"Teaching Non-Traditional Learners"
Suzie Boss, Edutopia, May 31, 2012

"In hindsight, Skloot can joke about her own journey as a nontraditional learner. She was kicked out of preschool, she says, for "refusing to nap." Things didn't go much better when she reached her teens. Smart but bored, she failed most of her required freshman year classes in a traditional high school setting.

"Things quickly improved when she switched to Metropolitan Learning Center, an alternative high school operated by Portland Public Schools. There, teachers invited her to consider, "What do you want to study?" Her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian suddenly seemed possible. Motivated by being able to direct her own learning, she then "blasted through school," taking additional science courses at the nearby community college."

Are Charter Schools Public Schools?
Diane Ravitch, Education Week Blogs, May 29, 2012

"What concerns me most is the possibility that policymakers are promoting dual school systems: a privileged group of schools called charters that can select their students and exclude the ones that are hardest to educate; and the remaining schools composed of students who couldn't get into the charters or got kicked out. I wonder also whether it is wise in the long run to create one set of schools that is free from regulation and a competing set of schools that is subject to ever tighter regulation. What is the endgame? Is it our goal to undermine public education so thoroughly that teachers and students alike turn away from it?" 

"'Importance of Being Playful' conference at UC"
Stephanie M. Lee, SF Gate, Saturday, May 26, 2012

"Playing, whether doing the Charleston, kicking a soccer ball or even curling up with a good book, is healthy for kids and adults alike. It yields both physical and mental health benefits, say experts such as Stuart Brown, a Carmel Valley psychiatrist and a leading expert in the field of play.

"Play's opposite is not work, but depression, he said.

"There are consequences in adulthood when we don't engage in getting into a state of play," Brown said. "That means we're less flexible, less adaptive, less resilient and poorer stress managers."

"Junior Juilliard"
Mitch Smith, Inside HigherEd, May 23, 2012

"High school musicians will soon be able to take a class from the Juilliard School. Well, kind of.

"The noted conservatory, which offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in music, is lending its name and expertise to a series of online K-12 courses that will be marketed to individual students and school districts starting this fall and offered through Pearson’s Connections platform."

"Groups Offer Ways for Feds to Improve Student Well-Being"
Nirvi Shah, Education Week, May 11, 2012

"Noting the strong link between students’ health and their ability to learn, health advocates said this week that they want the federal departments of Education and Health and Human Services to make a few small changes they believe could improve students’ academic and physical well-being and work to close achievement gaps."

"Google's 80/20 Principle Adopted at New Jersey School"
Tanya Roscorla, Converge, May 10, 2012 

"We really want teachers to be innovative and creative," Sheninger said. "For us to make that possible, we need to empower them to really pursue those areas that they're motivated by.
...
"At first, the school specified the amount of video hours teachers needed to watch and reflect on through the on-demand online professional development tool PD 360. They also had teachers participate in Simple K-12's Teacher Learning Community.
"But based on teacher feedback and a reassessment of goals, the administrative team gave teachers more flexibility rather than mandates.
"Toward the end of the school year, teachers turned in logs that included the topics they studied and how the projects they did enhanced the teaching and learning process."

"In Pursuit of Happiness" 
Karen Raingold, RSA Projects / Education Matters, May 10, 2012 
"One area where happiness does not seem to have been a central consideration however is in education. Take the new Ofsted framework, which requires inspectors to place emphasis on behaviour, safety and teaching but makes no mention of emotional wellbeing, sociability and support. The aim here may have been to concentrate on the essentials and perhaps the more quantifiable elements, but this only reinforces the lack of regard with which these qualities are held.

"Plans for performance related pay for teachers could be taken as another example of overlooking the importance of happiness. Not only is this measure likely to increase pressure on teachers, making them less happy, but their performance is likely to be measured solely on academic results, as it must be, and not well-being. This is not to say that the two will always be unrelated. For example it seems obvious that if a child is taught in a way that is exciting, fun, collaborative and supportive then they will not only be happier but will be more engaged and therefore attain better results. But this policy risks increasing pressure on students to achieve academically, leading to more teaching to the test and so risking children’s well-being."

Full Belly Farm Newsletter
May 9, 2012

"This past week we had another of our amazing classes of Waldorf and Charter school 3rd graders come to visit the farm as part of their food system curriculum. ...

"I think that because in this world there are so many people living in such close quarters and because we have a culture of connoisseurship and expertise sometimes we are trained not to interfere or interject when something is not our business. But this place breaks that mould and encourages everyone to dig in. ...
"We forget when we grow up that, as kids, work and play are often one and the same. Their senses were on overload (per usual I guess when you are nine years old) and their energy contagious.

"With the exception of spending time with Hallie, baby lambs and me, their favorite part of coming to the farm is most often the CSA line. This is a subtle but powerful concept to me. The fact that kids LOVE work is telling. We need to follow their example and be sure to make work for ourselves that we love and strive for a society where work never stops being our passion so that our future generations can cultivate a healthy sense of logic, work ethic and well-being as they grow into adults and our future leaders."

Why Bother With Recess?
Cynthia A. Elder, Michael C. Obel-Omia; Ed Week, online May 8, 2012 / print May 9, 2012

"Ironically, in an effort to prepare our students for these future challenges, schools have made decisions that may weaken our children's social, emotional, intellectual, and physical health, while crippling their ability to think creatively, gain self-confidence, and work collaboratively.

"As of 2009, 30 percent of the nation's elementary schools had done away with recess altogether. Of those that maintained recess, 40 percent had cut it back significantly. If current trends continue, recess may soon be a thing of the past for our students."

"The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men"
Robert Pondiscio, Core Knowledge, May 7th, 2012 

“As a policy wonk, I push for high academic expectations for all students,” writes Scott Joftus in Education Next. “As a father, however, I find that what matters most to me is that my daughters are happy in school.”