The Council of Chief State School Officers recently announced Seattle's Mr. Jeff Charbonneau as the National Teacher of the Year! President Obama presented Jeff's award in a White House ceremony earlier this week.   Continue Reading...

Every month, AAE hosts a contest on our Facebook page where we give our teachers a chance to win helpful prizes. All our teachers have to do is answer a question truthfully and honestly. This month, we asked about their favorite in-class read aloud book. We got some great answers that we'd love to share:   Continue Reading...

This week, the town of North Bennington, Vermont, received reluctant approval from the State Board of Education to move forward with opening a new independent school for the 2013-2014 school year. This approval triggers the North Bennington Prudential Committee's (the local school board's) authority to close the existing public elementary school and rent the building to the new Village School. The move essentially takes the public school independent, but it also gives every child in the community school choice under Vermont law – the right to attend any public or approved independent school, in state or out, with at least the full statewide tuition (currently over $12,000) following the child.   Continue Reading...

Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE), AAE's state chapter serving teachers in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, is proud to announce that member educator Katie Pemberton has been selected as the 2013 Idaho Teacher of the Year.   Continue Reading...

Good teachers know how to keep students' attention, maintain their enthusiasm, and have them leave the class feeling energized. Sara Wright, a 5th grade teacher in Indiana found a way to accomplish these objectives, and it doesn't involve keeping students in their seats.   Continue Reading...

Last week at an annual luncheon hosted in the nation's capital, the Department of Education honored 314 schools across the country as the 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools.   Continue Reading...

ASCD recently released their October issue of Educational Leadership, with the title Students Who Challenge Us. Intrigued, I headed over to their site, excited to learn about better ways to deal with challenging students.   Continue Reading...

This year, under First Lady Michele Obama's leadership and the standards of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, schools across the country are implementing the dietary guidelines established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).   Continue Reading...

For years students used the popular health class slogan, "Hugs not drugs" with their friends and peers. However, recent bans on friendly hugs in New Jersey and North Carolina public schools are challenging this old adage and raising questions over appropriate displays of affection in schools.   Continue Reading...

Keeping students in school has been a problem in school districts nationwide. In urban areas, studies have shown that just 50% of students graduate with a high school diploma. Across the country, efforts to curb school absenteeism and truancy vary from extravagant to practical, with a plethora of measures in between.   Continue Reading...

Cyberbullying, or the use of the internet and related technologies to harm other people, has become a very real threat to American students. Unable to simply "unplug" at the end of the day, students from across the country are experiencing relentless and often anonymous teasing and threats via social networking websites and blogs. While coverage has overwhelmingly focused on student victims, teachers are now beginning to feel the adverse affects of cyberbullying. In North Carolina, a law aimed at protecting teachers has sparked conservation about online educator harassment.   Continue Reading...

This weekend, a feature film highlighting struggling schools and parent and teacher empowerment will be released to theaters everywhere. "Won't Back Down," opening this Friday, September 28, gives moviegoers the opportunity to watch a film that pairs Hollywood entertainment with a message about American education reform.   Continue Reading...

According to a new survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, drugs are more accessible to students in high school than ever before. The results of the survey were garnered by asking questions to 1,003 teens throughout the United States. Participants were asked about their school, substance use, access to illegal drugs, and social media use in order to yield a snapshot of student drug use across the country.

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Dress codes for educators–or lack thereof–vary by district and even school environment. Whether you come to class in jeans or a tie, many teachers this fall might need to reevaluate their wardrobe choices in the new school year. Due to complaints about teachers dressing inappropriately in states across the country, many school districts are pushing for stricter dress codes.   Continue Reading...

Chicago has been an education reform hotspot ever since Mayor Rahm Emanuel took the reins in January 2011. Everything from length of school day to teacher pay have been hot topics over the last few years; however, this week the issues hit a boiling point as teacher union leaders are expected to reject an arbitrator's recommendation of a 15-20% salary hike in favor of a proposed strike just as the new school year is slated to begin.   Continue Reading...

The goal of a high school education is to prepare a student for future success as an adult. Whether that means going on to college or immediately joining the workforce, students must be prepared to tackle an ever-changing economy. With success meaning something different for every student, experts assert that, in order to provide realistic options for all students, schools must focus on offering innovative vocational education programs combined with a strong focus on academics.   Continue Reading...

Last week, the Alabama House Ways and Means Education committee declined to vote on a less-than-ideal public charter school bill that would have allowed low-performing public schools in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Mobile to be converted to public charter schools. The decision is considered a blow to the Alabama education reform movement and will leave charter proponents at least a year away from another chance at comprehensive public charter school legislation in the state.   Continue Reading...

Governor Bobby Jindal has taken center stage in the education world this spring via a new education overhaul plan aimed at expanding choice, removing barriers to entry for charter schools, and reforming tenure in the state of Louisiana. In a plan being hailed as the "new standard" for education reform, Governor Jindal is expected sign both reform bills into law later this week.   Continue Reading...

After weeks of protest and high-profile celebrity support, the Weinstein Company announced last Thursday that an edited version of the highly anticipated film "Bully" will be released across the U.S. with a student-friendly PG-13 rating later this month. The movie comes on the heels of an emerging American movement seeking to thrust bullying awareness and prevention into the spotlight after a rash of teen suicides and media coverage. Proponents of the film argue the movie can be used as a tool for students and schools interested in discussing the issue in their communities.   Continue Reading...

There isn't a school district in the country that hasn't been affected by the recession and difficult budget decisions. For years, national media coverage has highlighted teacher lay-offs and program cuts in almost every part of the country. While states and districts come to terms with a new financial climate, a new Department of Education survey reports arts education is suffering the most under today's budgets, particularly in high-need communities.   Continue Reading...