Resources

The Numbers Game II: Bringing High-Quality Teachers to All Schools. Carla Claycomb. The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), 2003. This report focuses on what it takes to build a high-quality, stable teaching work force for students everywhere. It discusses in depth a teacher development system for attracting, preparing, and retaining the best educators. It also examines the links between reform efforts, working conditions, and schools’ ability to find and keep good teachers. Numerous policy and program recommendations for state and local leaders are also included. For ordering information, go to www.nasbe.org.

The Real Value of Teachers: Using New Information About Teacher Effectiveness. Kevin Carey. Thinking K–12, Winter 2004. The author shows how value-added data offers numerous possibilities for actually getting some movement on problems such as how to measure the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs, how to measure the effects of different models of professional development, and how to identify highly effective teachers using value-added data. Download a free copy at www2.edtrust.org. Click on State and Local K–12 Initiatives, then Reports and Publications.

The U.S. Department of Education Issues Brochure on Tutoring Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The Department of Education has created a free brochure, Extra Help for Student Success. The brochure, which is available in English and Spanish, answers the following questions:

• What Are Supplemental Educational Services?
• Who Can Get These Services?
• How Will I Know if My Child Is Eligible?
• How Do I Find a Good Supplemental Educational Services Program for My Child?
• What Happens After I’ve Chosen a Provider of Supplemental Educational Services?
• Where Can I Get More Information?

For a free copy of the brochure, call the U.S. Department of Education’s Publications Center (ED Pubs) toll-free at (877) 4ED-PUBS, TTY/TDD: (877) 576-7734, (301) 470-1244 fax. Order online at www.edpubs.org; or write to request a copy: ED Pubs, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. This brochure is also available at: www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/suppservices/services.pdf.

Powerful Designs for Professional Learning. Edited by Lois Brown Easton. This publication is designed for educators who believe that high-quality professional development must go beyond sit-and-get workshops. The 270-page manual is packaged with a CD-ROM that contains more than 150 handouts that can be used to introduce strategies to school coaches, teachers, principals, or anyone involved in the professional learning of a school district. To order, call (800) 727-7288 or visit http://store.ncdc.org. National Staff Development Council members purchase price is $64. Non-member price is $80. Group discounts apply.

American Stars of Teaching. The U.S. Department of Education realizes how important it is to honor teachers from across the nation who are dedicated to fulfilling the promise of No Child Left Behind and improving student achievement. Therefore, the Department will continue to focus attention on exemplary classroom teachers who are successful in using innovative teaching strategies and raising student academic achievement for all of their students by recognizing them as American Stars of Teaching. These teachers will be highlighted as representatives of the thousands of teachers who are making a difference in the lives of their students. For further details or to nominate an exemplary teacher to be honored as an American Star of Teaching, visit www.teacherquality.us/TeacherToTeacher/AmericanStars.asp.

New from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).

• For a list of the new NICHCY Directories of Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) Discretionary Grants for 2004, visit www.nichcy.org/directories/intro.asp.
• Download a list of updated national toll-free numbers and Web sites at www.nichcy.org/pubs/genresc/gr5.pdf.