ELL teachers need to be ready for intensive intervention for students who are having problems, according to a new Department of Education report. It’s better not to wait until students can speak English before testing them in beginning English reading skills. The report even states that students having the most difficulty should have their progress monitored either once or twice a week. Mary Ann Zehr, in her EdWeek blog, says that the best part of the report is the offering of solutions that give real-world scenarios and potential answers for what ELL teachers will face in the classroom.

That’s why all of the Learning A–Z websites include assessments such as benchmark books, comprehension quizzes, worksheets, graphic organizers, and more.

As I peruse news stories from around the world thanks to the Internet, I’m always a little surprised to see the same education stories and struggles across the globe. Take Australia for example; Australia is struggling with keeping teachers from leaving because of low pay and salary ceilings. The Australian federal government is considering a plan that would pay one-time bonuses dependent on student test scores, but the Australian Education Union (AEU) has a different plan, according to a News.com.au article.

The AEU wants to create several tiers of teachers, and raise pay according to education, professional development, and teaching experience. "Teachers would be assessed by an independent and fair process and rewarded through salary increases, not one-off cash bonuses," the pay proposal states. "Teachers would be required to demonstrate how their teaching experience and professional development is contributing to the improvement of educational outcomes for students."

The AEU plan makes more sense than the bonuses because it is not fair to pay on test scores. Not all teachers are on equal footing. Teachers at schools with more higher-income students will generally have higher student test scores than those who teach in lower-income areas. However, if a plan that determines the success of teachers in all types of classroom can be created, not only would it be fairer, perhaps there would be more incentive for teachers to stay. As Pat Byrne, president of the AEU puts it, teacher pay should be, "about recognizing our experienced teachers and improving their working conditions to make sure they want to stay in the classroom."

Writing instruction is becoming a hot topic in short order. I read it in the literature, I hear about it at conferences and from the many teachers I speak with on a regular basis. I believe much of the heightened interest is being fueled by the need to better prepare kids for the writing component on their high-stakes tests. Many Reading A–Z users and other educators have urged us to do more for writing and, as a result, we have created our newest website for differentiated instruction, Writing A–Z.

We are proud of Writing A–Z and everything the website offers. If you have never visited, Writing A–Z has all the resources you need to teach K–6 lessons on the writing process with student handouts at four different levels of writing development, writing skills lessons, and loads of other writing tools and resources. Lessons follow common writing process steps and reinforce the six traits + 1 of writing. Prior to our official launch of the website on July 19, we are offering a low introductory price of $9.99 to $19.99 (depending on the license type required). After the 19th, the price goes up to the regular subscription rate.

I know I have my bias (on top of all my excitement), but if I were teaching today as an elementary educator required to teach a writing component, I would certainly want a subscription to Writing A–Z. And if I could purchase a subscription for less than $20 for the full year, I would jump on it. And, oh I almost forgot to mention, just as with Reading A–Z, new resources are added each month. Talk to your principal and get it for all the teachers in your school.

The domino affect from school cuts has begun in Massachusetts, and the fallout is no fun, according to a recent Boston.com news story. The biggest hits are to after-school programs, but the lack of funds is trickling down and cutting into programs for athletics, music, and school repair. Of course the ones hurt the most by the cuts are the children.

Losing after-school funding also creates a larger divide between the haves and the have-nots of society. In more affluent areas, parents who have disposable income can use that income to help pay for after-school programs. But in less-affluent areas, parents just do not have the money for after-school programs.

And the divide is unfortunate because after-school athletics, band, and clubs are important for building pride, community, and teamwork. Education is not just about reading and math. It is also about how we work together to get along in the world. These after-school activities can do a world of good.

The goal of school should not be to create a generation of automatons who can pass high-stakes tests, but to create individuals who can best put their own individual talents to work. The best musician has just as much to add to society as the best engineer, but if we cut funding for the band, we cut the opportunity for the child who one day would have grown up to be that great musician.

I would like to wish Paul Vallas and the Recovery School District of New Orleans all the luck in the world in creating a model school system for the 21st Century. New Orleans schools already had all the hurdles every big school district with a large population of low-income students before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the area. But the Recovery School District made a great hire in Vallas. He’s successfully managed districts in Chicago and Philadelphia, and now he has the tough assignment of helping to rebuild New Orleans, according to a recent E-School News article.

On a more personal note, I am proud of the way Reading A–Z has helped in the educational recovery from the two devastating hurricanes. Reading A–Z offered free and discounted subscriptions not only to New Orleans, but also to many districts that took in refugees across Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and other states. Free Reading A–Z books are a small step in a huge recovery, but it was the least we could do to help.