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Becoming Citizens: A Stint in Student Government Can Shape One's Future
by Suzie Boss
6/23/08When Ashraf Ghani talks about world events, his words carry the weight of experience: After twenty-three years of exile from his native Afghanistan, he returned after the fall of the Taliban to serve as finance minister for the transitional government. A veteran of the World Bank and recently on the short list of finalists to head the United Nations, he continues working to rebuild societies torn asunder.
The Positive Path: A Recipe for Risk Reduction
by Maurice Elias
6/20/08I don't think we have the proper understanding of risk. Imagine yourself at a blackjack table or on an online investment site. What if you could play or invest without worrying about losing your money? Would you be highly conservative, or would you be more reckless? The vast majority of people in that situation would be much less careful than they would if they had their own hard-earned money on the line.
Advocate for Education: How to Publish Your Opinions
by Anthony Cody
6/19/08Someone commenting on my last blog entry posed the following provocative question: "To really make a lasting difference, I think it will require that educators -- with or without unions -- put pressure on politicians and advocate for students and schools. Where do we start learning to be political?"
Cinema vs. Cyberbullies: Using Filmmaking to Fight Online Harassment
by Suzie Boss
6/17/08When Debbie Heimowitz talks about cyberbullying at school assemblies or presents training events for teachers, she speaks with authority. She knows the statistics. She understands the potential for real harm if bullies use the anonymity of technology to gang up on their victims.
Building a Legacy: Innovations Shouldn't Necessarily Become Institutions
by Jim Moulton
6/15/08I spent the weekend extending a stone wall I have been working on over the years. Now, before you get too impressed, please understand that my effort this weekend was only about 8 feet long and about 2 feet or so from the ground to the capstones.
Sally Ride's New Mission: Science Resources That Are Out of This World
by Katie Klinger
6/11/08This is part two of a series about astronaut and scientist Sally Ride. Read part one.
A decade after her second spaceflight in 1994, Sally Ride founded ISS EarthKAM in partnership with the University of California at San Diego and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California. The program allows middle school students to take photos by directing digital cameras on space shuttle flights and on the International Space Station.
Courtly Courage: Applying Athletic Tenacity to Academic Efforts
by Ben Johnson
6/10/08My family and I were witnesses to a magnificent display of courage and fortitude last year as our Natalia Independent School District girls' and boys' basketball teams faced the teams from the nearby Lutheran school.
Sally's Ride: A Star in Space -- and on Earth
by Katie Klinger
6/4/08For many of us who have been in education, struggling with student achievement scores and dealing with technology advances, 1983 doesn't seem that long ago. Yet, incredibly, on June 18 it will be twenty-five years ago that a brilliant, determined, and courageous astronaut, Sally Ride, became the first American woman to fly in space.
The Four Rs: Rigor in Twenty-First-Century Schools
by Bob Lenz
5/27/08In my next several blog entries, I will highlight how we at Envision Schools interpret and use the new four R's of education: rigor, relationships, relevance, and results.
Who Speaks for Teachers?: Embattled Educators Must Unite Around a Common Vision
by Anthony Cody
5/22/08This is the second post in a two-part entry. Click here to go to part one.
One of my colleagues on the Teacher Leaders Network recently mused, "Have we abdicated our ability to speak for ourselves and to react? It's why I think policy makers may not listen to us. We have long relied on our unions to speak for us."
