edchat

Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, EdvocatePD, First Year Teachers, Teacher Education, Teachers October 25, 2017

How to Write Your Philosophy of Classroom Management and Classroom Management Plan

Back when I was a professor of education, one of the most significant sources of anxiety for preservice teachers was classroom management. Most of them seemed unsure about their ability to manage a classroom full of 20 to 30 kids while responding to problem behaviors and facilitating the teaching and learning process. I always assuaged their concerns by letting them know that before they left my class, they would have a philosophy of classroom management and classroom management plan, which could be adapted to any classroom environment.

In my course, they learned that if students are in a safe and supportive environment, learning can take place. It is critical to have an engaging educational environment that includes all students. The primary goal of any philosophy/plan of classroom management is to assist the teacher in creating an environment for all students that will allow them to be successful and ultimately reach their full potential. In this piece, I plan to walk you through the creation of your own philosophy of classroom management and classroom management plan. Let’s get started.

Writing Your Philosophy of Classroom Management

I taught my students to divide their philosophy of classroom management into the three sections below. Completing a philosophy of classroom management is not an easy task, but I found a way to simplify the process. All you have to do is answer the questions from each section and use the resulting content to shape the body of your narrative. From there, simply add an introduction and conclusion and you are done. Revisions may be necessary, but at least you have a great first draft.

My Beliefs About Students:

Do I believe that students need to be “controlled and disciplined” or that they can be taught self-control?
Do I think that students are naturally disruptive and therefore need to be molded and conditioned to behave appropriately?
Do I view students as equals or as charges?
Do I believe that establishing a democratic classroom and giving students responsibility means letting them take over the class?

My Beliefs About Teachers’ Roles:

Do I see myself as a boss or facilitator? A brick wall, jellyfish, or backbone teacher? An assertive educator?
Do I think that I should create all of the rules and consequences, or do I think that students should offer their thoughts?
Do I want to discipline or manage my students?
Do I believe that teachers should spend time at the beginning of the year to teach rules and routines?

My Beliefs About Managing the Classroom:

Do I think rewarding students for good behavior?
Is the point of classroom management to manage the classroom or teach students to supervise and discipline themselves?
Would I be ok with using a school-adopted classroom management program, or do I want to have more freedom to choose my own classroom management practices?

Writing Your Classroom Management Plan

After completing your philosophy of classroom management, you are now ready to write your classroom management plan. The cool think about it is that you can use parts of your philosophy of classroom management. Write a narrative that includes, but is not limited to, the topics/issues found below. Make sure you back your narrative up with recent research (less than three years old).

Supportive, Effective, and Developmentally Appropriate Classroom Management Techniques
Classroom Climate: Class Structure, Rules, Routines, Procedures, and Policies
Classroom Design and Layout
Student’s Expectation of Teacher
Teacher’s Expectation of Students
Positive and Negative Consequences and Individualized Behavior Management Intervention Plans
Communication of Class and Behavioral Expectations to Students and Parents/Guardians
Responsibility of the Parents/Guardians, Students, Teacher and School in Classroom Management
Philosophy’s Connection to Theorist/Theory
Philosophy incorporates pertinent and appropriate information from course textbooks; Classroom Management: Models, Applications, and Cases; Teacher-and Tested Classroom Management Strategies

From there, simply add an introduction and conclusion and you are done. Revisions may be necessary about this, but at least you have a great first draft.

Reflection

Reflecting on your work is a vital part of being a professional and is essential to teacher development and the preparation of future teachers. Reflection allows you to examine your own beliefs, assumptions, and biases regarding teaching, learning, and classroom management and determine how those beliefs influence classroom practice and impact on the learning environment. If you are really want to impress your professor and receive an A, include a reflection along with your classroom management philosophy/plan.

Write a reflective 500 word paper about your philosophy of classroom management and classroom management plan. Please write the reflection in narrative form. The reflection paper should highlight how your classroom management details how you plan to develop a safe and supportive learning environment for your students. This may include:

How do you believe your philosophy of classroom management and classroom management plan will work to provide your students with a safe and supportive learning environment?
How do you plan on getting to know your students?
How you plan on introducing students to your classroom management plan in the first 21 days of school and then reinforcing it beyond that time period?
Communication of class and behavioral expectation to students and family
Substitute teacher materials?
Does the narrative reflect an understanding and thoughtful consideration of classroom management?

If you followed the directions in good faith, we are confident that you are now the owner of a world-class classroom philsophy of classroom management and classroom management plan. I would say good luck, but you won’t need it.

Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Trending Topics October 17, 2017

5 Things That Educators Should Know About EdTech

The Information Era began some decades ago and is now changing the way we educate our children. The children of today are growing up in a world very different from the world in which their parents did. Communication has changed, and an enormous variety of information is now accessible to almost everybody at the click of a mouse or swipe of a finger. Old-fashioned classrooms equipped only with books and chalkboards are long gone. New teaching techniques such as Internet research, experience-based education, virtual learning, and online live assessments are being introduced to meet educational needs in the Information Era.

As we examine this sea of change in the way information is delivered, we’ll also take a look at the impact of these changes on veteran teachers. Other problematic factors include teachers with years of experience in the classic method of teaching; teachers who are not familiar with technology resources; and students and schools that don’t have access to technology hardware, software, or connectivity to the Internet. In this article, we will discuss the 5 things you should know about Edtech.

What should every educator know about technology? We are living in the midst of a tremendous upheaval in the fields of technology and communication. Advances in technology have influenced every aspect of modern life, and are having an enormous impact on education. Technology can promote student engagement, immerse students in real-world issues, enhance discussions and workshops, and facilitate formative assessment.

Students today are often “digital natives” who are very familiar with technology. However, there is a profound “digital divide” between students who have access to technology and students, mostly from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, who don’t have the same amount of access.

The new technological advances can be helpful, but there are some associated problems. Students may spend too much time using their devices, the Internet includes information that may be harmful as well as helpful, and teachers may become overly focused on technology to the detriment of information transfer.

What resources can a teacher use to introduce technology into the classroom? The Internet offers a vast array of resources and access to information, but students should be tutored in proper research techniques to weed out unreliable sources.

Tools such as spreadsheets, word-processing programs, and desktop publishing are highly useful and should be incorporated into classrooms. For subjects such as mathematics, foreign language acquisition, social studies, and science, technology allows students to immerse themselves in the subject and access material not otherwise available.

Other technological tools can benefit teachers. These include software for time management, grade book programs, and test-generating software. Multimedia tools can be used in the classroom to impart information and keep interest levels high. For students with disabilities, technology offers a range of tools than can, for example, create Braille texts or assist with typing.

How has technology changed instructional practices? Social networking sites such as Facebook have allowed teachers to create groups to build communities and hold discussions. However, teachers must be aware of their “public” profile, and personal information that can be accessed online. Other opportunities for social interaction online include e-portfolio or assessment tools, which allow students to store their work in web-based portfolios, so teachers and students can have access to it. Technology is also influencing the professional development of educators, as online courses are becoming more prevalent.

What are the barriers to implementing technology into your classroom? Though the digital divide has been closing, a number of factors inhibit the implementation of technology in some schools. These include lack of funds, lack of training, slower access to the Internet, and lack of access to technology at home.

What does the future hold for technology in schools? Holography, or 3D imaging, will become a useful tool in some science classes. Virtual 3D immersion will allow students to “travel” to distant places. Bring Your Own Device initiatives are allowing students to bring devices into schools, and work with them to make use of the devices in the classroom. Natural User Interfaces such as Kinect allow physical movement to control devices, which is particularly useful for students with disabilities. Personal Learning Environments are mobile and often cloud-based, allowing students to learn wherever they are. Finally, the backpack filled with heavy books will probably be a thing of the past as texts move to tablets or e-readers that students can carry in their pockets.

Did I miss anything?

Click here to read all of the articles from this series.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech October 16, 2017

How the College Life Gives Students an Unreal Sense of Living Expenses

Think back to your carefree days of life as a college student. Loans and grants may have financed your education so you could concentrate on studying. You didn’t have to worry about living expenses. All you had to do was go to class and get decent grades.

University students today have similar experiences. Many students live off campus in luxury apartments, unwilling to delay gratification in the pursuit of maintaining a lifestyle similar to what their parents enjoy. Co-eds share expenses with roommates, and they enjoy deeply discounted amenities during their time in college.

College life gives students an unreal sense of living expenses.

What college costs

Average college costs are $24,610 per year at a moderate four-year public university and $49,320 per year at a private school. Those estimates include tuition, books, fees, room, and board. Students still must factor in the cost of purchasing personal items, having a social life, and maintaining a personal vehicle. These expenses can cost an additional $250-$500/month.

University students are spending an average of $41,165 per year of study.

What students do not realize is that this standard of living is subsidized – by the government, the university, and often, by the students’ parents.

The real cost of living

Multiple those yearly costs by four and college students will see how much it costs to replicate their current standard of living. Leaving university life will be costly as well as eye-opening.

The lifestyle enjoyed in college would cost, on average, $160,000 per year. That estimate does not take any indebtedness into account. Many students consider going into debt as much a part of the college experience as attending football games. They know they won’t face that debt until they graduate.

They have unprecedented levels of debt without understanding the consequences of creating that indebtedness and delaying repayment. The average undergraduate has $37,172 in student loan debt and will take 21 years to pay it off.

At an annual average salary of $49,785, recent college graduates entering the workforce will not be able to maintain the lifestyle they enjoyed in college.

A new lifestyle

The shocking difference between college life and living as an adult on ones own is what has caused one-third of college graduates to move back in with their parents, a significant other, or friends.

It may be one way to avoid the sticker shock that comes from having an unreal sense of living expenses.

Matthew Lynch published in Diversity, Trending Topics October 10, 2017

The A-Z of Education: Diversity

In this series, I hope to guide you in acquiring the vocabulary that you need to know to be considered a competent education professional. In this article, we will discuss education vocabulary centered on multicultural education.

Click here to view all of the articles in the series.

Bisexual is the term given to sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation.

Cyber Bullying refers to bullying in which the offenders use Internet service or mobile technologies — such as email, chat room discussion groups, instant messaging, web pages, or SMS (text messaging) — with the intention of harming another person.

Differentiation refers to the practice of adjusting curriculum and assessments to the abilities, learning pace and learning styles of students, offering a variety of assignment choices to maximize opportunities for success.

Dual Exceptionality A term applied to students who are identified as gifted in one or more areas but simultaneously learning-disabled and possibly low achieving as a result.

English as a Second Language (ESL) A method of language acquisition where students are placed in regular English-speaking classes for part of the school day, and pulled out for intensive small group language focus during other classes. A modified form of immersion.

FAPE, LRE Fair and Appropriate Public Education, Least Restrictive Environment. Legal terminology applied in the Public Law 94-142; The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which requires that students with disabilities must be placed in regular classrooms with their non-disabled peers, to the extent that their abilities allow.

Giftedness Defined variously as an IQ test score over 130, and/or a high level of natural ability, motivation, and creativity in a given field or area of study. It can refer to a combination of these elements.

Globalization The inclination to integrate societies and communities at the multi-national level, including linguistic, economic, technological, and societal elements of world culture.

Homosexual Someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law specifically mandating that schools provide equitable education for the mentally and physically disabled.

Individualized Education Program (IEP) is an education plan developed specifically for each student with a disability. In Canada and the United Kingdom, an equivalent document is called an Individual Education Plan.

Inclusion The participation of students with disabilities in regular education classrooms, usually with support services.

Inclusive and Particularistic are two key terms referring to characteristics of a culturally responsive curriculum that ensures all students are welcomed and included in all aspects of the school, while acknowledging their unique differences with respect and acceptance.

Learning Disability Underdeveloped skill in one or more areas, usually related to neurological disorders. Applies to students whose intelligence level is average or above and often the result of information processing issues, psychological problems or motor dysfunction, hearing or visual problems.

Multiple Intelligences refers to a theory proposed by educational psychologist Howard Gardner, suggesting that certain areas of specialized intelligence become more developed than others. Includes 10 distinct areas of intelligence: visual/spatial, mathematical/logical, musical/rhythmic, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic and existentialist.

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a three-tiered approach to identifying learning disabilities, intervening to address, accommodate, and remediate students identified with these disabilities and helping them to be successful in school.

School Climate is a collective, descriptive label for the social interactions and relationships among students — with each other and with their teachers — and teachers’ interactions with their peers and administrators. The ways students experience the school and culture: the ways teachers and administrators interact and collaborate.

School Culture refers to the values, traditions, and infrastructure in each school. These characteristics govern how the school functions as an entity.

Team Teacher is a certified special education teacher who cooperates with content teacher in a regular classroom, provide special services, additional attention, and support for students identified with learning disabilities.

Transgender A general term applied to individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from the usual gender roles.

Title IX refers to a Federal law passed in 1972 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in public schools and private schools that receive federal funding.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is the most frequently administered IQ assessment for students 6–16 years of age, developed by David Wechsler in the late 1940s. Scale ranges from 10–140. Measures a variety of skills and aptitudes, and is most frequently used as a predictive indicator of academic success.

Are there any terms that we missed?

Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Trending Topics September 25, 2017

The A-Z of Education: The History of Education

Click here to view all of the articles in the series.

American Spelling Book was the name given to the 1783 publication designed to promote nationalism following the Revolutionary War. The book included moral lessons, word lists, and guides to pronunciation, as well as the change from British to American spellings.

Abstraction refers to the act of taking something away, or separating something from something else, though not necessarily with a decrease in complexity.

De jure refers to an occurrence or phenomenon sanctioned and supported by formalized legislature.

De facto refers to an occurrence or phenomenon existing in reality, particularly in the absence of any formalized legislature.

Equality refers to the state of being the same or equal.

Equity refers to impartiality, or the state of being fair and free of prejudice.

McGuffey Readers One of the most popular and widely used textbooks in history. While not overtly religious, the books emphasized moral lessons and were intended to develop students into good citizens.

New England Primer was an illustrated textbook comprised of religious readings used in schools during the colonial period.

Progressive Education Movement was a reform movement in education which began in the 1880s and lasted over 60 years. The progressive movement emphasized learning by doing and the creation of curricula to suit children’s interests.

Did we miss anything?

Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform, Trending Topics September 19, 2017

The A-Z of Education: Education Reform

In this series, I hope to guide you in acquiring the vocabulary that you will need to know to be considered a competent education professional. In this article, we will discuss education vocabulary centered on education reform.

Click here to view all of the articles in the series.

A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform A 1983 report suggesting that student performance and other problems with the U.S. educational system placed the nation at risk of falling well behind other industrialized nations.

Decentralized System refers to an organizational structure where decision making and authority, particularly with regards to finances and policy, are transferred away from state and district administrators and progressively handed over to schools. This facilitates more efficient and relevant administration.

Diverse Educational Models refers to the various educational models, developed through successive reforms that are available for schools to adopt in an attempt to implement reform in their particular district or community.

Educational Reform refers to the changes that continually take place to address the changing needs of the national society and workforce at school level. These changes to the educational system are intended to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of students in the United States.

Equity refers to policies and practices that are impartial, seeking not to favor certain groups over others. In terms of educational funding, equity relates to an equitable and balanced distribution of funds to both poor and wealthy districts.

Five-Factor Theory is a theory proposing that schools with effective leadership, ongoing monitoring, safe environments, clear vision, and high expectations of students and teachers have a higher likelihood of being more effective.

Schools-within-Schools refers to a practice based on research showing that students in smaller classes do better, particularly in higher grades. Using the same resources and staff, student groups are subdivided to allow them to receive focused or specialized training, according to their needs.

Standards-Based Education is an approach adopted on a nationwide level to create uniformity around what students are expected to gain from their school career. This is intended to ensure that all students participating in the educational system are offered the same education, regardless of their choice of school.

Virtual Schools refer to schools that are predominantly based on virtual interactions; that is, interactions mediated through the use of technology independent of student or teacher location. This is also known as eLearning.

Are there any terms that I missed?

Matthew Lynch published in Diversity, Trending Topics September 10, 2017

The A-Z of Education- Multicultural Education

Click here to view all of the articles in the series.

Assimilation refers to a process of gradual, but imposed, adjustment to and absorption of the values, attitudes, and customs of a new culture until conformity is established. This new culture is often the dominant culture in the area or country.

Culturally Responsive is the term given to the practice of respectfully accepting, acknowledging, and incorporating the students’ diverse cultural knowledge, background experiences, and values into the curriculum and all aspects of learning.

Deculturalization is a term denoting the loss of “home culture” that occurs when immigrants achieve complete assimilation. This will generally happen across a generational gap, causing difficulties for both the deculturized children and their culturally intact extended family members.

Diversity A wide range of unique individual aspects, including race, language, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political ideology, socioeconomic level, and academic ability.

English Language Learners (ELL) refers to student who are non-English speaking, or students who may have a basic grasp of English, but who have a different home language that they use more regularly.

Equity denotes the concept or idea of fairness, equal treatment, and equal opportunity.

Multiculturalism The acceptance of multiple cultures coexisting in society with equitable status accorded to distinct ethnic groups.

Nativism is an academic term denoting the ethnocentric belief that the established inhabitants of a nation should have favored status over immigrants or other newcomers.

RaceUsually refers to the categorization of humans into populations or ancestral groups on the basis of various sets of heritable characteristics.

School Climate is a collective, descriptive label for the social interactions and relationships among and between students, teachers, and administrators. The ways students experience the school and culture: the ways teachers and administrators interact and collaborate.

School Culture The values, traditions, safety practices, and organizational structures within a school that cause it to function and react in particular ways.

Segregation refers to the unjust separation of different kinds of humans into racial groups in daily life that may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a washroom, attending school, and going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home.

Are there any terms that we missed?

Matthew Lynch published in Bullying August 31, 2017

Cyberbullying: Top Six Ways to Prevent Threats

By: Victoria Zambito, SVP of Content and Communications, Vector Solutions

Keeping kids safe while in school is becoming increasingly difficult as we see the proliferation of technology among youth. One of the newest threats is Cyberbullying, which has quickly become a serious problem among kids in elementary school through high school.

According to Pew Research, more than half of all students in 5th grade and above report either being a victim of Cyberbullying or know someone who has been Cyberbullied. And, furthermore, Cyberbullying has been linked to depression, school violence and suicide.

Older forms of bullying were bad enough, but Cyberbullying can be particularly devastating for students since messages can be transmitted to and accessed by anyone in seconds — and traditional school safeguards are often ineffective. In fact, 95% of social media-using teens who have witnessed cruel behavior on social networking sites say they have seen others ignoring the mean behavior and 55% witness this frequently (Pew Research).

So how can schools work to prevent Cyberbullying or restrict access to some technological features that put kids at risk? We reached out to our friends over at Vector Solutions, a leader in online education and parent company of SafeSchools, and they provided us with six key elements to help in the prevention of Cyberbullying in K-12 schools:

Understand Cyberbullying

First you have to know what it is. Cyberbullying occurs when a bully or group of bullies uses communication technologies, such as cell phones and computers, in a way that meets the definition of bullying.

Bullying, by definition, occurs when one or more students exhibit behavior toward one or more other students that meet three criteria:

Harm – the bully intends physical or emotional harm for the victim.
Unfair Match – the victim(s) cannot fairly defend themselves. (and the bully’s harassment is)
Repeated – the harassment occurs more than once.

Once you clearly understand what it is, you can detect it and prevent it.

Be Aware

Be aware that cell phones can do much more than just place phone calls. Cyberbullies use voice messages, text messages, e-mail, instant messages, images, videos and/or social networking websites in a deliberate attempt to repeatedly harass, intimidate or embarrass another person or group of people. Be aware of capabilities and students’ preferred communication methods. This will allow you to closely monitor more commonly accessed technology platforms. And most importantly, don’t allow phones to be out at all during classes.

Stay Informed

Technology is changing faster than ever before. And for parents and teachers it can be tricky to know what is the latest social media or app kids are using. Ask IT professionals at school to help with this. Often, they are much more informed. With regular updates, they can help staff know what “bad apps” to look out for. Also, go direct to the source. Talk to kids openly about what is going on. If you create an open dialogue, you can gain invaluable insight.

Restrict Access

School staff and parents should be aware that most tools and apps have a minimum age requirement for users, which is typically 18 years old or 13 years old with parental permission. As a school, you can require “Acceptable Use Policies,” or AUP. This is a contract among the school, the student and the student’s parents. AUPs are increasingly popular and necessary. In exchange for permission to use the school’s computer hardware, software and network, the student and his/her parents agree that the student will exhibit responsible online behavior. If students violate the AUP, they can be disciplined.

Enforce Policies

All school staff members are responsible for knowing the anti-bullying policies of their school as well as carefully following the procedures detailed in those policies. If you are not familiar with your responsibilities regarding Bullying and Cyberbullying behavior in your school, ask your supervisor or principal. Failure to follow your school’s policies may result in harm to the students involved. Some threats, such as violence, may even potentially result in legal action against the school and against you individually.

Track & Monitor Incidents

Many schools are leveraging technology like SafeSchools to monitor bullying incidents as well as train staff in prevention methods. Through a custom alert system parents, teachers and students can anonymously report incident 24/7, 365. Districts are notified immediately and can take the necessary course of action to prevent or resolve problems. Systems like this unify all fronts on the fight against bullying.

At the end of the day, prevention is the safest, most effective strategy to reduce Cyberbullying and Bullying behavior. Effective anti-bullying efforts promote a culture of respect and an atmosphere in which bullying behavior is unacceptable. A school-wide approach to Cyberbullying prevention and intervention, with buy-in from all staff and parents, is key to its effectiveness. Be sure your students and their parents are fully informed about your school’s prevention program as well as understand what it means and their individual responsibilities.

Victoria Zambito, SVP of Content & Communications

As a member of the Vector Solutions executive team, Victoria Zambito is responsible for, and has been successful in, growing the highly profitable online education business since she joined the company 17 years ago. As Senior Vice President of Content and Communication, she is responsible for aligning and rationalizing Vector’s extensive library of over 5,000 courses across its multiple brands, enhancing, standardizing and modernizing content, and driving creative, agile solutions to deliver products. She also focuses on centralizing strategic communications and public relations as the company seeks to develop its brand globally.

Prior to this, Zambito led the Business to Professional (B2P) business unit, where she provided strategic leadership by collaborating with the CEO and core management team to establish long-term goals, strategies, plans and policies for growing the company’s direct-to-consumer business. From 2009 to 2012, she served as Vice President of Marketing for the Vector Solutions family of brands, supporting sales pipeline development, brand awareness and demand generation for both B2B and B2C efforts.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Teachers, Trending Topics August 15, 2017

The A-Z of Education: School Finance and Organization

Click here to view all of the articles in the series.

Adequate Yearly Progress is a No Child Left Behind requirement that schools make annual incremental progress toward 100 percent of students reaching the proficient level on state reading and mathematics assessments by the 2013–2014 school year.

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is a nationally organized association, intended to represent the interests of all affiliated classroom teachers. It is comprised of professional teachers who advocate for teachers’ concerns, educational reforms, as well as for changes to current legislation.

American Recovery and Revitalization Act (ARRA) refers to a law passed in 2009 regarding the provision of a stimulus package to assist, among other things, in the creation and retention of teachers and school staff.

Authentic Assessment refers to the testing of students which measure accomplishment and mastery in a more holistic manner than standardized testing. The outcomes of these assessments are sometimes considered being more representative of a teacher’s effectiveness than the results of standardized testing.

Block Grant is a means for educational funding where federal government monies are paid to the state in a “block,” rather than being specifically designated to particular programs or purchases.

Categorical Aid refers to the means of federal funding for education where monies are targeted to specific federal programs or services and must only be used for those purposes. These monies are required to be accounted for and reported on periodically.

Chief State School Officer is the title given to the head of education for the state. This position may be elected, but is often appointed by the governor.

Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) was passed in 1965 in regards to various aspects of educational policy. This includes the funding of education up until the end of high school, and aims to promote the removal of achievement gaps between students of differing socioeconomic backgrounds.

Local School Board is the term used to describe the governing body for educational policy and funding at the local level. Members are usually elected by the community.

Local School District refers to the organization that channels funding and policies at the local level.

Local Superintendent is the head of education at the local school district. They are hired by the local school board.

National Education Association (NEA) is the largest professional organization and labor union, representing not only public school teachers and related personnel, but also retired educators and college students who wish to become teachers.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is an act which promotes the setting of high standards, as well as the setting and conducting of standardized testing, with a view to develop certain fundamental and core skills, such as basic literacy. Schools are rated in terms of performance, with sanctions imposed against schools that are not performing adequately.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) refers to a formally organized association of parents, who work in conjunction with the school teachers in bringing about changes within the school. PTAs can receive federal funds.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) refers to a locally organized group of parents who work in conjunction with teachers in bringing about changes in a school. PTOs do not receive federal funds.

Privatization refers to the movement away from management by local or state-level government structures, and the move towards management by private individuals or corporations.

Site-based Management/Decision-Making is the process by which all school-related decisions are made at the school level with input from all interested stakeholders. As these decisions are taken by parties who are based at the school, they generally more accurately represent the true needs of the school.

State Board of Education is presided over by the Chief State School Officer and responsible for upholding the state educational legislation is observed.

State Department of Education is the department that channels funds and policy decisions from the governor and the legislature, to local educational authorities.

Title I Federal legislation that makes funds available to improve the educational experiences of children from low income families.

Are there any terms that we missed?

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Teachers, Trending Topics August 1, 2017

The A-Z of Education: Education Law

Click here to view all of the articles in the series.

Code of Ethics refers to an individual’s chosen ethical behavior guidelines, providing direction in the daily activities of his or her chosen profession. This code of ethics assists an individual to make self-satisfactory decisions quickly.

Corporal Punishment is a form of discipline where physical pain is deliberately inflicted to punish, reform, and/or deter unacceptable attitudes or behaviors.

Due Process, in education, refers to laws pertaining specifically to education and mean that fairness should be rendered in all arenas and that teachers’ rights or students’ rights, as individuals, should under no circumstances be violated.

“Free Exercise” Clause is a clause in the U.S. Constitution that reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Liability is the state of being legally obliged and responsible to perform certain actions, whether instructed to or not by an official of a judiciary court.

Procedural Due Process Rights includes the appropriation of specific legal procedures to ensure fair treatment of students.

Religious Freedom is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or religious belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or to follow any religion.

Sexual Harassment, in the context of the school environment, involves unwelcome sexual advances, including sexual remarks, and harassment that is sexual in nature.

Substantive Due Process Rights means that any restrictions imposed on student’s rights must be demonstrated by a valid reason.

Tort Laws are bodies of rights, obligations, and actions applied by courts in civil proceedings during which individuals are found to have been victims of the wrongful actions of others.

Are there any terms that we missed?

How to Write Your Philosophy of Classroom Management and Classroom Management Plan

How the College Life Gives Students an Unreal Sense of Living Expenses

Cyberbullying: Top Six Ways to Prevent Threats

Main Links

Blog

Pedagogue

My Profile

Main Links

Blog

Pedagogue

My Profile

Are you sure you want to delete post?