus? A student would be assigned to a Mentor Teacher who would help to: Design a plan to graduation...and beyond, Give prior approval and determine assessments of learning experiences, Provide awareness and approve formal online opportunities such as VTVLC, VHS, Aventa Learning/K12, Provide awareness and approve formal online and traditional courses through Dual Enrollment at CVV and other local colleges, Connect students to local Internships, Apprenticeships, Connect students to programs such as TIPS, Medquest, etc., Guide students in inquiry-based Independent Studies, Guide students in developing and implementing Service-Learning projects, Bringing together like-minded students, community members, employers, educators together around specific college and career goals, and the list could go on. This could be a big draw for all students. This is could be a way to provide a highly individualized learning experience for students. With the right framework it could be amazing.

The Institute on Thailand and its Cultures is a study abroad program for Vermont educators and teachers in Thailand. The program, which includes three instate planning session and three weeks overseas, provides participants with the opportunity to study various aspects of Thai culture such as economic development, education, and women's social status, and minority cultures in Thailand.

In my humble opinion, the best way to think out of the box is to actually get out of the box. What a better way to do that than something like this?

This month, the European Association for International Education adopted a charter that said: "National student loans and grants should always be portable. Students on grants that cover tuition and expenses while studying abroad should be provided with safeguards against arbitrary withdrawal of their funding."

"...offers a college preparatory program that focuses on a liberal arts program. The curriculum is designed to accelerate students into college courses at the University of Toledo, beginning with the freshman school year. Students take two years of English, up to three years of mathematics and science and two years of social studies at the high school level. All other courses, including electives and foreign language are taken at the University of Toledo. Students can earn up to 60 college credits during the four-year high school experience. College-level courses and required textbooks are provided at no cost to students. College courses qualify for dual credits, allowing them to be counted for high school and college credits."

(Right-click and open links in new tab.) Thinking about the Semester Online program that is just rolling out I wonder what we could do in Vermont with elements of this school in Toledo in combination with an online component. Vermont does have a Dual Enrollment program, but it is no where nearly as comprehensive as this. And, students still have to pay for a vast majority of their classes. It would seem that a high school would actually come out ahead by paying for college courses rather than for high school faculty to teach a less rigorous...and noncredit earning course.

Ranked 17th out of 3500 schools in Ohio... Even more significant given that the district it is in ranked 708th out of 937 districts.

This is a clear example of how one teacher worked with his colleagues to develop a large interdisciplinary project for 9th graders around water. It involved English, Social Studies, and Science teachers.

An Odyssey Of Creativity, Innovation and Critical Thinking An Action Research Study By The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board Links to the full report: Unleashing Potential, Harnessing Possibilities, the Executive Summary and the Report At-a-Glance are all worth a look

"Under what conditions do healthy and creative individuals and organizations flourish?"

"...this work will have a significant impact on improving student achievement and well-being. This work is rooted in the belief that the more the organization recognizes, values and taps into the creative and unique capacities of everyone within and connected (to the school), the greater the opportunity to reach and teach all of the students in our care. This is the imperative in fostering a truly engaged and creative approach to learning and to individual and organizational health."

New report - Optimal Learning Spaces Optimal Learning Spaces Design Implications for Primary Schools. Report is for primary schools, but same principles apply. Laura and Lauren, thought you might be interested in this fairly extensive report. Link to report on page is broken. Here is the report. Optimal Learning Spaces Design Implications for Primary Schools

"... enhancing teaching and learning outcomes by creating better built environments. It aims to link scientific knowledge to case-study examples "

"...three design principles emerge to support application in practice: the role of naturalness, the opportunity for individualisation and appropriate levels of stimulation."

"Learning Futures was a programme designed to get young people engaged actively and positively with their learning, achieving better outcomes and retaining a commitment to learning beyond school. We are now looking for people interested in becoming an 'Engaging School'."

Many great links to resources, tools, and related documents.

A recent study in the US found that: * 98 percent of students feel bored at school at least some of the time; * Two-thirds of students feel bored every day; * A quarter of students feel unchallenged by lessons

Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Angela studies non-IQ competencies that predict success both academically and professionally.

Do we spend too much time on cultivating academics and not enough time on developing "Grit" in students? Education is just now really looking at fostering a sense off passion for students. But, here is the third piece " How do we nurture resiliency and perseverance? jf

As we head this direction... Thanks ACSR for the heads up on this link.

Is the student who organizes tag during recess or chooses to help a classmate with math on track to be a senator, a CEO, or a community leader? He-or she-may well be.

Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT for short) is a teaching and learning strategy based on the interaction between web-based study assignments and an active learner classroom. WarmUps and Puzzles are the heart of the JiTT web component. These are short, web-based assignments, prompting the student to think about the upcoming lesson and answer a few simple questions prior to class.

In December 2010, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel created a national, independent commission to study the teaching profession and make recommendations on maximizing teacher and teaching effectiveness. Drawing on the wisdom and experience of accomplished teachers, expert researchers, policymakers, and academicians, the Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching (CETT) examined the policies and practices governing the teaching profession and crafted a teacher-centered vision of teaching and the teaching profession. On December 8, 2011, CETT presented the NEA with its final report, Transforming Teaching: Connecting Professional Responsibility with Student Learning, which outlines the Commission's vision and recommendations for the teaching profession.

"The KED program is a concept for personalized education. This means that students, with the guidance of their coach, set and work towards their own personal goals, with the ambition of achieving high final results. Students allocate their study time based on their previous educational experience as well as their individual strengths and weaknesses."

"In Swedish, "Kunskapsskolan" means "the knowledge school." Our name is an expression of our passion for providing excellence in learning and knowledge for the next global generation."

"A continuous research and development program identifies correlations and possible common denominators for achieving excellence. In all these key areas - student outcome, student and parent satisfaction, teacher satisfaction and motivation, and financial performance..."