In a case of a little mistake turning into a major kerfuffle, the Chicago Public Schools system was left apologizing to families for sending an email with a link to an erotic Web site.
According to CBS Chicago, the email was intended to inform parents of changes that are being made to a standardized test administered by the state of Illinois. The email contained a link to the state board of education’s Web site. However, rather than starting the URL with ISBE (an acronym for Illinois State Board of Education), the URL read, “ISBEL…” That link directed parents to ISBEL.com, a site that touts “Sex and Sensuality Illuminated.”
The mistake was discovered, and an apology was issued.

“The pressures in systems in the North is to compete to ensure more and more learners are succeeding in acquiring higher order learning skills as articulated in cross-national tests like PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS.” — Brahm Fleisch
The North-South or Rich-Poor Divide is the socio-economic and political division...


One of the first things I talk about in my written expression class is the importance of using verbs to show action. We usually begin with describing what a...

It's time to enhance descriptive writing with visual art. Try this K3 lesson:
Materials you need would be small pictures of animals/ people, places or things, colored pencil/crayons, white paper, construction paper, lined paper or worksheet, pencil, glue and scissors.
...It is imperative that children learn to take notes and organize their thoughts and facts before, during, and after their reading and writing. You may choose to use some of these organizers and planners the way they are presented.
Perhaps you can add some artistic expression as well. Just cut, glue and embellish! You will undoubtedly be amazed by the presentation when we allow children to transpose their graphics into visual writing. The skills and objectives will be learned with...
When you’re in the classroom, are you really there? When a student asks you a question, are you really listening? When collaborating with other teachers on lesson plans, are you truly present?
Of course, you say. I’m in the classroom; I’m with the student; I’m at the meeting. But what I am referring are your mental energies, your awareness, your attention. In this age of technological distraction, it’s so easy to get side-tracked, to lose focus. And with...
Center time has just started in Miss Shipley’s Kindergarten classroom. The environment is bright, engaging, and buzzing with curiosity and “play”. Children are choosing what dress-up clothes to put on, building towers as high as they can, and listening to stories that build on the curriculum they are learning that week. Miss Shipley and a volunteer/teacher’s aide are getting a round table and horseshoe table...


R.L. 2.1- Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
We always begin the year with asking questions (who, what, where, when, why and how?) and I start with a tactile experience. This ELA standard has been a foundational standard for my...