Why Good Teaching Matters

By Kathie Marshall

As we move on in our quest to improve teacher performance by adopting national standards and national assessments, I urge us all to promote a broader view of what it means to be an effective teacher. With enough informed will, we can find a means to identify, assess, and reward all the qualities a great teacher must possess. That would be a fitting tribute to the influence of Polly McDowell and other exceptional teachers like her. Please, click here to read the full article.

New Tack on Math Promoted: Problem-Solving is Focus of High School Guide

By Sean Cavanagh

Reasoning and sense-making are at the heart of mathematics from early childhood through adulthood,” NCTM President Henry S. Kepner Jr. says in an introduction to the document. Cultivating those skills, he writes, “will prepare students for higher learning, the workplace, and productive citizenship.” Click here to read the full article.