Students in Shanghai stunned education experts when China made its first appearance in international standardized testing. In the recently released results of the 2009 PISA tests, students from Shanghai scored highest across the board on mathematics, science, and reading. Education leaders in the United States, which scored roughly average in the three categories, see the test results as a wake-up call.

A new teaching and learning tool is gaining popularity with both students and teachers at Clinton High in Mississippi. There, the school has invested in a classroom camera system which allows teachers to record lessons for students to watch live or at a later time. According to the recent article "In case you missed it: Teachers recording lessons" in The Clarion-Ledger, the system, which was originally implemented by Carroll County, promises to be a valuable resource for struggling students or for students and teachers who have to miss class.

Eye On Education recently published Annette Breaux's newest poetry book, 101 Poems for Teachers. The book is illustrated by L. Susan Brandt. Read below for a poem and strategy about encouraging your students to take risks and make mistakes.

One of the greatest indicators of a child’s success that we can control in schools is the quality of his or her teacher. If we demand students to perform well, then we also have to provide teachers who have been prepared well.

These are the ideas behind the recent NCATE sponsored panel, which, after months of collaborative thinking and discussion, has released its report for revamping United States teacher education programs. The expert panel was composed of representatives from state boards of education, teachers unions, and K-12 school districts...

Todd Whitaker’s leading professional development book, What Great Principals Do Differently, identifies 15 best practices for successful educators. Keep reading for a strategy used by some of today’s best leaders.

Who’s Teaching the Teacher

A particular experience taught me how harvesting techniques and approaches from superstar teachers are best modeled in other classrooms through peer to peer interaction.

Book study groups promote conversations among teachers and school staff that will lead to the application of new ideas in classrooms and improvement of existing skills. It is a great way to focus on issues related to school change and also helps to build community in schools. Some districts allow teachers to use book study groups to earn Professional Learning Units (PLUs).

Read below for some Frequently Asked Questions (and answers!) about Book Study Groups...

Author Heidi Hayes Jacobs provides teachers with key strategies for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in Active Literacy Across the Curriculum. Read below for details on a “misconception” that dampens the liveliness of classrooms and creates a predictable lethargy. This tip will help you identify and avoid obstacles to successful classroom communication.

The following post was written by Eye On Education author Franklin Schargel. Click here to learn more about Franklin, as well as his many books on school culture, educational leadership, dropout prevention, and at-risk students.

Peggy Yates, co-author of What Do You Say When...? with Hal Holloman, was recognized as one of three faculty members "who made a difference in the lives of students." Yates was chosen by students from over 4,000 East Carolina University personnel as part of the school's "It Just Takes One" campaign.

Do your kids love learning? Are they excited to come to school every day? The Passion-Driven Classroom: A Framework for Teaching & Learning by Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold provides tools to help you cultivate a thriving and passionate community of learners in the classroom. Read below for a tip from the book. Follow the #passiondriven conversation on Twitter.

Sandra Harris, co-author of Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action and Managing Conflict: 50 Strategies for School Leaders, won the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) 2011 Living Legend Award, honoring those who have dedicated themselves to research and teaching and made significant contributions to the field of educational administration. 

Bryan Harris is the author of the new Eye On Education title Battling Boredom: 99 Strategies to Spark Student Engagement. The book is a great resource to help you drive boredom out of your classroom using student engagement strategies. These strategies will help you gain and sustain the attention of your students! Read below for a guest blog post from Bryan Harris, featuring three things every teacher needs to know about student boredom.

In our monthly E-News, we bring you the latest education news, resources, and classroom ideas from the Eye On Education Blog and other blogs we read. Click below for our favorite educational blog posts from the past month. If you would like to have E-News sent right to your inbox, click here to sign-up.

Eye On Education recently published Annette Breaux's newest poetry book, 101 Poems for Teachers. The book is illustrated by L. Susan Brandt. Read below for a poem and strategy about being the most positive teacher at your school.

As the places where children spend most of their waking hours, schools are responsible for much more than the academic education of their students. Recently, several initiatives have been made to improve child nutrition at school.

First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move! campaign in February 2010. Designed to fight childhood obesity in the United States, the campaign’s major aims include better food labeling, encouraging physical activity for children, and the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act to improve school lunches.