Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook
From: Education Week
TEACHER'S new biannual resource guide on professional development is now available online. Designed for teacher leaders and others looking to guide staff development and instruction, the inaugural issue of the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook focuses on the role of collaborative work among teachers in improving classroom practice and student achievement. It features discussions with leading classroom practitioners, an overview of research on what works in teacher learning, data snapshots of current practices and state requirements, and an exclusive resource directory of more than 200 K-12 professional development products and services.

CCSSO launches Web site to provide state education data
From: Education Daily
Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Council of Chief State School Officers has launched the State Education Data Center to provide thorough state education data for researchers and policymakers. The SEDC -- a successor to CCSSO's SchoolMatters.com -- is part of the collaboration between the council and the Gates Foundation on the CCSSO's National Education Data Partnership. "Quality data is critical in the face of standards-based reform efforts and increasing accountability measures," said CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit. "The SEDC is a revolutionary concept that can shape the nature and quality of education data collection and data use. It will facilitate collaboration between state education agencies and national data collectors in identifying the kinds of data we need to be collecting and the specific indicators we need to be measuring in order to help us achieve our goals." For more information, click here.

Research Clips
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has launched Research Clips and Briefs, a resource designed to help teachers link classroom practice to research findings.

Research Clips present research-based statements about mathematics education drawn from NCTM's Research Briefs or address other important mathematics education issues. Research Briefs offer two- to three- page summaries that encapsulate the information in NCTM's Research Analyses or in other research reports.

The first set of Research Clips and Briefs covers topics dealing with effective instruction, students with difficulties, and formative assessment. Topics are chosen based on questions posed by teachers about classroom practice; questions may be sent to research@nctm.org.

Research Clips and Briefs are available at www.nctm.org/researchbriefs.aspx

A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our Schools: Fifth Edition
This Guide by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress provides a structure and process for effectively managing the wide spectrum of school-based crises. Visit www.crisisinfo.org/schoolcrisisresponse/orderinfo.htm for details.

Linking Academic Scholars to Educational Resources (LASER)
A series of practitioner briefs from Linking Academic Scholars to Educational Resources (LASER) have practical teaching strategies and tools for urban educators who are concerned about meeting the needs of all learners, particularly students with disabilities and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. These briefs examine current and relevant research in the areas of literacy, assessment, classroom management, and math instruction and show teachers how this research can be readily applied in the classroom. Each brief provides an overview of the issue, a literature review, lesson planning and instructional tips, and a list of text and Web site references. Free, downloadable copies of the series are available from LASER's Web site: www.coedu.usf.edu/laser/

On-demand Professional Development
The U.S. Department of Education unveiled a new professional development web site for teachers and administrators. The architects of the new site hope the free resource, built by teachers for teachers, will encourage the use of proven classroom strategies. In addition, it will provide more effective ways of using data to improve instruction in the nation's schools. Visit Teacher-To-Teacher Workshops.

ECS 'Toolkit' Bolsters Community Colleges' Role in Teacher Preparation
The Education commission of the States (ECS) has developed a Web-based toolkit to increase community colleges involvement in teacher preparation. The Web site offers resources on paraprofessionals, articulation and transfer, alternative certification, and bacalaureate options to guide policy for 2-year colleges. Visit www.communitycollegepolicy.org/html/toolkit/ for details.

The AACTE Higher Education Act Primer is available for distribution. If you would like to order copies of the AACTE Higher Education Primer, please contact AACTE at aacte@aacte.org. There will be a nominal fee of $1.00 per booklet. This covers producation cost and shipping.

Updated No Child Left Behind Parents Guide Available Online
The June 2003 guide summarizes the No Child Left Behind Act. It answers common questions about the law, explains what the law does for parents, and tells where to find additional resources. Visit www.nclb.gov/next/index.html for the guide.

A Community Action Guide to Teacher Quality This guide is designed to help communities better understand teachers and teaching, as well as the community's role in achieving high-quality teaching. It is based on the experiences of eight local education funds (LEFs)--independent community-based advocacy organizations working to improve public schools and build citizen support for quality public education in low-income communities across the nation--that engaged their communities in an exploration of the quality of teaching in their public schools. These eight LEFs were supported in this work by a grant from the US Department of Education administered by Public Education Network. The guide offers step-by-step procedures on the use of data assess teacher quality, on ways to create school and community environments that support teacher quality and on ways to engage the community in support of teacher quality. Visit http://www.publiceducation.org/tqguide.asp for a copy of the guide.

Guide to Technology Standards and Security
"Weaving a Secure Web Around Education: A Guide to Technology Standards and Security" is a publication of the National Center for Education Statistics' National Forum on Education Statistics. This publication provides recommendations for development, maintenance, and standardization for effective websites. Visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003381

Book from the What Kids Can Do Project
FIRES IN THE BATHROOM: Advice for Teachers from High School Students
By Kathleen Cushman
In this publication, teens in urban public schools tell their own stories, giving new and veteran teachers a window into how to reach adolescent learners, particularly those whose background and skin color they do not share. For excerpted material of the book and order information, please visit http://www.whatkidscando.org/fires.html

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
More than 30 Federal agencies formed a working group in 1997 to make hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to find. The result of that work is the FREE website. http://www.ed.gov/free/

The Educators Network (online)
The Educators Network Inc. is based in  Ontario, Canada. Originally founded on the principle that teachers are a great asset to society and deserve better online services, the Educators Network has proceeded to create an online environment which places the needs of individual teachers at the forefront. Available at: http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/main/index.htm

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