Warren Combs has devoted his professional career to the application of best practices in the teaching of writing. His book with Eye On Education, Empowering Students to Write and Re-Write, was published in 2010. The book provides teachers with detailed strategies and lesson plans to help teachers give their students the confidence to continuously improve their writing. The book also includes real student writing samples.

 Annette Breaux and Todd Whitaker share 50 straightforward techniques for improving student behavior in their book 50 Ways to Improve Student Behavior: Simple Solutions to Complex Challenges. The accompanying book Study Guide - 50 Ways to Improve Student Behavior: Simple Solutions to Complex Challenges helps you to understand the strategies, reflect on them, and make them real in your classroom. Read below for a tip on enacting "Classroom Solution #8: Happy Notes to Parents."

Eye On Education recently published Engaging Mathematics Students Using Cooperative Learning by John Strebe. In this book, Strebe offers a wide selection of student engagement strategies for math teachers in grades K-12. Strebe shares his class-tested ideas in a clear and spirited voice, with his devotion to the teaching profession and his students apparent on every page. Read below to learn about the book and its author, in an interview with Eye On Education.

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 taking responsibility for the successes and failures of your students.

At the end of this month, two new documentaries will be released that explore the diversity of challenges in education today. Davis Guggenheim’s Waiting For ‘Superman', which portrays some of the problems in American public education, has already drawn a great deal of attention nationwide. The other film, Race to Nowhere, deals with the damaging effects that school-related stress and the pressure to perform can have on students. While the arguments posed by these films are significantly different from one another, they both signal a renewed popular interest in education and the range of challenges that face American students.

Frank Buck, author of Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders offers this podcast tip on setting up a repeating task system. Click below to listen, or read the abridged version below.

"Setting Up A Repeating Task System" (7 minutes)  

To make your life you much easier, let a “Repeating Task List” handle all of the details that recur each year, each quarter, each month, etc. I offer three options for setting up this system, Pick the one that suits you and your situation the best.

Do you enjoy reading blogs? There are so many great blogs on a variety of subjects, most everyone is going to find some they like. In fact, over time, don’t be surprised if the number of blogs which catch your eye climbs into the dozens. For me, that number is 102.

This is the story of Brandy, a 7th grader and social outcast who is three years behind in school. Brandy continually sends the message that she "doesn't care," but her teacher, author Elizabeth Breaux, is determined to give her special attention and support.

Making Comprehension Fun

Asking comprehension questions after students read or listen to a text is a standard activity in most classrooms. I found that it was important to vary how I asked students questions, so they perceived it more as a game rather than just a lesson. Students are typically more engaged when something is fun, and they also tend to remember the information longer...

In the past few years, students have been spending more time than ever before in front of their computers—despite  protests from educators and parents.  So, rather than fight the influence of social networking sites such as Facebook, educators are now looking for new and inventive ways to integrate social websites into an educational arena.

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 taking responsibility for the successes and failures of your students.

As you begin the school year, it's helpful to refocus yourself on your purpose. Read below for a discussion on purpose from Timothy Berkey, author of Improving Your Daily Practice: A Guide for Effective School Leadership .

The activities in 100 Games and Activities for the Introductory Foreign Language Classroom are stimulating, engaging, and effective. In this Twister activity, students will learn a new spin on a familiar game. The activity will help students practice responding to commands from the teacher, using body parts and color vocabulary in the target language.

Three years ago, the author of the popular blog “Dangerously Irrelevant” founded the first annual Leadership Day, a collaborative blogging venture with a focus on educational technology leadership. The blogger, Scott McLeod, called for educational bloggers to write about “effective school technology leadership” and to share their posts with the blogosphere. He created the event to help educators prepare students for the 21st century, and improve communication, support, organization, and learning using digital technology.

Recently, Elvira G. Deyamport, foreign language teacher and author of the blog “Language Journeys,” posted a list of her favorite resources for foreign language teachers.