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In the continued search for solutions to the gender gap in math achievement, researchers have found that cultural factors may play an important part in explaining why boys do better in math, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Using 2003 results from an international assessment program and gender equality profiles, scientists compared the math and reading scores of thousands of 15-year olds in 40 countries. Girls generally scored lower in math but scored higher in countries (such as Norway and Iceland) with greater gender equality, where women had greater economic and political opportunities. The scores of U.S. girls were in the middle range.

The study, published in the journal Science, highlights the importance of cultural attitudes in influencing students’ school courses and career paths, especially since girls are often discouraged from excelling in math, experts say.

But some educators also note more girls in the U.S. today are taking challenging courses and choosing careers in math. They attribute this growing trend to changing economic and social conditions. “I think it’s society today,” says Victoria Stevenson, a math department head at an all-girl high school. “There’s a look toward technology as being key and more jobs are available to women in engineering and technology.”

Posted by Danielle Woods at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A few weeks back, we highlighted a story about a very tense situation at Cascade High School in Everett, Wash., where teachers were raising concerns that district administrators had planted a surveillance camera in the classroom of a teacher who was later fired, allegedly for helping students publish an underground newspaper. At the time, an attorney for the district denied the allegations.

Now, however, the district has publicly acknowledged that it did, in fact, use a video camera to secretly monitor journalism teacher Kay Powers’ classroom. District officials say they do not believe the practice was unlawful and that they were primarily trying to protect students. The whereabouts of the video are reportedly not known.

The local teachers union, which has expressed outrage at the districts actions, plans to file a complaint that the district violated employees’ rights and fair labor practices.

Ed. note: A reader who has taught in Everett first tipped us off to the new developments and offered a personal reaction:

As a former substitute teacher for the Everett School District, and a three-time guest teacher in Kay Powers' classroom, this coming-to-light of the district's intrusion into the privacy of not only Kay Powers, but her students (and potentially myself) is unconscionable. And that the district is now framing this argument under the rubric of the students' personal safety is reprehensible and legal posturing. How is spying on Ms. Powers and her students ensuring their safety?Ensure this tactic is met with the utmost in logical resistance.

Posted by Anthony Rebora, teachermagazine.org at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A growing number of studies suggest that college education schools are generally of poor quality, according to an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Among the charges: education majors have comparatively low college-entrance scores; admissions standards are minimal; education professors are often undistinguished and detached from classrooms; and program requirements, such as student-teaching hours, are wildly inconsistent.

Part of the problem, observers note, is the growing pressure on ed schools to produce ever more graduates to fill the nation’s need for qualified teachers. Another factor may be a general lack of clarity on what sort of preparation today’s teachers need. “We cannot improve these programs until we are clear what we want the profession to look in the 21st century, and we haven’t done that,” said Ohio State Superintendent Susan Tave Zelman.

Even so, a number of initiatives have been launched to improve ed schools’ standards. One Ohio group, for example, is conducting a value-added study designed to track the correlation between teachers’ preparation programs and their performance as educators (as measured by student test scores). The aim is to replicate those programs that are seen as having the greatest impact.

“The good news for Ohioans and others is that there is very rapid progress in trying to use data to drive changes in teacher-preparation programs,” said Tom Lasley, dean of the University of Dayton’s School of Education and Allied Professions.

Posted by Anthony Rebora, teachermagazine.org at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

A new study from Pennsylvania State University in University Park finds that 16 percent of high school biology teachers believe in creationism, according to NewScientist.

The researchers sampled 2000 high school biology teachers across the country in 2007 and found that teachers with less training in evolutionary biology are less likely to spend time teaching evolution. Of the 939 who responded, 2 percent said they did not teach evolution at all. While the majority of educators sampled spend between 3 and 10 classroom hours teaching evolution, almost a quarter of those educators focus some time on creationism. And almost half of those educators—12.5 percent of the entire group—said they teach creationsim as a “valid, scientific alternative to Darwinian explanations for the origin of the species.”

Linda Froschauer, the former president of the National Science Teachers Association in Arlington, Va., did not appear to be shocked by the findings. Said Froschauer, “We do know there’s problem out there, and this gives more credibility to the issue.” The bottom line? Regardless of how states mandate the teaching of science, many classroom teachers believe that God created human beings within the last 10,000 years.

Posted by Elizabeth Rich at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

At many competitive high schools, traditional honors courses are all but disappearing from the curriculum, as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs grow more influential, according to an article in The Washington Post.

Honors courses, according to the article, generally give students a chance to learn at a faster pace than in regular classes, but without necessarily going into the college-level material required in AP and IB classes. Their decline has left a gap for some students. “There are some students who are just honor students,” said a high school junior at Rockville High in Maryland. “They don’t have the ability to push themselves into AP. They’re too smart to be in regular classes.”

Some students and parents believe their schools are strategically cutting back on honors offerings as a way push more students into AP and IB classes, which can boost a school’s reputation. For example, Newsweek’s annual ranking of the top high schools in America, just published for 2008, is based in part on student participation in college-level courses.

School administrators argue, however, that they are merely trying to simplify their academic tracks and avoid overlapping courses. “We thought it was very health to have simply two choices,” said Gail Hubbard, supervisor of advanced programs for Prince William County Schools in Virginia.

Posted by Anthony Rebora, teachermagazine.org at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First Jim Piculas had a job, then he didn’t. The Florida substitute teacher claimed the Pasco County School District rubbed him off the substitute list because of complaints that he had practiced “wizardry” in the classroom, The Tampa Tribune reports.

Piculas, who was working toward teacher certification, said he thinks his disappearing toothpick trick—involving a toothpick, transparent tape, and sleight-of-hand—may have been interpreted by one of his middle school students as “wizardry.” The student was so rattled by the trick, according to Piculas, that the student’s father complained.

District officials said complaints from the classroom teacher that substitute Piculas didn’t follow lesson plans and lacked classroom control were the actual causes of his removal. “The toothpick demonstration was minor compared to the other problems,” said Renalia DuBose, assistant superintendent. The principal asked that he not return to the school.

Although Piculas says accusations of “wizardry” were his classroom ouster, the word never appears in the district letter he received, according to the Tribune. Piculas said the additional complaints were “window dressing” to mask the real reason for his removal. “I think she [district official] was trying to downplay it because it [classroom magic] sounded so goofy,” he said.

Posted by Danielle Woods at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Teacher-in-training Stacy Snyder brought suit against Millersville University, alleging that she was denied her teaching credential because of a picture of herself as a “drunken pirate” on her MySpace page. Snyder is claiming her First Amendment rights were violated, according to ABC News.

Citing unsatisfactory performance and unprofessional behavior, university officials said they would have denied Snyder a degree regardless of the photo. The photo, which officials say promoted underage drinking, was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Snyder’s suit, which is scheduled to go to trial on Tuesday, raises questions about teachers’ accountability to students—inside and outside the classroom. Some school districts have begun crafting policies to regulate the virtual lives of their employees, ABC News reports. “Teachers are also considered role models,” said Nora Carr, a spokeswoman for a North Carolina school district that is at work on such a policy.

The risk of having online profiles has prompted teachers associations and school district lawyers to caution teachers about what they put online. The Washington Post recently reported on a wave of teacher profiles featuring content that could be deemed inappropriate by administrators and parents, including strong sexual content, profanity, and discriminatory language.

Posted by Danielle Woods at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

According to the National Education Association, the details around the origins of National Teacher Appreciation Day are “murky.” It appears to date back to 1944 when Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge began a letter writing campaign to petition political and education leaders for a national day to honor educators. Eleanor Roosevelt received one of those letters and the rest, as they say, is history.

This year, with their theme “Great Teachers Make Great Public Schools,” the National Education Association draws attention to the role teachers play in ensuring that every child receives a quality public education, according to its Web site. Meanwhile, the Parent Teacher Association and the NEA have co- sponsored the Nation's Largest Teacher Thank-You Card Project. The 8-foot-tall, 50-foot-long mural, to be signed by thousands, will be unveiled next year, location to be determined.

What is the one gift that teachers polled by the NEA last year said would make them feel most appreciated? Close to one-half said a “thank you” would suffice.

Posted by Danielle Woods at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Many students seem to forget that terms like “LOL” (Laugh out loud) and “ROTFL” (Rolling on the floor laughing) don’t belong in academic assignments. In fact, nearly two-thirds of 700 students surveyed in a recent study said their e-communication style sometimes finds its way into their schoolwork, according to the New York Times.

Students said they sometimes omit proper punctuation and capitalization, use text shortcuts, and emoticons, according to the study. But while schools seek to assimilate new modes of writing, some experts see it as a non-issue.

“I think this is not a worrying issue at all,” said Richard Sterling, emeritus executive director of the National Writing Project, who views students’ e-communication as an opportunity to discuss proper usages of English.

Most of the students in the survey didn’t view their e-language as “real writing,” but Sterling makes this prediction: “As the English language evolves, some e-mail conventions … may well become accepted practice.”

Posted by Danielle Woods at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)