School board officials often have little or no education background, and they tend to campaign for the jobs on the school board not necessarily to run the local schools, but rather for their own political aspirations, according to an article in the Times Argus, a Vermont newspaper. The author goes on to ask how other professionals, such as doctors would like it if they had to answer to elected community members who had no background in medicine.

It is true that some school board members have ulterior motives and dealing with school boards can be difficult for educators; school boards do have their place. Public educators must remember that parents and the community have a say in their children’s education, and a school board made up of elected officials representing the community is the way they get their say.

Nevertheless, the author is right in stating that the way school boards operate could be better. For example, multi-year funding cycles would take some focus away from yearly funding debates, and put the focus back on classroom needs. And some school boards could do a better job of educating their own members, instead of taking up valuable teacher time to bring the school board members up to speed about the latest and best educational practices. What are your school board experiences?

Everyone at LearningPage would like to express our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. We all share in the sorrow and loss the Virginia Tech community is feeling. Today, we are all Hokies.

Educational games have long made learning fun. But as the author of an article in Tech News World points out, there are certain obstacles to getting educational video games into the classroom. For starters, schools will have to spend money on the gaming systems. Then teachers will need to be trained on how to play and incorporate the game into classroom learning, which will cost time and money. If schools only have enough money to buy either text books or a gaming system, it is easy to figure out which one will win out.

That is not to say there isn’t a place in the future for educational games. While I would still prefer to see kids getting exercise in the park, they are going to play video games. So, having kids play games where they learn more than how to blow things up is certainly a step in the right direction.

More and more, with Reading and Math being the focus of No Child Left Behind high-stakes tests, less and less time is being spent teaching social studies and science in the lower grades. The Center on Education Policy found 71 percent of school systems are reducing instructional time in at least one other subject to make time for more reading and math instruction, according to the Richmond Times Dispatch article.

Now I agree with the premise in the article that an understanding of reading and math is needed to learn social studies and science, but I think is important to teach social studies and science in the early grades too. A foundation of social studies and science must be laid in order for children to excel in later grades. Leveled books and materials that teach reading while also teaching social studies or science might be the best compromise.

Plus, if Senator Kennedy gets his wish, as referenced in an earlier blog post, and NCLB has science and social studies test areas, what is going to get cut to teach these tests?

The most important appreciation week of the year is soon to take place—Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7–11. We all can remember teachers who had a positive influence on our lives. In primary school outside of Janesville, Wisconsin, it was Mrs. Weaver, my first-grade teacher. I had a crush on her and remember her right eye was a different color than her left eye. She was so patient and kind and certainly got me off on the right foot toward reading. I bet she really would be proud knowing that I helped start a publishing company that now delivers reading resources to well over 100,000 teachers around the world. Thanks for the good start, Mrs. Weaver, wherever you are.

Then there was Harry McCool, my seventh grade science teacher in Kokomo, Indiana. Maybe I just liked his cool name. Mr. McCool had a great sense of humor and instilled a sense of wonder and curiosity in me that led to my strong interest in all things related to science. His inspiration directed me to eventually teach middle school science in Rossford, Ohio. So let me take this time to thank teachers, one and all, who inspire, nurture, befriend, and teach. You are integral to what each of us becomes. There is no more important calling.

In recognition of this important week, we at LearningPage are opening up one of our websites each day of Teacher Appreciation Week, for any teacher to download and use whatever resources they wish. Tell your teacher friends to come and enjoy the free resources. The “Open House” schedule is as follows:

• May  7: Reading-Tutors.com
• May  8: Raz-Kids.com
• May  9: ReadingA-Z.com
• May 10: WritingA-Z.com
• May 11: VocabularyA-Z.com

Test scores are up significantly in Illinois, an article in The Beacon News reported recently. Educators in Illinois should feel good about the improved test scores. But detractors argue that changes in the test between 2005 and 2006 and lower passing requirements on the eighth-grade math tests may have contributed to the improvement. Officials say the changes in the test make it fairer, not easier.

It’s hard to say how much, if any, of the improvement might be linked to changes in the tests. But the results bring up a good point. If we are going to ask every student in every state to pass a high-stakes test, and we are basing eligibility for federal funding on those test scores, perhaps we should consider national testing standards.

Thank you to everyone who visits, reads, and comments.