Survey Question Of the Week Each week, Education World readers offer their opinions about a new and timely question of interest to educators. Below are ten of the questions we posed in 2009. Click each question to vote or to see the voting results. Would you be willing to make some concessions in your next teachers’ contract if it meant preventing layoffs? Does your school offer student-led parent conferences? Do you think that today's society places less value on spelling skills? How many of your students’ fathers have been in your school at least once in the past year? Do you think that “national education standards” are a good idea? What do you plan to do when you retire from teaching? How have lunches in your school changed in recent years? Has the length of your students’ normal school day increased in the past three years? How would you describe your school’s handwriting program? What do you think of President Obama’s plan to extend the length of the school year in order to make America more competitive globally? Has your school gone “green?”

What Students Really Think of
Their Education, Teachers
When 414,000 grade 6-12 students speak, educators should listen. A student survey showed that while many students enjoy school and learning, they want their education to be more relevant to their everyday lives.

Cultivating, Running a Great Parent Volunteer Program
Former teacher Rhonda Jones�s book Turning Parents into Volunteers features more than 175 pages of step-by-step instructions, tips, ideas, and forms for creating a successful parent volunteer program. Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Jones.

See Me After Class
New teachers often feel as though they need to do everything right -- and end up feeling as though they�re doing everything wrong. Former first-year teacher Roxanna Elden shares anecdotes and advice from her new book on surviving the first year of teaching.

The �Book Whisperer� Inspires
Kids to Read
Donalyn Miller earned the nickname �The Book Whisperer� because of her almost mystical success getting kids to read -- a lot. Allowing children to choose books, and providing reading role models and time to read are among her strategies.

Enlisting the Community to Promote Achievement
Concerned that many urban students, especially African-American ones, were underachieving in school, Hugh B. Price made community involvement in local schools a focus of his tenure at the National Urban League as well as the subject of a book.

Sports Offer Autistic Kids Physical, Social Benefits
Participation in individual sports, such as martial arts and track and field, can have many benefits for children with autism, according to one neurologist. Children gain confidence and better awareness of their bodies, which can lead to improved communication skills.

Teachers Can Help With the U.S. Census
The U.S. Census provides the federal government with key data that affects local communities, and the Census Bureau wants educators to spread the word about the 2010 head count through lesson plans and teaching materials it has prepared for teachers.

Rafe Esquith on Raising Extraordinary Kids
Parents must be the people they want their children to be. We parents and teachers need to understand that we cannot be in front of a television set and command our kids to go to their rooms and read. Never underestimate the power of a role model.

Principal�s Tough Stand Turns School Around
Frustrated by what he considered low expectations and minimal structure at American Indian Public Charter School, Dr. Ben Chavis set out to reform the school instituting no-nonsense policies regarding attendance, appearance, and instruction. And it worked.

Okay, Grammar Still Isn�t Fun, But Everyone Can Master It
Veteran English teacher Marian Anders wants people to know that when it comes to grammar, it does matter which option you choose, but learning to make the right choice needn�t be the ordeal most people fear it will be.

Ed Heads: The Most Interesting Education News Stories of 2009 Each day, Education World editors post news headlines of interest to educators and others who follow education. Below you will find links to some of the top education stories and most interesting articles from the year 2009. JANUARY 2009 Debating Improves Students' Academics 'Obama Effect' Could Help Minority Students Home-Schooling Numbers Increase Student Troublemaker Who Made Good Honors Disciplinarian Chicago Schools' CEO Named Secretary of Education FEBRUARY 2009 Microsoft Explores Educational Link to Video Games Student Test Scores Unaffected by Teacher-Training Route ESPN Pitching in to Create Sports-Themed High School Kids Who Have Recess Behave Better District Eliminating Substitutes to Save Money MARCH 2009 Music Education Can Help Improve Reading Stand-Up Desks May Improve Attention, Reduce Obesity APRIL 2009 Writing About Values Boosts Kids' Performance U.S. Ed Secretary Says Kids Need More Time in School Massive Teacher Retirements Could Mean Shortages MAY 2009 iPods Help ESL Students Achieve Success Report: Homework Only Helps Older Students Task to Aid Self-Esteem Lifts Grades for Some Inadequate Sleep Linked to Behavior Problems JUNE 2009 Extreme Book Club Pulls Students In Little Girl Gets Big Note from Obama Kids Reap Benefit of Long School Year Schwarzenegger Pushes for Digital Textbooks Suspensions Ineffective in Improving Students' Behavior World Class Schools Focus on Such Skills as Critical Thinking Special-Ed Students Create Bullying Movie Arts Appear to Play Role in Brain Development Next Test: Value of $125,000-a-Year Teachers Kids With ADHD Need to Fidget JULY 2009 Virtual College Tours Offer Low-Cost Campus Snapshots More Schools Consider Extending Class Time CDC: 1 in 7 Preschoolers Obese Schools Cracking Down on 'Sexting' Achievement Gap Narrows: The Nation's Report Card Student's Compelling Letter Earns $72,000 of Equipment Technology Helped Boost Student Achievement, Study Shows Healthy Lunch Might Improve Student Behavior AUGUST 2009 SAT Scores Show Disparities by Race, Gender, Family Income Kindergarten Crunch: Lack of Playtime Killing Joy of Learning Teachers Spending More Personal Funds on Classrooms Educators Consider New Federal Guide on Math Intervention Middle School Faculty Making House Calls Schools Get Tougher on Student Cellphone Use School Nurses in Short Supply In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History Program Teaches Low-Income Kids to Dance 'Obama Effect' at School: Black Parents Volunteer, Expect More SEPTEMBER 2009 Schools Look Abroad to Hire Teachers School Bans Bracelet Used in Sex Game Million Father March: Dads Take Children to First Day of School Changing Face of Principals: Hires Are Younger, Less Experienced The Secret of School Success OCTOBER 2009 OMG! Teachers Say Texting Can Be Good for Teens Schools Step Up Web Safety Instruction Is There a Scientific Way to Predict Who'll Be a Good Teacher? It's a Fork, It's a Spoon, It's a ... Weapon? Fitness a Priority with Schools' Standardized PE Justice O�Connor Shares Games That Teach About Government College Guarantees Teacher Graduates Will Be Ready NOVEMBER 2009 Students Acing Yoga Playtime's the Thing Handhelds Replace Pencil-and-Paper Students Paying 'Rap' Attention to Lessons Schools' Conservation Contest Yields Big Savings White House Campaign Promotes Science and Math Education Bill Would Hang Up School Bus Drivers' Phones School District Looks to Ban Teachers' Pets Exercise Balls Get Education Rolling Teaching Girls to Tinker Are Schools Preparing Students for 21st Century Learning? Visit our Education World News Headlines Archive for more headlines from 2009.